Chapter 1

I knew Olivia Hayes didn' t love me, and I had always known. But for five years, I held onto a sliver of hope that one day, she would turn around and see me standing there.

Tonight was my birthday, and it was also our fifth wedding anniversary.

I sat alone in the vast, empty dining room of our villa, the specially prepared dishes growing cold on the table. I had been waiting since six in the evening, and now, the clock on the wall showed it was nearly ten. She still wasn't home.

This wasn't unusual, in the five years of our marriage, she had never once come home on time.

My phone remained silent on the table, not a single call or text from her. I had sent her a message in the afternoon, gently reminding her not to be late tonight. She never replied.

I wasn't a demanding person, and I had never asked for much. But this day was special. It was the day I was born, a day I had almost forgotten until I met her. She was the one who insisted on celebrating it, saying that everyone deserves to feel special on their birthday. Back then, her concern felt like a warm current, but now, it felt more like a restraint, a rule she set that she herself never followed.

Just as I was about to clear the table, my phone buzzed. A news notification popped up on the screen. It was from a major entertainment outlet, and the headline was explosive.

"Renowned Artist Olivia Hayes Appears at Charity Gala with New Flame, Confesses He is Her True Soulmate."

My fingers trembled as I clicked on the notification. A short video clip loaded, showing a brightly lit event hall. Olivia, stunning in a custom-made gown, was standing next to a handsome young man, Liam. He looked strikingly similar to her deceased childhood sweetheart. They held hands, and Olivia looked at him with a tenderness I had never seen in her eyes when she looked at me. A reporter asked if this was her new boyfriend. Olivia smiled, a radiant, happy smile, and said, "He is not just my boyfriend, he is my soulmate, the one I have been waiting for my entire life."

The article below the video detailed how Olivia had just purchased a limited-edition sports car worth forty million dollars for Liam. It was his birthday gift. The same day as mine.

A peal of thunder rumbled outside, shaking the glass windows. The world outside was dark and stormy, just like the feeling inside my chest.

Forty million for her soulmate' s birthday, and not even a text message for her husband' s. The contrast was so sharp it felt like a physical blow. The hope I had clung to for five years shattered into a million pieces.

I looked at the single, unlit candle on the small cake I had bought for myself. It was a pathetic sight. All these years, I had been living a lie, a joke. I was nothing more than a convenient shield, a placeholder.

With a deep breath, I picked up a lighter. The small flame danced to life, casting a flickering light on my face. I looked at my reflection in the dark window, a man who looked tired and foolish.

"Happy birthday, Ethan," I whispered to myself.

I blew out the candle. The small wisp of smoke curled upwards and vanished, just like my love for her. It was gone. I couldn't love her anymore.