Chapter 1

I spent five years in a long-distance relationship with my boyfriend. I stayed by his side through his darkest times and helped him beat his depression.

He always told me he loved me more than anything. He said I was his entire world.

But he was also the one who kicked a tooth out of my mouth. He was the one who led the gang that bullied me.

Later, I turned that broken tooth into a necklace. I gave it to him as a gift for our first face-to-face meeting.

His face went pale, and his whole body shook as he fell to his knees. He begged for my forgiveness, sobbing that he didn't know it was me.

1.

"You've pissed off the wrong person."

The guy in the black tactical jacket stood in the center of the crowd. His dark eyes were full of malice as he stared me down. His voice was cold, cutting through the air like a blade.

"You little bitch, who gave you the right to take Jade's top spot?"

One of his lackeys kicked me hard in the stomach. The force sent me flying, and I collapsed onto the cold pavement. Pain flared through my gut, making my face turn ghost-white.

As soon as I heard the name "Jade," everything clicked. Yesterday, the university released the midterm results. I had ranked first in the class, and Jade Jansen had come in second.

She had always hated me. This wasn't the first time she'd sent people to harass me. The only difference was that this time, she wasn't here herself.

"Are you Jade's people?" I choked out the words, clutching my stomach.

"Heh, do you even know who this is?" A skinny guy pointed at the leader in the middle. "This is Jade's older brother, Chase Jansen. Messing with her means messing with him. You're dead today!"

The name Chase Jansen hit me like a physical blow. My heart stopped for a second. My online boyfriend had the exact same name.

Was it a coincidence, or was he really my Chase? I scrambled to pull out my phone. I tapped the pinned contact named "Chase" and started a voice call.

A second later, a ringtone echoed from the guy's pocket. He pulled out his phone, and the cold aggression in his eyes vanished. It was replaced by a look of pure, melting tenderness.

I was paralyzed with shock. It was him. Chase Jansen, the man I had loved for five years. Just as he was about to answer, I cut the call.

He immediately started typing, his fingers flying across the screen. "Babe, what's wrong? Is it an emergency? You have to tell me if something's up." My phone buzzed in my pocket with the notification.

My heart turned to ice. I never imagined my perfect boyfriend would be this monster. Before today, he was my hero, my gentle soul. I had loved him more than life itself.

"Finish her," Chase said, putting his phone away. His eyes turned back to stone, cold and merciless. His lackeys didn't hesitate.

One of them grabbed my hair and slapped me across the face several times. I tried to fight back, to scream his name, but I couldn't find my voice. Then, Chase stepped forward and kicked me squarely in the face.

A blinding pain exploded in my jaw. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth instantly. I felt a tooth come loose, rattling against my tongue.

The force was incredible. He had literally kicked a tooth out of my head. I lay on the ground, gasping for air, feeling like I was dying. I coughed, spitting out a glob of blood and the white tooth onto the dirt.

"Hahaha! Look, Chase! She lost a tooth!" The guys around me were howling with laughter. Chase didn't laugh; his expression remained chillingly indifferent.

He crouched down in front of me, his long fingers pinching my chin hard. "Consider this a warning," he whispered, his voice low and dangerous. "If you ever mess with my sister again, I'll make sure you regret being born."

Then, he shoved my head away like I was nothing but a piece of trash.