Chapter 1

1

My best friend's husband just got caught red-handed.

She was sobbing her heart out to me, telling me how much she envied the ten years of 'true love' between me and Zach.

But the very next second, I heard the unmistakable sounds of heavy breathing and moaning coming from the room next door.

I had listened to that voice for ten years.

I would recognize it even if he were turned to ash.

The last model couple in our social circle had officially collapsed.

Later, I had a handsome man by my side and a beautiful family.

Meanwhile, he became nothing more than a laughingstock among our friends.

"Zoe already has two kids, and some people are still obsessed with their first love," they would mock.

...

It was Valentine's Day, and I hadn't even finished work when I got a call from my best friend, Jade.

She was hyperventilating on the other end of the line, begging me to come help her.

I rushed to the address she gave me, only to find it was a high-end hotel.

The plot was a cliché: a failing marriage, an affair, and a confrontation.

I followed Jade as she kicked the door open.

We watched as her husband rolled around on the bed with some young, soft-skinned girl, both of them drenched in sweat.

Jade's husband and the mistress were terrified by our sudden entrance.

They knelt at Jade's feet, crying and begging for forgiveness.

Jade coldly took photos of them and told them to get the hell out.

But the moment those two trashy people left the room, Jade couldn't keep up her strong front anymore.

She collapsed onto the floor, wailing.

"Ten years! It's been ten years!"

"Everyone else we know has gotten divorced or broken up. I thought he and I would grow old together, but I never thought it would end like this..."

Watching my heartbroken friend, I felt a sharp pang in my own chest.

We were college roommates and had been as close as sisters for four years.

When we graduated, the four of us in our dorm all married the men we loved.

Back then, it was a beautiful story everyone talked about.

Now, ten years later, the other two couples had already divorced.

Everything had changed.

I didn't expect today's ending to be even more brutal.

I knew Jade had given him her whole heart, which was why she was in so much pain now.

Jade grabbed my hand, her face stained with tears.

"Zoe, out of the four of us, only you and Zach are left."

"I'm so jealous of you. You found a husband who loves you so much. You guys have to make it to the end!"

"Your ten-year love story is the only hope I have left in romance..."

I reached out and patted her shoulder, offering silent comfort.

Zach and I were indeed the couple everyone envied.

I'm a slow-burn person, and in the beginning, Zach was the one who chased me relentlessly.

He would show up at my classes every day, sitting next to me and staring without even blinking.

He would stand outside my dorm for an entire day just to see me for a minute.

He would call me in the middle of the night, crying and asking why I didn't like him back.

Zach came from a wealthy family and was incredibly handsome; he was the golden boy on campus.

Back then, I came from a poor background.

I had the reputation of being the 'Ice Queen' of the law department, but inside, I was deeply insecure.

Finally, after being pursued for so long, I asked him a question.

"Zach, there are so many girls at this school. Why won't you leave me alone?"

That afternoon, under the scorching summer sun, Zach did something bold for the first time.

He grabbed my waist and kissed me right on the chin, not caring who saw.

"Zoe! I just like girls like you!"

I admit, at that moment, my heart skipped a beat.

That boyish devotion made me fall for him completely.

Zach and I started dating, and after graduation, it was only natural that we got married.

We had been together for ten years now.