Chapter 1

I went hiking to catch the sunrise, only to stumble upon my girlfriend being intimate with her childhood best friend.

When I confronted her, she spoke with a chilling indifference.

"His grandmother is dying and wants to see a great-grandchild before she goes. Once I finish this fake wedding with him and have the baby, I'll officially marry you."

Just last month, my own grandmother mentioned she wanted to see me settled down with a family.

Back then, Elena told me not to use moral blackmail on her.

In our ten years together, I had proposed countless times.

Each time, she rejected me, claiming the timing wasn't right.

If this were the old me, I would have started a massive screaming match.

But this time, I simply nodded with a calm expression.

"That's fine. Since you're so committed to the act, you might as well make it real. Just remember to invite me when you two actually sign the marriage license."

1

Elena Brooks didn't even bother putting her coat back on before she slapped me hard across the face.

"Lucas Miller, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you seriously not trust me?"

She didn't hold back. My cheek felt hot and numb.

I looked into Elena's eyes, searching for even a hint of guilt or panic.

There was none. She looked at me as if I were the one in the wrong.

Silas Blackwood draped his jacket over Elena's shoulders and gave me a timid, cautious look.

"It's all my fault, Lucas. If I had any other friends, I wouldn't have bothered Elena for help."

"If you're really that upset, I'll go tell my grandmother the truth right now. I'll stop seeing Elena entirely. I never meant to ruin your relationship."

I let out a cold laugh.

Elena glared at me, her voice dripping with warning. "Lucas, don't you dare insult the pure friendship I have with Silas."

Then, she turned to comfort Silas in a soft voice.

"Ignore him, Silas. He's just a lapdog who's been following me for ten years. He could never bring himself to leave me."

I never imagined ten years of devotion would be summarized as being a lapdog who couldn't be shaken off.

My lip twitched as I couldn't help but sneer. "Pure friendship? Right. A friendship that involves being intimate to conceive a child?"

What kind of best friend helps someone have a baby like that?

Elena couldn't handle the sarcasm and tried to lung at me again.

However, Silas caught her from behind, holding her back.

"Elena, don't. Let's just get out of here, okay? I'm starting to get cold."

She stopped moving, worried she might make him trip.

Once she was sure he was steady, she barked an order at me.

"Lucas, take off your jacket and give it to Silas."

Silas leaned against Elena's shoulder. Out of her line of sight, he flashed me a mocking, triumphant grin.

I looked down and saw Elena's own coat lying crumpled on the ground.

It was damp with a visible wet patch.

Elena was certain I wouldn't refuse her. She turned back to Silas, her voice full of affection.

"I told you it would be freezing this early in the morning. Why did you insist on coming out to the woods?"

"The holistic specialist said the excitement of the outdoors would help with conception. I just want to get pregnant quickly so we can have the baby and I can get back to my life with Lucas."

Elena playfully poked Silas's chest. "You're such a handful."

When she looked back at me, her face hardened into a mask of impatience.

"Lucas, Silas is doing this for our future. I'm warning you, stop making a scene, or we aren't getting married at all."

I didn't get angry. Instead, I chuckled and shrugged my shoulders.

"Fine then. Don't get married to me. I genuinely wish you two the best."

I walked right past them, heading toward the peak of the mountain.

The sun was going to rise in thirty minutes. I didn't want to miss it.

"You..."

Maybe I was being too cold, because Elena seemed to sense something was wrong.

She hesitated, looking like she wanted to reach out and stop me.

Silas let out a perfectly timed sneeze and let go of her arm. He gave her a look that said, "Go ahead and comfort him."

Elena immediately put me out of her mind. She took off her jacket to give it back to Silas, and they started walking down the mountain together.