Chapter 1

We had been together for seven years. One second, my girlfriend was accepting my marriage proposal.

The next, she was announcing her engagement to a famous actor on every social media platform.

The announcement photo was a steamy magazine cover they had shot together.

The picture was pure heat, their bodies tangled in an intimate embrace.

I couldn't stop myself from confronting her, but her reply was cold.

"It's a fake engagement, just for publicity. It's my job."

"Can you stop being so unreasonable?"

I stared at the ring I had just put on her finger, my heart turning to ash.

Two engagements. It didn't matter anymore which one was real and which was fake.

It was time to stop trying to patch up a love that was already broken.

I laughed, a bitter sound in the empty room. I pulled the ring from my own finger and tossed it onto the nightstand.

On the screen, I could clearly see Nina Vance's hands intertwined with Jace Ryder's.

Their skin was pressed together, their poses intimate, and their eyes held a smoldering, unspoken promise.

Nina and I had been together for seven years. Forget a pose like that; she wouldn't even hold my hand without wearing gloves.

She said she had mysophobia, a crippling fear of germs and physical contact.

I understood. I was patient. I even found it charming, a unique part of who she was.

To support her, I gave up a high-paying job to be the man behind the star.

I did her laundry, cooked her meals, and handled every little detail of her life.

I even worked as her personal assistant on set, managing everything for her.

But now... what the hell was this?

The next entertainment news segment auto-played on my phone.

In the video, Nina was nestled against Jace's shoulder, smiling sweetly for the camera.

"We actually went to the same university. He was a couple of years behind me."

"We've known each other for a long time. And slowly... we developed feelings."

"It feels like a natural progression, moving on to the next stage of our lives together."

Jace wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned in to kiss her cheek, his eyes full of adoration. "We hope everyone will give us their blessing."

Usually, if I even leaned in too close to talk to her, she would instinctively flinch and pull away.

But here she was, calmly accepting a kiss from Jace. She even looked like she was enjoying it.

I let out another self-mocking laugh and canceled the dinner reservation I’d made for tonight.

I had picked the perfect romantic restaurant to celebrate our engagement.

Looks like that wasn't necessary anymore.