Chapter 1

1

Logan and I had been in a cold war for ten days.

On that tenth day, he posted a photo kissing his first love, Chloe, on his feed.

I quietly submitted my transfer application to study far away.

At our graduation party, he held Chloe's hand with careless ease, his eyes brimming with love for her.

A friend hesitated before asking: "What about Piper? She loves you so much, and you two were about to get married."

Logan curled his lip in amusement.

"She was just a substitute. Now that Chloe is back, it is time to switch brides."

Yet when I returned the engagement ring and vanished from his life, he completely lost his mind trying to find me.

Years later, seeing me holding my husband's hand while picking out baby clothes, his eyes turned bloodshot.

"Piper, please come back to me, okay?"

……

The tenth day of our cold war happened to be our third anniversary.

I saw a new update on his social feed.

It was a photo of him passionately kissing his first love, Chloe.

Seeing the deep tenderness in his eyes when he looked at her, the heavy weight in my chest finally dropped.

I quietly submitted my transfer application.

Staring at the words "Submission Successful" on the screen, mixed feelings flooded my heart.

Just then, my friend brought over the custom cake I had ordered.

She placed her hand on my forehead and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt my fever had broken.

Then, she noticed the submitted application on my laptop.

"Did Logan finally agree to leave with you?" she asked in surprise.

"I knew it! You two are so in love and about to get married."

I shook my head.

Meeting her bewildered gaze, I said calmly, "I only submitted mine. I am going alone."

My friend froze, staring at me as if looking at a total stranger.

I could not blame her for looking at me that way.

For the past three years, my entire world had revolved around Logan.

Anything he disliked, I never touched.

Looking at the cake in her hands, I took it after a brief hesitation.

It was time to bring a final closure to everything between Logan and me.

Seeing me get ready to head out, my friend hesitated to speak.

In the end, she sighed softly. "Put on an extra layer. You just recovered, so do not get sick again."

I smiled and nodded.

I wrapped my coat tightly around myself and walked toward Logan's dorm with the cake box.

Halfway there, a laughing kid ran past and crashed straight into me.

Caught off guard, I dropped the box, and the cake smashed onto the pavement.

The kid paused, made a silly face at me, and slipped into the crowd.

Staring at the ruined cake, a sudden wave of grief washed over me.

Instinctively, I pulled out my phone to call Logan.

Yet through the moving crowd, I caught sight of him.

Next to him stood a girl in a white dress.

Her facial features resembled mine, though her lines were softer and gentler.

In an instant, I recognized her as Chloe, the girl he had locked in his heart for years.

She held an ice cream cone, her cheeks turning rosy at whatever Logan whispered to her.

She shyly lowered her head.

With infinite tenderness, Logan reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Then, he gently pressed a kiss onto her forehead.

In that single moment, my entire world fell dead silent.

I watched them vanish into the crowd as a sharp pain spread through my chest.

My tears finally spilled over, dropping onto the smashed cake at my feet.

Under the puzzled stares of passersby, I cried while trembling, scooping the ruined cake back into the box.

A bystander could not bear to watch and said, "Miss, it is completely ruined. If you really want one, just buy another."