Chapter 1

1

I went to the lounge to pick up my drunk best friend.

But in the private suite next door, I saw my boyfriend passionately kissing another woman.

The same man who, just this morning, told me he would love me forever.

By nightfall, he was flirting with a stranger in a dark corner of a bar.

Later, people would mock him behind his back.

Sia Thompson's baby was already a month old, and yet Lucas Harrison still couldn't let her go.

...

My best friend, Stella, had a rough night after a bad breakup and called me to come get her.

When I arrived at the lounge, Stella was leaning against the corridor wall, so wasted she could barely stand.

The moment she saw me, she threw her arms around me and wailed, "Sia, men are all trash! Every single one of them!"

Hearing her, I actually tried to defend my boyfriend. "That's not entirely true, Stella. Lucas is great. Don't let one bad guy ruin the whole bunch for you."

Stella looked at me like I was the most naive person on the planet. "You are such a hopeless romantic. You should check up on him, Sia. You've been with Lucas for ten years and he still hasn't proposed. Are you sure there isn't someone else? Don't be a fool."

I shook my head, ready to defend Lucas again, but just then, a server pushed open the door to the suite right next to us. My eyes instinctively drifted toward the opening, and I froze.

I saw a man and a woman locked in a desperate, breathless kiss.

I tried to look away out of politeness, but then it hit me. The man's profile looked exactly like my boyfriend, who was supposed to be on a business trip.

He was shielding the woman's face, so I couldn't see who she was.

"No, it can't be," I whispered to myself.

Lucas was in Chicago for work. I had even called him this afternoon to check in. There was no way he could be here.

But my heart started racing, pounding against my ribs like a trapped bird.

Stella noticed I had stopped moving and followed my gaze. She pointed a shaky finger at the suite and gasped. "Wait, Sia? Isn't that Lucas? Am I seeing things?"

The moment I heard her say his name, my heart turned to ice.

I still didn't want to believe it. I pulled out my phone and dialed Lucas's number.

I watched the couple in the room, still lost in their own world.

Then, the man pulled a phone out of his jacket pocket. When he saw the caller ID, he frowned, looking visibly annoyed.

The woman wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him back in as if she couldn't wait another second.

The man ignored the call and tossed his phone onto the velvet sofa.

I watched the light on his screen fade, and at that exact moment, my call was disconnected.

The world seemed to tilt. I stumbled back, my shoulder hitting the cold wall.

The man in there, devouring another woman, was indeed my boyfriend, Lucas Harrison.

Stella started rolling up her sleeves, her eyes blazing. "That son of a bitch. I'm going in there to tear them both apart."

I grabbed her arm and shook my head.

I had been with Lucas for ten years. He was my entire world, the person I was most afraid to lose.

If I walked in there now, it would only lead to a humiliation I wasn't ready to face.