Chapter 1

I was the tenth man Sierra Langston kept by her side, and I was the one who lasted the longest.

Everyone in Chicago whispered that the only reason she was with me was because of the beauty mark under my right eye.

It was in the exact same spot as the one her late lover had.

I didn't believe in fate, so I had the mark surgically removed.

That day, she flew into a blind rage and kicked me out of the Langston estate.

She even threw out a cold warning: "From now on, I never want to see Caspian Vance in this city again."

Heartbroken, I left Chicago on my own.

But later, she was the one kneeling, begging me to come home.

1.

On our fifth wedding anniversary, I finally had the beauty mark under my right eye removed.

I was holding a Lego set I had spent three months preparing, my heart racing with excitement.

The people around her always mocked me, saying, "Sierra doesn't love you. You're just a placeholder because that mark is identical to Gideon Cole's!"

I refused to believe them because Sierra treated me so well.

"You're finally back..."

The moment I pushed the door open, I heard Sierra's voice.

She was sitting on the sofa, but she stopped mid-sentence, her eyes locking onto the corner of my eye.

Before I could say a word, she rushed over and grabbed my jaw with a tight grip.

"Where is your beauty mark?"

Her eyes were burning with a terrifying fury.

My heart tightened. Was she really only with me because of that tiny spot?

No... that couldn't be true!

"I had it removed. I didn't think it looked good―"

Before I could finish, a sharp sting exploded across my face as she slapped me.

The woman who hit me was Sierra, my wife of five years.

"How dare you remove that mark?"

She screamed, her face as dark as a thundercloud.

My chest ached with a dull, throbbing pain. I couldn't accept that she was only with me for a shadow of another man.

"Sierra, are you really only with me because of that mark?"

She grabbed my face again, her long nails nearly piercing my skin.

"Yes," she answered without a second of hesitation.

"If it weren't for that mark being exactly like Gideon's, I would have dumped you years ago!"

"Caspian Vance, you can get the hell out now. I have no use for you anymore."

It felt like the blood in my veins had turned to ice.

This was impossible to wrap my head around.

We had been so happy all these years.

She had learned to cook for me, made my favorite desserts, and always replied to my texts instantly.

If I didn't respond right away, she would rush home just to check on me because she was afraid something had happened.

I didn't want to believe that such a wonderful woman had only seen a ghost when she looked at me.

"Mr. Harrison, throw him out."

"I don't want to see his face ever again," Sierra added, her voice chillingly cold.

With a loud crash, the Lego set I had worked on for months hit the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces.

It felt like a metaphor for the end of our life together.

Only thirty minutes ago, she had sent me a text.

It said, "Cas, I cooked a whole feast myself and ordered your favorite cake. Hurry home so we can celebrate our five-year anniversary."

But now, she looked at me with nothing but disgust.

It was as if the woman from the text wasn't the same person standing in front of me.

Or rather, it was as if the woman I knew for the last five years was a complete lie.

The person I was seeing today was the real Sierra Langston.