Chapter 2

2

I was at the mall with my assistant, scouting locations for my new immersive gaming experience, when I saw a familiar figure.

It looked exactly like my sweet little girlfriend.

I even recognized the dress. It was a piece I had bought for her myself.

But I told myself it couldn't be Sienna.

The figure was standing on a stage in the mall atrium, right in the middle of a heated "Couples' Kissing Challenge."

Sienna was the type of girl who blushed if I even kissed her forehead. She wouldn't be at such a public, provocative event.

Besides, I was her boyfriend, and I wasn't the one on that stage with her.

I rubbed my temples, thinking I was just overworked and seeing things.

Then, my assistant's voice broke the silence.

"Mr. Sterling, that girl on stage... it looks a lot like Miss Wells."

Before the words fully landed, the girl turned around. The face that greeted me was unmistakably hers.

It really was Sienna.

Except she was standing next to a much younger man.

My assistant immediately went silent, sensing the tension.

My brows furrowed as I stormed up onto the stage and grabbed her wrist.

"Sienna, what are you doing? Are you just here watching the show with a friend?"

Sienna looked at me, surprised but not guilty. She actually patted her chest with a confident smile.

"Silas! What are you doing here? Jasper and I are here to win the grand prize!"

She said it so casually. She was here with another man for a kissing contest, and she didn't see the problem.

A wave of cold fury washed over me, threatening to drown my sanity.

I tried to pull her off the stage.

"Stop this nonsense, Sienna. I'm your boyfriend, and you're here to kiss another guy for a show?"

"We're getting married in two days. Do you really think this is okay?"

The air around us went still. The audience below was staring at us like they were watching a reality TV drama.

But Sienna dug her heels in, biting her lip and looking annoyed.

"Silas, don't overthink it. Jasper is just a good friend."

"The contestant list is locked. The organizers said no substitutions, or we're disqualified. I've wanted that limited edition designer plushie for forever."

A deathly silence followed her words.

I stared into her eyes, looking for a trace of the girl I knew.

On her other side, I felt the younger man's burning gaze.

I knew right then that their relationship was anything but "just friends."

As the timer for the next round started, Sienna frantically pushed me toward the stairs.

"Don't be a buzzkill, Silas. It'll be over in minutes. If it bothers you that much, just turn around and don't watch."

"Or I'll make it up to you and kiss you twice as much when we get home, okay?"

She let go of my hand and ran back to the center of the stage.

I stood in the crowd, watching my "sweet" girlfriend get intimate with her "good friend." It felt like a jagged blade was slowly carving up my heart.

The pain was unbearable.

On stage, Sienna boldly wrapped her arms around the guy's neck and giggled.

"Jasper, close your eyes and kiss me," she whispered loud enough for the mic to catch.

Jasper ran his fingers through her hair. He smirked, his eyes finding mine in the crowd with pure provocation.

The next second, their lips met.

I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white. My nails dug into my palms until they bled.

The host and the crowd cheered, but my heart was sinking into a dark, frozen abyss.