Chapter 1

On the eve of our wedding, I heard a conversation between my fiancé and my ex-boyfriend on the dashcam.

My fiancé admitted that his relentless three-year pursuit of me was solely to clear the path for my adopted sister to be with my ex. His desperation to marry me was just to ensure that their upcoming wedding went off without a hitch.

My entire family believed his scheme was flawless, assuming I would docilely spend the rest of my life married to Julian Foster.

Little did they know, I had a splendid little show prepared for both of their weddings.

On the way to meet with our wedding planners, my fiancé, Julian Foster, received a phone call.

Hanging up, he pulled the car over to the curb. "Nicole, an important client happens to be at a restaurant nearby. I need to pop in and see him. Wait for me in the car, alright? I'll be right back."

I nodded, not thinking much of it. "Go ahead. I'll call the planners to reschedule."

He tousled my hair, stepped out of the car, and walked toward the restaurant on the corner.

I waited for quite a while, but he didn't return.

Suddenly, a prompt popped up on the dashcam screen:

[Storage full. Older footage will be overwritten automatically.]

This Maybach was Julian's daily driver; he drove it to the office and to see clients.

Worried that something vital might be erased by mistake, I casually tapped into the folders and began scrolling through past clips.

When I stumbled upon one particular recording, I froze.

Sitting in the passenger seat was none other than Sebastian Vance—my ex-boyfriend, whom I hadn't seen in four years.

Sebastian and Julian were friends, so his presence in the car wasn't entirely abnormal.

Yet curiosity got the better of me. Wondering what the two of them could possibly be discussing, I hit play.

In the video, Sebastian spoke first. "Thanks for everything four years ago."

Julian let out a soft chuckle. "What's there to thank me for? It was all for Chloe's happiness. As long as you treat her well, it's worth it."

I went numb.

He was talking about Chloe Miller, my adopted sister.

What were they talking about? What was he thanking him for?

And what did he mean by "for Chloe's happiness"?

Were Julian and Chloe that close?

He had never once mentioned it to me.

Chloe was an adopted daughter of the Shaw family.

Her father had originally been my father's chauffeur. Years ago, he died in a car crash while protecting my parents, leaving her behind as an orphan. Racked with guilt, my father brought her into our home and raised her as his own.

From that day on, the Shaw family gained a second young mistress—and lost any place for me.

The recording lapsed into silence for a moment before Sebastian asked out of the blue, "You have feelings for Chloe too, don't you?"

Julian gazed out the window, remaining silent for a long time.

Just when I thought he would deny it, he spoke.

"I do have feelings for Chloe. But she chose you. As long as she lives a happy life, I'm willing to spend the rest of mine with Nicole Shaw, making sure she never gets in the way of your lives."

A violent buzz exploded in my head. I replayed the words mentally to make sure my ears weren't playing tricks on me.

Julian actually had feelings for Chloe?!

Four years ago, on the eve of my engagement to Sebastian, I caught him in bed with Chloe.

Seizing the opportunity, he called off the engagement, claiming he had fallen in love with her.

Sebastian had been the only light in the darkest days of my youth.

Unable to bear the devastation, I went up to the rooftop on the twenty-eighth floor, all alone.

It was Julian who charged up and pulled me back from the edge of the railing.

"Nicole, I'm Sebastian's friend, but I fell for you the moment I saw you. This is the first time in my life I've ever loved someone. Will you give me a chance?"

At that time, my heart was dead, so I didn't say yes right away.

Yet he pursued me for three relentless years, an obsession known to the entire city.

Terrified that I might try to end my life again, he pushed aside all his responsibilities and guarded me day and night for six months, staying by my side through my most desperate moments.

When I mentioned wanting to photograph glaciers in Antarctica, he walked away from multi-million-dollar deals, chartered an entire luxury cruise ship, and accompanied me there himself.

When I casually noted that I was craving French food, he hired the city's finest French executive chefs to come to our home, just to pick the one who suited my palate best.

A year ago, I finally agreed to be his girlfriend.

The very night we made it official, he dropped to one knee and pulled out a ring, claiming he had been keeping it ready for three years.

I felt it was too rushed, so I didn't accept on the spot.

He took no offense. Over the course of the following year, he proposed to me a total of ninety-nine times.

A month ago, I finally said yes.

The very next day, he dove into the wedding preparations. He personally oversaw every detail—the venue, the itinerary, the guest list, the favors.

Everyone said I was blessed with extraordinary luck: once protected by a wealthy childhood sweetheart like Sebastian, and now cherished by a devoted lover like Julian.

I, too, had believed Julian was the man who pulled me from the abyss, my destined soulmate.

I refused to believe what was right before my eyes on that screen.

I had to have misheard, or misunderstood.

I dragged the progress bar backward and played it once more.

I hadn't misheard.

He admitted he had feelings for Chloe. He admitted he was willing to sacrifice his own marriage just to keep me trapped by his side for the sake of Chloe's happiness.

A chill crawled up my spine, making my hands tremble uncontrollably.

All along, for four whole years, he had been putting on a performance of devoted love.

I had thought his relentless pursuit and eager proposals were born of love for me.

They weren't. It was all for Chloe.

What a noble romantic you are, Julian Foster.

The video kept playing.

Sebastian chuckled softly. "You're certainly willing to make a sacrifice. Four years... haven't you developed any feelings for Nicole at all?"

Julian hesitated for a moment before answering. "Even after I marry Nicole, Chloe will always come first. You can rest assured on that. As for you, since you chose Chloe, treat her right. Don't go keeping any lingering ties with Nicole."

"Of course," Sebastian replied without hesitation. "It was love at first sight with Chloe. I'll love her and protect her for the rest of my life, without a single stray thought."

The corners of my mouth curled into a bitter sneer.

Years ago, he had said the exact same words to me.

He had told me, "It doesn't matter if your whole family doesn't care about you; you still have me."

He had also told me, "Chloe sounds insufferable and pretentious, definitely a two-faced schemer. Just wait until I get back, I won't give her the time of day."

Yet the moment he accompanied me back to the Shaw family home to discuss our engagement and laid eyes on Chloe, his heart wavered.

Over a decade of devotion was completely undone the moment Chloe feigned a slip and fell into his arms.

In the recording, Sebastian hesitated before finally asking, "Will you treat Nicole well?"

Julian's expression instantly darkened. "Sebastian, that's none of your concern."

The cabin fell silent.

After a long while, Julian sighed. "I just need to marry her as soon as possible so she won't cause trouble for Chloe. Then we'll have a child early on. Once a woman has a child, her heart settles."

It felt like plunging into an icy abyss.

I had thought Sebastian's betrayal was the hardest hurdle I would ever face in this life.

I never imagined Julian was planning to drag me into a bottomless pit and lock me away forever.

My stomach churned violently. Unable to watch a second longer, I flung the car door open, rushed to the roadside, and threw up until the world spun.

Dry heaves followed, tears streaming down my face.

Julian's love was a lie. His promises were lies. Even our upcoming marriage was a lie.

Back when my entire family favored Chloe, I had Sebastian to lean on.

When Sebastian left, Julian appeared, becoming my new crutch.

Only today did I realize that a life propped up by someone else is nothing more than an illusion.

I didn't need anyone to save my life, and no one had the right to orchestrate my marriage.

Wiping my mouth, I climbed back into the car, opened my email, and pulled up a message from a month ago.

A month ago, an international organization I had previously worked with had invited me to serve as a photographer on the front lines, documenting the reality of a conflict zone.

Conflict photojournalism had always been my lifelong dream.

However, I had just accepted Julian's proposal at the time, and taking the assignment would mean postponing our wedding.

After much hesitation, I had shelved the email.

Now, there was nothing left to hold me back.

I clicked reply:

[I confirm my acceptance of the warzone photography assignment.]

Just after sending the email, my phone chimed with a new message.

It was from Julian:

[Something came up on the client's end, and I can't get away. Nicole, head back on your own first.]

If this had been the past, I would have believed him without a second thought and reminded him not to overwork himself.

This time, I didn't believe a word.

I pushed the car door open and walked toward the restaurant on the corner.