Chapter 1

My husband accidentally canceled the order for the luxury necklace I'd been dreaming about.

I had no choice but to try my luck on a secondhand marketplace, and incredibly, I found a girl selling one.

"You've got great taste. This necklace is a limited edition—only one exists, and my boyfriend managed to snag it!"

"I'll tell you a secret—I didn't actually like it that much, but my boyfriend's stalker wanted it, which really pissed me off!"

"So my boyfriend canceled that stalker's order to make me happy, then rushed to buy it for me."

My heart sank. I clicked on the girl's profile picture.

In the photo, a man and woman had their fingers interlaced.

And the scar on the man's hand was identical to my husband's.

The computer screen reflected my pale face.

My palms began to sweat. I wanted to ask more, but my fingers trembled too much to press the keyboard.

Could it be a coincidence?

The image of Ethan's guilt-ridden face flashed through my mind again.

"Charlotte, I really didn't mean it. My finger slipped and hit cancel."

"Next time I'll definitely buy you something more expensive and better!"

I steadied myself and sent a message.

"Hey, I see we live close to each other. Let's add each other on SnapChat and meet up for an in-person transaction!"

She readily agreed. Soon I met her at a nearby café.

Just as I'd imagined, the girl sitting across from me was young and beautiful, with an innocent charm in her eyes that spoke of someone untouched by the world's harshness.

The café was warm. She took off her coat, and a hand warmer fell from her body.

She picked it up and smiled at me sheepishly.

"It's all my boyfriend's fault. He said it was cold today and insisted on putting this on me."

"Being with him, I'm turning into such a baby."

"When it gets cold, he nags me to dress warmer. During my period, he makes me hot milk. My friends tease me that I'm like a little kid."

She complained in a murmur, but pride filled every corner of her eyes and brows.

I tried to comfort myself, trembling inside.

It couldn't be Ethan.

My Ethan looked down on those clingy, fussy men.

He always said he was meant for big things, that a mature woman shouldn't bother him with trivial matters.

So when I had cramps so bad I nearly fainted, I could only take a taxi to the hospital myself.

So when I got too drunk to walk after entertaining clients, I just called a rideshare.

So the man she described who took care of her every little need absolutely couldn't be Ethan.

"Charlotte, are you okay?"

The girl across from me waved her hand in front of my eyes, puzzled.

I snapped back to reality and smiled apologetically.

"It's nothing. I'm just checking the necklace for any issues."

The girl happily took out the necklace and placed it in front of me.

"I heard this necklace's design was inspired by some painter's work. There's only one. My boyfriend's stalker waited forever to get it."

"I was originally going to throw this necklace away rather than let that bitch have it, but it's fate that I can sell it to you instead."

I took the necklace and silently traced the iris flower on it, my eyes stinging.

This necklace's inspiration came from my late mother's painting, which was why I'd been longing for it.

Ethan knew how important this necklace was to me.

It was an accident.

It had to be an accident.

I told myself this over and over in my mind, but my hands began to shake uncontrollably.

The girl continued talking to herself.

"Charlotte, you don't know how annoying my boyfriend's stalker is. She shamelessly throws herself at him, trying to be a homewrecker."

"She doesn't even look at herself—so ugly, yet still trying to seduce someone."

"Look, this is what my boyfriend sent me. Isn't this bitch disgusting?"

She pulled out her phone to show me. With just one glance, all the blood in my body seemed to freeze.

On her phone was a deliberately uglified photo of me.

And I'd only ever sent this selfie to Ethan.

I stood up abruptly, my face ashen, and threw out a sentence.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to buy it anymore."

I turned, grabbed my bag, and left.

The girl's expression changed.

"Wait, what's your problem? Didn't we already agree?"

She barely managed to chase after me and blocked me at the door.

During the struggle, a delivery bike came straight at us.

Just then, a figure rushed over and pulled the girl aside.

I couldn't dodge in time and was hit square on the foot by the scooter.

I looked up at the person in front of me, enduring the piercing pain.

The heart I'd been holding in suspense finally dropped.

So it really was him.