The year I loved Jace Langford most, I ran away with him onto a cargo ship running the Sinara-Neerland route. Five whole years passed, and I never once set foot off that ship. But the moment we left port, he snatched my phone away, grabbed my chin, and sneered coldly, "If it weren't for you, Luna Jardine wouldn't have come in second in that dessert competition and slit her wrists because of it. No amount of suffering will ever make up for her life." She was already gone. There was no point explaining anything. Naively, I thought that one day he would "forgive me." From then on, I carried the guilt of having "driven Luna to her death." For five years, I cooked every meal on that ship and did all the laundry. On the toughest days, I got by on three hours of sleep. Feverish and squatting in the galley, I peeled potatoes for the whole crew. Then the nausea set in. I clutched the pregnancy test and sat for a long time in my cramped, damp crew cabin. Maybe with this child, Jace would finally show me some kindness. I made his favorite soup. But when I pushed open the captain's quarters, I saw Luna, the girl who was supposed to have been dead for five years, beneath him on the bed, kissing him back.

On the tenth anniversary of our relationship, I posted a wedding countdown invitation on Instagram. The groom's name was blurred.   Within minutes, Lucian Lawson commented.   Lucian: Another one of your hard-to-get games?   That evening, at his club, he was openly flirting with a newly famous singer in his arms.   When someone mentioned my post, he flicked ash from his cigarette casually. "She just wants to force me to go public. All she ever thinks about is marriage. So boring."   The girl asked coyly, "What if she really marries someone else?"   Lucian laughed coldly. "If she dares, I'll gift that lucky bastard a seaside villa. Consider it my thanks for taking her off my hands."   The room erupted in laughter; everyone knew I was the one who could never truly let him go.   I stood outside quietly, listening.   'Lucian, you better have that villa ready.'