“But Senior Carter isn’t with her. Should we go ask? I heard they’re secretly married. Maybe we can even score some wedding candy.”
“Forget it. Didn’t you see her face? Let’s go. Don’t mess with her mood.”
Their voices faded into the distance, leaving only a heavy silence behind.
Bitterness welled up in my chest, so sharp it was hard to swallow.
He had been the older boy next door, my so-called childhood sweetheart.
From the earliest memories I had, he was always running after me.
As kids, we used to play house. He once fought off an entire group of children just to make me his pretend bride.
To make me smile, he even stole Aunt’s heirloom ring, claiming it was our token of love.
He told me one day he’d use it to propose for real.
For eighteen years, we had never been apart.
After the college entrance exams, his family wanted to send him abroad.
He knelt in the pouring rain for a full day and night with no food, no water, just to fight it.
In the end, they gave in and let him stay.
On university entrance day, it happened to be my eighteenth birthday.
At the opening ceremony, he had bribed the entire student body. Every student held up a banner that read. [Easton and Avery forever, never to be parted.]
I could never forget that moment.
The principal and teachers wore darkened expressions as drones lit up the sky, spelling out my name.
Right beside me stood Easton, holding my hand, filled with determination.
That burning gaze of his made my heart skip a beat.
Overwhelmed, I leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
That marked the beginning of our four-year whirlwind love story.
Our relationship was posted on the school forum and remains pinned there even now.
But after graduation, he was still sent abroad.
Before he left, he held me close, his eyes red as he lay beside me in the hotel bed.
We didn’t cross any lines, but the longing in his gaze was too deep, too sharp. I couldn’t even keep my eyes open.
He whispered gently in my ear. “Avery, wait for me for two years. When I come back, I’ll marry you.”
“Don’t marry anyone else.”
When I closed my eyes, he didn’t see the smile tugging at my lips, sweet, full of hope.
But soon after he left the country, everything collapsed.
That night, I lost everything: my family went bankrupt, my parents died, and even my freedom was stripped away.
I was taken abroad, forced into a marriage I never chose, and lived through three years of unbearable torment.
I had thought of running. I had thought of ending it all.
And just when I was about to give up, he appeared.
With one contract worth hundreds of billions, he shattered that man's control.
The divorce papers were signed swiftly, without hesitation.
On the plane home, I traced his features in my mind with trembling fingers.
He hadn’t changed, still just as handsome, just as unforgettable.
I thought my nightmare was over.
I thought happiness had finally returned to me.
But the moment I stepped into the villa, I was met with shelves of childish dolls.
And standing before me, in a revealing nightgown, was her.
He panicked.
“She’s my sister. Adopted from an orphanage. She looked pitiful, so I took care of her for two years.”
But I didn’t miss the flicker of pain in her eyes.
As a woman, I saw it clearly. Her feelings for him ran deep.
After I returned to the country, she had been sent away from the Carter house.
Back then, I thought it was just a one-sided crush.
But now, it seemed the one who didn’t belong was me.
By the time I got home, it was already past one in the morning.
The villa was dark, with not a single light on.
He sat alone on the couch, looking like he’d been waiting for hours.
The moment the door opened, he rushed over, eyes filled with worry.
He pulled me into a tight embrace, his voice trembling as he spoke, “Avery, where did you go? Why didn’t you tell me before leaving?”
“Do you have any idea how worried I was? I was scared that he came back and...”
