Chuck Bassett, heir to an Urbington East fortune in Nuvark City, has dated 42 girlfriends—all foreign, all in white dresses, every single one with a mole at the corner of her eyebrow.

People joke about his obsession, saying he'll never get over his first love, Lylith Fowler.

Then, Lorrie Scarrow shows up.

She's sharp, short-haired, hates dresses, and her eyes are clear and bright. She's nothing like the women he's dated before.

Chuck buys her a private island. When she mentions how much she loves the stars, he fills the sky above their estate with millions of drones, crafting a shimmering galaxy just for her. He even gets her initial tattooed beneath his collarbone.

Everyone is amazed. Chuck has finally moved on from the past. Even Lorrie starts to believe it.

Until she spots him in the red-light district, shelling out a fortune to book a hostess for a whole month. The woman has short hair and a button-down shirt. She looks just like Lorrie.

Chuck's friends are floored.

"Have you lost your mind? Lylith changed her look, and now you're after someone who looks even more like her? Remember how she dumped you for that wealthy foreign businessman when she thought you were broke?

"She only came crawling back after she found out you're the heir to one of the Four Great Families. You've always said there's nothing you hate more than women like that!"

Chuck knocks back the shot. "I hate her, and I love her. She pulled me out of a fire ten years ago. No one else can ever replace her in my heart."

"And what about Lorrie? You proposed to her! She gave up a career at one of the world's top design firms for you. Aren't you worried she'll walk away when she finds out?"

Chuck leans back on the couch, his expression cold. "I won't marry a traitor. Lorrie's pure, innocent—the closest thing to how Lylith used to be. So I'll still marry her. She loves me too much to walk away."

Unseen in the shadows, Lorrie stands frozen, her heart plummeting.

Turns out, she's just another her.

Lorrie Scarrow stood frozen, stunned.

Chuck Bassett, the man who swore he loved her to the bone, had never meant a single word. She was just a stand-in for Lylith Fowler, nothing more.

Heartbroken, Lorrie turned away and entered the restroom around the corner. She splashed cold water over her face, trying to steady herself. The woman in the mirror looked shattered.

Lorrie first crossed paths with Chuck during a fashion week event.

The year before, she'd spent over six months working on her collection, and it won first place. As the designers stepped forward for their final bow, she could sense Chuck's gaze lingering on her.

From then on, he pursued her with everything he had.

Lavish gifts ranging from imported flowers to a limited-edition supercar were poured into Lorrie's studio.

Whenever she dealt with a difficult client, Chuck would swoop in, smooth things over, and then quietly ensure that the person went bankrupt.

Lorrie couldn't help but fall for his charm.

Last month, Chuck proposed, and she accepted with a heart full of joy. She even got his initial tattooed secretly below her collarbone.

Still, she couldn't shake the worry that Chuck, always the playboy, might not be ready to settle down. So she gave him three months to end things with all those other women for good.

But Chuck just chuckled, his voice warm with affection. "That's all in the past. There's only you now."

Lorrie's face burned red.

That night, they lost themselves in each other until dawn, moving from the floor-to-ceiling windows to the couch, then the dining table, leaving traces of their passion everywhere.

Lorrie had been sure Chuck was done with his playboy ways. But two weeks ago, he started hanging around the red-light district, staggering home drunk night after night.

At first, she thought he was slipping back into old habits until she heard what he told his friends. Only then did she realize he'd never stopped loving Lylith, his first love.

His sudden shift in taste wasn't random. Lylith had changed her style, and so had he. And just like that, Lorrie became the newest stand-in for the woman he'd always wanted.

Lorrie wiped her tears away and turned to leave the restroom. As she pushed the door open, the familiar scent of sandalwood washed over her.

"I saw someone at the entrance who looked just like you from behind. Turns out it really was you," Chuck said, his voice soft as he gently brushed a loose strand of hair from her forehead. "What brings you here all of a sudden? Miss me?"

Lorrie's heart still ached like an open wound. She seized Chuck's wrist. "Do you really mean it? About marrying me?"

Chuck paused before pulling her into his arms. "What's wrong? Getting cold feet?"

Lorrie winced as her fresh tattoo pulsed with a dull ache.

Chuck's eyes dropped to her chest. "You got my name tattooed?"

She quickly pulled away from his embrace. "It's just... kind of a trend right now."

"You know I don't like tattoos on women," Chuck said, his voice going flat.

Was it because Lylith didn't have any? Now that Lorrie did, was she no longer good enough to be her stand-in?

"I'll get it removed in a few days," Lorrie said.

She'd meant to tell Chuck that she'd only gotten the tattoo after seeing her initial inked on his skin, thinking they'd made a matching pair.

But now she knew the truth. That "L" on his body had never stood for Lorrie.

It was for his first love—Lylith.

Chuck said, "I've got to get back to my friends, Lorrie. This place is too rowdy. I'll have someone take you home."

Lorrie followed his gaze and understood immediately. He wasn't rushing back to his friends. He was rushing to Lylith.

Then, a commotion broke out in the hall.

"Get off me! Chuck already paid for my time!"

Peter Hodgins, drunk and insistent, was forcing liquor down Lylith's throat. He snorted. "You're nothing but a used-up hostess every guy's taken a turn with. Who the hell do you think you are?"

The second Chuck saw that, he dropped Lorrie's hand and lunged forward. His furious swing sent Peter crashing off the couch.

Terrified, Lylith threw herself into his arms. "You paid for me. You're taking me with you tonight, right?"

Lorrie watched the scene unfold, a cold weight sinking in her chest.

She remembered the time some thugs had harassed her at a bar. Chuck's response had been to tell her, "Stop going to those kinds of places," before assigning her a bodyguard.

At the time, she'd been naive enough to believe he didn't know how to say the right thing, that his way of caring was through action, not words.

Only now did she realize he had never cared at all.

A ripple of whispers spread through the crowd.

Lylith's eyes rolled back, and she crumpled to the floor, out cold.

Chuck's eyes flashed with hurt. "Lylith! I paid a fortune just to have you to myself. You were supposed to wait for me!"

He swept her into his arms and strode off, not even glancing at Lorrie.

The crowd burst into hushed chatter.

"Chuck's engaged, isn't he? Why's he suddenly back to his first love?"

"Back then, Lylith left him to marry some rich tycoon. Chuck was so hung up on her that he found over 40 lookalikes just to get over her. You really think he'd stay away from her now?"

"Word is, Lylith was forced into that marriage. This time, her own parents talked the bar owner into turning her into some kind of prize for men to bid on…"

Lorrie had known for ages that Chuck was crazy about Lylith, but seeing him throw himself at her still stung badly. She spotted his phone on the floor and reached down to grab it.

That was when Peter lurched to his feet. Mistaking her for Lylith, he swung a champagne bottle right at her head.

…

Lorrie woke up to find herself sitting in the lounge. Bandages clung to her head, and a sharp pain pulsed through her skull. She was soaked through, reeking of alcohol.

The bar owner kept apologizing, explaining that the police had taken Peter away. He pleaded with her to put in a good word with Chuck so he wouldn't close the place down.

Lorrie gave a wry smile. "Chuck and I aren't even married. My opinion doesn't mean anything."

She hailed a cab, and on the way home, she typed "Lylith" into Chuck's phone. The screen unlocked.

She opened the couples app, and a towering tree filled the screen. The status read, "Watered for 2,899 days."

Lorris once asked Chuck to do a couples' challenge with her. They'd get matching rings for just three days of check-ins.

He'd tossed her a black card instead, told her to buy whatever she wanted, and said the whole thing was a waste of time.

Lorrie opened Chuck's email. His drafts folder was packed with unsent letters, each pouring out his heart to Lylith.

"Lylith, you always said you wanted a private island. But since you can't stand the cold, it has to be drenched in sunshine year-round."

"You told me you envied birds—how they could soar freely and see the whole world beneath them. So I bought millions of drones behind her back. Now you can see every corner of the earth from above."

"You used to say that tattooing a lover's name meant you'd be bound together forever. I couldn't stand the idea of you going through that pain, so I lied and told you I hated tattoos. If anyone's going to do something that reckless, it'll be me."

The more Lorrie read, the heavier her heart grew. Every sweet gesture Chuck had done for her was actually for Lylith. She had only ever been Lylith's shadow in his eyes.

Lorrie turned off the phone, her chest burning as if a thousand arrows had struck at once.

When she got home, she bore the searing pain of her wounds as she set fire to every last thing that reminded her of them.

Next, she grabbed a pair of scissors and sliced through the clothes she'd spent sleepless nights designing for Chuck.

At last, Lorrie faced the mirror, a towel clamped between her teeth, and pressed a white-hot spoon to her tattoo. The smell of burning flesh hung thick in the air.

Sweat dripped down her face as agony tore through her, but she bit down hard and didn't make a sound.

After wrapping her wounds, Lorrie called her friend in Pavrielle and said she was ready to accept the job offer.

Her best friend, Laura Winslow, was thrilled. "The world needs to see your talent, Lorrie. You should've made this decision ages ago! Give me two weeks to set everything up, and I'll send someone to bring you over."

…

Lorrie had fallen ill. Her wound was infected, and the fever burned through her. She opened her eyes to find Chuck by her bed, pressing a cool patch to her forehead.

The moment he saw she was awake, guilt twisted his expression.

"I'm sorry. I lost my phone last night. I had no idea you got hurt until the bar owner sent someone to find me and said you'd been hit in the head. Where's your bodyguard? Why wasn't he with you?"

The memory of Chuck bolting out the door with Lylith in his arms flickered through Lorrie's mind. She turned away, a tear escaping down her cheek.

"Are you mad at me?" Chuck paused. "You said you'd give me three months. I only bought out Lylith for one. I swear, you'll never see me with her again after this."

"Do what you want. Just keep her out of my sight!"

By now, it didn't matter who Chuck picked in the end. Lorrie was done either way.

"I promise," Chuck said, his tone gentler now. "You're the best, Lorrie. You never let me down."

Lorrie closed her eyes, done listening to him.

Chuck had been doing his best to make it up to her. He'd looked after her for two days without bringing up Lylith.

But on the third day, someone showed up uninvited at their estate.

It was Lylith. She stood in the living room wearing a white shirt and jeans.

Chuck spoke up. "Lylith just got back to the country. The problem is, good jobs won't take someone without experience. Since you're hurt, I thought hiring her to look after you would be the best move."

Lylith smiled and gave Lorrie a little wave. "Ms. Scarrow, it's really nice to meet you."

Lorrie didn't even glance at Lylith. Instead, she snapped, "We agreed to keep her out of my sight. Or did you forget?"

"Look, I've got a ton of work coming up. If Lylith's here taking care of you, at least I'll know you're safe," Chuck said.

But Lorrie wasn't fooled. She knew he wanted Lylith living under their roof.

She ignored them both and headed back to her room.

Lylith's voice followed her, filled with hurt. "What am I supposed to do? I don't think Ms. Scarrow wants me around."

Chuck reassured her. "Don't worry about it. Just help where you can. I'm the one paying you, so don't overthink it."

Before long, Chuck had a chef from a star-rated restaurant prepare a full spread, with every single one of Lylith's favorite dishes.

As Chuck piled another helping onto Lylith's plate for the tenth time, she set her fork down and said, "Honestly, the chef's skills are overrated. You know what this needs? A little more spice."

Her eyes flicked pointedly toward Lorrie.

Chuck acted like he hadn't seen a thing. "Yeah, it could use more flavor. The spice rack is in the kitchen if you want it."

"But I'm not sure where you keep it..."

Chuck spoke to Lylith in a gentle voice. "You'll get familiar with everything soon enough."

He stood and made his way to the kitchen for the spices.

The instant Chuck wasn't looking, Lylith's pleasant mask slipped, her face contorting into something ugly.

"I heard you were at the bar three days ago, too. Then you probably already know Chuck paid 100 times my usual rate to book me for the whole month. He was afraid I'd run into another drunk guy, so he bought out the entire bar. I never have to go back to work anymore."

Lorrie said nothing.

"Not talking, huh? Guess you've figured out you're just a stand-in." Lylith smirked, her voice thick with disdain.

"Chuck and I started dating when we were just 17. We lived in this tiny rental, sharing a single bed and surviving on leftover food from the restaurant. I stuck with him through his hardest years, back when his family left him with nothing and pushed him out into the world to toughen him up.

"He worked three jobs a day to afford a birthday present for me. It didn't matter if it was pouring rain or blazing sun, he'd still haul himself to work every time.

"When I caught a cold, he stayed up all night wiping me down, bringing me water, and making sure I took my medicine. Even now, all it takes is a word from me, and he'll stop what he's doing to help.

"Face it, Lorrie. Chuck only has eyes for me. He loves me more than he loves himself. You're just another nobody in his little stand-in collection. Now that I'm back, you're nothing!"

Lorrie's hands shook faintly. She used to believe that someone as proud and privileged as Chuck would seethe with hatred after Lylith left him.

She thought love could never grow where hate had taken root. But now she saw the truth—his hate ran just as deep as his love.

Lorrie steadied herself. "You're overthinking it. Honestly, I couldn't care less. It's not like I'm dying to marry Chuck or anything."

The second the words slipped out, Chuck's voice came behind her. "What did you just say, Lorrie?"