After my ex-boyfriend Adrian Pruitt cheated on me, I ended up with Samuel Marlowe, who had been in love with me for three years.

He held me tightly, his voice full of pain as he promised he would never betray me.

But the night before the wedding, I accidentally overheard him say, "The thought of Tessa Harlow sleeping with someone else for two years just disgusts me."

I immediately tore up the custom-made wedding dress and threw away the diamond ring Samuel had bought for me.

When he asked me to transfer to the branch office, I agreed. I needed to distance myself from him—far, far away.

...

"Ella Thorn, I've made up my mind. I agree to take the management position at the branch office," I said, my voice firm.

Ella looked at me in surprise. "Didn't you say you were getting married soon and didn't want to be apart from your boyfriend? Why the change of heart?"

She paused, then added, "Although your position and salary will improve at the branch, it's quite a distance away. Maybe you should talk it over with your boyfriend first."

I shook my head gently, biting my lip. "Ella, I've already made my decision."

With the wedding approaching, I found myself working longer hours, hoping that once the wedding was over, I could take a proper break.

So, when I came home yesterday and heard the noise from the room, I didn’t think much of it. Samuel is a freelancer, and he often invites friends over to hang out.

I opened the door, changed my shoes at the entryway, and overheard Flora Vale asking him, "Samuel, weren’t you supposed to wait for me? Why is the wedding already happening?"

I held my breath, eager to hear his response. Samuel's voice came back, indifferent. "Honestly, just thinking about Tessa sleeping with someone else for two years makes me sick. It feels like she's slowly pushing me to marry her."

I froze. I couldn’t believe those words were coming from Samuel.

My heart, once warm, seemed to freeze with the cold wind from outside. I shuddered involuntarily.

Not long ago, when he found out that my ex-boyfriend Adrian had cheated on me, Samuel confessed his feelings for me. I turned him down more than once. I said, "I don’t want to fall in love again so quickly. I’m scared of being hurt."

But he didn’t give up. He warmed me with his kindness, showing me how deeply he loved me.

The day I finally agreed to be with him, it was snowing. Samuel had waited downstairs with a cake for three hours just to celebrate my birthday with me.

When I saw him, he hid his red, frozen hands and smiled, asking me to try the cake.

In that moment, my heart softened.

I had tears in my eyes, and it wasn’t until he hurriedly wiped them away that I realized I had been crying without even noticing.

I cried out, "Samuel, you bastard! Why do you have to be so good to me?"

He gently cupped my face in his hands, looking at me seriously. I heard him say, "Because you deserve it."

It was those words that made me agree to be with him.

Samuel embraced me excitedly, swearing to me, "I will never betray you. I will always love you, always care for you."

But those words, still echoing in my ears, already seemed hollow.

I placed the keys on the entryway table, the sound breaking the silence.

It was enough for those inside to hear.

The chaotic chatter suddenly fell silent.

I walked in, keeping my expression neutral, and greeted his friends with a smile.

I saw Samuel relax slightly, a sigh of relief escaping him.

Flora stood up with a grin. "Tessa, you're back!"

My eyes stopped. I froze when I saw the watch on her wrist. It was the one I had given Samuel for his birthday—the one I had carefully engraved with his initials.

I had painstakingly carved it with my own hands.

Flora noticed my gaze and casually raised her arm, showing off a watch. "Tessa, look, Samuel just gave this to me."

She paused, then added, "You don’t mind, do you?"

As soon as she said this, everyone turned to look at me with knowing expressions.

I didn’t want to show any weakness in front of others, so I forced a smile. "Hmm, it suits you."

Flora leaned in and gave Samuel a quick hug, then pulled away with a loud, carefree laugh. "I knew Tessa would be cool about it. It’s you, Samuel, who’s too stingy."

So, Samuel knew perfectly well I’d be upset, but still decided to give her that watch.

The others teased him, "Isn’t it because you couldn’t stand her nagging anymore? That’s why you gave her the watch."

Flora shrugged, casually wrapping her arm around Samuel. "Alright, alright, thanks, Samuel."

Samuel swatted her arm away. "You’re a girl, stop being so touchy-feely."

She grinned and stuck out her tongue. "Tessa, don’t take it the wrong way. I’m just like this. Don’t think of me as a woman."

I couldn’t help but glance at Flora, whose short skirt exposed her pale thighs. What man would wear something like that?

Flora shot me a look, then said, "Tessa, you don’t know, do you? Samuel and I had this plan. We promised each other that if we weren’t married by thirty, we’d just settle for each other."

She paused, grinning. "But who knew, just one year away, and now Samuel’s marrying you. Hahaha."

Her words made my chest tighten, the bitterness rising in me.

Samuel scolded her, "Enough, what are you telling my wife?"

Flora pouted and whined, "Just a joke, calm down."

Seeing the expression on my face, Samuel immediately stood up and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Tessa, are you tired?"

He turned to his friends, saying, "Alright, go on, my wife’s tired and needs some rest. You guys are too loud."

As they stood up and left, I noticed Flora giving Samuel a subtle glance before walking out.

Not long after, Samuel cautiously approached. "Tessa, I have something I need to take care of. Is it alright if I step out for a while?"

I stared at him. He flinched, then quickly looked back at me, allowing me to examine him. I nodded. "Go ahead."

Samuel smiled and kissed me on the cheek, and I didn’t have time to pull away. After he left, I wiped my face with no expression.

An hour later, I received a text from an unknown number. It was a photo of Flora in pajamas, with Samuel’s bare torso in the background.

I felt sick, nearly throwing my phone across the room.

How could he claim to love me and yet sleep with another woman?

If the love I received wasn’t exclusive, then I didn’t want this cheap, deceitful love.

In that moment, I made up my mind. I was leaving him. I didn’t want to repeat this again.

When Ella mentioned the opportunity to transfer to the branch office again, I agreed.

My only condition was that it be done quickly.

The longer I stayed in this place, the more disgusted I became.

Ella saw the determination in my voice and stopped trying to persuade me. "Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll submit your name right away."

I gave her a pale smile. "Thanks, Ella."

When I got home, for once, the house was eerily quiet.

Samuel was sitting at his desk, working on the computer. I silently prepared to head to my room, but he noticed me and called out.

He reached over and grabbed my arm, pulling me close like he always did, his voice soft and playful. "Tessa, are you in a bad mood today? You’re so quiet."

I remembered the way he let Flora hug him yesterday, and suddenly, I felt a sense of disgust. I took a step back. "Stay away from me."

Samuel's face darkened, but quickly, he adjusted himself, looking at me with a pitiful expression. "What's wrong? Are you jealous because I gave Flora the watch?"

He pinched my cheek and eyed me, studying my expression. "That watch, I've worn it for two years. The strap's worn out. If Flora wanted it, I just gave it to her. It's not worth much."

I remembered when I gave him that watch. It was his birthday, and when he felt the engraving on the side of the watch, he was so moved that he almost cried.

He had said, "Tessa, this is perfect. I feel so lucky. Adrian never appreciated me. I finally got your response."

But now, he casually dismissed that watch, saying it wasn’t worth anything.

Was it the watch that wasn’t valuable, or did he think my feelings were worthless?

I couldn't say for sure.

Seeing that I wasn’t responding, he tried to coax me again, but I heard his phone buzz.

He immediately released his hold on me and fished for his phone.

Before long, he looked up, his face a little strained. "Tessa, you should sleep. Those guys got Flora drunk. They’ve all been drinking, so I need to drive them home."

He sighed in frustration. "It’s so inconsiderate, disturbing our time together."

Inside, I felt torn. One part of me thought, Tessa, don’t let him go. He’s your boyfriend. Why should he be taking another woman home?

The other part of me said, What does it matter if you stop him? He's here physically, but his heart is somewhere else.

So, I went along with it, pretending to be calm. "Okay, go ahead."

Samuel kissed me eagerly, promising, "Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon."

As he drew close, I still smelled that fresh scent on him, but it only made me feel nauseous now.

Samuel even changed into a new set of clothes, checked himself in the mirror, and made sure he looked presentable before he left.

My heart ached so much, it felt like I couldn’t breathe.

He used to be different. He always presented himself as polished and handsome in front of me, and he’d once said, “If I’m not handsome enough, what if you fall for someone else?”

But now, he was dressing up for another woman.

That night, he didn’t come home until late. When he lay next to me, I clearly smelled the fragrance of gardenias—a scent I recognized as Flora’s.

He reached out to hold me, but I turned away. Concern laced his voice as he asked, "Tessa, are you still awake? Is something wrong?"

His concern didn’t seem fake, but I closed my eyes, trying to understand how we had ended up here.

I mumbled, "Go to sleep."

Samuel, still worried, repeated, "If something’s wrong, you have to tell me. I’ll be upset if you don’t."

I held back the tears rising in my throat. "Mm."

The next day was my mom Sophia Wren's anniversary. In the past, Samuel used to care more than I did, getting up early to buy flowers and running around to make sure everything was perfect. He would often say how thankful he was to Sophia because, without her, he wouldn’t have me to love.

But today, I was already up, and he was still sound asleep. When he saw me awake, he blinked groggily. "Tessa, why are you up so early?"

He had already forgotten. His mind was consumed by the excitement of his affair.

Looking at Samuel, oblivious and unaware, I swallowed the words I wanted to say. I shook my head, opening my mouth but only managing two words: "Nothing's wrong."

He seemed to relax and rolled over, falling back asleep.