Third Person's POV

The gentle snowfall had turned into a blizzard and the howling wind blurred everything ahead. But Starlet kept walking, aimless, lost—like a deer that had strayed too far from home. As she wandered, her mind drifted back to the past, to memories she had buried long ago.

She met Aldrich during the darkest year of her high school life.

She was the school’s top student—brilliant but poor, while he was the wealthy, charming golden boy. The kind of person who belonged in a world far from hers. Clearly, they should have never crossed paths. But fate had other plans.

The day their lives intertwined, she had been beaten so badly by bullies that she could barely stand. Then, out of nowhere, he appeared.

Like a hero descending from the heavens, Aldrich pulled her from the fists and kicks, carrying her away on his back. Her leg had been broken, her body battered, but he never once hesitated. He carried her for miles.

That day, the snow was heavy. But for the first time, it felt warm.

What came after felt natural. She became his girlfriend.

He never once looked down on her for the scars she bore from years of bullying. Instead, he cherished her, adored her, and turned her into the most envied girl in school. He celebrated every special occasion with her, always surprising her with something thoughtful, something grand.

And those who had tormented her? He made sure they paid. He exposed their cruelty, ruined their reputations, and left them with no choice but to transfer schools.

Their love lasted ten years. From the innocence of youth to the harsh reality of adulthood, Aldrich’s devotion never faded. If anything, it only grew stronger.

On their fifth anniversary, after he had become a CEO, he bought five asteroids and named them after her—"Starlet"—because he wanted her to be the brightest star in everyone’s eyes.

On their ninth anniversary, he set up a global livestream to capture him kneeling before her with the Angel Heart Ring, making a lifelong promise to her, and asking her to become his wife.

Everyone said she was the luckiest woman in the world.

And she had believed it, too.

Then, two months before their wedding, his plane suddenly crashed overseas. Fortunately, he survived. But when he woke up, he had forgotten only one person.

Her.

The news shattered her and she collapsed on the spot.

When she came to, she made a choice. She would do whatever it took to bring his memories back.

She begged anyone who might help. She swallowed her pride, even seeking out the very people who had once tormented her. They humiliated her, made her kneel, threw every insult they could think of—but she endured it all. For him. For their love.

But in the end, it had all been a lie. A twisted, cruel game of deceit.

The sharp ring of her phone yanked her out of her haze. Barely thinking, she answered.

“Miss Bennett, your sister’s condition has worsened. She doesn’t have much time left.”

“How long?”

“Half a month.”

The words echoed in her mind and a dull ache settled in her chest. Everything from earlier—the lies, the betrayal—flashed through her mind. Her already pale face turned even colder, but her voice was steady when she spoke.

“Dr. Erickson, I need a favor.”

After a pause, Travis Erickson replied, “What is it?”

“In half a month, instead of Talia..." She exhaled slowly and continued, "Make it appear that I'm the one who died."

Dragging her exhausted, frozen body home, she stripped off her damp clothes and slipped into the bathtub. She curled up inside, letting the warmth of the water wash over her.

Memories then surfaced, as relentless as the waves.

Ever since their parents’ divorce, she and her sister, Talia Bennett, had been nothing more than a burden to them.

Especially Talia, who was born weak, and constantly sick, living her life between hospital rooms and medication. She never even had the chance to go to school.

Their parents had long since abandoned them. Only their grandmother had stayed. Only she had loved them unconditionally, working herself to the bone just to raise them.

But later, she was gone, too.

And so, Starlet learned to survive.

Third Person's POV

Talia hated the sterile smell of hospitals, so Starlet moved her to a private care facility.

Talia also didn’t like being around people, so even after ten years of being with Aldrich, Starlet never once mentioned her.

That’s why, when she heard her sister didn’t have much time left, the idea of taking her place became her escape plan.

Emerging from the water, she stood in front of the mirror. Slowly, her own pale face blurred, merging with her sister’s.

A soft, almost peaceful smile spread across her lips. Once she was gone, it wouldn’t matter where she went or what she did—Aldrich would never be able to find her again.

She would disappear from his life forever.

That night, after booking a flight overseas for two weeks later, she slept more soundly than she had in months.

The next morning, after breakfast, she began clearing out everything that reminded her of Aldrich.

The gifts he had given her, the surprises he had planned, the photo albums filled with memories. Seven or eight full boxes of love and nostalgia, all of it thrown away, one piece at a time, until nothing was left.

Just as she was hauling the last box outside, a sleek, limited-edition Tesla pulled up to the curb.

Hearing the sound, Starlet instinctively turned around—only to lock eyes with Aldrich. His usual sharp, arrogant gaze met hers, but he wasn’t alone.

A woman draped herself over his arm, her makeup flawless, her outfit seductive. They stood together in the open, making no effort to hide. Even after seeing her, neither of them flinched.

Starlet knew exactly what Aldrich was thinking.

He assumed that because she loved him, she would forgive everything he did while he was "lost" in his amnesia.

But no matter how deep a love ran, it would run dry eventually.

And Starlet had never been the kind of person to tolerate betrayal. Deception, infidelity—those were the things she despised most in life.

Especially when the woman in his arms was the one person she hated more than anyone.

Her grip on the box tightened as she stared at Eileen Malone, the ringleader of her high school tormentors.

From the moment she stepped onto campus, Eileen and her group had made her their target. Every cruel trick, every vicious prank—they had all been inflicted on her.

For years, her body was never free of bruises. She had tried to fight back once, but it only made things worse.

The final straw came when a classmate casually complimented her looks. That was all it took for Eileen to snap. She and her lackeys cornered Starlet in the bathroom, holding scissors and a lighter, ready to burn her hair and scar her face forever.

Panicked, she had no choice but to jump out the window.

Luckily, she survived, but the price was a deep, jagged scar on her right cheek.

Eileen’s wealthy family had thrown a hundred thousand bucks at her to keep her quiet. And for Talia’s sake, she took it. But when she watched her abuser walk away unscathed, boarding a plane to study abroad, she had never felt so much hate.

And Aldrich knew all of this. He knew Eileen was her nightmare. He knew she still woke up screaming from those memories.

Yet here he was—parading around with her like it was nothing.

The weight of all the lies and betrayal crashed down on her, filling her with disgust.

She didn’t want to waste another second on these two. Without hesitation, she lifted the last box and threw it into the trash.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aldrich saw what she was throwing away. His expression darkened, and in an instant, he stepped forward, his voice tense.

“Why are you throwing all of this away? Don’t you remember—I gave you all of this—”

Starlet cut him off with a smirk, her tone laced with mockery.

“I thought you lost your memory? How do you still remember these things?”

The moment the words left her lips, Aldrich’s heart sank.

For the first time, he realized his mistake.

His throat went dry, and he quickly cleared it, forcing a smirk in an attempt to mask his slip-up.

Third Person's POV

"How could I possibly remember? Simply judging by how broke you look, I doubt you could afford any of these expensive things. You also said I used to like you. So if those aren't from me, then who else could’ve given you all this?" He arrogantly answered.

Then crossing his arms, he scoffed, "But don't get any ideas. I don’t care what you do—what’s in the past is in the past. I’ll never fall for you again. My heart belongs to Eileen now. After all, we’ve been childhood sweethearts since the beginning."

'Childhood sweethearts?' Starlet echoed inwardly, hitting her like a slap.

She had no idea there was a deeper connection between them. If that was the case, then what about the day he saved her all those years ago? Was it really a coincidence, or had it been planned all along?

Everything they’d shared—the warmth, the laughter, the whispered promises—how much of it had been real? And how much of it had been a lie?

The memories and the betrayal twisted together like claws, tearing through her already shattered heart.

She turned her cold gaze to Eileen. The woman was dressed to perfection, her fox-like eyes filled with smug satisfaction. Then, as if to drive the knife deeper, Eileen wrapped her arms around Aldrich’s neck and kissed him.

"Aldrich, didn’t you say you weren’t close to her? Why is she still here?" she pouted.

Aldrich chuckled, pinching her nose playfully. "Relax, she’s not living in our villa. She stays next door."

And he wasn’t wrong.

Ever since Aldrich lost his memory, he had refused to acknowledge his relationship with Starlet. He had even ordered the servants to throw out her belongings.

At the time, she had been relieved that three months ago, he had put a villa and a sports car under her name. But looking back now, it was clear—it had all been premeditated.

Ignoring the couple, Starlet turned and walked away.

Aldrich’s gaze followed her retreating figure, an uneasy feeling creeping into his chest. His heart pounded erratically, like something important was slipping through his fingers.

Something wasn’t right.

'Starlet hates Eileen. Shouldn’t she be jealous? Angry? Shouldn’t she be confronting me, demanding an explanation? Why is she so calm?' Aldrich wondered.

After a brief pause, he assumed, 'Could it be… she's only holding back because I've lost my memory? Is she only suppressing her emotions for my sake?'

Even so, a sharp pang of guilt still hit him.

As such, he decided that once he was done having fun, he would make it up to her. He would spend the rest of his life making her the happiest woman in the world.

That evening, Starlet took a walk down the quiet streets, holding onto Bowie’s leash.

Bowie, a golden retriever, had been Aldrich’s first birthday gift to her. Over the past ten years, they had raised him like their own child.

Although she had thrown away everything else, she couldn’t bring herself to abandon him.

As they strolled along the familiar path, she waited until the streets were empty before unclipping the leash and letting Bowie run free.

Watching him sprint around with boundless energy, a small smile tugged at her lips for the first time that day.

But just as she was about to call him back, a sudden blinding light made her raise her hand to shield her eyes.

And then a loud thud followed by a sharp yelp tore through the night.

Starlet froze.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw Bowie lying in a pool of blood.

Her heart clenched painfully, and she scrambled forward, her hands shaking as she scooped him into her arms.

"Oh no! Aldrich, I… I hit a dog! I didn’t know it was Starlet’s! I didn’t mean to!"

Eileen stepped out of the car, her voice laced with feigned innocence as she clung to Aldrich’s arm.

But under the glow of the streetlights, Starlet saw it—the amusement in Eileen's eye, the barely concealed satisfaction. She had done it on purpose.

Knowing that, rage burned through Starlet's veins.

Without a word, she stood up, marched toward Eileen, and slapped her across the face.