The day I got out of prison, my girlfriend—who I hadn't seen in five years—pulled up in a Maserati to pick me up.

In the passenger seat sat a guy in his early twenties, athletic build. His face looked a little too much like mine did when I was younger.

Selene told me not to make a scene. Not to want things that were never mine.

She said with her status now, she could have as many pretty boys as she wanted. Right now, she only had one. Apparently, he was my replacement. So I shouldn't be so narrow-minded. After all, a guy like me—fresh out of prison with a record—wasn't even in her league anymore.

I stared at Selene, a little dazed.

She wasn't wrong.

But she seemed to have forgotten why I went to prison in the first place.

I took the fall and went to prison for the woman I loved—my girlfriend.

She'd just turned twenty-two then. Life's golden girl, finally hitting her first real setback. She looked wrecked—thin, hollow, barely herself.

She held my hand. "Luke... could you take the fall for me? I know you love me. I promise—when you get out, we'll get married. We'll build a life together."

Marriage.

Sweet word. Poison center.

I knew prison would be hell—and life after might be even worse.

Still, I believed her.

Five years.

I went in a reckless kid.

I came out thirty.

The second I stepped out of the prison gates, sunlight slammed into me. Blinding. I could barely keep my eyes open.

I lifted a hand to block the glare.

Through the haze, I saw Selene Quinn.

She looked even better than five years ago. The old innocence was gone, the softness too. In its place—sharp edges. The kind you get from surviving the business world.

My chest tightened. Heat crept up my face.

This woman was mine.

She was going to marry me.

Holding onto that, I started toward her.

Selene stood about three feet away, frowning. "What the hell happened to you? How'd you get so skinny? You look like a damn twig. It's disgusting."

I'd been about to pull her into a hug.

"Damn twig" stopped me cold.

I glanced down. The clothes I'd walked into prison with five years ago now looked straight-up pathetic.

My hair was shaved into a stiff buzz cut. Next to Selene's perfectly styled curls, it felt like a bad joke.

She seemed to realize how harsh that sounded. A flicker of guilt crossed her face.

"Get in the car first. We'll talk at home."

She slid her sunglasses down a little lower—like she didn't want anyone snapping a picture.

I kept my head down and said nothing as I walked to the car.

I opened the passenger door—

—and froze.

The guy inside looked about fifty percent like a younger version of me. Except his eyes held open defiance.

I instinctively stepped back.

Selene didn't even notice.

"Luke, this is my assistant. Sit in the back. We'll talk when we get home."

Something clamped around my chest.

Even breathing started to hurt.

The assistant looked barely twenty. Lean, toned.

The second I got in, a faint pomegranate scent hit me. My fingers curled before I could stop them.

That was Selene's favorite.

She used to say it smelled like nature. Clean. Fresh.

Back then, I used that body wash every day. Selene would bury her face in my chest, breathe in deep, and smile.

"Luke, you smell so good. This scent belongs to me."

And now—even that wasn't mine anymore?

I sat in the back like a stranger. The awkward third wheel wedged between them.

Selene—my girlfriend I hadn't seen in five years—sat up front with her assistant, calmly talking about the company's next moves like I didn't exist.

Nothing intimate. Just business.

Still, I felt stripped bare. A lump lodged in my throat.

Because I couldn't understand a single word they were saying.

Five years ago, I'd been a rising star in business.

The guy people envied.

The car rolled to a smooth stop in front of an apartment building.

Selene's voice turned crisp. "Sixteenth floor. You remember, right? Go up first. We'll talk tonight."

And just like that, I was left on the curb.

Her Maserati shot off, tossing a thin cloud of dust behind it.

I stood there like some stray dog someone forgot to take home.

She didn't come back until three in the morning.

Drunk.

From a distance, she spotted me crouched by the building entrance.

October was brutal during the day, but the nights had already turned cold.

I was still wearing the same short-sleeved shirt from five years ago. Squatting by the door, staring at the lobby chandelier.

Selene frowned. Clearly annoyed.

"Luke, can you stop acting like this? I know I owe you for taking the fall, but do you have to stand here looking half-dead? It's freezing. Why won't you just go upstairs? Or are you putting on this pitiful act to make me feel guilty?"

Her words stuffed my chest like cotton.

I could barely breathe.

After a long moment, I looked at her.

"I don't have the access card. Security wouldn't let me in. I don't have a phone. No money. I could only wait for you. I—"

'I love you' stuck in my throat.

Because I saw the red mark on her neck.

I'm a man.

I knew exactly what that was.

When she heard my explanation, guilt flickered across her face. She pulled a card from her bag and tossed it to me.

"I didn't think about that. Come in with me."

Like charity, she led me inside.

Five years ago, we'd bought this place together. Split the down payment. I was surprised she still lived here.

As we rode upstairs, my chest lifted a little.

We'd picked this unit for our future marriage.

I chose everything—the renovation, the furniture, every tiny detail.

If she was still living here...

Did that mean she still had me in her heart?

That fantasy died the second the door opened.

***

The apartment looked nothing like before.

The Persian rug I'd had someone bring back from overseas was gone. In its place—muted light gray.

The famous paintings were gone too. Now some anime character I didn't even recognize hung on the wall.

The pink plush bedding Selene used to love? Replaced by black-and-white checkers.

Same layout as before I left. Everything else—unrecognizable.

Familiar. But wrong.

I stood there, awkward and silent.

Selene noticed and gave a casual explanation. Almost kind.

"That Persian rug was outdated. Cody swapped it for gray. Said minimalism's the trend now. That's just how he is—always changing things. Can't sit still."

Her expression softened when she mentioned him. She probably didn't even notice.

Like she'd said too much, she added, "Cody's my assistant. You've met him. He's only twenty. Just graduated. Kind of reckless, but interesting."

I noticed something.

Whenever she talked about Cody, the words never ran out.

She looked more alive than when she talked to me.

My chest felt like it had been punched straight through. Still, I didn't dare ask.

'Who is Cody?'

'What are you to him?'

'Why are you so close?'

'And that mark on your neck—did he leave it?'

Each question twisted deeper into my heart.

But what right did I have to ask?

With this ruined body of mine, what future could I give her?

I headed for the bathroom, almost running.

The second the door closed, the tears came down like rain.

Selene pushed the door open and handed me a set of pajamas.

She started to say something—

Then she saw the scars covering my body.

Burn marks. Cigarette tips.

From my collarbone all the way down to my tailbone.

One hundred and eight of them.

They looked like eyes, staring straight at her.

Selene's face drained of color. She covered her mouth and staggered back.

I quickly pulled the pajamas over myself.

They obviously weren't meant for me. The fabric hung off my frame like a robe.

Had I really gotten this thin?

Selene's lips trembled. She reached out like she wanted to touch the scars—then pulled her hand back.

"What happened? Tell me. What happened?"

I pushed her out of the bathroom.

What would be the point of telling her?

Would the scars disappear if I did?

It would only make her feel guilty.

And guilt was never what I wanted.

***

At breakfast the next morning, Selene looked determined to make it up to me. She even brought up marriage on her own.

She said LQ Corp had already gone public, and marriage wasn't a small thing. The preparations alone would take half a year.

She said during that time I could work if I wanted. Or travel. She'd give me a secondary card.

She said she'd keep her promise. She'd marry me. And I shouldn't overthink it.

I kept my head down, stirring the soup in my bowl.

Every word felt planned out, like she'd thought through the deal.

None of it sounded like love. Just repayment. Compensation.

Not once did she say she missed me.

Not once did she say she loved me.

Five years was a long time.

Everything had changed.

Maybe guilt. Maybe she was just busy. Either way, she didn't even finish her cream soup before leaving.

She left me a phone.

"Call if you need anything."

But the first person to contact me wasn't Selene.

It was Cody. Full name—Cody Hogg.

The second I picked up, he came at me hard.

"Don't you know Selene has stomach problems? Why didn't you make sure she finished breakfast before work? Or are you just counting on her guilt?"

He didn't even pause.

"If you hadn't taken the fall for her, do you really think she'd marry you? You don't seriously think I'm your substitute, do you?"

A short, mocking laugh.

"Sorry. I'm the one who's been with her this past year. When she was hospitalized for her stomach, I was there. She spent four years alone. Whatever grudge you had should be over by now."

Over the phone, Cody tore into me like he'd been waiting for it.

'Selene's been hospitalized?'

I rushed out and grabbed a cab to the hospital near her company.

I ran through the halls, half-panicked. A nurse pointed me the way. I finally reached the ER.

***

Selene's face was pale. She clutched her stomach.

The one holding her while she saw the doctor was Cody.

They looked like the most intimate couple in the world—leaning into each other, whispering close.

Cody murmured something in her ear. Selene's cheeks flushed. She gave him a light punch.

He kissed her hair like no one else existed.

When she cried out in pain, he leaned close to her lips.

The ER was packed. People coming and going.

Some crying in grief. Some standing there numb. Some running back and forth in panic.

And some—like them—wrapped up in tenderness.

I stood in the loud, crowded lobby.

My feet felt glued to the floor.

I couldn't move.

The loving pair finally wrapped up their little show.

Selene lifted her head and spotted me in the middle of the lobby—disheveled, out of breath.

Pain flashed across her face.

Gone just as fast.

Cold hostility took its place.

That wasn't the Selene I knew.

Where had my Selene gone?

***

I left in a daze. Selene didn't follow.

I barely remember getting back to the apartment. My stomach twisted hard. Since yesterday, all I'd had was a bowl of cream soup.

I wasn't hungry anyway.

Six months ago, I picked up an eating disorder.

Food made me sick. When I forced it down, it tasted like dirt. Once it hit my stomach, it burned so bad I'd spend the whole night tossing around.

The apartment still felt weird—like it wasn't mine anymore.

Nowhere felt right to sit.

So I curled up on the carpet and stared at the door.

Selene didn't come home that night.

Cody showed up the next morning instead.

He came to grab some clothes for Selene. When he saw me crouched on the floor like trash, he smirked.

"Look at you. Half-dead already. You really think you're good enough for Selene? She's way out of your league. You're nothing but dirt. You don't belong next to her. Take the hint and leave. Stop dreaming about marrying her."

Like always, he was trying to get a rise out of me.

I just looked at him.

Said nothing.

To him, it was like punching a pillow.

Cody's patience snapped.

"Don't think you're so great. Know what Selene did yesterday? She was with me. We slept together. Yeah. That's right. We slept together."