I had an eight-year secret relationship with my best friend’s brother.

In public, Ethan treated me like a strictly professional secretary; in private, he spoiled me to the core, whispering sweet words of love as we shared countless nights together.

One day, I accidentally discovered that he had purchased a unique proposal ring. It was a ring that could only be customized once in a lifetime.

Filled with joy, I followed him to the meticulously arranged venue, only to see Ethan kneeling on one knee before a woman who bore a striking resemblance to me.

Tears streamed down his face as he vowed that she was the only one he would marry in this lifetime.

After his proposal was accepted, a few of Ethan's friends congratulated him while teasing him, "Finally, your true 'lover’ has returned. So, when do you plan to let that stand-in golden canary at home go?" one of Ethan's friends teased.

Ethan exhaled a smoke ring, his gaze dark and unreadable. "That poor girl loves me to death. She can't live without me. Let's take it slow and deal with it later."

I covered my mouth tightly to stifle my sobs and turned to send a message home. [Mom, I agree to go through with the arranged marriage.]

By coincidence, the day Ethan held his wedding happened to be the same auspicious day I chose to register my marriage.

When he saw the photo I posted announcing my marriage, his face turned pale in an instant.

——

After finishing the call with my mother to confirm the arranged marriage, I immediately booked a plane ticket.

Forcing myself not to dwell on what I had just witnessed, I returned home and started packing my belongings as quickly as possible.

When I went to the living room to grab something, Ethan came back.

He reached out and hugged me, his face lit with an unprecedented joy.

"Kate, I love you so much. Let’s be together forever, okay?" he said.

He leaned in, trying to kiss me, his breath reeking of alcohol and the overpowering scent of gardenia perfume clinging to him.

Ethan used to always give me a gardenia-scented perfume. No matter how many times I told him I preferred jasmine, he never stopped giving me the same one.

There were a few times I forgot to wear it and he threw a huge tantrum over it.

Now I finally understood: the one who loved that perfume—and the one Ethan truly loved—had always been another woman. From the very beginning, he was only trying to recreate a replacement.

A wave of nausea surged within me and I dodged Ethan’s approach.

Yet the desire on his face didn’t fade. He suddenly pinned me against the door, his cold hands slipping under the hem of my shirt.

"Ethan! Let me go!" I shouted.

A flash of surprise crossed his eyes. I had never acted like this toward him before. Just as Ethan was about to speak, the doorbell suddenly rang.

I opened the door and a woman rushed in, hugging Ethan and quickly planting a kiss on his cheek.

When she saw me, her smile was so bright that it almost hurt.

"So, you must be the one who’s been by Ethan’s side for eight years, Miss Kathleen Johnson? Hello! My name is Catherine White and I’m Ethan’s fiancée. Thank you so much for taking care of him all these years!"

The strong scent of gardenia filled my nose with every movement she made and it was exactly the same as the perfume on Ethan just now.

I didn’t move, only looked at Ethan.

He paused for a moment, then quickly avoided my gaze and nodded. "Yes, she’s the secretary I mentioned to you. This girl doesn’t earn much, so I let her stay in the guest room here. It’s convenient for her to help me with some miscellaneous tasks."

Catherine waved her hand dismissively. "Ethan, why are you explaining it to me again? I’m not some petty woman who can't tell between work and personal matters. And besides, since Miss Johnson and I look so much alike, it’s only natural that having her around feels more familiar and comforting for you. Speaking of which, I should thank Miss Johnson!"

She added, "By the way, since Miss Johnson is familiar with the layout here, could you please move my luggage into Ethan’s room? We’re getting married soon, so it’s about time we start living together!"

Catherine excitedly ordered me around and Ethan didn’t show the slightest sign of opposition.

I thought back to the many times I had begged to move into the master bedroom, only to have Ethan refuse, citing that couples need their own space.

It was only when the mood struck him that he would allow me to stay in the master bedroom.

If I accidentally left something behind, he would put on a cold face and remind me to be more mindful of boundaries.

I used to think this was just the naturally self-disciplined and reserved side of Ethan’s personality.

In the end, I realized it was because, in his heart, I was never the one to hold the position of the mistress.

Ethan suddenly pointed at his phone. I lowered my head to take a look and saw the message he had sent in the chat box.

[Baby, my marriage with Catherine is just in name only, a facade for the sake of the group's collaboration. Don't misunderstand.]

I couldn’t help but laugh. Ethan still thought he could fool me like a three-year-old.

It was fine. If he said his marriage was fake, then let it be fake.

As long as what I had was real, that was all that mattered.

I was about to head back to the guest room to finish packing my luggage when I saw Catherine take the lead and walk toward the guest room.

Her face carried a meaningful smile as if everything was part of a plan.

“Miss Johnson, Ethan has been clinging to me tightly. It will be inconvenient for you to stay here any longer. You should hurry up and pack your things and find another place to stay..."

She paused and seemed surprised. "Miss Johnson, you've already packed half of it? And your style of dressing is so similar to mine! We must be really destined to meet!"

A cold feeling spread through my heart uncontrollably.

Ethan's favorite thing to do was buy me clothes and jewelry.

In the past, I thought it was proof of his love and affection for me when he bought me clothes and jewelry. But now, looking at all these outfits and accessories that didn’t match my style at all, each one looked perfect on Catherine, as if it was made for her.

It almost felt like I’d been occupying a place that wasn’t mine.

I didn’t want to ask any more questions, but Ethan grabbed my hand with a stern face, his tone anxious. "Why are you packing your things out of nowhere? Answer me!"

I turned my face away, not wanting to respond. Just then, I saw Catherine reach out to take my music box.

"Don't touch it!"

With a loud crash, the music box fell heavily to the floor, its lid and small parts scattering everywhere, shards scattered across the ground.

"Ah... I'm sorry, Miss Johnson, I didn't mean to… Ethan, my hand... it hurts so much..." Catherine cried, clutching the scratches on her palm.

Ethan rushed over to check her injury. The next moment, he darkened his face and stomped on the shattered remnants of the music box with his foot.

He glared at me viciously. "Is it just a broken ornament? Kathleen, do you really need to scare people on purpose? Throw all this junk away and don’t let me see it in the house again!"

After saying this, Ethan stomped on the shards under his foot one last time before picking up Catherine and leaving without looking back.

Tears fell onto the broken pieces of the music box and the shards pierced my fingers, but I couldn’t feel any pain at all.

When I was sixteen, my parents were going through a divorce.

Not knowing what to do, I ran to my best friend Sophia's house. I didn’t find her, but I bumped into her brother, Ethan, who had just finished playing basketball with his friends.

"Kid, you're Sophia’s friend, right? Why are you crying? Come on, talk to me.”

With red eyes, I tried to leave, but Ethan grabbed my arm and frowned, sending away the friends who wanted to continue playing games with him.

He told me to wait patiently and then, in the pouring rain, ran off by himself to buy the best desserts and cakes in the city. He piled them all in front of me.

He gently rubbed my head to comfort me, then mysteriously took out a music box from behind, with the little hero and princess figurines slowly spinning around.

"Kid, don’t be afraid."

“No matter how others treat you in the future, I, your unofficial brother, will always protect you. Let this music box be the proof.”

A young boy’s way of offering comfort was always so pure and straightforward, yet in that moment, it completely won over my helpless heart.

From that day until now, I’d loved Ethan for ten whole years.

I still remembered the promises he had made, but the one who swore those promises had long since forgotten them.

Holding the shattered remains in my hands, I gave them one last look before tossing them into the trash.

If that's the case, I didn't want both the promises and Ethan anymore. Never again.

By the time the next morning came, Ethan still hadn’t returned.

After shipping my luggage back home, I went to the office to print my resignation letter, ready to hand it to Ethan personally.

On the way, a message from him popped up:

[Baby, I went too far with my words yesterday. I ended up staying at the office to work and fell asleep there. I just woke up and I'll head back soon.]

I lifted my gaze to the empty office in front of me and placed the resignation letter on Ethan's desk.

I didn’t reply to his message. Instead, I exited the chat and removed him from my pinned conversations.

A red notification dot appeared in my contact list. It was Catherine sending me a friend request.

I hesitated briefly before accepting and immediately, a message popped up in the chat:

[Ethan, don’t forget to buy more condoms when you come back from the convenience store! You were too wild last night. You used up all the ones we had at home!]

The message was followed by several shy emojis.

At exactly the two-minute mark, Catherine deleted the message.

[Ah, I’m so sorry, Miss Johnson… I sent that to the wrong person… You didn’t see anything, did you?]

A pang of bitterness surged in my heart. I had no interest in playing along with her charade, but my fingers instinctively tapped into her social media feed.

One post after another unfolded before me, like a film reel playing out in front of my eyes.

It turned out that Catherine had been back for an entire month.

During this month, Ethan had been sneaking around, taking her to various places to enjoy themselves.

Looking back at the dates, I realized these trips were all during the times Ethan claimed he didn’t want me to be overwhelmed with work and deliberately assigned tasks to other employees.

Celestria Spire, Mount Kaelen, Seraphis Valley, they were all places I had once begged Ethan to visit with me.

He would always hold me in his arms, coaxing me with sweet words. “Alright, alright, once work isn’t so hectic, I’ll take you there.”

I waited for eight years and never saw him find the time. But when Catherine had only been back for a month, he suddenly was no longer busy.

At every destination, Ethan happily posed for countless photos with Catherine. Yet, during all the years I was with him, I was never allowed to point my camera at him.

He would say, "If my sister finds out I took her best friend, the little brat will probably kill me."

Or he’d say, "Baby, you're my secretary, after all. Office romances bring too much gossip and I don’t want you to get hurt."

But when one truly loved someone, how could it be hidden?

I was too naïve. Ethan had been evasive about our relationship for eight years. I should have realized long ago that he never loved me.

Just as I was about to close the app, a new photo from Catherine’s profile popped up.

The background was a large bed, with Catherine wearing a revealing camisole, her slender fingers tracing the man's firm, muscular abdomen.

It was a live photo and when I opened it, a familiar "Kate" echoed in my ears.

I had heard Ethan whisper it countless times in my ear with a seductive voice. "Kate,"

It turned out that the name he had always called was never mine.