After leaving those words behind, Justin walked away.

It wasn’t until I discovered the ninety-nine love letters in his study that I realized—Justin had been in love with Selena for a full ten years.

Selena was my father’s illegitimate daughter and that identity had always been a source of shame for her. My father had secretly arranged for her and her mother to live in another villa—ironically, right next door to Justin's.

Although we all attended the same university, I only learned of this arrangement recently.

Justin had been a campus heartthrob—handsome, reserved and born into a prestigious family.

But he had fallen for the quiet and timid Selena. Just to be close to her, Justin would accompany her to meals every single day.

He even joined the ping-pong club, despite it being the sport he disliked most.

Selena had publicly rejected his confession, yet on her birthday, he still set off fireworks for her.

Now that Selena's marriage had ended, Justin was willing to sacrifice our marriage—just to keep me from inheriting the family fortune.

It finally dawned on me: this fake, painful marriage was no longer worth holding on to.

If that’s how it is, I should let them have each other.

And fully set myself free.

Justin didn’t come home the entire day, but he sent me a message in the middle of the night.

[There are two tickets in your bag—for your favorite band. I’m taking tomorrow off so I can go with you. I’m working overtime at the office now, so get some rest first.]

So he still remembered my favorite band.

Over the past three years of marriage, Justin had learned all of my preferences. On every holiday, he would surprise me with thoughtful little gifts. He was attentive, caring—everything a woman could hope for.

Back then, he made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

But now, even with him reaching out, I didn’t feel that old spark. Not even a flicker of excitement.

Still, the next day, I went to the concert as planned.

Half an hour after the show started, Justin still hadn’t shown up.

I called him, but the call went straight to voicemail.

This was the first time he had ever forgotten a plan we’d made. After calling him twenty times with no answer, I gave up.

I walked into the venue, feeling strangely empty.

Seeing my favorite band perform should have thrilled me.

But then, during the interactive segment, the camera panned across the crowd and zoomed in on a couple.

It was them—Justin and Selena. Both wearing masks and baseball caps.

No one else would have recognized them.

Selena leaned shyly against Justin, her smile sweet and affectionate.

When the lead singer asked if they were a couple, they both shook their heads.

“It’s the perfect moment—why not confess your feelings?”

Right then, Justin dropped to one knee. He pulled out a ring from his pocket and looked up at Selena, his voice sincere.

“Ten years… Can this ring help me preserve this moment?”

I watched in silence as he slowly slid the ring onto Selena’s finger.

I already knew who lived in Justin’s heart. But seeing it—seeing it with my own eyes—still struck like a blade.

A sharp pain surged through my chest and my eyes filled with tears that refused to stop.

Even as the screen switched back to the lead singer, my tears kept falling.

I collapsed stiffly into my seat, my body frozen. At that moment, the final shred of hope I’d been holding on to... shattered completely.

Through my tears, I sent Justin a message.

“Justin, you broke your promise.”

Less than five minutes later, he replied.

“Something urgent came up. I forgot. I’ll explain when I get back.”

I let out a bitter laugh, unable to suppress the sour ache in my heart.

I didn’t want to stay any longer.

Outside, the crowd had thinned. A few raindrops splashed against my arm.

I hadn’t brought an umbrella. By the time I got home, I was drenched from head to toe.

Then Justin sent another message.

[It’s raining outside. Don’t forget to close the window. Don’t be scared. I’ll be back soon.]

Staring at his message, tears mingled with the rain streaming down my face.

My hand trembled as I gripped the phone. I couldn’t hold back the storm of anger and heartbreak inside me any longer.

So I wrote back.

[Justin, was the concert good?]

This time, he didn’t reply.

It wasn’t until 1 a.m. that Justin finally came home.

When he saw me sitting silently on the sofa, his eyes flickered in surprise. Then, with a guilty expression, he knelt down beside me and gently took my hand in his.

“I’m sorry I didn’t go to the concert with you,” he said softly. “It was my fault. Selena just got divorced… she wasn’t in a good state of mind. I was afraid she might do something reckless, so I stayed with her a little longer.”

“I was planning to come back and go with you, but she promised that if I went with her instead, she wouldn’t do anything irrational. She’s your blood sister, after all. I couldn’t just turn my back on her. Can you understand?”

My tears had long dried. I slowly pulled my hand from his grasp, my voice hoarse and drained.

“I understand.”

It didn’t matter anymore. In less than a month, whatever he did with Selena would no longer concern me.

Seeing my silence, Justin continued coaxing me.

“Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the shooting range. Didn’t you say you’ve always wanted to try it? I’ll call and make a reservation right now. Can you give me a chance to make it up to you?”

I said nothing. For Selena’s sake, he—someone who had once prided himself on never breaking a promise—had started lying.

I was afraid… afraid that if I hoped for even a little, that hope would be shattered all over again.

Justin returned to the study. A moment later, my phone buzzed.

It was Selena. She had sent several photos and videos.

They were shamelessly boastful.

“Don’t blame Justin. I divorced Benny and he was worried about me, so he stayed with me all night. I didn’t know you had concert plans today. If I had, I definitely would've told him to go with you. After all, you are his wife.”

Her tone was sugary, but the images told another story.

In one photo, Justin had his arms wrapped tightly around her, massaging her head with care.

In another, his eyes were red-rimmed with concern as he sat by her bedside, holding her hand tenderly.

And in a video—Selena, drunk and weeping, looked straight at him.

“If I asked you to divorce Thalia and marry me right now… would you do it?”

Justin was silent for a long moment. Then, he answered slowly.

“I would. For the past ten years, there hasn’t been a single moment I didn’t think of you… didn’t want to marry you.”

Hearing those words, I couldn’t help but laugh.

I covered my face, laughing so hard my body trembled as tears streamed between my fingers.

I slumped back on the sofa, utterly drained of strength.

Justin had already showered. When he saw my expression, he walked over without saying a word, bent down and scooped me into his arms, carrying me straight into the bedroom.

He leaned over me, gently kissing my face, his voice low and husky.

“Baby, I’m sorry I hurt you. It was my fault. I won’t do it again.”

As he spoke, his hands began to roam my body. The scent on his skin and the familiarity of his touch filled the air with heat and tension.

Just then, I suddenly pushed him aside and sat up.

“You can sleep in the guest room tonight.”

Justin froze, clearly startled by my sudden movement. When he heard my words—words that drew a line between us—his expression darkened and his emotions exploded.

“Thalia! What the hell are you thinking? I already explained everything to you and apologized. Are you really going to keep dragging this out? It was just a concert. Is sleeping in separate rooms really necessary?!”

I looked up at him and let out a bitter smile.

“Am I the one making a fuss? Justin, you promised to go to the concert with me. But the moment Selena said one thing, you forgot me completely. Do you even know where your heart really is anymore?”

“What are you implying? There’s nothing going on between Selena and me. But if that’s how you want to think, go ahead. I’m not going to argue with you.”

With that, he grabbed a blanket and walked out.

My fingernails dug into my palms as I sat there forcing a bitter smile, mocking myself in silence.

He didn’t even care enough to explain anymore.

***

The next morning, Justin made breakfast like usual.

He made my favorite egg pancakes, urged me to sit down and thoughtfully served me a bowl of porridge.

“I’m sorry for breaking our plans yesterday,” he said gently. “I remember all your favorite things and I’ll always keep my promises to you.”

His warmth wrapped around me like a soft blanket—and for just a moment, I almost forgot.

I almost forgot who those gentle promises were truly meant for.

After a two-hour drive to the shooting range, Selena showed up—her face glowing with joy.

I was caught off guard and turned to Justin in confusion.

He responded casually, as if nothing were amiss.

“She was bored at home, so I invited her to come along. She’s your sister. You don’t mind, do you?”

I stared at him, my voice cold and flat.

“Justin, my mother only gave birth to me. I don’t have a sister. Have you forgotten?”

His expression instantly darkened and the anger in his eyes surged.

“Thalia, must you ruin everything? We’re here to have fun. What’s the big deal about one more person? Selena just ended a marriage—shouldn’t we, as her family, take her out more and try to cheer her up?”

Selena, who had been standing nearby, noticed my reaction and lowered her head, looking crestfallen.

Her voice was soft, filled with guilt.

“I’m sorry for intruding… I’ll leave now.”

Justin reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her from walking away.

Completely disregarding my presence, he gently handed her a tissue.

“We’re all here already, so let’s just enjoy ourselves. Don’t worry about her mood. Anyone can come to a shooting range.”

He shot me a sharp look.

“With all these people watching, don’t cause a scene.”

Then, without giving me a chance to respond, he dragged me roughly toward the gear area to change.

Selena, shameless as ever, didn’t flinch. She changed into her gear not far from us, as if nothing had happened.

And then, just like that, as though the tension had vanished, she came skipping over to us again.

She stopped beside me, picked up a pistol—and aimed the barrel directly at my chest.

My heart skipped a beat, my body froze and my breath caught in my throat.

Justin’s face changed instantly. In one swift move, he lunged forward and grabbed Selena’s hand, jerking the gun away from me and toward the target.

A shot fired.

The recoil threw Selena backward and she yelped, dropping the gun in fright.

Luckily, Justin caught her in time. She fell into his chest, trembling with fear.

“Justin, that was terrifying… I was so scared. Thank goodness you were there…”

Her voice quivered as she clung to him. Tears shimmered in her eyes.

Justin instinctively reached up and stroked her hair, comforting her, his face filled with concern.

Meanwhile, I stood frozen, stunned by what had just happened. My mind had gone completely blank.

It took several seconds before I could move again.

Then, without another word, I marched up to Selena, grabbed her by the collar and yanked her away from Justin.

I slapped her—once, then again.

“Selena, what the hell were you thinking?! Were you trying to kill me?!”

She clutched her cheek, eyes brimming with tears as she looked at me with pitiful innocence.

“I’m sorry… sister. I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to point it at someone. I didn’t mean to. I only realized afterward… I almost caused an accident.”

I scoffed coldly, my gaze filled with ice and venom.

“You think I’d believe that? A bastard daughter trying to steal my family fortune, seducing my boyfriend, then seducing my husband… A woman capable of such disgraceful things couldn’t possibly be innocent!”

My hands were trembling, my fury boiling over, my calm facade shattered.

By the time I finished, my voice had risen to a snarl.

Then—crack—a loud slap echoed across the range.

Justin had hit me.

His brows were furrowed, but his eyes were devoid of sympathy.

“Enough! Selena didn’t do it on purpose. It was her first time shooting—mistakes happen! Why can’t you use your head?”

“She’s your sister. Can’t you stop jumping to conclusions about her? She said it wasn’t intentional.”

Then he tu

“You’re not supposed to aim the barrel at anyone! The instructor already warned us—that was reckless!”

Selena flinched from his sudden outburst. Her lips trembled and she blinked back tears.

“I’m sorry… I’m so stupid. I won’t bother you again. I’ll go home now.”

She wiped her tears and ran off.

As soon as she disappeared from sight, Justin turned back to me with an impatient frown.

“Forget her. Let’s just continue shooting.”

But my hands were still trembling as I gripped the pistol, the earlier moment replaying in my mind like a nightmare.

It took all my focus to calm myself.

I tried adjusting my posture.

“Is this okay?” I asked.

Justin stood behind me, silent.

When I turned around, I found his eyes weren’t on me at all.

He was still staring in the direction Selena had left.