The first thing my fiance's childhood sweetheart—Eve Hodgson—does after returning from abroad is make me sign a bet. It states that if my fiance—Holden Lane—chooses her over me nine times, I'll have to step aside willingly and let her have him.

I agree.

On the ninth time, she calls him in tears. "If you don't marry me, Holden, I'll be forced to marry that notorious Croft heir from Jedburgh!"

He ends the call in a frenzy and leaves me behind yet again. With his identification documents in hand, he rushes to marry her right away.

They announce their marriage to the world on the same day. Elites of Jedburgh strain their necks, eager to see me and the Crofts humiliated.

That's when Ryland Croft comes to me, smirking with that careless arrogance of his. "Since your fiance stole my bride, it seems only fair that you pay the debt. So, how about you marry me instead?"

I nod and say, "Fair enough. When's the wedding?"

My reply caught Ryland Croft completely off guard. He stared at me, stunned, until the tips of his ears flushed red.

"If you're not against it, it's settled. We'll get married three days from now, and I'm warning you—you're dead meat if you escape!"

He took off in a rush, stumbling into people and knocking over decorations, as if I might actually eat him alive.

My fingers slid over the piano keys as I lifted a brow in amusement.

Moments after he left, Holden Lane appeared. I glanced at him before coldly turning away, and he rushed toward me, pale-faced. "Serena, you're upset, aren't you? I can explain. Eve is timid, and if she marries that womanizer, Ryland, her life will be ruined. I can't just stand by and watch her walk into that trap."

So, he broke his promise and went ahead to marry Eve Hodgson.

But the truth was, even if he hadn't, this was the ninth time he had abandoned me for her. We were officially over.

"Just leave. You're married now. I don't have to deal with breaking off our engagement, do I?" I said evenly.

Holden frowned and desperately tried to explain, "It's just a fake marriage to help her out of trouble, Serena. I swear I see her as a sister. I'll never lay my hands on her. We've agreed that six months from now, we'll get a divorce, and she'll leave for abroad. But for now, you'll just have to bear with it and keep things quiet between us.

"Don't worry—I promise that I'll marry you. Just don't make things tough for her and treat her kindly."

I could understand his devotion to Eve, but how could he have the nerve to demand I step down from being his fiancee to being his mistress and unconditionally wait for him for half a year? Even if I agreed, my parents would never stand by and watch me throw my future away.

I calmly said, "I'm the daughter of the Barretts, and I'll never marry a divorced man."

Holden's expression darkened. "Divorced man? You know I'd never betray you, so why would you say something so harsh? She's just my wife on paper; my heart belongs to you. Everyone will still see you as my wife even as we keep things low-profile, so why can't you understand? Will you only relent if she suffers?"

His words made my gaze waver.

Holden had always claimed his heart was mine, yet he had left me for Eve nine times.

When she complained about not having an appetite, he skipped my birthday party to book a restaurant and feed her. When she whined about having a headache, he left me in the pouring rain to fetch her medicine.

Time after time, he chose her. And each time, it tore another piece out of my heart.

Yesterday, when she said she wouldn't marry a spoiled heir, he went ahead and married her. And that turned me into the laughingstock of the elite circle.

Now, he wanted to stay married to her while keeping me as his secret lover… How was that any different from making me a mistress?

As if public ridicule weren't enough, did he need to watch my name and dignity burn too?

I lowered my eyes to the piano and announced, "Apologies, but I don't do secret affairs, and I won't marry a divorced man. Please leave, Mr. Lane."

After my repeated humiliating dismissals, Holden finally lost his temper. "Serena, all the elites know we've been together for years. Our parents have met, and I've lived in your house. If you don't marry me, who else could you possibly marry?"

With that, he stormed off in anger.

A bitter smile curled my pale lips. I knew then that the Holden who would spend a fortune for me, who would fight bare-handed against thugs to keep me safe… was gone. From now on, he was just Eve's husband.

Maybe I should've cut ties the first time he chose Eve over me, but I was too naive, believing that the years we shared were stronger than a woman who had left him at his lowest.

I was proven terribly wrong. They were childhood sweethearts with a strong bond, while I was just a distraction to help him pass the time when she was away.

Almost as if afraid I might change my mind, Ryland showed up with his parents the next day to propose.

Their sincerity was almost impossible to ignore. The gifts alone filled the living room, and the multimillion-dollar contract they brought spoke volumes about how much they valued me.

My parents were tempted, though their main concern was my happiness. Ryland was notorious for his reckless ways, and they feared I'd suffer if I married him.

It took some effort, but I managed to persuade them that money was more practical than love—anytime, anywhere.

Ryland might be spoiled, but he was the Crofts' only heir. As long as he didn't commit crimes, my life with him would be nothing less than luxurious.

I was instructing the butler, Adam, to put the gifts away when I turned and saw Eve walking in, clinging to Holden's arm. Her eyes flickered with envy at the dazzling jewelry spread across the room. Holden, on the other hand, frowned in displeasure.

"I told you we're not marrying for another six months, so why are you telling people the wedding is happening as planned and preparing all these wedding gifts? Do you have any idea how annoying that is?"

I froze, realizing that he must have mistaken the Crofts' wedding gifts as the ones I was preparing to marry him.

Eve stepped closer and said pitifully, "Please, Serena. Just let me borrow Holden for a little while. I really hate the idea of marrying Ryland."

She reached out to take my hand, and my gaze caught the diamond ring glinting on her finger. I froze.

That was Holden's parents' pledge of love, meant to be passed down to their daughter-in-law. I had begged Holden for years to slip it onto my finger when we officially got engaged, but he had brushed me off with a pair of plain rings.

And now, it had glaringly shown up on Eve's finger, even without a proper wedding.

Eve shot me a triumphant look. She slid the hand with the ring into Holden's pocket and pulled out a small box, shoving it into his hand.

"You got a gift for Serena, so don't be stubborn now. Go and make things right with her!"

Holden's expression was cold as he reluctantly shoved the box into my hands. When I didn't take it, it fell to the floor with a sharp clatter, and a crudely-made silver bangle rolled out.

He immediately flew into a fit of rage. "Serena, what is wrong with you?"

What was wrong with me? That cheap trinket was barely fit to be my dog's collar. How could he make it seem as if I were the difficult one?

The contempt and mockery on my face must have been too obvious because his anger spiked, and he kicked the bangle across the floor. "Fine! If you don't want it, forget it!"

"Why would you do this, Serena? Both of us picked it out just for you!" Eve sounded hurt.

Holden glared at me with resentment as if I were being ungrateful. Eve bent down to pick up the bangle and looked up at me with timid, pleading eyes. "I know you're upset, but you shouldn't dismiss Holden's gesture just like that."

She put on a show of pity, brushing off the nonexistent dust on the bangle as if to soothe me.

I laughed at Eve's fake, dramatic performance.

She was as sharp as ever, twisting the truth with just a few words to make me the villain when the bet had been her idea. Now that she had won and I had stepped aside without a word of protest, what was the point of her act?

I gave her a cool glance and said in a distant voice, "You two are married now, and I've broken off my engagement. We've got nothing to do with each other anymore, so let's not cross paths again if it's unnecessary."

Of course, they believed that was just my angry outburst and weren't convinced.

Clutching the silver bangle, Eve tried to slip it onto my wrist. "Don't be upset, Serena. Holden made this himself. Even if I want one, I can't get it."

Annoyed, I shoved her away. "I said no!"

Though I barely used any strength, she flung herself sideways and crashed into the shelf like I had pushed her with all my might. Tears instantly streamed down her face as she pitifully whimpered.

"I understand I've crossed the line, Serena, but I just wanted you to accept Holden's gift and make peace with him."

Holden gathered her into his arms and glared at me with fury. "You've gone too far! Apologize to her, now!"

When I didn't move, he grabbed the silver bangle from Eve and tossed it into the trash. "Someone like you, who treats my efforts with contempt, doesn't deserve it. Just don't come begging to me when you regret it."

With that, he stormed out with Eve, steadying her against him.

Before they made it far, she glanced back somewhat inadvertently with a silent, knowing smile on her lips. Then, she mouthed. "You've lost."

…

Eve was an illegitimate daughter of the Hodgsons, brought back to the family at 11. I had heard stories that she didn't know proper table manners and was mocked by her peers.

Once, her sister pretended to drop a cake and smeared it across Eve's dress. While she was flustered and humiliated, it was Holden who had stepped in to save her.

From then on, she clung to him and followed him everywhere, like a lost duckling that had found its mother. Out of pity, he silently consented to her approach and took extra care of her.

Things eventually went out of control when he'd remember her share for every treat and toy.

Years later, she went abroad. That was when Holden and I met and fell in love, but whispers of their story never stopped circulating in the elite circle.

Whenever I grew jealous of Eve, he'd soothe me by saying, "You know I only feel sorry for her." And I believed it, thinking his feelings for Eve were nothing more than pity.

But the moment she returned, he changed.

He left me nine times for her. And when he heard she was set to marry Ryland, he dragged her to the city hall and tied the knot with her before anyone could stop him.

Their marriage announcement was met with well wishes, with commenters calling them "childhood sweethearts" and "the perfect match". And as for me, I was simply discarded.

Maybe his love for me had changed, or he might never have loved me at all. All I could do was laugh bitterly and lament at why he had sought me out in the first place if his heart had always belonged to someone else.

The day before my wedding was Valentine's Day.

Every year before, I would beg Holden to spend it with me. But this year, I just wanted to be alone.

I wandered into my favorite flower shop and was thinking of buying roses when I was told that every stalk had been reserved. While I was wondering who the extravagant buyer was, the shop assistant behind the counter sighed in envy.

"Mrs. Lane is so lucky. Just because she likes roses, Mr. Lane bought out the entire shop!"

"Another day, another reason to envy true love. I heard he even dumped his long-time girlfriend for her."