I'm about to marry Andre Lawson, a Waller Street tycoon, while my boyfriend of ten years, a blue-blooded attorney, still has no idea.

His first love returns from Galoria, and now his phone floods with intimate photos of the two of them reliving their Lierre League alma mater days.

On Valentine's Day, he reserves a private room at one of Zradstin's top Talision restaurants and orders a mango-nut cake, completely forgetting I'm allergic to both. We end up in a full-on whipped cream fight before he recalls my allergy.

When the doctor arrives, I'm the one signing the emergency paperwork alone. That's also the moment I agree to the marriage my family arranges.

On the most luxurious stretch of Frosa's Virellis Lane, I looked down at the dozen wedding plans Dad had just sent me.

My fingers paused over the final message.

"I always knew you and Jack wouldn't last. A man who truly wants to marry you doesn't keep you waiting for ten years. You're realizing it now, and that's good enough. The wedding is in three days. Take your time packing."

Everything seemed so clear from the outside. Still, I'd been adrift in Jack's empty promises.

"I like whatever you think is best. Just keep it simple," I replied.

I hadn't realized Jack was behind me until I heard his startled voice. "Wedding? What wedding?"

He tried to look at my phone screen, but I quickly locked it and tucked it away. Just as he reached to grab it, the office phone rang.

In the stillness of the evening, I heard a soft Galish accent on the other end of the line. "Darling, I just landed. The Frosa skyline is stunning, but I'm a little scared. Can you come get me?"

Jack's expression tensed instantly. "Emily, don't worry. Wait for me in the hotel lobby. I'll be right there."

The wedding conversation vanished from his mind the moment he hung up. He grabbed his jacket without a second thought and rushed into the night to pick up Emily Clay. She was the one who had transformed from his first love to "just a friend"—the one with royal blood from Galoria.

After he left, I called my godmother to say goodbye.

My parents had moved to Eclana ten years ago, and I had been living with my godmother ever since.

She had noble lineage and lived in a white stone house in the Royal District.

That summer, Jack Dickinson and I became neighbors.

That was where our story began—just beyond that garden gate.

Jack, the aristocrat, had pursued me relentlessly. Even though I had no title or noble family, he had claimed he wanted to marry me.

Later, my godmother got married and moved to Braledo, so she sold the house. I didn't want to intrude on her new life, so I moved in with Jack.

I hadn't expected that living arrangement to stretch into ten years. After her husband passed away, my godmother moved back. Although I still lived with Jack, we often had dinner together. She thought well of him.

When I told her I was getting married, she let out a surprised gasp. "Married? To Jack? Well, it's about time. Ten years is long enough. You two need closure."

I pressed my lips together and shook my head. "No. It's an arranged marriage. My parents set it up. I don't even know the guy."

My godmother fell silent. It was a long pause before she finally said, "Are you sure about this? Jack might still be working his way up, but he really loves you. I could talk to him, if you want."

I gave her a faint smile. "No need. It's not really love anyway. We never even officially dated. It's just ten years of being in limbo. If I don't end it now, I'll waste the rest of my youth on uncertainty."

That was when she understood. After a decade together, Jack and I had never even defined what we were. She stopped trying to talk me out of it and simply said she would support my decision.

Before turning off my phone, I set a countdown for three days.

The next day, I asked my parents to send over some luxury goods as a gesture of thanks for my godmother's years of care, and also a quiet goodbye.

That evening, the delivery finally arrived. I had the driver bring it to her house. But as I was heading downstairs, I ran into Jack.

Emily trailed behind him, all sweet and coy. They had just returned from the supermarket, and right on top of the bag were condoms. The two of them were laughing and chatting, looking every bit like a couple about to move in together.

It looked like our story was always meant to end here, after all.

My godmother happened to come downstairs just as I arrived, and caught sight of everything. Her expression instantly turned cold.

Before she could say anything, I cut in first. "Did the gifts get delivered?"

I never once looked at Jack. But for once, he tried to explain, unprompted. "Don't get the wrong idea. Emily just got back from Galoria. I was just helping her get a few things she needed. Why did you order so much stuff?"

While directing the driver to unload the packages, I answered calmly, "You don't need to explain your personal life to me. These are from my parents. I'm not sure when I'll see my godmother again."

Jack visibly relaxed when he realized I wasn't going to press him further.

He still didn't know I was leaving, and I didn't care to tell him.

My godmother looked like she was about to say something too, but the moment she noticed how gently Jack was guiding Emily, her face darkened.

For a few seconds, we all stood there awkwardly. Then, Emily cooed, "Darling, we should head back upstairs..."

Jack turned to the driver and said, "Hold on with the boxes. We'll take the elevator up first. We don't have much stuff."

Looking at the suggestive shopping bag in his hand, I stepped aside with a cold expression.

As the elevator doors closed, my thoughts were dragged back to the past.

Back then, when my godmother had just moved, he had been just as attentive, running errands for me and helping out with everything.

He carried my luggage into his apartment, smiling as he said he was welcoming the future lady of the house.

My godmother sighed, still lingering in disbelief. "You really don't want me to talk to him? You've known each other so long. If this is just a misunderstanding, it would be such a waste."

"There's no need for that. He doesn't let misunderstandings last overnight. If he doesn't explain, that is the explanation."

I paused, then smiled bitterly. "He says he doesn't care that I wasn't born into nobility, but he's never once brought me into his world. The truth is that he has always minded."

My godmother gave my shoulder a light squeeze, trying to comfort me.

Jack and Emily didn't have many things—one trip was enough.

Even so, by the time I finished saying goodbye to my godmother, he was nowhere in sight downstairs.

Out of old time's sake, I texted him, "When will you be home?"

The reply came in a voice message. It wasn't from Jack, but from Emily, and her voice was sweet. "Laura, Jack is helping me hang curtains right now. The place hasn't been lived in for a while, so there's a lot to do. You should just head home. I don't want to waste your time!"

I was about to power off my phone when she added, "Don't overthink it, okay? Jack just feels bad that I'm all alone in Frosa..."

That was when it hit me. From the very beginning, Jack and I were never truly equals. No matter how hard I tried, the ending would have been the same.

I didn't reply. I just closed the chat.

A few minutes later, Jack called. "Why were you so cold to Emily? She's my first love. Of course I'm helping her settle in.

"When did you become so petty, Laura? You acted all distant and left early on Valentine's Day, and now this?"

In the background, I could hear Emily's aggrieved sobs.

I finally saw through her act. But I was too tired to play along anymore.

"You're right. It's my fault. I'm already home. Don't worry about me," I said.

Outside the window, the city glowed in dazzling colors. But in those familiar streets, all I could see were echoes of the life Jack and I once shared.

Before I even realized it, I had arrived downstairs at his place.

I stared up at that window, imagining he had probably already taken off his shirt, holding Emily close, tangled up in each other…

Sure enough, the moment one let a bad thought creep in, it had a way of coming true.

Two and a half minutes later, a photo popped up in my work group chat—Jack, half-naked, helping someone put up curtains.

It was the law firm’s group chat. By the time I clicked in, unread messages had already piled past 99.

At the top was a photo Emily had posted. She was smiling gracefully, and in the background, Jack was reaching up to hang her curtains. He had taken off his suit jacket, and his shirt was tossed to the side. His figure was lean and defined, looking effortlessly sexy.

The caption was playful and a little over the top. "Who would have thought my royal-born best friend would personally come over to help me hang curtains? This kind of service is priceless. I'm ready to sign a lifetime friendship contract right now!"

I froze for a second. Why was she in this group?

The chat exploded instantly.

"Oh my goodness! Is that the legendary Galoria royal?"

"Wait. Isn't Jack a total germaphobe? Why is he helping her? That's wild."

"Wow! Is she the new admin hire? She's stunning."

Before Emily showed up, I had been handling all the admin work at the firm for free.

Now, it looked like she was here to take my place.

I scrolled through the comments in silence, then quietly exited the chat and deleted it.

I had already decided to leave. Seeing a glimpse of their future life together didn't hurt as much as I thought it would.

I remembered how, right after we graduated, Jack used to post about me constantly. He would snap candid shots of me organizing case files or updating his schedule.

Everyone at the firm knew he was into me.

And with that unspoken affection lingering between us, even the most tedious law office tasks felt like something out of a love story.

But as Jack's career took off, everything changed.

Eventually, he banned anyone from posting anything about me in the group.

My departure was only days away now.

One of the coworkers I had grown close to called me, saying Jack had lost it. She made a passing comment that Emily wasn't as meticulous as I was, and Jack retaliated by cutting her year-end bonus.

I ended up transferring her 10,000 dollars on the side just to stop her from quitting in a fit of rage.

Back at the apartment where I had lived for ten years—an apartment that would never truly be mine—I started packing.

As I passed the bookshelf, I paused at the photo album Jack had given me, filled with memories from the last decade.

Every photo in there captured a surprise Jack had given me.

Ten years ago, he promised he would give me 999 romantic gestures before walking me down the aisle.

The album stopped at year four. The last photo was of me giving him a rare Rolex to celebrate his first partnership at the firm. He had been so thrilled that he insisted we take a photo together.

This morning, I saw that same watch again in Emily's photo. The shine of it now felt cruel, like it was mocking me and everything I believed in.

That 999-page custom album had just one page left blank.

So much for forever. I didn't bother flipping through the rest.

Clutching the album to my chest, I walked downstairs to the open courtyard and lit it on fire with a lighter.

As the flames devoured the pictures, they took ten years of my youth with them.

Jack showed up just in time to see the fire. His face went pale as a ghost.

He rushed over, shoved me to the ground, and tried to reach out to save it.

But the scorching heat kept him at bay; his hand turned bright red the moment it got close.

Furious, he stomped out the flames and shouted at me, "Are you insane? You just destroyed all our memories like they meant nothing!"

Trembling, I pushed myself up from the ground and brushed the ash off my clothes.

The firelight flickered across my face as I replied coldly, "Relax. I found a cockroach inside. Figured I'd just burn it along with the album."

"Laura..." His voice cracked. "Why are you doing this?"