After her boyfriend’s hasty proposal, Roxanne Holbrook secretly compiled clips from her home surveillance camera, planning to turn them into a sweet engagement vlog.

She never expected to uncover the truth instead.

“You’re really keeping it zipped even after the wedding? Man, you’ve got a drop-dead gorgeous woman like Roxanne in your bed and you haven’t laid a finger on her? Damn, that’s some next-level discipline—I gotta respect that.”

Roxanne’s hand froze on the mouse as one of Vincent’s buddies laughed on the recording.

Vincent’s voice drifted in, smooth and unbothered. “I made a promise to Courtney. She told me not to touch Roxanne. So I did.”

His voice was as soft and tender as ever, but the words hit Roxanne like a punch to the gut.

In over seven years of dating, Vincent Strauss had always been... reserved. No boundaries crossed, no heat—barely any kisses, unless she initiated it. She’d thought he was just being respectful. Turns out, he was saving himself for someone else.

The video continued with a chorus of chuckles from the guys.

“You know, I think Roxanne should thank Courtney. If she hadn’t demanded you get married in two weeks, there’s no way you’d have proposed this fast.”

“The power of true love, man. I told you it’s a real thing. See? Vincent’s sacrificing his life to get rid of Courtney’s love rival.”

Vincent didn’t even try to fight back. If anything, there was a flicker of helplessness in his eyes as he said, “I’d do anything if it meant making Courtney happy.”

And then he said the one thing that shattered her completely.

“I’ve come to terms with the fact that I won’t end up with Courtney in this life. But Roxanne... she kind of looks like her. That’s enough to soothe the ache.”

Another guy chimed in with a laugh, “Just make sure Roxanne never finds out you staged that whole knight-in-shining-armor act.”

“Man, she was just supposed to get a scare that night. Who knew Courtney would call right when it started? Vincent answering that call gave those punks too much time. The whole thing almost got out of hand.”

“And then when her dad tried to press charges, you swooped in and hired a top-tier lawyer for those bastards. If it wasn’t for you, they’d still be rotting in jail.”

Vincent frowned slightly. “Let’s never bring that up again. You don’t talk, I don’t talk—she’ll never know.”

The others agreed quickly, throwing out half-assed promises to stay silent.

Roxanne bit down hard on her lip, tears stinging her eyes but refusing to fall.

Seven years ago, she’d confessed to her longtime crush and been cruelly rejected.

Heartbroken, she’d gone out drinking. Alone.

A group of lowlifes spotted her by herself and dragged her into a dark alley. She’d fought back with everything she had, but that only made things worse. They hit her. Ripped at her clothes. Hands—disgusting, dirty hands—roamed all over her body.

Her screams and pleas got swallowed by the night, no one came.

Until Vincent showed up. He’d fought them off and taken her home. He was her hero.

Or so she thought.

Now she knew—he had orchestrated the entire nightmare.

If she hadn’t randomly decided to check those camera recordings, she would’ve lived her whole life believing that lie.

Her fingers clenched into fists. Then she laughed bitterly.

The man who had promised to make her attackers pay had also secretly worked to set them free. He probably felt real smug watching her fall deeper and deeper, believing she’d found the love of her life.

A love that was nothing more than a carefully crafted trap.

His tenderness, his protectiveness… How much of it was ever real?

Once the seed of doubt takes root, the entire foundation crumbles.

Everything she once thought was beautiful was now laced with poison.

The contrast between her memories and the ugly truth playing out on screen nearly drove her mad.

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

Their whole relationship had been a mistake. There was never going to be a happy ending.

At least she still had time to walk away.

But not before giving him a taste of his own betrayal.

She wouldn’t call him out. Not yet.

You don’t betray someone like that and walk away clean.

Ten days from now, on their wedding day—the one she would never show up to—she’d give him her final gift.

Her silence.

And her revenge.

Roxanne deleted the video files from her computer, then dialed her father.

“Dad,” she said, forcing her voice to stay even. “I’ve been thinking…I’ll go to that blind date.”

There was a pause on the other end. “What about your boyfriend—the one and only man you’ll love?”

She swallowed hard, her voice light and breezy like nothing was wrong. “Yeah. I was dumb to ever fall for him. I see it now.”

“Okay,” Mr. Holbrook let out a sigh of relief. “I’ll find you a man a thousand times better than him, that’s handsome, smart, kind—all qualities that you fancy. Forget that heartbreaker boy and move on.”

Her throat tightened. She nodded through the tears. “Okay.”

“Don’t cry, okay? It’s your birthday!” His tone softened. “Did you get my present?”

“I did. I love it.”

After a few more words of comfort, he finally hung up.

Roxanne sat for a moment, staring at the custom-made amethyst bracelet on her wrist. She snapped a picture and posted it on social media.

[Love the birthday gift, Dad. Thank you.]

Her father liked the post immediately. Other friends and family followed with birthday wishes.

But there was nothing from Vincent.

Every other year, he was always the first to say happy birthday.

Feeling a little hollow, she was about to close the app when she saw a new post from him.

[Welcome home, Courtney.]

The photo showed him at the airport, arms wrapped around Courtney Buzolic.

[She’s back? You must be over the moon now that she’s back.] 

[Of course, he’s over the moon. She’s his first and true love.]

His friends wrote in the comment sections.

Roxanne’s hand trembled.

She’d asked him countless times to post a picture of them together, just once. Show the world he was proud of her. He always refused.

Said he didn’t like posting on social media.

But clearly, it wasn’t about that.

He just didn’t want to post her.

She liked the post.

Then left a comment.

[His true love’s back? Then I guess it’s time the stand-in made her exit.]

Minutes later, the post vanished. Vincent didn’t explain. Didn’t text. Didn’t call.

It was like he never made that post.

A while later, a message popped up on her phone.

[Half an hour. Same place. See you there.]

“The same place” meant the restaurant called ‘The Meet’. It was where Vincent had first told her he loved her.

They’d spent every anniversary, every Valentine’s Day there since.

Roxanne’s heart skipped.

Maybe he hadn’t forgotten her birthday after all? Hope—a quiet, desperate kind—bubbled up in her chest as she drove there.

The private dining room door was cracked open.

Just as she reached for the handle, she heard a woman’s voice from inside.

“Vincent, are you really giving me this restaurant?!” Roxanne gasped.

Vincent replied, his voice soft and nostalgic. “Do you remember? This is where we always meet. I bought this place just to mark that day. No one else deserves it but you.”

Roxanne felt her whole world tilt. All those moments she thought were special—were they even about her? Was she just a proxy for someone else?

Her hand shook as she gripped the door and forced herself to breathe.

Then she pushed it open.

Vincent turned, startled. “Roxanne? What are you doing here?”

Like he didn’t expect her at all.

She frowned. “You ask me to come.”

Courtney tossed her hair with a smirk. “Sorry, that was me. I heard Vincent’s girlfriend looked like me and I was curious. Figured I’d invite you over myself. Hope you don’t mind.”

Her tone said “sorry,” but her eyes were full of challenge.

Roxanne didn’t blink. “I do mind. So… apologize!”

The bluntness of her words made both Vincent and Courtney freeze.

Courtney’s eyes welled up instantly. “Vincent, I’m sorry. I didn’t think your girlfriend would get upset over something so small…”

“Roxy, you’re being ridiculous,” Vincent cut in, his expression darkening. “Courtney just wanted to meet you. Why blow it out of proportion? Apologize to her. Now.”

Roxanne’s jaw tightened.

“Tell me, Vincent—am I really overreacting, or is it just that your heart isn’t in the same place anymore?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong, so no. I’m not apologizing.”

Suddenly, Courtney stood up and grabbed her wrist firmly. “Roxanne, don’t be mad. I’ll apologize, okay? I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Roxanne instinctively yanked her arm back.

And in that moment, Courtney lost her balance and crashed to the floor.

A snapping sound echoed through the room, followed by the sharp clatter of crystal pieces scattering across the floor.

Roxanne’s eyes widened. She dropped to her knees, scooping up the shattered remains of her crystal bracelet. Her fingers trembled as she held them up.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

She could feel it—Courtney had tugged on the bracelet as she went down, pulling it hard like she meant to break it.

“I didn’t!” Courtney’s voice trembled, eyes glassy. “Roxanne, just because you’re jealous doesn’t mean you get to throw accusations around. I really just tripped…”

Then, as if gathering courage, she added with a shaky smile, “Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back. How much is it?”

Roxanne’s cheeks flushed with fury. “How much? Do you even know that—”

“I’ll pay it, alright?” Vincent cut. He stepped in, helping Courtney up. His face was unreadable as he pulled out his checkbook and started writing. “One million. That enough?”

Roxanne gritted her teeth. “Not even close.”

That bracelet was a birthday gift from her dad. No amount of money could replace it.

Without looking at her, Vincent ripped out a blank check and threw it at her. “Fill in whatever you want. You’re losing it over a broken bracelet.”

Roxanne stumbled to her feet, her voice cold and steady. “That ‘broken bracelet’ was a birthday gift from my father.”

Vincent froze, looking away awkwardly.

“Why didn’t you say it was from your dad?”

Roxanne let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, I did. I posted it in my socials. Everybody saw it wished me a happy birthday.”

Caught off guard, Vincent actually tried to explain himself. “I was busy today. Didn’t have time to check social media.”

“Right,” she said icily. “Busy picking up your long-lost darling from the airport. Who has time to care about their girlfriend’s birthday?”

“Don’t mind it. It’s just a joke. They love trolling in my account,” Vincent’s expression tightened. “And besides, I’ve known Courtney for over a decade. If something were going to happen between us, it would’ve happened already. You think she’d still be single if she was interested in me?”

Roxanne let out a laugh, more amused than angry now.

“Maybe she is still single because she thinks you’re not good enough.”

Vincent’s eyelid twitched. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Roxanne smiled faintly. “Don’t mind it. Just a joke.”

And with that, she grabbed the check and walked out. She moved quickly, almost like she needed the momentum to push out the bitterness building in her chest.

Back home, she went straight to her studio and pulled out her sketchbook. Ninety-nine pages. Every single one filled with sketches of Vincent. She had planned to give it to him as a wedding present. Now, what a joke that felt like.

She tossed the book into a metal bin and lit a match.

The flames caught fast, the paper curling in seconds. As the fire grew, so did the flood of memories.

Vincent carrying her on his back through rain-soaked streets…

Vincent holding her close at the top of the Ferris wheel, whispering forever…

Vincent staying up all night to take care of her when she was sick…

The fire roared, devouring each memory page by page.

All the love she’d carefully painted onto each sheet—gone. Turned to ash.

So were the memories. And so was her heart.