She slapped a photo onto the table.

"Look. It's her."

The woman in the photograph looked incredibly pure—two shallow, charming dimples framing her smile. It wasn't just men; even women would feel an instinctive pull toward her upon first glance.

"This is Chloe Reid," my friend explained breathlessly. "Nathaniel's 'The One That Got Away.' Your husband treasures her memory like a maniac."

"Four years ago, Chloe suddenly vanished without a trace. Nathaniel searched for her obsessively, hovering between life and death in his grief."

A shaking finger jabbed at the photo. "It turns out your husband specifically hunts for girls who resemble her to express his longing."

After dropping this bombshell, her expression softened. "Lily, don't take this to heart. This is just my analysis. I could be wrong."

"Your analysis is correct." My voice stayed level. "But you only got half of it right."

"Huh? Does he have some other motive?"

I didn't answer directly. Instead, I lifted my face and looked her dead in the eye.

"Do you think *I* look like Chloe Reid?"

She froze. Her gaze swept over my features, eyes widening in slow horror.

"It's always darkest under the lamp! I was so focused on those other girls that I completely overlooked you. Yes! You look *too* much like her! Those other women are maybe fifty percent alike. You? You're at least seventy percent."

She leaned in, urgency sharpening her voice. "What did you mean earlier? About me only being half right?"

My expression hardened. "From now on, don't ask that question."

"Why?"

"I don't want to drag you into the crossfire. Staying alive is better than knowing the truth."

A nervous laugh escaped her. "That's a bit dramatic, isn't it?"

I said nothing more. I simply picked up my tools and resumed my work.

*Skree-skree.*

Listening to that bone-chilling sound, she left, her brow furrowed in thought.

Time passed quickly.

Then, one day, Nathaniel came home buzzing with excitement.

This man—who never sang—was actually humming a tune. In the middle of the night, words tumbled from his lips in sleep.

"Heaven does not fail the willing... I'm finally getting what I wished for."

Lying beside him in the darkness, I sneered.

*The fish is about to bite the hook.*

Before dawn the next morning, he jolted awake to the noise of my grinding.

"Lily, are you possessed?" He rubbed his temples, irritation bleeding into his voice. "If you want something made, just send it to a jeweler. Why go to all this trouble?"

"It has more meaning this way."

His mind was elsewhere; he couldn't be bothered to decipher my words. Muttering "What a mystery," he got up and went about his business.

A few days later, Nathaniel appeared on the popular TV program, *Social Focus*.

A female reporter was conducting a face-to-face interview.

"Mr. Vance, for years you've been waiting for the girl you love. Congratulations on her return to your side. However, you are already married. May I ask what your plans are regarding your current marriage?"

Nathaniel's eyes reddened on cue. "What I have with Lily Fox is a marriage; what I have with Chloe Reid is true love. Marriage is sometimes a helpless obligation, but true love... that is eternal."

The reporter looked visibly moved. "In today's restless society, to see such devotion... it truly must be celebrated."

Almost immediately, an article was published online.

**[Searching for the Shadow of Love: The Billionaire's Heartbreaking Reunion.]**

The reporter used flowery, emotive language to paint a touching love story. The public reaction was massive.

Countless women commented that good men like Nathaniel Vance—devoted, loyal lovers—were a dying breed. He was hailed as a model for all men.

My best friend stormed into my house.

Her face was twisted with anger. "So this was his plan all along! And what does that make you, Lily? A placeholder?"

She paced the room. "Since he doesn't love you, why the hell did he marry you in the first place?"

A tremor passed through my gaze, but I forced my voice to remain steady.

"He lied to me," I said slowly. "And he lied to himself."

"Lily, what are you going to do?"

"I don't need to plan anything. Someone else will do the planning for me."

With that, I lowered my head and resumed my work.

*Skree-skree.*

My best friend listened to the harsh grinding sound, a visible shiver running through her. "You... you aren't making a dagger to slaughter the pair of them, are you?"

I looked up and smiled.

"Death is the most efficient way to solve a problem. But wanting to die isn't that easy."

Nathaniel brought Chloe Reid to see me.

Like the women before her, she came bearing a gift.

A gold bracelet inlaid with a sapphire. When the light hit the blue stone, it gave off a faint, eerie glow.

"A small token of my goodwill, Sister. Do you like it?"

Those innocent, guileless eyes met mine, and I sighed inwardly. *That is the kind of gaze one only acquires after cultivating manipulation to the extreme.*

"I like it."

As usual, I accepted the gift with a radiant smile.

Then, I turned to Nathaniel. "Your true love is back. I should vacate my position."

"Lily, don't say it like that—"

"Sister, please don't misunderstand." Chloe cut in smoothly, taking over his defense. "I didn't return to the country to snatch your husband. Everything is better if we just let nature take its course."

"Let nature take its course?"

I met her gaze.

"Fine."

In the days that followed, Nathaniel paraded this woman through high society. They linked arms, gazing at each other with deep affection.

Images of the happy couple appeared everywhere. Thanks to the groundwork laid by that sympathetic reporter, the public envied them to the extreme.

**[Look, this is what lovers should look like.]**

**[This is true love.]**

**[Nathaniel Vance must be dying of happiness.]**

During this period, Nathaniel proactively leaked a story to the media. He claimed that back then, I, Lily Fox, had taken advantage of the situation after Chloe's sudden disappearance. He painted a picture of me swooping in during his most vulnerable moment to trap him in marriage.

He also provided an explanation for Chloe's absence.

He claimed she had left without saying goodbye to care for her sick parents abroad. She had been afraid of becoming a burden to him, so she hid the truth. Now that her parents had passed, and hearing that he still held her in his heart, she had returned.

The public was moved to tears by this tragic romance.

Naturally, I became the villain.

**[Lily Fox really knows how to exploit a loophole.]**

**[What a scheming woman.]**

**[She stole a position that belonged to someone else.]**

**[So shameless.]**

When the insults reached my ears, I couldn't help but laugh.

*What a brilliant move.* Next, someone would likely come to lay all the cards on the table with me.