Chapter 1

It was the fifth year of dating Serena Walsh, and she finally said yes to my proposal.

But on the day of our engagement party, she just vanished. Ghosted everyone. No calls, no texts. I waited for her all night, only to wake up to a trending post: a hot topic about her attending an art gala with her childhood friend.

Looking at their intimate photo, and the hickey on Serena’s neck, I laughed. Laughed at how utterly blind she was, not even seeing the real deal, the true master, right beside her for five whole years!

“Explain this.”

I shoved my phone, showing the trending headlines in bold red, right in front of Serena. I just wanted an explanation.

But she just frowned slightly, her voice laced with impatience. “What’s there to explain? It’s just work.”

Her casual indifference hit me like a physical blow, twisting in my chest. “So? You can blow off our engagement party for work with Jasper Reed?”

Serena rubbed her temples, a headache clearly brewing. “Julian Vance, I don’t have time for this idle chatter. We can always reschedule the engagement party. But a work opportunity like this won’t come again!”

She stood up, heading towards the bedroom. I let out a self-deprecating laugh. “What about the hickey on your neck? Is that ‘work’ too?!”

Her steps faltered. Then she spun around, her brow furrowed, a furious edge to her voice. “What insane thing are you imagining now? Are you really going to be jealous of Jasper again? Can you stop being so petty? We’re just friends! Don’t let your own twisted mind taint everything!”

“If there was anything really going on between us, would I even be with you? You’re just too sensitive.”

A massive weight settled in my chest, making my heart ache. I pressed down on the discomfort, letting out a scoff. “You wish something was going on with him, but can your sickly childhood friend even *perform*?”

*Smack!*

Serena’s palm landed hard across my face. She was trembling, like an enraged panther. Her movement was so fierce that an invitation slipped from her pocket.

It read: *“Mr. Julian Vance and Ms. Serena Walsh are cordially invited to the Starlight Art Gala.”*

It was always like this. Every dual invitation she ever received, she never took me. She’d always say, “You’re a painter, you just focus on your art behind the scenes. I’ll handle all the socializing.”

That’s why she’d never once publicly attended an event with me. Just like she’d never publicly acknowledged me as her boyfriend. Never once said she loved me.

“Julian Vance, you disappoint me so much.”

“If you’re sick, go see a therapist. Stop imagining things about Jasper and me all day. You know Jasper’s not well, and you still say such vicious things! Look at yourself. Who are you to comment on him? I get that you, a has-been painter, are jealous of a genius artist, but don’t go too far!”

Every word was a blade, stabbing directly at my heart. And her look of disgust was like salt poured onto my bleeding wounds, a tearing, agonizing pain.

Serena grabbed her bag, walking out without a shred of hesitation. “I’m not coming home tonight. Tomorrow I’m accompanying Jasper to the gala.”

Words of pleading hung on my tongue, but I couldn’t force them out. In the past, whenever she got mad, I’d immediately drop my pride to soothe her, to win her over. She’d just mention needing paintings for an exhibition, and I’d paint day and night. All just to make sure her exhibition had works she could be proud of. It led to severe arthritis, making it hard for me to even hold a brush on rainy days.

But today, I was suddenly tired. So tired I couldn’t even utter a single word to keep her. With the bright red slap mark stinging my cheek, I forced a smile. “Serena Walsh, let’s break up.”

“Don’t keep throwing around ‘break up’ every time something happens.” She walked out the door without hesitation, her cold voice drifting back. “We’re not kids anymore. You’re making such a scene over something so trivial. Julian Vance, you weren’t like this before. You’ve changed.”