Chapter 3

My phone vibrated. A message from Summer popped up.

[Go back with my assistant first. I'll explain later.]

I stared at those brief words, my heart clenching. Finally I couldn't help questioning her: [Why did you lie to me?]

Summer's cold reply: [Go back first. Behave. Don't embarrass yourself at the company entrance.]

I remembered how every time I wanted to visit Harbor City before, she'd make excuses to put me off. Turned out she was afraid my appearance would embarrass her.

Just as I looked up, I heard them whispering, taking photos of me with their phones.

"A kept man daring to show up here—absolutely shameless!"

"A young guy could do anything for a living, but he chooses to be someone's mistress. Pathetic."

I immediately raised my hand to cover my face, choking out an explanation: "I'm not a kept man. Summer lied to me..."

The only response was a burst of laughter.

The assistant grabbed my suitcase, roughly shoving me into the car.

Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a villa.

Summer clearly lived in a mansion, yet she'd told me she was squeezed into a cramped rental.

I'd worried about Summer struggling in Harbor City, sending her half my salary every month.

The assistant pushed me inside the house. With a click, she locked the door.

"Wait here for Miss Summer to return."

The air held a faint scent of men's cologne—the same scent I'd noticed on Summer a few months ago when she visited Maple City.

I turned around, instantly freezing in place.

On the living room wall hung an enormous wedding photo.

Gilbert in a black suit, holding Summer in a pristine white wedding gown. The date in the bottom right corner pierced my eyes.

The day they took their wedding photos was also my birthday.

That was the first time Summer hadn't spent my birthday with me. She said work was too busy, she couldn't get away.

I rushed into the bedroom like a madman.

On the walls hung various photos of Summer and Gilbert together.

In the closet, Summer's sexy nightgowns hung next to men's shirts.

On the vanity sat an array of luxury brand cosmetics.

My last shred of hope shattered completely when I saw the nearly empty box of condoms on the nightstand.

So when Summer said she was "busy," she meant busy building a family with another man.

I slid down onto the cold floor, holding my head as I sobbed.

I came from nothing. My parents were both from the countryside. I studied desperately to get into a big city university.

Whenever I didn't have class, I'd work part-time jobs off campus. That's how I met Summer.

I was a poor student who'd tested out of the mountains. She was a fallen heiress who'd run away to escape her family's arrangements.

Without family support, we could only rely on ourselves.

A few months later, we got together. Our classmates jokingly called us the "poverty couple."

We really were poor back then.

But every birthday, Summer would scrape together money to buy me gifts I liked.

She could eat only two meals a day just to save money to buy me limited edition sneakers.

She said other guys had nice things, and I shouldn't go without.

No matter how hard things got, she never shortchanged her boyfriend.

After college graduation, I stayed in Maple City while Summer went to Harbor City.

I rented a bargain apartment in Maple City for eight hundred a month.

Summer came back to Maple City every weekend.

We'd tangle together in the darkness, the shabby bed creaking beneath us.

Summer would kiss my reddened eyes, hoarsely swearing to me: "Mason, once my work stabilizes, I'll marry you."

To save enough money for marriage, I worked hard, often staying at the office until 2 AM. Eventually my body gave out and I collapsed at the company.

When Summer learned I was sick, she immediately took leave and rushed to the Maple City hospital.

She called me an idiot, her eyes red as she gripped my hand tightly.

Summer requested leave to stay in Maple City and care for me. Her supervisor chewed her out.

It was the first time I'd seen her speak so submissively to someone, a bitter smile on her lips.

I urged Summer to go back to work, not to worry about me.

But she said very seriously: "Mason, in my eyes, nothing is more important than you."

In that moment, I completely believed Summer loved me.

That belief in her love sustained me through seven whole years.