Chapter 1

I used to believe that after fifteen years of growing up together, he would be my only destiny.

Until I saw him put his student's name where mine should have been on our marriage papers.

Scholarships, favoritism, trust. He gave them all to someone else.

He even let me be falsely accused, my future destroyed.

That's when I realized I was never his first choice.

So I turned around, went abroad, and reclaimed my dreams.

Later, when I stood at the peak of success, he came to me, saying he regretted everything.

But my new husband pulled me close.

"You didn't choose her back then. Now it's not your turn anymore."

Iris Hart POV

After winning six consecutive international awards, the name "Sebastian Kane" became legendary in academic circles.

At only twenty-five, he wasn't just Stanford University's youngest professor. He'd also claimed the highest honor in academia.

The day his fame skyrocketed, he posted a photo of us holding our marriage license application, captioned "Soulmates finally united."

Before I could even share it, I scrolled down and saw a comment that made my heart stop.

"Sebastian's getting married, but the county clerk sent ME the notice. Now that's love!"

The replies flooded in.

"Maybe YOU'RE his true love?"

"Sebastian's handwritten over thirty thousand experimental data points, accurate to eight decimal places without a single error. Yet on the most important form of his life, the one where you list an emergency contact for marriage, he put YOUR name."

"You two should just go get married already!"

I looked closer at the username.

The poster was none other than Sebastian's intern, River Lawson.

Afterward, Sebastian explained it was just an accident. I believed him.

But not long after, he turned around and gave the only full-ride graduate scholarship to River.

Then he pulled me aside to apologize. "I'm sorry, Iris. River grew up in poverty. If this application fails, she'll never have another chance to get ahead in life."

He gripped my hand tightly, his eyes full of guilt.

"But I'm also thinking about us. Even if you never achieve anything, you're still the one I love."

The next day, River-the supposedly excellent student Sebastian praised-secretly reported me to the school for academic fraud, got my graduation status revoked, and had me ordered to withdraw.

When they want to pin something on you, they'll always find a reason.

During the long investigation period, my heart grew colder and colder.

I'd worked every single moment to keep up with Sebastian's pace.

But in the end, the full scholarship was gone, my dream of studying abroad shattered, and even basic graduation became uncertain. Gradually, I understood-I was no longer Sebastian's first priority.

If that was the case, then I chose to let them have each other.

In my moment of deepest despair, my advisor threw me a lifeline.

"I can fund your study in France, on the condition that you join my research team. But... are you really ready to leave everything behind and go abroad?"

"I'm willing."

In the dead silence of night, I heard my own resolute answer.

My father, Marcus, and mother, Elena, had always been open-minded-they would support my decision without hesitation. I had nothing to worry about. As for Sebastian... perhaps our fate ended here.

I still remembered meeting Sebastian when I was six years old.

He'd been quiet and withdrawn since childhood, guarded around everyone-except me. He was willing to open up to me, even if just a little.

Sebastian's father, Richard, and mother, Caroline, were always busy with work, often leaving him at my house.

The two of us grew closer over time.

In middle school, he waited downstairs for me every day before and after school.

In high school, he carefully organized study notes just for me.

In college, he kept up the habit of having breakfast with me every morning.

Everyone said we were made for each other. I believed it too.

At least, I believed it until River appeared.

At first, Sebastian kept his distance from this clingy intern.

But then one day, River single-handedly solved a math problem left behind by an old professor.

Though I couldn't see much reaction from him, I noticed he gradually stopped pushing her away when she followed him around.

We'd fought about this intern several times. He always said he just recognized talent and couldn't bear to see a genius buried. Whether it was really about recognizing talent or something else, I didn't want to guess anymore.

The truth behind it all was probably something only he knew.

The engagement photos were already taken, and the marriage registration was still just scheduled-everything could still be undone.

"I'll have the application process completed within a month." The person on the other end of the call was satisfied with the answer and hung up in good spirits.

I didn't sleep all night. Early the next morning, Sebastian knocked on my door.

"There are a lot of wedding details we haven't finalized. Richard and Caroline invited Marcus and Elena to dinner together, and they asked me to pick you up."

I instinctively tried to decline. "Actually, I can't today..."

"Marcus and Elena are already there."

He cut me off, gently taking my hand as he always did, his usually expressionless face now wearing a tender smile.

I'd once been captivated by that smile for so long. Unfortunately, it no longer belonged to me alone.

Inside the Kane house, Caroline warmly welcomed me and sat me down, casually calling out, "The pizza and roast in the oven are almost ready-Sebastian, go check on them!"

Sebastian headed straight into the kitchen. His phone suddenly started ringing nonstop. I glanced at it and caught sight of the glaring name "River Lawson" on the screen.

At the dinner table, both sets of parents were chatting happily when the shrill phone ringtone cut through the harmonious atmosphere again.

Sebastian answered the call, his expression instantly changing. "I'm sorry, Marcus, Elena. Something urgent came up at school. I need to go."

My instincts told me it wasn't that simple. After making an excuse to leave the table, I secretly followed him.

Then I watched Sebastian enter the back warehouse of a convenience store. River was wearing a dirty work uniform.

The moment she saw him, she rushed over eagerly but accidentally tripped on something.

She fell straight into his arms, and their lips happened to touch. He didn't pull away. They both froze in that moment, their eyes locked for what felt like forever.