After my private photos were leaked by my then-boyfriend, Major General Ezra, I secretly processed my discharge papers and applied for a position in overseas humanitarian work. The next time I saw Ezra was at a reunion with my fellow comrades, ten years later.

All my friends had married and started families. Ezra was the only one who, like me, remained unattached after our breakup.

"Keira, Ezra must have been waiting for you! He hasn’t dated anyone or tied the knot all these years."

As they finished talking, Ezra entered the room. His uniform was spotless, and his presence immediately commanded everyone's attention.

Ten years had passed, and Ezra was still strikingly handsome, though the sharpness of youth had transformed into a more seasoned and commanding aura. Understanding our past, they had arranged for us to sit next to each other.

He looked at me for a long while, as though he had many things to say, but it all turned into a gentle greeting: "Keira, it's been ages."

"Yes, it’s been a long time," I replied calmly, my face betraying none of the emotions stirred by the reunion. My thoughts drifted back to the eve of the Special Forces selection when my private photos suddenly became a viral spectacle.

In one night, my reputation was shattered, and my chance at selection was stripped away. Those were the photos Ezra had coaxed me into taking.

I had gone to confront him, only to overhear a devastating conversation as I approached the room:

“Ezra, that move was brilliant! Once those photos are released, Keira Castro's reputation is ruined, and she loses her selection eligibility. Let’s see if she dares compete with Gemma for anything now!”

Another voice chimed in, "That's nothing! If she knew Ezra never had feelings for her during the three years they dated, that he couldn’t bring himself to be intimate with her and let his twin brother take his place, she’d be truly crushed. Haha!"

Those words hit me like a thunderbolt. The speaker laughed and nudged a young man next to Ezra: "Hey, Jireh, how did it feel sneaking around with your brother’s girlfriend for three years?"

The young man, a dead ringer for Ezra, picked up his glass, a smug grin on his face: "Pretty incredible. Fair skin, slim waist, and she's quite the firecracker."

"I'm transferring to the London Military District, just to make it easier to pursue her."

Ezra finally spoke, each word piercing through me like a well-aimed shot: "Make the most of these days. Once Gemma gets the selection spot, I’ll break up with her officially to pursue Gemma."

His friends immediately cheered: "Ezra, you should have done this ages ago! We all knew how much you cared for Gemma. You’ve protected her like a gem since childhood, even dating Keira to clear the path for Gemma’s selection. It’s time you make her yours!"

Every word was a heavy blow to my heart. I felt frozen, as if the blood in my veins had turned to ice.

All the affection was a charade; the truth was unbearably cruel. I turned abruptly and fled in humiliation.

Just then, my phone rang. On the other end, my father’s voice was filled with fury:

"Keira Castro! What are those photos doing online? The commissioner has been bombarding us with calls! You’ve brought disgrace upon our family! I’ve arranged for an overseas assignment for you. Get out of the country immediately! Don’t come back until this blows over!"

My heart sank, and I numbly replied, "Alright, I’ll leave, but I’ll never come back again."

After hanging up the phone, I trudged back to the apartment I shared with Ezra Lopez, feeling like a zombie. Mechanically, I began packing, discarding all the gifts Ezra had given me over the past three years—a bullet-shaped pendant, medals, stuffed animals, lipsticks—one by one into the trash bin. Just as I tossed the last medal, the door lock clicked open. It was not Ezra, but his brother Jireh Lopez who walked in.

In a voice mimicking Ezra's, he asked, "Keira, what are you throwing away?"

My voice was hoarse and dripping with sarcasm. "Don't these things look familiar to you?”

Jireh’s smile faltered for a moment, then he quickly changed the subject. “Why are your eyes so swollen? Is it because of the photo incident? Don’t be upset. I've already had the tech department take down all the photos. The person who posted them is in jail now, and no one will dare talk about you again. So, the selection spot is gone. These things happen.”

My heart felt like it was being stabbed with needles, my nails digging deep into my palm. Those brothers—each a better actor than the other.

Later that night, after Jireh showered and lay down beside me, he wrapped his arms around me, gently kissing my earlobe. I stiffened, enduring it. In a drowsy moment, I heard him whisper in his sleep, “Gemma…”

Those two words plunged an icy dagger into my heart. Suddenly, I was wide awake, my blood running cold. It wasn't just Ezra; even Jireh, while with me, thought of Gemma Johnston!

I pushed him away, my voice trembling. “I’m on my period today…”

Jireh paused at my sudden reaction, eventually sighing in agreement. “Alright, I won’t touch you, just sleep while holding you.”

Rigidly nestled in his arms, I fought back nausea and pain, drifting off into a fitful sleep only in the latter half of the night.

The next morning, I rose in a haze, washed up, and went to the office to start processing my resignation. Upon learning it would take five days to complete the paperwork, I immediately booked a flight for five days later on my phone. Just as I was about to leave the office, a colleague hurried over, calling my name, “Keira Castro, Van Nichols wants you in his office immediately, says it’s urgent!”

My heart sank, a bad feeling brewing. I pushed open Van Nichols' office door, and just as I feared, Gemma Johnston was inside.

Gemma cast a smug glance my way before feigning a pitiful look. Van Nichols’ face was dark as he saw me enter, slamming two project analysis reports onto the desk. “Keira Castro, Gemma Johnston! Explain why your reports are so similar; even the errors are identical. Who copied whom? If you admit it, the punishment will be lighter!”

Gemma immediately spoke up, her tone both aggrieved and firm. “Commander Nichols, my report is entirely my own work! I don’t understand why it’s similar to Keira’s, but I didn’t copy!”

I looked at the reports, my heart sinking, yet I bit my lip and said, “Mine is independently done as well, no copying involved.”

Gemma quickly added, “Commander Nichols, I have a witness!”

The office door swung open again, and Ezra Lopez strode in with long steps. Without even glancing at me, he directly addressed Van Nichols. “I stayed up late with Gemma to help her revise her report. She couldn’t have copied. As for why they’re alike…”

He turned his gaze to me, his eyes cold. “Ask the other person.”

I stared at him in disbelief. Once, I might not have understood why he acted this way. But now, knowing the whole truth, what is there not to grasp? For Gemma, he pretended to date me, exposed my private photos, and now pinned plagiarism on me. What’s surprising anymore?

Van Nichols let Ezra and Gemma leave, then severely reprimanded me, declaring my report void and marking it in my records.

Exhausted, I returned to the apartment, collapsing on the bed early. Not long after, the door lock clicked, and Jireh was back. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, offering soothing yet hollow justifications for the report incident. I listened numbly, finding only cold laughter in my heart. One brother muddies the waters, the other tries to clean up the mess; they’re experts at their duet.

I shut my eyes, unwilling to exchange another word with him. Jireh, noticing my silence, pulled me up without a word. “Didn’t you say you wanted to check off everything on the ‘couples must-do list’? Today, I’ll do it all with you!”

He gave me no chance to refuse, dragging me out to watch romantic movies, visit cultural shops, eat trendy desserts—doing all those seemingly sweet things. Until nightfall, he took me to a high-end karaoke bar.

Jireh pressed me onto the sofa in a private room, saying, “I’m going to the restroom, I’ll be right back.”

He’d just left when the private room door was suddenly slammed open. Several men reeking of alcohol staggered in. Seeing me, their eyes lit up. “Whoa, there's a girl hiding here, and she’s a real looker!”

The drunken men laughed lecherously, surrounding me, locking the door behind them. I struggled desperately, but as a woman, I was no match for several drunken men. Just when I thought I was doomed, there was a loud bang as the private room door was kicked open from outside.