It felt like I had to get everything off my chest.

The more I spoke, the more heartbroken I became.

By the time I finished, my voice was slightly hoarse.

On the other end of the line, Ryan was silent the entire time.

It wasn’t until my sobs finally died down that he spoke—his voice cold.

"Are you done crying?"

There was impatience in his tone, like a bucket of ice water dumped over me as if to remind me how ridiculous I was.

The emotions I struggled to control vanished in an instant.

I stared at the photo of him kissing Michelle, feeling a hollow ache spread through my chest.

As much as I hated to admit it, when I had been pouring my heart out, I stupidly imagined he might still comfort me like he used to.

But that single sentence shattered that illusion completely.

Suddenly, everything felt meaningless.

"Yeah," I murmured, not saying another word.

Without hesitation, he hung up.

…

An hour later, an anonymous photo landed in my inbox.

Ryan was carrying Michelle into his car.

Her hand was tucked into his coat pocket and this time, he didn’t pull away.

I crouched down, shutting my eyes as silent tears dripped onto the back of my hand.

It was a long time before I finally stood up and went to the bathroom to wash my face.

After pulling myself together, I went to tell my parents that Ryan and I had broken up.

I told them everything.

They were furious, of course, but more than that, they felt heartbroken for me.

They comforted me gently, their warmth easing the pain in my chest.

Looking at their faces, I felt a sense of relief.

I was lucky to have grown up surrounded by love.

That was why I could never bring myself to hold on to a man who didn’t love me.

Maybe I wouldn’t be able to let go so quickly.

But I knew it would be faster than I had expected.

…

After dropping Michelle off at her place, Ryan turned to leave.

Before he could step away, Michelle, her cheeks flushed, asked if he wanted to stay.

The tension from earlier still hung between them, thick with an unspoken intimacy—one that carried the weight of something more than just friendship.

Ryan knew exactly what she meant.

But a cold gust of wind swept past, stripping away whatever was left of that moment.

He recalled Lizzie’s sobs from earlier and, after a brief pause, shook his head.

"No."

Michelle chuckled.

"Right. You’re going off to coax your little girlfriend, huh?"

She tilted her head, her voice laced with amusement.

"Ryan, if you keep spoiling her like this, she’s going to have you wrapped around her finger. Who knows how many times she’ll pull the breakup card in the future?"

Something about her words made him frown.

He wasn’t sure what he was planning to do, but whatever thought he had about going to see Lizzie disappeared completely.

After briefly saying goodbye to Michelle, Ryan left.

Once inside the car, he glanced at his chat with Lizzie—no new messages.

For some reason, that irritated him.

Feeling restless, he made a call and headed to the club.

Word traveled fast in their circle.

The moment he stepped through the door, a few of his friends were already teasing him.

"Tsk, nothing more troublesome than a woman's affection. You’ve got the gorgeous Lizzie Lee and your childhood sweetheart all to yourself—so why the stormy face?"

"Ah, makes sense. Knowing Lizzie, she’s probably already dumped you, hasn’t she?"

Ryan sank into the couch, crossing one leg over the other, casting them a sidelong glance.

"Since when did you all get so nosy?"

The group fell silent, exchanging quick looks.

"Come on, Ryan, no need to get so worked up. Did we hit a nerve?"

"Messing around with Michelle while you’re still technically with Lizzie… Sure, it’s not unheard of in our circle, but it’s pretty shady."

"Aren’t you even a little worried she might actually leave you this time?"

Ryan lifted his glass, taking a slow sip.

"She won’t.

"She’s been bringing up breakups too often lately. It’s about time she cooled off."

The others chuckled.

"Fair enough."

…

Three days later, my mom set me up on a blind date.

Before I could even protest, she had already dressed me in an elegant cream-colored tweed dress.

"Just go and meet him, okay? He’s already waiting for you.

"If you don’t show up, how am I supposed to explain it to his family?"

…

Left with no choice, I reluctantly agreed.

But I had already made up my mind to be upfront about everything once I got there.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t move on from Ryan, but I simply wasn’t ready to start a new relationship just yet.

However, when I arrived at the rooftop private dining room, following the address my mom gave me, I froze.

Sitting there, dressed in a white sweatshirt, was a man I hadn’t expected to see.

He had the fresh-faced look of a recent college grad, probably no more than twenty-three.

But more importantly, he looked familiar.

The moment he saw me step inside, his eyes lit up.

"Liz?"

That was when it clicked.

He was the son of my mom’s close friend, Cathy Mills.

Back when I was in college, he even stayed at my house for a few days.

I remembered it was during summer break.

An eighteen-year-old boy, dumped at our place by his own mother because of his terrible grades.

According to my mom, his name was Julian Walker—the youngest in the Walker family and a total troublemaker.

The first time I saw him, he had a black stud in his ear, a rebellious streak written all over his face, and a whole crew trailing behind him.

When someone joked about him getting kicked out of his house, he simply raised an eyebrow and said, "Get lost."

At the time, I was twenty, still in college, and standing on the second-floor balcony when I saw him.

I took one look and decided to stay far away.

But with a face like that, he wasn’t exactly easy to forget.

Now, though, he seemed completely different from the reckless kid I remembered.

"Julian Walker?"

He blinked, as if surprised I still remembered his name. His eyes brightened.

"Yeah, it’s me, Liz."

I stared at him.

My mom had a knack for playing matchmaker within her own social circle.

And the real issue?

He was two years younger than me.

How did she even come up with the idea of setting us up?

As soon as we sat down, the waiter started bringing out the dishes, and soon, the table was filled with dishes I liked.

Originally, I planned to turn him down right away, but with everything laid out so thoughtfully, rejecting him outright felt a little harsh.

After a long pause, I finally looked at him, feeling a bit awkward.

"You're too young. Isn’t it a bit soon for you to be going on blind dates?"

His sharp eyes locked onto mine.

"Liz, I was the one who asked my mom to set this up with your mom.

"And I’m not too young."

His features were striking—defined jawline, high cheekbones, and deep-set eyes. Even in a loose sweatshirt, the lean muscle beneath was noticeable.

His hawkish features—the prominent nose, those narrow lips—were all the more striking as his intense gaze locked onto mine.

His meaning was crystal clear.

I turned my face away and told him about my recent breakup with Ryan.

For a second, it looked like he clenched his jaw, but he still lifted his gaze to meet mine.

"That’s just your past, Liz. It doesn’t matter. You’re single now, aren’t you?"

Then, with unwavering certainty, he added, "I’ve liked you for a long time."

I was caught off guard.

But I didn’t have the nerve to ask anything further.

Throughout the meal, Julian barely ate.

Instead, he was too busy peeling shrimp and cracking crab shells for me.

Feeling guilty, I whispered, "You don’t have to. It’s too much trouble for you."

He glanced at me, something like grievance and disappointment flickering in his eyes.

"It’s fine. Even if you don’t like me, I like you."

I had no idea how to respond, so I just awkwardly lowered my head.

As we were about to leave, Julian suddenly pinned me against the door.

His half-lidded eyes locked onto mine, and after a brief pause, he let out a low chuckle.

"What’s wrong?"

He reached out and brushed his thumb over my lips.

"Nothing. There’s a smudge."

He was tall, and I had to tilt my head up to look at him—just in time to catch the movement of his Adam’s apple.

Luckily, he let go quickly and offered to drive me home.

Before I could refuse, he had already ushered me into the car.

…

Julian drove a black Jeep.

After pulling up outside my building, he got out first and opened the passenger door for me.

I fumbled with my seatbelt, but for some reason, it wouldn’t budge.

Seeing my struggle, Julian frowned slightly before leaning in to help.

The scent of amber and musk surrounded me, wrapping me in his warmth.

With a soft click, the seatbelt came undone.

I instinctively moved to get out, but in my rush, I accidentally slammed my chest into his face.

…

Panic flooded me. My face went hot as I quickly pushed him away, scrambling to jump out of the car.

But in my haste, I lost my balance and the next thing I knew, I was falling straight out of the car.

Julian reached out to catch me, but instead, I ended up landing directly on top of him.

Gasps erupted around us.

I turned my head without thinking, and suddenly my lips were against Julian's.

More gasps erupted around us.

When I jerked away, I found my mother standing there with a distinguished-looking woman, both of them staring.

"This is moving fast, isn’t it?"

"Ah, young people these days."

"I have to admit, they do make a cute pair."

"You hit the jackpot with this one, Lizzie."

…

Flustered, I scrambled to my feet, my face burning.

Julian wasn’t any better—his ears were bright red.

Then, he glanced at the woman beside my mom and called out, "Mom."

I stared in silence.

Perhaps sensing the awkwardness, Cathy was the first to speak.

"So, does this mean the blind date was a success? Are you two officially together now?"

I opened my mouth to explain only to see Julian already nodding.

I turned to look at him, and he lowered his voice.

"Liz, that was my first kiss."

Three sets of eyes remained fixed on me, waiting for my response.

With nowhere to run, I could only nod.

There was no getting out of this one.

After all, I had literally tackled him in front of his mom—then kissed him on top of it.

No excuse in the world would make this look any better.

…

When I got home, Julian sent me a message.

"Liz, if you’re not interested in me, that’s okay. I’ll be fine."

For some reason, that only made me feel more embarrassed.

But when I thought about it, it wasn’t exactly a bad deal for me.

He was handsome, and I already knew what kind of person he was.

Maybe giving it a shot wasn’t the worst idea.

And just like that, Julian and I became an official couple.

He started picking me up all the time, taking me everywhere—from amusement parks to private hot springs, horseback riding, archery, even surfing.

It was like he had endless energy.

At the movies, he barely watched the screen, his gaze on me the entire time.

He was obedient and sweet, like a devoted little puppy.

The only issue was that he was younger than me.

Every time I brought it up, my mom would just wave me off.

"Younger men are the best! You have no idea how much of an advantage that is."

I just stared at her and kept quiet.

…

On Julian’s birthday, he invited me early on to attend his party that evening.

That was when I realized that I had never actually given him a gift before.

Glancing at the auction invitation I received, I decided to go, hoping to find something special for him.

I remembered there was an seven-figure watch being auctioned tonight.

Julian’s uncle ran a massive business in Port City.

Though he and his wife never had children due to her health, he treated Julian and the other kids in the family as his own. The Walkers had no shortage of money.

But still, I wanted to buy it for him.

What I didn’t expect was that someone else had their eye on the same watch—Ryan’s friend, Leo Scott.

At first, he didn’t even notice me.

After several rounds of bidding, I finally raised the paddle for the final call.

With that, the auction was settled.

No one raised the bid again.

As I stood up, Leo looked over in surprise.

"Lizzie? What are you doing here? You placed the final bid?"

I nodded.

Among Ryan’s circle of friends, Leo had always been one of the more civil ones toward me, though we were never particularly close.

But I was in a hurry to leave—tonight was Julian’s birthday.

Noticing how I kept fidgeting with my car keys, Leo gave me a polite nod and walked away without further questions.

…

Julian’s birthday party was held at Champs Club—the largest and most exclusive venue in the city, known for its privacy.

Before heading over, I went home to change out of my tailored blazer dress and white blouse.

Then, I slipped into a form-fitting, blush-pink dress.

The hemline stopped just above my knees, flaring out into a mermaid shape.

I let my hair fall in soft waves and took the time to do my makeup.

Julian had offered to pick me up, but I turned him down.

His friends were already there, and as the birthday boy, it wouldn’t look right for him to leave.

By the time I arrived, gift in hand, I walked toward the private suite.

Just as I reached the door, I noticed that the suite across from Julian’s had been left open.

From inside, I heard Ryan’s voice.

In a city this size, it wasn't all that surprising to cross paths. It was just big enough to feel urban, but small enough for chance encounters.

Then I heard Leo speak.

"Ryan, guess who I ran into this afternoon?"

Ryan sat right in the center of the room, perfectly in my line of sight.

"Who?"

Leo chuckled.

"Lizzie."

Ryan’s fingers paused for a fraction of a second.

"She was at the auction and bought a watch.

"I had my eye on it too, placed a few bids—but guess what? Lizzie made the final call."

Leo leaned back, taking a sip of his drink.

"It was a men’s watch. I’d say there’s a good chance it’s for you."

Ryan rested against the sofa, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

"She sure knows how to splurge.

"All that just to swallow her pride and make the final bid?"

Leo swirled his glass.

"She was crazy about you, man. Three months, and she hasn’t reached out once. You really don’t think about getting back together?"

Ryan let out a short laugh.

"It’s just a standoff.

"But judging by today, it looks like she’s finally cooled off. About time she learned her place."