The day I received the invitation to the centennial reunion, I ran into Travis Jordan, my first love. After delivering his speech as the alumni representative, he took everyone by surprise by pulling out a diamond ring.

"You once said you'd make me a wedding ring from thorny roses. Now it's my turn to propose.

"Lucia, will you marry me?"

The auditorium went wild. Everyone expected me to tearfully nod in agreement. After all, back then I had pursued him so eagerly, it shocked the entire campus.

But everyone seemed to have forgotten.

My graduation project was accused of copying Sarahi Medina's work. Travis Jordan knew the truth but branded me as the plagiarist. At the press conference, as the brand ambassador, he announced the severance of our collaboration and led an industry-wide boycott against me.

On the day my reputation was shattered, I left town.

Now, as I return, his friends urge me:

"Travis has waited for you all these years, despite how you embarrassed him back then. You're still the one in his heart. He even stormed the dean's office to get your diploma. Lucia, he really loves you."

...

"Stop checking your phone and give me a response!"

Noticing that I was ignoring his words, Cade Moore looked annoyed. Calmly setting down my phone, I faced him with indifference.

"Travis may come from a wealthy background, but he hates it when people cozy up to him because of his status. Even though his father is on the board, he’s never used that to gain favor. Yet, he went to great lengths with the dean for your diploma, nearly getting in serious trouble for it!"

"Lucia Rivera, do you even have a heart? Don’t you feel anything?"

Cade rattled off the past events like my lack of emotion was some sort of crime. I surveyed the room, slightly furrowing my brow.

The curious alumni watching the scene quickly averted their eyes, pretending not to notice, though they were clearly eavesdropping.

The plagiarism scandal years ago caused quite the stir. Even now, seven years later, I can still recognize disdain and judgment on their faces.

Today is no different. I was simply heading backstage to get ready for the reunion when Cade intercepted me to relay this barrage of words.

I couldn't discern whether he acted out of loyalty to his friend, resented my abrupt departure seven years ago, or was simply sent to pass on the message upon hearing I’d be here.

But for me, none of it mattered anymore.

I sighed. "What am I supposed to feel? It's all ancient history."

Perhaps my response wasn’t what Cade had expected. His brow furrowed, looking at me with bewilderment.

I understood his confusion. After all, during my freshman year, I had pursued Travis Jordan for three unforgettable months, astounding the entire campus.

Upon discovering Travis's passion for astronomy at the observatory, I went to great lengths to find meteorite fragments and crafted a star necklace for him.

Just to spend more time with him, I risked getting into trouble for missing curfew, devoting three months to late-night law library visits to bump into him during his study sessions.

On stormy nights, when I heard he had a fever, I braved the weather to bring him medicine, resulting in a fractured right hand.

When he asked about it, I just smiled and said it was an experiment for testing pressure resistance.

Travis knew why I truly got injured, listening quietly to my fib.

The day of my fracture was the day he agreed to be my boyfriend.

Once we were together, he gifted me a crescent moon bracelet, saying we were a perfect match.

To save me from having to concoct reasons to see him during late-night study sessions, he quit the habit.

And to ensure I could have my favorite pulled pork despite my injury, the young heir who hated the dining hall endured the greasy lines to get me food.

These small gestures buried themselves deep in my heart, growing into an overwhelming love.

I thought it would flourish.

But Sarahi Medina's arrival turned it all upside down.

Initially, Travis assured me that Sarahi was merely someone his father arranged as a business partner, not his chosen companion. His heart was with me.

As the sole heir of the Jordan family, he claimed he could reject what he detested, urging me not to worry.

I believed him.

And so, I never saw Sarahi as a threat.

But then, I noticed he was constantly late for our dates, forgot our anniversaries.

When he took on more responsibilities at the Jordan enterprise, he frequently attended events with Sarahi, ignoring the scandalous news stories.

When I objected, he seemed to make adjustments.

But later, I saw news coverage of him behind the scenes at a jewelry exhibition, adjusting Sarahi's pearl earrings.

On Valentine's Day, he promised he'd make it up to me, but a sudden meeting left me in the lurch.

I waited until closing time at the revolving restaurant only to see Sarahi's social media post—a photo from first class.

She and Travis were seated closely, smiling at the camera.

Reading the flood of congratulatory comments below, I lost all nerve to confront him.

The next day, Travis brought my favorite spiced honey cake to the design department to see me.

Noticing my swollen eyes, he showed no empathy but instead impatiently tossed the box on the ground.

"Lucia Rivera, how many times have I told you? You're the one I care about. Sarahi and I are merely compatible partners. Do you need to cry constantly?"

"Do you have any idea how suffocating it is when you’re like this?"

Tears welled up as I lowered my gaze and asked, "I never even mentioned why I was crying. Are you admitting that you’ve grown close to Sarahi?"

Travis hesitated, frowned, and stared at me.

"You’re simply being irrational!"

That day ended in a bitter argument, with classmates who doubted us jumping at the chance to hurl insults my way. Words like "gold digger," "materialistic," and "schemer" were thrown around, completely smearing my reputation.

For a week, I didn’t bother reaching out to Travis Jordan. Eventually, it was Cade Moore who stepped in to play mediator, tricking us into a meet-up.

The moment I saw Travis, my instinct was to leave. Maybe he'd had time to cool off over the past week, as he greeted me with a broad smile and blocked my exit. Despite my mixed emotions, he pulled me into a hug right in front of all his friends.

“Don’t be upset, I know I messed up.”

I tried to pull away, but the next thing I knew, a cool necklace was being fastened around my neck.

“A late Valentine’s gift, handmade by me. It matches the star necklace you gave me.”

His gentle tone and the exquisite gift melted away some of my anger. As my annoyance faded, I found myself more open to conversation.

I pulled up news articles and Sarahi Medina’s Facebook posts and confronted him.

“You said you two were just business partners. Since when do business partners get so cozy?”

Travis wrapped his arms around me from behind and glanced at the phone.

“It’s a huge misunderstanding. She was worried that her pearl earrings were uneven before facing reporters and asked me to check them. I didn’t even touch her! You know I’m nearsighted; I only leaned in slightly to take a look.”

I couldn't help but smile, but I pressed on: “What about that Facebook post? You said you had a last-minute meeting, only to be seen having dinner with her instead. What’s your story?”

Travis turned me to face him, cradling my face, and delivered a genuine kiss.

“Honey, honestly, the meeting time was changed by the client. Sarahi said she hadn’t eaten all day and had a stomach ache, so she insisted I accompany her to get some food.”

I flicked his hand away, unable to suppress my smile. Just as I was about to deliver a warning, Sarahi Medina walked in.

Her eyes were red as she approached me directly:

“Cade told me you argued because of me, so I rushed over. Lucia, even though Travis and I have a marriage arrangement, we’re just friends. If it bothers you, I can ask my dad and his uncle to call it off, and I’ll leave the country to stop being a problem.”

The heavy rain outside had left her drenched. After saying this, she shed a few tears and prepared to leave.

I clearly saw the look of reluctance in Travis’s eyes as he released me and hurriedly followed Sarahi. Right in front of me, he gently wiped the rain from her face, not hesitating at all.

His friends saw me standing there, looking unhappy, and began whispering among themselves, criticizing me for being a bully.

Even Sarahi glanced at me timidly. At that moment, I truly felt like I was the one who should leave.

That evening, I barely touched my dinner rolls before making an excuse to leave, claiming I was feeling unwell.

I expected Travis to stay behind, taking care of the fragile Sarahi, but he dashed into the rain after me.

He led me to a nearby café, ordered a hot coffee to warm my hands, and ran back out into the rain to buy a towel to wrap me up.

“Lucia, don’t be mad at me. Sarahi’s family is very strict. If she actually goes home and talks about ending the arrangement, she might face serious consequences. I only see her as a sister; that’s why I care for her a bit more. Please don’t worry; my eyes and heart belong solely to you.”

Seeing me shiver, he sat close, held me tightly, and rubbed my hands to warm me up.

Despite my inner turmoil, his steadfast care convinced me to lay aside my resentment and trust him.

But he ultimately broke that trust.

After that day, Sarahi shamelessly remained glued to Travis’s side. They talked about company growth and jewelry exhibitions, pairing so perfectly that they seemed like a couple.

Not only our classmates but even I believed they were in a relationship.

Sarahi eventually approached me, brimming with confidence:

“Lucia Rivera, Travis might see me as a sister now, but one day, he’ll see me as his lover. Just wait and see.”

I couldn’t muster a response, watching her leave with the smile of a victor.

It was a weekend, and Travis had initially told me he planned to unwind and play tennis with his friends. I called him unexpectedly, asking him to come see me, which clearly upset him. "Didn't you say I could go play tennis? It's pretty awkward to bail on my buddies like this!"

I was frustrated too, and I snapped, recounting everything Sarahi had said. After I finished, his mood soured even more.

"You're dragging me over here for something so trivial? How many times do I have to tell you that Sarahi and I are just friends? Lucia, do you realize how exhausting it is to date you? Should I start updating you every time I breathe? Is that what it would take for you to trust me?"

His words cut deep. Holding back tears, I asked, "Do you really think I don't trust you?"

Travis met my gaze and after a long pause, sighed. "Alright, I get that insecurity can be common. Since Sarahi bothers you, I'll find a way to clarify things with her. But Lucia, I'm asking you, please stop making this harder for me, okay? My dad already puts a lot of pressure on me, and I hardly get any time to relax. Could you just cut me some slack?"

It was nearing graduation, and his father was forcing him to give up his passion for law to take over the family jewelry business, leading to a standoff between them. Sarahi’s father never liked me, so I couldn’t offer much advice to Travis. All I could do was give him some space to unwind.

"I'm swamped with graduation stuff right now; let's take a break from each other for a while." With that, he turned and walked away.

Watching his retreating figure, a chill crept into my heart, and for the first time, I questioned if he was worth it. Afterward, he didn’t reach out, but I often saw him with Sarahi at the library, studying late into the night. I even heard from Cade that Travis had given up on law and decided to study jewelry design abroad.

Then, my graduation project caught the attention of Celestial Jewelry Company, and they wanted to sign a deal for mass production. But suddenly, I was surrounded by reporters, their cameras pointed at me.

"Lucia Rivera, we've heard reports that claim your graduation project is a copy of Sarahi Medina’s work. Is that true?"

I was stunned, stepping back as I tried to defend myself. "I didn't do it—you're falsely accusing me!"

At that moment, Sarahi appeared, eyes red, accusing me. "Lucia, I let it slide when you copied my design for the end-of-term project. But this graduation project, the 'Thorned Rose' series, was something I created to celebrate Travis's birthday, and he even helped tweak it. How can you claim you didn’t plagiarize it?"

Instantly, all the cameras turned to Travis, waiting for his response. I looked at him too. Travis avoided my gaze and spoke to the cameras, "The 'Thorned Rose' is indeed Sarahi's concept. During our late-night study sessions, I saw her designing it myself."

I stood there, frozen, blinded by the flashlights, and walked up to him, looking him in the eye. "Are you sure I'm the one who plagiarized?"