I turned off the alarm clock when it woke me up at 7:00 am the next day. The smell of something cooking in the kitchen drifted into the room.

I turned my head to the side. The pillow next to me hadn't been slept on all night. Apparently, its owner hadn't been home all night either.

I grabbed a random cardigan and threw it over my shoulders as I climbed out of bed, still yawning.

Mitchell was wearing a couple's apron I'd bought for him in the kitchen, stirring something in a pot. It smelled like chicken stew.

"You're up, Gaby. Come here and let me give you a morning kiss."

I took a step backward and made a protesting sound. "I just woke up and haven't brushed my teeth."

"It's not like we haven't kissed without brushing our teeth before. Your hubby's not going to complain about it," he said, referring to himself.

He moved toward me again, making me frown and push him away.

He then grabbed me by the arm none too lightly, aggravating the wounds on my arm. I cried out in pain as tears flooded my eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Sensing that something was wrong, Mitchell stopped fooling around and tugged off the cardigan from my shoulders. He immediately saw the two long gashes down my arm, showing bloodied flesh that I'd haphazardly tried treating by myself last night.

"Why are you hurt so badly? Why didn't you call me? Your hubby's not just for decoration, you know?"

He was stern as he chided me. Then, he hurriedly went to grab the first-aid kit from the living room and gently helped me treat the wounds.

He wasn't my husband. He used to be my secret boyfriend, but now, I didn't even know what to label him as anymore.

The gashes were deep, and I squealed in pain as soon as he touched it. He could only dab at the wounds even more gently than ever, but that still didn't stop the tears from pooling in my eyes.

"Such a fragile little princess. I guess I'm the only person who can handle you. Alright now, hold still. I'll take you out for cakes and snacks after we're done."

I answered simply, "I'm fine with leaving if you can't handle me anymore."

Mitchell froze for a second as he was tidying up the first-aid kit. Then, he chuckled and said, "Of course I can handle you, and I'd do it for the rest of my life. Would that do, my princess?"

He was being all romantic and chivalrous today, so vastly different from how he abandoned me without a thought just last night. I'd never have thought that he would be capable of treating me so differently like this.

I finally realized now that Mitchell was such a faker who loved putting on an act for me.

…

Mitchell was a very famous singer. In our seven years together, today was one of the rare times I'd ridden in the same car with him.

"About my title track for my upcoming album, your sister gave me some really great ideas, and I liked them a lot. That's why I decided to leave it all to her.

"Since you're siblings, I figured that it wouldn't make much of a difference anyway. You won't get mad at Bella over something this small, right?"

While waiting for the light to turn green, Mitchell continued talking about his album. "You'll be in charge of all the other songs. And on the day of my album release, I'll officially announce our relationship."

I lowered my head, fiddling with the extra accessories on the seatbelt as I asked, "Are you very close with Bella?"

The light turned green just then, and the car behind us honked impatiently. Mitchell started driving again without hurry, his eyes looking straight ahead as he answered, "We used to be classmates. She also asked me to take care of you when she learned that you were studying in Havenridge."

He took great care of me, his ex-girlfriend's sister, alright—especially in bed.

I chuckled self-deprecatingly to myself.

"I wouldn't get mad at her for such a thing," I replied.

After all, I was nothing but her replacement. I had no right to get mad at anyone.

"That's a relief. Bella got hurt yesterday, and she's still at the hospital for it. Let's go and visit her. She misses you a lot too."

The car then made a turn, heading straight for the hospital. Just like that, I was being taken to visit my sister, whom I hadn't seen in a decade, against my will.

Mom and Dad were divorced. Bella had decided to go with Mom, while Dad came out of the divorce penniless and brought me up alone in Jonkerville. We'd never kept in touch since.

I'd already forgotten how Bella looked. But thanks to Mitchell, I now knew very clearly what she looked like.

When we entered the ward, Bella greeted me perfunctorily. Then, she started acting coquettish with Mitchell at once.

"Aww, didn't I tell you it was just a small injury? But you still insisted that I stay in the hospital for further observation. You've already been with me all night. Why aren't you resting at home now?"

"You can't overlook an injury, even if it's just a small one. What if it got infected? I still need to release my title track for my new album in a week."

I stood silently to the side, watching them chatting and laughing together.

Mitchell then excused himself to deal with the hospital paperwork so that Isabella could be discharged.

Once he was gone, Isabella gave me a once-over and said, "We really are sisters, after all. We have so much in common. I even have the exact same brooch that you're wearing."

She then showed me a photo of the brooch on her phone.

I glanced at the photo. It was indeed the same brooch. Mitchell had been the one who'd given it to us.

She then held me close, gave me a simple hug, and said, "My dear Gaby, it's fine if we like the same things as long as we don't fall for the same guy. After all, you've always lost to me, ever since we were young."

I kept quiet and didn't answer her.

She then tidied herself up and smoothed her hair, walking along with Mitchell ahead of me when he returned.

I placed a hand over my rumbling stomach.

So, Mitchell thought I didn't deserve my cakes and treats after all, did he?

It was almost the release date for Mitchell's title track for his new album, and he was plenty busy with Isabella over the next few days.

He would leave early in the morning and return home late at night, saying he was still perfecting the melody and lyrics with her. Eventually, he stopped coming home altogether.

Meanwhile, Isabella kept posting stories on her Instagram every day. There were videos of her strolling on the beach with someone, their fingers intertwined as they held hands, her happily laughing and flying kites with someone, and watching the fireworks at night with someone next to her.

I knew that she was doing this on purpose just to show off to me, to rub it in my face, but I didn't care about Mitchell anymore.

Before leaving Havenridge, I sold my most prized possession, my original song and lyrics, to an up-and-coming singer, Altair White.

Everything went smoothly. After we signed the contract, he insisted on treating me to dinner to express his gratitude.

We had an enjoyable meal together. Altair was still quite young, but he was polite and gentlemanly, keeping a respectful distance from me.

He expressed that he would like to continue working with me in the future.

"You're so wise and talented, Elle. You could've debuted as a singer yourself, but you didn't. In a way, I'm grateful that you're not out here fighting with us to chart our songs," Altair said with a chuckle.

I went by the alias "Elle" when writing and producing songs. I chose it because it started with "Ell", which were the last three letters in Mitchell's name.

I'd once believed that Mitchell and I would work together forever, as if we were exclusively made for each other.

"Gaby? What are you doing here? Why are you having dinner with him?"

Just as Altair and I finished eating and were about to leave, we bumped into Mitchell and Isabella, who'd come to the same restaurant for dinner.

Since Mitchell didn't have a mask or any form of disguise on, he was attracting attention everywhere he went, especially since he was with another woman.

Altair quickly ushered Mitchell away. We went into a private dining room, where I briefly explained everything to him.

"You sold your song?" Mitchell asked, staring at me in disbelief. "How could you sell your song to someone else?"

He glared at me, but I answered him calmly, "I'm just giving away what you didn't want."

"Brilliant, Gabriella Clarkson. Just brilliant!" Mitchell snapped, seething with rage.

"Mitchie," Isabella called out to him gently. "It's just a song. Maybe Gaby's just mad about the title track. That's probably why she's doing this."

Mitchell turned to her and said, "In that case, you'll be in charge of writing all my songs in the future. Since some people don't want to work with me, I won't work with them anymore in the future!"

With that, he stormed out of the private room with Isabella in tow.

Isabella turned as she was leaving and gave me a victorious smirk.

Altair then offered me his handkerchief. "I don't think I should have overheard that, but I think you might need this."

I just smiled at him and shook my head. I'd already cried too much over Mitchell. I wasn't going to shed another tear for him—not anymore.

As I was leaving, I bumped into Isabella again in the corridor.

She folded her arms across her chest and said haughtily, "He promised he would propose to me on the day of his album release."

Recalling what Dad told me to do, I nodded and said, "I see. Congratulations."

Isabella chuckled and grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet her gaze. "Gabriella Clarkson, you will never be as happy as me."

Her long nails dug painfully into my skin, and her haughty gaze was too piercing for me to bear. I pushed her away.

The next second, however, someone shoved me to the floor.

"That's enough, Gabriella Clarkson! I always thought that you were understanding, but it seems that you've only been acting this whole time! And stop kicking up such a huge fuss! You look ugly when you're jealous!"

I looked up at Mitchell. It was obvious that he wasn't in love with me but with her.

"Mitchell Zahn. Let's break up."