I'd been dating Kason Martin for three years—three years of him cheating on me more times than I could even count.

And every single time, I forgave him. Hell, I even begged him not to break up when he suggested we take a break. Our friends all said I was crazy in love with him.

Crazy being the keyword.

That was until he got into a car accident trying to save one of his side girls. It left a scar on his face.

In the hospital room, I overheard the woman ask him in that soft, syrupy voice, "Mr. Martin, now that Lisa knows about us... is she going to be upset with me?"

He squeezed her hand, all reassuring, and said, "Oh, she won't. No matter how badly I treat her, she's too far gone on me to leave."

I froze, my hand hovering over the door. I had come to tell him I was leaving—because the doctor had already confirmed his face would scar. And with that scar, he no longer looked like Grady Ruiz.

...

I waited until their little moment was over before I knocked. Kason, in his hospital gown, looked up at me—still holding her hand.

The woman leaned into his shoulder, sobbing, "Lisa, please don't blame Mr. Martin. I'm the one who insisted on staying with him. If you're upset, I'll stop seeing him."

But even as she said it, she buried her face deeper into Kason's chest, crying and trembling like a leaf.

Kason patted her shoulder and gave me the same old routine: "Lisa, don't blame her. It's my fault. It won't happen again. You'll forgive me, right?"

He'd used those exact words a year into our relationship.

Here's the thing—when I first got with him, my intentions weren't exactly pure. But over time, he was attentive and thoughtful. He knew my likes and dislikes. Hell, even when he traveled for work, he always brought me back something.

I thought he'd given me his heart. And I felt guilty, because using someone as an emotional substitute for your dead boyfriend? That's nothing to be proud of.

But eventually, I realized just how different he was from Grady Ruiz. Apart from vaguely similar eyes, they had completely different personalities and life experiences.

And when I noticed my thoughts of Grady were fading the more time I spent with Kason, I started to think maybe I had actually fallen for him.

That day, I thought it might finally be time to let go of the past. So I planned to confess everything—to apologize to Kason on our anniversary. If he forgave me, we could start fresh. If not, at least he'd know I was ready to move on with him.

I bought a gift. I ordered a ring. I even wrote a letter pouring out my true feelings.

But before the anniversary, I found out he was cheating. Kason had just finished kissing a female coworker when he turned and saw me standing in his office doorway, flowers in hand. Panic flashed in his eyes. "Lisa, I wasn't—"

I stood still, my voice dry as I asked, "Kason, have you been cheating on me?"

It came out as a question, but we both knew it wasn't.

He held my gaze for a moment, then grabbed my hand, head bowed in regret. "Lisa, I made a mistake. Please forgive me. I promise it won't happen again, okay?"

For a second, something flickered in my chest—confusion. All those letters and gifts I'd prepared suddenly felt pointless.

I had used him as a placeholder, so maybe I never deserved his fidelity in the first place. But then again, his devotion had always been a farce. We were both frauds.

We both made mistakes. So we were even.

So I squeezed his slightly trembling hand and quietly agreed. "Okay. I forgive you."

Kason seemed caught off guard for a second—like he hadn't expected me to let him off the hook that easily. When he finally spoke, his voice came out rough, scraping past his throat. "Lisa... why are you forgiving me so easily?"

I held his gaze, trying to layer his face over Grady's. No surprise there—it didn't work. A dull throb spread through my chest, and I couldn't stop the bitter smile from tugging at my lips. God, Lisa. This is what you get. You used him as a stand-in without a second thought, and now that you've gone and fallen for him, he goes and cheats. You deserve this. But what was the point of explaining all that to Kason? So I forced a smile and said, "Because I don't want to lose you."

The next stretch was brutal. I tried again—really tried—to see him as Grady's replacement. But it was like running face-first into a wall every single time. And Kason? He caught on that I "couldn't leave him." That made him bolder. His little slip-ups turned into routine side pieces. He even let his mistress come at me directly.

Watching her scream insults in my face, I just felt... drained. Kason showed up quick, handled her, but never once apologized to me. Instead, he looked at my dazed expression and sighed, "Lisa, maybe we should take a break."

I froze. Tears slid down my cheeks before I even realized I was crying. The words slipped out before my brain could catch up: "No..."

Maybe my waterworks freaked him out more than he could handle, because he took back the breakup talk real fast, soothing me with sweet nonsense. So we stayed together. Like two idiots stuck in the same loop.

Maybe it was too much for him to watch me suffer—because that night, Grady came to me in my dream. In it, I asked him, "Grady, are you mad at me? Mad that a year after you left, I got tangled up with someone else? Mad that I stupidly fell for him?"

He was just as gentle as I remembered. Softly rubbing my head, he said, "Lisa, you know I've never been mad at you. If being with Kason makes you happy, then go for it. But if he makes you sad—that's on him, not you. I just want you to stay healthy and happy, Lisa. Don't be sad..."

Those were the last words he ever said to me. I was an orphan whom the Ruiz family had supported through their charitable foundation, and I was raised alongside Grady. When his kidneys began to fail, we discovered that I was a rare match. No one ever forced me, but out of love and gratitude, I made up my mind early on: when the time came, I would give him one of mine.

Grady had kidney failure and needed a transplant to survive. The Ruiz foundation gave me an education and a stable home, but they never treated my care as payment for an organ. Maybe it was because we grew up together, or maybe it was just how caring he was—either way, I fell for him. I confessed. He felt the same. We were a thing.

While I was in college, Grady got really sick and had to get treatment overseas, so we barely saw each other. I worried about him constantly, always asking when he'd get the surgery. He'd always brush it off with, "Lisa, no rush. We need to make sure you're healthy enough for the operation to go smoothly."

So I busted my ass to stay in peak condition and called him every single day just to check on him. Then came the brutal months of juggling finals and graduate school applications—exhausting, nonstop stress. On the day I received my acceptance letter, I called him to share the news. Instead, I found out he was critically ill. Too far gone. A transplant wouldn't even help anymore.

That was my first time flying internationally—alone. Over twenty hours just to see him at his overseas clinic. He looked like a withered leaf, clinging to the last bits of oxygen from that respirator. I collapsed by his bed, sobbing, "Why didn't you tell me, Grady? I was ready for you!"

He grabbed my hand and whispered, "Don't cry, Lisa. I told them not to tell you because even with the transplant, I didn't have much time left. But you... losing a kidney would mess you up in the long run..."

He couldn't even finish the sentence—he was that weak. I bawled harder, "But did you ever ask me what I wanted? You just decided this was better for me! I don't want you to die..."

He struggled to lift his hand and rested it on my head, saying softly, "Don't blame yourself, Lisa. I just want you to be healthy and happy... Don't be sad..."

When I woke up from that dream, all the memories of Grady I'd buried deep came rushing back like a dam breaking. And just like that, I saw with absolute clarity: Kason could never, ever measure up to Grady.

For a while after that, Kason actually kept his act together. But cheating is like a one-way street—once you're on it, there's no turning back. Three months later, he cheated again. But by then, I'd finally snapped out of the whole "loving him" spell, and I was back to seeing him as Grady's substitute. Sure, they weren't twins, but they still had that faint trace of similarity in their eyes.

Until today. That car crash had sliced a scar straight through his left eyebrow, cruelly erasing the final trace of resemblance he shared with Grady.

I couldn't bring myself to be angry about his infidelity. So I forced a smile and said, "It's fine. I won't hold it against you."

I added, "From now on, you don't need to tell me about these things."

"It's over between us."

Kason's hand, still holding hers, went still. After a beat, he gently let her go.

"I need to talk to Lisa alone," he said, dismissing her.

Once she was gone, Kason stared at me for a long moment before letting out a sudden laugh. "Lisa, I thought your patience was endless."

"So, you do have a limit after all."

I blinked. "What limit?"

He smiled, though there was something cruel in it. "The limit of your love for me."

"Come on, Lisa. Don't be like this."

"I swear, this will really be the last time, okay?"

...

* * *

To be honest, the first time Kason cheated and Lisa found out, he panicked. But surprisingly, she forgave him so easily.

Instead of calming his nerves, it only made him more uneasy. Kason thought Lisa didn't love him—that her indifference was proof of it.

Jose, his friend who owned the jewelry store, teased him for worrying over nothing.

"Do you know Lisa ordered a ring from me three months in advance just to celebrate your anniversary?"

"She even had Scarlett airfreight lavender from Provence to decorate the whole restaurant."

"What you should be worried about isn't whether Lisa loves you, but how to make amends after hurting someone who loves you that much!"

Words like that barely reassured him, keeping him grounded while planting seeds of doubt.

So he kept pushing her boundaries, testing how much she could stomach.

Lisa kept forgiving him—yet he wasn't satisfied. He even suggested they break up.

But when Lisa's tears fell again, he decided her love must run deep—so deep that even infidelity couldn't tear them apart.

Only then did he finally find peace. So, she really does love him.

He thought it was time to truly cherish what they had.

What happened with Halle Ferguson was a mistake—unexpected and unfortunate.

She was a fresh college grad who'd just joined his company and eagerly volunteered to accompany him to a client dinner.

After the dinner, she broke down in tears and confided in him, making herself seem vulnerable and alone. Kason let his guard down, crossed a line, and kissed her. One deliberate choice led to another.

Halle was understanding about it. Afterward, she didn't demand a relationship. Instead, with glossy eyes, she only asked, "Mr. Martin, can you at least visit me sometimes? It was... my first time..."

"I don't need you to take responsibility. I just want a place in your life where I can feel safe."

No one could be that harsh to a recent graduate, so he agreed.

Today's accident was just Kason shielding Halle from drinking too much, then having her drive him home.

Halle, unfamiliar with driving such an expensive car, got nervous—which led to a fender bender.

Judging by Lisa's expression, he figured she'd assumed it was another affair.

But he wasn't worried. He considered it a final test for Lisa.

The engagement ring he'd ordered was already on its way, and once Lisa passed this test, he was going to propose.

Yet Lisa had asked for a breakup.

Kason was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered.

Of course.

Even the deepest love has its limits.

After he'd tested her repeatedly, she was bound to be upset.

So he forgave what he dismissed as her "tantrum."

With sincerity, he solemnly swore, "I promise you, this really is the last time, okay?"