On the day I was invited to the centennial celebration of my alma mater, I bumped into my first love, Kellan Knight. After delivering a speech as an alumni representative, he made a theatrical display by presenting a diamond ring to me in front of everyone.

"You once joked about making a wedding ring out of thorny roses for me. Now it's my turn to propose. Alicia, will you marry me?"

The auditorium was buzzing with excitement. Everyone seemed to be waiting for me to tearfully agree. After all, back in college, I had pursued him so zealously, capturing everyone's attention.

But everyone seemed to have forgotten. During my senior year, my final design project was falsely accused of plagiarizing Nyra Garza. Kellan knew the truth, yet he turned against me, accusing me of plagiarism.

At a press conference, as the brand spokesperson, he announced the end of our collaboration and initiated a boycott against me across the industry. That infamous day, I left and moved far away.

Now that I'm back, his friends are begging me:

"Kellan has been waiting for you all these years. Even when you supposedly tarnished his reputation back then, he always cared about you. He even made a fuss in the dean's office just to ensure you got your diploma. Alicia, Kellan really loves you."

"Can you stop fiddling with your phone and give me an answer?" Jonah Romero, his friend, sounded slightly irked as he watched me ignore his pleas. I calmly put down my phone and looked at him indifferently.

"Sure, Kellan comes from a privileged background, but he hates being treated differently because of it. Even though his father is a trustee, he's never used his father’s position for personal gain. Yet, for your diploma, he made such a big scene in the dean's office that he almost got a serious reprimand!

"Alicia Fisher, do you have any heart at all? Are you really unmoved by all he's done?"

Jonah was visibly frustrated, recounting past events as if my lack of emotion was some grave offense. I slightly furrowed my brows and scanned the room. The alumni who had been observing the scene quickly turned their gazes away as if oblivious, though in truth, they were all eager for what came next.

The plagiarism incident was such a humiliating affair that even seven years later, I could still see the disdain etched on their faces. Today was no different; I had only intended to step backstage to prepare for the celebration when Jonah intercepted me with his never-ending chatter.

I wasn't sure if Jonah was speaking out of friendship, upset that I had left without a word seven years ago, or if he'd been urged to convince me because he knew I’d be here. But to me, none of it mattered anymore.

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

Perhaps my response didn’t align with Jonah's expectations. He furrowed his brows and stared at me in confusion.

I knew why he looked at me that way. After all, in my freshman year, I pursued Kellan Knight so passionately for three months that I shocked the entire college.

When I learned Kellan liked stargazing at the observatory, I went to great lengths to find meteorite fragments and crafted a star necklace for him. To spend more time with him, I risked penalties for not returning to my dorm on time by constantly "passing by" the law library, keeping him company during his night studies.

One stormy night, I heard he had a fever, so I sneaked out past curfew to buy him medicine and ended up with a broken right hand. When he asked why, I laughed it off, claiming I wanted to test my own resilience.

Kellan knew exactly why I’d broken my hand, yet he listened quietly to my fibs. It was also that night that he agreed to be my boyfriend.

Once together, he gave me a moon bracelet, saying we were meant to be. To stop my "accidental meetings," he even gave up his habit of night studying. And, to ensure I could still enjoy my favorite pulled pork with a broken hand, he, who never frequented the cafeteria, patiently queued up, enduring the hustle.

Each small gesture was like a seed that took root in my heart, growing into a towering tree. I thought this tree of love would flourish with happiness.

But Nyra Garza’s arrival began to wither it rapidly.

At first, Kellan was clear that Nyra was just someone his father had paired him with for business convenience. He assured me his heart was with me. As the sole heir to the Knight family, he had the power to reject anything undesirable and told me not to worry.

I believed him. So, I never saw Nyra as a threat. Yet, over time, I noticed he began arriving late for our dates, forgetting our anniversaries. And once he started taking on responsibilities at Knight Jewelers, he and Nyra frequently attended charity events together, seeming unconcerned with how intimate the news reports made them look.

After I complained, he seemed to make some effort. But then I saw a news article that claimed he'd been adjusting Nyra’s pearl earrings backstage at a jewelry exhibition.

On Valentine's Day, he promised to make it up to me, only to stand me up for a last-minute meeting. I waited at the revolving restaurant until closing time, only to see a social media post from Nyra showing them smiling together in business class.

Faced with the slew of congratulatory comments below the post, I lost all nerve to confront him about it. The next day, Kellan brought my favorite strawberry milkshake to the design department to see me. Seeing my swollen eyes, he showed no concern, instead impatiently smashing the milkshake bottle.

"Alicia Fisher, I’ve reassured you countless times, the one in my heart is you. Nyra and I are just compatible business partners. Must you persist with these endless tears?

"Do you even understand how suffocating you make me feel?"

Tears welled up, and I quietly asked him, "I never said why I was crying. Are you admitting you’ve grown close to Nyra Garza?"

Kellan froze, frowning as he looked at me. "You're just being irrational!"

That day was quite unpleasant, with my classmates taking the opportunity to criticize me, calling me a "gold-digger," "greedy," and "manipulative," which tarnished my reputation. I felt completely devalued.

For the next week, I didn’t reach out to Kellan at all. Eventually, it was Jonah who acted as the mediator, tricking both of us into meeting. When I saw Kellan, my first instinct was to leave. But over the week, he seemed to have composed himself, and he blocked my path with a smile. Whether I wanted to or not, he pulled me into an embrace in front of all his friends.

“Don’t be angry anymore. I know I was wrong.” I tried to pull away, but then a cool necklace was draped around my neck the next second.

“A belated Valentine's Day gift,” he said softly, “I made it myself. It pairs with the star necklace you gave me.” His gentle voice and the exquisite gift began to soften my heart. When my anger subsided enough, I was willing to talk more.

I pulled up news articles and Nyra's social media posts to confront him. "Didn’t you say you two were just business partners? Do business partners need such close contact?"

Kellan, holding me from behind, looked at the phone. "It's a big misunderstanding! She said one of her pearl earrings seemed bigger, and she asked me to check so she wouldn’t look foolish in front of reporters. I didn’t even touch her! Babe, you know I’m nearsighted; I just leaned in to take a quick look.”

A slight smile broke on my face, but I pressed on, “Then about the social media post, you lied about a last-minute meeting and went out to dinner with her. How do you explain that?”

Kellan turned me to face him, cradled my face, and placed a sincere kiss on my forehead. "Sweetheart, I swear, the client changed the meeting time unexpectedly. Nyra insisted she hadn’t eaten all day and dragged me to dinner.”

I swatted his hand away, though I couldn’t suppress a smile. Just as I was about to issue a warning, Nyra burst through the door, her eyes red.

“Jonah told me you two argued because of me, so I rushed here, Alicia. Even though Kellan and I are engaged, we’re just friends,” she said earnestly. “If it really bothers you, I can ask my father to talk to Mr. Knight and call off the engagement. I’ll even leave the country so I won’t be in the way.”

Perhaps because it was pouring outside, she was drenched. After saying that, she let a few tears fall and turned to leave. I clearly saw a flash of reluctance in Kellan’s eyes. He let go of me and quickly caught up with Nyra, wiping the rain from her face right in front of me, unabashedly.

His friends, seeing me still standing there, looked displeased and began to whisper disapprovingly. Their words were full of criticism, accusing me of being a bully. Nyra looked at me with timid eyes.

At that moment, I really felt like I should be the one to leave. That night, I barely touched my spiced honey cake and excused myself, claiming I wasn’t feeling well. I thought Kellan would stay behind to care for the delicate Nyra, but instead, he ran into the rain to catch up with me.

He pulled me into a nearby café, ordered a coffee to place in my hands, and then dashed into the rain again to get a towel to wrap around me.

“Alicia, please don’t be mad. Nyra’s family is very strict. If I really told her to go home and call off the engagement, her father would punish her severely. I only see her as a sister, which is why I’m especially considerate. Don’t overthink it; you’re the only one in my heart and mind.”

Seeing me shiver, he sat beside me, holding me tightly and rubbing my hands to warm me up. Although I wrestled with my inner turmoil, his attentive care eventually convinced me to let go of my fears and trust him.

But ultimately, he betrayed that trust.

After that day, Nyra shamelessly clung to Kellan. They talked about business ventures and jewelry exhibitions, working so seamlessly together they seemed like the perfect couple. Not just the alumni, even I believed they were an item.

Nyra also approached me with her newfound superior attitude, scoffing, “Alicia Fisher, if Kellan can see me as a sister now, he can surely see me as a lover in the future. Let’s wait and see.”

I was left speechless, watching her walk away with a victorious smile.

That weekend, Kellan originally told me he was planning to relax by playing soccer with his friends. But I called him unexpectedly, asking him to come see me instead.

He was visibly annoyed. "I told you I was going to play soccer! Leaving my friends hanging like this makes me look bad."

I was upset, too, and blurted out everything Nyra had said. His mood soured further when he heard it.

"You called me over for something so trivial? How many times do I have to reassure you that Nyra and I are just friends? Alicia, do you realize how draining it is to date you like this? Should I just report my every move to you from now on? Would that make you happy?"

"Don't you trust me?"

His words hit me hard. Tears welled up in my eyes as I asked him quietly.

Kellan met my gaze and, after a long pause, sighed.

"Look, insecurity is common, I get it. Since you're uncomfortable about Nyra, I'll find a chance to clear things up with her. But please, Alicia, stop driving me up the wall over these little things, okay? My dad's pressure on me is already overwhelming, and I barely get any downtime. Can you just give me a break, please?"

As graduation approached, Donald was pushing him to abandon his dreams of pursuing law and take over the family jewelry business, causing tension between father and son.

Antonio was never a fan of mine, so reasoning with him was pointless. All I could do was give Kellan some space to unwind.

"I'm swamped with graduation stuff lately. Let's just not talk for a bit."

With that, he turned and walked away. Watching him leave, a chill crept into my heart, and for the first time, I wondered if he was truly worth it.

For a long while after that, he didn't reach out to me. Yet, I kept catching glimpses of him and Nyra buried in books at the library together late at night.

I even heard, through Jonah, that he had abandoned law to study jewelry design overseas.

Then, when my graduation project caught the attention of Tiffany & Co., who wanted to sign a deal for mass production, a swarm of journalists suddenly surrounded me, thrusting their cameras into my face.

"Alicia Fisher, we've received allegations that your graduation project is plagiarized from Nyra Garza's. Is that true?"

I was stunned, stepping back as I insisted, "I didn't do it; you're slandering me!"

Nyra appeared then, tears in her eyes, accusing me.

"Alicia, I could overlook you copying my class assignments before, but this time, the 'Thorny Rose' series was something I specifically designed to celebrate Kellan's birthday. He even helped with the revisions. How could you lie about not plagiarizing?"

In an instant, all the cameras shifted to Kellan, waiting for his response. I looked at him too.

Kellan avoided my gaze and spoke into the cameras. "The 'Thorny Rose' was definitely Nyra's creation. I watched her draw the sketches myself when we were working late at night."

I was frozen in place, overwhelmed by the flashing lights. I walked up to him, looked him in the eyes, and asked, "Are you sure I plagiarized?"