I picked up the Delgado heir on the streets of Eldoria when he had amnesia, and we fell in love for five years.

He promised to marry me. Then he turned around and got engaged to the Summers heiress.

Heartbroken, I wanted to leave.

But he pulled out secretly filmed intimate videos to threaten me.

I learned to behave. Even the sexy lingerie I found rummaging through his bag—I could smile and smooth it over.

"Switching up your taste?"

"Don't worry, they're just for fun. You're my only true love."

He smiled, got out of the car, and right in front of me, linked arms with another woman and walked into the hotel.

Later, he cheated constantly. Brought women to sleep in my bed. Yet late at night he'd play devoted and whisper that he loved me.

Who says only men can cheat?

When Alex Delgado had stomach pain and was hospitalized, he called me—but I answered lying in his best friend's arms.

"Not free."

His best friend's kiss landed on my waist. I let out an ambiguous laugh.

On the other end, he lost it.

"Get your ass over here and take care of me."

I got dressed and shrugged.

I'd long since stopped loving him.

——

"Today's my birthday. Are you coming?" A WeChat message lit up my screen, complete with a cute sticker that said "Please."

I glanced at the contact name—"Alex Delgado's Best Buddy – Alex Gilbert"—and laughed under my breath.

"I'm talking to you. What are you staring at?" Alex snatched for my phone.

"Nothing. Your buddy's asking if you got home safe."

I locked the screen and watched his reaction.

He stiffened. Looked away. Didn't even try to check my phone anymore.

Just an hour ago, I was still Alex Delgado's fiancée—the one he supposedly cherished above all else.

Now I'm his mistress.

And it was his best friend, Alex Gilbert, who told me the truth.

Tonight, Alex Delgado and Mia Summers were already engaged. Both families had met. They'd even nailed down the wedding timeline.

I closed my eyes, and all I could see were the photos Gilbert had sent—Alex Delgado, eyes hazy with drink, kissing the woman across from him.

Last month, he told me he had something important to handle and rushed back home.

So the "important thing" was accompanying Mia Summers to the Delgado family gathering.

It was there he got blackout drunk and kissed her.

The laughable part? The day before he left, he'd proposed to me in a church. Said he wanted to marry me.

After he left, staying in Eldoria felt pointless. So I flew back too.

I wanted to surprise him. I even brought his favorite almond cookies.

Straight from the airport, I went to his luxury apartment.

The moment I pushed open the door, something felt wrong.

A woman's perfume hung in the air—but not the rose scent I wore.

I picked up the lace leopard-print nightgown draped over the sofa.

A chill shot through me.

I clenched my teeth until my jaw ached, fighting the urge to rip it to shreds.

"You know." Alex stopped the car and looked at me, calm as ever.

I didn't want to deal with him. I kept my eyes closed.

"I know you're not asleep. Her name is Mia Summers. She's my arranged marriage partner." He pushed my shoulder, irritated. "But the one I love most is still you. She's just a tool for my family."

My heart went cold. I opened my eyes and smiled—sharp, mocking.

"Is that so?"

The night he flew back, I called him.

A woman answered. I heard heavy breathing in the background.

He must have changed my contact name, because she sounded confused: "It's so late—why's the delivery guy calling?"

I hung up.

I laughed bitterly. So that's what I am to him. A delivery girl.

Alex walked me downstairs, then insisted on coming up to sit for a while.

"Vivienne, I miss you so much."

The moment he stepped inside, his arms wrapped around me from behind.

His lips found my neck. My stomach turned.

His kisses trailed lower—he loved it when I was compliant.

I shoved him off hard. "You're disgusting."

He froze, then smiled like I was being cute. Throwing a tantrum.

He stroked my hair, gazing down at me. "Relax. Whatever I give you will be better than what Mia gets."

He pulled a red gift box from his bag.

A necklace. The limited-edition one I'd stumbled across online months ago.

I'd mentioned offhand that I loved it. He'd smiled and tapped my nose. "If my Vivienne wants it, I'll get it for her."

He set the box on the coffee table and reached for my clothes.

The kiss marks on my waist flashed through my mind. I twisted out of his grip.

Impatience flickered across his face. "What do you want from me?"

When I didn't answer, he tossed my shirt on the floor and headed for the bathroom.

"Never know what's good for you," he muttered.

I stared at the necklace and laughed bitterly.

In the photo Alex Gilbert had sent me—the one of Mia and Alex together—she'd been wearing this exact piece.

One of a kind. The only one in the world.

So Mia had worn it first. This was her castoff.

This was what he meant by "better."

He used to promise everything he gave me would be unique. That he'd never let me feel even a hint of neglect.

The bathroom door banged open. Alex stormed out clutching the razor, face twisted.

"Why is there a man's stuff in your bathroom?"

My pulse spiked, but I kept my voice steady. "I bought it for you."

He didn't buy it. He was paranoid like that.

"Bullshit. It's been used."

His voice dropped, dangerous. "I'm warning you. You belong to me. Only me."

He hurled the razor at the floor. It shattered, gouging a hole in the hardwood.

"You can't even afford rent without me, and you think you can find someone else? Who'd want you? Who'd take care of you like I do?"

He snatched my phone and scrolled through every app with practiced ease.

My chat histories were clean. He let it go—for now.

A vein throbbed at his temple. His fingers dug into my chin hard enough to bruise.

"Without me, you're nothing. So you'd better keep me happy."

"Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to teach you what happens when you disobey."

The door slammed behind him.

In the middle of the night, my phone buzzed.

A photo from Alex.

Clothes scattered across the floor. Two bodies tangled on a bed.

"You should learn from Mia how to keep a man. Stop being so ungrateful. Remember your place and stay where you belong."

I thought I'd gone numb. That he'd ground me down until nothing was left.

But my heart still ached in waves.

We'd met while I was studying abroad in Eldoria.

Dead of winter. He'd been scammed out of everything—no money, nowhere to go. I found him on the street in a thin coat, shaking from the cold.

I felt sorry for him. In a moment of weakness, I brought him back to my tiny rental.

He didn't remember anything then. Not his name. Not how to reach his family.

Besides supporting myself, I had to support him too.

My already tight finances stretched even thinner.

I thought about throwing him out more than once.

But every time I looked at those hollow eyes, that dazed, lost expression—my resolve crumbled.

During that time, I worked nonstop. Classes in the morning, three jobs at night.

My phone rang in the middle of the night.

Alex Gilbert's drunk voice slurred through the speaker. "I'm wasted. Can you come get me?"

I hesitated. Right—today was his birthday. But what did that have to do with me?

I was about to hang up when a waiter cut in. "Miss, could you pick him up? We're closing."

No choice. I dragged myself out of bed.

This wasn't the first time I'd done this—except back then, it was Alex Delgado.

We were still in Eldoria. He'd gotten drunk at some party.

I had a raging fever, but I forced myself to drive to the bar anyway.

The lights were hazy, the music deafening. I spotted him in a corner booth, a blonde draped across his lap, his hand wandering up her thigh.

I rushed over and grabbed his arm. He shoved me off.

"Stop annoying me."

The force sent me stumbling. My hand slammed into the table's edge—right onto a fruit knife.

Blood welled up instantly, dripping onto the carpet.

The wound burned. But it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest.

"Get lost!"

"I don't need you meddling!"

He threw back another gulp of liquor without so much as a glance my way.

I snapped back to the present. I'd already pulled up to the hotel. The moment I stepped out, I caught the staff whispering nearby.

"Stay clear of that drunk. Guy's been hugging a utility pole and sobbing for half the night."

"Vivienne… I'm sorry."

I froze, keys in hand.

That was Alex Delgado's voice.

I followed the sound and found him clinging to a pole, crying like a wronged child.

"It's my fault. I made you sad."

"Why was there a men's razor at your place? Why'd you lie to me?"

His words came out broken, slurred.

"Why didn't you get mad when I sent you that photo with Mia? Don't you love me anymore?"

"How did you change so much in one month…"

He clung to that pole like his life depended on it.

My chest tightened. My eyes stung.

I tilted my head back, trying to hold in the tears.

But Alex Gilbert appeared in front of me, gently wiping them away.

"You came. Thought you wouldn't." His voice softened. "Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing. Wind's strong tonight—got dust in my eyes."

I turned away from his touch.

He didn't call me out. Just smiled, patted my head, and draped his jacket over my shoulders.

"Is that so?"

His gaze drifted toward Alex Delgado, still sobbing and making a scene in the distance.

I pulled out my phone and texted Mia Summers: Alex Delgado's losing it on the street.

I found out later that Alex Gilbert had dragged him out of bed to drink together. He'd picked this hotel on purpose—the one Alex Delgado and Mia frequented.

Mia arrived fast. She had nothing but a towel wrapped around her, irritation written all over her face.

"Keep this up and I'm breaking off the engagement."

Alex Gilbert smirked. "What a show."