"Every time we make love, I make Sera turn around. From behind, she looks the most like Luna ."

My hand froze on the door handle. Through the small glass window, I stared at the face of the man I had loved for three years.

He had only ever seen me as a substitute for someone else.

In that moment, I felt something inside me shatter.

I didn't scream. I didn't cry. I didn't burst through the door and demand an explanation.

I just turned around and walked back downstairs. My legs felt strange, as if they belonged to someone else.

I called Professor Lumiere and accepted her invitation to go abroad. My voice was steady. She couldn't tell that I was dying inside.

Later, when Felix chased me all the way to Europe and stood in front of me with red-rimmed eyes, telling me he truly loved me—

I gently pushed his hand away.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I don't love you anymore."

The professor on the other end of the line was even more excited than I was.

"Sera, I am so thrilled you're joining our team. Five days from now, I will pick you up at the airport myself!"

I murmured a few words of thanks and hung up the phone.

Only then did I realize my face was already covered in tears. They had fallen silently while I was talking. I hadn't even noticed.

Sera, what are you going to do?

The man you love only ever saw you as a replacement.

I curled up in the corner of the fire escape, hidden from view. I cried until I had nothing left. Until my hands and feet went numb from the cold concrete floor. Until my throat was raw and my eyes were swollen shut.

I forced myself to accept the truth. He didn't love me. He never had. He loved the ghost of another woman, and I just happened to look like her from behind.

When I finally tried to stand, someone caught my arm. A firm, steady grip.

Otherwise, I would have tumbled down the stairs. I didn't even have the strength to stay on my feet.

I lifted my head to thank the stranger, but they were already gone. Just a retreating shadow at the end of the corridor.

I didn't think much of it at the time. I had bigger wounds to tend to.

When I returned to the private room, Felix was already drunk.

He was slumped over the table, surrounded by cigarette smoke and the heavy smell of whiskey. His tie was loose. His perfect hair was falling across his forehead. He looked nothing like the powerful Don who commanded respect from every family in the city.

When his friends saw me, they stammered an explanation.

"We're sorry, Miss Sera. You took a little long, so Felix had a few too many. Don't be angry."

"It's his bachelor party before the engagement, so we just—"

I nodded calmly. I wasn't angry. I was beyond anger.

I walked over to Felix, intending to take him home. Three years together. Even if it was ending, I wanted to end it with dignity while we were both sober.

But Felix was far gone.

His eyes were hazy and unfocused when he looked up at me. Then, without warning, he pulled me down and wrapped his arms around me. His head rested on my shoulder. He kissed my cheek affectionately, like we were alone.

The Felix I knew was gentle and restrained. He would never do something so improper in front of others.

Even his friends looked embarrassed. They pulled at him, laughing nervously.

"Felix, take your wife home if you want to hug her!"

"There are people watching. You're going to embarrass her."

Felix scowled. He shoved his friend's hand away and pulled me closer, yelling.

"Luna . You finally came to see me."

The air in the room seemed to freeze solid.

Everyone went silent. They looked at me with cautious, pitying eyes. No one knew what to say. No one dared to move.

But Felix kept going, his voice trembling with emotion.

"Luna , do you know how much I've missed you?"

"Luna , please talk to me. Please."

"Luna , I love you. I love you."

My heart went numb. All the strength drained out of me, like water through a sieve.

I didn't try to drag him away anymore. I just touched his hair and soothed him, the way you would calm a frightened animal.

"I understand," I said quietly. "Stop causing trouble now. Go to sleep."

Maybe Luna really did have that kind of power over him. Or maybe he was just too drunk to resist. Either way, Felix lay down and went quiet.

I bit my lip. My heart ached like needles were pressing into it from all sides.

"I'm sorry," I said to his friends. "Felix isn't doing well tonight."

"I won't take him home. Could you book a room upstairs for him to rest?"

I picked up my bag and turned to leave.

As I walked out, Felix's closest friend—a man named Marco who had been his underboss for years—stopped me.

"Miss Sera," he said, trying to explain. "Don't take what Felix said to heart. He really does care about you. Luna is just… an old obsession. I can tell he loves you."

"It's just that the engagement is so close. He's emotional. He didn't mean—"

I raised my hand and cut him off.

In his pitying eyes, I saw my own reflection. Red-rimmed eyes. Tears streaming down my face. Pale and fragile. The picture of a woman betrayed.

I smiled bitterly.

"Don't explain," I said. "Felix and I won't be getting engaged."

The lights in the apartment stayed on all night.

I knelt on the floor, packing my things one by one. I didn't need to be so thorough. Most of it wasn't important anyway—just clothes, shoes, accessories.

But I needed something to do with my hands. If I stopped moving, I would start thinking. And if I started thinking, I would fall apart.

The closet was full of clothes and shoes Felix had bought for me. Beautiful things. Expensive things. They weren't my style at all. I preferred simple lines, neutral colors, understated elegance.

But Felix liked me in pastels and lace. He liked me in flowing skirts and delicate jewelry. So I wore them. I wanted to make him happy.

Now I understood. Dressed like that, I looked more like Luna. I was a living mannequin for his lost love.

Felix and I first met at a gala hosted by one of the allied families.

He grabbed my hand, excited. His grip was warm and urgent. Then, when I turned around, his expression fell. The light in his eyes died.

"Sorry," he said, releasing me. "I thought you were someone else."

He walked away quickly, almost embarrassed. I didn't think much of it at the time. People make mistakes.

Later that night, I went up to the stage and played a piece on the piano as a birthday gift for the host. Music had always been my escape. When my fingers touched the keys, the rest of the world disappeared.

When I came down, Felix was looking at me again. The spotlights caught his face. He smiled at me with such warmth, such tenderness, that my heart stopped.

"Miss Sera?" he said, extending his hand. "I'm Felix Silva. May I have the first dance?"

I thought I was falling in love.

But what did Felix see in that moment? Me? Or the ghost of Luna standing behind me, wearing the same dress, playing the same song?

A tear splashed onto my hand. It burned like acid.

A message from Professor Lumiere pulled me out of my spiral. The contract.

My hands shook as I signed my name. The ink bled into the paper, but I didn't care.

Maybe in that moment, I knew. There was no going back. Once I signed, my future was set. I would leave. I would start over. I would become someone new.

I collapsed onto the floor and sobbed. Great, heaving sobs that came from somewhere deep inside me. I cried for the years I had wasted. I cried for the love I had given so freely. I cried for the woman I used to be.

Three and a half hours after sunrise, I had packed and shipped everything I owned.

I stood in the kitchen, making hangover soup. Old habit. Felix always got headaches after drinking too much. I used to make this for him without being asked.

Now, I was making it one last time. I would wait for him to come home. Then we would talk. Honestly. Calmly. No more lies.

The door opened around noon.

Instead of Felix's face, I saw a large bouquet of roses. Red. Dramatic. Obnoxious. He smiled at me apologetically from behind the flowers.

I blinked. Then I smiled back. It felt strange, like wearing a mask that didn't quite fit.

"You're back? The hangover soup is almost ready. Would you like some? I have something to talk to you about."

Felix's expression flickered with unease.

He had imagined how I might react. Anger. Tears. Maybe throwing something at him. He could handle all of that. He was a Don. He had faced down armed men without flinching.

But not this. Not me acting like nothing had happened.

He rushed to the kitchen doorway, still holding the roses.

"Are you angry?" he asked. "Let me explain. Luna and I were neighbors. Close neighbors. Her family moved abroad years ago, and I haven't seen her since. I thought I was dreaming, that's why I said those things."

His voice was soft, pleading.

"You know I love you, Sera. Only you."

I nodded. I didn't have the energy to point out how thin his lie was. He had never mentioned Luna before. Not once in three years.

When I didn't respond, he grew more anxious.

"Are you still upset? It's all in the past. We're getting engaged soon."

He tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"I don't have much at the office today. Let's go pick out your wedding dress. I picked one out for you already. You'll try it on. It'll be perfect."

I looked at his smiling face.

For the first time in three years, I felt nothing but disgust.

"Felix," I said flatly. "The dress you picked out. Is it for me? Or for Luna?"

His face went white. The blood drained so fast I thought he might faint.

He knew. I had heard everything.

He stepped forward to explain, but his phone rang. He meant to ignore it. Then he saw the name on the screen.

Luna.

I laughed bitterly. The sound surprised even me. I reached over and swiped the call open for him.

A bright, girlish voice came through the speaker.

"Felix, it's me. Luna."

"I just got back. I don't feel well. Can you come pick me up at the airport?"

Strange as it felt, I watched Felix run out the door.

He didn't hesitate. Not for a second. He grabbed his keys, shrugged on his jacket, and left without looking back.

I wasn't sad. I felt relieved. The weight I had been carrying for three years finally lifted.

At least he made his choice clear. He had given our relationship a death sentence, and he had signed it himself.

I turned off the stove. I cleaned the kitchen. I left the keys on the counter.

I picked up the roses he had brought me and threw them in the trash without a second thought. They landed with a soft thud, petals scattering across the garbage bag.

I loved jasmine. Small, white, delicate. Understated.

I imagined Luna loved roses. Flashy. Bold. Demanding attention.

"Door locked."

"Confirm deletion of fingerprint? Deleted."

The smart speaker chimed in the empty apartment. I took one last look at the home Felix and I had shared. The walls we had painted together. The furniture we had picked out. The bed where he had held me and promised me forever.

Then I walked away.

Running into Felix and Luna at the office was unexpected.

I was there to finish up loose ends. After the engagement was called off, I would leave the country. I had been involved in the family business because of Felix. Mergers. Acquisitions. Negotiations. Now that I was an outsider, I wanted to clean up my own mess before I left.

Luna was resting on the couch in Felix's office, pale-faced and fragile-looking. When she saw me, she extended her hand politely.

"I've heard of you, Sera," she said. "I'm Luna. You've heard of me, I assume?"

I nodded. I shook her hand briefly. Her grip was cold and calculating.

My hand was full of transfer documents. I looked around. Felix wasn't there.

"Looking for Felix?" she asked, a hint of smugness in her voice. "He went home to make me soup."

"I heard you two were together. Getting engaged soon."

I looked at Luna's victorious expression. She was enjoying this. Every second of it.

I had no desire to engage with her. I nodded once and turned to leave.

Then she called after me.

"Sera, how long are you going to pretend not to see it?"

I stopped but didn't turn around.

"I heard what happened. Felix got drunk. He was holding you, but he called you by my name. Did you notice today's outfit looks exactly like mine? Except yours is last season's. Mine is the latest."

She stepped closer, her high heels clicking on the marble floor.

"I don't want you interfering in my relationship with Felix anymore. You know the truth. He has only ever loved me. From the beginning to the end."

She paused for effect.

"As for you? A substitute? A fake?"

I didn't answer. I just found the whole thing exhausting. Two grown adults playing games, and I was caught in the middle.

I turned to leave. The door opened before I reached it.

Felix. He was out of breath, carrying a paper bag of takeout soup. His eyes were frantic with worry.

He really did care about Luna.

"Sera? What are you doing here?"

Before I could answer, Luna started gasping behind me. Her breathing became irregular. Her pale face turned red. She clutched her chest and staggered.

"Felix… I can't breathe…"

She looked at me with wide, fearful eyes.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have upset your fiancée. I deserved to be yelled at. Sera, I'm sorry—"

Felix rushed to her. He soothed her, pulling an inhaler from his pocket.

"Breathe slowly. In and out. I'm here."

Then he turned to me, his face tight with annoyance.

"Luna has asthma. She can't handle stress. Why can't you be more careful?"

He waved me away.

"Forget it. Just go."