I had been Keith's fiancée for six years. He doted on me relentlessly yet never once mentioned marrying me. I mustered up all my courage and proposed to him at my birthday party, but he silently left me. Then someone took a photo of him kissing the girl next door.

He was annoyed that I acted alone and accused me of being suspicious. Yet, I later overheard him laughing with his friends. "Zoey only holds onto me because of her parents' kindness in saving my life. After all these years, I suppose I've repaid that debt."

I smiled bitterly and left the country.

Later, Keith finally agreed to marry me. Of course, I rushed back home without hesitation. It wasn't to rekindle our engagement but to end it.

***

I clutched an umbrella and ran lightly down the hallway, my steps bouncing excitedly. Keith always called me clumsy, saying I couldn't even care for myself and that it made him worry about me. However, I wanted to show him that I could take care of myself and protect him.

It was raining and if Keith saw me bringing him an umbrella, he would surely praise me for being thoughtful and considerate, right? I rehearsed my words in my head over and over again. "Keith, it's nothing. Once I become your wife, this is just what I should do."

Listening to the lively conversation in the private room, I slowed my pace. Keith valued his pride, so I didn't want to barge in recklessly.

"Keith, we all saw the photos from that night. What's going on?"

"I heard Sadie Simpson came back just for you."

"You've been stringing that little girl along for six years. Why not just do the right thing and marry her?"

I froze, startled to hear that familiar yet distant name. Sadie Simpson, the girl, who used to live next door to Keith's house.

She had gone abroad before I moved into Keith's house. I had assumed they were just close like siblings, but hearing it from others made it sound different. So, the woman from that night was her.

Then Keith's deep, teasing voice rang out. "Don't make things up. Sadie and I are just friends. There's nothing between us like you're imagining."

The storm of emotions inside me began to settle. The corners of my lips lifted unconsciously. How could Keith be involved with another woman? He loved me. Sadly, my confidence was shattered in the next moment.

"Zoey is only still around because her parents saved my life. She's carried the title of fiancée for so many years and it's time to repay that debt in full.

The umbrella slipped from my hand and hit the hallway floor with a dull thud, but it didn't disturb the men and women drinking inside the room. My heart cracked and the chill swept the pieces away, leaving nothing but a hollow, unbearable cold.

It turned out Keith's kindness toward me had never been love. It had only ever been a repayment of an old debt. Was that why he ran away the night I proposed?

A week ago, it was my birthday—the day that marked six years since our engagement. But in all that time, he had never once brought up marriage.

I'd told myself it was because he was busy with work, or maybe he was secretly planning some big surprise. After all, everyone knew I was Keith's cherished treasure.

He'd once beaten the boys who teased me for being an orphan, leaving himself battered and bruised but grinning as he performed silly magic tricks to cheer me up. He would sing to me during every thunderstorm. Even though he sang off-key and badly, he never stopped.

He would flick my forehead and call me an idiot whenever I had a silly idea, then turn around and act like an idiot himself, trying to make it happen. He never had any of the usual socialite girls around him. He said he didn't want to make me feel insecure.

I didn't want to wait any longer. So, I put on a white dress and mustered all my courage to propose. "Keith, I want to marry you!"

He looked at me. His calm eyes held a storm I couldn't decipher and all I could do was wait, trembling with uncertainty.

His phone rang and he patted my shoulder apologetically. "Zoey, there's an urgent matter at the company. I have to go back!"

Just like that, Keith left me alone at the birthday party. I wasn't a naive girl anymore—I could clearly sense the mockery, schadenfreude and pity in the eyes of others.

When I returned to Keith's house feeling disheartened, his parents were still awake. As soon as Camilla saw me, she let out a cold scoff. "Six years and you're still such a useless thing. My poor son."

"Enough! Don't say any more," Charles said as he pulled her away, but I could still hear the disdain in her voice.

I shut the door to my room and gently traced the edges of my parents' photo. Perhaps it was the cool night breeze, but tears began to fall. "Mom, Dad, I don't want anything. I just … I just want a home, I whispered."

I sat on the floor the entire night, waiting. Unfortunately, Keith didn't come back. Instead, I woke up to see the paparazzi's photo of Keith kissing a woman.

When he returned in the morning, his explanation was casual. "A kiss? Zoey, you believe such things? I was merely helping a woman who had fallen."

His excuse was weak, but I forced myself to believe it. After all, Keith had been kind to me for six years. He wouldn't betray me, would he?

Looking back now, the fact that he didn't love me was so obvious, yet I had never seen it.

I ran out of the restaurant and wandered through the pouring rain for what felt like forever. The cold raindrops on my skin couldn't compare to the chill in my heart.

So, all these years—was I the one who mistook gratitude for love? Was it all just my wishful thinking?

There were so many ways to repay a debt of gratitude. Why did Keith have to get engaged to me, needlessly causing me to lose myself for six years?

I returned to Keith's house soaking wet, ignoring Camilla's usual sneers. After so many years, I had grown used to their disapproval. They never liked me, believing I wasn't good enough for Keith, but Elizabeth had always shown me kindness. With Keith's protection, I foolishly believed I could one day win them over.

Now, I realized how ridiculous that was. How could Keith's parents not know his true feelings?

In a daze, I dreamt of my parents. They waved at me, telling me to take care of myself and to take care of Keith. I screamed back at them, "No! I don't want to be with Keith anymore. I want to leave!"

When I opened my eyes again, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose. It took me a few seconds to realize I was in a hospital.

Turning my head, I saw Keith leaning against my bed, holding my hand as he slept. He looked so handsome—his high nose bridge, thin lips and delicate features exuded a cold, distant charm. Even in his dreams, the grip on my hand didn't lessen.

If this had been before, my heart would've melted at his tenderness, but now, all I felt was bitterness.

I tried to pull my hand away and the movement woke him up. His voice, still heavy with sleep, carried a trace of weariness. "Zoey, you ran off again, didn't you? What now? Is this because I didn't take you with me last night? You know those business gatherings are dull. You wouldn't even understand the conversations. Why not just go shopping with your friends instead?"

He had claimed the night before that he was going out for work, but it was obvious he'd been drinking with his friends. He didn't want me to know what they discussed. His lies were paper-thin, so easy to tear apart, but what was the point of confronting him?

I obediently nodded, keeping my gaze fixed on the window. "It won't happen again."

Keith, I won't chase after you anymore.

The gentle sunlight lit up his handsome face, devoid of any real emotion. It seemed as if, as long as I was obedient, he could continue to "love" me like this forever.

It's time to wake up from this shattered yet beautiful dream.

"Zoey, you're still weak. I'll go buy you garlic bread and cream soup from Candor Street, okay?"

Every time I got sick, Keith would buy me garlic bread and cream soup from that place. It wasn't because the food was particularly delicious, but because Candor Street was far away and the shop always had a long queue. I loved watching Keith busy himself for me—it felt like I could piece together evidence of his love for me through his actions.

I smiled and nodded, hiding any trace of emotion that might betray me.

Just as Keith reached for the door handle, his assistant hurried in. I caught a name in their hushed conversation—Sadie. Keith turned back to me, his face showing a hint of hesitation. "Zoey, there's an urgent matter at work. I have to go, but I promise I'll come back tonight and spend time with you. I swear!"

"It's okay, go ahead and take care of it," I replied. There was no "I promise," only self-deception.

Keith hired a caregiver to look after me, but I didn't have much of an appetite. My head was heavy and throbbing and the smell of disinfectant constantly dragged me back to the scene of my parents' death.

They had been hit by a truck while saving Keith, who had snuck out. There was so much blood and the white gauze couldn't stop it.

My mom held my hand. I cried loudly as if the sheer force of my sobs could snatch them back from Death's grip. Sadly, the heavens showed me no mercy.

Keith's grandmother knelt before my parents' bodies and vowed to take care of me.

I moved into the Jordan household. At first, everyone treated me well. However, things changed as time went on. I was just an orphan—how could I ever be worthy of Keith? When Elizabeth suggested an engagement between us, I was so nervous my fingers clenched tight and my heart skipped a beat.

I looked at Keith with cautious hope. He smiled at me warmly, like the sun breaking through clouds. He unexpectedly agreed with this.

I thought he liked me, but the phrase, "Zoey is just clinging to the favor her parents earned by saving my life," lingered in my mind like an unshakable shadow.

Tears soaked into the sheets and I slept for a long time. So, long that night quietly descended.

A cold gust of wind woke me when the door opened. A surge of joy bloomed in my chest when I saw Keith. He kept his promise; he really came.

Unfortunately, the beautiful figure behind him easily and completely shattered my poor expectations.

The way Keith looked at her was a gaze filled with tenderness mixed with caution. I recognized it too well. It was the look of someone gazing up at another person, full of affection and restraint.

"He touched my forehead gently. "Good, no more fever."

"Zoey, this is Sadie. Do you remember her? She used to live next door to my house. She went abroad six years ago and now she's back to work here. Her hand was injured, so I brought her to the hospital. When she heard you were sick, she insisted on stopping by to see you. You two chat for a bit—I'll go check with the doctor about your condition."

I'd met Sadie once before.

It was during a fireworks party, but I couldn't find Keith and went out to look for him. I saw him standing outside her building, holding a trembling rabbit in his arms. His feet shuffled nervously and he didn't even notice the snow on his hair.

I recognized the rabbit—it was one Keith had picked out after a long search. Elizabeth had teased me, saying, "That boy really cares about you. He spent an entire day at the pet market finding just the right rabbit and it nearly froze him to death!"

Now, I was the one frozen to the bone.

Keith eagerly handed her the rabbit as if presenting a treasure when Sadie came out, but she turned her nose up at it. "Keith, it's so dirty!"

After saying that, she ran back home without looking back.

When Keith came back in despair, his arms were empty. I rushed out like crazy to find the rabbit, secretly took it back and hid it in the attic.