I attended a jewelry exhibition.

My boyfriend's dream girl publicly accused him of giving me a fake Sky Eye necklace.

Because the real one was already around her neck.

As a jewelry appraiser, I was being called out for wearing a fake piece.

But how could I, as a professional, not recognize a fake? It was just that, because of love, I chose to believe him.

After seven years, our marriage finally came to an end.

I reached the peak and didn't look back.

But my boyfriend incorporated his own blood into his jewelry creations.

"Lucy, please look at me one more time."

——

Tonight, the truth that I had deceived myself for seven years was revealed in front of everyone.

Mia Mose, my boyfriend's dream girl, touched the Sky Eye necklace on her neck and sighed in surprise.

"Hey, why are you wearing this necklace too? Isn't this necklace one-of-a-kind? There should only be one!

"Ah, the luster... this one seems fake."

I didn't argue, and I had no reason to.

Before, without the real piece in front of me, I could have convinced myself that my Sky Eye was real, but in the presence of the genuine article, the fake couldn't hide.

The necklace was a fake, and so was I.

I was only able to be with Chris Lane by being Mia's substitute, but now, it felt like I was exposed in the sunlight with nowhere to hide.

I seemed a fake to them.

The same accessory, the same red dress, the same bright red lips.

All the answers to his ideal type that Chris had told me were right there.

He had said I was his ideal type, and I thought he fell in love with me at first sight.

I didn't expect it was because my face was identical to his dream girl's.

Whispering discussions echoed around me, my face burning with embarrassment, and I almost fled the jewelry appraisal event.

When I think about how I've been going around with fakes as a jewelry appraiser all these years, it seems ridiculous.

It's lucky that Chris was willing to put in this effort, even going so far as to make a high-quality imitation.

An imitation that looked exactly like his dream girl.

Before I could gather my thoughts, Chris called me.

He started the call with a reproachful tone.

"What's going on? Weren't you supposed to be at the jewelry appraisal?"

"I ran into Mia."

I didn't answer Chris directly.

Chris on the other end was silent for a long time before speaking.

"You know about this?"

"She's wearing the same clothes as me, the same necklace, and hers is real while mine is fake."

After saying that, I waited for Chris to respond.

I was waiting for him to give me a reasonable explanation, maybe everything wasn't as I thought.

Minutes passed before Chris finally said a few words.

"I did like her, but Lucy, you are my wife now. You don't need to worry about this."

"Do you know, all the big names in the industry are here tonight. In front of so many people, a layperson exposed that I was wearing a fake. How will the industry see me from now on?"

"Mia doesn't know anything. Can you stop acting unreasonable?"

Before I could respond, he hung up the phone.

Suddenly, I wanted to laugh. As I laughed, tears started streaming down my face.

In the seven years with Chris, I never lacked jewelry, clothes, or bags.

I thought that was his way of showing he loved me.

But now it seems it was just his way of comforting himself, marrying not me, but his dream girl.

The house was full of gifts, but upon closer inspection, not a single genuine one.

The craftsmanship of these imitations wasn't that sophisticated. Even when I received the first gift, I could tell something was wrong.

My love made me subconsciously ignore the inconsistencies. I thought that to love him, I had to trust him.

When I first met Chris, he accidentally bumped into me, spilling my coffee all over the place. He looked up and apologized.

But when he saw my face, he stared at me for a long time. After that day, he came up with all kinds of excuses to meet me and ask me out.

I thought he was trying to pursue me, that he fell in love with my face at first sight.

Coincidentally, I also fell for Chris the moment I saw him.

So, things went smoothly between us, like everything was destined.

He was my first love, and I gave him my whole heart.

He was always good to me, but when he proposed, I hesitated.

It wasn't until later that I realized Chris and I weren't from the same world.

His family would never allow him to marry a plain, ordinary girl like me.

I pulled back, but Chris held my hand and told me that I was the one he'd chosen for life.

I saw my reflection in his eyes, and for him, I worked even harder in my career.

I hoped that through my own efforts, I could earn the approval of his parents.

I watched as he fought for our love, arguing his case, kneeling in the heavy snow, leaving deep footprints and bowing his head with every step.

Eventually, we got married. I was moved by his persistence and loved his devotion.

He said his ideal woman was someone bright and outgoing, who liked wearing red dresses and jewelry.

The description was so detailed and matched me so well that I subconsciously assumed he was talking about me.

But today, I realized he wasn't talking about me—he was talking about Mia.

Every gift he gave me, Mia had the exact same one.

And worse, Chris wasn't even willing to give me the real thing; every gift was a fake, one after another.

It was my love that blinded me back then, making me unable to see the truth.

That night, Chris didn't come home. He only sent a text saying he had to work late.

I didn't reply. The events of the night replayed in my mind, and I couldn't help but overthink.

Was Chris with Mia now?

It didn't take long for me to find out.

Through the window, I saw the words "Happy Birthday, Mia" written on the loft across the street.

And on the top floor, there were two blurry figures. I couldn't make out the woman, but I recognized the man clearly.

It was my husband, Chris.

The two of them were standing so close, their figures almost inseparable.

At some point, the wine glass in my hand had emptied.

I watched them all night, until their figures disappeared from my view.

The next morning, Chris still hadn't come home.

An empty house, an empty fridge.

Apart from our wedding photo, there was nothing left that felt like home.

By noon, Chris finally came back—with Mia.

"Hi, I'm Mia. We met last night. I'm really sorry, I didn't know you were Chris's wife."

I stared at Mia's face, not reaching out to shake her hand.

"You really do look a lot like me."

Mia's face froze.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

"Chris was supposed to come home to be with you, but it's all my fault. I drank too much last night, so I asked him to stay and take care of me. You don't mind, right?"

"No, I don't mind."

Of course, I didn't mind. I was about to divorce Chris anyway.

I didn't cry or make a scene; I just watched as Chris and Mia flirted right in front of me.

"Chris, let's get a divorce."

Chris froze, his hand still in the middle of serving Mia some food. After a moment, he continued as if he hadn't heard me.

"Chris, I said, let's get a divorce."

This time, he stopped.

"Lucy, take that back. I'll pretend I didn't hear anything today."

After he said that, he grabbed Mia and walked out.

"I'm not getting a divorce."

Watching Chris holding Mia's hand, I didn't feel like he was unwilling to divorce me because he couldn't let go of me. It was probably just because he was pathetic.

Yes, pathetic.

I had left a divorce agreement for Chris, but he didn't sign it.

That was until Mia invited me to a café.

She wore a red dress, openly sizing me up from head to toe.

After taking a sip of coffee, she spoke with a mocking tone.

"Do you know why Chris, even though he doesn't love you, refuses to divorce you?"

I frowned, not sure what she was trying to get at.

She leaned in and handed me her phone.

"To tell you the truth, Chris didn't marry me back then, not because I didn't like him or we didn't want to be together. It was simply because his parents would never accept me."

The sarcasm on Mia's face grew, and I finally learned their story.

The two of them had been in love for a long time.

But Chris's family is influential, and there was no way they would accept a girl with a criminal record as a wife.

Mia's father had killed someone before, and that was something the Lane family could never accept.

Chris couldn't disobey his parents but also couldn't let Mia go.

Torn between both sides, that's when he met me.

Although I wasn't entirely up to his family's standards, I was similar to Mia and more acceptable to the Lane family.

That's the real reason Chris didn't want to marry me, and now he doesn't want to divorce me.

Listening to Mia's words, I suddenly realized how pathetic she was, just like me.

Two people who truly loved each other were stopped by his parents, and not only did the man not fight for their love, but he even found a substitute—marrying the stand-in while keeping things ambiguous with the real one.

"You think I'm ridiculous, but you're even more laughable."

I picked up my bag, no longer listening to Mia's breaking voice behind me.

I immediately told Chris's parents about his affair.

At first, Mr. and Mrs. Lane weren't happy with me, but their family was strict, and once we got married, they truly treated me as their daughter-in-law.

As long as I told them about Chris's affair, the divorce would be inevitable.

Plus, I'd get a hefty compensation.

The Lane family worked quickly, and the next day, I received a message from Chris.

He looked at me with a complicated expression.

"Lucy, think carefully. After we divorce, there's no going back."

"Don't worry, as soon as you sign this, we'll have nothing to do with each other from now on."

After getting the divorce certificate, I didn't look at Chris again.

It was all over.

Our marriage was unknown to anyone, and our divorce was even more unnoticed.

I watched as Chris, right after the divorce, held Mia's hand high and publicly displayed their love.

I'm guessing the Lane family still doesn't know Mia's father is a murderer.

Before, when Chris and I were dating, everything was kept so low-key, there wasn't even an official announcement.

When I asked him about it, he simply told me that relationships are between two people, not anyone else's business, so there was no need to let others know.

He didn't even introduce me to his friends, just kept telling me over and over.

"I love you, you love me, as long as we know, that's enough."

Back then, I naively believed him, but now I know the truth.

It wasn't that he didn't like showing off, it's just that the person he wanted to show off wasn't me.

I watched as he filled the sky with fireworks, all to make Mia smile.

Turns out, there really is a difference between love and no love.

Time passed, and because the jewelry appraisal event only had top-tier people present and not many from the lower ranks, the fact that I brought a fake didn't get out.

My job wasn't affected.

It wasn't until my birthday that I saw an unexpected letter on my desk, making me pause.

It was an envelope wrapped in a gardenia design—Chris's favorite flower.

I reached out and opened the envelope.

I couldn't help but wonder if he was the one who wrote this letter.

[Hello, Lucy.

[Hope this letter finds you well.

[Believe it or not, I never thought there'd come a day where we wouldn't speak for months.

[In the beginning, you were right. I did treat you as a stand-in, but hearts are made of flesh, Lucy.

[In the days you weren't by my side, I realized I've gotten used to your presence.

[Even though Mia hasn't been around me, I still think of you from time to time...]

At this point, I closed the letter and didn't read any further.

I had no idea what Chris was trying to accomplish. All I knew was that his behavior right now was just pathetic.

Years ago, when Chris and I were dating, I used to write him handwritten letters.

Eighteen in total, to make up for the 18 years I hadn't been by his side. I told him I wanted him to be with me for all the days ahead.

I told him that handwritten letters were a luxury in this internet-driven world, that no one wanted to take the time to sit down and write anymore.

Chris understood what I meant, and I hoped to get a letter from him in return.

But he refused, saying he was too busy.

Then one afternoon, I found those letters I stayed up all night writing tossed in the trash.

I sent a picture of them to Chris.

He told me not to misunderstand, that he had already taken pictures of them to keep as memories, but the physical letters were taking up too much space, so he threw them away.

I believed him.

But the next day, I heard from his friend that he had written a 1,000-word handwritten letter to his dream girl.

I cried a lot that day, convincing myself it was just that Chris didn't feel like writing to me, that he was really busy.

But now, after our divorce, Chris suddenly had the time to write me the handwritten letter he owed me years ago.

Chris, some things only have meaning at the right time.