Chapter 1

On our fourth anniversary, Julian Vance finally agreed to go to Haidilao with me.

I brought the custom, one-of-a-kind diamond ring I had saved up for, put on a white wedding dress, and prepared to give him the surprise of his life.

But when I arrived at the restaurant, he sent me a text saying there was an emergency at the office and he had to fly out of town. He stood me up.

As I sat there like an absolute idiot, eating hot pot in a wedding dress, I scrolled past an Instagram post from his childhood best friend, Tiffany Miller.

The background of her photo was the exact same Haidilao. A group of friends was cheering around them, Julian was holding her tight in his arms, and a diamond ring was sparkling on her finger.

Her caption read: "So this is what happiness feels like."

Everyone at the restaurant was looking at me, whispering and laughing.

But they didn't expect me to post my marriage certificate with a gorgeous younger guy right under her feed.

My comment: "True love is hard to find. Wish you two a long, happy life together."

Julian knew how much I hated being the center of attention.

For years, he used this as an excuse to never bring me to any dinners or parties with his coworkers or friends at Haidilao, a place notorious for its loud, over-the-top public celebrations.

But this was our fourth anniversary. I had begged him for weeks just to get this one dinner date.

I invited my closest friends, wore a wedding dress, and brought the ring, planning to surprise him.

Over our four years together, he always complained that I was too passive.

I wanted to show him that I could be brave for us.

In the end, he bailed.

I sat in the bustling, noisy restaurant, surrounded by families and couples.

Panic washed over me. I had no idea how to explain this to my friends.

It felt like every eye in the room was on me. In that wedding dress, I looked like a clown putting on a free show.

I quietly paid the bill, told my friends to enjoy the food without me, and practically ran out of the restaurant.

Even then, I didn't blame Julian. I actually thought it was my fault for not telling him my plans beforehand, causing this embarrassing mess.

That was until I saw Tiffany’s Instagram post.

Seeing their group of friends celebrating at Haidilao, with Julian holding Tiffany so close...

It finally hit me. Julian didn't refuse to take me there because he wanted to save me from "public embarrassment." He did it to draw a clear line between us. I was never meant to be in his inner circle.

I couldn't take it anymore. I called him, and we got into a massive fight.

He used the same old lines. He didn't even bother to make up a new excuse.

"We grew up together, Chloe. She thought the ring looked pretty, so she asked me to get her one. What's the big deal?"

"Can you stop being so paranoid? You're acting crazy."

In the background of the call, I could faintly hear his friend's voice: "Julian, come handle your princess. She’s drunk and making a scene."

"Julian, hold me..." Tiffany’s slurred voice whined.

Without another word, Julian hung up.

Is this normal? I stared at my bare fingers.

Four years. I had never received a single ring from him.

I opened the custom jewelry box, took out the women's ring, and slipped it onto my finger.

It looked much better on me anyway.

I texted Julian: "We need to talk."

I waited for a long time.

No reply.

I wasn't surprised.

He was always like this. If he wasn't interested in the topic, he wouldn't reply. If he found the conversation boring, he wouldn't reply. If it was an urgent text, he'd ignore it; if it wasn't, he’d block me.

Usually, I would send a whole screen of green text bubbles, and he would only spare me a few cold words.

Besides, he was probably too busy taking care of his "princess" right now.

I tossed my phone aside, took a melatonin pill, and finally fell asleep.

It wasn't until the next morning that I saw two new messages from him.

"..."

"..."