Chapter 1

Serena Jansen stood by the massive floor-to-ceiling window, her silk robe draped elegantly over her figure. She gazed at the flickering city lights in the distance. After a long pause, she picked up her phone and made a call. "I agree to the engagement." There was a brief silence on the other end before her father's voice came through. Howard Jansen sounded excited, barely trying to contain it. "Nina, when are you coming back? I'll pick you up." Her chest tightened, and a lump formed in her throat. It had been years since she last heard him call her by her childhood nickname. "Next Monday." Without waiting for a response, she ended the call. After her mother, Amber Hanson, had passed away, Howard wasted no time bringing another woman and her daughter into their home. Serena hated them, and she vowed to never let her mother's company fall into their hands. For years, she had bent over backward for Zach Foster. But now, she no longer saw the need for such trouble. There was a far more direct way to reclaim what was rightfully hers. Still, the thought of Zach sent a dull pain through her heart. … Earlier that evening, at 8:30 pm, Serena had set the table with the dinner she had meticulously prepared. Right when she was done, her phone buzzed with a message. Zach wrote, "Something came up at work. Don't wait for me." Her entire body went numb as she stared at the screen. It was her 23rd birthday that day, as well as the fifth anniversary of their relationship. She had been calling and texting him since 6:00 pm. Her calls had gone unanswered, and her texts had been barely acknowledged—she had sent ten messages, and he had only responded with a single word. "Busy." Their WhatsApp chat felt like a one-sided monologue. Serena: "I ordered tomahawk steak…" Serena: "Picked up fresh roses and lilies…" Serena: "The red wine is your favorite. I picked it up from the vineyard this afternoon." Serena: "The candles are gardenia-scented. I made them myself, just for tonight." She had known Zach for 13 years, and he had never missed her birthday. Unwilling to accept reality, she dialed his number one more time. This time, it went straight to voicemail. She checked the timestamp of his last message. Just then, a notification popped up—a post from someone on her Favorites list. "Vincent's concert. Been looking forward to this for ages." Attached was a photo of a man and a woman, their arms pressed intimately against each other. Under the dim concert lights, Serena recognized the cufflinks on the man's sleeve immediately. The engraved gardenia pattern was a custom design she had specially commissioned for Zach. It was Zach's favorite. And there was only one set in all of Yellowbrook City. She gripped her phone tightly, zooming in and out of the picture repeatedly. Her eyes burned from the strain until she suddenly hurled her phone onto the table, gasping for breath. She had bought tickets the moment Vincent announced his nationwide tour. At the time, she had told Zach it was the one thing she wanted most for her birthday. He had promised to go with her. But in the end, he stood her up. Now, on her birthday, Zach had abandoned her and taken Wendy instead. A deep ache spread from her chest to every part of her body. She covered her face with trembling hands. She could no longer deceive herself. When Serena was ten, she had been sickly and had to move from Javerton City to Yellowbrook City to recover. That was when she met Zach. Because of him, even after regaining her health, she had never wanted to leave Javerton City. Zach was two years older than her. He had always protected and spoiled her, staying by her side from middle school through college. On the night of her 18th birthday, he had confessed his love, unable to wait another moment. He had given her the most beautiful bouquet and promised that she was the only one he would ever love. Serena wondered when that promise had started to fade. Maybe it was the moment she introduced Wendy to Zach. The delicate young woman in the white dress had smiled softly, eyes filled with shyness and insecurity. "Zach, I'm the scholarship student Ms. Jansen sponsored." Like a lily blooming on the edge of a cliff, she had easily triggered his protective instincts. From that day forward, whenever he had to choose between Serena and Wendy, Zach had chosen Wendy nine times out of ten. Serena had fought back. But Zach would only look at her with a frown, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Wendy isn't as strong as you. She's not as privileged as you. Don't bully her." Serena had wanted to scream. So being weak gave Wendy the right to shamelessly steal her boyfriend? Her phone vibrated suddenly, breaking the suffocating silence. Serena snatched it up. Three messages popped onto the screen. Wendy: "Vincent's violin performance was incredible. Truly world-class! Zach already arranged for me to meet him after the concert so I could ask to be his mentee." Wendy: "Oh, today's your birthday, right? I kept telling Zach to go back and see you, but he was worried I wouldn't eat properly and insisted on staying with me. You called so many times that he got annoyed and turned off his phone. Wendy: "Zach got me this gift! Ms. Jansen, can you help me see if it matches my outfit?" It was a stunning multicolored diamond bracelet, a luxury brand's latest seasonal release that was only available through pre-order. When the concept advertisement first came out, Serena had casually mentioned it to Zach. So he had bought it. But not for her. Serena quietly set her phone down. She lit a candle and finished her birthday alone. She dumped all the leftover food into the trash, including the cake she had spent two weeks learning to bake. She wasn't leaving until next week because, for the past thirteen years, she and Zach had been deeply entwined—in love, in life. Untangling herself from him wouldn't be easy. She needed time. … Half-asleep, she felt someone sitting on the edge of her bed. The next moment, a cool hand brushed against her face, gently pinching her cheek. The voice that followed was deep, magnetic, and filled with familiar tenderness. "Rena, sorry I'm late. Here, this is your birthday gift.Hope you like it." She stirred, frowning as she opened her eyes. Zach sat there in nothing but a black dress shirt, his jacket nowhere to be seen. Under the dim light, his chiseled features softened with warmth, making him look even more irresistible. His eyes were deep, almost suffocating. Serena pushed herself up, watching as he opened a velvet box and handed it to her. Inside lay a multicolored diamond bracelet, sparkling under the soft light. "You've wanted this for a while, haven't you? Let me put it on for you," Zach said. Just as he reached for the bracelet, his phone rang. He tossed the box onto the bed and stood up to answer. "You fell?" he exclaimed. "Are you hurt? Don't cry, I'm coming over now." He was in such a hurry that he didn't even bother to sit back down and explain. "Zach…" Serena called out, but the door shut firmly behind him before she could say more. He never looked back. Minutes later, as expected, Wendy sent another string of messages. Wendy: "Did you put on the bracelet? You have to accept it, Ms, Jansen! I had to beg Zach for so long before he finally agreed to give it to you." Wendy: "He just thinks I'm so considerate… After the concert, he insisted on taking me to buy another one. Wendy: "I love the meaning behind this design. It symbolizes eternal happiness for the one who is truly loved." The picture she attached with that message was a signature couple's bracelet. The most classic design from the brand. The year Zach founded his company, he had taken her to see this bracelet. At the time, the company had been struggling financially. Several projects were at risk, so Serena sold two pieces of her mother's porcelain to cover the funding gap. She couldn't bear to see him struggle. But once the company stabilized, Zach never thought to buy the bracelet for her. After the project funds had been recovered, she had gone looking for those porcelain pieces, only to find that an anonymous collector had purchased them for an astronomical price. They were gone forever. That night, Zach didn't come home. The next morning, as she ate breakfast, another text from Wendy appeared on her phone.