Chapter 1

Everyone knew that Selena Crawford was Edmund Gilead's most devoted simp. Even their marriage was something she earned by donating a kidney to the woman Edmund loved. Selena asked for nothing in return. She only wanted Edmund to propose to her once on the peak of Mount Versuval. She didn't even ask for a diamond ring or insist on having witnesses. In fact, just a plain wedding band sufficed. Edmund agreed, but he broke his promise nine times. The first time, he accompanied Claire Jewitt to the seaside to watch the sunset. The second time, he flew abroad just to buy a pair of earrings that Claire liked. The third time, he had to take Claire's dog for a walk. … Today was the ninth time he was supposed to propose. The mountain breeze blew Selena's hair into disarray, but she stubbornly stood in place from sunrise till sunset. She stayed there until the last glimmer of light faded from the sky. Suddenly, a notification of the latest scoop popped on her phone. In the video, Edmund carefully clasped a necklace symbolizing eternal love around Claire's neck. His usually calm and indifferent eyes were filled with passion and affection. At that moment, Selena painfully realized that Edmund was not Herman Sorenson, no matter how similar they looked. The tenth proposal would never happen. The mountain path was rugged, and Selena struggled to descend it. Her heels were rubbed raw and bloody, but she never stopped. She kept going until she reached a tombstone. She had been holding back her emotions all the way. Still, her eyes reddened the moment she saw his name. "Herman, I can't hold on anymore… I miss you so much…" She hugged the cold tombstone and sobbed inconsolably. She cried so hard that her entire body trembled. When Selena was ten years old, her parents died in an accident. Her relatives sent her off to an orphanage soon after. In the end, it was Herman, her childhood sweetheart, who took her back to his home. He cherished and protected her for years like she was the most precious treasure in the world. Everyone in the upper circles of Galenport knew that the young heir of the Sorenson family had a childhood sweetheart whom he held dear. They eventually became boyfriend and girlfriend. Herman even promised to propose to Selena ten times. Unfortunately, tragedy struck before the last proposal. To save Selena from drowning in the sea, Herman was swept away by the waves. His body was never found. Unable to forget him, Selena suffered from severe depression and attempted suicide multiple times. This went on until five years ago when she saw Edmund on TV. His resemblance to Herman was simply too striking. Even the mole under a corner of his eye was identical to Herman's. Starting from that day, Selena pursued Edmund obsessively. She once downed alcohol on behalf of Edmund so vigorously that she ended up in the hospital due to her stomach bleeding. She had braved a storm just because he casually mentioned he felt like eating cake. When he was very ill, she climbed 3,000 steps to get to a church, where she asked for a special protective amulet. Yet, Edmund always treated her with cold indifference. This situation remained till Claire was diagnosed with kidney failure. Edmund was so desperate to find a way to cure her that he couldn't sleep for days. That was when Selena voluntarily signed the donation agreement. When she woke up, Edmund immediately took her to the city hall. There was no ring, no wedding, nor were there any well wishes from anyone. Later on, Selena learned that Claire had rejected Edmund's proposal. This led to his marrying Selena, who had chased after him for five years, out of spite. Still, Selena didn't mind. She treated him even better than before. She even went through the trouble of dressing up like Claire just to make him happy. One day, Edmund looked at her with an ambivalent expression and said, "Selena, I don't love you. But I can grant you one wish." Suppressing the excitement in her heart, Selena asked for a proposal. Edmund assumed that Selena yearned for a symbolic ritual of their union. Unbeknownst to anyone, she merely wanted to complete the last unfinished proposal. But now that Claire was back, Selena understood that she would never get that proposal. The sense of hope that had sustained her and drove her to continue living was mercilessly shattered. She had decided to go to Herman's side. But before leaving, she had one last thing to do—end her marriage to Edmund; it had been an utter mistake. In this life, she never got to marry Herman. In death, she wanted to go to him pure and untainted. "Give me a bit more time, Herman. I'll be with you soon." Selena placed a kiss on the tombstone. Then, she walked down the mountain with firm steps.