Chapter 1

Juliet Marlowe fell for her brother's friend. He was six years older, so she kept her crush carefully hidden until she couldn't hold back one night. In the dim light, she stole a kiss from him while he was drunk. Just as she turned to run, his eyes snapped open. Opening his eyes, he lazily murmured, "Are you trying to get me to teach you how to kiss? Too bad I'm not into younger ladies." Her cheeks flushed red, but she still mustered the courage to say, "If you think I'm too young, it's fine because I'll grow up!" He paused before chuckling softly. "Alright then. If you still feel the same way about me when you're 22, I'll think about it." Those words struck her like a thunderbolt. From that moment on, she stuck by his side whenever she could and counted down the days until she turned 22. When she eagerly went to him to claim that promise, she stopped dead at the door of a private room upon hearing the cry of a baby inside. Frozen, she peered in and saw Damien Kane cradling a wailing infant in his arms. His buddies around him sat with pained expressions, pressing their hands over their ears. "This is brutal, Damien. How could you bring in a baby to pretend you're a dad just to ditch that kiddo?" Juliet's mind buzzed and went blank. "What else can I do? She turns 22 today and is coming over to make me fulfill my promise." Damien's voice carried that lazy drawl she knew so well. "You sure don't like Juliet at all, huh? She's a good kid. She's pretty, sweet, and loyal to you—" "It's not about liking her or not," Damien said, cutting him off. Then, he continued in a lowered voice, "You all know who I've always loved." The room fell silent for a moment before there was a burst of knowing laughter. "Callie, huh? Makes sense. Don't overthink it because with that face of yours, anyone would fall for you. Callie would never turn you down. You're just too damn careful with her." "I just don't know how to say it, and I don't want to risk losing our friendship. It just so happens that Juliet is giving me the perfect excuse. "I told Callie there's this kiddo who won't leave me alone, so I need her to go along with me as we pretend to date. I'll show up with her and this baby, then throw a wedding. Juliet will give up, and I'll get to strengthen my bond with Callie too. "After the wedding is over, I'll confess to Callie," Damien said with a faint smile in his voice. Listening to his perfect kill-two-birds-with-one-stone plan, his buddies clucked their tongues and cheered him on. No one noticed Juliet standing outside the door amidst the hearty laughter. The cake box in her hands slipped and hit the ground with a dull thud. She lost all strength to open the door fully. Tears blurred her vision as she turned and ran. Outside the club, heavy rain poured. Juliet ran through it, not caring that her dress—which she had carefully chosen for tonight—was drenched in seconds. So, Damien had never liked her at all. All these years had been nothing more than just her delusions. She had fallen for him at 14. That day, her brother, Henry Marlowe, hadn't shown up to pick her up from school. Some street punks cornered her in an alley until Damien showed up and scared them off to save her. Seeing her cry so hard until her eyes were swollen, Damien tossed his jacket over her shoulders and handed her two pieces of chocolate. Then, he smiled and teased her, "You've got snot all over your face, sniffles. Your brother is still off playing ball, so let me take you home." That day, she tasted the sweetest chocolate of her life and fell for someone for the first time. Thanks to Henry, she got to see her crush, Damien, almost every day. Her teenage love grew and bloomed. She learned to cook and packed extra lunches so that Henry could bring them to school, hoping that Damien would try her cooking. She found out his likes and dislikes, picked out gifts, and used every holiday as an excuse to give them to him. For him, she turned down a chance to study abroad and stayed in Novara, just so she could wait to turn 22… After waiting for eight years, she believed she'd finally get her wish to be with him. But it was only today that she realized her love for him was just a burden. She ran endlessly until her mind cleared enough to stop. Then, shivering, she pulled out her phone and dialed Henry's number. "I've thought it through, Henry… I'm going abroad for my studies, and I'll meet that friend you wanted to introduce me to…" she choked out the words. All these years, everyone in their circle knew Juliet was head over heels for Damien. Watching her desperate efforts, Henry had always seemed hesitant to voice what was on his mind. So, he tried to set her up with someone else in the hope that she'd give up on Damien. This friend from abroad was the 18th guy he had tried to introduce her to. Damien had said he was tall, good-looking, and no less than Damien. Since Juliet studied design, a few years abroad would give her a whole fresh start. Now, she wondered if Henry knew all along that Damien's heart had always belonged elsewhere and had been trying to save her from this heartbreak. Henry was silent for seconds before he asked, "Have you found out?" Juliet shut her eyes as rain and tears streamed down her face. "Does he love Callie that much?" "...Yeah." "Well, good luck to him, then. I guess I'll grant him his wish and stop feeling anything for him," she said, wiping her face. After returning home, Juliet mechanically dragged out her suitcase and started packing. Her phone buzzed, and a new message lit up the screen. Damien: "Why didn't you show up?" She stared at the text for some time, and another message popped up right after. Damien: "I have a girlfriend and a baby now, kiddo. I'm getting married soon, so get over me." Then, he sent two photos. One was of a baby's tiny feet, and the other was an elegant wedding invitation card. Juliet stared at them for a while before typing two words. "Got it." After tapping on the send button, she tossed her phone onto the bed and pulled out a tin box from the back of a drawer. It was stuffed with movie tickets, theme park stubs, Damien's basketball jersey she had secretly kept, and the stuffed toys he had given her… These were the eight years of memories tied to him. She carried the box outside and tossed it into the trash can without a second thought.