Chapter 1

Everyone knew Annabel Norton and Tristan Morse were childhood sweethearts. They practically grew up together. She was his first love, someone he cared deeply about during his teenage years. But when she had to leave the country for two years, his longing for her twisted into something else. He found someone to replace her. … Annabel clutched the coffee-soaked, ruined marriage certificate and numbly got into the car. Her phone buzzed twice, and it was a text message from Tristan. "Honey, I skipped out on a billion-dollar deal just to get you your favorite roses and strawberry shortcake and come home to you sooner. I miss you so much. Have you missed me today?" She stared at the message, a wry chuckle escaping her lips. Slowly, laughter turned into tears. Every day, for the past three years, Tristan would ask her the same question as a way to express his love. Who would've thought a man like that was secretly married to another woman? Annabel recalled their times together when they were kids. Tristan once climbed a ten-foot tree just to get her kite down, fell, and fractured his right arm. In the end, he still handed the kite to her with a smile. "It's okay, Anna. I'm not hurt at all!" On her 15th birthday, he stood in the rain outside her apartment all night so that he could be the first one to tell her "happy birthday" when she woke up. On her 18th birthday, he reserved the whole theme park, got down on one knee as fireworks filled the sky, and vowed to her, "Once I turn 22, we'll walk down the aisle together, Anna." On the day she left abroad to study, he pressed her against the airport wall, eyes red-rimmed, and told her, "Two years—I'll only give you two years. Once the time's up, I'll come get you immediately." During those two years abroad, he video-called her almost every day. Once, she was so buried in her thesis that she missed his calls for three days. When she finally reached out, she found out he had been hospitalized for drinking too much. In the video call, he pitifully cried, "I can't live without you, honey." And she would always say, "I'll be back soon, I promise. Just hang in there." On the day she returned, Annabel kept it a secret from Tristan. She had wanted to surprise him, but when she pushed open the door to the club's private room, she saw him passionately kissing a woman. Ironically, the woman's profile bore a striking resemblance to hers. Annabel's bag hit the floor with a sharp thud as she turned and walked away. Like clockwork, Tristan chased after her like a madman. He flooded her with messages when she ignored his calls; when she refused to see him, he stood in the rain beneath her apartment, endlessly trying to explain. "It's not what you think, Anna! You didn't even let me visit you once over the last two years. I just missed you too much and ended up looking for your replacement. "I swear we only did what you saw us do! There's nothing else between us! Please, Anna, I know my mistake now! I love you so much to the point I feel like I'm going crazy…" In the end, Tristan stood in the rain for three days and nights straight, running a high fever that turned into pneumonia. When he finally collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, he still refused to leave. Ultimately, Annabel gave in and forgave him. Since then, he treated her as devotedly as he once did. After they got married, though, the woman from that night, Cassie Lawrence, had somehow become his new assistant—the very replacement he had claimed to have sent away. He had explained, "Her parents are in poor health, and she couldn't adjust to the environment there. She begged me tearfully to let her come back to Belston. "For the record, I had no idea she interviewed for the assistant position. But she's competent and was selected through multiple rounds. I can't just fire her on a whim." So, Annabel tolerated it once again. Little did she know that in holding on, she ended up making a complete fool of herself. By the time the car maneuvered into the villa district, Annabel's tears had run dry. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door, only to overhear a conversation between Tristan and his best friend, Jack Hansen. "I just went to the hospital, and Cassie is doing well—just a little scrape on the skin, nothing to worry about. Meanwhile, you should spend time with Annabel," Jack informed. Tristan leaned against the couch, unbuttoning his shirt and crossing his legs. He frowned, snuffed out the cigarette in Jack's hand, and said coldly, "How many times do I have to tell you this? Don't smoke in my house. Anna hates the smell." "Alright, alright, hubby boy," Jack teased. "I don't understand one thing, though. You love Annabel so much, so why did you have to marry Cassie? Man to man—do you only see her as a replacement?" The air stilled for a couple of seconds before Tristan's deep voice pierced through. "So what if that was the case?" he asked. "Frankly, I used to see her as just a replacement, someone I'd discard as soon as Anna returned… But when I sent her away, I found myself dreaming about her every night." He continued, voice tinged with regret, "I couldn't take the yearning anymore, so I sent her back and have her work as my assistant. I know for a fact that I can't live without Anna, but… "I can say the same with Cassie. You know—while Anna gets to enjoy my open, proud love as her husband, Cassie only gets to have me in the shadows. "What's so bad about giving her a title to make up for it?" Jack sighed. "Aren't you afraid Annabel would find out? Judging from her personality, she'd never forgive you no matter what you do." Tristan stayed silent for a good beat, his Adam's apple bobbing. "So, we'll keep her in the dark… forever." Annabel stood frozen outside the door, feeling like all the blood in her body had turned to ice. She thought she would break down and cry, but no tears came. So, this was what unbearable pain was like. Her heart felt like it was being ripped out alive, yet it kept beating. She remembered Tristan kissing her forehead before leaving for work that morning, how he would hold her close and whisper, "I can't live with you," whenever he got drunk at social events. She also remembered how he would warm her cold hands against his chest, saying, "My heart only beats for you." It was all a lie. On her way back to the villa earlier, Annabel had wondered if there was some hidden reason behind his actions. Now, she knew he had simply fallen for two women at once. He never intended to choose. He wanted to hold onto his first love and the possibility of what could have been simultaneously. Fine—if Tristan was so scared she would find out, she would show him what it truly meant never to look back. She turned and left, preparing to check off two things on her list.