Chapter 1

Everyone called me Declan Thorne's most pathetic doormat.

Even he believed it.

But what he didn't know was that I only chased him, fawned over him, all because of another man.

The moment I received my overseas study admission letter, I was done. Completely done.

After graduation, I got an offer from a prestigious firm back home, only to be locked in the office by my new, parachuted-in boss.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he pressed against me, looking all teary-eyed and wounded. "You actually dared to come back?"

When I went to find Declan Thorne with my admission letter, he was laughing with his roommate in the hallway.

One of his roommates, Leo, slung an arm around his shoulder, and with a snarky, mischievous grin, said, "Declan, are you seriously not going to consider Harper?"

"Out of all your admirers, she's the prettiest, and she loves to follow you around all day."

"If you don't like her, just pass her over to me."

Declan casually swiped through his phone, glanced at Leo, and replied, "I'm not bored yet. When I am, you can have her."

Then he pulled out a pendant I'd given him, swinging it back and forth. "She's like a pathetic puppy, always at my beck and call."

"Last week during that huge downpour, I just mentioned I didn't have an umbrella, and she actually rushed over from off-campus to bring me one."

"Oh, and that time Seraphina and I went hiking and got stuck on the mountain, she stubbornly climbed all night, completely on her own, just to find us."

"And another time, we went to Disneyland. Seraphina went back home later, and I went to look for her, forgetting to tell Harper. I swear, she waited from morning till night, standing there. Hahahaha, I nearly died laughing."

......

He listed every time I chased him, asked him out, and then how he'd ditched me, showing off to his roommate and trampling all over me in the process.

They roared with laughter, slapping their knees, while another guy leaned casually against the hallway wall, his long legs slightly bent, eyes downcast. He quietly said, "You'll regret it."

That guy was Caleb Vance, the one who told me to chase Declan Thorne.

Declan bent closer, staring into Caleb's eyes, then paused. "How could I regret it? I've never even liked her."

He lowered his head, muttering to himself, yet it sounded like he wanted Caleb to hear. "The only person I've ever liked is Seraphina."

He suddenly stood up straight, hands in his pockets, kicking at the tiles with an almost vengeful energy. "Caleb, haven't you always hated me being with Harper?"

Caleb didn't answer, just gave him a meaningful look and walked away.