Chapter 1

Movie star Ethan Shaw once promised me that when he won his fifth award, he would propose to me.

But on the night of the award ceremony, he only thanked his first love, Nina Grant.

Backstage, I overheard his conversation with his agent:

"Ethan, you've been putting off this promise for five years. Aren't you afraid Sophia Mann will stop waiting for you? She's an award-winning screenwriter."

Ethan lit a cigarette:

"She doesn't need a formal status. She loves me so much that even if I never marry her, she'll always stay by my side."

I smiled. He had no idea that I've always been good at both loving and letting go.

The moment I watched him tear up that proposal draft with my own eyes, I blocked all his contact information.

It just so happened that an invitation from an internationally renowned director could no longer be postponed.

From now on, someone else could write Ethan Shaw's scripts.

The air conditioning in the auditorium was running at full blast. I sat in the seat farthest to the side in the first row.

Ethan had specifically arranged this spot for me.

He had said:

"Sophie, tonight I'm going to win my fifth Best Actor trophy. I'll propose to you in front of everyone and make you the happiest woman in the world."

For this, I had specially commissioned a famous designer to create the most expensive dress I'd ever owned in my career. I even brought a hidden camera to record everything, along with the custom engagement rings I'd ordered.

On stage, the presenter opened the envelope.

"The winner of this year's Golden Dragon Award for Best Actor is... Ethan Shaw! Congratulations!"

Applause surged like a tidal wave.

I watched Ethan stand up.

He looked particularly triumphant today.

The blue diamond-studded custom tuxedo I had personally selected for him brought out his brooding movie star charisma to perfection.

I unconsciously tightened my grip on the ring box in my hand, pressing down on my wildly beating heart.

Five years. One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five days.

Soon, I would become his fiancée.

On stage, Ethan accepted the trophy and leaned toward the microphone, his proud gaze sweeping across the entire venue.

I straightened up, waiting to lock eyes with him affectionately.

However, his gaze merely swept past my corner.

As if he had never known me at all.

Then.

It settled on Nina Grant in the center of the front row, where the spotlight was brightest.

Coincidentally, she was also wearing a blue trailing gown similar to Ethan's outfit.

My heart sank.

Back in our student days, Ethan had regarded her as his first love.

After graduation, to be closer to her, he had given up a stable job to enter the entertainment industry.

If she hadn't married into a wealthy family later, I never would have had a chance to get close to Ethan.

Now, after five years, she had made a comeback.

And Ethan had never mentioned a word of it to me.

"Thank you to the director, the judges, and the team."

Ethan's voice pulled me back from my thoughts.

"Finally, I want to give special thanks to someone who has accompanied me through the hardest times, someone most special to me."

His drawn-out tone made my heart leap into my throat.

I quietly smoothed my dress, even preparing to lean forward slightly to greet the spotlight that would soon fall on me.

But his next words plunged me into an icy abyss.