Chapter 1

I've had four boyfriends in total.

My first boyfriend was a rich playboy. I chased him for two years, and we dated for three months.

When we broke up, he looked down at me, aloof and condescending: "Willow, you were nothing more than a passing amusement."

My second boyfriend was a university professor. I pursued him first too, and we dated for a year.

When we broke up, he smiled gently: "Willow, I don't have the time to wait for you to grow up."

My third boyfriend was a huge celebrity. I didn't chase him; he chased me.

When we broke up, he sneered, "An illegitimate child really is a disgusting thing, isn't it? Just a little attention, and you came practically throwing yourself at me."

Later, Landon and I announced our marriage, and then, one by one, they all came knocking on my door.

[Long roads of life, long journeys with you.]

I posted a marriage announcement on my Ins story, with a picture of Landon and me holding our marriage certificate.

Friends who knew me well flooded the comments with blessings.

Among the many well wishes, I spotted a jarring remark.

[Are you serious?]

I checked the sender. It was Liam.

Liam, my first boyfriend, technically my first love, I guess. But our breakup was so humiliating that he didn't leave any 'first love' glow surrounding him for me.

Given Liam’s arrogant nature, he should have unfriended me ages ago. Why did he keep my contact information all this time? Maybe he just thought it was irrelevant and didn't bother deleting it.

I replied to each blessing, casually skipping over Liam's ambiguous comment.

I sent Landon a voice message: [Could you pick up a blueberry cupcake for me on your way home?]

Just as I sent it, I saw a message from Gavin. It caught me off guard. Why was Gavin messaging me?

[Are you getting married?]

My heart felt heavy. With Gavin, I'd imagined our future together more than once.

I met Gavin when I was in college; he was a Ph.D. senior and six years older than me. He was gentle, considerate, and always polite.

Even when we broke up, he remained calm. Even though I cried and begged him not to leave, he still gently wiped away my tears and, with a soft smile, said, "Willow, you're too immature. I don't have the time to wait for you to grow up."

That was Gavin. He was always so self-controlled, so by the book. When I was hysterical during our breakup, he remained calm and composed. He'd point out my flaws as if he were giving a scholarly presentation, which then plunged me into a period of relentless self-doubt and emotional exhaustion for quite some time.

But those painful days were behind me. I glanced at the marriage certificate on my table. I'd found my true home.

[Yes, we've already tied the knot.]

The "typing…" indicator stayed on for a long time before a message finally came through: [Congratulations.]

[Thank you, Gavin.]

It turned out that even such intense love and hatred for Gavin could fade with time.

I scrolled through TikTok for a bit and saw that the top trending news was Jaxon, the A-list actor, visibly losing his cool during a live stream.

The comments below were all variations of: [What news did our oppa see? His face changed in an instant!]

I raised an eyebrow. That kid, even after all these years, he still couldn't hide his emotions. But given his status and background, he didn't really need to.

Jaxon, my third boyfriend. Though his words during our breakup were incredibly harsh, they didn't really affect me. From the first day we started dating, I knew we wouldn't last. I knew he had ulterior motives, but I was so lonely then. I just wanted someone to be with me, so when he chased me, I agreed.

I was a little curious about what Jaxon had seen to react that way.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Landon walked in, holding a small cake.

Looking at the tall, imposing man before me, it was hard to imagine us together.