Chapter 1

When the Game of the Year results were announced at The Game Awards, I was preparing to propose to my girlfriend, the studio’s CEO.

Instead, right in front of the press and blinding flashes, she placed the golden trophy directly into the hands of my intern.

"Without you, this game would never have existed."

The cameras pivoted instantly to Lucas Evans, who was standing beside me, instantly hailing him as the industry's newest prodigy.

Chloe Miller leaned in, whispering a cold warning into my ear:

"He’s new. He needs a prestigious award to jumpstart his career. Don't make a scene, Ethan. If you can't be supportive, we’re through!"

I was so furious that I actually laughed. Not only did I refuse to cover for her lie, but I also stepped down from my position as Creative Director on the spot.

I had built this entire team from scratch with my own hands. Without me, this studio wouldn't even survive its first anniversary!

Chloe walked down the stage holding the trophy, the media cameras tracking her every move.

My heart was pounding, palms slick with sweat as my fingers tightened around the velvet box hidden in my coat pocket.

Inside was the ring I had chosen to propose to her with tonight.

After seven years together, I had finally gathered the courage to ask her to marry me.

And this Game of the Year award was supposed to be my ultimate proposal gift to her.

Seeing the radiant smile on Chloe’s face, I reached out to take the award. But before my fingers could graze it, another hand shot out beside me and firmly took hold of the trophy.

"Lucas, this honor belongs to you."

Chloe brushed right past me, leaving me frozen in place, and handed the trophy to Lucas, my intern.

Her eyes were filled with uncharacteristic tenderness as she declared into the microphones:

"Without you, this game would never have existed."

A rapid barrage of camera shutters erupted instantly.

"I heard he’s a fresh graduate! A true boy genius!"

"Wait, wasn't Ethan Vance the Creative Director? Did he steal credit from his junior?"

"Definitely! Why else would Chloe Miller give the award to Lucas instead? She probably couldn't stomach someone taking credit for others' work!"

"What an insane scoop... tomorrow's headlines are going to be wild!"

Whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire. Listening to the chatter, Chloe finally deigned to glance at me.

Her face turned icy, and her hushed voice carried an unmistakable threat.

"He’s new. He needs this award on his resume. Don't be petty. If you act up right now, we’re done!"

Catching the dark expression on my face, Lucas offered me a mocking smirk from the corner of his eye.

"I could only make this game thanks to Ethan's guidance," Lucas said with feigned humility, stepping forward. "Here, Ethan, you take it."

Wearing a generous, innocent smile, he abruptly shoved the heavy trophy into my chest.

Before I could even get a proper grip, Lucas yanked his hands back. I could only watch helplessly as the golden trophy crashed against the marble floor.

Panic flared in Chloe's eyes. She turned to me, hissing with venom:

"Lucas was being considerate of you, and you can't even show a shred of gratitude? You drop it on purpose to throw a tantrum?!"

Looking at the utter disgust and annoyance in her eyes, I almost burst out laughing.

Gratitude?

I spent five years bleeding for this project, pulling all-nighters with my team, pitching to countless investors, and pouring my soul into every line of code and design. Yet with a single sentence, Chloe handed all of that credit to Lucas.

And she expected me to thank the thief who robbed me of my life's work?

Seeing me standing silently without an ounce of remorse, anger crept onto Chloe's face.

What she hated most was losing face in public. She immediately threatened:

"Apologize to Lucas right now, and I’ll let this slide! Keep giving me that stubborn attitude, and you can kiss your Director title goodbye!"

Looking at how fiercely she shielded Lucas, my heart turned completely cold.

Seven years together. Seven years of compromising, tolerating, and yielding, foolishly believing I could melt her icy heart with enough devotion.

Yet an intern who had joined the company less than three months ago received more warmth and protection from her than I ever had.

What did everything I had done for her all these years mean to her?

Back in college, when she wanted to start an indie game studio, I abandoned my finance degree and learned game design from scratch just to support her dream.

She was blunt and hot-tempered, constantly offending clients and publishers. It was me who showed up at investors' doors with coffee and gifts, smoothing things over and salvaging deals.

She wanted to be the powerful female CEO, so I happily stepped back into the Director seat, handing her the spotlight while doing all the grunt work...

When the game shot to number one across Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox within a week of release, I thought the time was finally right to propose.

I never imagined that everything I had sacrificed would be casually gifted away to someone else with a single word.

Looking at the trophy lying on the floor, the passion that had fueled me for years chilled into ash.

If that was the case, let it burn.

The game, and this seven-year relationship—I was done with both.