Chapter 1

When I came back from a business trip, I saw my girlfriend at someone else’s birthday party.

She had dressed up carefully to celebrate another man’s birthday. When everyone around them started cheering, the two of them even kissed passionately.

And that man was her childhood friend.

She lived in my villa, drove my luxury cars, and spent my money to support another man.

That was the moment I finally understood something: while you’re young and in your prime, you should learn to love yourself first.

Chloe Bennett, from now on, you’ll be you, and I’ll be me.

Unfortunately, there will never be an “us” again.

I had come back from my business trip early to prepare a surprise proposal for my girlfriend. I never expected to see her at someone else’s birthday party.

She had clearly told me she was working overtime.

A terrible feeling rose in my chest. My thoughts became a tangled mess, and every muscle in my body tightened.

I felt like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

Ryan, who was sitting across from me, spoke up.

“Isn’t that red-haired woman in the private room next door your girlfriend, Chloe? Didn’t she tell you she was still working overtime?”

“Is this the kind of overtime she was talking about?”

I didn’t answer.

Ryan had been my best friend since childhood. We were close enough to share the same pair of pants.

He had once told me that Chloe was acting intimately with other men. I hadn’t believed him. Instead, I’d even gotten into an argument with him over it.

I never expected reality to slap me in the face so quickly.

Ryan continued, “I told you a long time ago that there was something wrong with Chloe, but you refused to believe me. Now look at you. You got to see your own girlfriend cheating on you with your own eyes.”

My expression was awful.

The two private rooms were separated by nothing more than a bamboo curtain.

Through the curtain, I heard the man say, “Chloe, I’m really happy you came to my birthday party. And you even gave me such an expensive gift. I love you so much.”

“You’re my heart, my soul, my baby, my sweetheart. From now on, you’re the only woman I’ll ever love.”

“You idiot. Of course I had to come to your birthday. Nothing matters more than you.”

Her sweet, gentle voice drifted over.

“And besides… I went through so much trouble to get this watch from overseas. It’s a limited edition.”

I had listened to that familiar voice for five years.

At first, I still clung to a sliver of hope.

But now I was absolutely certain. The woman on the other side of the curtain was my girlfriend—Chloe Bennett.

I let out a cold laugh.

The watch she was talking about was one I had asked someone to buy for me in Switzerland. She had told me that her father’s birthday was coming up and that she wanted to buy him a watch.

Now she was using the gift I bought to please another man.

And I had been stupid enough to finish my work early and rush onto a plane just to surprise her.

I had been thinking about bringing her home as my wife as soon as possible.

Instead, she had given me the surprise of my life.

I first learned about Adrian Cole three months ago.

I had gone to Chloe’s company to pick her up after work and take her out for a late-night meal. She usually got off at six, but that day she didn’t come out until six-thirty.

And she wasn’t alone.

A man I had never seen before was with her.

They were laughing and chatting as if they had known each other forever.

My girlfriend always got carsick and insisted on sitting in the front passenger seat. But that time, she acted strangely and climbed into the back seat with the man.

She even explained it to me.

“Baby, this is Adrian Cole, my childhood friend. He just moved to Miami, and he’s not familiar with the city. He’s pretty shy, so I sat in the back with him to keep him from feeling awkward.”

At the time, I had thought my girlfriend was considerate.

We went out for barbecue. Chloe couldn’t handle spicy food, so I always avoided ordering anything hot whenever we ate together.

But that time, she ordered an entire plate of spicy grilled wings.

I looked at her in confusion. “Don’t you hate spicy food?”

She grabbed my arm and pouted playfully.

“Oh, come on, baby. Eating it once in a while won’t hurt. Besides, spicy wings taste so much better!”

I didn’t think much of it then.

Throughout the meal, the two of them seemed to have endless things to talk about. They even kept putting food on each other’s plates.

When it was time to pay, the server came over and smiled.

“Your sister and brother-in-law are so sweet together.”

The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.

My hand froze in midair as I reached for my wallet.

Chloe gave a forced little laugh and explained, “Sorry, you misunderstood. He’s my boyfriend.”

The server glanced back and forth between us, apologized awkwardly, and hurried away after taking our payment.

After that, every time Chloe and I went out alone—whether to eat or watch a movie—Adrian was there.

I brought it up with her once.

She said I was being petty.