Chapter 1

1: 1

An elite heiress crash-landed in the entertainment industry, stole every resource I had, and climbed to the top by stepping on me.

My boyfriend of three years, the one I'd been dating in secret, went on the same dating show as her to get payback for me.

The day the show ended.

What I got instead was their whirlwind marriage announcement, and eleven wedding photos going viral across the internet.

Marcella Gilbert's caption read:

【Years of secret love, and I've finally married my high school desk mate!】

Reuben Barnes reshared it within a second.

He posted two red marriage certificates.

【Through wind and rain, together for life.】

My head buzzed, and with shaking hands I called Reuben.

What I got instead was Marcella dragging me online.

"Madeline Winfield, you've gone insane wanting to be famous. Call and harass my husband again, and don't blame me for what I do to you!"

Overnight, the whole internet turned on me. My agency benched me. No roles, nothing.

It wasn't until word got out that I was going to livestream my retirement.

That Reuben finally called me.

"Maddie, don't overthink this. You're the only one in my heart. Everything I've done is because I love you. Marcella's set on marrying me now. When the day comes, I'll leave her at the altar and marry you."

I knew he was lying to me. Again.

Reuben, this time I don't want you.

1

Every ounce of strength drained out of me, and I sank to the floor.

For a long time I couldn't come back to myself.

Not until Reuben, who'd vanished for a month, suddenly appeared in front of me.

His voice was urgent.

"Maddie, Marcella's an elite heiress. If you go live right now, public opinion will turn against you. I can't just stand by and watch you get torn apart."

"Be good. Go abroad for a couple of days to lie low. Once the heat dies down, I'll bring you back home, okay?"

I'd heard all of this before.

For Marcella, he'd used his own promo accounts for the first time, personally pushing the sweet moments from the dating show.

For Marcella, he'd missed my birthday and our anniversary.

For Marcella, the man who used to reply in seconds took longer and longer, three days, five days, sometimes a full month of silence.

Every time I confronted him, he explained it was all an act, just to throw Marcella off.

But it was Marcella who had stolen him from me.

One word from him.

And Marcella could already have been ruined.

Yet he kept dragging it out, all the way to a wedding.

My chest tightened. I gripped his arm and pleaded softly.

"Rue, let's forget the revenge. Don't marry her, okay?"

As long as he said yes, I could give up everything. Even if I had to carry all the blame myself, I just wanted this to end.

But his tone was irritated.

"Maddie, when did you get so selfish?"

"I've already tricked her into agreeing to marry me. What more do you want? You can't even wait two more weeks?"

Tears spilled down my face, my body shaking uncontrollably.

"But I never asked you to get revenge!"

Reuben froze for a moment. It was a while before he spoke.

"Maddie, don't say things you don't mean. I'm doing this because it hurts me to see you like this. As long as I can punish Marcella for you, I can make it right for you."

But he didn't even notice it himself. When he mentioned Marcella, his cold voice went unusually soft.

"So taking her home to your family, that's getting payback for me too?"

Reuben's eyes flickered, and he said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"If I didn't do that, how would Marcella think I valued her? How else would she be willing to marry me?"

I went still. Something heavy pressed against my chest, and it hurt.

So it turned out he did know what valuing someone meant, too.

But for three whole years, I'd clung to him countless times to take me home to his family, and he always had a reason to put it off.

On his father's birthday, he said there hadn't been time to tell me, that he was already back home.

When his mother was in the hospital, he said the paparazzi had the place surrounded, and he was afraid our relationship would get out.

At New Year's, I'd bought the tickets, and then he turned around and took his whole family on a trip abroad.

I'd thought he was just cold by nature, that he needed time to let me in.

But with Marcella, in only the third month of knowing her.

He gave her exactly the title she wanted.

He was supposed to be punishing Marcella to get payback for me.

So why was the one who lost everything.

Me.