Chapter 1

My boyfriend, Julian, was a classic Earth sign. He took a long time to warm up to people and struggled to express his emotions.

Even when faced with my hysterical accusations, he would simply say coolly, “Anything else? If not, I’m leaving. I have work to do.”

Whenever I broke down and threatened to break up, everyone around me would try to talk me out of it. My mother sent me a PowerPoint presentation to help me understand the personality traits of Earth signs.

My best friend gave me a “User Manual for Earth Signs” and told me to study it carefully. Even my older brother, who had doted on me since childhood, coldly told me I was overreacting.

That changed the day I happened to pass by his law firm on my day off. I saw Julian, usually so composed and reserved, kneeling on one knee with a smile in his eyes, handing a bouquet of flowers to a young girl. And those friends and family members of mine were all looking on with expressions of gratification.

The printed “User Manual for Earth Signs” I was holding slipped from my hand and hit the ground with a thud. The moment they saw me, everyone reacted as if facing a dangerous enemy.

My mother stepped forward, looking wary.

My best friend shielded the girl, eyeing me with suspicion.

My brother shoved me aside, as if that could make it seem like I’d never appeared.

Julian covered the girl’s eyes and spoke gently, “Sweetheart, there’s a bad person over there. Close your eyes for a moment.”

Watching the scene unfold, I trembled all over.

It turned out that the “Julian was an Earth sign” excuse was just a smokescreen all along.

They had been conspiring to deceive me.

***

Julian walked the girl into the law firm before finally turning to look at me, disheveled and in a state of disarray. He held out a hand, his tone as flat as if nothing had happened. “Get up first. The ground is dirty.”

I didn’t take his hand, and instead, I struggled to my feet on my own. I gritted my teeth and asked, “Who is she?”

The moment the words left my lips, I realized my voice was trembling violently.

Faced with my question, Julian merely furrowed his brows slightly. “Don’t overthink it. Eleanor is just my junior fellow apprentice.”

“Junior fellow apprentice?” I looked at him, my eyes red. I asked with gritted teeth, “Does a junior fellow apprentice warrant getting down on one knee to present a bouquet? Who are you trying to fool, Julian?”

Before he could speak, my best friend stepped forward, her tone full of disdain. “Anastasia, can you stop being so emotional? Julian has already explained the situation! What more do you want?”

My mother’s voice was cold. “That’s exactly why Julian doesn’t want to communicate with you because no matter what he says, you won’t believe him.”

My brother looked impatient. “Anastasia, I hate to say this, but you don’t give him any space at all.”

I looked at them, trembling all over. I couldn’t believe that the people I loved most had all taken a stand against me.

Julian’s expression remained unchanged. His tone was detached as he said, “You’re emotionally unstable right now. Let’s talk about this later.”

With that, he turned to leave.

It was always like this. Julian was always so composed that it seemed I never saw any other expression on his face.

Whenever I acted like a madwoman, hysterically accusing him of things, he would simply say, “You aren’t in a state to communicate right now.”

Then he would walk away without looking back, leaving me alone to process my breakdown.

In the past, I would have backed down in the face of words like that, but this time, I didn’t want to yield anymore.

“Julian.” I grabbed his sleeve, my eyes red, forcing him to look me in the eye.

But the moment I opened my mouth, I suddenly didn’t know what to say. I wanted to ask him: “Do you still love me?” or “Who exactly is Eleanor?” or “Do we still have a future?”

Words that used to come easily to my lips now felt hollow and futile.

“Julian!”

Suddenly, a powerful force shoved me from behind. My lower leg scraped violently against the asphalt, sending a searing, burning pain shooting through it.

“Are you okay?” Behind me, Eleanor was looking at Julian with a face full of concern, as if I were some kind of heinous villain.

“I’m fine.”

Julian didn’t even glance at me. He gently cradled Eleanor’s arm, his eyes holding a tenderness I had never seen before.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you to stay inside for a while?”

I stared at his actions, momentarily dazed. In that instant, all the words I had left unspoken finally found their answers.

Beside me, my best friend sighed and reached out to help me up. “Anastasia, face reality. Julian doesn’t love you. Can’t you see that yet?”

I slapped her hand away and stood up, my legs trembling. “You all knew about this?”

Everyone nodded.

“At first, we didn’t like Eleanor either.” My mother’s voice suddenly softened. “But after getting to know her, we realized she was incredibly strong and optimistic.”

“Exactly.” My brother spoke with admiration. “She made her way out of the mountains to get an education and never gave up on life, no matter the hardships. It’s impossible for anyone to dislike a person like that.”

“So, I deserved to be betrayed?” My voice was thick with unshed tears.

A heavy silence fell over the room. After a moment, my mother spoke with a helpless tone. “See? This is exactly why we didn’t want to tell you, or even let Eleanor interact with you.”

My best friend chimed in. “You get jealous of others far too easily.”

My legs were still burning with pain, but at that moment, the physical agony paled in comparison to the ache in my heart.

I didn’t remember how I got home. I only recalled that, despite it being the height of summer, I felt an unnatural chill running through my body.

A notification suddenly popped up on my phone: [Miss Bennett, our firm truly admires your capabilities, and we are prepared to offer you the highest possible salary. Please consider our offer.]

Under normal circumstances, I would have politely declined. But this time, I simply typed: [Alright. I’ll start within the week.]