Chapter 1

In my fifth year with Luca Greene, his book became a hit.

I thought I'd finally weathered the storm and could enter marriage with him.

But the night before we were supposed to register our marriage, Luca confessed to me.

"The prototype for this book is my first love, Zoe."

"I didn't want her to suffer with me, so I convinced her to study abroad. Then I felt lonely and chose you as a substitute since you looked eighty percent like her."

My hand froze while ironing a shirt. I looked at Luca in disbelief, my voice trembling. "Why are you telling me this now?"

Luca smiled, acting like nothing was wrong.

"I've treated you well these past years. Zoe is different—she's suffered so much abroad."

"As compensation and to make up for her regrets, I registered our marriage with her yesterday. But don't worry, I'll definitely marry you in a year."

Luca spoke seriously, but he'd forgotten—I have a thing about cleanliness.

In life, and in relationships too.

I couldn't snap out of it for a long time.

I didn't even notice when my arm got burned and the skin peeled off.

Instead, Luca frowned, pulled me to sit on the sofa, and applied medicine to my wound.

His tone was full of concern, as if the conversation we'd just had was an illusion.

"How can you be so careless? You burned yourself just ironing a shirt."

I'd gotten hurt often over these five years.

Luca had done this many times.

Each time, my heart would warm.

But this time, I couldn't help wanting to cry.

I clenched my teeth to keep the tears from falling, but my voice still carried a sob.

"Luca, doesn't it disgust you to spend five years facing a fake?"

Luca's face darkened. "Riley, don't talk about yourself like that."

He was too calm.

I couldn't hold back and threw the medicine box, screaming.

"Isn't it you who made me like this?!"

My chest heaved continuously.

Luca sighed, picked up the scattered medicine from the floor, and spoke softly.

"I know this is hard for you to accept right now, but we've been together for five years. There's no need to deny everything over this little thing."

As he spoke, Luca patted my head.

I felt dazed, as if transported back to the day he confessed to me.

Back then, my mom had been hospitalized with a heart attack.

To make money, I went to work selling drinks at a bar.

Once, by accident, I spilled drinks all over the floor and dirtied a customer's shoes. The people with him started jeering.

"Those shoes cost a million. Is the pretty lady going to pay up, or sleep with our buddy William for a few nights?"

"I recommend the latter—better deal, haha!"

"Right, William's not bad-looking either."

I backed away in fear.

That's when Luca appeared.

Seeing me, he froze for a moment, then helped me out. "Didn't you say we were celebrating my birthday? Let's go inside. Stop giving the poor girl a hard time."

He was William's childhood friend. Even though he'd broken ties with the Greene family to pursue his writing dream, no one dared say anything.

The group left.

Soon after, someone brought me a Band-Aid.

It was arranged by Luca.

After that, I kept running into Luca at the bar.

He'd keep an eye on where I was, have his friends buy drinks from me.

Even when customers took their frustrations out on me, he'd shield me with his body.

He got a broken rib protecting me. I cried my eyes out.

"Why are you so good to me? How am I supposed to repay you?!"

Luca tucked my tear-soaked hair behind my ear and said with a smile.

"If you don't know how to repay me, how about you give yourself to me?"

I stood there stunned. Luca's expression turned serious.

"Riley, I'm being serious."

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

It would be a lie to say I wasn't moved.

So much so that all these years, I'd thought Luca was heaven's gift to me.

I never imagined it was all a scam from the very beginning.

Tears spilled from the corners of my eyes against my will.

I turned my head away, refusing to look at him, but my voice was exceptionally firm.

"Luca, let's break up."