Chapter 1

On our fifth anniversary, our friends threw a murder mystery party and deliberately tried to give Nolan and me the roles of a couple.

Nolan refused.

"Whoever draws it gets it."

In the end, he was paired with Vivian, the one who had just come back from overseas—and the woman he'd never quite gotten over.

I drew the homewrecker who came between them.

During the proposal scene, Nolan dropped to one knee and took Vivian's hand.

"I didn't have the courage back then. That's why I lost you."

"But from now on, I'm never letting go of your hand again."

Neither line was in the script.

He said them with such sincerity, his eyes filled with years of belated regret.

Even our mutual friends couldn't help commenting.

"They were so close to having their perfect ending."

"If Vivian hadn't suddenly left back then, no one else would've ever had a chance."

Amid the cheers and teasing, Nolan and Vivian kissed.

I didn't cry or make a scene.

I stayed quiet, like background scenery.

Just like back in college.

Nolan and Vivian had been considered the perfect couple in our department.

And I was just the girl who had stood beside Nolan for years and still wasn't important enough for anyone to remember her name.

In the end, no one even noticed when I left the party and got into another car that had been waiting by the curb.

I watched the night blur past the window and quietly asked the man sitting beside me, a man who looked strikingly like Nolan.

"Do you regret what happened between us?"

…

As soon as I got home, my best friend Mia called.

"Vivian absolutely did that on purpose. That murder mystery is all over the internet. One search tells you exactly which characters are paired together."

"She saw Nolan draw the male lead, so she deliberately took the matching role."

I held my phone in silence for a long moment.

"It doesn't matter what she chose."

"If Nolan knew where the line was, he would've kept his distance."

Mia cursed under her breath, so angry her voice trembled.

"We're never going to one of these things again. If they're so desperate to make up for their unfinished love story, they can do it without us."

A faint ache spread through my chest.

Mia had already swallowed her anger for my sake all night.

I was the one who had been humiliated, yet somehow she was angrier than I was.

"They're not the only ones with regrets. Back then, you and—"

My fingers tightened.

I cut her off softly.

"I know you're upset because you care about me."

"If he isn't worth it, I'll walk away."

"You matter to me. I don't want you losing sleep over this."

"So stop being upset for me and get some sleep."

Mia reminded me to take care of myself a few more times before reluctantly hanging up.

I set my phone aside and sank into the couch.

But when I closed my eyes, I still saw Nolan holding Vivian's hand and promising never to let go.

And that kiss.

When Vivian leaned toward him, he'd had plenty of time to move away.

He'd only hesitated for a second.

At one in the morning, I finally heard the lock turn.

Nolan came inside smelling of alcohol, with an unfamiliar perfume lingering on his jacket.

"Why are you still awake?"

He bent down, touched my forehead, then pulled the blanket that had slipped off me back into place.

His movements were as gentle and natural as ever.

As if he hadn't been kissing another woman a few hours earlier.

"Vivian was having a rough night, so I stayed and talked to her for a while."

He said it openly.

As though spending the middle of the night alone with her reminiscing about their past was something his girlfriend should naturally accept.

"Tonight was just a game."

He sat beside me and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"My character was supposed to have regrets. Those two lines were just me staying in character."

"You're not mad, are you?"

Something pricked my heart like a fine needle.

It wasn't sharp.

Just a thousand tiny stings spreading beneath my skin.

I shook my head.

"No."

Nolan stared at me, his brows slowly drawing together.

My calm seemed to disappoint him more than an interrogation would have.

"You're pretty generous."

He paused, his eyes fixed on my face.

"If you'd been paired with your first love tonight, would you have taken the act that far too?"

"That hypothetical doesn't work."

He fell silent for two seconds, then suddenly laughed.

"Right."

The smile was faint.

It never reached his eyes.

Nolan knew that ever since we'd gotten together, I had always kept my distance from other men.

Even when someone simply asked for my contact information, I politely turned them down.

The phone on the coffee table suddenly started vibrating nonstop.

Messages were pouring into the party group chat.

Someone had posted a picture of Nolan and Vivian kissing.

"You two look perfect together. If Vivian hadn't moved overseas, your kids would probably be playing Little League by now."