Chapter 1

Ethan turned our love story into a movie and released it on twelve thousand screens nationwide.

But he gave the role of the female lead, along with the title of wife, to a young woman who was five months pregnant.

Turns out a man doesn't need any warning signs to change his heart.

Even though just twelve hours ago, he was still reminding me on video call to eat my meals on time.

Now he was already in the spotlight, kissing another woman's pregnant belly with deep affection, declaring to all the cameras in the room:

"This film is dedicated to the love of my life."

But I'm the one who's been his wife for five years.

Serena's POV

The day before my fifth wedding anniversary with Ethan, I flew back from Africa after three connecting flights.

I just wanted to surprise him, but I never expected the surprise would be mine.

When I arrived at the cinema, the red carpet had already been rolled up. Crushed flower petals littered the ground.

I entered through the side door with my invitation and was led by an usher to the last row.

The lights in the theater had already dimmed. The screen lit up.

The moment the title appeared, I saw the female lead's face clearly.

Very young, around twenty-two or twenty-three, with curved eyes and a dimple on her left cheek when she smiled.

Exactly like me when I was twenty-two.

I thought it was a coincidence.

The movie opened with the male lead meeting the female lead in a library. She was carrying a stack of books, and he helped her pick them up.

When that line came out, my fingers clenched tight.

"I've read all of these books you chose."

That was the first thing Ethan ever said to me. Word for word.

The scene cut to the coffee shop where we had our first date.

That place had closed down long ago. For this film, Ethan had recreated it one-to-one in another location.

The wall behind the counter with old photos hanging on it. Even the positions of the nails were exactly the same.

The female lead spun around in the rain, her white dress twirling out. The male lead ran over and held an umbrella over her head.

That was my twenty-third birthday.

I sat in the last row. The entire movie ran for one hundred and eight minutes. I didn't move once.

When the end credits rolled, the whole theater erupted in applause.

A spotlight came down. Ethan stood up from the first row, holding a young woman's hand, and slowly walked onto the stage.

The girl wore a light pink dress, her hand carefully cradling her belly.

Her pregnancy bump was slightly visible.

The host handed the microphone to Ethan. He took it, looked down at the girl with a tenderness I'd never seen in his eyes.

"This film is dedicated to the love of my life."

The theater thundered with applause. Someone started screaming. People raised their phones.

The girl leaned on his shoulder and cried. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

I could hear my own heartbeat. Slow. Like it was about to stop.

The last time Ethan personally directed a film was the year he was pursuing me.

That film was only shown once at our college. He said he'd only show it to me for the rest of his life.

Back then, he stood below my dorm building, holding a whole bouquet of white roses, and said, "Serena, I, Ethan, will only love you for the rest of my life. If you don't say yes, I'll stand here all night."

I watched him from the third-floor window. My heart melted completely.

Later, this man started a company and was so busy he spent a hundred days a year flying around. But every anniversary, he always made me feel like he'd never forgotten.

On stage, Ethan took a ring box from his suit pocket.

He knelt down on one knee and opened it.

From the last row, across thirty rows of heads, I could see the ring clearly.

An emerald, surrounded by nine small diamonds.

That was the ring that had been passed down three generations in Ethan's family. His mother Victoria had held it for twenty years, saying she'd wait for the woman her son married to wear it.

I'd been married five years and had never seen it once.