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I was an orphan and had no family to turn to in times of need. Fortunately, my best friend, Harper, was more than willing to take me in.
She had always been the one to stand by me, especially when I learned that Luke had refused to marry me, using his supposed non–marriage stance as an excuse. But when it came to Liora, he had no problem registering their marriage to fulfill her wish.
Harper was furious on my behalf. The moment she heard about it, she cursed Luke’s ancestors all the way back to the eighteenth generation. Then, not forgetting her tough–love approach, she jabbed her finger at my forehead and lectured me.
“I warned you from the start! No man in this damn world is truly against marriage. When they say that, it’s because they already have someone in their heart,
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someone they don’t want to give up. They just want to have their cake and eat it too!”
She continued, her voice full of exasperation, “You were too blinded by love for that bastard! You let him deceive you!”
Hearing her hit right at the heart of the matter, I could not hold back any longer. I collapsed into Harper’s arms and cried. my heart out.
Yes, I had spent three years chasing after Luke like a loyal dog and two more years meeting his parents, trying to win them. over. I truly believed that if I just stayed by his side long enough, he would eventually see how good I was and how devoted I was and one day, he would open his heart to me and make room for me in his life.
But I had underestimated the hold a man’s first love could have over him. Everything I had done, every effort I had. made for him over five years, was completely overshadowed by Liora‘ st
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presence.
Harper hugged me tighter, her voice filled with concern. “We women need to learn how to hold on to things but also when to let them go. No man is worth risking your life over, let alone a jerk like him.”
She gently stroked my hair and added. “To be honest, it’s a blessing in disguise. At least you didn’t marry him. You saved yourself from having a scumbag ex- husband and you avoided the mess of a divorce.”
I sniffed and nodded through my tears. “That’s true, isn’t it?”
Her words made sense. Perhaps it really was a silver lining in this storm.
Harper, ever the caretaker, was worried about my health and insisted that I stay at her place to recover. She would not let me
move out until more than a month later, when I had fully regained my strength. Only then did she finally allow me to leave
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her care.
But just when I thought I could finally get some peace, the last person I wanted to see knocked on my hotel room door. It was Luke.
“Have you caused enough trouble yet? If you’re done, then come back with me,” he said, his voice filled with impatience.
I did not bother to respond. I simply turned to close the door in his face. But before I could shut it, he wedged his arm in,
stopping me. He looked stunned, his brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the coldness in my eyes.
His gaze lingered on me, almost as if trying to read my thoughts. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Luke broke the silence.
“I’m really sorry about our child.”
“Look, Liora didn’t mean any harm. She was just excited about getting the marriage. certificate with me. It was just a moment of impulse.”
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He paused and then added, “If you don‘ t believe me, I can ask her to explain it to you.”
I agreed to his request, but not because I still loved him or wanted to reconcile. No, that part of me was long gone. I was simply
curious.
Curious to see how far he would go to twist the truth.
Over the past five years, it became
painfully clear that every time my birthday rolled around, Liora would suddenly fall ill. Whether it was a stomachache, a
headache, or some mysterious ailment, she always managed to send Luke running to
her side.
It was not just my birthday that was disrupted. Our anniversaries, New Year‘ s Eve, on Valentine’s Day and any special occasion that meant something to me. Everything was quickly overshadowed the moment Liora so much as twitched a
finger.
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Luke, without fail, would rush to her aid, eager to be her ever–loyal lapdog.
It’s almost laughable when I thought about it now. During those five long years I spent with Luke, the only truly uninterrupted, romantic day we ever had was the day of our engagement. That was the one day Liora did not steal my man from me.
The back garden of the Grayson Family‘ s villa had been filled with blue roses, all of which Luke had sown himself. On the day they bloomed, he knelt before me with a crown studded with diamonds in his
hands, placing it gently on my head. He then led me to his parents, pride gleaming
in his eyes.
I remembered him getting down on one knee, slipping the ring onto my finger and pressing a soft, reverent kiss on the back of my hand.
That day, the way Luke looked at me, his eyes shone brighter than the sun. It was a moment so beautiful and rare that I
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thought I would hold onto it forever.
Fast forward to the present, on the scheduled day, I took a car to his villa in Serenity Shores. This lavish and luxurious. place was Luke‘ s birthday gift to Liora.
He had said, “Liora is a woman. She needs a solid material foundation to be confident
in this world.”
Yet, in all the time we were together, he never once gave me anything as extravagant or meaningful. Any time I hinted at wanting something similar, he would brush it off with the same line, “Love cannot be measured by money.”
Walking into the living room, I
immediately noticed Liora lounging on the sofa, her delicate neck adorned with that
seven hundred thousand dollar necklace. The same necklace that, for a fleeting moment, I had once admired.
Luke motioned for me to sit down and
poured me a cup of tea.
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UA+
Just as I raised the cup to my lips, a heavy photo album was tossed onto the table in front of me. Liora s smile was radiant, but there was something about it that felt deliberately sharp, like the edge of a blade.
“Many of my friends heard I had received the marriage certificate and thought I was joking,” she said with a light laugh.
“They laughed and said I was lying, so I had no choice but to drag Luke on a honeymoon to prove them wrong. It’s all just for show, Calista. I’m sure you understand, right?”
I flipped through the pages of the album. The pictures were clear and vivid, from Sanya’s sun–soaked beaches to the
pristine shores of the Maldives and even Antarctica, where they posed with penguins.
Luke Grayson, a man who once claimed to hate travel, had now journeyed across the globe, all to appease Liora‘ s whims.
All the while, I had been left alone,
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recovering in Harper‘ s house, not even a phone call from him.
Even though I had tried to let go of my attachment to him, flipping through the album brought a dull ache to my chest.
I closed the album, placing it on the table. without emotion. “Didn‘ t you ask me here today to explain the marriage certificate?” I asked calmly, meeting Liora s gaze. “Why are we talking about. things that have nothing to do with that?”
Liora’s smile faltered, her expression freezing for a moment. I could see her glance at Luke, who in turn gave her a nudge with his eyes. Her lips twitched awkwardly as she stammered, “Luke is right. It was just a spur–of–the–moment decision, a temporary thing.”
Luke nodded as though the matter were as simple as that. “When Liora’s friends. stop talking about this, we’ll go through with the divorce procedures,” he added
with confidence.
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Then, as if offering me some kind of consolation prize, he reached for my hand.
“As compensation for the child and for everything you‘ ve gone through, if you still want to get the marriage certificate, I’m willing to…”
“Sorry,” I cut him off, pulling my hand away. My voice was firm, final. “You‘ ve lost your chance.”
Just as the words left my mouth, the door opened and in walked a tall, handsome
man.
