Chapter 1

Over the phone, Mom didn't ask me why I wasn't marrying Soren. She was thrilled, saying she'd send a private jet to pick me up.

I could return to their side in just three days.

I was moved to tears. Only my parents would support me unconditionally.

Six years ago, Mom and Dad were firmly against me dating Soren Cruz. He was just a street punk back then, and they thought he wasn't good enough for me, the only daughter of the biggest arms dealer in Velimor.

But blinded by love, I eloped with him without hesitation.

Mom and Dad were so furious that they cut ties with me. So, I never told Soren about my background.

After all, my identity didn't matter. He loved me for who I was, not for where I came from.

Before the call ended, Mom said hesitantly, "You've been with Soren for six years, and yet he still has no intention of marrying you. I knew he wasn't reliable from the start."

If she'd said that six years ago, I would've immediately jumped to his defense, insisting she didn't understand love.

But today, I said nothing.

"Do you remember the youngest son of the Vasiliev family?" she added. "He's always liked you. Why don't you give him a chance?"

"Okay," I finally said after a long pause.

Overjoyed, Mom chirped, "Great! I'll contact his family right away and start planning the wedding."

Just then, Soren walked in on our conversation. He happened to hear the word "wedding", and I quickly hung up.

He looked confused. "Darling, who were you talking to? What about the wedding?"

I was just about to speak when his phone rang.

Noticing Thea Ramirez's name on the screen, I frowned. Why was she calling him at such a late hour?

"Thea? What's wrong?" Soren immediately picked up, his voice tense. "Don't worry. I'll be right there."

My face fell. I could hear Thea's sobs on the other end, and the anxiety written all across Soren's face.

He hung up and turned to me, flustered.

"Darling, Thea says someone's following her. I need to check on her."

This again.

He was always in a hurry every time he ditched me to go to Thea, though her reasons were ridiculous.

As the underboss of a mafia, being followed wasn't exactly a big deal. It wasn't like she couldn't handle it herself.

But she just had to call Soren for help. She deliberately acted weak in front of him, eager to stir things up between us.

I clenched my fists. "Soren, I need to tell you something—"

Soren paused, trying to reassure me. "Just give me a moment, yeah? I'll come back once I'm done with Thea."

With that, he left right away.

I smiled wryly and shook my head. Then, I started packing my things.

At first, I came to this unfamiliar city alone for university and lived with my aunt.

I met Soren by chance during a football match. I was the cheerleading captain, and he was just another guy in the crowd.

Back then, he was just a low-level gangster—a far cry from the imposing mafia boss he was now.

We fell in love at first sight.

As we grew closer, I moved out of my aunt's place and started living with him.

But now, I was no longer his priority. It was time for me to leave.

Surprisingly, I was exceptionally calm. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would.

Maybe deep down, I'd already realized he no longer loved me. I just didn't want to face it.

I called Aunt Jenny to say goodbye.

She was elated when she heard I was getting married. "You and Soren have been together for six years. It's about time!"

I fell silent for a while, then said, "I am getting married, but not to Soren."

Shocked, Aunt Jenny blurted out, "What did you say? Haven't you been with him this whole time?"

"We've been together for six years. He promised to marry me this Christmas, but he forgot," I replied helplessly. "And now he's really close with Thea. I think he doesn't love me anymore."

After a moment of silence, Aunt Jenny said, "If he forgot a wedding he promised… then he's really unreliable. But are you really going to give up on him? You've loved him for so long. Can you actually let him go?"

"It's hard, but I'm no longer the person he cares about most," I said. "Because of Thea, he's neglected me several times and broken countless promises.

"If that's how it is… maybe I should just step aside and let him be with her."

Aunt Jenny sighed. "Alright. No matter what your decision is, I'll always support you."

After we hung up, I marked the date on my phone's calendar. In three days, I'd be leaving it all behind.