Chapter 2

When I arrived home, I stood rooted to the spot in the entryway without turning on the lights. This was our marital home. From the couch to the dining table, from the color of the curtains to the style of the chandelier, every little detail had been chosen and settled on by Theo and me.

We had shared innumerable tender moments in this house. We'd curled up on the couch to watch movies, fumbled around in the kitchen as we tried to cook together, and shared passionate nights in the bedroom, the bathroom, and even in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

However, without fail, at the height of our intimacy, he would always gaze at my face with a lovestruck look and blurt out something that completely ruined the mood. "We're only one step away from perfection."

What were we missing? At long last, I had an answer for the question that had tormented me for ages. We were missing someone, a woman, to be specific.

The thought made my stomach churn. I staggered into the bathroom, clutching the edge of the sink as I dry-heaved over it.

When there was nothing left to throw up but bile, I raised my head and stared at my ghastly pale reflection in the mirror. Tears suddenly welled up in my eyes.

"Theo Montague, are you actually looking at me, or are you looking at another woman through me?"

…

By the time I finished washing up and came out, it was 10:00 pm.

Theo always claimed it was dangerous for his students to be out late, so whenever he dined with them, he made sure to wrap up by 9:00 pm. That night, however, the door didn't open until close to midnight.

Theo—who rarely drank—walked in reeking of alcohol. The moment he laid eyes on me, he demanded, "Yvette, why did you say those things in front of Octavia today?"

I was caught off guard. "Who?"

His expression darkened further. "Octavia. My student, Octavia Everleigh!"

Octavia. October.

The moment the two words overlapped in my mind, it felt as though someone had doused me in a bucket of ice-cold water.

When we started seeing each other, Theo had told me that October was his favorite month. Later, he had written more than once in the acknowledgments of his papers that October was his favorite month.

Consequently, throughout the five years we had been together, I had prepared a gift for him every October.

To make matters worse, I had even changed my WhatsApp username to October. We'd set our wedding date for October, too.

It hit me that he wasn't in love with October. He was in love with Octavia. An overwhelming wave of humiliation nearly drowned me.

I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face. "Was I wrong, though?"

Gazing at him, my voice trembled. "I dare you to look me in the eye and tell me that everything, from her name to her face to the hair you've repeatedly asked me to grow long, is merely a coincidence, Theo Montague!

"I dare you to tell me that I, Yvette Rosenthal, am not the substitute you chose after you couldn't have the woman you really wanted!"

His head was whipped to the side, and he sobered up a little. When he shifted his attention toward me, his eyes had finally regained some clarity.

After a prolonged silence, as if realizing he could no longer hide the truth, he admitted lowly, "Initially, I did notice you because you looked like her. However, I really did fall in love with you later on.

"More importantly, she's my student. Nothing ever went down between us back then, and nothing ever will. Why are you holding on to this and making such a big deal out of it?"

I was making a big deal out of this. In his eyes, I was the one at fault.

Yet, I had my own pride. There was no way in hell that I would be another woman's substitute.

"From the moment you chose me because of my face, we were already wrong for each other. Let's call off our wedding."

He didn't think much of it, assuming that was something I'd said in the heat of the moment. "Our wedding's only a week away. The invitations have already been sent out, and both our families, relatives, and friends have all been notified.

"If you call it off now, what's going to happen to your parents' reputations?"

I'd rather bear the shame of disappointing Mom and Dad than marry a man whose heart will always belong to someone else.

Without wasting another breath on him, I turned on my heel to pick up a pair of scissors from the table.

Without the slightest hesitation, I cut off the long hair I'd been growing for five years. When my hair fell and scattered across the floor, his expression finally shifted. "Do you really have to take it this far, Yvette?"

"I'm not making a scene. I'm breaking up with you."

Theo stared at me long and hard before chuckling in exasperation. "Seriously, with that attitude, who else do you think would put up with you? I'm going to stay at the dorm for a few days. Use this time to cool off and get your head straight. There's no need for us to see each other before the wedding."

With that, he slammed the door and stormed off.

I lowered my head and stared at the brown strands of hair scattered across the floor. Moments later, I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in a long time.

As soon as the call connected, I asked, "I'm missing a groom for my wedding in a week. Are you in?"