Chapter 1

"What? Ms. LeBlanc, do you want to terminate the pregnancy? But just earlier today, after learning about it, you were so excited to share the news with your boyfriend!" The doctor looked at me incredulously, his astonished cry sounding particularly loud in the empty examination room.

I kept my head down as I clenched the hem of my dress tightly. Choking up, I said, "Please don't ask me anything. I just know I don't want the baby anymore."

The doctor watched me for a while before sighing heavily. "Ms. LeBlanc, I don't know what happened to you, but you're obviously emotional right now. Maybe you should calm down and reconsider."

He slid the abortion consent form back to me, and his gaze landed on the ultrasound attached to it. "This is a life, after all."

I looked up at the small black shadow on the report, and my eyes reddened further. After a long while, I tucked the form into my bag and left the hospital.

As I walked home, distraught, a red Ferrari suddenly skidded to a stop in front of me. A pair of exquisite leather shoes stepped into a puddle, and a handsome face appeared before me. Emilio Slater ran to me while holding an umbrella.

He pulled me into his arms and took off his suit jacket, draping it over my shoulders. "How could you not bring an umbrella with you when you left the house? You're not a child anymore. You've never been in the best of health—what if you catch a cold?"

I looked up at his profile and saw how anxious he was. I felt transported back to when we'd first started dating. He'd treated me like I was a treasure, as he was doing now.

However, I knew that there was no going back.

I looked down at his navy blue suit and smiled bitterly. He'd had it tailor-made a month ago for my birthday celebration. On this day, my birthday, he's wearing it, but it's not for me.

This afternoon, while preparing for my birthday celebration, I suddenly started throwing up. I thought it was my stomach acting up, but the doctor told me I was pregnant.

Learning that a new life was growing within me on my birthday felt like a gift from the heavens. But when I hurried home to tell Emilio the good news, he was nowhere to be found.

Laura Brown, the housekeeper, noticed my confusion. "Mr. Slater said he was heading to the airport to pick up someone important. He also said that you could eat without him if you were hungry. He told you not to wait for him."

It was my birthday, and he'd promised to throw me a grand celebration. Yet now, he was saying I didn't need to wait for him?

I suppressed my anger and asked Laura, "Who's this important person?"

She hesitated, then stammered, "I-I'm not sure, either. All I know is that Mr. Slater was pretty happy when he left. He even checked his appearance in the mirror for a long time."

For some reason, that response gave me a bad feeling.

After some hesitation, I asked the driver to take me to the airport. It was packed, but Emilio was easy to spot. He was tall, handsome, and always the center of attention.

Sure enough, I found him standing amid a crowd. However, I didn't approach him because I saw my brother, Christopher LeBlanc, beside him.

Emilio held a bouquet, and his gaze was fixed on the arrival hall's exit. His lips were pressed together tightly, and he seemed nervous.

I'd never seen him like that before. Even when we'd almost exposed our relationship in front of Christopher, Emilio had remained calm and composed.

Who was it who was making him act like that?

I trained my gaze on the exit, too. Then, I saw an alluring woman walk out.

Emilio immediately waved at her. "Amber!"

She took off her sunglasses and headed toward him and Christopher, but she didn't take the bouquet. Instead, she ignored Emilio outright and linked arms with Christopher.

In that instant, I saw the flicker of jealousy in Emilio's eyes.

Although Emilio used to be a ladies' man, he never took them seriously and only fooled around with them. He couldn't even bother to sweet-talk them when they were upset, let alone be jealous over them.

I couldn't help but give the woman a second glance. Amber… Amber Granger?

It hit me.

I'd grown up abroad, but Christopher, who was based back home, told me plenty about his two childhood friends. One was Emilio, and the other was Amber. The three of them were Jeston's three musketeers.

But from what I'd just seen, it was clear the relationship between Emilio and Amber wasn't just friendship.

With curiosity gnawing at me, I called Christopher when he went off to collect Amber's luggage. "Christopher, I heard from Mr. Slater that Amber is back. How are they related? He seemed really agitated, and he skipped a meeting for her."

Christopher was taken aback, then laughed. "He even told you that? Looks like he's really excited. He and Amber dated for a few years, and boy, they were madly in love. Amber chose to leave the country when his love for her was at its deepest, and he lost his mind.

"He might seem cold and aloof now, but he constantly cried and ranted to me back then. He even threatened to end his life. In the end, he found all those stand-ins…"

"Stand-ins?" My hand trembled as I gripped my phone.

Christopher hummed in agreement. "Yeah. You probably haven't met Amber yet, but you'll know how much those women Emilio dated resembled her when you see her. Hey, now that I think about it, you look a little like her, too. Of course, you're prettier…"

I didn't hear the rest of his words. My ears buzzed, and my body grew colder with every word he said. I looked up dazedly at the alluring woman ahead.

I'd already seen her.

"Calista? Why aren't you saying anything? Anyway, why are you asking this?" Christopher continued talking on the other end of the line, but I no longer had the strength to reply.

I said softly, "I'm just looking out for my boss. It's only right. Oh, and don't tell Mr. Slater that I asked you about this."

After he responded in the affirmative, I hung up. When the screen went black, I saw my reflection. Then, I looked up at Amber again.

Did we look alike?

I smiled bitterly. The dimple at the corner of my mouth was identical to hers. We did indeed look similar.

I had no recollection of leaving the airport that day. All I knew was that it was pouring outside.

…

When we got home, Emilio grabbed a towel and dried my hair. Then, he made me some warm soup and fed me.

As he stroked my hair, he said, "Guess what, babe. I almost slipped up today. Christopher said he has a friend who wants to get to know you, and he was actually thinking of arranging for you two to meet. I lost control and shot to my feet in objection. Man, was he stunned."

I smiled, but it didn't reach my eyes. "And? Did he find out?"

"Of course not. He's so dense—he would never imagine that his best friend is dating his sister. If he found out, do you think I'd be back in one piece?"

When I heard how light-hearted he sounded, I reached up to stop his hands as he dried my hair. I asked seriously, "Emilio, do you really see me as your girlfriend?"

He was taken aback at my question. Then, he laughed and crouched before me, pinching my cheek affectionately.

He asked gently, "If I didn't, why would I have gotten mad when Christopher said he wanted to introduce someone to you?"

His expression darkened at the mention of this man we'd never met. He yanked me into his arms and brushed his lips against my neck. "The thought of you being with someone else—even if it's just sitting down together for a meal—makes me feel awful."

My body went weak as his warm breath fanned over my neck. Right before I succumbed to him, I shoved him away. "I'm tired, Emilio."

Emilio faltered. Then, thinking I'd caught a cold from the rain, he hurriedly scooped me into his arms and carried me to the bed.

He felt my forehead when he thought I was asleep, only leaving the room when he was sure I didn't have a fever.

As the door shut with a click, I slowly opened my eyes. I turned and buried my face in the blanket, crying so hard that I couldn't breathe.

A girlfriend? I was just a stand-in for Amber.

I remembered how Emilio always told me that he loved my smile and wanted me to do it more. I felt disgusted.

Tears blurred my vision, and my temperature rose. As my head grew foggy, I suddenly remembered things from the past.

When I was 18, Christopher had brought Emilio with him when picking me up at the airport. It took only one look for me to fall for Emilio, who was tall and handsome.

Later, I gave up the cushy lifestyle of a wealthy heiress and asked Christopher to get me an internship in Emilio's company.

Emilio and I didn't have much to do with each other at first. He was either busy negotiating deals or racing at the racetrack. The women who occupied his passenger seat changed one after another.

Once, during a business dinner, a rival drugged him. He stumbled to the restroom after realizing something was wrong.

Worried that something would happen to him, I'd given chase. However, I lost him after a few steps. As I stomped in frustration, a pair of hands suddenly reached out and yanked me into a storage room.

I screamed and struggled, only calming down when I smelled Emilio's unique herbal scent.

He panted lightly. The top three buttons of his white shirt were undone, and the drug made a blush spread across his taut chest. He looked beyond sexy.

I couldn't help but swallow, and Emilio saw that.

He chuckled and tilted my chin up, his voice husky and lazy as he asked, "Like what you see?"

I pushed him away, embarrassed that he'd seen through me. I stammered, "N-No…"

He pulled me into his arms again, pressing my hands to his chest. His brows furrowed, and he looked like he was in discomfort. "Help me if you like me…"

Emilio leaned in to kiss me before I could respond. My eyes widened in shock before I slowly got caught up in this dominant yet restrained kiss.

When I woke up again, we were naked as we lay beside each other on a bed. Emilio had his head propped on one hand as he looked down at me. The drug's effects had worn off, but his eyes still burned with lust.

That day, he said to me, "I'll take responsibility for this."

And he did. He stopped fooling around with other women and became exclusive with me. Meanwhile, I rejected many offers to form marriage alliances with other men and stayed in Emilio's company. I stayed by his side.

Whenever Christopher saw me bury myself in work while other heiresses partied it up abroad, he would ask me what about Emilio's company had me so enthralled.

Countless times, I wanted to tell him about my relationship with Emilio. However, Emilio was adamant that we keep it a secret, when he usually went along with everything I said.

I originally thought it was because he was scared Christopher would get mad at him after finding out, but now, I knew the truth.

Christopher had witnessed Emilio's love for Amber and knew how he'd threatened to take his own life for her. How could he possibly bear to leave me in Emilio's hands?

How could Emilio dare to let Christopher find out about this?

Well, Emilio wouldn't need to worry about that anymore because we would no longer have anything to do with each other.

Now that Amber was back, I would return Emilio to her. As for our time together and the love we'd shared, I'd picked them up in the past, and I could set them down now.