Chapter 1

Alex's POV

Less than two minutes after I sent the email, the lounge door swung open.

My fiancée, Nicole Hunt, walked in, followed by her stylist and two assistants.

Her eyes swept over the ring on the table, but she didn't ask me why I'd taken it off.

"Change into this suit," she ordered.

The stylist immediately unzipped the garment bag. Inside was a custom-made charcoal gray suit with a sharp, tailored waist and a silver pin fastened on the collar.

I recognized it immediately. It was the same suit Richard Mendler had worn on his 18th birthday in the group chat screenshot. Even the subtle pattern on the silver collar pin was identical.

"What's wrong with the suit I'm wearing?" I asked.

Nicole lowered her head to reply to a message, her tone indifferent.

"This one is more appropriate for tonight's event."

"Does it suit me better, or does it just make me look more like Richard Mendler?" I asked.

Her fingers paused over the keyboard.

She looked up at me. "Who's been talking?"

She didn't deny anything or offer an explanation. Her first instinct was to find out who had let the secret slip.

The last bit of hope I had been holding on to quietly faded.

"Nobody," I said, closing the prenuptial agreement. "I'd like to reconsider a few clauses."

Nicole's gaze fell on the unsigned section of the agreement.

The clause stated that my income after marriage would remain solely mine. However, I would have no claim to any of the Hunt family's existing or future assets, nor would I have any say in the management of Hunt Group.

Four years together had been reduced to one cold, impersonal line on a piece of paper.

"Alex, I thought you didn't care about these things," Nicole said, her brows furrowing slightly.

"I used to think so, too," I replied.

She didn't catch the meaning behind my words. Instead, she simply pushed the fountain pen back toward me.

"My family's situation is complicated. This agreement is just a formality," she said softly. "Once you sign it, the wedding will go ahead as planned, and nothing about our life together will change."

Nothing would change.

I'd still live in the apartment under her name, use her credit card where every single transaction alerted her assistant's phone, and come running whenever she called.

Whenever the Hunts needed me to make an appearance, I'd be the thoughtful, understanding fiancé.

But in front of her friends, I was just a man who had relied on a woman to get ahead in life, someone with no right to complain about what he gained or lost.

So, this was the future she'd promised me.

Someone knocked on the door and reminded us that all the guests had arrived.

Nicole walked over and straightened my collar. Her touch was surprisingly gentle.

"Don't make a scene today," she whispered. "Both our families are here. We can talk about whatever you want after we get home."

I stared at my pale reflection in the mirror.

I suddenly remembered what had happened four years ago, when I'd given up my chance to attend graduate school for her. She'd held me the same way back then.

She'd promised I wouldn't regret giving it up. Now that I finally did, she saw it as nothing more than me making a scene.

I didn't bother arguing anymore.

"Alright," I murmured.

Nicole's expression softened. It was as if she'd always known that all it took was a slight frown for me to give in.

The moment she left with her entourage, I locked the door behind them.

A new email had arrived on my phone. It was Professor Ziegler's reply.

"The position in the joint research lab is still available. However, the project has already started. You must arrive in Aurelia and complete your registration within the next 72 hours. Alex, this is your last chance."

I stared at the words "last chance" for a long time. Then, I booked the earliest flight available three days from now.

I was done losing myself for Nicole.