Chapter 1

"I'm very happy with your decision, Violet," my professor, Alex Orson, said, his voice laced with relief. "I'm glad you changed your mind about getting married and becoming a housewife who spends her entire life stuck in the kitchen."

He added, "I've secured a spot for you to study abroad. The paperwork will be processed within the next few days."

I looked at the yellowing leaves beyond the window and calmly said, "Thank you, Professor Orson. I'll make the necessary preparations."

The dormitory door swung open right after I hung up.

My boyfriend, Zack Henderson, and his roommates strode in. He was dressed in a crisp, white shirt. His eyes flashed coldly behind his gold-rimmed glasses. The second he stepped over the threshold, he lifted his wrist to check his watch.

"I expected you to only need ten minutes to tidy everything up, Violet, but you took longer than that."

He pulled out a black notebook from his pocket, uncapped his pen, and drew a line on the page.

"I've told you before that you need to set rigorous rules for yourself when you're carrying out tasks. I'm docking a point because you dragged your feet. Including your past demerits, you've been docked a total of nine points."

Zack snapped the notebook shut. His voice was completely calm when he added, "If you get one more demerit, I'll have to punish you by blocking your number for a week. You should watch yourself."

His handsome face was totally blank. Whenever he spoke to me, he reminded me of an emotionless robot.

In the past, I would start to panic whenever he pulled out that notebook. I would tug on his sleeve, begging him not to give me a demerit with tear-filled eyes. I was terrified of upsetting him, terrified that he would actually block my number.

However, everything changed after I saw the diary under his bed and the wedding dress design that he had sketched for Quinn Lombardt.

In that moment, all my caution and my attempts to make him happy became a huge joke.

"Why are you daydreaming, Violet?" Zack snapped, frowning slightly.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts and looked at him calmly.

"Let's break up, Zack," I said.

Zack's roommates burst into laughter the moment the words left my lips.

"Are you trying to play hard to get, Violet?"

"He's right. Everyone knows that you put up with anything Zack does. You're the textbook definition of a hopeless romantic."

"Remember when Zack docked a point and blocked you for three days because the breakfast that you bought for him had gone cold?" one of Zack's roommates asked mockingly. "You stood outside the building for three hours in the rain, begging for his forgiveness.

"And yet you're asking to break up now? No one's going to believe that you're being serious."

They ridiculed me without any restraint.

"Drop the act. All the ladies in our major are tripping over themselves for a chance to get together with a man like Zack. No one will show you any sympathy if Zack dumps you because you crossed the line."

"Shut up," Zack snapped at his roommate, who was insulting me from where he was standing to the side. "Watch your tongue, Damien. You have no right to criticize my girlfriend."

He then walked over, reaching out to pat my head. "Stop this nonsense, Violet. I'll take you to the aquarium that you've been wanting to go to after I submit my experiment report in the next two days."

I reflexively dodged his touch, leaving his hand hanging in midair.

A crack finally appeared on Zack's mask of indifference. "What the hell do you want, Violet? I already gave you a way out."

A sour sensation spread through my chest as Zack's frown deepened.

I had wanted to visit that aquarium since my freshman year. I had begged Zack to take me for three years, but he always rejected me, claiming he was too busy with his experiments.

Now, he was using my wish against me to force me to concede.

"Zack Henderson," I said, looking straight into his eyes. "Will you marry me after we graduate?"

Zack's frown deepened. He pursed his lips as he stared back at me. He didn't say a single word.

The air around us seemed to freeze.

A long time passed before Zack finally said, "We're still students. It's too soon to talk about marriage. Did you read a stupid motivational quote again? I need time to plan my future instead of being tied down by marriage."

I chuckled as I watched him bristle at my question.

"So, you haven't planned your future yet?" I asked. "Or is it that I have no place in your future?"