Chapter 1

Ryan's POV

I, Ryan Crawford, had been with Amara Larkspur for seven years, and she'd never once brought up marriage. I assumed she was just shy.

In our seventh year, I spent three months secretly preparing a proposal and setting up the proposal venue.

A week before I was supposed to propose, Amara went to a get-together with some friends and invited me along. Busy discussing the proposal details with my friend, I arrived a little over ten minutes late.

Before I even pushed open the door to the private room, I overheard Amara talking with her friends. She sounded like she'd been drinking, and her voice was a little husky.

"Ryan? I got sick of him ages ago. Waking up to the same face every day? And it's been seven years—more than enough for anyone to get bored."

Her friend laughed. "Then, why did you keep him around for seven years?"

Amara replied nonchalantly, "Just for fun. And honestly, having a devoted lapdog following me around feels pretty good. But I'm sick of him now. I want to find someone new. Someone hot. You all know I go for looks. I wouldn't be able to bring myself to kiss anyone too ugly."

The whole room erupted in laughter.

"Ryan's pretty handsome, though," someone chimed in. "Every time he wears a suit, he's a total heartthrob!"

Amara chuckled lightly. "Then, you can have him."

She said it so airily, as if she were talking about something utterly unimportant.

And just like that, my heart shattered. I didn't go into the room. Instead, I turned around and left.

Then, I sent Amara a message on WhatsApp. "Busy with work today. Can't get away."

That was the day the idea of breaking up first entered my mind.

Later, word suddenly spread in our circle that Amara was pursuing a college freshman named Callum Voss. The guy was a sports major—great physique and good looks. Most importantly, he was young.

Amara was always especially generous when she pursued someone—just like when she'd pursued me back then.

She bought Callum a sports car and drowned him with luxury brands. Callum fell for her almost immediately. After all, who would turn down the chance to coast through life for the next 20 years?

Someone even took photos of Amara and Callum out on dates. She took him to amusement parks, fancy restaurants, and high-end hotels.

She was very brazen about it, not even a little worried that I might find out. She even brought him to a friend's birthday party, where a lot of my good friends were in attendance as well.

When they saw Amara arrive with another man, they all turned to look at me, concern written all over their faces.

I watched as she hooked her arm with the baby-faced man and sat down on the couch, but my face showed no reaction at all. However, my grip on the glass tightened, as if I wanted to crush it.

Amara smiled at me. "Ryan, I've been meaning to clear things up with you for a long while now. I haven't felt anything for you in a long time. It's been seven years. It's gotten boring."

The room fell silent.

Her voice softened as she continued, "I really like Callum, and I genuinely want to start a family with him."

I understood her perfectly. She wanted to break up.

I scoffed inwardly. Our seven years together had meant nothing to her. I must've been blind.

Trying hard to keep my emotions under control, I said, "Alright. I got it."

"Consider this an amicable breakup. We can still be friends, grab meals together, and hang out," she added.

I looked at the face that used to feel so familiar, and the only thing I felt was disgust. How could she say something like that?

"Since we're breaking up, let's make it a clean break. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to your new boyfriend," I said, deliberately emphasizing the words "new boyfriend".

A flicker of surprise crossed Amara's eyes, but she still replied, "Fine!"

I stood up abruptly. "I'm leaving. You guys have fun."

After closing the door, I stood there for a moment.

I heard someone inside say, "Well, how long do you guys think Ryan can hold out this time before he comes crawling back to Amy?"

"Two days max. What backbone could that simp Ryan possibly have?"