Chapter 1

Another voice chimed in, laughing even harder. “That’s nothing. If she knew that for the past two years, Dean had never liked her at all, or that because he did not want to touch her, he brushed her off during the day and sent his brother to sleep with her at night… Now that would be a gut-wrenching blow, wouldn’t it? Hahaha!”

The words hit Morgan Olsen hard. She clapped a hand over her mouth, barely stopping a scream from escaping. Her face drained of all color, turning deathly pale.

After saying that, the speaker nudged the handsome young man sitting beside Dean Lyon with his elbow, grinning.

“Hey, Jake, how does it feel sneaking around with your brother’s girlfriend for two whole years? I’m dying to know.”

The boy called Jake looked almost identical to Dean. He lifted his glass, lips curling into a careless, mocking smile.

“Tch, what do you think? It’s top-tier,” he said lazily. “Fair skin, soft body, and she sounds great when she cries. She can even take all positions without complaints. Why else do you think I’ve been preparing to transfer schools lately? Moving to Oxnard University makes it way more convenient to keep sleeping with her.”

At last, Dean, who had remained silent, spoke. His voice was as cold and detached as ever, completely devoid of emotion, yet every word cut like a blade, carving Morgan apart inch by inch.

“It’ll be over in a few days,” he said calmly. “If you want to have your fun, do it now. Once Hazel’s spot in grad school has been confirmed, I’ll cut things off with Morgan and formally pursue Hazel.”

“Oh my! Dean, you’re finally going after Hazel?” The group of friends immediately erupted.

“We’ve all seen how devoted you’ve been to her all these years—spoiling her since childhood and giving her anything she wanted. With only one guaranteed graduate slot that Hazel wants so badly, and Morgan being her strongest competitor, you really went all out. Getting close to Morgan, dating her, and then stabbing her in the back like this… That’s ruthless. Genius! You deserve to get the girl finally!”

Every sentence hit Morgan in the chest like a sledgehammer. Her entire body went cold.

So this was the truth, and it was ugly, cruel, and disgusting.

She stared at the group inside, at how they were laughing and drinking as if nothing mattered. Afraid that she would completely lose her mind if she stayed even one more second, she turned abruptly and fled. She ran blindly, tears pouring out uncontrollably as the world around her blurred and twisted.

Growing up, her parents had been extremely strict. She had never dated before, as she had always thought romance was troublesome and pointless. However, that all changed in freshman year.

She had been walking past the basketball court, arms full of books, when a ball suddenly flew straight toward her. She shut her eyes in terror, but the impact never came. A tall, cool figure had stepped in and blocked it for her.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring into a pair of deep, indifferent eyes, the sunset casting a golden glow behind him. Sweat dotted his temple, and his sharp features looked almost unreal. In that moment, her heart skipped a beat.

Later, she learned that he was Dean, the undisputed campus heartthrob of Oxnard University, who was born into immense wealth, with multiple campus buildings donated by his family. He was incredibly handsome but painfully impassive. Girls lined up for him from the university gates all the way to another continent, but he treated everyone with distant politeness, everyone except Hazel, his childhood sweetheart from the music department.

Morgan knew they were from completely different worlds. Hence, she buried that fluttering feeling deep inside and threw herself into her studies, becoming the unchallenged top student year after year. Yet somehow, her “chance encounters” with Dean began happening more and more often in the library, lecture halls, and even the cafeteria… He always seemed to appear around her.

Until one night, exhausted from studying, she fell asleep at a library desk. When she woke up, she realized she was leaning against Dean’s shoulder. Startled, she jerked away, her face burning. He caught her wrist instead, dark eyes fixed on hers, his voice low.

“Morgan, would you like to be with me?”

Her mind went blank. Overwhelming joy drowned her thoughts, and she nodded in a daze.

After they started dating, Dean was… strange. During the day, he was distant. He rarely initiated contact, and their dates felt mechanical, like tasks to be checked off. Yet, at night, he became someone else entirely—intense, insatiable, and almost frightening in his passion. He also liked to take intimate photos when desire overtook him.

She felt uneasy at times, but blinded by love, she made excuses for him. She assumed he was naturally cold and busy during the day, but because he loved her, he lost control at night. However, she never thought that the cold man during the day was the older brother, Dean, and the passionate man at night was the younger brother, Jake Lyon.

To them, she was nothing more than a disposable toy, a substitute for desire. Their ultimate goal had always been the same—to steal everything she had worked so desperately for and offer it up to another woman.

Morgan finally could not run anymore. She collapsed into an empty alley, curling in on herself as she sobbed, her cries painful. Just then, her phone rang. It was her parents calling. Her hands trembling, she answered.

Her mother’s shrill voice exploded through the line instantly. “Morgan! What are those shameless photos on the school forum? The tutor has notified us! Do you have any idea how much disgrace you’ve brought to this family? You’ve humiliated us!”

Her father’s furious shouting echoed faintly in the background. “Did we raise you so that you could embarrass us at university? You disgusting, shameless thing!”

Morgan could not speak. Her chest hurt so badly she could barely breathe.

Her parents had always been harsh. They would only offer the faintest hint of a smile when she ranked first or won awards. So, she studied relentlessly and controlled herself strictly to become perfect, just to earn a little more of their love. However, now that something had truly happened, they showed no concern or trust—only endless berating and disgust.

“Crying again, huh? All you know how to do is cry!” her mother snapped coldly. “Grad school is a lost cause now. We’ve bought you a plane ticket overseas for the end of the month. Get out. Leave. When people forget about this in a few years, you can come back.”

Morgan’s heart finally went numb.

She replied dully into the phone, “Okay.”

She would go abroad, but this time, she would never return.