Chapter 1

The professor on the other end of the line was even more excited than I was.

"Sera, I am so thrilled you're joining our team. Five days from now, I will pick you up at the airport myself!"

I murmured a few words of thanks and hung up the phone.

Only then did I realize my face was already covered in tears. They had fallen silently while I was talking. I hadn't even noticed.

Sera, what are you going to do?

The man you love only ever saw you as a replacement.

I curled up in the corner of the fire escape, hidden from view. I cried until I had nothing left. Until my hands and feet went numb from the cold concrete floor. Until my throat was raw and my eyes were swollen shut.

I forced myself to accept the truth. He didn't love me. He never had. He loved the ghost of another woman, and I just happened to look like her from behind.

When I finally tried to stand, someone caught my arm. A firm, steady grip.

Otherwise, I would have tumbled down the stairs. I didn't even have the strength to stay on my feet.

I lifted my head to thank the stranger, but they were already gone. Just a retreating shadow at the end of the corridor.

I didn't think much of it at the time. I had bigger wounds to tend to.

When I returned to the private room, Felix was already drunk.

He was slumped over the table, surrounded by cigarette smoke and the heavy smell of whiskey. His tie was loose. His perfect hair was falling across his forehead. He looked nothing like the powerful Don who commanded respect from every family in the city.

When his friends saw me, they stammered an explanation.

"We're sorry, Miss Sera. You took a little long, so Felix had a few too many. Don't be angry."

"It's his bachelor party before the engagement, so we just—"

I nodded calmly. I wasn't angry. I was beyond anger.

I walked over to Felix, intending to take him home. Three years together. Even if it was ending, I wanted to end it with dignity while we were both sober.

But Felix was far gone.

His eyes were hazy and unfocused when he looked up at me. Then, without warning, he pulled me down and wrapped his arms around me. His head rested on my shoulder. He kissed my cheek affectionately, like we were alone.

The Felix I knew was gentle and restrained. He would never do something so improper in front of others.

Even his friends looked embarrassed. They pulled at him, laughing nervously.

"Felix, take your wife home if you want to hug her!"

"There are people watching. You're going to embarrass her."

Felix scowled. He shoved his friend's hand away and pulled me closer, yelling.

"Luna . You finally came to see me."

The air in the room seemed to freeze solid.

Everyone went silent. They looked at me with cautious, pitying eyes. No one knew what to say. No one dared to move.

But Felix kept going, his voice trembling with emotion.

"Luna , do you know how much I've missed you?"

"Luna , please talk to me. Please."

"Luna , I love you. I love you."

My heart went numb. All the strength drained out of me, like water through a sieve.

I didn't try to drag him away anymore. I just touched his hair and soothed him, the way you would calm a frightened animal.

"I understand," I said quietly. "Stop causing trouble now. Go to sleep."

Maybe Luna really did have that kind of power over him. Or maybe he was just too drunk to resist. Either way, Felix lay down and went quiet.

I bit my lip. My heart ached like needles were pressing into it from all sides.

"I'm sorry," I said to his friends. "Felix isn't doing well tonight."

"I won't take him home. Could you book a room upstairs for him to rest?"

I picked up my bag and turned to leave.

As I walked out, Felix's closest friend—a man named Marco who had been his underboss for years—stopped me.

"Miss Sera," he said, trying to explain. "Don't take what Felix said to heart. He really does care about you. Luna is just… an old obsession. I can tell he loves you."

"It's just that the engagement is so close. He's emotional. He didn't mean—"

I raised my hand and cut him off.

In his pitying eyes, I saw my own reflection. Red-rimmed eyes. Tears streaming down my face. Pale and fragile. The picture of a woman betrayed.

I smiled bitterly.

"Don't explain," I said. "Felix and I won't be getting engaged."