Chapter 1

There was an entanglement of silhouettes on that rainy night.

Justin Jones held the love of his life in his arms, his hand reaching under the pillow for a tiny box. He couldn't recall how many times he had proposed over the past three years, only that each proposal had been endlessly solemn and worshipful.

And yet, Yvie turned her head away before he could get close, even pulling away from his embrace.

"I know you're going to propose already. Where's the ring? I'll put it on. Just go through the motions."

Justin froze in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Something as important as a proposal... Was it just a gesture to Yvie?

Yvie walked over to the corner and sat down. "I met this kid last week. We're still in our honeymoon period, so let's not meet again. I'm worried it'd upset him."

Boom!

Thunder cracked over the horizon, leaving Justin's ears ringing.

Under the dim lights, Yvie's lips curled up ever so slightly, while Justin felt sweat in his palm as he held the tiny box.

"You love him?" he asked, hearing his own voice crack.

"Yes," Yvie replied briskly. "Unlike you, he's bright, cheerful, young, and energetic..."

Trailing, she then added, "But I won't marry him. You don't have to worry about that. Just keep the ring and give it to me later."

Justin felt a lump in his throat that he couldn't get out, as all the excitement he felt was reduced to dust.

"Are you kidding me?!" he cried. "We've been together for three years!"

"So what?" Yvie shot back, raising a brow, clearly not feeling guilty about it. "I'm not breaking up with you."

At that moment, all the lovey-dovey mood between them faded instantly.

All Justin felt was agonizing misery swelling within him, suffocating him.

He was just about to ask her why she was doing this, when he remembered that Yvie never asked "Why" whenever she set her mind to anything.

Just like three years ago, when she took charge and asked him out.

It was a searing sincerity he had never felt before, so he dived headfirst into it, wanting nothing less than to give her all that he had to offer.

He still remembered that night as if it was yesterday, but it took less than three years for Yvie to find someone new.

And she wasn't even asking for a break-up, but tormenting him in such a manner!

In hindsight, it wasn't a shock that she had rejected his proposals for three years. She never wanted to be with him.

Justin only realized how much his hand was shaking as he grasped the doorknob, when he heard footsteps behind him.

A pair of slender arms wrapped around him from the back. He felt her palm pressing against his chest, over his heart.

"Calm down," Yvie teased. "Are you really leaving? I'm free tonight for once."

Overcome by a possessive urge, Justin suddenly turned and pinned Yvie against the wall.

But just as he leaned in, ready to kiss her, he noticed the amusement in her eyes, and promptly pushed her away.

"Fine, you win," he said. "Let's just break up since you have someone else now."

If he was the only one who cared about their relationship, that meant he was simply a joke to her.

Yvie appeared slightly stunned, but suddenly giggled.

"I'll pretend you said that because you're upset, but don't ever mention it again.

"If you leave me, your only choice is to stick with your job in Southam, and studying in Jorgen would be a pipe dream. I'm sure you're smart enough to understand that, and I'm not interested in reminding you one too many times."

As she finished, her phone chimed. She picked it up, replied to a text, and said, "Know when to stop, Justin."

Justin's heart ached as if it could tear in two. He stared quietly at her, but somehow couldn't quite make out her face.

Still, he opened the door and fled as if being chased out.

It was still pouring, and his temples throbbed violently as he got in the cab.

Everything had happened so fast.

Just minutes ago, he was planning his proposal to Yvie, even imagining her reaction. He never expected things to turn out like this.

Nonetheless, he finally understood how volatile love could be.

-

The living room lights were on when Justin got home. He kept his head down to avoid his parents' stares. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"How did it go? Did she say yes?" Justin's mother, Zoe Lambert, asked in concern. "Should we prepare something? Anything we should know before you bring her home? Or maybe we can just have dinner out? What do you think?"

Hot tears stung Justin's eyes.

He had told his parents a long time ago that he had a girlfriend and that he would propose today, even bringing her home to meet them if she said yes.

But how could he have known how things would turn out?

Still, he said, "Work's been busy for her, so that might have to wait. We don't know when she's going to make it."

Zoe was silent, but soon said, "I see... It's alright, we can wait."

As always, mothers know their children best.

Justin suddenly felt incapable of keeping up the lie.

That was when his father, Martin, said sternly, "Don't bother bringing it up again if you're not sure about it. Your mom and I can't take that much stress."

Justin felt his guilt growing in turn. At this point, why was he still pinning his hopes on Yvie? His parents were old, and he'd rather not keep them miserable himself.

"Actually... I don't mind meeting that girl you told me about before."

-

The girl was actually the daughter of Martin's superior and a college dance instructor officiating a competition today.

Their first meeting wasn't awkward. She wasn't too shy and was mild-mannered as she greeted him. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Jones."

Justin opened the door for her. "It's alright. I just got here myself."

Lisa lowered her gaze slightly, smiling demurely as she brushed her hair behind her ear.

Before she could get in, someone called out, "Ms. Singer."

Justin looked up to see a handsome youth approaching, flashing a bright, charming smile. "Why did you sneak away from us? We were going to invite you along for the afterparty."

Lisa smiled. "Did you really come here just to invite me?"

Ethan York scratched his head, embarrassed. "Fine, you got me. I'm waiting for my girl...but aren't you going on a date too?"

As he finished, he gave Justin a once-over, a flicker of jealousy crossing his eyes when he saw his car.

Lisa smiled in wry amusement. "Quit being such a gossipmonger. Run along now."

Honk! Honk!

A car horn sounded just as she finished. A Bugatti dashed toward them, screeching to a halt right beside Justin.

As the window lowered, Justin's heart skipped a beat at the sight of that familiar face.

What was Yvie doing here?

Ethan's face was positively glowing as he bragged, "Alright, I'm going now, Ms. Singer. My girlfriend's here. Don't worry about me."

Meanwhile, Yvie's eyes were fixed on Justin, and she raised a brow pointedly.

"I'm done. We can go now," Ethan prodded her.

With that, Yvie wound up the window and drove off.

Justin kept his eyes forward, doing his best to stay calm.

"Mr. Jones," Lisa said softly. "Do you know Ethan's girlfriend?"

A woman's intuition was always keen, and she clearly noticed Justin's reaction when he saw the woman in the car.

However, Justin smiled and replied, "No, I don't."

He was not so narcissistic that he'd believe Yvie showed up because she found out he was seeing other women.

It just so happened that Lisa's student was Yvie’s new love interest. It was all just a coincidence.

Ethan was indeed bright and cheerful, and his eyes were glowing with admiration for Yvie.

Even so, that did not stop the aching in Justin's heart. He had loved Yvie so much he couldn't bear to leave her, but she was now a stranger with a familiar face.

He wasn't in the mood to continue the conversation afterward either, and quickly sent Lisa home.

He couldn't fall for someone else at will like Yvie did. She had taken root in his heart, and it would mean ripping a chunk of it out in the foreseeable future.

As he returned to his apartment, he had just stepped into the elevator when he received a text from Lisa.

[I'm looking forward to our next date, Mr. Jones.]

Justin's fingers hovered over the screen.

Was Lisa really intent on taking things further?

While he really couldn't be sincere about it given the present circumstances, he decided that he just had to go through with it for his parents' sake.

After a few simple replies, Justin stepped out of the elevator and noticed someone standing by the door out of the corner of his eye.

He turned to see that it was Yvie, her permed tips draping over her shoulders and her very presence noble. She was smiling at him.

"Not bad. You came earlier than I expected."