Chapter 1

When Jonas Whitford came back inside, the handprint on his face had not faded yet.

My hands and feet had gone ice-cold as I listened to the Jonas from 10 years in the future pour out his resentment and hatred toward me. I could barely breathe.

"Does it hurt?"

He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. "Worried about me? Then when are you going to cut ties with that lunatic?"

His tone made it clear that he could not stand Luna Fairweather, just as always.

Earlier, Luna had lost her temper on my behalf and slapped him because he had not pulled out my chair at the table.

A sliver of hope rose in my chest. Maybe what I had heard was nothing more than a hallucination.

Ever since Jonas and I got together, Luna had disliked him intensely. She believed a rich playboy like him would never stay faithful and did not care enough about me.

Jonas thought she was trying to drive a wedge between us. Every time they met, he made a point of snapping at her. I had always been caught in the middle, trying to smooth things over between them.

The very next second, the voice of the future Jonas came through the earbuds again.

"You'd better be more careful! You and Luna went wild in the bathroom just now. If I hadn't reminded you to change your shirt, Elodie would've already been suspicious!"

Only then did I notice that the shirt beneath Jonas's jacket was not the one he had arrived in. Luna had also disappeared shortly after he left.

My stomach churned. Nausea climbed up my throat, and a chill swept through my entire body.

"Elodie? What's wrong? Why are your hands so cold?"

I shook my head. My throat was so tight that I could not force out a single word.

Jonas quickly removed his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. He then asked the kitchen to make the creamy tomato soup I loved.

His gaze drifted to my ear. "What do you think of the new earbuds? I had the R&D team design this model around your preferences."

I remembered the voice in the earbuds, and my expression stiffened.

Before I could respond, Luna appeared out of nowhere, snatched the earbuds from my hands, and threw them onto the floor.

"What a piece of junk! You think a prototype is good enough for Elodie?

"Jonas, if you actually cared about her, you wouldn't brush her off with garbage like this."

Only then did I notice that Luna had changed into a different dress. The flush along her neck had not fully faded.

I instinctively picked up the earbuds and said coldly, "Stay out of my business."

Luna froze. Her eyes immediately turned red.

"Elodie, are you mad at me? Those earbuds are just a test unit. He's obviously not taking you seriously!"

I said nothing. I simply put the earbuds back in.

The familiar voice came through again.

"Luna is still too kind. She turned down the custom pair I had made just for her and insisted that I give Elodie hers first. I can't give her the status she deserves anymore, so how could I let her suffer over something this small?

"What was Elodie's problem just now? Luna was only looking out for her, so why the attitude? She hasn't found out something, has she?"

Panic flashed across Jonas's eyes.

He turned to Luna and deliberately said in a cold voice, "Whatever I give her is between the two of us. It has nothing to do with you."

Luna went pale and stared at me.

When she saw that I was not going to defend her the way I always had, she stamped her foot and shouted through her tears,

"Fine! Elodie, when Jonas dumps you, don't come crying to me!"

With that, she turned and left.

"Watch out!"

Someone nearby pointed at the ceiling and screamed.

The crystal chandelier overhead plunged straight down as if its cable had been cut.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jonas, who stood closest to me, instinctively throw himself toward Luna and pull her tightly into his arms.

I was knocked to the floor. Tiny shards pierced my skin. Blood poured from my forehead and body almost instantly, and pain exploded through every part of me.

Through my blurred vision, I saw Luna shove Jonas away and run toward me.

"Elodie!"

She clawed through layer after layer of broken glass with her bare hands, her sobs echoing throughout the hall.