Chapter 1

My heartbeat screeched to a halt.

Wiping the blood from my nose in a panic, I whipped my head around to see Evan standing there. The moment he saw me, his pupils contracted sharply, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Evan, do you know her?" The girl next to him clung to his arm affectionately as she looked at me with curiosity.

Evan stiffly tore his gaze from my face and pulled her into his arms, his voice as cold as the chilly wind that blew across the lake. "No, I don't."

Two years of love, and he said he didn't know me.

I forced a bitter smile on my lips, but my heart felt like it was being pricked by a thousand needles, the pain so overwhelming I almost couldn't breathe.

Before I could even gather my thoughts, Evan stuffed the camera into my hands. "Are you going to help us or not? We don't have all day."

The girl, thinking that he wasn't being very polite, gave me an apologetic smile. "Sorry, he's got a terrible temper!"

Then, she turned toward Evan, her voice filled with gentle reproach as she playfully scolded him, "Evan, your mom told us to come on this trip to become closer, and told us to take a photo for her! I know you're unhappy, but that's no excuse to be impolite, right?"

After bringing up Evan's mother, she turned toward me with a polite smile and a promise, "We'll pay you for this, so please help us out."

Evan furrowed his brows. "Why are you wasting your time on her, Jane?"

The moment I heard his words, I felt my mind go blank.

The girl who was there in front of me was Jane Starling, the one Evan's mother had decided was her perfect daughter-in-law two years ago.

Back then, I'd just finished clearing up the terrible mess in the restaurant and went out to find Evan, only to hear his mother's voice over the speakers.

"The only daughter-in-law I'll ever recognize is a girl like Jane, who's ambitious and knows how to move up in life! How could that girl from a restaurant possibly help you in life? How could someone be so shameless, clinging onto my son like that!"

After a very long pause, Evan replied, "Fine, I get it. I'll marry a woman that you like."

And now, a mere two years later, they were about to make good on that promise.

It felt like every organ inside of me was being torn apart, and it took all I could to not collapse on the spot, numbly accepting the camera.

Through the viewfinder, Evan wrapped an arm around Jane's shoulders, his gaze gentle. Meanwhile, Jane leaned into his embrace, her smile sweet and brilliant.

With a click, the shutter sounded, and my vision blurred as tears welled up without warning.

Jane took the camera, scrolling through the photos with satisfaction, completely unaware of my emotional turmoil.

Evan, however, stepped closer to me, his voice a low rumble, "Why are you putting on that pathetic act, Melody? You didn't seem so sentimental when you threw me away like trash."

I forced my tears back, lifted my head, and forced out a smile. "Aren't you overthinking things, Mr. Grey? We were incompatible, so let's not be dramatic about it, alright? I, for one, have never regretted breaking up with you."

His face immediately turned stormy with anger, as if I'd just punched him in the gut. "Alright, color me impressed! Don't expect someone like you to ever be truly loved by anyone!"

After that, he turned around, grabbed Jane by the wrist, and left the scene with a brisk walk.

As I watched them disappear into the distance, I finally let bitterness creep into my smile.

That's right, I was the one who dumped him, so what right did I have to cry?

I didn't regret breaking up with him at all, nor would I ever have any chance to regret it in the future. I was dying, after all.

Hands trembling, I pulled out a painkiller syringe from my purse and slid the needle into my wrist with practiced ease.

As the cool liquid seeped into my veins, I took one last look at the place where I'd buried my pendant before throwing the syringe away and getting in my car.

Just as I reached the exit of the lake, however, a commotion broke out ahead.

It was Evan.