Chapter 1

My boyfriend, Liam Burnett, blurted out the question before he could stop himself. Flustered, he bumped into the champagne tower beside him, sending glasses crashing to the floor and champagne spilling everywhere.

The commotion shattered the mood, and every eye in the room turned to me.

Liam froze for a moment before quickly regaining his composure. When he spoke again, his voice was polite but distant. "Everyone, this is Natalie Elling. She's my childhood friend Julian's younger sister."

I knew exactly what he was doing. He was already trying to distance himself from me.

My chest tightened with a sharp ache.

Was I really that embarrassing to him? We'd been together for five years, yet in front of everyone else, I was nothing more than his childhood friend's little sister.

I forced a bitter smile and gave him exactly what he wanted, pretending we barely knew each other.

"Hi, Liam."

My brother, Julian Elling, quickly stepped in to smooth things over, and everyone seemed to understand.

Liam didn't even notice how pale I'd gone. If anything, he looked relieved.

Then he turned back to the woman beside him, and the two of them resumed their affectionate display onstage as the party carried on.

I knew exactly who she was. She was Victoria Clancy, the woman Liam had never gotten over.

My eyes burned. He had promised me he'd cut Victoria out of his life. But on my birthday, he'd gone behind my back and proposed to her.

In the end, I still couldn't compete with Victoria.

Victoria spotted me and gave me a knowing smile. "Natalie, you look gorgeous tonight. You obviously put a lot of effort into getting ready. I can tell how much tonight means to you.

"Thank you for taking care of Liam for me all these years. I'd like to toast you."

Her words immediately set everyone whispering.

"She dressed up like that on purpose, didn't she? She's trying to steal the spotlight."

"Seriously. If I didn't know better, I'd think Liam was proposing to her."

Liam watched the whole thing without saying a word. He knew perfectly well I couldn't drink, but he still didn't speak up for me.

I let out a bitter laugh. That was when I knew my five-year relationship with Liam was over.

I took the glass from Victoria and drained it in one go. A smug glint flashed in her eyes.

Liam looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he stayed silent.

For the rest of dinner, I kept my head down and focused on my food. Whether Liam had his arm around Victoria or their fingers were intertwined, I brushed it all off with a smile.

Julian eventually noticed something was wrong and leaned over. "What's wrong with you? You were all smiles before we left."

"Nothing. I just broke up with my boyfriend," I said flatly.

Julian didn't press me. He simply kept putting my favorite foods on my plate. Normally, I would've enjoyed every bite. But now, everything tasted bitter.

I'd spent so long looking forward to my 23rd birthday, counting down the days until Liam finally proposed and told everyone we were together.

That morning, I'd seen him pick up the engagement ring from the table. Then Julian told me Liam was planning to propose.

I'd been so touched, convinced Liam had planned the whole thing as a surprise for me.

But he hadn't been planning to propose to me at all. He'd been planning to propose to Victoria.

What a joke. I'd been fooling myself from the very beginning.

Fine. I'd step aside and let them have each other. I had no interest in sharing the man I loved with someone else.

Halfway through dinner, a dull ache started low in my abdomen, so I left early and headed home.