I secretly dated the boy next door for six years, and we were finally planning to go public. I was happily preparing a family dinner, hoping to surprise him, when I overheard a familiar voice coming from next door. "Ethan, your innocent first love is coming back. What are you going to do about the backup sister?" He didn't say anything. As the silence stretched, another friend laughed: "I gotta say, Ethan's got some serious charm. Even the Vance family heiress fell for him. He's been enjoying all the perks of a devoted 'little puppy' for six years." "Mia, that innocent little flower, she wants to wrap you around her finger the second she gets back. She even invited you to celebrate her birthday. If you show up with your backup sister, do you think she'll regret leaving you?" ... The next day, Ethan actually brought me to Mia's birthday party, putting on a huge show of how deeply in love we were. But when Mia ran out crying, he shoved me aside and frantically chased after her. I went home covered in spilled wine and bruises, and climbed up to the attic he never allowed me to enter. The entire wall was plastered with photos of him and Mia! My heart turned to ash. I called my brother, who was living abroad. "Matt, I've thought about the arranged marriage. I agree to it!" 1. "Chloe, is everything okay?" The line was quiet for three seconds before my brother's familiar, worried voice came through. A wave of warmth rushed over my heart, my nose stung, and I almost burst into tears. "What could possibly be wrong? It's just... I saw the neighbor's dog just had her second litter of puppies, and I'm still single. It's not fair." My brother burst out laughing, his tone lightening significantly: "Very ambitious of you!" "Wait, isn't your neighbor Ethan Sterling? He's been terrified of dogs since he was a kid. He has a dog now?" I was suddenly speechless, not expecting my brother to have such a good memory. Thankfully, he didn't press the issue and got back to the point: "So, when are you coming back? Or do you want to meet him first before making a final decision?" I quickly replied: "No need. I trust you and Dad's judgment. You guys start planning the wedding; I'll finish things up here and head back immediately." "Alright." "Are you going to invite Ethan to the wedding? I heard his 'innocent little flower' is back. He might just end up getting married right after you." So, everyone knew he was waiting for his innocent little flower. I was the only one kept entirely in the dark. I lowered my head, fighting back the sting in my eyes. "I'm not inviting him. We had a massive falling out." My brother paused, instinctively asking, "Why?" "Because of their dog." Just as I finished the sentence, I heard a noise at the door. I quickly hung up the phone. When I looked up, I met Ethan's smiling eyes. "What dog? Who were you talking to?" "My brother. We were talking about your dog." "I don't have a dog." Realizing I was taking a jab at him, Ethan didn't get mad. Instead, he laughed and tackled me onto the sofa. "If I'm a dog, then what are you, huh? My little puppy?" I tried to push him away, but he grabbed my hand and pulled it toward his waist. "Isn't this the 'dog waist' you like so much?" He leaned in closer, his breath brushing against my nose, almost kissing my lips. This level of intimacy used to make my heart race and my face flush. Now, it only made me feel uncomfortable and resistant. As I struggled against him, a clear row of teeth marks on his collarbone was revealed. I don't know what scraped against the cuts on my leg, but it felt like they were being torn open again. The sharp pain made tears fall uncontrollably. Seeing me cry, Ethan immediately panicked. "What's wrong, Chloe? Did I hurt you?" He helped me sit up and looked me up and down. Finally, he noticed the several bleeding cuts on my calf. His voice began to tremble with heartache. "How did this happen? How did you get so many cuts? Why didn't you call me?" He seemed to have completely forgotten what happened at the birthday party. I stayed silent, unsure if I should remind him and rip off his mask of deep devotion. "Be a good girl, stop crying. I'll put some medicine on it." He kissed my forehead and got up to fetch the first aid kit. "You're so bad at taking care of yourself. What would you do without me?" I stared blankly at his back. Yeah, what would I do without him? I chased after him for twenty-two years, and for the last six, we were inseparable. But Ethan, what I wanted was never a fake dream or a fake you! 2 I couldn't sleep. Jolting awake from a nightmare in the middle of the night, I slipped out of Ethan's arms and sat barefoot on the bay window, watching the moon. I must have dozed off at some point, because I woke up with a start when Ethan picked me up in the morning. He smiled helplessly: "Why are you sitting on the windowsill instead of sleeping in bed? And you're not even wearing enough." Before he even finished his sentence, his expression drastically changed. "Why are you burning up?" I felt groggy, my brain like mush, and I didn't want to talk. I let his palm rest on my forehead, bringing a cool, comforting touch. His handsome brows furrowed. He wrapped me in a blanket and silently started changing my clothes, maneuvering my limbs to get me dressed. I weakly raised a hand to push him away. "I can do it myself. Just... just get me a cold towel." It felt like my tongue was tied in knots as I spoke. Ethan effortlessly swatted my hand away. "I've dressed you so many times before. Why are you suddenly shy now that you're sick?" After forcefully getting me dressed, he carried me to the car. While we were waiting in line to register at the hospital, Mia walked in from outside, her eyes red. She locked eyes with Ethan and stood there, speechless and tearing up. "Ethan..." Ethan's face shifted. He immediately stepped out of line, grabbed her shoulders, and asked nervously, "Where does it hurt?" "I... I was being clumsy. I burned myself making porridge." She rolled up her sleeve, revealing a red, swollen patch on her arm. Ethan's eyes instantly reddened. He gently lifted her arm and blew on it carefully. "Don't do this kind of rough work anymore. Tell me whatever you want to eat." Mia nodded, breaking into a smile through her tears. "Ethan, you're the only one who treats me this well." Ethan raised a hand and ruffled her hair. "Silly, if I don't treat you well, who will?" Mia smiled coyly, her gaze sweeping past me sitting on the bench. But Ethan seemed to have completely forgotten about me. He registered for Mia, fussed over her, and never once looked back at me until they left. See, this is the difference between the backup and the main character. No matter how deeply devoted he acted, the moment Mia appeared, my role as the understudy vanished into thin air. I let out a bitter laugh, forced my heavy body to stand up, registered myself, and headed to the outpatient clinic. My fever was too high; I needed an IV drip to bring it down. Fighting off dizziness, I went to get my medication alone, then headed to the IV area. I was so exhausted during the drip that I fell asleep. I don't know how long I slept, but I was shaken awake by a little kid next to me. "Miss, why isn't your boyfriend here with you? Your blood started backing up into the tube while you were asleep. My mom called the nurse for you. But we have to leave now, and it's dangerous for you not to have anyone watching." I gratefully thanked the kid and his mom, then forced myself to stay awake and watch the IV bag. It was already afternoon by the time the IV finished. Ethan still hadn't looked for me, not even a single phone call. I stood up, planning to go home by myself, but fell back into the chair, dizzy and weak. Left with no choice, I dialed Ethan's number. Hearing that I was still at the hospital, he froze for a long time. "I'm sorry, Chloe. Mia was in so much pain, and she couldn't stand the smell of the hospital, so I thought I'd drop her off and then immediately come find you..." Before he could finish, Mia's sweet voice came through the receiver. "Ethan, is it done yet? I'm so hungry~" Even though Ethan immediately covered the receiver, her clear words still reached my ears. "Chloe, it's not what you think. Head home first, and I'll explain everything later." I curled my lip, not really caring to hear his "explanation." His so-called explanations were nothing but endless lies. I said: "It's fine, Ethan. I can manage on my own." There's no one in this world who can't survive losing someone else. Especially Chloe Vance losing Ethan Sterling! I hung up, hired a courier to help me, and safely made it back home. That night, Ethan didn't come home like he promised. Late at night, while my boss had me working on an urgent file, my phone suddenly chimed. I checked it and saw that Ethan had shared one of Mia's posts. It was a picture of their shadows leaning intimately against each other, accompanied by a sentimental caption. [Who says no one will wait for you where you left them? The person who truly cares about you is the one who, no matter how far you go, will always be there when you look back!] I was just about to click "like" when I noticed the post had been deleted. However, the next moment, a notification popped up on my alternate account. He had reposted it. He blocked my main account when posting but forgot I had him added on my alt. I smiled and unfollowed him on both accounts. 3 That night, without Ethan, I actually slept incredibly well and woke up feeling much better. I arrived at the office right on time and handed my resignation letter to the director. She was very reluctant to see me go, but knowing I was going back to get married, she could only helplessly offer her blessings and a hug. After I finished handing over my work, my colleagues, who had just been sad to see me go, started clamoring for me to treat them to a farewell dinner now that they knew I was leaving to get married. Of course, I didn't refuse. I booked a restaurant and a karaoke room. I don't know if Mia and I were bound by some twisted fate, but I actually ran into her again when I went to the restroom during karaoke. Meeting my surprised expression, Mia seemed much more composed. "What a coincidence. You're here to play too, Chloe?" I gave her a polite smile. I didn't think we had anything to talk about, so I turned to walk back to my private room. But she didn't seem to share the sentiment and sidestepped to block my path again. "You seem to really dislike me, Chloe. Why? We have so much in common. You even dip your beef in vinegar, just like me." Her words made me turn my head slightly to look at her. I had always wondered why Ethan insisted on dipping beef in vinegar for me every time. He had explained that it tasted better that way, but I could never get used to it. Looking back now, that was just an excuse. The vinegar dipping was just him projecting his habits with Mia onto me. My stomach churned with acid; I felt nauseous enough to throw up. But Mia kept talking. "Besides, don't you think we look very similar, Chloe?" That one sentence completely destroyed all my defenses. The strength and dignity I had forced myself to maintain crumbled in an instant. "Is that so? What a coincidence. I have things to do, so I won't keep you company." I shoved past her shoulder and fled. Back in the private room, feeling my hands and feet turn icy cold, I downed a glass of liquor just to feel warm again. My colleagues were cheering for me to sing a song. Just as I was about to pick one, the door was violently thrown open. Ethan stood in the doorway. He stared at the packed room for a few seconds before his furious eyes locked onto me. I was about to ask him what was wrong when he crossed the room in three strides, grabbed me by the neck, and roared, "Who was the guy you brought with you?!" I had never seen him look so ferocious. I trembled slightly. "What guy? What are you talking about?" Ethan's eyes were bloodshot. Even as my colleagues surrounded him, pulling at him, he didn't loosen his grip in the slightest. "The guy you brought into the restroom to assault Mia! Tell me, who is he?!" As it became harder and harder to breathe, I slapped Ethan hard across the face. Shocked, he let go, but the suppressed rage radiating from him only grew thicker. Protected by my colleagues, I slumped onto the sofa, coughing for a long time before I found my normal voice again. "Ethan, have you gone crazy?! How could I possibly bring a man into the restroom and assault Mia?!" "If it wasn't you, then who was it?! You were mad that I left you at the hospital for her, mad that I didn't come home for two days to take care of her, so you orchestrated this revenge! How can you be so venomous?!" My heart ached bitterly. I offered a sad smile and nodded. "Since you're already so convinced it was me, why didn't you call the police?" Ethan pressed his lips tightly together. The disappointment in his eyes pierced me inch by inch. "You were so brazen because you knew I wouldn't call the police, didn't you?" I met his gaze, the mockery and derision in my heart roaring loudly. He's ready to strangle me to death; what wouldn't he dare do? He suddenly grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the room. My colleagues stepped in front of us to block him. I gratefully shook my head at them. "I'm sorry. My personal issues are ruining the mood. You guys keep playing; I'll be right back." Only then did my colleagues step aside. Ethan dragged me into another private room. Inside, Mia was huddled on the sofa, wrapped in Ethan's jacket, shivering, while several of his close friends surrounded her, trying to comfort her. Ethan threw me in front of Mia and commanded sharply: "Apologize to Mia." "You should be glad Mia wasn't seriously hurt today. Otherwise, I would absolutely make you pay the price." My knee slammed into the corner of the sofa, and I hissed in pain. Mia, tears shining in the corners of her eyes, shook her head repeatedly. "Ethan, let it go. It's not Chloe's fault. I was just unlucky." Having said that, she let out low, whimpering sobs, like a pathetic kitten, making everyone feel sorry for her. But what did I do wrong? I chuckled softly and stood up from the floor. "I'm really curious, Ethan." "As the old saying goes, 'catch the thief with the loot.' You're concluding that I hurt Mia based entirely on your own words. Sorry, but I won't accept the blame, and I don't have time to play along with this farce. If you bother me again, I'm calling the police." 4 Twenty-two years of being childhood friends, I thought my character needed no proving in Ethan's eyes. However, in front of Mia, twenty-two years meant absolutely nothing. His bias and favoritism were so blatantly obvious, and I... I was nothing but a stand-in in this game of love! I didn't go back to my colleagues' room. I paid the bill at the front desk, apologized to everyone in the group chat, and said my goodbyes. When I got home, I collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted. In a daze, I remembered six years ago when a drunk Ethan begged me to take him in. I helped him onto the sofa in the living room and stared blankly at his sharply defined, handsome face. I don't know how long I watched him before he suddenly opened his eyes. His gaze was burning, trapping me like a ring of fire. "Do you like me?" Hearing his question, I nodded as if possessed. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. He yanked me toward him, grabbed the back of my head, and kissed me passionately. From that day on, I became his girlfriend in everything but name. I had heard of Mia, but I had never met her. When Ethan and she were dating, I was a junior in college, getting tortured half to death by my thesis. By the time I finally had some free time, their story had already reached the "abandoned by love" phase. I thought I was the medicine that healed his broken heart, but looking back now, those six years were nothing but a joke. The next day, I hired a moving company to pack everything into boxes. Ethan didn't have much stuff here. His house was right next door. Because he found it troublesome, he didn't move everything over when we started living together; he only brought over his daily necessities. Now, returning his things only took one small cardboard box. I opened the front door to his house, retrieved all the photos of me and the little couple's trinkets I had given him, and left the key on the table. As for my belongings and some old items in the apartment, I packed them all up and shipped them abroad. After doing all this, as the real estate agent was conducting the final walkthrough, I finally remembered that Ethan still had a key. I called him, but he hung up on me time and time again. Finally, he sent a text: [Unless it's an apology and reflection on what you did, I don't want to hear another word from you right now.] Speechless, I simply hired a locksmith to change the lock. After handing over the apartment, I took my suitcase early the next morning and boarded the plane leaving the country. Leaving the home I had once been so attached to, I felt incredibly light and free. Just before boarding, my phone received numerous birthday wishes. My friends wished me a bright future, peace, happiness, and a beautiful marriage! I replied to them one by one, then turned off my phone. As the plane took off, I thought to myself: With so many blessings, I will definitely be happy! 5 When the plane landed, it was the dead of night in London. I dragged my suitcase out of the airport and immediately spotted my family waiting anxiously. "Dad, Mom, Matt." My brother seamlessly took my suitcase, allowing me to run straight into my mother's arms unimpeded. It feels so good to hug my family again! I hugged my mom tightly, tears nearly springing to my eyes. "It's so good you're back. I missed you so much." My mom patted my back gently, making my guilt grow even heavier. Nine years ago, driven by that hazy infatuation in my heart, I ignored my parents' advice and insisted on staying in Shanghai for college. Though they were helpless, they couldn't bear to force me and ultimately let me stay. I never expected that separation to last nine years. I only ever went home for brief visits during Christmas. Making them endure the agony of missing me for nine years... I was truly an unfilial daughter! "Mom, I'm never leaving again. I'm going to stay right here with you and Dad." My mom and dad looked at each other and smiled: "That's wonderful! Your dad and I have been waiting for the day our family would finally be reunited." Laughing and chatting, I took my dad's arm with one hand and my mom's with the other as we walked out of the airport. Meanwhile, back at Ethan's house, the situation was completely different. He sat on the floor, having an emotional breakdown, repeatedly dialing my number. Every year for my birthday, Ethan would order a custom bracelet from Stars well in advance, and on the day of my birthday, he would get a reminder to pick it up. This year was no exception. When he received the call, he suddenly realized today was my birthday. But looking at his phone, he suddenly realized I hadn't initiated contact with him a single time recently. Not even today. He felt as if something had drained from his heart, leaving his chest tight and uncomfortable. After thinking it over, he sent me a message. [Since it's your birthday, I'll let this go. As long as you say sorry to Mia, we can consider this matter closed.] When he sent the message, a glaring red exclamation point appeared next to it. The pop-up notification on the screen made his eyes widen in disbelief. [Sorry, you are not friends with this user. Please add them as a friend first.] This time, Ethan was truly angry. He furiously dialed my number, but only heard the prompt that my phone was turned off. After calling over a dozen times, the panic in his heart grew larger and larger. Finally, unable to bear it anymore, he ignored Mia's attempts to stop him, floored the gas pedal, and sped home as fast as he could. When he arrived at my door, he found that his key no longer opened it. He couldn't understand why I was throwing such a massive tantrum this time. Clearly, I was the one in the wrong. He kept banging on my front door, but the people who opened it were a newlywed couple. He returned to his own home in defeat, only to realize he couldn't find a single item related to me anymore. Even our one pair of matching mugs and slippers had vanished without a trace. And those little trinkets I had given him over the years—he couldn't find a single one either. He deeply regretted not properly storing those small items. Mia rushed over and tried to comfort him: "Sister Chloe is probably just upset and went out to clear her head. She'll be back once she cools down." He shook his head in agony. "You don't understand her. She's never been one to do things without considering the consequences." As soon as he said that, he froze himself. The events at the karaoke bar flashed through his mind. He stared at Mia with a dark, intense look, as if trying to see right through her. "That day at karaoke, are you sure it was Chloe who brought that man in to assault you?" Mia shuddered. "I never said it was Chloe! I only said that right after Chloe left, that man came in. I..." "Get out!" Before she could finish, the man roared at her. As Mia ran out of the house crying, Ethan suddenly smashed his phone and violently slapped himself twice across the face. 6 I knew nothing about what was happening in Shanghai. Perhaps due to the insomnia from the previous few days, I didn't even suffer from jet lag and slept straight through until the sun was high in the sky. As soon as I came downstairs, I was greeted by my family enthusiastically wishing me a happy birthday! Holding my gifts, my entire heart felt stuffed full of happiness. After breakfast, feeling bored and lazy, I crouched in the plaza watching some kids skateboard. It looked so fun that I borrowed a skateboard from a little girl to try it out. Unfortunately, I pushed off too hard and almost went flying. Just as I was about to fall, a pair of strong arms caught me securely. "Thank you!" When I looked up, I was stunned by an incredibly handsome face. He had very Eastern features, but with a pair of light blue eyes. This combination made him far more handsome than any male celebrity I had ever seen. "Want to learn how to skateboard?" He tilted his head slightly toward me, offering a gentle smile that naturally made people feel at ease. I couldn't help but nod. With that, he steadied me. Using his toe, he expertly flicked the skateboard up and helped me onto it. I thought he was going to teach me how to glide, but the next moment, he stepped onto the board as well. With a single push, the skateboard started moving. Under his guidance, we even performed two simple tricks on the board, drawing applause from the kids around us! By the time we stopped, my face was bright red. It was my first time being so close to a stranger. No wonder people say foreign cultures are more open. While I was feeling awkward, my brother ran over from a distance. He looked at him, then looked at me. "You two seem to hit it off. You got familiar fast." "Huh?" Before I could react, the man held his hand out to me and introduced himself. "Miles Sterling. Nice to meet you. I hope I didn't leave a bad first impression on Ms. Vance." I looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to be Miles Sterling, my prospective fiancé. While I was zoning out, my brother suddenly winked at me. "He's still holding his hand out." Embarrassed, I quickly reached out and shook his hand. "Hello, Chloe Vance." He didn't mind my awkwardness at all and continued, "What do you want to do for your birthday today? Amusement park, shopping, or a movie?" His composure instantly made me feel a little less stiff. "Anything is fine." He thought for a moment. "Hmm, then I'll arrange the schedule. If we do all of them, we might get home a little late." I was a bit stunned. Is that what "anything is fine" meant to him? But I truly hadn't relaxed in a long time, so I didn't correct his interpretation. When we went to the amusement park, my brother shamelessly insisted on tagging along. Not only that, but he also brought a whole bunch of his friends. This loud, rowdy group swarmed through the amusement park like a plague of locusts. Miles stayed by my side the entire time, carefully looking out for me. It didn't take long for me to realize that this group seemed terrified of Miles. One look from him, and they immediately kept their distance. After playing for two hours, Miles seemed to notice I was losing interest, so he took me and ditched the rest of the group. After lunch, we went to see a movie. I don't know if we just had bad luck, but a bratty kid sat behind me and kept kicking my seat the entire movie. At first, Miles very politely asked the parent to control their child. But the parent just let it go in one ear and out the other, completely ignoring him. A cold smirk appeared on the corner of Miles's mouth. A few minutes later, he suddenly waved at the empty air. Two minutes after that, he moved to the row behind us, sitting two seats away from the kid, and started continuously chatting with the empty seat next to him. I don't know what he talked about, but less than five minutes later, the kid burst out crying and absolutely refused to stay in the theater with his mom any longer. I spent the whole time trying to suppress my laughter, completely unable to focus on the movie. When Miles walked back to his seat, he adjusted his jacket and whispered to me, "Laugh if you want to. Don't hold it in." I mouthed one word to him. "Legend." By the time we finished shopping, it was completely dark outside. I thought Miles was going to take me home, but instead, he drove me to the beach. My brother and his friends had set up barbecue grills and tents on the sand. We all crowded together, talking and laughing. When the moon was at its highest, they brought out rows of fireworks and eagerly lit them. The fireworks bloomed, filling the sky with brilliance. My brother patted my head. "Make a wish. Miles said a cake was too cliché. Fireworks are perfect—grand, and closest to the stars." I turned to look at Miles, gave him a grateful smile, then closed my eyes and made a wish to the sky.

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