At eighteen, the year I won the international piano championship, an earthquake caused a devastating cave-in. To save Julian, my left hand was pierced by a steel bar, and my legs were crushed under heavy rocks. My dreams shattered, and I was on the brink of a mental breakdown. Julian spared no expense finding top specialists and sent me abroad for treatment. Back then, he said with gentle devotion: "Vivian, when you get back, let's get married, okay?" But in just three years, he fell in love with my lookalike. When she threatened to break up with him, he begged for her forgiveness on his knees, drawing a clear line between him and me. He looked down at me coldly and said, "Vivian, I don't love you anymore." I smiled. Right in front of him, I kissed his bodyguard. "Too bad," I said. "I don't love you either." When my flight landed in New York, I received a text from Julian. Exactly as expected. [Vivian, something came up. I sent my bodyguards to pick you up. They'll keep you safe.] At the same time, a notification popped up on Instagram. It was a trending post about Julian. I tapped on it. #NewYorkBillionaireJulianSterlingDeclaresHisLove Attached was an interview clip. I knew both faces in the video: my fiancé, and the little songbird he kept—the rising actress, Hailey Caine. It was Hailey's award acceptance video. I didn't care about what she said, but Julian's words cut like a knife. A reporter asked him about his relationship with Hailey. He smiled warmly at the camera, making no effort to hide it, and said directly, "Perhaps it will soon become a legally protected relationship." I scoffed. And turned off my screen.
I discovered Julian’s affair a year ago, quite by accident. During that time, my mental state was extremely unstable. I couldn't control my rage. I had screamed and thrashed like a lunatic, even holding a knife to my own throat to threaten Julian. Julian had no choice. He promised me he would cut all ties with Hailey. But it only lasted a month before he crawled back to her. Later, he confessed to my face: "I just can't forget Hailey. I think about her every single night. It's killing me." The longing in his voice made me sick. Yet he also knew that our entire youth was tangled together. We were bound by our families' wishes, destined for marriage. After that, no matter how much I threw tantrums, Julian only watched with cold indifference. In this relationship, I was the only one losing my mind. "Miss Vance," a deep male voice called out. Sitting in my wheelchair, I looked up. Three bodyguards in black suits stood in front of me. The leader had sharp, striking features and a fierce, athletic build. He stood easily at six-foot-three. There was a band-aid over his brow and a slight bruise at the corner of his lip. He looked like he had just gotten into a fight. I recognized him. Silas Thorne. He had worked for me briefly before I fired him. He was too quiet, too rigid. When did he start working for Julian? "Do you know where Julian is?" I asked, looking away with a flat tone. "Yes." "Take me to him." Silas frowned. "You need to rest first." "So, I should listen to you now?" I snapped back, displeased. My expression darkened. He still had that same stubborn, annoying attitude. Silas fell silent. The atmosphere instantly grew tense. The two junior bodyguards behind him panicked and quickly stepped forward. They smiled nervously. "Miss Vance, please don't be angry." "Our boss might have a bit of a temper, but he's incredibly good at his job." Silas still didn't say a word. I let out a cold laugh and threw my handbag right at his chest. Silas let out a low grunt but caught the bag obediently. "If you have a bad temper, don't work as a bodyguard. Get lost." "Uh..." The two juniors looked at each other, awkward and unsure of what to say. Silas pushed them aside, walked over with a cold face, and dropped to one knee beside my wheelchair. He gently placed the bag back into my hands. His voice was stiff, but it carried a hint of softness. "My mistake." "Please don't be angry." The two juniors exchanged another look of utter disbelief. I leaned forward, looking down at Silas. Then, I reached out and pinched his jaw tightly. He was tall, even while kneeling. His presence was intimidating. He stared at me. I could feel his body tensing up, the veins on his neck bulging slightly as if he were holding back with everything he had. I warned him coldly, "Let me tell you something. I don't care whose man you are. If you make me uncomfortable, you're gone." "I don't lack options, understand?" I lightly slapped his cheek. His body tensed even further. "I didn't mean anything else. I was just worried you'd be unhappy." "Your therapist told me not to let you get too triggered." I froze for a few seconds. "What do you mean?" "To take better care of our clients, we make it our business to understand their condition." I glanced up at the two juniors. They nodded furiously. "Yes, yes!" "Your safety and your mood are our top priorities." I let out a cynical laugh, slowly drew my hand back, and fell silent.
Silas lifted me and placed me in the backseat of the car. His movements were incredibly smooth, as if he had practiced it a thousand times. As the car merged onto the highway, the passing trees and the familiar streets of the city I hadn't seen in three years triggered a flood of memories. Julian and I grew up together. Our families had arranged our marriage before we were even born. Both of our families were known for producing musical prodigies. Since I was a child, my life revolved around playing the piano. I played tirelessly, and Julian was my only audience. At seven years old, my performance shocked the world, and I was hailed as a prodigy. Then came the world tours. Julian followed me across the globe, remaining my sole audience for ten years. He loved holding me close, whispering gently in my ear: "I want to be your audience for the rest of my life. I want to be the first one to give you flowers." The promises back then were so simple. He loved me to his bones, giving me everything he had without reservation. He treated me like a precious child, even though he was only three years older than me. He used to read me bedtime stories. If anyone bullied me, he’d stand in front of me. When I was exhausted from practicing, he’d sneak me out to play. My entire past was him. Which was why, at eighteen, when danger struck, I pushed him out of the way without a second thought. I let myself get buried in the collapse. A steel bar pierced my left hand. I fell, and my legs were crushed under giant boulders. The only light from the exit was blocked. At that moment, I really thought I was going to die there, at eighteen. But I didn't. Julian went mad trying to save me. He called the rescue team, dug through the rubble with his bare hands until his fingers were bloody raw. Back then, he loved me so fiercely. He was fearless. I thought that kind of love would last forever. I was wrong. I was in a coma for two weeks. When I woke up, I learned that I could never play the piano again. My parents, hearing the news, instantly discarded me like a broken chess piece. They immediately shifted their focus to grooming another prodigy. Overnight, I lost my parents' affection and my lifelong dream. The despair was suffocating. It completely consumed me. Julian stayed by my side, crying, "I'm sorry, Vivian. It's all my fault." "If it weren't for me, you'd still be the brightest star." I couldn't blame Julian. Saving him was my choice. But I couldn't save myself, and I didn't know what to do. Later, I developed severe depression and borderline personality traits. I was violent, self-destructive, and constantly on the edge. Time after time, Julian pulled me back from the brink of death. He sent me abroad for treatment. He said, "Vivian, when you get back, let's get married, okay?" But after that, his visits to Europe grew rarer. The toll of my illness was breaking him, too. When I threw things, he threw things back. With bloodshot eyes, he knelt before me and roared, "Vivian, I didn't beg you to save me!" "I'm trying my best to help you!" "What more do you want from me?!" And then, he cheated.
When I snapped out of my thoughts, I realized I was crying. Cold tears dripped onto the back of my hand, leaving me momentarily dazed. It had been a long time since I last recalled the past. Those once passionate memories had slowly been ground down to nothing. "Don't cry for someone who isn't worth it," Silas said, handing me a tissue. My expression went numb as I took it, wiped my hand, and replied coldly, "You're right. He isn't." Silas wheeled me into a club. The entire venue had been booked out. The music was deafeningly loud, the lights flashing in dizzying arrays. Hailey was on the dance floor in a seductive red dress, dancing with a crowd. Julian's doting eyes were fixed entirely on her. Like he was admiring his most prized possession. Actually, the first time I saw a picture of Hailey, I was stunned. She looked about seventy percent like me. She liked bright colors, had long wavy hair, and possessed a seductive charm. Even the tiny mole on the bridge of her nose was in the exact same spot as mine. "Julian, come dance with me!" Hailey laughed, calling out to Julian from the VIP booth. Julian raised his glass with a smirk and started walking over. But before he reached the dance floor, he spotted me. His brow furrowed tightly as he looked at Silas behind me. "I told you to take Vivian home." Silas said nothing. I smiled at Julian. "Are you not happy to see me?" At this point, Hailey noticed us too. She walked over and naturally wrapped her arm around Julian's. When she looked at me, she froze. We had never met in person, but I guessed she was wondering why I looked so much like her. "Who is this?" "Hi, I'm Julian's fiancée," I introduced myself with a smile. Julian’s face darkened instantly. "Vivian, don't start." "Julian? Is she the fiancée you left abroad?" "You told me you drew a line with her! What am I to you then?" Hailey looked at Julian with an expression of utter betrayal, her entire body shaking with anger. Julian looked at me with irritation. "Vivian, did you come back just to make a scene?" "Does seeing me happy make you that miserable? Vivian, I don't owe you anything!" With a violent kick, he knocked over a nearby trash can. The music in the club suddenly died down. The crowd held their breath, watching the drama unfold, unsure of what to do. "Julian, you were the one who said you wanted to marry me," I said, my voice completely flat. Julian clenched his fists in rage. "That was the past!" Hailey’s tears fell like rain. "So, everything you said in the interview today was a lie? You never planned on marrying me?" "We're done, Julian! I want a breakup!" She shoved Julian away to run, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her fiercely into his chest. His eyes were bloodshot as he begged her desperately, "I was wrong, Hailey. Please, don't leave me." "You're the only one in my heart now."
I watched Julian quietly. Suddenly, I remembered the day he confessed his love to me. In high school, he had written a love letter, mimicking what his classmates did, and slipped it into my textbook. During class, he kept stealing glances at me, terrified I'd miss it. He waited three days without a response. Finally, after school, he cornered me on the track field. "Vivian, are you rejecting me?" I looked at him in confusion, only then learning about the letter. Right there, he read the letter aloud, word by word, declaring his love with shameless pride. I laughed and said yes. He immediately scooped me up onto his back and ran around the track, lap after lap. His sweat and tears mingled, and his eyes shone with a light that belonged only to me. During the countless nights after I found out about his betrayal, these memories would replay. The real, raw love. The absolute devotion. The youth we could never get back. I didn't know how to let it go.
My mind drifted. I only snapped back when Julian stood over me, looking down with cold disdain. "Vivian, the one I love now is Hailey. I admit we had a beautiful past." "But people can't live in memories. We have to move on." I looked up, my face completely unreadable. He continued, "Let's call off the engagement." "Vivian, I don't love you anymore." He said it with utter seriousness. It was almost laughable. A gentle smile played on my lips. "Then, as you wish." "I hope you remember those words." I averted my eyes. Julian’s gaze darkened slightly. He thought he would feel relieved, but a flicker of confusion crossed his face instead. Every time he had brought up calling off the engagement before, I would throw a fit. We would both end up emotionally destroyed. But today, I gave him exactly what he wanted. My therapist always told me: "If something doesn't belong to you, gripping it tighter won't help." "But what is truly yours will stay, even if you let go." I believed him now. So, I chose to let go. When I went to leave, Julian stepped in front of me to stop me, but in the end, he couldn't find a single word to say.
I sat in the backseat of the car, leaning my temple against my hand, staring out the window in absolute silence. The atmosphere in the car was suffocatingly tense. Silas's two juniors frantically tried to make conversation, talking about fun spots in New York and telling bad jokes. It was noisy. I frowned slightly. "Are you two this loud when you're with Julian?" The driver laughed awkwardly. "Miss Vance, we've never worked for Julian. We only follow our boss." "Oh?" I raised an eyebrow, turning my gaze to Silas. He was resting with his eyes closed. Sensing my gaze, he slowly opened them. "We only took this as a temporary contract." "I see." The car fell silent again. My phone buzzed. Another notification. Hailey had just posted on Instagram. [Giving you both my award and myself. @JulianSterling] In an instant, the internet exploded. Congratulations flooded in, with endless comments about how perfect they were for each other. Silas reached out and tapped my screen, turning it off. "If it makes you uncomfortable, don't look." His voice was cold. I knit my brows. Silas was starting to get interesting. He seemed genuinely terrified of me being hurt by Julian's actions. "What do you think of Hailey?" Silas froze, clearly not expecting the question. But he still answered, "She looks like you." "And?" "But she isn't you." I let out a soft laugh, tracing the edge of my phone. Right. She looked like me. But she wasn't me. He found a substitute, and then fell for the substitute. I couldn't help but wonder—Julian, do you even know who you actually love? But he was right about one thing. Over these three years, his life had only gotten better, while I remained trapped in the abyss of the past, stagnant.
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