Chapter 1
Three months before the wedding, I had already prepared the invitations.
When my friends received them, they were surprised, but not entirely shocked. They congratulated me and Jayden on finally reaching the finish line of our seven–year relationship.
I lay on my bed, scrolling through the messages of well–wishes, feeling a rare spark of excitement.
With a smile, I held up my phone and eagerly showed Jayden the blessings from our friends.
He leaned against the headboard, casting a cursory glance at my phone before nodding
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absentmindedly. His attention returned to his own device, fingers flying across the screen as the sound of typing filled the
room.
Jayden’s indifference left a bitter taste in my mouth. Feeling a twinge of discontent, I got up and wrapped my arms around his neck.
As I leaned in, my lips just inches from his, he suddenly turned his head away. His tone was impatient.
“Lyn, you’re in my way.”
Stunned, I instinctively glanced at the phone in his hand. A privacy screen protector now covered it, obscuring the content on the display. All I could make out was the faint outline of a chat window.
Before I could see more, Jayden switched off
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the screen.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he let out a tired sigh.
“Things have been hectic lately. I’m worn out. I’m going to take a shower!”
I froze for a moment, then instinctively gathered his fresh clothes and the towel I had just brought in from the line.
Jayden chuckled softly, pulling me into a quick embrace before planting a kiss on my cheek.
“You’re the best, babe.”
He headed toward the bathroom, but the sound of running water couldn’t drown out the unease churning in my chest.
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Lately, Jayden had been working late almost every night, and even when he was home, he was glued to his phone, typing away incessantly.
Whenever I asked, his answer was always the same.
“Just a client.”
But what kind of client chats about work at eleven at night?
I glanced at Jayden’s phone, face–down on the bed. As if on cue, it started buzzing furiously.
Startled, I picked it up without thinking. A string of message previews flooded the
screen.
“Little lackey, are you sure you’ll come pick
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me up tomorrow?”
“Won’t your girlfriend be upset?”
“You promised me, so you have to follow through!”
“I really, really miss you!”
“Love you! See you tomorrow!”
Although Jayden hadn’t saved the sender’s name, I immediately knew who it was.
There was only one person who could call Jayden, the golden boy of his circle, her “little lackey.”
Amara.
Jayden’s childhood sweetheart.
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Amara and I shared a history that could hardly be called pleasant.
We were university classmates, both considered prominent figures in our year. She was renowned for her stunning looks and privileged background, while I was known for acing every subject and being the overachiever, constantly involved in all sorts of activities.
Back then, I was a struggling student, chasing an inspirational scholarship and studying so hard I even dreamt of textbooks at night.
By all accounts, someone like me should have had no interaction with a girl like Amara, who seemed to glide effortlessly through life.
Yet fate had other plans. During the selection
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for a national scholarship, Amara accused me of cheating on an exam.
It was thanks to Jayden, who had sat behind me during that test, along with other classmates and the invigilator, that my innocence was proven. I ended up receiving the scholarship after all.
That was the first time Jayden entered my world.
Afterward, Jayden personally sought me out to apologize.
He explained that Amara was his childhood friend, and the reason she targeted me was entirely because of him.
Amara had feelings for Jayden, but his heart belonged to me.
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I still remember that summer evening, standing beneath a tree with Jayden. He looked so nervous, tilting his head to avoid meeting my gaze, his ears flushed the same fiery hue as the sunset streaking across the sky.
“Lyn, I like you,” he confessed.
He handed me a sketchbook filled with drawings–me reading, attending lectures, competing, running, even eating.
Jayden stood beside me, the fresh scent of his crisp white shirt mingling with the faint trace of teenage sweat that lingered in the summer air.
As though afraid I might misunderstand, he pointed to the sketches and hurriedly explained, “These are just quick sketches. I wasn’t following you around or anything.”
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I glanced at the beads of sweat glistening on his nose and couldn’t help but chuckle. “I know,” I
Said with a smile.
Even so, I returned the sketchbook to him. “I’m sorry, Jayden, but I’m not planning on dating anyone. My focus is on my studies.”
“But thank you for liking me,” I added sincerely.
I thought my straightforward rejection would discourage him, would make him give up.
But Jayden only frowned slightly before responding with that same stubborn determination. “It’s okay, I understand.”
“Lyn, I’ll wait for you.”
I stared at Jayden’s handsome face, at the
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clarity in his eyes where my reflection shone vividly.
Above the constant droning of cicadas, I could hear the thudding of my own heart.
“Thump, thump… thump.”
It skipped a beat.
And suddenly, warmth bloomed across my face.
For the next three years, just as he promised, Jayden kept his distance, remaining nothing more than a friend.
Until the day we graduated from university, when Jayden couldn’t wait any longer and confessed his feelings once more.
This time, I said yes.
10/11.
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From then on, Amara, who had always found ways to trouble me, disappeared entirely from my life.
But now, as Jayden and I were preparing to get married, she’d reappeared without warning.
I lowered my gaze to the phone vibrating incessantly in my hand, my eyes flickering with an unspoken thought.
