Chapter 1

I stumbled back to my home, drunk off my feet.
Through the window, I saw...
My fiancée was in bed, holding her naked ex-boyfriend, talking intimately.
Right then, they were locked in a tight embrace, kissing.
I kicked off the dress shoes at my feet.
These shoes were a gift from Sophia.
I loved any present she gave me.
But these shoes weren't my size!
Walking home, they tore up my feet until they were bleeding.
So now, I'd rather walk barefoot than putting them on again.
I heard Sophia saying to her ex,
"I really regret getting engaged. If you come back to me now, I'll call off the wedding for you!"
Watching her confess to her ex, I suddenly felt regret too!
...
I dialed a number rarely called.
"Dad, I'm done being stubborn. I'm not getting married anymore. I am ready to take over our family business now."
Dad was quiet for a second, then said,
"Okay, my son. We might not talk much, but I've been waiting for this call for so long."
"I'm getting old. I've been waiting for you to come back."
"This family business will be yours, always. Coming back early lets you settle in sooner."
I choked up and muttered, "Yeah."
Then I heard a sigh from his end, "I thought Sophia was different..."
"Alex, don't cry. A man's world isn't just about marriage and kids."
"You can have your own career. I'll be here when you get home."
Before tonight, I thought Sophia was different too.
She was a strong, successful woman who kept to herself and stayed distant from all other guys except me.
Even after we made it big, there were never any scandals.
Until tonight, at the engagement party I put my heart into, she saw her ex-boyfriend Daniel who crashed into the party.
For the first time, she got so worked up she shattered a glass.
For the first time, she blew up at me over drinking and ditched me on the side of the road.
If Sophia had seen someone else, I might've written it off as a misunderstanding.
I would've given her another chance.
I would've been willing to spend another ten or twenty years by her side, not asking anything.
But the naked guy in the room had to be Daniel!
The Daniel who bullied me for over twenty years since we were kids!
The Daniel who stole everything from me.
I could never forgive that bastard!
The moment I saw Sophia bring Daniel home to sleep, I wrote her off for good!
But I didn't know why, I couldn't stop myself from checking the home security feed.
On the camera, Daniel was wearing my pajamas, lounging in our wedding suite.
Sophia, who never lifted a finger around the house, was in the kitchen making soup for him.
Daniel walked up and hugged her from behind.
"He's just a placeholder, and you're actually marrying him?"
Sophia didn't answer, just turned and knelt to rub his feet.
"I know you did all this to get back at me. Even the engagement party was just to force me out."
"You never got over me."
"This whole bedroom is done up my way. The wedding ring is my style. The cake had our initials…"
"And even the shoes he's wearing were a gift I tossed."
Then Daniel pressed his foot against Sophia's chest.
"You've always loved me."
Sophia stayed quiet.
A moment later, she flung herself into Daniel's arms.
With a fiery kiss, she poured out all her love.
Seeing that, I broke down crying.
I thought about our ten years. Every time I tried to kiss her, she'd coldly turn away.
I figured she was just shy.
Turns out, she saved all that passion for Daniel.
For a decade, we shared a bed and made love.
But in her heart, she was saving her heart for her ex.
I took a deep breath and got ready to walk away from this messed-up home.
But Sophia had somehow come downstairs and called me from behind.