Chapter 1

The day my Oscar-winning fiancé won his big award, he publicly confessed his love to a rising starlet.

I stood backstage, watching them embrace and kiss passionately under the flashing lights.

At the after-party, I took off my engagement ring and wished them a lifetime of happiness.

Marcus smirked carelessly. "She just wanted to make it official. Going public is no big deal. Why are you throwing a tantrum?"

He was absolutely sure I was head over heels for him. He thought I'd crawl back in three days at most.

But three days became six, and all he got was my marriage certificate with the city's richest billionaire.

Marcus finally panicked, his eyes bloodshot as he demanded answers.

I wrapped myself tighter in my new husband's oversized shirt and looked up lazily.

"My husband just wanted to make it official. Getting a marriage license is no big deal. Why are you throwing a tantrum?"

For a whole week, Marcus Sterling and Chloe Bennett's names dominated social media.

The video of the newly crowned Best Actor kissing the rising starlet was still the talk of the town, even at his celebratory after-party.

When I pushed the door open, Marcus was reenacting the kiss, egged on by his friends.

Chloe's face was flushed red, her hands gripping his collar.

He held the back of her head, kissing her deeply, lost in the moment.

I walked in.

The VIP lounge instantly fell dead silent.

Sensing my presence, Chloe opened her eyes first and saw me.

Panicking, she let go of Marcus's collar, but she shrank back into his arms, playing the victim.

Then, she bit her red, swollen lips and called out nervously, "Sera."

Marcus turned around, completely calm. He didn't show even a shred of embarrassment at being caught cheating by his fiancée.

Right in front of my face, he pulled Chloe closer, kissed her cheek, and comforted her softly, "Don't worry."

Then he turned to me. "She's easily frightened. What are you trying to do, scare her?"

I hadn't even said a word. Did my mere presence terrify his new plaything?

I let out a cold, amused laugh.

Marcus wrapped his arm around Chloe and teased, "Look at that fierce glare. Is the future Mrs. Sterling here to mark her territory?"

"Mrs. Sterling" was just a pet name Marcus used to mock me.

He used to say he would save that title for me, warning me not to get greedy.

During our two-year engagement, there had been countless women around him.

And as his manager, blinded by my foolish love, I had always turned a blind eye.

But now, I was done.

I slid the engagement ring off my finger, grabbed Chloe’s hand, and forced it onto her finger.

Marcus's expression turned arrogant.

"To keep me, you're even willing to bet our engagement ring?"

Ignoring his mockery, I looked him dead in the eye.

"Let everyone here be my witness. Marcus and I are completely over. From now on, we have absolutely nothing to do with each other."

Marcus's face darkened instantly.

"Sera, she just wanted to go public. It's just a status. Why are you throwing a tantrum over this?"

Chloe wanted a public status, so he gave her a confession at the peak of his career.

But we had been together for three years and engaged for two.

For five whole years, he had never once thought about introducing me to the public.

How pathetic.

I met his gaze. "Then I wish you two a happy life together."

I turned and walked away.

Feeling humiliated in front of his friends, Marcus cursed loudly behind my back.

Chloe pretended to be anxious and urged him, "Marcus, Sera looks serious. Aren't you going to go after her and comfort her?"

Marcus snorted with utter disdain. "When is she not serious? It's just another pathetic trick to get my attention."

"Leave her alone. In three days, she’ll crawl back and beg for my forgiveness."

My body swayed, and the sheer humiliation almost made me collapse.

Marcus had been my savior when I was a child. The younger me had loved him to death.

Because of that, every single argument in the past had ended with me bowing my head and apologizing.

I hated the silent treatment. After three days at most, I would always beg him to take me back.

He was so used to my desperate, spineless devotion.

But he didn't realize that love could be drained.

And when it finally hit the breaking point, it instantly reset to zero.

Marcus kept mouthing off, saying more demeaning things about me, but I didn't hear them.

Leaving the club lounge, I called my best friend, Harper, and we went to the biggest nightclub in New York.

I downed five shots of tequila in a row before Harper finally stopped me.

"Drowning your sorrows over a cheating prick like Marcus? Could you be any more pathetic?"

"I told you a long time ago, that man-whore isn't worth it. It’s good you broke up. Now I don't have to hold back when I ruin him!"

"It's just a man. Come on, pick one! They’re all clean, sweet-talking, and a hundred times better than that trash!"

She pulled up a row of photos on her phone, all filled with gorgeous male models with killer abs.

I had zero interest. I waved her off. "I drank too much. I need some fresh air."

My steps were unsteady. I only took a few paces before I slammed straight into a "wall."

His chest was so hard it made me see stars.

Annoyed, I snapped, "Don't you have any—"

The rest of the sentence died in my throat.

I stared at the man in front of me.

He was tall and lean, his narrow waist perfectly fitted in a tailored suit. His legs were impossibly long and straight, looking like a male lead stepped out of a webtoon.

The dim nightclub lights cast a sharp, defined shadow over his handsome features.

It was Julian Vance.

This club was owned by the Vance family, and he occasionally held business meetings here.

Julian caught me by the waist, his voice carrying a slow, teasing tone. "Drinking like this... did you break up?"

Everyone knew what happened between Marcus and Chloe.

To my ears, his words sounded like pure mockery.

A sudden fire ignited in my chest.

The alcohol, combined with Harper's words, rushed straight to my head.

I smirked, leaning in closer, deliberately trying to annoy him.

"Yeah, I did. Are you single, Mr. Vance? Want to come back to my place?"