Chapter 1

After my sister’s breakup, she ran off to a snowy mountain to end her life.

Julian, my fiancé, and I rushed into the freezing wilderness to find her.

Julian reached her first.

They survived a brutal blizzard huddled together inside a cramped snow cave.

From that moment on, Luna developed an obsessive savior complex toward Julian, falling hopelessly in love with him.

She clung to him relentlessly, threatening suicide multiple times. Julian used to look at her with pure disgust whenever her name came up.

"Serena, if she weren't your sister, I wouldn't care if she lived or died."

On our wedding day, Luna left a suicide note and vanished again.

The usually composed Julian panicked. He halted the ceremony on the spot and dragged me along to search for her.

Luna had been drugged by human traffickers. I managed to save her, but I was knocked unconscious and dragged away into the dark.

Three years later, when the police finally tracked me down, I was broken, traumatized, and barely human.

Julian hated her for it. Day and night, he forced her onto her knees beside my hospital bed, making her atone, spitting the most venomous words at her.

Yet the moment Luna stood on the window ledge, crying, "I'll trade my life for Serena's,"

Panic washed over his face. Trembling, he pulled her into his arms, desperately whispering her name over and over.

"Luna, you owe Serena and me a debt you can never repay in this lifetime. I haven't allowed you to die—who gave you permission?!"

They clung to each other right before my bed. Neither of them noticed that I had opened my eyes, a single silent tear slipping down my cheek.

When Julian saw me wake up, he shoved Luna away and rushed to my side.

"Serena? You're awake?"

Pale-faced, I managed a weak smile.

"Julian. Long time no see."

His eyes instantly reddened, and he wrapped me in a tight embrace.

"Serena, you've suffered so much these past three years. It's all my fault. I should have found you sooner."

I looked at Julian's profile.

Three years. He hadn't changed at all.

Except the luxury watch I once gave him was gone, replaced by a cheap red braided bracelet with a rabbit charm.

Luna was born in the year of the rabbit; it was her lucky charm.

Julian followed my gaze and opened his mouth to explain, but Luna stepped forward, looking aggrieved.

"Serena, I forced Julian to wear this red string. If you want to blame someone, blame me."

Julian glanced sideways at me.

"You think Serena is as petty as you? Luna, stop making these useless trinkets. The house is running out of room for your clutter."

He called it useless junk, yet he made no move to take it off.

Julian used to be an obsessive perfectionist who hated clutter, yet he tolerated Luna filling our home with her cheap little crafts.

I lowered my gaze.

So three years really were enough to rewrite a man's habits.

Seeing my silence, Julian poured me a glass of warm water and shot a look at Luna.

"Serena just woke up. Go buy some of that warm oatmeal she loves."

I closed my eyes.

"Julian, I'm allergic to oats."

Julian froze, hurriedly grabbing my hand.

"I'm sorry, Serena. You were gone for three years... I mixed it up."

"What do you want to eat?"

I casually said pancakes and black coffee, and Julian let out a sigh of relief.

Once the room was quiet and Luna left, Julian sat silently beside me.

I looked out the hospital window. Skyscraper cranes dominated the skyline where empty fields used to be.

Just like Julian, who used to share every fleeting thought with me, had now distributed all his passion, temper, and grief to another woman. Between us, only a suffocating silence remained.

Just as I was about to break the ice, Julian's phone rang.

After hanging up, he looked at me with an apologetic expression.

"Serena, you just woke up, and I should stay."

"But Luna says she got into a car accident. The other driver is aggressive, and she's terrified. I need to handle it right now."

"The discharge paperwork is done. I called an Uber for you. Go home first, okay?"

Memories of being shoved into a van three years ago flashed across my mind. Shivering violently, I tugged at Julian's sleeve.

"Julian... I'm scared."

He gently stroked my hair.

"Be good. You know how reckless your sister can be. If I get there late, God knows what trouble she'll cause."

"I'll be back tonight for dinner."

The door clicked shut. Watching his retreating back, my eyes stung.

I thought back to the interrupted wedding three years ago.

Once again, he had chosen Luna over me.

I returned to the house Julian and I had decorated together before our wedding.

I unlocked the door. Everything inside looked identical to three years ago. Even the desk calendar on the coffee table was frozen on the date of our wedding.

As if that tragedy had never happened.

I opened the fridge. It was completely empty.

Opening DoorDash, I ordered Julian's favorite steaks and seafood to cook a proper dinner.

I called Julian, asking when he would be back.

He kept saying "soon." But even after I reheated the food three times, he never showed up.

Silently, I scraped the meal I spent two hours making into the trash and went to take a shower.

Suddenly, violent pounding shook the front door.

Through the peephole, I saw a man with a jagged scar across his face—just like the man who had abducted me.

My knees gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor. Trembling, I pulled out my old phone and dialed the number etched into my memory.

"Julian, where are you?"

His voice on the other end was groggy, as if he had just woken from sleep.

"What? I'm home."

The banging on the door grew louder, along with muffled curses. Tears spilled down my cheeks.

"Which home, Julian?"