Chapter 1

I had planned to confess my feelings to Logan, my childhood best friend and the guy I’d been secretly in love with for six years.

Instead, a single phone call made him abandon me on the spot, turning me into the biggest laughingstock on campus.

Later, I found out the call was from his younger classmate, Serena.

Everyone could see Logan had a soft spot for her.

And yet, somehow, I became the "homewrecker" who was supposedly trying to come between them.

When I begged Logan to clear my name, all he gave me was a cold sneer: "Can you stop being so overly dramatic?"

In that exact second, my six-year crush died.

Yet, when another guy confessed his feelings to me later, Logan gripped my wrist until it bruised, begging through tears that he regretted everything.

"Hey, Logan, where are you?"

I held my phone to my ear, my voice sweet and giddy with anticipation.

A moment later, Logan's voice came through, warm and casually teasing.

"Almost there. Ten minutes. What’s up with you today, calling me over and over? What, did you set up a surprise for me?"

"You'll see when you get here."

I hung up quickly, terrified that if we kept talking, he'd guess I was about to confess my feelings.

Logan and I had known each other for six years, and I had loved him in silence for every single one of them.

We first met back in high school when his family moved in next door to mine.

I was chubby back then, constantly mocked by our peers, which left me drowning in insecurity.

The first time I saw Logan, I kept my head down, terrified he would laugh at me just like the rest of them.

But he didn't.

Not only did he never mock me, but he also stood up to the bullies and drove them away.

In that instant, Logan became the light that illuminated my entire youth.

For six years, I followed behind him, working tirelessly just to keep up with his pace.

Now, we were on the verge of graduating college. It was time.

Looking around at the fairy lights and flowers I had spent hours setting up, I could already picture the look on his face.

I knew this wasn't one-sided. Over the years, the way Logan treated me had crossed the line of mere friendship a long time ago.

That was why I was brave enough to plan this.

Fighting down the butterflies in my stomach, I waited eagerly for him to arrive.

Soon, a familiar figure appeared down the pathway.

I spotted Logan instantly and rushed over to meet him.

Logan smiled at me warmly, and I couldn't wait to drag him into the center of the setup.

He glanced at the decorations, and for a split second, hesitation flickered across his face. His posture stiffened.

I caught the shift immediately and asked with worry, "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

Logan forced a tight, awkward smile. "No... Mandy, what is all this?"

He gestured toward the romantic display around us, waiting for my answer.

Blushing, I lowered my gaze, inhaled deeply, and looked straight into his eyes. "Logan, we've known each other for six years. You've always taken such good care of me. I set this up today because I wanted to tell you... I like—"

*Ring! Ring!*

A piercing ringtone cut me off mid-sentence. It was Logan's phone.

He pulled it out, took one look at the screen, and answered immediately.

"Hey, Serena? What happened? Okay, I'm on my way. Wait for me."

The second he hung up, without even a glance at how lost and frozen I was, he turned to leave.

I reached out and grabbed the edge of his jacket. He turned back, looking guilty. "Uh, Mandy, I've got an emergency. Can we... talk about this later?"

With that, he yanked his jacket from my grip and hurried away.

I was left standing there completely alone, staring blankly in the direction he had vanished.

It took me a long time to come back to my senses. Looking at the setup I had poured my heart into, not a single piece of it had mattered.

Numbly, I began tearing it down. A sickening feeling twisted in my gut.

What kind of emergency was so urgent that he had to abandon me like this? And... who was Serena?