Chapter 1

For love, I crossed the Atlantic to be with Victoria Sterling.

But for five years, my green card applications were rejected over and over again.

Yet, Julian Vance—the foster brother who temporarily moved into our house—obtained his permanent residency in just three months.

Victoria had personally hired an elite immigration lawyer to rush his case.

Heartbroken and exhausted, I finally proposed returning to London.

Victoria panicked, throwing her arms around me, begging through her tears:

"Ethan, you’re my husband. Getting your green card is only a matter of time. But Julian is different. He has no one here. If he gets deported, he has nowhere to go."

"Please, just do this for me. Stay, okay?"

Once again, I let Victoria's tears soften my heart.

Until today, when I went to verify my paperwork at the immigration office. The officer frowned, looking at my profile in confusion:

"Sir, according to the system, Victoria Sterling’s legal spouse is... Julian Vance."

"Are you sure you didn't fill out the wrong form?"

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over my head.

As it turned out, in those five years, I hadn't just been waiting in vain for a green card. Even my title as her "husband" was nothing but a lie.

The officer looked at me, waiting for a response.

Thinking I hadn't heard her, she repeated:

"Sir, you might want to double-check this..."

I finally snapped back to reality, sliding the form back into my folder. I forced a polite smile:

"No need. Thank you."

For a few seconds, I stood frozen. My first instinct was to call Victoria and demand an explanation.

But the phone rang for a long time.

And when it finally connected, the voice on the other end belonged to Julian.

"Ethan, Victoria is in a meeting right now. Is there something you need? You can tell me, and I’ll pass it along. Though, unless it's about groceries, I doubt it's anything important."

"We're currently discussing a major corporate merger. You’re just a stay-at-home husband, Ethan. Don’t get in her way."

His petty, mocking words pierced through me, leaving me speechless.

Then, I faintly heard Victoria’s voice in the background:

"Who is it?"

Julian chuckled softly into the receiver:

"Oh, no one. Just... another spam call. Don't worry about it."

"Focus on the contract."

And then, the line went dead.

I stared at the screen as it faded to black, my heart sinking to the absolute bottom.

Actually, looking back, I shouldn't have been surprised.

Victoria and Julian grew up together. He was her first love.

I knew this when I first started dating her.

But back then, Victoria had held my hand, looking into my eyes with utter devotion:

"That’s all in the past, Ethan. You’re the one I love now."

And like a fool, I believed her.

Shortly after I moved to New York with Victoria, Julian followed under the pretext of a new job opportunity.

Victoria, worried about his safety in a big city, begged me:

"He's all alone. I won't feel at peace if he lives by himself."

So, Julian moved into our house. Just like that, he became a constant presence in our lives.

Later, he even became her personal assistant at her firm.

Anyone with eyes could see something was off.

But whenever I brought it up, Victoria would dismiss it with: "He's like a brother to me, Ethan. Stop overthinking." And I believed her.

I shut my eyes, blocked my ears, and kept loving her blindly.

Before I left London, my mother knew I was throwing my life away for Victoria.

She didn't stop me. She just gave me a tired, helpless smile:

"You're young, Ethan. I won't stop you, and I probably can't. But you'll understand eventually. The moment you start living on someone else's dime, you give them the power to ruin you. The day they stop giving, you're left with nothing."

"Those who believe too much in fairy-tale love never end up with a happy ending."

Back then, I was young and stubborn. I didn't believe her.

To me, love was worth more than life itself.

I didn't take a single penny from my family. With nothing but passion, I followed Victoria to a foreign country, navigating a completely unfamiliar city and language.

I spent five long years struggling to adapt.

And the moment I finally did, I turned around to find my lover had already betrayed me.

Only now did my mother’s words finally click.

With a heavy heart, I pulled out my phone and booked the earliest flight back to London.

Tonight.

Five years.

I didn't have another five years to waste on Victoria Sterling.

Just as the booking confirmation popped up, Victoria’s name flashed across the top of my screen.

She was calling back.