Chapter 1

I hadn't even gotten out of bed when Austin Colson suddenly threw some clothes at me. "Hurry up and get dressed! My girlfriend is coming over!"

I froze, confused. "Girlfriend?"

"Yeah, Emily Karson just accepted my confession!"

Seeing my stunned expression, he frowned and smirked. "Catherine Grayson, you're not seriously taking this childhood-friend thing seriously, are you? Who ends up with their childhood sweetheart? Isn't that disgusting?"

He added with a mocking smile, "You just haven't been with enough men. Maybe it's time for you to try something new."

We had lived together for a year. Except for an actual confession, we did everything a couple would do. Even our friends assumed we were together.

But now, he was telling me he had a girlfriend.

Later, as he wished, I went out and "tried something new."

And then he regretted it. He knelt before me, pleading, "Catherine, can't you just look at me and me alone?"

Austin had always had great stamina. It was late into the night before I finally drifted off to sleep.

Before falling asleep, he kissed me gently and whispered in my ear, "Tomorrow's your birthday. I've got a surprise for you."

I fell asleep with anticipation and happiness in my heart.

The next morning, I wasn't woken up by his kisses or a gift, but by the lingerie he threw at me with a thud.

"Catherine, get up! She's coming!"

I was startled and asked in confusion, "Who?"

"My girlfriend!"

He was wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants, and his broad back was covered with fresh scratch marks.

Seeing my bewildered expression, he laughed and held up his phone for me to see.

It was a screenshot of a confession text exchange between him and Emily Karson, sent just after I'd fallen asleep the night before.

The woman had replied with three simple words: "I'm willing."

I felt my scalp tingle instantly.

So, during our intimate moments, his mind had been full of another woman.

The woman was someone I knew—a girl he had chased relentlessly during university. Back then, Emily had gone abroad, and their relationship had fizzled out without resolution.

For years, he hadn't mentioned her, and I had thought he'd forgotten her.

My voice trembled. "She's your girlfriend now?"

Then what am I?

We had lived together for over a year.

In that time, we attended parties together, kissed under fireworks, and even took couple portraits at a photo booth.

Even our WhatsApp avatars were matching couple icons.

Our friends had always assumed we were a couple, often teasingly calling me "sis-in-law," and he had never denied it.

I always thought we were just one step away from breaking through that thin layer of ambiguity.

But now, he was telling me he had a girlfriend.

Austin was busy texting, his eyes brimming with happiness. His tone toward me was dismissive. "Hurry up, Catherine. Emily will be here soon. Don't let her get the wrong idea."

The late autumn indoor temperature was freezing.

Shivering, I pulled on my underwear and bra. Before I could put on my pants, Austin Colson yanked me off the bed.

Barefoot, I stood on the cold floor and watched as he, someone who never did housework, began changing the sheets.

"Catherine Grayson, pack up your things. Emily might move in, and she's so pure—don't let her see anything she shouldn't."

My face burned hot, a deep, unspeakable shame washing over me.

When he turned back and saw me standing motionless, as if realizing something, he scoffed.

"Catherine, don't tell me you thought we were in a relationship?"

My face turned pale.

Crossing his arms, his gaze filled with disdain, he added, "Come on, it's just a game between adults. Why are you taking it so seriously? Besides, who would ever end up with their childhood sweetheart? Isn't it disgusting?"

I opened my mouth, but my throat felt blocked—I couldn't make a sound.

Finally, I forced a smile. "Yeah, it's just a game."

Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, smiling. "You just haven't been with enough men. Sleep with a few more, and you'll get used to it."

It felt like a bucket of ice-cold water was dumped over my head. My fingertips hurt with numbness from the chill.

I numbly finished putting on my pants, and my gaze fell on the gift I had prepared on the table.

It was a pair of couple's rings. I had planned to confess to him today, on my birthday.

I walked over, intending to salvage the last shred of my dignity, but he got to it first.

"Perfect timing. Emily came back in a hurry, and I didn't have time to get her a gift."

Chapter 2

I froze on the spot.

He spoke indifferently. "Rings are meant to be worn by girlfriends anyway. And you're not my girlfriend."

So, he knew what was inside.

A cold, dull pain settled in my chest.

"Alright, I'll leave now," I said.

He hummed in response, covering the red marks on his neck in the mirror.

I pressed my lips tightly together, grabbed my phone, and dashed toward the door.

Just as I was about to leave, Austin called out to me.

"Oh, by the way, change the access code permissions. You won't be coming back here anyway."

At that moment, it felt like a hard slap across my face.

I wanted to ask if he really had to be this heartless.

But in the end, I said nothing and silently deleted my information.

As the notification of successful permission removal chimed, Austin's voice rang out as well.

"Don't bother contacting me anymore. I wouldn't want Emily to misunderstand."

I didn't respond and fled as if escaping.

The early autumn morning was bone-chilling. My coat was still in the wardrobe, and I was only wearing a thin jacket.

But the cold in my body couldn't compare to the frost in my heart.

Last night, during our entangled moments of passion, Austin Colson whispered a promise in my ear—that when the first snowfall came, we'd go to South Temple together to hang a love lock.

He knew better than I did what that love lock symbolized.

Yet, just one night later, he already had a girlfriend.

I waited year after year, but his confession never came.

And now, that first snowfall we'd dreamed of would never arrive.

Before I could dwell on my sorrow, my phone rang. It was Austin.

"Catherine, I got hit by a car."

I froze, hearing his pained groans through the receiver before he gave me an address and told me to come.

Clutching my phone, I stood in the freezing wind for ten whole minutes before finally hailing a taxi to the location he'd mentioned.

But when I pushed open the door to the private room, what I saw was Austin, perfectly unharmed, laughing as he peeled shrimp for another woman.

At that moment, I felt like a complete fool.

He had exploited my soft heart yet again, luring me here like a pawn in his game.

The room was filled with our mutual friends, all of whom looked awkward, avoiding my gaze.

The woman at the head of the table raised her eyes. She wore a white dress, stunning and proud, her gaze toward me filled with disdain.

"Austin, is this your childhood friend?"

Austin nodded and stood, walking over to me. In a low voice, he said, "Catherine, don't be angry. Emily wanted to meet you."

So just because she wanted to meet me, I had to brave the freezing wind and snow to rush over here.

He didn't even notice I was only wearing a thin jacket, my face pale from the cold.

My nose stung, and it felt like a knife was slicing through my chest, one cut after another.

Emily Karson gave me a perfunctory smile. "Catherine, thank you for taking care of my boyfriend over the past year, but I hope you can keep your distance from now on. After all, I've seen too many manipulative women using the childhood-friend excuse to steal other people's men."

I furrowed my brows and was about to speak.

But Austin hurried to prove his loyalty.

"Emily, I promise you, we're really just friends!"

"You've never seen her as a kid—she was as dark as a monkey, and we've even seen each other naked as kids. How could I possibly feel anything for her?"

"Besides, if I liked her, I would've confessed ages ago. Why would I wait until now?"

Emily seemed a bit more satisfied. "I trust you, but I don't trust her. Women like her, who casually sleep around, who knows what she's capable of?"

Her eyes lit up as if she had an idea. With a sly smile, she turned to Austin.

"Austin, if you really don't love her, there are so many good men here. Why don't you introduce one to her?"

I was stunned, both shocked and disbelieving.

Slowly, I turned my gaze to Austin.

He didn't dare meet my eyes and awkwardly rubbed his nose.

With a glimmer of hope, I looked at him. "Austin, is that really what you think of me?"

Chapter 3

Austin glanced at me briefly, then quickly looked at Emily and mumbled, "I'm sorry."

The next moment, a strong force shoved me into Jason's arms.

I stumbled, barely managing to stay upright thanks to Jason catching me in time.

In the commotion, my jacket slipped to the ground. The collar fell open, exposing the marks on my chest to everyone in the room.

Emily Karson's face darkened as she sneered, "Truly someone who's for everyone to take."

I hastily pulled my clothes tighter, my gaze landing on Austin Colson.

His brows furrowed, as if silently questioning why I hadn't dressed properly and was now making Emily upset.

These were all our friends. Being with him was impossible, but the blatant humiliation in front of everyone made me feel like I had fallen into an icy abyss.

It was as though something inside me shattered completely with that single push.

I stood up, humiliated, amidst the sympathetic or mocking gazes of those around me. I grabbed a glass of wine from the table, tears brimming in my eyes, and flung it straight at Austin's face.

The wine drenched him, and he stood there, stunned, staring at me as if in disbelief.

I glared coldly at Emily. "Hold on to your trash and enjoy your life together!"

With that, I turned and strode out of the room.

The moment the door shut behind me, the tears I had been holding back finally streamed down my face.

Footsteps followed quickly behind me, and a large hand grabbed my arm.

I hadn't expected Austin to chase after me.

I struggled wildly, shaking off his hand and screaming at him to leave me alone.

How could he treat me like this? Was it because I loved him?

He held onto me as tears streaked down my face, his voice hesitant.

"Why are you crying? Don't tell me… you actually love me?"

I looked at his troubled expression, forcing down the pain in my heart.

With a bitter laugh, I said, "Don't worry, I'm not that foolish!"

He seemed relieved, letting out a small sigh.

"Catherine, about the ring—you engraved names on it, why didn't you tell me? Emily misunderstood. Come with me and apologize to her. Let's just forget about everything that happened today."

I looked at him, and suddenly, he felt so unfamiliar to me.

Where had the boy gone who used to protect me, who always stood in front of me no matter what?

I laughed through my tears, then raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face. Without a second thought, I turned and ran.

I didn't go home immediately, fearing my parents would notice something was wrong. Instead, I stayed at Lexi's place for the night.

Lexi was a mutual friend of mine and Austin's—a witness to what I once thought was love.

She used to say that I made her believe in love because of Austin and me.

Childhood sweethearts, growing up together over ten years, finally ending up together.

For the past year of living together, Austin and I had been the "perfect couple" in the eyes of our friends. Though Austin always smiled and said nothing, never once acknowledging our relationship.

But to everyone, I was always referred to as "Mrs. Colson."

Austin celebrated every important holiday with me. We went to concerts together, took photo booth pictures, watched movies, strolled through the streets, and shared the same cup of milk tea.

I had lost count of the times I put our birthdays together online to calculate the best wedding date.

I had even secretly saved countless baby photos, dreaming of the day we could have a healthy, adorable child together.

But......

It turned out that all of this was just my delusion.

After hearing my recount, Lexi was so furious she wanted to blow up in our shared group chat.

But when she opened it, she discovered the group owner had been changed—to Emily Karson.

The group's original name, "Friends Forever," had been changed to "Austin LOVE Emily."

Austin was in the chat sending out red envelopes, asking everyone to add Emily as a contact.

He emphasized, "She's your real sister-in-law now, don't forget to update her name in your notes."

Lexi searched around and realized I had been kicked out of the group.

Outraged, she exclaimed, "You were the one who created that group! Austin is going too far!"

I checked my phone and, sure enough, saw a message from Emily, sent using Austin's account:

"Catherine, I removed you from the group. Please don't message my boyfriend again."

I let out a bitter laugh and, as she wished, deleted Austin from my contacts.

Life had to go on. After taking a day to rest, I returned home.