Chapter 1

The comments scrolled wildly across my vision.

[Huge plot twist. She actually rejected the proposal?]

[Don't tell me she found the diary the male lead hid in the cabinet?]

[You call that a diary? That's a love letter to the heroine!]

It seemed every answer was in that diary.

Back at the Lucchese estate, I all but ran into the study and found the diary.

What was written inside turned me cold all over.

So Viviana was the woman Victor had wanted and never had.

She was the daughter of the Greco Family's Don.

Every page poured out Victor's love for Viviana.

So he had taken her to the safe house he had promised to share with no one but me.

So, to help her win the fight to become the Greco heir, he had been willing to sacrifice his own Family's interests and hand over his most important asset, the South American route.

So even the favor he swore belonged to me alone had never been mine.

The diary laid bare the truth and tore open a bloody wound.

I couldn't read any more. Slowly, I closed it.

It felt like a piece had been carved out of my chest, the pain so sharp I could barely breathe.

Only when a drop of blood fell on the cover did I realize I had long since bitten through my lip.

The comments drifted past again.

[The male lead has no choice. The villainess is gonna hurt the heroine down the line.]

[Hahaha, he has been acting for three years and the villainess never caught on.]

I bolted out of the Lucchese estate like I was fleeing for my life.

I wandered the streets aimlessly. I don't know how long I walked before, utterly spent, I finally found a bench and sat down.

It began to rain.

The rain wrapped around all of New York like strips of gray bandage.

I didn't take cover.

I don't know how much time passed before the rain above me suddenly stopped.

I slowly looked up.

Victor stood in front of me holding an umbrella, his white shirt soaked through, water dripping from the loose strands of hair on his forehead.

His breathing was ragged, like he had run the whole way to find me.

Seeing me safe and sound, his tensed shoulders finally eased, but his voice was still thick with the fear of what might have happened.

"I finally found you. Do you have any idea how long I've been looking?"

I stared blankly at Victor.

His acting was so flawless I couldn't spot a single crack in it.

He crouched in front of me and lifted a hand to wipe the rain from my face.

I flinched away on instinct.

Victor froze, then reached out anyway, his stiff hand brushing my cheek and my forehead.

"Are you sick? Running a fever, out of it? Whatever it is, come home with me first."

He pushed the umbrella into my hands and swept me up into his arms.

That familiar cold, crisp cologne filled my nose.

I curled up against his chest and let everything between us churn through my mind.

But the more I thought, the more it hurt.

Back at the estate, he set me down on the couch with great care and took a big towel to dry my hair.

I bit down on my lower lip and tugged at the hem of his shirt.

"Victor, did you ever love me?"

The diary had spelled it out clearly: the system wouldn't allow Victor to marry Viviana.

And the only reason Victor kept me around was to keep an eye on me.

He was afraid I would hurt Viviana.

But I really wanted to know whether, in these ten years, he had ever loved me.

Even for a single fleeting moment.

Victor's hands stilled, his knuckles tightening for just an instant.

The next second, he gave a faint smile. "You're the one who turned down the proposal today, aren't you? Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

He hadn't answered me directly.

Pain shot through me, sharp and sudden.

[LMAO. The villainess is still dreaming.]

[Sure, the male lead is a prince, but the villainess is no Cinderella.]

Right. It was all a dream, and it was time to wake up.

I let go of his shirt and forced out a smile.

"Thank you for saving me back then. I hope you'll be happy."

Victor winked at me, his smile beautiful. "As long as you're by my side, I'll be happy."

"Victor, are you hiding something from me?"

Victor's body gave a small tremor, and he lowered his eyes.

"No." He worked to force a smile. "How could I ever bear to lie to you? I'll have someone draw you a bath."

Watching Victor's retreating back, my eyes stung.

He had deceived me for ten years, and yet I couldn't bring myself to hate him.

He didn't love me, but he had truly been good to me.