Chapter 1

When I returned to the private room, Tiffany West was surrounded by people taking pictures of her. The pink diamond necklace rested against her collarbone like a teardrop cradled in someone's palm.

Someone started teasing, "Hunter, isn't this limited-edition piece a little too extravagant? Anyone who didn't know better would think Tiffany was the one you were proposing to tonight."

Tiffany immediately grew flustered. "Don't say that. Natalie will be upset."

The moment she spoke, every pair of eyes landed on me.

When my fiance, Hunter Sinclair, saw that I was back, he raised his eyebrows slightly. "Why are you standing by the door? Anyone who didn't know better would think someone had bullied you."

I looked at him and suddenly found it funny. I was the one who had been hurt, yet even my silence made it seem like I was making a scene.

So, I didn't move.

A slight frown formed between Hunter's eyebrows.

Gabriel Unwin was the first to stand and walk over to me. His features were gentle, and he always looked as though he were smiling whenever he looked at someone.

Before I turned 18, I had always believed Gabriel was the last person in this world who would ever make me feel humiliated.

But now, he leaned down to look at me and spoke in a low voice. "Natalie, don't make things difficult for Hunter at a time like this."

I looked at him and asked, "Did I say anything?"

Gabriel paused.

Tiffany clutched the necklace as tears streamed down her face even faster. "Natalie, why don't I give the necklace back to you? I shouldn't have accepted it in the first place."

The moment her hand touched the necklace, Hunter spoke. "Keep it."

Then, he turned to me and stressed, "Whoever drew it got it."

I chuckled softly.

The private room fell silent for a moment, and Hunter's gaze grew colder.

Gabriel frowned and said, "Natalie, it was just a game. Did you really have to make an issue out of it?"

Then, he stepped in front of Tiffany. His voice remained gentle, but to me, it felt like a knife pressing against my throat.

"Tiff has always lacked a sense of security," he said. "She finally got to be happy for once. Can't you give in to her?"

It was that line again.

I couldn't help looking at Tiffany. She hid beside Hunter with tears shimmering at the corners of her eyes. But when she glanced at me, there was the ghost of a smug smile that was gone in the blink of an eye.

In the next second, Hunter stood up and walked over to me. He carried the cool scent of cedar.

I was the one who had picked out that cologne. I had said it suited him—cool and clean—but he had complained that it was too subtle. Later, after Tiffany said she liked it, he wore it for three years.

He raised a hand, intending to ruffle my hair like he always did. I turned my head and avoided him.

Someone in the private room gasped.

At this point, Hunter's expression darkened. Still, he said, "We're trying on wedding dresses tomorrow. I'll be there."

I looked up at him. "You remembered?"

He looked at me as though I had said something ridiculous. "When have I ever forgotten something I promised you?"

Just then, Tiffany gave a soft cough.

Hunter immediately turned and asked, "What's wrong?"

Tiffany shook her head. "It's nothing. My neck's just a little itchy. Maybe I'm just not used to wearing the necklace yet."

Hunter picked up the jacket from the couch and draped it over her shoulders.

Looking at my expression, Gabriel sighed. "Natalie, don't overthink it. Hunter's marrying you tomorrow. Tiff is just everyone's little sister."

I looked at him. "Would a little sister accept a pink diamond personally chosen by her future brother-in-law?"

The smile on Gabriel's face faded. "Do you have to put it that way?"

Hunter turned back to me, his voice low and cold. "Natalie, that's enough."

Suddenly, I didn't feel like saying another word. In this little game, I had been humiliated. Yet, I was still expected to smile and say, "My luck is really terrible."

When the gathering ended, Hunter took Tiffany to the hospital. A small patch of skin on her neck had turned red.

Gabriel stayed behind to take me home. When we reached the entrance, he took off his scarf and wrapped it around my neck.

"The wind is strong," he said. "Don't catch a cold."

I lowered my eyes to the scarf.

He was always like this. Just when I was about to lose all hope, he would offer me exactly the right amount of tenderness. Then, the very next moment, he would push me right back to where I had started.

Sure enough, after tying the scarf for me, he said, "Natalie, don't take what happened today to heart. You know what Hunter's like. He may be cold with his words, but you know his heart isn't.

"He'll go with you to try on wedding dresses tomorrow, and the day after that, he'll marry you. You've already won. Stop fighting Tiff over these little things."

I looked at him. "What did I win?"

Gabriel froze. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Even he couldn't answer that question.