Chapter 1

I had been secretly married to my adoptive uncle, Julian Carter, for three years. We shared zero blood, but we shared a marriage certificate that no one else knew about.

At the Carter Foundation's annual charity gala, the family elders were busy trying to set me up on blind dates.

Julian stood in the center of the crowd, lazily swirling his red wine. He even smiled and chimed in:

"It's about time. You're not getting any younger, Maya."

"I'll personally pick a reliable guy for you."

In my past life, he had said the exact same words.

Back then, I had impulsively announced our marriage on the spot.

I became his legal wife in the eyes of the world, but that was when his cold shoulder began.

He even jetted off to Paris overnight to comfort his heartbroken first love, leaving me alone on the operating table.

It was only then that I realized.

I was never his choice. Chloe was the only one he ever wanted.

So this time, hearing those same words, I just smiled at him.

"Don't worry about it, Julian."

"I already have a boyfriend."

Watching his smile freeze, I added one more blow.

"And he already proposed."

My sudden announcement sent shockwaves through the dinner table. Everyone stared at me in disbelief.

I pulled out my phone and swiped to a photo.

"He's my boss."

"We've actually been together for five years."

The man in the photo wore a sharp, tailored dark suit, exuding an effortless elegance.

I was clinging tightly to his arm, laughing brightly.

I held the phone up high.

Julian saw it. The lazy smirk on his face vanished instantly.

He sat up straight, his playful demeanor completely replaced by a tense, icy expression.

"Maya, do you even know what you're saying?"

My mom, Sarah, was ecstatic.

Ever since I graduated, she had been nagging me to get married for five long years.

Before, I had always made excuses to reject blind dates because of Julian. Now that I was finally open to it, she couldn't be happier.

She turned to Julian, who was fifteen years younger than her, and teased him playfully.

"You and Chloe have been together for ages, Julian. You're thirty-five now. When are you finally going to put a ring on it?"

Chloe, completely wasted, slumped against Julian's shoulder like she had no bones.

Hearing this, she drunkenly raised her glass, whining for him to clink glasses with her.

The next second, right in front of all our relatives, she boldly leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

Julian smiled dotingly, wiping a drop of wine from her lip before pulling her snugly into his lap.

Everyone else acted like it was totally normal.

In their eyes, it was only a matter of time before Julian and Chloe got married.

My mom nudged my shoulder and whispered,

"Maya, want to bet on when Julian will finally marry Chloe?"

I replied casually,

"Probably next month. Just like me."

Our voices weren't loud, but they were loud enough for Julian to hear.

He locked eyes with me for a split second before guiltily looking away, unable to hold my gaze.

The hand resting on Chloe's shoulder slid off.

"Stop guessing. Chloe and I aren't getting married," Julian said.

But there was a deep regret in his voice.

The look he gave Chloe was filled with a desperate, suppressed longing he didn't even seem aware of.

I didn't throw a tantrum or demand an explanation like I used to.

Instead, I kept my head down, quietly cutting my steak.

Whenever we dined together, I was always the one who cut his steak into perfect, bite-sized pieces and slid the plate over to him before he would even touch it.

Now, under his intense gaze, I simply ate my own steak, piece by piece.

"Julian, are you hungry? Stop staring at her. I'll cook for you!"

Chloe giggled drunkenly, stumbling up to head toward the kitchen.