Chapter 1

After quietly being in love with Mason for six years, I decided it was time to tell him.

Holding the necklace he had pointed out in a shop window three months ago, I invited him over to my place, fully prepared to confess.

Halfway through, Mason abandoned me because of a phone call, turning me into an absolute laughingstock in front of everyone.

Later, I found out the call was from his younger classmate.

Everyone could see Mason had a thing for this sophomore,

and somehow, I became labeled as the homewrecker.

The next day, I cornered him. "You left me standing all alone in front of everyone."

He blinked. "Could you stop being so dramatic?"

In that exact second, my six-year crush was completely over.

That night, I deleted his number and cut him out of my life for good.

Yet when another guy confessed his feelings to me later, Mason gripped my wrist so tightly, begging and saying he regretted everything.

"Hey, Mason, when are you getting here?"

Clutching my phone, I asked in a playful, teasing tone, waiting for his response.

A moment later, Mason's slightly indulgent voice came through the speaker.

"Almost there. Ten minutes. What's gotten into you today? You've rushed me over and over. What, got a surprise for me?"

"You'll see when you get here."

I hung up right after saying that, terrified that if I stayed on the line any longer, he'd guess I was about to confess my feelings.

I had known Mason for six years, and I had been hopelessly in love with him for just as long.

I first met Mason back in high school when his family moved in next door to mine.

Back then, I was chubby and constantly mocked by our peers, which left me deeply insecure.

The first time I saw Mason, I instinctively hung my head, terrified he would laugh at me just like the rest of them.

But he didn't.

Not only did he not make fun of me, he actually chased off the bullies who were giving me a hard time.

In that instant, Mason became a beam of light that illuminated my entire youth.

For six years, I stayed right behind him, running as fast as I could just to keep pace with his footsteps.

Now, we were about to graduate from college, so I finally worked up the courage to tell him how I felt.

Looking around at the venue I had meticulously decorated, I could already picture his reaction.

I truly believed this wasn't just unrequited love. Over all these years, the way Mason treated me had long crossed the line of ordinary friendship.

That was the only reason I felt brave enough to plan this grand confession.

Suppressing my racing heartbeat, I waited for Mason's arrival with eyes full of anticipation.

Soon, a familiar silhouette appeared not far away.

I recognized Mason instantly and sprinted over to him.

Mason looked at me with a warm smile, and I couldn't wait to pull him straight to the center of the setup.

He glanced at the surrounding decorations, and a flicker of hesitation crossed his face.

Noticing his strange expression, I instinctively asked with concern,

"What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

Mason forced a strained smile and shook his head. "No, Mandy, what is all this...?"

He pointed toward the decorations around us, waiting for my answer.

Blushing, I lowered my head, took a deep breath, and boldly looked into his eyes.

"Mason, we've known each other for six years, and you've always taken such good care of me. I set this place up today because I wanted to tell you... I li—"

"Ring ring ring!"

A piercing ringtone cut me off mid-sentence. It was Mason's phone.

Mason pulled out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and answered immediately.

"Hello, Natalie? What happened? Okay, I'm heading over right now. Just wait for me."

The moment he hung up, without sparing a single glance for the completely lost and bewildered me, he turned and rushed off.

I reached out and grabbed the hem of his jacket. He looked back, guilt flickering in his eyes as he stammered,

"Look, Mandy, something urgent came up. We'll... talk later, okay?"

With that, he yanked his jacket from my grip and strode away.

I was left standing there alone, staring blankly in the direction he had disappeared.

It took a long time for me to snap out of it. Staring at everything I had poured my heart into preparing, not a single piece of it had mattered.

Feeling utterly hollow, I began packing up the decorations, a gnawing discomfort twisting in my gut.

Just what kind of emergency could have made Mason so frantic? And... this "Natalie" he mentioned, who on earth was she?