Chapter 2
That night, Caroline had a long dream. She dreamed of the first time she met Aiden.
She was eighteen, accompanying her father to the Phillips Foundation gala.
Aiden stood by the piano in a crisp black suit with champagne glass in his long fingers, looking like he’d stepped out of a magazine.
She fell for him instantly.
Later that night, she worked up the nerve to stolen a kiss. He froze for a second, then chuckled.
“That’s not how you kiss, sweetheart.”
Then he’d cradled the back of her head and showed her what a real kiss felt like.
That kiss lasted forever–until she couldn’t breathe. Even now, remembering it felt like recalling a beautiful fantasy that never really happened.
When she woke up, her pillow was soaked with tears.
Morning light filtered through the curtains. After collecting herself, she picked up her phone and
called her dad David Flores.
“Daddy, I’m getting divorced,” her voice was hoarse. “Once it’s final, I’ll come stay with you.”
“Did that bastard Aiden hurt you?” David’s voice immediately rose.
“No,” Caroline stared at the brightening sky outside. “I just don’t love him anymore.”
The truth was Aiden never loved her.
And now, she wouldn’t love him either.
She kept those words to herself like swallowing broken glass, letting it tear her
up
inside.
After the call ended, a WeChat friend request popped up on her screen.
Something made Caroline accept it.
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Chapter 2
A second later, a video came through.
In the clip, Aiden was napping on a couch with his brow furrowed, murmuring a name: “Lis Lis…”
A long message followed:
“Hey, I’m Elise. Aiden’s first love. I honestly didn’t expect him to still care this much after all these years–especially now that he’s married. When I came back yesterday, I found the tattoo of my nickname still on his wrist. He kept all our old photos. His journals too. Look, he’s calling my name in
his sleep. He must be dreaming about our past–his unforgettable first love.”
Caroline stared at the message, her heart too numb to feel anything anymore.
She replied with just one question: “What do you want?”
It took Elise a while to reply.
“Nothing special. Just want to take back what’s mine. He’s about to wake up. Want to bet that if I tell him I had a nightmare, he’ll stay with me for the next five days without contacting you once?”
Caroline didn’t respond.
Ten minutes later, a message from Aiden appeared:
“Hey babe, I need to go on a last–minute business trip for five days. My assistant will be available if you need anything. Take care of yourself and our little one.”
Caroline stared at the screen and started laughing. As she laughed, tears splashed onto her phone.
For the next five days, Aiden went completely silent.
Elise kept sending messages instead.
Photos of Aiden walking with her on the beach, taking her to watch the sunset, driving her through
the countryside…
Elise texted: “These were our favorite spots when we dated.”
Caroline read every message and suddenly realized Aiden had taken her to all these same places.
She’d thought he was romantic. Now she understood–he was just revisiting, looking for Elise in her
shadow.
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Chapter 2
On the evening of the fifth day, Caroline started packing.
The jewelry, bags, clothes he’d given her… Everything connected to him went into boxes and into
storage.
When Aiden finally rushed home, he found their closet half–empty.
He stopped in his tracks. “Caroline, what are you doing?”
Caroline didn’t even look up. “Nothing. Just tossing some useless shit.”
Aiden didn’t think much of it. He smiled and handed her a gift–a limited–edition picture book
collection.
“You mentioned it once last month. Figured I’d surprise you.” He said, pulling her into his arms and placing his hand on her belly. “How’s the morning sickness? Still bad? We have that prenatal
appointment tomorrow. I’ll go with you.”
“Don’t bother,” Caroline pulled away. “You won’t need to anymore.”
Aiden finally sensed something wrong. “What do you mean? Are you feeling okay?”
The housekeeper chimed in. “Mrs. Kemnis barely ate anything these past few days.”
Aiden immediately loosened his tie. “I’ll make you dinner–all your favorites. Just eat a little, please.”
Before leaving, he instructed the staff. “Take good care of her. Make sure she doesn’t trip or bump into anything.
The housekeepers whispered admiringly. “Mr. Kemnis is so good to his wife… Older men know how
to treat women right.”
Caroline heard it all, a flash of bitter irony in her eyes.
she’d once believed she’d found the most perfect love in the world.
Now she understood it was just an elaborately staged game of substitution.
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Chapter 3
Chapter 3
