Chapter 1

At our college graduation party, we were playing Truth or Dare.

Three times, I got to pick who would answer. Each time, I picked my secret boyfriend.

The first time, I asked him: "Would you dare to move to the same city as me?"

The second time, I asked him: "Would you dare to do long-distance with me?"

The third time, I asked him: "Would you dare to go public with our relationship?"

All three times, he just chose to drink instead.

But when my best friend asked him, "Do you dare to kiss me?" he didn't reach for his drink.

He nodded as the room erupted in cheers.

I watched as they embraced and kissed right in front of everyone, surrounded by cheers and applause.

Gripping my glass, I gave a bitter smile.

If he wouldn't come to my city, then I had no reason to wait for him any longer.

After all, I had already landed an offer from the top firm in the industry.

I sent a message to the HR manager: "I can start in a week."

Truth was, I had received the offer two days ago. I just wanted to see if he would choose me in front of everyone, even just once.

While I was lost in thought, my best friend, Mia, drew a dare: "Kiss someone of the opposite sex in the room."

The crowd went wild. Everyone looked straight at Mia and Lucas, who were sitting next to each other.

Cheering and chanting echoed around us.

"Kiss! Just make it official already!"

"Come on! Don't be shy!"

Mia's ears instantly flushed red. While telling everyone to stop teasing, she looked over at Lucas.

"Lucas, are you down?"

My chest tightened as I sat in the corner.

I looked up, staring straight at Lucas, praying he would say no.

The next second, his arm wrapped around Mia's waist, pulling her in for a kiss.

They kissed like two people who were already in love.

As if that wasn't enough, Mia climbed straight onto his lap.

The room got even louder. "Get together!" everyone chanted.

Everyone was celebrating their romance, completely oblivious that Lucas's actual girlfriend was me.

We'd kept our relationship secret for four years. He'd never told anyone we were together.

In front of others, Mia was the girl who looked perfect by his side.

And I was just the invisible tagalong who shouldn't have been there.

A sharp cramp twisted through my stomach, and the room began to spin.

Stumbling to my feet, I slipped out of the private room in total humiliation.

Everyone was still cheering for the two of them.

Not a single soul looked my way.

I splashed cold water on my face in the restroom, forcing myself to calm down.

I didn't want to go back. Just as I turned to leave, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me into an empty corner of the hallway.

Before I could cry out, I saw Lucas.

His face was dark, his tone guarded and cold.

"You didn't do anything weird back there, did you?"

"Nobody noticed anything between us, right?"

I froze completely. He didn't ask why I had walked out.

He didn't ask if I was hurting.

All he cared about was whether our secret relationship would embarrass him.

"No. Nobody noticed me," I said, my voice hoarse.

"Good. I'm driving Mia home, so head back by yourself."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked straight back into the room filled with laughter.

I watched him walk away and gave a bitter little smile.

"Lucas," I called after him. "Let's break up."

His steps paused for a fraction of a second, but then he kept walking.

It wasn't until I got back to my apartment that his text finally came through.

"I ordered you a mango milk tea. Remember to pick it up. Don't throw another tantrum next time."

"It's embarrassing."

I'm allergic to mango. Mia is the one who loves it.

Without hesitation, I tossed the unopened drink straight into the trash.

My roommate, Megan, teased, "Chloe, who's the secret admirer this time?"

"Still doesn't compare to Lucas, your golden boy?"

She had seen my phone wallpaper before—it was a photo of Lucas.

"Forget it. He's nothing special," I replied, shaking my head as I switched the wallpaper back to default.

Scrolling through Instagram, I unexpectedly saw Mia's latest story.

It was packed with photos of her and Lucas—making finger hearts together, their cheeks pressed close.

I had asked Lucas about pictures like that before, but he brushed it off, saying it was just promotional material for the department.

I couldn't understand why a department promo needed photos of them with their cheeks pressed together.

Because I loved him, I swallowed my doubts.

Her newest post was a selfie.

She was wearing an oversized button-down shirt—the exact designer shirt I had saved up for months to buy Lucas as a gift.

The caption read: "Boyfriend shirts just hit different. Someone's shirt fits me like a glove."

Over four years in college, Lucas and I were in the same major, crossing paths thousands of times.

Yet not once was I ever allowed to stand next to him like Mia did.

Even in lecture halls, he deliberately sat far away from me.

I had asked him countless times to take our relationship public.

I even offered to switch tracks just to be with him openly.

He shut me down every single time with high-and-mighty excuses.

"Chloe, we need to keep our distance in public so people don't start rumors."

"Mia is our professor's niece. I need to look out for her."

The comment section was flooded with people shipping them.

I typed out a reply of my own:

"Wishing you two a lifetime of happiness."

Just as I locked my phone, my mom called.

"Sweetheart, have you decided? Are you moving to New York, or coming back home?"

Holding back my tears, my voice cracked.

"Mom... I want to come home."