I had an eight-year secret relationship with my best friend’s brother.

In public,Ethan treated me like a strictly professional secretary;in private,he spoiled me to the core,whispering sweet words of love as we shared countless nights together.

One day,I accidentally discovered that he had purchased a unique proposal ring.It was a ring that could only be customized once in a lifetime.

Filled with joy,I followed him to the meticulously arranged venue,only to see Ethan kneeling on one knee before a woman who bore a striking resemblance to me.

Tears streamed down his face as he vowed that she was the only one he would marry in this lifetime.

After his proposal was accepted,a few of Ethan's friends congratulated him while teasing him,"Finally,your true'lover’has returned.So,when do you plan to let that stand-in golden canary at home go?"one of Ethan's friends teased.

Ethan exhaled a smoke ring,his gaze dark and unreadable."That poor girl loves me to death.She can't live without me.Let's take it slow and deal with it later."

I covered my mouth tightly to stifle my sobs and turned to send a message home.[Mom,I agree to go through with the arranged marriage.]

By coincidence,the day Ethan held his wedding happened to be the same auspicious day I chose to register my marriage.

When he saw the photo I posted announcing my marriage,his face turned pale in an instant.

——

After finishing the call with my mother to confirm the arranged marriage,I immediately booked a plane ticket.

Forcing myself not to dwell on what I had just witnessed,I returned home and started packing my belongings as quickly as possible.

When I went to the living room to grab something,Ethan came back.

He reached out and hugged me,his face lit with an unprecedented joy.

"Kate,I love you so much.Let’s be together forever,okay?"he said.

He leaned in,trying to kiss me,the overpowering scent of gardenia perfume clinging to him.

Ethan used to always give me a gardenia-scented perfume.No matter how many times I told him I preferred jasmine,he never stopped giving me the same one.

There were a few times I forgot to wear it and he threw a huge tantrum over it.

Now I finally understood:the one who loved that perfume—and the one Ethan truly loved—had always been another woman.From the very beginning,he was only trying to recreate a replacement.

A wave of nausea surged within me and I dodged Ethan’s approach.

He suddenly pinned me against the door.

"Ethan!Let me go!"I shouted.

A flash of surprise crossed his eyes.I had never acted like this toward him before.Just as Ethan was about to speak,the doorbell suddenly rang.

I opened the door and a woman rushed in,hugging Ethan and quickly planting a kiss on his cheek.

When she saw me,her smile was so bright that it almost hurt.

"So,you must be the one who’s been by Ethan’s side for eight years,Miss Kathleen Johnson?Hello!My name is Catherine White and I’m Ethan’s fiancée.Thank you so much for taking care of him all these years!"

The strong scent of gardenia filled my nose with every movement she made and it was exactly the same as the perfume on Ethan just now.

I didn’t move,only looked at Ethan.

He paused for a moment,then quickly avoided my gaze and nodded."Yes,she’s the secretary I mentioned to you.This girl doesn’t earn much,so I let her stay in the guest room here.It’s convenient for her to help me with some miscellaneous tasks."

Catherine waved her hand dismissively."Ethan,why are you explaining it to me again?I’m not some petty woman who can't tell between work and personal matters.And besides,since Miss Johnson and I look so much alike,it’s only natural that having her around feels more familiar and comforting for you.Speaking of which,I should thank Miss Johnson!"

She added,"By the way,since Miss Johnson is familiar with the layout here,could you please move my luggage into Ethan’s room?We’re getting married soon,so it’s about time we start living together!"

Chapter 2

Catherine excitedly ordered me around and Ethan didn’t show the slightest sign of opposition.

I thought back to the many times I had begged to move into the master bedroom,only to have Ethan refuse,citing that couples need their own space.

It was only when the mood struck him that he would allow me to stay in the master bedroom.

If I accidentally left something behind,he would put on a cold face and remind me to be more mindful of boundaries.

I used to think this was just the naturally self-disciplined and reserved side of Ethan’s personality.

In the end,I realized it was because,in his heart,I was never the one to hold the position of the mistress.

Ethan suddenly pointed at his phone.I lowered my head to take a look and saw the message he had sent in the chat box.

[Baby,my marriage with Catherine is just in name only,a facade for the sake of the group's collaboration.Don't misunderstand.]

I couldn’t help but laugh.Ethan still thought he could fool me like a three-year-old.

It was fine.If he said his marriage was fake,then let it be fake.

As long as what I had was real,that was all that mattered.

I was about to head back to the guest room to finish packing my luggage when I saw Catherine take the lead and walk toward the guest room.

Her face carried a meaningful smile as if everything was part of a plan.

“Miss Johnson,Ethan has been clinging to me tightly.It will be inconvenient for you to stay here any longer.You should hurry up and pack your things and find another place to stay..."

She paused and seemed surprised."Miss Johnson,you've already packed half of it?And your style of dressing is so similar to mine!We must be really destined to meet!"

A cold feeling spread through my heart uncontrollably.

Ethan's favorite thing to do was buy me clothes and jewelry.

In the past,I thought it was proof of his love and affection for me when he bought me clothes and jewelry.But now,looking at all these outfits and accessories that didn’t match my style at all,each one looked perfect on Catherine,as if it was made for her.

It almost felt like I’d been occupying a place that wasn’t mine.

I didn’t want to ask any more questions,but Ethan grabbed my hand with a stern face,his tone anxious."Why are you packing your things out of nowhere?Answer me!"

I turned my face away,not wanting to respond.Just then,I saw Catherine reach out to take my music box.

"Don't touch it!"

With a loud crash,the music box fell heavily to the floor,its lid and small parts scattering everywhere,shards scattered across the ground.

"Ah...I'm sorry,Miss Johnson,I didn't mean to…Ethan,my hand...it hurts so much..."Catherine cried,clutching the scratches on her palm.

Ethan rushed over to check her injury.The next moment,he darkened his face and stomped on the shattered remnants of the music box with his foot.

He glared at me viciously."Is it just a broken ornament?Kathleen,do you really need to scare people on purpose?Throw all this junk away and don’t let me see it in the house again!"

After saying this,Ethan stomped on the shards under his foot one last time before picking up Catherine and leaving without looking back.

Tears fell onto the broken pieces of the music box and the shards pierced my fingers,but I couldn’t feel any pain at all.

When I was sixteen,my parents were going through a divorce.

Not knowing what to do,I ran to my best friend Sophia's house.I didn’t find her,but I bumped into her brother,Ethan,who had just finished playing basketball with his friends.

"Kid,you're Sophia’s friend,right?Why are you crying?Come on,talk to me.”

With red eyes,I tried to leave,but Ethan grabbed my arm and frowned,sending away the friends who wanted to continue playing games with him.

He told me to wait patiently and then,in the pouring rain,ran off by himself to buy the best desserts and cakes in the city.He piled them all in front of me.

He gently rubbed my head to comfort me,then mysteriously took out a music box from behind,with the little hero and princess figurines slowly spinning around.

"Kid,don’t be afraid."

Chapter 3

“No matter how others treat you in the future,I,your unofficial brother,will always protect you.Let this music box be the proof.”

A young boy’s way of offering comfort was always so pure and straightforward,yet in that moment,it completely won over my helpless heart.

From that day until now,I’d loved Ethan for ten whole years.

I still remembered the promises he had made,but the one who swore those promises had long since forgotten them.

Holding the shattered remains in my hands,I gave them one last look before tossing them into the trash.

If that's the case,I didn't want both the promises and Ethan anymore.Never again.

By the time the next morning came,Ethan still hadn’t returned.

After shipping my luggage back home,I went to the office to print my resignation letter,ready to hand it to Ethan personally.

On the way,a message from him popped up:

[Baby,I went too far with my words yesterday.I ended up staying at the office to work and fell asleep there.I just woke up and I'll head back soon.]

I lifted my gaze to the empty office in front of me and placed the resignation letter on Ethan's desk.

I didn’t reply to his message.Instead,I exited the chat and removed him from my pinned conversations.

A red notification dot appeared in my contact list.It was Catherine sending me a friend request.

I hesitated briefly before accepting and immediately,a message popped up in the chat:

[Ethan,it's all because of your behavior last night.Mom is now asking me why there are red marks on my neck!You have to accompany me to the Alps to see the snow to make it up to me.]

The message was followed by several shy emojis.

At exactly the two-minute mark,Catherine deleted the message.

[Ah,I’m so sorry,Miss Johnson…I sent that to the wrong person…You didn’t see anything,did you?]

A pang of bitterness surged in my heart.I had no interest in playing along with her charade,but my fingers instinctively tapped into her social media feed.

One post after another unfolded before me,like a film reel playing out in front of my eyes.

It turned out that Catherine had been back for an entire month.

During this month,Ethan had been sneaking around,taking her to various places to enjoy themselves.

Looking back at the dates,I realized these trips were all during the times Ethan claimed he didn’t want me to be overwhelmed with work and deliberately assigned tasks to other employees.

Celestria Spire,Mount Kaelen,Seraphis Valley,they were all places I had once begged Ethan to visit with me.

He would always hold me in his arms,coaxing me with sweet words.“Alright,alright,once work isn’t so hectic,I’ll take you there.”

I waited for eight years and never saw him find the time.But when Catherine had only been back for a month,he suddenly was no longer busy.

At every destination,Ethan happily posed for countless photos with Catherine.Yet,during all the years I was with him,I was never allowed to point my camera at him.

He would say,"If my sister finds out I took her best friend,the kid will probably kill me."

Or he’d say,"Baby,you're my secretary,after all.Office romances bring too much gossip and I don’t want you to get hurt."

But when one truly loved someone,how could it be hidden?

I was too naïve.Ethan had been evasive about our relationship for eight years.I should have realized long ago that he never loved me.

Just as I was about to close the app,a new photo from Catherine’s profile popped up.

It was a live photo and when I opened it,a familiar"Kate"echoed in my ears.

I had heard Ethan whisper it countless times in my ear with a voice."Kate,"

It turned out that the name he had always called was never mine.

Chapter 4

Tears finally streamed uncontrollably down my face,landing precisely on the caption beneath Catherine's post.

"The beautiful memories of last night.He said,a fake is just a fake,it can never compare to me,the original treasure."

I wiped away my tears and absentmindedly tapped"like"on the post.

Turning away,I left the company and ran into my best friend,Sophia,who was there on business.Without hesitation,I told her the news that I was about to go back and get married.

Over the years,because of Ethan's request to keep our relationship a secret,every time I talked to Sophia about matters of the heart,I would deliberately change the subject.But now that I was leaving,I felt it was only right to tell her and say a proper goodbye.

Sophia's face was filled with shock."Is it really happening so suddenly?Does that mean we won't be able to see each other again for a long time?"

I helplessly nodded,but before I could say anything,she pouted and grabbed my arm."Kate,you always said you were too busy with work and I never had a chance to get my mom to meet you,my best friend.Now that you're leaving,there's no way you can back out today!So,you must come with me,no matter what!"

And just like that,I found myself being dragged by Sophia to attend the family dinner her family was hosting that evening.

I had always avoided Sophia's invitations because Ethan had told me that he would wait until the day he officially revealed our relationship before bringing me to meet his mother.

After all these years together,I never got to experience that moment where he would introduce me to his family.

To my surprise,now that I was about to leave,I finally had the chance.

After finishing my styling,Sophia and I arrived at the Clark Family residence,only to find that the family dinner was already halfway through.

Ethan stood next to his parents,with Catherine by his side.Various socialites and influential figures came forward to offer their blessings for their engagement.

It turned out that tonight's family dinner was organized to officially announce their engagement.

It seemed Ethan couldn't wait to announce to the whole world that he was marrying Catherine.

I instinctively wanted to leave,but Sophia had already grabbed my arm and was pulling me toward them.

“Dad!Mom!I brought my dear best friend to meet you!”

When Ethan saw me,his expression froze for a moment and he slightly loosened his hold on Catherine.

As soon as his mother saw me,her face brightened with joy."I've heard my daughter talk so much about you,how you're an ambitious and kind-hearted friend.Now that I see you in person,you really are as beautiful and familiar as she described!"

I awkwardly shook my head.

Seeing his mother treat me with such closeness and affection made my heart ache with an indescribable sense of desolation.

We could have almost become a pair of well-matched mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

"By the way,Miss Johnson,I heard from Sophia that you’ve been busy with work all these years and haven’t had time to date.Today,we have many good young men at our family dinner.Would you like me to help introduce you to someone?"

Before I had a chance to decline,Ethan let out a cold laugh."She doesn't need it."

Of course,I didn't need it anymore—after all,I was about to go back for a marriage alliance.

Sophia,standing beside me,quickly added,"Mom,Kate really doesn't need it. My dear best friend is about to get married in Brightvale.I don’t even know how many times a year we’ll get to see each other from now on..."

When Ethan heard this,the smug expression on his face froze and his gaze became dark and unreadable as he fixed it on me.

I went to the restroom for a moment and when I returned to the banquet hall,Ethan caught me in the corner and pulled me into his arms.

With a lazy movement,he lowered his head,his voice tinged with reproach as it echoed in my ear.

"Baby,don't make up stories about marrying someone else in the future.I’ll get jealous if I hear it."

I looked at him,a strange feeling bubbling up inside me and I couldn't help but find it a little amusing.

Chapter 5

I looked up at him,my lips curling into a wry smile."But aren't you the one who’s about to marry someone else?"

Ethan furrowed his brow."Stop joking around,you know this is all for the company."

After a pause,his tone softened,attempting to coax me."Alright,baby,you’ve always been the understanding one,right?After the banquet ends,go pack your things and I’ll take you to the new apartment.After all,Catherine is officially engaged to me.It wouldn't be appropriate for you to stay at the house anymore."

Because I was understanding,I obediently maintained a secret relationship with Ethan for eight years,one that no one knew about.Now,was he planning to treat me as a mistress who would never see the light of day?

Just as I was about to reply that it wasn’t necessary,the sound of Catherine's crying suddenly came from the banquet hall and Ethan immediately let go of me and rushed over.

"What's wrong,Catherine?"

Catherine extended her left hand,pointing to her empty ring finger,crying uncontrollably.

"Ethan,the engagement ring you gave me is missing.It's the one that can only be custom-made once in a lifetime!I swear it was still there before I went to the bathroom."

Catherine saw me and immediately came over,crying as she grabbed my arm."Miss Johnson,I was the only one in the bathroom with you earlier...I know you've been Ethan's secretary for many years and it's natural to have possessiveness over your boss,but that ring is really important to me.If you took it,please,I'm begging you,give it back!"

Catherine’s actions immediately made everyone believe I was the culprit who had stolen the ring.

"I knew all those female secretaries were no good!She deliberately tries to make herself look like Miss Wen,but no matter what she does,she'll always be beneath her.Does she really think she can use underhanded tactics to take her place?"

"Exactly!And she even had the nerve to steal the engagement ring!A lowly woman like her should be forever banished from our circle!"

Various harsh and mocking words were thrown at me.

I instinctively looked at Ethan,but all I saw was his face darkening as he shouted at me,"Take it out!"

Even though I knew he didn’t love me,I couldn’t believe that in his heart,he truly thought I was capable of doing something like this.

"I’ve never even seen the ring!How could I have taken it?"I gritted my teeth,desperately holding back the tears.

I couldn’t cry here.If I cried,it would mean I had truly lost.

Ethan shook his head,his eyes filled with disappointment."You're still lying?If you're not going to return it,I'll have to search you myself."

With that,he called over a few housekeepers and ordered them to search me on the spot.

Sophia rushed over."Don't treat Kate like this!I've known her for so many years,she could never be the kind of person to do something like this!"

Her mother also anxiously tried to intervene,"Yes,Ethan,I don't think Miss Johnson looks like someone who would do such a thing.Could there have been some misunderstanding?"

Ethan sneered,"There’s no misunderstanding!Catherine has always been kind-hearted.She’s not the type to falsely accuse someone.If it wasn't her,why would Catherine suddenly suspect her without reason?"

My heart felt like it had turned to ash.

Even his mother,who had just met me for the first time,was willing to believe in my character and speak up for me.

But Ethan had known me for ten years and we had been in a relationship for a full eight years.Yet,with just one baseless accusation from Catherine,he completely disregarded the years we had spent together and instantly condemned me to the shame of being a person with a tarnished reputation.

The difference between being loved and not loved truly was the hardest chasm to cross in this world.

Chapter 6

I was held by several servants and could only close my eyes in despair and let them grope me roughly.

In the tense atmosphere,after being thoroughly searched and feeling utterly hopeless,I was on the verge of breaking down.

Only when they had finished searching did Catherine speak up again,her voice filled with a false sense of surprise.

She reached into her handbag and pulled out the engagement ring."Oh,my,I was so careless.I must have forgotten to put it in my bag before I washed my hands,"she said with a dramatic sigh.

Then,turning to me,she added with a forced smile,"Miss Johnson,I'm so sorry...It seems I misunderstood you.Please accept my apologies."

Catherine said her apology,but the next second,she covered her face and ran out,crying.

Ethan only glanced at me,said nothing and immediately followed Catherine,rushing out to comfort her.

I was completely drained,both physically and mentally.I refused the apologies offered by his parents on Ethan’s behalf,left their house and took a taxi straight to the airport.

I sat in the airport,waiting for my rebooked flight.During the wait,Ethan sent me a message:

[You shouldn’t have let Catherine lose face like that in front of everyone.She’s your superior now,so remember to apologize to her later.]

The announcement over the airport speakers signaled that it was time to board the flight.

No one knew about our secret relationship,so there was nothing to even call a breakup.

I replied with a simple"Okay,"as a final goodbye to Ethan.

Then I exited the chat and blocked all his contact information.Without looking back,I boarded the flight to Brightvale.

***

A few days later,Ethan arrived on the day of his wedding with Catherine.

Yet,in the wedding hall,he smoked one cigarette after another.

When a friend asked,he frowned slightly,a look of pain in his eyes."My little girl hasn’t made a sound these past few days.With such a grand wedding today,I’m sure she’s somewhere crying."

One of his friends,startled by his words,pulled out his phone and handed it to Ethan.

"You don’t know yet?This morning,the richest family in Brightvale,the Mitchel Family,announced their son's marriage.The groom is none other than your secretary."