Chapter 1

Someone introduces me to Ivy Bennett, my secret girlfriend of five years, at a college reunion.

"Hey, Dr. Bennett, Eli is a researcher in your department, too. Why don't you two give it a try?"

I walk toward Ivy, hoping to take this opportunity to finally make our relationship public.

But Ivy takes a step back and points toward her childhood sweetheart, Matthew Reed, who has just returned from abroad.

"That's alright. I already have someone I like."

To avoid suspicion, Ivy adopts a distant, detached expression and says, "If you have marriage in mind, there's someone I can introduce you to. I think you'd make a good match."

I look at the ten feet of distance she keeps between us and laugh dryly.

For five years, Ivy has always appeared to be single, and she has always kept her distance from me.

I've waited five years for her to acknowledge our relationship publicly.

This time, I'm done waiting.

"Oh yeah? Well, introduce me to her, then."

Chapter 1

Elias' POV

The room fell silent for a moment. My girlfriend, Ivy Bennett, seemed genuinely surprised that I had actually agreed to her setting me up with another woman.

She frowned, as if wanting to ask me something, but after a few seconds, under the expectant gaze of our friends, she sent me the contact anyway.

Ivy called the person and said, "Hey, didn't you say your family's been pressuring you to get married? Well, I'm setting you up on a blind date.

"His name is Elias Ashford. He has a PhD from a prestigious university and is now a senior researcher in our lab. You two should try getting to know each other!"

Then, Ivy walked away as the person on the other end of the line began thanking her.

Had our mutual friend, Aliya Brickham, not called out to her just now, Ivy would have kept her distance from me as she always did, staying ten feet away and treating me like I was invisible.

The bitterness of the whiskey hit me all at once, and I clenched my fists hard just to keep my expression neutral.

When Aliya heard that I was willing to go on a blind date, she immediately sent me another contact.

"She's been asking about you for a while, but you never wanted to meet her! She's got a lot going for her, Eli. Give her a chance!"

I instinctively glanced toward Ivy, who was standing beside her childhood sweetheart, Matthew Reed, with a smile on her face, not sparing me another glance.

One of Ivy's friends overheard the conversation and jokingly teased, "Ivy, everyone knows Elias sticks to you because he likes you. How could you set him up with someone else? That's just cruel!"

"Yeah, he's bought us thousands of coffees just to please you, and after five years, you still haven't given him an answer!"

Matthew swirled the wine around in his glass and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Surely it's not because you've been waiting for me to come back all this time, is it? Because I haven't seen you make a move yet, you know?"

Ivy gazed at him affectionately. "Oh, it's just that I haven't gotten around to preparing a proper proposal for you yet, Matt. You deserve nothing but the best."

Matthew laughed at her teasing words, but my throat tightened at what she said.

Back when Ivy and I got together, there had been no confession and no dating proposal. She had simply asked me, "Elias, do you like me?"

I had had a crush on her for three years by then, so I nodded immediately.

When she saw that, she said, "We can be together, but I won't make it public. If anyone ever finds out about our relationship, we're done."

At the time, I was so overwhelmed by the joy of being with Ivy that my judgment had been clouded.

I thought she'd seen how sincere my feelings were, and I thought that this secret relationship of ours would eventually see the light of day.

I forced my way into Ivy's circle, hoping that she would one day introduce me to her friends.

But not only did she not introduce me, she even pushed me onto someone else just to draw a clear line between us.

A bitter smile tugged on my lips.

When Aliya saw me add the contact she sent me, she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"You've always rejected me by saying you had someone you liked, but she's been stringing you along for so long without ever making your relationship official.

"You should've moved on a long time ago! Trust me, you'll be happy with this one!"

I lowered my head.

Aliya was right. I should have moved on long ago.

After a moment, she cast a subtle glance at Ivy.

"She introduced you to Jenna Caldwell, didn't she? Don't bother meeting her.

"That woman plays around a lot. She's been with quite a number of male escorts. Everyone knows she's been getting pressured to get married these past two years. She's willing to marry any man who will take her!"

Before leaving, Aliya muttered under her breath, "How could Ivy say you and Jenna would make a good match?"

My smile froze awkwardly. So when Ivy said Jenna and I would make a good match, she'd meant that we were both desperate to get married.

Some time ago, I had messaged Ivy when my family asked when I was going to settle down.

I thought she'd agree to make our relationship public and come home with me to meet my parents, but she ignored my messages and didn't come home for an entire month.

If Ivy didn't want to be part of my world, then I wouldn't force my way into hers anymore, either.

So, I turned around and left to request a job transfer out of Silverport.

Just then, I saw a message from the person Aliya had set me up with.

"Are you free to meet tomorrow?"

Chapter 2

Elias' POV

After confirming the time and place for the blind date, I saw Ivy's latest social media post. It was a photo of her with a group of friends, with Matthew standing front and center.

The caption read, "Good friends around me and the person I love most across from me."

Her friends quickly began messaging her in the group chat.

"Way to go, Ivy! Matt finally came back! Let's congratulate these old flames on finally going public!"

"What do you mean by going public? Ivy liking Matt has always been an open secret!"

"What about Elias then? Hasn't he been pursuing Ivy for five years?"

"Pursuing her? That's just called being a simp! Now that Matt's back, why would Ivy waste any time on him?"

"Before Matt even came back, Ivy already had a proposal and ring prepared. Isn't it obvious who she really likes?"

"Wait! I think Elias is in this group! He can read all these messages we're sending…"

The very next second, I was kicked from the group chat.

An indescribable bitterness welled up in my chest.

Back then, I had tried so hard to fit into Ivy's world that I pestered her to add me to the group.

Then, I sent countless messages to the group to liven things up, but Ivy had only frowned. "There's no need to keep sending messages. They don't appreciate that."

After that, hardly anyone spoke in the group anymore. Ivy had told me, "Everyone's busy with their own lives. Who has time to chat?"

So it turned out they did chat—just not in the group that had me in it.

As for the public acknowledgement and proposal I'd been waiting so long for, all Matthew had to do was show up, and Ivy would offer it all up to him on a silver platter.

I sat by the river and replied to some messages before finally heading home.

The moment I stepped out of the elevator, I ran into Ivy, with Matthew following behind her.

When she saw me, Ivy stopped, frowning, her expression cold and guarded. "Elias, what are you doing here?"

I opened my mouth, about to say that I was just coming home, but then, I remembered that Ivy had forbidden me from telling anyone we lived together.

To avoid suspicion, she'd even strictly dictated when I could leave and return home, so even though we lived at the same address, we had never once walked out the door together.

Ivy, as if afraid Matthew might figure something out, spoke first. "Can you stop following me everywhere? I don't want people getting the wrong idea."

I stood there at a loss for words.

Then, my phone screen lit up with a message she'd just sent me.

"Don't come back for now. Matthew just got back and has nowhere to stay, so I'm letting him stay here for the time being. I've had your things packed and sent to our apartment in Greyfield. Move there for now."

When I turned and walked toward the elevator, I heard Matthew ask who I was.

Ivy responded flatly, "He's just a suitor. I can't believe he actually followed me all the way home. Don't worry. You can stay here. I'll have security tighten things up."

Just before the elevator doors closed, I heard Matthew's carefree laughter. "Wow, Ivy. You haven't changed the passcode in five years! It's still the exact date I left the country! Have you really been counting down the days for me to come back just because I told you to wait for me for five years?"

My finger froze over the elevator button.

When I first moved in, I was secretly delighted to learn the passcode. I thought that even though Ivy refused to make our relationship public, she had chosen the date we got together as the passcode to her unit.

I thought it was her silent way of showing me that she cared. I thought she simply wasn't good at expressing her feelings.

But as it turned out, even that tiny bit of happiness had never belonged to me.

My footsteps were heavy as I went to our apartment in Grayfield to move my things out.

Late that night, when Ivy saw I still hadn't replied, she sent me another message.

"Don't overthink this, Eli. Matthew just came back, and I'm only trying my best to help him out as a friend. And about going public with our relationship, just give me a little more time."

I didn't reply and simply removed her from my pinned contacts.

Chapter 3

Elias' POV

The next day, I went to work as usual.

My assistant, Tamara Hayes, told me that a new person had joined the department.

It wasn't until I saw him in person that I realized it was Matthew.

Ivy made no effort to hide their relationship as she introduced him to everyone.

"Matthew is a friend of mine. His research topic abroad happens to be related to my field, so I invited him here to observe and learn. Everyone, please be nice to him for my sake, okay?"

Although Ivy was the director of the research institute, she had never allowed anyone to pull strings or receive special treatment.

In the past, her mentor's daughter had wanted to visit her research project, but Ivy had bluntly turned her down.

And whenever anyone tried to bribe their way into becoming her graduate student, she would reject every single one of them without exception.

Now, hearing her openly admit that Matthew was someone she had brought in, everyone began whispering among themselves.

"Dr. Bennett has always been strictly business. If she's saying something like this, this person has to be more than just an ordinary friend!"

"Matt, is there something going on between you two?"

"Come on, tell us! We promise not to spread it around!"

Matthew glanced sideways at Ivy with a smile in his eyes. "Us? If you're referring to our relationship, I guess you could say we're childhood sweethearts."

Ivy's ears turned red at his words.

Someone laughed and called out, "Ooh, childhood sweethearts! So you've been in love since you were kids!"

"Sounds like a match made in heaven!"

The more Ivy listened to their teasing, the deeper her smile became.

Then, she cleared her throat lightly and announced, "To welcome Matt to our department, lunch will be on me today! Everyone, order whatever you like! Don't hold back!"

The rest of the department cheered even louder for Matthew.

I didn't move and just stood there watching him.

After three years of secretly being in love with Ivy and five years in a relationship with her, I'd dreamed countless times of this very scene—Ivy openly introducing me as her boyfriend, and finally being able to take that spot beside her, standing beside her for all to see.

Alas, that day never came.

I left without listening to the rest of their banter.

…

After work that day, Ivy invited everyone to dinner. When she noticed that I was the only one missing, she asked, "Where's Elias?"

Tamara gave a vague answer. "Eli left right after work. I heard he was going on a blind date."

The tension in Ivy's brow smoothed out when she heard that.

Jenna's reputation in their circle is easy enough to uncover with a little asking around. Ivy knows I wouldn't spend much time with someone like that.

At 10:00 pm, I had just gotten home when several videos popped up in the work group chat.

In the videos, Ivy was holding a bouquet in her left hand and a diamond ring in her right.

Behind her was a sea of champagne-colored roses and candles arranged in the shape of a heart surrounding Matthew.

The camera angle was well chosen, so both of their expressions were clearly captured.

Ivy gazed at Matthew tenderly. "Matthew, the day you left, you asked me to wait for you, so I waited for five years. Now that you've finally come back, I finally have the chance to confess my feelings for you."

Matthew nodded, smiling.

Even the bystanders were envious of how thoughtfully Ivy had arranged the confession, and I could hear our colleagues congratulating them in the background.

But as I stared at the video, my fingers trembled uncontrollably.

Not for any other reason—but because the setup in that video was exactly the same as the proposal ceremony Ivy had promised me when she agreed to go public.

A month ago, she'd asked me how I would like my proposal to be set up.

Thinking that she was finally going to make our relationship public, I had eagerly told her that I liked traditional setups with roses, candles, and a diamond ring. Ivy had carefully written every detail down.

I thought she was going to make our relationship public with a confession like this, so I'd started getting up an hour early every morning just to make myself look presentable.

I'd even prepared a diamond engagement ring in advance and written three pages worth of love letters.

I never imagined that when she asked me about the proposal, it would all be for Matthew.

Tears spilled uncontrollably down my face.

But in that moment, I finally walked away from this relationship that had always been kept in the shadows.

Chapter 4

Elias' POV

The next day, I went to sort out the work that needed to be handed over and briefed Tamara on the experimental data.

As the new lab was short-staffed, the approval for the transfer had come through almost immediately after I applied for it.

Matthew had walked up beside me at some point. "Elias, Ivy invited the whole department for dinner last night. Why didn't you join us?"

I answered in a strictly professional tone, "I had something else going on."

But Matthew suddenly let out a mocking laugh. "Were you really occupied? Or were you just too afraid to show up because you knew Ivy was going to confess her feelings to me?"

I frowned. There was undisguised hostility in Matthew's eyes.

His lips curled into a sneer. "After all, you were the one acting as Ivy's boy toy while I was abroad for the past five years, weren't you?"

At those words, the colleagues around us all turned to look, their eyes filled with curiosity, confusion, and contempt.

I instinctively denied it. "I wasn't!"

But Matthew pulled out his phone and played a recording of a conversation with some of his friends.

"Elias? Yeah, he's the one who's been satisfying Ivy's needs for the past five years. He got into Ivy's bed the very day he found out Matt was going abroad!

"I mean, everyone in our circle knows Ivy and Matthew are childhood sweethearts. He's the only one shameless enough to keep forcing his way between them."

The recording was abruptly cut off as the mocking words stabbed repeatedly at my nerves.

Matthew raised an eyebrow at me. "Still going to deny it, Elias?"

The disbelief and contempt on my colleagues' faces were unmistakable, and their noisy chatter was laced with ridicule.

"Who would've thought? The respectable Dr. Ashford is just a kept man who climbs into Dr. Bennett's bed behind closed doors!"

"Who knows how many times he's done this? Maybe he slept his way to that PhD too."

"I've always wondered why Dr. Bennett kept her distance from him. She must have thought he was filthy!"

My fingers curled tighter and tighter into my palm as I struggled to keep my composure. "I'm not her boy toy. I'm just..."

A few colleagues who had never liked me rolled their eyes.

"Just what? The recording made it perfectly clear—Matt had barely left the country before you climbed into Dr. Bennett's bed! Don't tell me you're still going to claim you didn't do anything."

"How does someone like him deserve to be in the lab? Forget transferring him. They should just kick him out instead!"

I dug my nails into my palm. "Ivy and I were in a normal relationship."

The moment the words left my mouth, Ivy rushed over, a strained and anxious expression on her face.

I pinned my hopes on her. "Ivy, perfect timing. Tell them—we've been in a relationship for five years now, haven't we?"

But she walked right past me and went straight to Matthew. "Are you alright, Matt?"

At that, my colleagues' mockery grew louder.

"Elias, is this what you call being in a relationship? It's pretty obvious now whether or not you were ever really in a relationship, isn't it?"

One of them pointed at Matthew and then at me, his tone dripping with mockery. "Come on. Has Dr. Bennett even spared you a glance since she walked in?"

I refused to believe it and kept my gaze fixed on Ivy.

A flicker of uneasiness crossed her face, but after a pause, she said, "A relationship? With you? Why am I not aware of it? Matthew and I are childhood sweethearts. How could I possibly have been with you?"

Laughter and jeers erupted around me all at once.

"You hear that, Elias? That relationship you thought you had was nothing but wishful thinking after you climbed into her bed. Dr. Bennett doesn't even know what you're talking about!"

At some point, I tasted a metallic tang in my mouth.

When my eyes met Ivy's, she flinched as if burned and turned her head away. Then, in a cold voice, she revoked my transfer. "Elias, take a leave of absence and go home for now."

I stared straight at her and said each word slowly, "Goodbye, Ivy. May we never see each other again."

The others continued mocking me.

"Oh, please. 'May we never see each other again'? Dr. Bennett must have the worst luck in the world to have you latch onto her and spread rumors about her."

I quietly packed up my things and left without saying another word.

After I was gone, Ivy pulled Matthew back into the lab, her tone uncharacteristically cold.

"Matthew, you said you wanted to use the confession as a way to help you fit in with my colleagues as my boyfriend. Why did you have to go after Eli?"

Matthew softened his tone. "Ivy, I was only trying to help you test Elias. If he's willing to come back to you, wouldn't that prove how he really feels about you?"

When she heard his explanation, Ivy sighed and said nothing more.

…

A week passed. Then two. Ivy still hadn't heard from me. At last, she couldn't stand it anymore and called me.

But when the call connected, all she heard was a cacophony of noise. Amid the sound of music, laughter, and cheering in the background, one voice rang out clearly.

"Oh, Eli! How could he forget his phone on his wedding day? Has he gone to pick up the bride already?"