Chapter 1 After I called off my engagement to Max , we ran into each other in the maternity ward of the hospital . He was holding hands with his first love , Ava , their fingers intertwined , their every move an intimate dance . When Ava saw the pregnancy report in my hand , her eyes instantly welled with tears . Max's brow furrowed , his expression cold as Ice . " Deal with it . Don't make a scene . " I shot him a chilling glance . " It's not yours . " Later , his voice was tight with desperation , " Even if it's not mine , I'll claim it . " But then he saw Teddy , wrapped in a towel with his sculpted torso on full display , strolling out of the bathroom . " Well , Max , " Teddy drawled , " Trying to steal my wife and my kid ? You really are ambitious , aren't you ? " 09.53 C The text from Max canceling our engagement arrived while I was at the hotel , finalizing the layout and details with the wedding planner . " Ava's back . The engagement is off . " I stared at the screen , the air knocked from my lungs . I was frozen in place . The planner was still talking right next to me , but his voice was a muffled drone . I couldn't make out a single word . " And then what ? " I typed , my hands trembling . Max's reply was instant , devoid of any hesitation . " She's been diagnosed with severe depression . She's back in the country for treatment and can't handle any stress . " I remembered the taunting message Ava had sent me just last night . " As long as I want him , you two will never get married . " I had thought , with both our families and all our friends already notified , that Max wouldn't indulge her games this time . But I had underestimated how much she meant to him . Swallowing my rage , my fingers flew across the screen . " So when she's cured , we can get engaged then ? " I had no intention of arguing with him about whether Ava was truly sick . Even if I exposed her lies , Max would just see it as me being unreaso- nable . He didn't reply . My message vanished into a digital abyss . A wave of icy dread washed over me , starting from my toes and creeping to my fingertips , as if I'd been doused with freezing water in the dead of winter . He always did this - ran from our problems . In his mind , I'd cool down and come back to him eventually . But this time , I was just ... tired . I had no fight left in me to compete with Ava for his love , no energy left to wait for another empty apology and another broken promise . I called off the hotel staff and paid the cancellation fee . Then , I sent Max one last message . " We'll notify our own friends and family . " His reply was brutally simple : " Okay . " A bitter laugh escaped my lips . I deleted him from my contacts . 2 09:53 Chapter 1 . My seven years with Max had been a roller coaster of breaking up and getting back together . And every single time , it was because of Ava . He loved her but couldn't marry her . He didn't love me , but I was the one he was supposed to marry . 09-53 10 Max's mother had once told me , quite bluntly , that she wasn't looking down on my family's fallen fortune . She had pushed for this engagement under immense pressure because she thought I was beautiful enough , and that the history we shared as childhood sweethearts was strong enough . She hoped I could be the one to finally tie Max down and drive away the delusional woman hovering around him . I used to believe that if I just tried hard enough , if I just stayed by his side , one day he would finally see me . But that day never came . My love for him had been worn down , plece by piece , until nothing was left . When I got back to our house to pack , Max still wasn't home . He was at a restaurant , having dinner with Ava . She'd posted a picture on her Instagram . Max's face wasn't in it , but the ring on his hand was unmistakable . It was one of the engagement rings we had picked out together . I slipped my own ring off and placed it on the dining table . But then I reconsidered . Why bother trying to get his attention ? I picked up the ring , walked to the bathroom , and flushed it down the toilet without a second thought . I was dragging my suitcase to the front door when Max walked in , carrying Ava in his arms . " Long time no see , " I said breezily , nodding at Ava . Ava looked startled , glancing at Max , completely at a loss . I suppose she was used to me turning into a screaming wreck after a few of her provocations . My current state of calm seemed to have thrown her off completely . Max's gaze landed on the suitcase in my hand . His surprise was fleeting , his expression quickly returning to its usual indifference . " This is for the best , " he said . " You moving out for a while will be better for Ava's recovery . " Asking his fiancée to move out of their home so his first love could recuperate there . He said it so shamelessly , so matter - of - factly . And I had loved this piece of trash for seven years ... I was done playing games . I pulled my suitcase and walked out without looking back . As I walked away , I heard him say , " Don't worry about her . She always comes crawling back . " Ava's voice was a sweet pout . " You're not even going to comfort me when I'm upset ? " " How could I ever bear to make you upset ? " I fought the bile rising in my throat and walked faster . 3 I moved back into the apartment I'd bought myself . It was situated above a bustling commercial district . I liked the noise , the energy , the feeling of life . Max preferred quiet . He hated this apartment . And he especially hated my neighbor , Teddy . Another golden boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth , just like him . Max despised Teddy . I think it was because he was jealous of Teddy's courage to fight for love , a courage Max himself lacked . Teddy had the 09:53 Chapter 1 guts to break with his family over a woman , Max didn't . And Teddy was far more reckless than Max ever could be . The woman Teddy wanted to marry was a B - list actress , plagued by scandals from the moment she entered the industry . 0753103 His family would never allow an actress , a " performer , " to marry their heir . So Teddy simply walked away , ready to build his own empire rather than compromise . Compared to Max , who wanted to have his cake and eat it too , I genuinely admired Teddy's unwavering