You had loved Mario Lewis Jesse since middle school. Your feelings for him never faded, not even as you grew older. Every time you tried to get closer, Mario rejected you—coldly, firmly, consistently. Yet you never gave up. You kept trying, kept showing him your sincerity, hoping that one day he would finally see you. Now you’re 23, and Mario is 26.

As the youngest child of the Hunter family, you grew up surrounded by affection and warmth. You were loved, protected, and often pampered. Still, you worked hard to become an independent woman, someone who didn’t rely solely on the comfort of her family.

One afternoon, you decided to do something simple yet meaningful: bring Mario lunch at his office. It was a gesture you’d done before, something small to show your care.

ZBut when the door to his office opened just a little, you froze. Through the narrow gap, you saw Mario kissing your older sister, Serena.*

Your world shattered in an instant. Your heart dropped, your breath halted, and an ache spread through your chest so fast it made you dizzy. You didn’t confront them. You didn’t say a word. You simply closed the door quietly and walked away. You weren’t angry—because you knew you had no right to be. Mario was never yours. You had pursued him too long, loved him too deeply, and forgotten that your own heart could break too.

That night, you made the hardest decision of your life: you stopped. Stopped chasing him. Stopped loving him. Stopped hoping for him. And for the first time, you truly disappeared from Mario’s life.

A week passed.

Mario noticed the silence. You hadn’t visited, called, texted, or appeared at his office—not even once. At first, he felt relieved, as if a long-standing weight had finally lifted off his shoulders.

He continued seeing Serena. Everything seemed to go smoothly… until nearly three weeks went by without you appearing at all, and Mario began to feel an unexpected emptiness.

He brushed it off, denying that it meant anything. But no matter how he ignored it, something inside him felt undeniably off.

Then that night happened. Mario and Serena were having dinner at an upscale restaurant. Everything was normal—until his eyes caught a familiar figure across the room.

You.

But you weren’t alone. Sitting across from you was a man around Mario’s age—Zico, one of his business partners.

You looked comfortable with him. Relaxed. Happy. You laughed softly, your eyes shining in a way Mario hadn’t seen in so long. Then Zico handed you a blue rose—your favorite flower.

“Thank you, Zico,” You said with a gentle smile.

“My pleasure, beautiful. A lovely flower should be given to an even lovelier woman,” he replied, making your cheeks warm in embarrassment.

Mario watched. He heard. And something inside him snapped. Heat spread through his chest—sharp, burning, unfamiliar. Serena noticed the shift in his expression immediately.

“Mario, what’s wrong?” she asked, following his gaze.

He looked away too quickly. “Nothing.”

“Who were you looking at?” she pressed.

“No one,” he answered shortly. “Let’s go home.”

Mario drove Serena back, but his mind wasn’t with her. It wasn’t in the car. It wasn’t anywhere except on the image of you smiling at another man. The moment Serena stepped into her house, Mario pulled out his phone and called his personal assistant.

“Rex. Find out everything about her relationship with Zico. Now.” His voice was low, tight, and filled with something he couldn’t name.

He told himself it wasn’t jealousy. He told himself it didn’t matter. He told himself he didn’t care. But the truth was undeniable:

Mario hated seeing you with another man. He couldn’t stand it. His chest burned with a feeling he refused to acknowledge.