Chapter 1: The Girlfriend I Wasn't Allowed to Claim

Alicia Davids furrowed her brow, and the question slipped out before she could stop it, drawing everyone's eyes straight to me.

As if realizing her misstep, Alicia shifted her tone, softening her words.

"Benjamin, what a surprise to see you here. Weren't you supposed to be away on a business trip?"

Under the watchful gaze of her entire family, I froze for two seconds, then forced a bitter smile, trying to play along with her performance.

A sharp sting pierced my chest. So this was it—I wasn't allowed to be seen.

I had a thousand things I wanted to say, countless questions I longed for Alicia to answer. But now, all my strength had drained away. Suddenly, everything felt meaningless.

"I just got back and haven't had a chance to inform you yet, Ms. Davids," I replied, keeping my voice measured.

Recognizing my subtle courtesy, Alicia's expression returned to its usual calm.

At the dining table, everyone laughed and chatted as if part of a perfectly staged scene. I and Alicia's boyfriend, Chuck Martin, pretended to get along—clinking glasses, exchanging small talk, swapping contacts.

That day, I didn't speak a single word to Alicia. After the meal, I went home alone.

Sitting on the sofa, my mind kept replaying the scene: Alicia, arm in arm with Chuck, appearing before her parents and relatives, introducing him as her boyfriend.

And this—this had once been what I had wished for. I had wanted her to make us public, to bring me to meet her parents. I would have told them I would care for her my whole life, that I would never let her suffer a single ounce of grievance.

Not be like a shadow, hiding in the dark like some cowardly rat.

I sat on that sofa until midnight before Alicia finally came home.

All the emotions I had been holding back should have erupted then, just like before—calm giving way to argument, to shouting, to excuses, blame, and eventually a cold shoulder. But now, I found myself without the energy. None of it mattered anymore.

After changing her shoes, perhaps noticing my silence, Alicia unusually spoke first.

"I only brought Chuck home to meet my parents because they've been pressuring me to marry. I asked him to work an extra day and pretend to be my boyfriend, just to satisfy them."

I gave a small nod to show I understood. I said nothing else.

Honestly, I felt my reaction was entirely reasonable.

But the next moment, Alicia grew angry. Her tone carried impatience, and I found myself instinctively looking up at her.

"Benjamin, I just explained everything. What's with your attitude?"

Her words sent ripples through my mind, swirling into a torrent I couldn't escape. Without thinking, I blurted out, "You asked your assistant to pretend to be your boyfriend? Then why didn't you just bring me? I'm your boyfriend!"

"Because you'd only embarrass me in front of my parents!"

With that, she hurled her bag at me and stormed into her bedroom. The door slammed so hard the frame rattled.

It was Chuck who had bought that bag for Alicia. A discounted bucket bag from an outlet—yet she carried it everywhere, even braving the rain herself just to protect it.