Morning fog blanketed the streets of Oxford.
Emily wheeled her suitcase down the empty lane, the sound of its wheels dull against the cobblestones. She had applied for a temporary bed in the college dormitory—at least she wouldn't be sleeping on the streets this semester.
Her phone screen lit up, then dimmed again—seventeen unread messages, all from Ryan. She didn't have the courage to open them. Instead, she switched the phone to silent and shoved it into the depths of her backpack. The wedding ring now hung alone on a chain around her neck, hidden beneath her collar. The cold metal pressed against her collarbone like a wound that refused to heal.
"Emily?"
Her landlady peeked out from behind the mailbox, gray curls still caught in rollers. "Heading out so early?"
Emily forced a smile. "Just staying at college for a few days. I've got a project to finish."
The lie came so smoothly, it startled even her.
St. Hilda's dorms were small and bare, but they gave her space to breathe. Emily collapsed onto the narrow bed and finally turned her phone back on. The latest message stopped her cold:
"I'm outside your college. I don't expect forgiveness—just a chance to apologize in person. If you don't want to see me, I'll leave. — R"
She walked to the window and cautiously pulled the curtain aside.
Through the mist, Ryan stood outside the iron gate. He had no umbrella. Rain had soaked his suit jacket a deep shade of gray. He held a brown paper bag in his hands, occasionally glancing up toward the dormitory—like a statue carved from regret, waiting for redemption.
Just as Emily hesitated, a figure entered the frame.
A man—tall, blond, with tailored elegance—stepped into view. Even from this distance, he was more striking than his photos.
Kai Williams.
He walked straight toward Ryan, his camel trench coat perfectly pressed. Even from behind the window, Emily could see Ryan stiffen the moment Kai approached.
The conversation was clearly tense. Kai grabbed Ryan's arm, and Ryan jerked away. He turned to leave, but Kai pulled something from his pocket—photos? Letters?—and shoved them into Ryan's hands.
Even through the glass, Emily could feel the rising tension like static in the air.
Finally, Ryan shoved Kai aside and strode away.
Kai stood alone in the rain, shouting something Emily couldn't hear. She instinctively opened the window slightly—cold droplets hit her cheek.
Then Kai looked up.
Directly at her.
And smiled.
Not a warm smile. Not a jealous smile.
It was the cold, calculated smile of a predator who had spotted his prey.
Emily slammed the curtain shut.
Her heart pounded like a drum in her chest. That smile hadn't chilled her from jealousy—it was something deeper, darker.
It was fear.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time, it was a multimedia message from an unknown number.
Emily tapped to open it—and her world stopped.
A photo. Ryan and Kai. In bed. Intimate. Undeniable.
The timestamp: two weeks ago.
The same weekend Ryan had taken her to Cambridge.
There was only one line beneath the photo:
"He'll always be mine. Leave him. For your own good. —KW"
In the image, Ryan's eyes were closed. His expression was one Emily had never seen before—completely relaxed, even… content. Her stomach turned.
She stumbled into the bathroom and dry-heaved over the sink.
The woman in the mirror had red-rimmed eyes and rain-slicked hair. Water dripped from her jawline, down to her trembling collarbone. She looked like a wreck. A fool.
"No."
Emily stared at her own reflection.
"I'm not going down like this."
She changed into dry clothes, grabbed her umbrella, and bolted from the dorm.
Kai was gone.
But Ryan was still there, standing under the awning of the café across the street. The paper bag was still clutched tightly in his arms, like it held his last chance of salvation.
When he saw her, his amber eyes lit up for a brief second—then dimmed just as quickly.
"You shouldn't have come," he said quietly.
"That was Kai, wasn't it?" Emily asked directly, her voice steadier than she expected.
Ryan's shoulders sagged. "He followed me to Oxford. About the photo... I'm sorry. That was from three years ago. He's using it to—"
"I know." She cut him off. "He sent it to me."
Ryan's expression shifted from guilt to shock. Then to fury.
"That son of a bitch."
He reached for his phone, but Emily placed her hand over his.
"Wait."
She took a breath.
"I need the whole truth. From the beginning. No edits. No omissions."
Ryan looked at her for a long second, then nodded.
They stepped into the café and found the furthest booth.
Rain beat softly against the windows, muffled by glass and steam.
Ryan's fingers drummed against the table—anxious, uneven, arrhythmic.
"I met Kai during postgrad at Cambridge," he began.
"He was a rising star in the architecture department. Two years above me. A genius." Ryan let out a short, dry laugh. "And, of course, my TA. Classic forbidden romance."
The server brought over two cups of tea. The rising steam blurred the space between them.
"We started L&R together after we graduated. The first three years... it was bliss. I really thought he was it."
Ryan's voice faltered. "Until last spring. I came home early one day and found him in bed with our lead designer. In our house."
Emily heard the pain in his voice when he said our.
It wasn't performative. It wasn't fake.
"I broke down."
He stared into the tea as if it could anchor him.
"Didn't work for three months. Almost lost the firm. Lucas dragged me to a therapist—he's the one who gave me the diagnosis you found. I was drowning."
He finally looked up at her.
"Then I met you. In Kuala Lumpur."
Emily's voice was small.
"Why me?"
Ryan opened the paper bag and took out a photo.
It was old and slightly yellowed.
A young Asian woman stood at the gates of the University of Liverpool. Her smile was radiant, as bright as the sun.
Emily gasped.
The woman in the photo… looked just like her. Same almond-shaped eyes. Same gentle strength.
"My mother," Ryan said softly.
"1989. She had just won her scholarship to study in the UK."
He looked at Emily. "When I saw you in the rain that day, I thought I was seeing a ghost. You looked exactly like her."
Emily's heart skipped. "So you approached me because…"
"At first," Ryan admitted. "Yes."
"But then… you proved you were nothing like her. My mother was kind, soft-spoken. You're fierce. Relentless. She always yielded. You never do."
"I didn't fall for her reflection. I fell for you."
Then he pulled out a thick file from the paper bag.
"These are official transfer documents. Fifty-one percent of my shares in L&R. Ownership deeds to the townhouse, the London apartment, and the place in Kuala Lumpur. Everything is now under your name."
Emily blinked.
"You're insane. That's worth millions."
Ryan didn't flinch.
"It's my truth. If I wanted to deceive you, I would've done it with sweet words. Not by giving up everything."
Outside, the rain picked up again, tapping the windows like a ticking clock.
Emily looked at their intertwined fingers. His palm was warm, callused—weathered from years of sketching and building.
"I need time," she said finally. "This isn't something I can just forgive."
Ryan nodded.
"I leave for Zurich tonight. Three days, max. Think about everything."
He hesitated.
"No matter what you decide, all of this stays in your name. But if you want a divorce... I'll sign the papers the second I'm back."
He pushed a train ticket and the file toward her.
"There's just one thing—please be careful. Kai's behavior has gotten increasingly unstable. I don't want you getting caught in it."
Emily tucked the papers away.
"I'll keep them. That doesn't mean I've accepted your apology."
Ryan gave her a sad, crumbling smile.
"That's enough."
After leaving Ryan, Emily headed straight to the college library.
She needed silence. She needed focus. And above all—she needed answers.
Logging into the architecture department's archive, she pulled up everything she could find on Kai Williams.
His credentials were stellar—almost too perfect. Rhodes Scholar, RIBA Gold Medalist, and by thirty, the designer of three landmark buildings. But the cracks lay in the margins.
2018: abruptly left Cambridge over "academic disagreements."
2019: involved in a lawsuit with business partner Mark Lewis.
Last year: withdrew mysteriously from a £200 million museum project.
Then something caught her eye—a small article in a local tabloid:
"Architect Threatens Man with Bottle at London Bar."
The photo was blurry. But Emily recognized the man with his back to the camera.
Ryan.
"Find what you're looking for?"
The voice made her jump.
Mrs. Smith, the librarian, leaned over her shoulder. Her glasses chain swung between them, casting a faint shadow on the monitor.
"Just… coursework," Emily stammered, closing the tabs.
Smith gave her a look. "Mr. Williams is… a controversial figure. If you're serious about learning the truth, check Architect Weekly, April last year. Issue thirty-four." She lowered her voice. "The college's subscription password is Hildas1893."
Emily searched and found the issue.
The headline was small, buried in the corner:
"Rising Star Faces Plagiarism Accusations."
The article accused Kai of stealing the design concept of "Glass Forest" from a Chinese graduate student named Lin Yue. The allegations couldn't be proven due to "insufficient evidence." Two weeks later, Lin Yue was found dead—an "accidental fall" from her dormitory.
Emily's hands turned ice-cold.
She searched Lin Yue's name.
Age: 25. Field: Traditional-modern architectural fusion.
Obituary photo: soft features, shoulder-length black hair, almond-shaped eyes.
A chill climbed her spine.
She looked… just like Emily.
The sky had darkened when Emily stepped outside the library. The rain had stopped, but the air had grown heavier, colder.
Her phone buzzed.
Lucas.
"My brother told me he came clean to you."
"Yes," Emily said. "Including how he tricked me."
Lucas's tone shifted. "He didn't tell you everything. Kai isn't just a jealous ex—he's dangerous. Lin Yue's death wasn't an accident."
"You knew her?" Emily asked.
"I know more than you think," Lucas said. "And I know Kai is in Oxford right now. Whether or not you forgive Ryan—go back to your dorm. Lock the door. I'll send someone to fetch you in the morning."
Emily opened her mouth to respond—then froze.
Across the street stood a familiar figure.
Kai Williams.
Still in his camel trench coat.
Smiling. Waving like an old friend.
Her throat closed. "Mr. Li… I think he already found me."
"Don't hang up." Lucas's voice was urgent. "Tell me where you are. Stay on the line. I'm coming—"
Kai crossed the street.
Ten steps away.
Emily turned and ran. Ducking into the narrow alley beside the library.
Her heels slipped on the wet stone. She kicked them off and ran barefoot.
Behind her, Kai's footsteps followed—slow. Steady.
He was enjoying this.
"Emily!" he called out. His voice echoed through the stone alley, far too cheerful. "We really should talk. About Ryan's real history…"
Emily turned sharply down a side path—only to find a dead end.
Her chest heaved. She turned around.
Kai approached, unhurried. His blond hair gleamed even in the gloom.
"Stay away from me!" she shouted, raising her phone. "I've called the police!"
He chuckled. "Really? Then why is your screen still black?"
He took another step.
"I'm not here to hurt you. Just wanted to share what Ryan won't—like why he chose you. It's not just because you look like his mother."
Emily's back pressed against the cold bricks. "What are you talking about?"
Kai pulled an envelope from his coat. "Lin Yue wasn't just Ryan's ex. She was his first love. They met while he was on exchange in China. He sponsored her to study in the UK."
He tilted his head. "You know what's really ironic? You don't just resemble his mother. You look more like Lin Yue."
Emily's brain went blank.
"You're lying…"
"See for yourself." He dropped the envelope at her feet.
Photos spilled out.
Young Ryan and an Asian woman—smiling at the Great Wall. In each photo, the girl's features, her eyes, her laugh… looked like they could've belonged to Emily.
"Ryan never told you about her, did he?" Kai said softly.
"Because Lin Yue was his first scar. And you… you're the perfect replacement. Close enough to haunt him. Far enough not to know."
Emily's knees buckled. She grabbed the wall for balance.
In one photo, Ryan was in his twenties, arms around Lin Yue's waist, looking at her like she was his entire world.
"Now you understand, don't you?" Kai's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper.
"We're both victims. Ryan used her to hurt me. Now he's using you to heal himself."
He reached out a hand. "Come with me. I'll protect you."
Emily looked at his face—closer now—and saw it.
The glint in his grey-blue eyes wasn't sympathy.
It was possession. Madness.
As his fingers reached for her cheek—
"Get away from her!"
Lucas's voice roared from the alley entrance.
He stood there like a wall of steel, flanked by two security guards.
Kai froze mid-motion.
"Long time no see, Lucas," Kai said coolly. "Always so punctual. Like a real big brother."
Lucas marched forward and pulled Emily behind him.
"You're under a court order not to approach Ryan or anyone connected to him. Want to go back to prison?"
Kai backed away with exaggerated innocence, hands raised.
"Just a friendly chat. Right, Emily?"
He winked.
"Don't forget to read the back of the photos. There's a surprise."
Then he turned and vanished into the night.
Back in her dorm, Emily locked every window and door before she dared examine the photos again.
The last one had something scrawled in red ink on the back:
"Ask Ryan where he was the night Lin Yue fell. The answer will give you nightmares."
Lucas insisted she move into his safe house in Oxford, but Emily refused.
"I need to be alone. To think."
"At least let my men guard your door," Lucas relented.
"Kai is more dangerous than you realize."
That night, Emily sat on the edge of the bed, flipping through the photos again and again. She searched Lin Yue online—there were academic papers, elegant, thoughtful, intelligent. And then silence. A small, tucked-away obituary.
She tried searching "Lin Yue fall" and found only one brief statement from the police:
"No evidence of foul play. Ruled suicide."
No investigation.
No witness testimony.
Like a stone dropped into water—ripples gone before anyone noticed.
At 3 a.m., her phone buzzed.
A message from Ryan.
"No matter what Kai told you—truth is often more painful than lies. But only truth can set us free. See you tomorrow, my love."
Emily stared at the screen, then tossed the phone aside.
Tears slipped silently down her cheeks.
She no longer knew who to trust. She wasn't even sure she truly knew Ryan at all.
The pain tearing through her wasn't just betrayal.
It was grief.
Grief for the Ryan she loved—the warm smile, the late-night talks, the careful touches.
Were they all scripted?
And worst of all…
Had someone else's shadow always stood between them?
Outside, soft rain began to fall again, tapping the glass like fingers knocking on her soul.
Emily reached beneath her collar and touched the wedding ring hanging from her chain.
Its cold metal seared her skin.
She made her decision.
Tomorrow, she would go to Manchester.
She would find the pieces Lin Yue left behind.
No matter how much the truth might hurt—
She had to know.