During the three years I was with Griffin Thorne, he constantly mistook me for his ex-girlfriend, Jade.

When he’d pour me a whiskey, he would murmur, "Jade, come try my latest private stash."

When he gave me an antique necklace for my birthday, the note inside the box read, "To my dearest Jade, Happy Birthday."

During our most intimate moments, he’d whisper in my ear, "Jade, should I be gentler?"

After he’d gotten my name wrong for the thousandth time, my initial anger had long since simmered into weary resignation.

I could only turn his face to mine, meet his gaze, and remind him, again and again.

"My name is Kimberly, not Jade."

Over time, Griffin started pausing for two seconds before saying my name.

Then he would carefully, deliberately pronounce each syllable: "Kim-ber-ly."

I thought he had finally corrected himself.

Until his old flame, Jade Vance, returned to Chicago, seeking the Family's protection.

From then on, the Family's prized red wine was once again mistakenly sent to Jade.

The diamond necklace delivered to the Family headquarters on Valentine's Day was also addressed to Jade.

Even when he proposed to me at a Family dinner, kneeling before me, he asked:

"Jade Vance, will you marry me?"

The words "I do" caught in my throat.

All my excitement vanished in an instant.

Suddenly, it all felt so meaningless.

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1

When Griffin realized what he'd said, his face went blank.

He scrambled to his feet to explain, but still paused for two seconds before speaking.

"Kimberly, I…"

A bitter irony washed over me.

Even now, in a moment like this, he still had to pause just to remember my name.

I knew what he wanted to say.

That it was a habit. That he was just nervous.

After three years, I was tired of hearing it.

I took a step back, pulling away from his outstretched hand.

"There's nothing left to say."

"Let's break up."

"No…"

Griffin tried to say more.

But the surrounding Family members, hearing the commotion, had started to gather.

When they saw what looked like a proposal, the crowd erupted.

"Oh my God, Griffin is proposing at the Family dinner!"

"Jade! You and Griffin are together? Why didn't you tell us?"

I turned and saw Jade standing not far away.

My slender frame was completely hidden by a marble statue on the estate grounds.

From a distance, it really did look like Griffin was kneeling before her.

Jade covered her mouth, her eyes brimming with a mixture of joy and disbelief.

Her friends swarmed her, their congratulations and teasing pushing her toward Griffin.

Someone shoved me hard as they rushed past.

"Hey, he's proposing! Get out of the way!"

I stumbled.

My custom-made gown was trampled, and my carefully styled curls snagged painfully on someone's cufflink.

I squeezed out of the crowd, utterly disheveled.

When I looked up, Griffin and Jade were already encircled by the crowd.

Jade, in her champagne-colored evening gown, stood at the center like a princess about to receive her happily ever after.

And I was just another spectator to their joy.

Through a gap in the crowd, my eyes met Griffin's.

His gaze was a tangled mess of panic and guilt.

I saw his mouth open, as if to explain.

But at the sight of Jade’s joyful tears, he swallowed whatever he was about to say.

He smiled, then slipped the ring meant for me onto her finger.

I managed a bitter smile. I didn't make a scene. I didn't demand an explanation.

I just quietly turned and walked away from the celebration that was supposed to be mine.

The night grew dark, and the wind off the lake was bone-chillingly cold.

I walked alone down a path across the estate grounds.

My mind replayed the thrill I’d felt when I accidentally discovered Griffin’s proposal plans.

The stylist I’d booked a month in advance, the gown custom-made by an Italian designer, the eight hours I’d spent selecting the perfect jewelry.

When the day finally came, I was too nervous to sleep.

I hugged my pillow, imagining the look on Griffin's face when he proposed.

He was always so calm and composed; would he stammer? Would his ears turn red?

No matter what, I was going to accept the ring and throw myself into his arms.

Then I'd shout it for everyone to hear:

"I do!"

If only the sunset over the lake was just right.

The light, just like in the movies, would cast a golden halo around us.

And maybe a passerby would capture the moment.

I would make it the cover of a photo album and give it pride of place in our future home.

Lost in the fantasy, a small, hopeful giggle escaped my lips.

A car horn blared—

It jolted me back to reality.

Here I was, hair a mess, dress stained.

Walking alone under the cold night sky.

My phone vibrated.

A message from Griffin.

Kimberly, I'm sorry.

I stopped in my tracks.

But just go along with it for now. Jade already accepted in public. Don't embarrass me in front of the Family.

...

I stared at the screen for a long time.

But I wasn't surprised.

From the moment Griffin proposed to the wrong woman, I knew exactly what he'd do.

It was just like last Valentine's Day, when the limited-edition sports car delivered to headquarters was mistakenly sent to Jade.

When I went to claim it, he gently stopped me.

"Sorry, Kimberly, I must have put down the wrong name."

"Just let Jade have it. Taking it back now, in front of everyone, would humiliate her."

A new notification popped up on the Family's secure channel.

Griffin's hosting an engagement party! Everyone to the second-floor ballroom!

It wasn't a last-minute decision; it was all part of the original plan.

Since he'd proposed to the wrong person, everything that was meant to follow—the party, the celebration—would now be for her.

This was Griffin’s way.

Someone posted a photo of the dinner table.

Top-shelf champagne and caviar, with Boston lobster for the main course.

I'm allergic to alcohol, a fact Griffin had never managed to remember.

But as it happened, it was Jade's favorite.

Perhaps this was fate, guiding him back to his rightful path.

I closed the app and called for a Family car.

Whatever his plan was, I was making my exit.

I returned to the penthouse apartment alone.

Pushing the door open, the first thing I saw was the hand-painted portrait on the entryway console.

My steps faltered.

Griffin wasn't into art; it had taken me ages to persuade him to sit for it.

I remembered the day we moved in, carrying the heavy frame around, searching for the perfect spot.

Griffin gave me a helpless look. "It's just a painting. Does it really matter where it goes?"

I turned and shook my head seriously. "No. I want it to be the first thing anyone sees when they walk in."

The console table by the door was my carefully chosen spot.

When you opened the door, the light from the hallway illuminated it instantly.

It was supposed to be a testament to our happiness. My sole comfort after long nights spent trying to carve out a place for myself in this city.

But was I really happy?

I picked up the frame, my fingers tracing the canvas.

Even in a portrait, Griffin’s face was stern, unsmiling.

Photos from the secure channel flooded my mind—dozens of them.

In every single one, his arm was around Jade, his smile radiating a tenderness he'd never shown me.

Perhaps I was the only one who had ever been happy.

I placed the portrait face down on the table and went to pack.

Clothes, shoes…

My hands paused when I reached my jewelry.

The necklace hanging in pride of place on the stand was the birthday gift Griffin had given me last year.

I thought for a moment, then gathered all the gifts we had exchanged over the years.

If I was leaving, there was no reason to keep any of it.

For the first two years, our gift-giving was balanced.

It was only in our third year that my anniversary and Valentine's Day gifts from Griffin never arrived.

Because he'd put down the wrong name, and they had all been sent to Jade.

I sent Griffin a message.

I've dealt with the things I gave you. The things you gave me are in the bedroom safe.

Do what you want with them.

After I finished packing, there was still no reply.

I opened the secure channel. The party had just wrapped up, and from the posts, they'd had a blast.

Jade posted an update.

You said she was just a compromise, a responsibility you couldn't escape. It's okay, I'll always be waiting for you…

No likes, no comments. The post was a dagger aimed straight at my heart.

I liked it, turned off my phone, and dragged my suitcase to the door.

Whatever happened between them now had nothing to do with me.

But when I pulled the door open, I came face to face with a breathless Griffin.

...

He seemed to let out a sigh of relief at the sight of me.

But in the next second, his brows furrowed, and his tone became scolding.

"Where have you been? You can't just vanish like that. I was worried sick."

I didn't answer. The words were laughable.

Worried sick. So worried he'd finished a celebratory dinner, played the part of devoted fiancé to Jade, and only then bothered to come find me.

Griffin squeezed past me into the apartment.

Only then, under the light, did he see the suitcase in my hand.

His expression changed.

"Where are you going this late?"

I looked at him, my face a blank mask.

"Leaving. I'll come back for the rest of my things later."

Hearing my words, Griffin didn’t try to stop me. Instead, an all-too-familiar impatience settled over his features.

It was the same look he got whenever he’d call me by the wrong name and I’d get upset, forcing him to swear, yet again, that he was over his ex.

He took a deep breath and, with forced patience, pulled the engagement ring from his pocket.

"Look, I swear, I only love you. Okay?"

"Tonight was an accident. The dinner was for associates, and the deposit was non-refundable. I didn't want it to go to waste."

He tried to placate me, his tone dismissive, as if he’d just attended a casual dinner with some associates.

"I already explained everything to Jade. See? I even got the ring back."

"So can we just drop this?"

Griffin grabbed my hand and, without another word, tried to slide the ring onto my finger.

But it was far too big. The moment I lowered my hand, the ring slipped right off, clattering to a stop at his feet.

A heavy silence fell.

Looking at Griffin’s stunned face, I let out a humorless laugh.

"Another accident? You put down the wrong size when you ordered it?"

On Jade’s hand, the ring had fit as if it were made for her.

For the first time all night, a flicker of genuine guilt crossed Griffin’s face.

He picked up the ring, coughing to hide his awkwardness.

"It was an accident. I'll have someone resize it."

"Don't bother."

I cut him off, my voice cold.

"I meant what I said. We're breaking up. It's over."

Griffin paused, then slowly placed the ring back in its box.

As the lid snapped shut, the guilt on his face vanished, replaced by his usual cool indifference.

"Kimberly, I said I'd get it resized."

He looked at me as if I were a child throwing a tantrum.

"It's pointless to threaten to break up over every little thing."

My breath hitched.

I was instantly thrown back to the Family's annual dividend dinner, where I'd won the management rights to a lucrative port.

I was ecstatic.

This was my reward for three months of non-stop work, for the parents I hadn't seen in two years.

But just as I finished the takeover plan, ready for my parents to help, the majordomo informed me the rights had already been transferred.

"It was Capo Griffin who handled the paperwork. He said you authorized its transfer to the newcomer in your department, Miss Vance."

When I confronted him, my eyes red with unshed tears, Griffin just glanced at me before his gaze dropped back to his phone.

"Oh, was that today? I must have filled in the wrong name by accident."

"Then get it back for me!"

Seeing him engrossed in his phone, I snatched it from his hand.

My eyes fell on Jade's nine-photo grid.

Getting paid to run the docks is awesome, thanks to a certain someone...

It was like a physical blow.

Trembling, I held the phone up to his face, my vision blurred by tears.

"Is this what you call filling in the wrong name by accident?"

Griffin didn’t explain. Instead, he admonished me with an icy calm.

"The mistake was made. I was simply maximizing the outcome."

"Rewarding my subordinates appropriately increases my prestige as a Capo."

"Kimberly, you're not new to this Family. Start thinking about the bigger picture."

His self-righteousness was maddening.

That was the first time I ever mentioned breaking up.

Despite the thousands of times he had called me by the wrong name, the thought had never seriously crossed my mind.

I stayed in a hotel for three days and didn't receive a single message.

I realized, far too late, that Griffin was exploiting my love for him.

Why else would I forgive him, time and again?

Why else would I, after he told me he’d broken up with his ex over long-distance issues, immediately abandon my comfortable life and future inheritance of my family’s Boston art gallery to move across the country for him?

The day I came back, tail between my legs, he wore an expression that said, "I knew you'd be back."

After taking my suitcase, he said flatly:

"Don't make a scene next time. Be more mature."

The Griffin in front of me now merged with the man from that day.

But this time, I refused to be the one who backed down.

I repeated myself, my conviction hardening.

"I'm serious. Let's break up."