I Was His Substitute—Until His Rival Claimed Me

For five years, I loved Julian Mercer. I answered every call, endured every humiliation, and convinced myself that one day, he would finally choose me. Then, at his birthday party, I heard him laugh. “He's not my boyfriend. I only invited him to serve drinks.” When I asked if he'd ever loved me, his answer was simple. “No.” That was the night I discovered something far worse than his rejection. I was trapped inside a toxic romance novel—one where I was destined to suffer for a hundred chapters before forgiving the man who destroyed me. So I decided to rewrite the ending. I disappeared. And when the world believed I was dead, I woke up in the care of Adrian Sterling—Crown City's coldest billionaire and Julian's most powerful rival. Adrian gave me everything Julian never had: patience, tenderness, and the freedom to choose. Then he confessed a secret. He'd been in love with me for six years. But just when I finally began falling for someone new, Julian discovered I was alive. And the man who never wanted me suddenly refused to let me go. This time, however, I wasn't waiting to be chosen. **I'd already chosen someone else.**