The morning sun streamed into the penthouse, gilding everything in gold—but it did little to thaw the chill between them.
Yuyan stood in front of the floor-length mirror, frowning at the diamond ring on her finger. It sparkled perfectly, a tailor-made emblem of wealth, precision, and calculated romance.
But it didn't fit.
Literally.
It was too loose. Slightly too wide for her slender finger. Not enough to fall off, but just enough to feel... wrong. Like it wasn't made for her.
She pulled it off slowly, staring at it.
"Problem?"
She turned at the voice. Zhao Luchen stood in the doorway, dressed in a slate gray suit, cufflinks gleaming.
She held up the ring. "This doesn't fit."
His gaze swept to it, unreadable. "I had it made a month ago."
"A month ago?" she echoed, eyes narrowing. "But we weren't even—"
He didn't answer. Just stepped into the room, closing the distance between them in three measured strides.
"I assumed my brother would propose by then," he said evenly. "I had his measurements. His taste."
Yuyan's heart thudded. "So you made the ring… for him to give me?"
A flicker of something crossed his face—something close to regret. "I was prepared for a merger, not a marriage."
She swallowed hard. "That's all I am to you. A business move."
"No." His voice dropped. "You're a disruption."
He took the ring from her fingers and slid it back on, slow and deliberate. The cold metal grazed her skin.
"But some storms are worth weathering."
She blinked.
Was that—affection? Or strategy?
She didn't get the chance to ask. His phone buzzed, sharp and urgent. His entire demeanor shifted.
He stepped away. "I have to go."
"Zhao Luchen," she said before he reached the door. "Why did Lemin really leave?"
He froze.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then, softly: "You think I know?"
"I think you're lying. About everything."
He turned to her fully now, expression cool. "I'm not the one who lied to you, Yuyan. But I'm the one who stayed."
Then he was gone.
—
Later that day, at the studio, Yuyan tried to focus on her lines, her mark, her delivery—but her mind kept wandering.
Xu Mei hovered nearby, glancing at her phone every few minutes.
Finally, Yuyan cracked. "What's going on?"
Xu Mei hesitated, then handed her the screen. "He's resurfaced."
The screen showed a blurry photo. A high-end hotel in Berlin. Zhao Lemin exiting a black car, looking straight at the camera.
Alive. Unharmed. Smiling.
Yuyan's pulse skipped. "He's taunting us."
"Or trying to prove he's not afraid anymore."
Of what? she wanted to ask.
Instead, she stared at the image. Something about it was wrong.
He was wearing the same gray coat as the man in the surveillance photo from the airport. But in this one, it looked newer. Not worn. Fresh from a tailor.
That man... wasn't Lemin's handler. It was him.
A twin.
Lemin had doubled back, possibly swapped identities again.
Yuyan exhaled slowly. "Something's not adding up."
"No," Xu Mei agreed. "And I don't think he left you at the altar because he stopped loving you."
"Then why?"
Xu Mei looked at her. "Maybe he did it… to protect you."
—
That night, Yuyan didn't return to the penthouse.
She booked a hotel room across the city under a pseudonym, ignoring Luchen's calls.
He didn't leave angry voicemails.
Just one message.
> Wherever you run, I'll find you.
She deleted it.
But her hands trembled as she turned off the lights and stared out at the city.
Because for the first time since this mess began, she wasn't sure which twin she feared more—
The one who abandoned her…
Or the one who refused to let her go.
---