Autumn arrived in Oxford without warning. Emily walked across the quadrangle of Christ Church College, hugging a stack of architectural history textbooks. Golden ginkgo leaves rustled softly beneath her steps.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. A message from Ryan lit up the screen:"Dinner at The Randolph, 7 p.m. I have a surprise for you. — R"
A smile tugged at the corners of Emily's lips. Ever since she moved into Ryan's townhouse in North Oxford, surprises like this had become almost weekly rituals—an out-of-print architectural monograph, a ticket to a renowned architect's lecture. But the one that touched her the most was on her birthday last month: somehow, Ryan had found her favorite childhood treat—Chinese osmanthus cake—and gifted her a taste of home in a foreign land.
"Mrs. Li!" The librarian called out, handing her a parcel wrapped in fine brown paper. "Your husband sent this over just now."
Inside was the newly revised edition of The World Encyclopedia of Architecture, a set Emily had longed for. On the title page, Ryan had penned in his elegant handwriting:"To the smartest wife in the world. I hope one day your designs will be featured in these pages."
Emily hugged the books tightly, inhaling the fresh scent of ink and paper. Her heart thudded, and for the first time, she admitted to herself—she liked Ryan. Not in the way their contractual marriage dictated, but truly, dizzyingly, dangerously liked him.
By 6:30 that evening, she stood in the walk-in wardrobe, torn with indecision. Ryan had once told her she looked best in blue—it made her eyes resemble West Lake after rain. She eventually chose a sky-blue silk dress, pairing it with the pearl earrings he'd given her.
"Perfect," she murmured, twirling once in front of the full-length mirror—then froze. In the corner of the wardrobe, reflected in the mirror, sat a black suitcase, half-unzipped and unfamiliar.
Curiosity piqued, Emily crouched down and opened it. It wasn't locked. Inside, neatly stacked folders and a leather-bound photo album. She opened the first page—and her breath caught.
In the photo, Ryan was nestled beside a blond, blue-eyed man, their arms entwined on a Venetian canal. More photos followed: kissing beneath the Eiffel Tower, laughing on a Swiss mountaintop, tangled in bed sheets…
Emily slammed the album shut, her hands trembling. The last photo was dated three months ago—just a week before Ryan had "accidentally" run into her at the botanical garden in Kuala Lumpur.
Underneath the album lay printed email exchanges. The top message was addressed to "Dearest Kai" and signed "Forever yours, R."The date: one week after their wedding.The message:"Kai, I hope you've seen the wedding photos. Yes, I married a stranger—just as you once betrayed me, I now betray you. Do you recognize this pain?"
Emily collapsed to the floor. The pearl earring slipped from her shaking fingers. In that moment, every puzzle piece clicked into place—The rain-soaked encounter, the generous offers, the contract marriage...All a meticulously crafted lie.Ryan hadn't fallen for her at first sight. He'd needed a prop—a perfect instrument to get revenge on his unfaithful ex.
Emily sat paralyzed on the floor, unable to move. The earring rolled away, vanishing beneath the vanity.The illusion shattered.
Every loving gaze, every midnight tutoring session, every quiet dinner they'd shared…Had it all been a performance?
"Emily? Are you ready?"Ryan's voice floated up from downstairs, accompanied by the sound of ascending footsteps.
Panic surged through her. She shoved the photo album and documents back into the suitcase and yanked the zipper shut. But it was too late.
Ryan appeared in the doorway of the dressing room.His eyes moved from her pale face to the unzipped suitcase.His expression froze.
"You saw the pictures." It wasn't a question.
"Who is Kai?" Emily stood up slowly, voice cracking. "Your boyfriend?"
Ryan stepped into the room and gently closed the door behind him. He wore a deep navy suit, the silver tie she had given him knotted neatly at his throat. He looked heartbreakingly handsome.
"Yes," he said at last, his voice unusually calm. "Kai Williams. My ex. We were together for three years. Until I found out he slept with my business partner."
Emily swayed, steadying herself against the wardrobe."So… our meeting in Kuala Lumpur—"
"Wasn't a coincidence." Ryan met her gaze without flinching."I hired a private investigator to find someone like you—an Asian girl, intelligent, beautiful, desperate for help and dreaming of studying abroad. Kai always envied my Asian heritage. Choosing you was a double blow."
Each word landed like a knife.
Emily thought of the wedding vows, the candlelit dinners, the way he had proudly introduced her to his professors as my wife. The late nights with him scribbling notes beside her, helping her prep for exams.All of it—a lie?
"You know what's funny?" she laughed bitterly, tears streaking her cheeks. "I actually fell for you."
Ryan flinched. He took a step forward, as if to reach for her, but she recoiled.
"Don't touch me!" she snapped, yanking off the pearl earrings and tossing them to the floor."You used my desperation. You turned my dream into your twisted little game."
"It wasn't like that." For the first time, Ryan's voice cracked with urgency. "Yes, it started as revenge. But—"
"But what?" she cut him off. "You kept lying so you could hurt Kai more? So you could drag me deeper into this mess?"
She pulled off her wedding ring and shoved it into his hand."The game's over, Mr. Li. I'm moving out tomorrow."
Ryan suddenly grabbed her wrist. His grip was firm enough to make her wince."You can't leave. The contract states two years. If you break it early, you have to return all the tuition and living expenses."
"I'll find a way to pay you back," she said coldly. "Even if it takes me ten years."
Silence fell.
Outside, Oxford's church bells tolled seven times—deep, mournful chimes.Ryan stared at the ring in his palm. Then, slowly, he dropped to one knee—just like the day he proposed.
"Emily, please let me finish," he said softly, looking up at her. His amber eyes shimmered with something raw and unfamiliar—vulnerability."Yes, I approached you with a lie. But these past two months… I started looking forward to coming home to your smile. I remembered every book you liked. I even started learning how to cook Chinese food…"
"Stop," Emily whispered, covering her ears. "I won't believe anything you say anymore."
Ryan didn't stop."Last week, Kai came to me. He said he was going crazy. He begged me to take him back." He gave a broken smile."You know what I told him? I said, Sorry. I've fallen in love with my wife.This isn't an act, Emily.I should've told you sooner, but I was afraid—afraid you'd leave if you knew."
Emily shook her head, tears blurring her vision."It's too late.How am I supposed to believe in a love built on lies?"
Ryan rose slowly, placing the ring on her vanity."I won't stop you. And you don't have to repay me. That money… I owe it to you."He walked to the door, his figure suddenly heavy with fatigue."But before you decide for good—look at this."
He pulled an envelope from his inner jacket pocket, placed it gently on the nightstand, and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Emily collapsed onto the bed, hands trembling as she opened the envelope.
Inside was a hospital report.Patient: Ryan LiDiagnosis: Moderate DepressionDate: Two weeks before their encounter in Kuala Lumpur.
There was also a handwritten letter. The ink was smudged in places, the pen strokes uneven:
Emily,Before I met you, I was a ghost. For three months, I drifted through life, numb.Kai's betrayal shattered my belief in love.Then I saw you—standing under the palms in the rain, so proud, so alive...In that moment, for the first time in weeks, I wanted to live again.Even if I had to pretend.
Tears soaked the page.
Emily stared out the window. Oxford's night sky sparkled with stars, each one a reflection of her shattered thoughts.
Who was the Ryan she had fallen in love with?A careful illusion—or the man beneath the mask?
Downstairs, the front door clicked shut.She heard his car start and fade into the distance.
Alone in the bed, clutching the letter to her chest, Emily curled into herself.For the first time, the Oxford night felt unbearably cold.