(Mia's POV)
I had just returned to the villa with my gift when my phone began to ring.
I looked at the number and was surprised to see who was calling—Ben. I had forgotten to delete his number.
"Hello?" I said as I answered.
But there was no response.
"Hello?" I repeated.
Still no response.
I was about to hang up when I heard him call my name.
"Mia," he said.
"What?" I replied.
"I spoke too harshly at the store earlier today. Don't be mad, okay?" Ben said, softening his tone.
"I'm not mad," I said.
Ben scoffed. "Sure you're not?"
"Believe whatever you want," I replied.
The casual indifference in my voice instantly irritated him, and the softness in his voice began to harden.
"Mia, I already apologized. What more do you want?"
"I don't need your apology," I stated plainly.
Ben went silent for a few seconds. Then he asked, somewhat awkwardly,
"Where's the gift you got for me?"
"What gift?" I asked, surprised.
"Jayla said she saw you buying me a watch," he said. "Didn't you get it to apologize and make up with me?"
Oh.
So this is the reason for the apology, I thought.
I was about to tell him the gift wasn't for him, but he continued as if the matter was already settled.
"Come on, enough already. Dragging this out is pointless."
At that, I suddenly laughed.
"What's so funny?" Ben asked.
"You," I said. "You're hilarious."
"I did buy a watch, but it's not for you. And I don't think I did anything wrong, so why would I need to apologize?"
"Not for me? Then who the hell is it for?" Ben yelled through the phone.
"None of your business," I said.
"None of my business?" he snapped. "We just broke up about a week ago, and you're already out buying a gift for another man. How the hell is that not my business?"
Compared to his growing anger, I was entirely calm.
"Aren't you Cindy's fiancé?" I asked sarcastically.
"It's not like that between us," Ben blurted out.
His voice was noticeably quieter now, lacking its usual confidence.
Because he knew he was guilty.
Trying to salvage the situation, he added,
**"Today, when I went to the jewelry store with Cindy, it was really because of my mom. We weren't looking at rings for Cindy. We were picking out jewelry to match my mom's new dress.
"My mom said Cindy has good taste and knows how to match accessories, so she asked her to go with me. It really wasn't about rings—we had to pick out necklaces, earrings, and bracelets too, all carefully matched. I knew you misunderstood, but I was upset at the time, so I didn't bother explaining. I wanted to see if you'd get jealous."**
"Jealous?"
"Oh, so now you care whether I'd get jealous?"
"I'm sorry," Ben said, trying to smooth things over.
"Your apology is noted," I cut him off. "But I won't accept it. And no, the gift is not for you."
"Then who's it for?" Ben snapped.
"My fiancé," I told him plainly.
Ben let out a sarcastic laugh.
"Wow, Mia. You'd really say anything to force me into marriage, huh?" he scoffed. "So what, you're saying unless I agree to marry you—become your fiancé—you won't give me the gift? And then you'll forgive me? That's what this is about?"
I frowned.
Where did he get this level of delusion?
Did he really think I couldn't live without him?
"Mia," Ben continued over the phone, "I thought you understood the impossible gap between us. I thought you were sensible. But you just keep pushing for marriage over and over again. You really let me down."
I was completely speechless.
And since there was no response from me, Ben hung up.
*
After he hung up, I let out a helpless sigh and shook my head.
For years, I had played the role of the obedient, understanding girlfriend—never checking up on him, never getting jealous, never prying into his personal life.
Except for physical intimacy, I had rarely ever denied him anything.
Maybe that had led him to believe I couldn't live without him.
But what he didn't know was that my so-called obedience wasn't because I was naïve.
It was because I had always known that he never planned to make me part of his future.
A year ago, I had thought about taking Ben to New York City and telling him about my identity.
But then, I accidentally overheard his phone call with his mother—Mary.
"Mom, don't worry. I know you'd never approve of her marrying into our family. I'm only dating her for fun. If I ever actually plan to get married, obviously, you'd have the final say."
"You raised me better than to let some random girl drag me into marriage. I know the difference between dating and marriage."
Oh, so he knew the difference.
That was when I finally realized Ben had never intended to build a future with me.
To put it plainly—he didn't love me that much.
Since Ben only wanted a relationship with no endgame, I went along with it.
At the time, I only needed companionship and emotional warmth in a city where I had no one.
That was all.
So I protected myself very well—my first kiss and first time, still untouched.
So why didn't I leave earlier?
I guess it was because I still liked him at the time.
After hearing the phone call with his mother, I never mentioned my background again.
I could accept that there was no future between us.
But I couldn't accept being a stand-in for the "perfect woman."
I'm Mia Jones.
I'm my own person.