Poppy was petite and Caius could practically envelop her with just one arm. I used to love that feeling—when Caius would hold me like that. He always said that holding me this way made him feel like he could protect me, that he could keep me by his side forever. I never imagined that one day, his embrace would belong to someone else.
“I got you your favorite—pineapple juice.”
Poppy’s smile froze. She hesitated, then awkwardly said, “Ace, I’m allergic to pineapple…”
Caius frowned. “That’s impossible. You love pineapple juice. I couldn’t have gotten that wrong.”
He spoke with such certainty that my eyes immediately filled with tears.
It was me who loved pineapple juice.
That’s why, no matter where we were, he always managed to find fresh pineapple juice for me.
“Because you love it. As long as you love it, I’ll always find a way to get it for you,” he had once said, smiling sweetly, his eyes full of me.
Poppy took the cup of pineapple juice and casually tossed it into the trash. Caius’s fingers twitched slightly, but he didn’t stop her. He just watched her, his expression uncharacteristically downcast. “Sorry, I’ve been mixing up your preferences a lot lately.”
"It's okay, I know Ace loves me. You didn’t get it wrong—my tastes have just changed," Poppy said as she leaned into Caius, linking her arm with his. "After we’re married, I’ll slowly tell you all my new preferences. You better remember them well."
"Of course." Caius nodded with a smile. "I’ll never forget."
He took Poppy’s hand and pressed a solemn kiss to the back of it. His eyes were filled with nothing but love for her, his affection so deep it was almost overflowing. At that moment, my tears finally fell uncontrollably.
I realized he had forgotten everything about us. He didn’t remember that there was once a girl named Tiara who had loved him deeply.
Poppy had completely taken my place.
They were about to walk down the aisle together.
Caius was in love with the story’s heroine, Poppy.
And Tiara Blight was just a forgettable supporting character, easily cast aside.
Through my tear-filled eyes, I met their gaze.
Caius seemed to pause for a moment when he saw me and I instinctively clutched my clothes.
The next second, the system mocked me in my mind. ["You don’t actually think he remembers you, do you? The power of the original story is absolute, Tiara. To him, you’re nothing but a stranger."]