Game Over No Second Chances

Chapter 1

Serena Jansen stood by the massive floor-to-ceiling window, her silk robe draped elegantly over her figure. She gazed at the flickering city lights in the distance.

After a long pause, she picked up her phone and made a call. "I agree to the engagement."

There was a brief silence on the other end before her father's voice came through. Howard Jansen sounded excited, barely trying to contain it.

"Nina, when are you coming back? I'll pick you up."

Her chest tightened, and a lump formed in her throat. It had been years since she last heard him call her by her childhood nickname.

"Next Monday."

Without waiting for a response, she ended the call.

After her mother, Amber Hanson, had passed away, Howard wasted no time bringing another woman and her daughter into their home. Serena hated them, and she vowed to never let her mother's company fall into their hands.

For years, she had bent over backward for Zach Foster. But now, she no longer saw the need for such trouble. There was a far more direct way to reclaim what was rightfully hers.

Still, the thought of Zach sent a dull pain through her heart.

...

Earlier that evening, at 8:30 pm, Serena had set the table with the dinner she had meticulously prepared. Right when she was done, her phone buzzed with a message.

Zach wrote, "Something came up at work. Don't wait for me."

Her entire body went numb as she stared at the screen.

It was her 23rd birthday that day, as well as the fifth anniversary of their relationship.

She had been calling and texting him since 6:00 pm. Her calls had gone unanswered, and her texts had been barely acknowledged-she had sent ten messages, and he had only responded with a single word.

"Busy."

Their WhatsApp chat felt like a one-sided monologue.

Serena: "I ordered tomahawk steak..."

Serena: "Picked up fresh roses and lilies..."

favorite. I picked it up from the

gardenia-scented. I

years, and he had never missed her birthday. Unwilling to accept reality, she

message. Just then, a notification popped

concert. Been looking forward to this

was a photo of a man and a woman, their arms pressed intimately against

concert lights, Serena recognized the cufflinks on the man's sleeve immediately. The engraved

only one set

burned from the strain until she suddenly hurled her phone onto the table, gasping

tickets the moment Vincent announced his nationwide tour. At the time, she had told Zach it was the one thing she wanted most

But in the end, he stood her

on her birthday, Zach had abandoned her and taken

chest to every part of her body. She

with trembling hands. She could

was ten, she had been sickly and had to move from Javerton City to Yellowbrook City to recover. That was when she

even after regaining her health, she had never wanted to leave

than her. He had always protected and

confessed his love, unable to wait another moment. He had given her the most beautiful bouquet and promised

when that promise had started to fade. Maybe it was

young woman in the white dress had smiled softly, eyes filled with shyness and

the scholarship student

From that day

Serena had fought back.

filled with disappointment. "Wendy isn't as strong as you. She's not as privileged as you. Don't bully

to scream. So being weak gave Wendy the

suddenly, breaking

up. Three messages

world-class! Zach already arranged for me to

your birthday, right? I kept telling Zach to go back and see you, but he was worried I wouldn't eat properly and insisted on staying with me. You called so many times that he got annoyed and turned

can you help me

was a stunning multicolored diamond bracelet, a luxury brand's latest seasonal release that was only available through pre-order. When the concept advertisement first came out, Serena had casually mentioned it to Zach. So he had bought

But not for her.

a candle and finished her birthday alone. She dumped all the leftover

past thirteen years, she and

from him wouldn't

She needed time.

next moment, a cool hand brushed against her face, gently pinching her