AS AUGUST and Daphne walked inside The Rosehouse, all eyes were on them— including the other visitors and the reporters. August looked uncomfortable, as he wasn’t used to the attention people were giving them, while Daphne acted casually as if she had lived this kind of life.

Daphne’s hands clung to August’s shoulder as her fingers, with yellow nail color, tapped lightly onto his skin. He turned his head and bent a little to glance at Daphne, only to stop himself from breathing and walking as he felt mesmerized because of her beauty.

“Are you okay?” Daphne asked before a genuine smile escaped his lips.

August could only nod as his lips were slightly parted, not knowing what to say. He thought Samantha was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen— not until he saw Daphne that day.

However, he could say that Daphne’s characteristics weren’t real. He could feel inauthenticity on it. And that’s what August hated the most— people who loved pretending, which made him loathe Samantha.

A