Prologue

So, all these troublesome matters were because of that guy.

“Ugh……”

Even losing sleep at night, and suffering in silence without telling anyone.

“Woof!”

Lost in thought, Hailey snapped back to reality at the sound of a dog barking.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

A handsome man, his platinum-blonde hair tousled, leaned his arms on the wall outside the window and spoke.

“Woof! Woof!”

A large dog, just as refined-looking as its owner, barked excitedly beside him.

“What time do you think it is, barking and causing a fuss! It’s noisy! Can’t you keep the dog quiet?”

From another room’s window, her stepmother’s voice rang out.

At that moment, both he and the dog tilted their heads to the sky.

Woof woof woof woof woof woof!

Their howling was so loud that even the dogs in houses fifty meters away joined in chorus.

“Let me sleep! Just let me sleep! If you can’t handle it, get rid of them!”

The more her stepmother yelled, the more the two harmonized, and when she finally wore herself out and fell silent, it was as if they’d never barked at all. He raised his nose in triumph.

His antics weren’t exactly new, but his already flawless skin seemed even shinier, making him all the more irritating.

“Aren’t you coming out?”

He rested his chin on the wall, pretending to be cute, and looked up at her with puppy-dog eyes.

Ugh.

“You look perfectly fine, don’t you?”

Hailey suppressed her irritation and replied with a smile.

“Some people have dark circles down to their chin, but you seem to have slept just fine.”

“Of course. Thanks to someone.”

He smiled with crescent-shaped eyes.

“You troublemaker. I told you not to come over the window at night. I was so anxious about making noise, I couldn’t sleep.”

After being bothered all night, she woke to find Dean had gone home as if nothing happened, returning fresh and clean, even smelling of shampoo.

Dean grinned brightly.

“We promised to go for a walk every day.”

“When did I ever!”

“We didn’t promise? Then let’s promise now. Come on out.”

Dean nodded his head, beckoning her.

“I want to rest today!”

“Why?”

“My muscles are sore everywhere, even in places I’ve never used before. Can’t I just rest?”

Hailey scrunched up her face in protest. Last night, she hadn’t been able to stop him from climbing over the wall, but tonight she wouldn’t let it happen so easily.

She planned to make it clear—they weren’t a couple who could just tangle up whenever, like a fish already caught. They were just dating.

For some reason, a playful smile appeared on Dean’s lips.

“If you want to rest, should we do it now?”

He tried to climb over the wall.

“Wait, where do you think you’re going!”

Panicked, Hailey tried to close the window, but he was already inside.

The two houses were so close, not even security could keep them apart.

“Hey, we did plenty last night. What are you trying to do again?”

Hailey retorted, knowing full well he wouldn’t just leave because she pushed back.

“If you don’t like it, then marry me.”

He approached dangerously.

She knew better than anyone that he hadn’t always been like this, which confused her. The more she knew, the less she understood Dean.

“You know you flipped my switch.”

This tone, this slyness, even this side of him that came at her so boldly.

Everything felt unfamiliar and strange.

“I wasn’t like this before, but you made me this way. So you have to take responsibility.”

The Dean she knew was a sensitive child, prickly like a hedgehog.

“Hey, hey, grandma, stepmom, and Ella are all in the next room. Are you going to wake everyone up at dawn?”

“It’s fine. They’re probably already awake. So you know to keep quiet, right?”

His lips touched her neck, burning like fire.

“Ugh, wait… I don’t like this.”

He whispered, teasing her neck and collarbone with his tongue.

“I don’t like that you won’t make up your mind quickly.”

He acted so familiar, as if they’d been dating for ages, even though it had only been a day.

She was convinced he was crazy, but seeing how he acted below the waist, maybe he was fine after all.

Anyway, she was too confused to figure anything out.

“I want to live with you as soon as possible. Wake up in the same bed every day, walk Count together every day. This feeling, I can’t stop it anymore.”

“Ugh! Do you even realize how cheesy you sound right now?”

His body pressed close, making her uncomfortable.

“We’re really dating, right?”

He looked at Hailey with deep, suggestive eyes. In such a short time, he had the gaze of a man deeply in love, and it was so awkward it was driving her crazy.

Even now, as he smiled like an angel and kissed her chest covered in red marks, she was utterly confused.

“Yeah. We’re still dating—I haven’t accepted your proposal yet. Why are you acting so unlike yourself?”

“Let’s get married.”

“Let’s think about it after we actually date… Ugh!”

Before she knew it, he was on top of her again.

“We’ve done everything already, so why bother with dating? Let’s just book the hall.”

“I’m not getting married just like that! I’m going to protect my dates! My dates are precious… Ugh!”

He was like a mad dog again, fired up.

“If you keep rushing, I’ll…!”

What’s the point now? She was swept up in his pace again, unable to think straight.

Escape? As if that was even possible.