Chapter 1

All I did was share a picture of my friend’s newborn with Peyton, remarking on how cute the baby was.

In response, he sent five furious voice memos, calling me disgusting and accusing me of trying to baby-trap him.

I drove toward his office to apologize, but a horrific car crash met me on the way.

As roaring flames swallowed my car, Peyton happened to drive past, and I desperately begged him for help.

He merely glared down at me with disgust before speeding away with his female secretary.

The moment the paramedics pulled me back from the edge of death, I finally agreed to my mother’s plan for our family to move abroad.

1.

“Sweetheart, I am so glad you finally came to your senses. You have been with Peyton for nearly eight years, and he has never once brought up marriage. How many eight-year stretches does a woman have in her life? Give me three days to wrap things up here, and our whole family will relocate overseas.”

Listening to my mom over the phone, a wave of bitter heartache washed over me.

“Don’t worry, Mom. This time, I am completely done with him.”

Just as I hung up, Peyton pushed the hospital door open and walked in, holding Kinsley Ward close.

He asked casually, “Done with what?”

I ignored the hand resting protectively around Kinsley’s waist, turning my face toward the window.

“Nothing.”

Peyton clearly did not care about what I had actually said anyway.

He guided Kinsley into a chair, then asked in an indifferent tone, “How are your injuries? They cannot be that serious, right? I had Kinsley call 911 right after we drove by.”

I had barely survived that inferno, and my back and arms were horribly disfigured by burns.

And he had the nerve to brush it off as not that serious?

My hands clenched into tight fists as a sickening sense of mockery flooded my chest.

Peyton had clearly seen the flames licking up my car back then. If he had stepped out and pulled me free, I would never have suffered such catastrophic injuries.

Instead, he had rolled down his window, sneered at my desperate cries, and sped away with Kinsley.

I let out a cold laugh. “Right. Totally not serious at all.”

Hearing the sharp annoyance in my voice, Peyton frowned in displeasure.

His expression softened only when his eyes drifted back to Kinsley.

“Kinsley felt terrible because she thinks this whole accident happened on her account. She insisted on coming here to apologize to you.”

Kinsley sat on the edge of my bed, her eyes welling with fake tears as she grabbed my arm.

“Darcy, it is all my fault. I accidentally spilled water on my blouse, and Mr. Shaw was rushing to take me to the mall to buy a new one. That is why he missed the chance to pull you out. You know my health has always been fragile and I cannot handle the cold.”

Her words sounded like an apology, but her tone was dripping with smug provocation.

As she spoke, her fingers dug forcefully into my fresh burn wounds.

A blinding, agonizing pain ripped through my arm, making me feel as though my limb was about to snap.

I used all my strength to shove her hand away, my face dead cold.

“Then your Mr. Shaw truly dotes on you, doesn’t he?”

Peyton froze for a brief second upon hearing that strange, distant title, staring at me blankly.

Yet the very next second, Kinsley tumbled backward onto the floor, wailing with tear-filled eyes.

“Darcy, I know you blame me! It makes sense that you want to take your anger out on me, but I am pregnant right now... If anything happens to the baby...”

Peyton rushed forward to scoop her up, his face thunderous as he yelled at me.

“Darcy Montgomery, why are you so damn vicious?!”

“I was the one driving the car! If you want to throw a fit, take it out on me! The baby in Kinsley’s belly is a blessing to our entire company. If anything happens to them, I will never let you off the hook!”

I opened my mouth to defend myself.

How much strength could a severely burned patient possibly have to throw someone to the floor?

Yet, facing his disgusted glare and vicious accusations, I found myself completely speechless.

Scenes like this had played out countless times over the years, and he had never once believed a single word I said.

Watching Peyton carefully support Kinsley out of the room while frantically yelling for a doctor, my heart felt like it was being sliced open by a dull blade.

This was the very same man who repeatedly claimed he hated kids and warned me never to dream of trapping him with one.

Kinsley glanced back over her shoulder, giving me a smug, triumphant smirk that flaunted his blatant favoritism.

My raw wounds began to throb intensely once again.

And I knew with absolute certainty that this time, my heart would never heal.