Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jonah and I met back in college.

He was the "it" guy on campus, famous for all the wrong reasons.

His parents had divorced when he was young, and he grew up with his mother.

She was a busy CEO and didn't have much time for him, so she just showered him with money instead of attention.

That made him arrogant, reckless, and borderline impossible to deal with. Almost no one wanted to get close to him.

Including me.

He was the kind of student that made professors get migraines. I stayed far away.

But for some reason, maybe because I was the "good girl" who followed the rules, Jonah fixated on me.

He started asking me out every single day.

On weekends, he'd try to take me for drives in his sports cars. The gifts never stopped coming.

I turned him down every time, but he never gave up.

One day, I finally asked him why.

He looked at me and said, "Because you're a good person."

"Everyone else either looks down on me or wants my money. You're different."

"I just want one normal friend."

The loneliness in his eyes at that moment made my heart ache.

I thought that maybe everyone had misunderstood him.

Maybe his arrogance was just a suit of armor covered in spikes.

Underneath, he was soft and desperate for a real connection.

I smiled and nodded at him.

"Okay. Starting today, I'm your friend. By the way, my name is Meredith."

Jonah laughed. It was the first time I realized how much sunshine could hide in such a moody guy's smile.

...

From that day on, we became best friends.

We studied together, went to the library, and walked around the track.

He took me racing, horseback riding, and ice skating.

My friends thought I was crazy. My professors told me to stay away from the "bad influence."

Everyone thought Jonah was just playing a game and would get bored of me.

But I could see he was sincere.

The more time I spent with him, the more I felt sorry for him.

He had all the money in the world, but he was incredibly lonely.

He deserved to be loved.

For him, I even gave up my chance at a prestigious grad school program so we could graduate together.

Jonah was so grateful that he invited me to work at his mother's company.

That was when I met his mother, Eleanor, a legendary shark in the business world.

In her mansion, Eleanor held my hand with tears in her eyes.

"Meredith, thank you for staying by Jonah's side. He's changed so much, and I can tell he loves you."

"I haven't been a good mother. Please stay with him. I just want him to be happy."

She was a mother who loved her son deeply.

I couldn't say no to her.

Besides, I really did have feelings for Jonah.

So, I accepted the job and stayed at the company.

I found out later that Eleanor was already in the final stages of liver cancer.

She knew her time was short and her only worry was her son.

On her deathbed, she pulled me close and begged me to take care of him.

I promised her I would, and she passed away with a smile.

To keep that promise, I married Jonah.

Jonah hated the stress of work. He was the CEO on paper, but I was the one handling everything at the office.

I never complained because I loved him with every fiber of my being.

Every night when I stayed late at the office, he would rub my shoulders and whisper in my ear.

"My wife is the best. You're working so hard for us."

He'd promise me, "Don't worry, babe. One day when you're tired, I'll be the one to protect you. I won't let anyone hurt you."

And yet, here we are. He became the one who hurt me the most.