Chapter 1

Vivienne Sterling was obsessed with fairness.

Because of that obsession, she had a specialized microchip implanted in my body.

Every time her childhood best friend, Asher Montgomery, suffered a stomach cancer flare-up and vomited in pain, the chip would transfer every ounce of his agony to me.

On the day of Asher's tumor removal surgery, I collapsed from the sheer intensity of the pain in the hospital hallway.

While I suffered, Vivienne was in the recovery room, gently comforting him. "How do you feel? It didn't hurt at all, did it?"

Later, she told me she wanted to hold a wedding for Asher so he could experience being a groom.

"I know I'm technically marrying you, Caleb, but we can just sign the papers later. I told you... I've always treated both of you with total fairness."

I didn't say a word. I simply handed back the engagement ring she had once given me.

The moment the wedding march began to play...

I boarded a one-way flight to a place far, far away.

1

While Asher was in surgery, the pain was so agonizing that I accidentally snapped several of my own fingers.

Every time the surgeon sliced into his abdomen to remove the tumor, I felt the cold, sharp blade. Every stitch through his skin felt like a needle through my own heart.

The chip transferred every bit of that soul-crushing pain to me.

The torture lasted for six agonizing hours.

By the time it was over, my clothes were drenched in cold sweat.

The floor beneath me was covered in bloody scratch marks where I had clawed at the tiles.

Patients passing by in the hallway stared at me with freakish curiosity.

They whispered and pointed, their voices filled with judgment.

"He's not even the one having surgery. Why is he screaming like a dying animal? He must be insane."

"Probably some kind of mental breakdown. I saw a news report once about people who think they have phantom illnesses and go crazy outside operating rooms..."

Not long after, Vivienne's voice drifted through the gap in the door. "How are you feeling? It wasn't painful at all, right?"

Asher's voice was soft and clear. "Vivienne, that chip you developed is a miracle. Not only was the surgery painless, but I didn't even need anesthesia for the stitches. I couldn't feel a thing."

I bit my lip so hard the taste of copper filled my mouth.

Despite the effort, a low, broken whimper escaped my throat.

Finally, the hospital door swung open.

Vivienne walked out, supporting a healthy-looking Asher. He actually had enough energy to laugh out loud.

He looked like he had just woken up from a refreshing nap, not like someone who had just undergone major surgery.

I, on the other hand, was a mess, slumped on the floor like a pile of discarded trash.

The moment Vivienne looked down at me, the smile vanished from her face.

She wrinkled her nose as if she had smelled something foul. Her voice was dripping with disgust.

"Caleb Thorne, have you no shame? You're a grown man, and you've literally wet yourself!"

"You're supposed to be my boyfriend. Making a scene like this... are you trying to make me a laughingstock?"

I tried to speak, but I didn't even have the strength to form words.

Asher spoke up then, his voice dripping with fake sympathy. "Vivienne, don't be too hard on him. Caleb did take on all that pain for me. Even if he embarrassed you, you shouldn't blame him."

Vivienne let out a cold snort. "It was just a simple surgery. How painful could it possibly be? He's just being dramatic."

I forced myself to stand up, trembling. I swallowed my tears and whispered a plea.

"Vivienne, can you... can you give me a ride home? My phone died..."

Vivienne glanced back at me, her brow furrowed in irritation. "Give you a ride? Look at how filthy you are. You have the nerve to ask that?"

"I have standards, Caleb. Don't push them!"

Without another look, she turned and walked away, supporting Asher.

She threw one last line over her shoulder. "Get yourself home and clean up. Stop embarrassing me!"

By the time I dragged my aching body out of the hospital, a torrential rainstorm had begun.

Through the curtain of rain, I saw Vivienne wrap her arm tightly around Asher's waist.

Asher turned red, acting shy. "Vivienne, don't... I haven't showered since the surgery. I'm dirty too. What if..."

"It's fine. I don't mind," Vivienne said, her voice full of a tenderness I hadn't heard in years. "You're different from Caleb. You're always the exception."

"But... Caleb suffered so much for me..."

Asher's voice faded as they got into the car. "If he's resentful, what if he gets angry and breaks off the engagement?"

"Ha! Would he dare?" Vivienne's laughter was mocking. "He's an orphan with no family left. Where would he even go if he left the Sterling family?"

The engine roared to life, and the black sedan sped away, splashing muddy water all over me.

The freezing rain soaked through my skin, but I felt nothing. I was already numb.

Seven years.

I had stayed by Vivienne's side through every struggle she faced.

Now that she was successful and famous, she had turned me into nothing more than a pathetic joke.

I shivered as I borrowed a portable charger from a kind stranger.

As soon as my phone turned on, I called my boss.

"Director Miller... about that overseas transfer you mentioned... the one for the Seattle branch. I've made up my mind."

There was a pause on the other end. "Caleb? That's a five-year commitment at least. You won't be able to come back easily. Are you sure?"

I watched the taillights of Vivienne's car vanish into the gray mist of the rain. I let out a soft, hollow laugh.

"Yeah. I'm sure."

But I wasn't going for five years.

I was going for forever.