Chapter 1

My parents died during my senior year of high school. They left me nothing but a crumbling brick shack in a forgotten neighborhood.

That was the same year I found a boy in the trash.

He was the top student in the junior class at my school.

But nobody respected him. Even when he was being bullied in the hallways, the teachers looked the other way.

If the kids didn't hit him, his alcoholic father would. And his spineless mother never dared to fight back.

I dragged him home and spent days nursing his wounds. I gave him a place to hide.

Later, when his mother was finally beaten to death, I was the one who called the cops and watched them haul his father away.

"Hey, live with me from now on," I told him. "I have no family left either. Call me your sister, and I'll pay for your tuition."

He wanted to go to an Ivy League school, so I dropped out. I worked illegal night shifts and sold my plasma at underground clinics.

After he graduated, he wanted to start his own firm. I handed him every single penny I had ever saved.

Until the day I saw him standing on a glittering stage. He was holding a Young Entrepreneur award next to a radiant, beautiful girl.

I looked down at the cancer diagnosis in my hand.

I let out a bitter laugh.

I had raised him into a man I was no longer worthy of standing beside.

It was time for me to make my exit.

1

I stood up to leave the gala when Lydia called my name from behind.

Lucian was walking right beside her.

When they reached me, Lydia naturally tucked her arm into his.

She gave me a brilliant smile and held out the trophy. "Shae, you should have this. He wouldn't be here without you."

I looked at Lucian. His expression was as cold and indifferent as ever. He simply nodded.

"Take it," he said.

My heart was screaming, but I forced a smile as I took the cold metal.

I'd keep it as a memento for whatever time I had left.

Maybe I'd put it in my urn later. I could show it to my parents in the afterlife.

"Look how great I was," I'd tell them. "I raised a titan of industry. He's handsome, successful, and found a perfect partner."

Before the tears could spill, I turned and walked away.

Back at the apartment, I looked around one last time.

I had rented this place the year he got into college.

Every corner was packed with memories from the last six years.

That night, I packed my few belongings. I made a special hangover soup and sat at the table to wait.

The clock ticked past midnight before I finally heard the door.

Lydia was the one helping him inside.

"Sorry, Shae," she whispered. "There were so many clients at the celebration. They kept pushing drinks on him. You aren't mad, are you?"

I shook my head. "Help him into the bedroom. Get his jacket off."

Her face turned red, and she bit her lip. "I… I don't know. We aren't together yet. Lucian is usually so distant."

"Don't worry," I said quietly. "You'll be together soon. He smiles more at you than he ever has at me in ten years."

We undressed him together. Lydia fed him the soup, spoonful by spoonful.

He stirred eventually, mumbling in his sleep.

"Shae… close the restaurant… I'll buy you… a house… you need to rest…"

He drifted off before he could finish.

Lydia sighed. "The company just got on track, Shae. We're still short on capital."

"I know," I replied. "I won't let him buy a house. Your careers come first."

I grabbed my suitcase from the living room.

"Lydia, I'm leaving for a while. Tell him… goodbye for me."

I walked out the door without looking back.

A proper goodbye would have been too hard. I never liked emotional scenes anyway.

After a twenty-hour train ride, I was back at my old, broken shack.

The neighbors had all moved out. The alley was hauntingly quiet.

I sat on the sofa and realized my phone had died hours ago on the train.

The moment I plugged it in, a call flashed on the screen.

It was Lucian.

"Why was your phone off? Where are you?"

I let out a soft laugh. "The battery died, Lucian. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I'm just… not coming back."

I couldn't come back even if I wanted to.

The line went silent for a long time. His voice was low and raspy when he spoke again.

"You're trying to say goodbye forever."

It wasn't a question. He was too sharp not to notice my things were gone.

I didn't answer his point. Instead, I asked, "It's been ten years. Do you still hate me for sending your father to prison?"

He didn't answer.

"I'm coming to get you," he said, then hung up.

Tears hit my screen, shattering into a million tiny droplets.

I tried to wipe them away, but my eyes wouldn't stop leaking.