Chapter 2

2

He had always been a man of few words.

But after his father was sentenced to death, he became even more of a ghost.

I didn't understand it back then. He had suffered so much abuse.

I thought I was helping him. I didn't realize he'd carry that resentment for years.

Sitting alone in this empty house, I finally understood.

I grew up loved. My parents cherished me.

But him? Even in that house of horrors, he was desperate for a scrap of affection.

I was the one who cut his final tie to the only family he knew.

No matter how many years I spent by his side, his heart was a lonely place.

I fell into a deep, exhausted sleep. I dreamed of the first time I saw him with Lydia.

It was a dinner celebrating his first startup.

When I arrived, his friends were cheering.

"Lucian, you two look so good together! I've never seen a better match. Just get together already!"

I looked down at my cheap, worn-out clothes. I didn't go inside.

Later that night, Lucian asked me a question. "What makes two people a good match?"

I smiled. "It's when everyone looks at you and just knows you belong together."

The year we started living together, rumors flew around school.

A group of kids cornered me in an alley to mock me. They flicked lit cigarettes at my skin.

They tore my clothes and left burn marks on my arms.

They said Lucian's dad used to do that to his mom. They said that was the only reason a boy like him would ever want someone like me.

Everyone said I was a predator. They said we were a joke.

And they were right. A plain girl like me didn't belong by his side.

Then, Lucian asked another question. "Does a lifelong commitment require both people to give everything?"

I shook my head. "Sometimes, one person's sacrifice is enough. It just depends on how much they love you."

When he got into college, I went to a black market clinic to sell my plasma.

I went three days in a row until I was white as a sheet.

As soon as I could stand, I took a job at an illegal kennel.

I used to love dogs. But there, I watched them tear each other apart in the pits.

I was the one who had to bury the losers in the dirt.

A loud banging on the door jolted me awake.

It was morning.

I rushed to open it, but the man standing there was a stranger.

A wave of disappointment hit me.

Maybe, deep down, I actually thought Lucian would show up. He didn't.

"Hi, I'm Rowan. I'm with the development company. This whole block is being demolished, and I'm here to talk numbers."

I let him in. He didn't waste time, but the offer was pathetic.

"No way. You need to do better than that."

Normally, I wouldn't fight. But I was dying. I wanted to leave Lucian as much money as possible.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Lucian.

"Sorry, a business trip came up. I'll come get you in a few days."

Then came a message from Lydia.

"Shae, don't be mad. I was too scared to go on this trip alone, so I begged Lucian to come with me."

I replied with two words: "That's fine."