Chapter 2

02

I felt a sudden wave of dizziness, and the cold food in my stomach began to churn.

Around me, the crowd was chanting, "Say yes!"

For a second, I thought I was hallucinating or looking at someone else.

Then I heard the woman's voice: "Caden, I do."

They melted into a passionate kiss.

My tears fell like shattered glass.

I didn't scream or cause a scene; I just turned around and walked away.

I knew that if I made a fuss now, it would only embarrass him.

I kept telling myself he must have a reason, especially since he told me he loved me just two days ago when my parents mentioned marriage.

"Mila, I love you so much, but you know my dad's messy divorce made me lose faith in marriage," he had said.

I believed him when he said he didn't want to get married.

But as I walked away, fireworks exploded in the sky behind me.

The cheers of the crowd felt like needles in my ears.

It turned out he didn't hate marriage; he just didn't want to marry me.

My head was throbbing so hard I could barely see.

A blinding light suddenly rushed toward me, and then I felt my body flying through the air.

When I opened my eyes, my first thought was that I must be dead.

Then I felt a warm hand gripping mine. "Mila Thorne, are you okay?"

A handsome stranger was staring down at me, his eyes filled with panic.

I pulled my hand back slowly. "Who are you?"

"I'm Finn Vance."

"Finn Vance? That sounds familiar."

I looked at his sharp features and searched my memory. He was the legend from my university.

Back then, he was famous for his looks and his cold, distant personality.

Rumor had it he was now a shark in the business world, someone even Caden talked about with respect.

I never thought our paths would cross.

"Why are you here?" I asked weakly.

"Because I'm the one who hit you with my car."

I went silent, but it made sense given the situation.

The atmosphere was awkward until my phone rang.

I answered it quickly to escape the tension.

Caden's impatient voice came through the line. "Mila, I've called you a dozen times. Why aren't you answering?"

"I was in a car acc―"

"I'm just calling to say I'm not coming home tonight."

A huge wave of grief hit me. He wouldn't even let me finish a sentence.

He had no idea that because of him, I was lying in a hospital bed in the middle of the night.

I thought he had hung up, but then I heard him talking to someone else in the background.

"How could I actually marry her? Her family is broke. She brings nothing to the table."

"Leave me? Trust me, even if she finds out I'm marrying someone else, she won't leave. She knows she'll never find another guy with my bank account."

I felt my blood turn to ice.

So that was how he saw me all these years. My sacrifices were just a gold-digger's strategy to him.

He forgot that I never owed him a single cent.

Every gift he gave me, I worked extra shifts to buy him something of equal value in return.

I was so afraid of things being unfair that I never let him pay for my life.

And yet, this was how he mocked me.

His old promise of "not caring about my family" was just a lie to keep me around.

It was pathetic.

A tissue appeared near my face. "Wipe your eyes," Finn's calm voice interrupted my thoughts.

I realized my face was soaked with tears.

The doctor came in and said I had a mild concussion and was suffering from extreme exhaustion.

"I want to go home," I said.

"You should stay for observation," Finn replied, looking concerned.

"Please, just take me home," I whispered, meeting his eyes.