Chapter 2

02.

I thought I was numb to her words.

But Lydia's sharp insults still felt like a serrated blade twisting in my chest.

We met back in college during a boxing tournament.

She was a student reporter then. A crowd surge nearly pushed her off the bleachers, and I was the one who caught her.

She asked for my number, and I gave it to her.

She was young, beautiful, and full of a wild, infectious ambition.

When she started her own MMA gym, I left the varsity team to join her. I fought match after match, winning titles to make her gym the best in the state.

We were the power couple of the combat sports world.

But success breeds envy. After a big win, a crazed fan came at Lydia with a machete during an interview.

I didn't think. I just stepped in front of her.

When I woke up, my right arm was gone. Lydia cried harder than I did.

She told me, "Heath, you did this for me. Once I make this gym the biggest in the country, we'll get married."

I waited seven years for that promise.

Now, Lydia's gym, Apex Combat, was at the top of the food chain. She was finally fulfilling her promise.

We had legally signed the papers earlier this year. The wedding was set for the gym's seventh anniversary.

I knew it was mostly a PR stunt to promote the brand.

Lydia's ambitions had always been bigger than just us.

But I was content. I thought she still cared.

She told me she designed a custom watch called "The Sovereign" for me. It was supposed to symbolize how we conquered the world together.

But reality slapped me in the face.

The wrong size. The look of disgust.

Every detail reminded me that the person I cherished didn't give a damn about me.

Maybe Lydia and I were a mistake from the very beginning.