Chapter 1

The day I stood on my own two feet again, my boyfriend, Matthew Silks, whipped out a diamond ring and asked for my hand in marriage. However, his junior, Angela Clarke, suddenly showed up with a pregnancy test report. She kneeled in front of me, crying and begging me to accept their baby. The usually indifferent Matthew suddenly lost control of his emotions. His eyes turned red as he helped Angela up. He solemnly urged me to be magnanimous. "You're already crippled, and the doctor said you could never have children. Why don't you accept this baby in and treat him as your own? He can take care of you in the future." Everyone thought I would throw a hysterical fit, but I suppressed the urge to stand up and smiled at Matthew instead, saying it was a great idea. Since I didn't kick up a fuss, Matthew looked pleased. He promised to cut off contact with Angela after she gave birth to the baby and said the baby would only see me as his mother. Yet, he had no idea that my legs had already healed completely and that I had been accepted into the Regal Dance Company. Besides, I wanted nothing to do with him anymore. After agreeing to accept the baby, I pretended to feel unwell and wheeled myself out of the private room. The moment I left, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. "Ange, that was bold of you. Everyone knows just how possessive Renee is when it comes to Matthew." "You too, Matthew. Those words cut straight to the heart. Aren't you afraid Renee will break up with you?" Someone replied flippantly, "Ha! Do you think Renee is still the star of the dance company? After the accident, she's crippled and useless. She has to rely on Matthew for everything. If she ever mentions breaking up with him, I swear I'll eat crap!" Hearing that, everyone burst into laughter. It turned out that the members who once trained and struggled alongside me all knew that Matthew had been cheating on me with Angela. Behind my back, they treated me like a fool and mocked me endlessly. Matthew nodded. "Besides, since Renee can't have children anymore, I have to do this to carry on the family line. She really should be thanking Ange for this." He added, "Right after Renee's accident, I still felt sorry for her. As time went on, touching her limp legs filled me with disgust. It felt like sleeping with a corpse. Still, I had no choice since she did save me." The private room buzzed with chatter. Outside, I forced a bitter smile. Disgusted? If it hadn't been for Matthew, would I have almost ended up paralyzed? One year ago, Matthew and I had been performing in a stage play when a gigantic sign hanging from above suddenly came crashing down toward him. I pushed him out of the way without hesitation, but the hanging sign struck my legs. When I regained consciousness again, Matthew knelt by my hospital bed, swearing he would take care of me for the rest of my life. I took his word for it, but he gradually grew to resent me and started refusing to massage my legs daily. I could only hunch over and massage my own legs, and by the time I finished, I would be drenched in sweat. Even though I tried my best not to become his burden, we gradually drifted apart. All I could do was watch helplessly as Angela took my place as his female lead, laughing and sharing joyful moments with him. When I felt wronged, Matthew merely grew irritated. "Can't you be as generous and kind as Ange? You're crippled now, so you can't perform on stage. Do you want me to do the same? If I'd known that you'd act this way, I would've rather gotten struck by the sign myself!" After hearing him say that, I felt as though our relationship was nearing its end. It just so happened that a doctor at a rehabilitation center abroad saw my case and told me that he could help me stand again. Without further hesitation, I bought a ticket and left the country. After I went abroad, Matthew didn't want me to worry, so he called me every day and showered me with concern. He even promised to propose to me the moment I returned to the country. I kept the good news that I could stand again to myself, planning to surprise him during his proposal. Yet, I was greeted by the news that Angela was pregnant with his baby. Hearing how self-righteous he sounded, I was utterly disappointed. Perhaps he saw me as a cripple who had lost all confidence. It seemed like he thought I had to swallow my grievances, no matter how he humiliated me. After heading back home, I discovered everything had changed. The equipment I used for my rehabilitation had all turned into toys and clothes bought specially for Angela's unborn baby. The wedding photo I took with Matthew had also disappeared, replaced by a photo wall filled with his selfies with Angela. I recalled how I sweated profusely during my rehabilitation, all just so I could stand on my own and be his partner again. Now I felt utterly ridiculous. My hands were trembling as I texted the Regal Dance Company, agreeing to head abroad to join them. The other party was taken aback as they replied, "Didn't you say you were heading back home to marry your boyfriend? We thought you wanted to perform stage plays with him for the rest of your life instead of pursuing a career abroad? What happened? Are you not getting married anymore?" I flashed a mocking smile. It wasn't me who didn't want to get married, but someone else. I merely replied, "No. Our relationship is over, so we're not getting married." I then texted my resignation to my current dance company. Right as I sent the text, Matthew and Angela came in. "Why didn't you answer my calls when you were at home? You've already agreed to accept the baby, so why are you throwing a tantrum?" Angela stood behind Matthew, looking meek as though I were some evil person. "Renee, it's fine if you hate me, but the baby is innocent. Don't you worry. Once the baby is born, I won't be in your way." They really did take me for a fool. I looked away and responded calmly, "My phone is on silent mode. I didn't know you called." Matthew was about to say something when he caught a glance at my phone screen. The person in charge of the ballet company had texted me. "Welcome to the Regal Dance Company." Matthew froze. "What dance company? Have your legs recovered?"