Chapter 2

On the day of my graduation, my roommate accidentally slipped up, and I found out ahead of time that Ethan was planning to propose. Back then, I was young and blindly confident. Even if I came from a nowhere town and had nothing to my name, I figured being pretty and full of fight would count for something. There was no reason I wouldn't be good enough for Ethan. At the time, I was secretly working delivery gigs on the side, just trying to scrape together enough for a pair of matching rings. What I didn't expect was that the man I was supposed to deliver to that day was completely drunk. He dragged me into his hotel room and pinned me down on the couch. No matter how hard I struggled, he wouldn't back off. "Let me go! You've got the wrong person! I'm just here to drop something off!" I screamed. He slurred, "Is that so? How about you let me have a taste of you first?" Without thinking, I cried out, "Ethan, help me!" Suddenly, the man's grip loosened slightly. "Who's Ethan? Is he your boyfriend?" the man asked with a smirk. "Bring him around sometime. I'd love to meet him." In that brief moment of distraction, my hand found a small knife on the side table next to the couch. On instinct, I drove it straight into his eye. Blood gushed instantly. I froze, paralyzed by fear. Then, I dropped the knife like it had burned me. Seconds later, the fully enraged man clutched his bleeding eye with one hand and yanked my hair with the other. I was trembling. Before I knew it, he hurled me out the fourth-story window. After that, all I remembered was feeling pain. … When I woke up, the first person I saw was Ethan's mother, Amy Baker. I had met her before. She was the one who once offered me a large sum of money to leave Ethan, but I turned her down. She sat at my bedside, silent and poised. Just as I was about to answer my phone, she stopped me, saying, "Look at your leg first. Then, decide if you can still be with Ethan." In that moment, a wave of pain crashed through me. My left leg was gone, amputated below the knee. Layers of gauze wrapped what was left, with blood seeping through the edges. Amy spoke at length, her voice calm but unwavering. "You've always known I didn't approve of you and Ethan. I had someone follow you today to stop you from meeting him. I never expected something like this to happen. "But maybe this is how it was meant to be. Now that you're disabled, I can't possibly accept the two of you being together. I hope you understand. After all, this is what any mother would feel." She pressed her lips together, then continued, "I sent Ethan a photo of you entering that hotel room. I didn't explain anything. But you're smart. I'm sure you know what to do." Right then, whatever pride or self-worth I had left shattered. I had no idea how long it would take to put myself back together. … After a long night of thinking, I finally replied to Ethan's messages. I took the blame and pretended that I had cheated on him, playing the role like I meant it. I texted back, "Yeah. You caught me. Let's break up. There are plenty of rich guys out there. I'm not going to waste my time on just one." His reply came in two sharp words. "Gold digger." And just like that, Ethan disappeared from my life. Later, I learned that the man who assaulted me was Colton Reid. He was a spoiled heir with no real skills to speak of. However, since there was no real evidence and both of us were badly injured, the case went nowhere. After that, his family made sure I couldn't land a decent job anywhere in the city. Still, I was determined to earn enough for a better prosthetic. I sold shoes, made deliveries, and did whatever I could. As for Ethan, if he forgot me, then so be it. … That night, I was out delivering flowers on Valentine's Day. As I stepped into the private room, I saw Ethan. He was seated in the middle, and next to him was the same stunning woman who had bought shoes from me a few days earlier. She looked at me, recognition dawning on her face. "Hey, weren't you the woman from the other—" Before she could finish, another voice cut in. "Damn! Isn't that Kendall Shaw?" It was only then that I noticed the man sitting near the door. It was Wesley Hart, Ethan's best friend from university.