Chapter 2
At the beginning of our story, he wasn't a prince, and I wasn't a princess.
When I was sixteen, my father took 10 grand and married me off to the lame guy from the west end of the town.
When I said no, he picked up the fire tongs and pressed them against my skin.
When my mom came home and saw me battered and covered in blood, her face froze in shock and pain. That was the first time she ever mentioned divorce to my dad.
The night I was rushed to the hospital, our house caught fire.
By the time anyone noticed, all that was left were two charred bodies.
No relatives wanted to take me in.
However, when Victoria Frost heard I was about to drop out, she showed up with 10 grand, paid off my engagement, and took me home to raise me as her daughter.
The first time I met Jason, my injuries hadn't healed yet.
Victoria brought Jason over and introduced him to me.
Maybe my injuries were so bad that it was hard for anyone to even look at me.
From then on, whenever someone tried to mess with me, Jason was always there in a flash.
He even stopped boarding at school and started going home every day, just so he could walk me to and from school and keep me safe.
Back then, I was constantly studying with him, all to show my gratitude to Victoria for everything she'd done for me.
Over time, we started catching feelings for each other.
On the day we finished our SATs, Jason stood in front of everyone and told me he liked me.
When it was time to choose his college major, he picked law without a second thought.
Jason said, "I never want to see anyone suffer because of domestic violence again."
Staring at Jason, who seemed to shine so brightly in front of me, I was overwhelmed and couldn't stop crying.
But nobody expected it. Just a month before school was about to start, Victoria was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
The avalanche of medical bills hit our family like a ton of bricks.
To pay for Victoria's treatment, I hid my college acceptance letter and told Jason my admission had been revoked.
Of course, he didn't buy it, but there was nothing he could do.
Without Jason knowing, I juggled three jobs a day and managed to pull together his tuition money just in time for the first day of school.
When Jason was going to set off for his campus life, I told him I'd be studying for my exams again while taking care of Victoria, and that we had enough to get by, so he shouldn't stress about us.
Jason never bothered with our family's finances, so he had no clue the hospital had already warned us that they'd stop treatment if we didn't pay up soon.
Staring at the measly savings left in my bank account, I pushed myself even harder, doing whatever it took to earn more.
But Victoria's condition deteriorated way faster than I ever imagined.
In just three months, she couldn't even eat anymore.
I rushed to call Jason home, and that very night, Victoria closed her eyes for the last time.
To pay for Victoria's treatment, I sold off everything we owned, including the house.
I never told Jason how desperate things had gotten at home. I just told him we'd have enough to make it through college.
During that six months I was repeating senior year, I worked to save up my tuition while making sure to wire him his living expenses on time every month.
Being apart didn't cool us off at all. If anything, it just made us miss each other even more.
When I got my acceptance letter from Jason's school, it didn't surprise me one bit.
Jason was frantic, taking days off from school just to rush back and find me. Unexpectedly, he accidentally found Victoria's bankbook.
Jason asked, "Why didn't you tell me we were broke a long time ago? Why did you have to do everything by yourself?"
I covered his mouth, grabbed his hand, and pressed it against the scar on my neck.
I said, "If it weren't for Victoria, I would've been married off to that lame guy from the west side of the town. This is what I owe her. If I didn't do this, my conscience wouldn't let me rest."
Jason, a grown man, ended up sobbing in my arms for the very first time.
He tore through every drawer and cabinet, searching until he finally found the box of keepsakes Victoria had left him.
He took out a vintage ruby bracelet from inside and gently fastened it around my wrist.
Jason said, "My grandma always told me, whoever wears this bracelet is destined to be my wife."