Chapter 1

The day before the physics competition, my boyfriend Lucas Hart, the school board chairman's son, gave my competition slot to his childhood friend, Emily Sinclair.

Lucas shrugged and said, "You've competed so many times already. What's one more? Emily finally found something she's interested in. Just let her have this one."

But I had told him. I had told him my grandmother had cancer and needed the two hundred thousand dollar prize money to survive.

I said, "Lucas, please. I'm begging you. Just this one competition. I won't compete with her ever again, I promise."

I was begging him in front of everyone, right there in the hallway.

Something flickered in his eyes, like he almost felt sorry for me. But then his phone rang, and he shook me off.

Lucas looked at me and said, "Emily's suicidal. I can't just stand by and watch her kill herself. Your grandmother's been sick for years now. A few more days won't make a difference."

He stepped back and added, "Sophie, you need to understand. Emily's like my little sister. We grew up together. I can't abandon her."

That same day, my grandmother died because she couldn't get the surgery in time.

Later, I applied for the foreign exchange program and disappeared from his world.

That was when he started to panic.

*****

The hospital called and said my grandma's condition was critical. She needed surgery immediately.

I took out a loan to scrape together the medical bills and rushed to the hospital, but by the time I got there, they'd already covered her body with a white sheet.

I didn't have time to grieve.

Grandma's medical expenses and the cost of storing her ashes required a substantial amount of money.

After rushing through her funeral arrangements, I started picking up extra shifts.

Lucas didn't contact me for several days straight.

His Instagram feed filled up with Emily's daily life.

They hit up the Ferris wheel together, grabbed dinner, and caught the sunset at the beach.

I liked every single post, but he acted like he didn't notice and said nothing to explain.

That day, I had just put on my work uniform when a customer walked in.

Out of habit, I started my greeting. "Welcome."

A sharp voice cut in. "Sophie? What are you doing working as a server in a place like this?"

Emily pressed her hand to her mouth and gasped, as though she had uncovered some scandalous secret.

She turned to me with wide eyes. "Never would pegged you for this kinda work, Sophie. You're so buttoned-up at school. Talk about a plot twist."

The moment the words left her mouth, the wealthy boys behind her turned their gazes on me, and something shifted in their eyes.

Lucas, leading the group, had gone darkened with anger, his fingers twisting the ring on his hand.

Lucas demanded, "Sophie, you gonna explain why you're dressed like this? Is this why you've been ghosting me? So you could work at some bar?"

So it was perfectly fine for them to party here, but me working here was some sin?

I kept my expression neutral and met his gaze evenly as I spoke. "If I don't work, where's my grandmother's medical bills gonna come from? Not all of us have your trust fund, Mr. Hart. Some of us actually have to hustle."

I turned to leave with my tray, but Lucas grabbed my wrist.

Lucas said, "You're just trying to piss me off with this. Still throwing a tantrum over the competition? When did you become so damn unreasonable? It was a matter of life and death. Was I supposed to just let her die?"

His tone softened slightly, and he reached out to cup my face.

I turned my head away, dodging his touch.

I said, "You're right. How could my grandmother ever compare to your childhood best friend? If she dies, that's on her for being stuck with such a useless granddaughter. Can't blame you for that."

Lucas' face flushed red, then drained white. He gripped my face, forcing me to look at him.

Lucas snapped, "Look at you, all sharp-tongued now. Keep throwing this fit and we're done."

I stared into his eyes without hesitation.

I said, "Fine. We're done."

Lucas' expression went rigid. His grip on my wrist tightened without him seeming to realize it.

His voice was ice-cold when he spoke. "Sophie, do you have any idea what you're saying?"

Lucas' gaze matched his tone, cold and unyielding as it fixed on me.

I met his eyes and spoke each word deliberately. "Lucas, I don't wanna be with you anymore. I'm not good enough for you."

I held his stare. "Can you let go now?"

An eerie silence settled over us after I spoke. Emily stepped forward and slipped her arm through Lucas'.

Emily's voice dripped with false sweetness. "Come on, Sophie. Everyone knows you're crazy about Lucas. There's no way you'd actually break up with him. You're just jealous 'cause he's been hanging out with me, right?"

Emily wasn't wrong. I had loved Lucas.

Back in high school, some lowlifes cornered me outside the school gates. Lucas fought them off with his bare hands.

Another time, I passed out from low blood sugar because I'd skipped too many meals. Lucas carried me to the nurse's office. After that, I'd find some snacks tucked into my desk drawer.

Lucas had done countless things like that. My entire high school experience was colored by him, filled with his presence. When he confessed his feelings at graduation, I was ecstatic.

Even now, he still had the scar on his arm from that fight.

But his eyes would never linger on me again.

I turned to Emily. "You like picking through other people's trash? He's all yours."