Chapter 1

At the absolute lowest point of his life, Edward Bennett was forced to abandon his childhood sweetheart and marry me for a business alliance.

For seven years after the wedding, we did nothing but fight. He hated my guts every single day.

He cursed me out more times than I could count. "Why don't you do the world a favor and drop dead, you wicked bitch?" he'd spit.

And now, as he always wanted, I was actually dying.

*****

On the first day of winter, I went to the hospital with a cold and a headache.

Once the lab results came back, the doctor held onto the report, refusing to let me see it.

Sitting in his office, the middle-aged doctor looked at me with a conflicted expression before he finally spoke, "It'd be best if you ask a family member to come here."

I wasn't stupid.

My fingers laced together, and a sudden chill swept through my limbs.

But I forced myself to answer, "My family can't make it here right now.

"Doctor, please give it to me straight. I can handle it."

A flicker of pity crossed the doctor's eyes behind his glasses.

After a brief silence, he repeated, "You really should have a family member come here."

So, no matter how tough I thought I was, this was still too much to bear.

I glanced at the stack of test results the doctor kept hidden under his hand, then back at the patients waiting outside the door.

I stood up and stepped outside to make a call.

It took almost half an hour of calling before Edward finally picked up.

His voice was cold and sharp with irritation. "What kind of stunt are you pulling now?"

My grip on the phone tightened, my hand freezing for a second.

I forced a laugh, trying to keep my voice light. "I've got some good news. Can you meet me at Greenfield Hospital?"

"You're out of your mind," he muttered, about to hang up.

"I'm serious," I cut in quickly. "The doctor needs a family member here."

He sounded amused. "What, is it terminal? Is heaven finally taking you off my hands, Lauren?"

The words knocked the wind out of me, slicing straight through my chest.

Seven years of battling Edward, and I still hadn't figured out how to guard my heart.

Left with no other choice, I softened my tone.

"Could you please come? We've been married for years, after all," I begged.

He cut me off, dripping with disgust. "You make me sick, Lauren."

Standing outside the outpatient building in the freezing wind, I shivered as a sudden chill washed over me.

"Call me when you're dead and I'll come collect your body," he snapped, then the line went dead.

I waited until five in the afternoon, but he never showed.

I had no other family to turn to.

My mom's health was failing. She had been in the ER a few days ago and was discharged only yesterday.

Weighing my options, I scrambled to hire a girl online for a quick gig before the clinic closed.

I paid her to pose as my sister so she could collect the test results from the doctor.

When she finally stepped out holding the report, her eyes were red and welling with tears.

She sniffled. "Maybe you should have your real family come here instead."

I took the report from her, amused by her words. "Why do you think I hired you in the first place?"

A tear slipped down her cheek, splattering onto the cold floor.

I handed her the cash, spent a few minutes calming her down, and sent her on her way.

Once she was gone, reality sank in.

Brain cancer. Six months, tops. That was the verdict.

It was funny how emotions worked.

They took their time, but when they struck, they crashed over me like a tidal wave.

*****

I sat in the back of the cab on the ride home.

Staring out the window, I watched the yellow leaves swirling and tumbling across the asphalt.

Out of nowhere, the tears began to fall.

It took a death sentence of under six months for me to see it clearly: I'd thrown away seven whole years on Edward. What a crushing waste.

*****

I took a taxi home and fumbled for the light switch in the dark.

I had barely settled onto the couch with a plate of instant spaghetti when the front door swung open.

I froze for a second, surprised as I looked toward the entrance.

With Grace finally back in the country after seven years, I assumed Edward wouldn't bother showing his face tonight.

But any surprise I felt quickly evaporated.

Edward strode in, his face stormy.

He was holding hands with Grace, who looked like she'd been crying her eyes out, all red-eyed and pathetic.

Edward looked ready to put me on trial.

I racked my brain, trying to think of anything I might have done wrong, but I knew for a fact I hadn't crossed his precious Grace.

As soon as Grace saw me, she burst into fresh tears, looking more devastated.

"Lauren, I know you hate me, but my sister is innocent," she said.

I had no clue what she was going on about.

Shrugging it off, I twirled my spaghetti around my fork and went to take a bite.

Edward stormed over with Grace, snatched the plate right out of my hands, and dumped it into the trash.

His face was twisted with fury. "Grace is talking to you. Are you deaf?"

Furious, I bolted upright, my head throbbing.

"If you two are out of your minds, go get some professional help!" I snapped.

Edward sneered, his voice dripping with ice, "You couldn't get to me, so you went to Grace's sister? Faking a terminal illness to get attention, how creative.

"Aren't you exhausted after all these years, Lauren?"

The pounding in my skull made my thoughts drag, but then the pieces clicked.

The girl I had hired online was Grace's sister.

What a sick twist of fate.

I couldn't tell if it was sheer fury or starvation, but my vision went dark, and a cold sweat broke out across my back.

My body was failing me, and agitation started to claw at my chest.

I snorted, "Of course not. If it makes you and Grace miserable, I'll do whatever it takes."

The veins on Edward's temples bulged as he slammed the medical report right into my face.

"A scheming bitch like you deserves a terminal illness," he growled through clenched teeth. "Do us all a favor and die already."

The sharp edge of the paper sliced across my cheek, leaving a burning sting.

Edward squeezed Grace's hand and turned on his heel.

I watched my diagnosis report flutter past my eyes, drifting slowly down to the floor.

A wave of dizziness swept over me.

My knees buckled, and I went down.

I grabbed blindly for support, but my hand only caught the cups on the coffee table.

Porcelain shattered against the floor, scattering shards everywhere.

Edward paused at the threshold and looked back.

To him, collapsing over a piece of paper probably looked like a cheap act.

He shot me a look of utter revulsion and spat, "Disgusting," then pulled Grace out, slamming the door behind them.

I stared as he walked away without a single backward glance, no hesitation holding him back at all.

Then my vision blurred, and the world faded to black.