Chapter 1

Henry Grant and I were childhood sweethearts, and I truly believed I would marry no one else.

But ever since his college friend, Jessica Shaw, returned from abroad, everything changed.

I was no longer the only one in his eyes.

After a car accident left us both injured, he ran into the road, flagged down a car, and rushed Jessica to the hospital, leaving me alone in the dark.

Then, the promotion that should have been mine went to Jessica instead.

He said she needed the promotion more than I did.

I didn't argue with him.

I simply left the city.

You lost me, Henry Grant.

This time, I'm never coming back.

*****

"Jessica! Are you okay? Where are you hurt?" Henry's voice was heavy with panic.

"Henry, my head hurts so much," Jessica whimpered.

The night was eerily silent on that deserted country road, making the sound of the car crashing into the tree unbearably loud.

Summoning all my strength, I lifted my head and saw my boyfriend, Henry, hovering over Jessica.

They were so close their faces were almost touching.

The panic on Henry's face as he looked at Jessica was so intense, you would think she was dying.

Then I looked at my own swollen ankle and the blood seeping from a gash on my calf. The pain was so sharp I could hardly speak.

It all started earlier that evening. We were having a barbecue in the suburbs to welcome Jessica back from studying abroad.

She drank too much and started whining, insisting that Henry drive her home.

When we got to the car, she demanded the front seat.

Seeing how drunk she was, I didn't even bother to argue.

In the car, she was still unruly, her drunken behavior growing more erratic until she grabbed the steering wheel.

That was what caused us to swerve and crash into a tree.

"Anna, Jessica's head is hurting badly. I need to get her to the hospital immediately," Henry said, his attention entirely on her.

He barely glanced at me as he added, "Your injuries don't look as serious. Call an ambulance for yourself. And don't forget to call the insurance company."

I looked at my swollen ankle, and helpless tears began to fall. "Henry, my ankle..." I choked out.

But he was already in the middle of the road, frantically flagging down a car.

He hurriedly helped Jessica into the car without so much as a backward glance toward me.

The door slammed shut, and they sped away, leaving me utterly alone in the dark.

Limping blindly through the dark, I dragged my injured leg in a desperate search until my phone finally picked up a signal.

After calling for an ambulance, I leaned back and stared up at the stars. My vision blurred, whether from pain or tears, I could no longer tell.

I couldn't even pinpoint when Henry first started mentioning Jessica's name in our conversations.

It began as a casual mention, but soon it became a constant topic.

Whenever he spoke about her, his face would soften with tenderness and admiration.

A sense of unease had taken root in me, one that only subsided when she moved abroad. I thought we were finally free of her.

But now, with her return, that old anxiety came flooding back, stronger than ever.

*****

By the time I finished at the hospital and dealt with the insurance, it was five in the morning.

I hadn't slept at all. Exhausted, I hobbled home on crutches, my leg now in a cast.

Henry didn't come home. He didn't even call once to check on me.

After the endless night, I was starving, but my cast made it impossible to get food.

Craving the potato soup from the place downstairs, I called Henry.

"Where are you?" I asked. "Could you please bring me some potato soup on your way home?"

"Where I am is none of your business, Anna. Are you checking up on me?" he snapped. "Is it a life-or-death situation? Can't you live without the damn soup?"

I stared out the window at the rising sun.

A gentle breeze rustled the white curtains, but a suffocating bitterness tightened in my chest.

"Do you even remember that I'm your girlfriend?" I said, my voice trembling. "And yet you're out there taking care of someone else?"

There was a long silence on his end.

Just as I was about to hang up, he finally spoke, his tone softening slightly. "She's just a friend who needs help right now. I'll be home soon."