Chapter 1

The night I got into a car crash, Julian Bentley hung up on me while I was begging him for help.

Noise spilled from the other end of the line. The host was announcing that he had won an international architecture award.

He was standing right next to his first love.

"I'm busy." Those were his last words before he ended the call.

The sharp siren of an ambulance cut through the night. I lay in a pool of blood, watching it soak slowly into my white dress.

I thought to myself, Julian, we were over.

***

I pulled a perfect ribeye steak out of the pan. It sizzled, filling the kitchen with warm butter aroma.

That was when my phone rang.

Today was our third wedding anniversary.

I had ordered top-grade wagyu half a month early and fumbled through a video tutorial to make his favorite beef Wellington.

The crust was golden. The mushroom sauce was rich and smooth. Everything was perfect.

I set the steak on a warm plate and sprinkled crushed rosemary over it.

As I was about to take off my apron, my phone on the counter buzzed nonstop. It was an unknown number.

I swiped to answer, and a panicked stranger's voice burst through. "Hello? Is this Mr. Bennett's family? He's been in an accident."

My mind went blank. My hand trembled so hard that the fork clattered to the floor.

"Who? Julian?" I asked.

"No," the woman gasped. "It's your father, Theodore Bennett. He had a heart attack at the construction site. They're rushing him to Averdon Memorial Hospital. You need to come right away."

My dad? My heart sank halfway in relief, only to be yanked right back up in dread.

There was no time to even stop and change. I grabbed my keys and ran out.

A heavy downpour had started. Huge raindrops slammed against the windshield as if the storm was tearing the world apart.

I turned the wipers to full speed, but could barely see.

One hand gripped the wheel tight. The other trembled so badly that I dialed Julian from pure instinct.

I had to tell him about my dad. I needed him to come over.

At that moment, he was the only person I wanted.

The phone rang endlessly. As I was about to give up, he answered.

The background was deafening. Music, cheering, crowds shouting.

"Hello?" Julian sounded irritated, barely audible.

I started, "Julian, my dad..."

He cut me off at once. "I'm at the awards ceremony. We'll talk when I get home."

Awards ceremony? I froze for a second. Oh, right.

Tonight was the Rising Star Architect Competition he had cared so much about.

He had told me a week earlier that his project was a finalist.

Later, his assistant mentioned he was working on it with his college friend, Seraphina Voss.

She was the one he had always held close, his quiet crush for years. The girl he had never dared to confess to.

I smiled and pretended it did not bother me. It was work. I told myself.

But I had forgotten one thing. Today was our anniversary.

He forgot it completely, like it never crossed his mind.

The host's booming voice came through the phone, sharp and clear. "Let's hear it for this year's Gold Award winners, Julian Bentley and his partner, Seraphina Voss."

The applause was thunderous. I did not need to see it to picture the scene.

The spotlight hit him, sharp in his suit, always with that distant look in his eyes.

Seraphina was in a designer gown, her arm linked with his, smiling perfectly.

And I was stuck in the middle of a storm, nothing but a fool.

My chest tightened until I could barely breathe. All these years, everything I had lived for was hope. Now I understood that hope was slow poison. It did not kill me at once. It ate me away, day after day.

"Julian," my voice trembled, close to tears. "My dad had a heart attack. He's in the hospital. Can you..."

"I'm busy." He uttered those three cold, final words.

Then he hung up. All I heard was the empty dial tone.

The pouring rain and the lifeless beep tangled around me, trapping me in a cage I could not escape.

I could not hold back anymore. Tears mixed with rain blurred my vision.

I lost focus for a second, and a truck crashed into me from the side.

Blinding headlights stabbed my eyes.

I slammed on the brakes and twisted the wheel wildly.

But it was too late. The impact threw me upward, and my head crashed hard against the steering wheel.

Before everything went black, I smelled the thick, metallic scent of blood, heavy enough to choke on.