Chapter 1

At my engagement party, I got the news that my grandma had suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage. The ICU bill was three thousand dollars a day.

I dropped to my knees in front of everyone, begging Lewis Reed to take off the engagement ring and pawn it for money.

Lewis towered over me, his eyes cold, like he was staring at some pathetic stray dog.

"Helena, the way you're so greedy for money makes me sick," he said.

After that, he let everyone in our circle insult me as a gold-digger and treat me like some bargain-bin substitute for his late first love.

On New Year's Eve, I stood in a convenience store, staring at the expired, discounted snacks, with only a dollar left in my pocket.

Meanwhile, Lewis was at Penside Piers, setting off a three-million-dollar fireworks show for his new flame.

Staring at my grandma's death notice, I sent him one last text. [Lewis, we're even now. No more ties between us.]

His reply came back instantly, cold as ice. [Still not enough? I sent you 150 dollars. Don't interrupt me while I'm enjoying the fireworks.]

*****

My phone buzzed. The screen lit up, showing a transfer of 150 dollars.

The note said: [Don't bug me.]

The piercing notification sound rang out in the quiet corridor outside the morgue, feeling especially harsh and out of place.

I clutched that flimsy slip of death notice in my hand. The paper was crumpled from my grip, still smudged with tears that hadn't dried.

Grandma was gone. Just moments ago, the one who loved me most had become nothing more than a cold box of ashes.

I stared at the 150 dollars, my eyes stinging, but I couldn't shed a single tear.

This was my price in Lewis's eyes. And that was how seven years with him came to a close.

I put my phone away and stepped into the funeral supply store next door.

I bought an urn for 140 dollars. After paying, I had just 10 dollars left to my name.

With what was left, I caught a cab and headed back to the villa up on the hillside.

This was Lewis's home. And for three years, it had been my gilded cage.

When I opened the door, the house felt deserted and lonely. Lewis wasn't there.

It was New Year's Eve, and he was out at Penside Piers, keeping Abbie Shannon company while they watched the fireworks.

I didn't bother turning on the lights. I just let the moonlight stream in through the window as I started packing up.

Honestly, there wasn't much to take with me. The clothes were bought by him, and the jewelry was given by him. None of those felt like mine, so there was no point in taking any of it.

I just grabbed a few old T-shirts and stuffed them into my faded canvas bag.

I pulled open the very bottom drawer in the study, looking for my ID card.

My fingers touched a cold photo frame. I was startled.

Lewis never let me touch this drawer. Before I knew it, I'd taken it out.

Under the moonlight, I could see the faces in the photo.

It was Lewis, young and wild, smiling with reckless abandon.

He was holding a girl close in his arms. She wore a white dress, her eyes smiling, and a tiny mole at the corner of her mouth, exactly like mine.

But it wasn't me. It was Bianca Mullins, Lewis's irreplaceable love.

A chill ran down my spine. With shaking hands, I reached up and touched my face.

It made sense to me now. Every time he said I looked good in a white dress, or that my eyes were moon-shaped when I smiled, it was all because of her.

I wasn't just a gold-digger. I was a knockoff, and not even a good one.

My phone rang again. It was Abbie.

I picked up, and a wave of cheers and crashing surf blared in my ear.

"Happy New Year, Helena!" Abbie chirped.

Her voice was so sweet it made my skin crawl. "Lewis is in the shower. I saw the message you sent him.

"He told me if the urn costs more, just ask. After all, you stuck around for three years. Covering it is just like pocket change for a pet."

Abbie chuckled on the other end, clearly enjoying herself. "Oh, by the way, Helena. Did you know? Lewis gave me a necklace. He said it was Bianca's favorite design when she was alive."

She added, "He told me you're just a shadow of the past, but a knockoff is still a knockoff. He wouldn't even want to be seen with you in public."

My heart barely beat, each pulse so slow it felt like it could stop at any moment.

There was no anger left, just a barren, lifeless emptiness inside me.

"Abbie," I rasped, my voice so rough it barely sounded like me. "I wish you two last forever, you disgusting two pieces of shit."

I hung up before she could even start screaming.

I fished the engagement ring out of my bag. It was what I once thought happiness looked like, but now it was nothing more than a cruel joke.

I placed the ring on Bianca's photo.

"Back to its rightful owner," I muttered.

I slung my bag over my shoulder, cradled the plain wooden box in my arms, and walked out of the villa. The door closed behind me.

On the bus heading back to my hometown, the air reeked of stinky snacks and sweaty socks.

Fireworks were still going off outside the window, bursting every now and then.