Chapter 2

I clutched my bag to my chest, and my thoughts were suddenly dragged back to that nightmare of an engagement party.

Back then, I was still foolish enough to believe that Lewis truly loved me.

He once looked into my eyes and said, "Helena, there are stars in your eyes. You're resilient, just like wild grass."

I believed him.

On the day of the engagement party, I wore a custom-made dress that felt so unfamiliar, carefully following in his footsteps.

I wanted to be the kind of wife he deserved.

That was when my phone rang.

It was Lilia Juarez, my neighbor, crying out, "Helena! Your grandma fell! There's so much blood! It's a brain hemorrhage. The ambulance took her away. She needs surgery right now.

"The doctor said the ICU costs three thousand dollars a day, and the surgery deposit is 70 thousand dollars! You need to figure something out!"

Everything came crashing down. My mind was spinning, and my hands and feet went numb with fear.

Frantically, I went looking for Lewis, my heart pounding in my chest.

He was holding a glass of wine, surrounded by a bunch of spoiled heirs, laughing and chatting without a care in the world.

I rushed over and grabbed his sleeve. "Lewis, please, I need your help. Can you lend me some money? My grandma's hurt, it's really bad..."

I was desperate. I didn't care who was watching or what anyone thought.

Everyone around us suddenly went quiet.

Lewis's smile froze on his face. He frowned, yanked his arm away from me, and even brushed off his sleeve, like I was something filthy.

"Helena, this is our engagement party." His voice was icy, a warning clear as day. "Watch your status. Don't embarrass yourself here, acting like some beggar."

Someone nearby let out a snicker.

Lewis's mother, Molly, sat at the head of the table. She was elegantly slicing her steak, not even glancing up.

"Mrs. Reed..." I looked at Molly, clutching at any hope I could find. "Please, save my grandma. I'll pay you back, I swear. I'll sign anything, work myself to the bone for you..."

Molly set down her fork and knife, her gaze slicing right through me.

She said, "Ms. Turner, the Reed family's money doesn't just fall from the sky. You haven't even married in yet, and you're already begging for favors?"

My phone buzzed again. The doctor sent over a photo of the emergency notice. The red stamp was so vivid. It looked just like blood.

I yelled, "If I don't pay up now, it'll be too late!" My defenses completely shattered.

Desperate, I dropped to my knees right in front of Lewis, with a heavy thud, not caring who was watching.

My knees slammed into the marble floor, and a sharp, agonizing pain shot through me. But I was numb to it all.

I was crying so hard, clawing at the engagement ring on my finger, desperate to get it off.

I pleaded, "Here, take the ring back! Sell it if you want. Please, help me! Lewis, please. I'm begging you. She's all I've got left!"

In that moment, there wasn't a shred of pity in Lewis's eyes. Only an unfathomable, endless disgust.

He thought I was forcing him into a corner. He thought I was using his reputation to extort him.

He looked down at me with contempt, like I was nothing more than a stray dog, begging for mercy.

He said, "Helena, the way you act so greedy for money really makes me sick."

He turned away and motioned to his assistant. "Give her 70 thousand dollars. Tell her to get lost."

His assistant hurled the money right at my face. Cash rained down, landing on my head and shoulders. It was like a scornful storm, mocking me in front of everyone.

I was down on all fours, desperately picking up each bill.

All around me, mocking laughter echoed, mixed with the relentless click of cameras.

After that day, I became the joke of their entire social circle. But just to pay for my grandma's treatment, I endured every bit of humiliation.

Later, Molly showed up at the hospital.

She stood outside the ICU and told me, "I was the one who had your grandma's treatment held up. This was just a little test. If you breathe a word of this to Lewis, I'll stop all her medication."

Watching my grandma hooked up to all those tubes, I gritted my teeth and forced myself to endure.

I thought if I obeyed, if I did everything they asked, my grandma would survive. But I was wrong.

In a world where only the strong survived, weakness was the original sin.

When I finally made it back to my old seaside home, the sky was just starting to lighten.

The salty, fishy sea breeze whipped against my face, stinging like knives.

This was the place that made me who I was.

After taking care of my grandma's funeral, I was flat broke. I didn't have a single cent to my name.

Lewis might have called it a gift, but I refused to let myself owe him. I was dead set on paying back the 70 thousand dollars to the Reed family, and I wanted it done fast.

I got a job at the town's fish market. I had to scale fish and gut them.

I was paid 70 dollars a day, and they threw in a meal. It was exhausting, but at least it gave me some peace of mind.

Then one day, Lewis's assistant called me.

He said, "Ms. Turner, Mr. Reed wants you back in Avard, right now."

His tone was so commanding, like a king summoning a runaway palace maid. "Mr. Reed is furious. You can't afford the consequences."

Holding my phone that still smelled like fish, I couldn't help but laugh to myself.

I said, "Tell him Helena is dead."