Chapter 3

I wiped away my tears and shook off his hand. "Instead of wasting time apologizing, why not keep your word and transfer the two sums of money you owe me as soon as possible?" I said to Edward.

At this point, I couldn't afford to be foolish enough to end up losing both the man and the money.

I had slaved for three million dollars, and I was determined to get it all back.

Seeing Edward freeze in shock, I squared my shoulders and said again, "I hope you'll follow through."

Edward's eyes dimmed abruptly. He seemed unwilling to believe that after all the shouting and chaos, I would retreat this easily.

I stared hard at every flicker of emotion that crossed Edward's face.

At that moment, Edward's hair dripped with dirty water, his whole body soaked and carrying a strange odor, and blood seeped from his shin.

After a long, tense standoff, he took out his phone and unlocked the screen.

The case on Edward's phone was still that cheap one I had made myself.

Inside, the flowing glitter letters shone in a rainbow of colors, intertwining the initials of my name and Edward's.

Looking at it now, this cheap case seemed out of place with Edward's luxurious appearance.

Back when I gave him that case, I never thought he'd use it for so long that I almost convinced myself Edward had loved me.

Edward kept tapping away at his phone until he hit confirm on the transfer. Then he looked up at me, his eyelashes fluttering, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Sophia, I'm sorry," he said.

That helpless, innocent look on his face nearly made my heart skip a beat.

That was how I got fooled by Edward the year we met. I brought him home to my broken-down apartment without a second thought.

I was flat broke, but I still clung to the ridiculous hope that I could somehow save him.

I even scraped together money to buy him the fanciest wheelchair, pushing him right through the rickety door of my shabby place.

Whenever he cried out in pain, he'd pull me into his arms, pressing his chest close against my back.

I listened to the strong, steady beat of his heart, to his story of being an orphan just like me.

Whenever Edward wiped his tears across my shirt and sobbed that I was everything he had, I couldn't help but believe him.

I thought we were two broken pieces that clicked together because of that crash, and that nothing would ever tear us apart again.

Once I made up my mind about him, there was no turning back. I hustled day and night, pouring everything I earned straight into his medical bills and making sure he never missed a meal.

Each night, I'd come home with my back aching and my hands and legs covered in countless small cuts I disinfected with iodine.

Edward would always peek from the doorway, eyes red and voice trembling as he said, "You don't have to work yourself to the bone for me."

I'd smile, shake my head, and say, "For you, I'd do anything."

Now, all those reckless moments I risked for love felt like a thousand needles constantly stabbing at my heart.

"You, of all people, know I wanted nothing more than to see you break free from that wheelchair," I said, my voice trembling.

"You saw every bit of pain and all the struggles I went through," I added.

I bit down on my lip, unwilling to let my sobs sound so fragile.

Edward hung his head, tears of regret slipping down his cheeks. "Sophia," he whispered.

The hand he reached out with eventually withdrew, trembling with remorse.

When I heard the chime of the transfer going through, I turned on my heel and left.

On top of the three million I'd worked so hard for, Edward added another million as a payoff.

Just like Olivia said, I got into Edward's bed, ended up a joke, and walked away with a million bucks. There's nothing for me to complain about.