Chapter 1

I was bleeding out from the crash, and the trauma team phoned my fiancé twenty times to say I was in critical condition; he hung up on every single call.

By some twist of fate, I survived. But the day I was finally discharged from the hospital, I just happened to see my fiancé, Samuel, supporting a gorgeous woman as they walked out of the maternity ward together.

The woman bore a striking resemblance to me—and she was Samuel's first love.

The woman looked frail and delicate. She said, "Samuel, you told Vivian you were going away on business for two weeks, but you were actually here with me, supporting me through my abortion.

"To make sure you could take care of me, you even rejected her calls twenty times. If she finds out, she'll totally freak out. Won't this mess things up between you two?"

Samuel gazed at her tenderly, completely unfazed.

He said, "I saved Vivian's life. She's got no money, no skills—everything she has now is because of me. She's clingy, stuck to me like glue. She'll never leave. I'm sure she only called to check in about some random little thing.

"Whether I answered or not, it made no difference. Right now, you're more important to me than anyone or anything."

It was like getting struck by lightning—bitterness flooded my heart, leaving me completely numb.

After six years of loving Samuel, I never imagined I was so insignificant in his eyes.

Little did anyone know—I was actually the biggest investor in Samuel's company.

Pushing through the pain, I managed to steady myself, turned away, and made a call.

I said, "Dad, call off my engagement with Samuel. Pull out every cent we've invested in his company. From now on, we're finished—our lives are completely separate."

By the time I finished all the discharge paperwork, it was already afternoon.

I was packing up my things in the hospital room when Samuel's call came through.

As soon as I picked up, his voice was like ice water dumped over my head—sharp and cold.

He snapped, "Vivian, what's your deal? Why did I just get a breakup letter out of nowhere? I've already set everything up for our engagement party—we were supposed to meet your parents and talk wedding dates.

"Now, suddenly you want to call it off? Did you even talk it over with me first? Not that it matters—even if you had, I wouldn't have agreed.

"And where have you been while I was on my business trip? Skipping work every day, messing around outside for so long—don't you care at all about what this is costing the company?"

When I heard him, everything I'd seen and heard this morning came rushing back, and it felt as if my heart were being ripped apart.

Back when I was busting my ass for Samuel's company, I ended up getting into a car wreck so bad that I landed in the ICU.

Meanwhile, Samuel was right beside his first love, staying with her as she went through an abortion and doting on her every need.

I had spent seven days standing at death's door. The first thing Samuel did was call—not to ask if I was alive, but to rain accusations on me.

I clenched my phone instinctively. I said, "All these years at the company, I've never skipped a single day. If I disappeared this time, trust me—I had a real reason."

Samuel's tone was frosty as he sneered, "Reason? Please. You're just pissed because I helped Emily out, right? So you stormed off to punish me, trying to make me feel guilty or something—isn't that it?

"Emily and I went to school together. I saw her getting beaten by her husband—of course, I had to step in. Vivian, I dragged you out of a burning building once. Can't you just cut me some slack for once?"

When he brought up that past, I felt the chill in my chest grow even colder—like someone poured ice water over my broken heart.

It was my third year in college, and I'd gone to help a friend out at their bookstore.

Out of nowhere, the shop went up in flames. People started panicking and pushing, and somewhere in that chaos, I was knocked flat onto the floor.

Samuel didn't even blink—he charged straight through the smoke, grabbed me, and carried me out like he was some kind of hero.

That day, I clung to him, trembling, while he whispered over and over, trying to calm me down and keep me safe in his arms.

He kept repeating, "I'm right here, you're gonna be okay. Stay with me!"

Back then, I honestly believed Samuel was in love with me—that nothing else could have explained how he'd just throw caution to the wind and risk everything for my sake.

But just before my accident, a fruit knife slashed Samuel's arm—because he'd stepped in to protect Emily.

The blade had been aimed at her heart.

Without hesitation, he shielded her, ready to die on the spot. It was déjà vu: the same way he'd once risked everything for me.