Chapter 1
From here on out, our paths would never cross again.
Five months pregnant, I was knocked to the ground by a rideshare car.
At the hospital, the doctor couldn't reach any of my emergency contacts.
The girl who hit me was crying into her phone, panicked, "I hit a pregnant woman. I'm so scared, Hugo."
That familiar way of addressing him made me freeze.
Half an hour later, the hospital room door was shoved open. The scent of cedar rushed in.
The man who walked in was my husband, Hugo Blount.
The same man who had told me he was out of town on a business trip, and that he'd bring our child a gift when he got back.
*****
"Does it still hurt?" Hugo's voice pulled me out of my sleep.
He stood in the doorway, travel-worn and anxious.
I rubbed my eyes, and when I realized it really was Hugo, all the emotions I'd bottled up all night came flooding out.
I didn't even have time to wonder why he was here.
All I wanted was to throw myself into his arms and cry my heart out.
I wanted to tell him everything I'd been holding in, all my fears and how lost I felt.
I opened my mouth to speak.
But in the next second, all the words were stuck in my throat.
I watched as Hugo walked straight to the bed next to mine.
It belonged to the very girl who ran me over: Paige.
The air was dead silent. Only the sound of heavy breathing filling the room.
His eyes were bloodshot.
Those always steady eyes now churned with emotions I'd never seen before.
Finally, he let out a snort. "If nothing had happened, were you ever going to reach out to me?
"You used to get lost just walking around campus. How did you end up driving for a rideshare?"
His voice was icy and laced with sarcasm, like he was biting back something darker.
He added, "Looks like all these years away from me, you still haven't found yourself a better life."
Paige didn't say a word.
She pulled back the covers, got out of bed, and limped toward the door.
As she walked past Hugo, he grabbed her arm.
He said, "You're hurt and you still want to drive that junk? Are you trying to ruin your foot for good?"
Paige burst into tears, furious. She tried to pull away from him.
"Leave me alone. Even if I die, it has nothing to do with you," she cried.
Hugo's chest heaved with emotion.
Paige, her leg in a cast, limped toward the door.
But before she could get far, Hugo strode over and scooped her up into his arms.
Paige struggled against him, beating at his chest with all the strength she had.
But eventually, she lost all her energy and quietly sat back on the bed.
She kept her head down, her voice choked up. "The woman I hit looked rich. For people like you, crushing someone like me is nothing. It's like stepping on an ant.
"You came here today to watch me embarrass myself, didn't you?
"You think I wanted to drive drunk? The people at the bar saw I was alone and kept pushing drinks on me. For 60 dollars, I had to force myself to smile while avoiding their hands, swallowing my disgust.
"I'm so tired, but I still can't pay the rent. I don't want to get kicked out, so I have to keep driving until midnight.
"And now you show up, acting all fake, just to see me make a fool of myself. You all bully me because I have no one on my side, right?"
Paige broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
Hugo raised his hand.
His fingers hovered above her head for a few seconds.
Then, he let his hand drop.
His voice was hoarse. "Paige, don't I count as someone too?"
His tone was steady, full of reassurance.
Paige looked up at him in shock, then threw herself into his arms.
Her tears and snot soaked right into his shirt.
"Really?" Paige asked.
Hugo was a neat freak, but he didn't move an inch.
He stayed like that for a long time.
Finally, he sighed, a hint of resignation in his voice. "Guess I owe you."
I froze, a sharp pain shooting through my chest.
A numb ache spread through me.
So Paige was the legendary first love Hugo had been crazy about all those years ago.
After Hugo and I started dating, Hugo's buddies would always tease him when they were drunk.
They'd say he'd jump fences and get into fights for Paige.
He even left a whole question blank on the SATs so he could end up at the same school as her.
He was ready to cut off his own family to marry a girl with nothing but a regular life.
But right when he was about to propose, Paige bailed, saying she couldn't take how hard things were anymore.
I remember feeling jealous back then, so I asked him, "If she hadn't left, would you have said yes to me?"
He gently wiped my tears away. "Nancy, I'm sorry.
"I didn't make you feel secure enough."
And now, I stared at the 54 missed calls to him on my phone.
My eyes burned and filled with tears.
When Hugo kept rejecting my calls, were he worried about Paige? Or did he find me annoying?
I lay there, numb, staring at the ceiling.
Uncontrollable flashes of the past played out in my mind.
The year I met Hugo, I jumped into the sea because I couldn't take the bullying at school anymore.
As the freezing water rushed into my nose and mouth, Hugo dove in and dragged me out.
"College student? You look more like a kid," he said. "Do you have any idea how much it hurts when seawater fills your insides and you can't breathe?"
The moonlight spilled across his face, making his eyes shine.
"As long as you're alive, everything will be okay," Hugo said. "I'll protect you. I won't let anyone bully you ever again."
That hug stayed with me for years.