Chapter 1

On the day of my engagement, I caught Justin Rowe holding hands with his first love, Erica James, under the table.

I couldn't take it anymore. I flipped the table right then and there, calling them out in front of everyone.

But Justin stayed eerily calm, watching me lose it in silence.

Later, I overheard him laughing as he told someone, "The Lynn and Rowe families are tying the knot. This marriage won't be over just because Hannah says so. No matter how outrageous I get, she can't escape me."

He was right. The Rowe family rescued the Lynn family when they hit rock bottom, all thanks to their money.

The marriage between the Lynn and Rowe families was something set in stone, and nobody could change that.

But Justin forgot one thing: he had an older brother.

*****

"Hannah, are you really sure about this? Andrew has intellectual disability," Justin's mother, Mary, said, her expression hard to read.

"I don't mind. At least he won't cheat on me. Some people can't even measure up to an intellectually disabled person," I said.

Honestly, the moment I said it, I regretted it.

Everyone in our circle knew Andrew Rowe was intellectually disabled.

Even Justin liked to mock him sometimes. "You know what that moron did today? He was so desperate for me to take him to a party that he actually groveled on the ground and begged me. He said whatever I asked him to say."

At that time, I thought Andrew was silly. What was so great about parties anyway? I'd hated them since I was a kid, but I always had to go just to socialize.

I didn't get why Andrew would embarrass himself for such a phony occasion.

But he was intellectually disabled. I couldn't explain his actions with normal logic. I just felt sorry for him.

Maybe Mary noticed I was hesitating, so she tried to sweeten the deal. "Honestly, I like you, Hannah. Let me be real with you. Justin's always out there, living wild. Women would get jealous. You know how it is.

"You're outspoken, so you'll end up suffering if you marry him."

When I stayed quiet, she pushed a little more. "The Rowe family isn't heartless. If you're willing to break off the engagement with Justin and marry Andrew instead, the Rowe family will give you 15 million dollars."

All I heard was 15 million.

Sure, selling out for money sounded pathetic, but come on. That was 15 million dollars.

In the world of the rich, 15 million was barely pocket change. But for me, the forgotten heiress of a fallen family, 15 million was enough to last a lifetime.

Seeing me lost in thought, Mary figured there was no hope.

She couldn't help but sigh, muttering, "Who would ever want an intellectually disabled person? Hannah, if you don't agree..."

I suddenly looked up and cut her off. "This is my bank account."

After the money hit my account, I signed the marriage contract without a second thought.

I knew this was bound to cause a huge stir in the city sooner or later.

I also made a deal with Mary. My marriage to Andrew wouldn't be made public for another month.

Mary was so thrilled that her intellectually disabled son actually got the chance to marry into the Lynn family, which was also a rich family. She could barely contain herself.

To her, this little condition was no big deal at all.

After leaving the Rowe residence, I wandered into a nearby convenience store, still in a haze, and bought a bottle of liquor.

As I strolled along the riverbank, the evening breeze brushed against my face, and fragments of memories surfaced with every ripple on the water.

Justin and I had been together for three years. The day our marriage alliance was confirmed, the Lynn family hurriedly kicked me out of the house.

That day, I squatted by the roadside with my luggage, looking like a pitiful stray, not knowing where to go.

It was Justin who showed up at my lowest point and took me to his apartment.

That day, he didn't do anything to me. He just asked if I was hungry and made me a simple dinner.

He always knew exactly how to pace things in our relationship—holding hands, hugging, kissing—everything happened just when I was ready for it.

When I was feeling down, he'd quietly pack our bags while I was asleep, then scoop me up and whisk me away on a plane heading abroad.

Whenever I felt insecure, he'd promise to post a picture of me on his social media every single day.

He'd often hold me close and whisper, "Hannah, you're really something special. With you around, all the other women out there are nothing compared to you."

At first, I didn't fully buy into Justin's sweet talk.

But when I accidentally overheard from his friend that Justin was the one who initiated the marriage alliance with the Lynn family, I was completely swept away by my feelings for him.

I foolishly believed that someone out there could truly love me, that Justin was different.

Then his first love, Erica James, came back and delivered the final, crushing blow.