Chapter 2

My eyes widened in shock.

I gripped the blanket tightly, my fingers curling around it.

I couldn't help but look at Andrew.

He was looking at me too, but his face was blank, almost cold.

I suddenly lowered my head.

The Goodwin family and the Hughes family had a childhood engagement arranged for their kids long ago.

After I was found and brought back to the Goodwin family, the engagement was then arranged for Andrew and me.

Back then, Andrew wasn't like Samuel, who always gave me a hard time.

At the dinner party, when I couldn't dance and people laughed at me, Andrew stood up for me.

On my birthday, when I didn't get my chocolate cake, he went out of his way to get me another one before midnight and ate it with me.

Every time I met those soulful eyes of his, my heart would skip a beat.

Then, I found myself falling for him.

But before the fire, I overheard Andrew comforting Lily. "You know I'm only worried Charlotte might try to compete for your parents' attention and stir up trouble in front of them.

"I'm afraid she could get you kicked out of the Goodwin family, so I'm acting nice to her so she'll trust me, do what I say, and not make things hard for you. Don't cry. Seriously, I don't like her at all."

I was completely stunned.

Moments ago, Andrew had gone out of his way, crossing half the city to bring me my favorite cake, straight to my room.

But now I realized that he did everything to protect Lily.

Samuel's furious shout jerked me back to reality. "Charlotte, why aren't you saying anything? Are you actually thinking of saying no?

"This engagement was always meant for Lily and Andrew. You should've handed it over to them a long time ago. You don't get to say no."

I wanted to speak up.

I was the real Goodwin heiress.

This engagement was meant for me.

But after all these years, trying to belong, trying to make them accept me, I was completely worn out.

I was so tired that I didn't have the energy to fight back anymore.

I took a deep breath.

My voice was hoarse. "I understand."

The hospital room was quiet for a long time.

Dad cleared his throat before finally speaking. "Stephen will be coming to see you later. If he asks about the engagement, tell him it was your decision to break it off."

I forced a bitter smile.

They wanted me to hand over my engagement to Lily.

And since they were worried Andrew's grandpa, Stephen Hughes, wouldn't approve, they made me break it off myself.

I blinked back the burn of unshed tears.

My voice was hoarse as I said, "Alright."

That afternoon, Stephen came to see me.

He glanced at my right leg in its cast, his face twisting with genuine worry. "Does it hurt, sweetheart?"

My eyes burned with unshed tears.

After all these days, he was the only one who cared enough to ask if I was hurting.

I wanted to tell him how much it hurt.

The pain wasn't only in my leg; it was in my heart, too.

But I didn't want him to worry, so I managed a smile and shook my head.

Stephen was quiet for a long moment. "Charlotte, Andrew said you want to call off the engagement. Is that true?"

I lifted my gaze.

Andrew stood behind Stephen, staring at me with a piercing look.

I quickly looked away.

Then, I met Stephen's eyes head-on.

My voice was unwavering as I said, "Yes, I don't want to marry him."

Andrew's eyes narrowed.

As he looked at me, his eyes suddenly turned deep, his gaze unreadable.

Stephen frowned. "No one's forcing you?"

I shook my head. "No."

Stephen's expression softened a little.

His frown eased, and he sighed, "Alright, sweetheart, I'll do as you wish."

Stephen stood up, leaning on his cane.

He shot Andrew a cold look and snorted. "I hope you never regret this."

Andrew's eyes shot wide open.

But once Stephen was gone, his face went cold again as he stared at me. "Charlotte, Lily's not like you.

"Even if you lose this engagement, you're still the Goodwin family's daughter.

"But if Lily loses this engagement, loses me, she'll have nothing left at all."

I watched Andrew walk away.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

Lily had her parents and her brother Samuel.

Now she had Andrew as her fiancé.

How could she ever be left with nothing?

The one who truly had nothing left was me.

After Andrew walked out, nobody else bothered to show up at the hospital for me.

I handled all the medical tests and physical therapy alone.

When I was finally discharged, no one showed up to take me home.

When I got home, Mom barely looked at me and asked, "You're out of the hospital?"

I nodded.

She didn't say anything else.

At dinner, I picked at my food in silence while they laughed and chatted around me. I didn't say a word.

The next morning, as I made it to the front door, I watched Samuel's car pull away without a second glance.

Lily always had to get to school early to set up for the morning session.

Samuel had made it clear. If I wasn't in the car on time, he'd leave without me.

But my leg still wasn't fully healed, so I couldn't keep up, no matter how hard I tried.

I glanced at my watch.

If I took the bus, I would still make it to school on time.

I used to hurry to catch a ride with Samuel, hoping to spend a little more time with him.

But now, I didn't need to do that anymore.

I didn't bother waking up early anymore.

Every day, I walked to the bus stop at my own pace and took the bus to school.

On the weekend, I went to the hospital for a check-up.

On my way back, I passed through the yard and saw Samuel sprawled on the ground, gripping his collar so tightly it looked like he was trying to rip it off.

He was having an asthma attack.

I didn't care about my injured leg, stumbled over, and crouched down next to Samuel. "Samuel, where's your inhaler?"

It was only then that I noticed a bottle lying on the ground nearby.

I grabbed it and gave it a shake; it was empty.

Samuel wheezed, struggling to speak, "My room..."

"Hold on. I'll get it," I said.

I dashed all the way.

My right leg throbbed with pain with every step I took.

But I didn't stop.

After grabbing the inhaler in his room, I bolted downstairs with it.

After Samuel used the inhaler, his breathing slowly steadied.

I finally breathed a sigh of relief, my legs going weak as I collapsed to the ground, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

But then I heard Samuel's startled voice. "Your leg?"

I followed his gaze and saw that the bandage on my exposed calf was stained red.

I panicked and quickly pulled my pant leg down to cover the bloodstain.

I was afraid Samuel might think I was showing it on purpose, to act pitiful in front of him.

"I'm heading back to my room," I said.

I pushed through the pain, stood up in a hurry, and walked off pretending nothing happened.

The next morning, I was about to head to the bus stop like always.

But at the door, I saw Samuel's car parked outside.

I stopped in surprise.

It was already five minutes past his usual departure time. He should've been long gone.

But instead, he opened the passenger door for me.

Looking a bit awkward, he said, "Get in. The front seat's got more room, so you'll be more comfortable."

I felt a bit nervous.

Why was Samuel suddenly being so nice to me?

Was he trying to mess with me in the car? But why?

I had been doing my best to steer clear of him lately. I hadn't done anything to bother him.

Actually, maybe I did. Yesterday, I went to his room to grab his inhaler for him. Was this his way of thanking me?

I was completely confused, but I got in the car anyway.

If I said no, he'd definitely get mad.

Whenever he got angry, he'd always snap at me.

I was really scared of making him angry.

The whole ride, the cramped car was echoing with Samuel and Lily cracking up and chatting nonstop, making the space feel smaller.

If it were before, I would've done whatever it took to squeeze myself into their fun.

Now, I wished the car would go faster so I could get to school already.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the morning classes.

Everyone bolted out of the classroom.

Since I was still limping, I decided to stay behind and work on some practice papers, figuring I'd head to the cafeteria once the crowd thinned out.

But halfway through, a lunchbox suddenly appeared on my desk.

I looked up. Samuel was standing right there.

His tone was as frosty as ever. "No need to go downstairs for lunch anymore. tell me what you want to eat."

I didn't get a chance to thank him before he turned and walked off.

After that, Samuel started picking me up and dropping me off every day, and he'd bring me lunch at noon.

But today, Andrew was the one who showed up with my lunch. "Samuel got called away by the teacher."

He paused for a moment. "I packed your favorite."

If this were before, I would've lit up with a big smile, thanked him excitedly, and told him he really knew me.

But now, I gave a polite little nod.

My voice was indifferent and distant as I said, "Thanks."

Andrew looked a bit taken aback.

Then his gaze dropped to my right leg under the desk, his brow furrowing in concern.

"You—" he started, but was cut off by a sudden voice.

"Charlotte, I can't figure out the last question on the math test. Can you help me?" a classmate called out.

"Yeah, sure," I said.

I was about to take the paper from her.

But Andrew grabbed it and handed it right back to her. "She hasn't had lunch yet. Ask her later."

I glanced at Andrew, caught off guard.

Did he really care about me?

The girl looked stunned, apologized a bunch of times, and bolted out with her paper.

I stood there, staring at her back, feeling totally lost.

Andrew stepped in front of me, blocking my view.

He was blunt. "Eat first."

He looked at me, and there was this strange worry in his eyes.

This was so confusing.

I lowered my head and ate in silence.

Andrew went back to his seat.

I could feel his intense gaze burning into my back for a long time.

But I didn't turn around.