Chapter 2

Taber, who'd been sprawled out on Colin's back, got woken up by all the noise.

Still half-asleep, Taber, blinked at me, then couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Dad, I'm so tired. Why can't you just let me crash at Aunt Dana's place?"

Dana was Colin's junior back in grad school, and now they were colleagues at the same university.

With her wealthy background and stunning looks, Dana was always the center of attention wherever she went.

Whenever Colin looked at her, his eyes would soften with a warmth that never seemed to fade.

Colin asked in a flat voice, "Didn't we promise to bring Mom a cake? Did you forget?"

Taber just shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Colin carried Taber to bed and let him get some rest, then came out and found me still up in the living room.

"Charlene, I want you to take this month seriously to think it over," Colin said, his voice cold. "Without me, you're nothing."

I was the one who asked for a divorce first. Colin refused, thinking I was just being immature and throwing a tantrum for no reason.

"Dana just started at a new workplace, and I'm her senior. I'm just being a good mentor, helping her out," Colin added.

But that so-called "help" meant working late with her, sharing midnight street food, laughing and chatting like they were more than just colleagues.

It meant bringing her breakfast every morning, even picking up sanitary pads for her during her period. Or just swapping stories about their day, day in and day out.

On Dana's profile, the top post was a shot of the flowers Colin had given her.

The caption said: [Chase the light, get close to it, become it.]

And Colin had hit like.

I refused to believe he couldn't see what Dana was really hinting at.

When I confronted Colin, waving my phone and bringing up the fact that he liked Dana's post, he finally snapped.

Colin shouted, "Let's get divorced! All these years, I only tolerated you because I felt sorry for you, but I've had enough."

But when we went to city hall this morning to file for divorce, Colin just couldn't go through with it at the last minute.

He said, "Maybe I've let you get away with too much all these years. Take this cooling-off period, and figure out what you want. This month we have to think things over before it's final.

"If you just admit you were wrong, I'll forgive you and we can call off the divorce."

But before I could get a word out, Dana rolled down her window nearby. "Colin, if we don't get to the restaurant soon, they're going to give our table away."

Colin released his grip on the wheelchair. "Charlene, from this moment on, I'm done taking care of you."

Colin was clearly punishing me as he turned and walked straight over to Dana.

Burying all my hurt deep inside, I forced myself not to show it. I said, "We don't need a month. From today on, we're done—no more ties between us.

"Colin, we're divorced now, and I don't regret it."

Colin was so furious, he just repeated, "Fine. Fine. Fine."

"This house is mine. Since we're divorced now, you can sleep in the living room tonight," Colin said coldly.

Colin slammed the bedroom door, leaving the air so quiet it was almost unbearable, with only the ticking of the clock on the wall breaking the silence.

Utterly drained, I fell asleep without even realizing it, slumped against the armrest of my wheelchair.

That night, I drifted off and had this long, winding dream.

It was that morning twelve years ago. Colin was standing outside my building at the crack of dawn.

He didn't show up on his bike; he just walked up to me and wished me good luck for the competition.

There was no accident, and I ended up taking first place that day.

After the competition, Colin's eyes were red as he stared at me, full of emotion. "Charlene, so you're really leaving after this? Am I ever gonna see you again?"

"I like you. I really, really like you," Colin blurted out.

My mind went blank, and before I knew it, I said yes. I even gave up my shot at going overseas, choosing to stay and enroll in one of the top art schools here.

When I snapped awake, I found myself lying on the couch. Shaking, I sat up and my feet touched the ground, and I stood.

Something had really changed. I'm not paralyzed. No wheelchair. Not anymore.

More memories flooded in.

Even after I graduated and became a dancer, not his dead weight anymore, it still didn't change the fact that Colin's heart turned the moment Dana came into his life.