Chapter 2

Darian grabbed my wrist, cutting me off as I was packing.

I froze, and for a moment, he felt like a total stranger. When our eyes locked, my mind flashed back to the first time we ever met.

Darian and I met back in high school. I was totally fed up with some guy who wouldn't take no for an answer, and then I spotted Darian at the place where he was working.

The sun was shining brightly that day, making him glow. I totally fell for him at first sight.

I was the Preston family's heiress, used to getting whatever I wanted. And yeah, his looks definitely played a part in this.

So, right in front of my pursuer, I walked up to Darian, hooked my arm through his, and turned to the guy.

"I've got a boyfriend now, so leave me alone," I said.

The guy was one of those spoiled rich heirs from my social circle, probably following his parents' orders to hang around me.

He acted indifferent at first, but the moment he saw the real me, his attitude totally changed.

Darian's reaction was priceless, a mix of surprise, embarrassment, and awkwardness.

I leaned in and whispered to Darian, "I know you're strapped for cash. How about I become your sugar mama? 70 thousand dollars a month. Sounds good?"

Darian hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he nodded.

From then on, Darian was basically my sugar baby. But weirdly enough, he still showed up for shifts at the restaurant, and it looked like he never spent a dime of my money.

Later, I found out his family owned the whole place. He was slumming it because his folks wanted him to get some real-life experience.

When I learned the truth, I was so embarrassed and annoyed.

I demanded to know why Darian hadn't told me sooner, and he smiled, grabbing my hand.

"I was scared you'd stop keeping me if you found out," Darian said. "What if you went off and picked another guy to spoil? Who knows, maybe, Ms. Preston, you like collecting boy toys."

That night, under the streetlights, Darian was making a joke, but he was so serious about it that I couldn't tell if he was teasing or confessing.

The moths swirling around cast shifting shadows in his eyes, making them look deep and unreadable.

Unable to hold back, he leaned in and kissed me, and when he spoke, his low voice turned into a genuine plea.

He whispered, "So, don't spoil anyone else, okay?"

I had to admit that Darian really knew how to make my heart race.

The heart I'd kept locked away for so long suddenly started pounding like crazy, like it was about to leap right out of my throat.

Three years into our relationship, my family fell apart overnight. I had no clue what was happening.

One morning, I woke up only to find my parents were gone, not even a note left behind.

They both jumped to their deaths. Debt collectors came pounding on the door, threatening to break it down.

Before I could even process the pain of losing my parents, I was hit with another nightmare.

But Darian, without a second thought, rushed over, paid off every cent we owed, and pulled me out of there, never letting go.

He was like a beam of light shining through right when I was about to be swallowed by darkness.

Our love story was anything but smooth. My family was no longer among the power players in the capital, and suddenly, friends and relatives were nowhere to be found.

All those people who used to suck up to us were then the first to pile on when things went south.

That was the darkest year of my life.

Gritting my teeth, with tears streaming down my face, I turned to Darian. "Darian, I don't have a home anymore."

Darian held my hand tight, refusing to let go. With genuine affection in his eyes, he said, "Milena, let's get married. Home is wherever I am."

His family was totally against it, but Darian married me anyway.

But thinking it over, I couldn't help but wonder when Darian left me hanging on our wedding day, maybe deep down, he never really respected me.

Maybe he forced himself to stick around because of some promise or sense of duty.

Almost every love story began with a rush of excitement, but somehow, it always ended in sadness and regret.

"Oh, by the way, what were you doing at the hospital? Were you stalking me?" Darian shot me a suspicious look and demanded.

Darian's expression shifted, as if he'd remembered something important, and he pressed me for answers.

I yanked my hand away from Darian and let out a cold laugh.

Funny enough, when I was at the hospital for the surgery, I saw Reina and Darian's backs. Darian was helping her walk, and they looked pretty close.

Reina was wearing the matching outfits Darian had given me for our seventh anniversary. I had no idea what I was feeling then.

I couldn't tell if it was betrayal, a lie, or the guy I thought I could trust was with another woman.