Chapter 1

By day, I'd be drained working in my cubicle, and by night, I'd secretly take on food deliveries.

I allowed myself only three hours of sleep a night so I could save up a down payment for my own place as quickly as possible.

On our seventh anniversary, I booked us somewhere special, all set to pop the question to Ryan Bennett.

I called my bestie Chloe Brooks. I wanted her there to witness the biggest moment of my life.

I was waiting at the busiest intersection downtown on my e-bike, watching the light and hoping it would change soon.

My fingers kept fiddling with the engagement ring I'd bought, while I rehearsed my proposal lines in my head.

I glanced at the fanciest jewelry store on the block, The One.

Two familiar figures emerged. The man was tall and confident, while the woman was small, leaning into him with their arms wrapped around each other. Under the bright lights, they were impossible to miss.

From behind, they looked like Ryan and Chloe.

*****

I rubbed my stinging eyes, trying to get a clearer look, but the light turned green, and the car behind me blared its horn impatiently.

Panic flared in my chest, and I twisted the throttle, leaving those two blurry figures shrinking in my rearview mirror.

I told myself that I must be seeing things.

Ryan should be meeting a client on the west side right now. There was no way he'd be here.

They were the two people I cared about most in this world. How could it possibly be them?

My phone buzzed, snapping me out of my thoughts.

It was Ryan calling.

I quickly slipped on my earbuds and answered. He said anxiously, "Emily, my mom said she's feeling some chest tightness. I need to check on her. I can't make it to dinner tonight."

My heart clenched. "Is she alright? Want me to come with you?" I asked.

He cut me off and replied, "No, it's probably nothing serious. Just wrap up and get some rest."

Before I could say "Be safe", he'd already hung up.

Right after, Chloe's voice popped up on WhatsApp. She sounded sweet as usual as she said, "Emily, I got called in for overtime. The project is acting up, so I can't make it to dinner tonight. Love you."

I gripped the handlebars tighter, my palms starting to sweat.

Was it a coincidence?

At the worst possible time, they both bailed right after I saw those two together.

That scene outside the jewelry store and all their excuses swirled in my mind, twisting around me so tightly that I could barely breathe.

The velvet ring box in my pocket felt like a silent mockery, stabbing at me with every heartbeat.

I wondered whether thirteen years of friendship and seven years of love had all been nothing more than a cruel joke.

I kept telling myself it couldn't be.

I took a deep breath, trying to push those awful thoughts out of my mind. I reassured myself that I was imagining things.

I drifted off for a moment, and a sudden blare of a horn jolted me back. This time, it was far too close for comfort.

I jerked back to reality and realized I'd blown right through the red light. A moving van was already charging straight at me.

The crash was deafening. I felt my body get hurled into the air, spinning over and over before crashing back down hard.

The stench of burning plastic and heavy blood hit my nose all at once.

It hurt so much.

It felt like my forehead had split open, hot blood pouring down and blurring my vision.

Everything was spinning, and the sounds around me faded into nothing.

Right before I lost consciousness, I heard a calm but urgent man's voice close to me, like the only light piercing through the darkness.

"Is this 911? There's been an accident. Please send help now," the man shouted.

"Stay awake and don't fall asleep," he added.