Chapter 1

After the accident, I was stuck in the hospital, and my boyfriend James Carter showed up every single day to keep me company. For three long years, he never missed a day, no matter what.

So when I was finally discharged, I went back to the place James and I called home, my heart full of hope.

But as soon as I opened the door, I realized everything inside had changed.

"Oh, you must be James's girlfriend," a woman in pajamas called out, poking her head out from the bedroom and getting me in. "He told me yesterday you'd be coming today."

"Look," she said, pointing at my old room with a confident, gracious smile. "I had the housekeeper get it ready for you. Make yourself at home."

*****

I couldn't help but ask, "Sorry, but who are you?"

The woman paused for a second and then quickly recovered. "Oh, James hasn't told you yet, has he? I'm Emily Frost, James's wife. You can call me Emmy."

Her casual words hit me hard, shattering me from the inside.

When I asked, I ran through a million possibilities in my head. She could have been his cousin, a neighbor, a coworker, or even a housekeeper James hired because he was too busy. I could have accepted any of those. But his wife? No way.

I stood there, numb, letting Emily guide me into the room.

I'd lived in this room for four years, from freshman to senior year, spending every single day with James. He used to say this was our first home together, and that one day, when he had enough money, he'd buy it for me.

But now, the huge wedding photo hanging on the wall shattered whatever hope I had left.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to take it down," Emily said, covering her mouth with a fake gasp. But there wasn't a hint of guilt in her eyes. To her, it seemed like an innocent mistake. "I forgot to tell the housekeeper this room was for James's girlfriend.

"She didn't take the photo down. Don't take it personally."

After closing the door, I called James, my hands trembling.

"Hey, Liv, are you home?" His voice on the phone was as gentle and caring as ever. It was the same voice he used during those three years he stayed by my bedside.

"James, please come home," I sobbed, tears running down my face as I stared at the photo on the wall. "There's a woman here saying she's your wife. Where are you? I don't know what to do. Please come back."

*****

When James finally rushed home, out of breath, I was curled up on the bed, my eyes red and swollen from crying.

The huge wedding photo of James and Emily hung directly across from my bed, and I couldn't breathe.

"Sorry," Emily said, poking her head in from the doorway and sticking her tongue out at James. "The housekeeper forgot to take it down. Looks like it freaked out your girlfriend."

"It's fine," James said, taking off his coat and handing it to her like it was nothing. "I'll clear things up with her."

He closed the door, then sat beside me on the bed and gently wrapped his arms around me. "Are you okay? Did that scare you?"

My eyes were so full of tears that I could barely see. I only started to come back to myself when I felt James's warmth.

"What's going on with her?" I asked, my voice shaking and my heart racing. "Since when did you get married?" What am I to you then? James, I finally made it back home. Why has everything changed?"

My voice kept breaking, and I was getting more and more worked up.

I stared at James's face. He looked exactly the same as he did three years ago. My heart hurt so much that I could not think straight.

Three years ago, I got hit by a big truck while I was bringing James some paperwork.

The driver ran off, and I ended up lying in the hospital like a vegetable for three whole years.

James came to see me every single day. He fought my lawsuits, grabbed my meds, helped me with rehab, and washed me up when I needed it.

Whenever I started to fade, it was always James's voice that brought me back. He told me he'd been waiting for me all this time, urging me to open my eyes and look at him.

For three years, it was his voice, calling my name over and over, that kept me alive.

Even the day before I was discharged, I was still dreaming about finally coming home and going back to the way things were with him.

But now, everything was different. I couldn't calm down.

James pulled me into his arms, holding me with everything he had.

He didn't bother to take down that huge wedding photo. Instead, he gently, slowly covered my eyes with his hand.

"Emily and I are married on paper," he said softly. "We don't really spend time together. We live together and go home for the holidays.

"Not long after your accident, my parents pressured me to go back home and get married. I didn't want to, so..."

So he had Emily pretend to be his wife. He even took wedding photos with her, photos I never even got the chance to take with him.

I was still in a fog, feeling like the whole world had turned absurd.

For three years, James was by my side every single day.

I spent a thousand days in that hospital bed, and he was there for every single one.

So which day out of it did he and Emily get legally married, take those wedding photos, tie the knot, and meet each other's parents?

My mind couldn't wrap around it, and honestly, I didn't even dare to think about it.

James pressed his head against my shoulder, burying his face in my hair and taking in my scent like he'd been starving for it.

"Thank God you're finally back," he murmured. "Give me a few days, and I'll tell my parents everything. Then I'll end things with Emily for good. Baby, I missed you like crazy."