Chapter 2
After we got together, Michael was always so good to me.
He was younger than me, still a student, but always so mature and dependable, which made me feel safe.
Whenever my family had any problems, he would personally take care of everything.
It was like living in a dream.
I dropped out after finishing high school, even though I did really well in class.
Michael said it was a waste for me not to keep studying.
He used his connections to let me sit in on classes at Harborview University.
He hired caregivers and handled everything for my grandma and dad.
We were together for three years, and soon enough, we started talking about marriage.
His dad was totally against us being together, but Michael stood up for me and insisted on marrying me.
Then, just a few days before the wedding, I was on a business trip when I suddenly remembered I'd left something behind, so I turned around and headed back.
As I got closer, I heard him joking around with someone in the study.
His half-brother asked, "You seriously gonna marry that woman? I heard her family's got some mental issues. Both her grandmother and her father had it. Being poor is one thing, but unhinged?"
My blood was boiling as I waited for Michael to have my back.
But then I heard Michael's voice, light and mocking. "Me? Marry her? Are you kidding?
"I already put out the press release. The world thinks the Sterling Technologies heir is Mr. Nice Guy. Four years ago, he took the guy who crashed into his car to the hospital, and he's been paying for the guy's daughter's education ever since.
"Should be enough to send Sterling Technologies' stock through the roof, don't you think?"
His brother let out a disbelieving laugh. "I knew it. You hold a grudge forever. Still can't let go of that guy who tried to scam you, and now you're even dragging his daughter into it."
Michael scoffed, "What else? That money-hungry father and daughter, always putting on that whole act. You think I'm an idiot?"
His brother laughed even louder. "But hey, you've slept with her, right? She was all pure and innocent, stuck with you for years. Man, you really don't mess around."
Michael fell silent.
I knew that hit a nerve. Something he'd rather keep hidden.
We only hooked up twice, and both times, we were super nervous.
And it always ended in the same awkward way.
Back then, I wondered what was wrong with him.
But now I get it. He was too guilty.
I pulled out my phone and found the press release Michael had mentioned.
Online, everyone was singing his praises.
People were saying it was rare for a young heir to be so generous and kind.
I turned around and called his dad.
"Mr. Sterling, you said before that if I left your son, you'd give me 2 million dollars. Is that offer still good?"
I forced myself to pull away from those memories.
But Clay's words kept echoing in my head.
"Ms. Taylor, my money doesn't come easy.
"How do I know you won't just take the cash and go crawling back to Michael?
"My son doesn't like anything tainted."
And then came that nightmare hotel room, where the darkness felt endless. The air was thick with the scent of a man I didn't know.
I was trapped, unable to move or make a sound.
My first time went to a total stranger. I didn't even know his name or what he looked like.
I took the morning-after pill. But by the time I found out I was pregnant, I realized too late that Clay had tampered with it.
I was anemic, so an abortion was out of the question.
I was stuck with this child, a shadow I could never shake off.
The Sterling Family gave me two million dollars, but they also trapped me in a cage I could never break free from.
It took me nearly a month to finally send Michael that breakup text.
He probably looked for me, but he never found me.