Chapter 1
My mom needed heart surgery, and there were only three doctors in the world who could perform it.
But my husband, Zayne Lawson, an expert doctor, gave up operating on my mom to fly overseas and take care of his first love, Salome Keller, who was only down with a cold.
When I thought all hope was lost, my childhood sweetheart, Calum Lambert, managed to find the best doctor to operate on my mom.
But in the end, because of the delay, I still lost her on the operating table.
Three years later, Calum proposed to me.
When I was about to say yes, I overheard a conversation between him and Zayne, now my ex.
"Noemi's got a fiery temper. If she finds out her mom was never sick and that we killed her for Salome's sake, she..." said Zayne.
My blood ran cold.
Calum cut him off. "Enough. Salome's heart condition has been worsening ever since her mom died. Noemi's mom's heart was the only one that matched. Was I supposed to stand by and watch Salome die?
"I'm marrying her and giving her a home now. She should be thankful."
That was when it hit me.
My mom was never sick at all.
They conspired to take her heart, causing her death.
*****
I clutched the doorknob tightly.
My nails dug deep into my palm, but I couldn't feel the pain.
My tears slipped down without a sound, falling onto the floor.
It turned out that he proposed to me all for Salome.
For three years, he told me nothing but lies.
Inside, the conversation kept going.
Zayne said, "Back then, I personally caused Noemi's mom's death for Salome. I still can't forget the way she looked at me, full of hatred.
"Now that you're giving her a wedding, consider it my compensation to her."
A mocking smile tugged at Calum's lips. "If Salome wasn't in love with you, do you think I'd marry her?"
"You'd better treat Salome right, or I won't let you get away with it."
"You need to treat Noemi well, too," Zayne added.
"Don't worry about it. I don't love her. The only one I'll ever love is Salome. I'm marrying her only to do something good for Salome," Calum said coldly.
It felt like every drop of blood in my body froze solid.
I wanted to storm in, call out their hypocrisy, and demand to know how they dared to do this to me.
But my feet were rooted to the spot, glued to the floor like nails outside the door.
In the end, I ran away.
See? I was nothing but a coward. I couldn't even bring myself to ask them why.
*****
I walked down the street alone.
Everyone else was in groups.
But I had no clue where I was supposed to go.
The sky turned dark.
Big raindrops started pounding on me.
The rain poured down without warning, stinging my skin.
I curled up at the street corner, letting the rain and my tears blur my vision.
The world was bustling, but there was nowhere I belonged.
Suddenly, a warm body drew me close, and that familiar scent filled the air around me.
Calum's voice sounded overhead. "I kept calling, but you wouldn't answer. I've been searching everywhere for you, and I finally found you here."
My gaze was hollow, and I said nothing.
He continued, "Are you thinking about your mom?
"Don't worry. From now on, you've got me. I'm your family now."
I leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, but it felt like my own heart was being cut by a dull blade, over and over again.
How could someone who treated me so well be the very person who killed my mom?
Back then, Zayne abandoned my mom to take care of Salome, who was only down with a cold.
It was Calum who brought the doctor who could save my mom, appearing in my darkest hour like a ray of hope.
Now that I thought about it, that doctor was probably brought to take my mom's heart.
It was no wonder her funeral was over in the blink of an eye.
I blacked out back then.
By the time I woke up, my mom was already at the crematorium.
They did it so I wouldn't notice anything was off.
Calum carried me home, grabbed a dry towel, and started to dry my hair for me as he always did.
But right before his fingers touched me, I turned my head away sharply.
"I'll do it myself," I said, heading straight upstairs.
Now that I knew the truth, I couldn't keep up the act with him anymore.
I was scared that if I stayed a second longer, I'd lose control and choke him.
*****
Early in the morning, the door was gently pushed open.
Calum came over and kissed my forehead, so naturally and easily.
"Today's your mom's anniversary. Everything's set," he said, his voice soft and steady. His voice always made me feel safe, much like those daily good-morning greetings over the past three years.
I nodded, saying nothing.
When we were about to head out, his phone rang.
The screen lit up, and Salome's name popped up for me to see.
His eyes widened, and he instantly dropped my hand.
"Wait for me," he said, rushing out to the balcony.
Ten minutes later, Calum came back.
He looked anxious. "Noemi, there's an emergency at the office. I won't be able to go with you today."
He didn't even spare me a glance before turning to leave.
I reached out and gripped his sleeve tightly.
"Calum, can you go with me today? Just today," I whispered, but I was pouring every ounce of strength I had into those words.
I told myself that if he stayed, if he chose me, then everything I heard last night could be from a bad dream.
He paused for a second and then gently pried my fingers off his sleeve, one by one. "Don't be like this. I got a real emergency."
"I've got a driver to take you there. I'll be back as soon as I can."
He didn't look back.
The door closed, taking away the last bit of hope I had left.
My fingers stayed locked in the shape he left them, numb and rigid.
I had given Calum a chance.
But he turned it down.
I pulled out my phone and called my dad, one of the world's richest men. "I'm ready to come back and take over the family business."
On the other end, he could barely hide his shock and joy. "You really want to give up everything you have there?"
I stared out at the gray sky. "Send someone to pick me up in three days."
*****
The car was heading to the cemetery.
My phone buzzed. A photo popped up from an unknown number.
In the picture, Salome was right in the middle, her smile bright and radiant.
To her left was Zayne.
To her right was Calum, who had just left me.
Both men looked at Salome like loyal knights, totally devoted and completely smitten with her.
The way Calum looked at Salome was a kind of love I'd never seen from him before.
No wonder I sometimes felt like he didn't really love me.
It turned out that the person he truly loved was someone else all along.
Salome's message came in right after. [It doesn't matter if it's five years ago or five years from now. You'll never win against me. Whenever I want to see them, they'll drop everything and show up for me.]
I didn't bother replying. I blocked her directly.
Calum and I were childhood sweethearts.
But when we started college, we ended up on opposite sides of the country. He went up north, and I headed south.
In that brand-new place, I met Salome and Zayne.
After I started dating Zayne, I couldn't wait to introduce Calum to Salome, hoping they'd hit it off and maybe become a couple.
After that, the four of us would hang out all the time.
Whenever Salome was involved, those two always took her side and gave me a hard time.
A gust of wind snapped me out of my memories.
The car stopped. I had arrived at the cemetery.
In the end, Calum still didn't come to pick me up.
I didn't want to go home.
I sent the driver home and wandered around on my own.