Chapter 1

My boyfriend's childhood friend lost both of her legs and all her dreams when she tried to save him.

At the wedding I put together, he got down on one knee with a diamond ring and asked her to marry him.

After everyone treated me like a joke, I submitted my application to become a doctor without borders, and disappeared for a year.

During this year, Blake, my boyfriend, went crazy looking for me.

But all my accounts got deleted, and I'd even sold my house.

We ended up running into each other again at our class reunion. He showed up holding a certificate.

He grabbed my arm and snapped, "Harmony, are you dodging me on purpose? I told you it was just to pay her back. She lost both legs saving me.

"What's wrong with giving her the dream wedding she wanted? We never made it legal; it was just for show. Now that she's had the baby, I can marry you right away!"

He tried to drag me toward the city hall, but before he could take a step, a tall man stepped between us.

He said, "Sir, where exactly do you think you're taking my wife?"

*****

The classmates kept passing drinks around, tossing back one glass after another.

Suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist.

"Harmony, your stomach isn't good. Don't drink so much," the man said.

My eyes shook a little. I turned, and sure enough, it was my ex-boyfriend, Blake.

He stared at me like he was hurting inside, the corners of his eyes red, as if the whole world had wronged him.

I glanced past him. Behind him was a woman in a wheelchair holding a baby, Isla.

She looked at me too, her face washed out, her eyes filled with a quiet sadness and a hint of resentment.

Back then, Blake and I had been in a push-and-pull relationship for five years. I waited and waited, but never got a proposal, so I planned one myself, totally romantic.

Everyone knew I loved him and wanted to build a home with him.

But he took the diamond ring I bought and proposed to Isla, the woman in the wheelchair.

I stood there in the middle of the crowd with the ring box in my hands, and felt like a clown stripped bare, taking all the staring from relatives and friends, some mocking, some pitying.

Later, Blake tried to explain. He said he did it so Isla could fulfill her dream, and so the Patrick family wouldn't die out. He said he had to "fake marry" her and have a baby.

He told me to wait for him.

My face went pale. "You could introduce Isla to someone good. Why do you have to fake marry her? Why do you have to have a baby with her?" I asked.

Blake got impatient. "Isla doesn't believe in marriage. We're just doing IVF. Can you stop assuming everyone's dirty?

"She saved my life. What's wrong with helping her get the one thing she wants? Can you be a little kinder? If you keep making a scene, don't expect me to ever marry you!"

My mind went blank. My heart felt like it was being ripped open. I never imagined that telling my boyfriend not to have a kid with another woman would somehow become my fault.

A moment later, he realized he'd gone too far. He pulled me into his arms and tried to soothe me.

"Don't worry. I won't touch her. It's just for show. It's only IVF. I love you. Once the baby's born, we'll get married, okay?" he said.

After a long pause, I laughed. "I don't need your charity. I'm not marrying you. We're done."

He didn't believe a word. He looked smug, like he had it all under control. "Don't talk nonsense. Harmony, you love me. If you don't marry me, who else could you possibly marry?"

But that same night, I submitted my application to become a doctor without borders.

I left completely humiliated, my heart so shattered I could barely breathe.

But even while my chest was pounding like crazy, I knew the wound would heal someday.

Later, I heard Blake went looking for me, like he'd lost his mind.

I thought we would never cross paths again, but today we ran straight into each other.

I yanked my wrist free. "Thanks for worrying, but my stomach's fine."

Blake locked his eyes on me, like he was afraid I'd bolt. "Harmony, can I have your phone number?"

Looking at that so-called tender expression, all I felt was disbelief. "Sorry. I can't."

When he told me he was going to fake marry Isla, he didn't look the slightest bit apologetic.

But because of him, I met my husband, Kayden.

And I finally understood how simple and blissful being loved could be.

Blake used to leave me burning with a fever while he rushed to the hospital to take care of Isla.

He gave her the necklace I loved most.

He took my ring, proposed to Isla with it, gave her a baby, and gave her everything she wanted.

All the years I devoted to him, the effort I put into securing investments for him, and the nights I drank myself into the hospital meant nothing to him.

He only blamed me for being petty, selfish, boring, and not kind enough.

But Kayden wasn't like that. When I got sick, he stayed right beside me. Even when I caught a mild cold, he took me to see a doctor.

Because my stomach wasn't feeling well, he cooked nutritious porridge and light meals for me himself.

Whenever he saw me in pain, he looked heartbroken. "You're too young to have a stomach this bad. From now on, I'll cook. You eat properly. You can request dishes, but you're not skipping meals. I'll bring lunch to your office until your stomach's better."

His steady, overwhelming love healed every hole and scar inside me.

Around us, classmates began teasing. "You two were crazy in love back in college. You showed off every day. And you're still doing it now? Isn't it too much?"

Blake tightened his grip on his phone so hard his knuckles turned white.

His voice dropped. "Why did you leave without saying anything back then? Why couldn't you just wait for me?"

I looked at him. "I had no obligation to wait for someone who wasn't worth it. The day you proposed to another woman, I broke up with you. Did you forget?"

His expression stiffened. "Wasn't that just something you said because you were angry?"

After all these years, he still thought it was just anger.

I didn't even know what to say.

A female classmate leaned in. "Harmony, it's been so long. Did you ever get married?"

I answered, "Yes. I got married a year ago."

She froze. "Wait, what? Harmony, you're married? Why didn't you invite me? Weren't we best friends in college?"

The Quintero family was an elite family, and a wedding took a long time to plan.

I smiled and explained, "We only signed the paperwork for now. The wedding hasn't—"

Before I could finish, Blake cut me off with a furious shout.