Chapter 1

In the nightclub corridor that separated us, I held the takeout tightly in my hand to prevent it from falling.

Christine White's voice sounded drunk, but it could not hide her contempt and arrogance. "Micah Jenning is really stupid; it's as if he has no brain at all. He kept the damn emerald pendant his mother left him as if it were a precious treasure, but he pawned it for me in the end."

"Christine, I heard that you used that emerald pendant as a dog toy for your dog, Prince, and then broke it? If he knew, would he faint from crying? Hahaha..."

My mind went blank as if hit by a heavy hammer. That was the only relic my mother left me!

I once thought that even if the whole world betrayed me, Christine would be on my side and cherish everything I cherished.

However, she thought my mother's relic was only good enough to be a cheap pendant for her expensive Alaskan Malamute. It was not even considered a toy and was easily broken.

The private room burst into even louder laughter, and Christine's triumphant voice rang again. "Men like him forget everything after a little sweet talk. The ten thousand dollars he painstakingly saved isn't even enough for a single night out for us!"

"You bet! Christine, the cheapest bottle of wine we're having tonight costs 300,000 dollars! His meager savings wouldn't even be a drop in the ocean! How absurd!"

A bottle of wine that cost 300,000 dollars.

I gripped the cold takeout bag tightly. My nails dug into my palms, but I felt no pain. I braved the torrential rain, scrambling through the city, covered in bruises, for a mere 100-dollar order, while she casually squandered 300,000 dollars for wine.

Christine continued to be smug. "But honestly, watching him pour his heart out for me, acting like he would do anything for me, is kind of funny... I'll never get tired of seeing his stupid face..."

I could not listen to the rest. All my efforts and sacrifices had become a complete joke.

To treat her illness, I spent all my savings, sold the house my parents left me, and worked three jobs a day over the past three years. Because of the astronomical fee written on her critical condition notice, I even resorted to selling my blood on the black market when I was at my most desperate.

Christine, the woman I loved for three years, said it was just a made-up excuse.

I never wanted such love again!

I put down the delivery box and pulled out my old phone with its cracked screen. My fingers stiffly scrolled to a name I had buried deep in my contacts — Hayley Smith.

The call got through almost instantly, and her voice, as gentle yet cool as ever, came through. "Micah."

I took a deep breath, straining to make my voice sound calm. "Hayley, you once said you would marry me if I were willing to marry you. Does that statement... still stand?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line.

Then came a slightly trembling, yet firm and joyful voice. "Micah, it always stands. I'll come pick you up in three days!"