Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes again, the sharp smell of disinfectant stung my nose.

Laura was standing by the window, still in her wedding dress. It hurt to look at the corsage pinned to her chest.

Even at that moment, I was still trying to fool myself. I told myself that as long as she gave me an explanation, any explanation, even a lie, I was willing to believe it. But she didn't.

Laura poured me a glass of water, her voice soft as she said, "I'm sorry, Nathan. Kelvin Hill was there for me when I was going through the hardest time of my life. I don't know how I'll ever repay him."

So Kelvin was the name of that man.

"I was even still debating whether to accept his proposal just yesterday. But I'm already pregnant… The baby can't grow up without a father."

The glass slipped from my hand and hit the floor, sending a splash of piping hot water over the back of my hand.

So, his five years of effort meant something, but my six years were just a joke to her?

Laura immediately grabbed my hand and blew on the burn like she actually cared. "Nathan, are you okay? Does it hurt?"

She was still the Laura I knew—the one who cared, who worried, who hated seeing me get hurt. She was so gentle it made my head spin.

Just then, the hospital room door flew open with a bang.

A group of people crowded the doorway, including Kelvin Hill, still in his tuxedo.

Laura withdrew her hand at lightning speed, like she'd been shocked. Kelvin pretended not to notice and walked right over.

"So, you're Laura's childhood friend? If Amber hadn't repeatedly assured me there was nothing between you two, I actually might've gotten the wrong idea."

He stuck out his hand for a handshake. The limited-edition diamond Cartier watch on his wrist caught my eye immediately.

I had seen it at a launch event last month and really liked it.

Laura had noticed me looking at it and bought it without a second thought. I thought she was getting it for me. But clearly, I was just being delusional.

When Kelvin noticed what I was staring at, he took the watch off and held it out to me. "Since you're Laura's old friend, consider this a little wedding favor from us."

The watch felt like a hot coal in my hand. It slipped from my fingers and clattered to the floor.

He froze for a second. "There's no need to be shy. Laura loves surprising me with this stuff. I don't care about material things. I only care about her, so I usually just give this stuff away."

That was when I noticed everyone there had received something.

Every single one was expensive and one-of-a-kind. They were things I had stared at through store windows a hundred times but could never bring myself to buy.

Evidently, Laura had bought them all and let Kelvin hand them out as wedding favors to win people over.

My throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton. I let out a laugh, feeling incredibly bitter.

"Do you know that I had a hand in paying for every single thing you've been giving away?"

Kelvin's smile froze. "What do you mean by that?"

I smirked. "Back when Laura had absolutely nothing, she ate my food, drank my water, lived in my house, and used my money.

"I stretched every penny until I gave myself stomach problems just to scrape together her first round of startup funding. Every dollar she's earned since then has my sweat and sacrifice in it.

"So, I'm not just her childhood friend. I'm also the guy she's been dating for the last six years."

Laura's face went pale. Amber scrambled forward to do damage control.

"Kelvin, don't listen to my brother's nonsense. He had a crazy high fever when he was a kid and it fried his brain. He's delusional—"

"Shut your mouth, Amber Walker!"

I turned to Kelvin. "Laura furrows her brows when she's asleep. She hates closing her eyes when she kisses. She has a red mole on her chest, and if you touch it, she gets ticklish. Am I right, Mr. Hill?"

Kelvin went rigid. Without warning, he threw a hard punch at me.

I had no idea what hard object he was hiding in his hand, but it felt like my cheek had been burned, and a gash opened up instantly.

Laura quickly grabbed his arm, clearly panicking. That only made Kelvin angrier, and he tried to swing again.

Laura instantly threw herself in front of me, taking the full force of a slap.

Kelvin froze, staring at the deep red handprint on Laura's face. The hatred in his eyes only grew more apparent.

His lips turned pale, and his expression was terrifyingly dark. Amber suddenly screamed, "Laura, y-you're bleeding!"

The moment Kelvin saw blood running down Laura's leg, he panicked. "Laura!"

Looking horrified, he scooped her up into his arms and bolted out the door.