Chapter 1

Claire's POV

My fingers tightened around the preion slip.

I told myself I had to be mistaken.

Blake Grayson was just an ordinary employee. How could he possibly have such a large entourage?

Besides, I was his girlfriend. Why would he be at the hospital with another woman?

I took a deep breath and handed the preion to the pharmacist at the counter. Then, the conversation between two nurses nearby pierced my ears like needles.

"Our hospital's nutritionist really cut her honeymoon short just to take care of Mrs. Grayson?"

My heart lurched. The preion slip trembled in my hand.

"Exactly! She's the best nutritionist in the hospital. The one and only Blake Grayson, the heir of Grayson Group, offered her an absurd amount of money just to look after his wife.

"She'll be making more from this one job than she would in several years here. Who would turn down a client that generous? An idiot, that's who."

I stood frozen.

Just moments ago, I'd been telling myself I must have seen and heard things wrongly.

Then, I caught a glimpse of a photo on the nurse's phone that she'd secretly snapped. It was the exact same name, and the exact same face.

Every last shred of hope I had sank to the bottom of the sea.

And the funniest part? The woman on his arm was none other than Ivy Smith, my best friend since childhood.

The nurse slid the medication toward me, her voice filled with envy.

"I heard Mr. Grayson booked every VIP room in the hospital through next year as soon as he found out his wife was pregnant. He personally accompanies her to every prenatal appointment and even took six months off work just to be with her."

The other nurse leaned in.

"Did you see the way Mr. Grayson looked at her? He's completely smitten! At her last checkup, Mrs. Grayson mentioned craving cherries, and he had a hundred pounds flown in that very day. When am I going to meet someone as devoted and generous to me?"

My heart felt like it was being carved up by a dull blade, inch by inch.

Five years of long distance.

To earn more commission, I'd entertain clients until 3:00 am, mixing beer, wine, and spirits until I could barely stand. I'd vomit in bathroom stalls from feeling sick, sometimes retching until I saw streaks of blood.

But I never complained. I believed that once Blake saved enough money, he'd come and marry me.

He'd never given me any reason to doubt him. No matter how late he worked, he would call me on video every single day without fail.

He'd hold up his phone and show me the tiny rented room he lived in, barely a hundred square feet. Sometimes, he'd shove his takeout container to the camera and grin.

"Look, babe! I got this meal for just five dollars after the discount. With this money saved, I'm one step closer to marrying you."

Watching him work so hard, I lost count of how many nights I'd cried, my heart aching for him.

Countless times, I wanted to fly home and surprise him, but he always stopped me.

"Babe, a round-trip ticket costs thousands. I can't bear to let you waste that much money just to come see me."

I told him I didn't care about the money.

He said, "But I do. I want to marry you properly, with a grand wedding. When you come back, I want you to be able to buy whatever you want without having to check the price tag first. So baby, just be good and wait a little longer for me, okay?"

And I'd waited.

I waited for five whole years.

But what I came back to wasn't the poor guy in the cheap suit who squeezed into the subway every morning.

I found the heir to Grayson Group instead.

Blake Grayson, the man whose every move would send shockwaves through Junex's business world.

The man who had just walked into a prenatal examination room with my best friend on his arm.

Clutching the medication I'd just picked up for my mother, I stumbled toward her hospital room in a daze.