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Forced to Save Her Childhood Sweetheart
Forced to Save Her Childhood Sweetheart
Penulis: Fortune Abundant

Chapter 1

Penulis: Fortune Abundant
Outside the emergency room, I stood in my suit, clutching a velvet ring box.

The red light above pulsed like a warning, mocking me as my heart pounded in my chest. My hands trembled as the events of the day replayed in my mind.

Eleanor Hamm, my fiancée, had been glued to her childhood friend ever since he was ill.

On my birthday, she was too busy simmering soup for him to even wish me well. For our wedding, I planned every detail with my mom, from booking the venue to picking out the mints for the favor bags.

Eleanor didn't lift a finger. Her only focus was on Adrian Fuller's condition.

We'd been engaged for a year, but she wouldn't spare half a day to get our marriage certificate. I never complained, convincing myself she was just being a loyal friend. But today, she crossed a line I never imagined.

She had stridden up to the mic and announced the wedding was postponed because Adrian wanted to throw a wedding for his pet hamster.

She insisted the hamsters deserved our carefully planned venue and shoved me off the stage. The crowd's gasps, snickers, and pitying looks branded me a fool.

As I stumbled down, Adrian tripped me, sending me face-first into the dirt. Humiliation burned through me, but the worst was yet to come.

My mother, Cora Ingram, collapsed from a heart attack, overwhelmed by the spectacle. An ambulance rushed her away, and now she was fighting for her life in the ER.

Eleanor never showed up, still fussing over hamster vows. I called her, my anger barely contained. It took twelve tries before she answered.

"Eleanor, my mom is..."

"Oh, please. Your mom is just overreacting, like you. Adrian has been my best friend forever, and he's got kidney failure. He wanted to do something sweet for his hamster, which was a big deal. So, I pushed our wedding back a bit. Why do you guys have to make it a federal case?"

Ever since Adrian's diagnosis, she'd been more and more impatient with me, but my mom and I had only each other.

Now, with her life hanging in the balance, I had no one else to turn to.

"Eleanor, please, show some respect," I said, struggling to keep my voice steady.

"Eleanor, focus. The hamsters are about to exchange vows." Adrian's whiny voice crackled through the phone.

She hung up without another word. I called again, but she didn't answer.

This wasn't the first time she'd brushed me off, but the sting felt sharper now. My phone buzzed with group chat messages, each one a fresh wound.

[A wedding turned into a pet show? The groom got kicked to the curb. Talk about embarrassment.]

[Eleanor is straight-up humiliating Lincoln and his family. What's her game?]

[What else? She doesn't want to marry him, obviously. I couldn't even look when he ate dirt. Total disgrace.]

Every message was a reminder of the public shaming, stoking the fire of my resentment.

But before I could dwell on it, the doctor emerged, his face grim. "We did our best. You should say your goodbyes."

The world spun. I stumbled into the ER, the stench of antiseptic and blood hitting me like a wave. The surgical lights glared down, blinding me as tears burned my eyes.

"Lincoln, my sweet boy," Cora whispered, tears streaking her pale face. "You're on your own now."

Her hand reached for mine but fell limp before we could touch.

"Mom!" I grabbed her hand, my screams echoing in the sterile room.

She was gone, just like my dad. On his deathbed, he'd promised to watch over us from above, but he'd broken that vow.

Grief overwhelmed me. I vomited until my stomach was empty, my eyes too dry for more tears.

My best friend, Mike Fletcher, dropped everything and drove through the night from out of town to help me with the funeral.

As Cora's body disappeared in the crematorium flames, my heart shattered into a thousand pieces, each one burning away with her.

Eleanor didn't show up. I didn't call her again, just sent one text: [We're done, Eleanor.]

Then I blocked her on every platform.

Kneeling before Cora's portrait, I passed out from grief. Mike stayed by my side. "Be strong, Lincoln. Don't torture yourself. She wouldn't blame you. You're a victim, too."

But I wasn't blameless. If I hadn't pushed for this wedding, she would still be alive. She died worrying about me.

Eleanor stayed away even after the funeral. The next day, she finally showed up at the cemetery, looking pale and anxious.

Cora had been her teacher, taking her in when Eleanor's abusive father and neglectful mother failed her. Cora fed her, paid her tuition when her dad refused, and treated her like family.

I thought she'd come to mourn, so despite my anger, her presence stirred a flicker of pain in my chest.

But then, she started, "I told you Adrian was sick, so we pushed the wedding back. It's just a date. Do you really have to dump me and block me over something so trivial?"

My blood boiled. "Trivial? You turned our wedding into a circus. You humiliated me and killed my mom. There's blood between us. I'll never marry you!"
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  • Forced to Save Her Childhood Sweetheart   Chapter 8

    Lucy and I were middle-school classmates. I knew her game.She dropped the act, flashing a toothy grin. "Alright, alright. Gotta play the part for the suits. Making deals go smoother. But you're immune, huh?"She slouched in her chair, and I got down to business. "I'll join and bring at least half of the Fuller Group's clients. But I've got demands.""Hit me with them," she said, joking. "Even if it's being your lover."I rolled my eyes. "One, double my salary. Two, I'm going after every Fuller deal. Let me slash prices to win them, but I won't bleed your bottom line."I braced for her pushback, but Lucy stood up, grabbing my hands and shaking them like a kid at Christmas. "Deal. No backing out.""Grow up." I rolled my eyes, but a smile tugged at my lips.After I joined Lucy's company, Eleanor cornered me outside my new office. "What, you're in love with Lucy now? That's why you dumped me?""Don't project your sleaze onto me," I countered, pushing back.She grabbed my arm, des

  • Forced to Save Her Childhood Sweetheart   Chapter 7

    The backlash forced the Fuller Hospital to shut down for investigation, but their real money came from medical equipment, which was barely touched.Eleanor kept groveling. "You've made your point. Can you let it go now? I convinced the Fullers not to retaliate. I really care about you. Drop the charges before things go out of control."She showered me with watches, cars, and houses, playing the devoted fiancée.Jake, fed up with her stalking, beat the tar out of her. She didn't fight back, just stood there, taking the punches.She looked at me, her eyes glistening. "I deserve this for hurting you and Cora. If it makes you feel better, keep hitting."She landed in the hospital but didn't press charges against Jake. She called me instead, "Lincoln, I'm so sorry. If I'd known Adrian was lying, I'd never have ruined our wedding."I wasn't moved. "It wasn't just the wedding. We were done the second you chose him over me.""He tricked me," she protested. "I'm a victim, too.""Doesn't

  • Forced to Save Her Childhood Sweetheart   Chapter 6

    During the police interview, Eleanor was a mess, her eyes darting to me every few seconds.When it was over, she practically tackled me. "I had no idea Adrian was lying. If I'd known, I'd never have ditched our wedding or pushed you to donate. I'll cut ties with him, I promise. Please, give me a chance to fix this."Her eyes were red with regret, but I felt nothing. "You killed my mom and nearly killed me. You think an apology makes that go away? Things don't work like that."A few crocodile tears wouldn't erase the pain she had caused. Her regret was too late, meaningless now.She grabbed my hand, desperate. "I'll make it up to you and everything. Name your price, and I'll pay. I'll promote Mike and do anything for you. I was deceived, but I'll protect you from now on."I jerked my hand free. "I don't need it, not after you took my only family. If you truly want to make amends, turn yourself in."Her lashes fluttered. "I would, but my mom has no one else. If I go to jail, she'll

  • Forced to Save Her Childhood Sweetheart   Chapter 5

    Half an hour later, Eleanor called again, but I didn't answer immediately, mimicking her past indifference."As I said, Cora's death and your surgery were accidents," she spluttered. "I'll make it up to you. Why did you call the police, saying I forced you to donate?""Because you did," I said coolly.I'd recorded everything when she coerced me. She'd done the kidney matching behind my back, never asking my consent. Even if she'd been my everything once, she had no right to harm me.She faltered, stammering, "But... that'll tank the hospital's reputation and crush Adrian. He just had a transplant. He needs peace.""Why should I give a damn? He deserves whatever's coming," I said.Adrian had manipulated her into wedding photos, stolen kisses when she was drunk, and orchestrated that hamster stunt to ruin our wedding, all while faking his illness.The only thing I felt for him was hatred."You're cursing a sick man?" she yelled. "You're a monster!""Worry less about me and more

  • Forced to Save Her Childhood Sweetheart   Chapter 4

    A week later, Eleanor showed up at my hospital room.Mike was at work, leaving me alone.She banged on the door, shouting my name until nurses intervened. To avoid a scene, I let her in.She stood in the doorway, her arms loaded with fancy supplements. Her face was heavy with guilt. "I'm sorry. Adrian has been so sick that I couldn't leave his side.""Then stay gone. You're not welcome here," I said coldly.She frowned, stepping closer. "Don't say that. You're my fiancé. I'd never abandon you."I pushed her back. "Fiancé? Don't make me gag. We're done, Eleanor."I'd never been so harsh with her. I'd hoped she'd show real remorse for my mom's death and my near-fatal surgery. But I'd overestimated her.In her mind, our lives meant nothing compared to Adrian's. A week had passed, and she hadn't apologized to me or visited Cora's grave.She started to snap but caught herself. "I screwed up, okay? I'm sorry. But Adrian has kidney failure. All he wanted was a little hamster wedding.

  • Forced to Save Her Childhood Sweetheart   Chapter 3

    Eleanor shook her head. "You cooked this up to screw with me? Faking such papers is easy."She called her assistant to verify. Ten minutes later, the reply came. "It's all real, Ms. Hamm."Ten minutes. That was all it took to confirm Cora's death and my illness. But Eleanor hadn't bothered, assuming I was lying.Her face went ashen as she clutched the phone. "Lincoln, I'm so sorry. I thought you were bluffing. Adrian is dying, and he just wanted a little hamster wedding. I couldn't say no, so I postponed ours. I never meant for Cora to..."Her excuses grated on me. "Mike, let's get out of here. I've got a bed waiting at another hospital."Mike nodded, snatching the papers and pushing my wheelchair.Not done, Eleanor lunged to block us. "You're too weak to move around. Stay here.""No chance in hell," I spat.I didn't trust this place as far as I could throw it. They'd forced a sick man to donate a kidney. Who knew what else they'd pull?She started to argue, but a nurse called

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