Chapter 1

With a broken leg I listened to Lucas answer me through the phone.

"Isn't it just a minor injury? You can sign the consent forms yourself.What is with this fuss, calling me over and over again? No matter how upset you are about Shane, she is hurt. I know you are upset with the way the ritual was interrupted, but did your have to hurt yourself like she did? Shane is really hurt! All this just to add to the chaos, did you ever stop to think about me? Stop adding to this mess!" He said in frustration.

Since he rushed away to take Shane to the hospital I had not seen him for half a day.

I had to call several times, this time being my twentieth call to him.

He had rejected all the other previous calls.

“It was Shane who pushed me.” I said in a rasp voice.

“The doctor says a family member needs to sign the form. I don't have any family in this territory. Are you not in the hospital? Can't you pop in and sign?”

“Charlotte… I really can’t.”

Lucas said after a slight pause, then he ended the call without hesitation.

He did not bother to ask about my injury.

As I stared at the black screen, I found it hard to breathe. It felt as though something was trying to squeeze my lungs out of all it's air.

I took a moment to calm myself before I made my decision to stop waiting.

“Bring me the consent form. I’ll sign it myself.” I said.

The doctor seemed to know Lucas and looked at me in worry. “Maybe he didn’t hear you clearly? Maybe try calling to explain things much clearly,” the doctors said.

“He had us on standby since yesterday for the Marking Ritual. He was worried Shane would cause trouble and you would be hurt and had us on standby in case you got hurt.”

“He has always been careful with your health. Lucas would summon every specialist in town if you caught a cold and would sit by your bedside for days.”

“He cares about you greatly and would be angry if he really knows you fractured your foot and Shane was the one who did it.”

I glanced at the doctor, it seemed he did not only know Lucas, he must be his friend too.

But his words made me laugh bitterly.

I also used to believe he loved me that much, but it seems I was wrong and all these years were an illusion.

"I will sign for myself," I insisted and the doctor had no choice to to keep the sign.

The doctor finally let me sign my consent form and I was wheeled in for surgery.

A part of me still had hope Lucas would come for me. Even after the surgery was done, I saw no sign of Lucas.

A quick glance at me phone showed a post from Shane.

It was a short video of Lucas blowing on some porridge to feed Shane, then another scene of Shane tucking her into bed.

His expression looked tender as he did this.

Shane looked happy. The caption of the post read: You were my greatest fortune these past three years. I will spend my entire life proving how much you mean to me

The scene was hard to stomach.

Just a few days ago, Shane was just someone drinking herself to oblivion over Lucas.

I remember she had stormed in to Lucas' home to scream at me. Her words hunt me daily.

“I was Lucas’s secret girlfriend for three years!" She had suddenly said and my heart dropped. "What makes you so special that he refused to touch me, claiming you were the one for him?I gave him everything!”

She had completely lost her mind.

“He called me a mere substitute? I learned to cook soup like you do, and he slapped me across the face. Everyday, I had to listen to him say I could not compare to you no matter what I did, threatening to throw me out the moment you returned, but you actually returned? Charlotte, why did you come back? Why didn’t you just die overseas?!”

I remember how much this realization hurt me. While I was away, Lucas had gotten with someone else.

Lucas had quickly thrown her out that day and declared that I was the one for him.

As he threatened Shane to never return, I slowly calmed down, telling myself I had been gone for a while.It was normal if he dated other people.

Maybe her words about how Lucas she thought of me, was the reason, cause I decided to go ahead with the Marking Ceremony.

But I only got hurt while he ran to Shane without hesitation.

I wondered why I returned? How could I let myself be humiliated this way?

Every look of pity thrown my way by strangers felt like a slap to my face.

My surgery finished and Lucas finally came.

But it was not to find out how I am, but for my ring.

He had rushed into the room ina fluff and made for me quickly. I opened my eyes to find him pulling out my hands in a hurry.

He yanked my hand with the IV in it and pain shot through me waking me up.

When he could not find it on one hand, he hurried to the other side to grab the other. When he still found not find it, he finally looked at me.

"Where is your engagement ring? Give it to me." he declared.