Chapter 1

Ashton Grant lay unconscious in the hospital bed, his face drained of color.

By then, I knew what had happened. What I didn't have was an explanation. Not a single word from anyone.

The frustration sat like a weight on my chest.

Ashton's mom, Vivian Grant, rushed into the room, her purse still clutched in one hand. The moment she saw Ashton lying there, her eyes turned red.

"Mrs. Grant…" The slap came before I could say anything else. Pain exploded across my cheek, sharp enough to make my head snap to the side. I tasted blood.

"You promised me," she said. "You promised me this wouldn't happen. How could you just stand by and let Ashton do something that dangerous?"

I kept my face turned away for a moment, my cheek burning. "Mrs. Grant, Ashton is an adult. He makes his own choices. I couldn't have stopped him."

"Don't give me that." She jabbed a finger into my chest, her face tight with anger. "He was never like this when he was with that other girl. Nothing like this ever happened. Ever since you came into his life, you've brought him nothing but trouble."

I swallowed the blood in my mouth and forced a bitter smile. "Fine. Then Ashton and I are done. Is that what you want to hear?"

"Are you threatening me?" Vivian's voice rose sharply.

"Mom…" Ashton's weak voice stopped her. His eyes had barely opened, and even speaking seemed to take what little strength he had left. "Don't blame Annie. None of this is her fault."

He tried to sit up, trembling with the effort, and his assistant, Peter Wilson, hurried over to prop another pillow behind his back. "Just leave her alone."

Vivian let out a cold laugh. "Of course you'd defend her. She's really got you wrapped around her finger, hasn't she? If you ever marry her, I suppose I can forget about having a son altogether."

She then turned on her heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

The second she was gone, the tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over.

Ashton's hand was still trembling when he reached for me. He gently brushed the tears from my cheek.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have let you take the blame for any of this. I won't let it happen again, okay?"

His voice was as gentle as ever, exactly the way it had always been.

"What was the letter about?"

Ashton glanced at Peter. Something passed between them before he looked back at me, his smile faint.

"I'm fine, aren't I? There's no need for the letters now. You should be happy about that."

"Don't twist this around. I don't care about your money. I don't want any of it. But you could at least tell me why. Why is there someone else involved in something that's supposed to be between us?"

The steady beeping of the monitors filled the silence. A nurse opened the door and pressed a finger to her lips. "Please keep your voices down. Other patients are trying to rest."

Ashton remained perfectly composed. I, on the other hand, must have looked completely unhinged.

"If we're being technical about it, you're the outsider here," he said.

He smiled. A thin layer of mist clouded his oxygen mask with every breath.

For a moment, I had the strangest feeling that I had never really seen him clearly at all.

"Why does it matter so much to you?" he asked. "You're the one I'm marrying in the end."

But my mind had already stopped working. All I could hear were those words. I stared at him. "I'm the outsider? You really think I'm the outsider?"

I swept my hair back, revealing the gash on my forehead. "When I heard what happened to you, I fell down the stairs. I didn't even stop to get this looked at. All I could think about was getting here to see you."

Pain flickered across Ashton's face. He opened his mouth to speak, only to break into a violent coughing fit. A streak of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Sir!" Peter shot to his feet, but Ashton caught him by the wrist.

"I'm fine. Get a doctor to look at Annie first."

Then he reached for my wrist. His grip was weak, his breathing labored. "About the letter… don't read too much into it.

"Winnie has no one. She's been alone for years, and she once saved my life. I owe her. I just wanted to make sure she'd be taken care of. It was one last favor. That's all."

"Just a favor?"

With visible effort, he gave the slightest nod.

"Stop lying to me." I picked up one of the pages lying nearby. "You asked to be buried beside her when you die. Was that just a favor too?

"What about me? We're done, Ashton. Since I'm such an outsider, I wouldn't want to get in the way of whatever the two of you have."

"Annie!" Ashton shouted my name with what little strength he had left.

I didn't turn around. I opened the door and walked out.

The moment the door closed behind me, my legs gave out. I sank to the floor against the wall, too weak to keep myself upright.

My hands wouldn't stop shaking.

I knew my passcode by heart, but it still took me several tries to enter it correctly.

Finally, the screen changed.

"Ms. Annie Shaw, please plan your time accordingly. Your flight is scheduled to depart at midnight tomorrow."