Chapter 3

I ended the call.

Ashton's eyes found me almost immediately, and the color drained from his face. "Annie? What are you doing here?"

He grabbed the wheels of his chair and pushed himself toward me as fast as he could.

Winnie froze for a second. Then, her face lit up. "Annie! You're here!"

Her smile was so bright, so genuinely delighted, that I somehow felt like the villain.

Ashton looked from me to Winnie.

Winnie asked, "You two know each other?"

"She's a friend," he replied.

I stared at him. "A friend? That's all I am?"

Ashton pulled out his phone. A second later, a message appeared on mine. "She's fragile. She can't handle getting upset. She barely knows you. Why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

I almost laughed. Then I looked at Winnie and asked, "Aren't you going to introduce me properly?"

Winnie seemed completely oblivious to the tension between us. She said, "Ashton, this is Annie Shaw. She's the woman who's been supporting me for the past six years."

Ashton's face went pale. Almost instinctively, he reached out and caught the edge of my sleeve. Another message appeared on my phone.

"Can we not tell Winnie about us? Not yet."

I looked at it for a moment before replying. "Of course."

Relief washed over his face. Then I sent another message. "We're already broken up. There's nothing between us for her to know about anyway."

"Would you stop saying things like that just because you're angry?"

Ashton frowned. He lowered his phone, no longer bothering to text. Without saying another word, he turned his wheelchair around and left on his own.

Winnie watched him go. "You know, Annie… There's something I never told you."

Her eyes never left Ashton.

"He was my first love. When I got sick, I was the one who ended things. If I'd had a choice, I would've wanted to be the one beside him too. Why did it have to be me? Why couldn't she be the sick one instead? Why did it have to be me?"

My feelings toward Winnie were complicated. Several times, I tried to speak, only to swallow the words again.

Finally, I asked, "What if I told you I'm the woman Ashton's with?"

Winnie went completely still. Slowly, she turned to look at me. As realization dawned on her, her hand flew to her mouth, and she hurried away, almost as if she were running from me.

I stayed where I was.

It wasn't until the director of the facility approached that I finally moved.

"Ms. Shaw, I didn't realize you were here." She smiled politely. "How much would you like to contribute toward Winnie's care this time?"

I stared at the faint tracks Ashton's wheelchair had left behind and let out a slow breath. "I won't be covering her expenses anymore."

The director looked surprised. "Oh. May I ask why?"

"I'm moving abroad. It's going to be expensive, and I can't afford to keep supporting someone else on top of that."

She nodded, accepting the explanation without question, and walked me to the entrance. "Well, in that case, I hope this next chapter of your life brings you everything you're looking for.

"I heard you're getting married. When the time comes, everyone here would love to send you a little something. You've done so much for our residents over the years. It's the least we can do."

"The wedding's off." This time, the words didn't hurt at all. I said it as casually as if I'd canceled an appointment.

The director simply nodded again. She said sincerely, "In that case, I hope someday you meet someone who truly loves you."

"Thank you." I gave her a slight nod and opened the car door. "Winnie ran off a few minutes ago. You might want to send someone to look for her. It's not safe for her to be out there alone."

I drove away. The facility had long since disappeared behind me when a familiar car appeared in my rearview mirror.

I recognized the license plate immediately.

A second later, Ashton cut in front of me and forced me to pull over. He came straight toward me. "What did you say to Winnie?"

I stared at him. "What could I possibly have said?"

The slap came without warning. Pain tore through my cheek, so sharp that my entire body recoiled.

"She was hit by a car! Annie, how could you do something so cruel?"

"Cruel?" I pointed at myself. "You're calling me cruel? We've been together for six years, Ashton. Six years. How could you think I'd do something like that?"

Ashton's hands were shaking. Then, as if he'd suddenly realized what he had done, he pulled me carefully into his arms. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I panicked. I wasn't thinking. Annie, please don't be mad at me. I swear I didn't mean to hurt you."

My eyes fell to the injuries he was still recovering from. I reached out and pressed hard against one of them.

His face tightened in pain, but he didn't push me away. "Don't be mad, okay?"

His hand moved slowly over the back of my neck as he tried to soothe me. "I need to go to the hospital and check on Winnie. Once I know she's okay, I'll stop seeing her. I promise."

"Do you have to go? Because I honestly can't tell anymore, Ashton. I can't tell which one of us you actually love."

His arms fell away from me. "It's different, Annie. Stop doing this to yourself. You're the only woman I'm ever going to marry."

"Then answer me something." I held his gaze. "If Winnie had never broken up with you, would you still have chosen me?"

Ashton said nothing.