Chapter 1

When the police found me, I could no longer walk on my own.

The ambulance rushed me to the hospital. The doctor on duty cut open my soaked pant legs and asked where my family was.

I gave him Blaine Zahn's number. The nurse called twice, but no one answered.

On the third attempt, someone finally picked up. It was Lizzie Sterling.

She said, "Blaine is taking a shower. Why did you call the police, Wanda? He just wanted you to cool off. Now, you've caused trouble for him, and he'll have to answer questions."

The nurse's face fell as she said, "The patient is suffering from hypothermia. We need a family member here immediately."

Lizzie laughed softly and responded, "Please treat her first. I'll cover the cost. Wanda, you know Blaine has an important meeting tomorrow. Stop using your well-being to scare him. After all these years of you pulling that trick in your marriage, it doesn't work anymore."

With that, the call ended.

I lay on the emergency room bed, my fingers still curled around my phone as if I were still holding it.

The doctor said that if I had arrived half an hour later, the severe hypothermia could have caused a dangerous heart arrhythmia.

It was 3:00 am when Blaine finally arrived. A thin layer of snow clung to the shoulders of his coat. In one hand, he carried a change of clothes for me and a thermal flask.

When he reached my bedside, he touched my forehead first before glancing at the IV bag.

"The police contacted me," he said.

I turned my face toward the window.

He unscrewed the thermal flask and poured out some warm water. "Have some warm water."

"No."

"Are you still mad at me?"

He set the cup on the bedside table. His voice carried the familiar patience he always used when dealing with something troublesome.

Blaine said, "I admit leaving you there was wrong, but there were cars passing along that road every day. You could have flagged one down. There was no need to call the police and turn this into a serious matter."

I countered, "The road was closed."

Blaine paused.

I added, "There was a sign indicating that the road was closed at the entrance. Not a single car passed by today."

He frowned as he said, "I didn't see it."

"You didn't look back."

Silence settled over the room.

Blaine pulled over a chair and sat down, pressing his fingertips against the center of his brows.

He said, "I handled the necklace situation too hastily. Lizzie is attending her homecoming banquet the day after tomorrow, and she doesn't have the right jewelry to go with her dress. Yours matched perfectly. She'd only wear it for one night."

"So you tore it off my neck," I murmured.

His expression had turned cold when he hooked his finger through the clasp at the back of my neck and yanked hard. The silver chain had dug into my skin. The clasp had snapped, and a thin line of blood immediately appeared along my collarbone.

Mom had made that necklace by hand. It featured seven silver stars, each a different size. The back of the largest star in the center was engraved with my date of birth.

After Mom died, I'd worn it only on my wedding anniversary and on the anniversary of her death.

Blaine knew that.

The first time he had fastened it around my neck, he had been so afraid of damaging the clasp that he had practiced for half an hour before putting it on me. But now, it took him only two seconds to break it.

Blaine lowered his eyes and saw the cut. He reached toward me but stopped himself.

"I'll have someone replace the clasp."

"Give it back to me."

"After the homecoming banquet."

"I want it now."

Blaine's expression hardened. "Wanda, enough is enough. Lizzie's brother died in a snowstorm while saving my life. She spent seven years alone overseas. She has nothing to her name now. Do you really have to fight her over a necklace?"

"That necklace was Mom's."

"She's only borrowing it."

"She posted that you gave it to her."

Blaine was silent for two seconds. "That was just a caption. You know I'd never actually give away something that belonged to your mother."

I looked at him. He genuinely thought that was supposed to comfort me.