Chapter 3

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a ward.

As my senses returned, I realized that my lower leg had been shattered and was encased in a cast.

The doctor warned me that unless I rested and followed a strict rehabilitation plan, the damage could be permanent.

I was a dance instructor. Hearing that I might never regain full use of my leg felt like watching my entire future collapse.

I would never perform onstage beneath the spotlights again. The dream I had worked so hard for was over.

My chest was wrapped tightly in bandages. Even lying still, every breath took everything I had.

I lifted my hand. I had clenched it so tightly that my fingers had gone stiff. It took almost all my remaining strength to uncurl them.

In my palm lay a small scrap of fabric.

It was badly wrinkled from my grip.

What happened last night felt like a nightmare. The scrap in my hand was proof that every moment had actually happened.

I stared at it for a long time.

An argument came from the hallway. I turned my head slightly and saw Hannah standing outside in her white coat.

Her expression was grim as she confronted Cedric’s family.

“Yesterday was Cedric’s birthday and the anniversary of his mother’s death. Why did you have to push him on a day like that? You upset him so badly that he drank and took off on his motorcycle!

“If I hadn’t been there, you might never have seen him alive again. I know him better than any of you. He would never do something like this without a reason!”

I lay quietly in bed and listened to the heated exchange outside.

Every accusation made it clear that her only concern was Cedric and that she would defend him no matter what.

From the moment the crash happened, I had not crossed her mind once.

A nurse entered to replace my IV bag and noticed me staring into the hallway.

“Would you like me to get Dr. Amell?” she asked.

I looked away. I managed a faint smile and shook my head. “No, thank you. She seems to have her hands full. Could you help me arrange for a private caregiver?”

The nurse adjusted the IV drip and nodded.

A faint chill spread across the back of my hand as the medication entered my vein, accompanied by a dull sting.

For a moment, my vision blurred.

Only after the hallway fell silent again did I close my eyes. Exhaustion soon pulled me into a deep sleep.

Cedric escaped with only minor injuries. His helmet had absorbed most of the impact. He had merely been knocked unconscious.

Hannah was in the passenger seat. She was shaken, but she had not suffered so much as a scratch.

Of the three of us, I was the only one who had come close to dying.

The part of me that had loved Hannah with everything had died in that crash.

I was like a forgotten nobody. Even if I disappeared, I wouldn't cause so much as a ripple.

I remained in the hospital for more than two weeks. During that entire time, Hannah never called or sent me a single message.

She took time off work and went on a trip with Cedric to help him put the ordeal behind him.

Hannah’s latest social media post appeared on my screen.

The photo showed her and Cedric standing at the summit of a snow-covered mountain with their fingers intertwined as they gazed into each other’s eyes.

The post was: Life is an adventure. Choose someone worth exploring it with.

The radiant smile on her face and the light in her eyes said everything. She was really happy.

Without a word, I tapped Like.

A second later, the post vanished. Then, I received a text from Hannah.

[Honey, I miss you so much.]

I lowered my gaze. For the first time, I did not reply to her text.

The day I came home from the hospital, Hannah returned from her trip.

Cedric had given her a ride home. When he saw me, he sneered. Then, he pulled Hannah into his arms and kissed her hard.

They kissed and flirted as though I were not standing there. Hannah flushed and pushed him away with a playful smile.

Cedric looked at me with a taunting glint in his eyes that said: What are you going to do about it?

As the novel’s hero, Cedric had lost his mother at a young age. He was arrogant, reckless, and accustomed to doing whatever he pleased.

It was not until he met the heroine that he learned what it meant to be loved and to have a home.

Hannah was meant to pull him back from the brink and love him with everything she had.