Chapter 2

I was the only man in Rachel's life.

Then, the year we took our SATs, she became the top scorer in Baytona, only to mysteriously disappear the day she was supposed to enroll in college.

I searched for her frantically. In the end, my father had to use his connections to uncover the truth. Afraid that she would compete for the family fortune, her stepmother had hired someone to kidnap her.

The night I found Rachel in an abandoned warehouse, she was covered in injuries. Yet, she gritted her teeth, refusing to shed a single tear.

I cried and begged my father to save her. He used a business deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars to secure her release and get her back into college. Afterward, he secretly paved the way for her success, introducing her to influential people and helping her gradually establish herself as the rightful heiress.

Rachel was truly the most remarkable person I had ever met. There was nothing she couldn't accomplish if she set her mind to it. And she always managed to be the best at whatever she did.

I always looked at her with admiration.

"You're incredible. Someone as capable as you would make the perfect wife," I told her.

My father wasn't doing all this out of the kindness of his heart, either. I had no talent for business, while he needed someone he could trust to take over the family empire.

The day Rachel officially became the heiress to Miller Group, my father asked whether she was willing to marry into the Caldwell family.

She didn't refuse. Holding the ring she had made herself, she looked at me and said sincerely, "Joseph, I'm not agreeing to marry into the Caldwell family for business reasons. I genuinely want to be with you. Will you be with me?"

The ring wasn't perfect, but my heart overflowed with happiness. I thought we would be together for the rest of our lives.

But fate always seemed to have other plans.

When I started college, I noticed that my roommate, Norman, could barely afford to feed himself. So, I decided to sponsor his education. I even brought him home.

One day, Rachel came looking for me and ran into Norman at the front door.

She froze. The shock in her eyes was unlike anything I had ever seen.

Later, I learned the truth. When Rachel was kidnapped back then, it was Norman who had risked his life to save her.

From that day on, I treated him like a hero. I paid for his education and welcomed him into our lives. I even thought I was repaying a debt on Rachel's behalf.

It never occurred to me that I'd end up losing my own place in her life while trying to repay that debt.

The cab driver dropped me off at my destination. I paid the fare and got out. Before driving away, the driver glanced at the place I was living in, his eyes filled with sympathy.

"From the looks of it, you must've grown up spoiled and well-loved. You should hurry home. Your parents must be worried sick about you."

His words were like a needle, striking the softest part of my heart. I stood frozen, my eyes instinctively turning red.

Home? What home?

My eyes stung, and suddenly, I was taken back to six years ago.

Back then, I had the warmest home in the world. My parents treated me like their most precious treasure. They even scheduled my engagement on my birthday, wanting to give me twice the reason to celebrate that day.

Before that, they traveled all over Baytona, searching for the perfect rings. My mother gently cupped my face and said with a loving smile, "Your father and I searched all over Baytona. We finally found the perfect rings."

She stroked my cheek tenderly and said, "Our precious son deserves a lifetime of happiness."

I was so wrapped up in happiness that I had no idea that would be our last conversation ever.

My parents were involved in a horrific car accident on their way to collect my suit for the ceremony. Both of them died. They didn't even have a chance to say goodbye.

Guilt and grief tore me apart. It was all my fault. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't have gone through any of that.

During that time, Rachel stayed by my side every waking moment. She took care of all the funeral arrangements and held me as I fell apart, comforting me over and over again.

"Joseph, you have to pull yourself together. Your parents wanted nothing more than to see you happy. Don't let them down."

I believed her. For my parents' sake, I forced myself to go through with the engagement.

That day, clutching the ring that carried my parents' love, I went looking for Rachel. But as I passed the lounge, I saw something I would never forget for the rest of my life.

Inside, two naked bodies were tangled together.

I clapped a hand over my mouth in disbelief.

"Rachel, are you really going to get engaged to him?" It was Norman's voice.

"Yes." Rachel's reply was devoid of emotion.

"Then, what about us? Rachel, I really love you."

"You're the only person I've ever loved. Getting engaged to Joseph is just a way to secure the shares his parents left him. Norman, you'll have to bear with it just a little longer."

Rachel's voice was piercing, her words cutting into my heart like a blade.