Chapter 001

“Please… just give me a little more time,” the young man begged, kneeling on the wet pavement as the rain poured down. “I promise I’ll find the money for my mom’s treatment. Just a few more days. I’m begging you.”

Lyriel sat inside the car, watching him. Victor Maddox.

“Do you want to help him?” Sophia asked gently beside her. "You know, he’s the one you’ve secretly liked for years. Maybe this is your chance... maybe he’ll finally notice you."

Lyriel hesitated, her eyes still on him. "But Sophia…"

Sophia smiled warmly. "Just do whatever your heart wants. Sometimes that’s enough."

For a moment, Lyriel said nothing. Then, she took a deep breath and looked away. "We’re going to be late for the show," she muttered instead.

"I’ll call the manager and let him know," Sophia replied calmly. "So it’s settled, right?"

Lyriel slowly reached for the umbrella lying on the seat beside her. Before stepping out, she glanced at Sophia, who gave her a firm nod of encouragement. With a quiet breath, Lyriel opened the umbrella and stepped into the rain.

Raindrops tapped softly above her, but her eyes stayed on Victor, still kneeling, drenched and helpless. He was the same boy she had admired for years—the star student, the golden boy. She always thought he’d grow up to be someone successful after college, but it seemed life had been hard on him.

She had looked into his story. He’d lost everything trying to care for his sick mother. Once, she’d heard him quietly begging his mom to stop suffering, to let go. That moment had haunted her. It made her wonder just how much pain he carried inside him.

She hadn’t dared to help him before. She didn’t want him to think she was using money to get his attention. She wasn’t rich, just doing well enough. Her parents had passed away a few years back, but they’d left her a house and a life insurance policy. She lived comfortably.

Now, she quietly walked over to him, holding the umbrella above him, and reached out her hand.

Victor looked up, confused, his eyes meeting hers. He didn’t take her hand.

"Still pretending I’m invisible?" she whispered under her breath. "You haven’t changed."

Then, without waiting for a reply, she bent down and gently helped him up.

Her bodyguard, Jerry, approached immediately. "Miss—"

"It’s alright, Jerry," Lyriel said calmly.

That same day, Lyriel paid the three-million-dollar bill for Victor’s mother’s surgery...without asking anything in return.

Later, as they sat outside the hospital, Victor turned to her.

"In a few months" she said quietly, "I’ll help you become the man you’ve always wanted to be."

He stared at her. "Is there something you want in return, Lyriel?"

Her eyes widened. He knew her name? After all these years of silence and distance, he actually remembered?

She smiled gently. "Nothing... Just stay by my side and make me happy. Can you do that?"

He didn’t answer right away, but the way he looked at her said enough.

……..

Now five years had passed.

Victor had changed. He had become distant. Even though they were still together, it didn’t feel real. He was always busy, always distracted. But Lyriel never complained. She still loved him deeply. She had promised to stay by his side and help him become the man he wanted to be.

And today... maybe everything was finally falling into place.

Standing outside her company, Lyriel smiled proudly. She had just signed a billion-dollar contract—with her husband’s name on it. It was the biggest deal the company had ever landed. She couldn’t wait to tell him. Maybe now they could finally start living like a real couple. He had money, status, and power. Maybe now, he could finally take care of her, not the other way around.

She was excited as she stepped into the elevator and headed straight for his office.

When she opened the door, she saw Victor smiling and laughing softly on the phone. He looked genuinely happy, something she hadn’t seen in a long time. But as soon as he saw her, his smile faded a little. He cleared his throat and sat up straighter.

“I’ll call you back,” he said into the phone, then hung up. He walked over and hugged her, kissing her forehead. “Hey, baby.”

“I have a surprise for you,” Lyriel said, her eyes shining with excitement.

He smiled. “Oh yeah? What is it?”

“Guess,” she said, grinning.

“You know I’m terrible at guessing,” he laughed. “Just tell me.”

Smiling, she pulled away slightly, walked to his desk, and placed her designer bag on top. She unzipped it and brought out a black folder.

"Here," she said, handing it to him.

He took it and opened the folder. As his eyes scanned the papers inside, they widened in shock.

"Wait… this is the contract with Mr. Cruz?" Victor asked, almost breathless. Lyriel nodded with pride.

“ Oh, my God!” He exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug, burying his face in her hair. "Thank you so much, baby," he whispered.

She hugged him back, smiling. She knew how my this deal meant to him, and she’d work so hard to get it.

She nodded happily, "This calls for celebration, so I’ll go home right now and make you your favorite meal. But that’ll be after I pick Ava from school ."

Victor nodded. "Alright, I’ll leave the office early today too."

Lyriel beamed and turned to leave, giggling with joy as she stepped out of his office

……

At the grocery store, Lyriel picked up everything she needed, humming a soft tune as she pushed the cart through the aisles. She was almost done when she paused by the fruit section to pick out some apples—then her eyes caught something… or rather, someone.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Across the store, near the deli, stood Victor.

And right beside him... was a woman Lyriel recognized instantly.

Her breath caught.

It was Victor’s mother.

The same woman who was supposed to be dead. The same woman Victor had mourned with such convincing grief. The same woman he claimed had died during surgery five years ago. The one they had buried. The one Lyriel had used her own savings to help lay to rest because Victor said he couldn’t afford the funeral.

Yet there she was. Standing. Smiling. Laughing softly as she held onto Victor’s arm like nothing had ever happened.

Lyriel stumbled back a little, grabbing the cart for support as her heart pounded in her chest.

Was she hallucinating?

No. That face—, those eyes. That was her. The woman in the photo from the hospital bed, pale and frail, surrounded by machines.

Lyriel didn’t move. She couldn’t. She stayed behind a tall shelf of cereal boxes, frozen in place, staring.

Victor looked calm. Happy. Like there was no secret to hide.

Her lips parted, but no sound came out. She reached into her bag with trembling fingers and pulled out her phone, quickly opening the gallery. She scrolled to the old photo she had kept all these years—Victor’s mother, in a hospital gown, her face sunken and sickly.

She looked up again.

Same woman.

Her knees felt weak.

What... is going on?” she whispered, barely able to breathe.

She remembered holding Victor as he cried. Mourning with him. Paying for the funeral. Believing every word he said.

But now she saw the truth.

Victor had lied. But why?