Chapter 3

Mary's POV

Time blurred. The only constant was the steady beep of the hospital monitors and the sight of my mother lying motionless on the bed. I sat there half-asleep, resting my cheek against her cold hand—my only escape from the nightmare my life had become.

Footsteps approached, and a gentle hand touched my shoulder. "You haven't been to class in three days. You can't keep doing this."

I slowly lifted my head. "I'm dropping out. I'm never going back there."

Elena sighed deeply. "I know it hurts, but—"

"How can I go back when just seeing Henry makes me want to die, Elena?"

She studied me for a long moment before reaching into her purse. "Fine. Then take this." She placed a thick white envelope into my lap. "You can enroll in a different college. Start over somewhere else."

My eyes widened, blurring with fresh tears, not out of joy, but pure shock. "Where did you get this kind of money?"

"You won't believe it, but I just got a new job."

"A job?"

"Mr. Ryder Vance."

My heart dropped at the sound of his name.

"I ran into him today, and he offered me a part-time job at his penthouse. He even gave me a huge advance," Elena said, smiling. "He's our old neighbor. I'm sure you remember him, Sweetie?"

My lips trembled. I immediately shoved the envelope back at her. "Give it back. Please, Elena, give it back to him."

She looked at me, bewildered. "Give it back? Why?"

"He doesn't do anything without a reason! Don't take money from a monster like him."

"A monster? I think you're misunderstanding him," she corrected gently. "He was incredibly kind. He even asked how you were doing and why you weren't in class today."

"He asked about me?" I choked out, a cold shiver running down my spine.

Elena sighed. "Your head is so full of Henry that you assume everyone else is the enemy. You saw him at campus, but you didn't tell me."

"You don't know who he really is," I whispered.

"Maybe not. But unlike Henry, he hasn't forgotten you when you're at your lowest," she countered gently.

Before I could argue, a nurse walked into the room, holding a clipboard. "Are you Eleanor Collins' family?"

"Yes, I'm her sister," Elena lied smoothly.

"This is the outstanding balance for her continued care. Please proceed to administration to settle it."

Elena took the paper, her breath hitching. "Um... please, give us a week."

The nurse narrowed her eyes. "A week? Miss, you know this is a private facility. We've already given you a grace period. If you can't pay, you'll have to transfer her to a public hospital."

"Please..."

"You have until tomorrow," the nurse said coldly. "If the balance isn't cleared, we halt the treatment." She turned and left.

I snatched the paper from Elena's trembling hands. The dollar amount printed at the bottom made the air leave my lungs. It was an impossible number. A number Elena could never afford, not even with Ryder's advance.

"What are we going to do..." Elena whispered, her voice breaking.

I stared at the bill, my vision blurring. The walls were closing in on me. Henry had thrown me away. My father was gone. And now, the hospital was about to kick my mother out. I was completely cornered.

My hands curled into tight fists, crumpling the edges of the paper. There was only one person who had the power to make this go away. One person who had offered me a way out.

Ryder Vance.

---

Stepping back onto Kingsley’s campus felt like walking to my own execution. With the crumpled hospital bill burning a hole in my pocket, I forced my feet toward the last place I wanted to be: the varsity hockey arena. I wasn't here to mourn my past. I was here to make a deal with the devil.

But before I could even reach the locker rooms, I froze.

Henry.

He was standing in the dimly lit hallway, his gym bag slung over his shoulder. For a treacherous second, my heart betrayed me. Looking at him, I didn't see the boy who ruined me; I saw the boy who used to bandage my scraped knees. The boy who had stood by my side through my entire childhood. A stupid, desperate hope flared in my chest.

But then his eyes met mine. They were ice cold, yet laced with sudden panic.

"I didn't expect you to still be hanging around here," Henry said flatly.

If I had known how rotten you were. I wouldn't have spent my last dime on this hellhole, I thought bitterly.

I opened my mouth to shoot back, but he was already moving. He grabbed my wrist, yanking me roughly into an empty equipment room and slamming the door shut so no one would see us.

"Let go of me!" I hit his chest, tears of frustration instantly brimming in my eyes. The familiar scent of his cologne made my stomach churn.

"Just listen to me!" Henry grabbed both of my shoulders, pinning me in place. There was a flicker of pity in his eyes—a sliver of our shared history refusing to die completely, but it was quickly swallowed by his own selfishness.

"No matter how hard you try, I am not coming back to you. Why can't you understand that, Mary?"

I stared at him, my vision blurring. He thought I was here to beg for him. The sheer arrogance of it made my chest ache, but it also lit a sudden, hot fire in my veins.

He unzipped his gym bag, pulled out his thick leather wallet, and took out a massive stack of hundred-dollar bills. He shoved the cash forcefully into my hands.

"I know you're struggling," Henry muttered, looking away. "Take this. Just leave Kingsley, before you get hurt even more. I'll wire whatever else you need directly to your account."

I looked down at the money in my trembling hands. This was what I had been reduced to in his eyes. A charity case. A problem he could pay to go away. Nineteen years of friendship and love, reduced to a stack of dirty paper.

Suddenly, all the sadness evaporated, leaving nothing but blinding clarity.

I let out a bitter, broken laugh.

"You think I'm here for you?" I asked, my voice trembling but venomous. I looked him dead in the eye. "Losing everything was the worst pain of my life. But seeing you act like a coward today? It made me realize something. I should be thanking God. He showed me exactly what kind of bastard you are before I made the mistake of marrying you."

With a violent swing of my arm, I threw the stack of cash directly at his face.

The bills hit his cheek with a sharp smack, raining down all over the floor. Henry’s eyes widened in shock, his jaw dropping. "Are you insane?!"

"I might be broke, Henry," I spat, stepping over the scattered money. "But you're just cheap."

I didn't wait to see his reaction. I shoved past him, threw the door open, and stormed out. My heart physically hurt, pounding against my ribs as I ran down the hallway.

"Mary! Come back here!" Henry’s angry voice echoed behind me.

Panic seized me. I didn't want him to catch me crying. I blindly grabbed the handle of the nearest door, shoved it open, and slipped inside, pressing my back against the door as I gasped for air.

I closed my eyes, trying to calm the violent shaking of my body.

"Are you done making a scene out there, or should I grab some popcorn?"

My breath hitched. My eyes flew open.

Sitting on a bench just a few feet away, fully dressed in his black varsity jersey, was Ryder Vance. He was taping his hockey stick, looking completely unbothered, though the dark smirk on his lips told me he had heard everything through the thin walls.

I swallowed hard, wiping my tears frantically. "I..."

Ryder stopped taping his stick. His dark eyes trailed over my flushed, tear-stained face. The smirk faded into something more intense. "How is Mrs. Eleanor doing?" he asked smoothly.

I froze. My breath caught in my throat. Henry hadn't asked about my dying mother once. But the boy I hated most just did.

"I..." I straightened my spine, forcing myself to look into his calculating eyes. "I came looking for you. I want to talk to you. But not here."

Ryder held my gaze for a long moment. Then, he tossed his hockey stick aside and stood up, his massive frame towering over me. The smirk returned, sharper this time.

"Tonight. My penthouse," Ryder said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "I assume you know the way, Princess?"