Chapter 1

“Grandma, I’ve made up my mind. I want to call off my engagement with Jake. After your birthday, I’ll leave North City.”

As soon as Madison Spencer spoke those words, Mrs. Cooper let out a long sigh.

“I know Jake’s been out of control lately, and I know you’ve suffered because of it. I’ve seen everything you’ve done for him over the years. I truly believe he cares about you, deep down. He’s just confused. Maybe if you give it a little more time, he’ll come around. Are you sure you want to end the engagement? My birthday is in ten days. Why don’t you think about it a little longer?”

Madison shook her head. Her voice was calm and firm. “The five-year promise I made to you is about to end.”

She had been only seven when her mother married into the wealthy Henderson family, bringing her along like unwanted baggage.

The Hendersons treated her terribly, and her mother only ever told her to behave and be understanding.

On her seventh birthday, they forced her to eat a large amount of seafood, even though they knew she was allergic.

Her reaction was severe. If Mrs. Cooper hadn’t rushed her to the hospital that night, she might not have survived.

It was also Mrs. Cooper who later spoke up for her in front of everyone. After that, life in the Henderson estate became a little less unbearable.

Madison never forgot that kindness.

So when Mrs. Cooper asked her to get engaged to her grandson, Jake Zimmer, to look after him and help him pull through a difficult time, Madison didn’t hesitate.

It was everything she had ever hoped for.

She loved Jake.

But now she finally understood that love could not be forced.

She was tired, and she was ready to let go.

Back in Jake’s sophomore year of college, his girlfriend, Xena Ford, had vanished without a trace. Even her identity records were erased.

Jake couldn’t accept it. He used every connection he had to look for her, but it was as if she had disappeared off the face of the earth.

When all his efforts failed, he broke down. His mental health started to decline.

The Zimmer family couldn’t just stand by and watch their only son fall apart. That was when Mrs. Cooper came to Madison.

“Please,” she had said. “I need your help. Get engaged to Jake. Be the one to bring him back. I'm not asking you to give up your whole life—just five years. After that, if you want to walk away, I’ll support you completely. Consider it a way of repaying me for what I’ve done for you all these years.”

Madison had said yes without a second thought.

Because she was in love with Jake, the eldest son of the Zimmer family.

When Madison first arrived at the Henderson house, Zac Henderson forced her to kneel and fight a dog for food.

Jake stepped in and stopped it. He stood up for her when no one else would.

At school, when someone mocked her for being illegitimate, it was Jake who spoke out and told everyone that Madison was under his protection.

Even when her own mother forgot her birthday, Jake remembered. He brought her a cake and a gift.

Falling in love with Jake felt as natural as breathing.

From the moment he pulled her out of that doghouse, he became the only light in her life.

After they got engaged, Madison treated him like something precious. She took care of him every day and never left his side.

She cherished him as if he were fragile, afraid he might get hurt.

Whatever Jake wanted to do, she supported him without hesitation.

She was most skilled at writing code, but in order to give him the best life she could, she followed the Zimmer family's wishes and pushed herself to study business and help run the company.

To outsiders, she was nothing more than a burden. A calculating girl desperate to marry into wealth. But she didn’t care what they said.

In the second year of their engagement, Jake began to recover. He met a live streamer who looked strikingly similar to Xena and started dating her in public.

When his father refused to invest in the woman's career, Jake turned to Madison. And she agreed to help him.

The entire city mocked her. People whispered that she was blind to the truth, clinging to a man who didn't love her.

Madison still didn’t care. She believed that one day, Jake would finally see her for who she really was and be moved by her love.

Eventually, he did break up with the girl.

He promised Madison that he had finally figured things out. He told her he was done chasing the past and was ready to cherish the person standing right in front of him.

Madison was overjoyed. She truly believed her years of devotion had finally paid off.

For the first time, she thought she was the luckiest woman in the world.

Then, without warning, Xena came back.

From that moment on, everything changed.

Jake took Xena all around North City, from early morning until late at night.

He traveled with her and never even mentioned it to Madison.

If she didn’t call, he could go ten or fifteen days without sending a single message. And when she did call, all she got was impatience and scolding.

Eventually, Madison saw the truth. Everything she had done for him over the years meant nothing.

No matter how long she stayed by his side, she could never compete with the woman he truly loved.

So she made her decision.

She stepped aside and gave them her blessing.