All Chapters of I Survived the Crash; Our Love Didn't : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

My ex-husband, Julian Hayes, stared at my face, his eyes widening in shock as he took a step back. "How did you—"This time, I was the one staring him down. "Happy with what you see?"He fell silent for a few seconds, then looked away. "After the accident, I kept looking for you. I spent six months trying to find you… I found the car, completely totaled, but there was no sign of you. Everyone said you were dead, but I refused to believe them…"I gave him a bitter, mocking smile.Back then, he'd wanted nothing more than for me to die. Funny how he couldn't bring himself to believe it when he thought I actually had.I shook my head halfheartedly, hoping he would just take his order so I could leave. "As you can see, I'm alive, Mr. Hayes. Now, could you please confirm your delivery?"Just then, a little girl in pink fleece pajamas came running out of the house and threw her arms around Julian's leg. "Daddy, why haven't you come back inside to read me a bedtime story?"Julian's expr

Nina was the daughter of a part-time employee at Mom's dance company. Her family struggled financially, so my parents often helped them out.Nina was a gifted dancer. Mom looked at her with the pride and affection she'd never shown me.When I applied to college, my art portfolio earned the highest marks, securing me a spot at the most prestigious art school in the country.It was there that I met Julian, who was studying architecture.We fell in love.After graduation, I married him without a second thought.Our marriage was wonderful at first. But at some point, Julian started mentioning Nina more and more.I started picking fights with him, crying and arguing because I felt like he cared more about Nina than he did about me.But every time, he'd just pull me into his arms with a helpless sigh. "Sam, she's been through so much. Can't we help her?"Then, when I was seven months pregnant, everything changed.I was walking home alone from my studio, my belly heavy with our baby

Julian continued, "And I've finally realized I only ever cared for you like a little sister. What I feel for Nina… is real love. Let's get divorced. I'll make sure you're compensated."I burst out laughing, tears streaming down my face.After all those years together, sleeping in the same bed and planning our future together, he claimed he'd only ever seen me as a sister?My gaze drifted to the nightstand, where a small fruit knife lay.Then I looked at Nina, nestled in Julian's arms, her eyes gleaming with smug satisfaction as she openly taunted me with her gaze.A wave of despair swept over me. If I was going down, I wanted to take her with me.I snatched up the knife and lunged at Nina.But Julian reacted instantly, pulling her into his arms and jerking her out of the way.The sharp blade barely caught her arm, leaving only a thin, bloody scratch.Julian was furious.He handed every original sketch and draft from my studio that could prove my innocence over to Lucas. Then

I took a sip of milk, my voice steady. "He owes me, and I'm going to take back every last bit of it."Over the following days, I kept taking illustration commissions to pay the bills while quietly investigating on the side. I tracked down one of the judges from the design competition, Professor Edwin Penrose.Professor Penrose was a well-respected veteran artist known for his integrity. Back then, he'd thought Lucas's entry looked far too similar to my style and raised concerns, but the other judges and the organizers shut him down.I brought the evidence from my hard drive and went to see him at his home.Once he'd gone through my original sketches and process videos and heard everything that happened to me, he was shaking with anger."This is outrageous! It's a disgrace to the entire art world!"He offered right then and there to testify on my behalf.Next, I reached out to Agnes Whitby, the woman who used to clean my old studio.She was a kind woman. After I was sent to pris

They were standing across the street, their hair gray and their backs stooped, their eyes full of guilt and unease.When they saw me, they hesitated, then slowly made their way over."Sam," Mom said, her voice cracking. She reached out to touch me, then pulled her hand back. "I'm so sorry. We failed you."Dad kept his head down, his voice hoarse. "We know we were wrong. We've regretted it every single day.""We were too stubborn back then and cared too much about what people thought. We never stopped to think about how you felt." Mom wiped away her tears. Nina was so good at putting on an act, and we fell for it."I looked at their aged faces, my feelings a tangled mess. They were my parents, but the damage they'd done would stay with me for the rest of my life."Mom, Dad." My voice was calm. "I don't want to dig up the past anymore. I know you regret it now, but what good does that do?"Where were you when I was suffering in prison? Where were you when I was covered in injuries