Chapter 1

1: 1

To save my fiancée, Erica Henson, from a drunk, I took seven stab wounds to the stomach.

During surgery, the doctors said one of the wounds had hit where it counted. It was serious.

After the operation, I woke earlier than expected, and in that half-conscious haze I heard Erica talking with her best friend beside the bed.

"Erica, I've taken care of the suspect's family. Not a word will get out."

"But the doctor already said it'll be hard for Marlin Gilbert to father a child. Why did you have him sterilized behind his back?"

"That's too hard on his body. He might never get out of bed again."

Erica smiled, soft and indulgent.

"Oh, it's all for Louis's sake."

"I promised I'd only marry Marlin, that I'd never carry his child. The sterilization was the only way to settle it once and for all."

"So he's crippled. Fine. I'll just take care of him for the rest of his life."

It felt like I'd been dropped into ice water. My whole body shook.

So three years of love had been nothing but calculation.

Fine.

I would step aside and let the two of them have each other.

1

Only after the friend left did I slowly open my eyes.

"Marlin, you're awake?"

Erica leaned in at once, her face full of worry and concern.

She reached out to touch my forehead. I turned my head aside and let it miss.

Her hand froze in midair, and something startled flickered through her eyes.

"How do you feel? Does the wound still hurt? Should I call the doctor?"

The questions came one after another, in that gentle voice I'd known for three years, the voice I'd once clung to.

I didn't answer any of them. My eyes rested calmly on the white ceiling.

My voice came out low and hoarse from the weakness, but it was perfectly clear.

"Erica, let's break up."

The air in the room froze.

She went blank, those eyes that always seemed to shimmer now stretched wide, filled with disbelief.

"…Marlin? What did you say? Is the anesthesia still not worn off? Are you talking nonsense?"

Just then the door was pushed open, softly.

Louis Morton walked in, in a pressed suit, every hair in place, a bag of expensive fruit in his hand.

"Ms. Henson, is Marlin awake? I brought some fruit—"

He didn't finish. His eyes caught the strange atmosphere in the room, and his voice cut off.

Seeing him, I remembered the phone call from last night.

"Marlin! Come to the Nightfall Bar, quick!"

"I heard Ms. Henson's being cornered by some drunks. I'm really worried about her!"

Louis's voice on the phone that night had been frantic, almost choked with helplessness.

Thinking about it now, that was some superb acting.

A wave of disgust and fury surged up into my head. I gripped the sheet beneath me hard, and only that kept me from throwing the bag of fruit in his face.

I stared at him, spacing every word, my voice cold to the bone.

"You're not welcome here. Get out."

The concern on Louis's face went stiff in an instant, his fingers tightening slightly around the fruit bag.

He looked at Erica, his eyes carrying just the right amount of helplessness and hurt.

Sure enough, Erica went off like a lit firecracker.

"Marlin! What's gotten into you?"

"Louis came out of kindness to see you!"

"You wake up spouting nonsense about breaking up, and now you're throwing a fit at Louis for no reason?"

"If you've got a problem, take it out on me. Don't make things hard for Louis!"

Louis tugged at her arm, his tone gentle. "Ms. Henson, don't be like this."

"Marlin just woke up. He's not feeling well. It's normal for him to be unstable right now."

He looked at me, his eyes openly full of worry, as if he truly had my best interests at heart.

"Marlin, please don't get worked up. The doctor said what you need most now is rest. Getting upset will affect how the wound heals."

Every sentence was airtight, showing off how considerate and thoughtful he was, and throwing my "unreasonable outburst" and my "ingratitude" into sharp relief.

Erica only got angrier, her chest heaving as she pointed at me and said to Louis, "The moment he woke up he was like a different person. He's crazy! He actually told me he wants to break up!"

Louis frowned faintly, studying me.

"Marlin, is there some misunderstanding between you two?"

"Ms. Henson was so worried about you she didn't sleep a wink all night."

Misunderstanding?

I laughed coldly inside.

The biggest misunderstanding of my life was believing that the love I'd given my life to protect was real.