Chapter 3

The thug seemed to enjoy playing God. He stood on the fallen chandelier and jumped.

Shards of glass pierced deep into my calf.

I clearly heard the sickening crack of my bones breaking.

It felt like all the blood had drained from my body. I felt cold, pale, like a corpse.

I couldn't hold on anymore. My vision went black, and I passed out.

Right before I lost consciousness, I saw Chloe snuggling into Carter’s chest like a helpless kitten, and Carter was smiling, enjoying every second of it.

I let out a weak, self-mocking laugh in my mind as a final tear slipped down my cheek.

Carter Vance, I tried to warm your frozen heart for eight years, but I failed.

If I could turn back time, I would never choose to love you.

While unconscious, I had a dream. A dream I never wanted to wake up from.

It was eight years ago, my very first stage performance.

I was so nervous that I messed up twice mid-routine.

Just as the crowd started whispering and mocking me, Carter shouted from the audience.

"Keep going! I believe in you!"

His voice gave me courage. I finished the dance.

In the end, I actually won second place.

For a rookie like me, it was the ultimate encouragement.

After I went backstage, Carter handed me a bouquet of flowers.

"You dance beautifully. Can I get to know you?"

Because of his kindness that day, he left a deep impression on me.

I blushed and nodded.

We started seeing each other constantly and officially became a couple soon after.

He treated me like a princess, always giving in to my wishes.

Later, I found out he was trying to get a promotion to General Manager.

The company he worked for happened to be a subsidiary of my brother’s conglomerate.

So, I made an international call to Leo and begged him for hours. Finally, Leo agreed to pull some strings and get him the job.

I knew Carter was extremely proud, so I never told him I was the one who helped him.

The day he got promoted, he spun me around in his arms, overjoyed.

He said he finally had the power to give me a proper home.

He promised he would marry me within a year.

Even when he was exhausted from work, he would always drive to my ballet studio to pick me up.

He said my dancing was his medicine. Whenever he watched me dance, all his stress melted away.

He even bought a studio for me and hired the best coaches.

Back then, I naively thought I was the luckiest girl in the world.

So I waited. I waited for the day I would finally become his wife.

But year after year went by, and that day never came.