Chapter 1
Nadine's POV:
The instant I heard that voice through the phone, I felt as though I couldn't get any air. I struggled to breathe and nearly collapsed.
Victor was still talking.
"Hello? Hello? What's wrong, Nadine? Can you hear me?"
I tried to speak, but no sound came out. I hurriedly ended the call.
I stared at their radiant smiles on the welcome poster, unable to make sense of what I was seeing.
Monica's father had cheated on her mother. His mistress had even brought their child to the family home. Her mother refused to divorce him, and the two of them made each other miserable. Their home had been a battleground.
That was why Monica had been adamant since childhood that she would never marry. As far as she was concerned, no man was any good.
When I first introduced her to Victor 6 years ago, she didn't mince words over dinner.
"Men are all the same. He's just good at pretending right now."
Victor hadn't been offended. He pushed a plate of fish toward me after carefully removing the bones, then looked at Monica with complete seriousness.
"I'm serious about Nadine. That won't change in 10 years or 20. Time will tell. You'll see."
Monica remained unconvinced and regularly found fault with him when we talked.
Then her father started demanding money from her. He even caused a scene at her workplace and got her fired.
She spent a month at home, miserable.
Eventually, Victor offered her a job at his company.
After that, she stopped criticizing him. Sometimes she even praised how seriously he took his work.
She volunteered for the overseas project 3 years ago, too.
I took her hand, delighted.
"You're my family, and he's the man I love. Of course I'm happy you two get along. Keep an eye on him for me over there. Don't let anyone steal him away."
She gave me a look of disgust. "You two are so hopelessly in love. You're made for each other. Who could possibly come between you?"
The wedding march began inside the hotel, snapping me back to the present.
Hesitantly, I pushed open the partly closed doors. But the instant I saw the people on the stage at the far end of the room, I fled.
I wandered aimlessly through the streets, letting Bellacourt's rain soak me.
All I could see was Victor slipping a ring onto Monica's finger.
I should have marched up to them and demanded to know what was going on. But when I actually saw them, all I wanted was to run.
Looking at the unfamiliar streets, I thought of why I'd come. I felt like a fool.
I couldn't bear to stay in that city another moment. I flew back to Grayhaven that same day.
When I opened my front door, the note in the entryway caught my eye.
Remember to hang your keys here!
Victor had written it. My memory was terrible, and I used to spend ages looking for my keys before going out. Eventually, he'd found a permanent spot for everything I tended to lose.
I still left things lying around sometimes, but whenever he visited, he put them back where they belonged.
I stood still for a moment, then sank to the floor, drained.
Over the past 3 years, Victor had come to see me ninety-nine times. We lived far apart, yet reminders of him were everywhere in my home.
I had a sensitive stomach. Before leaving, he always prepared food, put it in the refrigerator, and labeled it with notes. He even sorted my medication and supplements into the doses I needed each day.
I used to laugh and tell him he was treating me like a child.
He'd say I could always let him take care of me.
My head was pounding. I took a quick shower and crawled into bed.
Curled beneath the covers, I kept reliving everything we'd shared over the years. In the end, all I could see was that moment at the wedding. I didn't know how long I'd been lying there when I dimly heard someone knocking.
I opened the door. Victor and Monica were standing outside.
