Chapter 2

"The engagement party is cancelled. Let's cancel the wedding too."

I didn't turn back. I just pressed the button and rode away.

As soon as I rolled out of the hotel lobby, I heard Vivian screaming inside.

"Who does Ethan think he is? A cripple dares to dump me?"

"I'd love to see who else would want a pathetic invalid like him!"

Those words threw whatever warmth was left in my heart straight into an icy abyss.

Ten years!

Ten whole years! In her eyes, I was nothing but a pathetic invalid, a cripple kept alive by expensive medication!

My hands clenched over my knees. The pain in my chest was suffocating.

It wasn't always like this between us.

Vivian and I met in high school.

The first thing she ever said to me was, "Ethan Vance, the legendary straight-A student. Nice to meet you."

Back then, Vivian wore her hair in a high ponytail. The summer sun was blinding, but her bright smile was even brighter. I was hooked instantly.

Later, she always came to me for physics help.

Then, the school rearranged the classes. We ended up in the same class, sitting next to each other.

We grew closer and closer.

Years later, I found out that she had her wealthy family pull strings with the school board just so she could be my desk mate, claiming it was easier to ask me for homework help.

That was when I realized she was the heiress to the massive Sterling Medical Group.

And I, a boy from a poor rural family, wouldn't have even been fit to stand next to her if not for my top grades.

To stay by her side, I applied to the same medical school at Boston University.

Fortunately, we ended up in the same class again.

Just like in high school, we spent every day together. Naturally, we fell in love.

After graduation, we interned at the city's top hospital together.

Her family wanted her to take over the family business.

But Vivian wanted to be a medical pioneer, to prove herself in the operating room and escape her family's control.

Until the accident three years ago.

We had a patient with severe lung fibrosis. The only way to save him was a lung transplant.

Before the surgery, Vivian and several nurses explained the high risks to the family, and they signed the consent forms.

But the patient died on the table.

That night, Vivian cried in my arms for hours. It was her first time assisting in a major surgery, and she had to witness the cruelty of death firsthand.

I did my best to comfort her.

But what we didn't expect was that the patient's family refused to accept the outcome.

That night, a grieving, deranged relative smuggled a weapon into the hospital. He burst into Vivian’s department, slashing wildly in a state of absolute madness.

To protect Vivian, I threw myself in front of her. My legs were severely injured in the attack.

Before I could even register the pain, I blacked out.

Vivian emerged from the incident completely unscathed. But I lost the use of my legs. I could never stand at an operating table again.

When I woke up, Vivian was crying at my bedside.

Her eyes were swollen. "Ethan, you're finally awake. I was so scared."

"The chief doctor said if you do rehab, you might walk again."

"Don't worry. I will stay with you. I will take care of you for the rest of my life."

Because she promised "the rest of my life," I believed her.

But that incident terrified the Sterling family. They feared another accident.

Using my medical bills and rehabilitation resources as leverage, they forced Vivian to leave the hospital and take over the family company.

If she said no, they would cut off all my medical care.

Vivian had no choice but to agree.

She turned out to be a brilliant businesswoman. Within three years, she built a top-tier medical empire in the city.

Meanwhile, I stepped into the shadows. I took care of her daily life, her meals, and her home.

I did this for three years.

My family was poor, and now I was disabled. The Sterling family despised me. They felt I was an embarrassment to Vivian. For years, they forced Vivian to hide me from the public.

They even made her declare to the media that she was single.

I never cared about any of that. All I wanted was Vivian's heart.

I thought my loyalty was enough. Until Julian returned. He brought a sense of danger I had never felt before.

At first, I didn't mind when Vivian invested in his technology.

But then they started spending all their time together. She would abandon me for Julian without a second thought.

Sometimes, we wouldn't see each other for a whole month.

So, a few days ago, I brought up the fact that I had saved her life. I used it to make a deal with her.

I asked her to marry me.

I hoped that marriage would make her settle down.

But when I saw her skip our engagement party for Julian, and when I saw the photo of them kissing under the sycamore tree...

I realized how wrong I was.

Marriage isn't a cage. It can never hold someone who doesn't love you.

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