Chapter 1

I wired a million dollars to my girlfriend's parents just to get a signed agreement severing all ties with them.

She had cried in my arms countless times, sobbing about how her parents favored her younger brother and how she never wanted to set foot in that house again.

Her parents had demanded one condition to cut ties: one million dollars in cash.

My heart ached for her, so I paid the full million to buy her freedom.

When her parents signed the contract and took the money, they swore on their lives that they would never bother us again.

That day, she clutched the agreement in her trembling hands, weeping tears of joy, saying she could finally marry me.

We set the wedding date immediately.

Yet on the eve of our wedding, she vanished.

Knowing her parents, I figured they had gone back on their word.

I frantically started a FaceTime call, and sure enough, there she was—sitting in that run-down family house, flanked by her mother and father on either side.

Her eyes were filled with guilt and sorrow:

"My parents said we can still get married, but you need to transfer another five hundred thousand as a wedding gift."

"Ryan, I'm so sorry... It's all my fault."

I panicked. Grabbing my car keys, I bolted out the door, my head spinning with images of her looking fragile and helpless.

I sped through two intersections before a sudden realization hit me. I slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the curb.

My phone buzzed with a text from her:

"Ryan, maybe we should just call it off."

I stared at those words for a long time, then typed back a single word:

"Okay."

Sitting in the driver's seat, I felt like the biggest fool in the world.

The screenshot of that one-million-dollar wire transfer was still sitting in my photo gallery. Back then, I hadn't hesitated for a second.

My screen lit up again. It was an incoming call from Jessica.

I stared at her contact name, labeled "Wife." My thumb hovered over the decline button, but in the end, I swiped to answer.

"Ryan..."

Her voice was thick with tears.

"Are you really giving up on us? We've been together for six years. Six whole years!"

Six years.

The weight of those words crushed my chest with a dull, throbbing ache.

"Do you have any idea how many fights I had with my parents just so I could marry you?"

She sniffled on the other end.

"I know I let you down, but I had no choice."

She paused, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Please don't be like this. You're scaring me."

I leaned back against the headrest, staring blankly through the sunroof.

"Ryan? Are you still there?"

Panic crept into her tone.

"Are you mad at me? I know it's my fault, but you have to understand my position. It's so hard for me..."

"Yeah, let's call it off," I interrupted.

"I'm exhausted. Go live peacefully with your parents."

The line went dead silent for two seconds.

"How could I ever live peacefully with them!"

Jessica's voice suddenly spiked.

"You know what my dad is like—"

I cut her off again.

"Your dad smashes things whenever he's mad. Your mom just tells you to endure it. And your brother is a total leech."

"You can't bear to stay in that house for another second."

I closed my eyes.

I had heard these exact lines far too many times.

So many times that I could recite them word for word.

Her sobs caught in her throat.

"Ryan, you..."

"Am I right?"

I opened my eyes.

"How many times have you said that? Every single time you cry, it's the exact same script."

She went silent. Only the faint sound of her shallow breathing filtered through the speaker.

A car honked outside, the piercing blare echoing sharply through the chilly night.

"Ryan, just five hundred thousand," Jessica pleaded, her voice turning soft and fragile again.

"Give them this last five hundred thousand, and we can really get married. No one will ever bother us again. Haven't you always dreamed of marrying me?"

I nearly laughed out loud.

"A minute ago you texted me saying we should call it off, and now you're demanding another five hundred grand."

I watched the digital clock ticking on the dashboard.

"Jessica, has a single word out of your mouth ever been true?"

"I was just overwhelmed! I felt like I was dragging you down, like I didn't deserve you..."

She started speaking faster.

"But I truly love you, Ryan! I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You have no idea how terrified I am of losing you."

"Well, I don't want to anymore."