Chapter 1

"Ms. Wipere, your traumatic arthritis is extremely severe. You must stop all dance training for at least three months, otherwise you'll likely spend the rest of your life dependent on a wheelchair..."

In that moment, my soul seemed to leave my body. I nearly collapsed where I stood.

I'd been dancing ballet for twenty years, finally clawing my way to principal dancer at the country's top ballet company, qualified to compete internationally—only to receive what felt like a death sentence from my doctor.

Fighting back terror and despair, I walked to the hospital entrance to call my fiancé, Leopold Percy. But a woman's voice answered instead.

"Ms. Wipere, my pointe shoes broke. Leo's fixing them for me right now. Can I give him a message?"

It was Sophia Guise. Leopold's first love.

My heart shattered without warning, pain radiating through my entire body.

Once, I'd spotted two pairs of dance shoes while shopping and asked Leopold to look at them with me. He'd refused, claiming he was too busy. Yet here he was, graciously stooping to repair Sophia's shoes with his own hands.

After a moment, I steadied my voice and said coolly, "Put Leo on the phone."

"Oh Lucinda," Sophia drawled, "Leo complimented me tonight. Said my dancing was more radiant than your opening performance as principal." She paused. "He doesn't love you. Why are you so desperate to keep him?"

I bit my lip hard to keep my composure. "That's none of your business. Put Leopold on the phone."

Sophia scoffed. "Playing tough? Let's see how long that lasts!"

A second later, Leopold's voice came through. "Why aren't you rehearsing at this hour? What do you want?"

I gripped my phone tighter, my voice trembling despite my best efforts. "Leo, could you come home tonight? I need to tell you something important."

"Lucinda, we're not married yet. What right do you have to dictate my schedule?" Leopold's voice was ice cold.

The chill in his tone crashed against my eardrums. I lowered my voice, pleading, "I'm not dictating anything. Just this one night, please, can you come home?"

"No." He rejected me without hesitation, then coldly warned, "I don't like presumptuous women, Lucinda. Don't test my limits."

His merciless tone pierced my heart. I couldn't help myself. "Our wedding date has been announced to everyone. The whole world knows I'm about to marry you, yet you're still entangled with Sophia. Are you deliberately trying to make both our families a laughingstock?"

Leopold laughed mockingly. "We can always cancel the wedding."

My heart plummeted. We'd been dating since college, supporting each other through everything for a full decade. I'd given him my best years, my purest feelings, without reservation. I thought he cherished our relationship as much as I did, but instead, he delivered those heart-piercing words.

Apparently, I was the only one looking forward to walking down the aisle.

"Fine. Let's cancel it."

Sudden silence from the other end. An unspoken chill crept up my spine.

"Have you been waiting for me to say that? So you could run to Asher's arms without guilt?" Leopold's voice dripped with contempt.

My chest tightened. He was referring to Asher Wood, director of an overseas dance company. A year ago, during an international tour, I'd been forced to drink at a dinner party and nearly fell victim to Asher's predatory advances. The incident left me traumatized.

Leopold knew this, yet he deliberately used it to wound me.

"That's not true—"

He cut me off before I could finish. "True or not, you know the answer. But remember this, Lucinda: you're the one calling off the engagement, so don't go crying to my grandfather making it seem like I wronged you."

His voice hardened. "And I don't like owing people. Right or wrong, you've been with me all this time. Now that we're separating, you'll get what you deserve, not a penny less."

He hung up before I could respond. I couldn't hold back anymore. I broke down sobbing.

God was so cruel. To take away the two loves of my life on the same day. This pain—the more clear-headed I was, the more excruciating it became.

I could only go to a bar and drink myself numb. Since childhood, I'd been required to follow rules, to grow up according to my parents' expectations. Even after meeting Leopold, I never dared step out of line, afraid of causing trouble for him or my family.

This was my first time drinking to forget.

The burning sensation spread from my throat to my chest. It actually helped a little. But my vision grew increasingly blurry.

"Baby, that's not how you drink. Let me help you—it'll taste better this way."

A man with an unbuttoned shirt and a leering smile approached, putting his used glass against my lips.

"Get lost. Stay away from me." Disgusted, I tried to push him away.

He grabbed my chin and forced the drink down my throat. The cold alcohol ran down my neck and soaked into my chest, shocking me with its chill.

"Let go of me!" I struggled desperately to escape, but the man slammed me against the bar. In the struggle, my collar tore, exposing a large patch of skin.

The man's eyes lit up instantly. "You little tease. I'll give you exactly what you want."

Seeing him lunge like a hungry wolf, I froze in terror. But in the next second, the man went flying over my head. He crashed into the champagne glasses on the bar, sending them shattering to the floor.

Before I could process what happened, strong arms pulled me into an embrace.

"Lucinda Wipere, are you that desperate? Coming to a bar to find men!"

My consciousness was fading. I couldn't see who was scolding me. I just instinctively explained, "I didn't. He was harassing me."

Suddenly, my feet left the ground. I felt myself being carried. The person said something else, but I couldn't make out a single word. In my haze, I felt myself being placed on a bed.

My body felt cold. I grabbed the warm hand trying to leave, clutching it to my chest. "Don't go. I'm so cold."

The person stiffened, then forcibly pried open my eyes. "Lucinda, look at who I am."

The cold air stung my eyes. I quickly turned away, burying my face in his shoulder. "I feel awful. My head hurts. My chest hurts too. Stay with me, please?"

He refused, pushing me away firmly. "Let go!"

Suddenly, I caught Leopold's scent. My emotions instantly crumbled.

"That bastard Leopold rekindled with his first love. It's so unfair. He was my first love—I can't go back to mine like he did..." Maybe it was my imagination, but I actually smelled Leopold's scent on this person. "Will you be my first love? Everyone else has abandoned me. Will you have me?"

When the person didn't respond, I felt hurt and angry. Leopold didn't want me, and now this substitute was rejecting me too!

Impulsively, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. After a few moments, he gripped the back of my neck, turning my passive advance into his dominance as he flipped me onto the bed.

"Lucinda, you brought this on yourself."