Five years of love couldn’t compete with her gentle smile

Chapter 1

It’s been two years since I got out of the psych ward, and I’m at this fancy charity dinner.

And guess who I run into? My childhood sweetheart, Ethan.

He just inherited his family’s fortune, the Hayes Corporation. After donating a million dollars, he gets down on one knee, right in front of all the reporters, and proposes.

“Remember graduation day? You wore a veil and said you wanted to be my bride. I’m here to fulfill that promise, Amelia. Marry me.”

Cameras are flashing like crazy, everyone waiting for me to say yes.

After all, I chased after Ethan for ten whole years.

But what they don’t know is…

Five years ago, on my birthday, his assistant, Sarah, got into a car accident. She was speeding because she was angry, and she hit a street cleaner. Killed him.

Ethan, knowing the truth, staged the scene to make it look like I was driving.

He even bribed my lawyer and presented a fake psych evaluation, claiming I was insane.

And now, here he is, looking at me with this fake sincerity, voice all choked up.

“When I heard about the earthquake near the hospital where you were staying, I watched the news every day, hoping to see you.”

His friends chime in, trying to convince me. “Look how much Ethan loves you. He waited all these years, even after, you know…the accident, and everything. He doesn’t care.”

1:

“So, what are you going to do? Can you at least say something?”

Chad’s getting impatient, seeing how calm I am.

“Ethan’s been waiting for you for years. He’s had so many girls after him, even his family’s been trying to set him up, but he hasn’t said yes to anyone.”

“He’s done so much for you. If you don’t react, it’s just ungrateful.”

He’s talking pretty loud, attracting attention.

My situation back then, it was a huge deal. I kept saying I wasn’t driving, and the media blew it up. It was everywhere.

Especially after they learned I was committed, labeled a danger to society.

People hated me, mocked me. Like I was some kind of monster.

And here’s Chad, bringing it all up again.

I don’t know what his deal is, if he’s just clueless or if someone put him up to this, to humiliate me.

But honestly, I don’t care anymore.

“Are you done? Can I go now?”

“What do you mean? You hear Ethan’s been waiting for you and that’s your reaction?”

Chad’s frowning, looking at me like I’m crazy.

Everyone knows how much I used to be into Ethan.

We grew up together, practically inseparable.

I had a crush on him since I was fifteen.

That crush turned into a full-blown obsession that lasted through college. I confessed my feelings at graduation, did everything I could to stay close to him.

That’s how much I loved him.

If it wasn’t for him framing me for that accident, putting me away for three years, I might have actually believed him.

The truth is, things started changing between Ethan and me the moment Sarah showed up.

He said she was a student his father was sponsoring.

He knew about her tough family situation, felt sorry for her, just wanted to help her out.

He said his feelings for her were different, that he was completely devoted to me.

I trusted him, because of our history.

I agreed to let him hire her as his assistant.

Turns out, trusting people can really bite you in the ass.

He started getting busy, mysteriously busy. First, it was staying out late once a week, then twice a week.

Then it became almost every night.

Always “work.”

He kept putting off our planned vacation, eventually cancelling it altogether.

I thought he was genuinely busy. I didn’t want to be difficult.

Then I smelled another woman’s perfume on his clothes, and it clicked.

I confronted him.

He acted all innocent, said some woman at work bumped into him.

I believed him again. Stupid.

But then, on my birthday, I saw him. He told me he was out of town on business, but there he was, at a romantic restaurant, with Sarah.

I lost it.

He didn’t care that I was standing there, crying. He just glared at me.

“Amelia? Are you following me? Do you have that little faith in me?”

“The trip got cancelled. Sarah hadn’t eaten, so I took her out to dinner. If you’re going to get jealous over something like this, I don’t know what to say.”

I just stared at him, my heart ripped open.

Right then and there, I started doubting everything.

I had so much to say, but I couldn’t get the words out.

He just frowned, seeing me speechless.

“You’ve ruined my evening. Just go home.”

2:

We didn’t talk for a long time after that.

I didn’t reach out, and he didn’t either.

But Sarah and Ethan? They were suddenly everywhere, all over town, at every event.

Finally, Ethan’s mom intervened, using her birthday as an excuse to get us together.

With our families watching, he was all attentive, acting like nothing had happened.

When he drove me home, he gave me a necklace I’d been wanting, a limited edition one.

“I’m so scared of losing you, Amelia. Believe me, that night, I was just having dinner with Sarah. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

He looked so sincere, eyes even watering a little.

“As for snapping at you, I had a bad day at work. A client screwed me over, and I took it out on you… I’m sorry.”

“You know how my dad favors my brother… so I… I’m sorry.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, looked up at him, about to say something.

Suddenly, I heard a woman cry out, “Ouch!”

I looked over and saw Sarah, a few feet away under a streetlight, sprawled on the ground. She’d fallen.

Ethan’s face changed, and he dropped my hand.

He rushed over and scooped her up, all worried and concerned.

“What are you doing here? Are you hurt?”

Sarah didn’t answer right away. She looked at me, her eyes red.

“I’m sorry, Amelia. I didn’t know my being here would cause problems between you two.”

“I just admire Ethan. Maybe I have feelings, but it’s just a silly crush. It has nothing to do with him.”

Then she bit her lip, pretending to be brave. “If you really mind, I’ll quit tomorrow. I’ll leave town, and I’ll never bother you again.”

And there’s Ethan, this rich guy, kneeling on the ground, rubbing her ankle, looking at her like she’s the most precious thing in the world.

I felt like the villain in a bad movie, pathetic and ridiculous.

The cool night air felt like it was freezing my heart.

I didn’t say anything. What was there to say? I turned to leave.

He grabbed my wrist before I could get far.

He told me to wait a minute, that he’d be right back to take me home.

He pushed me into his car and locked the doors, just in case.

A few minutes later, he came back and took me to our usual coffee shop, ordered my favorite drink.

“Amelia, there’s nothing going on between Sarah and me. Please don’t overthink it. She’s had a really rough life. If she leaves Hayes, she’ll have nowhere to go.”

He looked guilty. “I just feel sorry for her. I love you, Amelia. It’s always been you, and only you.”

I still looked unconvinced, so he got down on one knee, right there in the coffee shop, for everyone to see. He raised his hand and swore.

“I swear to God, Amelia, if I’m lying to you, may I drop dead.”

I still had doubts, but he seemed so sincere. I decided to give him another chance.

Turns out, the world loves to kick you when you’re down.

A few days later, I got a friend request on social media from someone I didn’t know.

I accepted, and then…bam. I got a bunch of photos of Sarah and Ethan, all cuddly and intimate. And a video.

In the video, Ethan’s lying on Sarah’s lap, letting her play with his hair.

“I really don’t want to go home. I wish I could just stay here with you forever.”

He was drunk, eyes glazed over, cheeks flushed.

Drunk words are sober thoughts. It was clear how he really felt.

And as if that wasn’t enough, she sent me a message.

“See, Amelia? Ethan’s tired of you. Even if you’re together now, he’ll dump you for me eventually.”

I stared at those cold words, speechless.

At this rate, she’d have him in no time.

3:

We had a huge fight after that.

I asked him, “Are you hiding something from me?” His face went white.

He frowned, anger in his eyes. His voice was sharp.

“Can you stop being so paranoid?! You’re driving me crazy!”

I blew up. I told him about the photos, the video, everything Sarah said.

I thought he’d panic, try to explain.

Instead, he just looked shocked for a second, then cold.

“So? If you weren’t always suspicious, maybe I wouldn’t hate coming home.”

“If I knew being with you would be this exhausting, I would’ve thought twice.”

“I wouldn’t be in this situation.”

His words hit me like ice water. “So… you regret being with me?”

He softened a little, realizing he’d gone too far.

“That’s not what I meant. I just feel…wronged.”

“I know girls like you look down on girls from poor families, but you don’t have to be so cruel.”

“Things are going to be busy at work. I’m going to stay at the office for a while. We both need some space.”

He left without another word.

I stared after him, shivering.

The next day, I packed my things and moved out too.

I didn’t hear from him for a long time after that.

So long that I almost forgot I had a boyfriend.

I was ready to move on, to end things for good. Then he showed up at my studio.

“Why didn’t you tell me you moved out? I went to your house looking for you.”

“It’s your birthday. I have a surprise for you. Come on.”

I said no, but he dragged me to his car.

I got in and saw Sarah behind the wheel.

I tried to get out, but he held me back.

“Stop it, Amelia. I invited your high school teachers and friends. You can’t just stand them up.”

I gave up and stayed.

That decision changed everything.

4:

Ethan kept trying to talk to me in the car.

I barely answered, lost in thought.

Then I heard a screech of tires.

I woke up in a hospital bed, being charged with causing an accident.

Because I insisted I wasn’t driving, it became a criminal case. A public trial.

All those flashing lights, the jury’s eyes on me…I’d never felt so alone.

“I saw it with my own eyes. Amelia sped up and hit him!” Ethan said, his voice cold and distant.

He said he saw me accelerate towards the street cleaner.

He said he shielded Sarah, but she still got hurt.

He said he couldn’t believe I would do such a thing.

He said…

Every word was a knife in my heart.

The man who used to adore me, who was always so protective, was now painting me as a monster.

My lawyer betrayed me in court, presenting that forged psych evaluation, claiming I was mentally unstable, a danger to society.

I tried to defend myself, but my words felt hollow.

“She threatened to kill me just a few days ago. She even cut my arm with a knife once.”

“I understand she’s jealous of me and Ethan, that she wanted me gone, but why take it out on someone else? This is murder!”

Sarah played the victim perfectly, even shedding a few fake tears.

Ethan saw the scratches on her arm and looked at me with pure hatred.

He made sure I was sent to the psych ward.

My thoughts snapped back to the present, and Chad was still rambling.

“So, Amelia, what do you think? Ethan loves you. Don’t let him go. You’ll regret it.”

“He’s on his way. You can talk things out.”

I frowned, getting annoyed. I rubbed my stomach.

“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m pregnant.”