Chapter 1

That afternoon when I had the car accident, I called my fiancé Hudson seven times.

On the seventh call, he finally picked up. In the background, I could hear airport announcements.

Enduring the searing pain, I told him I'd gotten into an accident on the South Highway. The car had flipped over, and I was bleeding badly.

"Don't panic, I'll send my assistant over," he said hurriedly. "I need to fly to New York right now. Cecilia's depression relapsed---she took sleeping pills and her emotional state is very unstable. I have to go see her."

Cecilia Lewis---his ex-girlfriend who developed severe depression after their breakup.

After five years together, I'd gotten used to that name being prioritized over mine.

Fighting through the pain, I said, "Hudson, I'm really bleeding a lot."

There was a second of silence on the other end. Then he said impatiently:

"Nina, I told you I'd send my assistant. Don't you trust me?"

Without waiting for my response, he hung up.

Three months later, I got married.

My husband wasn't Hudson.

When friends asked how I could marry Zander Hayes after only knowing him for three months, I said:

"Because he never hangs up on me."