Chapter 2

Sage's POV

In late autumn San Diego, a torrential rain poured down.

I had no umbrella and no car.

Holt's drivers were all outside the ballroom waiting to pick him up with Melanie.

I could only brave the rain, walking mechanically forward.

The rain hammered my body, bone-chillingly cold, yet it couldn't match the coldness in my heart.

My heel twisted in a puddle, and a sharp pain shot through my ankle.

I stumbled and fell heavily onto the muddy sidewalk.

My palms scraped raw, mixing with rainwater, the pain drilling to the bone.

I lay on the ground, suddenly lacking the strength to get up.

It was also a rainy day.

Three years ago, on that thunderstorm night, the roof of our little attic leaked, water flooding the floor.

It was the second month after I'd brought Holt home.

He couldn't remember anything, only knew his name was Evan.

That night, I also twisted my ankle while going downstairs to buy instant noodles, falling into the mud and crying.

This man who didn't even own a decent set of clothes, not even holding an umbrella, rushed downstairs like crazy, pulled me from the muddy water, and held me tightly in his arms.

"Don't be afraid, Sage. Evan's here. Evan will carry you home."

He carried me on his broad back, rainwater dripping from his strong jawline.

He walked very steadily.

That day he said.

"Sage, whenever it rains from now on, I'll never let you walk a single step. I'll be your legs."

Later, to buy me a box of imported medicine for my foot injury, he washed dishes at a restaurant for three days until his hands were raw and swollen.

I cried from heartache, but he just smiled and kissed my eyes.

"As long as Sage doesn't hurt, I can endure anything."

The warmth of that memory was scorching, making reality that much colder.

I don't know how long I sat in the rain, until a black sedan sped past me.

The wheels ran through a puddle, splashing me with dirty water.

By the dim streetlight, I made out the license plate.

It was Holt's car.

Through the half-lowered window, Melanie leaned on his shoulder as he turned his head to listen to her speak, his profile showing a gentleness he'd never given me.

He didn't even glance toward the roadside.

Naturally, he didn't see me lying there.

I suddenly laughed, tears mixing with rainwater streaming down.

Dead.

My Evan had died the day he recovered his memory, in that shabby attic.

The one alive now was the high and mighty CEO of Thornton Corporation, Holt Thornton.

When I limped back to the villa, it was already two in the morning.

This mansion covering several thousand square feet on the hillside felt as empty as a gorgeous tomb.

I didn't even turn on the lights, fumbling my way to the bathroom in the dark, rinsing my numb, frozen body with hot water.

Water flowed over my collarbone.

Below it was a very deep scar.

It was left when Evan saved me, taking a thug's knife meant for me.

Back then he held me, blood flowing endlessly, yet still comforted me.

"Sage, I'll keep this scar, so even if you try to run away, you'll remember me when you see it."

Now, the scar remained, but the person had changed.

After showering, I curled up on the large bed, forcing myself to close my eyes.

I don't know how much time passed before the bedroom door was violently pushed open.

A man reeking of alcohol and faintly of perfume walked in.

Holt yanked off his tie and pressed down on me directly.

He didn't turn on the light, his movements rough without a trace of tenderness.

"It hurts..."

I frowned, reaching up to push him away.

But Holt grabbed my wrists, pinning them firmly above my head.

His warm breath sprayed against my neck as he spoke with icy cruelty.

"Why did you make a scene at the banquet tonight? Isn't the money I usually give you enough?"

My heart stopped beating.

In the darkness, I opened my eyes wide.

"Holt, you think I did it for money?"

Holt gave a cold laugh, lowering his head to bite my collarbone, right where that scar was.

"What else? When you kept an amnesiac me all those years ago, wasn't it because you saw that million-dollar watch on me, calculating that my identity must be wealthy or noble?"

A roaring sound filled my head.

I felt something in my brain completely explode.