She knew I had no parents, no relatives who could arrange these things. She didn't want me to lose face at our wedding. So she asked around everywhere, learned the customs of my hometown, and saved up every penny.
$35,800. I took it all. I didn't even leave her that beat-up motorcycle.
When she found out, Serena vomited blood in the hospital and collapsed on the spot.
Her boys went crazy searching for me, north and south. Someone even put out a bounty. They swore they'd cut me into a thousand pieces for what I did to her.
But neither Serena nor anyone else ever found me.
Because I was lying in a hospital bed. Preparing for heart surgery.
I broke Serena's heart completely. I sold myself. But I used the money to extend her life.
I never told her our match was perfect. Just like I never told her the real reason I left.
Fate finally showed mercy to that pitiful woman.
Serena's surgery went smoothly. She recovered fast—and through it, she found the family she'd been separated from for years. That's when everyone discovered the truth: the gifted little delinquent from the streets was actually the lost bloodline of the wealthy Harding family.