No Way Back to Us

The night before my wedding, I was in a terrible car accident. I fell into a coma, and my body was broken and bruised.

While I lay unconscious, my fiancé called off the engagement and married his childhood sweetheart instead.

My mother went to demand justice on my behalf—but never made it back. She died in a sudden, brutal accident along the way.

In that moment of chaos, it was my childhood friend who stepped in. He knelt on one knee outside the hospital with a wedding gift of a hundred thousand dollars and quietly handled my mother's funeral.

I was wheeled into surgery. I lived, but was left with a permanent disability. And still, he promised to stay by my side, for life.

I was deeply moved. We got married.

But five years later, I overheard him talking to his secretary.

"Mr. Davidson, you arranged for someone to hit your wife with a car, just so Lucy could marry the one she loved. Aren't you afraid she'll find out?"

"For Lucy, there's nothing I wouldn't do. I've already given Ruby the rest of my life. Isn't that enough?"

I covered my mouth, holding back a sob.

Only then did I realize—the marriage I believed in had been a lie all along.

So be it. I'll disappear and let him be with the woman he truly loves.

In the study, Nate Davidson stared at a photo of Lucy Langdon with a tenderness that overflowed with love and regret.

"As long as Lucy is happy now, that's enough for me," he said quietly.

Beside him, the secretary sighed and asked, almost helplessly, "Mr. Davidson, aren't you afraid your wife will find out you were the one who arranged the car accident? And back then, her legs were perfectly fine. You had her injected with that drug—just so Lucy could win the dance competition."

Nate paused for a second, then let out a bitter smile. "It's all in the past now. I'll spend the rest of my life taking care of Ruby. That's my promise."

The secretary frowned, confused. "You gave Lucy away to another man, and even sacrifice the driver's life. Was it really worth it? And… your wife's mother's death anniversary is just around the corner. Shouldn't you at least—"

"Enough! Don't say another word!" Nate cut him off, voice sharp with anger.

My hands trembled. The coffee cup I was holding slipped through my fingers and shattered on the floor with a loud crash.

Hearing the noise, Nate abruptly stopped speaking and rushed to open the door.

When he saw me, his face changed. He quickly bent down to help me up.

"Ruby, why are you here? Did you get hurt?"

He hastily took the broken shards from my hand, worried I might've been cut. His expression was panicked, frantic, as if nothing mattered more than my safety.

Watching him fuss over me like that, it was hard to reconcile this man with the one I'd just overheard.

He turned and snapped at the maids nearby, "How are you all taking care of Madam? You even let her bring coffee herself? What use are any of you? If she got hurt, none of you would get away with it!"

The maids apologized in a flurry, rushing to clean up the shattered porcelain.

Everyone knew Nate spoiled me beyond reason. Whatever I wanted, he gave. Even when I joked once about wanting a star from the sky, he bought a minor planet and named it after my birthday.

He even founded a charity for disabled individuals in my name, and countless properties were registered under me.

I waved a hand to show I was fine. He carefully helped me over to a seat.

"Call the family doctor, now!"

I lowered my gaze to my useless legs. Tears fell before I could stop them.

That dance competition gold medal—it should have been mine. I had always thought it was the accident that took everything from me.

But now I knew. It had been Nate—the man I'd loved for so many years, the one who slept beside me every night. He was the one who destroyed my legs.

The pain in my chest was unbearable. I couldn't breathe. In a sudden fury, I began pounding my legs with my fists, hating myself for not realizing the truth sooner.

Dance had been my life, my dream. I gave everything for it.

Nate saw the tears on my face and thought I'd cut myself on the glass. He pulled me into his arms, cradling me like a child, gently patting my back to comfort me.

Back when I first woke up from the crash, I was plagued by nightmares. He stayed by my side day and night, never leaving the hospital.

Every time I woke in a panic, he was there, soothing me with soft words and gentle hands.

Back then, I thought he was my shelter, my warmth.

But now, all I felt was a deep, bone-chilling dread.

Everything, from beginning to end, had been a lie.

And I had been the fool, drowning in the illusion of a love he had so carefully, so cruelly constructed.