---- Chapter 3 Asa teenager, I believed this was what love looked like. So I kept trying to get closer to him- learning what he liked, shaping myself into someone he would want. At eighteen, I put on my first strapless dress and high heels. At a party, a rich young man struck up a casual conversation with me. That was all it took. Dennis dragged me into a bathroom and kissed me-hard. His dark eyes stared into mine from beneath tousled hair. He pressed his forehead to mine and whispered, "You're mine." From the very beginning, he was the one who gave me hope. Every gesture, every word said he liked me. But now, he says I've been the one clinging to him. I walked away, devastated. The moment I reached the door, I broke down. ---- My hands trembled as I took out my phone and opened Telegram. The most recent message from Dennis read: [ Anna, happy birthday.] At the time, I was saving a pregnant woman's life, covered in blood, running on no sleep for over twenty-four hours. But when I saw his message, all my energy came back. I wiped away my tears and tapped the voice call button. "Anna, what's wrong?" His voice came through the line, as gentle as ever. He must have stepped somewhere quiet to answer -the call had rung for a long time before he picked up. I wanted to speak, but all I could see in my mind was the image of him holding a child, standing next to another woman. ---- "anna?" he called again. lused to love how my name sounded coming from him. But now, it made my stomach churn. "Dennis," I said. "I'm back in the country." If he listened carefully, he could probably hear the faint tremor in my voice. But he didn't seem to notice. There was a pause on the other end, then he asked, "You're back? Why? Where are you now? I'll come get you." The truth is, the moment I saw him in the garden with that woman and their child, something inside me had already collapsed. And now, he was back to being gentle again-so effortlessly tender. "I'm at the front door," I said quietly. This house was a gift he gave me when I turned