Chapter 1

Five years after I had been recognized as the true heiress of the Gardner family when Helena Gardner, the imposter who had taken my place, crashed her car into mine and ruined my legs. My parents and my childhood friend, Bowen Jacobs, rushed me to the hospital in a frenzy. When the doctor said I might be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life, Bowen immediately proposed, vowing to take care of me forever. My parents cut ties with Helena and urged me to hand over the evidence of her crime so they could handle it, insisting I focus on recovering. Later, they told me Helena had fled in fear of punishment and accidentally drowned. I believed them. But five years into my marriage, I stumbled upon Helena—Helena, who was supposedly deceased, yet very much alive. She was holding a little boy and said to Bowen, "Thank goodness for you and my parents all these years. Otherwise, I might have ended up in prison because of Maisie." She continued, "That cripple probably never expected that you and I have Levi now—our son. Even Mom and Dad helped me cover up everything. They didn't just destroy the evidence; they switched out her recovery meds with vitamins. "Bowen, I feel bad that you had to go through all this—marrying that pathetic cripple just to keep up the act." Bowen replied, "Don't say that. Marrying her was the only way I could sign off on her legal documents as her husband and make sure you walked away scot-free. As long as you and Levi are happy, my sacrifice would be worth it." It turned out that the marriage I thought was my salvation was nothing but a lie. My own parents had deceived and hurt me for the sake of the imposter. If that was the case, then I had no reason to stay. ... At the hospital lobby, I saw Helena holding Levi. With Bowen standing with them, their little family looked picture-perfect. My heart felt like it had been ripped out of my chest, and the pain was unbearable. The man who promised to care for me forever was in love with the woman who nearly killed me. Even after destroying the evidence, my own parents did not believe me. They still forced me to marry Bowen—just so he could protect Helena by signing the legal waivers on my behalf. Just then, my phone rang—it was Mom. "Mae, why didn't you wait for us? We're almost at the hospital. Where are you?" Her voice was frantic, but I felt only anger. I replied coldly, "Oh, I thought I shouldn't trouble you anymore, so I came for my rehab session alone." "What are you talking about? We're family! You're never a bother. Are you at the hospital yet? We're on our way!" Mom insisted. In the past, my parents always accompanied me to my rehab sessions. I had thought it was out of love and concern, but now I knew better. "Yeah, I just got here. I'm about to enter the lobby," I said, steering my wheelchair toward a corner. As expected, their tone changed instantly. They told me not to go in yet, saying it was too crowded and unsafe. They said they were nearby and would come find me. I hung up and watched as Bowen answered a call. His face turned tense, and he whispered something to Helena before handing Levi to her and quickly leaving through the back door. Helena disappeared into the crowd. It was obvious that the call was from my parents, warning them to hide because they were afraid I would see Helena and Bowen together. The shock and grief overwhelmed me. Everyone had lied to protect Helena, the one who had ruined my life. My nails dug deeper into my palms, the sharp pain keeping me grounded. If this was how they wanted to play, I would turn the tables on them. I pulled out my phone, hit the record button, and wheeled toward the entrance, meeting my so-called parents as they hurried in.