Chapter 5: Scars, Secrets, Second Chances

Yes, I’d known Mason before all this.

Our story goes back farther than anyone realizes.

We first met in my sophomore year of high school. He’d just transferred in, leg in a cast from a motorcycle accident. At the same time, my mom was trying to force me to drop out and marry a guy twenty years older, just for the payout. When I refused, she let him into my room at night. I put a knife to my own throat, and he backed off—at least for a while.

That was the lowest point of my life. I still have the scar—a reminder that I survived.

Back then, Mason was a rebellious, moody teen who hated his parents for caring only about money. Even with a broken leg, they stayed overseas on business, leaving him with just the housekeeper.

He’d sit by the window, scowling at the world. But when he smiled, it was like the sun finally breaking through the clouds.

Seeing he needed help at school, I offered to look after him. He asked what I wanted in return—I said I needed a place to stay, and he agreed. I couldn’t go home anymore.

We became each other’s lifelines. He let me crash in his guest room, no questions asked.

For all his temper, Mason was easy to get along with and never made things hard on anyone. When his leg healed, he didn’t make me leave, so I stayed until graduation.

We built a little world of our own—just the two of us against everyone else.

We were both starved for affection, keeping each other company through rough times. After graduation, he went abroad, and I went to college out of state. He tried to keep in touch, but I was too busy working to reply, and we lost contact. He even tried to send me money, but I couldn’t take it—not after everything he’d done for me already.

I kept every letter he sent, though. Sometimes I’d read them on lonely nights, just to remind myself someone cared.

It wasn’t until after I graduated that we crossed paths again—he’d just come back to the States. After he chased me down relentlessly, we started dating and got married.

He found me at an art show, a bouquet of sunflowers in hand. He never let go after that.

Just like Mason predicted, my mom called the next day, furious and ready to blame me for everything. Mason took the call and went to his study—I don’t know what he said, but when my mom spoke to me afterward, she was polite for the first time ever. She told me to enjoy my trip and not to worry about Lindsey’s injury—she’d recover in a few months.

It was so out of character, I almost burst out laughing.

I was dying to know what Mason had said. He told my mom he’d installed surveillance in his study and didn’t mind showing everyone what her daughter was really like. He also said Lindsey hadn’t found a job since graduation, and he could easily make sure she never did.

He’s not one to bluff, but this time, he did it for me.

"Did you really install surveillance?"

I raised an eyebrow, half amused.

"No, it’s the suite’s study. Putting cameras in there would be super creepy. But I bet your mom bought every word."

He winked, looking pretty pleased with himself.

She definitely did. My mom spoiled Lindsey so much she couldn’t bear to see her suffer. In a way, she made her own monster.

She created her own monster, and now she had to deal with it.

After two months of recovery, Lindsey came back to work—not because she still liked Mason, but because she had nowhere else to go. She’d tried every design firm in town, but once they saw her work, they all let her go. She blew through cash like it was water and was obsessed with luxury brands. The family had already drained their savings to send her abroad—she was never going to get a full scholarship. Her dad and my mom wanted to help but just couldn’t afford it.

She burned through money like it was nothing, and now there was nothing left.

She tried to seduce Mason partly because he was a catch, partly because he was loaded. Now, Mason’s company was the best job she could land, with great pay and perks. That’s why she shamelessly stuck around.

She put on a brave face, but everyone could see right through her.

For three months, she kept her head down. But it wouldn’t be Lindsey if she didn’t stir up trouble eventually.

I knew it was only a matter of time before she tried something.