I remembered his graduation speech. He stood on that stage, the outstanding student representative, looking out at the crowd but seeing only me.
*"Some study medicine for prestige, or from a benevolent desire to save the world,"* he had said, his voice ringing through the hall.
*"But those reasons are far from me."*
*"My fiancée has congenital heart disease."*
*"I don't want to stand powerless while she lies in the ICU, begging others for a miracle. I want to understand this illness. I want to master the heart, so that I never have to watch her fall into danger again."*
That speech was still pinned to the top of the university forum.
A testament to a love that no longer existed.
Adrian Farley swept into the public eye, and he took me with him.
The university forums were relentless. *Adrian treats her like a princess. Their love restores my faith in romance.* Post after post, comment after comment.
And back then? I believed every word.
Heaven had cursed me with a crippled heart, but it had compensated me with Adrian Farley. That's what I told myself. That's what made the endless hospital visits bearable.
Then came Zoe Preston.