Chapter 2

Callie Vaughan POV:

The world had shifted beneath my feet the day Bryce was recognized as the long-lost heir to the Larson Crime Family. It was a whirlwind of new faces, new rules, and a suffocating opulence that felt alien to my street-hardened hands. He didn't forget me then. He pulled me into his new life, his hand a steady anchor in the swirling chaos of his family's compound.

"She stays," Bryce had declared, his voice firm, when his newly found family had looked at me with disdain. His mother, the family matriarch, had openly sneered, her eyes raking over my simple clothes, a stark contrast to their designer gowns and gleaming jewels. "Callie is my home. She is my future."

He had stood by me, then. He had sworn to them that no matter their schemes, no matter the parade of eligible daughters from other families they thrust upon him, I was his only choice. And he had meant it, for a while. There was a fierce protectiveness in his eyes that made me believe him every time he brushed off another arranged sit-down or ignored another social event designed to pair him with a more "suitable" match for a political alliance. I let myself relax. I let myself hope. My love for him, forged in the grit of survival, seemed unshakeable.

Then Diana appeared.

She floated into the Larson compound like a delicate butterfly, all elegant grace and subtle charm. Her eyes, the same shade of hazel as mine, held a vulnerability that captivated everyone. But as our gazes met across the crowded room, a cold dread coiled in my stomach. It was her. My little sister. The one I'd given up everything for, all those years ago.

The memories hit me like a physical blow: the cramped foster home, the hunger pangs, the constant fear. I remembered the day she was adopted, her small hand clutching an elegant woman's finger, her eyes wide and hopeful. I had smiled, a fake, brittle smile, and told her everything would be okay, even as my own heart shattered. I'd made sure she was chosen, stepped back, become invisible. Her perfect life was my sacrifice.

Now, here she was, the sophisticated Diana Atkins, daughter of a powerful senator the Larson family had in their pocket, effortlessly weaving her way through high society. She didn't recognize me, not even a flicker of memory in her eyes. It was a fresh wound, but one I expected. How could she, from her gilded cage, remember the ragged girl who'd traded her own chance at a family for hers?

My heart ached, a hollow, dull throb. Not for her, not really. But for the ghost of the little girl I once loved, the one who no longer existed.

And then I saw it: Bryce's gaze lingered on Diana for too long. A soft smile played on his lips, a new kind of warmth in his eyes. It was a warmth that had slowly, imperceptibly, started to drain from his gaze when he looked at me.

Soon, his "business meetings" became more frequent. His promises to me, once solid as bedrock, turned into shifting sands. "I have something important to handle, Callie. I'll be back late." Or, "I can't make it tonight, darling. Urgent matters."

I started seeing them together, at first by chance, then almost deliberately. A clandestine meeting in the garden, their heads close, her delicate hand resting on his arm. A quiet dinner at a discreet restaurant, their laughter soft and intimate. He never knew I saw him. Or maybe he didn't care.

The coldness settled deep in my bones. He wasn't the Bryce I knew. The streets had hardened him, but the power had softened his resolve, blurred his loyalties. He was no longer the boy who protected me from the world; he was becoming the man who would sacrifice me for his new world.

I saw the way he looked at her, the adoration that had once been mine. It was a reflection of the high-society world he now craved, a world I could never truly belong to. Diana, with her polished manners and senator father, was the perfect accessory for his new life. I was just a reminder of the gritty past he desperately wanted to erase.

My heart didn't break anymore. It simply froze, turning into a heavy, unresponsive stone in my chest. There was nothing left to break. I knew what I had to do. I had to leave. I needed to disappear, not just for myself, but for her, for Diana. It was the only way he could truly have his perfect life, his perfect partner. My leaving would pave the way for their happiness, a silent, final sacrifice.

Walking back to the compound that night, my feet felt like lead. The usual bustling activity of the staff seemed amplified, a discordant symphony. I heard snippets of conversations, hushed and urgent.

"Did you hear? Mr. Bryce... he took a bullet!"

"To save Miss Diana! From the Moretti family hit!"

A cold hand squeezed my heart. I sprinted, the hem of my dress catching on statues, my breath ragged in my throat. The main hall was a scene of controlled chaos. Men in suits with guns scurried, their faces etched with fury. And there, on a makeshift bed, lay Bryce. His face was pale, a dark stain blossoming on his shoulder. Diana knelt beside him, sobbing delicately, her hand clutching his.

"Bryce!" I cried out, my voice a raw, primal sound. I pushed past the guards, my eyes fixated on him.

A doctor, his brow furrowed, spoke urgently. "The bullet... it's lodged deep. It needs to be removed immediately. But the pain... I recommend a strong sedative."

Bryce's eyes, glazed with pain, flickered open. He looked at Diana, then at the doctor. "No sedatives. Just... do it. I need to know... Diana... is she alright?" His voice was a strained whisper, every word an effort.

My world tilted. My breath hitched. He was asking about her. Not about himself, not about the excruciating pain he was in. He was worried about her.

It was a crushing blow, a final, definitive confirmation. My heart, already a frozen stone, shattered into a million icy fragments. I remembered a time, not so long ago, when a mere scratch on my arm would send him into a frenzy of worry. He'd fuss over me, his eyes filled with a tenderness that now belonged to someone else. He'd whisper reassurances, his hand a warm comfort against my skin. That Bryce was gone. He was truly, irrevocably gone.

The doctor, his face grim, nodded. He gripped a pair of forceps. Bryce's jaw tightened. A sharp, guttural cry escaped his lips as the bullet was yanked free. He clenched his eyes shut, his body rigid.

And then, before even catching his breath, he whispered again, "Diana... are you truly unharmed?"

The words, though barely audible, were a hammer blow. My knees buckled. Darkness swirled at the edges of my vision. Bryce, his face contorted in pain, finally succumbed to unconsciousness. But not before his last waking thought, his last concern, was for her.