Chapter 2

The factory was worse than Sarah imagined.

Long hours, brutal conditions, meager pay. Sterling's foremen were cruel, their eyes always lingering.

Months passed. Sarah grew thin, her hands raw from the work.

She wrote to Ethan, but his replies became less frequent, shorter. He was busy, he said. His campaign was going well.

One evening, walking home from the factory, a heavy crate "accidentally" fell from a loading dock.

Sarah cried out as it struck her leg, pain searing through her.

She lay on the ground, agony washing over her. Sterling's men watched, unmoving.

The doctor said the break was bad. She would walk with a limp, always. A scar, jagged and ugly, remained even after it healed.

She clung to Ethan's promise. He would make it all right.

Then, the news came. Ethan Vance had won the town council seat.

And he was engaged to Victoria "Tori" Sterling, Arthur Sterling's daughter.

Sarah felt a cold dread creep into her heart.

She had to see him.

The town was holding a victory celebration for Ethan. Sarah, using a crudely made cane, made her way to the town square.

She saw him on the dais, beaming, Tori Sterling clinging to his arm. Tori was beautiful, expensive, and her smile was pure malice.

Sarah pushed through the crowd. "Ethan!"

He turned. His eyes widened for a split second when he saw her, then his face hardened.

Tori whispered something in his ear, her eyes glittering.

Sarah reached the front. "Ethan, it's me. Sarah." Her voice was hoarse.

Ethan looked down at her, his expression cold. "I don't know you."

The crowd murmured.

"Ethan, please," Sarah begged, tears welling. "Your promise. You said you'd come back."

Tori stepped forward, her voice dripping with contempt. "Oh, look, Ethan. It's one of your delusional fans. A crazy ex, perhaps?"

Ethan forced a laugh. "She must be mistaken. Probably trying to extort me now that I'm successful."

He looked at Sarah, his eyes like ice. "You look like you've fallen in with bad company. You should leave."

"Bad company?" Sarah's voice broke. "I worked in your father-in-law's factory to save you! This limp, this scar, it's because of him!"

Tori sneered. "Such dramatics. She's clearly unhinged. Someone should have her put away. Or at least driven out of town before she embarrasses you further, darling."

The humiliation was a physical blow. The crowd stared, some with pity, most with scorn.

Ethan turned his back on her.

Sarah stood there, broken, the sound of their laughter echoing in her ears.

Sterling's enforcers, two large, grim-faced men, appeared at her side.

"Mr. Sterling thinks it's time for you to leave town, Miss Miller," one of them said, his voice flat. "Permanently."