CHAPTER 3
Author: Ace Wolf
last update2026-02-16 20:37:07

 

The whispers rose quickly, spreading like wildfire.

“She was in a wheelchair just yesterday!”

“I thought the doctors said she would never walk again, two years ago.”

“This is impossible.”

I kept my expression calm as we walked forward together.

Her mother was the first to rush toward us.

“Sonia?” she called out, her voice trembling.

Sonia stopped and faced her.

“Yes, Mother.”

Her mother’s eyes dropped immediately to her legs. She stared openly, as if afraid to blink.

“You’re… standing,” she whispered.

Then, as if needing proof, she reached out and touched Sonia’s arm. “Walk again,” she said quickly. “Take a few steps.”

Sonia hesitated for a second, then slowly walked forward.

One step.

Two steps.

Three.

Her mother covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes.

“This… this cannot be real,” she said. “The specialists told us your nerves were permanently damaged.”

Her father approached more slowly, his expression controlled.

He looked at Sonia’s legs carefully, then at the crowd gathering around us.

“This is unexpected,” he said thoughtfully. “Very unexpected. How did this happen?”

Sonia looked slightly overwhelmed by the attention.

“I… I don’t know,” she admitted honestly. “I woke up this morning and I could feel my legs again. I stood up, and they supported me.”

Gasps erupted around us.

“A miracle…”

I stood beside her the entire time.

Yet it was as if I did not exist.

Conversations flowed around me, not to me. I was present, but irrelevant.

“What a shame,” someone whispered nearby. “Now that she can walk again, she is still tied to that useless man.”

“She deserves better than him.”

“When she was crippled, he was suitable. Now? Not anymore.”

I smiled faintly to myself.

When she could not walk, they pitied her and mocked her marriage. Now that she could stand again, they were already calculating her value.

Sonia heard the whispers too. I saw her shoulders stiffen slightly, though she tried to maintain her composure.

Before anyone could speak further, the crowd suddenly parted.

A tall man in a perfectly tailored black suit walked confidently into the hall. His posture was filled with pride, and his presence carried weight. Conversations lowered automatically as he passed.

Greg Winchester.

The only son of the powerful Winchester family and heir to their vast business empire.

His name alone carried influence.

Her mother’s eyes immediately brightened. 

Greg was the original plan, the man the Davenport family wanted Sonia to marry, but when she became crippled, he walked away with the excuse that he was no longer ready for marriage. 

Now… he was back.

“Sonia,” Greg said warmly as he approached, his smile was charming and effortless. “It has been a long time.”

I could almost swear Sonia would ignore him because he walked away from her when she became crippled. But even before the thought fully formed in my mind, I heard Sonia respond to him with a smile, and I was shocked.

“Greg Winchester!” she exclaimed. “We did not know you would be attending tonight. What a pleasant surprise.”

Greg gave a polite nod. “I try not to miss important gatherings.”

His eyes shifted back to Sonia.

“But I must say,” he continued smoothly, “this is the biggest surprise of the night.”

He looked down briefly at her legs, then back up at her face.

“You’re walking.”

Sonia offered a small, polite smile. “Yes.”

“That is incredible,” Greg said. “I remember when the doctors announced that the damage was permanent. No one expected this.”

Neither did you, I thought quietly.

“How did it happen?” Greg asked, stepping slightly closer. “Did you undergo some experimental treatment overseas?”

Sonia shook her head. “No. I honestly don’t know how to explain it.”

Greg laughed softly. “Then it truly is a miracle.”

Her father chuckled approvingly. “Sometimes fate changes without warning.”

I noticed the way her father’s eyes scanned me up and down, and moved to Greg, doing the same thing. He was clearly comparing us.

With Sonia walking again, her value in the social circle had instantly risen.

Greg’s gaze lingered on her longer than necessary.

“You look radiant tonight,” he said. “Even more than before. You look beautiful, Sonia Davenport…”

Sonia shifted slightly, clearly uncomfortable with the intensity of his attention. “Thank you.”

Only then did Greg’s eyes flick toward me.

It was brief and a little dismissive.

As if confirming that I was exactly what he had expected, nobody.

“You should join us at the central table,” Greg suggested casually. “Everyone important is seated there. It would be good for people to see you.”

Sonia instinctively looked at me.

Our eyes met for a brief moment.

I shook my head slowly in disapproval.

Her parents noticed the exchange immediately, and her father’s expression became harsh.

“That is an excellent idea,” he said quickly, smiling at Greg. Then he turned toward me.

“Leonard,” he began in a tone that sounded polite but carried no warmth, “you won’t mind, will you?”

I already knew what he was about to say.

“It’s simply a matter of seating arrangements,” he continued smoothly. “You can take a seat over there.”

He pointed toward the far corner of the hall, where the servants sat.

“That area should suit you better,” he added. “The people there are… more in your category.”

Several guests pretended not to listen while listening very carefully.

“Of course,” someone murmured.

“He should know his place.”

Sonia’s expression changed.

“Father,” she began, clearly uncomfortable.

“It’s fine,” I said calmly, cutting in before she could continue…

Every head turned toward me.

Perhaps they had not expected me to respond so easily.

I met her father’s gaze without looking away.

“I don’t mind,” I repeated.

Relief washed across his face.

Greg finally looked at me properly for the first time. His eyes scanned my suit, my posture, my calm expression. Then he looked away, uninterested.

Sonia looked confused.

There was no hatred in her eyes when she looked at me. Only conflict.

“I’ll be right there,” I said quietly to her.

She hesitated for a second before nodding.

As I walked toward the corner table, I heard someone scoff.

“What a useless husband.”

“Standing there like decoration.”

I took my seat without reacting.

From where I sat, I could see everything clearly.

The admiration surrounding Sonia.

The careful smile she wore to hide her discomfort.

The way Greg leaned slightly closer each time he spoke to her.

The satisfaction in her parents’ expressions as they imagined new possibilities.

They believed this was the beginning of something better.

They believed Sonia had outgrown me the moment she stood up from that wheelchair…

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