Chapter one

Amanda's POV

The soft touch of a cool breeze against my skin roused me from my slumber. Slowly, my eyes fluttered open, my hands coming up to shield my eyes from the rays of sunlight peeking from the window. 

My body ached from working so late last night. I hadn't even gotten up to five hours of sleep and yet I had to get up as early as possible to avoid missing my flight. It was my last day in Manhattan, and it pained me to realize that the amount of money I'd made during my stay here would not do much for me. 

I groaned into my pillow as thoughts of the swarming debt my father had left behind for us. For years I'd tried not to hate him, but that proved difficult, seeing as my mother and I were practically swimming in debt! I would work myself to the literal bone, with zero results to show for my effort. 

This was by far the most infuriating period of my life, and it was all the fault of a man who did not give a shit about his family. 

A man who kept secrets from his family till he died.

I angrily threw off the duvet covering me and rose to my feet to get ready. And that was when I saw the large muscular figure of a man lying next to me on the bed. 

"Ahhh!!" The scream escaped my lips before I could help it. 

I jumped away from the bed so quickly that the impact sent me plunging into the wall. The pounding of my heart filled my ears as I peeked back at the man who had still not stirred. 

What the hell was a shirtless man doing in my bed?!!

My mind roamed a thousand miles per second as I tried to recall exactly what had happened last night and how this stranger had landed in my bed. Thankfully, he was clad in a black pair of pants so I crossed off the idea that we'd had sex. Thank goodness!

But I didn't get drunk last night, I mused, so why the hell couldn't I remember anything? Maybe it was the sleep deprivation clouding my memory. 

Slowly, I tiptoed back to the edge of the bed and faced him. His eyes were shut, unnaturally long lashes practically fanning over his cheeks, and his chest moved rhythmically. I instantly realized that he was unconscious. 

"Hey…" I called out, trying to rouse him awake to no avail. 

I withdrew the duvet covering his lower half, and when my eyes fell on the bloodied bandage wrapped around his waist, it clicked in my head. The events of last night began to piece itself together…

****

Flashback

Eight Hours Earlier

I climbed into the rickety cab I had hired from the automobile company on my first day here. It was cheap and old, but my only option for transport whilst I was in Manhattan. 

I started the engine and drove off in the direction of the diner where I would be working my second shift for today. My real reason for being in Manhattan was because I had been sent by the company I worked for in Portland. Research was my field and specialty, and so I was the company's first choice.

The director in charge of the new products always nominated me for the Research, but this time  I begged him to use someone else because it was my father's Memorial Day but he didn't… Work comes first to him.

Since I was only required to work a few hours a week, I'd taken the opportunity to go job hunting for a place with daily pay. The popular diner six streets away from my hotel was the perfect option. 

I was already so tired that I wanted nothing more than to just jump into bed, but I had to do this job. My whole life depended on it, including the roof over my head back home in New York. It was the only thing left for me and my mother, yet my father used the house to take loans, and within a few weeks if I didn't pay the money, we would lose the house too.

I blinked back the tears that pooled in my eyes at the thought of losing the house I had grown up in. What would we do? Where would we even go? We were completely helpless. 

Wiping my face and shaking off my fatigue, I drove down the road until I got to the diner. I quickly parked the car behind the restaurant and shoved out my work apron from the passenger seat. 

I was tying the apron around my waist when I heard the gunshot. 

The sound of a bullet whizzing past my ear made me jump flat to the ground and take cover close to a dumpster. 

What the fuck is going on?!

I was nearly paralyzed with fear as I crouched in the alley, holding my breath to see what came next. Footsteps of about a dozen people sounded down the road.

"Don't let that bastard get away!" A voice snarled in the distance. "Find him!!"

I could hear the pattering on the wet ground as more footsteps ran down the road. It sounded like there was a chase. 

My heart clenched fearfully. I needed to get out of here! 

"Boss, we got him! He has a gunshot wound, there's a blood trail. He couldn't have gotten far." Another voice spoke. 

"Shut the fuck up and bring him to me!!" The initial voice thundered, spilling curses in a language I did not understand. 

I couldn't stay here. No fucking way did I come to Manhattan to get killed!

Trying my best to be as quiet as possible, I discarded my apron in the trash and waited till the footsteps faded away. When the time seemed right, I ran back to my car. I was just opening the car door when I bumped into a figure crouched on the floor. 

"Shit…" the man hissed, clutching his abdomen. He placed a finger over his lips. "Don't make a sound."

Ridden with fear, I stumbled backward to run away. But then I saw the blood spurting out of a wound in his abdomen.

"You're the one they're looking for…" I whispered. 

The man tried to speak but his words slurred. The light from the moon shone against his face and I saw the outline of his midnight black curls falling across his forehead. His icy blue orbs seemed to pierce into my soul as he tried to keep his eyes focused on me. But he was losing consciousness by the second. 

Every nerve in my body told me to push him away from my car and drive away. But I did not have the heart to leave him lying on the road and bleeding to death. 

Cursing my sympathetic heart, I dragged his heavy body into the backseat. "Get in, quick!" I hissed at him, my head snapping left and right to make sure the armed men were not too far off. 

The man uttered a curse as he finally got into the car, and I stealthily climbed into the driver seat and drove back to my hotel at breakneck speed. 

Flashback ends.

****

My eyes widened as I stared at the form of the man on my bed. I remembered haphazardly bandaging his wounds last night after he insisted on not going to the hospital. 

As I watched him sleep, fear gripped me. There surely had to be a reason why those men were after him, and from the looks of things they were ready to murder him in cold blood. 

A chill ran down my spine at that thought. There were a thousand possibilities and explanations for last night, but the most palpable was the fact that those men were after him because he was an evil person. 

Shaking my head, I tossed out any thoughts of that. Even if he was some kind of thief or murderer, it wouldn't matter because I would never see him again. I was returning to Portland today, thankfully. In a few days, this would all be a distant memory. 

Shooting him one last glance, I quickly began to pack up my things. Once I was ready to leave, I scribbled out a Post-it note and placed it on the bedside table. In the note, I briefly recounted the events of last night and informed him that I'd paid for two more nights at the hotel so he would be able to hide from those men till the coast was clear. 

I had no idea why I had the nagging feeling that I couldn't just leave him there. My pocket had taken a bruise from paying for those two extra nights, but it was something I felt like I had to do. 

Taking a deep breath, I walked out of the hotel and hailed a taxi that would take me to the airport. The trip lasted only a few hours, and soon I was back in Portland. 

I looked down at my cell phone worriedly and dialed Logan's number once again. It rang, but he did not pick up. 

"God, Logan," I breathed. "Where did you put your phone?"

I had been calling my boyfriend's line since I got into Portland to no avail. I was supposed to return to Portland in two days, but since I completed my work earlier, plus last night's scare, I decided to come in earlier. 

I missed Logan so much, and I'd wanted him to come pick me up at the airport, but since he wasn't picking me up, I decided to surprise him instead. 

A mischievous smile curved my lips as I imagined the look on his face when he'd see me. I giggled as I hailed a taxi. He would probably be at work right now. 

Logan and I worked in the same company, he's the director in charge of the new products, although he was several levels above me. We'd met a few months into my employment and it had been bliss ever since. I felt like the happiest and luckiest woman Alive when Logan asked me out. Falling in love with him came easy, and if it were up to me, I would flaunt that to the whole world.

But Logan felt differently. 

The only issue I had earlier was the fact that he insisted on keeping our relationship a secret from our colleagues. But when he explained that he didn't want to seem unprofessional, I completely understood. 

Because I was amongst the lowest level of staff at the company, I hardly got to see Logan often. My best friend, Vanessa, disliked Logan for some reason, clearly insisting that he kept our relationship a secret because he was ashamed of me. 

I had fought with Vanessa several times because of this. Although she thought that Logan was bad for me, I fully disagreed. We had been together for five years, and I knew he loved me. He told me every day. He had been there for me through all my struggles, and even whilst I was distracted trying to pay off my family's debt, I still made time to be with him.

That's how important he was to me. 

I practically raced to Logan's office once I arrived at the company building. I was about to pull the door open when I heard the voices within. 

"Yes, I'm serious, baby. I'm pregnant!" A female voice announced happily. "I still can't believe it!"

My face scrunched in confusion. Wait a second. I recognized that voice…

It belonged to Candace, Logan's best friend. She always visited him in the office and it wasn't unusual for her to be in his office. But, pregnant?!

Curiosity getting the better of me, I slowly pushed the door open and peeked in. The image I saw before me was one I would never forget. 

Candace was perched on the desk with Logan standing in between her legs and running his fingers up her chest to cup her breasts. 

Stunned, I watched as he kissed her passionately. 

"That's great news, baby. Now all I have to do is to break up with Amanda and then we can get married"

Candace frowned. "You still haven't broken up with her? Why?!"

"Baby, I told you I need time. I'll do it soon, moreover, you know I can't break up with her like just that since I haven't got someone as intelligent as her to help me with my research"

Candace shoved him away. "What the fuck do you need time for?! I don't even know what you see in that bitch that makes you think she's intelligent, anyway, I let you. date her because you said you need her for your research and on a condition to keep your relationship a secret, but I've had enough, Logan!"

"Candace-"

"No. She has helped you enough. Now, get rid of her. Besides, we both know you would be caught dead getting married to a low-life trash like her."

I couldn't take it anymore. The tears spilled down my face in rivulets, blurring my vision as I pushed the door open and barged in. 

Logan and Candace jumped in shock at my sudden entrance. 

"Why?! Why would you do this to me?!" My chest felt heavy like it would explode any second. "I-I gave you everything! Why…"

I choked on my tears. 

Candace snickered, placing her arms around her waist, but she said nothing. 

"Answer me!!" I screamed at Logan. I walked closer to him, tangling my fingers in his chest. "This is your supposed best friend?! You've been lying to me!"

"Amanda-"

I did not let him speak. "This whole time you've been telling me to keep our relationship a secret, was it because I've been nothing but a conquest for you? Is that why? Because you see me as a low-life?!"

My body trembled as the tears continued to stream down my cheeks. Logan said nothing, but the passive look in his eyes told me all I needed to know. 

My heart shattered into a million pieces as I staggered backward. I shook my head vigorously as if to wake myself up from this nightmare. 

I stared at the man I had dedicated all my love to, and the bitter realization that I had wasted five years of my life hit me like a ton of bricks.