The Brandi family had two adopted sons. One was me. The other was Lace. On the day Annie Brandi, the eldest daughter, got engaged to Lace, she was in a car accident. Both her legs were crippled. Lace cried as he tore up the engagement. And I, to repay a debt of gratitude, married Annie. After the wedding, I took care of her for ten full years. I helped her through rehab, helped her stand again. For her, I gave up my chance to go to college. But I never expected that on the day she finally stood up and took over the family business, she would suddenly announce she was bringing Lace back home—Lace, who’d been scammed out of all his money by a sugar mama—and that she wanted to divorce me. I’d raged and questioned her. I’d smashed everything in the house. I’d even begged on my knees. But Annie remained stubborn as ever. Even my adoptive parents felt that someone like me—who never even went to college—was no longer worthy of Annie in all her current glory. In my fury, I coughed up blood right there and leaped from the top floor of the Brandi family mansion. When I opened my eyes again, I’d returned to the day the Brandis were choosing a husband for their daughter. …
Old Mr. Brandi stood on the platform, his eyes and brows radiating joy. “Today is not only Annie’s twenty-second birthday, but also the day she chooses her fiancé.” “The Brandi family and the Andrews family have been friends for generations. We’ve watched both Carter and Lace grow up since they were children.” “Annie, tell us—who do you choose?” Mrs. Brandi smiled gently beside him. “I’m guessing our daughter will choose Carter. This boy has been steady and responsible since childhood, and he’s helped Annie so much.” Whether in academics or ability, I was far superior to Lace. Everyone in the Brandi family had already privately decided it would be me. In my previous life, it was also today. Annie chose Lace without hesitation. I suppressed the love in my heart and planned to apply to the farthest university possible and never come back. But that very night, Annie was in a serious car accident. Both her legs were crushed in a compound fracture. Lace coldly tore up the engagement agreement at the hospital and ran away that same night. Annie clenched her fists but silently accepted it. Everyone’s eyes turned to me. Under invisible pressure, to repay the Brandi family’s kindness in raising me, and for my own pathetic secret crush— I gave up my guaranteed admission to Harvard and married her, crippled as she was. I took care of her for ten full years. In return, after she stood up again, she brought Lace back and kicked me out. She even forged psychiatric evaluation documents and drove me to jump to my death. The memories receded like a tide. While I was lost in thought, Annie had already grabbed Lace’s arm without hesitation. “Dad, Mom, I choose Lace.” The whole room erupted. Mrs. Brandi froze. “Annie, did you misspeak? Carter, he…” “I didn’t misspeak!” Annie cut her mother off sharply. “In this life and the next, I could never choose Carter!” Annie clutched Lace’s arm tightly, a triumphant smile curling at her lips as she continued, “Dad, since I’ve already chosen Lace, it’s not appropriate for Carter to stay with the Brandi family anymore.” “Give him some money and have him move out today.” “From now on, he has nothing to do with the Brandi family or the Andrews family assets!” “I never want to see his face again for as long as I live!” The words were utterly heartless. Old Mr. Brandi frowned deeply. “Annie! What are you thinking? We raised Carter too. How can we just throw him out?” “If we don’t throw him out, who knows what vicious things he’ll do behind our backs?” Annie sneered. “I’m doing this for the Brandi family’s peace.” I raised my head and met Annie’s gaze. In the depths of her eyes lurked deep disgust, wariness, and even a trace of hatred. I understood immediately. She had been reborn too. In the previous life, after she stood up again, she’d listened to Lace’s manipulation. She became convinced that I’d deliberately bribed the driver to cause that car accident to get her, that I’d destroyed her legs. She also became convinced that I’d used underhanded methods to drive Lace away and stolen what should have been his. So she hated me to the bone. Seeing her now, looking at me like I was a snake, the weight that had been hanging in my chest suddenly lifted. I’d been struggling with whether to stop tonight’s horrific car accident. Since she was so determined, believing that staying away from me would set everything right— Then I would grant her wish. “Fine.” Annie was clearly stunned, her brow furrowing tightly. I stepped forward, standing tall, my voice calm. “Mr. Brandi, Mrs. Brandi.” “Annie’s right. Since she’s made her choice, it really isn’t appropriate for me to stay.” Without acknowledging the shocked looks around me, I turned and headed upstairs. I pushed open my bedroom door, feeling a liberating sense of relief. I packed a few changes of clothes and the belongings my birth parents had left me. As for the luxury watches and sports car keys the Brandi family had bought me over the years—I didn’t touch a single thing.
After packing everything, I carried my suitcase back downstairs. The people in the hall hadn’t dispersed yet. Annie looked at my suitcase and let out a cold laugh. “Carter, stop playing hard to get. Let me tell you, don’t even think about any more schemes. I won’t let you manipulate me like you did bef—like you used to!” “Once you walk out that door, you’ll never get a single cent from the Brandi family!” I stopped. “Annie, don’t worry.” “The Brandi family’s money doesn’t interest me.” “But before I leave, there are some things that belong to me that I need to take.” I pulled out a document I’d prepared earlier from my bag. “Mr. Brandi, these are the core patent rights to the Andrews family technology that my birth parents left behind.” “Since I’ll have nothing to do with the Brandi family from now on, please sign this document and return these patents to me.” Old Mr. Brandi’s expression shifted. Lace immediately sneered from the side. “Carter, have you lost your mind?” “Those Andrews family patents are completely outdated. What use are they to you? You think you’re going to get rich off that junk?” Annie’s face was full of contempt. “Dad, give them to him! Since he insists on being so petty about it, return those useless papers to him. That way he can’t go around saying the Brandi family coveted the Andrews family’s assets!” Old Mr. Brandi hesitated. Years ago, my parents had died in a car accident while saving the Brandi couple. To silence public gossip, the Brandi family had adopted both Lace and me. Naturally, the Andrews family’s business and patents came under Brandi family “management.” Over the years, the Brandi family had already sucked dry all the Andrews family assets they could liquidate, leaving only these foundational technology patents they considered obsolete. “Carter, why put yourself through this? You’re a grown man—what use are these to you?” Old Mr. Brandi said with false concern. “This is the only memento my parents left me. Sign it.” My tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. The intermittent glances from surrounding guests put pressure on both Old Mr. Brandi and Mrs. Brandi. With a flourish, Old Mr. Brandi signed the transfer agreement and stamped it with the Brandi family seal. I carefully checked the documents, confirmed everything was in order, and put them in my bag. They had no idea that these seemingly outdated foundational patents would become the most critical breakthrough in the new energy technology sector over the next three years. In my previous life, Annie had used these patents—which I’d given away for nothing—to propel the Brandi family to become the wealthiest in the West. In this life, I would never again hand them the knife handle. “Mr. Brandi, Mrs. Brandi, the debt of raising me is greater than heaven itself, but my parents already repaid that debt with their two lives.” “From today on, I, Carter, and the Brandi family are even. All ties are severed. We owe each other nothing.” Annie stared at the suitcase in my hand, sneering. “Nice act. Just don’t come crawling back the moment you step out that door.” I glanced back at her. “Annie, I wish you and Lace a lifetime of happiness.” “Whatever you do, don’t regret this.” With that, I walked out of the Brandi family mansion without looking back. The night wind felt cool against my face. But I felt that this was the freest day of both my lives combined. Less than half an hour after leaving the Brandi family, a torrential rain hit the West. Wild wind whipped sheets of rain against the taxi’s windshield. I sat in the back seat, quietly watching the blurred nightscape outside. The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Sir, heading to the airport in this weather? Catching a flight?” I nodded. “Yeah. Going East.” “This rain is crazy. There’s been a bad accident on the overpass up ahead. Road’s closed. We’ll have to detour.” The driver muttered as he turned the wheel. Hearing the words “car accident,” my eyes flickered. Calculating the time—yes, it would be right about now. I pulled out my phone and opened the local Western news feed.
Sure enough, a bright red headline popped up. [BREAKING! Serious accident on Western overpass—black Maybach crushed by dump truck, owner suspected to be daughter of Brandi family conglomerate!] Below were several blurry photos from the scene. The front of the Maybach was completely deformed, the driver’s cabin crushed into a heap of scrap metal. A shocking pool of blood on the ground had been washed across the pavement by the rain. The news updated in real time: [Brandi family heiress’s legs trapped by deformed cabin, compound fracture, facing risk of permanent disability.] Looking at the photos on the screen, my finger paused. In my previous life, because I’d been worried about her, I’d secretly followed their car. When the accident happened, I’d risked the car exploding and smashed the window with my bare hands, nearly giving my life to drag her out. Because of my timely rescue, though her legs were disabled, the nerves were preserved. That’s why she’d had hope of standing again later. But in this life, she’d been trapped in that deformed car for a full half hour before firefighters got her out. She’d missed the optimal rescue window. Those legs of hers were finished. Annie, enjoy the rest of your crippled life locked together with your true love. I expressionlessly swiped away the news. Then I opened the back of my phone and pulled out the SIM card. I rolled down the window and tossed it out. The tiny chip was instantly swept away by the rain, disappearing into the dark sewer. In my previous life, to take care of her, I’d given up my guaranteed admission to Harvard. In this life, I’d already contacted a top professor in Harvard’s finance department in advance. Tomorrow morning, I’d report to her lab. I was going to pursue the bright future that truly belonged to me. As for Annie— That was the path she chose. … At that very moment, at Western General Hospital. The red light outside the emergency room had been on for five solid hours. When Old Mr. Brandi and Mrs. Brandi arrived, Mrs. Brandi’s legs gave out and she fainted. Lace stood in a corner of the hallway, his face ashen, irritably tugging at his tie. The emergency room doors swung open. The attending physician walked out covered in blood, his expression grave. “Mr. Brandi, we saved her life.” “But… your daughter’s legs suffered compound fractures with massive nerve death.” “We did everything we could, but she’ll likely… spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.” The words hit like a thunderbolt. Lace’s eyes went wide in disbelief as he staggered back a step. Spend her life in a wheelchair? Crippled? Lace had dreamed of taking over the Brandi family empire! If Annie was crippled, wouldn’t he have to spend his whole life serving a paralytic and enduring people’s pitying stares? Just imagining it made Lace feel nauseated. Several nurses wheeled out a hospital bed. Annie was still unconscious, her legs wrapped in thick bandages, blood still seeping through. The air reeked of blood and disinfectant. Lace recoiled in disgust, afraid the blood would stain his expensive shoes. “Lace…” Old Mr. Brandi looked at him with red-rimmed eyes. “You’re the one Annie cares about most. You have to stay with her.” Lace forced on an expression of grief, his voice stiff. “Mr. Brandi, don’t worry. I’ll definitely take good care of Annie.” “I… I’m going to smoke a cigarette and collect myself. Then I’ll come stay with her.” With that, he turned and hurried toward the end of the hallway without a backward glance.
The next morning, Annie woke to excruciating pain. As the anesthesia wore off, her legs transmitted tearing agony mixed with a strange numbness. She stared at the white ceiling as her memory gradually returned. Feeling the pain in her lower body, something suddenly occurred to her. A moment later she relaxed, weakly managing a pale smile. Why had she still gotten in an accident even after driving Carter away? Whatever. Carter just loved her too much. She knew it—he was definitely playing hard to get, so desperate to take care of her. Depending on his behavior going forward, maybe she could forgive him after all. But in this life, without that scheming Carter getting in the way— Her Lace must be standing guard by her bedside like a devoted protector, right? “Lace…” she called hoarsely, struggling to turn her head. But the bedside was empty. No sign of Lace. Only Mrs. Brandi sat there with swollen eyes, looking like she’d aged ten years overnight. “Mom… where’s Lace?” An ominous feeling rose in Annie’s chest. Hearing her voice, Mrs. Brandi’s tears spilled over again. “Annie… stop looking for him.” “That ungrateful traitor—he ran.” “When he heard your legs were crippled, he went back to the villa overnight, cleaned out your safe, tore up the engagement agreement, and fled the country.” Annie’s brain went blank with a buzzing sound. “Impossible!” She struggled violently, and the searing pain in her legs made her gasp. “Mom, you’re lying! Lace loves me so much—how could he run?” “Did Carter drive him away!” She shouted incoherently. A nearby nurse couldn’t take it anymore and cut in coldly. “Miss Brandi, last night when the doctor announced you might be permanently disabled, the disgust in Mr. Lace’s eyes—everyone in our entire department saw it clear as day.” “He complained that the blood on your legs was dirtying his designer shoes. He used smoking as an excuse and ran faster than a rabbit.” The cold beeping of medical equipment filled the hospital room. Each sound seemed to mock her self-deception mercilessly. Annie stared at the empty doorway. Her heart felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand. How could this be? Without Carter’s scheming, why did she still have the accident? Why did Lace still run? What went wrong? Just then, an unexpected figure appeared at the door…
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