To save my girlfriend, I ended up crippled. She had promised to marry me, but on our wedding day, her first love showed up to interfere. “You’re a waste of space! You think you deserve to marry Lily? She’s been taking care of you for a whole year. Isn’t that enough? Do you want her to spend her whole life looking after you?” My girlfriend, who had once promised to love me forever, now held her first love’s hand and tearfully begged me to let her go, “If only you hadn’t saved me back then, I wouldn’t be stuck in this situation. It’s all because of you. Please, let us go.” I nodded, agreeing to let go of our marriage. I told her everything would go as she wished. After receiving my consent, she smiled and said, “We may not be able to be husband and wife, but we can still be like family. I’ll never forget how you saved me.” But what she didn’t know was that I had saved her because I was bound to a True Love System. Now that she had married someone else, the system was taking everything I had given for her, starting with my healthy legs.
“Since we’re like family, why not just give the house to Lily as a wedding gift?” I was about to leave when my girlfriend’s first love, Ethan Carter, called me over. Before I could even refuse, he pulled my girlfriend, Lily Thompson, over to thank me. “Lily, let’s thank Oliver for giving us the house. From now on, we’ll treat him like a real brother.” I looked at Lily, who was awkwardly bowing, and asked, “Do you really want this house?” Lily stiffened. Before she could say anything, Ethan slapped me on the shoulder and laughed, “Come on, don’t make it awkward. We’re family. No need to split hairs. The house is for all of us. “And let’s not forget, you’ve been sick in bed for the entire year, and Lily’s been looking after you. She didn’t even ask you for any money for taking care of you. A man shouldn’t be sweating the small stuff with a woman.” I glanced at Lily. She stayed silent but nodded in agreement. She knew full well that, even though I hadn’t been working this year, I had been living off my savings. Not to mention, if it weren’t for me pushing her away back then, she would be the one in my place, with the broken legs. I still remembered that right after the accident happened, she cried in my arms, fainting several times. She said that she owed me her life and she would do anything to repay me. She even said she was willing to marry me. She made a public vow, promising that she would take care of me for the rest of her life. She said she would love me forever and never leave me. Those passionate vows still echoed in my mind, but less than a year later, she broke her promise. Not only did she want to marry someone else, but she was trying to take my money too. She grabbed my hand, pleading, “It’s just transferring the title of the house. The house is still yours. After everything we’ve been through, don’t you trust me?” The image of her gentle, kind self that I had held onto collapsed in that moment. I felt a bitter emptiness inside. I shook my head to show my rejection. “You’re going to marry someone else. If we keep talking about what we’ve been through, aren’t you worried your husband will get upset?” She nervously glanced at Ethan. But he didn’t seem bothered at all. He wrapped his arm around her and smiled, “Never mind. I’m a very generous person. I respect your past. “Why can’t you just be generous like me? Give us the house as our wedding gift. Show us what it means to be a man.” Around us, Lily’s friends started chiming in, “Lily and Ethan have already pleaded with him, and he’s still being difficult? “Exactly! He’s so petty, no wonder Lily left him. Looks like he’s not just physically disabled, but emotionally as well. I actually used to believe in their love, but now…pfft.” Hearing their gossip, her face grew momently darker. “Oliver, it’s just a house. Don’t let everyone look down on you.” When I heard her words, I couldn’t help but laugh, “Anyone who wants to be respected can give their own house. I’m sure this lovely newlywed couple will be very grateful. But I won’t stick around for this.” With that, I pushed my wheelchair and started to leave, ignoring the chilly atmosphere around us. She stopped me from leaving and was about to say something when her mother, Diana, suddenly walked over. With a serious expression, she said, “Lily, we can’t take his house.” I looked up at her, feeling touched. Diana was still as sensible as ever. Over the past year, whenever Lily had slackened in taking care of me, Diana would scold her, “Lily, the reason you can still walk and live a normal life is because of Oliver’s help. You have an obligation to take care of him.” To me, she was kind of like a mother. As she walked closer, I was about to greet her when her tone suddenly changed. She looked at me coldly and said, “Oliver, the house was left to you by your late parents. We have no right to take it.” “But the 200 thousand dollars in compensation from your car accident…surely you can give that to us, right?” The words I was about to say caught in my throat. I was stunned for a moment, unable to respond. But then again, she was Lily’s mom after all. To them, morals and promises clearly didn’t matter as much as money. Ethan smiled warmly at Diana, then turned to look at me, mocking, “That money was originally Lily’s. What right do you have to hold onto it and refuse to give it up? “I get it now. You must’ve intentionally thrown yourself in front of the car just to get 200 thousand dollars, right?” I shot him a cold stare. No one would be foolish enough to choose money over their own legs. Some of the guests couldn’t take it anymore and spoke up on my behalf, “If it weren’t for Oliver, Lily would be the one in a wheelchair right now. You’re going too far.” I thought for sure Ethan would back off, but instead, he arrogantly shot back, “What do you know? Lily’s the most popular girl on campus. Oliver’s doing all this just to try and marry her.” Lily, who had been silent up until now, shook her head and said bitterly, “Ethan, if I lost my legs, I’d be the one they’d reject.” At this, Ethan put his hands on her shoulders and said passionately, “Lily, I love you. Even if you were paralyzed, I’d never leave you. “We could’ve been together a long time ago, but it’s all Oliver’s fault. He threw himself in front of the car on purpose, using his ‘favor’ to manipulate you and tear us apart.” Moved by his words, Lily threw herself into his arms. Watching them embrace, I couldn’t help but think back to just a few days ago when she said she wanted to marry me. I was so hopeful then. Now, it all seemed so ridiculous. I didn’t want to stay any longer, so I turned around and started to leave. But just as I was halfway around in my wheelchair, Ethan grabbed me. “Oliver, you’re not going anywhere until you hand over the money.” When he said that, Lily looked at me with disappointment. After a long silence, she finally gave in and said, “We need the money for the wedding. How about you just consider it a loan? I’ll write an IOU and pay you back as soon as I save up enough.” Earlier, I was confused. If she had already decided to marry Ethan, why was she still promising to marry me? Now, seeing how determined she was to get the 200 thousand dollars, I finally understood. The whole wedding was just a scam to get money. I shook my head. “I’ll go to the bathroom first. We’ll talk after.” Ethan sneered, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do. You’re just looking for an excuse to slip away. If you need to pee, just go. Aren’t you wearing adult diapers? No need for the bathroom.” I turned to look at Lily, and to my surprise, she’d told Ethan everything. Ethan saw my reaction and sneered even more, “What’s with the look? A cripple still worried about dignity? Don’t forget, when you first became disabled, you wet yourself in front of the whole family. It was Lily who changed your pants. “What a shame! If I’d been there, I would’ve recorded it to show everyone. A man in his thirties still wets his pants!” His mocking laughter made everyone around us stare at me in a strange way. When I first lost my legs, aside from the physical pain, the worst part was feeling completely powerless, with no dignity, at the mercy of everyone around me. I never wanted to experience that again. But Ethan wouldn’t let me leave. He grabbed my wheelchair and pulled out his phone, pointing it at me. “You either give us the money, or you piss yourself in front of everyone. Your choice.” Seeing his smug face, I couldn’t take it anymore. I raised my hand and slapped his phone out of his hand. As he bent down to pick it up, I grabbed a bowl from the table, ready to throw it at him. But before I could, Lily suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked the bowl away. She shot me a scolding look and said, “Enough. Ethan was just joking with you. If you’re not going to lend the money, fine. But why break his phone and even try to hit him? “Do you really want to ruin our relationship over 200 thousand dollars? “Don’t forget, all your parents and relatives are gone. I’m the only family you have left.” Seeing her stand in front of Ethan, glaring at me like I was her enemy, I couldn’t help but feel disgusted. It was Ethan who ruined my wedding and used my dignity to force me into giving him money, and all I did was resist. But according to her, I was the one causing trouble. I didn’t need a family like that. I shook off her hand and pushed my wheelchair away. Ethan blocked my path with a dark expression. “You’re not going anywhere unless you hand over 200 thousand dollars today!” I dialed the police on my phone and held it up to show him. “Are you sure about this? Extortion for 200 thousand dollars could land you in jail. A minimum of three years, up to ten at most. If you want to go to prison, I can make that happen.” Ethan’s face turned red with fury. He raised his fist to strike me, but Lily stepped in to stop him. I knew her intention was to protect him. After all, with so many people around, if things escalated, they’d both be in legal trouble. I pushed my wheelchair out the door. As soon as I felt the fresh air, Lily ran up and squatted down beside me, trying to explain, “Oliver, please don’t be mad at me. You can’t stay home forever, living off what little savings you have. Sooner or later, you’ll run out of money. “I don’t have another choice. I’ll have to marry someone else. That way, we can both support the family and take better care of you.” If she had said this earlier, I would’ve yelled at her. But now, I didn’t want to say another word to her. “I’m fine. You should go back inside. Don’t delay the important moment.” She was surprised when I didn’t react angrily. She looked at me with a pleased expression, then happily cupped my face in her hands. “Ethan’s just tough on the outside, but he’s soft on the inside. He didn’t mean to target you. “He even promised me he’d get you the best prosthetics from abroad. We’ll take good care of you.” She had just finished speaking when someone called her away. I nodded, watching her leave. Let her keep the prosthetics for herself. As the words “I do” echoed from inside, I heard the long-awaited system voice. “Detected that Lily has entered the wedding hall with another person. The True Love Contract is now void. In three days, everything will return to its original state.” She didn’t know that the reason I saved her was because of the True Love System. Now that she had broken the contract, the system would help me reclaim everything, including the legs I had lost.
Just the thought that in three days I’d be able to stand again made the bitterness in my heart fade a little. I sat in my electric wheelchair, slowly making my way home. It was a struggle to push open the door, and the first thing that caught my eye was the wedding congratulatory banners hanging on the wall. But seeing those banners only made me feel more ridiculous. This was the old house my parents left me, a three-bedroom apartment. I stared silently at the locked door to the master bedroom. Earlier, Lily had said she wanted to turn our master bedroom into a honeymoon suite and had moved me into the tiny nursery. At the time, I thought she was just looking for some symbolism. Since I figured I’d be moving back soon, I didn’t think much of it. But now, as I opened the door to what was supposed to be our honeymoon suite, I finally understood. There was a large wedding photo of Lily and Ethan on the wall, making it clear that this room wasn’t for me and her. It was for her and her lover. No wonder her whole family had been keeping me away from it. Sitting in my wheelchair, I slowly began gathering the wedding photos and other wedding items from the room, moving them into the living room to get rid of them. Just as I was about to finish, Lily and Ethan walked in, chatting and laughing. When they saw the mess in the house, their smiles instantly disappeared. Ethan scoffed and said, “Oliver, it’s just your legs that are hurt, not your hands. You’re home this early and still haven’t cleaned up? You’re hopeless!” Diana dropped her bag and immediately joined in. “He’s always like this, using being sick as an excuse. He’s so lazy, always expecting Lily to take care of him” Lily nervously asked her mom to stop, and only then did Diana be silent. No one knew better than them that Lily had already been tired of looking after me a long time ago. And I had already learned how to take care of myself. After that, Lily hung up her coat and said to me, “We’re all a bit tired today. You should clean up soon, or mom will keep nagging you.” I nodded. “Yeah, I was planning to tidy up all this stuff anyway.” Hearing that, everyone leaned in to take a look, and only then did they realize that the pile of things in the living room was all the stuff they’d prepared for the wedding room. Diana immediately jumped up from the couch. “The wedding stuff can’t be thrown away! It’s bad luck!” With that, she rushed over to put everything back in place. Ethan rolled his eyes and stood up with a huff. “If someone doesn’t want me here, then I don’t want to stay either!” Seeing him about to leave, Lily hurriedly stopped him and reassured him, “Oliver didn’t mean it like that… “Oliver, go apologize to Ethan right now, or I’ll break up with you!” She thought this would pressure me, but I just gave a cold smile. “Break up with me? Fine, you can move out on your own then, so I don’t have to kick you out.”
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