I had cared for Sebastian, my comatose husband, for five years with unwavering devotion, enduring countless hardships. But on the day he woke up, he gifted my half-sister, Olivia, with million-dollar jewelry and professed his love for her. I thought it was all a misunderstanding. I believed that if I explained patiently, he would realize that I was the one who had cared for him all these years. That was until I overheard his conversation with his brother, Lucas. “Sebastian, you know full well that Evelyn has been taking care of you all these years. Why are you deceiving her? Don’t you have any feelings for her at all?” “She’s been Mrs. Grant for so long, she should be content. My heart has always belonged to Olivia. I know I’ve wronged Evelyn. If she’s really upset, I can give her 5% of the Grant Corporation shares.” Outside the room, separated by a single door, I wept silently. So he knew all along that I was the one who had cared for him. He just didn’t love me. If that’s the case, I’ll step aside one last time for the sake of my younger self. From now on, we’ll be worlds apart, never to meet again!
Outside the study, my knuckles turned white as I gripped the tray holding his medicine. Sebastian’s words were heavy, like a dirty, wet rag being slapped onto my already battered heart. The pain was suffocating yet sobering. “I’m glad Olivia wasn’t the one who married me during these five years I was in a coma. She’s so gentle, and my mother is so domineering. She would have suffered greatly.” “I couldn’t keep her by my side when I fell into a coma, but for the rest of my life, I can’t let her down!” Bang! His brother, Lucas, had always been hot-tempered. “Do you know what you’re doing? It’s called using someone and then discarding them! It’s morally bankrupt! You want to have your cake and eat it too!” “Evelyn took care of you for five years. We all saw it. She’s an exceptional woman. And Olivia? She was selfish and reckless back then. After you fell into a coma because of her, she ran away!” “Now that you’re awake, she knows you’re her brother-in-law, yet she’s still flirting with you. You’re hurting a woman who truly loves you for someone like her. Do you have any principles left?” “Lucas, you can’t force love. I never wanted Evelyn to marry me in the first place. If I could, I wish she had never come into my life. Olivia’s reputation was ruined because of me. I need to give her a proper status.” The room fell silent. After a moment, Lucas spoke, his voice muffled: “What about Evelyn? If you and Olivia are so in love, why don’t you just divorce Evelyn and set her free?” “She took care of me for five years. If I don’t keep her around, it would look bad for Olivia if word got out.” “Lucas, I just love Olivia too much. I want to give her the best of everything. I know I’m wronging Evelyn, but I’ll divorce her slowly, so she won’t be too hurt. After the divorce, whatever compensation she wants, the Grant family can give her.” Hearing this, I could barely stand. It took all my strength to keep the medicine tray steady in my hands. But the heart-wrenching pain surged uncontrollably towards my throat. For five years, I had endured countless hardships, only to be told in the end that I was never wanted. Olivia merely had rumors of an affair with him and it was considered ruining her reputation. What about me, who had been married to him for five years? Could everything be erased with just a simple “you can’t force love”? I stepped back slowly. Scenes from the past years flashed through my mind like a slideshow. Originally, it was my half-sister Olivia who was engaged to Sebastian. But when Sebastian fell into a coma after a car accident, Olivia refused to marry him and suffer. My father, not wanting to offend the Grant family, had me marry Sebastian in her place. For five years, Sebastian’s mother made my life difficult countless times, but I endured it all. There were numerous times when Sebastian seemed like he wouldn’t make it, but I cared for him tirelessly, not only out of duty but also to repay him for standing up for me when I was bullied years ago. Finally, he slowly began to show signs of improvement. He would tightly grip my hand when his mother scolded me. He would smile when I read him news stories. In the end, he would only let me near him. If it was anyone else, he would frown. These reactions made me believe that after five years of care, he had finally developed feelings for me. When he woke up, he solemnly told me that since I had married him, he would only recognize me as his wife for the rest of his life. I believed him wholeheartedly, even when he asked me to give way to my half-sister at every turn, even when he gave Olivia million-dollar jewelry. When he explained to me that it was just out of gratitude, I believed it all. I thought he just couldn’t remember what happened during his illness. But he remembered everything, he knew everything. He just didn’t love me.
The argument inside the room grew more intense. Lucas left with a final “Don’t contact me anymore” and slammed the door. He came out so quickly that I didn’t have time to hide. He bumped into me, causing me to fall and spill the medicine all over the floor. “Evelyn, are you alright?” he asked, helping me up. I shook my head, and he sighed. “Evelyn, I’m sorry you’re being mistreated. Call me if you need anything.” He left quickly, without looking back. When Sebastian came out of the room and saw me, there was a flash of coldness in his eyes before he feigned concern. “Honey, why are you here? Are you hurt? Didn’t I tell you to wait for me in the bedroom?” I dodged his outstretched hand, leaving him frozen in place. If I hadn’t come, how would I have known that his affection was all an act, just to protect Olivia and trick me into a divorce? “Olivia called to hurry us back,” I said flatly. “Alright,” he replied. At the mention of Olivia, he didn’t pursue the matter further, only a barely noticeable hint of joy on his face. My heart ached for a moment, as if pierced by a needle. This pain intensified when I stepped into the Carter family home. Olivia threw herself into Sebastian’s arms like a bird returning to its nest. He didn’t reject her, instead taking out a sky-blue necklace worth nearly a million dollars that he had bought at an auction, and gave it to Olivia. Olivia joyfully put it on and turned to me with a smile. “Sister, you don’t mind that Sebastian bought me such an expensive necklace, do you?” “No, I don’t. The name of this necklace might not sound good, but it has a beautiful meaning.” Even if I turn my heart towards the bright moon, this necklace is called Bright Moon. The nearly million-dollar price tag bought not only the value of the item itself but also the story behind it. A brother-in-law courting his sister-in-law, and doing so in such a high-profile manner, truly shows his devotion. Thinking about the jewelry he had given her before, each one was full of meaning. I, with my romantic notions, really thought he had mistaken Olivia for the one who had cared for him for five years and was giving her gifts out of gratitude. A bitter smile involuntarily spread across my lips. I felt those five years were wasted. “That’s enough. It’s just a necklace. Do you have to be so sarcastic towards your sister?” my father’s face darkened. Even though I hadn’t said anything, he still thought I was bullying Olivia. “Olivia, that’s your brother-in-law. Why are you standing so close to him? Evelyn lost her mother early, you should be considerate of your sister, understand? Evelyn, don’t be angry. You know I’m on your side. I’ve always treated you like my own daughter, even more than Olivia. Even though Olivia was originally in the marriage agreement, since you married into the Grant family, I’ll make sure your sister acknowledges that!” My stepmother, as she had done since I was young, seemed to be speaking up for me with every word, but in reality, she was pushing me further into the fire with each sentence. She shot Olivia a look. Olivia immediately took off the necklace and returned it to Sebastian. Her eyes, looking up from below, were full of coy reluctance and grievance. “Sister, don’t be angry. I don’t want the gift anymore. Sebastian, here, take it back.” The way she called him “Sebastian” was filled with a thousand twists and turns. Sebastian’s face immediately darkened. The gentle gaze he had when looking at me turned incredibly cold. “Evelyn Carter, you’ve really been spoiled rotten! You married into the Grant family, it’s time you put aside your spoiled, unreasonable attitude!” “Olivia took care of me for five years. You’re my wife, you should be thanking her. Quickly apologize to Olivia and give the necklace back to her!” Spoiled? Ever since my mother passed away, I forgot what it meant to be spoiled. If they really cared about me, Then when Sebastian fell into a coma, I wouldn’t have been the one forcefully married into the Grant family in Olivia’s place.
Looking at their united front against me, I suddenly realized that I had always been the outsider in this family. With my father and stepmother, with Sebastian and Olivia. I was the only redundant one in this family. Even though they knew I had done so much, they just trampled on my sincerity and love over and over again, treating it like mud. They all loved Olivia, while I was just an eyesore to them. If that’s the case, then I’ll withdraw, permanently withdraw. Sebastian, as you wish, you don’t need to deceive me anymore. I’ll set you free. Swallowing back the hot tears in my eyes, I apologized softly. “Olivia, I’m sorry. This necklace should have been yours from the beginning.” “I’m going to pay respects to my mother now.” Sebastian, I’ve repaid your kindness. This is the last time I’ll give way to you. I turned and left, my chest burning with pain, but my hands and feet numb with cold. My heartbeat was like a drum, pounding inside me. “Evelyn Carter!” Sebastian’s voice was loud, but I didn’t turn back. He watched my departing figure, inexplicably feeling a moment of panic. My desolate silhouette made Sebastian want to rush forward and grab me. But he was held back by Olivia’s hand on his arm, and he suppressed that momentary panic. While they were happily discussing Olivia’s marriage prospects as a family, I was at my mother’s gravestone, dialing my lawyer’s number. “Hello, this is Evelyn Carter. Please prepare divorce papers for me. Also, help me cancel all my identity information.” After hanging up, I dialed another number. “Hello, can you arrange a fake death for me seven days from now?” Seven days later, I would disappear forever from Sebastian’s world. After completing all the arrangements, I returned to the villa late at night. The villa was empty. All day long, Sebastian hadn’t sent me a single message. He was always like this when he was with Olivia. Such obvious indifference, I had never noticed before. I didn’t have many possessions. After coming to the Grant family, I had even less. Packing up, there was only enough to fill a small suitcase. These personal items were mailed away. The rest were things I had bought for Sebastian to use. He hated me so much, he probably wouldn’t want to keep anything from me. I smashed those items one by one and threw them into the firepit. As the flames flickered, I looked at the house I had lived in for five years. There were no traces of me left inside. … Sebastian returned the next evening. I was in the study, finishing the last part of my manuscript. The competition three days later was very important to me, determining whether I could enter the company I aspired to join. When Sebastian came in, I didn’t notice. Instead, he stood behind me for a long time. “Evelyn, why didn’t you go back to your parents’ house after paying respects to your mother? Don’t you know how worried Mom and Dad were?” Sebastian’s sudden voice startled me. I put down my pen and looked at his questioning expression, finding it amusing. Calling my birth mother “your mother” but referring to my stepmother so intimately. Then again, it was never me he wanted to marry. “Didn’t it not affect you all? I won’t affect you in the future either.” I said with a hint of sarcasm. Sebastian immediately changed his expression. The gentleness and thoughtfulness that once intoxicated me now made my hair stand on end. “Evelyn, I just didn’t want you to misunderstand, that’s why I didn’t go back. Yesterday, I didn’t mean to scold you. It’s just that Olivia saved my life, so we should treat her better.” He knew I couldn’t resist his flirtation. Every time I got angry, he would just hug me, and I would be happy again. But this time, my gaze fell on his collar, where there was a long brown hair. He smelled of women’s perfume, making me nauseous. Last night, he must have spent it in Olivia’s bed. My brother-in-law and my half-sister, in my family home, were they really that impatient? My stomach churned. Fortunately, my phone rang just in time. I abruptly pushed Sebastian away and rushed out. The message on my phone was from my lawyer. [Ms. Carter, everything has been arranged according to your instructions. Six days from now, all your identity information will be completely erased. Wishing you a happy life.] “What did you arrange? Why are you canceling your identity information? What are you planning to do six days from now?” Sebastian grabbed my shoulder, his expression tense. I don’t know where his nervousness came from. I quickly dimmed my phone screen. “It’s just game identity information. I don’t want to continue playing anymore.” “Oh, by the way, six days later, I’m planning to give you a surprise.”
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