I was just pulled back from the brink of death. Before I could remember my own name, I became my sister’s blood bank. The man who dragged me from my hospital bed to drain my blood was the one who hated me most. My husband. Julian Vance. Amelia’s POV The sharp sting of antiseptic dragged me back to the land of the living. I blinked up at a blank, white ceiling. My left wrist was a clumsy bundle of bandages. I had no memory. My mind was a clean slate, wiped. Nothing remained. The door flew open. A middle-aged couple stood there, their expressions not of relief, but of profound irritation. “Creating another scene, Amelia? Have you no shame left?” The man sounded furious. The woman’s was a razor. “We never should have fetched you from that backwater village. If our Chloe had an ounce of your dramatics, she’d never let herself be victimized!” From their unveiled contempt, the outline of my life began to form. My name is Amelia. The Dawson family’s long-lost biological daughter. But in this house, I ranked far beneath the cherished adopted one, Chloe. I also had a husband, Julian. Three years ago, an incident led to me becoming his wife. It also made me the most unwelcome and inconvenient person in his eyes. Because his heart had always belonged to Chloe, never me. My father continued his cold sneer. “Stop using these tactics in the future. When have you ever succeeded? Even if something really happened, Julian wouldn’t spare you a glance.” My mother’s face was full of disdain. “I really don’t know what part of you, besides your bloodline, resembles a Dawson.” “Let’s go. Chloe needs us.” They turned and left, never once looking back at me. I lowered my head, touching the bandages on my wrist, and gave a self-deprecating laugh. Even with amnesia, it didn’t mean I couldn’t feel pain. I could only imagine how many times the past me had endured such neglect. My parents didn’t love me, and my husband didn’t love me either. I was superfluous. The next day, I discharged myself. As I stood by the hospital entrance in thin clothes, a black luxury car pulled up in front of me. The door opened, and Julian stepped out. He held a petite woman in his arms, his gaze incredibly tender as he looked down at her. His usually stern features softened. Whispers of curiosity and gasps of envy rippled through the onlookers. “Isn’t that Julian? Who’s the woman he’s holding?” “He’s so handsome! Finally seeing him in person today. I’m so jealous of the woman in his arms, being cherished like that. I’d die on the spot.” He rushed into the ER with her, brushing past me without a glance. I wasn’t even a blur in his periphery. Only then did it hit me. He was my husband. My husband in the eyes of the law. A bitter laugh escaped me. My husband wasn’t here to pick me up from the hospital, but he was accompanying another woman to the emergency room. Just as I turned to leave, hurried footsteps echoed behind me. Julian had returned, grabbing my wrist with a force that felt like it would shatter my bones. “Chloe is injured and needs a blood transfusion urgently.” He stared at me, his tone an undeniable command. “You have RH-negative blood. Come with me for a blood draw.” He roughly dragged me forward. I didn’t struggle, just looked at him calmly. My gaze seemed to irritate him. He impatiently unclasped his watch from his wrist, shoving it into my cold palm. He clearly expected tears or demands. “Here. Now leave.” His posture was like dismissing an object. I clutched the watch, a faint, almost imperceptible cold smile playing on my lips. “Not enough?” He frowned in displeasure. “Amelia, don’t be greedy.” I tucked the watch away, replying blandly. “How could it not be enough? Such an expensive watch is more than enough for a hundred blood draws.” He seemed to sense something was off, but only frowned, eventually saying nothing. In the blood draw room, the needle pierced my skin. Through the glass, I watched him by Chloe’s bedside, gently tucking her blanket in. The nurses’ hushed whispers drifted into my ears. “It’s her again. Mrs. Vance.” Their low voices carried. “Jumping off buildings, cutting her wrists. She just tried to get Mr. Vance’s attention.” “What’s the point? Mr. Vance only cares about Chloe. She’s just humiliating herself.” Their words stung like needles. So, this was how pathetic my past self had been. Amnesia, perhaps, was a blessing. Four hundred milliliters of blood later, my face was pale. I leaned against the wall and walked up to Julian. “Where do we live?” I asked. Julian’s face was full of mockery. “What, another trick of running away from home so I’ll go looking for you?” “I forgot, I really forgot.” I smiled faintly. “After all, I’ve lost so much blood, my brain isn’t working right.” He waved his hand impatiently. “I’ll have the driver take you back.” “Thank you.” I turned to leave, then paused, looking at him. “Are you coming home for dinner tonight? To celebrate my discharge.” “Celebrate?” His face instantly darkened. “Chloe is still in there. What’s there to celebrate? Are you that heartless?” “If you’re not coming back, fine.” My tone was calm. “I had a gift for you.” “Stop with these attempts to curry favor. I don’t need them.” He cut me off, turning to stride quickly towards Chloe. Did he really not need it? I lowered my head and smiled. He would need this “gift.” I pulled out my phone, found Mr. Henderson the lawyer’s name in my contacts, and called. “Mr. Henderson, please prepare two documents for me.” “One divorce agreement.” “And a parental rights termination statement.”
Amelia’s POV Mr. Henderson noted down my requests over the phone. After hanging up, the Vance family car arrived. I opened the car door and got in, telling the driver, “To the embassy.” “Yes, ma’am.” The driver paused, but was wise enough not to ask questions, turning the car around immediately. During my two days in the hospital, I had already scheduled my visa application appointment. All the documents were prepared, and the process was surprisingly smooth. I expected to receive it in about two weeks. Back in the car, I instructed the driver, “Don’t tell Julian about today.” The driver’s hands paused on the steering wheel, then he said softly, “Mr. Vance… he doesn’t like us mentioning you in front of him.” So, his aversion to me was so deep that he didn’t even want to hear my name. I simply hummed in acknowledgment. That was fine. It would make leaving even easier, with no strings attached. The car stopped in front of an imposing villa. This was where I had lived for three years. A huge wedding photo hung in the foyer. In the picture, my eyes were filled with love as I looked up at the man beside me. Julian, however, wore a cold expression, like an unapproachable iceberg. The stark contrast made me, the “mistress of the house,” feel incredibly superfluous. Back in the bedroom, I found an old phone tucked deep in a drawer. It contained only one encrypted memo app. It chronicled the past three years, detailing how I had been repeatedly neglected, ignored, and hurt by him. “March 7th. I brought him lunch; he said he wasn’t hungry. But then he took Chloe to a fancy French restaurant.” “May 20th. He claimed he was in an all-night meeting. Yet, Chloe’s Ins story showed him setting off fireworks for her.” “August 15th. Chloe had a fever. He abandoned me in the ER, sick, to stay by her side all night. I overheard him telling his assistant, ‘Forget her. She won’t die.’” “December 1st. I hurt myself again. Julian, what do I have to do for you to finally look at me?” … Line after line of text, like a dull knife, cut into my heart. I looked down at my wrist. The scars, long healed, now felt as if they were being torn open again, throbbing faintly. I suddenly felt a profound sorrow for my past self. How could anyone love someone so much they completely lost themselves? Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. Soon, I raised my hand and wiped them away fiercely. I put the old phone back in the deepest part of the drawer and closed it. As if sealing away that unbearable past. In the mirror, my face was pale but unusually calm. I looked at myself in the mirror and whispered. “It’s okay if no one loves you.” “From now on, you have to love yourself.” For the next two weeks, Julian didn’t come home once. No calls, no messages. It was as if I had never existed in that house. Until a phone call broke the brief silence.
Amelia’s POV On the other end of the line, my mother’s voice was full of unapologetic accusations. “Are you not even planning to show up for Chloe’s birthday party tonight?” Birthday? I was still struggling to remember when she impatiently barked her order. “No matter what your excuse, be there at 7 PM sharp!” With that, the phone was slammed down. I didn’t want to go. But then I thought, I was leaving soon anyway, so there was no need to cause more trouble at the last minute. So, I chose a black dress and had the driver take me to the birthday party venue. The entire venue had been booked out. Julian had specifically rented it for Chloe. When I arrived, the party was at its peak. The center of attention was Julian and Chloe, standing together. Chloe wore a designer pink gown, looking like a meticulously cared-for rose. Julian’s gaze remained fixed on her, never wavering. “I heard Julian personally planned the whole surprise for Chloe. Didn’t sleep for three days, they say.” Amidst the guests’ whispers, I watched Julian half-crouch, willingly adjusting Chloe’s gown. The smile on his face was a tenderness I had never seen before. That scene was like a silent knife. Suddenly, spotlights illuminated the stage. My father announced. “I’ve decided to transfer 60% of my company’s shares entirely to my daughter, Chloe!” The entire room erupted in whispers. The biological daughter gets nothing? The adopted one takes all? Eyes filled with scrutiny, pity, and schadenfreude all turned to me in the corner. But the real shock was yet to come. Julian led Chloe onto the stage, opening a velvet box. Inside was the Vance family heirloom ruby bracelet. “Isn’t that meant for the wife of the Vance family’s eldest grandson?” someone gasped. Julian clasped the ruby bracelet onto Chloe’s wrist. “Julian, this is too precious,” Chloe whispered, covering her mouth, then looked out at the audience timidly. “This should have been Amelia’s.” My mother immediately chimed in. “Amelia has Julian taking care of her, she doesn’t need these things. You’re frail, so it’s only right for you to have it.” Julian’s gaze swept across the room, as cold as ice. “If not for an accident three years ago, Chloe would be standing here by my side today. This bracelet is simply returned to its rightful owner.” That phrase, “returned to its rightful owner,” felt like a slap across my face. The guests’ snickers gnawed at my last shred of dignity like ants. I looked at the picture-perfect family on stage, at Chloe’s triumphant eyes and Julian’s merciless face. Even with amnesia, my heart felt no ripple. No heartache, no sadness, not even anger. I turned and quietly headed for the exit. “Look, Mrs. Vance is crying,” I heard someone whisper behind me. My steps didn’t falter as I walked into the restroom. The face in the mirror had no tears, serene like a deep ocean. It seemed that when a heart died, it truly stopped hurting. These people, these events, were now just an irrelevant past to me. I forced a smile at my reflection. Just a little longer. Once my visa was processed, I could finally leave.
Amelia’s POV I came out of the restroom and turned into a secluded garden balcony for some fresh air. The moment I stepped in, I froze. In the shadows, Julian had Chloe pressed against the wall, engaged in an intense kiss. “Julian… will Amelia be sad…” Chloe whimpered. “I think I saw her crying…” Julian released her, his thumb caressing her swollen lips. “Whether she’s sad or not, what does it have to do with me?” He looked at her, every word deliberate. “Chloe, you’ve always been the only one I love.” My face felt a little wet. I reached up to touch it and found tears. “Maybe my past self is mourning,” I thought. I left expressionlessly. Not long after returning to the ballroom, Chloe rushed over, agitated. “Amelia, the ruby bracelet Julian gave me is gone! Did you take it?” Her eyes were red. “Someone saw you were the only one who went near my seat!” My parents immediately rushed over. “Amelia, did you steal the bracelet?” My father demanded sternly. My mother slapped me hard across the face. “You’re humiliating our family! Hand it over now!” My cheek burned, and I looked at my so-called biological parents, feeling only absurdity. “I didn’t take it,” I defended myself. “Still lying!” My mother ordered the bodyguards, “Search her! Strip her if you have to, just find that necklace!” Two bodyguards roughly grabbed me. In the struggle, my dress ripped open, revealing a bare shoulder. The surrounding guests snickered. Just then, a bodyguard suddenly pulled the bracelet from my purse. “Found it!” Chloe, teary-eyed, took it, her face full of hurt. “Amelia, I know you’re upset. If you really wanted it, all you had to do was ask, why did you have to steal it?” Her words solidified my guilt. Julian slowly approached. He ignored everyone, his gaze a laser fixed on me. When he spoke, his voice was a honed blade, dripping with contempt. “Why steal it?” A sneering, contemptuous curve twisted his lips. “I never considered you my wife, didn’t you know that?” “Things that don’t belong to you, even if you steal them, will never truly be yours.” The ultimate humiliation drowned me. Just when everyone expected me to break down, I suddenly laughed. A soft laugh escaped me, and I watched Julian’s face tighten in response. I lifted my chin, meeting his glacial stare. “I didn’t steal it.” Then, holding his gaze, I poured every ounce of my being into three final words, a public decree for all to hear. “Julian, I don’t love you anymore.” “If I don’t love you, you’re nothing to me. Why would I steal that bracelet?”
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