On our seventh wedding anniversary, Ethan publicly slapped me in front of everyone. “It’s Olivia’s birthday, how dare you come here and ruin it?” he sneered. Looking at the mockery in his eyes, I knew he had intentionally invited me here to humiliate me. In the lively karaoke room, I was treated like a servant, ordered to select songs and open bottles of wine, watching my husband passionately kiss Olivia right in front of me. After the party, a drunk Ethan waited for me downstairs. “Who told you to disappear for 7 days without my permission? This is your punishment. If it happens again, get out of the Evans family!” “Be careful, or you’ll end up serving me for 7 years without getting a penny!” The farewell words suddenly caught in my throat. I clutched the critical condition notice in my hand, thought for a moment, and ultimately decided not to show it to him. “Realizing you’re old and unattractive, couldn’t find a rich husband, so you came crawling back?” Ethan mocked from the passenger seat as we drove home. “Rachel Wilson! You abandoned me for money back then, and came back when I became successful. This day was bound to come!” I gripped the steering wheel tightly, laughing bitterly. “Yes, I deserve this.” In the seven years of marriage to Ethan Evans, he constantly brought various girls home, being intimate with them right in front of me, taking pleasure in tormenting me. But I didn’t understand. Besides being his bedmate, I also had to be his housekeeper, assistant, and driver. He never gave me a penny, and that once young and beautiful girl was worn down to nothing for him. Why wouldn’t he believe that I was never with him for his money? I tilted my head back slightly, holding back the tears in my eyes. Ethan’s lazy voice sounded again: “Tell me, where did you go for those 7 days that I couldn’t contact you?” “The hospital.” “Hospital? Huh, which doctor have you set your sights on? You think these highly educated people can be easily manipulated like I was back then?” He lifted my chin, his eyes full of playfulness and mockery: “You old woman, don’t think you can seduce anyone anymore!” I bit my lip hard, but tears still fell uncontrollably. My heart, already riddled with holes, was torn apart once again, the pain unbearable. Ethan finally showed a satisfied smile, casually tossing a necklace at me. “Here, your anniversary gift.” I, who had endured all kinds of insults without complaint, suddenly started trembling uncontrollably at the sight of this first gift he had given me in 7 years. “What does this mean? Are you afraid I’ll give up on you and leave, so you’re deliberately giving me a bit of hope so you can continue to torment me?” “Ethan Evans, it’s been 7 years, haven’t you had enough revenge?” I don’t know if it was because I was too emotional, but I thought I saw a flash of pain in his eyes. But it quickly disappeared, replaced by a cold smile. “You’re overthinking it.” “For someone like you who’s here for money and won’t leave no matter how badly I treat you, why would I need to give you any sweetness?” I couldn’t say another word. Ever since Ethan first brought a girl home and took her to the bedroom in front of me, all explanations became meaningless. I just wanted to endure it, repay my debt, and then be free. Back home, Ethan roughly pushed me onto the bed. “Ethan Evans, this is the last time,” I silently thought to myself as I closed my eyes. I let him press me down without any emotion, as if venting. Whispering Olivia’s name.
Olivia Davis was the most popular starlet under Ethan’s management. In the past 7 years, countless girls had come and gone from his side, but Olivia was the only one who had stayed for 3 months. He bought her a house, gave her the best resources, perhaps developing feelings for her in the process of taking revenge on me. Everyone thought Olivia was his official girlfriend. No one knew that I was Ethan Evans’ wife. “That driver, Mr. Evans wants you to go over,” someone suddenly called out to me as I was waiting in the car for Ethan. He had come to the set to accompany Olivia, and when I arrived, they were filming a scene where the female lead falls into water. The autumn water was bone-chillingly cold. Olivia nestled in Ethan’s arms, her tearful eyes full of pampered happiness: “Ethan, I’m not strong…” Ethan immediately grasped her hand: “Don’t worry, that’s why I found a stand-in for you, right?” His gaze fell on me, and the staff all turned to look at me as well. They all smirked silently. Only the director dared to speak up: “Mr. Evans, I know you care about Olivia, but this scene is very important and can’t be done carelessly. How can we use some random servant as a stand-in?” “We might as well use one of the middle-aged extras.” I looked down at my shabby clothes, feeling embarrassed. But Ethan was confident: “Just put some makeup on her.” When I came out of the makeup room, everyone was shocked. “How can they look so alike?” “Looks like Mr. Evans really likes Olivia, even choosing a driver who looks like her…” With the makeup covering my sickly complexion and wrinkles, I finally showed a bit of my youthful appearance. They all thought I looked like Olivia, but no one knew that I had known Ethan for much longer than Olivia had. “What are you standing there for? Jump in quickly, don’t keep Olivia waiting!” Ethan ordered impatiently, his arm around Olivia. I walked to the edge of the pool and saw how deep it was, giving off wisps of cold air. My body, already terminally ill and near death, instinctively rejected it. “I’m not feeling well, Mr. Evans. You should find a professional actor.” “What nonsense? Finding someone else would take at least half an hour, and Olivia is waiting to finish shooting so we can go eat.” His gaze shifted to me, the warmth he showed Olivia instantly turning cold: “Are you going to jump? Or do I need to have someone push you in?” I shuddered deeply. Just his words made me feel like I was in an ice cellar, unable to breathe. I had endured this kind of treatment for 7 years, what’s one last time? Clenching my fists, I looked up at Ethan: “With this jump, we’ll be even.” He frowned: “What do you mean?” “Remember when I married you, I borrowed $130,000 from you?” “For these 7 years, I’ve been your assistant, your housekeeper, your driver, barely resting a day. Three salaries combined, you should have paid me at least $1,000 a month.” “And every time you slept with me, it was your initiative! Even if you think I’m cheap, it shouldn’t be less than $500 each time.” I took out the small notebook I always carried, everything recorded clearly! “This jump is risking my life, charging you $3,000 isn’t too much. After this, the $130,000 is fully repaid. Ethan Evans, I don’t owe you anything anymore!” Without waiting for Ethan’s response, I dove deep into the pool. The icy water instantly engulfed me, eroding my consciousness and my already fading life. But I didn’t struggle, feeling only the relief of liberation, letting my body sink gradually. Just as I was about to drown, a familiar figure hugged me and brought me to the shore. “Rachel Wilson, are you crazy?” “Do you know you could have really died if the rescue wasn’t in time?!” Looking at Ethan’s panicked and angry face, I smiled. “You hate me so much, wouldn’t my death be exactly what you want?”
They didn’t understand why Ethan cared so much about me, a mere driver, giving me CPR and carrying me to the car. Olivia even seemed a bit jealous. She followed Ethan with red eyes: “Can’t you let someone else take her to the hospital? Ethan, you promised to have dinner with me.” Ethan, who usually gave in to her every demand, hesitated for a moment: “She’s my employee after all, I can’t let anything happen to her.” He held me tightly and quickened his pace. The warm, familiar chest suddenly took me back to 10 years ago. We had just graduated from college then, living in a damp basement apartment in the suburbs. The cold, damp environment made me sick all winter. Once I had a severe fever, becoming delirious. The snow on the road was knee-deep, and we couldn’t get a taxi. Ethan carried me like this, running from the suburbs to the hospital 7 kilometers away, without stopping once. He was exhausted to the point of collapse, his clothes soaked through with snow and sweat, but he still managed to buy me a baked sweet potato, watching over me with tearful eyes. “Don’t be afraid, Rachel, don’t be afraid, I’m here.” “Can you say something?” “Rachel, please don’t scare me…” He cried out in fear, looking like he couldn’t live without me. But later, I still left him. When he finally found me, regardless of the consequences, he discovered I was already with a rich young man. So is it because he loved too deeply that he now hates so fiercely? Hating to the point of tormenting me for 7 years and still not being satisfied. “You’re so afraid of me dying, do you want to torment me for a lifetime?” I laughed, with both relief and bitterness: “But you can’t have your way anymore. Ethan Evans, I have a terminal illness, with only 3 months left to live.” As I finished speaking, Ethan’s footsteps suddenly stopped. “Terminal illness?” He murmured hoarsely, then suddenly let go, letting me fall hard to the ground. The concern and pain in his eyes disappeared, leaving only pure coldness. He laughed sarcastically, as if he had seen through me: “How could you suddenly get a terminal illness? Is this the new trick you’ve come up with after 7 years of endurance?” “Finding that pretending to be obedient and caring about me didn’t work, so now you’re settling accounts with me, trying to make me feel sorry for you before bringing up the terminal illness, to trick me into giving you money?” “What a pity, Rachel Wilson! I was actually starting to soften towards you. If you had endured a bit longer, you might have succeeded. But you were too impatient!” He laughed louder and more wildly. He stared down at me, wanting to see defeat and regret on my face. But he saw nothing, only indifference and calmness after a heart has died. “Hmph, let’s see how long you can keep up this act!” He strode past me, putting on a smile to hold Olivia’s hand. The girl was confused by Ethan’s previous words, already suspecting the nature of our relationship. But before she could figure it out, Ethan had deeply kissed her lips. “Didn’t you say we were going to eat? What are you standing there for, get in the car.” Olivia’s eyes brightened again, and she obediently got in the car. I didn’t even have the energy to feel heartbroken anymore. My whole body felt like it had been shattered, and I could barely crawl to the back seat of the car, gritting my teeth. As I opened the car door to get in, Ethan roughly pushed me away. “What are you getting in for? Didn’t you hear I’m taking Olivia out?” “Take a taxi to the hospital yourself!” I stood there stunned, watching Ethan gently help another woman into the car in endless pain and despair, leaving me behind. An autumn wind blew by. The bone-chilling cold triggered my illness, every inch of flesh feeling like it was being torn apart. The pain made me cry. I waved at the disappearing car. “Goodbye, Ethan Evans.” “Never see you again.”
I didn’t go to the hospital. After taking some painkillers, I went home to pack my luggage. In the huge mansion, my belongings only filled one small suitcase. All the clothes inside were bought when I first came, not a single new piece added in 7 years, all faded and as pale as my sickly complexion. Ironically, there were 10 housekeepers in the mansion. Only I, the legal wife, had to work without a moment’s rest every day, worn to skin and bones. Just because Ethan didn’t want me to have any free time, didn’t want to see even a hint of happiness or relaxation on my face. “Phew~” I let out a long sigh, quickening my pace to leave with the broken suitcase. I was finally going to be free. “Where are you going?” “Found that playing pitiful didn’t work, so now you’re pulling the running away trick?” I slowed down, blocked by Ethan in the courtyard. The suffocating feeling came back, and I couldn’t be bothered to say another word, trying to walk around him. But he grabbed my arm. “Don’t touch me!” I violently shook off his hand, turning to glare at him: “I told you, I’ve paid back what I owed you. From now on, you’re not allowed to touch me again!” “Heh.” Ethan chuckled: “Rachel Wilson, I’ve seen this retreat to advance trick played out in the business world. You think I’m still that naive boy from back then? So easy to fool?” I had heard similar words countless times over these 7 years. But I still couldn’t become immune to them. My heart felt bitter, unable to say a word. “Alright, stop pretending. Considering you disappeared for 7 days and came back looking all sickly, and even deliberately jumped in the water trying to drown yourself, putting in so much effort, I’ll let you have your way just this once.” He took out a stack of bills from his bag, throwing them at my feet with a playful look, as if giving alms. “Pick it up and say ‘thank you, husband’, and I’ll give you a few more thousand.” Looking at the man I had shared a bed with for 7 years, his eyes not hiding their mockery at all, I thought I would feel pain, but I didn’t. At that moment, I truly understood what it meant for a heart to die. I met his gaze directly, finally able to calmly ask the question that had puzzled me for 7 years: “Ethan Evans, if money was all I cared about, if I married you just for your family fortune, why did I endure for 7 years without hope and not leave? Why didn’t I find other rich men while I was still young, instead of wasting away here with you?” “Whether you believe it or not, Ethan Evans, my feelings for you were always genuine.” But that was in the past. After saying this, the knot in my heart slowly dissipated. Not waiting for his response, I continued to leave with my suitcase. “Rachel Wilson! If it wasn’t for my money, what was it for?” “You left me when I was poorest, then came back when my company went public. How can you say your feelings were genuine?” Ethan’s angry shouts came from behind. I couldn’t be bothered to say more, quickening my pace. He suddenly chased after me, grabbing my hair and pulling me to the ground. “I’m asking you a question, why are you running? Answer me!” His eyes were red with anger, out of control. But I no longer had the energy to guess why he was angry. My already unstable condition was triggered again, and I curled up on the ground, shaking with pain, unable to control it even while gritting my teeth. “Get up, stop pretending!” “How could a fall hurt you this badly?” Seeing my face growing paler, my forehead covered in cold sweat, not seeming to be an act, Ethan finally panicked, crouching down to try and pick me up. “Get away!” I pushed him away with all my strength, crawling towards my suitcase with difficulty. Like a clumsy but determined snail, desperately trying to escape this place. “Alright, alright, I give up. Rachel, we can talk about anything you want, but let’s go to the hospital first, okay?” Ethan’s voice trembled slightly, his movements much gentler as he carefully tried to help me up. I would rather die than let him touch me again! In the struggle, the old suitcase accidentally tipped over, its fragile plastic shell shattering and revealing the medical diagnosis on top. Ethan saw it and immediately grabbed it. The world was silent for two seconds. Then his hoarse, trembling voice, full of fear, sounded again. “Rachel… you really have cancer?” “If it’s true, why didn’t you show me earlier?”
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