I had been pretending to be good by Lucas Foster’s side for four years. Four years ago, when the video of Natalie Nelson killing my sister in a car accident was exposed, my boyfriend Charlie West hired a top lawyer for her, helping her clear her name. When I was left alone and helpless, it was Natalie’s stepbrother, Lucas Foster, who stepped up and chose justice over family ties. He found a lawyer for me, collected evidence and witness testimonies everywhere, and finally sent Natalie to prison. When the dust settled, Lucas proposed to me, and I agreed. But in our fourth year of marriage, I saw a birthday wish from Natalie in Lucas’s email. It was accompanied by a happy selfie of her on the beach. The date in the bottom right corner of the photo was yesterday. [Happy birthday, bro!] [Claire Hayes’s heart has been with me for four years now, with no adverse reactions. Thanks to you and Charlie, I’ve been given a new lease on life.] [It’s just a pity that you have to be forced to stay with Chloe to keep her from causing trouble.] Lucas’s reply was: [As long as you’re happy, I’m willing to do anything, sis.] After reading this, I smiled brightly. These three murderers still want happiness? After four years, their time is up!
I carefully recorded and saved this conversation between Lucas and Natalie as evidence, then quickly left Lucas’s study. Unexpectedly, as soon as I opened the study door, I ran into Lucas face to face. Lucas’s brow furrowed almost instantly: “What are you doing in my study?” In our four years of marriage, he had showered me with affection and even allowed me to work in the Foster family’s company, but he never let me near two places: his study at home and a specific room in his office at the company. Before he could finish speaking, I fearfully threw myself into his arms, choking back tears: “Lucas, I just had another nightmare. I dreamed of my sister covered in blood when she died. I was so scared, but I couldn’t find you anywhere, not even in your study…” The coldness in Lucas’s demeanor instantly melted away. He raised his hand to hold my waist, while his other hand gently patted my back to comfort me: “It’s okay, I’m here. Don’t be afraid.” “I know Claire’s death has been a constant pain for you all these years, but now that the culprit is behind bars, we should move on and live our lives well.” I trembled in his embrace, but my heart was filled with nothing but surging hatred. Lucas still didn’t know that I had long since discovered his involvement in my sister’s death, even though Natalie was the only apparent culprit on the surface. The reason Lucas chose to marry me was nothing more than an act to fool me. It was all to help his beloved stepsister Natalie escape legal punishment. Thinking of this, I fought back my nausea and cried even harder in his arms. Lucas put aside all his work and patiently comforted me for a long time, driven by guilt. After I had calmed down, he hesitantly spoke: “Honey, I need to tell you something… Natalie has been released from prison. She’s coming back tomorrow.” Seeing me freeze, he hurriedly added: “I shouldn’t be telling you this right now, but you know, she’s still related to me by family ties. Even though she committed a terrible crime, she has to come home. But I’m worried…” This usually decisive CEO’s voice grew softer as he spoke, filled with uncertainty. It was indeed cruel to ask the victim’s family to accept the return of the culprit. Especially since I was his wife. But I just wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes and smiled gently, without even furrowing my brow: “I understand your concerns. I’ll be fine.” I looked up and gently caressed his brow: “You’ve done so much for me, even choosing justice over family. I should let it go too.” Hearing this, Lucas’s hand on my back suddenly tightened, and he kissed my forehead. “Chloe, I’ll be good to you for the rest of my life.” I chuckled lightly and pushed him away: “Come on, we’re an old married couple now. Stop being so mushy.” “Since Natalie is out of prison, we should throw her a welcome party to ward off bad luck. Let me take care of it.” Lucas breathed a sigh of relief and hugged me tightly, but the guilt in his eyes deepened. “Chloe, my sweet Chloe, you’re so good. I’ll never let you go in this lifetime.” I leaned on his shoulder, smiling sarcastically. Is that so? Well, let me show you just how “good” I can be.
Over these four years, I wasn’t just the respected and beloved Mrs. Foster; I was also a valuable asset to Foster Enterprises. Many profitable business plans were my ideas, and I fought for many employee benefits as well. Two years ago, when Lucas said the company was facing difficulties and urgently needed to cooperate with West Corporation, I agreed. Charlie West was my ex-boyfriend, the one who abandoned me when I sought justice for my sister and instead hired a top lawyer for Natalie. But at that time, for the sake of Lucas’s company’s development, I reconciled with Charlie without batting an eye. Now, once again for Lucas’s sake, I proactively suggested throwing a welcome party for the murderer of my sister. How could he not be moved by such devotion? How could our friends and family who knew the situation not like someone like me? At the welcome party, the elite of Ocean City gathered. Natalie, dressed in a gorgeous red gown, entered gracefully on Charlie’s arm. Her composed demeanor and arrogant attitude didn’t resemble someone who had just been released from prison at all. Instead, she looked like she had just returned from a vacation abroad. Of course, she had indeed just returned from abroad, and Lucas had personally picked her up from the airport. Natalie immediately spotted Lucas standing beside me. She ran over and threw herself into Lucas’s arms. “Brother, I’ve missed you so much! I was wrongfully imprisoned for four years, but now we can finally see each other!” As she spoke, her eyes, filled with jealousy and hatred, darted towards me like daggers. She added in a spoiled tone, as if showing off: “This welcome party is so beautiful! Did you prepare all this for me, brother? I love it!” Lucas fondly ruffled her hair: “All of this was arranged by Chloe. Come, say hello to your sister-in-law.” The smile on Natalie’s face instantly froze. She turned her gaze to me, forcing out a fake smile and greeted me briefly. As the party officially began, Natalie flitted through the crowd like a social butterfly, her eloquent performance drawing bursts of laughter. But I could feel her gaze, seemingly present yet absent, closely following me. Finally, when Lucas went to the restroom, Natalie approached me. At the time, I was resting in a corner of the party. Without a word, she took a glass of red wine and splashed it on my face. “Oh my, I’m so sorry, sister-in-law! I wanted to come over and toast you, to thank you for preparing such a lavish party for me, but I accidentally spilled it on your face.” “Are you okay? Do you need me to help you clean up?” Despite her words, she just stood in front of me, smiling mockingly, showing no intention of helping me at all. I took out a handkerchief to wipe the water from my face, revealing a calm smile: “It’s alright. Go enjoy yourself. I’ll just wash up in a bit.” My nonchalant attitude seemed to ignite Natalie’s anger. She slammed the wine glass down on the nearby table, no longer trying to hide her malice towards me: “Chloe Hayes, what are you playing at, acting all magnanimous? Don’t think I don’t know your little tricks. Are you planning to act pitiful so my brother will sympathize with you? You’re way out of your league!” Her gaze shifted to something behind me, and she suddenly leaned close to my ear, smiling as she said: “Guess what? Do you think my brother would allow someone who maliciously bullies his sister to continue being his wife?” As she spoke, she raised her hand and slapped herself hard across the face, her eyes immediately brimming with tears. Lucas quickly rushed over to protect the seemingly faltering Natalie in his arms. “Natalie, what happened?” Natalie curled up pitifully in Lucas’s arms, her lips quivering as tears fell like broken strings of pearls. “I just wanted to come over and toast Chloe, but she called me shameless. She not only slapped me but also grabbed the wine from my hand and splashed it on her own face, trying to frame me for bullying her.” Lucas immediately looked at me, seeing the wine dripping down my face and staining my dress. “Brother, I don’t understand why Chloe is treating me like this. Is it still because of that car accident? But I really didn’t mean to, and I’ve already served four years in prison for it. Why won’t she let it go…” Lucas’s face quickly darkened, but not towards me. Instead, it was directed at Natalie.
He furrowed his brow and immediately let go of Natalie, sternly saying: “No one is to bring up that incident again. Why are you imagining all this?” Natalie’s lips parted slightly, looking at Lucas in disbelief. I stepped forward to intervene: “It’s okay, Lucas. Natalie probably didn’t mean it. I’m fine.” “Today is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let’s not ruin it over something so trivial.” Lucas’s face remained grim as he coldly led Natalie away. As the onlookers dispersed and the party continued, I secretly followed them. In a corner on the second floor, Natalie finally couldn’t hold back and shook off Lucas’s hand, complaining in a coquettish tone: “Brother, you’re hurting me! And why won’t you believe me? Why are you siding with an outsider instead?” Seeing Natalie’s aggrieved expression, Lucas let out a long sigh, his tone softening: “We both know the truth of what happened. Chloe has been through a lot too. You should let it go.” Natalie’s eyes widened, looking at Lucas as if she didn’t recognize him: “What are you saying? Brother, don’t tell me you actually think of Chloe as your real wife. You only married her to help me escape punishment!” “It’s been years since that incident, and I’ve served my fake sentence. It’s time for you to dump her!” Lucas shook his head, “We owe her too much. I’ve prepared myself to spend the rest of my life making it up to her.” But as he turned to leave, Natalie hugged him from behind: “I don’t believe it! Lucas, you like me, don’t you? We’re not blood-related. I know you love me, otherwise why would you do so much for me?” Lucas froze as if struck by her words. His hands trembled slightly. Finally, giving in to his desires, he turned around, cupped Natalie’s face, and kissed her fiercely. I silently stopped recording, saved the video, and left the second floor. When Lucas brought Natalie down from the second floor, the party was coming to an end. He couldn’t find me anywhere and only discovered me crying in the storage room when we got home. Hearing him open the door, I pretended not to notice and cried even harder. “Chloe!” Lucas rushed over to hug me, frowning as he spoke: “I was wondering where you’d disappeared to. What happened? Why are you crying like this?” I quickly turned my head away, hastily wiping away my tears with my sleeve before forcing a smile and facing him: “It’s nothing. I just twisted my ankle while tidying up earlier. I hid here because I was afraid you’d laugh at me…” Lucas stared at me, his eyes full of pity: “Chloe, don’t you know that your smile is the most forced when you’re lying? I can see right through it.” “I…” I nervously glanced away. He wiped away my unshed tears with his knuckle, “Tell me, why were you hiding here crying?” I bit my lip, holding back for a moment before hooking my arms around his neck and letting my sobs break free. “At the party, Natalie mentioned my sister. It made me think that if Claire were still alive, she’d be about Natalie’s age now…” “But I’ll never get to see her grow up.” As I mentioned my sister, a flash of panic crossed Lucas’s eyes, quickly replaced by guilt. His grip on my waist tightened as he said remorsefully: “It’s all my fault. I was so busy with the party that I neglected your feelings. Tell me, honey, what can I do to make you feel better?” I lowered my eyes and shook my head: “You don’t need to do anything. Just letting me see you often is enough.” “Lucas, can I come to your office more often from now on? I’ve been having nightmares lately, dreaming that you’ve left me. I… Could we have meals together and talk more? Maybe that would help.” Lucas frowned hesitantly. He had always avoided letting me into his office. Because in there, he kept many secrets he didn’t want me to know. I withdrew my arms, forcing a light laugh: “If you’re too busy, forget it. I was just thinking out loud.” “Lying again.” He gently tapped my forehead, smiling tenderly. “Of course I can fulfill such a small request.” I brightened visibly and kissed his cheek, “You’re the best, honey!” The look of delight on his face didn’t seem fake, a spark of fire dancing in his eyes. Lucas happily picked me up in his arms, and I nestled my face against his neck in feigned shyness. I almost couldn’t hide the disgust in my eyes…
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