Chapter 1
822words
"Olivia, you must marry the Blackwood heir. This is what you owe our family!"
"I will."
The line went silent.
"What did you say?"
I understood her shock.
Everyone in the city knew how much I loved Ethan. For him, I had sacrificed everything. I had refused my stepmother's marriage arrangements countless times.
She clearly never expected me to agree to marry a man in a vegetative state.
"I said I will," I repeated, my voice eerily calm.
After confirming I was serious, she quickly warned: "The wedding is in four weeks. The contract is already signed. If you back out—"
"I won't change my mind."
I hung up and turned toward the window. Rain slid down the glass like the tears I couldn't shed.
I clicked on the trending news.
The internet had exploded.
Ethan and Sophia's wedding video dominated every social platform. They exchanged vows. Friends cheered. Everyone congratulated them.
Everyone except me.
Because Ethan was my boyfriend. For four years.
I turned off my phone and closed my eyes. Four years of memories flooded back.
Our first date. He was just a poor boy with dreams then, the illegitimate son of a wealthy family, rejected by his own father.
We shared a slice of cake in a cheap café, ambition gleaming in his eyes.
"One day," he said, "I'll make them regret not acknowledging me."
I believed him. With all my heart.
Then came the hard days. During the early stages of his startup, we lived in a leaky apartment. I worked three jobs to support him while he worked day and night building his tech empire.
I thought we were a team.
I thought we would reach the finish line together.
I opened my eyes, watching the rain outside.
Today was my birthday.
I was twenty-eight, penniless, and heartbroken.
And Ethan was on a honeymoon yacht with my stepsister Sophia.
My phone vibrated again. A text from Ethan:
"We need to talk. Where are you?"
I didn't reply.
Instead, I dialed the number my stepmother had given me.
"Tell me more about this Blackwood heir."
My stepmother's voice suddenly became enthusiastic: "Alexander Blackwood, 32, sole heir to the Blackwood Group. Car accident two years ago, now in a vegetative state. They need a wife in name to stabilize shareholder confidence."
"Why me?"
"Because you have no family background, no complicated relationships, and..." she paused, "you're pretty, well-mannered. They need someone who can appear decent in public."
I smiled bitterly. So in my stepmother's eyes, my only value was being able to stand decently beside a man in a vegetative state.
"I need to meet his family."
"Tomorrow at ten AM, Blackwood Mansion. I'll send you the address."
I hung up and walked to the bathroom.
The woman in the mirror had red, swollen eyes and a pale face. I removed my clothes, looking at the scar on my ribs—a permanent reminder of the money I raised for Ethan's treatment.
He was just finding his footing then, and the company needed crucial investment. I sold blood, even participated in drug trials. That experiment went wrong, and I nearly lost my life.
Ethan knelt by my hospital bed then, tears streaming down his face.
"I will never forget what you've done for me," he said. "I'll spend the rest of my life repaying you."
What a laughable promise.
I put on my nightgown and walked to the bedroom. On the nightstand was a photograph—Ethan and me on the day his company successfully went public. His arm around my shoulders, both of us smiling so happily.
I picked up the photo, my fingers gently tracing his face.
Then I threw the photo in the trash.
My phone vibrated once more. This time a news alert:
"Tech Tycoon Ethan Reed Marries Childhood Sweetheart Sophia: A Fairytale Romance"
I opened the article, forcing myself to read every word.
The article called them "a match made in heaven." It said Sophia had a terminal illness with only six months to live, and Ethan "bravely chose to spend her final days with her."
Such a touching story.
Except they forgot to mention one thing: Ethan had been with me for four years.
I scrolled through the screen, looking at wedding photos. Sophia was beautiful, Ethan handsome.
Then I saw it.
The pendant hanging around Sophia's neck.
My pendant.
The only thing my parents left me.
The pendant I sold to raise money for Ethan.
He had promised to find it and return it to me on my birthday.
And now, it hung around my stepsister's neck.
In that moment, my heart died completely.
I turned off my phone, lay on the bed, and stared at the ceiling.
Tomorrow, I would meet a man in a vegetative state and his family.
But before that, I had one thing left to do.
