My stepmother, drunk and reckless, had crashed into me when I was seven months pregnant, leaving me unconscious and helpless.

When I finally woke, I slowly realized that the car accident had stolen far more than just my child.

During the five years I lay in a coma, Andrius Velasquez poured all his love into my stepsister, Trisha Castillo.

He tore down the grape trellis we had built together. He replanted the garden with lavender, just so she could sleep peacefully.

He gave her the only keepsake my mother had left me, fully aware that my mother had fallen into despair and eventually suicide because my father had cheated with my stepmother, resulting in Trisha’s birth.

To help her secure advanced study opportunities, he even signed my research under her name.

Andrius had said it was because he missed me so much that he treated Trisha as my substitute.

I believed him. I forgave him.

Until one kidnapping shattered the illusion and forced me to see everything clearly.

Trisha lowered her eyes, and her voice trembled with jealousy. “Had your child been delivered by cesarean in time, she might have survived. Why did you have to come to me?”

“It was a girl,” Andrius replied coldly. “Even if she had lived, it would have changed nothing. I only married Maxine to use her womb and satisfy the family. Besides…”

He leaned closer, lips brushing hers possessively. “Doesn’t she look a lot like you? Trisha, the one I’ve loved has always been you.”

The kidnapper cut the surveillance feed and tipped my chin with his blade.

“Back then, you threw away five years of love, only to choose a beast like him.” His sneer deepened. “Tell me, dear sister-in-law, do you regret it?”

Tears slipped onto the cold steel, but my voice stayed firm. “No matter what you want, I’ll agree… but on one condition.”

“Say it.”

“Destroy Andrius for me.”

…

I had barely stepped through the door to put down my things when my world went dark. A crushing weight slammed into my chest, cold sweat sliding down my back. The door burst open, and heavy footsteps closed in, each one pounding like a drum of doom.

“Maxine Castillo!” Andrius’s voice thundered, low and furious.

He crossed the room in long strides and yanked my wrist into his grip. “Why did you send that message to Trisha?”

I swallowed the ache and met his gaze, my voice flat. “What message?”

His tone grew harsher, full of disgust. “Still pretending? Fine, I’ll read it aloud.”

He raised his phone, his words like knives as he recited, “You and your mother are both sluts, seducing men like shameless trash!”

“Your mother deserved that car accident, and you should have burned with her!”

His voice was cold as he said, “Maxine, how could you be so vicious?”

“I didn’t! Andrius, I swear I never….” My limbs went numb, strength draining from me, and I collapsed against him, powerless.

“Enough!” He shoved me hard, my back slamming into the wall as pain convulsed through my heart, leaving me breathless.

In the next moment, Andrius’s hand closed around my neck. The grip wasn’t crushing, but in my fragile state, every breath became a struggle.

“I told you I’ve already cut ties with her. Why did you still have to provoke her? Do you know how much she cried?”

Pain spread through my chest like countless fine needles, radiating from my heart to every limb. I clawed weakly at his hand, trying to speak, but only a broken rasp slipped out.

“I… don’t feel well… Andrius…”

My words were drowned out by the sudden ringing of his phone. He answered, his expression turning even darker.

His hand tightened around my throat, his voice dripping with cold hatred. “Trisha slit her wrists! Maxine, if anything happens to her, I’ll never forgive you!”

“Andrius… take me… to the hospital…” I tried to beg, but my voice was fading, and he didn’t hear me at all.

He released me without a backward glance, vanishing faster than he had appeared.

I crumpled to the floor, my body weak, white blankness swallowing my vision. The tearing pain in my chest felt as if it would rip me apart.

Andrius didn’t care about me. In his heart, there was only Trisha.

Before darkness claimed me completely, I whispered with trembling lips. “Andrius… one month from now… You will regret this.”

It was the housemaid who finally rushed me to the hospital.

“Stress-induced cardiomyopathy… or ‘broken heart syndrome,’ usually follows sudden, severe emotional trauma.” The doctor’s expression was grave. “Did something happen to you?”

Thinking of today’s truth and the sight of Andrius’s departing back, a bitter, self-mocking smile tugged at my lips.

“If you don’t want to say, that’s fine,” the doctor sighed. “But you must undergo surgery immediately, and a family member needs to sign.”

I tried calling Andrius, but every call was declined.

The doctor’s gaze softened. “Can you reach any other relatives?”

I shook my head. After my mother died, my father had abandoned me completely. In all of Batesville, the only person who could sign for me was Andrius.

“Can we….”

Just then, my phone rang. The word Husband flashed on the screen.

With trembling hands, I hurried to answer.

The moment the call connected, Andrius’s impatient voice cut in, instantly crushing the small spark of hope in my heart.

“Calling nonstop… what do you want now?”

I swallowed the pain in my chest, forcing out a whisper. “Andrius… I’m at the hos…”

“Andrius, don’t be like that,” Trisha’s soft, coy voice interrupted. “Sister called you so many times… she must have something urgent. Talk to her properly.”

His tone turned colder, merciless. “What urgent matter could she have? After everything she’s done… maybe it’s just karma. Is she dying now?”

Each word cut into me like a blunt knife, twisting deeper with every word. My fingers clutched the hospital gown, knuckles pale from the strain.

Tears spilled uncontrollably as I choked out, “Andrius… I need surgery… I need your signature…”

“Stop making trouble,” he snapped, paying no attention to my pleas. “I don’t have time for your little tantrums. I’ll be with Trisha these days, don’t disturb us again.”

“If you dare interfere again, I will never forgive you!”

With a sharp beep, the call ended. When I tried calling again, only the cold, indifferent tone greeted me.

I was blocked.

Tears fell freely onto the blue-and-white hospital gown, leaving dark, stubborn stains.

Andrius hadn’t always been like this.

One night, when sudden stomach pain had wracked me, he had driven like a man possessed, running through red lights to get me to the hospital.

While I lay hooked to an IV, he held my hand, his voice trembling with guilt. “It’s my fault… I didn’t take care of you… That’s why you’re suffering like this.”

Afterward, he had learned to make every kind of nourishing soup, ladling each bowl himself and placing it by my hand.

“Drink some soup first, Maxine. I don’t ever want to see you in pain again.”

But now, lying in pain that felt as if death was brushing close, he couldn’t even spare me a single glance.

I should have woken up long ago.

Wiping away my tears, I whispered softly, “Can I sign it myself?”

The doctor, who had witnessed everything, nodded and patted my shoulder, his eyes full of pity.

Finally, the surgery was carried out.

When I woke, someone was sitting quietly at my bedside.

“You’re awake! Sister.”

Trisha sat there in a hospital gown, gauze wrapped around her wrist, light makeup softening her fragile features. She looked delicate, almost ethereal.

“I heard there was some pitiful wretch here who had surgery with no one to sign for her, so I came to watch the fun. Didn’t expect it to be you!”

I ignored her, my gaze instinctively drifting toward the door.

“Looking for Andrius?” She lifted a smug smile. “I wanted pasta from that shop in the east of the city. He worried they’d go cold, so he personally brought the old lady here to cook them for me. Right now, he’s at the hotel next door, overseeing her every move, all for me!”

I closed my eyes, my heart still throbbing painfully after the surgery.

I had once loved that pasta too.

After I became pregnant, one night I craved it unexpectedly. Without hesitation, Andrius had driven off to get it, paying the owner an outrageous sum to wake up, wrap fifty fresh pasta, cook them, and bring them straight back.

“As long as my Maxine wants something, I will give it to you with all my heart.” He had watched me eat, smiling more joyfully than I ever felt. “It’s only you. In this lifetime, I could never be so devoted to anyone else.”

He hadn’t lied; he truly had never treated anyone else like he treated me.

He had only treated Trisha even more indulgently.

Just then, a nurse entered. “Miss Castillo!”

Both Trisha and I turned, our eyes following her.

The nurse paused, startled for a moment, then realized. “Oh, right… You both have the surname, Castillo. So you know each other!”

Her gaze swept over Trisha and me, lingering for a second before she smiled. “You even look a little alike. Are you sisters?”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I asked softly, “Is there something you need from me?”

The nurse smiled again. “No, I’m looking for this Miss Castillo.”

She turned to Trisha. “Mr. Velasquez has come back. He’s looking all over for you.”

“Is that so?” Trisha’s eyes sparkled as she gave me a proud glance. “Was he very worried?”

The nurse’s expression softened with envy. “Of course! He said your injury hasn’t healed yet. How could you be running around? He was so anxious!”

“If you ask me, it’s just your wrist, nothing serious, but he worries far too much! Miss Castillo, you’re really lucky. Your boyfriend is handsome and rich and dotes on you endlessly!”

Trisha’s face lit up with delight as she listened, glancing at me once more. After showing off her joy, she said, “I must get back quickly!”

Once she departed, the nurse remembered my own plight, surgery with no one to sign. A flicker of unease passed over her face, and she smiled awkwardly. “Miss Castillo, your surgery was very successful. Rest well, and when you recover, you’ll find a love like his, too.”

Her words, meant to soothe, only made my heart ache more. I forced a faint smile, tasting the bitterness behind it.

Trisha stayed in the hospital for three days, becoming the focus of everyone’s attention.

Andrius had reserved the entire VIP floor for her, bringing in a dedicated medical team to attend to her every need.

In addition to that day’s pasta, he had a Michelin chef on call 24 hours a day at a nearby hotel.

Every day, fresh lavender was delivered by air to scent the hallways, so she could sleep surrounded by the fragrance she adored.

In the hospital, some whispered with envy, while others rolled their eyes behind her back.

“That wrist wound? Barely a scratch. She acts like she had open-heart surgery!”

I stayed silent, my hand pressing against the left side of my chest. The one who had truly undergone heart surgery lay in an ordinary ward, unnoticed and unseen.

A week later, I was discharged and returned home alone.

In the living room, two figures sat on the sofa, Andrius, with Trisha perched on his lap.

When she saw me, Trisha pretended to protest, nudging him playfully. “Let go of me! Sister’s back!”

Andrius only pinched her cheek, gave her a light pat on the hip, and then let her stand.

When his gaze shifted to me, it was cold and detached. “So, you finally decided to come back?”

I turned to the servant nearby. “Tell sir where I’ve been these past few days.”

Before the servant could speak, Andrius cut in, his tone impatient. “No need. You just ran off, throwing a tantrum. I told you, I don’t have time for your moods. Since you’re back, go tidy up the room. The master bedroom faces the garden; it’s perfect for Trisha’s pregnancy.”

Trisha was pregnant.

I looked at her, and she rested a hand on her belly, a bright, carefree smile on her face. “Sorry, sister. I’ll be troubling you for a while.”

Andrius added casually, “You’ve been pregnant before; you can take care of Trisha.”

I remembered the truth I had learned that day, my child could have lived, but because she was a girl and therefore useless, Andrius had stripped her of the right to be born. And now, he expected me to care for his child with Trisha.

I stood frozen, my fingertips digging into my palms, the bitter taste of iron rising in my throat. Yet outwardly, my voice stayed calm.

“Alright.”