Before I could finish, Emily cut me off.

“I won’t let you talk about yourself like that. You’re my husband, Ethan. I promised to take care of you for life—and I never break a promise!”

Her expression was more serious than I’d ever seen.

In the past, I might’ve been touched to tears, even felt more guilt toward her.

But now, I could only sigh—what a convincing actress she was.

I took a slow breath and said,

“I know. I’ll wait for you.”

Then, using the excuse of having something to do, I left.

As always, Emily didn’t try to stop me.

All her friends dislike me. To them, I’m just a burden—a cripple who somehow ended up engaged to their shining star. None of them ever mentions that I became like this because I saved her life.

But I hadn’t walked far when I heard laughter from inside the room.

“Emily, did you see him limping just now? He looked like a penguin. Hilarious.”

“Good thing you’re in love with Ryan. I’d never be able to call someone like that my brother-in-law.”

“I’m not asking you to call him that. Just don’t let him find out. After all, he’s still Ryan’s so-called brother. I don’t want them to fight because of me.”

“Sure, I feel sorry for him. I delayed him for ten years. But I don’t regret it. Love doesn’t come with a right or wrong.”

I clenched my palm, nails digging into flesh—but that sting wasn’t even a fraction of what I felt in my chest.

Just then, a message alert pulled me out of my daze.

“I’m back in America. See you at the Department of Health and Human Services.”

I stared at the freshly printed marriage certificate in my hand. There was no joy, only emptiness.

A day ago, I still believed in the love between Emily and me. I never imagined that in just 24 hours, everything would collapse.

While I stood there in a daze, someone snatched the certificate from my hand.

“I’ll hold onto this. The old man wants to see it. I’ll finish all your paperwork for going abroad within three days. Just wait.”

Before I could react, Sophia Bennett had already turned and was walking away.

She was my childhood friend before I was taken back to the Carter family. Around the same time they found me, the Bennett family also found her.

But she had better luck. While my family had already adopted another boy in my absence, her family had never stopped looking.

When she left, she was worried I’d be bullied, so she made a promise to wait for me—for ten years.

I thought that promise would fade with time, never be used.

But who would’ve guessed it would come to this?

After Sophia left, I went back to the house Emily and I had shared.

As the things she’d given me were consumed by flames, my eyes stung.

If I hadn’t heard it myself, I would never have believed that she’d staged a decade-long performance.

While she was away, I entered her studies and opened the laptop she always guarded so closely.

I used Ryan’s birthday to unlock it. Then, I searched through everything—frantic, desperate.

Eventually, I found an encrypted folder.

Inside were thousands of photos—every single one of Ryan.

Each photo was dated and tagged with a description of her mood, capturing her obsession in painful detail.

I forced myself to look at every one of them, even as each image chipped away at my feelings for her.

With every click, my love faded—until finally, there was nothing left.

So all those times Emily said she was going abroad to find me the best doctors. It was all a lie.

She was just following him—watching him play, cheering him on.

At the very end of the folder, there was one more item: an audio file.

I clicked the file with trembling hands, and the calm I’d just regained shattered in an instant.

“Mr. Parker, everything’s in place. As long as Ryan shows up and is seen as the savior, even if Ethan is the rightful heir of the Carter family, you can still request to replace him with Ryan as the groom.”

“What were you thinking? Why did Ethan end up saving me? Don’t you realize I’ll never get rid of this burden now?”

...

No wonder Emily looked so shocked when I came to her rescue, frantically begging me not to act impulsively.

Who would’ve thought it wasn’t an accident at all—but a plan?

She had deliberately risked her life just to be with Ryan.

Even though I knew she didn’t love me, hearing this still tore me apart.

In the decade since my left leg was injured, no matter how many stares or whispers I endured, I never once regretted saving her.

She was the first person who had ever truly cared about me after I returned to the Carter family.

I saw her as the light in my life. I never imagined she had orchestrated my downfall.

And thinking back, I realized—through all these ten years of engagement, she never once said she loved me.

But none of it matters anymore. She’s married. I’m married.

Once Sophia returns, all of this will finally end.

That night, Emily didn’t come home.

Her secretary told me she had found another promising doctor and left in a hurry.

As expected, her call came at midnight.

“Ethan, I’ve arrived. This doctor’s really good—I believe he might be able to cure your leg.”

“Oh, and if you feel lonely since I’m not around, just go back to the Carter house, okay? Don’t show off too—”

Suddenly, fireworks exploded outside the window, drowning out the rest of her voice.

But through the video call, I clearly saw the fireworks spell out abbreviations—her love for Ryan, displayed in bright light.

I stared at her back, my hands trembling.

Emily, you’re lying to me again.

I couldn’t sleep at all that night.

The next morning, I was awakened by loud banging sounds from downstairs.

When I went to check, I was stunned by what I saw in the kitchen.

I had no idea when Emily came back—or that she wasn’t alone.

Ryan stood behind her, arms wrapped around her waist, watching her cook soup with a tender smile.

They talked and laughed. At one point, he even slipped his hand beneath her shirt while joking, a gesture far too intimate.

In front of me, she was always cold and distant.

We’d lived together for five years, but never once shared a bed.

She finally noticed me standing outside the kitchen.

Her eyes widened in panic, and the ladle in her hand slipped to the floor.

She quickly pushed Ryan away, but he awkwardly rubbed his hands against his clothes—the nervous habit he always had when lying.

“Ethan, why didn’t you go back to the Carter house?” she asked, her voice was overly casual.

“Don’t misunderstand—Ryan came back this morning without his keys. I just happened to bump into him at the airport, so I brought him home.”

“He was helping me cook soup earlier—I almost added sugar instead of salt. Thankfully, he caught it.”

“Since you’re here too, let’s eat breakfast together.”

At that, I couldn’t help but sneer inside.

No wonder she tried to convince me to return to Carter's house last night.

She just didn’t want me to interrupt their little private world.

And seriously, who needs to stick their hands into someone’s clothes to teach them how to cook?

Still, I had no interest in exposing her poorly crafted lies.

I’d already made up my mind to leave.

So I responded calmly,

“As a sister-in-law, you’re supposed to look after your brother.”

“Yes, Emily,” Ryan chimed in with a grin.

“Good thing you brought me back. I might’ve starved outside the Carter house if you hadn’t.”

Ryan spoke softly, his tone like that of a doting younger brother.

But when he said the word “you,” his eyes locked with Emily’s, and a subtle, unmistakable intimacy lingered between them.

It was as if they had completely forgotten I was still in the room.

I clenched my palm tightly, holding back the storm of questions inside me.

Suddenly, Ryan pulled a small box from his suitcase and handed it to me.

“Ethan, I picked this out carefully before I returned to America. Have a look—do you like it? If your leg hadn’t been injured, I wouldn’t have gotten the spot to study abroad. I’ve always felt guilty about that.”

A sneer tugged at the corner of my lips.

Is that really all you feel guilty about?

While I lost ten years, you lived in comfort under the Carter family’s roof, enjoying everything that was meant for me.

Even the woman I thought was my salvation—my fiancée—set me up just to hand you the life I was supposed to have.

Now I’ve become the obstacle between the two of you.

Seeing my hesitation, Emily took the box and pushed it into my hands.

“Take it. Ryan told me he missed you the most while he was overseas.”

“Yes, Ethan,” he added with a gentle smile. “I spent a lot of time picking it out. Please open it.”

Under their eager eyes, I slowly opened the box.

Inside was a marathon registration form.

The moment I saw it, a chill spread through my chest. I turned silently and began walking upstairs.

“Ethan, stop right there!”

“Ryan gave you a thoughtful gift, and this is how you act as a brother? Not even a thank you?”

I slowly turned back, my voice biting.

“How exactly should I thank him? To sign me up for a marathon so I can run on crutches? And what kind of brother am I to him, anyway? He’s not even a Carter by blood!”

“You—!”

Emily froze, speechless, a flicker of guilt crossing her face.

“Ryan… did you mix up the gifts? Your brother—”

Before she could finish, Ryan’s eyes filled with tears.

“Ethan, you misunderstood. That wasn’t my intention. I just thought you should go out more, not stay cooped up.”

“I know you’ve never liked me, thought I stole your parents’ love… Maybe I shouldn’t have come back. I’m sorry. I’ll leave.”

He wiped his tears and reached for his suitcase.

Seeing this, Emily’s expression shifted from reluctant to furious.

She grabbed the box from my hand and hurled it at me.

The corner of the box scraped my cheek, sharp pain spreading as I collapsed to the floor, unable to get up for a moment.

Emily stood over me, her voice cutting like ice.

“Still pretending to fall? Even Cathy Earnshaw wasn’t this delicate.”

Ryan rushed over, putting on a concerned face, and tried to help me up.

“Ethan, are you okay? It was just a box, why are you—”

I pushed myself up and shook off his hand.

“Spare me your concern.”

Seeing that I still refused to play along, Emily’s tone turned frigid.

“Fill out the registration form and apologize to Ryan!”

“No,” I said firmly.

“I wasn’t asking. That’s an order!”

“Ethan, do you still want me to marry you?”

I bit my lip and met her eyes.

“If you don’t want to marry me, then don’t!”

Hearing this, Emily shoved me back down, grabbed my hand, and forcibly pressed my fingerprint onto the form.

I struggled with everything I had, but the two of them dragged me straight to the competition venue—

All I could do was shout, helplessly, as the nightmare unfolded before me.