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.

“Emily, I won’t do it!” I shouted, feeling like a clown under everyone’s gaze and ridicule.

I gave up struggling. From daylight to nightfall, I walked—

Even when my heels were blistered and blood soaked through my socks and shoes, I didn’t stop.

Finally, facing the empty finish line, I said just one thing:

“Emily, I’m here.”

The moment those words left my mouth, I collapsed.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in bed back in the bedroom.

Emily and Ryan were already gone.

It wasn’t until the next afternoon that I finally received a message from her:

“I’ve taken Ryan back to the Carter family. They’re throwing a celebration tonight to welcome him home. Don’t be late!”

I had no intention of going.

But after the phone rang endlessly, I gave in and headed out.

The moment I stepped through the door, my parents greeted me with cold faces and disapproval.

“Ryan brought you a gift as soon as he returned yesterday. And you didn’t even return the gesture? Do you have no manners at all?”

The guests nearby joined in, shooting disdainful looks my way.

“Isn’t that the Carter family’s eldest son? He really thinks blood ties are enough to carry him through.”

“If it weren’t for the Parker family marriage, who would care about a cripple like him?”

“He’s been back for ten years and still acts like he came from some lowly background. Thankfully, the Carter family adopted Ryan—at least now, someone can hold things together. Depending on a cripple? What a joke.”

Just as the insults faded, Ryan appeared, dressed in an elegant custom-made suit.

He clutched our parents’ hands lovingly and scolded the crowd in feigned anger:

“Anyone who doesn’t respect our family isn’t welcome here.”

“And without Ethan, I wouldn’t even be part of this family. He’s already been through so much because of his injury—I won’t allow anyone to speak ill of him!”

Then, turning to me with exaggerated concern, he added,

“But Ethan, why are you so late? If the gift I gave you wasn’t enough, I’ll give you everything I’ve earned abroad. Just please, don’t push me away. Let me stay until I repay our parents’ kindness.”

Ryan always did this.

Every time, he made it seem like he was defending me—

But in the end, it only left me more humiliated.

This time was no different.

His words reignited the gossip that had just quieted.

Everyone stared at me with renewed scorn and judgment.

“Ethan, there you are. Come on in, the banquet’s about to start.”

Emily appeared beside me and grabbed my hand tightly.

Her touch looked like comfort—

But her presence only made Ryan’s narrative feel more real.

Inside the grand hall, I sat alone in a corner.

Around Ryan, people gathered, showering him with praise for his “gratitude” and early success overseas.

My parents and Emily wore proud smiles, ones they’d never once shown me—

Not even before my leg was ruined.

I had poured myself into winning that project, only to be told I was vain and lacked the composure expected of a wealthy heir.

Now, another man basked in the spotlight that should have been mine.

It was all absurd.

Just then, a call from Sophia jolted me from the suffocating scene.

I stepped away to a corner to answer.

But before I could speak, I heard Ryan’s mocking voice behind me.

“Ethan, you must be really hurting.”

“You’re the real heir of the Carter family, and yet you still lost to me, the adopted son!”

“I should thank you. If you hadn’t gone missing, I’d never have had the chance to join the Carter family—or meet Emily.”

I turned and looked at him with a blank stare.

Then I smiled coldly and said—