Love Comes Freely, Cherish Every Encounter

After my mother and stepfather died in the fire, my stepfather's brother, Timothy Wallace, took me in.

To look after me, he turned down all romantic advances from women.

One night at a party, we both got drunk and ended up sleeping together, which led to my pregnancy.

Thinking about the surprise he had bought at the auction, I could hardly wait to get home and reveal it to him.

However, when I entered the room, I found the floor in a mess, a clear sign that he and a woman had just had sex.

As I looked at the woman's face, which bore a striking resemblance to mine, I stumbled back in disbelief.

Timothy halted me while cleaning up, saying, "Ophelia, go grab some groceries to entertain our guest."

Enduring the pain, I got up and left to buy groceries. Timothy then requested that I prepare a meal tailored to the woman's taste.

Kaylee Gibson surveyed the table overflowing with food, her expression rife with hostility.

"Timothy, where did you find my substitute? She’s so domestic! But I’m allergic to seafood!" she pouted.

Timothy shot me a glare. "I just asked you to cook once. Are you doing this on purpose? Move to the Wallace Manor after dinner!"

I left and never came back.

——

Timothy wrapped his arms around Kaylee, slammed the door, and left, leaving behind a table laden with dishes—most of which weren’t seafood.

He’d never mentioned that Kaylee was allergic.

It was all just an excuse to get rid of me.

After dinner, I packed my things. A small suitcase was all I had left.

On my way to the Wallace Manor, I unexpectedly had a car accident.

My car was struck by a speeding vehicle and flipped into a ditch.

As I lay in a pool of blood, I couldn’t believe the speeding car belonged to Timothy.

Pain surged through my stomach as blood poured from my lower body, quickly soaking my dress.

Out of habit, I dialed Timothy’s number, but after numerous attempts, there was no answer.

When I finally reached him, his voice thundered, "Ophelia Marshall! How dare you call me? If anything happens to Kaylee, I won’t let you off the hook!"

After the call was cut, I lost consciousness.

When I woke up in the hospital, the doctor sighed and informed me that due to severe abdominal trauma, my baby was gone, and my uterus had to be removed because of heavy bleeding.

"I couldn’t reach your emergency contact. had to operate immediately," he explained.

I smiled weakly at the doctor and thanked him, then stared blankly at the ceiling.

My child had come and gone in a flash—less than four hours from the moment I knew of his existence to his departure.

When the police approached me with details about the accident, Timothy called again. "Ophelia, are you free now? I need help with a traffic accident case."

In a hoarse voice, I replied, "I’m in the hospital and can’t come."

It was the first time I had rejected him. He was stunned, then snapped, "If you help me with this trivial matter, I won’t pursue the matter of Kaylee’s allergy!"

What he called a trivial matter was asking me to apologize to the victim and cover the damages as the perpetrator.

It turned out Kaylee was behind the wheel of the car that hit me.

Before I could respond, he transferred 200 thousand dollars as compensation.

So, our child was worth 200 thousand dollars.

"Fine," I replied.

Satisfied with my answer, Timothy generously forgave my "mistake."

He never asked why I was in the hospital or noticed anything odd about my voice.

I never imagined I’d end up as the victim.

After hanging up, I chose not to pursue the matter as he wished.

The child was unwanted, destined never to exist.

The consequences of my greed meant I could never be a mother again.

The police suggested I could sue for damages, but I declined, managing a bitter smile.

When I was discharged and returned to the Wallace Manor, I discovered that Timothy had arranged for all my belongings to be moved.

He was considerate, even instructing the butler to set everything up for me.

"The Wallace Manor is closer to your school, so you won’t have to commute back and forth. Just don’t cause me any trouble before I get married, got it?"

When Kaylee donned that jewelry set and called me her substitute, everything fell into place.

It was absurd that I had deceived myself into believing Timothy had bought that item at the auction for my birthday.

Even more ridiculous was my belief that he would remember that night, at least to some degree.

It turned out that I was just a substitute.

All the beauty of the past shattered with that surgery report.

I steadied myself, made a call, and said, "Josie, I want to go teach in the village with you."

Josie was excited and asked tentatively, "Ophelia, will your uncle let you go to such a remote place?"

Her concern was understandable.

After that one-night stand, Timothy didn’t bring it up, and neither did I.

Still feeling upset, I turned to alcohol.

But after drinking, I found myself in an isolated alley.

Just as a man was about to assault me, Timothy arrived and saved me.

He held me tightly, his body trembling as if I mattered to him.

It turned out that was just my illusion.

Now that the woman he loved was back, he sent me to the Wallace Manor, which felt even lonelier than that alley.

He distanced himself from me, and I couldn’t bear to see him so close to his girlfriend.

"Josie, he's okay with it," I told her.

"Okay, I’ll add you to the list," she replied.

Looking at the information Josie sent me, I booked a train ticket for a week later.

I could leave right after I wrapped up my graduation affairs.

After buying the ticket, I drifted into a deep sleep.

In my dreams, it felt like there was another fire.

The familiar scent of smoke urged me to flee, but I was trapped.

Suddenly, there was a frantic knock on the door.

"Ophelia? Open the door!" a voice called out.