Because of a phone call I made, my husband was in a coma for six months after a car accident.

I was filled with guilt and cared for him wholeheartedly.

But the first thing he did after waking up was kiss my sister.

"At the brink of death, it was Rebecca's voice that called out to me in my subconscious, giving me the courage to fight off death," he said.

To express his gratitude, he held a grand ceremony. The room was buzzing with excitement, and I clapped from the audience.

Facing the media cameras, I smiled and congratulated them.

I said, "Love can overcome anything. I wish you two eternal happiness."

By the time Joseph Harper learned the truth, he was full of tears.

——

"Marlene, what do you mean by that? Rebecca saved my life. I threw this banquet to thank her. Did you have to be so passive-aggressive about it?" Joseph yelled at me.

He had seen the video online.

He continued, "You said those things on purpose to make people speculate about my relationship with Rebecca. You're so malicious. If it weren't for you calling me home that day, I wouldn't have gotten into the accident.

"If it weren't for Rebecca, I would have already been killed."

He cornered me, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

I was utterly disappointed.

For six months, I had given up everything, dedicating myself entirely to his care.

But all he acknowledged was Rebecca Knight's call in his dreams.

He added, "You said you took care of me for six months, but I don't remember any of it. All I remember is hearing Rebecca crying and calling out to me by my side. Are you saying my brain is lying to me?"

He pushed me hard, and a sharp pain shot through my hand as it collided with the wall.

During all the time I spent by his side, I cleaned him, changed his clothes, and fed him.

Because he was obsessed with cleanliness, I didn't dare let the nurse do it.

The strain from all the effort had left a lasting pain in my arms, often causing unbearable aches.

I winced in pain just as Rebecca walked in.

"Marlene, what are you doing? Joseph just recovered; he can't be stressed out like this," she scolded me with a frown.

She added, "The doctor said he can't be left alone. If you can't handle it, I'll take care of him."

As soon as she finished speaking, Joseph let out a snort.

He said, "So this is how you've been deceiving Rebecca for the past six months to escape your responsibilities?"

He turned to Rebecca and said, "Marlene is my wife, and she has to take care of me. Besides, the reason for my accident was her. She owes me this."

Rebecca grumbled, "Marlene has been pampered since childhood, unlike me. I grew up rough and wild, so I'm much better at taking care of people.

"You just recovered, and we can't be careless. I don't feel comfortable leaving you in her care."

She started walking towards the kitchen, but Joseph quickly stopped her.

He said, "No. No one is allowed to help her with her chores."

He turned to glare at me. "What are you standing there for? Didn't you say you've been taking care of me for six months? You can't even cook. Is that how you've been taking care of me?"

He held Rebecca's hand and sat down on the sofa.

He added, "I want to see how long you can keep up this act."

Rebecca looked at me pitifully and said, "Marlene, I'll have to trouble you. But remember, the doctor advised a light diet, not too much oil or salt. Don't forget, okay?"

I stood there, silent all the while.

The dullness of my emotions clashed with Joseph's questioning gaze.

He said, "Can't keep up the act anymore? Then apologize to Rebecca. And post a video on social media to clear her name."

When I was forced to record a video, Joseph sat there with his legs crossed, looking at me with a smirk.

I faced the camera and spoke. "Rebecca has tirelessly taken care of my husband, and I embarrassed her. I sincerely apologize. It was my fault."

Joseph looked satisfied as he sent the video. It quickly stirred up a storm online.

Related hashtags soared to the top of trending searches.

Soon, people dug up an old story from three years ago about my family's real and fake daughters.

[She already stole someone else's life, and now she's trying to frame them? Truly, she's rotten to the core.]

[My heart aches for the real daughter. Not only did she suffer growing up, but now she has to clean up the mess left by the imposter.]

[What a hypocrite! Luckily, Mr. Harper can see through it. Otherwise, I can't imagine how much more the real daughter would suffer.]

Suddenly, I became the city's biggest laughingstock.

The righteous public called for me to be thrown out of the Knight family.

Rebecca quickly reposted the video and made an announcement.

[I understand Marlene acted impulsively. It's not a big deal. I hope everyone can go easy on her. She has been sheltered all her life and isn't strong enough to bear too much. I don't want her to get hurt.]

Her response ignited another wave of praise, with everyone complimenting her for her kindness and grace.

Joseph seemed pleased with the situation.

He said, "When you make a mistake, you must face the consequences."

I looked at the mockery on his face.

Since childhood, I had liked his eyes. They were always full of tenderness.

Joseph and I had an arranged marriage. We grew up together.

He was always considerate and mature, solving all my problems and protecting me like a knight.

Falling in love with him was inevitable.

After graduating from university, I quickly got engaged to him.

For two years after our wedding, our relationship was harmonious.

He treated me with tender care, preparing breakfast for me and kissing my forehead before heading to work.

He didn't let me do any housework.

He would say, "You were born to live a life of comfort. I promised to take care of you for a lifetime."

Every day when he came home, he brought me a bouquet of roses.

He would say, "A princess needs flowers to adorn her life."

Wherever we went, he would always hold my hand tightly.

With a gentle smile, he would look at me and say, "I must keep an eye on you."

I accepted his kindness without hesitation.

But then, a year ago, my parents told me that I was not their biological daughter.

Soon after, Rebecca was brought back.

I had no choice but to accept the abrupt changes. In a short time, I became a thief who had stolen someone else's life.

Before I could even process it, Rebecca was already linking her arm with mine, smiling brightly.

She said, "You must be Marlene. From now on, we're sisters."

She was lively and full of energy, completely different from me.

Her tanned skin and radiant smile were almost dazzling to me.

Wherever she went, the air seemed more vibrant, and everyone would be drawn to her.

Joseph was included.

He once said, "If everything had been right from the start, the person standing by my side would be her."

At that time, I didn't understand the hidden meaning of his words.

I tried to seek comfort from him, but he was distracted.

He dismissed my worries and started spending more time with Rebecca.

He told me, "Rebecca is doing something meaningful, working on rural revitalization in partnership with my company to help farmers. It's a good cause.

"You, with your delicate hands, wouldn't be able to handle the countryside environment. No need for you to get involved."

I quietly followed them, watching as they walked through the fields together. They chatted on the ridges in the breeze, and the scene was almost sweet.

Even from a distance, I could see the softness in Joseph's eyes when he looked at her.

I could feel that he was drifting further and further away from me.

It hurt so much I thought I would lose my mind, and I fought with him again and again.

He accused me of being unreasonable and jealous. "You've already stolen her rightful life. Why can't you let her be happy? Are you really that malicious?

"If everything had been right, you wouldn't even deserve to stand by my side. You should be grateful."

Joseph was right.

Our marriage was an arrangement between two well-matched families.

He was rational and principled. In his eyes, our marriage had nothing to do with love.

I lost the will to fight and stayed at home, constantly comforting and deceiving myself.

I didn't think he would leave me. We were bound by our childhood love.

But every time, I was only met with more disappointment.

He claimed he didn't want me to be burdened, yet he took Rebecca to various events. In the photos others posted, Joseph smiled at her with such tenderness, and I could see the truth in his eyes.

But there was nothing I could do.

For six agonizing months, I endured this pain.

Then came the accident.

I cried uncontrollably in fear and prayed for Joseph's survival at the door to the emergency room.

Later, when he fell into a coma, I learned how to take care of him little by little.

For six months, Rebecca never once came to visit.

My parents told me she was too busy with work. Unlike me, a sheltered canary, she was a soaring eagle.

I had no time to care, completely focused on Joseph.

During those months, I often reminisced with him about our childhood.

Eventually, my effort paid off.

But the first thing he asked after waking up was, "Where is Rebecca?"

Rebecca arrived soon after.

Joseph embraced and kissed her, declaring his love.

He said, "At the brink of death, it was your voice calling to me in my subconscious, giving me the courage to fight back against death."

Instinctively, I tried to explain, "Joseph, I've been the one taking care of you for the past six months."

But my mother yanked my hand and scolded, "Marlene, don't say anything. Don't interfere with their bond."

It was only then that I realized that I had long been a discarded piece in this game.

Joseph's attitude toward me became even worse than it had been before the car accident.

The six months of his coma had affected many things.

It affected his company, things at home, and his relationship with Rebecca.

He grumbled, "Because of you, I missed out on so much. Marlene, everything you're doing now is to atone for your sins."

He forced me to kneel on the ground, wiping the floor bit by bit with a rag. To vent his anger, he purposely made things difficult for me. If he found the slightest stain, he would lose his temper with me.

He snapped, "Is this how you take care of me? You've lived as a spoiled girl for so long, now that you're back to your true self, it's hard to adjust, isn't it?"

I didn't argue and resigned myself to cleaning.

That night, I was in the kitchen cooking oatmeal when Joseph suddenly barged in.

A bottle-like object was hurled at my face, and a sharp pain shot through my nose.

His sarcastic and furious voice rang out.

He said, "You put me in a coma for six months, and look at you, enjoying yourself so much you made yourself sick?"

The pain lingered, and I locked eyes with him.

On the floor was a bottle of disinfectant for women.

Instinctively, I tried to pick it up and hide it, but just as my hand touched it, Joseph's foot came down hard.

He snorted, "Covering it up. What's the point? As expected of a mutt with a thief's bloodline, you'll always be doing shameful things."

His leather shoe ground into my palm, the intense pain making me scream.

His vicious words drilled into my ears as he looked down at me with a cruelty I had never seen before.

He said, "The Harper family doesn't want anything filthy. Trash like you isn't worthy of being my wife.

"Divorce. You'll receive nothing, and then, get out of my world."

I looked up at him. In the 25 years we had known each other, I had never felt him so unfamiliar.

Tears fell rapidly as I trembled.

I said, "I understand."

He lifted his foot and turned to leave without sparing me another glance.

The next day, his divorce papers arrived at the house.

Everything was clearly listed.

I didn't hesitate to sign it.

I left the divorce agreement on the coffee table and packed my luggage.

I realized that perhaps I had been too slow to let go. I should have given up six months ago.

But I kept hoping that there might still be a little love left in him for me.

So, on that fateful day, I didn't hesitate to call him.

Crying, I begged him, "It feels like someone's hiding in the house. Can you come back quickly? I'm so scared."

He half-believed me and agreed, but he never expected to get into a car accident on the way back.

At the same time, the intruder in the house broke down my bedroom door and dragged me out of the closet where I had been hiding.

After enduring the torment, I received the news of Joseph's accident.

I had no energy to care about the intruder who had fled. Dragging my body, I rushed straight to the hospital.

It wasn't until after his surgery was over and he was out of danger that I realized I needed to report the crime.

No one knew about this incident, not even the parents who had raised me.

They were in the mountains, accompanying Rebecca on a project.

I lost track of how many times I felt delirious and on the verge of collapse.

But with Joseph lying unconscious in the hospital bed, I told myself to stay strong.

I used him as my emotional anchor, repeatedly telling myself not to be afraid. When Joseph woke up, he would stand up for me and protect me.

During the six months I spent by his bedside, I clung to this belief and our shared past, enduring day by day.

But when he finally woke up, my illusions shattered in an instant.

Perhaps I truly was a fool.

I should have understood long ago that he no longer loved me.

So, I bought a plane ticket to a volunteer base.

I thought, in this world, there must be a place where I was still needed.