"After taking blood twice, she can’t even stand up…"

"I know." Liam interrupted impatiently, "But if she’s well, there’ll be no blood to extract, and what about Lila’s anemia?"

"But isn’t this unfair to Ms. Preston? She trusts you, she loves you…"

"Fairness? Where is fairness in this world? I lost my love too! Is that fair?! You say Evelyn loves me? Fine, as long as she’s alive, I’ll treat her well every day, that's enough!"

I stood outside the door, my body cold, as if my blood had frozen. So all these years, his care for me, his concern for my health, were all to make me a better blood source for Lila. Even his marriage to me was to ensure Lila could smoothly marry into the Wolfe family.

How laughable. My supposed redemption turned out to be a meticulously crafted scam. Footsteps approached, and I leaned against the wall, trying to run away, but my body trembled uncontrollably, tears of suffering streaming down.

"Evelyn?!"

Liam pushed the door open and saw me, his face suddenly changed dramatically.

"What are you doing here?!"

Liam quickly regained his composure and smiled, "Came to find me?"

I nodded, saying nothing more. He held my hand with the usual tenderness but dropped a gentle kiss on the spot where the needle had been.

"You've been through a lot, my love. Medicine is advancing so fast nowadays, these minor illnesses are nothing. Evelyn, don’t be afraid, I'll always be with you."

If it was before, I would have been immensely moved. But now, a chill rose from my feet.

He never actually intended to cure me.

Back at home, Liam told me to rest while he prepared chicken soup. Those precious hands used for surgery were now chopping bones and vegetables without a care. I used to feel sorry for him, not letting him do such things. He would say:

"If I can’t take good care of my wife, these hands aren't worth keeping."

He spoke so sincerely, acted so perfectly. For Lila, he could flatter a woman he didn’t even love.

While Liam was busy in the kitchen, I went into his unlocked study. I found his graduation photo on the bookshelf. Liam was wearing his graduation gown, smiling brightly. And beside him was the girl, Lila. Between them, a heart was drawn in red ink.

In the drawer, there was a photo of Lila at 18, with "Love and Forever" written on the back. Underneath the photo was a thick stack of receipts for various expensive gifts. Last month, I saw Lila wearing a new Cartier necklace, feeling envious. That very night, Liam brought me a fake one:

"My love, right now I can only afford the knock-off, but once my salary saves up, I’ll buy you the real ones every day."

I was deeply moved then, thinking I didn’t deserve his goodness. But it turned out that the genuine necklace Lila wore was purchased by him. Though Liam, at a young age, had reached a senior level in his career, he was never flush with cash; he even lived in my house. He always said his money went into social engagements, helping his poor relatives. But in reality, he spent it all buying gifts for Lila. A man’s money goes where his heart is.

I smiled, took out my blocker medication from my bag, and gently placed it at the bottom of the drawer. No more medication. No more treatment. No more a man who doesn’t love me.

After the dishes were served, Liam carefully helped me to sit down.

"Evelyn, your father just called. He said tomorrow is his birthday. We..."

Before he could finish his sentence, my phone screen suddenly lit up. Liam instinctively glanced at it. It was a notification confirming a successful ticket booking for a ship.

His expression instantly froze, and he asked nervously, "Evelyn? What tickets did you book? Where are you going?"

I kept my face impassive. "I booked them for a friend."

Liam studied me for a while, but I remained calm. Only then did he relax a bit.

"Evelyn, don't scare me like that. If you don't want to go to your dad's, we can skip it. But you can't leave me. If I ever upset you, you can hit me, curse at me, even kill me, but you can't disappear from my life."

"And you must never give up on living."

I smiled and nodded. "Alright, I won't leave you, and I definitely won't die."

That night, perhaps sensing something, Liam held me tightly. Even while asleep, he continued to murmur, "Evelyn, promise me you won't leave..."

I looked at him coldly.

Liam, you can deceive me, so I can deceive you too. That's fair.

When I was six, my mom had just passed away, and my dad brought home five-year-old Lila and her mother. It turned out he had another family outside our home.

There's a saying that if a child gets a stepmother, they also get a stepfather. Under Lila and her mother's constant accusations, my dad grew to dislike me more and more, thinking I was bad at school, a habitual liar, and a thief in our home.

I couldn't defend myself and had to endure his punishment in silence, accumulating countless scars from his harsh discipline. After graduating, I thought I was finally free, but then I was diagnosed with a genetic heart disease...

"Well, our dear Preston family's eldest daughter is back~"

My stepmother's sarcastic voice snapped me back to reality.

"Quinn."

I greeted her indifferently and walked straight into the Preston residence. Today was my father's sixtieth birthday, and many relatives were present. They all stared and gossiped about me.

"This is Mr. Preston's eldest daughter? She looks so lifeless."

"You know, she has that disease..."

"Really? Oh, poor girl! She's so beautiful!"

"Just look at Lila, only a year younger than her. So confident and radiant. They say her fiancé is quite the catch too..."

My stepmother covered her mouth and mocked me with a smile. Then she affectionately hooked her arm through mine.

"Oh, don't talk like that. Evelyn and Lila are both my daughters~ With the support from me and her father, Evelyn's illness will surely get better. Evelyn's husband is a doctor too. He's in the study. Come on, Evelyn, I'll take you to find him."

She forcibly dragged me to the study door. Inside, I heard two familiar voices:

"If he's not good to you, you must tell me..."

"Liam, you should know, my sister was spoiled by the family since childhood. She used to bully me. Marrying her must be quite a burden for you, isn't it?"

It was Liam and Lila.