Harrison's POV

Charlotte immediately panicked when she saw my reaction. She desperately tried to remove the diamond ring as she hurriedly explained, "Harrison, don't get the wrong idea. I only did this to make everything look more convincing."

Jonathan tightened his grip on her hand. "Charlotte, stop going against what you truly feel. Aren't you embarrassed wearing that cheap silver ring worth only a few hundred dollars?

"You wore it every time you were with him just to protect his pathetic ego, but I've seen you take it off countless times the moment you stepped out the door. It hurts me to watch you put yourself through that.

"Harrison, you keep saying you love Charlotte more than anything. Did it never occur to you how difficult things were for her?"

Charlotte couldn't hide her embarrassment. She looked like she wanted to explain herself to me, but she eventually lowered her head in frustration.

At that moment, my mind was a complete mess. I could no longer bring myself to ask what I wanted to. It turned out that loving me had been such an embarrassment to her.

That made sense. Aside from sentimental value, how could a silver band handcrafted together with a partner compare to a diamond ring worth millions of dollars?

A real son who lived worse than a housekeeper had no business going up against an adopted son who stood to inherit everything and had his whole future ahead of him.

Charlotte had made the right choice. Staying with me would have only brought her hardship.

I stood up and handed them a crystal cross pendant that had been blessed at a church and was meant to keep them safe. "I wish you both a happy marriage."

Charlotte was about to accept the pendant, but Jonathan stopped her. He scornfully lifted the pendant with a pure-gold spoon and flicked it to the ground. It shattered instantly.

He sighed and looked over at me. "I was born rich, and accepting a cheap gift like this would only make me sick. Harrison, I appreciate the thought, but next time, just come yourself. There's no need to bring a gift."

Mom slapped me across the face. "For a second, I thought you had changed. I didn't expect you to still be the same, trying to curse Jonathan again."

Charlotte looked like she wanted to come over and check on me, but she stopped in her tracks after hearing Mom's words, disappointment clear on her face.

She said, "Harrison, I didn't believe them when they spoke badly about you before, but I never expected you'd stoop to such underhanded tactics just to frame Jonathan. What exactly happened between the two of you? It's been so many years. Can you still not let it go?"

Couldn't let it go? I, the one who had been hurt, had already moved on. It was the one who hurt me who refused to.

When I was younger, every attempt I made to be kind to Jonathan always ended the same way as today. My good intentions were mistaken for curses, and I was met with everyone's anger.

Charlotte knew these past events better than anyone. There had been a time when she cried while comforting me, cursed everyone out on my behalf, and told me she would always be my safe place. But now, she looked at me with sheer disappointment and frustration.

So she had never truly believed in me after all. That made everything feel pointless.

"I'll get going. I wouldn't want to ruin your day," I said.

I turned and left. No one spared me a second glance. They all looked relieved, as if a burden had been lifted.

Charlotte was the only one who gathered up the hem of her dress and chased after me, grabbing my hand. "Harrison, stop acting stubborn. You pushed Jonathan down the stairs once and nearly got him killed.

"Now he's been diagnosed with advanced cancer and doesn't have much time left. I'm only fulfilling his final wish to help you make up for your sins."

I had explained countless times that he fell on his own. Yet she never believed me, never checked the surveillance footage, and never looked at the evidence. By now, I was tired of repeating myself.

When I remained silent, Charlotte let out a sigh. Looking as though she had finally given in, she straightened my clothes. "Harrison, once the wedding is over, we'll go register our marriage. I'll only ever be your wife."

I didn't respond. This time around, she wanted to marry me, but I no longer wanted to marry her.

Just then, my phone buzzed. A text message came through. "Mr. Harrison Arden, the staged death you requested has been arranged. In seven days, you'll die in a car accident."

Harrison's POV

As Charlotte looked over, I quickly turned off my phone's screen.

"Alright. Go on back. I'm leaving first," I said.

After hearing my answer, Charlotte hesitated before speaking. "Harrison, where are you going?"

"Just walking around. It's been a while since I've been back," I replied.

Only then did she finally relax and smile sweetly at me. "Okay. Don't go too far. Once I'm done here, we'll go register our marriage."

I watched her run back into the wedding venue before turning away and wandering aimlessly. Familiar scenery filled my vision, but my thoughts drifted far away.

Jonathan was the orphaned son of the person who had saved my parents' lives. From the moment he took our family name and was brought into our home, he stole all of my parents' affection.

I had heard that parents loved children who did well in school. Desperate for them to notice me too, I pushed myself to study as hard as I could.

The year I took the SAT, I brought home an acceptance letter from a top university, hoping they would praise me the way they praised Jonathan and gently tell me what a great son I was. But they never did.

What I got instead was Jonathan dropping to his knees, convulsing and foaming at the mouth. Mom and Dad personally destroyed my future and sent me to an obscure community college.

"Harrison, this is a matter of life and death. You don't want to see Jonathan die either, do you?" they said.

It turned out that love needed no reason. I could never compete with Jonathan.

Every time I curled up alone to nurse my wounds, Charlotte would stand by my side and chatter endlessly. "They're just blind. You're the absolute best, the most outstanding.

"You're such a kind person. There's no way you'd hurt anyone. It must be your adopted brother stirring up trouble again. Don't worry. One day, I'll help you take back everything you lost."

Charlotte was the only light in my life. She was cheerful, confident, and carefree. She gave me her undivided affection, something she reserved for me alone. Whenever I was with her, even if we said nothing and simply walked side by side down the street, I still felt incredibly happy.

But now, as I stood there looking at the bustling, noisy street, I was utterly alone with nowhere to go.

While wandering around, I found myself back at the house I shared with Charlotte without even realizing it. That place held the happiest memories of my life and was the only reason I had left to keep going.

I stood at the front door and entered my birthday into the keypad, but the screen indicated that the password was incorrect. I froze for a moment. Charlotte had never told me about changing the password.

I tried again and again, entering every meaningful date I could think of, including our anniversary, her birthday, and other special occasions we had shared. None of them worked.

Something suddenly hit me. With trembling hands, I entered Jonathan's birthday.

A beep sounded. As the door swung open, my heart shattered.

The furnishings inside remained the same, yet every trace of me had disappeared.

My shoes were gone from the shoe rack, replaced by Jonathan's limited-edition sneakers. The clothes hanging on the balcony belonged to him as well. Even the framed photo of Charlotte and me on the table had been swapped out for a photo of her and Jonathan.

So during the year I disappeared, even the last role I had left had been taken over.

I sat on the couch, waiting for Charlotte to come back and give me an explanation. I waited until sunset, until the courthouse had closed for the day, yet Charlotte still hadn't returned.

Even my phone stayed unusually silent. Not a single person sent me a message.

Even though I hadn't expected much from getting the marriage certificate, I still couldn't help but feel sad after seeing Charlotte break her promise.

Love had such a short shelf life. I watched something good rot away little by little, yet I still wanted to wait until it was completely spoiled before finally throwing it away.

In the silent darkness of the night, the only glow came from the cigarette between my lips.

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Charlotte finally called, sounding drunk. "Harrison, where are you? I'm coming to find you."

Harrison's POV

"I'm home," I replied.

The moment Charlotte heard my words, she sobered up on the other end of the line. Her voice grew hurried. "Which home are you at?"

She knew this was my only home. Now, even this place no longer belonged to me.

Not long after, Charlotte rushed back in a panic with Jonathan.

"Harrison, when did you come back? Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. "The wedding ended late, and the courthouse was already closed. I'll go get the marriage certificate with you next time."

Seeing the uneasiness on her face, I chose not to expose her lie and simply stubbed out the cigarette in my hand.

I had already received a message from Jonathan. He told me that their wedding banquet ended early and that they went to the city hall at 3:00 pm to get their marriage certificate. They had also found time to have a small party with friends.

After eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves, they headed to a karaoke bar and only remembered me after everything was over.

Making up for my sins was probably just an excuse. Charlotte had truly fallen in love with Jonathan.

When I stayed silent, she awkwardly began explaining the changes around the house. "Jonathan is only staying here temporarily."

But I wasn't stupid. The traces of Jonathan living there were everywhere. This was clearly more than a stay for a night or two.

While we stood there in silence, Jonathan yawned and spoke up. "Harrison, there's no room left for you here, and the storage room is packed with stuff as well. I've booked you a luxury hotel."

He clearly thought I was getting in the way.

I nodded. "I'll pack my things."

I pushed open the master bedroom door, but the moment it opened a crack, Charlotte hurriedly slammed it shut. "Harrison, I've already packed all your belongings and put them in the storage room," she said.

Without saying a word, I turned and walked into the storage room, closing the door behind me. Yet I couldn't forget the glimpse of their matching pajamas piled on the bed the moment I opened the bedroom door.

Was this what Charlotte called acting?

Either way, I was leaving soon, so I couldn't be bothered to call her out.

Inside the storage room, my belongings were piled in the corner, covered by a thin layer of dust. I brushed the dust away and began flipping through my journal.

I had only meant to look back on old memories, but a forged medical record slipped out from between the pages. That was when I realized Jonathan's cancer diagnosis had been a lie all along.

It made sense. If he had truly been terminally ill, my parents would have let the psychic's words drive them to chase me to the ends of the earth and tear me apart, all to bless their precious son.

Everything they had done was nothing more than a ploy, using Jonathan's illness as an excuse to take Charlotte away from me.

I took the journal with me as I left the room.

Charlotte asked me in an uneasy voice, "How many days are you staying this time?"

She seemed eager to push me away, probably because she found me to be a nuisance.

"Seven days," I answered.

Charlotte suddenly slipped her arm through mine. "Good. Then I'll stay with you this whole week."

Looking at her smile, I couldn't help but think that I would make these seven days my final goodbye.

After hearing her words, Jonathan suddenly started coughing. His face was pale as he pleaded, "Charlotte, I don't have much time left. Can you stay with me? Once these last seven days are over, I'll beg Mom and Dad to transfer Harrison back."

Charlotte only hesitated briefly before letting go of my arm. "Harrison, we still have a long life ahead of us. Once you come back, I'll spend more time with you. I'll be there to see you off in seven days."

I lowered my gaze. "Alright. I've prepared a gift for you. I'll give it to you the day I leave."

Charlotte said excitedly that she was looking forward to it.

I turned and walked out of the house. Jonathan used seeing me off as an excuse to squeeze into the elevator with me. It was only when the cramped space was down to just the two of us that he showed his true colors.

"Harrison, you saw that medical record, didn't you?" he asked. "Everything was fake. Charlotte is with me because Mom and Dad promised her all the wealth she could ever want as long as she agreed to marry me. You didn't actually think she'd be foolish enough to live a hard life with you, did you?"