Four years after marrying Wesley Coleman, Emma Payne is expecting a baby.

She shows up at the hospital with her forms to get registered, but when the nurse runs her info, she tells her that the marriage certificate isn't valid.

Emma simply can't believe it. "No way. That can't be right."

The nurse taps on the stamp. "Look at that. The seal is all crooked, and the code doesn't check out."

Emma isn't convinced yet. She rushes to the courthouse, but they tell her the same thing.

"Mr. Coleman is married, and his spouse's name is Sandra Payne."

The news hits her like a ton of bricks. Her mind just goes blank.

Sandra Payne is Emma's half-sister. Worst of all, she is also Wesley's first love.

Years ago, she went abroad to chase her dreams. She never showed up to her own wedding and left Wesley heartbroken. And now, she is actually his legal wife.

Emma Payne left the courthouse like a wreck. She was totally out of it and barely able to walk straight.

She held it together until she got into the taxi that pulled up for her. Then, the tears she had been fighting back finally started falling.

Four years ago, she married Wesley Coleman in Sandra Payne's place after Sandra backed out of the wedding to save their families from disgrace.

Wesley gave Emma the cold shoulder at the start. But she never complained and took care of him.

Eventually, he warmed up to her after all the time spent together. He even started putting up with her throwing off his plans.

He would listen to her lame jokes without interrupting. He even trusted her enough to handle the confidential documents.

Later on, he treated her more and more kindly. He got her an unlimited credit card and took her to many famous restaurants.

Even if she got a craving for peanut butter cookies from the north side in the middle of the night, he would drive halfway across the city to get them for her.

He even pinched her cheek and said dotingly, "You're such a foodie. I've never seen anyone as obsessed with snacks as you."

Emma believed she had finally won Wesley over. But that all came crashing down two months ago when Sandra came back, sick with cancer.

Adam Payne, Emma's dad, gathered everyone for a family meeting that night.

Looking her dead in the eye, he announced, "Sandra's cancer is at the end stage. The doctors say she has less than half a year left.

"Her biggest regret is not marrying Wesley. We need you to just disappear for a while. When the wedding is done and she isn't around anymore, he will still be yours."

Jamie Valentine, Emma's stepmom, pleaded, "Sandra is your sister. Can't you just give in for her?"

Sandra bawled her eyes out. "This is my last wish. Please let me have it."

Emma couldn't believe what she was hearing. Tears welled up in her eyes as she confronted them, her voice shaking with hurt. "Back then, you treated me like a pawn to take her place, and now you want him to marry her. You can't be serious. I won't accept this."

Adam dismissed everything Emma said and grounded her. She wasn't going anywhere until she said yes.

Three days later, she heard that Wesley had lost it in front of Adam. He was so mad that he threw a cup.

On the 13th day, a headline popped up on her phone. Wesley had publicly declared, "Emma is the one and only Mrs. Coleman."

He took it further on day 28. He suspended all business deals with the Payne family to force them to give Emma back.

She spent an entire month locked in her room before someone finally came to open the door.

Thinking about everything Wesley had done for her, Emma burst into tears. She didn't bother wearing her shoes as she threw herself into his embrace.

But the next second, his voice cracked as he spoke. "Forgive me, Em. Mr. and Mrs. Payne were stubborn about it. They even got down on their knees and begged me.

"For the sake of the bond between our families, I had to go along with this charade for Sandra. It's just a fake marriage to get through this. In my heart, you're my only wife."

At that moment, her stomach sank, and her chest tightened. She could barely catch her breath from the pain.

Emma froze for a second, then softly brushed Wesley's hollow cheek. She felt a pang for him as tears rolled down her face. "You did your best."

Later, she watched him slip the diamond ring onto Sandra's finger in front of everyone at the grand wedding. After all that, he still treated her just as well as he always had.

But he gradually started spending more and more time with Sandra. He went from dropping by now and then to not even coming home for several nights in a row.

When she got upset with him, he patiently explained, "My heart isn't with Sandra. I just want to be there for her as a friend until the end."

Emma trusted Wesley's explanation. She never expected reality to hit her like a slap in the face.

…

The taxi came to a stop in front of Coleman Tower. Emma pulled herself together, clutching the fake marriage certificate in her hands.

Emma ran into Casey Paulson, Wesley's secretary, as soon as she got off the elevator. She looked a little tense when she saw Emma. "What brings you here, Mrs. Coleman?"

Emma responded, "I need to talk to Wesley."

Casey said, "Mr. Coleman is in a meeting right now. He's not available."

Emma brushed past the secretary and hurried to the office door. Just as she was about to push it open, she heard Sandra's voice inside. "Look me in the eye and answer me, Wesley."

Sandra pulled Wesley close by his tie, pressing her other hand on his chest. "Admit it. You've never gotten over me."

His throat tightened. Her touch felt like it was burning through his shirt as he drew in a sharp breath. Even so, his tone was dismissive. "Don't flatter yourself."

She giggled. "Are you sure? We both know you pretended to settle for Emma because I was gone. Why else would you marry me so fast after I come back?

"What about all those things you wrote in your diary? You said the only reason you agreed to marry Emma was to force me to come back—"

Sandra was mid-sentence when Wesley suddenly grabbed the back of her neck and silenced her with a fierce, demanding kiss.

His gaze was burning as he bit out each word. "You're right. I never got over you. So how are you going to make this up to me, Sandra?"

Emma stood frozen outside the door, feeling a chill that went straight to her bones. Her body went numb, and she couldn't feel anything.

The memory flooded back. Wesley held her close, kissing her hair and whispering, "Sandra is the past, Emma. You're the only one I care about now."

Everything was so laughable. His devotion was just a bunch of empty lies, and their marriage had never been real.

She slowly closed her eyes, fighting hard to hold back her tears.

Since he had made his decision, she would step aside and free him to be with the woman he really loved.

Emma spaced out and got on the elevator. The next thing she knew, she was already on the basement level.

An eager intern came right up to her. "You're here for Ms. Payne's exhibition, right? Right this way."

It finally hit Emma that she had forgotten to press the button for her floor. Without even thinking, she wandered into the exhibition hall.

The intern trailed behind her, enthusiastically saying, "Mr. Coleman sponsored the exhibition, and it'll soon kick off a nationwide tour."

Emma found herself staring at a painting of a shirtless man from behind. His toned physique might be captivating, but what really grabbed her attention was the distinctive scar right above his waist.

She had traced the outline of the scar countless times in the dark. Of course, she knew exactly who the man in the painting was.

Sandra had made portrait after portrait of Wesley. The dates in the corner were clear as day and hard to look at.

In the painting dated June 20th, Wesley was in the kitchen, his back outlined by a warm glow. That was Emma's third day locked up. She had been in so much pain from hunger that she had blacked out, while he had been in the kitchen making oatmeal for Sandra.

The bottom of another painting read July 1st. A pair of hands with prominent knuckles folded a silk nightgown embroidered with irises. A wedding ring glinted coldly on the ring finger.

That marked the 13th day Emma had been locked away in her room. She had slit her wrists in protest, her blood soaking half the sheets. Meanwhile, he was meticulously putting away Sandra's clothes.

The painting dated July 15th showed him walking under the trees with an umbrella. At the very edge of the painting, his fingers were vaguely intertwined with someone else's.

Emma was locked up for 28 days. Adam had resorted to chaining her to the bed, desperate to make her give in. Burning up with fever, she had curled into a ball on sweat-soaked sheets.

On the other hand, Wesley had been out for a morning walk with Sandra, swinging Sandra's hand in his.

Each painting was like a knife to Emma's chest.

For the whole time Emma was in hell, Wesley wasn't even fighting for her. He was just with Sandra.

Wesley had smashed the cup in front of Adam to declare his love for Emma. He had even canceled the contract with Payne Group. But everything was merely a lie to hide the truth.

Emma clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, but she felt nothing. She couldn't take it anymore and walked right out of the exhibition.

…

Emma scheduled her abortion for the following week. After that, she headed over to the Payne residence to pick up the things left behind by Helena Meyer, her mom.

But as soon as she got home, Adam tossed a plane ticket to her. "I talked to Jamie. We want Sandra to stay with Wesley until her final moment. I've got you a flight leaving in ten days. Why don't you go for a trip and clear your head?"

Emma pursed her lips as she clutched the ticket. She knew exactly that Adam wanted to kick her out, so Wesley and Sandra could have the place to themselves.

After all, she was the only one who had to disappear, so they could be alone without holding back.

Jamie's eyes were red as she repeated the same old excuse Emma was already tired of hearing. "Please don't get the wrong idea, Em. We just want Sandra to finish her last journey in peace."

Emma calmly cut in. "Got it. I'll leave."

She had given up on Wesley and her family entirely.

Adam was surprised that Emma agreed so readily. He took it as a sign that her spirit had been crushed at last.

He softened his tone. "Sandra's farewell gathering is in three days. We expect you to be there."

"Got it," Emma replied.

Back at her place, she pulled out a cardboard box and started packing up everything that reminded her of Wesley.

She added the pair of mugs he had given her on her birthday, the ticket stubs from their first movie date, and those silly photo booth pictures she made him take.

Emma was almost done packing when she heard the front door open.

Wesley was back. His heart sank when he saw the box stuffed with all their things. He quickly moved closer and asked, "What are you doing, Em?"

Emma kept her head down, refusing to make eye contact. "Isn't Sandra moving in? I'm just cleaning up my things, so she doesn't get upset when she sees them."

Wesley grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms. "Are you still mad at me?"

She muttered, "No."

He remarked, "You're a terrible liar, Emma."

He tilted her chin up, making her look him in the eyes. "How many times do I have to say it? It was all an act. If I really wanted to marry her, I would have made it happen years ago."

Emma looked into his eyes and suddenly laughed. Her voice was soft, but her words were crystal clear. "You know exactly who you want to marry."

The sudden ring of a phone drowned out her words.

Wesley took one look at who was calling and picked it up right away. He quickly wrapped up the call and mentioned that something had come up at work before rushing off.

Watching him leave like that, she suddenly realized that confronting him didn't even matter anymore.

After all, some relationships were like expired candy. It looked fine on the surface, but it was rotten underneath. Trying to eat it would only leave a nasty aftertaste.

Wesley had just walked out when Emma's phone buzzed. She received a message from Sandra.

In the photo, Wesley was down on one knee, holding Sandra's ankle carefully in his hands as he focused on tying an anklet.

Emma suddenly remembered dragging Wesley to the metaphysical store in the past. She had crouched inside the store forever, trying to pick an anklet. When she turned around, she saw him standing a few steps back, checking his watch with an annoyed look.

He had said, "I can't believe you buy into these silly superstitions."

Just as Emma was lost in thought, Sandra's message came through. "All I did was mention I wasn't feeling well, and Wesley immediately went to the metaphysical store to get me the lucky anklet. Did he ever go out of his way like that for you? Wake up, Emma. He never loved you."

Emma clenched her phone. The screen's harsh glow lit up her face, illuminating her icy expression.

That was true. He never loved her, and she was done hoping he ever would.

…

Wesley didn't come home for the next two days. Emma didn't run into him again until Sandra's farewell gathering on the third day.

Dressed in a sharp black suit, he slowly pushed the wheelchair through the crowd. Sandra sat in it with a blanket over her legs, looking so fragile and delicate.

All Sandra did was tilt her chin up slightly, and Wesley immediately bent down to ask her what was wrong. Seeing this, Emma smirked in disdain.

He kept saying he was just putting on a show with Sandra. But the look in his eyes when he glanced her way was full of love, like he did four years ago.

Soon, the farewell gathering began. With tears in his eyes, Adam told everyone about Sandra's illness and said, "Sandra is unlucky, but she is also blessed. She doesn't have much time left, but she has a family who loves her deeply and a devoted partner who stays by her side."

The big screen lit up, showing a slideshow of photos of Sandra growing up.

On her first birthday, Adam and Jamie threw a grand birthday party for her.

When she was ten, Adam taught her how to play the piano, guiding her hands himself. At 18, her family was there at her graduation, beaming and holding each other.

In all the photos, Emma faded into the background, witnessing the happiness that was never hers.

The scene changed, and now the photos showed Wesley with Sandra. One captured him congratulating her with a bouquet after she took first place.

Another showed him sitting quietly as her model while she painted. In their wedding photos, they held each other tight.

They grew from kids in school uniforms to adults in formal attire, but the devotion in his eyes never faded.

Just as everyone was lost in the heartfelt moment, the photos on the screen suddenly vanished, switching to crimson text on a black background.

"Go to hell, Sandra! You took my man. Just like your mother, you're nothing but a husband-stealing whore. I hope you never rest. Even in death, you'll suffer forever in the darkest pits of hell."

The air in the room went dead. Then, the place erupted.