The day before my church wedding, my sister Victoria and I were in a car accident.

My fiancé and my parents chose to save her, leaving me behind.

So Victoria took my place, walking down the aisle at St. Mary's Church.

I was left for dead in the crash, losing a heart valve and abandoned at the San Francisco General Hospital.

My story became a local tragedy, a tale of pity whispered throughout the city.

When I was forsaken by the world, my childhood sweetheart, Gabriel Hayes, married me against all odds, showering me with a devotion I believed was real.

But in the third year of our marriage, I discovered a video on our home computer of him performing a heart valve transplant for Victoria.

In the video, Gabriel held Victoria's hand, his eyes brimming with tenderness as he comforted her.

"Victoria, don't be afraid. You and Scarlett are twins—her valve is a perfect match. I'll be doing the surgery myself. Once this is done, you'll finally be able to live a normal life."

The scene shifted. There was Gabriel, walking toward my anesthetized body, scalpel in hand. As I lay unconscious, he sliced open my chest with practiced precision to remove my heart valve.

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1

As I watched the screen, a phantom pain seared through my chest, as if I were being cut open all over again.

I clapped a hand to my mouth, tears streaming down my face. The shock of it all nearly made me black out.

So the car accident... Gabriel had planned the whole thing. All for Victoria.

But if he’d already gotten what he wanted, why put on this act of a devoted husband? Why marry me, tricking me into believing my executioner was my only savior?

My heart shattered. Just then, a message from his colleague Marcus popped up on Gabriel's still-open WhatsApp.

"Gabriel, the amount of blood you've taken from Scarlett this month is far beyond the safe limit!"

"You took her heart valve, and now you're drawing more and more blood every month. Her body can't handle this!"

"I don't get it. Didn't you marry her to make up for what you did, to atone? So why are you hurting her even more?"

On the right side of the screen, Gabriel's reply appeared:

"I only married Scarlett Morgan to keep her close, a personal blood bank to manage Victoria's rejection symptoms."

"Besides, if I can't marry the one I truly want, at least Scarlett has the same face as Victoria. In a way, I guess I got my wish of spending the rest of my life with her."

Gabriel followed it with a self-deprecating emoji.

"Alright, enough. Victoria has a check-up in a few days and will need a transfusion. I'll send over a few more bags of Scarlett's blood tomorrow."

"Gabriel, are you insane?! You're going to bleed her again in less than two days? Do you have any regard for your wife's life at all!?"

More messages popped up frantically, pleading with him, but Gabriel never replied.

My tears had run dry. So this was the real reason he married me.

Not only to steal my health but to drain every last drop from me for Victoria's sake.

So devoted to my dear sister, aren't you, Gabriel?

The sound of the front door opening echoed from the living room. I locked myself in the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face until I could pull myself together enough to walk out and pretend nothing was wrong.

But Gabriel's sharp gaze immediately landed on the redness in my eyes.

He strode over, swept me into his arms, and carried me to the sofa. His warm palm settled over my heart, gently rubbing the scar tissue beneath.

"Honey, have you been crying? Does your scar hurt?"

"Tell me when it hurts. Don't just suffer in silence. It kills me to see you in pain."

Ha. He'd feel killed seeing me in pain?

But wasn't this all his doing?

I couldn't stand the sight of his hypocritical face. Just then, Gabriel gestured, and his team of private chefs entered, carrying trays of iron-rich foods meant to replenish my blood.

Ever since we were married, ever since he started drawing my blood under the guise of "check-ups," he would arrange a lavish, nutrient-rich meal for me on the same day every month.

I'd always thought it was a sign of his love.

Now I knew he was just fattening me up, making sure I could produce enough blood to meet Victoria's needs.

A bitter smile played on my lips. "I don't want to eat this anymore."

"And my check-ups... after all these years, my body is stable. Gabriel, can we stop drawing my blood?"

Gabriel’s brow furrowed. He caressed my cheek, his touch lingering as if savoring the texture of my skin.

"Honey, your body is still weak from the accident. Monitoring your blood is non-negotiable."

"We're going to spend a lifetime together. You have no idea how important you are to me. I will never let you take the slightest risk!"

In the past, those words would have moved me to tears.

But now, knowing the truth behind them, my heart only sank deeper into a cold, dark abyss.

Just as Gabriel was about to feed me, his phone rang.

He answered, his voice suddenly bright. "Sweetheart? Yes, I can be right there." He hung up and turned to me, his eyes gleaming. "Something's come up at the hospital. I have to go."

"Be a good girl and finish all your supplements. I'll check on you when I get back."

I nodded. The moment he was gone, I scraped all the food from the table into the garbage disposal.

As I walked into the study to copy the video file, a notification for Victoria's latest Instagram post popped up on the computer screen.

【What's it like having a childhood sweetheart who loves you more than life itself? Thank you, Gabriel, for booking the entire private medical wing for me and hiring the best nursing team in the country. So blessed to have you by my side for every milestone! ❤️】

In the photo, Gabriel was holding Victoria, carefully fastening the Hayes family's heirloom diamond necklace around her neck.

My mind reeled. I numbly clicked on another hidden folder on the computer.

A lifelong trust fund agreement appeared on the screen:

【I, Gabriel Hayes, do voluntarily gift 85% of my personal assets in the form of a trust to Victoria Morgan and her descendants.】

I wiped away my tears with a hollow laugh.

So this was what Gabriel looked like when he was truly in love.

Even with Victoria married to another man, he was still willing to give her everything.

If that was the case, then I would grant him his wish. I would disappear from his life completely.

After printing a divorce agreement and booking a service with a "staged death" agency for the next day, I went straight to the Stanford Medical Center, where Victoria was staying.

The hospital room was crowded with friends and relatives, all gathered to visit and offer congratulations.

Victoria was beaming, cradling her newborn, while Gabriel stood beside her, gently massaging her temples.

When he saw me, a flash of panic crossed his eyes.

He quickly pulled me aside, his voice a low hiss.

"Scarlett, don't misunderstand... Victoria's husband is on a business trip in Europe and couldn't get back in time. We all grew up together, she's like a little sister to me..."

"I know you haven't forgiven our parents, but Victoria and the baby are innocent in all this!"

Gabriel knew better than anyone whether they were innocent.

I was about to bring up the divorce when Victoria, still in her hospital bed, suddenly clutched her baby and shrank away from me, her face a mask of terror.

"Scarlett! I know Mom, Dad, and I were wrong about what happened! But I'm begging you, please don't hurt my child!"

"If you're angry, take it out on me! But please, don't curse my child! He's just a baby!"

I stared at her, utterly confused, as Victoria held out her phone with a trembling hand.

On the screen were screenshots from our chat: a stream of vicious, hateful comments sent from my account, spanning her entire pregnancy.

But I hadn't spoken to her privately since the day I cut ties with my family.

"How could you be so vicious? Just because you're miserable, you think you can torture your own sister like this?"

My father, Robert, was the first to charge over, slapping me hard across the face. My mother, Elena, stared at me, her eyes filled with nothing but hatred and disgust.

The surrounding relatives erupted in a chorus of curses:

"I knew it! Her body's broken and so is her mind! Vicious enough to go after her own pregnant sister!"

"Exactly! Someone like her should have died on the road in that crash! Poor Gabriel, getting stuck with such a toxic woman."

I instinctively looked to Gabriel.

For three years, he had been the one person who stood by me, who shielded me from the world's malice.

But this time, he didn't defend me. Instead, he gripped my wrist, his voice sharp with accusation.

"Scarlett Morgan! How could you do something so vile?"

"Will you only be happy when you've dragged everyone down into the mud with you?"

"Apologize to Victoria. Now! Stop dragging innocent people into your misery!"

How could I forget? When it came to a choice between Victoria and me, he would always choose Victoria.

I lifted my chin, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Why should I apologize for something I didn't do?"

"You say she's innocent, Gabriel. But I'm asking you, is she really? Are you?"

A flicker of something—guilt?—crossed Gabriel's face before he shook his head, as if to deny it.

"Scarlett, stop being delusional! You're making me seriously question why I ever pitied you enough to marry you!"

I smiled, a brittle thing that hid the tears burning my eyes.

You don't have to question it anymore, Gabriel. And you don't have to pretend to be devoted.

Soon, we won't be husband and wife anymore.

Without Gabriel's protection, I was quickly swarmed by insults and curses, hounded out of the hospital room.

I escaped to the women's restroom to pull myself together.

A moment later, the door swung open, and Victoria walked in, her arms crossed.