Zoey Samantha had an unrequited love.

Only I didn't know.

It was the fourth year since we were together.

She forced me to donate my kidney to that person.

I hesitated for a moment, and she slapped me across the face.

"That's your older brother. Don't be so selfish."

Helplessly, I tried to force a smile.

She had no idea that I was on the verge of death.

When I was accompanying Zoey at a social event, my parents called.

Between toasts, I gave her a heads-up.

Then I stepped outside to answer the phone.

"Come home tonight."

It was the first phone call in twenty years.

I still found the commanding tone familiar.

After hanging up, I let out a sigh and returned to our private dining room.

As I opened the door, I saw several business partners toasting Zoey.

"You are a really loyal person, Miss Samantha. You stick to the same type for so many years."

"This one has been around the longest and has the most similar look."

"Miss Samantha, you personally picked this guy, so in both life and work, he definitely..."

The voices abruptly ceased when I entered the room.

During social gatherings, everyone would make subtle jokes behind my back.

At first, I didn't understand.

I often asked Zoey about it.

At that time, she looked up at me from a pile of unfinished documents.

She touched my head like stroking a pet.

"They just can't stand to see me happy. You can ignore their words, or you'll end up being fooled."

Hearing her say this, I let out a deep breath.

However, sometimes, she murmured during our intimate moments.

And that hurt my heart.

Unfortunately, I no longer had the courage to confront Zoey about it.

I endured it until the social gathering ended.

Zoey held my hand, but her expression seemed distant.

I glanced at the time.

"I'll take you home first, then I have to go somewhere."

She furrowed her brows lightly and asked, "Where are you going?"

Her face flushed, and alcohol made her clingy.

I gently kissed her to reassure her.

"Take me with you. I go wherever you go. You can't just leave me behind. I promise I'll be quiet and wait for you."

She was drowsy when she looked at me, but it seemed she was looking at someone else.

In the end, I gave in and nodded.

I took her to my parents' place with me.

However, as the car pulled into the driveway, her complexion worsened.

After I got off, I intended to let her wait in the car for a while.

Unexpectedly, she got out of the car before I could stop her.

I tried to grab her, but she had already entered the villa.

I hurriedly followed.

My parents were already waiting for me.

After twenty years, I saw them again.

Words couldn't describe how I was feeling.

I stepped inside the house.

I was about to say something.

But Zoey spoke first, calling out, "Madam?"

I took a glance at her silently.

My mom's excitement was also evident.

"Zoey, you..."

She then looked at me behind her.

It seemed everything became clear to her.

My parents didn't say anything, perhaps because Zoey was there that day.

So, they let me leave back then.

However, when Zoey returned home, she appeared lost.

She took the initiative for a long time in bed that night.

At one climax moment, I asked her how she knew my parents.

Her eyes were hazy as she replied with a word.

"Samuel."

That caught me off guard.

Within a second, all my enthusiasm was extinguished.

My name was Emmett Grayson, and Samuel Grayson was my older brother.

All these years, no one knew that I was from the Grayson family.

My birth was never expected after all.

In my earlier years, I lived in the countryside with my grandmother.

My parents sent me a fixed allowance every month.

However, they never actively reached out to me.

They claimed they thought my brother would feel hurt because of this divided love.

Later, my grandmother fell ill while I was still in college.

I had no other choice.

I tried to contact them.

However, I couldn't reach them.

Fortunately, I met Zoey in a hospital while she was receiving intravenous therapy.

She froze when she saw me.

She approached me on her own.

Then she talked to me and offered her help.

In the end, she pulled me out of the darkness.

But my grandmother passed away.

Zoey accompanied me to hold the funeral.

My parents never showed up.

I had long given up on trying to contact them.

Naturally, Zoey and I became lovers.

After graduating, I went straight to work at her company.

In the past, I didn't care how other people teased me.

But today, it was Zoey who spoke that name.

That shattered my self-deception.

Later, Zoey fell into a deep sleep.

I sat on the balcony, gazing at the window, and spent the whole night smoking.

What I had heard earlier echoed in my mind.

Samuel and I truly resembled each other.

We were like twins.

Most importantly, I tried to get our parents' attention during our childhood.

I deliberately imitated Samuel's habits.

As a result, I couldn't even tell the difference between us anymore.

I curled up in a lounge chair all night.

I tried to comfort myself.

I reminded myself of the vastness of the world, and there must be a lot of people named Samuel.

What a coincidence it was that he turned out to be my brother.

I felt better after I comforted myself.

Then I got up early and made breakfast for Zoey.

She came out with sleepy eyes.

Subconsciously, I wanted to hug her.

But she turned away, showing impatience in her furrowed eyebrows.

My Adam's apple bobbed.

In the end, I didn't say anything.

Breakfast passed in an unprecedented silence.

I wanted to say something.

But Zoey's cold gaze silenced me.

After eating, Zoey picked up her bag.

"I have something to take care of today. You can go to the company yourself."

I said "Hmm" and was about to speak.

But she had already left.

At noon, I left half an hour ahead of time.

I went to the hospital to collect the results of my recent physical examination.

I kept a random diet when I was in college.

I barely eat one meal a day.

Since I graduated, my stomach had been bothering me.

Moreover, my already small appetite had worsened recently.

I lost 5 pounds within a week.

A sense of unease grew within me.

Unfortunately, it was nothing compared to what I felt when I received the physical examination report.

I felt desperate.

Advanced-stage stomach cancer.

There was no treatment available.

I clutched the report.

I was lost in the large and quiet hospital.

I didn't know who I could share this news with.

I picked up the phone, and only put it down again.

I was 24 years old.

Nothing was ever easy for me.

It felt like God was playing a cruel joke on me.

I absentmindedly sat on a bench in the hospital.

I contemplated that maybe I should simply leave this world.

But what about Zoey?

She couldn't cook, and I was the one who picked out her clothes.

During social gatherings, she was always forced to drink.

Every time, she vomited after drinking too much.

She would then lie on me like a cat.

Then she would have a headache the next day.

Who would make her chicken noodle soup?

I used to think I was alone and had nothing to worry about.

But I realized it at that moment.

Zoey was my sole concern in this world.

What would she do if I died?

I let out a sigh.

My time was running out.

I worried about the person I loved the most.

I stood up and prepared to go home.

I was about to descend the stairs.

But I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure from the corner of my eye.

It was Zoey.

My heart tightened.

What was she doing at the hospital?

Was she sick?

Just as I was thinking of that, I saw Samuel coming out right behind her.

I didn't know what he had said.

Zoey hugged Samuel, who was wearing a patient's gown.

She buried her face in his chest.

I was stunned for a moment.

Then I rushed downstairs.

As soon as I reached the ground floor, I gasped for breath.

Occasional stomach cramps overwhelmed me.

I drove on my way home.

My mind was in a haze.

I tried to distract myself.

So, I prepared many dishes.

All of them were Zoey's favorites.

I kept myself busy.

When I called Zoey, it was already 5 o'clock.

But she didn't answer the phone.

I sat at the dining table.

I stubbornly waited for Zoey to come back.

It was seven o'clock.

She finally came home.

Subconsciously, I stood up and helped her take off her coat.

I saw her dodge for a moment.

It was then that I realized something was wrong.

"Where have you been today?"

It had been a long time since I last spoke, so my voice came out hoarse.

Her eyes were slightly red.

She glanced past the dishes on the table.

"I didn't know when you would be back. Let me reheat the food."

"No need. I've already had dinner."

Her tone was cold. "You don't have to make these anymore."

Then she went into the study without saying anything else.

I lowered my head.

I sat alone in the dining room.

The pain in my heart quickly overshadowed that in my stomach.

It was the first time in four years that Zoey had been so cold to me.

She stayed in the study all night.

And I didn't get a wink of sleep, either.

She packed her bags the next day.

After that, Zoey didn't come home for several days.

She didn't go to work, either.

Neither did I.

My stomachache became increasingly unbearable.

I took leave and remained at home.

Not even a single call came.

On one particular day, Zoey's secretary called me.

She asked for help in retrieving a document.

She said it was in Zoey's study.

That was the first time I entered Zoey's study.

She didn't like other people touching her personal belongings.

She even did the cleaning by herself.

I found the document the secretary needed.

I was about to leave.

But I caught a glimpse of a photo in the corner of my eye.

My rational brain told me not to touch it.

But I couldn't resist.

I walked over and picked up the photo.

In the photo, Zoey and Samuel stood side by side under a tree.

The shadows of the trees cast a heavy veil over the two of them.

They were such a perfect match.

But my heart ached with every beat.

Beneath the photo was an iron box.

It must be an old box.

Its surface was already rusted.

I picked it up and slowly opened it.

My curiosity grew, but I was afraid to find the answer I least desired to know.

Inside the box, I saw plenty of photos capturing Zoey and Samuel together throughout the years. There were also some small objects.

Only then did I believe the rumors that had circulated among those who knew us.

It was true all the time.

I was the only one kept in the dark.

Now I finally figured it out.

I finally understood the look in Zoey's eyes when she looked at me.

Why was it always so melancholic?

Why, with just one glance, did she help me cover my grandmother's medical expenses?

Why did it have to be me...?

I carefully returned the photos to their original place.

It was the last shred of dignity I left for myself.

Zoey never returned home.

There was no need for speculation.

She was undoubtedly staying at the hospital.

In this way, she could take better care of Samuel.

I learned this information from her secretary.

She hadn't been to the company, and she was handling her work in the hospital these days.

I listened to the secretary's report.

Then I couldn't help but mock myself.

I was supposed to be her closest partner.

Now I found myself learning about Zoey's life through someone else.

I believed it was time for this charade to end.

Early in the morning, my mother, Rose Grayson, called me.

She asked me to come home by myself.

But I didn't expect what happened next.

Upon my arrival, my parents received a call from the hospital.

We rushed to the hospital in a frenzy.

The doctor engaged in emergency treatment for Samuel.

Zoey was there too.

She avoided my gaze when she saw me.

I pursed my lips and chose to remain silent.

Rose wept inconsolably.

"Why does my son have to endure such suffering?

"What did I do wrong?"

Then, she turned her gaze towards me, her eyes filled with anger and resentment.

"Why isn't it you who's dying, Emmett?"

I weakly managed a smile, tugging at the corner of my mouth.

Yes.

I too wondered why I hadn't perished sooner.

I tentatively glanced at Zoey.

She was looking worriedly at Samuel in the ward.

She didn't spare a single glance for me.

I laughed at myself.

But my eyes were a bit moist.

I thought she was my redemption in my limited lifetime.

However, I was nothing more than a replacement.

By looking at me, she was seeing someone else.