The first time I met my sponsor, Ethan Vance, was the day my mom was in critical condition. The number on the check he handed me was enough to buy both my and my mom's lives. "Be my girlfriend for three years. When the contract ends, this money is yours." So, I started wearing white dresses and growing my hair long, imitating his first love, Mia Lin. He treated me incredibly well. I wasn't some hidden canary; everyone knew me as the love of his life. He bought rare treasures for me at auctions and officially announced to the media that I would be the one and only Mrs. Vance. Everyone in our circle joked that he had fallen for a sponsored student like me. Even knowing this was an employment relationship, I sank into it helplessly. His blatant favoritism tacitly encouraged my wildly growing affection. Until a month before the contract expired, Mia sought refuge with the Vance family after a hit-and-run. That night, Ethan handed me a new contract. "Chloe, take the fall for Mia and go to prison for four years. I guarantee your mom will be well-provided for the rest of her life." "What if I say no?" I asked, trembling. "I'll stop all of your mom's treatments. Chloe, you have no choice..." "As compensation, I will still marry you after you get out of prison." Outside the window, the sound of police sirens drew nearer. I looked at him, tears falling silently. ... The day I got out of prison, it was pouring rain. The freezing winter rain beat down on me. I was still wearing the summer clothes I had on when I went to prison three years ago. Four years of torment cost me not only my youth but also the hands I was once so proud of for playing the piano. Two of my fingers were brutally stomped and broken, healing into twisted, ugly shapes. With a heavy thud, the iron gates slowly opened. At that moment, a sliver of delusion even crept into my mind: would he come to pick me up? But outside the gates, there was nothing but muddy ground and pouring rain. I was too greedy. He never loved me in the first place. That pampering was just because I was a qualified substitute; that publicly declared favoritism was fake. Rescuing me from the abyss was just us getting what we needed from each other. Even though I consoled myself this way countless times, my tears still fell uncontrollably. He was like a stubborn plaster stuck to my heart; I spent four years trying to rip it off, but I just couldn't. I wiped my tears and touched the letter my mom wrote me in my pocket, and my heart slowly warmed up. Suddenly, a car screeched to a halt in front of me, the muddy water kicked up by the tires splashing all over me. Ethan appeared before me holding a black umbrella. Just like the time I signed the critical condition notice and was at a dead end, he descended like a god. Only back then, looking at him, my heart fluttered uncontrollably. Now, looking at this face, all that's left is intertwined love and hate. The car window rolled down, and Mia popped her head out, smiling at me. "Oh my, why are you still wearing loose summer clothes? Ethan, really, forgetting that it's winter now." Ethan's gaze swept over me, his tone indifferent: "She won't freeze to death." I had imitated this tone of Mia's thousands of times when I was her substitute. Hearing it with my own ears for the first time now, I felt somewhat dazed. Those days of imitating her and enjoying all of Ethan's pampering flashed before my eyes again. "The baby is feeling a bit unwell, that's why Ethan was delayed in picking you up..." Hearing the baby's giggling, my hand only belatedly trembled. It turns out that during the four years I spent in prison for Mia, they had already built their own family. I pulled at the corners of my mouth in self-mockery. He shoved me into the back seat. When his gaze fell on my two broken fingers, he froze for a moment. There was a trace of incomprehensible annoyance in his eyes. The next second, he pressed the climate control panel, and the temperature from the rear vents instantly rose a few degrees. Then, he tossed a pack of tissues backward to me. I thought it was his pity for me, but then his indifferent voice sounded: "Dry yourself off. Don't dirty Mia's favorite cashmere seat covers." In an instant, the last bit of hope in my heart was thoroughly drenched by this bucket of cold water. "Mr. Vance, take me directly to see my mom." He didn't reply, pressing the gas pedal. In the silence, the three people in the car had their own thoughts, accompanied only by the baby's laughter. He used to hold me and whisper in my ear: "Chloe, have a baby for me." How much sincerity did the old him have for me? I couldn't hold back anymore and spoke up: "I've done everything you asked me to do! Why won't you let me see my mom?" "What's next? What else do you need me to do? Does Mia have another crime she needs me to take the fall for?" He finally looked up, meeting my eyes through the rearview mirror, his gaze obscure. Mia chuckled lightly but said nothing, staring condescendingly at my wretched state. The car sped through the rain, stopping blatantly in front of the City Hall doors. "Chloe, I'm fulfilling my promise from back then to marry you." His tone was as calm as if he were remarking on the nice weather today. "Let's go, get the marriage certificate." The twenty-three-year-old me would have been ecstatic, happily holding his arm and walking briskly into City Hall. The thirty-year-old me only felt boundless panic and confusion. None of the promises he made back then had been fulfilled. How could he be someone who cared about promises? A strong sense of unease suddenly welled up, and I asked tremblingly: "Did something happen to my mom?" He shot me a glance, his tone carrying mockery: "Have the letters and voice recordings brought to you by the lawyer over these years been too few?" Right. I had just received a letter from my mom the day before I got out of prison. Looking at my mom's familiar handwriting, my heart settled back into my stomach. If anything happened to my mom, I definitely wouldn't live alone in this world either. "Go into City Hall first." His voice deepened a bit, sounding like charity: "Chloe, be good. Once we get the certificate, I'll find the best orthopedic surgeon to look at your hand." He was always like this, slapping you and then giving you a sweet date. Knowing perfectly well what I cared about most, he still used the cruellest methods to force me to submit. Mia also spoke up: "The child needs legitimate status, and my background is a bit sensitive. Don't worry, a good man like Brother Ethan, I would absolutely never give up to you." I rubbed my mom's letter in my pocket. We would be able to see each other soon; I couldn't let any more hiccups happen. I chose to agree once again, following him into City Hall. Filling out forms, signing, taking photos. Holding the pen, I wrote my name, Chloe, stroke by stroke. The twenty-three-year-old me once held a notebook, earnestly planning our marriage registration day. I wanted to find the best documentary photographer, prepare cute props, and wear couple outfits he designed himself. But now, there was nothing. The staff asked us to sit in front of the backdrop. "Could you two sit a bit closer? Can the groom hold the bride's hand? You look too distant." Ethan frowned tightly and instinctively reached out to grab my left hand. When his fingertips touched the empty roots of my pinky and ring finger, his body suddenly stiffened. There were only hideous scars and cold air there. "Missing fingers are unlucky. Let's just take the picture." I hid my mutilated hand in my sleeve, feeling like a piece of flesh had been gouged from my heart. Ethan's face became extremely ugly at that moment. The flash went off, and I instinctively closed my eyes. My mind uncontrollably brought up the image of him kissing my hands: "Chloe, has anyone ever told you that you were born for the piano?" He said that back then, he chose to sponsor me, whose family had gone bankrupt, only because he didn't want me to give up the piano path due to poverty. But ultimately, he was the one who personally destroyed me, separating me from the piano for the rest of my life. Soon, two marriage certificates were handed to us. I opened it, and the photo of us looked very eerie. He was wearing a heavy black winter coat, while I was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt washed until the color faded. Coming out of City Hall, he lit a cigarette, leaned against the car door, and looked at me. "The title of Mrs. Vance is yours, but you must be clear." "Every penny of the Vance family belongs to Mia. You are nothing but an ornament. Don't act all high and mighty." I raised my eyes mockingly: "Don't worry, being controlled by you, how could I act high and mighty?" He froze for a moment, having never seen me look so unsubmissive. "Sharp-tongued. It seems prison didn't teach you to be obedient." I didn't respond to his words, meeting his gaze directly. "Can you take me to see my mom now?" During the stalemate, Mia suddenly took off the massive diamond ring on her hand. "If we're putting on a show, we should go all out. You wear this ring, lest the old man gets suspicious." I took it numbly, slipping it onto my only remaining middle finger. But I was too thin, skin and bones, and the ring symbolizing happiness slid right off my finger, landing on the dirty floor mat under the car seat with a clink. Ethan sneered coldly: "Truly not destined for good fortune, can't even wear a ring." He bent down to pick up the ring, grabbed my hand, and forcefully tried to help me put it on. But after trying several times, the ring just couldn't stay on that bony finger. He obviously lost his patience, throwing the ring back into the car seat fiercely. "So skinny, didn't you eat in there?" With his monstrous power and influence, it would have been effortless to find out about my life in prison, but he never asked a single question. Ethan took the last drag of his cigarette, threw the butt on the ground, and crushed it with his foot. "Your mom is at a nursing home in the suburbs." "We'll go tomorrow." "Tonight, you're coming back with us." I stood still, the words of refusal on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't say them. Without even the money for one night at a motel, where could I find a place to stay? I got into the car with my head down, watching it drive into the downtown villa district. Back when Ethan first succeeded in his business, he personally brought me to see these properties. At that time, he had his arm around my waist, pointing at the biggest villa by the lake and saying, "When I've earned enough money, I'll buy that one and marry you into it." Unfortunately, I found out later that he had long bought the most luxurious villa here. He was just finding an excuse to keep me housed outside. The real home was the haven he saved for Mia. And me, the substitute canary, only deserved a small apartment, treated as a pretty cage. It was laughable that I foolishly thought I had a place in the future he planned. Mia leaned against Ethan. "Ethan, I'm still a bit cold." Ethan reached out, turned up the heat, took off his coat, and draped it over Mia. "Why didn't you wear more? Your hands are so cold." Looking at their affectionate display, my heart suddenly twitched. Back then, I just shivered in his arms, Without a second word, he hugged me and rented out more than half a shopping mall for me. I just casually mentioned that I couldn't see the stars clearly, The next day, a giant astronomical telescope appeared on the balcony, And a famous astronomer gave me a live video tour of the major celestial bodies. Every day when he came home from work, the first thing he did was hug me, kiss my forehead, and ask what I wanted to eat today. He remembered my favorite dishes, prepared ginger tea for my period in advance, and quietly covered me with a blanket when I drew designs late into the night. The Ethan of that time had a surging love that could drown me. That was how I fell deeper and deeper, little by little. Unfortunately, it was all fake. He pretended too well, and I believed it to be real. The sound of the housekeeper taking me upstairs interrupted my memories. I went into the bathroom, wanting to take a hot shower. But that imported shower system was too advanced. I don't know what I bumped, but a column of freezing water suddenly poured down from above. I cried out, getting thoroughly soaked with freezing water. With a basin of cold water poured over my head, I finally clearly understood that he and I were simply not from the same world. Just as I was frantically trying to turn off the water, the bathroom door was suddenly busted open. Ethan rushed in, dragging and pulling me out of the bathroom. From downstairs came Mia's heart-wrenching cries. The baby in her arms was foaming at the mouth, blood flowing from its forehead. It looked like they had taken a massive tumble on the stairs. Amidst the chaos, I was also stuffed into the car heading to the hospital. Looking at Mia constantly crying with the child in her arms, I gripped my wet clothes and swallowed all my words back. The doctor quickly did a checkup, emerging with a grave expression. "The child has lost too much blood and needs an immediate transfusion, but Rh-negative blood might be..." The reason he insisted on bringing me along suddenly made perfect sense. It turned out he wanted me to be a blood bag for his child. He yanked me up and pushed me in front of the nurse. "Use hers, she's also Rh-negative." The nurse walked toward me with a syringe, and I took a step back. Ethan leaned into my ear. "If you don't give blood today, don't even think about seeing your mom." Another threat. Mom again. Four years in prison, severed fingers, being forced to get a marriage certificate without my consent, and now being forced to donate blood. New grudges and old hatreds surged to my heart in an instant. I raised my hand and swung at that familiar face. Smack! Ethan's head was knocked sideways. He looked at me in disbelief. I used to be very submissive to him, never saying a harsh word, let alone raising a hand. My palm stung fiercely, but there was a twisted sense of satisfaction in my heart. "Ethan, I am a human being! Not a tool you can use whenever you want!" But two fists are no match for four hands. I was still dragged into the blood draw room by the bodyguards. "Chloe, everything you have was given by me. Not to mention drawing a little of your blood, even if I wanted your life, you'd have to give it to me." I closed my eyes in despair, letting the tears slide down my cheeks. I kept comforting myself: I survived four years in prison, what is this little pain? Bright red blood flowed through the clear tubing. 200cc 300cc 400cc I don't know how long it had been, but my breathing grew heavier, and I could hear my own thumping heartbeat. "Is it still not enough?" Ethan was incredibly impatient. The nurse finally stopped, saying awkwardly, "It's enough, it's enough." Despairingly supporting myself against the wall, I staggered out of the transfusion room step by step. The moment I looked up, I caught a glimpse of a landscape painting next to a familiar bulletin board. This corner appeared most often in the videos my mom sent me. Immense joy drove me to stumble towards the nurses' station. I was sure, Mom must be here! "Excuse me, excuse me, is there a patient named Helen?" The nurse checked the computer for a few seconds. My breathing grew heavier, and my heart beat so fast it felt like it would jump out of my chest. I was both expectant and afraid. Expectant to see Mom, afraid Ethan would suddenly appear to stop me. I stared into the nurse's eyes full of hope, only to see pity in them. "Helen? The patient with late-stage liver cancer from two years ago?" My heart violently skipped a beat, and a massive ringing in my ears instantly drowned me. "What... did you say?" "She passed away two years ago. The family signed to give up treatment, saying... they had no money left to treat her, and took the ashes away." How could there be no money? He explicitly promised me he would cover all of Mom's medical expenses. I went to prison, lost my fingers, and risked my life for Mia, but to save money, he pulled my mom's oxygen tube? Hatred mixed with remorse washed over me like a tidal wave. My hands and feet went numb, and I felt like I was suffocating. So all the news about Mom over these years was forged by him! It turned out I had lost everything long ago. The wind outside the window was strong, making me shiver non-stop. I climbed onto the windowsill, taking one last look at this man-eating world. At the other end of the corridor, the doctor whispered a few words. Ethan hugged a relieved Mia; their child must have been out of danger. Without any hesitation, I flipped over and jumped. In a daze, I saw Ethan rushing over frantically to grab me. Those hands of his, always so steady, were actually trembling. "Chloe! I forbid you to die!! I forbid it!" Ethan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the news that the child was out of danger. Just then, a scream came from not far away. "Someone jumped off the building!" The corridor instantly descended into chaos. Nurses and doctors hurried toward the window. Ethan's heart inexplicably tightened, and he instinctively wanted to follow and take a look. "Ethan!" Mia grabbed him, tearfully pointing at the hospital room. "Little Treasure is just out of danger, don't go, I'm scared." He paused, glancing toward the commotion. The crowd blocked his view; he couldn't see anything. He suddenly remembered something and looked around. "Where is Chloe?" The woman who was standing there just a moment ago was gone. He asked the bodyguard next to him: "Did you see where Chloe went?" The bodyguard shook his head: "Mr. Vance, I didn't notice. She didn't look well after drawing blood just now. Maybe... she went to the donation room to rest." The uneasy feeling in Ethan's heart grew heavier, pressing down like a heavy stone. But he glanced at the weak child in Mia's arms and suppressed that emotion. "Got it." He turned and followed Mia into the hospital room to stay with them. A few hours later, the child's condition stabilized. Ethan stepped out of the room, preparing to smoke a cigarette. Passing the nurses' station, he heard two young nurses whispering. "Sigh, that woman who jumped earlier is so pitiful. I heard she's only thirty." "Yeah, Rh-negative blood. She just donated 400cc to a child and was very weak. I heard she found out her mother had passed away a long time ago and couldn't handle the shock." Ethan's footsteps stopped dead, his blood running cold. He rushed to the nurses' station, grabbing one of the nurses by the arm, his eyes bloodshot. "What did you just say... what's the name of the person who jumped?" The nurse was startled by him and stammered: "Named... named Chloe." "Why did she jump?" His voice was trembling. "She just found out from us that someone named Helen passed away from liver cancer two years ago. She seemed completely unaware and broke down on the spot." Ethan felt like he had been struck by lightning, staggering backward two steps and hitting the wall. She knew. She just found out so suddenly. His mind went completely blank. He hadn't figured out how to tell her about this at all. He had planned to... planned to pave the way first, so she'd be mentally prepared. Mia walked out of the room holding the child. Seeing his devastated look, she curled her lip. "Ethan, what's with that expression? Isn't it a good thing she's dead? Saves us trouble in the future." "That matter from back then can finally be turned over, and Little Treasure's registration can be securely settled. A woman who's been in prison, her dying is better for everyone." "Shut up!" Ethan whipped his head around, his eyes as fierce as if he wanted to eat someone. He pushed Mia away and ran like a madman toward the emergency room. Mia stumbled from his push, and the child in her arms cried out in fright. Ethan's mind was a tangled mess. He never wanted Chloe to die! Regarding her mother's death, he had his difficulties! Back then, Helen's condition had suddenly worsened. The cancer cells spread throughout her body. The doctor said it was untreatable, and her remaining days would be spent in agony. She was in excruciating pain, her only wish being to see her daughter one last time. Forced into a corner, he had no choice but to tell Helen that Chloe was in prison, taking the fall for someone else. Perhaps knowing there was no hope for a last meeting, Helen grabbed his hand and actively begged him, begging him to stop the treatment. She said that dragging it out like that made every minute and second feel like hell. In his mind, Chloe's love, her hate, her smile, her tears flipped past page by page. He should have known. Her mother was her only attachment in this world. What about him? Did she have even the slightest attachment to him? Or did she already hate him to the bone, hating him so much that even looking at him made her feel sick? But no matter what, he had never thought of letting her die! He rushed to the emergency room door and was stopped by the doctor. "Family members can't go in!" "How is she? How is she!" he roared like a madman. The doctor looked at him and sighed: "Her life is saved, but falling from such a high place... whether she wakes up or not depends entirely on her own will."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "391102", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel