The world didn't know it, but he was the real stand-in. At 2 AM, my ex called, saying he wanted to get back together. With red eyes, I agreed. But from the other end of the line erupted a thunderous roar of laughter. [I told you guys, this woman, Emily Vance, as long as I crook my finger, she'll shamelessly crawl right back to me.] I didn't get angry. I just asked him if what he just said still counted. [Nathaniel Hale, as long as you come back, you can do whatever you want to me...] Deathly silence on the other end. [Emily Vance! I'm fucking Liam Sterling! You better explain right now, who the hell is Nathaniel Hale?!] 1 In the middle of the night, I was running a slight fever. In a groggy haze, I heard my phone ring. I answered it. There was a lot of noisy commotion, and it took a while before a man's magnetic voice reached my ear. [Emily, I miss you.] That familiar voice made my eyes instantly tear up. For the past few months, I've been relying on sleeping pills just to close my eyes. Hearing his voice again, I couldn't help but choke up. [I miss you too.] Soon, the voice spoke again. [Emily, let's stop fighting. Let's get back together.] The man's voice was like rich red wine, instantly intoxicating me. After the high fever, a layer of sweat coated my body, soaking through my clothes. My long nails dug into the edge of my phone case. I could barely suppress my sobs as I eagerly nodded in agreement. But then, a burst of thunderous laughter erupted from the phone. [Liam is the man! Two sentences and he's got his ex-girlfriend begging like a dog!] [People actually fall for the middle-of-the-night 'let's get back together' routine? Liam, where did you find this weirdo? When you were together, she treated you like a king. It's been three months since you broke up, and she's still hung up on you.] [That's just our Liam's charm. When they were together, he'd tell her to get lost and she would, obedient as a dog.] [One time, Liam was out on a date with another woman, and with one phone call, Emily came over just to drop off condoms.] [Are there really people that pathetic?] [That's our Liam's charm. I'll take this penalty drink.] Unbridled mockery poured from the phone, finally replaced by Liam's voice again: [I told you guys, Emily Vance is pathetic. As long as I crook my finger, she'll shamelessly cling to me.] Liam's voice was still deep and magnetic, but laced with a hint of smugness. Then, he said to me: [Emily, we're playing Truth or Dare. Thanks for taking a drink for me.] His tone was dismissive, and he sounded ready to hang up. But I didn't want to miss this hard-won opportunity. I pressed him urgently: [Did you mean what you just said?] He froze. Even the background music seemed to quiet down a bit. [Emily, are you sick in the head? You didn't actually think I was calling you in the middle of the night to get back together, did you?] Liam cursed at me. I ignored him, persisting: [You said it, and I agreed.] As I spoke, I couldn't hold back my cries. My voice took on a pleading tone, lowering myself to the absolute dust: [Nathaniel Hale, as long as you come back, you can do whatever you want to me...] No response from the other side. For a long, long time, it was a deathly silence. Then, a furious, low growl from Liam: [Emily Vance! You better explain right now, who the hell is Nathaniel Hale?!] 2 Nathaniel Hale. That name accompanied me throughout my entire youth. In a daze, I was transported back to when I was sixteen, the summer I first met Nathaniel. Those were the hardest days of my life. My grandmother, who I had always depended on, passed away. I became like a wild dog completely off the leash, letting myself rot in the mud. Caught in another vicious fight, my homeroom teacher issued a final ultimatum: if my parents didn't show up this time, she would report me to the school board for expulsion. I didn't care. Leaning lazily against the wall, I said indifferently: [My dad is in Canada, my mom is in Thailand, and I can't reach either of them. Do you want me to invite my grandma up from the grave?] [Emily Vance!] My homeroom teacher, enraged by my attitude, grabbed me by the collar to drag me to the expulsion office. That was when Nathaniel Hale appeared. He hurried over and stepped in front of me. His first words were: [I'm sorry I'm late. I'm Emily's older brother.] Brother? I froze, and so did the teacher. The teacher froze because the man standing before her had a clean, sharp aura, looking like he belonged to a completely different world than me, with my messy hair and heavy makeup. I froze because I never expected my parents to have an illegitimate child this old. So, I was extremely resistant to him. [Bullshit, I don't have a fucking brother!] I cursed loudly, lunging forward to push him away. But Nathaniel, despite looking slim and refined, easily pinned me with one hand while calmly communicating and apologizing to my teacher. He promised that from now on, he would keep a strict eye on me. Due to his pleading, the teacher decided to give me one last chance. Nathaniel practically dragged me home. On the way, he shoved me into a hair salon, getting rid of my chaotic, colorful hair and the heavy makeup. The mirror revealed my original face. He stared at me for a moment, then smiled and ruffled my hair: [Look how nice you look as a student.] I didn't dodge; instead, I took the opportunity to bite down hard on the webbing between his thumb and index finger. I failed. He caught my chin instead. [Tsk, such a fierce little girl?] [Get lost! I'm calling the cops, you kidnapper!] I mumbled my curses, my jaw held tight. Even though Nathaniel was very good-looking, it didn't stop me from hating him, especially when he smiled—it was blindingly bright. I cursed, kicked, and hit him. Nathaniel didn't get angry. He let me throw my tantrum. Only when I settled down did he slowly explain: [I'm not a kidnapper. Your parents entrusted me to take care of you.] [Bullshit. They don't care about me. Otherwise, why didn't they come back when Grandma died?] I tried to act like I didn't care, but I still choked up when I yelled, glaring at him with red eyes. My cheeks felt a little itchy, and a little wet... Nathaniel fell silent. He let go of me, and after a long while, he promised: [Once you get into college, they'll come back.] I thought for a moment and replied: [They're dreaming.] 3 Whether I agreed or not. Nathaniel forcefully moved into my house. During that time, I called the police, but Nathaniel actually produced a legally binding guardianship document, signed by my parents, completely shutting me up. I gave up and started treating him like he was invisible. We had a two-bedroom apartment. I had one room, and Grandma had the other. Now he moved into Grandma's room, and he really started acting the part, preparing three meals a day and taking care of the daily cleaning. A free maid? Why not. Once I figured that out, I accepted it with peace of mind. Except one thing was really annoying. He nagged me to come home every day after school. No matter which shady internet cafe I hid in, he would always catch me red-handed. As soon as I got home, he checked my homework. If I said I didn't understand, he would actually sit by my side and explain it to me. Whatever I didn't understand, he could teach. [Nathaniel Hale, tell me the truth...] Caught and dragged home yet again, I couldn't help but ask: [Did you get bound to some mission system? If I get into college, do you get points or wealth? Or get cured of a terminal illness?] Nathaniel flicked my forehead. [Going to college is for yourself.] [Why go to college?] I rubbed my forehead, complaining: [I don't even want them to come back...] [Do you really not want them to come back?] Nathaniel interrupted me, looking at me with a very serious tone: [Don't you want to prove to them that even if you're all alone, you can become excellent?!] My fingertips curled, and my heart surged slightly. He had a tiny teardrop mole at the corner of his eye. I looked into his eyes; they seemed to hold a galaxy, shining so brightly... 4 Midterm exams. I went from second to last to the top fifty in my grade. When I got my report card, no one around me could believe it. I was so happy. My mind was full of how to tell Nathaniel the good news that night. I'd lie and say I was still second to last, then extort a meal of braised pork ribs out of him. Nathaniel's braised pork ribs were seriously delicious. I was thinking happily, but before school even ended, I was called into the homeroom teacher's office... She suspected I cheated and wanted to cancel my score. That night, I went to a bar. 5 Nathaniel bailed me out of the police station. According to the police officer: During a spot check, the police caught a bunch of minors in the bar. I was the most conspicuous one, drunk in my school uniform, twisting and shaking on the dance floor with a bunch of shady characters, having the time of my life. Nathaniel's face was very dark. I saw him whisper something to the police officer, sign a document, and then walk over to take me out of the station. Actually, I hadn't drank that much, and after standing in the drafty police station hallway for so long, I was mostly sober. All the way home, Nathaniel didn't speak to me. Seeing his stern face, I got angry too. I was about to storm into my room when he stopped me: [Stop! Don't you have anything to say?] That one word ignited all the rebellion in my body. [I don't need you managing me! Are you my dad, or my mom?! Do you really think a piece of paper gives you the right to control me?!] Nathaniel strode toward me. Even though he was skinny, when he kept a straight face, his aura was terrifying. Standing in front of me, he was a full head taller. Looking down at me, his face as cold as frost, his tone harder than ever before: [Do you know how disappointed your parents would be if they saw you like this?!] Hearing that, I slammed my backpack down as hard as I could and screamed hysterically: [How disappointed could they be?! The grass on their graves is taller than I am! What the hell do they know?!] I saw the ice on Nathaniel's face crack, piece by piece. The air was stagnant for a long time before his deep voice finally broke the silence: [When did you find out?] My fists were clenched tight. The feeling of the alcohol rushing to my head returned, and my whole body felt uncontrollably hot. Biting my lip, I looked into his eyes and enunciated every word: [Stop treating me like a child. I understand everything. My parents have been dead for a long time! You hid it from me, and my grandma hid it from me too... I know a lot. I also know that they were undercover agents, and you're a cop too!] 6 Groggy. Memories flooded my mind like a tidal wave, making my already throbbing head feel like it was splitting open. On the phone, Liam was still demanding an answer. I snapped back to reality and replied instinctively: [Where are you? I want to see you right now.] I missed him so much. I really, really wanted to see him right now. The other side went silent. I heard mocking banter in the background—some calling me shameless, others saying I was playing hard to get, and some teasing Liam, asking if he was getting anxious. Finally, Liam sent an address. I didn't even bother getting dressed up; I just hurried over. When I got to the bar, Liam's group was still there. Seeing my pale face, Liam, sitting right in the middle, froze for a second. [Emily, we haven't seen each other in a few months and you look like you're... dying?] I didn't care. Ignoring all their mocking stares, I approached him. But when my eyes adjusted to the dim light and I saw Liam's face clearly, an indescribable wave of fury washed over me. [Where is your teardrop mole?] I reached out and grabbed his chin, frantically inspecting his face. I hadn't seen him in a few months. Liam's face was different. The corners of his eyes, his nose bridge... and more importantly, the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye, the one just like Nathaniel's, was gone... He didn't look like Nathaniel anymore! Annoyed by my grabbing, Liam pushed me away roughly, his tone impatient: [That mole was ugly as sin. I've wanted it removed for ages. It looks much better now.] He touched his face, smiling confidently. But I suddenly started tearing at him like a madwoman. [Who told you to remove it?! You don't look like him at all anymore!] I had searched so hard to find someone who looked so much like him, and now Liam had ruined it. In my anger, I turned my wrath on the man in front of me, getting up to leave, but my arm was forcefully grabbed. [What do you mean? Like who? That guy named Nathaniel Hale? Emily Vance! You better explain to me right now, who the hell is Nathaniel Hale?!] Liam finally remembered his previous question and interrogated me sharply. Someone tried to break up the fight. [Liam, calm down. Emily is definitely playing hard to get...] [Exactly. This guy probably doesn't even exist.] Hearing this, Liam's expression softened, and the look he gave me became a bit more contemptuous. He said: [If you want to get back together, show some sincerity. Don't just make up some random 'Nathaniel Hale' or whatever, using a fake person to mess with me...] Before Liam could finish. I slapped him across the face. With one hundred percent of my strength. [Who are you calling fake?! Nathaniel Hale isn't dead! He isn't!] [Emily Vance, have you lost your mind?! Are you psycho?!]
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "391380", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel