For five years, Evelyn was my world. Five years, and she was always distant, a beautiful, cold star I could only orbit. She never once let me touch her, but I never thought of leaving. When she was diagnosed with liver cancer, I didn't hesitate. I gave her two-thirds of mine. Overwhelmed, she finally accepted my proposal. I was ecstatic, planning our wedding, dreaming of a future that was finally within reach. Then, on his way back to crash our wedding, her first love—her perfect, idealized memory of a man—died in a car accident. All her grief, all her rage, she poured onto me. Her revenge was merciless. It ended with her lighting a match and burning me alive. It was only in that final, searing moment of agony that I understood. The five years I had loved her without question were the same five years she had kept him enshrined in her heart. She was only marrying me to avoid the label of being ungrateful. My entire life’s devotion had been a joke. Now, reborn at the peak of my love for her, I'm the one calling it off. Later, she’ll come to me, crying, telling me I was the only one who ever truly loved her. Sorry, Evelyn. But I don’t love you anymore. 1 At the opening reception for her new art gallery, Evelyn Monroe stood in the center of a glittering crowd and announced, "I've decided to marry Liam Shaw." The room erupted in applause and cheers, a wave of congratulations washing over us. But amidst the joy, one figure stood out like a crack in a masterpiece: Julian Vance, Evelyn's first love. He drained his champagne flute in one gulp, then turned to me, a smirk laced with venom playing on his lips. "Congratulations, Liam. You bought your way into her life with a piece of your liver, and it finally paid off." I was in a corner of the gallery, arranging canapés and drinks, but his words sent a storm raging through me, dragging up the wreckage of my last life. Evelyn, with liver cancer, one foot already in the grave. Her parents were too old to be donors. Julian, her beloved ex, had booked a flight out of the country the night he heard the news. I was the only match. I loved her. I couldn't bear the thought of her dying so young. I gave her two-thirds of my liver without a second thought. She had cried, her gratitude a warm flood that thawed her usual frost. She promised to marry me, to spend the rest of her life taking care of me. But when Julian died, her gratitude curdled into a corrosive hatred that ended with me screaming in a fire. A sharp, stabbing pain twisted in my gut. The delicate clinking of glasses around me was a tormenting echo, and I couldn't stop it. A wave of nausea hit me so hard I doubled over, gagging. Julian froze. Evelyn, however, rushed over, her face a mask of disgust. "What is wrong with you? Can you not even handle appetizers without making a scene? If I knew the first thing about catering, this job wouldn't have fallen to you in the first place!" "You're useless," she hissed. "Just hurry up and don't ruin the mood for everyone." Julian shot me a look of contempt before turning a charming smile on Evelyn. "Evelyn, darling, I can handle this. Let me." A blush crept up her cheeks. "Absolutely not," she cooed, her voice soft. "Your hands are for painting, Julian. They shouldn't be wasted on menial tasks. You go relax. There’s only one tray left. We'll let him finish it. Come on." She gently pushed him back toward the crowd, but not before throwing a final, cutting remark over her shoulder at me. "I know you donated part of your liver, Liam, but can you stop using it as an excuse to be so fragile all the time? It’s not like it affects your ability to arrange shrimp on a platter. Honestly." The chatter in the gallery died down as our friends glanced over, their eyes filled with pity. I ignored them all, a flash of agony tightening my chest. I watched Evelyn laughing with Julian, my expression hardening into a cold, clear resolve. I am alive again. And this time, I will not be the collateral damage of their love story. Slowly, I straightened up, finished the last of the appetizers, and carried the tray out. Most of the guests were Evelyn's friends; they all knew the epic saga of her and Julian. One of them pointed at the cartoon Band-Aid on the back of Julian's hand. "No way, man," he laughed. "You nicked yourself on an easel and you're wearing that?" Julian shot a pointed look in my direction. "I've got someone who worries about me. Even the smallest scratch, and she can't help but care." He then turned to me, his face a caricature of apology. "Sorry, Liam. No offense intended. But I guess with you missing half an organ, Evelyn's got bigger things to worry about." I sat down, my voice flat and cold. "I'm missing part of my liver because I love Evelyn. Unlike you, who, when she needed a donor, bolted for the hills faster than anyone I've ever seen." "How dare you twist it like that?" Julian snapped, his face contorting as if I'd stomped on his foot. He immediately turned to Evelyn, his eyes red and welling with tears. "Evelyn, you know why I had to leave! My cousin was in an accident overseas. I had to go, otherwise I would have stayed by your side through everything. He never would have had the chance." He choked back a sob. "If I had known you'd marry him just for a piece of his liver, I never would have left. God, I… I've regretted it every single day." The mood in the room shifted. Everyone exchanged uncertain glances. Evelyn’s eyes filled with tears of pure, unadulterated emotion. I watched them from the sidelines, my heart a placid lake. A bitter laugh almost escaped my lips. I’d given her a vital part of myself, and I’d never seen this much emotion from her. Julian says he regrets leaving, and she looks at him like he hung the moon. How could I have been so stupid in my last life? How could I have ever believed my devotion could win her heart? Suddenly, Julian’s act reached its crescendo. He crumpled to the floor, his body twitching faintly, a bit of white foam appearing at the corner of his mouth. Evelyn shrieked, dropping to her knees and pulling him into her arms. "Julian! What's happening? Don't scare me!" she cried, her voice trembling with panic. Gasping for air, Julian managed to speak, his voice weak. "It's nothing… an old problem. Side effect from the sleeping pills. These last two years… I was so worried about you, I couldn't sleep. They were the only thing that got me through." He looked past her, his gaze locking with mine. "Liam thinks I did this on purpose. But I didn't. It's always been you, Evelyn. It's always been you in my heart." He took another shaky breath. "I just hope… even after you're married, we can still be close. If you've misunderstood my feelings… I'd rather just die right now." Evelyn bought it hook, line, and sinker. She began to sob uncontrollably. "Oh, Julian, you idiot! Of course, I believe you! You don't have to prove anything to me like this." She clutched his hand tightly. "And it doesn't matter if I'm married or not. Nothing will ever change how I feel about you. No one can ever change that!" A faint, tragic smile touched Julian's lips. "As long as you know that, I can rest easy." With that, he passed out. Just before his eyes fluttered shut, I caught a flicker of a triumphant, sly smirk on his face. Evelyn fumbled for her phone, frantically dialing 911. Only then did she finally look at me, her eyes burning with pure hatred. "I already agreed to marry you, Liam! Why did you have to say those things to him?" she hissed. "If anything happens to Julian because of you, I swear, I will make you regret it for the rest of your life!" 2 Her furious expression sent a phantom ache through my chest. Anyone in that room could see Julian was acting, but she was completely blind to it. Even one of her own friends couldn't help but speak up. "Evelyn, if it wasn't for Liam, who knows where you'd be right now. Besides, he really did leave you when you needed him most." Evelyn's rage only intensified. "All Liam did was donate a piece of his liver! That doesn't give him the right to act so high and mighty!" I let out a soft, humorless laugh and glanced at the man playing dead on the floor. "Really? He loves you that much, but his cousin was more important than your life?" Her anger peaked. "That's enough! I won't let you say another bad word about him!" Seeing her, so utterly lost in her delusion, I saw a reflection of my past self. I remembered how I used to plead with her, trying to explain that I didn't give her my liver as a bargaining chip for marriage. I did it because I loved her, and I hoped she would marry me because she loved me back. She agreed to marry me, yet she resented me for it, torturing me until my last breath. I was just as blind as she is now. Thank God that's over. A small pang of regret hit me. If only I could have been reborn just a little bit earlier. I never would have given her the liver in the first place. The paramedics arrived quickly. Without a second thought, Evelyn jumped into the ambulance alongside them. The party was over. I spent the next few days recovering at home. And I spent some money. I hired an investigator to dig up everything there was to know about Julian Vance, especially what he’d been up to abroad for the past two years. It turned out Julian's private life was as dramatic as a Hollywood blockbuster. Yet here he was, professing his undying love for Evelyn. Pathetic. I couldn't wait to see the look on Evelyn's face when she found out. But first, I had to make sure they were shackled together for good. That would be the best revenge. A flicker of anticipation sparked within me. A few days later, Evelyn stormed back into my apartment, her eyes blazing. "Liam, Julian almost died because of you! Even my father went to the hospital to see him. Aren't you going to go and apologize?!" I pulled on a jacket, ready to go with her. On the way to the hospital, I looked at her exhausted face. She was clearly worn out from worry. I’d never seen her this concerned, not even when I was recovering from surgery. Julian fakes a fainting spell, and she’s a wreck. I couldn't help but ask, "I've been so good to you. I gave you a piece of myself. Does all of that still not measure up to a single hair on Julian's head?" Evelyn hesitated, then her face hardened with irritation. "No one compares to Julian. I won't lie to you, Liam. I love him. Only him. We were childhood sweethearts. You can't possibly compete with that." She sighed. "But don't worry. You saved my life, and I'll keep my promise. I'll marry you. I don't want to disappoint my parents, and I don't want people talking. When we get to the hospital, you will apologize to Julian properly. I don't want him to be upset." I looked at her determined expression and finally understood. It all made sense now. Why she hated me so much after Julian died. To her, Julian was everything. And I was just a doormat. When we arrived at the hospital, Julian was propped up in bed, tearfully recounting his years of longing for Evelyn to an older man sitting by his bedside—her father. As we walked in, his eyes immediately found Evelyn, and his expression softened into one of deep, soulful affection. "Evelyn, you're here." She gazed back at him, her own eyes filled with a matching tenderness. I ignored their silent exchange and turned to her father. "Sir, I need to discuss something with you. Could we step outside for a moment?" Mr. Monroe nodded, but as we headed for the door, Evelyn blocked our path, her face flushed with anger. "Liam, are you trying to tattle on me to my dad? If you have a complaint about me and Julian, you can say it right here! You don't have to be so sneaky!" "I have other things to discuss," I said calmly. She clearly didn't believe me. "I was harsh with you, and now you're upset, I get it. But this is between us. Don't drag Julian into it. He's innocent! Just say what you have to say. I'm listening!" I looked at her father, then gestured toward Evelyn, who was glaring at me as if I were her sworn enemy. "Sir, you see it too. You see how deep Miss Monroe's feelings for Mr. Vance are. I don't want to be the villain in their story. I'm willing to step aside." I took a breath and delivered the final blow. "The engagement… I think we should call it off."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "394152", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel