On the day that Qin Shiyan's white moonlight returned to the country, I was packed up and sent to his good brother's bed. The next day was the day we were supposed to get our marriage certificate, and three months later was our wedding. He knelt on the ground, begging for my understanding. It was then that I realized I was the one who resembled the real person the most among the substitutes he had been looking for. I was heartbroken. But later, he knelt down again, asking for my forgiveness. I retaliated by giving him two stripes.
Chapter 1
The day Carl Johnson's ideal love returned to the country, I was sent to his best friend's bed.
At that time, the next day was supposed to be the day we obtained our marriage certificates, and our wedding was scheduled to be held three months later.
He knelt on the ground, begging me to let him go.
Only then did I realize I was just a stand-in for the woman he truly loved.
I was heartbroken.
Yet later, he knelt again, pleading for my forgiveness.
In response, I surprised him with a positive pregnancy test.
1
Carl had been acting strangely lately.
Initially, he tried to hide it from me.
But eventually, his uncontrollable joy became too obvious, even in front of me.
When I asked him why he was so happy, he mumbled and avoided answering.
However, this didn't stop the usually aloof and cold Carl from grinning foolishly at his phone every day.
Nor did it stop him from anxiously counting down to March 8th, a date we had both been eagerly anticipating for our marriage registration. I thought he was eagerly awaiting the day he would become my husband.
But the woman's intuition told me he might be unfaithful.
It finally surfaced the day before we verified our marriage certificates.
My intuition had always been spot on. He was emotionally cheating with his childhood sweetheart.
A name I had heard countless times before, now echoing in my ears after five years was Cindy Anderson.
A woman who looked similar to me but had a completely different, proud, and flamboyant personality.
2
At the karaoke party, Carl knelt on both knees.
"Jane, I'm sorry."
His voice was hoarse as he begged me to let him go and take care of his long-lost first love.
It was rare for a man to kneel unless it was truly important.
I had imagined countless times that he would do this in a romantic summer, unexpectedly proposing to me. Or in a winter chapel, meticulously decorated, offering me a long-prepared diamond ring. Never did I think it would be to postpone the wedding we had meticulously planned.
"She's just recovered from a serious illness, and I really can't leave her alone."
It was in this scene that Carl's good friends burst through the door of the room.
"Carl, how could you not let us witness such a proposal scene?"
"Exactly. How can you marry the goddess we all adored in college so easily? I won't agree to it."
I wiped away tears that had unknowingly fallen from the corners of my eyes.
Everyone familiar with us thought he was kneeling to propose to me.
Carl continued speaking, but I could no longer hear what he was saying.
Before I passed out, I glanced at the wine on the table.
Carl had given it to me.
He said such a day was suitable for a slight intoxication.
Why did I get dizzy? I only had one glass.
3
The morning light filtered through the curtains into the room.
An arm draped over my waist moved slightly.
I opened my eyes to see slender, fair fingers.
These hands were undoubtedly beautiful.
But as a shiver of shock ran through my pupils, these were not Carl's hands.
A muffled groan came from behind me.
I carefully turned my head and met the gaze of the voice's owner.
"Derek?"
Derek Harper was our college classmate, Carl's good friend, and business partner.
"Jane?"
His morning voice was hoarse, but the name he called was pleasant.
I couldn't afford to appreciate it.
After mentally preparing myself countless times, I lifted the blanket.
A moment later, I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Jane, what kind of person do you think I am?"
Derek's voice carried a hint of self-mockery, and it was the first time I had heard him speak like this.
I accidentally touched his arm, and a sharp intake of breath came from across.
Embarrassment mixed with a sense of shame.
"Last night... "
"Last night... "
We spoke in unison, only to both unexpectedly fall silent.
Ten minutes later, unable to make sense of the situation, we tacitly moved past the topic.
"Jane, I left after seeing you asleep yesterday. Nothing happened, right? I was going to the airport to pick up Cindy to stay over. You're not mad, are you?"
Carl's message came through while I was still in a daze.
"No."
Out of a guilty instinct, I replied with a single word.
4
The place Carl was bringing Cindy to stay was our marital home.
He had once held me in his arms, promising that I would be the only mistress here.
I never thought the slap in the face would come so quickly.
Carl's WhatsApp messages kept coming one after another.
"Jane, Cindy had been abroad for treatment those past few years. I'm only worried about her health, which is why I'm bringing her over. Please don't overthink it."
I sighed self-mockingly, unsure if he was trying to convince me or himself.
I remembered asking him that day, "Does her return have anything to do with us registering today?"
He avoided the question, only saying, "I want to take good care of her."
Dragging my groggy body, I replied, "Doesn't she have family? Why do you need to take care of her?"
This time, there was a long pause on the other end.
It wasn't until I finished showering that I saw his message.
Only a short sentence, "I'm not at ease."
I knew why he said that.
Cindy had fallen seriously ill at eighteen and, not wanting to leave behind sadness, went abroad alone for treatment.
She had been out of contact for years.
He once thought Cindy was no longer in this world.
"Cindy didn't want to go out. I planned to welcome her at the house. Jane, will you join us?"
"Sure." I replied with a single word.
I wanted to see if the Cindy he spoke of was the same Cindy I knew.
After all, the Cindy I knew, who went abroad at eighteen, was not only not seriously ill but was living quite freely.
5
The moment the door unlocked after I entered the password, the scene inside stung me.
Cindy was nestled in Carl's arms, playing out a scene of mutual affection.
Our eyes met, and Carl's expression changed.
Cindy, however, smiled softly at me.
"Jane, long time no see."
Ah, it really was the Cindy I used to know.
"Carl, I'm very tired. Can you help me with my luggage?"
Cindy turned to Carl, who only glanced at me before hurriedly carrying the suitcase upstairs.
I looked up to see Carl heading towards our master bedroom.
With only the two of us left in the living room, Cindy reverted to her original demeanor.
"Why are you back?"
"Why am I back?" She slowly approached me, her words no longer gentle.
"Oh, Jane, I told you, everything that's yours, I will take. You probably don't know, but I only mentioned once that I didn't want you to marry him, and he agreed."
Cindy was my half-sister. Her biological father had been my dad's partner.
She always believed my dad was responsible for her father's death.
No matter how much I explained, she wouldn't believe it.
From childhood to adulthood, she used this revenge against me.
This farce ended abruptly when she was eighteen.
She pushed me down the stairs and was forcibly sent abroad by my dad that day.
The footsteps from upstairs grew louder.
Cindy suddenly grabbed my hands.
From Carl's position, it looked like I pushed her to the ground.
After all these years, it was still the same old trick.
Before she fell, her voice brushed past my ear. "Who do you think he'll believe, you or me?"
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