Chapter 1 Chapter 1

That day, I accompanied my husband, Ethan Sadler, to his check-up and found out he would soon be able to see again. That was also the day my mother, Roxanne Miller, asked me to go home. With a frosty expression, she ordered, "Heidi, divorce Ethan so that Rosie can marry him." I said nothing, surprised at how she could actually say that. When I didn't agree, my father, Richard Talbot, pointed a finger at me. He growled, "Don't forget, Heidi Talbot, he was initially Rosie's fiancé. You don't deserve to be his wife. Don't even think of holding onto the marriage!" I stared at them and my younger sister, Rosalie Talbot, who was leaning in their arms, looking fragile. It felt so ridiculous to me. It was true that Ethan was engaged to Rosalie. However, my parents couldn't bear to see her marry a blind man when he accidentally lost his sight. That was why they called off the engagement. Unexpectedly, the Sadler family's business flourished while ours started going downhill. Two years ago, our family encountered a debt crisis and had to ask the Sadler family for help. Due to losing his sight, Ethan started having severe allergic reactions to women. If a woman was within six feet away from him, rashes would develop all over his body, and it would feel extremely uncomfortable. The only women he wasn't allergic to were Rosalie and me. As the three of us grew up together, he wasn't allergic to our presence. When the Sadler family requested my family to adhere to the engagement, my family sacrificed me without hesitation. I was forced to sign the prenuptial agreement. Ethan and I then registered our marriage. Dad's company received 20 million dollars from Sadler Group. Meanwhile, I received nothing from either side of the family for my marriage to Ethan. Just like some sort of merchandise, I was packed up and delivered to the Sadler residence. What was more ridiculous was I had so few belongings that a suitcase was more than enough for me, even though I lived in that house for 20 years. As our family once called off the engagement with Ethan, my parents-in-law, William Sadler and Brianna Ford, despised me. To them, I was just a tool they bought from the Talbot family to bear Ethan's children, while Ethan merely saw me as Rosalie's substitute. But his beloved Rosalie refused to marry him because he was blind! Even when we were being intimate, he kept calling out her name. At the Sadler household, I was just like his full-time maid, who had to take care of his daily needs. Because of his condition, his mood fluctuated greatly. He preferred staying in his bedroom the whole day and smoked to make himself numb. As I waited on him, he would suddenly aim his cigarette at where I was and press its end on my body. Sometimes it'd make a hole in my shirt, at worst, it'd leave scars on my body. Not even I could keep count of how many scars I had, as sometimes the newer scars would overlap with the older ones and form new scars. Was I resentful? Of course, I was, but I dared not say anything about it because no one was on my side. Had I thought of putting up a fight? I would love to, but if I did, the Sadler family could crush my family in no time. Wasn't that the reason I'd been sent to them? To appease Ethan and his family? I remembered the first time Ethan scorched me with his cigarette. Crying, I called Mom, telling her I was afraid and it hurt badly. However, she scolded me over the phone. "Heidi, Ethan's just feeling down. Put up with it and it will pass. Don't you dare offend the Sadlers, I'm telling you." Fine. I put up with it. Without complaints, I played my role. To the public's eye, I was the much-admired Mrs. Sadler. However, where no one else could see, I was a puppet that Ethan could torture to his liking. As I hadn't conceived even after being married to him for so long, Brianna kept mocking me for being infertile.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Only I knew Ethan never wanted me to have his child. The first day he decided to be intimate with me, he asked his private doctor to embed a contraceptive implant under my skin behind his parents' backs. I was allergic to the silicone capsule, so my left arm in which it was embedded was always slightly red and swollen. The itch was unbearable. However, Ethan only cared about satisfying his desires and paid no attention to my health. Afraid that his parents might find out, he forbade me from removing the implant. Therefore, I could only put up with it. Three months later, the itch disappeared, but my left arm was unusually swollen. Finally, I fell unconscious in the Sadler's residence. I heard the siren of the ambulance. I heard the doctor say that because of the severe allergic reaction, my body resisted the implant. As a result, there was a leak in the core where the hormone was stored. My body absorbed too much of the substance, so I would never get pregnant. I was glad that I could finally escape the torture of the indescribable itch. But at the same time, my heart bled for I could never be a mother. After that incident, Brianna treated me with increasing disdain, and my life in the Sadler family was akin to treading on eggshells. Ethan probably felt guilty, so he was nicer to me. He no longer pinched me at the waist or scorched me with his cigarette. As he had nothing to worry about anymore, he became increasingly attracted to my body. In the dark, he'd imagine me as Rosalie and force me to do various embarrassing actions. I could only weep in silence under him. Often, I wondered when those days would come to an end, until one day, he slipped and fell while taking his shower. Not only was he taller than me by several inches, but he was also much heavier than me. I couldn't stop his fall in time. He bumped his head, whereas I sprained my leg. That day, Brianna slapped me and locked me into the small guest room. Ethan was taken to the hospital. After the check-up, he was found to be alright. In fact, his once-compressed optic nerve showed signs of healing. Even the doctors said this was a blessing in disguise and he might recover his sight in no time. On the day he was discharged, his eyes could indeed sense a faint light. I was released from the guest room. For the first time ever, I was treated like his wife. They got me a private doctor to treat my leg. The housekeepers prepared my meals and did my laundry. From that day onward, Brianna stopped asking me to do those tiring chores, and I started having allowances. I learned a massage technique from the doctor and helped Ethan massage his eyes every single day. Finally, I could finally have a life like everyone else. During Ethan's first follow-up at the hospital, his eyes could already differentiate darkness and light. As I'd been coughing for more than a month, I did a check-up at the hospital too. A month later, Ethan went for his second follow-up. He could start seeing blurred, overlapping images by then. Meanwhile, I received my medical report. The doctor suggested I undergo a biomarker screening for lung cancer and a case biopsy. I didn't know how I completed the examination and returned to the Sadler residence. The Sadlers were happy to learn that Ethan's condition was improving, but I returned to my room with a numb expression. All I knew was that I had contracted lung cancer, and my days were numbered. But I was only 28! I hadn't lived my life to the fullest! I refused to believe it. While Ethan was in a good mood, I got his consent to leave the house and did another check-up in another hospital. However, I had to accept the reality. The results of the medical check-up were exactly the same as the previous one. Another month later, Ethan went for his third follow-up. The blood clot compressing the optic nerve had dispersed. He could now perceive another's figure. The doctor said he could soon see again. Meanwhile, I was diagnosed to have contracted end-stage lung cancer. The cancer had spread across half of my lungs.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I had mere months left to live unless I removed half of my lungs. But with what remained of my lungs, how long could I live? Holding the diagnosis report, I hesitated whether or not I should tell my parents about it. However, they took the initiative to call me and tell me to go home. It was the first time they called to ask me to go home since my marriage. Overwhelmed with joy, I thought they finally missed me. Never would I have thought that the first thing they did was to tell me to get a divorce! They wanted me to let Rosalie have my husband! Staring at my family, I thought they seemed so unfamiliar. Mom and Dad once doted on me when I was younger. Since when had they started to change? I gazed at the sneer on Rosalie's face. Suddenly, I remember. My parents changed the moment they gave birth to her. Ever since that day, they only had eyes for Rosalie, and I was invisible to them. I was like a stranger living under the same roof as them. I always had to give in to Rosalie. Whatever I owned, she would own one too. But I didn't have most of the things she had. When we were younger, I would always be punished if she fell. Whenever she did something wrong, I would still be the one to be punished. She'd give me things that she disliked, as though they were trash. However, she'd always snatch what I liked and destroy them. She could secure my parents' love easily, but I had to work hard and long just for a word of praise. My parents thought nothing of it when I received admission to a reputable university. However, Rosalie was showered with gifts and praise even though she could only pass for an unimpressive high school. When Rosalie was younger, she was adorable. Afraid that she would hurt herself, I cushioned her fall countless times when she was learning how to walk. However, whenever my gaze landed on her cute little face, I gladly endured the pain. She was my little sister, after all! Nevertheless, I never thought that the little angel would grow up to be a devil. Her happiness came at the expense of my suffering. Knowing that I valued my parents' love, she'd capture their attention effortlessly. Knowing that I craved freedom, she sent me into this hell that was the Sadler family. Looking at them, the family with whom I'd lived for more than 20 years, I was hysterical. "Why? Why are you doing this to me? "Why must I marry Ethan in her place when she refused to? "Why must I get a divorce when Ethan's recovering? "You were the ones who insisted on me marrying him in the first place, so what gives you the right to say I'm undeserving of him now?" Dad slapped me hard, so much so that I fell. "Heidi Talbot! Don't forget I was the one who raised you, and I sent you to school. I've not raised you to defy me!" Rosalie smiled, taking pleasure in my plight. Mom hesitated, but all she said was, "Heidi, since Ethan doesn't like you anyway, why don't you fulfill their wish to be together?" At that moment, I was thoroughly disappointed in my family. Feeling dejected, I got up and smiled bitterly. "As long as Ethan agrees to get a divorce, I'll gladly adhere. Whoever wants to be his wife can do so for all I care!" Then, I turned and left the house that would only remind me of my sorrows. When I returned to the Sadler residence, Ethan was already waiting for me. He could move around on his own without assistance now. Staggering, he came toward me and handed me a document file. I opened it. It contained two copies of a divorce agreement, which he had signed, a check, and a bunch of keys. "Heidi, sign it, and you'll own that property on West Street and two million dollars. Take it as my compensation for the divorce."