To break up with me, Caleb faked amnesia. He asked, "Who are you?" I froze for a second, then smiled. "I'm your sister-in-law." Caleb was stunned. That night, his older brother—the very one who had been constantly urging us to break up—frantically texted me: [What the hell?! When did you and I ever get together?!] [Caleb is waiting outside my house with a knife right now!] 1 When I got to the hospital, Caleb was lying in bed. His head was wrapped in bandages, looking very convincing. He looked at me with confusion and bewilderment, asking: "Who are you?" I froze for a second, then smiled. I reached up and pulled my collar down slightly, revealing a red mark on my neck. "I'm your sister-in-law." The door to the hospital room was closed. His brother was waiting outside, waiting for me to break up with Caleb. When I received the news that Caleb had been hospitalized after a car accident, I was actually with his brother. Arthur looked at me with a half-smile, waving a five-million-dollar check in his hand. "Ms. Sterling, no one can predict the future between you and Caleb." "But your own future can take off from this moment on." Caleb and I had been dating for two years, and he had always kept his family background a secret. Until recently, when I was working a part-time job and bumped into him. He was out having fun with friends, staying in a presidential suite that cost fifty thousand dollars a night. When he was checking out, I just stood quietly at the front desk, looking at him. I wasn't suffering, nor was I tired. Caleb and I locked eyes. He looked embarrassed. "I was afraid to tell you before because I thought you'd feel too much pressure being with me." Me: "..." I pointed at myself in disbelief. Me? Do I look like someone with that much pride? If you had told me you were rich from the start, you wouldn't have had to chase me for over a year. Not many people knew Caleb and I were dating. After his friends saw us that day, word somehow reached the Davis family. And that's how I met the head of the Davis family, Caleb's older brother, Arthur Davis. The two brothers looked about 70% alike. When Arthur looked down at me, his oppressive and heavy aura made me shudder. He told me to break up with Caleb. Last night, he sent me a video. In the video, he and Caleb were sitting across from each other. Compared to the still-boyish Caleb, his older brother was clearly more mature and composed. When Arthur spoke, his voice was unhurried, every word striking right at the heart. "I heard you and Emma met in college. You chased her for a long time, and she always had a terrible temper. But the moment she found out who you really are, she suddenly became completely obedient." His implication was obvious. Gold-digger, hypocrite, compromising herself for money. Caleb quickly retorted, "She's not like that!" His tone was hasty, lacking confidence. He was just eager to defend me. But deep down, even Caleb didn't fully believe his own words. Compared to an old fox like Arthur, Caleb was out of his depth. Seeing Caleb take the bait, Arthur couldn't help but smirk. "Is that so? Then why don't we put on a little show? You fake amnesia after this car accident and ignore her. Let's see how she reacts." The video ended there. What was happening now left no doubt. Caleb had agreed to play along. 2 The expression on Caleb's face changed rapidly, like his brain was buffering from an overload of information. "Want an apple? Your sister-in-law will peel one for you." Five million dollars was definitely tempting. But the fact that you two brothers were playing me for a fool really pissed me off. Hearing me call myself "sister-in-law" made Caleb's face turn green with anger. He opened his mouth, clearly wanting to interrogate me, but stopped himself at the last second. He still had to maintain his amnesia persona. If he broke character now, he'd only be shooting himself in the foot. He feigned composure, but tears welled up uncontrollably in his eyes, and his voice was choked with emotion. "I... I think my brother is single." I smiled and waved my hand dismissively. "You have amnesia. It's normal that you don't remember your brother having a girlfriend." Caleb pressed his fingers hard against his temples, sounding anxious: "I think I'm starting to remember something." I pulled out his medical chart and shoved it in his face. "The doctor said there's no chance of you recovering your memory." Caleb gripped the medical chart tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. I placed the peeled apple on his bedside table. Before leaving, I patted him on the head. "Since you've forgotten, those memories obviously weren't that important to you anyway. Look forward to the future." "I'm going to go get a hotel room with your brother... I mean, go grab dinner with your brother. Get some rest. We'll come see you when we're done." I waved at him, smiling as I walked out of the hospital room. The moment I closed the door, a wail that sounded like a boiling kettle erupted from inside. Arthur had no idea what had transpired in the room. He turned to me, his eyes softening, as if pleased that I knew my place. On the way here, Arthur had been trying to guide my thoughts. "Since Caleb is willing to put on this act, it means he already doesn't trust you. Once there's a crack in a relationship, it can't be fixed; it only gets bigger. Trying to win him back is pointless." "Rather than an ugly, hysterical breakup later, it's better to take the five million now and disappear gracefully." Arthur was very good at finding people's pain points. I handed him my debit card. "I don't want to go to the bank with a check. Have someone wire the money to this card." Arthur nodded and handed both the check and the card to his assistant to handle. By the time I walked out of the hospital room, the assistant had already finished the transaction. A few minutes ago, I had received a deposit notification on my phone. When Arthur handed my card back to me, he was completely unaware— Someone was plastered against the window of the door behind him. Caleb was glaring fixedly at the card in Arthur's hand through the glass. Because of the angle, he couldn't see exactly what kind of card it was. And because of what I had said in the room, he naturally assumed it was a hotel room key. Caleb's face was dark, the veins on his forehead throbbing. As I took the card, I provocatively ran my fingers over Arthur's hand. "Thanks." I put the card in my purse, turned, and left. Arthur looked down at the spot I had touched, his fingers unconsciously curling inward. The moment I disappeared around the corner, Caleb leaped out of his hospital room. The critically injured, bedridden man was now pinning Arthur to the floor, beating him like a rabid dog. "Arthur, you old bastard! Give me back my girlfriend!" Arthur: "?" 3 The hospital descended into chaos. Arthur was knocked out cold by a punch. Caleb sat nearby, crying so hard he couldn't catch his breath. I crouched in the corner, enjoying the show for a good while before finally, reluctantly, leaving. I spent the whole afternoon shopping with my new five million dollars, not heading home until it was dark. As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I saw Arthur standing outside my door like a ghost. He was radiating resentment. His face was covered in bruises, completely devoid of his previous calm and collected demeanor. Arthur was furious. "Emma! You go to Caleb right now and clear this up!" I unlocked my door and asked innocently, "Clear what up?" Arthur furrowed his brows, looking at me with absolute disgust. "You know exactly what I mean. Stop playing dumb!" "Caleb is accusing me of stealing his girlfriend! He said I made him fake amnesia just so you could cleanly cut ties with him! He's currently waiting outside my house with a knife like a madman!" I hummed a little tune, ignoring his complaints completely. I laid out all the things I'd bought that afternoon on my bed. In an instant, the bed was covered in incredibly inappropriate lingerie. I held up the most revealing white lace nightgown against myself and showed it to Arthur. "Do you think I'd look good in this?" Arthur's face turned even uglier. He turned his head away, refusing to even look at me, speaking through gritted teeth. "Only a blind idiot like Caleb could ever like you." "I'd rather be single for the rest of my life than be with a vicious woman like you." The moment he finished speaking, there was a knock at the door. "Emma, are you home?" Hearing Caleb's voice, Arthur froze in panic. He stared at the door as if facing a mortal enemy. Seeing me reach for the handle, he rushed to stop me. "Don't open it!" Caleb already suspected an affair between us. If he saw Arthur in my apartment in the middle of the night... Arthur wouldn't be able to explain it even if he had ten mouths. I rolled my eyes. "He called my name, which means he knows I'm home. Wouldn't it be more suspicious if I didn't open it?" I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the closet. "Why don't you hide in here for a bit?" Arthur: "..." He looked devastated. But thinking about it, there really seemed to be no other option. He took a deep breath and reluctantly squeezed into the closet. I turned around and opened the door for Caleb. Caleb's tall frame filled the doorway. His head was hanging low, the corners of his eyes still red. I reached out and touched his cheek, asking, "Why were you crying?" Caleb couldn't hold back the tears that had welled up in his eyes any longer. Hot tears fell onto the back of my hand, and his grievances poured out like a broken dam. He had agreed to the amnesia plan himself, and he was the one who had pretended not to know me that morning. Now, no matter how wronged he felt, he had to swallow his pain. "My brother won't let me go home. He kicked me out, and I have nowhere to go." Hiding in the closet, having been chased by Caleb all afternoon, Arthur: "..." Caleb held my hand and nuzzled his face into my palm. "Sister-in-law, can you take me in for the night? I can sleep on the couch. I promise I won't be any trouble." I nodded understandingly. "Of course you can." Arthur: "?!" Caleb took off his shoes and walked in. The moment he looked up, he saw the sexy lingerie scattered across the bed. His expression turned vicious for a split second. I followed his gaze and explained shyly: "Your brother bought them. He said he wanted to celebrate tonight..." I stopped abruptly, as if realizing I'd said too much. Looking bashful, I muttered complainingly: "Your brother is always buying these useless things. He never listens to me." Arthur stayed dead silent in the closet, staring blankly at the ceiling. He looked like he wanted to engage in a fierce battle with the closet rod using his neck. I gathered up the lingerie, opened the closet door, and tossed them inside. The white lace nightgown fluttered down, landing right on Arthur's face. The moment I opened the closet door, a little piece of Arthur died inside. He put his hands together in a pleading gesture, looking utterly helpless. Caleb stood by the closet, separated from me only by a narrow wooden door. "Is my brother coming back tonight?" I shook my head. "I don't know. Why don't you call him and ask?" Arthur looked horrified. Caleb nodded thoughtfully. He pulled out his phone and dialed Arthur's number. A second later, Arthur's ringtone echoed from inside the closet... Caleb narrowed his eyes, staring dangerously at the closet. "Sister-in-law, I think my brother's phone is ringing." "Can I check the closet?" 4 I moved faster than Caleb and slammed the closet door shut. "Your brother left his phone here. If it's urgent, why don't you try calling his assistant?" Arthur let out a breath, feeling like he'd just narrowly escaped death, covered in a cold sweat. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it. If he hadn't hidden in the first place, he might have had a chance to explain. But if he suddenly popped out of the closet now, Caleb wouldn't believe a word he said. Arthur hated me with a burning passion. He started spamming me with texts. [Make Caleb leave!] [Tell him to leave! Hurry up!] [Emma, you malicious woman, I won't let you get away with this when I get out!] [Trying to drive a wedge between us brothers, huh? Heh, it won't work.] [Emma, you will pay for what you did today!] I glanced at my phone with a fake smile, then turned back toward the closet. "Caleb, do you want to change into some pajamas?" Arthur turned pale, his heart leaping into his throat. [Sorry, I misspoke just now. Please don't take it to heart.] [Don't open the closet door again, I'm begging you.] [Emma, are you trying to destroy our family?] My phone buzzed incessantly. I frowned in annoyance and replied. [Brother, you're being a bit loud. I'm putting you on 'Do Not Disturb' now.] [Emma!!] When Arthur sent that last message, my phone didn't make a sound. Arthur's face turned ash-gray. Left with no other choice, he started transferring money to my bank account. The heavenly sound of a deposit notification rang in my ear. I magnanimously stepped away from the closet. I pulled a new set of men's pajamas from a shopping bag and handed them to Caleb. "I just remembered I bought a new set this afternoon. You should wear these." Caleb shot a thoughtful look at the closet and quietly thanked me. "Sister-in-law, I'm not trying to cause trouble, but I feel like my brother doesn't have much of a sense of responsibility. Leaving his girlfriend home alone this late, and he didn't even take his phone? It's like he's afraid you'll check up on him. Who knows what he's doing out there in the middle of the night." "If I had a girlfriend, I would never treat her like that. I'd constantly keep her updated so she wouldn't worry." "Sister-in-law, your ex-boyfriend must have done that too, right?" Caleb peeked at me, his little hidden agenda completely failing to stay hidden. Sitting on the edge of the bed, hearing him mention 'ex-boyfriend', I looked momentarily dazed. I glanced at him, then quickly looked away. My eyes grew slightly red, but I forced a relaxed smile. "My ex was really attentive. I felt very safe with him." Caleb instinctively reached out to wipe away my tears. His hand stopped mid-air as he remembered our identities had supposedly changed. It wouldn't be appropriate. He stiffly lowered his hand, his voice hoarse: "If your ex-boyfriend was so great, why did you break up?" Caleb stared at me with tear-filled eyes, determined to hear my answer. I wiped the tears from my face and said: "He's great, but I wasn't good enough. I couldn't make him trust me completely, I couldn't give him a sense of security." "He always held back when he was with me, even going out of his way to hide things from me. Being with me only brought him pain. Breaking up was probably the best choice for both of us." Caleb turned his head away, his voice already choking with sobs. "If... if he came back to you, would you get back together with him?" I hesitated for a moment, then gave a relieved smile. "No. I hope he meets a good girl who can make him drop his guard. I want him to be happy." Caleb couldn't hold back his tears any longer. With his back to me, he sobbed so hard his shoulders shook. I asked, pretending not to know: "What's wrong?" Caleb shook his head. "My allergies are acting up. I'm fine." He hastily wiped his tears and said, "It's getting late. You should get some sleep, Sister-in-law." Caleb grabbed a blanket and walked into the living room. I turned off the lights and got into bed. Arthur waited until he was sure Caleb was far away before finally stepping out of the closet. With Caleb in the living room, Arthur was stuck. He couldn't stay, but he couldn't leave either. Arthur's face was extremely grim. He locked the bedroom door, then came over and shook me awake. Arthur grabbed my wrist and pulled me up from the bed. Too much had happened today. Before today, Arthur had never imagined anyone would dare punch him in the face, and under the accusation of stealing someone's girlfriend, no less. And the person hitting him was his own brother. Arthur was so furious he laughed. "Emma, are you having fun yet?" Arthur was gripping my wrist so hard it hurt. "You're hurting me." Arthur glared at me with a fake smile. "You should consider yourself lucky I haven't killed you yet." Arthur's tone was too harsh. I looked at him pitifully, letting the tears fall. "Arthur, do you think just because I don't have a mother, I'm easy to bully? Everyone around me says that orphans like me could be bullied to death and no one would stand up for us." "You won't let me like Caleb, you won't let me date him, you won't let me get angry or lose my temper, and now you're hurting me, and I'm not even allowed to complain." Arthur frowned, clearly uncomfortable with my crying. He let go, noticing the red mark he'd left on my wrist. I whispered, "I never asked for anything. I just wanted a small family, someone to like me, someone to protect me." Arthur remained silent, his face dark. He let out a helpless sigh and sat on the edge of the bed in defeat. Unable to watch me cry anymore, he quickly changed the subject. "Does your wrist hurt a lot? Do we need to go to the hospital?" I shook my head. "Just rub it, it'll be fine." Arthur sighed again and reached out to massage my swollen wrist. "It hurts... be gentler." Arthur frowned, as if annoyed by my fussiness. "Like this? Is that better?" I nodded. "You can go a little deeper." Arthur: "... The word is harder." I was about to make another dirty joke when Arthur cut me off impatiently. "Shut up, bear the pain! You deserve it!" After he said that, he saw me staring blankly at him and realized he'd gone too far. He awkwardly tried to cover it up: "This is my first time doing this, it's normal if I'm not very good at it. Try to be more forgiving." I nodded. "As long as you're enjoying yourself, I'll be forgiving." Arthur's frown deepened. He felt there was something very wrong with what I said, but thinking about it, it sort of made sense. Correcting me word by word would just make him seem petty. Arthur decided not to dwell on it and focused on treating my wrist. His back was to the bedroom door. Half of the light slipping under the doorframe was blocked by a shadow. Caleb stood staring at the locked door, remaining silent for a long time. The sounds of Arthur and I drifted faintly through the door and into his ears. The cigarette between Caleb's fingers had burned down, the glowing ember scorching his skin red, but he didn't seem to notice. After a long while, Caleb finally snapped out of his daze. He let out a bitter smile and whispered: "What right do I have to be jealous?" "I chose this path myself. Who can I blame but myself..."
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