After my parents passed away, the man who called himself my uncle took me in. Even though we weren't blood relatives, he held me in his palm, cherishing me like a precious gem. On my twentieth birthday, I leaned in, feigning drunkenness, and brushed a kiss against his lips. He pushed me away fiercely, telling me to get out of his house: "Until you clean those dirty thoughts out of your head, don't ever come back!" The very next day, news of Uncle Liam's engagement broke. "Nancy, I've found a heart donor. We'll get married as soon as the surgery is over." To prevent me from causing trouble, he warned me repeatedly not to show up at the wedding, which was a week away. I smiled. In three days, I wouldn't exist anymore. How could I possibly appear and ruin his happiness? But when Uncle Liam finally learned the truth, he single-handedly destroyed his own wedding. 1. "Mmm, Liam, you're amazing!" Listening to the intimate sounds from next door, my entire body trembled. Ever since that night I confessed my feelings to Liam Thorne, he'd brought Sophia Price into the house. "She's my girlfriend, and the future lady of this house. You should call her Aunt Sophia." Sophia generously gave me a bracelet. "Liam has told me all about you. You're his niece, Nancy, right?" The word 'niece' stung my heart. The truth was, Liam and I had no blood relation whatsoever. He was just my father's closest friend, who I'd always called 'Uncle'. After my parents died one after another, he saw how young and helpless I was, and he took me in. On the day I confessed to him, he'd warned me the same way: "Nancy Davies, I'm your uncle!" His hand went up, but just as it was about to land on my face, it stopped. Instead, he dragged me into the bathroom, where ice-cold water streamed over my head, soaking me. "Wash all those dirty thoughts out of your mind, or don't ever set foot in this house again!" When the sounds from next door finally ceased, I got up to the living room to pour a glass of water and take my medicine. My illness had reached the point where, if I didn't take my pills, I'd be in pain all night long. If it continued like this, I was afraid I'd be gone even before my time was up. "Nancy, are you still awake?" Sophia leaned against the doorway, her chest fully exposed, covered in messy red and purple marks. It was obvious how much fun they'd just had. My chest tightened. I hummed in acknowledgment, lowering my gaze, about to walk past her to my room, when she suddenly moved closer. Immediately, the air was filled with a sickeningly sweet scent. "How desperate are you? A niece falling for her own uncle? Have you considered seeing a therapist?" "You…" Had Liam actually told her about that? My heart, which I thought could no longer ache, now twisted in pain, making it hard to breathe. "Liam only took you in out of pity. I never thought you'd harbor such dirty thoughts. Your parents are gone, Nancy. Honestly, how do you even show your face?" "You—" Before I could even speak, Sophia covered her face and began to sob. "Nancy, no matter what, you're Liam's niece! How could you say such things about him?" My heart sank. Sure enough, Liam walked up behind me. He roughly bumped into me, pulling Sophia into his arms. "I…" "Nancy Davies, you don't need to live here anymore. Get out of my and Sophia's home!" I hadn't even had a chance to explain, yet Liam had already condemned me. He used to hold my hand, whispering softly in my ear: "From now on, this is your home." Now, he was telling me not to live here anymore, to get out of his and someone else's home. Tears silently streamed down my face. Sophia shot me a triumphant look. It wasn't until I reached my room's doorway that Liam finally stopped. But he didn't even turn around, only his cold voice drifted to me. "You don't need to come to my and Sophia's wedding next week. You don't deserve to!" As the sound of the door locking echoed, the cramping in my stomach grew more intense. The wedding next week? Don't worry, I won't make it. By then, I'll likely already be on the operating table. "Then... I wish you happiness." Even if I might never witness your happiness. 2. As I packed my belongings, Sophia pretended to stop me, while also shoving my things haphazardly into the suitcase. "Hurry up and get out! Liam is not someone you can ever dream of!" The man who once held me close, telling me to always tell him if anyone ever bullied me. Now sat on the couch, sipping tea, not even bothering to spare me a glance. "This is nice." Sophia took a carved wooden charm from my hand, examining it. She chuckled softly, "This is mine now." "No!" I snatched it back. "This was the first gift Uncle Liam ever gave me. I can't give it to you!" The charm was small, with my name and Liam Thorne's name carved on its back. When I first arrived here, I was full of resistance and fear towards Liam. One night, I snuck out. I was lost for two whole days, and Liam searched for me for two days straight. When I saw him, my eyes were wide with fear. I was afraid he would hit me, or yell at me. But he just held me tightly in his arms, hot tears soaking my face. "Nancy, you really scared me to death. If anything happened to you, what would I do?" He meticulously checked me over, worried I might have a scratch or bruise. But in reality, he was the one covered in scrapes and bruises. I only found out later that he'd been so worried I might fall down the nearby ravine, so afraid that the rescue team would be too late, that he'd actually free-climbed down himself. This charm was something he carved for me with his own hands back then. "This way, our Nancy won't get lost." "Smack!" The tighter I held onto it, the more Sophia wanted to fight me for it. The charm was tossed out the window. Just as I was about to rush out to pick it up, Liam grabbed my wrist. "Nancy Davies, what games are you still playing in my house?" "The charm... the charm you gave me..." He glanced at Sophia, and a flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes, but his tone remained cold as usual. "Stop playing your little games. I told you to get out, didn't you hear me?!" I moved into a nearby apartment. Curled up on the bed, even though I was covered in a thick down comforter, I still felt cold, and my heart cramped with pain. Liam suddenly stood before me, extending his hand. "Liam, Liam..." I clutched his hand tightly. He smiled and pulled me into his embrace. Just like before, he dotingly ruffled my hair, making me cotton candy with his own hands. "Nancy, will you promise to always stay by my side?" "Yes!" My phone's ringtone woke me from my dream. "The surgery is scheduled for three days from now. Although the success rate is less than ten percent, if you're ready..." Three days from now? Right. Next week was Liam Thorne and Sophia Price's wedding. He must be eagerly anticipating it by now. Suppressing the bitter ache in my heart, I softly hummed: "I'm ready anytime." One more week until Liam's wedding. And three days from now, I would be gone for good. 3. "Nancy Davies, how much longer are you going to keep this charade up!" When Liam Thorne's call came, a ripple of excitement went through me. He... But as soon as I answered, his accusing voice came through the phone. "Just for your disgusting little scheme, you're willing to make Sophia suffer like this?!" "Liam, I..." "Call me Uncle!" Liam's words instantly snapped me back to reality. Yes, Liam Thorne was just my uncle, and would only ever be my uncle. Just like the first time I saw him. He held my hand, gently ruffled my hair, and softly coaxed me: "Nancy, will you call me Uncle?" I clutched my chest, and just like before, I obediently replied: "Yes, Uncle." Liam seemed to hesitate for a moment on the other end, then Sophia's soft sobs could be heard through the phone, and his angry voice resonated in my ear once more. "Go online right now and delete all that garbage you posted. Otherwise, don't blame me for disregarding all these years of friendship!" "What online stuff?" I was a bit taken aback. "Nancy Davies, there's no possibility between us. No matter how many tricks or schemes you play behind my back, I will never be with you." Liam paused, his voice cold, but I still detected a slight tremble. He enunciated each word: "Nancy Davies, you're just a pathetic orphan I adopted. I've never liked you, and you don't need to hope for things you shouldn't hope for!" Looking at the disconnected call in my hand, I gave a self-deprecating laugh. I had long stopped hoping for things I shouldn't. Now, all I wanted was to repay Liam Thorne for his kindness in raising me. If not for him, I might not even exist in this world. I opened social media and discovered that Sophia Price had been trending. "Husband-snatcher, playing victim for fame!" "Third-party home wrecker, poor wife beaten black and blue!" It was accompanied by several pictures. Each photo was perfectly angled; Liam Thorne and Sophia Price were either too blurry to recognize or not in the shot at all, yet I was captured exceptionally clearly, my face only haphazardly blurred. The poster claimed to be seeking justice for me, saying I was Liam Thorne's legitimate partner, threatened and bullied by Sophia Price. The comment section was filled with pity and sympathy for me, condemning Sophia Price and calling her heartless. I finally understood. Liam Thorne thought all of this was something I had put online. He hadn't even asked me a single question, immediately assuming I was behind it all. But he used to trust me more than anyone, didn't he? When I was little and got a cavity from sneaking chocolate chip cookies. Liam Thorne asked me: "Who ate the cookies from the table?" I shook my head, denying: "Definitely not me." He smiled, wiping away the cookie crumbs from the corner of my mouth: "Alright, if our Nancy says it wasn't her, then it wasn't. Whatever you say, I'll always believe every word." Now, that 'always' had vanished in an instant. Soon, a clarification video was posted online. Liam Thorne's face filled my screen. He embraced Sophia Price, speaking softly: "Sophia is my fiancée, not some homewrecker." The comment section erupted in an uproar. "As for Nancy Davies..." My heart stopped. A flicker of hesitation and struggle crossed his eyes before he cleared his throat and continued: "She's just my adopted little niece, nothing more. There's no other relationship between us!" "This Nancy Davies is disgusting, trying to scheme against her own uncle! So shameless!" The online narrative completely shifted to me, with everyone condemning me as shameless. For Sophia, Liam Thorne chose to sacrifice me. I laughed self-deprecatingly. It turned out that when someone was so heartbroken they reached despair, they wouldn't cry. But it was fine. Tomorrow, all of this would be over. I gently covered my heart. If it helped, I'd give it all to him, everything. Then, we would be completely even. 4. Liam Thorne came looking for me. "Nancy Davies, come back home." "No, thanks." I would be leaving soon; why cause them more trouble now? My refusal seemed to startle Liam. A flicker of pain actually crossed his face, but it was fleeting, and his composure quickly returned. "I'm having heart transplant surgery tomorrow. Sophia will need you to look after her more. If anything happens to me..." "Uncle Liam, don't worry, nothing will happen to you." I smiled. "As for Aunt Sophia, you'd better take good care of her yourself. I don't have that ability." "Nancy Davies, at a time like this, are you still going to throw a tantrum?!" He came forward and grabbed my wrist. "Come back with me!" "I don't want to!" Faced with my rare resistance, Liam Thorne tightened his grip. After finally struggling free from his hand, a sharp cramp suddenly seized my stomach. Was it going to flare up again? No, not now, at least not now. I bit my lip hard, forcing myself to endure the pain, and turned to walk back. Liam Thorne impatiently grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to meet his gaze. "Nancy Davies, don't you dare..." I couldn't hold it in any longer. A mouthful of blood splattered directly onto Liam Thorne's face. "Nancy—" When I woke up, I was lying in bed, greeted by Liam Thorne's face, furious to the extreme. "Nancy Davies, are you not going to keep up the act?" I looked at him, bewildered. "What act?" A stack of medical reports was flung onto the bed. My heart sank. If Liam Thorne discovered my illness, then all my preparations would have been in vain! "Nancy Davies, to make me pity you, you even went so far as to create these fake reports and deliberately fainted in front of me. Do any of these things you've done honor your parents in the afterlife?!" Liam Thorne actually believed these were all faked by me?! "Liam, don't be angry. Nancy is still young, she didn't mean it." Sophia Price was kind-hearted, trying to persuade Liam Thorne, but I caught a flicker of triumph and calculation in her eyes. Right, she was a doctor. If she said these were all fake, if she said there was nothing wrong with my body! Faced with Sophia's repeated provocations, I finally couldn't take it anymore. I sprang up from the bed and pushed Sophia away. "Have you acted enough! Slandering me..." "Smack!" Liam Thorne slapped me across the face. "Nancy Davies, I never thought I'd spoil you this badly!" I covered my face, reeling for a long time. "It's bad enough that you do these insidious and vicious things, but you even try to pin it all on Sophia. You've truly disappointed me!" "I..." I still wanted to explain, but Liam Thorne didn't look at me again. He said: "I wish I had never adopted you!" Watching Liam Thorne walk away with Sophia Price, his words echoed constantly in my ears. "I wish I had never adopted you..." A single tear slid from the corner of my eye, disappearing on the floor. My phone rang at that moment. "Ms. Davies, the heart transplant surgery is all prepared." 5. My eyes were half-closed, and an urgent voice rang in my ears. "Heart rate dropping, 60—40—" "Implement backup plan immediately!" "Rapid resuscitation—" Everything around me slowly blurred. Liam Thorne seemed to be standing before me. He extended his hand to me: "Nancy, from now on, I am your uncle..." "Uncle..." This time, I've repaid everything I owe you, haven't I? We're even now. I floated in the air, looking at Liam Thorne lying in the hospital bed. "Nancy!" He suddenly sat up in bed, clutching his chest.
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