Five years had passed since I, Noah Sterling, returned to my wealthy birth family—and since Lucas Sterling, the "son" who replaced me, shattered my world by crashing a car into my leg. My parents and childhood sweetheart, Seraphina, rushed me to the hospital. When doctors said I might never walk again, Seraphina proposed, vowing to care for me. My parents cut ties with Lucas, urging me to hand over evidence against him so they could "handle it." Later, they claimed he drowned fleeing justice. I believed them. Until, five years into our marriage, I saw Lucas—alive. He held my son, Leo, sighing at Seraphina: "Without you and Mom and Dad, Noah would’ve sent me to prison. That cripple will never know the boy is mine—or that they swapped his meds for placebos." Seraphina softened. "Marrying him let me sign affidavits to protect you. As long as you’re safe, it was worth it." My heart tore open. My own family had conspired against me. If this was their game, I’d simply… quit. … In the hospital lobby, I watched Lucas embrace Leo, Seraphina nestled beside them, a picture of familial bliss. My chest constricted, a hollow ache where my heart should be. I couldn’t breathe. My precious son, the boy I adored, wasn’t mine. My wife, who’d vowed to care for me forever, was in love with the man who’d nearly ended my life. Even my parents, after destroying the evidence, still hadn’t trusted me, pushing Seraphina to marry me so she could always provide Lucas with legal cover. My phone vibrated. It was Mom. “Noah, why didn’t you wait for us to come to the hospital? We’re almost there, where are you?” Her voice was laced with urgent concern, and a wave of searing fury washed over me. I clenched my fist, nails digging deep into my palm. “Oh, I was thinking I couldn’t burden you my whole life, so I decided to come for this rehab session by myself.” My voice was flat, devoid of emotion. “We’re family, darling! How could you ever be a burden? Have you made it inside the hospital yet? We’re on our way!” Every previous physical therapy session, Mom and Dad had always accompanied me. I’d believed it was out of love and concern. Now, I saw the sinister truth beneath the surface. “Yes, I just arrived. Heading into the main lobby on the ground floor.” I steered my wheelchair to a secluded corner, speaking deliberately. Just as I expected, their tone grew frantic. They told me not to go in, that it was too crowded and unsafe, and they were close by, about to find me. I gave a cold affirmation and hung up. Across the lobby, I saw Seraphina answer her phone. Her face instantly tightened with alarm. She muttered a few words to Lucas, then quickly scooped Leo from his arms and exited through a back door. Lucas melted into the crowd, vanishing from sight. A bitter realization dawned on me. That call must have been from Mom and Dad. They hadn’t wanted me to enter because they were afraid I’d see Lucas and Seraphina, not because they were worried about my safety. Shock and anguish surged through me, threatening to drown me. Everyone, everyone, had conspired to deceive me for the sake of Lucas, the man who was truly the culprit! My nails dug so deep they almost tore my palm, the sharp pain a lifeline, pulling me back to a semblance of clarity. Very well. If they wanted a show, I’d give them one. I pulled out my phone, started a voice recording, and steered my wheelchair towards the hospital entrance, meeting my parents as they rushed in. Mom’s eyes were wide with a flicker of panic. “Noah, why did you go in without waiting for us?” Dad, beside her, frowned. “Didn’t we tell you the hospital is busy and you shouldn’t go in alone?” “I waited for ages, then had to use the restroom.” I replied calmly, my expression neutral. Mom’s gaze was probing. “You didn’t… see anyone, did you?” Her nervous expression was a fresh stab to my heart. For a fleeting moment, I wanted to scream, to demand an explanation. Why lie to me? But I knew, deep down, that asking was pointless now. I had already decided to leave them behind. “See anyone? I was in the restroom for a while, too busy to notice.” My unwavering demeanor seemed to reassure them. “Come on, then. We’ll go up with you.” Dad took the handles of my wheelchair, while Mom knelt to secure my face mask. “Flu season is bad, sweetie. You need to protect yourself, or Mom will worry sick if you get ill.” In the past, her worried eyes and caring words would have moved me deeply. But now, I could feel not a trace of genuine love from her. We arrived at the rehabilitation center on the twelfth floor. I lay on the hospital bed, letting the doctor administer the anesthetic. Then, in a haze between sleep and wakefulness, I heard my parents’ conversation with him. “Mr. Sterling’s leg has been neglected for far too long. If he doesn’t have surgery soon, he really will never walk again…” “The previous rehab sessions were all half-measures, and the medication was swapped for placebos, just as you instructed. Mr. Sterling, are you truly going to stand by and watch your son remain crippled at such a young age?” Dad’s voice was stern, cutting. “I paid a fortune to bring you here from overseas, not to listen to your pointless questions. Just do as I say!” Mom chimed in, her voice cold. “So what if he can’t walk again? We can support him for life. Do you, an outsider, need to worry about that? Don’t forget, we’ve been paying your salary for five years. Don’t start thinking you’re actually part of the hospital staff.” The doctor quickly conceded. “No, no, I just meant… Mr. Sterling has been on anesthetics for years. He might develop a tolerance later on. What would we do then?” “That’s your problem to figure out. Just make sure his leg neither recovers nor gets worse. Maintain that balance.” “Yes, sir.” The door opened, and my parents walked out. I lay there, feeling as if I’d been plunged into a freezing hell. They didn’t know I was already developing a tolerance to the anesthetics. I’d heard every word, and every word was now recorded. They had even hired a doctor from overseas and kept him on their payroll for five years, all to deceive me! A sharp, agonizing pain tore through my chest. Tears welled in my eyes, tracing silent paths down my temples. After the ‘treatment’ ended, my parents enthusiastically pushed me back home. Seraphina, who just two hours ago had been engrossed with Lucas at the hospital, now greeted us at the door, apron tied around her waist. “Honey, rehab must have been exhausting, right? I made bone broth for you. Drink it, it’ll help you get better faster!” Her eyes brimmed with tenderness and concern, as if she were still the loving woman who swore to care for me for life. If I hadn’t seen her with Lucas at the hospital, if I hadn’t overheard their conversation, I might have been deeply moved. But now, her smile felt utterly fake. The man she truly loved was the very one who’d shattered my leg. To provide him with legal immunity, she’d willingly sacrificed her own marriage, feigning affection for me. I glanced at Leo, who was playing on the sofa with a tablet. It had taken me so many years to realize he had never once called me “Dad.” Seraphina had always brushed it off, claiming he was too young, that it was normal for him not to say it yet, telling me not to overthink things. Now, I knew. It was simply because I wasn’t his father. During dinner, Mom’s eyes suddenly turned red as she stared at the dishes on the table, and she began to cry softly. Seraphina quickly put down her utensils and asked what was wrong, while Dad sighed, gently patting her back. “Your mom probably saw Lucas’s favorite dishes. She misses him.” He paused, his voice heavy. “That boy, even though he did something wrong, he was still our child for over a decade. He didn’t deserve to die like that…” I sensed they were watching my expression, and a bitter taste filled my mouth. Didn’t deserve to die? So, it’s okay to sacrifice me for him? Is this my fate? “Honey, it’s been five years,” Seraphina said, her voice gentle. “Lucas was only twenty back then. Maybe he just acted rashly. We grew up together; he always had a bit of an extreme personality. He must have felt you were trying to steal everything from him.” Her eyes were a little hesitant. “His… anniversary is in five days. I know you don’t want to go. Can Dad, Mom, and I go pay our respects for him?” “Hmm. Go ahead. After all, he was in this house longer than I was. It’s natural for you to have feelings for him.” I replied, my voice flat. Seraphina visibly relaxed, her tone growing even softer. “Honey, I knew you were kind-hearted. You wouldn’t hold a grudge against your… late brother.” Mom wiped her tears. “My good son. It’s true, my own child is more understanding.” I bowed my head into my bowl, letting tears drip silently. So, they knew I was their biological child all along. My stomach clenched in a painful knot, and I excused myself, claiming to feel unwell, and retreated to my room. Seraphina followed shortly after, carrying a cup of stomach medicine she'd prepared, her eyes filled with worry and sympathy. Seeing that I didn't want to talk, she silently brought in warm water and gently wiped my face with a cloth. For the ten years since I'd been brought back home, her eyes had only been on me. Even when Lucas had confessed his feelings to her, he'd only been met with her cold rejection. Now, I finally understood. She didn't love me; she simply wanted to marry the future heir of Sterling Enterprises. Her love and her marriage were two entirely separate things. Late that night, after Seraphina and Leo had fallen asleep, I quietly got up and picked up her phone from her bedside table. The password was Leo’s birthday. The top contact in her WeChat was me, followed by Mom and Dad. I scrolled through, finding no anomalies. It wasn't until I tried switching accounts that I discovered Seraphina had a second, private account. The chat history on that account was with only one person: Lucas. Seraphina, it’s been five years. How much longer do I have to hide? He doesn’t have any evidence of me hitting him, and he’s a cripple now, utterly harmless. Can you bear to keep our son separated from his father any longer? Seraphina’s replies were reassuring: Mom, Dad, and I are already planning our next move. Don’t rush things. I discovered that Lucas had returned to the country a few days prior. They had arranged a new identity for him and even registered a real estate company in his name. In five days, it would be the company’s grand opening. My fingers trembled as I clicked through his social media feed. My heart turned colder with each photo. Over the past five years, Lucas had been living a lavish life overseas, funded entirely by my parents. He wore luxury brands from Sterling Enterprises, lived in lavish villas owned by the company abroad. Seraphina had used ‘business trips’ as an excuse to fly out and be with him. Even my parents were beaming in the photos, their smiles wide and genuine. At that moment, I finally understood: they were the real family. I fought back the burning tears in my eyes, snapping screenshots of all the evidence. Then, I switched back to her main account. That’s when I noticed Seraphina had changed her personal status. It used to be just one word: [Waiting]. I’d asked her what it meant, and she’d smiled, saying she was waiting for my leg to heal. Now, it read: [He's Returned]. I finally understood. “Waiting” meant waiting for Lucas to come back. “He’s Returned” meant Lucas was back for good. I placed the phone back on her bedside table, then went out to the balcony and made a call. “Hello, I’d like to book a flight for five days from now, heading overseas.” Five days. Enough time to bid farewell to five years of fake love. Back in bed, I lay awake through the night. The next day, during lunch, my phone screen lit up. Seraphina, glancing over, instantly blanched. “Honey, what card are you applying to cancel?” I calmly pressed the screen off. “My bank card is expiring. I just scheduled a replacement.” She seemed to want to say more, but her phone rang. “Honey, something’s come up at the company. I need to take care of it. I won’t be able to join you for lunch.” I nodded. As she left, Leo insisted on going with her. Mom and Dad stepped in, promising to take him out to play, and Seraphina quickly departed. I was finally alone in the house. Just as I was about to leave, a friend request popped up on my phone. Noah, you heard everything at the hospital yesterday, didn’t you? It was Lucas. My wife, my son… they’re all mine. Even your real parents, once they heard the doctors speculate you might not be able to have children after the accident, immediately decided to protect me. They even pushed Seraphina to be with me, to give me children. We’re the legitimate couple. You’re just a clown. They even opened a company for me. The grand opening is in five days. I bet they’re keeping that from you too, right? I really regret not crippling you sooner. All of this should have been mine ages ago. Each word was a razor-sharp blade, twisting in my heart. So that was why. That was why my parents had chosen to protect him. That was why Seraphina had willingly borne him a son. I took screenshots of all the messages, then found my marriage certificate with Seraphina. Beneath her bedside table, I discovered the affidavit. Clenching these documents, I went to see a lawyer. The lawyer informed me that chat records couldn’t be considered definitive evidence, and a letter of understanding provided by a family member held legal weight. I asked him to draft divorce papers, but he frowned, telling me my marriage certificate was fake. The words struck me like lightning. My heart plummeted into an abyss of despair. Lucas hadn’t been wrong. I was nothing but a fool, a clown in their elaborate circus. The lawyer’s eyes, however, lit up. If the marriage certificate was fake, then Seraphina’s affidavit was legally invalid. It amounted to fraud and obstruction of justice! I was overwhelmed with gratitude, begging him to help me draft a complaint. After leaving the law firm, I took a taxi to another hospital for a full medical examination. When the doctor told me there was still hope for my leg, tears of joy welled in my eyes. He explained that the old car accident had caused a blockage in my vas deferens, preventing me from having children, but it could be corrected with surgery. As for my leg fracture, since it hadn't worsened over five years, I could regain the ability to walk with prompt surgery.
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