When my husband chose to marry his first love, I forgot him.

I took care of my husband in a vegetative state for three years.

On the day he woke up, he publicly identified my cousin as the one who had saved his life.

I thought he had simply mistaken her for someone else.

Then I heard him say, I could never marry a mute. Someone who cant even explain herself has no right to stand beside me.

In that moment, I understood

to him, I had only ever been a temporary substitute.

So I signed the divorce papers on the spot and turned around to schedule memory-erasure surgery,

removing him from my life before he could do it to me first.

Lucas had been in a coma for three years. When he woke up, the first person he saw was me, but his eyes were filled with disappointment.

I didn't notice the disappointment in his eyes. Overjoyed, I helped him sit up and shared the good news in our friends' group chat.

Soon, the hospital room was crowded with people.

And I, the wife who had cared for Lucas for three years, was pushed to the corner, completely ignored.

Chloe arrived late, wearing a beautiful blue evening gown, looking like she had just come from a party.

Lucas grabbed Chloe's hand, his eyes red-rimmed, "Honey, you've suffered so much these three years."

At these words, everyone in the room was stunned, as if the air had frozen.

I stood to the side, fidgeting with my clothes, unable to speak up for myself.

All because of my mutism.

His friend awkwardly explained, "Lucas, Emily is your wife."

Lucas's brow instantly furrowed, his eyes turning cold as he looked at me, as if I had come between him and Chloe.

I had always known he liked my cousin Chloe.

They were supposed to get married, but a car accident left him in a vegetative state.

My cousin didn't want to marry a vegetable and cried to my parents. When I heard it was Lucas, I agreed to their request to marry him in my sister's place.

Little did I know that after three years of my devoted care, this would be the result.

I immediately took out my phone and started typing, wanting to explain, but Chloe pressed down my phone.

She looked at me with a fake smile, "Sister, Lucas just woke up. He probably can't handle too much information right now. Why don't you step out for a bit?"

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, the others in the room made excuses to leave.

As the door closed, Chloe burst into tears and threw herself into Lucas's arms, as if she had suffered some great injustice.

"Lucas, you're finally awake. I've waited for you for three years..."

My heart suddenly tightened, my hand trembling as I gripped the doorknob.

After what seemed like an eternity, Chloe opened the door, her cheeks still wet with tears.

I walked into the room suspiciously, only to have a glass shatter at my feet.

"Emily, you really went to great lengths to marry me!"

"Using such underhanded tactics, aren't you ashamed?"

Flying glass shards cut my leg, but the pain was nothing compared to what I felt in my heart.

Lucas was my childhood friend, the only one who didn't look down on my mutism and encouraged me to seek treatment.

But after meeting Chloe, he was unconsciously drawn to her.

The boy who once said he would marry me gradually turned his heart towards her.

Now he even saw me as the villain who came between their love.

I frantically tried to use sign language, then remembered he couldn't understand it. I shakily took out my phone to type an explanation.

Chloe looked at me challengingly, knocking the phone out of my hand. It fell to the floor, the screen instantly going black.

"Sister, please, let us be together!"

I stood there, stunned. Apart from sign language, my phone was my only means of communication with others.

And now I couldn't even defend myself.

I shook my head desperately, but the world can be cruel, especially for someone who can't speak.

My parents somehow got wind of the news and rushed to the hospital.

I intercepted them, using sign language to ask them to explain for me.

They could understand a bit of simple sign language.

Mom nodded slightly, while Dad just pushed me aside and pulled Mom into the room.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Mom hesitantly spoke up, "Emily, she..."

Chloe, sensing what Mom was about to say, interrupted, "Mom, my sister just likes Lucas too much. Don't blame her."

I widened my eyes in disbelief, grabbing Chloe and frantically signing, [You're lying! You're lying!]

She rubbed her wrist, nestling into Lucas's arms, looking pitiful, "I'm sorry, sister. Don't be angry, I won't say anymore."

I desperately signed to Mom, my vision blurring with tears, [Tell him it's not like that!]

Mom avoided my gaze.

A sense of helplessness spread through my body. In the three years I had cared for Lucas alone, not a single day had been more desperate than today.

Dad's face darkened, "Weren't you the one who forced your sister to give up her place? You even said Lucas wouldn't know anyway."

If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I never would have imagined my own father could twist the truth so much. These words felt like needles stabbing my heart.

Originally, it was my sister who despised Lucas for becoming a vegetable and didn't want to marry him. That's why my parents had me marry him instead.

Lucas let out a cold laugh, "Emily, it's a good thing I woke up. Otherwise, I would have died with my eyes closed."

I bit my lip hard, the taste of blood spreading in my mouth. So this was how he saw me.

Mom pulled me out of the room, her face full of guilt, "Don't blame your father. We owe Chloe this much."

Chloe's parents had died saving my parents. My parents took Chloe in and treated her like their own.

My parents felt indebted to her, so I always had to give in to her in everything.

Whenever I refused, Chloe would cry and say, "If only my parents were still here."

When I developed mutism, just when I needed companionship the most, Chloe convinced my parents to take her traveling abroad.

Three years ago, Chloe's mocking words still rang in my ears, "A mute and a vegetable are a perfect match!"

Mom continued, "Now that Lucas is awake, he'll divorce you sooner or later."

"Leaving a good impression now will only elevate your sister's status, won't it?"

Tears fell to the ground as I pounded my chest hard, the only way to alleviate the pain in my heart.

But it was my parents who owed my uncle and aunt, why did I have to pay the debt?

Lucas moved quickly. He decided on divorce in the morning and had the divorce agreement drawn up by the afternoon.

Afraid I might cause trouble, he had several bodyguards watch me as I signed my name.

I smiled bitterly and slowly wrote my name.

Lucas had saved my life, and I had watched over him for three years. From now on, we owed each other nothing.

The autumn evening breeze carried a hint of chill.

As soon as my phone was fixed, I sent a message to Dr. Miller, [I'd like to try the hypnotherapy you mentioned before.]

Dr. Miller quickly replied, [After hypnosis, you will lose some memories.]

[Also, a family member needs to sign a consent form to ensure someone will take care of you during your recovery period.]

My gaze fell on the words "family member", and I couldn't help but smile bitterly, unable to think of anyone who could sign the consent form for me.

I kept scrolling through my contacts, my finger hovering over one profile picture, hesitating to click on it.

Unexpectedly, the profile picture suddenly shook, and a message popped up, [I'm back in the country today. Would you like to have dinner?]

I quickly replied, agreeing on a place to meet.

Looking out at the scenery, my thoughts drifted far away.

Daniel was the son of my sign language teacher. Because I often went to his house for lessons, we became quite familiar with each other.

Three years ago, when he learned I was going to marry a man in a vegetative state, he angrily smashed the birthday gift he was going to give me, saying his mother teaching me sign language was a waste.

I fought back using sign language, saying all sorts of nasty things.

Later, he went abroad to study, and I thought we would never see each other again.

I didn't expect him to return to the country. After not seeing each other for several years, he had matured a lot, giving off an unapproachable aura when not smiling.

I went straight to the point, using sign language to ask him, [Can you... pretend to be my family member and sign for me?]

His expression froze. After learning the whole story, his hands clenched tightly, as if trying hard to suppress something.

"Are you sure about this?"

I nodded lightly. What use were these memories to me anyway? Besides, after the memories were suppressed, I would be able to speak again.

"Alright."

When I returned to the Jiang family mansion, it was already evening. My things had been carelessly thrown in the hallway of the villa.

Lucas glanced at me coldly, "Emily, don't say I'm not giving you face. From now on, you'll live in the guest room."

I nodded lightly. He hadn't expected me to be so calm and looked me up and down.

I would forget about him soon anyway, so what did it matter where I lived?

Suddenly, a small dog ran out of the house. I froze, instinctively grabbing Lucas's arm.

He frowned in displeasure and shook off my hand roughly.

"Emily, know your place."

His force was so strong that I hadn't reacted in time and fell to the ground, pain shooting through my wrist.

I had been afraid of dogs since childhood, and the boy who once said he would protect me for life had now let go of my hand.

A flash of regret crossed his eyes, and he reached out to help me up.

I pretended not to see it and struggled to my feet, ignoring the pain.

Chloe came out of the room, clinging to Lucas's arm and pouting.

"Little Darling doesn't like being confined. Can we give it a bigger room?"

Lucas fondly ruffled her hair, "Alright, let's give the newly cleaned guest room to Little Darling."

"Emily, you'll move to the basement."

How laughable. In his eyes, I was worth less than a stray dog they had adopted.

While packing my things, I suddenly smelled something strange.

Following the scent, I saw a large yellow stain on a red coat.

This coat was a birthday gift from Lucas. Because my birthday was on the same day as my uncle and aunt's death anniversary, my parents didn't allow me to celebrate.

Lucas had secretly given me the coat, earnestly telling me, "Emily, I'll be with you for every birthday from now on."

Apparently, promises only count when there's love.

I had cherished this coat so much that I never dared to wear it. It seems I'll never get to wear it now.

Lucas saw the coat, felt a twinge of emotion, and told the housekeeper to take it for dry cleaning.

But I threw the coat directly into the trash bin, along with all the photos of Lucas and me from over the years.

I didn't want to have any connection with him in the future.

Lucas stared at me and slowly said, "Chloe has a kind heart and adopted Little Darling. If you dare to make her unhappy, I definitely won't let you off."

People really do laugh when they're at their wit's end. It seems Lucas had completely forgotten that I'm afraid of dogs.

Probably on Lucas's orders, not a single servant helped me.

Ignoring the pain in my wrist, I packed until evening, finally clearing out everything related to Lucas.

This was the first time I had stayed at home in three years. After Lucas became a vegetable, I had practically lived in the hospital.

At first, there were visitors, but later everyone in the Jiang family gave up on him. Most of the time, it was just him and me in the hospital room.

Just as I was falling into a light sleep at dawn, I was awakened by a bucket of cold water.

Lucas looked down at me condescendingly, "Emily, you've really become lazy."

"You're no longer the mistress of the Jiang family. How dare you sleep in?"

My head was a bit fuzzy, and I nodded lightly to show I understood.

I wiped the water off my face and got up to change my clothes.

The servants in the villa were bustling about. The housekeeper glanced at me and told me to go polish the piano.

Only then did I realize today was Chloe's birthday.

My fingers glided over the piano keys, and beautiful music flowed from my fingertips.

Lucas once said my hands were born to play the piano, but now these hands were used to polish the piano.

I couldn't help but smile bitterly at the irony. Sweet words are only sincere in the moment they're spoken.

Halfway through polishing, I received a message from Dr. Miller, [Tomorrow morning at 10 AM.]

I quickly replied "okay" and forwarded the message to Daniel.

Thinking about being able to speak again, my mood improved considerably.

I thought this party had nothing to do with me, but unexpectedly, Lucas pulled me to the dressing room. I was flattered to receive a dress.

But he was full of impatience, "Hurry up and put it on. How will people talk about Chloe if you don't attend?"

So it was only to avoid gossip about Chloe. I felt the large stains on the dress, my heart already numb.

I remembered Chloe's social media post an hour ago: [It doesn't matter if I stained the dress, Lucas will prepare two for me.]

Chloe stood by the cake like an elegant princess, while I was like a clown for people's amusement.

I tried to minimize my presence, sitting in a corner.

But the gossip still reached my ears.

"What's that on her dress? It's disgusting!"

"She's so shameless, stealing her sister's fianc."

"I heard she's a mute."

The mocking voices were incessant. I clenched my dress tightly.

Chloe sat down at the piano, the spotlight focused on her, attracting everyone's attention.

The music suddenly stopped, and she cried out, "Ouch! How are there razor blades in the piano!"

The housekeeper pointed at me in the corner, "Only Miss Emily touched the piano!"

Lucas glared at me angrily, roughly pulling me to the piano and pressing my hands onto the keys. The pain in my fingers was so intense I could barely breathe.

"Emily, this is the price you pay for doing wrong."

After saying this, he carried Chloe out, ignoring my bloodied hands.

I clearly saw Chloe flash a smug smile at me.

Later, an ambulance took me to the hospital, but all the doctors in the hospital had been called to examine Chloe.

Before I fainted from blood loss, I heard a nurse shout angrily, "If her hands don't get immediate treatment, she'll be permanently disabled!"

Tears slid from the corners of my eyes. I really wished I had never met Lucas.

Meanwhile, the doctor looking at Lucas seemed familiar and greeted him.

"How's your wife? She took care of you for three years. It's finally her time to be happy."

Lucas frowned at the word "wife", about to ask what he meant.

Chloe pretended to wipe away non-existent tears, "Lucas, my hand hurts so much. Will I not be able to play the piano anymore?"

Seeing her cry, Lucas immediately panicked, holding her in his arms and comforting her softly.