A Heart Gone Cold

On the day of the birthday party, Douglas Greer and Marcel Finley joined forces to push me down the stairs, just to amuse Mona Pierce.

Douglas, the only family I had left, sighed as he looked down at me lying in a pool of blood.

"Jolene, Mona is marrying far away for your sake. So, is it so wrong for me to share half of the love I have for you with her?"

Marcel, my childhood sweetheart who had once risked his life to save me, was holding Mona affectionately.

He chuckled coldly and said, "Jolene, you've bumped your head, but Mona lost her lifelong happiness."

They cursed at me for being vicious, completely forgetting how they had once begged me not to marry far away and gone to great lengths to find someone to be my adopted sister.

Watching the two of them walk away, I felt utterly disappointed. Without hesitation, I dialed the number of my arranged marriage partner.

"Mr. Woodrow, when are you coming to pick me up?"

"Ms. Greer, are you really sure? Marriage isn't a trivial matter," Brad Woodrow asked, his alluring voice carrying a hint of concern.

I struggled to suppress the trembling in my voice and nodded. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Alright then. I'll pick you up in five days."

After hanging up, a new post from Mona popped up on my phone.

"No matter where you hide, those who love you will find you and bring you home. Today, I'm the happiest woman in the world."

One of the attached photos captured Douglas carrying her home on his back, while another showed Marcel, dressed in an apron, cooking dinner for her. The third photo had the two men standing on either side of her, gazing at her with adoration, with a pile of gifts that should have been mine at their feet.

I let out a bitter laugh, my heart aching.

After our parents passed away, Douglas and I leaned on each other to survive. I still recalled how he had held me tightly and said, "Don't be afraid, Jolene. From now on, I'll be your support. I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."

He was only 18 years old at that time, yet he suppressed his own grief to comfort me.

While looking after me, he also took on the responsibility of running the family business. Knowing how frail and sickly I was, he climbed a thousand steps up to a chapel on Mount Serenity to get a rosary bracelet for me.

When I saw his bloodied knees from kneeling and praying, I scolded him for being foolish. But he just smiled and told me that I was his only reason for living.

And then there was Marcel, my childhood sweetheart. We started out as friends. But ever since we played house at seven years old, he insisted on claiming me as his own, saying that I could only marry him.

Every year on my birthday, he would give me a ring. From the foxtail grass rings of our childhood to the custom diamond rings he gave me then, he had repeated his vow to marry me again and again.

Douglas and Marcel doted on me and showered me with endless love until Mona appeared.

When the Woodrow family proposed an arranged marriage with me, Douglas—unwilling to let me marry far away—found an orphan girl as a substitute. And so, Mona, who had grown up on the streets, came to live with us.

Feeling guilty, Douglas and Marcel compensated Mona in every way possible—from high-end fashion to expensive jewelry. Gradually, their concern for me faded.

I stared blankly at the jarring photo on my screen. Mona had taken all the love that belonged to me in just three years.

The winter wind and snow seeped in through my collar. I shivered and pulled my coat tighter around me as fresh blood slowly oozed from the wound on my head.

My phone buzzed with a message from Douglas.

"Jolene, does it still hurt? Mona said she needed reassurance to feel secure, so we had no choice but to go along. We were so worried when she ran off in a fit of anger during a snowstorm, so we had to ask you to make this sacrifice.

"Don't worry. Once she marries into the Woodrow family, you'll still be the younger sister I love the most!"

I laughed bitterly and turned off my phone. The group photo of the three of us on the lock screen hurt my eyes again.

In the picture, I was smiling brightly while Douglas ruffled my hair and Marcel stood nearby holding cotton candy.

Back then, I truly believed that I would always be that happy. But now, it all seemed like a cruel joke.

"Ms. Greer, your injury hasn't healed yet, so it's best to ask your family to come pick you up." The nurse handling my discharge looked at me pitifully.

I forced a smile before saying, "I don't have a family anymore."

Only five days were left for me to say my goodbyes to them.

When I returned home, the three of them were happily watching TV.

Douglas was peeling grapes and feeding them to Mona one by one, while Marcel held up a glass of juice near her, afraid she might get thirsty later.

They stopped chatting and laughing the moment I walked in.

Douglas quickly stood up and took my coat. "Jolene, does your head still hurt? What did the doctor say?"

He reached out to touch my forehead. But I instinctively dodged away, leaving his hand hanging in the air.

"I'm fine," I said coldly. Then, I scanned the floor. The shocking bloodstains from the morning had been wiped clean as if nothing had happened.

"That's good to know." Douglas withdrew his hand, his voice turning chilly. "Mona is delicate, so you'd better not scare her, okay?"

Marcel instinctively shielded Mona but froze when he saw the bandage on my head. "Jolene, didn't the doctor say you need to rest? What kind of trick are you pulling now?"