Chapter 1

I was sitting in the hospital in a groom’s suit that was still stained with my mother’s blood. My colleagues all looked at me with sympathy. Everyone knew my fiancée had abandoned me again. My mother had literally been driven to death.

I stared blankly at the blood on my suit, feeling like there was a hollow hole in my chest and air was rushing through it. I did not even notice my phone had been ringing for over ten minutes until a colleague reminded me.

When I answered, Lynn’s voice came through immediately. “Jensen, where are you? Why aren’t you replying to my messages?”

Her voice was urgent, with a hint of unease.

Back then, I would have yelled at her or gone insane. I had never been this quiet and unresponsive.

She sensed something was wrong, and her unease deepened, so her tone softened again. “Jensen, you’re very sensible, unlike him. This is the last time, I promise.”

I was slightly startled. Over the years, the words I heard the most from her were 'I promise you'.

The first time she ran away from our wedding, she was full of regret and promised she would never believe Kyle again. The second time, she was furious and promised to cut ties with him. The third time, she even smashed her phone just to prove she would never answer his calls again.

By now, I had lost count of how many promises she had made.

It was my 'sensible' behavior and her 'promises' that led me to lose my mother.

Her promises were worthless. I was truly exhausted now.

“Lynn, my mother is gone.”

“Lynn, look! Does this outfit look good on me?”

Kyle’s voice overlapped mine at the same time, completely drowning it out.

Lynn froze for a moment. She was about to ask me something else when the call was snatched away.

He chuckled. “Jensen already hung up.”

I frowned, not knowing what they were doing, when his voice came again. “Lynn, you still haven’t answered me. Did you know that the blood was fake?”

There was silence on her end. I sensed something was wrong and held my breath, waiting on the other end of the line.

After Kyle kept pressing her, Lynn finally spoke slowly. “I figured it was fake, but you looked so desperate that I couldn’t leave you be. Even if it happens 10,000 times more, I'll still go with you.”

Kyle let out a satisfied laugh, slow and pleased. He was mocking me with unspoken cruelty.

Then came the sound of fabric tearing through the phone. Lynn’s breathing grew uneven as she pushed him away. “No, I only see you as a younger brother.”