Hitting the Jackpot Without You Two

Lying in the hospital bed with a bunch of tubes attached to my body, I stared blankly at the ceiling.

Shawn Langston, the younger of the Langston brothers, called.

His voice came through the phone, thick with anger.

"Yvonne Sachman, where the hell have you been these past few days? You knew Queenie wasn't doing well, and you still faked being sick just to mess with her, didn't you? She hasn't been able to sleep for days and just got rushed to the hospital!"

It was then followed by another voice—Nigel Langston, the older brother.

"Say something! Playing dead won't work unless you're actually dead. Otherwise, get over here right now and apologize to Queenie!"

The monitors around me started beeping in warning as my emotions surged in that instant.

Tears slipped down my cheeks.

At that exact moment, a thought crossed my mind—perhaps I should have just died on my way to the hospital earlier.

I was born with a weak constitution and have suffered from asthma since I was little. But thankfully, over the years, the brothers had taken good care of me. I'd only had one serious asthma attack.

That one time was when I first arrived at the Langston residence.

Shawn, who always acted like he wasn't afraid of anything, ended up crying his eyes out. Regardless, he stubbornly stayed by my bedside.

After I was discharged, Nigel spent three days cleaning the house until not even a single stray strand of hair could be found.

Back then, I naïvely believed their love was unshakable and would last forever.

Unfortunately, that belief was shattered the moment Queenie Yates appeared.

What once felt like a passionate, all-consuming love in our youth was blown away, dispersed like smoke in the wind.

I silently hung up the phone, took off my oxygen mask, and sent Dad a text.

"Dad, I've thought it through. I'm willing to marry Joseph Blackwell."

He called back almost instantly, his voice full of concern as he asked, "Yvonne, did something happen? You don't have to force yourself for me. As for the Langston brothers…"

I cut him off, choking back tears as I tried hard to keep my voice steady so he wouldn't worry.

"I'm fine. I'm ready to marry the Blackwell family's golden boy."

Back when Mom died unexpectedly, Dad worked himself to the bone to hold the Sachman family, spending most of his time overseas.

I was taken in by Mom's mentor and ended up living with the Langston brothers.

Later on, Dad made a comeback. Even the powerful Blackwell family in Nautilis extended a marriage proposal, but he never forced me, leaving me with the final decision.

To him, nothing mattered more than my happiness.

Back then, I thought I had everything one could ask for—loving, open-minded elders and the devoted companionship of the Langston brothers.

But reality hit me hard.

I was nothing more than a fleeting amusement in their reckless youth.

Suddenly, the ward's door opened. Several nurses came in, arranging their syringes, unable to hold back their excitement as they gossiped.

"Did you hear about the Langston family in Nautilis? The two brothers just proposed to the same young woman in public!"

"They were on their knees right by her hospital bed, and the diamonds on those rings were huge!"

"Seriously, how is she that lucky?"

My phone buzzed with a notification.

Queenie had just posted a picture on her social media showing off both of her ring fingers—each adorned with a different diamond ring.

It was captioned, "Don't talk to me about time proving love. Old hags should just stop being delusional."

And, of course, she blatantly tagged me.

Pain crept through my chest. The background in her photo was the private ICU room the Langston brothers had once set up specifically for me.

I quietly blocked her.

Still trying to sound calm for Dad on the other end of the line, I said, "Aren't you happy that I'm marrying earlier? It means you get to have a grandchild sooner too."

After this narrow brush with death, I was done chasing the kind of love that burns too bright and too fast.

I just wanted to come home at night and see a light on, one that was lit just for me.

Dad was silent for a while before he finally agreed.

"The Blackwell family already looked into your condition. If you're willing, you can register for marriage in two weeks. But… regarding you still living with the Langstons…"

I knew what he was worried about.

After graduation, I followed in Mom's footsteps and became a surgeon, working at the hospital owned by Mr. Langston Senior.

But now, it was time to end this awkward situation.