All Chapters of My Younger Substitute: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

"So what about Oscar? Is he just supposed to go find a younger you?"The voice of Beck Cadwell, Jane's right-hand man, drifted through the cracked door on the second floor.After a brief pause, I heard my wife’s voice, Jane Fraiser, the fearsome mob boss of Alicante."He can if he wants. As long as he doesn't make a scene in front of me, that’s his right."Standing at the corner of the stairs, a sharp pain shot through my chest.She said, "He can."This was the same woman who used to be so possessive she’d throw a fit and smash things if I even glanced at another woman. Now, she was just tossing out an answer like it was nothing.Then came the childish voice of my five-year-old son, Lucas."Dad could never find anyone as good as Mommy! Besides, all he does is force me to eat gross vegetables and stop me from playing outside. I hate him!"Because of my own weak body and the constant threat of rival gang attacks, I had kept him safe in a bubble, taking care of him like fragile g

Chapter 2

I left in a daze, my mind flooded with memories of how Jane and I first fell in love.All that tenderness transformed into razor-sharp blades, carving out my heart and soul before I could even process her betrayal.Upstairs, Jane watched my stumbling figure retreat and instinctively turned to chase after me.Before she could, a warm hand grabbed hers."Jane, if you go back right now, won't Oscar figure everything out? Just stay here for the night.""Get off me."She shoved Theo away, an abrupt pang in her heart making her deeply uneasy."Mommy, I don't want to go back to meanie Dad so soon! Just one night! Please let me stay with Daddy Theo for just one night! Please, Mommy!"Lucas threw his arms around her legs.Theo scrambled up from the floor and, ignoring the pain, kissed her passionately.That burning devotion made Jane momentarily see the younger version of me in him."Fine."It was just one night. Nothing bad would happen.…My memories with Jane ultimately settled

Chapter 3

I kept packing my things late into the night.Father Grant stayed by my side the entire time. He looked guilty, maybe a bit reluctant, but he stopped trying to talk me out of it.I couldn't blame him. After all, officiating the most envied marriage in the city had always been his proudest achievement.Now, this marriage was like a rose infested with worms—still bright on the outside, but thoroughly revolting underneath."What are you doing?"I hadn't even noticed Jane coming back.When I looked up while sticking a shipping label onto a box, my eyes locked right into hers."These old things are getting worn out. I'm shipping them back to my hometown, and then you can buy me new ones."I kept my voice low, trying not to let her pick up on anything strange.Jane was too smart, though. She narrowed her eyes, and I knew right then she was suspicious.Since I didn't want any trouble before I left, I pulled out the bouquet of roses to distract her."Why is one-tenth missing from ev

Chapter 4

"No." Jane’s expression darkened, her tone rigid and unyielding. "Oscar, I won't feel at ease unless you get checked out."Theo stepped forward, a flash of malice glinting in his eyes. "Ms. Fraiser, I don't think standard checkups will reveal anything at this point. We need to perform a bone marrow biopsy immediately."We can't risk going to a hospital where rival families might track us down. For his own good, we should do it right here. You'll just need to help me hold him down."Jane was hyper-sensitive to the word "rivals".Driven blind by her obsession to "protect me", she didn't hesitate. "Fine."Together, the two of them forced me back into the medical room."Jane! Let go of me! Are you two crazy?! Argh!"A thick needle drove deep into my hip without a trace of numbing agent, forcefully gouging out a sample of bone.Jane's face was right in front of me.She let me scream in agony, her face full of heartbreak and distress, yet her hands never loosened their grip by e

Chapter 5

Jane's knees buckled.In all the years she and Oscar had survived side by side, she had never once considered breaking up, let alone imagined that I would actually leave her.She forced a smile, then said to Beck, "Oscar saved your life. You listen to him more than you listen to me, your own boss. He told you to lie to me, didn't he?""Jane, don't you know Oscar by now?"With a single sentence, Beck shattered every last piece of Jane's denial.She knew me all too well, and that I would rather break completely than compromise. The love I had for her had once shielded her from the entire world. It was fierce, pure, and absolute. And because she had known the absolute depth of my love, she could easily envision the cold finality of my departure."No... He wouldn't..."Jane was still trying to delude herself, but her legs were already moving on their own, racing downstairs.She didn't get far before Theo caught up to her in the parking lot."Jane, don't leave! You're all I hav

Chapter 6

A sickening knot tightened in her throat, and a violent coughing fit erupted from deep in her lungs, shaking her entire body.Out in the garden, Beck and Lucas both turned and started running toward her.It was almost an exact mirror of what had happened not too long ago.Jane felt the sharp, agonizing spasms in her chest grow even more intense."Jane, what's wrong?!""Mom!"Looking at the worried expressions on their faces, Jane's vision blurred in a daze.For a second, she saw me begging her to stop the checkups. Then, she saw herself and Theo, asking me what was wrong with concern.She finally understood the look in my eyes that day.No matter how sincere it seemed, after having your betrayal exposed to plain sight, everything felt like nothing more than a laughable, disgusting farce."Tell me, who did Oscar go see before he left?" Jane asked, her voice faint and raspy.Beck pressed his lips together, refusing to answer.Only after Jane repeatedly pressed him did he fina

Chapter 7

"What are you guys doing?" Jane’s voice trembled.The people attending the funeral turned around in silence. No one said a word.She stumbled forward two steps. "Where’s Oscar? This house belonged to his parents. Did you even get his permission before setting all this up?!"Still, no one spoke.Then, Jane looked down. There, right before her eyes, was my lifeless body, surrounded by white daisies.She froze right where she stood.She didn't move an inch throughout the entire service, as if she had died right alongside me.When the funeral ended and everyone dispersed, she was the only one who stayed behind, collapsing at the foot of my gravestone.With a trembling hand, Jane gently caressed the cold stone.On the gravestone was the picture I had chosen myself, one where I hadn't met her yet and was still truly happy.Jane must have understood what that meant.She had brought a mountain of words she wanted to say, but in the end, she couldn't even force out a single "I'm sorr

Chapter 8

"The day Mr. Burke came to see me, I wanted to talk him out of ending things, so I stayed up late helping him pack his belongings."I just never imagined that the marriage I was most proud of, the one I personally blessed, would end up in such a pathetic state."Jane listened quietly, realizing the utter despair I must have felt that night as I stared at the missing gifts and the transaction history that carried such special meaning.She listened as the priest recounted how I dragged my frail body around, only to be pinned down on an examination chair by her and Theo to be humiliated.The violent recoil of the gun from that first bullet which hit Theo's leg had already wiped out whatever tiny sliver of strength I had left.As for that final bullet, even if she and Lucas hadn't thrown themselves in front of the barrel, I wouldn't have been able to hit Theo.Yet they had still chosen to protect Theo over me.The bullet exploding at her feet wasn't an act of mercy. I was, after all

Chapter 9

Agonizing shrieks pierced straight through the villa.Watching from the side, Lucas let out a terrified scream and instinctively sprinted toward my bedroom to call for his dad.However, the empty room quickly snapped him back to reality.His dad was long gone, abandoned by his own hands.Downstairs, Jane’s face was hideously dark.Theo wasn't nearly as tough as he tried to pretend to be. In just a few short moments, he spilled everything.From the very instant he became my personal doctor, he had been calculating every move to take my place at Jane's side.Over the years, he had secretly tampered with my medication, gradually draining away what little life my body had left.Yet every medical report he handed to Jane insisted that I was in perfect health.He played the double game flawlessly. On one hand, he acted like a loyal friend hiding my terminal illness, while playing the innocent young man subtly seducing Jane on the other.Every trait he shared with me was nothing mor

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