“Or was I hallucinating? You…”
“You heard it right; you didn’t hallucinate.”
Steven took a deep breath and looked up at Kate’s face with a solemn expression.
“I said, let’s break up.I don’t want to hold you up anymore and let you have the impression that we’re both in love with each other.
“You and Gwen are the same.The person you like is Luke, not me.””
Kate stared at Steven with a stupefied expression as she fell silent for a good while.
Then, she bit her lip, and her voice sounded vague.
“Steven, what nonsense are you talking about? I’ve always loved you.When did I–“
“Is that so?” interjected Steven, his voice cold.
“Kate, before my coma, and even before I had the accident, you and I have never met.We were only bound by the marriage agreement.When I woke up, people told me you are my girlfriend, my fiancee, and that you’d done many things for me.While I was touched, I was surprised too.After all, I don’t remember us knowing each other.More importantly, I don’t remember any promises that we made before.
“The first time we met should be after I had my accident.You keep saying that you love me, but why do you do so? Because you had one look at me after I was in a vegetative state.Were you attracted to my body so much that you’d do anything to get me? “Maybe there is such a love in this world, but this is obviously not the case between you and me.Every time when you look at me, I fee] that you’re looking at another person.Your look tells me that it isn’t me that you are looking at.”
Kate bit her lip vehemently and shook her head.
“No, that’s not it.”
She reached out her hand to grab Steven’s hand, her voice quivering as she pleaded, “Steven, that’s not it! I love you.It’s you that I love! Why would I do all those things if I don’t love you? If I loved Luke, why would I turn Luke into you? I can just give your heart to Gwen and be together with Luke, can I?”
“No, you can’t.”
Steven looked at her with a pair of calm eyes.
“Because Luke doesn’t like you.You know that no matter what you do for Luke, he’d never like you.Just to own Luke, you turned him into me.”
He looked up and smiled at Kate.
‘I was curious why I’d have weird dreams and weird scars on my body.I didn’t understand why you insist on me taking the military knife I didn’t like and also buying clothing in the style that I don’t like.
“However, I finally understand now after knowing that I’m actually Luke.You like me because you think of me as a replacement.”
For a moment, Kate was startled by Steven’s sensitivity and calm voice.She had the impression that the person in front of her was Luke instead of Steven, too.
Steven had always been a pure young adult.
By right, he should remain in the same condition he was five years ago.
How did he suddenly become so mature and smart to the extent that he could find the most useful information from all of the evidence, analyzing Kate’s real intention in turn? Kate quivered.
As it turned out, even after Luke’s mind was replaced with Steven’s mind, logic, and also memory, Luke was still Luke.He was still the smart and sensitive person Kate could not control.He curled up his lips into a mocking smile as he somewhat saw through Kate’s thoughts.
“So, Kate, let’s break up.I’ll either repay you in cash or others for the things I owe you.A lot more than what I owe you.I won’t let your sacrifice and effort for the last five years be for nothing, but forget about us being together as a couple.”
Kate bit her lip silently.
She looked up and asked, “Then, are you breaking up with me to go look for Gwen???”
Steven never anticipated Kate would openly ask that question, thus it stunned him. After he recovered from his shock, he looked at Kate and sighed. “I haven’t thought about that.”
Frankly speaking, Gwen was the same as Kate. The person they liked was the old Luke and not him, the new Steven. If he could not accept being a replacement for Luke for Kate, he obviously could not accept being with Gwen and be Luke’s replacement. Nevertheless, his feelings for Gwen were different from what he had with Kate. For example, Kate knew about his situation. To be more specific, she was the one doing everything behind his back for everything that had happened to him today.
Gwen was different. She did not have a choice at all. She was forced to accept that Luke had passed away; forced to know that Luke was still living but was turned into another person.
Furthermore, he had read all of Gwen’s posts on social media. He could still remember the posts she wrote because she missed Luke so dearly, knowing she had experienced heartbreaking loss. Because of this, Steven could not place Gwen and Kate at the same level.
“I know. You’re going to look for her.”
Kate smiled bitterly and stared at Steven with hateful eyes. “How is Gwen better than me? Why do you care about Gwen so much, no matter who you are? Can’t you see how much effort I put in because of you? Can’t you see the sacrifice I made for you? If you think Gwen’s feelings for you are love, then what about mine? Why is mine not love?”
Steven was quiet for a long time. After a while, he looked at Kate with a serious expression. “I feel bad for Gwen because she lost her loved one, and I’m the one who seized the person she loved.”
“When you turned Luke into me, you should’ve foreseen this. If I know the truth, it’s natural for me to feel guilty, and I wouldn’t feel that way for no reason. She will only be a stranger to me.
“But because of you, I was forced to be the one who seized her loved one. Can’t I feel bad for the owner because I’m the thief?”.
He closed his eyes. The last good feelings he had for Kate had disappeared because of what Kate said.
“I’m breaking up with you. You can tell other people that you broke up with me because of my fault: bad temper, weird personality, or even having an affair. No matter what you say, I’ll never deny it because this is what I owe you.”
Kate bit her lip as tears came running down her face. Steven said he was in debt to Gwen, and so was she. However, Steven prepared to repay Gwen with himself, and this was what she got in return. She would never agree to it!
She looked at Steven heatedly. “I was honest with you and told you everything. Is this how you’re going to repay me? Being honest with you becomes the reason for you to break up with me so you can go look for Gwen?”
She took a deep breath and stood up as she glared at him sharply. “Steven Hughes, don’t forget you’re only alive now in Luke’s body because of my family! Do you think you can dump me after you can be on your own? Fat chance! I disagree with breaking up with you! We’re not breaking up!”
“Kate.”
Steven’s brow furrowed as he looked at Kate helplessly.
“I thought I’d made everything clear. You–”
“So did 1.”
Kate sneered as she looked at Steven’s face.
“Do you think you can just call off the wedding because you want to break up with me? It’s not as simple as you think!”
Her lips curled into a cold smirk.
“Don’t forget that I’ve been traveling around the world for five years to look for a method to treat you. Do you know what motivates me to do that?”
Steven furrowed his brow and did not answer.
“It’s the in–depth cooperation between your family and mine.”
She knew playing the emotion card could no longer touch Steven’s heart. Thus, she stopped pretending and told him everything.
“You’re right. We’ve never met before you were rendered into a coma. My family has always been dedicated and concentrated on the investment and research of medical skills. After you were in a vegetative state, your family came to look for my family. They brought up the marriage arrangement and asked for my family’s help.
“It was then that I got to know you, despite you not being able to talk and move at that time. I was indeed attracted by your appearance. Furthermore, my goal was to travel around the world; I didn’t have any interest in love or marriage. So, I thought marrying a person in a vegetative state sounded like a good idea. At least no one would control me, and I can have my freedom.”
She sighed and smiled. “So, both families reached an agreement. You and I will get married while my family and I will find a way to wake you up. As repayment, your family and my family will cooperate to fight after the largest business empire in this city–Howard Group. “I used the excuse to look for possible treatment and traveled around the world. I visited many doctors and medical organizations for consultation. Until more than a year ago…”
She narrowed her eyes as if her vision could penetrate the wall to see a further place.”
Until more than a year ago. I came back with several remedies to treat you after traveling, and it was during those travels that I saw your brother, Luke. He looked exactly the same as you, but he was more energetic and temperamental than you. It’s something that you’ll never be. A type of masculine that belongs only to a mature man.”
Steven squinted, and the way he looked at Kate became even colder. In spite of that, he did not interrupt her and continued to listen.
As Kate reminisced back the first time she met Luke, she bit her lip. There was a hint of sadness and nostalgia in her eyes. “I was fond of your appearance before, but the moment I saw Luke, I knew I had fallen in love with him. My father was stunned, too. Before that, we never knew you had a twin brother. After that, your parents rushed over immediately to explain to us. Only then did we know the truth about why your family abandoned Luke. Later…”.
She curled up her lip. “You know it too. Luke came to us because he wanted us to save Gwen, wanting to give his heart to Gwen. After much consideration, we agreed to help him. When Luke prepared everything and chose to die, we successfully revived you.”
With her arms crossed in front of her chest, she looked at Steven. “It has been five years since the cooperation between both families. We’ve already become one unit and inseparable. Your family has already treated me as their own.
“Are you going to destroy both families or piss off your parents just because you want to break up with me?”
Steven’s brow furrowed vehemently. It was shocking enough that Kate would go heart to–heart with him and tell him everything. Nevertheless, he did not expect her to threaten him with his parents and family business!
His eyes grew cold as he looked at Kate. He had a judgment on Kate’s personality after she sent people to track him a few tinies and investigate him. Despite that, he did not anticipate her true self would be even more indifferent and evil than he imagined.
Kate laughed when Steven stared at her in silence. She looked at him indifferently. “I’ve said everything needed. If you insist on breaking up, I suggest you think about all the pros and cons. Of course, you can refuse to take notice of your family business and your parents. You can pretend that you’re Luke who found his memory and left this city with Gwen.
“If you can accept that and not regret it in the future, you’re free to do so. That’s all I want to say.”
She thus turned and left the room. Steven remained on the bed as he watched Kate leave the room. He secretly clenched his hands into fists.
As Kate was about to leave the hospital, she bumped into Steven’s parents and Denise on the first floor of the hospital.
Mrs. Hughes strode toward Kate and grabbed her hand anxiously upon seeing her.”
Kate, is Steven alright? How is he doing? Did anything happen between him and…Gwen?
Kate smiled and flicked her hair. “The doctor had already attended to his wound. There shouldn’t be any problem. Plus, if there is any problem with him, he won’t insist on breaking up with me.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.