When Luke was alive, the one thing he wanted to do was to let you live on with his heart. Although my family and the Miller family did many things that we shouldn’t do in the back… Without them meddling in the matter, is Luke going to be alive now?”
Even if the event developed into another scenario, the ending would still be the same, no? Luke died, and Gwen lived. The only problem was that there was him. Undoubtedly, his family and the Miller family were guilty as charged. If Gwen wanted to sue them and expose them to the whole world…Steven could not bear to think of the consequences.
The Hughes family and the Miller family were both reputable families in Saigen City. If this got out, not only would their reputation be damaged, but their property values would go downhill to the extent that the Hughes family and family would never be able to walk with their head held high.
Whereas for him, he would receive attention and comment everywhere he went. He was never involved in the whole process, but it was still related to him. The Miller family and his family did everything because of him. Just because of that, he could not possibly ignore both families.
Nonetheless, he understood how pained Gwen was.
As the two emotions collided, Steven was lost. He did not know what was the right thing to do. If he helped Gwen and made the Miller family and his family the target of criticism, he would become an ungrateful person too. However, if he helped his family and the Miller family… He knew better than anyone that his family and the Miller family were the guilty people.
Gwen bit her lip as she finally lost control of herself. Tears started falling down from the corner of her eyes. She bit her lip vehemently as she looked at Steven. Her voice was trembling. “You’re right. Even if your family and the Miller family didn’t do any of this, Luke won’t still be alive. He’d still die, and it’s all for me. Why did he have to meet me?”
Luke was a man of compassion. He could have lived a great life as the leader of a gang that everyone envied and feared. Regardless of that, he volunteered to give up his life for her, a worthless woman.
Everything he did for her was just a lie. He thought he was saving her and dying for her. In fact, the person he saved was his brother from the family who abandoned him when he was just a child!
Gwen gritted her teeth and looked at Steven. His appearance was still Luke’s appearance, but his eyes were no longer sharp and arrogant like his.
In the past, she would always find the love he had especially for her through his eyes. Luke would extend his hand out and stroke her head gently. With his softest voice, he would say, “Don’t cry. I really don’t know what to do with you.”
He would embrace her dearly.
Even when Steven was so close, he could not hug or kiss him. Furthermore, he would never look at her with the same look ever again.
Tears rolled down her face. The hatred in Gwen’s eyes dispersed as finally, it turned into self–blaming and despairing. “You’re right… Even without you, Luke will still die.”
“Still, Luke being dead is still better than what’s happening now–being used by someone he didn’t know.
As Gwen submerged herself into the self–blaming process again, Bethan furrowed her brow and sprung forward. She pulled Gwen to her back and looked at Steven coldly.
“Don’t try to confuse the main point. Our main point is that all of you had hidden from Luke and turned him into you. If there was a choice, I believe Luke would rather die solely for Gwen, not…this. Your family deserted him like he was rubbish in the first place. When you were in a vegetative state, they lied to him and used Gwen as bait before finally turning his body into a vessel to hold your thoughts and memories.
“The harm that all of you cause to Luke is crueler than letting Luke die. Furthermore…”
She took a deep breath and pointed at the helplessly weeping Gwen. “If you’re just Luke’s twin brother, she won’t be so upset by just looking at you. However, the body of the love of her life is now turned into another person. What’s the difference when compared to the feeling when something you cherish gets taken away from you?
“Steven, have you lost something precious to you before? Do you know the feeling of seeing your most precious thing in front of you, yet you can do nothing but stare? “You don’t know anything! The only thing you could say to us is that Luke will still die regardless if you were in the picture. Do you think you can justify the harm that all of you have done to Luke and Gwen?”
There was a moment when Bethan’s words stunned Steven. He did not want to admit it, but…Bethan was right. He had never thought about this whole thing from Luke and Gwen’s perspective. Moreover, he had never experienced losing something precious to him and looking at it turning into something he was not familiar with.
In spite of that, his heart throbbed so badly to see Gwen weep helplessly…as if Gwen was the thing most precious to him that slowly drifted away from him.
His heart throbbed. He endured the pain and looked at Gwen crying. Suddenly, he walked to the coffee table and drew out some tissues. Then, he turned and walked toward Gwen to pass the tissues to her.
Bethan’s brow furrowed slightly as she watched Steven.’ He actually…took tissues for Gwen to wipe off her tears? I thought he hated Gwen. Didn’t he think that it was a shame to him to be connected to Gwen with Luke’s body? Didn’t he also hurt himself with the knife because of that? Why is he…
‘And the way he passed the tissues to Gwen looks so familiar, too.’
From the way he behaved and how he stared at Gwen… Those things had Bethan confused and had her thinking she was looking at Luke instead of Luke.
Not only did Bethan feel it, but Gwen did too. She was stunned as she gazed at Steven.
Steven walked over and passed the tissues to Gwen. Then, he exhaled lightly and sighed, “Don’t cry.”
That was all he wanted to say, but for no reason, as though it was by habit, he added, “I really don’t know what to do with you.”
Gwen’s pupils widened instantly. She looked at Steven in shock. “You…”
Steven quickly realized what he was doing; his words sounded a tad too intimate. He furrowed his brow and looked at Gwen. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know why I said that,”
Before he could finish, Gwen ran forward and wrapped her arms around Steven’s waist tightly. She sprung so quickly that when she hugged him, his body swayed a little. He felt Gwen’s warmth and softness the moment she threw herself toward him.
She hugged his waist and buried her face into his abdomen as she feebly whimpered, “Luke, have you been pretending to be Steven? You’re Luke, aren’t you?”
Her warm breath somehow seeped into the clothes and reached Steven’s skin. The numbing, tingling sensation made Steven feel an emotion entirely foreign to him.
He pursed his lips and felt how excited Gwen was and also her shivering. Suddenly, he did not want to tell her the truth anymore. He was afraid she would feel lost and fall into despair that she would be harsh with herself.
He lowered his head and looked at Gwen’s head with her black hair and said, “Gwen…”
“Gwen.”
Compared to Gwen, Bethan was very calm. She furrowed her brow and pulled Gwen away from Steven.”
He’s not Luke.”
Yes, it was true that what they were seeing was Luke’s body. Luke and Steven were twins, so it was normal for the twins to behave somewhat similarly. Nigel and Neil often did the same movement too. Bethan had twins, so she could easily differentiate the difference between Luke and Steven from their eyes.
She took a deep breath and pulled Gwen to stand behind her. Finally, she looked at Steven. “Mr. Hughes, I hope you don’t mind. My friend lost control of her emotions. Let’s go back to the terms.”
After inhaling deeply, she said, “I hope you can agree with us to coordinate with us with the investigation to make your family and the Miller family pay the price. Otherwise, you won’t be able to take Denise from us.”
Her calm tone had Steven withdrawing himself from feeling heartbroken for Gwen. He exhaled lightly before looking at Bethan and Gwen helplessly. “Is there… really no other way?”
He knew if Gwen insisted on suing his family and the Miller family, without his help, she still had Bethan, Brettley, and Thomas as her supporters.
She could still sue them.
In spite of that, he wished to say a word or two for his family and the Miller family. “We can give you the compensation you want, so–“
He’s not Luke.”
Yes, it was true that what they were seeing was Luke’s body. Luke and Steven were twins, so it was normal for the twins to behave somewhat similarly. Nigel and Neil often did the same movement too. Bethan had twins, so she could easily differentiate the difference between Luke and Steven from their eyes.
She took a deep breath and pulled Gwen to stand behind her. Finally, she looked at Steven. “Mr. Hughes, I hope you don’t mind. My friend lost control of her emotions. Let’s go back to the terms.”
After inhaling deeply, she said, “I hope you can agree with us to coordinate with us with the investigation to make your family and the Miller family pay the price. Otherwise, you won’t be able to take Denise from us.”
Her calm tone had Steven withdrawing himself from feeling heartbroken for Gwen. He exhaled lightly before looking at Bethan and Gwen helplessly. “Is there…really no other way?”
He knew if Gwen insisted on suing his family and the Miller family, without his help, she still had Bethan, Brettley, and Thomas as her supporters.
She could still sue them.
In spite of that, he wished to say a word or two for his family and the Miller family. “We can give you the compensation you want, so–”
“I just want to see Kate in jail. The reputation of your family and hers must fall into disrepute to pay for the price they did,” interjected Gwen curtly. She felt much calmer after her mini meltdown, and she gave Steven a sharp, unrelenting stare. “At this point, I can have you die and give back the body to Luke. After all, you’re just part of the plan.
“However, I want those people who tricked Luke and used him to face retribution. This is the only thing I can do for him. As for the heart in my chest, it belongs to you.
She curled up her lips into a strong and pitiful smile.”
Once it’s all done, I’ll find a way to return it to you.”
Steven unconsciously took a step back unconsciously as he hoarsely reasoned, “I didn’t ask you to give it back to me!
He knew Gwen’s current heart was his, but it never unsettled him from the start. On the contrary, he felt guilty because he had stolen Luke’s body, and he would feel better if Gwen treated the heart as compensation. He never thought…Gwen would want to return his heart instead.
“But I want to.”
Gwen curled her lips into a smile. “It disgusts me so badly every time I think the heart beating in my chest was yours.”
Yes, she was disgusted. If it was not because of this heart, Luke’s body would never be stolen. She did not have to see the person she was most familiar with turn into this person. If it was not for her, Luke would still be alive. Thus, she felt disgusted with this current heart and herself.
After she had sought revenge for Luke, she would give the heart back to Steven once and for all.
She did not want to owe him anything. She would remove the heart away and reunite with Luke.
Steven took a step back as he felt his heart throbbing in pain and his mind in disarray.
‘She said…she wants to give the heart back to me. Does it disgust her so greatly to know that my heart is in her body? Does she hate me so much? Even when my heart is helping to keep her alive…she’s still so disconcerted that she wants to give back the heart to me after taking revenge for Luke.!
“What if…”
Steven said with a deep voice. “What if I want to return this body to Luke? What should I do?”
The sadness and anger hit Gwen again. ‘What did he say? He wants to return the body to Luke? How is he going to do that? Everything about Luke–his past, his logic, and his thoughts, was dumped like they were rubbish! Can anyone find it? It’s just impossible!’
As she endured the pain in her chest, she gritted her teeth and gave Steven a deadly stare. “You can’t find it, you can’t find it!
“Steven, you and your family have killed Luke, and he’s never coming back! You know it better than anyone else! I said I want to give your heart back to you, yet you said you want to bring Luke back…
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.