Ever since she was a child, she had to learn ways of feigning obedience to steer attention away from her brother, so she picked up the skill of pretending to fall asleep whenever the adults wanted her to. Not only that, but she was even able to wake up ‘on demand’ to appease the adults.
Even though the adults gradually saw through her as she grew older, she could still fool unsuspecting people, including Bethan and Gwen.
She had not been asleep this whole time at all. Instead, she had overheard everything Steven said about her, including Steven and Gwen’s argument.
It turned out that Bethan and Gwen had not been lying after all.
The reason Steven had woken up from his coma…was because he had stolen someone else’s body. Gwen had not intruded into Kate and Steven’s relationship at all. On the contrary, Kate had been the outsider all along.
Denise had already been shocked to learn all this, but she never thought that she would overhear her own parents choosing to abandon her. After living with the Hughes family for more than two decades, she was more than familiar with their voices and could recognize in an instant that the recording was real.
At the thought of this, Denise could not stop her tears from falling.
She never thought that the two people who loved and spoiled her would turn out to be such deceitful traitors. In their eyes, they never considered her as family, and she never mattered to them at all.
One would not even abandon a pet so easily, much less a living, breathing human like her. Denise lifted her head to stare at Gwen and sniffed.”
Weren’t you hoping for someone to help you collect evidence of the Hughes and Miller families’ wrongdoings? Since my brother refuses to help you, I can step in.
“Even though my parents have chosen to leave me for dead, they’ll still pretend to welcome me home should you release me now. They won’t suspect a thing, and even if their guards are up, it’ll be far easier for me to spy on them than for you to do so.
Bethan and Gwen exchanged a glance when they heard this. Finally, Bethan turned to stare at Denise, frowning. “What do you want?
“You overheard our conversation , so you know very well that we can’t forgive you for what you did to Thomas and Yannie. Therefore, even if you help us, we won’t show you mercy in return.”
Denise curled her lips into a bitter smile. “I know that, but …the reason I’m choosing to do this now is because I’m utterly disappointed.
“My parents–no, I mean, the Hughes family-had convinced me that I’ll be able to marry Thomas if I got myself pregnant with his child, so I obeyed their wishes and did as they pleased. “However, not only did they choose to let me bear the consequences on my own, they even left me for dead the moment I screwed up…”
She lifted her head to meet Gwen’s gaze. “I don’t ask for anything in return for helping you, but I do have one wish. “I want you to show my brother mercy.”
Upon hearing this, Bethan first glanced at Gwen, frowning, then turned to gaze at Denise. “Ms. Hughes, when you say show your brother mercy, you mean…”
.
Denise closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Finally, she opened her eyes and fixated her gaze on Gwen. “I just hope that if I can help you avenge your boyfriend’s death and punish those who fooled and disrespected him, Ms. Larson …you’ll forgive my brother for his wrongdoings .
“I’ve always thought that my brother is just a victim in this. He had no idea what was going on and had done nothing wrong, but he still occupied your boyfriend’s body, after all, so I hope that if I manage to help you get what you want, you’ll choose to leave my brother alone. I don’t even need you to help me beg for Thomas and Yannie’s mercy; all I want is for my brother to be okay. He
–
Denise’s breath caught in her throat. “He’s the best brother anyone can ever have.” From the conversation between Steven, Gwen, and Bethan, Denise realized that despite knowing since young that he and Denise were not true siblings, Steven had always treated her like his own sister.
Throughout their childhood, Steven would always be the first to stand up for her whenever something bad happened to her. He would give her anything she wanted, and even when he received his first paycheck after graduating from college, he chose to spend it on a gift for her.
It was a dainty necklace that still resided in a jewelry box on her vanity.
In the past, Denise and Steven used to be inseparable until his accident which rendered him comatose.
During the five years of Steven’s coma, Denise gradually learned to make new friends on her own and, under her parents’ and Mrs. Howard’s influence, kept trying to approach Thomas.
Therefore, she gradually forgot about her bond with Steven, and even after Steven woke up from his coma, she still felt as though he was a stranger. At one point, Denise even thought that she was closer to Kate than she was to her own brother.
Denise thought that this would be a mutual feeling, but it turned out Steven had not changed at all.
He was still the kind, supportive brother that would stand by her side no matter what. He was the only person she could not bear to leave behind.
“Think of it as a way of repaying my brother’s love and support for me all these years.”
Denise bit her lip. “Can you promise me that, Ms. Larson?”
Gwen was silent for a long time before finally closing her eyes and saying, “How long do you need? I’ll try my best to buy you some time from Thomas and Yannie, and they won’t lay a finger on you whilst you’re helping me, but I don’t wish to drag this on for too long.”
Gwen had already intended not to blame Steven for what happened to Luke, nor had she ever wanted Steven to return Luke’s body to her, so Denise’s request actually lined up perfectly for her. “I’ll try my best.”
Denise let out a bitter smile. “I won’t cause you any trouble, but also…”
She paused for a moment. “I want to know…what’s happening with Thomas now.”
Bethan’s eyebrows furrowed as she glanced at Denise, then grabbed her phone and walked out of the room.
Gwen and Denise were the only people who remained in the room.
The air seemed to fall silent.
“Can you help me with something?”
Denise was the first to break the silence.
Gwen immediately broke out of her stupor.
Denise raised her hands, which were still tied together, and smiled at Gwen. “My hands are beginning to grow numb from the ropes.”
After contemplating for a moment, Gwen finally sighed and released Denise’s bonds.
“Thank you.”
Denise rubbed her arms, which sported burns from the rope, and let out a sigh.
“Did…did you and Steven used to be close?”
Gwen asked tentatively as she watched the color return to Denise’s face.
Denise was silent for a moment before finally nodding.”
We…used to be inseparable.”
She gazed out the window as her thoughts began to drift away. “Steven used to treat me like a princess. Since he had never dated anyone, all his love and affection were reserved for me…”
Denise could not help recalling all the things Steven had done for her all throughout the years.
Every time she complained about being hungry or thirsty, he would rush into the kitchen to bring her a drink or make her some food.
Every time she expressed a desire to own a particular, limited–edition item of clothing, he would get in touch with the owner and request them to sell the dress to him at a high price.
Even after he was rejected, Steven even picked up fashion design as a skill to make her a dress of her own.
Even though he was not particularly good at it, nor was the dress of intricate quality, Denise truly could feel just how much love and effort her brother put into this.
At that time, Denise did not know that she was adopted, so she always thought this was part of Steven’s obligation to her.
However, she finally found out that she and Steven were not true siblings at all, and he had known about this for a long time. Still, he was willing to treat her like his own sister.
Even though five years later, they were no longer as close never gave up on her.
Denise was touched by this.
She was grateful to the Hughes family for giving her a comfortable home, but at the same time, she was utterly devastated by their betrayal and wanted revenge.
LL
This was why Denise wanted to use her final efforts to protect Steven as a means of repaying him. Gwen clenched her fists when she heard this.
She had never tried to understand Steven as a person before; she had always thought of him as the man who stole Luke’s body. Even though Steven had not meant to do this, he still ended up benefiting from the Hughes family’s deceit.
Therefore, Gwen never once tried to understand Steven’s point of view, nor did she ever try to find out what kind of person he was.
However, as she listened to Denise’s stories, the image of Steven in her mind began to grow more and more vivid.
This was not the man who had taken Luke’s body away from her; this was a man with a kind heart and soul.
He was a good child, a supportive brother, and a responsible, ambitious man.
He…was not a carbon copy of Luke, but a living, breathing human with a mind of his own.
“Ms. Larson.”
Denise sighed as though she could understand what Gwen was thinking about. “I know you’re upset, but this was all the Miller and Hughes families’ wrongdoing, and my brother had nothing to do with this at all.
“After everything is over, I hope that you’ll let him go and allow him to live his life.
“Please don’t continue using Luke as a means of restraining him.”
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.