Chapter 2

Lucas had a leg broken and was barely conscious.

Olivia was trembling with fear, unable to utter a word.

I was the only one brave enough to negotiate with the kidnappers.

When they saw through my plan, one of them swung a brick at my head.

Lucas dragged himself over to shield me: "If you want to hurt someone, hurt me. Leave the innocent girls alone."

The consequence was that he collapsed, barely breathing.

I seized the opportunity, grabbing a crowbar and striking the kidnapper.

As he staggered, disoriented, I shouted at Olivia, "Run!"

She snapped out of her daze and fled. I struggled to carry Lucas on my back as I stumbled towards the exit.

I don't know how long I ran before everything went black.

When I fully regained consciousness a week later, the doctor said I was just exhausted and in shock, but the wound on my shoulder would likely leave a scar.

I looked down at it - the gash was deep enough to see bone.

While carrying Lucas to safety, his hand had slipped down several times. Each time, I'd yelled at him to stay awake.

"Grab my shoulder, squeeze it hard! Don't fall asleep!"

When I returned to school after being discharged, I witnessed Lucas confessing to Olivia.

Lucas leaned on his crutches, his eyes full of tenderness.

"You saved me, so I belong to you now."

"When we're old enough to marry legally, I'll make you my wife."

When I confronted Olivia later, the hickeys on her neck were glaringly obvious.

"Do you think Lucas would believe it was you who saved him?"

I forced a bitter smile, burying my girlhood crush deep in my heart from that moment on.

Years later, when Olivia died in childbirth, the usually invincible Lucas showed his vulnerable side for the first time.

He knocked on my door in the pouring rain, his eyes dry but bloodshot.

"Olivia saved my life. Now that she's gone, I can't go on living."

"But we have a child. Ethan is so young, he can't lose both his mother and father. You look like Olivia - will you marry me?"

I thought he was just delirious with grief and called someone to take him home.

But I never imagined Lucas would truly go mad.

The next day, my family's company went bankrupt.

My parents personally escorted me to the registry office, where a marriage certificate sealed my fate for the next decade.

Lucas had me dressed exactly like Olivia, even taking me for plastic surgery.

Even my name changed from Aria Song to Olivia Quinn.

In public, Lucas showered me with affection.

But at home, he would only sleep while holding Olivia's photo.

On the rare occasions we were intimate, he would call out Olivia's name.

Ethan received an elite education from a young age and idolized Lucas.

In a family, children learn from their parents' interactions.

Gradually, Ethan began to treat me the way Lucas did - cold and distant.

He was even closer to the household staff than to me.

Recalling all this, I had already landed in Coast City.

As soon as I turned on my phone, Lucas called.

I let it ring until the last moment before answering.

Seemingly displeased at my delay, Lucas's voice was impatient.

"Why did it take you so long to answer?"

Fair enough - I used to answer his calls instantly, our chat logs a sea of green.

But now I had neither the obligation nor the inclination.

I ignored his harsh tone, simply asking, "What is it?"

"Ethan's been having diarrhea after drinking milk. What kind of milk did you buy him before?"

Ethan had been lactose intolerant since childhood, with a more sensitive stomach than other kids. Whenever he had bouts of vomiting and diarrhea, I'd stay up all night by his side.

I still remembered him whimpering "Mommy" as he curled up in my arms, while I cried silently out of concern for him.

But now, I didn't want to get involved anymore.

"We're divorced, and I'm no longer Ethan's mother. The Shaw family surely doesn't lack private doctors and nannies. Please don't bother me again."

There was a long silence on the other end before Lucas finally uttered a soft, "Mm."

After hanging up, I blocked all numbers, including my parents'.

The real estate agent found me a lovely house.

Facing the sea, with spring flowers blooming.

I love the ocean, but this was my first time seeing it in person.

Shortly after marrying Lucas, he once caught me searching for island getaways on my phone.

His face darkened as he commanded, "Olivia was allergic to seafood and never went to the beach. Remember your role."

There used to be an oil painting of moonlight over the sea in my bedroom, but Lucas used this as an excuse to throw it in the trash.

Now, as the sea breeze caressed my face, I suddenly realized that seeing the ocean wasn't so difficult after all.

Life in this coastal city was leisurely, and I fell in love with surfing.

The waves behind me were like the pursuit of my past life, but instead of being knocked down, I surged forward fearlessly.

Two weeks later, I received a call from an unknown number.

Lucas's voice was still devoid of emotion.

"Do you know where my work USB drive is? I remember you put it in my study for for me before."