After three years of a secret marriage, Joelle believed she could make Keaton love her. But her efforts meant nothing when the woman he loved came back. "We should divorce. We're both tired of this, so let's just go our separate ways," Joelle said, ready to give up. But Keaton coldly rejected the idea, "I don't agree. You're not leaving me!" His attempts to keep her close only drove her further away until she left for good. Later, Joelle emerged as a star in the medical field, admired by many and completely over him. Yet, their unexpected reunion stirred old feelings and conflicts. "You've forgotten me? Don't worry, I'll make sure you remember," Keaton said with determination. Afterward, Joelle, rubbing her sore back and blushing, scolded, "Keaton, you tyrant, haven't you had enough?" Keaton just smirked and replied, "It's never too much for me."
Outside the resuscitation room at Grace Hospital in Eleyrith, Keaton Gordon seized Joelle Lambert's neck and pushed her against the wall. "Why are you so ruthless? How could you harm Elsie?"
Joelle gasped for air, her eyes reflecting both pain and disillusionment. She fought to justify herself. "I didn't. Keaton, believe me. Miss Rowe came out of nowhere. I couldn't stop in time."
Disappointment etched on his face, Keaton retorted, "You're still lying! Eyewitnesses saw you hitting her. What more can you possibly claim?"
"They've been influenced. She framed me!" Joelle asserted in a tremulous voice.
"Absurd!" Keaton's gaze turned frigid and stern. "Why would Elsie jeopardize her life to frame you? How can you even compare yourself to her? Don't overestimate your importance!"
A pallor washed over Joelle's face, and her entire frame trembled.
Even though she was aware that, in Keaton's eyes, she paled in comparison to Elsie, his words still brought a sense of sadness to her.
Back then, while attending to her cancer-stricken father at the hospital, she encountered Archie Gordon, who was unwell and had fainted. After providing initial medical assistance, she escorted Archie for examination and treatment. Subsequently, Archie ended up sharing the same hospital ward with her father due to liver disease. It was only at this point that she crossed paths with Keaton again, a high school acquaintance who had graduated two years ahead of her.
Exhausting her savings in vain attempts to save her ailing father, Joelle found herself ousted from her home by her stepmother and her stepmother's paramour. It was on the roadside that she encountered Keaton.
Keaton expressed his desire to marry her, proposing the immediate registration for marriage if she consented.
Overwhelmed with joy, she agreed. In that moment, ecstasy enveloped her. This was the boy she had harbored feelings for since high school.
She assumed his desire to marry indicated he must harbor feelings for her as well.
However, after they got married in the city hall, he insisted that they keep their marriage a secret.
He said his father compelled him to marry her, though he harbored no genuine desire to do so and held affections for someone else. The only offer he could provide her was a life of affluence.
From that moment onward, all her aspirations for a future married life lay in ruins. She shouldn't have overlooked the fact that, in his eyes, she was, at best, a mere substitute.
Why would the emotions of a substitute hold any significance for him?
Six months ago, when Elsie Rowe returned, she understood that, being her replacement, she should depart.
She had no desire to linger, and Elsie didn't need to harm herself to frame her.
Keaton compelled her to kneel, commanding, "Just stay in this position. Only when she's out of danger can you stand up!"
Struggling to contain her tears, Joelle endured the pain as best she could.
On a previous occasion, Keaton dismissed her tears as valueless, claiming they nauseated him.
The door to the resuscitation room swung open, and the doctor emerged, wearing a grave expression.
Keaton promptly approached him, anxiety etched on his face as he inquired, "Doctor, how is she?"
The doctor examined him briefly before stating, "She's no longer in immediate danger, but her lower back sustained a severe injury, and there's a possibility of paralysis."
A shift in Keaton's expression occurred. Abruptly turning, he seized Joelle, who remained kneeling. His eyes glared with fury. "You've rendered Elsie incapable of standing. She's a dancer. Do you comprehend the cruelty of your actions?"
"No, I didn't harm her. I..." Joelle shook her head, fear evident in her eyes.
The doctor intervened, urging, "Sir, please compose yourself. The patient's paralysis is merely one of the possibilities. With a successful recovery, there's still a chance she may regain the ability to stand."
With a shake of his head, the doctor turned away and departed.
Clenching his teeth, Keaton cast Joelle onto the floor. Wearing a somber expression, he declared, "Starting today, your duty is to ensure her well-being until she makes a complete recovery. Should she fail to stand again, you'll forfeit the use of your legs!"
He then turned on his heel, poised to depart.
Quivering with despair, Joelle expressed her disappointment and calmly uttered, "Keaton, I want a divorce."
Her fiance and her best friend worked together and set her up. She lost everything and died in the street. However, she was reborn. The moment she opened her eyes, her husband was trying to strangle her. Luckily, she survived that. She signed the divorce agreement without hesitation and was ready for her miserable life. To her surprise, her mother in this life left her a great deal of money. She turned the tables and avenged herself. Everything went well in her career and love when her ex-husband came to her.
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town's richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. "Way to go, honey!"
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.