I was forced to take my sister’ place—marrying the sickly William Johnson, after she ran away from her arranged marriage.

I tried my best to be a good wife but the first thing after William recovered was to bring my sister back home.

"Emma Davis, Emily said you were the one who drove her away back then. She even told me you drugged me to force me into marrying you. Is it true?

“Answer me! Is it true?”

Of course not, but I couldn’t say it bound by the marriage contract.

I kept silent until my daughter, egged on by my scheming younger sister, hurled sulfuric acid at my face.

My right ear was seared away on the spot. In agony, I begged William to take me to the hospital.

But he just looked at me with icy indifference, unmoved.

After I got treatment at the hospital, numb and expressionless, I made the secret call,

"It's time for this agreement to end."

***

I lost my right ear—along with my eardrum and half my hair—all burned away.

A week ago, I was carefully holding a bowl of soup I'd made myself, and gently pushed open the door to the master bedroom.

For eight years, that had been my daily routine.

But what I saw when I walked in made my hands shake without me even realizing it.

William, the husband I'd been taking care of for eight whole years, was kissing a woman in a soft pink dress.

And that woman was none other than my younger sister, Emily Davis, who had disappeared eight years ago. His first love.

The herbal tonic spilled all over the floor. The hot tonic splashed onto my hand, instantly turning the skin red and blistered.

The pain made me gasp. But it was nothing compared to the ache in my heart.

Hearing the noise, William turned around and looked straight at me.

"Emma, you're here just in time. Saves me the trouble of going to find you."

He let go of Emily, but his voice had no guilt in it—just cold and distant.

She hooked her arm through his proudly, her eyes shining with victory.

"Emma, long time no see," she said with a sweet smile—though it gave me the creeps.

William said coldly, "Emma, Emily told me everything about how you drugged me eight years ago and forced me to marry you."

I froze for a second. "What are you talking about? When did I ever drug you?"

"Stop pretending!" William shoved me away roughly. "I should've figured it out sooner. You were the one who chased Emily away back then."

I staggered back and hit the doorframe.

My mother-in-law, Maria Johnson, hurried over when she heard the commotion, and her eyes almost lit up when she saw Emily.

"Emily! My dear, you're finally back!"

She excitedly took her hand, completely ignoring my presence.

Emily replied in a sweet voice, "Maria, I'm back."

Then she turned to me. "Emma, thank you for taking care of William for all these years."

It was only then that Maria noticed me, and the smile on her face vanished instantly.

"What are you still standing here for? The floor is so dirty—hurry up and clean it up!"

I bent down to pick up the shards. When my scalded hand touched the porcelain pieces, the pain made me break out in a cold sweat.

"Mom, I know everything now. It was she who plotted against me back then, drugged me, and then took the chance to marry into the Johnson family," William said coldly.

Upon hearing this, Maria flew into a rage. "I knew it! I could tell a long time ago she wasn't a good person!"

The entire Johnson family thought I drugged William and stole my sister's husband—even my six-year-old Sophia believed it.

My scarred hands felt like they were laughing at how naive and dumb I'd been.

Eight years ago, on that rainy night, I got a call from Emily. She was crying and begging me to come to the hotel to help someone.

We were half-sisters. We weren't super close, but whenever one of us was in trouble, the other would always show up.

When I got to the hotel, I found William lying in the bathroom. His face was pale, and he was barely breathing.

Emily was freaking out. She told me she asked William to meet her to talk about breaking up, but never expected him to just suddenly collapse.

We rushed William to the hospital, and the doctor told us he had congenital heart disease and his condition was serious.

"He needs plenty of rest and constant care—ideally, someone should be with him around the clock," the doctor said. Those words still stick in my head.

But while I was trying to reach the Johnson family, Emily just disappeared without a word.

Calls, texts—vanished like clay oxen into the sea, and there was no response.

The next day, Thomas showed up.

"Emma, I know your mom's in the hospital and needs a big sum of money for surgery," he cut straight to the chase.

He offered to cover the cost under one condition.

Back then, I had just graduated from college and was hitting dead ends everywhere trying to find a job. Meanwhile, my mom's health was getting worse by the day.

Thomas's offer came with one condition, which was to marry William and take care of him until he got better.

I bit the bullet, agreed, and signed that unfair marriage contract. That was how I ended up becoming the Johnson family's daughter-in-law—standing in for my sister.

The wedding was super low-key—almost like there wasn't even a ceremony. The Johnson family didn't want to waste much on a "stand-in."

On my wedding night, I sat by William's hospital bed, watching him breathe weakly. I felt a mess of emotions.

He was really handsome. Even with the illness wearing him down, you could still see his strong features and his extraordinary vibe.

I gently held his hand and said, "William, I'm Emma. From today on, I will be your wife, and I'll take good care of you."

Those were really tough times. Every day, I wiped him down, gave him his meds, did his massages, helped with rehab, and chatted with him.

His grandmother, Margaret Johnson, was always cold towards me. In her eyes, I was nothing more than a caretaker—someone who was not worthy.

As for Thomas, after he took care of my mom's huge hospital bills, he went overseas for work.

In the past eight years, he has come back home less than three times.

Over time, William started getting better. He regained consciousness and slowly began to talk and even walk again.

At first, he was confused about why I was there, but as days went by, he gradually accepted me as his wife.

I never told him about that deal from back then—I just quietly took care of him and stayed by his side through all the hard times.

In the third year, I accidentally got pregnant because of a mistake with his medication.

At first, Margaret was furious, thinking I'd done it on purpose to threaten the Johnson family. But surprisingly, William said he was okay with having the baby.

"It would be nice to have a child around. At least the house would feel a bit more alive," he said back then.

Nine months later, I gave birth to a baby girl and named her Sophia, which stood for peace and safety.

She was beautiful, so much like William, even inheriting his proud temperament.

As William's health improved, he began taking over the family business. And I became his supportive wife, quietly standing by his side.

I thought our lives would continue like this.

Until Emily returned and shattered everything.

From the moment she came back, William's attitude toward me grew colder than ever.

Tonight, he even brought her to the banquet and left me completely ignored.

"Emma, your dress is so outdated. It really doesn't suit an event like this."

Emily walked over with a glass of red wine, her smile sweet but dripped with mockery.

I smiled politely. "Everyone has their own style."

"Oops, sorry!"

She suddenly cried out as the wine in her glass spilled over me. The bright red liquid seeped into my gown in an instant.

Laughter rippled around us. Curious eyes turned to me, full of ridicule and contempt.

Emily put on a show of panic. "I didn't mean to. I'm sorry!"

I knew she had done it on purpose, but I only took out a tissue and quietly tried to wipe it away.

William pushed through the crowd, his face dark. "What happened?"

"Liam, I accidentally spilled wine on Emma," Emily said softly, her expression pitiful, though her eyes gleamed with triumph.

He glanced at me, no trace of concern in his gaze. "Since your dress is ruined, just go home."

He didn't even ask if I needed help. He only worried I might embarrass the Johnson family.

Biting my lip, I swallowed the humiliation and turned to leave the hall.

Behind me, Emily's sweet laughter and William's murmurs stabbed at my heart like knives.

When I returned to the Johnson's estate, I found my keycard had been deactivated. I couldn't even enter the house without the servant's help.

"Mrs. Johnson, Madam Johnson said that from today onward, Ms. Emily will be in charge of the household matters," the butler informed me, his tone respectful yet distant.

In just half a month, my role had been completely stripped away. Even the right to care for William had been taken.

The next morning, out of habit, I got up early to prepare William's herbal tonic—only to find someone already in the kitchen.

Emily, dressed in loungewear, was bustling around, with Maria standing beside her, chatting happily as if they were the perfect pair of in-laws.

"Oh, Emma, you're up so early," Emily said, feigning surprise. "But don't worry, I've already prepared Liam's tonic."

Maria shot me a cold look. "Your only job now is to stay out of Emily's way while she takes care of William."

Silently, I turned back to my room.

What hurt even more was how quickly Emily had won over my daughter, Sophia, drawing her away from me.

"Sophia, how about I take you to the amusement park today?" I asked gently, crouching down in front of her.

Sophia pouted. "I don't want to. Emily said she'd take me to see the new movie."

Emily suddenly appeared behind her with a smug expression. "Sophia is such a thoughtful girl."

She bent down and whispered something into Sophia's ear. Sophia nodded and ran off.

"Emma, you're no longer Liam's wife, and Sophia doesn't need a mother like you." Emily dropped her mask, revealing her true face.

That night, I discovered my treasured photo albums ripped apart, the pages scattered across the floor.

Those albums had recorded every important moment I spent taking care of William—my most precious memories.

Sophia stood at the doorway, her eyes conflicted. "Emily said all these pictures are fake. You only kept them to trick Dad."

My chest tightened as I tried to explain.

"Sophia, I never lied. These really happened."

At that moment, William pushed open the door. His gaze darkened at the sight of the mess.

"What are you doing? Why are you yelling at Sophia?" His voice was sharp, entirely siding with Sophia.

I froze. "I didn't. I just wanted her to know the truth."

He gave a cold laugh. "The truth? What right do you have to talk about truth? You drugged me just to marry into the Johnson family, and now you're trying to use these photos to fool both me and Sophia?"

His words cut like a blade, slicing me apart piece by piece.

Emily appeared, feigning concern. "Liam, don't be angry. Emma may have her reasons."

She turned to me, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Emma, Liam's recovered now. He doesn't need your care anymore. Why keep clinging on?"

"You..."

My throat tightened with tears as I looked at the man I once considered my whole world—who now only saw me as his enemy.

Over the weekend, I heard Sophia's excited voice from the living room and peeked out.

Emily was handing her a beautifully wrapped box.

"This is a limited-edition doll I brought back from overseas. Only a hundred exist in the world."

Sophia tore it open, hugging her. "Thank you, Mommy Emily! I love you the most!"

The word "Mommy" stabbed into my heart like a knife.

I retreated to my room, vision blurred with tears.

The daughter I carried in my womb, the child I had raised with my own hands, was now calling someone else "Mommy."

When the school held a parent-child sports day, I even took leave from work to attend. But at the gate, I saw Emily already holding Sophia's hand.

"Mommy, let's go! The games are starting," Sophia snuggling up to her, completely ignoring me standing off to the side.

When the teacher asked who her mother was, Sophia pointed at Emily without hesitation.

From a distance, I stared, unable to understand what Emily had told Sophia this time.

Emily shot me a triumphant glance before leading Sophia inside, leaving me standing alone at the gate.

I turned away, unwilling to break down in public.

When I came home from work and opened my bedroom door, I froze.

My room had been ransacked—drawers pulled open, clothes scattered, my belongings strewn everywhere.

What shocked me most was that all of William's medical records and my carefully written treatment notes were missing.

I rushed to find him, but stopped outside his study when I heard his cold voice.

"Emma, come in."

I pushed the door open. William sat behind his desk, his face grim. My stolen records lay across the table.

He sneered and flung a stack of photos into my face. "Is this who you really are? Planning to use these against me?"

I picked them up, stunned. The pictures had been deliberately altered.

What once documented his illness was now twisted into secret surveillance. My treatment notes had been edited into something sordid.

"No, I didn't! Someone tampered with them!" I pleaded, but he only scoffed.

"Enough!" William slammed the desk. "Emily already told me everything. You trapped me once before—now you're trying to blackmail me again with these photos!"

I was speechless, hollow.

Somewhere along the way, in his heart, I had become nothing more than a schemer, a greedy fraud.

That night, I lay awake, unable to sleep.

Then came faint footsteps outside my door. I sat up, alert, as the doorknob slowly turned.

The door cracked open, and Sophia appeared, carrying a glass of water in her hands.

"Sophia?" I whispered, warmth flooding my chest. For a moment, I thought my daughter had finally come to see me.

Startled, she almost dropped the cup, and the water splashed out.

"You... You're still awake?" she stammered, eyes darting.

I noticed the liquid wasn't clear. It looked cloudy, suspicious.

"Sophia, what's in your cup?" I asked cautiously.

She avoided my eyes. "It's... It's just some water..."

Then, I heard Emily's hushed voice outside the door. "Sophia, hurry, do what I taught you."

The truth hit me like lightning. I leapt from the bed, but it was too late.

Startled, Sophia jerked, spilling the liquid all over my right cheek and shoulder.

A searing pain ripped through my skin, and I screamed, as if it were on fire.

"Ahhh!" Clutching my face, I collapsed to the floor.

Sophia froze in shock, the glass shattering at her feet.

"Mommy!" she cried in terror—the first time she had called me that in so long.

Emily rushed in, feigning horror. "Oh my God! What happened?"

I writhed in agony, my skin burning and peeling as though it were being torn apart.

William was jolted awake by the scream and stormed in. His face blanched at the sight of me.

"Call an ambulance!" he barked, then turned to Sophia. "What did you do?"

Sobbing, Sophia choked out, "Emily said... She said it was special water that would make Mommy pretty..."

William's eyes snapped to Emily. She immediately donned her mask of innocence. "I just gave her some florida water, said it could help her skin. I never thought..."

The pain consumed me. I could no longer speak. All I knew was the sensation of being lifted and rushed into the ambulance.