Chapter 1

I secretly loved Ethan for ten years. For five years, I was his substitute wife.

In that fire, I lost hearing in my left ear and covered my back with scars to save his life.

But he believed Cherry saved him. He said I stole someone else's credit. He said I disgusted him.

Then he brought her to our bed. Told me to buy the condoms.

Inside the bedroom, Ethan's stifled, wild groans mixed with Cherry's shaking moans.

Outside, I clutched the condoms, my knuckles white, the wounds on my back reopening.

Can't I just give up?

The day I signed the divorce papers, I booked a one-way ticket to an island.

My left ear is deaf. I'll listen to the waves with my right.

He doesn't love me. Fine.

I just want to be Summer Lynn again.

Summer Lynn POV

"Miss Lynn, you have severe hearing loss in your left ear."

The doctor handed me a report, his tone heavy.

"Five years ago, you inhaled toxic smoke in the fire. It damaged your auditory nerve. Over the years, you've also had severe chronic depression. Your immune system has collapsed. Now even your right ear is starting to fail."

I sat in the chair without a sound.

The doctor thought I didn't understand, so he repeated himself. "If you don't adjust your emotional state, your right ear will be affected too."

I looked at the diagnosis report. After a few seconds, I folded the thin sheet of paper neatly and placed it in my bag.

"I understand. Thank you, doctor."

I stood up and left the consultation room. Outside in the corridor, a rainstorm had begun.

I couldn't help but think of that fire from five years ago.

Ethan's villa had caught fire. His leg was crushed, and he was trapped in the second-floor bedroom.

I was the one who rushed in through the high heat. When the beam collapsed, I threw myself over Ethan and shielded him with everything I had.

My back was severely injured, and my left ear was damaged by the toxic smoke. It kept bleeding.

I dragged the unconscious Ethan out of the fire, then fell into a severe coma myself.

But after I spent three days and nights being resuscitated in the ICU and finally woke up, everything had changed.

That hospital was a private facility the Harrington family had invested in.

Ethan's mother, who had always despised me, suppressed my true medical report.

Sitting by Ethan's hospital bed was Cherry Collins.

In Cherry's hand, she clutched a watch she'd brought out from the fire.

Cherry Collins was Ethan's first love, the one who held his heart.

Five years ago, Cherry, as Ethan's girlfriend, had secretly left to study abroad on the night of their engagement, turning the Harrington family into a laughingstock.

The Harrington family urgently needed a replacement to complete the engagement.

I, who had secretly loved Ethan for ten years, stepped forward and willingly became the substitute for this marriage.

That day, Ethan expressionlessly slid the diamond ring originally custom-made for Cherry onto my ring finger.

From that moment on, I was nothing but a substitute.

And when that fire happened, Cherry had just returned to the country.

Ethan's mother told Ethan that Cherry had rushed into the fire to save him, while I had only run in afterward to steal the credit.

Ethan believed her. He was convinced that Cherry had risked her life to rush into the fire and save him.

I dragged my still-bleeding back to explain, but all I got in return was Ethan's extremely disgusted look and one cold sentence:

"Summer, to make me love you, you'd even steal a life-saving deed? You truly disgust me."

After that, I never brought it up again.

I took out my phone to call a car. A sedan suddenly screeched to a stop in front of me.

The window rolled down.

Ethan sat in the driver's seat.

He frowned slightly, his gaze resting on my rain-soaked shoulders, his tone cold.

"Get in." Ethan spoke. "Stop making a scene. If you get sick, I'll have to arrange for someone to take care of you."

My hand holding the phone paused.

I raised my head and looked past Ethan to see Cherry sitting in the passenger seat.

Cherry didn't turn around. She just leaned slightly to the side.

If this were before, I would have stared hard at the passenger seat position, yanked open the car door, and demanded an explanation from Ethan about why he said he'd be at a company meeting but drove the car here instead.

I would have asked, red-eyed and stubborn, for an explanation.

Ethan was used to my questioning.

But this time, I just glanced once, then calmly withdrew my gaze.

"No need." I stood on the steps, my tone devoid of emotion. "The hospital is full of germs. I'm afraid of infecting you both."

Ethan's hand on the steering wheel paused slightly.

"Ethan." Cherry spoke softly. "Is Summer upset because I'm sitting here? Maybe I should get out. I can just take a cab back."

"Stay seated." Ethan interrupted Cherry, his gaze still on me.

"Summer, don't test my patience. Are you sure you want to stand here in the rain?"

"I called a car. It'll be here soon," I replied.

Ethan looked at me, then finally let out a cold laugh.

"Fine."

The window rolled up. The sedan merged back into traffic and quickly disappeared into the curtain of rain.

I hadn't called a car. I opened the umbrella in my bag and walked into the rain.

I returned to the villa. It was already seven in the evening.

I closed my dripping umbrella and walked straight into the kitchen.

I walked to the counter and pulled open the bottom drawer. Inside was a very thick notebook.

Opening the cover, it was filled with my notes.

Five years ago, Ethan was admitted to the ICU because of a stomach hemorrhage.

After that, I visited every hospital in the city and wrote down these precautions.

For the past five years, I'd followed this notebook and made nutritious meals for Ethan every day.

My hands still bore two permanent scars from burns.

And Ethan's evaluation of the nutritious meals was usually just a cold "just leave it on the table," or he simply wouldn't come home.

I flipped through two pages. The paper made a dry rustling sound.

Then I closed the notebook and threw it into the nearby trash can.

I looked at my left ring finger.

This ring was personally designed by Ethan for Cherry back then. The ring size was also made to Cherry's measurements.

So the ring was a bit tight on my finger.

Every time I accidentally bumped it, the band would dig hard into my knuckle.

But I never complained of pain. I insisted on wearing this ring for five years.