He Took the Money and Married My Sister!

That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep once again.

Ethan dropped out of school at a young age, running the family tattoo shop while taking care of his disabled father.

Now, he was in Arden City, but what would happen to Uncle Shaw?

I got up, suddenly craving a bowl of tomato noodles.

In the rising steam, I imagined Ethan’s excited face as he opened the door.

He would have flowers in hand, sidestepping in the corner, then say:

"Baby, don't I look handsome?"

Especially in the summer, when he wore a white T-shirt, his tiger-like tattoos would peek out.

Not bad-looking—just a big, tough tiger with a touch of innocence.

I wondered if his girlfriend had ever traced the curves of that tiger tattoo with her finger, making Ethan itch with the desire to cook her a bowl of tomato noodles in return.

"Lily?"

"Huh?" I snapped back to reality, meeting the tired face of Miss Mandy.

Mandy was my boss, my benefactor, and also my landlady.

When I came out of kindergarten, it was she who took me in.

Her face showed concern. "Another nightmare? What are you doing up so early..."

"No," I sniffed, lowering my head and taking a bite of noodles, muttering, "I just woke up hungry..."

I served Mandy a bowl of noodles, and as usual, she quietly sat with me while I ate.

I just felt so hungry, like I couldn’t eat enough no matter how much I had.

Suddenly, in my blurred vision, I saw a glass of water.

I heard Mandy’s gentle voice.

"Lily, the noodles are salty..."

The next morning, I looked at my swollen eyes in the mirror, thankful that Mandy had given me the day off.

I certainly didn’t look fit for work in this state.

I used an iron spoon to ice my eyes for a while, and once the swelling had gone down a bit, I caught a bus to Arden University.

Grace told me she only had an 8 a.m. class, so I timed it carefully and waited for her at the school gate.

But I didn’t expect that she would walk out arm-in-arm with Hannah Shaw.

Ethan’s sister.

And… my sister.

I blinked, thinking I must have seen it wrong.

How could they be together?

Before I could recover from the shock, another storm hit.

"Sister!" It was Uncle King’s voice.

"Sis… sister-in-law?"

Hannah, Grace, and I all exchanged shocked glances.

Under my gaze, Grace quickly pulled her hand away from Hannah’s. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she obediently closed it.

But that questioning look she gave Hannah—something inside me flared up with anger.

I was about to stop Hannah from saying anything outrageous when Ethan’s cold voice cut through the air behind me.

"Hannah, this is your sister-in-law."

What did that feel like?

It was like a thousand hands suddenly reaching out from the earth, grabbing my feet, preventing me from moving even an inch.

A heavy stone seemed to press down on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

My hand, holding my bag, trembled slightly.

Ethan's girlfriend was right behind me, just one turn away.

But I didn’t dare to turn around.