Seven Years of Love, One Fake Marriage

The following week was a torment beyond words.

I was cursed at, beaten, left with not a single inch of unbroken skin on my body.

No one treated my wounds. Whenever I resisted, they shocked me with electricity, then injected me with sedatives.

Day after day passed, and my mind slowly dulled, sinking into a fog.

Only after a full week was I finally released.

Emmett did not come to pick me up, just as he had promised.

But I still saw his face.

On the massive LED screen of the building outside the mental institution, his wedding with Leanne was playing live.

She wore the wedding dress I had designed.

The thorn-flower ring was on her finger.

Emmett's smile was impossibly gentle.

My brothers stood beside them, offering their sincere blessings.

Everything was exactly the same as the wedding I had once dreamed of.

I thought I would cry.

But I didn't.

The torture in the mental institution had already drained me of pain, of exhaustion—of emotion itself. I had nothing left to give them.

"Camille, I'm sorry. I'm late."

A voice filled with tenderness and regret sounded behind me.

For the first time in a long while, I smiled sincerely.

"Wait for me a moment," I said softly. "I'll leave something here."

I placed a prepared document envelope in the security office of the institution.

Inside were three things: My miscarriage report, the cheap silver ring Emmett had placed on my finger when he proposed. And an official certificate proving that I was single.

"Tell him," I said calmly, "that I've given everything to Leanne."

Leaving behind those final words, I turned and walked away.

At the entrance, a Rolls-Royce was already waiting for me.

I didn't know when Emmett and my brothers would finally realize that I was gone.

But I knew one thing for certain, I would never come back.

—

The wedding on the cruise ship made Leanne radiant with happiness.

Emmett should have felt the same.

Yet for some reason, as he stared at the calm, endless sea, his heart suddenly jolted.

It was as if something immensely important had vanished forever at that very moment.

He pressed a hand to his chest, but before he could think further, Leanne smiled and linked her arm through his.

The next second, Emmett cast aside that strange feeling without hesitation and continued indulging Leanne.

By the time they returned to the villa, three days had already passed.

The house was eerily quiet.

When Emmett turned on the lights, he saw a thin layer of dust covering the coffee table.

Everything was exactly as it had been when they left—messy, untouched.

Only then did it occur to him.

Today was the day Camille was supposed to be released from the mental institution.

He had forgotten his promise to pick her up.

A tight pain seized his chest.

Antonio glanced around irritably and frowned. "What is Camille doing? Wasn't she discharged today? Why hasn't she cleaned the house?"

Jace's expression was cold. "I bet she's still sulking. She's always been like this—immature. Tomorrow, when she realizes this little trick doesn't work, she'll clean everything up herself."

Emmett frowned.

He used to think Camille was childish too. But after seven years together, he had come to realize how many misunderstandings he had about her.

She wasn't someone who threw tantrums like this.

With that thought, he turned to go to the mental institution.

Behind him, Leanne grabbed his arm and said gently, "Emmett, my sister just likes playing these little games. If you go looking for her now, she'll only push her luck."

"Just like Jace said—once she realizes no one cares, she'll come back on her own."

Emmett lowered his eyes.

He still didn't believe Camille was that kind of person. But in the end, he didn't pull his arm free.

...

The next morning, Emmett went downstairs early.

He found himself unconsciously expecting Camille to appear again—just like every morning over the past seven years.

Warm breakfast.

Her gentle smile.

Instead, he was met with the same dead, filthy silence as the day before.

He could no longer endure it.

Grabbing his car keys, he rushed straight to the mental institution.

"Where is Camille?" he demanded urgently. "The woman I sent here seven days ago."

The receptionist glanced at him impatiently.

"She was taken away yesterday. But she left something in the security office. Go look for it yourself."

Emmett rushed to the security room, his breathing unsteady.

There, he was handed an envelope.

Inside lay a silver ring, a certificate of no marriage, and a miscarriage report.

With a deafening crash, Emmett's world collapsed.

His pupils shook violently.

The guard hesitated, then added, "She also left a message."

"She said... she gave everything to Leanne."

Emmett froze in place like a lifeless statue.