Substitute Woman

No one knew how much time had passed when Nathan, still carrying the lingering scent of perfume, lay down on the bed and naturally wrapped his arm around Wendy’s waist.

He thought she had already fallen asleep, only to find their eyes meeting in the darkness.

A flicker of panic flashed across Nathan’s eyes, but he was the first to speak. “Honey, someone important came back tonight and asked me to a gathering, so I had to leave in a hurry…”

Uncharacteristically, Wendy didn’t pout or act spoiled. She simply nodded lightly and said in a soft voice, “When someone important invites you, of course you should go to them right away.”

She turned over, facing away from Nathan and closed her eyes.

A strange sense of unease crept over him. Something about Wendy’s reaction didn’t feel right, but he didn’t dwell on it, simply assuming she was sulking. Before long, he drifted into a deep sleep.

However, Wendy lay wide awake the entire night, staring at the anonymous video message on her phone. In the photo, Nathan and Kyle were kissing passionately in a three-minute challenge.

Early the next morning, Nathan put on his favorite suit, styling his hair meticulously in front of the mirror. His face was full of smiles as if he were about to see the girl he loved most.

He glanced at Wendy, picked out an outfit for her and announced, “Honey, my friend Kyle wants to meet you. It’s her birthday today and she specifically asked me to bring you along.”

Without waiting for her reply, he took her hand and pulled her toward the car, clearly in a hurry and impatient.

The moment Wendy laid eyes on Kyle, her entire body stiffened.

Both of them were dressed in strapless evening gowns, had a red mole on their necks, identical in size and placement.

Kyle’s gaze landed precisely on that mole, her smile tinged with mockery. “What a coincidence. Your mole is exactly like mine. Our skin tone, even our bone structure, are nearly identical too!”

The onlookers clearly understood what was going on. The air was thick with schadenfreude, the kind of crowd that delighted in watching drama unfold.

Nathan stared at Kyle deeply and blurted out, “How could she ever compare to you?”

The room fell into a momentary silence.

Wendy’s face flushed crimson. Her head dropped in shame.

Realizing his words had been too blunt, Nathan quickly tried to smooth things over. “Today’s Kyle’s birthday. She’s the star of the night. I didn’t mean to compare the two of you.”

Kyle let out a light laugh, then casually took Wendy’s hand and led her to the wine table. She handed her a glass and said with a smile, “Wendy, thank you for taking care of Nathan all these years. You know, I probably know him best. When he drinks, he gets clingy and won’t even drink hangover soup unless it’s fed to him. When his stomach hurts, he loves curling up in my arms and acting all spoiled…”

As if suddenly realizing something, she added with feigned innocence, “Oh, Wendy, Nathan and I are just like brother and sister. We’ve always been close like that. You don’t mind, do you?”

Listening to Kyle’s reminiscing, Nathan’s eyes actually reddened with emotion. At that moment, he was gazing at her with unfiltered affection.

Wendy’s heart ached with a dull bitterness. She let out a faint, pained smile and replied, “Anyone who didn’t know better would think you two were the real couple.”

As soon as Wendy finished speaking, Kyle’s tears began to fall like broken pearls, streaming down her cheeks. She choked up, “Wendy, are you mad at me? I must’ve crossed a line... it’s all my fault for making everyone upset.”

Nathan’s expression darkened. He turned to comfort her, “Kyle, there’s no need to explain anything between us. It’s your birthday today. No one should be upsetting you.”

Then, for the first time, he looked at Wendy with an impatient frown and said coldly, “Wendy, aren’t you going to apologize to Kyle? If I’d known you’d be this petty, I wouldn’t have brought you.”

Without giving her a chance to speak, he shoved the glass of red wine into her hand, forcing her to toast Kyle as a gesture of apology.