The Pearl That Ended Us

With Julius’s help, I staggered out of the room, each step drawing me further away from a life I once thought was mine.

At least, after my apology, Sylus had not pushed matters further. He let me leave in peace, his interest entirely absorbed by Charlotte at that moment.

Obediently, I followed Julius to the guest room.

Each step was a painful reminder of the toll that day had taken on my body, my stomach bloated and sore.

Julius, seeing my discomfort, gently suggested, "I will call the nurse to come here and tend to your wound."

I shook my head. "No, thank you. I can take care of it myself."

I had no intention of causing a stir or drawing attention to my fragile position in the house. I was nothing more than a shadow, so I intended to stay that way.

Julius nodded but added cautiously, “You should avoid touching anything that made for Mr. Fuentez from now on. So, I will bring your meals myself to make sure this never happens again. How does that sound?”

His thoughtfulness stung, not because of him, but because of how far I had fallen.

Not long ago, everything in this manor had been mine. But then I was reduced to being grateful for even a meal that would not harm me.

I nodded, though the bitterness in my heart welled up again.

Before Julius turned to leave, I mustered enough strength to say, “Thank you, Julius. I do not say it enough, but I appreciate everything you have done for me.”

He gave me a kind smile. “Anything for you, Madam. Call me if you need help.”

And with that, I was left alone in the guest room, a room that only deepened the feeling of isolation.

The once grand manor I had shared with Sylus for three years felt foreign, as though the life I had lived there had been nothing but a cruel illusion.

The moment Charlotte came back, it all crumbled.

I was not a queen that was dethroned, I had never been on the throne. I had merely been a substitute, filling a void until Sylus’s true love returned.

How pathetic I felt, holding onto something that was never mine to begin with.

But then, the painful truth struck me: none of that would have happened if Sylus had not found me that day at the hospital.

Our first meeting had been nothing more than a case of mistaken identity.

I was a resident doctor, working night shifts in the emergency room at a hospital run by the Fuentez family.

My life was simple then, it was to save enough money to retire and travel the world. That was all I wanted.

It was after one of those grueling night shifts that he appeared. I was resting at the canteen, sipping my coffee and nibbling on a sandwich, when a tall, imposing man came to me.

His eyes locked on me, and I remember the odd look in them, half surprise and half recognition.

“Lotty?” he had murmured, his voice filled with a strange mix of longing and disbelief.

I had no idea who he was or why he called me by that name. But after being with him for three years, I learned Lotty was his fiancée, the woman who had left his life, leaving a hole I was unknowingly about to fill.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized after glancing at my name tag. “I mistook you for someone else.”

I shrugged it off, not paying much attention, and continued eating my sandwich.

Before he left, he offered to pay for my meal as an apology. I had not even had the chance to refuse before he was gone.

Later, I used that as a small treat for my coworkers, thinking nothing more of the encounter.

But that would not be the last time I saw him.

That same night, an emergency call came in about a tragic accident. I was on shift and rushed to the ambulance bay, prepared to do whatever I could to help.

As the patient arrived, I saw a middle-aged woman bleeding profusely from a wound that reminded me of the accident that had claimed my own parents' lives.

My heart raced. I knew I had to save her.

With every ounce of skill and determination I had, I worked to stop the bleeding and stabilize her condition.

It was a miracle that I managed to get her out of critical condition before handing her over to the specialist surgeon.

I had saved her life, or at least delayed death long enough for the surgeons to finish the job.

The next day, I was called into the patient’s room.

The chief doctor told me the woman’s identity, and I could barely suppress the trembling in my hands.

She was Mrs. Fuentez, the wife of the head of the most powerful mafia family in the region. The owner of the very hospital where I worked.

I entered her room nervously, unsure of what to expect, but to my surprise, she greeted me warmly. She was sitting up in bed, smiling as though nothing had happened.

“So, you are the doctor who saved me?” Mrs. Fuentez asked, her eyes bright and full of life despite the guards stationed outside her door.

Trying to maintain professionalism, I replied humbly, “It was not just me, Madam. There were many people involved in saving you, the emergency personnel, nurses, and the specialist who operated on you.”

She laughed, clearly amused by my modesty. “Yes, but I heard it was you who kept me alive long enough for them to do their part. That was what I mean, Doctor....” She paused, waiting for my name.

“I am Dr. Lily Hale. You can call me Lily.”

Since then, Mrs. Fuentez and I have exchanged many words. The more we talked, the more I realized she was not the intimidating woman I had assumed.

In fact, she was incredibly warm and kind, with a sharp wit that often caught me off guard.

One afternoon, as we spoke about everything from hospital gossip to her plans after recovery, I suddenly noticed the time on the wall clock ticking away.

“Oh my God, it is already time for my ER shift,” I said, slightly panicked as I rose from my seat.

She laughed softly. “Don’t let me keep you, dear. I am sorry for taking up your time.”

“No, no, Mrs. Fuentez. I am happy to talk with you. Truly.”

I meant it. Despite the pressure of her family’s reputation, she made me feel at ease. It was strange, given who she was.

I smiled, gathering my things. “I will come back when it is time to check on your condition.”

“I look forward to it, Doctor Lily,” she said with a fondness that warmed me, her smile lingering long after I had left the room.

Later that night, after finishing my shift, I returned to her room for her routine check-up. But when I opened the door, I saw him, the man from the cafeteria who had mistaken me for someone else.

“So, you are the doctor who saved my mother?” The man's deep voice caught me off guard. I froze for a moment, taken aback by his presence.

"Mother?" I repeated, glancing at Mrs. Fuentez, who beamed as though she had just discovered a hidden gem.

“Oh, you two know each other?” she asked, eyes sparkling as though she had found a missing piece to a puzzle.

Sylus shrugged casually. “We have only met once. In the hospital cafeteria.”

Mrs. Fuentez’s gaze darted between the two of us, something mischievous twinkling in her eyes.

“Well, what do you think of my son, Doctor Lily?” she asked, a smile pulling at her lips.

“He is handsome, isn't he? I keep telling him he needs a good woman in his life, but he is as stubborn as ever. I can’t even get him to react to beautiful women like you. Is there something wrong with him?”

Her teasing left me speechless, and I felt the heat rising to my cheeks. It was entirely too personal for me to comment on.

Flustered, I tried to keep things light. “I think… I’m just not his style.”

Before I could say more, Sylus interrupted with a sharp, “Who said that?”

His words stunned me. I had not expected him to say anything.

At that moment, I could not help but wonder, had he deliberately called me ‘Lotty’ back then to find out my real name? Could it be that Sylus had taken an interest in me all along?

I dismissed the thought quickly, not wanting to overthink it. “It was just my opinion,” I said, keeping my tone neutral.

Mrs. Fuentez chuckled, enjoying the exchange.

“So, Sylus, do you like her?” she asked playfully, but before he could respond, she continued, “Because I like her. It would be wonderful to have a daughter-in-law as reliable and kind as Doctor Lily.”

I was left speechless, unsure of how to respond.

The conversation twisted and turned in ways I had not anticipated, and soon after, I found myself entangled with the Fuentez family more deeply than I ever thought possible.

As time passed, the Fuentez family began inviting me into their lives more often.

I was hesitant at first, aware of their reputation, but Mrs. Fuentez’s kindness made it difficult to refuse.

I found myself accepting their invitations, spending more time with Sylus.

At first, it felt like a dream. Sylus showered me with attention, picking me up for dates, buying me gifts, and giving me anything I want.

The love and affection he showed seemed genuine, and I started to open my heart to him. It felt like he was healing the wounds of my past, compensating for the loneliness I had carried for so long.

After all, his family treated me so well. They had accepted me, and his mother spoke of our future as if it was set in stone.

Then, there was his older brother, Xavier. From the moment we met, I sensed his disdain.

He never bothered to hide it, his cold glances and snide comments aimed at me whenever Sylus was not around.

But Xavier was away most of the time, studying abroad for his medical degree, and I did not see him as a threat.

In the end, Sylus and I were getting married and enjoying our married life.

However, one day, my beloved cat, which I had raised with care, was found dead because Xavier kicked it viciously.

I confronted Xavier, furious and heartbroken. But instead of apologizing, he sneered at me.

“Do you really think Sylus loves you?” he spat, his voice dripping with contempt.

His words rattled me. Confused and hurt, I demanded to know what he meant.

Without warning, Xavier grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into a room Sylus had always forbidden me to enter.

I had never questioned it, thinking it was related to their dangerous mafia business. But nothing could have prepared me for what I found inside.

The room was filled with photos, hundreds of them, plastered across the walls. Every single one of them was of a girl who looked exactly like me.

From her childhood to adulthood, the images chronicled the life of Charlotte, the real woman Sylus loved.

Xavier’s voice was cold and cruel as he stood beside me, watching my reaction. “Take a good look. This is the woman my brother has always loved. You are nothing but a replacement, a poor substitute for his fiancée.”

The truth was a dagger to my heart. I had been living in a lie, playing a role that was never meant for me.

From that moment on, I distanced myself from Sylus and searched for the news online.

It was said that before Charlotte left for abroad, she and Sylus were the kind of couple everyone admired. They seemed perfect together.

They attended events hand-in-hand, their connection so strong that those around them whispered about how lucky they were to have found each other so young.

But then, tragedy struck the Hooper family. A devastating accident changed everything, and Charlotte, burdened by her grief, made the difficult decision to leave.

She went abroad, disappearing from the public eye, letting time and distance ease her pain.

Sylus, meanwhile, never involved himself in any scandals or rumors. He kept to himself, stoic and composed.

Those close to the family murmured that he was waiting for her, that he had not given up hope that one day, Charlotte would return.

But when my marriage to Sylus was announced, the past seemed to be forgotten by everyone. The media’s focus shifted to us.

It was as though Charlotte had never existed, and I, naive and blinded by the life I thought we were building, remained blissfully unaware of their history.

My changed attitude was noticed by him, of course, but he never asked why. Maybe he knew, but chose to not care.

I also did not expect that someday, Charlotte would completely come back to Sylus’ side and made an uproar by the day she returned to the country.

Her arrival was nothing short of dramatic. The media captured Sylus personally picking her up from the airport, the pictures flooding every news outlet.

Headlines screamed, "Your Crush Is Back, Who Would You Choose?"

The internet exploded with speculation, and my heart sank as I realized the inevitable. Everyone knew the answer.

The public’s infatuation with Charlotte had never died, and neither had Sylus's feelings, it seemed.

Deep down, I knew what I had to do.

Once my wounds healed, I would leave the manor, leave Sylus, and leave behind the life I had mistakenly believed was mine.