The Wife He Let Go: He Chose the Fake Heiress, I Chose Myself

In Evelyn Whitmore's heart, Annelise Whitmore had never been the imposter who stole her life. She had always been the sister who pulled her out of hell.

Annelise had taught her how to carry herself, had stood up for her when no one else would.

When Evelyn's husband, Nathan Langford went bankrupt and their life fell apart, Annelise was the one who stepped in without hesitation, helping them through it all.

It wasn't until the day Nathan got hurt that everything shattered. Evelyn saw it with her own eyes. He had Annelise pinned against the wall, his voice breaking. "You said your sister was pitiful and made me marry her, but what about me? Annie, let's be together again, okay?"

Tears streamed down Annelise's face. "I can't. I already took her place. I can't take her marriage too."

Outside the door, Evelyn trembled all over.

So her husband and her sister had been in love all along.

She signed the divorce papers and chose to let them be together.

But Nathan chased her across miles, grabbing her hand and begging her to come back.

......

After Nathan went bankrupt, Evelyn sold all her bags and jewelry, trying to help him pay off his debts.

But he refused to take the money. Instead, he used it to buy her a small apartment, putting only her name on the deed and telling her it would be her safety net.

They struggled for three years, but the new company still went under.

Nathan injured his back doing manual labor on construction sites and ended up in the hospital again and again.

This time, a falling boulder had crushed his foot.

As soon as Evelyn heard the news, she clutched ten thousand dollars and rushed to the hospital.

But when she arrived, she saw Nathan pulling Annelise into his arms in the hospital room, his voice thick with emotion. "You said Evelyn was pitiful and made me marry her, but what about me? Annie, let's be together again, okay?"

Tears streamed down Annelise's face. "Nathan, I can't. Evelyn was trafficked as a child, and our mother lost her sanity and adopted me from an orphanage. I already took her place. I can't take her marriage too."

"But you're the only one I've ever loved."

Annelise broke down even harder and pushed him away. "No! She has nothing left. Please don't hurt her."

After a long silence, Nathan rubbed his temples, his voice full of exhaustion and resignation. "I've already signed over everything from the Langford Group and the new company. If you don't want me, fine. Just take the money."

"I can't take it," Annelise said, shaking her head, a trace of reproach in her voice. "Why did you lie to Evelyn and say the company went bankrupt? That's yours and hers. I can't accept it. And stop pretending to be sick. She'll worry about you."

"Evelyn! Evelyn! Is she all you ever care about?"

Nathan's voice rose sharply, frustration and grievance written all over his face. "If I didn't pretend, would you even come see me? I couldn't marry the woman I love. Can't I at least give her what I have? Annelise! What do you want me to do?"

Before the words even settled, he lunged forward and kissed her hard.

Annelise struggled in panic, shoving him away with all her strength before slapping him across the face. "Nathan, have you lost your mind? You're Evelyn's husband. You can't betray her!"

She glanced toward the window in a panic.

Evelyn turned away in a hurry and stumbled as she fled.

She sat blankly on a chair in the lobby, staring at the stack of cash in her hands.

She had already sold the apartment and anonymously funded his new company.

The ten thousand dollars was everything she had saved from three months of running a street stall. On her way here, she had even been kicked by a thug trying to rob her.

Tears fell onto the floor without warning, and the pain in her chest made it hard to breathe.

When Evelyn first returned to the Whitmore family, her parents, Richard and Margaret Whitmore, took one look at her—thin as a skeleton, hiding behind the butler—and left with darkened expressions. They couldn't accept their own daughter being so unpresentable.

It was Annelise who handed her a piece of candy, who patiently taught her manners and how to fit in.

When the servants whispered that she didn't belong in the Whitmore family, Annelise flew into a rage and fired them on the spot.

At the elite school, when her classmates threw her books onto the floor, it was Nathan who stood up for her. After that, no one dared look down on her again.

At the engagement banquet between the Whitmore and Langford families, everyone waited to see her make a fool of herself, waited for Nathan to back out. Instead, he held her hand and, in front of all the guests, promised he would take care of her for the rest of her life.

It was the two of them who pulled her out of that sunless cage.

Evelyn wiped away her tears. She couldn't be that selfish. She couldn't ruin both their lives.

She took a deep breath and walked toward the hospital room.

Annelise spotted the blood on her clothes and gasped, "Evelyn, what happened to you? Why is there so much blood?"

She tugged her sleeve down and forced a casual smile.

"I'm fine. I just slipped on my way out."

Only then did Nathan shift his gaze from Annelise to her, his brows knitting together. "Why weren't you more careful? Let a doctor take a look."

Evelyn handed over the money she was holding. "It's just a small injury. I'll be fine by tomorrow. This is for the medical bills."

Nathan looked at the crumpled bills in her hand—ones, fives, even a hundred—his expression turning complicated as a strange irritation rose within him. "Haven't I told you not to run a street stall? Isn't the money I send you every month enough?"

"It is…" Her long lashes hid the sting in her eyes, and she said nothing more.

Annelise studied her for a few seconds before speaking carefully, "Evelyn, did you just get here? Did you… see anything?"

The air in the room froze.

She saw the panic in Annelise's eyes, saw Nathan's fists clench.

In Evelyn's eyes, Annelise and Nathan had grown up together. It was her who had come between them.

She tilted her head back, forcing her tears to stay put. "I just got here. Traffic was bad, so I'm a little late. What's wrong, Annelise?"

The two exchanged a glance and visibly relaxed.

"It's nothing."

She spoke again right away, "Annelise, can we stay at the Whitmore house for a while?"

Annelise froze, surprise written all over her face. "You can, but didn't you say you felt uncomfortable living there?"

She caught the sudden flicker of joy in Nathan's eyes and smiled softly. "I missed you."

That way, Nathan wouldn't have to keep pretending to be sick.

After half an hour of sitting there like she was on needles, she made an excuse about going home to get clothes and fled the room.

In the small rental apartment, there was barely anything that belonged to Nathan. He always said he was busy with work and rarely came home.

Now Evelyn understood. It wasn't that he couldn't come back. He just didn't want to.

She placed her wedding ring and the signed divorce papers on the table, then made a call. "Hello, I'd like to apply for a teaching position in a remote area."

There was a pause on the other end before a serious voice replied, "Ma'am, conditions in remote areas are very harsh. You may have to stay away from the city and your family for a long time. Are you sure you want to apply?"

"I'm sure."

"Alright. Please report to the capital airport in seven days for departure."