促銷資訊載入中...
Waking Up to Betrayal: I'm Done Being Your Miracle
NovelMaster
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To keep me from remaining in a vegetative state, my boyfriend Ethan and my best friend Sophia sacrificed so much over the past three years. Ethan went to medical school to study neurology, while Sophi...
章節（4）
第1章
To keep me from remaining in a vegetative state, my boyfriend Ethan and my best friend Sophia sacrificed so much over the past three years. Ethan went to medical school to study neurology, while Sophia changed her major to physical therapy.
But when I finally opened my eyes, the very first thing I saw was Ethan trying to pull the oxygen mask off my face.
"Chloe, I know you're in pain."
"Letting go might be the best thing for both of us."
I stared at him in sheer disbelief, my eyes wide. Before I could even make a sound, the hospital room door swung open.
My father's voice boomed from the doorway.
"We only have an hour before our appointment at City Hall. Helen and I will watch Chloe. You and Sophia need to go sign your marriage license now."
"Chloe? You're... you're awake?"
Ethan's hand shook violently as he pulled his fingers away from my face. It was only then that I realized Sophia and my parents were all standing in the room.
So, they had all agreed to let me die?
After being in a coma for three years, every single inch of my body screamed with an unspeakable, grinding pain. Yet, none of it compared to the sharp, tearing agony in my chest.
I parted my lips, but my throat was so dry and parched that no sound came out.
Sophia rushed forward, grabbing both of my hands. Her hands trembled so hard that she eventually let go and slapped herself across the face. Hard.
"Chloe, I'm so sorry."
"Ethan and I... we got together. We thought... we thought you..."
You thought I would never wake up, right?
"Chloe, don't blame Sophia. I was the one who fell in love first. I was the one who confessed to her. She didn't want to accept it at first. If you want to hate someone, hate me."
Ethan gently stroked Sophia's cheek, his voice filled with protective tenderness.
"That's enough, Chloe. Stop causing a scene the second you wake up."
My mother, Helen, stepped in, shielding the two of them behind her like a protective lioness.
"If it weren't for Ethan and Sophia taking care of you these past three years, you'd be dead by now. To help you, one studied neurology and the other became a therapist. I was the one who gave them my blessing to be together."
I hadn't said a single word. I had only opened my eyes. And yet, in my mother's eyes, I was "causing a scene."
Tears slipped silently from the corners of my eyes.
I never could have imagined that after fighting so hard to wake up from the dark abyss for three years, this was the reality waiting for me.
"Helen, don't blame Chloe."
Sophia stepped out from behind my mother, her face drenched in tears. She looked at Ethan with deep, agonizing longing.
My breath hitched. The way she called my mother "Helen" was so natural, as if she had been doing it for years. In these three years, Ethan had become her fiancé. Had my mother become hers too?
"Now that she's awake, everything should go back to the way it was. I'm sorry, Ethan. You should marry Chloe. I'm stepping out of your lives."
Her voice was choked and slow. It sounded so heartbreaking that even I felt a pang.
"No! I don't agree! Sophia, the one I love now is you!"
Ethan rejected her words instantly, grabbing her wrist tightly, his eyes turning bloodshot.
Sophia fell to her knees right in front of him.
"Please, Ethan. We already owe Chloe so much. If we hadn't gotten into that car accident back then, she wouldn't have become a vegetable. Just marry her."
Ethan finally looked at me, tears in his eyes, as if he were making the most painful, self-sacrificing decision of his life.
"Fine. I'll marry her."
They decided everything among themselves. Not a single person asked me what I wanted.
The pain in my chest grew numb. My breathing turned shallow and rapid, and the heart monitor suddenly began to beep frantically.
When the medical team rushed in and wheeled me away, I couldn't see if any of them followed. All I knew was that by the time all the emergency tests were done, the waiting area outside was completely empty.
The doctor sighed and wheeled me back to my room.
Right as she reached for the doorknob, my parents' voices drifted out from inside.
"Why did Chloe have to wake up now? The medical bills from the past three years have already put us in massive debt."
"Her future physical rehab is going to cost an absolute fortune. Robert, I just..."
"It's not your fault, Helen."
My father, Robert, seemed to be comforting my mother, or maybe himself. After a long silence, he spoke.
"Why couldn't she have just slipped away peacefully? It would have been better for everyone."
The doctor's hand froze on the doorknob. She looked at me with deep sympathy.
A suffocating feeling choked my throat. My chest heaved, but I couldn't get enough air.
"Is physical therapy really that expensive?" I whispered.
The doctor looked at me. "Actually, I have a slot for an experimental neuro-rehab program for long-term coma patients. It's at a private research center in Switzerland. The therapy is still experimental, but it's entirely free. Do you want to go?"
第2章
After a long time, the doctor opened the door and wheeled me in.
My parents, their faces stained with tears, were comforting Sophia.
"Sophia, we know how good you are. But in Chloe's current state, she doesn't deserve a man like Ethan anymore. I'll talk to her. You and Ethan should go ahead and get married as planned."
The sound of the door opening cut them off. Ethan instinctively took a step toward me, but he paused when he passed Sophia. Only after Sophia nodded did he take over my wheelchair from the nurse.
"Chloe, your parents didn't mean it that way. Don't worry, I will still marry you."
His knuckles turned white on the handles of my wheelchair, showing just how much force he was using.
"No need..."
I spoke slowly, but Sophia interrupted me by dropping to her knees right in front of my chair. She was just as beautiful as she was three years ago, but now she had a mature, sophisticated charm that made her even more stunning. Meanwhile, my reflection in the window showed a hollow, sickly, and dying frame.
"Chloe, I know I've wronged you. Please don't reject him. I'm really willing to step aside. I just want your forgiveness. Please? We grew up together. After my parents passed away, you were the one who walked me to school every day. I can't lose you."
She buried her face in my lap and sobbed. I looked up. Ethan was staring at me, his eyes cold and demanding.
"I said I'd marry you. We're putting things back to how they were. Just do it so she doesn't have to carry this guilt anymore. Can't you just---"
"I don't forgive you," I said, cutting Ethan off.
Sophia's sobbing stopped instantly. One of her hands instinctively rested on her flat stomach.
"I understand," she whispered.
Before we could process what she meant, Sophia turned and rushed out of the hospital room.
Ethan's face darkened. He grabbed my jaw, forcing me to look at him.
"Chloe! Sophia literally got down on her knees to beg for your forgiveness! What more do you want?! She gave up her own dreams to study physical therapy just to take care of you for three years! Yes, we fell in love. But she's willing to leave, and I'm willing to marry you! How long are you going to keep throwing this tantrum?!"
I stared at his familiar face. He was still as handsome as ever.
To them, these three years had been a painful, agonizing trial. But to me, it felt like I had just taken a long nap. I woke up only to find my best friend and my boyfriend together. How was I supposed to just forgive that?
The pain in my jaw burned. Ethan seemed to realize what he was doing and let go, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Chloe, I wish I was the one sitting in that wheelchair right now. Anything would be better than being dragged into this endless guilt trip with you."
My body trembled uncontrollably. I felt like a criminal, standing trial under the silent accusations of Ethan and my parents.
Just then, Ethan's phone buzzed. A Snapchat notification popped up. He glanced at the screen, and his face suddenly turned pale. He grabbed my wrist with terrifying force.
"Chloe! Did you know Sophia went to the clinic? She had a miscarriage! My baby is gone now. Are you happy?!"
My eyes widened in sheer shock. They already had a baby? It had only been three years. Not only were they planning to get married, but they had already been sleeping together. And yet, looking at me, they felt no real shame.
A sudden wave of nausea hit me, and I felt like throwing up. But they didn't even notice my distress.
"Chloe, if you keep acting like this, I don't even know if I want to marry you anymore."
With those words, Ethan left with my frantic parents to find Sophia. Once again, I was left all alone in the quiet hospital room. They had abandoned me. Again.
I wiggled my fingers and looked at the nurse who came in to check my vitals.
"Please tell Dr. Avery... I'll go to Switzerland for that clinical trial. As soon as possible."
第3章
By the time they brought Sophia back, Dr. Avery had already finalized my departure date. It would be in exactly one month.
Sophia's face was paper-white, tears still lingering on her eyelashes. Ethan claimed that the miscarriage had taken a massive toll on Sophia's body. So, they moved her into my deluxe hospital bed and put me on the tiny, uncomfortable fold-out cot beside it. My entire body was already in pain, and after switching to the cot, I couldn't sleep at all.
They spent all their time fussing over Sophia. They even let a male nurse handle my daily sponge baths without my consent.
"Helen, please... can you ask them to switch to a female nurse?"
The complete loss of my privacy made me cast my pride aside. I cried and begged my mother, but she remained silent, blowing on a bowl of hot soup to feed Sophia.
Ethan stood by, his face expressionless, his voice cold.
"To medical staff, gender doesn't matter. Besides, look at yourself. Do you really think anyone is looking at you like that?"
My body froze, and I couldn't bring myself to say another word.
After the nurse left, I pulled out my old, cracked iPhone. I started following rehab videos on YouTube, trying to stretch my limbs. The shattered screen often cut my fingertips, and without professional equipment, my skin quickly became covered in bruises.
"Chloe, are you really that desperate to marry me? Sophia already told me that the way you're doing physical therapy is completely wrong. Stop hurting yourself on purpose just to make us feel guilty."
Ethan tucked Sophia safely into bed, treating her like a fragile glass doll, before turning around to mock me.
Sophia would always offer her "expert advice" whenever I tried to train, but her words did nothing but ruin my rhythm.
I stopped my movements and said softly, "Ethan, I told you, I don't want to marry you. I just want my dignity back. That's all."
At first, he had felt a shred of guilt toward me. But every time he showed even a tiny bit of concern, Sophia would look at him with those devastating, tearful eyes and talk about leaving the hospital or transferring rooms. Now, he had nothing left for me but pure irritation.
"Sophia is being discharged today. You're coming home with us too. You can do your therapy slowly at home. Stop making things hard for your parents."
He looked down, gently helping Sophia put on her coat and shoes. I silently wrapped my own jacket around myself, letting the cold draft from the AC hit my joints until they throbbed with pain.
After a long, exhausting ride, we finally arrived home.
My mother opened the door. Her face lit up with a warm smile when she saw Sophia and Ethan, but when she looked down at me, a flash of annoyance crossed her eyes.
"You both went through medical issues, so why do you look so filthy and unkempt?"
Wasn't the answer obvious? Sophia was pampered and taken care of, while I, a newly awakened coma patient, was forced to fend for myself.
Perhaps out of a lingering shred of guilt, Ethan spoke up. "Helen, it's not Chloe's fault. Let's go inside. Sophia is still weak."
Hearing that Sophia was weak, my mother quickly ushered her inside and brought her a cup of hot chamomile tea with honey.
I looked around the apartment, feeling completely disoriented.
The wall where my high school certificates used to hang was now covered with Sophia and Ethan's engagement photos. The balcony, where I used to care for my favorite plants, was now cluttered with wedding decorations. The fruit on the counter was all Sophia's favorite. Even my old bedroom was filled with her things.
This was no longer my home. My heart finally went completely cold. My home, my boyfriend, my parents---everything now belonged to Sophia.
"Ethan, I can forgive Sophia, and I can forgive you. But I have one last request. I want you two to accompany me to the amusement park we were supposed to go to before the accident."
There were only two days left before my flight to Switzerland. This was my final wish.
第4章
After Sophia coaxed him, Ethan agreed, and we set out for the amusement park the next morning.
In the car, I stared out the window. Three years ago, on a sunny day just like this, we had been driving to this very park. A drunk driver had crossed into our lane, speeding straight toward us. To protect them, I had swerved hard to the right, taking the brunt of the impact.
Before I lost consciousness, Ethan and Sophia had risked the car exploding to pull me out of the wreckage.
Back then, Ethan had wept and said, "Chloe, no matter what, I'll save you. Please don't leave me."
But on the road to saving me, he had taken a detour into someone else's arms.
We arrived at the amusement park.
Ethan pushed my wheelchair in silence. Perhaps he, too, was remembering the day of the accident.
I opened the itinerary I had made three years ago on my phone. "Let's just follow this."
Even though I couldn't ride most of the attractions, the classic photo spots were still the same.
At the wishing tree, I picked up a wooden tag and wrote: [I wish for Chloe to be healthy and happy.]
Writing those few words took almost ten minutes because of my stiff fingers.
"These wishes are all fake anyway. Don't you think you're asking for too much?"
Ethan took the tag from me impatiently, but when he saw what I had written, he fell silent. He hung it up on a branch and quietly folded his hands in prayer.
"Wow, that guy is so devoted. His girlfriend is sick, but he still brought her out to have fun."
A passing tourist made a casual comment. Hearing those words, Sophia's eyes immediately filled with tears.
Ethan instantly forgot about praying for me and turned all his attention to comforting her.
They didn't notice, but my eyes fell on a wooden tag hanging nearby.
The handwriting was Sophia's: [Chloe, we came to the amusement park for you. Please bless Ethan and Sophia so we can be together forever.]
A sharp pain pierced my heart. As it turned out, I was the only one who hadn't been to this amusement park. This three-way trip had been my solo act all along.
I took out my pen and quietly scribbled a few words on the back of her tag.
The next few stops on my list were all romantic couple spots. Without me saying a word, Ethan purposely walked right past them. I lost all interest. The place I had sacrificed so much to visit was actually so incredibly boring.
Finally, we reached the last spot: a couple's photo booth. Just as Ethan was about to push my chair past it, a park employee walked up with a photo in hand.
"Mr. Miller! Happy upcoming wedding! You mentioned last time you were here that you and Miss Vance were getting married soon. This is a little gift from us."
Ethan awkwardly took the photo. The smiles on their faces in the picture were blinding. They were so familiar with the staff here. Who knew how many times they had visited without me?
I let out a bitter laugh. "Let's go. I want to go home."
"Chloe, that's enough!"
Sophia snatched the photo from Ethan's hand and tore it into pieces.
"I know you're doing this just to make me feel guilty! Yes, Ethan and I came here before. I was wrong! I'm a terrible person, okay?! But you were in a coma for two years back then! Everyone said you were never going to wake up! I've already decided to step aside now. Why can't you just let me go?!"
She wept so hard she looked like she might faint. Ethan instinctively gathered her into his arms and glared at me with pure rage.
"So this was your plan all along! You knew we had been here before, didn't you? You dragged us here just to guilt-trip me into marrying you sooner! Chloe, I never realized you could be this manipulative and petty. I truly regret saving you. Why didn't you just die in that hospital?"
My heart squeezed violently, and a wave of pure agony washed over my limbs. But he had already lifted Sophia into his arms and was walking away, leaving me entirely alone in the middle of the crowded park. Tear after tear rolled down my cheeks.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Dr. Avery's number.
"Please send me to Switzerland."