Deep Love Does Not Last Long
Chapter 1
I’d been married to Heath for five years. He adored me, deeply and completely.
Everyone said Heath had a treasure, someone he wouldn’t let anyone touch or even speak ill of.
He’d cancel all his business engagements just to celebrate my birthday with me.
He never worked late, always making sure he was home to spend every night with me.
Then came the car accident. I was rushed to the hospital, waiting for someone to sign the surgery consent.
A screenshot from some online video went viral.
It showed a man kneeling, proposing.
The woman standing before him? My sister, the woman who’d raised me for ten years.
1
Ten hours after my surgery, Heath landed and rushed to the hospital.
He burst into the room, saw me bandaged from head to toe, and his eyes welled up.
“How bad is it? It’s all my fault, I should have let someone else handle that overseas project.”
“Rachel, how are you feeling? I’ll call the doctor, get another check-up. The specialists from overseas are on their way!”
The screenshot replayed in my mind.
I wanted to demand answers, an explanation.
But the words caught in my throat.
“I’m fine. The baby’s fine.”
Heath visibly relaxed.
I didn’t ask why he hadn’t been there to sign the papers.
I didn’t ask where he’d been.
Some questions just didn’t need answering anymore.
Thankfully, it was just some superficial injuries.
Heath’s flown-in specialists weren’t needed and went home.
He took me home from the hospital.
He busied himself with work on his laptop.
I pulled out the divorce papers and the abortion consent form I’d prepared. I playfully covered his eyes.
“This surgery nearly killed me, you can’t get away with it so easily.”
Heath paused his typing, a smile playing on his lips.
“Okay, anything you want, I’ll do it. My life is yours.”
“Then sign.”
He didn’t even glance at the papers, his gaze full of adoration.
He signed.
I escaped the study with both forms.
I didn’t notice the message popping up on his phone.
Or the sudden turmoil on his face.
Ten minutes later, he appeared in the bedroom, fully dressed.
“Rachel, something came up at work. Stay home, I’ll be back tonight to change your bandages.”
But I knew that project had been handed off before he left.
Jealousy gnawed at me.
I reached up, tugged on his tie, and rubbed against him.
My voice was a mixture of coaxing and pleading.
“I miss you, baby. The little baby misses you too. Don’t go?”
Usually, Heath would drop everything at this point.
I clung to that hope.
But he pulled away.
He touched my forehead.
“Be good. I have to be at the office. I’ll make it up to you when I get back.”
Thirty-year-old men tell worse lies than I thought.
I felt drained, watching him leave.
My phone buzzed. It was my sister.
“I’m back in the country. I heard you’re pregnant? I’ll get some gifts for the big baby and the little baby.”
My mind was a whirlwind.
I turned off my phone and went into Heath’s study, a place he’d forbidden me from entering.
The décor was stark, cold, black, white, and gray.
The desk was clear except for a locked drawer.
On a whim, I typed in my sister’s birthday.
Click. The lock opened.
Neatly arranged were several files and a thick photo album.
The files contained my and my sister’s orphanage information.
Adoption papers were signed.
But never processed.
The album held thousands of pictures.
Pictures of my sister working various jobs. To support me.
She’d been a waitress, a street vendor, even worn a bulky mascot costume.
The album showed her raising me.
And it showed his feelings for her.
After thousands of photos, I landed on pictures from an amusement park.
Fireworks exploded in the background; he was kneeling, proposing to my sister.
Heath frequently volunteered at the orphanage.
I was shy, and he was the only one who talked to me, played games with me.
I had confessed my crush to my sister.
She was the only one I confided in about my teenage heart throbs.
So she rejected Heath’s proposal.
She left the country to work abroad.
She thought it would make him notice me.
But I was just a replacement.
Heath, countless nights, drunk, would hold my face and kiss me.
Tenderly.
I thought that was his love.
But it was him, seeing my sister’s face in mine.
To fulfill my sister’s wish, he proposed to me.
Kept me close.
Waiting for her return, to win her heart.
No one ever asked me what I wanted.
So leaving didn’t require explanation.
I closed the album and put it back.
I bought a plane ticket, leaving in three days.
My sister raised me for ten years. The man she loved, I wouldn’t compete for.
I threw all of Heath’s gifts into the trash.
The house felt empty.
Heath didn’t come home that night.
He just texted that he was working late.
I automatically replied with an emoji, telling him to get some rest.
I casually mentioned my sister’s return and a planned family dinner.
A second later, his phone rang.
“Susie’s back? I’m almost done at the office, I’ll meet you both for dinner.”
“Susie hasn’t been around for years, can’t let her think I’m mistreating her sister. Stay home and wait for me.”
Before I could respond, he hung up.
An hour later, a luxury store employee delivered several large bags to the house.
“These are gifts from Mr. Hayes. You’re one lucky lady! Not many men spoil their wives like this.”
But I never liked jewelry.
These pearls and gems were my sister’s style.
I nodded numbly, signed the receipt, and took the bags inside.
Heath arrived home five hours early.
He unwrapped the packages, holding them up to me.
“This one’s beautiful, it’ll make you look even more radiant.”
“Pick out some things you like, the rest can be gifts for Susie.”
Seeing his excitement, I choked back my tears, jokingly asking:
“You’re more excited about my sister’s visit than I am?”
“Aren’t these gifts a bit extravagant?”
Heath froze, his eyes filled with panic.
“I just wanted Susie to see that you’re well-cared for. It’s our first meeting, I want to make a good impression.”
“If you don’t like them, that’s okay, no need to force yourself. We can just have a casual dinner.”
He sounded casual, but I saw the regret in his eyes.
“We’ve already bought them, let’s take them all. Sister will like them, she’ll like you.”
Heath was like a lovestruck teenager, he spun me around.
“Rachel, you’re so thoughtful! I’ll book a restaurant now. Go change, we’ll leave soon.”
The dopamine rush subsided, and he finally noticed something was missing.
“It feels so empty here, did you throw something away?”
I was changing in the bedroom, replying casually:
“Just some trash, it was taking up space.”
He didn’t think much of it, taking two hours to get ready in the closet.
He was dressed to the nines.
“Do I look presentable, Rachel?”
I took a deep breath, suppressing the ache in my chest.
“Yes, Sister always complimented you.”
She’d like you regardless of how you look.
On the way, Heath almost sped several times.
I swayed in the passenger seat, pale and nauseous.
After five years, my sister was just as beautiful.
Life abroad had brightened her up.
She greeted us with a smile.
I asked her:
“Where will you stay? Our old house is still there, I can clean it up for you.”
My sister swirled her wine, waving her hand dismissively.
“No need, I’ll be leaving in a few days. I’m here for an auction.”
“You’re pregnant, don’t worry about this. I’ll stay at a hotel.”
The harmonious atmosphere vanished.
The temperature around Heath plummeted.
Seeing the tension, I excused myself to the restroom.
I stopped at the doorway, listening to their conversation.
“I’ve married Rachel, when will you stop avoiding me?”
My sister’s expression didn’t change, but her voice was colder.
“I hope you married Rachel to give her happiness, not because of me.”
“You should know how much Rachel means to me, she’s my only sister. For her, I can stay away for a lifetime.”
Silence, then Heath laughed, a bitter sound.
“A lifetime away? Then what? Should I go find you overseas every time I miss you? Should our relationship be like a secret affair?”
“You know I love you, even if I marry you I will still take care of Rachel, why must you do this? Rachel needs happiness, don’t you need it?”
“Dare you say you have no feelings for me? Susie, you can lie to yourself, but not me! When I proposed last time you agreed, why did you change your mind?”
My sister’s eyes reddened, a wry smile appearing on her face.
“I no longer have a choice. I’m thirty, but Rachel is young.”
“If only one of us can be happy, I hope it’s Rachel, she really likes you.”
“Last time was drunken nonsense, don’t take it to heart, let’s forget the past. Now your wife is Rachel, she’s pregnant, you’ll be happy.”
Heath couldn’t contain his anger, slamming his fist on the table.
“You think you can just forget it? What am I, to you? Do you know that every time I look at Rachel I see you?”
“When we were intimate I could only go on if I imagined you, this is unfair to me!”
My sister poured a glass of iced water on Heath’s face.
“You’re too worked up, calm down.”
“I have things to do, I’m leaving.”
Footsteps approached quickly; I hid in the next room.
I covered my mouth, tears spilling down my fingers.
This was the man I’d loved for ten years.
This was the marriage I’d guarded for five years.
It was built on my sister’s sacrifice and her suppressed happiness.
When I calmed down and returned, Heath was gone.
Only the unopened gifts remained.
His message appeared on my phone.
“Emergency at work, I’m leaving, you two sisters chat.”
I returned the jewelry.
I went to the hospital for the abortion.
The doctor didn’t question the signed consent form.
Before the procedure, my sister apologized.
“Rachel, I’m busy these days, I can’t spend time with you. Let’s meet before I leave.”
“Heath is a good man, leaving you in his care puts my mind at ease.”
“If you have any conflicts, talk it out, don’t lose this hard-won happiness.”
Reading her words, tears flowed freely.
But Sister, stolen happiness wasn’t what I wanted.
After the procedure, Heath claimed he had to stay at the office because of work.
I knew he was afraid I’d see his low spirits.
See the lies hidden in our marriage.
I spent two days recovering alone.
On the third day, Heath finally texted.
“Sorry, I’ve been swamped at work, neglected you. Let’s go to that auction together, buy whatever you want, it’s a gift for the baby.”
I opened the auction invitation.
The first photo was my sister’s.
After five years abroad, she was a well-known designer.
This was her auction debut and Heath’s last chance to see her before she left the country.
I got myself discharged, put on light makeup, but the paleness couldn’t be hidden.
Thankfully, Heath was too focused on my sister to notice my pale face.
My sister and we sat in the front row.
The auction neared its end. The highlight was my sister’s jewelry.
Heath didn’t hesitate, bidding aggressively.
He noticed my questioning gaze.
He squeezed my hand and smiled.
“It’s supporting your aunt’s business, Susie’s designs are great, you’ll like them.”
My sister tried to protest, but the noise drowned her out.
“Mr. Hayes is generous! This is a gift for his wife?”
“I heard they’ve known each other for ten years, true love! Successful career and only his wife, so impressive…”
“A real fairytale. His wife must be so happy, so lucky…”
As the auction ended, the chandelier above suddenly fell.
Chaos erupted.
My cry for Heath was swallowed by the crowd.
In my despair, I saw him rush towards my sister.
He ran out, without looking back.
My heart shattered into a million pieces.
Piercing through the past.
Painfully.
When the staff helped me out, Heath was gone.
I heard whispers around me.
“Isn’t that Mrs. Hayes? Where’s Mr. Hayes?”
“Didn’t Mr. Hayes carry someone out just now? You…”
Realizing their mistake, the person quickly covered their mouth and left.
The envy of two minutes ago turned to sympathy.
Countless eyes looked at me.
My nails dug into my palms; I forced myself to hail a taxi to the airport.
Before boarding, Heath’s hospital rampage made headlines.
In photos taken by bystanders, my sister struggled to distance herself.
Heath was red-eyed, spending a fortune to get her into surgery.
He was selfless when someone he cared about was in danger.
All his excuses were just because he didn’t love me.
I texted my sister, thanking her for ten years of care.
I sent Heath a photo of the divorce papers.
“We’re over. I hope this lie-built marriage is no longer your burden.”
Goodbye, Heath.
