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I joined the company's management team, helping with decisions.
My dad was thrilled.
Every time he'd asked me to take over before, I'd refused.
Now that I was volunteering, he moved quickly, giving me a project the next day.
He wanted to keep me busy so I wouldn't dwell on Ethan.
I threw myself into work, and it worked—I didn't have time to overthink.
I realized—being a boss was empowering. Why had I ever wanted to be someone's doting wife?
I was going to shine as a strong, independent woman.
Men? They'd only slow me down.
I didn't have time for Ethan or Sophia, but I knew they'd end up together.
By now, Sophia's brother had probably racked up gambling debts.
In my past life, she borrowed some from me, and Ethan covered the rest.
This time, she'd go straight to Ethan.
With his injuries and ruined reputation, no decent woman would want him.
To the Millers, Sophia was their best option—a wife would help save face.
For Sophia, she still saw Ethan through rose-colored glasses. Plus, the Millers were well-off enough to give her the life she wanted.
It wasn't long before I heard about their wedding.
The Millers booked the biggest hotel in town, trying to regain some dignity.
Ethan had prosthetic legs now—if he stayed still, you couldn't tell.
His face had gotten skin grafts, but even after surgery, he'd never look the same.
His injuries were worse than mine had been. After multiple surgeries in my past life, I still looked like a nightmare.
Ethan had it worse, with less time to recover.
His scars were still obvious, and his features were distorted.
At the wedding, Sophia stood by his side, smiling. I had to give her credit for that.
I didn't attend, but I watched the live stream.
Sophia was trying to rehab her image, playing the devoted lover.
During her vows, she said, “No matter how he looks, he'll always be the man I love.”
Surprisingly, it worked—they gained some supporters.
Let's be honest—Ethan's appearance was… hard to look at. If it wasn't true love, why would she marry him?
Their reputation improved, and people even sent money during the stream.
Sophia saw an opportunity and started posting about their life, selling products online.
She sometimes took subtle digs at me.
PR asked if we should respond.
I said, “No need. If you want to destroy someone, let them spiral first. She'll get what's coming.”
I meant it. In her videos, Ethan appeared less and less.
Plenty of disabled people were resilient and positive, but Ethan wasn't one of them.
He didn't have the courage to show himself publicly, especially not after what happened.
Disfigured, amputated, impotent—any one of those would crush his ego, let alone all three.
To understand his mental state, I just thought about historical eunuchs and how they treated their women.
The more Sophia showed off, the faster they'd fight.
Even if they had been in love, living with Ethan's appearance and worsening mood would change that.
Most couples' love fades after marriage, and Ethan's situation was far from normal.
