Blurb：
Willow Quinn faces betrayal from her brother Keith Quinn and childhood friend John Webb, who now favor adopted sister Vanessa Quinn. Forced into an engagement with comatose heir Nathan Stone, Willow uncovers dark family secrets and a twisted sacrifice. As wedding day approaches, loyalties shift and shocking truths emerge in this emotional drama of love, duty, and revenge. Will Willow surrender her future or fight for justice?
Content：
I started calling my brother Mr. Quinn and my childhood friend Mr. Webb.
They frown and ask why I’m being so formal with them.
I smile faintly in response. Because I think you would rather be associated with Vanessa Quinn.
They scold me for being unreasonable. Vanessa is about to marry a man in a coma for you, and her whole life will be ruined. The only reason we treat her so well is because you owe her.
But what they don’t know is that the one marrying a man in a coma this time isn’t Vanessa. It’s me—Willow Quinn.
Chapter 1
When my brother, Keith Quinn, and my childhood friend, John Webb, hinted once again that they couldn’t bear to let Vanessa Quinn take my place, I wasn’t nearly as shocked or upset as I had been the first time.
When I lowered my head and stayed silent, Keith took a long pause before forcing out an awkward smile. “Willow, I know Nathan is in a coma, but you never know. He could wake up any day now. And when he does, whoever’s married to him will be the luckiest woman in all of Charleston.”
I scoffed inwardly. If marrying a guy in a coma was such a great deal, why were they so reluctant to let Vanessa do it?
I didn’t say a word. They assumed I was still in denial, and their expressions grew even more grim. But they were wrong. I had already made up my mind that I was going to marry Nathan Stone.
Out of basic courtesy, I visited the Stone family the next day.
When the Stones heard I was coming, they were over the moon. Nathan’s mother, Mary Thatcher, held my hands as she wiped away her tears.
She said, “Everyone kept saying that, with Nathan like this, the Quinn family would definitely call off the wedding, but I always believed the Quinns would keep their word.”
Mary then brought me into the room to see Nathan.
He was lying in bed and looked pale as a sheet. His eyes were slightly open, but there was no sign of life in him. Still, even like that, there was still this quiet elegance about him that made me space out for a moment.
The engagement between me and Nathan had been arranged by our grandfathers.
Six years ago, Nathan, the brilliant and promising heir of the Stones got into a car accident and ended up in a coma.
Keith and John felt sorry for me. They wanted to back out of the engagement, but they were afraid people would say the Quinns were cold and heartless.
So, they adopted an orphaned girl, planning to raise her until she turned 20 and have her take my place in the marriage. They named her Vanessa Quinn.
After Vanessa became part of the Quinn family, the Quinns gradually started developing feelings for her, even though they weren’t supposed to. However, because she was meant to take my place, they felt guilty and grew soft on Vanessa.
They gave her insane amounts of pocket money every month, showered her with designer bags and jewelry, and bent over backwards to give her everything she wanted.
Even I had to make sacrifices for her sake. Vanessa said she liked my room because it got more sunlight, so I gave it up for her. She liked my jewelry and handbags; I gave those up, too.
She claimed she had a blood-clotting disorder and said I was the only one with a matching blood type, so I donated my blood for her.
And now, in just six years, Vanessa has managed to steal everyone’s love and attention.
Both Keith and John fell for her, and whether they said it out loud or just kept hinting, they made it clear that I was the one who should go through with the engagement.
But wasn’t it their idea to adopt Vanessa in the first place and have her take my place in the marriage with Nathan?
After I got back from the Stone residence, I looked at the calendar hanging in the living room and marked the date.
While I was silently counting down the days in my head, Keith and John suddenly came rushing in, one right after the other. Without a word, each of them slapped me across the face.
My ears rang, and I could taste blood in my mouth.
They didn’t hold back. The force of the slaps nearly sent me into shock. But neither of them offered any explanation.
Instead, they pulled out a phone and started a video call with Vanessa. “Vanessa, look! We slapped Willow. Dare complete!”
The moment I heard that, my chest tightened so badly I could barely breathe.
I never would’ve guessed that those two slaps that came out of the blue were just part of some stupid game they were playing with her.
From the other end of the call came Vanessa’s sweet and cheerful voice. “Keith, John, you did it! Okay, I keep my promise about eating dinner properly today.”
Chapter 2
Both Keith and John let out a huge sigh of relief after hearing what Vanessa said.
After the video call ended, they finally reached out to help me up. “Willow, does it hurt? We’re really sorry. It’s just… Vanessa said that if we didn’t finish the dare, she would refuse to eat. Her health’s already bad, and if she skips meals again, it could get worse. So… we had to do this to you.”
When they noticed I was staying silent for too long, they finally panicked and hurried to take me to the hospital.
“Crap, we really went too hard. Come on, let’s take you to the hospital,” they said.
At that very moment, Vanessa called again. Her voice came through all soft and fragile. “Keith, John, I haven’t eaten all day. My blood sugar is so low that I can’t even walk. Can you come to the garden and carry me back to my room?”
Their expressions changed immediately. Without another word, they hung up and ran toward the garden, totally forgetting they had just promised to take me to the hospital.
I watched them go, then let out a cold and bitter laugh. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, but I didn’t care anymore.
…
The following day at breakfast, Vanessa was once again the center of attention.
When she saw the swelling on my face, she gave me a fake little frown like she was sorry. “Oh no, your face is still swollen? I’m sorry, Willow. What happened yesterday was just supposed to be a silly game. I didn’t think they would actually slap you.”
Keith and John saw the swelling on my face as well. But, they didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.
Instead, they smiled and reassured Vanessa, “It was just a slap. It’s not like it broke a bone. Vanessa, you’re just too kind.”
I kept my head down and finished my food without saying a word.
After breakfast, John and Keith headed out, leaving just me and Vanessa at the table.
The sweet and innocent act she put on in front of everyone was gone in that instant. She looked sharp and smug as she said, “Haven’t you figured it out, Willow? They stopped caring about you a long time ago. So what if you’re the real heiress of the Quinn family? You still got slapped, didn’t you?
“You’ve got no clue how much Keith and John care about me. All I have to do is say I don’t feel like eating, and they will drop everything just to have me eat.”
At first, her gloating used to get to me. But it happened so often that now, I have just grown immune to it.
“Well, they’re nothing but scum. If you’re into that, go ahead.” I gave her a deadpan look.
Vanessa froze, clearly not expecting me to talk back. She was probably too used to me keeping quiet. Without a word, she set down her utensils and suddenly collapsed to the floor.
Keith and John came running the second they heard the noise.
Before I could even react, Vanessa was already covering her face and choking up. “I just wanted to check on her face, and she slapped me out of nowhere… said it was payback.”
John stared at me in disbelief, and his eyes were blazing. Keith also looked like he was ready to explode. “Don’t think you can push Vanessa around just because you’re the heiress of this family. One day, she’ll take your place and marry that man in coma, you’ll owe her big time.”
I didn’t say a word. Just turn around and walk off, leaving them yelling behind me.
…
Later, I made a trip out to Viana Hills, where a mountain chapel stands. It’s often said that the prayers there never go unanswered. I wanted to light a candle and say a prayer, asking the universe to bless my future husband and help him wake up soon.
But of course, I just had to run into the last people I wanted to see.
Not far away, I spotted John and Keith taking turns carrying Vanessa up the mountain. They were drenched in sweat, yet they looked like they were actually enjoying themselves.
When they saw me, they froze for a second.
Vanessa frowned, clearly annoyed. “Willow, did you know we were coming and decided to tag along just to follow us?”
I kept my tone flat as I said, “I’m not the least bit interested in whatever you all are doing.”
Chapter 3
Keith and John looked genuinely surprised. After a moment, John suddenly lit up like he had figured something out. “You didn’t come all the way out here just to light a candle and pray for us, did you? I’m not getting involved.”
“Yeah, me neither,” Keith chimed in. “Just head back already. There’s a long hike ahead, and no one’s carrying you.”
I picked up my pace and kept climbing, not wanting to waste another second arguing with them.
They were convinced that I was just putting on a show, so they followed right behind me. They were waiting to watch me make a fool of myself. But this time, I didn’t pay them any attention like I usually did.
After lighting my candle, I closed my eyes and whispered a quiet prayer.
Vanessa let out a sarcastic laugh. “What, are you praying they will love you more than they love me? I hate to break it to you, but you can’t control how they feel. Not even God can do that for you.”
John clearly picked up on what Vanessa was implying and immediately started trying to cheer her up while throwing blame at me. “You’re too old to still be fighting Vanessa for attention.”
I shot them a sideways glance and said coldly, “Wow, you really think everything is about you. My prayer had nothing to do with either of you.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes and walked off, but Keith didn’t believe me. He craned his neck, trying to see whose name I had written down.
The moment he saw Nathan’s name, Keith’s eyes went wide. “You seriously came here for that half-dead guy?”
John hesitated for a second. “Maybe she finally grew a conscience. Maybe she realized it’s too cruel for Vanessa to marry a guy in a coma, so she came to pray for Nathan.”
Keith responded, “What a hypocrite. If she really felt bad for Vanessa, then why doesn’t she marry that half-dead guy herself?”
They both kept their voices low, almost whispering, afraid Vanessa might hear them.
The only time I ever felt truly cared for like that was long ago, and it didn’t even last long.
That night, after I got back from Viana Hills, I actually dreamed of Nathan.
He was standing at the far end of the hallway at the Stone residence, smiling at me. Sunlight filtered through the wooden trellis and spilled across the stone patio, and for some reason, it all felt oddly familiar. It felt like I had seen that scene before.
Before I could walk toward him, a sudden burst of noise woke me up.
I got out of bed and leaned against the window. Keith and John were outside, showing Vanessa how to ride a horse.
Who would’ve thought that, when Vanessa casually said she wanted to learn horseback riding, John showed up with the best horse from his family’s ranch like it was no big deal.
Feeling bored, my mind drifted back to the dream. On a whim, I decided to head over to the Stone residence.
But just as I reached the front gate, not even leaving the house yet, I heard a sharp neigh behind me.
When I turned around, a horse reared up with its hooves flying straight toward my face.
My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the ground. To dodge the hooves, I had to roll out of the way several times. My arms were instantly covered in bruises, and bits of gravel scraped deep into my skin.
It was a bloody mess, and the pain was so sharp it brought tears to my eyes.
And yet, from atop the horse, Vanessa just raised an eyebrow and smiled at me. “Oops, I’m sorry, Willow. I’m still not that good at riding. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Keith didn’t even glance my way. Instead, he rushed to help her down from the horse, his voice gentle as ever. “Don’t worry, she’s tough. Are you okay?”
And just as I stood there, humiliated and on the verge of crying my eyes out, a hand reached out and helped me up. I saw a prayer card that looked strangely familiar in that person’s palm.
Wasn’t that the same one I got at Viana Hills?
“If you can’t ride, maybe sit this one out instead of making a fool of yourself,” the guy said. There was a trace of mockery and disdain in his voice.
When I saw his face, I was stunned. It was Nathan.
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