Chapter 1

On my wedding day, my fiancée called off our marriage right then and there, taking my brother's hand as she walked down the aisle.

I ran out of the venue, devastated, only to be hit by a car and left paralyzed, forever cutting short my dancing career.

In my darkest moment, as I was about to throw myself into the river, my brother's aunt Melody pulled me back from the brink.

She declared her love for me to the whole world, marrying me in a wedding of the century.

But on our third wedding anniversary, I accidentally overheard her instructing her assistant:

"As usual, have the doctor replace my husband's leg treatment medication with vitamins, and find an excuse to postpone his rehabilitation therapy."

The assistant replied hesitantly:

"But Ms. Carlisle... The doctor said if we keep delaying his treatment, he might never be able to stand up again in his life..."

"You had someone deliberately cause the accident that paralyzed him for Young Master Fintan's sake. Now that Fintan has become the principal dancer and is favored by his wife's family... Do you still need to be so cautious about your husband?"

"Enough talk! So what if he can't stand up? It's not like I won't take care of him for the rest of his life."

Melody looked towards the distance, her eyes filled with melancholy:

"If societal norms prevent Fintan and me from being together, then I'll dedicate my life to protecting him! I won't let anyone stand in the way of his happiness!"

————

I heard the truth of everything, and I covered my mouth in shock as I backed away.

I never could have imagined that all my experiences and what I thought was salvation were actually deliberately orchestrated by Melody!

Tears fell uncontrollably, and my heart ached to the extreme.

Footsteps sounded from inside the door, and I hurriedly turned my wheelchair, escaping to the backyard of the mansion.

At that moment, the storage room that Melody never let anyone enter had its door slightly ajar.

Inside, the walls were covered with photos and portraits of Fintan from childhood to adulthood.

His dance awards, trophies, and the dance shoes and costumes he had worn over the years - Melody had bought exact replicas of them all, preserving them like treasures in glass cabinets.

Every corner of this place showed her obsession with Fintan.

In the center of the room, an adoption document revealed the true relationship between her and Fintan.

It turned out that Melody was only adopted as a daughter by Fintan's grandfather when she was in her teens, and there was actually no blood relation between them.

I laughed through my tears. Melody, you really deceived me so cruelly!

If that's how it is, then I'll return this whole charade to them completely!

After composing myself, I left. As I was exiting the backyard, I happened to run into Melody rushing over.

She paused in her tracks: "Moritz, why on earth are you here? You didn't see anything, did you?"

"No, I just haven't been to the garden in so long, I got turned around for a moment."

Melody breathed a sigh of relief, crouching down to ruffle my hair:

"You silly goose, how is it you're getting more scatterbrained as you grow up? The guests have all arrived, darling. Let's go celebrate your anniversary."

Her warm lips pressed against my forehead, but in that moment, all I felt was a bone-chilling cold.

When we reached the main hall, all the guests gazed at Melody and me with envy as we made our entrance.

My eyes, however, immediately locked onto the three-tiered strawberry cream cake in the center.

I've always been severely lactose intolerant, and strawberry was Fintan's favorite flavor.

Sure enough, as soon as Melody set me down in the seat of honor, Fintan came bounding over, tugging at her arm:

"Auntie, when can we cut the cake?"

"It's your and Uncle's anniversary, but you prepared my favorite cake. That's totally cheating!"

Melody pinched his nose without a hint of guilt:

"You little glutton, just wait until I give your uncle his gift."

Melody took out a bracelet and fastened it around my wrist.

I recall a collector friend excitedly telling me recently that Melody had commissioned him to purchase a one-of-a-kind Patek Philippe watch worth $50 million. As a gesture of gratitude, he included a complimentary bracelet.

At this moment, that very Patek Philippe gleamed ostentatiously on Fintan's wrist, while the ill-fitting bracelet dangled loosely from mine.

During the dance portion, as in previous years, I remained seated.

Fintan linked arms with Melody and asked me:

"Uncle, since you can't move your legs, I'll escort Aunt for the opening dance. You don't mind, do you?"

Without waiting for my response, the pair disappeared into the sea of dancers.

Melody's left hand rested on Fintan's shoulder with restrained reverence, her right hand intertwined tightly with his. Her almond-shaped eyes, brimming with affection, could accommodate no one but Fintan.

Though it was meant to be our wedding anniversary, the moment had clearly become their spotlight.

I had always assumed Melody threw these lavish anniversary parties because she valued me and didn't want other socialites to look down on me. Now I see this was likely her true intention all along.

Using our special day as a pretext to legitimately get close to her true love.

The guests around whispered among themselves:

"Wow, young Master Fintan truly lives up to his reputation as the lead dancer. He's so stylish when he dances! If he and Ms. Carlisle weren't related as aunt and nephew, they'd look much more compatible than her crippled husband!"

"Exactly! Although Ms. Carlisle's husband was once a dance prodigy, he's nothing but a useless invalid now! I bet Ms. Carlisle will only stay fresh for a few more years. By then, no one will want this second-hand cripple!"

Melody remained focused on dancing one song after another with Fintan, completely oblivious to my situation.

Without her present, these upper-class folks never bothered to hide their malice towards me.

As their mocking words grew more intense, I helplessly fled the scene, calling my lawyer to draft divorce papers and seizing the opportunity to arrange a fake death service.