Broken Vows, True Hearts

When my vision finally returned, I realized the man I had married was actually my boyfriend's younger brother, Hurst Owen.

Meanwhile, Brady Owen, who had promised to end all ties with his ideal love, Betty Kirk, was actually next door with her all along.

That night, I overheard their conversation.

Hurst frowned. "Brady, Della Guzman lost her sight because of you. Do you think that's fair to her?"

Brady replied impatiently, "Just wait another month. Once Betty is taken care of, I'll be back."

"It's been ten years. Aren't you afraid I might genuinely fall in love with Della?"

"Your marriage is fake. Don't entertain thoughts you shouldn't have!"

I silently returned to bed, without revealing to anyone that my sight had returned.

On the twenty-ninth day, I took Hurst to get the marriage certificate.

Honestly, I still wanted to continue being Hurst's wife.

......

The day I regained my vision was in the dead of night.

I woke from a dream, and as I opened my eyes, the once murky darkness transformed into clarity.

But after the initial rush of joy came an overwhelming fear.

The man beside me was breathing evenly, deeply asleep.

Yet he wasn't my husband Brady, but his twin brother, Hurst.

I broke into a cold sweat, blinking hard to see more clearly.

The dim moonlight seeped in, casting shadows on the man's prominent nose.

It was indeed Hurst, whom I had only met once before.

In my panic, I subconsciously shrank back.

The man holding me woke, his touch gentle as he brushed my hair, his voice raspy yet familiar, "Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

I didn't tell him I could see again.

Instead, I cautiously shook my head and turned over.

"Just woke up from a dream, it's nothing."

He pulled me closer, his firm chest pressing against my back, his voice soothing and soft. "Move in a bit, don't fall off."

This familiar, comforting feeling had enveloped me for the past decade.

Yet now, all that filled my heart was unease and confusion.

How did things end up like this?

Wasn't Hurst supposed to be abroad? Wasn't I married to Brady? How did it come to be him instead?

When did he appear beside me-recently or ten years ago?

The more I pondered, the more fear crept in, robbing me of any desire to sleep.

I wanted to wake him and demand answers but knew he wouldn't tell me the truth.

Once the breathing beside me became steady again, I cautiously slipped out of bed and stepped outside.

The villa's courtyard was still lit, filled with the lilies I adored.

The koi swam energetically in the pond, even in the deep of night.

By the entrance, two peach trees stood tall, ones Brady and I had planted together.

They had grown high enough to blossom and bear fruit now.

Back then, I lost my sight saving him, and he would grant any wish I had.

Anything I liked or wanted, he would provide.

But it took me ten years to finally see it for myself.

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from next door. "Brady, are you really going back to Della in a month?"

I froze, my blood ran cold.

It was Betty, Brady's ideal love...

I quietly made my way to the low wall and peeked over, seeing Brady and Betty chatting in the courtyard.

Brady's voice was emotionless. "I promised to stay with you for ten years, and I've fulfilled that."

Seeing him, my breath caught, and I struggled to keep my composure.

My foot shifted, with a sharp "crack", snapping a dried peach branch underfoot.

Brady's gaze shot towards me, cold and piercing.

I straightened, my voice lost and helpless, "How did I end up here?"

The two next door instantly fell silent.

Brady frowned, pulling Betty into the villa.

Shortly after, Hurst rushed over in his pajamas.

"Della, I'm sorry, I was so deeply asleep. Are you hurt?"

It seemed Brady had called him.

I shook my head, letting him support me back inside.

With all my willpower, I resisted the urge to glance back.

Once inside the room, Hurst led me into the bedroom, but I kept my eyes open.

He asked in confusion, "Can't sleep? Should I tell you a story?"

I quietly clenched my fingers.

For the past ten years, I had always believed that the person I married and who stayed by my side was Brady.

But now, it seemed it had always been Hurst.

Brady had never given me such care and gentleness.

Before I lost my sight, he always looked down on me.

Being with me, even getting engaged, was all just to provoke Betty.

In fact, Brady regretted it right after the engagement.

He contacted Betty in frustration, saying he didn't want to drag things out anymore.

As long as Betty was willing to come back, he would break up with me.

But he hadn't anticipated that Betty was also about to get married at that time.

In his anger, despite my protests, he went to fight that man, only to find the other party was prepared.

When the brick came down, I was the one who shielded him, which led to the blood clot in my brain, pressing on my nerves, and causing my blindness.

And Betty?

Seeing so many people rush in, she had already fled.

Afterward, Brady woke up to reality, deciding to cut ties with Betty and marry me.

He went out of his way to cater to my preferences, fulfilling everything I asked for.

In the subsequent days, he accompanied me through emotional breakdowns to slowly accepting reality.

During the day, sometimes he would hold my hand as we sat in the yard basking in the sun.

Sometimes he would grip my hand, tracing simple shapes.

He was extremely patient, even if I kept making mistakes, he would gently reassure, "It's okay, take your time."

At night, he would cuddle me, telling bedtime stories to lull me to sleep.

When I needed to go to the restroom, he always woke up quickly.

He would guide me in, help me sit, then quietly leave and close the door.

Whenever I asked if he had contacted Betty, he would answer without hesitation, "No, if I did, let me die."

But I could never have imagined.

It turned out the person who had been taking care of me, holding me to sleep every night, was not Brady, but Hurst.

Thinking about it, it was truly laughable.

I had been deceived by him for ten years.

If my sight hadn't recovered, who knows if I would have ever found out.

I kept my eyes open, and Hurst was tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Two hours later, he kissed my forehead, "I'm going out for a bit, behave and sleep well."

With that, he left the room.

Five minutes later, I got out of bed too.

Approaching the door, I overheard their conversation.

"Brady, when exactly are you coming back to her? Della has been acting very strange these past few days!"

Brady's voice was impatient, "One more month until the ten-year promise. I promised, so I have to see it through. If not, Betty will cause a fuss and it'll be hard to handle!"

Hurst's breath caught in anger, his brow furrowing deeply. "Della lost her sight saving you. Is this how you repay her? Aren't you afraid she'll find out?"

Brady assured him, "Della can't see, she won't find out. Just hold on for another month, I promise I'll come back to take care of her."

Hurst pressed his lips together in silence, finally speaking with complex emotions, "Aren't you afraid I'll fall in love with Della?"

A loud slap turned Hurst's face to the side.

Brady narrowed his eyes in warning, "Your marriage is fake. Don't entertain thoughts you shouldn't have!"

Hurst's chest heaved with fury, his eyes filled with anger.

Meanwhile, I stood in the shadows, unable to suppress a cold laugh.

So even the marriage certificate was fake.

Brady had me under his control, confident that even if I knew the truth, I would obediently comply.

Well, I made sure he didn't get his way.

Brady used a fake marriage to deceive me. Then why couldn't I go with Hurst to get a real marriage certificate?

I quietly lay back on the bed, not telling anyone that my eyesight had returned.

Previously, because I couldn't see, I seldom went out.

Now, I preferred sitting in the courtyard.

I always wore headphones pretending to listen to music, though there was no sound at all.

Initially, Brady and Betty were cautious, fearing I might overhear something, and seldom came out.

Later, the two of them became unrestrained.

With twenty days left in the month, Betty threatened Brady, "If you still want to go back, chop down those two peach trees at the villa's entrance. Seeing them makes me feel annoyed."

Brady frowned, displeased. "Those are Della's favorites. They can't be cut down!"

Betty's face darkened. "You promised to stay with me for ten years and agreed to fulfill any requests I made during that time. Have you forgotten? If you don't cut them down, I'll tell Della the truth right now!"

She made a move as if to come towards me.

I remained oblivious, but Brady panicked. "Don't go! I'll cut them down!"

Betty smiled smugly, satisfied, and sat back down.

That afternoon, the two peach trees were uprooted.

Hurst squatted beside me, his gaze complex.

I asked softly, "What's going on outside?"

His voice was muffled, resigned. "A fortune teller suggested these peach trees bring bad luck, so they have to be cut. Della, you..."

"Oh." I raised an indifferent eyebrow. "Then let them be cut."

Hurst looked at me in surprise but said nothing more.

After a while, he took my hand and led me back inside.

In the following days, Betty used the same tactic.

She had Brady move the lilies from the courtyard and remove the koi from the pond.

Even the two stray cats I often fed disappeared.

Each time, Brady would be furious, but whenever Betty threatened to come to me, he would relent.

When the lilies were carried away pot by pot, he watched my figure through the low wall, whispering to himself, "It's okay, Della can't see anything now. When I return to her, I'll bring everything back!"

But could he really return smoothly?

I sneered inwardly and called Hurst over. In front of Brady, I kissed his lips.

Something slipped from Brady's palm.

I deliberately looked over and asked Hurst, "What was that sound?"

Hurst paused, his breath hitching, but he remained silent, only pressing my head closer to deepen the kiss.

His kiss was filled with lingering affection, perhaps because he knew only a few days were left, making it particularly cherished.

But more than that, it was a provocation.

It was a provocation towards Brady.

In these ten years, if I hadn't taken the initiative, Hurst rarely got close to me.

He would hold me, stay near me, but never went further.

Sometimes I got angry and asked him, "Do you think I'm boring because I'm blind?"

Hurst would always sigh, "Della, I just don't want to hurt you."

He didn't want to hurt me, didn't want to hurt his brother, didn't want to hurt himself.

So he endured, suppressed, restrained himself.

And what about the two next door?

Would Brady really remain completely loyal for ten years just for me?

I didn't believe it.

After the kiss ended, I breathed lightly and casually asked, "Brady, hasn't your brother returned from abroad yet?"

"Why do you ask?" Hurst visibly stiffened.

"Nothing, it's just been a long time since I heard any news about your brother."

Hurst relaxed, subconsciously glancing at the neighboring courtyard.

Brady was glaring over here with bloodshot eyes, clearly displeased with the kiss Hurst had just deepened.

Hurst withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes. "If you want to see him, after some time..."

"I'm not interested." I interrupted, "It's just that I remembered meeting him once. I suppose the two of you don't get along well. As your wife, it's not appropriate for me to see him."

His hand at his side slowly clenched into a fist, his eyes dim.

I waited for a while, but he still didn't speak the truth, and I couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Only seven days were left until the month was over.

Hurst, your chances were running out!