Come Back, My Love

Jake Stevens had a beloved woman, Ryann Buckley, who was forced to leave. After that, Jake was compelled to marry Eva Briggs.

After he got married, he unleashed his resentment over losing Ryann on Eva, subjecting her to neglect and sarcasm.

Eva suffered silently, holding onto the hope that he loved her but simply hadn't come to terms with his own feelings.

But before he realized it, Ryann came back from abroad.

Ryann and Jake got back together. And Eva finally realized that he truly did not love her.

So Eva decided to leave. Before leaving, she gave a surprise to them.

---

After Eva's parent passed away unexpectedly, Eva was adopted by her father's friend.

Her adoptive parents were very kind to her, and her adoptive brother doted on her so immensely that people even joked that he had a sister complex.

Yet somehow, Eva had fallen in love with Jake. By the time she realized it, her feelings for him had taken root in a place deeper than her bones.

So when Jake's parents forcibly separated him from Ryann and pleaded with Eva to marry Jake, she agreed without hesitation.

"The Stephens family would never allow a woman with such a scheming heart to marry in. Eva, you and Jake grew up together. Even if he claims he only sees you as a sister, we've all seen how well he's treated you over the years. He definitely has feelings for you."

On their wedding night, Eva clutched the corner of the quilt and waited for Jake to come into the room after seeing off the guests. She was so joyful.

Indeed, Jake must like her to some extent. Otherwise, he wouldn't willingly have accepted his parents' arrangement without a single protest. He was never one to be submissive by nature.

But she waited until it was dawn, and Jake did not enter the room. As the sun rose, Eva received a message from him. "Eva, is this the life you wanted? I give it to you. You will stay alone in the room with the title of Mrs. Stephens for the rest of your days."

From that moment, Jake's affection for her vanished, and he was always indifferent to her.

Jake's parents comforted Eva, and his friends soothed her. They all insisted that Jake was acting out of temporary anger and would eventually recognize she was a good woman.

Thus, Eva swallowed her bitterness and quietly became the woman behind him. No matter when he returned home, there was always a light on and a warm glass of milk by the bedside.

She always stood not far behind him. Whenever he turned around, he could see her.

Her patience and dedication finally bore fruit. It was the third anniversary of their marriage and also Eva's birthday.

At the party, Jake whispered in her ear as she closed her eyes to make a wish, "Eva, let's have a baby."

Eva opened her eyes sharply. Although he said that three hours ago, the words felt freshly uttered to her and were still sending a tingling sensation throughout her body.

She stared at her flushed reflection in the mirror and bit her lip. Her heart raced at the thought of what was to come.

She gathered courage and slipped off her robe. She shyly donned the bridal lingerie prepared by her friend for their wedding night but never worn. She then nestled into the bed.

The silky texture felt like Jake's hand caressing her skin.

Suddenly, she received a message. "Jake is in my place now. Tobias. Go to sleep now."

Eva's eyes widened, and her face turned pale as she read the number carefully.

It was Ryann, Jake's long-lost first love.

With trembling fingers, Eva dialed Jake's number.

But before she could speak, she heard some sounds from the other end that made her blush.

"Jake, this isn't fair to Eva..."

Jake sounded urgent. "I never loved her. If you hadn't told me that only if she got pregnant could I make things right with her and the Stephens family and finally break free to be with you, I would never have said those words to her. Ryann, since you dared to come back for me, you must not leave again, or I'll drag you down with me."

With those words, he and Ryann started to have sex. Eva promptly hung up.

So that was the truth. Eva had foolishly thought that Jake had finally recognized her devotion for years and was willing to accept her and attempt to love her.

Eva removed the bridal lingerie and gazed at her delicate reflection in the mirror. She laughed, and tears streamed down her face.

She was only twenty-four years old. With so much life still to explore, she shouldn't really spend the rest of her life waiting for Jake to fall for her. He had no feelings for her at all.

Actually, Eva had already given up on Jake once a long time ago.

She had worked with all her might to get into the same university as Jake, only to be met with him showing up not long after the semester started, accompanied by Ryann and wearing the doting expression that she had once thought was reserved for her alone.

"Eva, this is my girlfriend."

Eva felt as if her world was falling apart. Her face turned pale as she said hello to Ryann.

With a mischievous smile, Ryann found an excuse to send Jake away. Then, she watched Eva with a meaningful smile. "Poor young girl, you lost your parents so early and have lived under the Stephens family's roof for so many years. It must have been tough."

Eva froze, and she stammered in response, "It's not tough. Jake has always been nice to me."

"So, you fell in love with him, didn't you? It's not right to have such feelings for your brother. Imagine how your adoptive parents would feel if they knew about your feelings."

Eva's face turned ashen instantly. In anger and shame, she pushed Ryann, and the latter fell down on the ground, just as Jake came back and witnessed the scene.

Without thinking, he slapped Eva.

She covered her face and looked at Jake in disbelief. He had always cherished her since she was a little girl. But he slapped her to defend Ryann this time.

She forced a bitter smile and then left.

At that moment, she decided to give up on Jake.

Eva planned to go abroad after graduation so that she would never see Jake and Ryann again.

But she didn't expect things to change so quickly.

Jake and Ryann were forced to break up, and his parents used their adoptive bond with her as a form of emotional blackmail, desperately pleading for her to marry Jake.

She had thought it was a test and an opportunity given by heaven. But now she realized it was just another one of heaven's cruel jokes.

As the sky gradually lightened, Eva slowly got up.

She had just wasted three years. It was not too late to leave Jake now.

She got dressed and had her lawyer draw up a divorce agreement that waived all financial claims. Then she received a call from Jake's mother, Ellen Stevens.

Her voice was choked with emotion. "Ryann has appeared again. She's really haunted. James and I no longer expect you to give birth to a baby of the Stephens family now, Eva. But how can you not even keep your husband by your side? Jacob probably won't make it through this month. Please, no matter what means you use, ensure Ryann stays away from Jake. Can you do that?"

After hanging up the phone, Eva bit her lip hard and sighed.

Since the day she was brought into the Stevens family, everyone was nice to her, especially Jake.

But after he was forced to marry Eva, he ignored her, even at important events where he and she should appear together as a couple. He never hid his cold attitude towards her and subjected her to humiliation in various settings.

Many people had even embarrassed her in front of Jake, and he just coldly smiled.

If not for Jacob Stephens, Jake's grandfather, and his parents supporting her, everyone would have ridiculed her at any opportunity.

She owed a debt to the Stevens family.

She suppressed the bitterness in her heart and drove to the address she had found for Ryann. She knocked on the door and was greeted by the sight of Jake, whose upper body was bare.

He had smiled, but when he saw her, he turned cold and indifferent instantly.

As he was about to close the door, a soft voice came from inside. "Jake, who is it?"

Ryann came over with a smile. Her lips were slightly swollen, and the red marks on her neck should let Eva imagine Ryann and Jake had sex passionately a moment ago.

Even though Eva had mentally prepared herself, she still felt a pang of bitterness.

But she quickly remembered her purpose, so she lowered her eyes.

Then she raised them with tears brimming and said with sobs, "Jake, you're having an affair."

Suddenly, many reporters squeezed in behind her. They snapped photos of Ryann.

Jake's face tightened with anger instantly as he shielded Ryann and shut the reporters outside.

The reporters nodded at Eva. She wiped away her tears and left.

That afternoon, the Internet exploded with news that Jake had an affair with Ryan and was caught red-handed by Eva.

Along with that, another topic also trended: how Ryann had used her depression as a shield to bully classmates during her school days.

The news spread everywhere soon.

Ryann called Eva soon. "Eva, thank you for everything. Jake is even more protective of me now. He says he wants to stay with me and won't leave me for a moment."

Eva's eyes remained emotionless as she replied coolly, "Alright. He will surely keep you well-protected. He'd better never step out of the house. But it is too bad for you. The life of being centered by everyone you long for will never come true."

Ryann's voice on the other end turned sharp. "You didn't gain any benefit from exposing me. You'll just be ridiculed, too. And then Jake has abandoned you completely."

Eva silently laughed. "Do you really think I care?" "Do you really think I care?"

The door was slammed open, and heavy, furious steps immediately followed.

Eva heard Ryann give a light, coquettish laugh over the phone. "Look, my knight has arrived to defend me. Eva, don't hang up. I'll plead for you."

"Crack!"

A sharp slap sent Eva's phone flying from her ear. It crashed to the floor, and the screen was shattered.

The next moment, Jake had Eva pinned against the wall by the throat. "Eva, it's been three years, and you're still so malicious. You still want to destroy Ryann, no matter what you do. She is just a woman."

Eva gasped for air and struggled to speak. "Jake, it's been five years, and you're still so blind... ugh..."

But Jake's grip silenced her.

The rest of his words could not come out of her throat.

Her vision darkened, and she was momentarily in a daze.

Eva recalled the last fight she had with Jake before they got married.

Back then, Jake's parents had thoroughly investigated Ryann after they learned that Jake had a secret relationship with her.

They found out that Ryann was not only deceitful, with secret relationships with other guys, but also frequently used depression as an excuse to bully other girls.

Jake's parents were disgusted by Ryann and firmly opposed to Jake's relationship with her.

However, when Ryann's parents showed him the evidence, he refused to even look at it. Instead, he told them that he already knew the truth that Ryann was the one being bullied.

His parents were so furious that they even had high blood pressure and were left speechless.

In the end, Eva showed Jake a diagnosis from Professor Vernon Ward, the world's most authoritative psychologist, which confirmed that Ryann did have a psychological disorder-not depression, but paranoia with antisocial tendencies.

But he didn't believe it. He just sneered at Eva and said sharply, "So, everything Ryann said was true. Eva, do you love me?"

Eva's mind went blank. She watched Jake's mouth move but heard nothing.

But she clearly saw the mockery, disdain, and disgust in his eyes.

His expression mirrored Ryann's when she told Eva that it was not right and that she was mentally disturbed if she had feelings for her brother.

Suddenly, the grip on her neck eased, and Eva slumped to the floor. She realized her face was wet with tears.

She slowly raised her head and saw the confusion in Jake's eyes. But he became stern when he met her gaze.

"Eva, I'll fulfill your wish and let the entire world know your husband loves another woman. You will spend the rest of your life with the title of Mrs. Stephens." With that, he left.

Eva picked up her phone with trembling hands. It was still connected to the call.

The sound of a soft laugh came from the other end.

She hung up, opened her messages, and searched for a text from Vernon from three years ago. Tears streamed down her face as she felt so lucky.

"Eva, you're still young. I understand you chose to give up your career for love. If you ever want to develop your career, please call me."

Eva dialed Vernon's number. His lively, cheerful voice was heard soon. "Eva, is that you?"

Eva nodded silently. "Yes, Professor. Is it too late for me to go and see you now?"

She couldn't see Vernon's face, but she sensed his silent smile. "I've been waiting for you all along."

After ending the call, Eva remembered what had happened six years ago. Back then, in order to expose Ryann's deception and prevent Jake from being deceived further, she took on a double workload-managing her major while self-studying psychology. So she got to know Vernon.

The professor believed that Eva was talented in psychological research and wanted to take her as his student. But she considered her responsibility in the Stephens family and refused decisively.

Later, when Eva asked Vernon to make an exception and provide a diagnosis for Ryann, he had given her another offer, and she'd accepted it.

In the end, she didn't keep her word for the sake of her farcical marriage.

Eva had thought that she'd never get another chance to pursue her career in psychology, but Vernon had been waiting for her all along.

Eva finally realized that Jake had never loved her, not even a little.

So she decided to leave.