The Wife He Let Go: He Chose the Fake Heiress, I Chose Myself

In Evelyn Whitmore's heart, Annelise Whitmore had never been the imposter who stole her life. She had always been the sister who pulled her out of hell.

Annelise had taught her how to carry herself, had stood up for her when no one else would.

When Evelyn's husband, Nathan Langford went bankrupt and their life fell apart, Annelise was the one who stepped in without hesitation, helping them through it all.

It wasn't until the day Nathan got hurt that everything shattered. Evelyn saw it with her own eyes. He had Annelise pinned against the wall, his voice breaking. "You said your sister was pitiful and made me marry her, but what about me? Annie, let's be together again, okay?"

Tears streamed down Annelise's face. "I can't. I already took her place. I can't take her marriage too."

Outside the door, Evelyn trembled all over.

So her husband and her sister had been in love all along.

She signed the divorce papers and chose to let them be together.

But Nathan chased her across miles, grabbing her hand and begging her to come back.

......

After Nathan went bankrupt, Evelyn sold all her bags and jewelry, trying to help him pay off his debts.

But he refused to take the money. Instead, he used it to buy her a small apartment, putting only her name on the deed and telling her it would be her safety net.

They struggled for three years, but the new company still went under.

Nathan injured his back doing manual labor on construction sites and ended up in the hospital again and again.

This time, a falling boulder had crushed his foot.

As soon as Evelyn heard the news, she clutched ten thousand dollars and rushed to the hospital.

But when she arrived, she saw Nathan pulling Annelise into his arms in the hospital room, his voice thick with emotion. "You said Evelyn was pitiful and made me marry her, but what about me? Annie, let's be together again, okay?"

Tears streamed down Annelise's face. "Nathan, I can't. Evelyn was trafficked as a child, and our mother lost her sanity and adopted me from an orphanage. I already took her place. I can't take her marriage too."

"But you're the only one I've ever loved."

Annelise broke down even harder and pushed him away. "No! She has nothing left. Please don't hurt her."

After a long silence, Nathan rubbed his temples, his voice full of exhaustion and resignation. "I've already signed over everything from the Langford Group and the new company. If you don't want me, fine. Just take the money."

"I can't take it," Annelise said, shaking her head, a trace of reproach in her voice. "Why did you lie to Evelyn and say the company went bankrupt? That's yours and hers. I can't accept it. And stop pretending to be sick. She'll worry about you."

"Evelyn! Evelyn! Is she all you ever care about?"

Nathan's voice rose sharply, frustration and grievance written all over his face. "If I didn't pretend, would you even come see me? I couldn't marry the woman I love. Can't I at least give her what I have? Annelise! What do you want me to do?"

Before the words even settled, he lunged forward and kissed her hard.

Annelise struggled in panic, shoving him away with all her strength before slapping him across the face. "Nathan, have you lost your mind? You're Evelyn's husband. You can't betray her!"

She glanced toward the window in a panic.

Evelyn turned away in a hurry and stumbled as she fled.

She sat blankly on a chair in the lobby, staring at the stack of cash in her hands.

She had already sold the apartment and anonymously funded his new company.

The ten thousand dollars was everything she had saved from three months of running a street stall. On her way here, she had even been kicked by a thug trying to rob her.

Tears fell onto the floor without warning, and the pain in her chest made it hard to breathe.

When Evelyn first returned to the Whitmore family, her parents, Richard and Margaret Whitmore, took one look at her-thin as a skeleton, hiding behind the butler-and left with darkened expressions. They couldn't accept their own daughter being so unpresentable.

It was Annelise who handed her a piece of candy, who patiently taught her manners and how to fit in.

When the servants whispered that she didn't belong in the Whitmore family, Annelise flew into a rage and fired them on the spot.

At the elite school, when her classmates threw her books onto the floor, it was Nathan who stood up for her. After that, no one dared look down on her again.

At the engagement banquet between the Whitmore and Langford families, everyone waited to see her make a fool of herself, waited for Nathan to back out. Instead, he held her hand and, in front of all the guests, promised he would take care of her for the rest of her life.

It was the two of them who pulled her out of that sunless cage.

Evelyn wiped away her tears. She couldn't be that selfish. She couldn't ruin both their lives.

She took a deep breath and walked toward the hospital room.

Annelise spotted the blood on her clothes and gasped, "Evelyn, what happened to you? Why is there so much blood?"

She tugged her sleeve down and forced a casual smile.

"I'm fine. I just slipped on my way out."

Only then did Nathan shift his gaze from Annelise to her, his brows knitting together. "Why weren't you more careful? Let a doctor take a look."

Evelyn handed over the money she was holding. "It's just a small injury. I'll be fine by tomorrow. This is for the medical bills."

Nathan looked at the crumpled bills in her hand-ones, fives, even a hundred-his expression turning complicated as a strange irritation rose within him. "Haven't I told you not to run a street stall? Isn't the money I send you every month enough?"

"It is..." Her long lashes hid the sting in her eyes, and she said nothing more.

Annelise studied her for a few seconds before speaking carefully, "Evelyn, did you just get here? Did you... see anything?"

The air in the room froze.

She saw the panic in Annelise's eyes, saw Nathan's fists clench.

In Evelyn's eyes, Annelise and Nathan had grown up together. It was her who had come between them.

She tilted her head back, forcing her tears to stay put. "I just got here. Traffic was bad, so I'm a little late. What's wrong, Annelise?"

The two exchanged a glance and visibly relaxed.

"It's nothing."

She spoke again right away, "Annelise, can we stay at the Whitmore house for a while?"

Annelise froze, surprise written all over her face. "You can, but didn't you say you felt uncomfortable living there?"

She caught the sudden flicker of joy in Nathan's eyes and smiled softly. "I missed you."

That way, Nathan wouldn't have to keep pretending to be sick.

After half an hour of sitting there like she was on needles, she made an excuse about going home to get clothes and fled the room.

In the small rental apartment, there was barely anything that belonged to Nathan. He always said he was busy with work and rarely came home.

Now Evelyn understood. It wasn't that he couldn't come back. He just didn't want to.

She placed her wedding ring and the signed divorce papers on the table, then made a call. "Hello, I'd like to apply for a teaching position in a remote area."

There was a pause on the other end before a serious voice replied, "Ma'am, conditions in remote areas are very harsh. You may have to stay away from the city and your family for a long time. Are you sure you want to apply?"

"I'm sure."

"Alright. Please report to the capital airport in seven days for departure."

The first dinner after moving back to the Whitmore house was lively.

Around the table, the family chatted and laughed, talking about business and the economy, a world Evelyn had never been part of.

She sat quietly in the farthest corner, head lowered as she pushed around the pasta in her plate, swallowing it mechanically.

Margaret picked up a tender piece of fish and placed it in Annelise's bowl. "Sweetheart, you haven't been home in so long. I had the chef make your favorite sea bass. Try it, see if you like it."

Only after speaking did Margaret notice Evelyn beside her, eating with her head down. The smile on her face froze.

She paused, then reluctantly picked up a piece of steak and placed it into Evelyn's plate. "You should eat too. Don't just have pasta."

Staring at the glossy piece of steak in her plate, Evelyn instinctively moved to push it away. "I don't want it."

The laughter around the table came to an abrupt stop.

Margaret's face went ashen, embarrassment and anger flickering in her eyes.

Under the table, Nathan gripped her hand tightly.

Only then did she realize she had said the wrong thing.

Her fork and knife hesitated midair before turning back. Fighting the nausea, she forced the steak into her mouth.

The woman who had bought her gave birth to a son the following year.

From then on, she became an unpaid servant, waking before dawn to cook, wash clothes, and feed the pigs.

At mealtimes, the woman would toss her two cold, cracked bread.

Once, starving, she couldn't help reaching for the steak on the table and took a small piece.

For that single bite, the woman hung her from a beam and whipped her over and over until she blacked out from the pain.

From that day on, she never touched steak again.

The greasy meat melted in her mouth. She gulped down water, trying to swallow it, but her vision began to darken.

In the final moment before she lost consciousness and collapsed at the table, only one thought filled her mind.

She had messed things up again. She had made everyone unhappy again.

When she opened her eyes again, all she saw was blinding white.

Margaret's eyes were red, her voice trembling. "If you didn't want to eat, then don't. Who forced you? Passing out like that... are you trying to accuse us of mistreating you?"

Richard stood beside her, holding her as his face turned grim.

Nathan looked at her coldly. "Apologize to Margaret. Now."

Evelyn's lips trembled, her voice hoarse. "Mom, Dad... I'm sorry. It's my fault."

But that apology only pushed Margaret over the edge.

Margaret shot to her feet. "Who are you putting on this innocent, pitiful act for? Do we owe you something? We should've never brought you back!"

With that, Margaret refused to look at her again and stormed out, dragging Richard along.

Nathan gave her a complicated look. "Annelise is handling your hospital bill. I'll go check on her. You... think about what you've done."

The hospital room fell silent, leaving Evelyn alone on the cold bed.

She slowly closed her eyes, a clear thought forming in her mind.

She never should have come back to the Whitmore family.

But when she thought of the bright, unhidden joy in Nathan's eyes, she forced herself to push that thought away.

For three years of marriage, she had stayed by his side through his downfall, through hardship and struggle. Yet she had never seen him smile like that, never seen him so light, so happy.

In seven days, she would leave this place behind, and she might never see them again.

The doctor put Evelyn through a full psychological evaluation.

Once the consultation room door closed, every question cut straight into the ugliest parts of her past.

Half an hour later, Evelyn walked out trembling, her eyes brimming with tears.

Years of suppressed emotions finally broke free. She instinctively threw herself into Nathan's arms, burying her face against his chest, clinging to the warmth.

Nathan stiffened for a moment, then raised his hand and gently patted her back.

His voice softened, coaxing her over and over, "It's okay. It's all over now. Don't be scared."

Annelise stood to the side, her fingers freezing midair at the sight.

A flicker of loneliness passed through her eyes, though she forced a smile. "Nathan, something urgent came up at the company. I need to go deal with it. Evelyn is in your hands."

With that, she left in a hurry.

Nathan kept his eyes on the direction she had left, only lowering his gaze after she was completely gone. Then he handed the coffee in his hand to Evelyn.

The session had dragged Evelyn back into that dark, cramped room from her past.

Fear and helplessness swallowed her whole. Only that embrace gave her a fleeting sense of warmth.

She took the warm coffee, her nose stinging. "I feel better. Thank you."

A cold voice cut in. "If you're fine, let go."

Evelyn looked up and met a pair of unfathomable eyes.

Before she could react, Nathan had already pulled away from her.

He stared straight at her. "You're jealous of Annelise, aren't you?"

Evelyn froze, the tears still lingering in her eyes, confusion filling her face. "She's always been good to me..."

Nathan let out a cold laugh. "So you take advantage of her kindness, cling to me in front of her, calling me your husband again and again, just to hurt her on purpose? And you call that being considerate?"

"No, that's not what I meant." Panic flooded her. She grabbed his sleeve. "I was just scared. I couldn't control myself. I won't do it again, please don't be mad..."

Before she could finish, Nathan shook her hand off violently.

"Take a cab home yourself."

He turned and walked away without a second thought.

The June sun blazed overhead, yet Evelyn stood frozen in place, a chill seeping from her chest to the tips of her limbs.

The therapist called, concern evident in their voice. "Ms. Whitmore, are you feeling any better? You can come back this afternoon for another session. It would really help your recovery."

Evelyn forced a bitter smile. "No, I won't be coming back."

She hung up, then threw the still-warm coffee into the trash. That sweetness had never belonged to her.

As soon as she stepped through the door, a servant approached quietly. "Miss Whitmore, Mr. and Mrs. Whitmore have gone to Westmere on vacation. They said they needed a break."

Evelyn nodded silently. "Okay."

She knew they were just avoiding her.

Night fell. Evelyn sat alone on the swing in the yard, staring blankly at the stars.

A noise came from the gate, and she looked up.

Nathan walked in with Annelise in his arms, the two of them close and intimate. When he lowered his head to speak to her, his expression softened in a way Evelyn had never seen in three years of marriage.

Their eyes met, and both froze. Nathan's hand, resting on Annelise's waist, dropped abruptly.

Evelyn looked away first, her voice calm, as if she had seen nothing. "When did you get back? I was lost in thought just now, didn't notice."

Nathan and Annelise exchanged a glance, their expressions quickly returning to normal.

Annelise stepped forward and handed her a paper bag. "Evelyn, we passed by that bakery you said you liked. I picked up a few for you."

The bag was still warm. Evelyn took it and ate three in quick succession.

She swallowed hurriedly, forcing a smile. "Thank you. They're really good. I'm happy."

Annelise looked at her in confusion, at the tear-streaked face still wearing a bright smile.

Just as she was about to speak, Nathan cut in. "You sound congested. Go take a hot shower."

Back in the bedroom.

Evelyn quietly took out a blanket and laid it on the other side of the bed, putting distance between herself and Nathan.

She had just lain down when she heard Nathan sigh behind her. "You know, don't you?"

Evelyn pulled the blanket over her head, wrapping herself tightly. "I'm going to sleep."

She didn't want to hear it. Didn't want to face it. She just wanted to run from everything.

But the next second, Nathan reached out, dragging her out from under the blanket and forcing her to look at him.

His voice was blunt and merciless, each word cutting deep into her. "Evelyn, I can play the role of a good husband in public and keep this marriage looking respectable. But remember this, I may stay here, but my heart will always belong to your sister. Do you understand?"