Married to My Sister's Lover

"Amelia."

In the tangled heat of their bed, her husband moaned another woman's name against her skin.

And that woman was her twin sister.

The color drained from Evelyn Thomas's face as if a plug had been pulled, taking every ounce of warmth and desire with it, leaving only a vast, hollow cold.

A drop of sweat fell from William Brown's straight nose, splashing on her chest.

His ragged breath fanned across her ear, and his eyes, those deep eyes full of desire, as if looking at someone else through her.

"Amelia," he murmured again, the word a velvet caress. "One more time."

His tone was tender and lingering, his voice low and sexy, impossibly seductive.

Evelyn thought she was truly hopeless. Even as he used her body to conjure the image of another woman, she felt herself melting, a hopeless addict craving a tenderness that was never meant for her.

She forced the words out, her voice scraping like sandpaper against stone. "I can't, I still need to go to Grandpa's."

A frown creased William's brow, a flicker of displeasure darkening the passion in his gaze. "Amelia never refuses me."

It wasn't a comparison. It was an instruction. Stay in character. Be the understudy I paid for.

"I'm not Amelia," she whispered, the words a desperate, flimsy shield.

But William didn't care. His large palm was already moving up, one leg forcing her legs apart.

He said coldly and dismissively, "Amelia is kind and smart. Of course you're not her."

Evelyn froze. The words were a vise clamped around her heart. But before she could even gasp at the emotional pain, a sharper, physical agony tore through her. He lifted her legs and drove into her without a shred of gentleness.

"You're just a substitute. Just do your job as a bed replacement."

He was reminding her not to mistake the heat of his body for a spark of affection.

He pinned both her hands above her head, pounding into her roughly. Compared to the previous tender lovemaking, this time was pure punishment.

He was punishing her for not being obedient, a reminder of her place.

"Amelia..."

His voice kept repeating in her ear. She felt herself being torn apart, not just physically but spiritually too. She was split in half.

One half called Evelyn, the other half called Amelia.

When it was over, he held her close, the gesture of intimacy more jarring than the violence. "Good girl," he breathed, his voice thick with a satisfaction that curdled in her stomach. "I'll have my assistant send over the newest handbag collection."

She didn't like that brand of bags. Amelia did.

A familiar, acrid bitterness flooded Evelyn's mouth. Three years of marriage, and he had never once bothered to notice a single thing she actually liked.

Perhaps she'd let her gaze linger on his face for a beat too long. William frowned in glacial disdain.

Oh no. Evelyn's eyes dropped instantly, her heart stuttering.

Her eyes were the only feature different from Amelia's, and they were also the one part of her he couldn't bear to look at.

"Don't look at me like that." His voice was ice cold.

"From now on, speak gently as Amelia does, and dress in her style too."

Evelyn bit her lip hard, her voice strained: "Okay... Will you have time later? Grandpa wants to see you."

Her chest ached as if pierced by a thousand tiny needles, yet she was powerless to even protest.

She had signed this devil's bargain herself by agreeing to become Amelia's substitute, convinced she could make him love her once she was his wife. Her current situation was no one's fault but her own.

But Grandpa Hayden Thomas didn't know the truth. In his eyes, she and William were the picture of a perfect marriage, and she couldn't bear to shatter that illusion.

"Not seeing him. I told you not to fantasize about things you can't have." William got dressed and looked at her coldly. "I've seen too many women with ulterior motives. Evelyn, don't think you're the real Mrs. Brown. You're just keeping this position for Amelia."

Just like that, William left without any consideration.

Evelyn let out a fractured laugh, a sound more painful than a sob. Her body trembling, she dragged herself from the tangled sheets, dressed in a numb haze, and made her way to Hayden's house alone.

But when she got there, she wasn't greeted by a kind Hayden, but by news from the neighbors—Hayden was critically ill and had been sent to the hospital.

She rushed to the hospital and learned from the doctor that Hayden had a cerebral thrombosis. It had no cure, hence nothing to be done but keep him comfortable until the end.

Seeing Hayden pale and weak in the hospital bed, Evelyn grabbed those thin, bony hands, tears streaming down immediately.

"How?" she choked out, her voice thick with grief. "Grandpa, you were always so healthy. You promised... you promised you'd live to hold your great-grandchild."

Hayden's eyelids fluttered open with visible effort. Seeing her, a gentle, loving smile touched his pale lips. "Evelyn... you came."

"I couldn't hide it from you after all..."

Looking at Evelyn, Hayden wanted to pat her head like when she was little, but his arm only twitched before falling back to the mattress, a dead weight.

Evelyn quickly grabbed Hayden's hand and placed it against her face, just like when she was little. Whenever she was bullied, Hayden would comfort her this way.

"Evelyn," he breathed, his voice a dry rustle of leaves. "Promise me... you'll live well with William. No more fighting."

"Promise me you won't resent Amelia either. It was my wrong choice back then that made her do such things. If she ever comes back..."

Evelyn kept nodding, agreeing to everything: "Okay. He's busy today, but he wanted to come see you... I promise I won't resent Amelia."

She wiped the tears from Hayden's eyes, her heart breaking.

To put Hayden's mind at ease, she never told him the real reason William married her.

Hayden hoped William would visit him with her, but even this request was ruthlessly rejected by William.

"Evelyn, there's a necklace in my bag. You must keep it safe..."

"Evelyn!" The hospital door slammed open. William stood there."They've found Amelia!" Evelyn's froze just as her fingers were closing onto the necklace in the bag. Found Amelia?

"Evelyn." William rarely called her name in such a gentle tone.

Evelyn suppressed the sourness in her heart and forced a smile. "That's good news, honey. Grandpa has really missed Amelia."

She hoped William would, as usual, play the loving couple with her in front of Hayden.

But William dropped a bombshell directly. "Amelia is sick and needs a kidney match."

"You're her twin, so you're the most suitable donor."

"What?" Evelyn's pupils contracted.

Did he know that donating a kidney was basically like becoming disabled?

Without giving her a choice, William grabbed Evelyn's arm to take her away.

"William, what are you going to do to Evelyn?" Hayden's voice was a desperate, disbelieving rasp. The man he'd thought of as a perfect grandson-in-law was acting like a monster.

Evelyn violently refused. "No! Grandpa still needs someone to take care of him. I can't donate. Find someone else!"

"Amelia doesn't have time for some else. Are you going to watch your sister die?" William forcibly dragged Evelyn outside. "The surgery is already arranged. You're going whether you like it or not!"

"Evelyn!" Hayden tried to stop them but fell from the bed. He struggled to get up.

"Evelyn, Grandpa never told you, but you're actually..."

Before Hayden could finish, his breath caught. His eyes rolled back, and his body went limp.

"No, Grandpa! Doctor, quickly get a doctor!" Evelyn screamed, desperate to go to him, but she was held tight.

Just a few meters felt like an unbridgeable gap. Watching Hayden lying unconscious on the ground, Evelyn begged desperately, "William, please let the doctor save my grandpa. I'm begging you!"

William didn't even flinch. He just stared down at the crumpled old man with a slight, annoyed frown.

Evelyn closed her eyes in despair. "I agree to donate the kidney! The condition is that you save my grandpa!"

"Fine. As long as you're obedient, I'll have someone save your grandpa."

Evelyn forced a smile, looking worse than crying.

Now, lying on the cold operating table, looking at the row of sharp surgical knives beside her, Evelyn couldn't stop panicking.

What if she died on the operating table? Who would take care of Hayden?

"William, can I..."

She regretted it. At least let her see with her own eyes that Hayden was okay.

But William didn't give her a chance at all, ordering the doctor to start the surgery.

The anesthetic entered her bloodstream. Evelyn's consciousness gradually blurred. Tears slid down her face. She wasn't willing to accept this. Her five years of devotion were ultimately wasted.

She struggled to leave her last words."William, if I die, you must take good care of my grandpa. Tell him I went abroad... don't let him worry about me..."