99 Lies
Chapter 1
I collapsed under the torrential rain while
carrying Evan up the mountain.
Then, I heard him talking to his friend.
“Evan, you’re such a good actor. You’ve been
in that wheelchair for five years now, ever
since Lily left.”
“And Sarah’s a fool. She’s taken care of you
for five years and never noticed your legs are perfectly fine.”
“This is like the hundredth time you’ve had
her carry you up here for ‘treatment.‘ I’m
getting tired of it.‘
Evan’s voice was cold.
“Ninety–eight times. So what? Do you pity
her?”
There was a pause.
“No, it’s just… she’s your foster sister the
<
sacrifice everything to be your caretaker?”
“If she hadn’t talked me into that hike, she
wouldn’t have tried to steal Lily’s project, and
Lily wouldn’t have been sent overseas.”
“This is her punishment. Ninety–nine games,
then it’s over.”
Lying on the ground, I squeezed my hands so
hard my breath hitched.
I thought Evan keeping me around, despite
what people might think, meant he loved me.
But it was all revenge–because I’d taken
Lily’s project, forcing him to watch her leave.
Fine. He’d supported me for five years, and
I’d given him five years in return.
After ninety–nine times, we’d be even. After
that, we’d be strangers.
I stayed on the ground until I’d composed
myself, then slowly shifted my stiff legs.
A grunt, and the voices in the hall instantly
fell silent.
I opened my eyes, and every gaze was on me.
“Sarah, what’s wrong with you? You passed
out before even reaching the top.”
“If you couldn’t carry Evan, you should have
just said so. If you hadn’t insisted you could
do it, his leg might have been healed long
ago.”
It was Evan’s best friend, Alex, being
sarcastic as usual.
Ignoring his digs, I stumbled to my feet and
went to Evan.
His face was pale, his arms and legs bruised,
his body shivering from his soaked clothes.
But as my hand brushed his wounds, a blue
powder stained my fingers.
This was the act he’d been putting on for
ninety–eight times. Only the doctor up the
mountain could treat his leg, and no vehicle
could get up there except by carrying him;
and I’d been played for five years. Pathetic.
L
“What are you waiting for? Get him to the
doctor!”
Alex, seeing I wasn’t reacting like I usually
did, grabbed my wrist and flung me to the
ground.
My already depleted energy left me sprawled
there, unable to move.
Evan, my benefactor, you’re a great actor.
To punish me, you faked being crippled for
five years.
“Alex, stop it!”
Evan’s sharp command broke my thoughts.
I looked up to see him maneuvering his
wheelchair towards me, reaching out to help
me up.
“Sarah, I’m sorry. Alex didn’t mean it; he’s
just worried sick about me.”
I forced a smile, but dodged his touch.
“I know. I misjudged my strength.
“”
“Are you hurt?”
<
His wary gaze softened.
My hesitation made him suspicious.
The Chen family, one of the wealthiest in the
nation, held immense power; I, an orphan,
couldn’t challenge them.
If I didn’t play along, my fate would be far
worse.
Mustering every ounce of strength, I got Evan
to the doctor’s room, told Alex to look after
him, and quietly left.
Evan had said he didn’t want me to see him
in pain.
It would upset me, and that would upset him.
In fact, every time he went in, I’d kneel
outside, begging for him.
Even if it meant sacrificing my own legs.
But this time, before I was far away, I heard
laughter.
“Evan, we did it again! We fooled her!”
“For the last time, I’ll make it extra special. A
<
little rain and exhaustion aren’t enough to
make her see her mistake.‘
“And don’t forget, you’re paying for the
celebration; I have a surprise for you.”
Evan raised his glass.
い
“If you’re here for the show, then I’ll cover
everything.‘
وو
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I walked down the mountain in my wet
clothes, their laughter echoing in my head.
With every step, my love for Evan diminished.
Until I stumbled and rolled down the rest of
the way, colliding with someone elegantly
dressed.
“Watch where you’re going! If you want to
roll, just roll right off the cliff.”
I scrambled to the side, letting her pass.
“This is supposed to be the best resort, and
there’s no cable car? We have to walk? This
is exhausting!”
So, the ‘treatment‘ place was just a resort.
<
I looked up, stunned. It was Lily. She was
back.
Apparently, I was really superfluous to Evan.
On my way back to the Chen villa, I contacted
my uncle, who was abroad.
Five years ago, to take care of Evan, I’d
refused his attempt to reconnect.
This time, he didn’t ask any questions; he just
agreed to help me.
Until then, I would continue to care for Evan.
But Evan didn’t show up for a week.
His assistant said there was an emergency at
a branch office that required his presence.
“Sarah, I’m at the office. Don’t worry.”
“I won’t be around, so you can rest. and take
care of things at home.”
Evan sent me a video, as usual, to ensure my
safety.
It was our agreement, always checking on
each other.
く
It started when I was kidnapped by a rival
company, and he mobilized everything to save
- me.
After that, he insisted I video call him
whenever I went out.
He wouldn’t worry until he saw me.
We’d kept this habit for years.
But this time.
corner of the room.
a woman’s back in the
I asked, “Is someone else in your room?”
“No, just staff.‘
“”
His eyes flickered, but I caught it.
I hung up, feeling mortified. That had to be
Lily.
Lily’s presence exposed flaws in Evan’s
carefully constructed lies.
This was his first business trip since his
‘incapacitation,‘ and as CEO of Chen Corp,
he’d replaced all his female staff with male
ones to avoid gossip.
<
With him gone, I started making
arrangements to leave.
Only two days remained until his next
“treatment“-my escape from the Chen
family.
Evan returned, with Lily.
“Where have you been? The housekeeper
said you’ve been out a lot lately.”
Evan looked displeased.
I rolled up my sleeves, revealing my arms
covered in needle marks.
“I’ve been learning acupuncture. I heard it’s
good for leg injuries.”
“Since you’re back, let’s try it on me after a
couple more days of practice.”
His gaze lingered on my needle marks,
showing a flicker of discomfort.
“Be careful, don’t hurt yourself.”
My tense shoulders relaxed. I pulled my
sleeves down, and instinctively reached to
く
push his wheelchair.
But Lily beat me to it.
“Sarah, this is Shawn, a disciple of the
famous doctor. Alex begged him to come for
the treatment; you should listen to her from
now on.”
I stared at the woman who was Lily’s twin,
swallowing my questions.
His blatant lies made me laugh at myself.
Treatment? Or something else?
