result. After all, I’m Mrs. Lucas now.”
“With this status, education and abilities are irrelevant.‘
“Ethan Lucas liked this beautiful face, didn’t he?”
“As long as I work hard to get pregnant with his child, Lucas Group will eventually be
ours…”
Patricia Shen was eloquent, painting a rosy picture for her mother.
She painted such a grand picture that even I,
a dead person was moved
Join the bookshelf
<
a dead person, was moved.
Her mother was swayed.
“You mean, cover up Natalie’s death?” she
asked.
Patricia Shen nodded vigorously.
“There are no cameras in the room. As long
as we quietly get rid of her…”
Her eyes were filled with calculation.
After weighing the pros and cons, her mother tidied herself up and left.
When she returned, she was carrying a huge suitcase. They broke my stiff body, stuffed my corpse and the baseball bat into the suitcase. Then, wearing disposable gloves, they
diligently cleaned up the scene.
After checking out, they drove for dozens of miles, working together to carry me up the
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<
mountain and finally threw me off the cliff.
The mountain road was rugged and steep, I was fine, but they both got quite a few scratches.
Looking into the abyss, I couldn’t help but shiver. Luckily, I died early. If I fell to my death here, it would have been even worse. I felt even more desolate about life.
My “relationship” with my sister lasted seven years; now it seemed like I was nothing more than a tool. My mother gave birth to me but didn’t raise me; in the end, she treated me like garbage…
People die for money; birds die for food. I wonder how much of the wealth of the
Lucas family they would get to enjoy… After dealing with me, Patricia Shen limped
Join the bookshelf
L
home.
Her clothes were wrinkled, her knees scraped,
her skirt hem stained with dust and blood,
and her shoes were covered in dirt.
She ignored the servants‘ gazes and went straight upstairs.
She entered her bedroom, angrily threw her shoes, and was about to go to the bathroom to clean the “evidence.”
“What happened to you?” a voice suddenly
came from the balcony.
It was Ethan Lucas.
Patricia Shen was startled.
“You’re back?” she asked, avoiding his question.
“Why did you get yourself into such a mess?” Ethan Lucas knelt in front of her, reaching out
Join the bookshelf
く
to lift her skirt to examine her injuries.
Patricia Shen backed away nervously,
avoiding his touch. Ethan Lucas stopped.
“I was chased by a mad dog and fell…
Patricia Shen made something up.
Ethan Lucas frowned but said nothing.
“I’m dirty, I’ll go wash up…” Patricia Shen
pretended to be calm and went into the
bathroom.
As soon as she locked the door, she furiously
started messing with her hair.
She looked completely distraught.
9
Ethan Lucas was busy with work, and it was
common for him to stay out late.
So, Patricia Shen refused her mother’s
invitation and insisted on returning to “her
hama” to showor
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home” to shower.
The main reason was that she wanted to see
if I had any valuable items gifted by Ethan
Lucas.
She wanted to get rid of my clothes and
suitcase and erase all traces of my existence.
Over the years, apart from my mother, no one
knew that my sister and I shared a life.
Now that I was dead, Patricia Shen couldn’t
wait to eliminate me. But her brainpower
simply wasn’t enough to handle such a
difficult task.
She didn’t know that the more anxious she
got, the easier it would be for her to slip up.
One wrong step, and she would be doomed
forever…
Patricia Shen endured the pain of getting her
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wound wet, and “energetically” finished her
shower.
As the hairdryer started, there was a knock
on the bathroom door.
“What is it?” she opened the door, her face full of apprehension, looking at Ethan Lucas outside.
Ethan Lucas didn’t speak, but went into the bathroom, naturally taking the hairdryer and drying her hair.
The air was silent, and so was I. The mirror was hazy, and no one could see the
expression in anyone’s eyes.
After Patricia Shen sat on the bed, Ethan
Lucas brought in a first–aid kit, knelt in front of her.
He then took out the antiseptic, gently
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<
disinfecting her wounds, applying powder,
and bandaging.
Patricia Shen’s gaze was fixed on Ethan
Lucas’s face, her eyes filled with joy.
A little skin injury, in exchange for Ethan
Lucas’s tender care, she probably thought it
was worthwhile.
“Honey, it hurts, kiss it better.”
As Ethan Lucas was putting away the first-
aid kit, Patricia Shen became demanding.
“Now you know it hurts, what were you doing
earlier?” Ethan Lucas glanced at her.
Patricia Shen choked.
“Stay away from cats and dogs from now on,
don’t get hurt again.” Ethan Lucas stood up,
bent down and kissed her forehead.
“Mm.” Patricia Shen finally got what she
<
wanted, happily nodding.
When he came back from putting away the
first–aid kit, Ethan Lucas had a black card in
his hand.
“Before, you refused to spend my money, I
didn’t force you, now we are husband and
wife, don’t refuse me anymore.”
His voice was gentle, his eyes full of
tenderness and expectation.
“I understand, thank you, honey.”
Patricia Shen took the card without
hesitation, holding it like a treasure to her
chest.
“As for your grandmother, you…” Ethan
Lucas hesitated.
“Don’t worry, she’s eating well and sleeping
well now, she’s much happier than others.”
Patricia Shen didn’t look un
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Patricia Shen didn’t look up.
But Ethan Lucas’s face turned cold instantly.
I excitedly rolled around on the bed.
Poor Patricia Shen, she had finally reached the end of the road of digging her own grave. For years, she and her mother had bribed the caregivers, thinking they had everything under control.
But they didn’t know that the new caregiver had been turned by me.
Now, they still didn’t know that their
grandmother had passed away.
But Ethan Lucas and I knew…
“My dearest husband, is there anything else
you need?”
Patricia Shen looked up and acted
coquettishly.
“No” Ethan Lucas smiled and rubbed her
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<
“No.” Ethan Lucas smiled and rubbed her
head, but there was no smile in his eyes.
After Patricia Shen rested, Ethan Lucas
picked up his phone and sent a message.
I was curious and craned my neck to peek.
He sent: [Check my wife’s whereabouts
today, the more detail the better.]
The other party replied quickly: 【Okay.]
[Also…] He paused, as if finally making up
his mind: [Check my wife’s past.】
Seeing this, my dark heart stirred. Good, it’s
finally time for a change…
10
Fate tore open a gap, revealing its sharp
teeth to Patricia Shen..
But she was completely unaware.
She took the black card from Ethan Lucas
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and started a shopping spree.
It was boring and tedious. It was just a final
fling; I was unmoved.
Most of the time, I let myself be like a kite, following Patricia Shen.
If I got tired of playing, I would just lie on her back.
After I stopped being obsequious to Patricia
Shen, Ethan Lucas stopped coming home.
But he would still answer Patricia Shen’s calls.
His words were perfunctory, but his tone was considerate. He had her completely under his thumb…
If he treated me like this, I would have been very sad.
Luckily, he was treating another Patricia
L
Shen, not me.
Not seeing Ethan Lucas, I actually missed him
more and more. When I was alive, my
relationship with him was ordinary.
Now that I had completely lost him, longing
began to grow in my heart.
Little by little, it eroded my remaining will.
When I saw Ethan Lucas again, he was holding a stack of documents.
He was sitting on the sofa in the downstairs
guest room.
His noble and elegant face had no
expression, like a dark sky before a storm. On the tea table in front of him was a long wooden box, more than a meter long. Patricia Shen returned from shopping in a
good mood. Seeing Ethan Lucas, she
<
immediately smiled like a chrysanthemum.
The servants skillfully took the bags from her
hands and placed them on the long table
against the wall.
“Honey, you’re back! I missed you so much.”
Patricia Shen twisted her waist and rushed into Ethan Lucas’s arms.
But before she could reach him, she was
stopped by a stack of documents.
“Everyone out.”
Ethan Lucas’s thin lips parted, ordering the
servants.
The servants bowed their heads respectfully and left.
Patricia Shen remained leaning forward,
looking shy.
She probably thought Ethan Lucas wanted to
<
get intimate with her, so he dismissed
everyone else.
My gaze fell on Ethan Lucas’s face.
From his micro–expressions, if I’m not wrong
Patricia Shen wanted to be rid of Ethan
Lucas,
but Ethan Lucas probably really wanted to be
rid of her.
“I want to know-”
Ethan Lucas glanced at the things Patricia
Shen bought and said slowly.
“Do you like me, or my money?”
His voice was soft, but his words carried
immense weight.
Patricia Shen’s face changed drastically.
“Honey, what… what are you saying…
<
“I… I of course like you more…” she
stammered.
Ethan Lucas was silent for a moment, then
suddenly chuckled.
“Really?”
His gaze was light, “Even if you like my
money, it’s okay-
“But I hope you like my money because you
like me.”
“No, I like you more than your money!” Patricia Shen anxiously professed her loyalty.
“Heh, so easily scared, look at you.”
Ethan Lucas’s hand touched Patricia Shen’s
face and gently patted it, “Smile.”
His actions were frivolous and exaggerated,
like teasing a cat.
It was a completely unfamiliar sight.
<
Patricia Shen torced a smile, but it looked
worse than crying.
“Alright, I’m not teasing you anymore.”
Ethan Lucas shifted his gaze to the wooden
box on the tea table, “A gift for you, open it.” Patricia Shen was startled.
“A gift, for me?” She faced the tea table, her
pale fingers opening the wooden box. “Ugh, you’re so-”
The rest of her words died in her throat.
Inside the box was a bloodstained baseball bat.
The baseball bat she had used to knock me
unconscious.
11
“No-”
Patricia Shen screamed, knocking over the
wooden box.
<
wooden box.
The box tilted, and the baseball bat rolled to
her feet.
“No… no…” Her face lost all color.
“Tell me, who are you really?”
Ethan Lucas’s gaze was icy, like the grim reaper.
Patricia Shen trembled, biting her lip hard. “Ethan, what are you saying? I’m your wife,
Patricia Shen…”
She smiled at Ethan Lucas.
It seemed she was going to deny everything until the end.
“Pa–tri–cia Shen?”
Ethan Lucas said each word slowly, a smile playing on his lips.
“I know two Patricia Shens, I wonder which
One Vou are?”
<
one you are?”
He threw the documents on the tea table.
There were two documents, slightly
overlapping due to inertia.
Both had “Patricia Shen” on the cover.
But one was marked with the former name
Natalie, and the other was just Patricia Shen.
“Take a look.” Ethan Lucas gestured.
Driven by curiosity, I floated over first.
Patricia Shen sat there for a long time,
clenching her fists, then finally gritted her
teeth and rushed to the table, opening the file marked “Natalie.”
I guessed she was probably trying to find a flaw to buy herself a chance.
Unfortunately, the building was about to
collapse, from the moment she got rid of me,
<
she had been facing a dead end.
She turned the pages one by one.
I perched on Patricia Shen’s shoulder and
reviewed my past life.
For the first eighteen years, although my life
was difficult and humble, it was still mine. For the next seven years, Patricia Shen and I were entangled, often forgetting who I was.
I didn’t expect Ethan Lucas to distinguish between Patricia Shen and me so accurately. I was both surprised and grateful.
Natalie…
Looking at these familiar yet strange words, my nose felt sore.
I am Natalie.
But everyone only knew Patricia Shen, no one
knew Natalie.
<
The only one who knew who I was and where
I came from was my grandmother.
She understood my fatigue, knew my
suffering, and protected me for half a
lifetime.
She never let go of me until death.
I was her Yu’er, her only Yu’er.
But she didn’t know that her Yu’er had lost
her name seven years ago and became a puppet.
After reading my life story, Patricia Shen was
completely devastated.
She sat there dejectedly, poking holes in the
paper with her fingers.
Suddenly, she went mad, ran out without
regard for her appearance.
Two law enforcement officers in navy blue
uniforms and epaulets appeared from the
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uniforms and epaulets appeared from the
right side of the door.
They stood like door gods, blocking Patricia
Shen’s escape route.
Patricia Shen froze, standing like a wooden statue.
12
“Was the trick of switching identities fun?”
Ethan Lucas spoke.
His voice was calm, but his eyes were
brewing a storm.
Patricia Shen trembled uncontrollably, but
said nothing.
The sun sank below the horizon, and night
slowly crept in through the windows.
Darkness enveloped everyone.
No one turned on the lights.
<
Ethan Lucas was immersed in the darkness,
like a crouching beast.
Although he was so dangerous, I couldn’t help
but want to approach him.
I floated to his side, curled up on the sofa, quietly burying my head in his arms.
“I can’t deny that you and she look very much alike, almost indistinguishable.”
“To be honest, I didn’t want to misjudge my wife, but your flaws are too many.”
“At the age of fifty, with a head full of white hair, ravaged by illness, taking medicine like eating, you call this happiness?”
“My Ape cried every night, wishing she could transfer the pain to her, and you-”
Ethan Lucas let out a very short laugh.
“The same face, why is the difference so
<
great?”
“The most ridiculous thing is that you
impersonated her, and you didn’t even know that her grandmother was already gone…” Hearing this, Patricia Shen was dumbfounded. Ethan Lucas bent down and picked up the
sealed bag on the floor.
“Patricia Shen, being born ignorant is not
your fault, but you shouldn’t have touched me.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you at first. I failed her.”
“Since you destroyed what I cherished, then
pay with your life.”
Patricia Shen came to her senses.
“No, I didn’t kill Natalie!”
“I only knocked her unconscious, I didn’t
<
expect an accident, her death has nothing to
do with me…”
“Ethan Lucas, please, I really didn’t kill her-”
Patricia Shen frantically defended herself, but Ethan Lucas didn’t even bother to listen.
“Hand her over to you.” He looked up at the door.
The two law enforcement officers moved their wrists and walked straight towards Patricia Shen.
“No, I won’t go, I don’t want to die-”
Patricia Shen frantically rushed towards Ethan Lucas.
The law enforcement officers quickly subdued her and put a handcuff on her wrists.
“Ethan Lucas, she’s dead, why can’t you treat me as her?”
<
“I don’t mind being her shadow, please keep
me, I don’t want to die…”
Patricia Shen, restrained, still begged for
mercy.
“To replace her, are you worthy?”
Ethan Lucas slowly walked in front of Patricia
Shen and lifted her chin.
“Because of this face, I won’t hurt you, but
you owe her, you have to repay it!”
His gaze was like lightning in the sky, filled with endless killing intent.
A veritable hellish killer god.
Patricia Shen was so scared by this Ethan
Lucas that her plea died in her throat.
“Remember to treat her well for me:”
Ethan Lucas waved his hand.
The law enforcement officers, without a word,
<
forcefully dragged Patricia Shen away.
They also took the evidence from the floor.
The villa was quiet, and Ethan Lucas slowly
closed his eyes.
His usually straight back seemed to bend. A
complex mix of emotions surged in his heart. I
was stunned for a while, then turned around
with difficulty.
And there was no trace of Patricia Shen in my
vision.
I suddenly realized that the restriction… was
gone…
13
Ethan Lucas went upstairs under the night sky.
He stopped when he passed the long table. On it were the things Patricia Shen had
<
bought today.
“Someone.” His voice cut through the night.
A dark figure walked in.
It was Ethan Lucas’s housekeeper and driver,
I think his surname is Zhang.
He didn’t turn on the lights, but bent over,
respectfully standing at the door, calling out, “Young Master.
“Throw them away.”
Ethan Lucas’s tone was calm and even.
“Yes.”
Manager Zhang looked around the room. Then he accurately picked up the pile of things and went out.
The room fell silent again.
Ethan Lucas walked slowly up the stairs.
When he passed the second floor, I had a
sudden thought and floated into the hadroom
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<
sudden thought and floated into the bedroom.
As expected, there was no trace of Patricia
Shen’s existence.
My discarded clothes and suitcase
reappeared.
Ethan Lucas was in the third–floor study.
Perhaps to avoid the glare, he didn’t turn on
the overhead light, only the table lamp on the desk.
Several photo frames were on the desk, all photos of me and Ethan Lucas.
I had lived as Patricia Shen’s shadow for half my life, never standing squarely under the
sun.
Apart from the wedding photos, there were only these few photos with Ethan Lucas.
There was a file on the desk, with a stack of
<
There was a file on the desk, with a stack of
photos on it.
Ethan Lucas looked through them one by one
in the light of the table lamp.
They were all my photos.
The photos were of different sizes and taken
from various angles.
Some were from surveillance cameras, some
were candid shots, and there were many ID
photos.
There were few photos where I was properly
posing for the camera.
I didn’t have the conditions to take photos in
the first half of my life, and I didn’t have the
right to take photos in the second half.
I had almost no memory of these photos.
My sister and I looked exactly alike, so I had
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imitated her in dress and mannerisms for
seven years.
Even my mother often confused us.
But miraculously, none of the photos here
were of Patricia Shen.
After looking at the photos on the table,
Ethan Lucas put his hand on the drawer handle.
But he didn’t move for a long time.
I saw his fingers trembling slightly, as if there
was some kind of monster inside.
The drawer was finally pulled open.
There was another stack of photos inside.
After just one glance, I couldn’t bear to look
anymore.
They were also photos of me.
After death…
<
After being ravaged again by Patricia Shen
and her mother, then washed by the
wilderness.
Looking at my own state, I couldn’t help but
feel sick.
Unfortunately, my insides were empty, so I
couldn’t throw up.
But Ethan Lucas didn’t seem to mind.
His long, slender fingers caressed my ulcerated eyebrows.
A drop of water fell onto the photo paper.
I looked up in disbelief.
Ethan Lucas’s eyes were filled with tears, and
there were tear marks on his face.
I had known him for more than three years, but this was the first time I saw him cry.
After several days of not seeing each other,
<
he looked haggard.
There were dark circles under his eyes, like a
scorching sun eroded by dark clouds.
Night fell, and Ethan Lucas thought of me
under a single lamp.
My heart felt like it was being ground by sandpaper, countless aches welled up.
In the days since my death, I only cared about when my sister would get her retribution.
I didn’t think about how sad Ethan Lucas
would be knowing I was dead.
I only remembered the hatred.
But I forgot that besides hatred, there was
love in this world.
14
The next day, Ethan Lucas went to the police
station and collected my body.
<
Although my condition was terrible, at least I
was whole.
Before the cremation, Ethan Lucas hired the best embalmer to prepare me.
Then he held a grand farewell ceremony for
- me.
He made my life story into a single–page document.
Although it was thin, it clearly declared the existence of “Natalie” to the world.
I was satisfied with this arrangement.
I lived a lonely life, and died quietly.
To be remembered this way, it was very good. On the day of the trial, I followed Ethan
Lucas.
Manslaughter and murder, although only one word different, have a huge difference in
く
sentencing.
The evidence of Patricia Shen harming me
was complete, plus the full evidence chain of
her oppression and exploitation, she was
sentenced to life imprisonment.
Her mother was charged with harboring a
criminal, destroying evidence, abandonment,
and other crimes, and was sentenced to
twenty years in prison.
I knew Ethan Lucas had a hand in this, but I
didn’t understand the meaning of this
punishment.
Until I saw a document in Ethan Lucas’s study
Records of Patricia Shen and her mother’s
daily lives in prison, with photos.
Their cellmates were very “friendly,” and
<
“greeted” them 365 days a year, without fail.
They were relentlessly harassed. They went
on a hunger strike, but were saved by the prison guards with the best resources. They ruined my life.
In the end, the pain they inflicted on me was returned to them in another way.
From now on, we would never see each other
again, which was good.
The day I was buried was a beautiful sunny day.
The sky was clear blue, cloudless.
Ethan Lucas wore a black suit and held a
large bouquet of red baby’s breath to see me off.
I saw my own tombstone.
The largest words on it were “Beloved Wife
<
Natalie“, and Ethan Lucas’s name was written
on the right.
After a torturous life, I finally completely got
rid of the name “Patricia Shen“.
I was very satisfied!
“Can I call you Natalie?”
Ethan Lucas knelt half–way in front of the
grave, his slender white fingers tracing my
name.
Hearing the name “Natalie,” I froze.
“I remember when I first met you, you said that your only relative was your grandmother.” “After I fell in love with you, I wanted to be your relative too.”
“I’m a dull and boring person, I was afraid you wouldn’t like me, afraid you would let go of
my hand…”
IL
