Shallow Love

As I slid down against the elevator wall, my tears dripped onto my hand.

A month ago, Liam's long-lost stepsister, Christine, showed up at our door.

In the private room, Christine wore a white slip dress. She bit her lip while her eyes were red. "Liam, I'm sorry. I won't pester you anymore, but I desperately need that 300,000 dollars for an emergency. Just one month, I'll pay you back after one month! I can even write an IOU. I beg you…"

No matter how much Christine pleaded, Liam remained expressionless. However, I could sense something was unusual about him. Due to his restraint, his grip on my right hand tightened unconsciously.

The sharp pain in my wrist made me scream, "Ouch!"

Liam did not seem to hear me.

It was eventually Christine who lunged forward to grab Liam's other hand, making him loosen his grip slowly. However, he also angrily pushed Christine away. "Who allowed you to touch me?"

Startled, Christine stammered an apology.

Liam eventually blamed it on me. "You want to borrow money? Ask Evelyn if she agrees first! All of my money is with Evelyn."

He emphasized my name with such weight that I could see the pain and struggle in Christine's eyes. The moment Christine called out my name, Liam kicked over a chair and left.

That day, I took out 300,000 dollars from my savings to lend to Christine. Though I disliked her, she did seem to be desperately in need of money. I made sure she wrote an IOU before I gave her the money.

Liam knew I disliked Christine. She was brought into his family by Liam's stepmother and was the same age as both Liam and me. When we were 19, Liam and I finally confessed our feelings for each other and started dating. No one objected to our relationship, except Christine. It was because Christine was also in love with Liam, who was only her stepbrother in name. She even confessed her feelings to Liam in front of me, saying that she wanted to elope with him and ignore societal norms. However, Liam cruelly rejected her every time.

Liam had told me countless times how much he disliked Christine and how much he despised the hypocritical mother and daughter pair. After he took over the Sommer family, he immediately kicked Christine and her mother out.

After that, I never saw Christine again. The three of us were all 24 years old that year.

Liam never told me he kept Christine somewhere else. All I knew was that Liam had been busy since Christine borrowed the money. He often worked overtime and even stayed out all night. He also grew indifferent to me. Liam and I had not even been intimate this past month. Even when he was at home, he deliberately kept a distance from me. When I asked him why, he only said he was too busy and tired. It turned out...

It was a hot day, but I had chills. Feeling nauseous, I started retching on the roadside while holding on to the telephone pole. I had no idea how I got home. The chills only faded when I soaked in the bathtub filled with warm water.

Liam called, "Evelyn, your time is up, and you didn't transfer the money to me."

I smiled wryly. It had only been four hours since Liam asked me to pay him back, and he was already eager to move in with Christine. I was silent.

Liam impatiently announced the result. "I'll come back later to get my luggage. We won't see each other for three years. Evelyn, remember this lesson. If you still want to marry me, spend the next three years in the apartment and reflect on yourself. If you realize your mistake after three years, I may consider marrying you."

I forced a smile. "Okay, got it."

Liam probably forgot what I said to him on our tenth anniversary.

I hung up the phone and sank into the water, thinking, 'Liam, you didn't keep your word.'