Once my parents left, Brian rushed straight to the bathroom.
Stifling my laughter, I went back to my room and pulled out a few of Lily’s old, revealing camisole dresses.
As I got dressed and applied makeup, I could hear their argument escalating in the living room.
“Why isn’t my shirt ironed? I need it for work tomorrow!”
“Don’t you know to separate socks and underwear when doing laundry?”
“Don’t you have your own job? Why are you asking me for pocket money?”
I slowly opened my bedroom door, deliberately raising my voice.
“Sister, brother–in–law, what are you two arguing about?”
Leaning casually against the doorframe, I was dressed in a pale yellow spaghetti–strap gown with meticulously applied makeup.
The moment Brian looked at me, I caught a glimmer of surprise in his eyes.
Ever since we got married, I had devoted all my energy to work and taking care of the household, rarely putting effort into dressing up for myself.
Noticing his unblinking stare, Lily let out an exaggerated cough, snapping Brian out of his daze.
“Why are you all dressed up? Where are you going?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
Lily rolled her eyes dramatically from the side.
I smiled faintly and replied,
“I recently met someone new at the hospital–a nice young man. We’ve planned to see a movie together.”
“No way!”
Brian’s reaction was so intense it startled Lily.
“What does your sister’s social life have to do with you?” Lily reminded him sharply.
Realizing he had overstepped, Brian scratched his head awkwardly.
“I’m just worried she might get taken advantage of, that’s all.”
I chuckled softly, not giving them a chance to say more, and turned to leave the house.
As I glanced at the reflection in the hallway mirror, I saw Brian clenching his fists tightly and Lily’s face twisted with jealousy.
I smirked inwardly and thought to myself:
The real show is just about to begin.
Just as I stepped out of the building, I heard Lila Preston’s voice behind me.
“Our Caroline looks stunning when she dresses up. Truly, a woman unburdened by marriage is the most beautiful.”
Her words made me pause, and I glanced at my reflection in the glass doors of the lobby.
She was right. For the past five years, I had poured my youth into Brian Parker, only to be repaid with utter betrayal
Lila and I headed to a nearby bar. As soon as we sat down, I handed her the lottery ticket worth ten million dollars.
“Lila, I need you to hold on to this for me,” I said.
Lila froze for a moment before carefully tucking the ticket away. She looked at me, a little uneasy.
“When do you plan on cashing this in?” she asked.
I swirled the glass in my hand, my eyes glinting with purpose as I gazed at her.
“I plan to put this ticket to good use,” I replied.
Two hours later, Lila helped me back home, my face slightly flushed from the drinks.
When Brian saw us at the door, his face immediately filled with panic.
“What are you doing together? What happened to my sister–in–law?”
Lila waved him off nonchalantly.
“I just got off work and decided to check in on Caroline. I ran into some handsome guy dropping off her sister downstairs, so I thought I’d accompany her back.”
Hearing that, Lily Eleanor rushed out in a panic, quickly pulling me onto the couch as if afraid Lila might notice something amiss.
Lily then invited Lila into the bedroom, imitating my usual demeanor as she entertained her.
Over the years, I had shared plenty of stories about Lila with my sister, and with Lila’s intentional cooperation, Lily
became even more confident in her performance.
While I pretended to rest with my eyes closed in the living room, Brian cautiously approached Lila again.
“Lila,” he began, lowering his voice, “about that friend I mentioned… you know, the one whose husband hit his head and started thinking he was someone else–do cases like that usually resolve themselves?”
Lila pretended to think deeply, letting out a theatrical sigh.
“Cases like that are rare in medicine. Usually, it takes some external stimuli to jog their memory.
If your friend is worried, they could try changing the person’s living environment. Sometimes even the smallest changes can trigger a breakthrough. But, to be honest, the chances of success aren’t very high.”
2
Hearing her spout such nonsense with a straight face, I had to fight back my laughter as I shifted on the couch.
Brian stammered, “Alright… I’ll let my friend know to give it a try.”
Suppressing a smirk, Lila walked over to me and gently massaged my temples. I slowly sat up, feigning a groggy
state.
“Lila, what are you doing here?” I asked.
Chapter 4
