3 Years by His Hospital Bed, He Chose Her

Chapter 1

I developed mutism as a result of childhood trauma.

My parents, ashamed of my condition, forced me to marry my sister Olivia's fiancé, Ethan, who was in a coma at the time, in her place.

For three years, I devoted myself to caring for him.

Then, one day, Ethan miraculously woke up.

But the first thing he did after regaining consciousness was demand a divorce.

He mistook me for Olivia, the one who had cared for him all this time, and said he would marry no one but her.

Later, I overheard his best friend telling him the truth, that it had been me who had been there for him through everything.

Ethan, however, just smiled and shrugged. "I knew all along," he said, "but my wife can't be mute."

I was completely shattered. Devastated, I turned to hypnotherapy in an attempt to suppress the painful memories and find a cure for my mutism.

When I finally woke up from the therapy, I looked at the man sitting by my hospital bed in confusion and asked, "Who are you?"

The man froze, panic flashing across his face.

....

Ethan had been in a coma for three years. When he finally woke up, I was the first person he saw, but his eyes were filled with disappointment.

I didn't catch the disappointment. I was too overjoyed to notice. I helped him sit up and immediately shared the good news in our friends' group chat.

Before long, the hospital room was packed with people.

And there I was, the wife who had cared for Ethan all these years, pushed to the corner, completely ignored.

Olivia showed up late, dressed in a stunning blue evening gown, as if she had just come from a party.

Ethan took her hand, his eyes red and filled with emotion. "Honey, you've been through so much these three years," he said, his voice breaking.

The room went dead silent. Everyone froze.

I stood there, awkwardly fidgeting with my clothes, unable to speak up for myself.

All because of my mutism.

One of Ethan's friends awkwardly spoke up, "Ethan, Rachel is your wife."

Ethan's brow furrowed immediately. His gaze turned cold as he looked at me, as if I were standing between him and Olivia.

I had always known Ethan was in love with Olivia.

They were supposed to get married, but then the car accident happened, and he fell into a coma. Olivia didn't want to marry someone in a vegetative state and cried to my parents. When I found out it was Ethan, I agreed to marry him in Olivia's place.

Little did I know, after three years of caring for him, this would be the outcome.

I quickly pulled out my phone, trying to type out an explanation, but Olivia pushed my phone down.

She gave me a fake smile. "Sister, Ethan just woke up. He probably can't handle too much information right now. Why don't you step out for a bit?"

Sensing the tension in the room, the others made excuses and slowly began to leave.

Once the door closed, Olivia broke into fake tears and threw herself into Ethan's arms, as though she had suffered a great injustice.

"Ethan, you're finally awake. I've waited for you for so long…"

My chest tightened, and my hand trembled as I gripped the doorknob.

After what felt like an eternity, Olivia wiped her tears and opened the door.

I stepped inside cautiously, only for a glass to shatter at my feet.

"Rachel, you really went to great lengths to marry me!" Ethan shouted, his voice dripping with disdain. "Using such underhanded tactics, aren't you ashamed?"

Glass shards flew and cut my leg, but the pain didn't compare to the ache in my heart.

Ethan had been my childhood friend, the only one who never judged me for my mutism, the one who encouraged me to get treatment. But the moment Olivia came into the picture, he was drawn to her.

The boy who once promised to marry me had slowly fallen for her.

Now, I was nothing but the villain who stood in the way of their love.

I tried to use sign language, but then I remembered, he couldn't understand it. I shakily pulled out my phone to type out an explanation.

But Olivia was quicker. She knocked the phone out of my hand, and it hit the floor with a thud, the screen immediately going black.

"Sister, please, just let us be together!" she said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness.

I stood there, stunned. Aside from my sign language, my phone was my only way to communicate with anyone.

And now, I couldn't even defend myself.

I shook my head in desperation, but the truth was, the world is cruel, especially to those who can't speak.