My Boyfriend Took Me as a Substitute

I uncovered a secret about my boyfriend Warren. He was not the perfect lover.

I was merely a substitute for his love.

But what they didn't know was that I had a debt to settle with them.

I had been dating Warren for six months. He had disguised himself well, making me believe he was a truly good man.

He would give me several thousand dollars each week, bring me new handbags and new shoes, and accompany me on shopping sprees for various new clothes.

He would hold me and whisper sweet nothings in my ear, saying, "I really love you."

Warren was a qualified boyfriend.

If only he hadn't treated me like a stand-in for someone filthy.

Hidden deep within Warren's phone gallery was a photo I stumbled upon unintentionally.

It depicted a beautiful girl with long hair, lying on the bed in Warren's home. Her clothes were disheveled, and there were several ambiguous red marks on her fair neck.

There was something inexplicably familiar about the girl's eyes and brows.

After a long look, I realized her eyes and her demeanor were very similar to mine.

I locked Warren's phone screen and pretended I hadn’t seen anything.

After all, with the thousands of dollars he gave me each week to spend, it wasn’t worth squabbling over with him.

Waiting for Warren to come out of the restroom, he told me,

"I have something to do tonight, so I can't accompany you to buy a handbag."

I asked him, "What could be more important than going with me to buy a handbag?"

Warren, toweling his hair dry, replied, "My sister is sick. I need to buy her some medicine."

"Your sister?"

Warren paused in his toweling, saying, "Well, sort of a foster sister."

He asked me, "Would you like to come over for dinner at my place tomorrow? My parents will be there."

I was quite interested in meeting Warren's parents and agreed.

At the Buckland family dinner table, I saw the long-haired girl from Warren's phone gallery.

She looked innocent and beautiful, like an angel.

I felt Warren unconsciously tighten his grip on my hand, his voice hoarse as he called out to the girl,

"Amy."

She was Warren's foster sister, Amy.

Amy gently greeted both me and Warren. Warren pulled me to sit beside Amy.

Mrs. Buckland wasn't too fond of me, her attitude cold, but she was very kind to Amy, helping her with food.

"You're weak. Remember to take your medicine after dinner."

Amy, resigned, said, "Mom, I do take my medicine on time. Don't always treat me like a child."

Warren, caring towards his foster sister, chimed in, "You need to take the medicine the doctor prescribed on time."

Mr. Buckland commented, "You've been abroad so long and still haven't recovered, surely because you didn't take your medicine on time."

Amy playfully scolded, "Dad! Warren! Nicola is here. Don't nag me in front of her."

Seeing Amy mention me, Mrs. Buckland reluctantly said a few words,

"It's your first visit to our home. Eat up. The food prepared by our maid is rather bland. You’ll just have to make do."

I was indifferent, shoveling food into my mouth. "Thank you, Mrs. Buckland."

Mrs. Buckland frowned and parted her lips to speak but ended up saying nothing.

I picked a piece of fish, picking out the bones. Seeing my enthusiasm, Amy also took a piece of fish.

Warren plucked the bones from a piece of fish in his bowl and placed it on Amy's plate. "Eat this. I've just removed the fish bones."

Then he took the piece of fish from Amy's plate on his own.

Casting a glance, I noted how he even picked out the bones for her. My own brother, when he was alive, hadn't treated me this well.

Could this foster sister be the unspoken love hidden deep in Warren’s heart?