Substitute Woman

No one knew how much time had passed when Nathan, still carrying the lingering scent of perfume, lay down on the bed and naturally wrapped his arm around Wendy’s waist. He thought she had already fallen asleep, only to find their eyes meeting in the darkness. A flicker of panic flashed across Nathan’s eyes, but he was the first to speak. “Honey, someone important came back tonight and asked me to a gathering, so I had to leave in a hurry…” Uncharacteristically, Wendy didn’t pout or act spoiled. She simply nodded lightly and said in a soft voice, “When someone important invites you, of course you should go to them right away.” She turned over, facing away from Nathan and closed her eyes. A strange sense of unease crept over him. Something about Wendy’s reaction didn’t feel right, but he didn’t dwell on it, simply assuming she was sulking. Before long, he drifted into a deep sleep. However, Wendy lay wide awake the entire night, staring at the anonymous video message on her phone. In the photo, Nathan and Kyle were kissing passionately in a three-minute challenge. Early the next morning, Nathan put on his favorite suit, styling his hair meticulously in front of the mirror. His face was full of smiles as if he were about to see the girl he loved most. He glanced at Wendy, picked out an outfit for her and announced, “Honey, my friend Kyle wants to meet you. It’s her birthday today and she specifically asked me to bring you along.” Without waiting for her reply, he took her hand and pulled her toward the car, clearly in a hurry and impatient. The moment Wendy laid eyes on Kyle, her entire body stiffened. Both of them were dressed in strapless evening gowns, had a red mole on their necks, identical in size and placement. Kyle’s gaze landed precisely on that mole, her smile tinged with mockery. “What a coincidence. Your mole is exactly like mine. Our skin tone, even our bone structure, are nearly identical too!” The onlookers clearly understood what was going on. The air was thick with schadenfreude, the kind of crowd that delighted in watching drama unfold. Nathan stared at Kyle deeply and blurted out, “How could she ever compare to you?” The room fell into a momentary silence. Wendy’s face flushed crimson. Her head dropped in shame. Realizing his words had been too blunt, Nathan quickly tried to smooth things over. “Today’s Kyle’s birthday. She’s the star of the night. I didn’t mean to compare the two of you.” Kyle let out a light laugh, then casually took Wendy’s hand and led her to the wine table. She handed her a glass and said with a smile, “Wendy, thank you for taking care of Nathan all these years. You know, I probably know him best. When he drinks, he gets clingy and won’t even drink hangover soup unless it’s fed to him. When his stomach hurts, he loves curling up in my arms and acting all spoiled…” As if suddenly realizing something, she added with feigned innocence, “Oh, Wendy, Nathan and I are just like brother and sister. We’ve always been close like that. You don’t mind, do you?” Listening to Kyle’s reminiscing, Nathan’s eyes actually reddened with emotion. At that moment, he was gazing at her with unfiltered affection. Wendy’s heart ached with a dull bitterness. She let out a faint, pained smile and replied, “Anyone who didn’t know better would think you two were the real couple.” As soon as Wendy finished speaking, Kyle’s tears began to fall like broken pearls, streaming down her cheeks. She choked up, “Wendy, are you mad at me? I must’ve crossed a line... it’s all my fault for making everyone upset.” Nathan’s expression darkened. He turned to comfort her, “Kyle, there’s no need to explain anything between us. It’s your birthday today. No one should be upsetting you.” Then, for the first time, he looked at Wendy with an impatient frown and said coldly, “Wendy, aren’t you going to apologize to Kyle? If I’d known you’d be this petty, I wouldn’t have brought you.” Without giving her a chance to speak, he shoved the glass of red wine into her hand, forcing her to toast Kyle as a gesture of apology.

But he had forgotten that Wendy was severely allergic to alcohol. “Wendy, just drink this glass and we’ll let the earlier misunderstanding go. It’s Kyle’s birthday today, her happiness is the most important,” Nathan said. Wendy looked at him deeply, unable to stop herself from saying, “I’m allergic to alcohol. If I drink, it’ll cause serious problems…” Before she could finish, Kyle’s eyes once again welled with tears and Nathan cut her off impatiently, “It’s just a small glass of wine, what could possibly go wrong? Stop being so dramatic, will you? Worst case, I’ll have someone take you to the hospital afterward.” Wendy didn’t want to argue anymore. What was the point? Everyone was waiting for her to drink it, as if not drinking would make her a criminal. She shut her eyes tightly and downed the wine in one go. Only then did Nathan finally smile in satisfaction, reaching out to pat her head gently, as if offering comfort. Everyone carried on as if nothing had happened, the atmosphere at the party growing lively once more. Nathan's eyes remained fixed on Kyle, full of affection and longing. He didn’t notice that Wendy’s entire body had turned red, her face starting to swell and she was beginning to show signs of suffocation. She rushed to the restroom, trying to clear her head with cold water. When she turned around, she found Kyle leaning against the doorway, waiting for her. Kyle sneered, “You saw the kissing video I sent you last night, didn’t you? Do you know how much Nathan loves me? He even said he’d die for me. And you? You’re just a stand-in and a body double at best. Know your place and back off willingly.” She kept on taunting, but Wendy could no longer hear her clearly. An uncontrollable sense of suffocation tightened around her throat. Kyle noticed what was happening and smirked smugly. “Hahaha, you're swelling up like a pig’s head! What do you think? If I lock you in here, how long will it take for Nathan to even notice you’re gone?” Like a demon, she stepped forward and shoved Wendy hard into the restroom, slamming the door shut and locking it tight. Wendy was engulfed in unbearable pain so that she didn't even have the strength to bang on the door. She could only lean weakly against it, struggling to breathe. Meanwhile, in the hall, Nathan was being encouraged by the crowd to play a mouth-to-mouth passing game with Kyle, who had just returned from the restroom. The atmosphere between the two was charged with flirtation. Although they could’ve easily passed the item to each other, they deliberately drew it out to mimic a kiss. Their gazes lingered on each other with unmistakable intimacy. Nathan seemed to be fully immersed in the gentle allure that was Kyle. But before long, he began to grow distracted. His heart pounded uneasily in his chest, as if something was slipping away without a sound and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t grasp it. He suddenly looked up, scanning the surroundings before abruptly asking, “Where’s Wendy? Where did she run off to on her own?” The people around teased him, “Nathan, Kyle is standing right in front of you, why are you still thinking about that stand-in?” Kyle caught sight of the worry on Nathan’s face and a flicker of resentment flashed across her features. She replied breezily, “She might’ve gotten upset earlier and gone home on her own. She’s a grown woman, what could possibly happen? Let’s keep playing.” Not wanting to dampen Kyle’s mood, Nathan did his best to keep her entertained and happy. By the end of the night, both of them were drunk. Kyle twisted in his arms like a snake and he instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist. But as he held her, something felt off. For some reason, the moment his hand touched Kyle’s waist, a vivid image of Wendy came to mind, how she would lie in his arms each night, how her waist fit perfectly in his embrace. An unsettling unease grew within him. Abruptly, he pushed Kyle away and strode quickly toward the restroom. He had been keeping an eye on Wendy out of the corner of his eye all along, so he vaguely remembered. After she entered the restroom, she never came back out.

He strode quickly into the restroom, loudly calling out Wendy’s name, but there was no reply. Kyle hurried after him, trying to dissuade him. “I already told you, she probably went home. Nathan, it’s my birthday today. Don’t you want to spend more time with me? Or have you already replaced me with a new girlfriend and forgotten all about me?” Inside the locked restroom, Wendy was nearly passing out. In a daze, she vaguely heard Nathan’s voice, but when she tried to respond, she found she couldn’t make a single sound. Her throat refused to cooperate. The conversation outside fell clearly and unmistakably into Wendy’s ears. She heard Nathan’s slightly helpless response. “Kyle, don’t you know what kind of feelings I have for you? Even Wendy… is just your substitute.” Only then did Kyle smile, her voice soft as she asked, “Then now that I’m back, will you leave her and come back to me?” There was a long silence outside the door. Nathan didn’t reply right away. Then came a soft sigh from him. “Kyle… she loves me deeply. I…” He didn’t finish the sentence. But Kyle’s eyes reddened instantly. She pressed him, voice trembling. “You’ve fallen in love with her, haven’t you? Didn’t you say you’d only love me for the rest of your life? If I hadn’t gone abroad to further my studies, wouldn’t we already be married by now?” Seeing Kyle’s tears welling up in her eyes, Nathan finally relented and said helplessly, “Alright, I only love you.” Kyle suddenly kissed him. He froze for a moment but ultimately didn’t push her away. Instead, he responded to her kiss. In the quiet of the moment, a faint knock came from the bathroom door. Nathan snapped back to his senses and quickly unlocked the door. The moment he saw Wendy collapsed inside, barely conscious, his mind went blank. Her entire body was flushed red and she was on the verge of fainting. That instant, it was as if his heart seized tightly and he could no longer think straight. He scooped Wendy into his arms and rushed toward the hospital. His expression was as dark and menacing as if he were about to kill someone. The moment he saw the bathroom door had been locked from the outside, he understood that someone had deliberately trapped Wendy in there. Fortunately, her life was saved. When Wendy opened her eyes, Nathan was sitting by her bedside. The moment he saw her wake up, he quickly brought a glass of warm water to her lips. With guilt in his voice, he said softly, “I’m sorry, Honey. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have let you drink.” Wendy’s heart twinged in pain. He had witnessed her allergic reaction to alcohol before, yet in front of Kyle, it was as if he had lost all sense. Now, he was avoiding the topic of her being locked in the bathroom, but Wendy chose to confront it directly. “Nathan, it was Kyle who locked me in there. Do you believe me?” Nathan lowered his eyes, avoiding her gaze. It was obvious. He already knew Kyle was the one behind it, but he had no intention of blaming her. Wendy suddenly smiled, but all she felt was an overwhelming sense of disappointment. Nathan said in a hushed voice, “Alright, Wendy. Kyle just got back from abroad and it was her birthday that day. Could you cut her some slack? She’s just a bit childish, not a bad person.” Wendy turned her gaze to the window, hiding her tearful eyes as if that alone could help her appear more carefree and more unbothered. She would always remember what Nathan had once said, “As long as I’m here, you don’t have to back down for anyone. I’ll always be your support.” Now, it all felt like a cruel joke. The day Wendy was discharged from the hospital, Kyle came to visit her in person. Everyone knew the truth, but no one mentioned it. While Nathan stepped out to pay the hospital fees, Kyle raised her proud chin and spoke in a tone that reeked of false modesty, “You don’t actually think that just because I locked you in the bathroom and almost killed you, Nathan would blame me, do you? How ridiculous. He even comforted me afterward, saying that if anything had happened, he’d take the blame for me.”

Wendy couldn’t even be bothered to look at her. Kyle, clearly irritated by her indifference, became flustered. Her eyes flicked with a calculating glint as she grabbed a nearby glass of water and splashed it onto her own face. Then, as if making a dramatic decision, she shattered the glass and drew it across her hand. Blood quickly surfaced. With a triumphant look, she sneered, “Wendy, I’ll say you did this to me. What do you think, will Nathan believe me or not?” Wendy looked at her, completely dumbfounded. The scene felt like something out of a cliché soap opera, yet she was living it and paying the price. When Nathan returned to the room, what greeted him was the sight of Kyle soaked and tear-streaked, her hand bleeding. His expression shifted instantly. Panic flashed across his face as he rushed to her side to check her injury, his voice lowering with concern. “What happened? I was only gone a few minutes and you’re already like this?” Kyle leaned into his arms, looking pitiful and aggrieved. “Wendy is still holding a grudge over what happened on my birthday. She suddenly lost her temper, splashed water on me and even used broken glass to cut me…” Her eyes were filled with tears, making her seem incredibly pitiful at that moment. Nathan's expression turned cold in an instant. He turned to Wendy and said sternly, “Wendy, why are you so vengeful? I already told you that what happened that day wasn’t Kyle’s fault. Do you really have to hurt her over it? She’s never had to suffer any grievances since she was little. What right do you have to make her suffer? Then again, you’re an orphan, born without anyone to teach you any manners…” He suddenly stopped, as if realizing how cruel his words had become. Wendy just looked at him, looked at how easily he distrusted her, how he blamed her without distinguishing right from wrong, even using her background to hurt her. She suddenly let out a cold laugh and said icily, “Yes, I’m an orphan. I grew up lacking proper upbringing, but I’m not stupid enough to do something like that in a hospital with surveillance cameras!” Nathan was stunned for a moment. Kyle quickly clutched her hand and cried out in pain. He immediately turned to take her for treatment, striding out of the hospital room. Wendy left the hospital alone and returned to their home. She gathered up every couple’s items from the past few years and threw them all out. Right on top was a photo they had taken on the day they first got together, both of them smiling brightly, making plans for the future, even planning to get married this year. Now, those memories were nothing more than garbage. Just as she was about to head out and throw them away, she ran into Nathan coming back. His face was still cold. When he saw the things in her hands, he demanded, “What are you doing? Just because of what happened earlier, you want to throw away all our memories?” He snatched the box from her without another word and placed it back in its original spot. But Wendy didn’t care. She would be leaving soon anyway. All these memories would no longer have anything to do with her. Her feelings for Nathan would be wiped clean. He grabbed her arm and said earnestly, “Wendy, I know you have issues with Kyle, but right now, I’m your boyfriend. Can you stop being so jealous and petty all the time? Kyle is very important to me. I hope you can be more tolerant of her.” Wendy closed her eyes, feeling suffocated. It was that same line again, be more tolerant of her. She couldn’t help but retort, “Why should I always be the one to tolerate her? And how could you wrongfully accuse me without even checking the facts? Is it really that hard to look at the security footage?” Nathan’s expression turned completely cold as he stared into Wendy’s eyes. “Kyle and I have been childhood lovers for over ten years. I trust her.” That single sentence “I trust her” shattered every last defense Wendy had. It became clear that both love and its absence were painfully apparent. She quickly lowered her head, afraid her cheap tears would be seen. In the next moment, Nathan’s phone rang. It was a call from one of his close friends.

“Nathan, you’d better get over here fast! Someone dosed Kyle with an aphrodisiac and now she’s going crazy, screaming she needs to see you! Looks like she really needs a man to help her ‘detox’!” Veins popped on Nathan’s forehead as he growled coldly, “Find out who drugged her and break their hand. Dare to touch my people? They must be tired of living.” He strode quickly toward the door, glancing at Wendy and saying offhandedly, “I’ve been drinking and can’t drive. You take me.” When they arrived at the bar, Kyle’s face was flushed unnaturally red. The moment she saw Nathan, she slithered over to him like a water snake, clinging to him. She kept writhing, hands roaming all over his body. Everyone nearby looked toward Wendy, standing just behind Nathan, their expressions awkward. Nathan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, a hint of desire flickering in his eyes. Suddenly, he scooped Kyle into his arms and stuffed her into the car, then told Wendy to drive them home. As soon as they entered the house, Kyle immediately began stripping off her clothes one piece at a time, gasping that she was hot, lifting her face toward Nathan, begging for a kiss. Wendy stood still for a moment before speaking up, her voice calm, “I’ll step outside for some air. Take good care of her.” She walked out the door and sat down weakly on the steps, choosing to torture herself by listening to the sounds inside. Inside, Nathan’s voice came out hoarse. “You little troublemaker, who told you to go drinking at a bar? Now that you’ve been drugged, you come running to me?” “Nathan, I want you… Please, help me, okay? Touch me, my body’s so hot…” The sound of their breathless kissing grew more intense. Outside, Wendy sat motionless at the door until she suddenly heard the crash of glass falling to the ground. Then came Nathan’s quieter voice as if he’d finally snapped out of it. “Alright, I’ll get you some cold water to cool off. You need to calm down… Wendy will be back soon, we can’t do this here…” The door suddenly swung open and Wendy found herself face-to-face with Nathan. He blurted out, “Why are you sitting out here?” Frowning, he added, “You don’t trust me with Kyle? Nothing happened between us, alright? Go inside and give her a cold shower. I’ll step out for a bit.” Wendy staggered to her feet. Kyle, still inside, glared at her with eyes full of hatred, completely lucid, not at all like someone under the influence. Then, in a sickeningly sweet voice, she said, “Nathan, it’s not like we haven’t slept together before. I’ve already been drugged, why not be my antidote one more time? Wendy won’t mind, will she?” Nathan's expression shifted subtly. He instinctively glanced at Wendy to gauge her reaction, only to see her face calm and composed as if she didn't care at all about his past with Kyle. For a moment, he felt suffocated. Feigning a casual tone, he chuckled and said, “Yeah, Wendy, I’ll be Kyle’s antidote. You surely won’t mind, right?” Though Wendy had mentally prepared herself, hearing Nathan say those words aloud still made her sway slightly. But she quickly regained her composure. With a gentle and understanding smile, she replied, “Of course I won’t. You two grew up together, done everything together and clearly can still do anything. Just being her antidote once more? Why would I care?” As soon as the words left her mouth, Nathan’s face darkened like a storm. He stared hard at her, trying to read her expression, then nearly growled through clenched teeth. “Wendy, you said that.” He strode over and shoved Wendy out the door, slamming it shut with a loud bang. The force of it stirred a fine layer of dust from the doorframe, settling it onto her face. She finally couldn’t hold back anymore. The tears she had been bottling up came pouring down in heavy drops. How could she possibly not care? After so many years together, thousands of days and nights entangled with each other, in countless late nights, she had fallen asleep in Nathan’s arms. They had become so entwined in each other’s lives as if they were already one.

She suddenly recalled the promises they once made, their plans to visit Zurich, Venice and Jeju Island after the wedding. Back then, Nathan had carefully mapped out their future, telling her with unwavering seriousness, “Wendy, you’ll always be a part of my future.” She wasn’t as carefree as she liked to believe. It still hurt. But she was already trying to pull herself away. Letting the tears fall freely, she told herself. ‘When the day comes that love is auctioned off like a discarded item, I’ll finally be able to forget Nathan completely and walk away with nothing but peace.’ She didn’t know how much time had passed before the door creaked open. Nathan stood there in a bathrobe, looking down at her from above. “Wendy, do you even have a heart?” he asked coldly. “I just slept with another woman and you don’t care at all?” Wendy hurriedly stood up, flustered. Her legs were numb from crouching too long and she stumbled a bit. Nathan instinctively caught her in his arms. Still, she remained expressionless. His jaw clenched. He forced out a cruel laugh and sneered, “Since you’re so generous, how about going out and buying me some condoms? The more the better. I’m worried I won’t be able to stop once I get started!” After saying that, he waited for Wendy to get angry, to curse at him or slap him. But instead, she simply nodded calmly, then turned and left to buy condoms for him. He stared blankly at Wendy’s thin and fragile back, a sharp ache piercing through his heart. Suddenly, he punched the wall with such force that his hand bled, but he didn’t care at all. Inside the room, Kyle watched the scene intently. Seeing Nathan subconsciously testing Wendy, she felt a tightness in her chest, a creeping sense of insecurity beginning to rise. During all that time earlier, Nathan had thoughtfully prepared cold water for her, even laid out clean underwear, yet he hadn't touched her at all. She finally understood. Even asking Wendy to go buy condoms was merely to provoke her, to try and get a reaction out of her. She heard footsteps approaching and rushed to the door, tiptoeing to press a sudden kiss on Nathan’s lips while stripping off all her clothes. She thought confidently. ‘Isn't it my body that Nathan loved the most?’ Sure enough, once she was bare, Nathan didn’t push her away. Instead, he stared at her intently, even reaching out instinctively to touch the red birthmark on her neck. When Wendy walked in, what she saw was a completely naked Kyle and a gentle, intimate Nathan caressing her. In that moment, she felt as if she’d been nailed to the spot, her blood rushing in reverse. This was what it felt like to witness Nathan baring himself to another woman with her own eyes. The moment Nathan saw Wendy, it was as if he finally snapped back to reality. The laughable part was when his hand touched the red birthmark on Kyle’s neck, the person in his mind was actually Wendy. It was absurd. All along, Wendy had merely been a stand-in for Kyle’s body. He pinched the space between his brows, feeling as if something was silently shifting inside him. As he stared at Wendy obediently handing over the condoms she had bought, he didn’t take them. He simply stared at her coldly. Wendy felt as if her entire body were ablaze, the pain unbearable. She still couldn’t act like an outsider, nor could she bear watching them commit such a shameful act. Suddenly, she shoved the plastic bag into Nathan’s arms and fled in near panic. She no longer cared about the reaction of those behind her. She walked alone down the street in the dead of night. The temperature was below freezing, her body was cold, yet nothing could compare to the chill in her heart. Tomorrow was the day of the emotional auction, the moment she would finally leave this place for good. Nearly all the prominent figures in town would attend the auction, including Nathan. In the early hours of the morning, Wendy’s phone was flooded with a series of provocative photos from Kyle. Nathan was asleep, red marks dotting his neck, his bathrobe hanging loosely open. And Kyle, completely nude, was lying across his chest, the image of a pair of intimate lovers.

"Wendy, you're such a joke. Who would've thought you'd one day personally buy condoms for me and Nathan? We did it for three whole hours. He touched me over and over, saying how lucky he was to have me back, that he no longer wanted to mourn me through a substitute. Tomorrow, he's taking me to the emotional auction too. He'll buy anything I want for me. And you? You’re wandering some street corner right now. How pitiful you are!" Perhaps muddled by the lateness of night, Kyle continued to speak without restraint, "If I hadn't gotten bored abroad, I wouldn’t even bother stealing your man. But snatching him from your hands? That felt good. Men overseas are all fickle. Only he… that foolish man waited for me, over and over hurting you because of me. Watching you get falsely accused without being able to explain yourself is hilarious." Wendy slowly put down her phone without replying. Expressionless, she blocked both Kyle and Nathan’s contacts, then arrived early at the emotional auction and extracted all her feelings for Nathan. In that instant, she felt a profound sense of relief as if all the struggles, hesitation and pain she had endured over those years vanished from her mind in a flash. When she thought of Nathan again, there wasn’t even the slightest ripple in her heart. It was as if he were merely someone she knew, with whom she had never shared any emotional entanglement. As part of her wish, the bank manager would send Wendy to a scenic island, where she would never have to worry about food or clothing again and where she would be nearly impossible to find. When the auction began, Nathan entered with Kyle at his side. He had called Wendy countless times, wanting to tell her that he hadn’t touched Kyle, but every call went unanswered. It was then he realized he had already been blocked. A strange and unshakable panic clung tightly to Nathan. Beside him, Kyle gently reminded him that the auction was starting. As he looked up, his entire body froze in place. On the stage, a montage of his memories with Wendy began playing. The auctioneer’s voice narrated calmly, “Item up for bid: Wendy. Auctioned item: her love. After the auction is completed, Ms. Sullivan will feel no emotional fluctuations toward this relationship, as if she had never experienced it at all. The person who purchases this love will assume her perspective and feel all the joys, sorrows and heartaches she once went through.”