Farewell to Love, Farewell to Us

Caleb Smith's best friend, Kevin Baker, calls me in a panic and tells me that Caleb has been in a terrible racing accident.

Without a second thought, I rush to the hospital and donate two pints of blood to save him.

As I walk past a hospital room, I freeze. There's Calebstanding perfectly healthy beside a hospital bed.

Kevin throws his head back and howls with laughter. "It's April Fools' Day. We actually managed to trick Winnie Jewel into donating two pints of blood. Too bad that it's useless, though. We might as well feed it to the stray dogs."

Vivian Jewel, lying in a hospital bed, looks up at Caleb. "Caleb, don't you think that's a bit much?"

A fond smile curves Caleb's lips as he replies, "I can't help it. Where does Winnie get the nerve to take your place? She should have stayed in the orphanage, but since she forced her way back into the Jewel family, she can't blame us for taking your side."

Kevin jumps in eagerly. "This year marks the eighth year since she returned to the Jewel family, and the eighth year we've been pranking her."

Their undisguised mockery spills out of the room. I pull out my phone and contact my aunt, Gianna Jewel.

"Aunt Gianna, Ive decided. Let's leave the country."

Chapter 1

Winnie Jewel's POV

After receiving my aunt, Gianna Jewel's, affirmative reply, I intended to leave, but my feet remained rooted to the spot outside the hospital room, refusing to budge.

Inside, mocking voices continued.

Caleb Smith's best friend, Kevin Baker, bragged, "Vivian, you don't know the full history of our pranks yet, do you? Let me fill you in now.

"The first April Fool's Day after Winnie returned to the family, we tricked her into believing that Caleb's company was going bankrupt and desperately needed three million dollars. She drained her entire savings and even took out a bank loan to cover it. Caleb later used that money to buy you a dress.

"The second year, we prepared the ugliest dress imaginable and told her that Caleb wanted her to wear it to a gala. She actually showed up in it. Thinking back on how everyone laughed at her still cracks me up."

Kevin laughed and continued down the list. "The third year, we told her that Caleb was exhausted from courting her and was ready to give up. She was so terrified of losing him that she immediately agreed to be his girlfriend the very next day.

"Today's prank makes eight. We just tricked her into donating two pints of blood for nothing. Just one more prank, and our perfect set of nine will be complete. Poor Caleb has had to pretend to be devoted all these years."

Caleb let out a scornful laugh. "You've been miserable with the cold lately, Vivi. If putting up with Winnie makes you happy, I don't mind the sacrifice."

Vivian Jewel straightened up, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "So, what's your plan for the ninth prank?"

"We'll pull off the ninth one at Caleb's wedding," Kevin crowed. "Just imagine it. The officiant asks, 'Caleb Smith, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?' and Caleb bellows, 'Absolutely not!' It's going to be hysterical."

Outside, I leaned against the wall and slowly slid down until I was crumpled on the floor. Pulling my knees close, I buried my face as silent sobs tore through me.

I had grown up in an orphanage. The Jewels didn't find me until I was 16.

I thought that coming home would finally mean having parents who loved me. Instead, they only cared about Vivianthe impostor who had taken my place. They were even willing to throw me out again just to keep her happy.

That was when Caleb showed up. He pursued me year after year, playing the role of the devoted admirer to perfection.

The day I finally said yes to his proposal, he burst into tears of joya reaction strikingly unlike the aloof, untouchable heir everyone knew him to be.

He had hidden the truth so well. I was so caught up in his supposed devotion that I forgotwhen Vivian was a child, my parents were constantly away on business. It was Caleb, her nominal "uncle", who had practically raised her.

So, between Vivian and me? There was never really a choice.

The door suddenly swung open. Caleb saw me huddled outside, my tear-streaked face clearly shocking him.

He rushed over and gently wiped the tears from my cheeks. "Winnie? Why are you crying? Did someone hurt you?"

I shook my head. "Kevin told me that you'd been in a racing accident"

He cut me off before I could finish speaking. "Kevin's talking nonsense again. You know you can't believe anything he says."

Relief washed over his face as he pulled me into his arms. "Seeing you cry kills me. Even though you're still beautiful when you cry, I can't bear it. Come on, let's get you home."

At that moment, his sweet talk no longer worked on me.

Chapter 2

Winnie Jewel's POV

Caleb took me back to our future home. The walls, still emblazoned with wedding decals, seemed to mock all my years of unrequited devotion.

He turned to me, his eyes as soft as ever. "Winnie, our wedding is just one week away. I still can't believe you're about to become my wife."

I desperately wanted to put on a happy face, but I couldn't even manage a stiff, fake smile.

I remembered that six months earlier, when Caleb had taken me to meet his friends to discuss possible wedding dates, Kevin had suggested that we set the date for April Fool's Day.

I hadn't understood why at the time. Only now did I realize that it had probably been part of their prank.

Caleb had dismissed the idea. He claimed not to believe in superstitions, yet he still hired a fortune teller to choose an auspicious date for us.

Looking back, I realized that he had probably planned to switch the bride at the altar. After all, Vivian's wedding deserved to be held on the perfect date.

Fortunately, his phone rang, and he stepped aside to answer it.

I couldn't hear what the caller said, but his eyes lit up. When he looked back at me, his gaze was full of practiced tenderness. "Winnie, I want to take you somewhere."

Before I could even think of refusing, he took my hand and led me to the car.

Moments later, we pulled up in front of an exclusive bridal boutique. The staff opened the doors for me and gushed enthusiastically, "Ms. Jewel, you haven't heard about it, have you? Mr. Smith's custom-designed wedding gown for you is ready."

Caleb held my hand and led me inside. In the display window stood a pink wedding dress, its enormous skirt encrusted entirely with diamonds.

The sales assistants helped me into the gown, then slowly drew back the fitting room curtain.

The moment Caleb saw me, he rushed forward, took my hand, and pressed a soft kiss to my fingers. When he looked up, a single tear slid down his cheek and fell exactly on my fingers.

"I love you."

His tender gaze made my eyes sting with unshed tears.

I wanted so badly to ask him why he had chosen to say those words that day of all days. Was it because anything spoken on April Fool's Day could be brushed off as a lie?

My lips parted, but in the end, nothing came out.

Just then, spectacular fireworks lit up the sky outside the window. He dropped to one knee, his voice deep with affection. "Winnie, will you marry me? I promise that I'll spend the rest of my life making you happy."

I nodded, accepting his proposal.

After all, nothing said on April Fool's Day counted.

After the fitting, Caleb drove us away. He opened the passenger door and placed a cushion on the seat before walking around to the driver's side.

As the heir to the Smith legacy, he had countless chauffeurs at his disposal. But because of my motion sickness, he always drove himself whenever I was in the car.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed violently on the center console. He grabbed it fast, but I still caught the contact name"Vivi".

He slammed on the brakes so hard that the tires screeched, and my head nearly slammed against the window. Before I could even ask what was happening, his panicked voice cut in. "Winnie, I need you to get out of here. Something urgent just came up at the company."

Leaving me standing on the curb, he sped off, not even sparing a thought as to whether I could catch a cab.

I watched his taillights fade into the distance until they disappeared completely. Then I pulled out my phone, only to see a post Vivian had made just ten minutes earlier.

It was captioned, "Does someone really think a few fireworks will cheer me up?"

The attached photo showed the exact fireworks I'd just watched from the bridal boutique.

I roughly wiped the tears from my face. Just minutes ago, those fireworks had made my heart flutter. However, it turned out they were meant for someone else.

I caught a cab to the beach and walked along the water, trying to pull myself together.

Suddenly, cheers erupted nearby, followed by a crowd chanting in unison, "Say yes! Say yes!"

I looked over to see a young man on one knee, roses in hand, confessing his love to a young woman.

I hadn't witnessed anything this sweet and youthful in ages. I almost smileduntil I heard a young man in the crowd mutter to his cheering girlfriend. "A confession on April Fool's Day? There's no way he's serious."

The words left me frozen. It was as if the universe were screaming the truth in my faceCaleb's love for me had been a lie.

He didn't come home that night. I found out from Vivian's social media that he had gone to the Jewel estate with her for dinner.

The photo she posted showed all four of them smiling like they were a real family.

He didn't come back until almost midnight the following night. He walked in carrying a bouquet of roses. "Winnie, you love roses, don't you? I had these flown in specially for you."

The roses in his hands looked dewy and delicate. They were clearly freshly cut.

Because I loved roses, he always brought me a bouquet after business trips to make me happy.

If anyone else had seen this scene, they would have praised him for his devotion, but I knew better. He had gifted Vivian an entire rose garden.

I managed a faint curl of my lips, carelessly set the bouquet on the table, and went straight to the bedroom.

Normally, roses could lift my whole day. This was the first time I had ever been so cold toward him.

He panicked and followed me like a lost puppy, his voice tight with worry. "Winnie, what's wrong? Are you feeling down? Or did the car make you dizzy again?"

He climbed into bed beside me and gently massaged my temples.

He had learned a set of massage techniques specifically because I often suffered from motion sickness.

I couldn't understand why anyone would go to such lengths for a prank. He was so convincing that even though I knew that it was all a lie, I still found myself drowning in the sweetness of his deception.

Chapter 3

Winnie Jewel's POV

Ever since I gave Caleb the cold shoulder yesterday, he had been taking me everywhere with himeven to the bachelor party Kevin threw for him.

The moment we stepped into the private room, my eyes immediately locked onto Kevinthe same jerk who had been maniacally laughing at me in the hospital room. Yet there he was, greeting me as if nothing had happened.

"Hey there, future Mrs. Smith!"

Before I could respond, the door swung open again. It was Vivian, walking in with a young man.

I clearly saw the malice flash in Caleb's eyes the moment they landed on the young man. His grip tightened around the whiskey glass, threatening to shatter it.

Caleb couldn't contain himself for even a second. "Vivi, why did you bring a stranger here?"

I had no interest in watching their drama unfold, so I excused myself to the restroom. To my surprise, Vivian followed me.

The moment she caught up, a smug look spread across her face. "Winnie, guess where Uncle Caleb took me the other day?"

She tapped the necklace resting against her collarbone. "He went racing and even took on the notorious Death Track just to win this for me."

She leaned in and said, "He's in love with me, Winnie. So can you stop hogging him?"

I bit back my emotions and forced the words past the lump in my throat. "Fine. You can have him back."

I turned to leave, but she grabbed my wrist. "That's not good enough."

Before I could process what was happening, she tore the necklace off her own neck and threw herself to the floor.

The crash was loud enough to bring Caleb running. When he saw Vivian sprawled unconscious on the floor and the sapphire necklace shattered nearby, he immediately jumped to a conclusion.

He turned to me, his eyes dark with rage as he snarled, "Winnie! How dare you lay a hand on her!"

His hand flew up, but he forced it back down. "Attacking someone over a necklace? Winnie, I never thought you'd stoop this low."

My eyes stung, and my voice trembled with hurt as I tried to explain, "There are security cameras in the hallway. Check the footage. You'll see exactly what happened."

I never expected Caleb to take Vivian's side so blindly.

"No matter what she did, you had no right to lay a hand on her," he snapped. "I saw Vivi grow up. I know exactly what kind of person she is. What could she possibly have done to you?"

He scooped Vivian into his arms and headed for the door. Over his shoulder, he threw out his ultimatum. "You'd better apologize to Vivi. If you don't, tomorrow's wedding is off."

The absurdity of the threat hit me so hard that I laughed, but the laughter quickly broke into uncontrollable sobs.

I went back to the private room, grabbed my bag, and left.

Ever since I donated two pints of blood at once, I had been struggling with hypoglycemia and anemia. After going without food for too long, my vision was starting to blur.

Suddenly, a car sped toward me and struck me head-on.

I was taken to the hospital, my consciousness fading in and out.

The doctor asked me to call a family member, and out of habit, I called Caleb.

After declining my call several times, he finally picked up. His voice was seething with fury. "If you come here right now and apologize to Vivi, I might let tonight's incident go. Otherwise, even if you end up dead in a ditch somewhere, you'll never see me again."

I swallowed the pain and signed the surgery consent forms myself.

As soon as the surgery was over, I went straight to the airport. I had finally made up my mind to end our relationship for good.

The next day, our wedding was set to proceed as scheduled. But just one hour before the ceremony, the bridal stylist rushed up to Caleb and panickedly said, "Mr. Smith, Ms. Jewel is missing! And she left these behind!"

The smile on Caleb's face instantly froze.