My Ten-Year Devotion Was Just His Shield

My seventy-year-old grandma, Evelyn, died on the operating table. Overcome with guilt, Julian stabbed himself in the abdomen right at her funeral. To care for him and handle Grandma’s arrangements, I didn't close my eyes for three days and nights. Yet, just because he whispered that he wanted some famous bone broth from Marley’s Diner, I ran across half the city to get it. But when I returned to the hospital, I overheard him talking to his friend Marcus just outside the VIP ward. "Julian, you were way too brutal on yourself. That stab wound went straight through your kidney. You only have one left now." "Grandma was the one who raised Maya and me," Julian replied, his voice strained. "And she died on my own operating table. Giving up a kidney is my way of begging her for forgiveness." "But why go to such extremes? If you hadn't left Grandma’s side right after opening her skull just to rush off and save Chloe Bennett’s grandmother, Grandma Evelyn might still be alive." Marcus sighed. "And it’s been three days. Chloe hasn't even come to see you once. Was your sacrifice really worth it? If Maya ever finds out the truth, her heart will shatter." Julian lowered his eyes, looking utterly desolate. "Chloe only has her grandmother left. I couldn't let her be left all alone in this world. As for me... I’m damaged goods now. I don't deserve to dream of a future with Chloe anymore." "What about Maya?" "I’ll marry her. I’ll take care of her for Grandma. Spending the rest of my life making it up to her should be enough, right?" Tears rolled down my cheeks silently. The scalding bone broth spilled over my hands, but all I felt was a freezing, numbing cold. It turned out that both love and family affection could be faked so perfectly. Marcus looked uneasy. "But you secretly used the Alzheimer’s miracle drug that you and Maya spent years developing. What if she finds out?" "That batch was supposed to be sent for clinical testing anyway. I’ll just tell her later that it failed the quality check. She won't suspect a thing." "Also... arrange a vasectomy for me. I don't want any woman bearing my children except Chloe." Marcus’s pupils dilated. "Are you insane? You’re giving up your chance to have a family just for Chloe Bennett?" "Even if you don't want kids, what about Maya? You know how much she loves kids. She volunteers at the orphanage every weekend! How can you strip away her right to be a mother?" Julian paused, and his next words were even colder. "Maya has chased after me for ten years. Agreeing to marry her is already the greatest charity I can offer. When the time comes, just write me a fake medical report saying she's the one who's infertile." "As long as she thinks it’s her fault, she'll just blame herself. She won't badger me for children." Hearing Marcus’s footsteps approaching the door, I forced myself to stay calm. I knelt down on the floor, frantically cleaning up the spilled broth. Seeing my disheveled state, Julian struggled to get out of bed. He even yanked the IV drip right out of the back of his hand. "Maya, stop. Let the janitor clean that up. Look at your hands, they’re completely burned." "When you’re hurt, it hurts me even more. Let me blow on it." His eyes were filled with such deep, tender affection that I couldn't spot a single flaw. Even as his wound reopened, staining his hospital gown with fresh blood, he didn't seem to care. If this had happened before, I would have been moved to tears by his touch. I would have given him the world if he asked. But knowing that he risked his entire career and stole our drug just for Chloe made my stomach turn. "Julian, will you come with me to see Grandma one last time?" After today, Grandma would be cremated, reduced to a handful of ashes. Before she passed, she always said her happiest wish was to see Julian and me get married. I had already lost Grandma. I couldn't lose Julian too. But right then, Julian’s phone buzzed. "Julian! Grandma woke up! She remembered me!" Chloe's weeping, ecstatic voice echoed through the speaker. "I’m so sorry... I’m just so happy. I forgot how painful it must be for you to lose Grandma Evelyn." "Julian, if you and Professor Cooper are hurting, I’m willing to give up my own life to pay for Grandma Evelyn’s." Julian scolded her gently, "Don't say that. Evelyn was already a burden. You and your grandmother are the most important people in my life." Julian's voice was as soft as a spring breeze, yet it ran like ice through my veins. Grandma Evelyn had raised Julian and me, two orphans, all by herself. She had spent decades scouring dumpsters, collecting cans, and living off food stamps just to feed us. In her old age, she developed Alzheimer's. For her sake, in his senior year of high school, Julian gave up his beloved physics. I followed in his footsteps, switching my major from humanities to science, just so we could enter medical school together for Grandma. Over the years, as her condition worsened, we never stopped our research. Just a few months ago, we finally developed a breakthrough drug to treat Alzheimer's. Combined with surgery, it had a sixty percent success rate. Julian was the top neurosurgeon in this field. Grandma... Grandma should have been cured. Even if she couldn't be fully cured, we had the money now to make sure her remaining years were comfortable. A burden! The Grandma who Julian once knelt before investors to get funding for—he now called her a burden. "Maya, why are you crying?" "Are you feeling sick somewhere?" I grabbed his hand before he could press the call button, asking him one last time, "You’ll be there for Grandma’s funeral tomorrow, right?" "She loved you the most. She always gave you the biggest portions of food." "She didn't have a son. You need to carry her urn." Julian pulled me into his arms, promising solemnly, "I’m her boy. I will definitely be there to send her off on her final journey." I stared into his eyes. Julian, can I still believe you?The day of Grandma’s funeral, the city experienced its worst rainstorm in fifty years. Rain mixed with my tears as I watched the cemetery staff place Grandma’s ashes into a small, cold stone niche. I watched them seal it. I watched them engrave the words letter by letter. Evelyn Vance’s Grave. Beloved Grandson: Julian Vance. Beloved Granddaughter: Maya Cooper. My emotions completely collapsed. I called Julian's phone over and over. On the fifty-sixth call, he finally answered. "Maya, if it’s not an emergency, let’s talk later. I have a patient here who needs an urgent scan." He hung up in a hurry, but he forgot to disconnect the call. Through the static, Chloe’s voice drifted over clearly. "Julian, my grandma just had a small fall. You should really go to Grandma Evelyn’s funeral." "She’s old. What if she fractured something? The dead are gone, Julian. We must cherish the living." "Grandma Evelyn loved me. She won't blame me for keeping you here." Hearing their intimate whispers, my legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the wet mud. "Grandma, Julian loves Chloe. What should I do?" Rainwater filled my mouth. After crying myself dry, I tried to convince myself again. Julian is just temporarily blinded. I’m his childhood sweetheart. We grew up together. He was the one who bought me pads when I was a clueless teenager. He was the one who held me through the cold, lonely nights when we were poor. If Julian stayed by my side, I could guide him back. When I got home, I went to Grandma’s room to pack her things, but I noticed Julian’s bedroom door was slightly ajar. I walked into his room—a place he had strictly forbidden me from entering. The walls were covered with photos of Chloe. The floor was littered with love letters, and women’s clothes were scattered across his bed. Finally, I understood why he never wanted to touch me, even though I was his girlfriend. "Maya, I have severe OCD and a phobia of physical intimacy. Are you willing to have a platonic relationship with me?" I had blindly followed him for ten years. I believed him. I agreed. The man I didn't dare to touch with even a finger was kissing Chloe in front of cameras all over the country. Each photo had a date. The very first one was dated on the exact day Julian and I officially became a couple. My body went completely numb. With trembling hands, I opened the letters he had written but never sent. “Chloe, my sweet girl. Loving you as your professor is a sin, but I cannot control my dark desires. I had to have you. I am so sorry.” “To protect you, I’ve decided to date Maya publicly. She is a guest lecturer at the university. With her as our shield, no one will look at us or suspect our relationship. To make it up to you, I’ll take you to the beach this summer.” I had begged Julian countless times to take Grandma and me to the beach. Grandma had once told me, while secretly clutching her savings, that her only son had drowned at sea while saving someone. Her biggest wish before she died was to see the ocean where her son was buried. But when I brought it up, Julian had snapped at me for being immature. "The beach is crowded and people wear next to nothing. You know I have a germ aversion. What if someone touches me and triggers my anxiety?" "Besides, what if Grandma wanders off? Can you take responsibility for that?" It wasn't that he couldn't go. It wasn't his OCD. He just didn't want to go with me. He had never loved me. My ten years of devotion were nothing but a tragic joke. The last letter Julian wrote was dated on the day Grandma died. “Chloe, Grandma died because no other surgeon could take over her operation in time. But don't be afraid. I will bury this secret forever. I will use my life to repent to Grandma by marrying Maya. We are star-crossed lovers, but I will do everything in my power to secure your future.” Inside the large envelope was a property deed under Chloe’s name and several bank transfer receipts. He gave her millions without blinking. Yet, when I asked him for a few thousand dollars to hire a 24-hour caregiver for Grandma, he made me beg for it in installments. Tears poured down my face. Grandma, was it really worth it for you to keep his secrets?Grandma’s room was filled with old newspapers and plastic bottles she had a habit of collecting. On her nightstand, I found Julian's old high school notebook. Grandma only had an elementary school education. Her handwriting was shaky and crooked. “Remember Julian. My boy.” “Julian. My boy.” “My boy.” Every page was filled with Grandma’s desperate struggle to remember Julian as her mind slipped away. On the very last page, there was a photo of Grandma and her late son. I put the photo in my bag. Just as I was about to leave, Julian called. "Maya, bring a clean set of clothes to the hospital for me. Underwear too." His voice was tired but satisfied. What had happened between him and Chloe in the hospital was painfully obvious. I clenched my phone, whispering to myself over and over that it didn't matter anymore. When I reached the ward, Chloe blocked my way. She stood there, arrogant and smug. "Professor Cooper, Julian is exhausted. You should come back later." "I don't need to go in. Just give him these clothes." My flat tone seemed to trigger her. "Maya, stop pretending you don't care! Seeing me so close to Julian must be driving you insane with jealousy, right?" "Oh, you probably don't know. When your grandma was on the operating table, I lied to Julian. I told him my own grandma had wandered off and was missing. That’s why he left right after opening your grandma's skull." "In his heart, you and your grandma don't even make up a fraction of my worth." Chloe smirked, pointing to the hickeys on her neck. "So what if Julian marries you? You’re just a shield to protect us from a scandal. If he didn't worry that a student-teacher relationship would ruin my future, do you think he would have ever accepted your confession three years ago?" Rage flared inside me, and I slapped her hard across the face. She deliberately threw herself backward, knocking her own grandmother’s wheelchair over in the process. The door swung open, and Julian walked out. "Julian! Professor Cooper said it’s our fault Grandma Evelyn died! She... she wants us to pay with our lives!" Chloe sobbed hysterically as she pulled her grandmother up, touching the back of the old woman's head. "Julian! Blood! Grandma is bleeding!" Julian’s eyes turned red with fury. He raised his hand and slapped me across the face so hard that my vision blurred. I held my burning cheek, unable to believe that the second time he had ever touched me was to avenge Chloe. "Julian! She threw herself down! It had nothing to do with me!" Tears filled my eyes as I pointed to the security camera at the end of the hallway. "If you don't believe me, check the cameras!" "Professor Cooper is right," Chloe sobbed, clinging to Julian. "If I hadn't appeared in front of her, she wouldn't have hit me. I wouldn't have fallen, and Grandma wouldn't have been hurt. It's all my fault!" Julian lifted Chloe’s grandmother back onto the wheelchair, glaring at me like I was his worst enemy. "Maya, you’re insane! Grandma Evelyn died because of a surgical failure. How can you blame an innocent girl?" "And if you’re going to lie, at least make up a believable story! This is Chloe’s grandmother. How could she possibly hurt her own family?" In his rush to wheel the old woman to the emergency room, Julian didn't even steer around me. He pushed the heavy wheelchair straight over my hands as I lay on the floor. He knew I had a critical experiment scheduled for tomorrow. As a fellow professor, he knew better than anyone how much precision and hand stability were required to handle those delicate chemical reagents. We were so close to finalizing the safe version of the drug! Julian, did ten years of love really mean nothing to you? I huddled on the cold floor, nursing my bruised hands. Finally, I dragged myself up, placed the clothes and the old photo on Julian’s bed, and left a sticky note on his bedside table. “Read Grandma’s journal.” To clear my head and escape his presence, I packed my bags and moved into the university dorms. My research assistant came to find me, looking panicked. She told me that the previous batch of the drug Julian used on Grandma had severe chemical flaws. Several lab mice had died of organ failure over the past few weeks. My worst fears had come true. That was why I had delayed Grandma's surgery—the drug wasn't ready. But Julian had gone behind my back and used it anyway. Fortunately, I had sent multiple samples of the drug for testing. The results all confirmed the compound was highly toxic and unstable. For the next two months, I locked myself in the lab, working day and night until I finally successfully synthesized a safe, stable alternative compound. When I finally stepped out of the lab, I checked my phone. There was no missed call from Julian. Not a single one. For two whole months, he hadn't even checked if I was alive. It’s time to let go, Maya. He doesn't care about you. I let out a long sigh and called back the only missed call on my phone—it was from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders. After accepting their offer to join their research team, the university dean invited me to give one final lecture on campus. I agreed. During the lecture, I projected my unpublished research paper onto the screen. But before I could even finish my opening remarks, a student stood up with a microphone and shouted, "Professor Cooper! You’re a thief! How can you steal your own student's research and present it as your own?" "Have you run out of talent? Is that why you have to resort to plagiarism?" "You don't deserve to be a professor! Get off the stage!" My assistant ran up and handed me her laptop. My exact paper had already been published on a major medical journal website a month ago. The authors listed were Chloe Bennett and Marcus. The students in the lecture hall, fueled by outrage, started throwing plastic bottles and trash at the stage. Just as a heavy thermos was about to hit my face, Julian suddenly rushed on stage and shielded me, taking the blow to his shoulder. "Stop it! Maya would never plagiarize! She’s just been too busy lately and uploaded the wrong file!" "Wrong file? Professor Vance, are you trying to cover for your girlfriend? Look at the dates! The paper was published under Chloe’s name a month ago!" "If Chloe hadn't submitted this paper early, she would have lost her chance to secure her Ivy League PhD fellowship!" "But... with Maya’s reputation, why would she need to plagiarize a student?" "Professor Vance, if she didn't plagiarize, why are you hesitating?" Julian's stuttering defense only made me look more guilty. I realized then that he had planned this. "Julian, you did this, didn't you?" I had forgotten to change my Google Drive password over the last two months. To get Chloe that Ivy League fellowship, he actually stole my life’s work. Julian looked at me with no remorse. "You caused Chloe’s grandmother to get fifteen stitches. Giving up a paper is the least you can do to compensate her." "Don't worry, Maya. Even if your reputation is ruined, I will still marry you." "I truly want to spend the rest of my life with you." I let out a bitter laugh. "To protect a pathological liar, you ruined my career, and you call that a good life? You really are heartless." "Julian, you’re the one who abandoned Grandma on the operating table and killed her. Do you really think you deserve a good life?"