Of All Sorrows, Love Is the Deepest

Despite being married for five years, Nicholas Shaffer and Karina Fleming have never registered their marriage officially.

Nicholas keeps telling Karina that he's too caught up with work, so he can't squeeze out any time from his busy schedule. He also claims that a marriage certificate is optional.

Unfortunately, Karina believes his lies. But everything ends today when she witnesses Nicholas and her older sister, Rowena Fleming, who has gone missing for five years, emerging from the city hall together after they have registered their marriage.

With red-rimmed eyes, Rowena rushes into Nicholas' arms, her marriage certificate still clutched in her hand.

"It was my fault for abandoning you at the altar back then, Nicholas," she says in a choked-up tone. "I know you only agreed to register our marriage because of my cancer. But I still want to ask you a question…

"Have you truly forgotten about me and fallen in love with Karina after all these years?"

Nicholas Shaffer stayed silent for a long time, so long that Karina Fleming dug her nails into her palm, drawing faint traces of blood.

"No," he finally said, his voice low and firm. "Never."

Rowena Fleming's tears instantly gave way to a radiant smile, and she rose on her toes to kiss his lips. Nicholas' hand hovered in the air for a moment before slowly settling at her waist as he deepened the kiss.

Standing not far away, Karina felt as though her world had shattered in that instant.

If Nicholas had never forgotten Rowena, then what did that make Karina?

A harsh blare of car horns snapped Karina back to reality. Trembling, she turned her head and saw three black Maybachs parked by the roadside. The three Fleming brothers, dressed in crisp suits, stepped out of the vehicles.

"All done with the marriage license?" one of them asked. "We've already booked a restaurant to celebrate."

Karina's entire body shook.

These were the same brothers who had personally made her breakfast just this morning.

"Clarence! Irving! Luther!" Rowena cried. She rushed forward and threw herself into their arms. "I thought you'd never acknowledge me again."

The three brothers exchanged a glance, their expressions complex. In the end, it was Luther who gently ruffled her hair. "Idiot, since you were little, haven't we always been the ones cleaning up your mess every time you cause trouble?"

Rowena smiled through her tears. She linked arms with her brothers just like she did when she was little.

The four of them got into the car happily. No one noticed Karina standing across the street, her face deathly pale.

It wasn't until the convoy disappeared from view that Karina staggered, bracing herself against a tree. The rough bark scraped her arm, but it was nothing compared to the searing pain in her heart.

Ever since they were kids, Rowena had been the one everyone adored. They were twins, yet in the eyes of their three brothers, only Rowena ever seemed to exist.

When Karina lay