Love Is a Silent Avalanche

1
My father planned to ally with two top generals by marrying my sister and me to their sons.
The moment General Thorne’s only son Adrian entered our home, his eyes fixed on my sister Rosalind.
My match was Ken Vance—paralyzed for years and disowned by his family.
In my past life, seeing Ken’s shrapnel scars and war-traumatized eyes, I felt for him. I devoted myself entirely, traveling far to find him the best doctors and using my full dowry to help him rebuild his empire from scratch. He rarely showed affection, but I believed patience would melt his cold heart.
Yet at my birthday party, insurgents raided to take hostages. The "paralyzed" man sprang from his wheelchair and shoved me into their hands.
Knocked unconscious and abducted, I endured three days of unspeakable torture, praying for his rescue. Instead, I learned he was using all his connections to find doctors for Rosalind’s minor injuries.
I finally realized: he’d never been crippled or disowned. He’d only married me because Rosalind chose someone else—our marriage let him stay close as family to protect her.
Before I died, he called, his voice icy: “I’m sorry, Clara. I lied. But I couldn’t let Rosalind die. What I owe you… I’ll repay in the next life.”
When I opened my eyes, I was back on the day father told us to choose our husbands.
…
“Clara should choose first. She’s younger and needs a more distinguished partner,” my sister, Rosalind, said, her voice a careful performance of magnanimity, just like the last time.
But the way her eyes clung to Adrian Thorne told the real story. Their gazes were so intense they were practically a physical connection. Everyone knew they’d been secretly seeing each other for ages. And today, I knew my father intended to betroth Adrian to her.
In my past life, I was completely oblivious. All I could think about was the bond my sister and I had shared since we were children. So, I willingly chose Ken.
I thought I was doing a noble thing, stepping aside for their love. I had no idea I was choosing an eternity in hell.
Before I died, I was tortured for three days, my body broken, every bone shattered. Ken never once thought of saving me. The world-class medical team he assembled was busy hovering over Rosalind, who had nothing more than a few light scratches on her hand.
She’d curled into his arms, her voice a delicate whimper. “Ken! It hurts so much! You have to save Clara! It’s all my fault, I never should have competed with her for you…”
People around them sighed, whispering about how kind the Sterling family’s eldest daughter was, still thinking of her sister at a time like this.
It wasn't until my body was dumped in a landfill that she finally broke down, wailing for the news cameras. “I don’t believe she’s dead! Save my sister! Please, I’m begging you, save her!”
Watching that tear-streaked, angelic face, I wanted to laugh. She was always like this—using that mask of innocence to steal our father’s love, to trick me into a disastrous marriage, and finally, to send me to my death at the hands of monsters.
A cold smirk touched my lips. “Since you’re being so generous, sister, I won’t be polite.” I looked past Ken, directly at the other man. “I choose Adrian Thorne.”
Rosalind stared at me, her eyes instantly welling with tears. “Clara, you know that Adrian and I…”
Ken’s gaze snapped to me, a flicker of surprise in his cold eyes.
My father’s reaction was more direct. He slapped me across the face, the crack echoing through the silent room.
“Don’t you know your place?” he roared. “Adrian Thorne is the pride of the military command. Do you really think a star like him would ever look at an illegitimate child like you?” His voice dripped with contempt. “You know he loves your sister. What kind of venomous game are you playing?”
I tasted blood, but I smiled through the stinging pain. “If it was all decided, why not just marry me off to the cripple directly? Afraid of what people would say? Afraid they’d call you biased?”
A shadow crossed Rosalind’s eyes before they filled with tears once more. “Clara, how could you say that? Father has always adored you.”
As we argued, Ken Vance, the man who was supposed to be paralyzed, suddenly rose from his wheelchair.
“General Sterling,” he said, his voice steady and strong. “Perhaps we can make a deal.”
“I’m aware the command is facing an equipment shortage. I can provide your forces with the latest generation of military hardware. My only price is Rosalind’s hand in marriage.”
I never imagined he would stand up, not now, not after faking his injury for so long.
I stared at him, my eyes burning with hatred. His own cold gaze met mine, and for a fleeting moment, it became a storm of conflicting emotions, laced with a flicker of guilt.
And then I laughed. So, he was reborn, too.
Even after watching me die a horrific death, he still couldn’t bear the thought of Rosalind marrying another man. To stop it, he was willing to expose his greatest secret—that he wasn't injured, that he'd never been cast out by his family.
Yet, in our last life, he had watched me sell off my entire dowry to pay for his "treatments." He’d watched me mortgage my properties and take out crippling bank loans. He’d even watched me beg on my knees for money to fund the surgery for his legs.
And through it all, he never said a single word.
At the mention of new military hardware, a greedy light flashed in my father’s eyes. He was desperate to marry us off to solidify his position anyway. Besides, the Vance family’s influence in the military far outstripped the Thornes’.
He grunted. “Since Mr. Vance is so devoted to Rosalind, then Clara, you will marry Adrian.”
Adrian’s face was a mask of fury, clearly enraged by this sudden turn. His eyes, usually so charming, were now poisonous darts aimed at me. “Clara Sterling, have you looked in a mirror? You’re not worth a single strand of Rosalind’s hair! You want me to marry you? In your dreams!”
My father’s expression soured. “Adrian, what is the meaning of this? The Thorne and Sterling families have been allies for generations. Are you saying my daughter isn’t good enough for you? Are you trying to break the betrothal?”
Adrian’s handsome face twisted into a sneer. “With all due respect, General, I will marry Rosalind or no one. I would rather die than marry Clara.”
Rosalind bit her lip, tapping his chest with a delicate fist. “Adrian, darling! Don’t say that. Clara developed a chronic illness trying to save you. Even if you don’t like her, you should at least pity her.”
I’d almost forgotten.
When we were ten, Adrian and I were the ones who were inseparable. We were kidnapped while traveling abroad. He broke his leg trying to escape and cried for me to save him. Without a second thought, I carried him on my back, running until my lungs burned, using every last ounce of strength to get him to safety. The ordeal shattered my own health, leaving me frail and plagued by chronic illness ever since.
Adrian gazed at Rosalind, his voice thick with adoration. “Rosalind, my love, you’re always so selfless. If you hadn’t called for help, I never would have been rescued. You’re the one who saved me.”
He shot me a look of pure disgust. “If you hadn’t used that debt to cling to me all these years, I would have married Rosalind long ago.”
Rosalind couldn’t hide the triumphant smirk on her face, burying her head in his chest to conceal it.
I had to physically restrain myself from rolling my eyes.
“Well,” I said, my voice cutting through their little drama. “Since my sister has such deep feelings for both of them, why not just marry them both at the same time?”
Rosalind’s face flushed. “Clara, what are you saying? If they’re both with me, who would possibly want you?”
I slowly stood up. “And what if I said… I don’t want either of them?”
Two sets of eyes locked onto me. Adrian’s were full of scorn, as if to say, As if you have a choice.
Ken’s, however, were dark and unnerving. He watched me intently, trying to peel back the layers and see into my soul. I refused to meet his gaze.
“Nonsense!” my father roared, smashing a glass on the floor. “You’re a woman! What could you possibly do if you don’t get married?”
I looked him straight in the eye, my voice ringing with newfound resolve.
“I know our border defenses are compromised. I will volunteer for a frontier deployment. I will go there, prove my worth, and help the Sterling family through this crisis.”
In my past life, the defenses under my family’s command had failed catastrophically. Father had taken most of my dowry to bribe his way out of trouble, but it was no use. Before the Sterling family fell from grace, he transferred all remaining assets to Rosalind, enough for her to live in luxury for a hundred lifetimes.
Meanwhile, I was living in a drafty, dilapidated workshop, working day and night to scrape together money for Ken’s treatment. At my lowest point, I knelt before Rosalind and begged her for a loan. She had her guards drag me out and lock me in solitary confinement.
The military doctor had told me Ken’s surgery only lacked a few crucial medicines. Any further delay would leave him permanently disabled. Desperate, I swallowed my pride. I betrayed my own principles to get him what he needed.
And it was all for nothing. A fool’s errand.
I pushed the memory away. With a bitter laugh, I deleted Ken’s contact information and boarded the military transport heading for the frontier.
No one in the frontier forces thought much of me, seeing me as nothing more than Rosalind’s pale shadow. I didn’t care. I was determined to prove myself with action. In my previous life, my world had revolved around Ken. Now, throwing myself into training, I discovered a talent for strategy and tactics that I never knew I had. Even my commanding officers were impressed.
After successfully completing a critical border mission that had been stalled for three years, I was summoned to meet with the High Command. My reputation skyrocketed. I became known as a tactical prodigy, a hero of the armed forces. My fame even began to eclipse Rosalind’s, the so-called “jewel of the military.”
My father, who seemed to have forgotten I existed, finally called.
The moment I answered, he started screaming. “Clara, has success gone to your head? It’s almost the anniversary of your mother’s death, and you won’t even come home?”
My mother was the one soft spot left in my heart. I arranged for my duties to be covered and went home.
After visiting her grave, I was stopped on my way out. Rosalind stood there, wearing her usual fake smile, but her eyes burned with an envy she couldn’t conceal.
“Sister, you must have been working so hard.” Her voice dripped with false concern. “You spend all your time at the base now. I’m not trying to stop you, but you’re a woman, surrounded by men day in and day out. You’re disgracing Father’s name!”
She leaned in closer. “Do you know what people are saying? That you slept your way to the top. That you sold intelligence for commendations.” Her eyes flickered to Ken, who was standing beside me, and she smirked. “I know you’re only doing all this to get a man’s attention.”
“So, Father asked me to tell you. He’s already found you a fiancé. It’s the eldest son of the Zhao family—the one in a coma.”
“Starting tomorrow, you won’t be returning to the base. I’ll be taking over your position. It’s for the best. We can’t have you parading around, shaming us all.”
I laughed, a cold, sharp sound. “What’s the matter? Is it so unbearable that the little sister you’ve always pushed down is finally better than you?”
She flinched, her eyes wide with shock.
But I was done holding back. The words poured out of me, a torrent of long-suppressed rage. “On what grounds do you think you can take over the defenses I bled to secure? On the grounds that your mother was a mistress? Or on the grounds that Father had to pull strings just to get your mediocre ass into the military academy?”
I stepped closer. “An illegitimate child, lecturing me? Telling me to step aside? Who gave you that confidence?”
Rosalind’s face crumbled, and she burst into tears. “Sister, I’m only trying to help you. How can you misunderstand me like this?”
“Help me?” I scoffed. “I’m sure. You know, for the ‘jewel of the military,’ you should learn to be content. Father has given you more than enough. Stop coveting what my mother left behind for me.”
Rosalind looked at me with wounded eyes, her voice choked with sobs. “I know you’ve never liked me, but I just don’t want to see you work yourself to death…”
I had no patience for her act. I turned to leave, but Ken’s hand shot out, grabbing my wrist and slamming me against the wall.
His eyes were dark pools, his voice a low rasp. “You’ve gone too far.”
Seeing him leap to her defense was so utterly predictable it was almost funny.
Ken’s gaze hardened. “Apologize to Rosalind.”
I slapped him.
The sharp crack echoed in the silence.
“Are you done, my dear sister’s devoted fiancé?” I said, my voice dripping with ice. “If you want to have a scene, take it outside. Don’t disgust me in here.”
His head was turned from the force of the blow, a few strands of hair falling across his forehead, giving him a strangely broken look.
“You…” His voice was hoarse, as if he couldn’t comprehend that I had actually struck him.
I shoved him away and went to pack my things, intending to leave that very night. But as I was about to board my flight, I was ambushed.
Adrian Thorne grabbed me by the throat, his face contorted with rage. “This is all your fault! Rosalind ran out last night after you upset her, she ran into a mugger, and she was shot! She’s in surgery, bleeding out. You’re coming with me to save her!”
Thankfully, the guards assigned to my protection detail quickly tackled him and pinned him to the ground.
I stared at him like he was insane. “She was shot? Then take her to a hospital. What good am I? Did I force her to run into a bullet?”
Adrian glared at me, his eyes promising murder. “If you hadn’t insulted her, called her mother a mistress, she wouldn’t have been so devastated! She wouldn’t have run out! This is exactly what you wanted, isn’t it? For her to die!”
“I’m telling you, if anything happens to Rosalind, I’ll make you pay with your life!”
A mocking smile played on my lips. “You and what army?”
“And me,” a cold voice said from the doorway. Ken stepped inside, flanked by a squad of heavily armed mercenaries.
Adrian snarled, “Stop wasting time with her. Rosalind is losing too much blood. Tie her up and drag her to the hospital for a transfusion!” To me, he spat, “You destroyed Rosalind’s peace of mind. Now you can atone for it.”
My guards were quickly overpowered. Adrian yanked me up by my collar and slammed me to the ground. The side of my face scraped against the rough floor, the pain bringing tears to my eyes.
But I only looked at Ken. “Ken, I’ll only ask you this one last time.”
My voice was quiet but steady. “Can’t you see she’s faking? That this is all just another one of her self-pitying, manipulative games?”
Ken closed his eyes for a long moment. When he opened them again, the last trace of hesitation was gone. “I know.”
It was so absurd I almost laughed. They both knew her tricks, and yet they were still willing, once again, to throw me into the abyss for her.
On the way to the hospital, Ken let out a soft sigh. “You were reborn, too.”
I just laughed. “Reborn or not, what’s the difference? You would never choose me.”
“I’m sorry.”
I turned to look at him, the absurdity of it all washing over me. “Ken, two lifetimes, and is that still the only thing you know how to say?”
He leaned in suddenly, his lips crashing against mine in a rough, desperate kiss. He murmured against my mouth, “Clara, just endure this one last time.”
“It’s just a little blood. You’ll be fine.”
“After this is over, I’ll marry you. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
I just smiled, a dead, empty thing, and said nothing.
At the hospital, I was dragged straight into a transfusion room.
As the crimson liquid flowed from my arm into the blood bag, I felt my strength seeping away. Ken and Adrian were already gone, pacing anxiously outside the operating room. “How is Rosalind?” No one asked if I was dizzy. No one noticed how ghostly pale my face had become.
When they switched to the second bag, my vision started to go black. A nurse looked worried. “This young woman is severely anemic. If we take any more, her life could be in danger.”
Ken heard her and frowned, his hand instinctively closing over mine in a hollow gesture of comfort. “Rosalind’s not out of surgery yet. Just hold on a little longer.”
I stared at the light fixture on the ceiling, a profound weariness settling deep in my bones.
“Ken,” I said softly. “Let’s just let each other go.”
His eyes flickered, and he opened his mouth to say something. But just then, a cry of alarm came from the operating room. He shot up, rushing toward the door. “What happened to Rosalind?”
A surgeon emerged, his brow furrowed. “A bullet fragment is lodged in her heart. We can’t remove it. She needs an immediate heart transplant!”
“Get her next of kin in here for tissue matching. We can’t afford to wait.”
Before the words were even out of his mouth, every eye in the hallway turned to me. Our father had a heart condition. Her only other living relative… was me.

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