The year my sister went to college, she died in a hotel bed. They said she was promiscuous, that she died from her reckless behavior. But I knew that wasn’t true. Ethan Coleman’s childhood sweetheart got mad at him, so he pursued my sister on purpose. Ava Caldwell, in a jealous rage, had people bully my sister. “Ethan says she’s got a great body. As his friends, why don’t you check for yourselves?” Eight years later, I became Ethan’s favorite little pet. I don’t cry, I don’t make a fuss, I’m obedient and quiet. Then one day, Ava poured a cup of hot tea over my head, smirking as she said: “You’re just a knock-off. Ethan’s only playing with you.” “He loves me. You need to remember your place. Understand?” But the truth is, I never wanted his love. What I want is both of your lives. The day Ava returned from overseas, Ethan filled the whole city with pink balloons to celebrate her. And once again, people started mocking my relationship with him. “The leading lady is back! Isn’t it time for Daisy Greene, this knock-off, to roll out?” “Hah, that’s the fate of someone who’s just cannon fodder.” “She deserves it. She threw herself at him like a cheap piece of trash.” I sat on the couch, scrolling through the messages in the group chat before I turned off my phone. “Are you upset?” Ethan, sitting beside me, absentmindedly played with my hand as he spoke in his usual calm tone. I shook my head and leaned softly against his chest, my voice gentle. “They’re right. I know my place. But I can’t help feeling a little sad, you know? Still, the fact that you came to see me before meeting Miss Caldwell makes me not care about anything else.” He lifted his hand, brushing my cheek before pinching my chin like he was teasing a cat. “Good girl.” “I won’t be coming back tonight, but I’ll have that watch you liked sent to you.” He stood up, ready to leave. Just as he opened the door, I ran up and hugged him from behind, my eyes filled with tears. “I know you and Miss Caldwell have been childhood friends, and I’ll never compare to that.” “But, Ethan, please let me stay by your side.” “Don’t abandon me.” Warm tears soaked his shirt, spreading a damp patch over his shoulder. He paused for a moment, loosening his grip on the door handle before turning around. His large hand gently stroked my frail back. “Stop overthinking.” He tilted my chin up, forcing me to look into his eyes. I knew I was beautiful—especially with my red-rimmed eyes, so vulnerable and delicate. Sure enough, his gaze darkened. And just like that, I saw the lust in his eyes start to rise. Before I realized it, he had me pinned on the couch, his hands gripping my waist. His breath came quick with desire, and his actions were rough. When I cried out in pain, he silenced me with biting kisses. “Daisy Greene, as long as you behave, I’ll come see you tomorrow.” I rested my head on his shoulder, my voice raspy and barely coherent. “Okay… Just don’t lie to me.” I carefully dressed him, making sure he looked perfect before sending him off. A purple Rolls-Royce was already waiting outside the Coleman Mansion. The driver respectfully opened the door for him. With a roar, the car disappeared into the night. It was getting late. If he didn’t hurry, he’d miss Ava’s welcome-home party. She was the pampered daughter of the Caldwell family, and if Ethan showed up late, she’d be furious. Tears welled up as I walked back into the mansion, swallowing the pills Aunt Mary handed me in front of her watchful eyes. I climbed the stairs with my swollen eyes, locked the door behind me, and rushed into the bathroom. I collapsed in front of the toilet, vomiting until I thought I’d die. Disgusting. Every second with Ethan disgusted me. Every touch of his was like a needle, pricking my already tattered dignity, reeking of fake luxury and rot. Just thinking about it made me want to throw up again. But I had to fight for his attention—kiss him, please him, and act like I adored him. He needed to believe that I was completely dependent on him, that I loved him with all my heart, and that without him, I’d wilt like a delicate flower. Then, when he was most relaxed, enjoying his empire built on manipulation and control, I would strike the fatal blow. Ethan Coleman, I will make you fall from grace, lose everything. You will crawl in the dirt and drown in your own hatred. By the time I was done vomiting, there was nothing left but stomach acid, burning my throat. I slid down the cold bathroom floor, leaning against the wall. The bright light above blurred into the tears in my eyes, distorting my vision. My head knocked against the wall as I started to sob. “I tried, sis… I really did. But there’s no other way.” “I’m so hungry… I miss your chicken broth soup, Joanne.”
My childhood wasn’t a happy one. From as far back as I can remember, my dad was a gambling, drunk, abusive piece of trash. When I was ten, he lost a huge sum of money. That night, he came home reeking of alcohol and barged through the door. My mom, trembling, pulled me into her arms. The next second, he yanked her by the hair, slamming her down on the concrete floor. He punched her face over and over. When he got tired, he kicked her. Afterwards, he took the last bit of money we had and wasted it all at the Riverboat Casino. My mom left in a red car that night. She never came back. Later, my dad would bring different women home and lock me out of the house. One night, I sat outside the door all night long. The next morning, no one even bothered to open the door when I had to go to school. I had no money and no friends. I survived by drinking water from the school bathroom sink. By the time school was out, I was so hungry I could barely see straight. A girl bumped into me as she ran by, and I nearly fainted. She caught me just in time, asking if I was okay. I was too hungry to lie, so I told her the truth. She smiled kindly, took my hand, and brought me to her house. I ate five bowls of chicken broth soup. And for some reason, I started crying. First silent tears, then I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. She fumbled around, trying to wipe my tears, thinking the soup was terrible. But I shook my head vigorously in her arms. “No one’s ever been this nice to me.” She smiled and ran her warm hand over my head. She didn’t care about my dry, matted hair, and said: “From now on, think of me as your sister. I’ll take care of you.” She really was an incredible person. That was the first time I met my sister, Joanne. Her name was as pure and beautiful as she was. Not like mine. My dad named me Daisy after a winning hand in a poker game. My mom thought it was after the flower. But Joanne said that my name was special. She told me, “Daisy, like the flower that never withers. It’s a sign of resilience.” That’s when I realized that even the simplest things, in the hands of someone who cared, could become poetic.
That night, I dreamt of my sister again. I dreamt about the time she worked extra hard to make my birthday special. It was scorching hot that summer, the pavement practically steaming under the sun. She wore a bulky mascot costume, handing out brochures to passersby. It gave her heat rash, but she told me it was just a dust allergy. Seventy dollars a day, and she did it for two months. Then, on my 14th birthday, she gave me 14 gifts. A newspaper from the day I was born, crayons from when I was two, a hairclip from when I was three… a Barbie from when I was seven… a bike from when I was ten, a keyboard from when I was eleven… and finally, a keychain with a key for my 14th birthday. I’d never had a birthday party before, and that day, I got to celebrate 14 birthdays all at once. Joanne’s mom even made a full table of food, with a two-tier cake in the middle. The warmth in the air wrapped around me, and I started crying again, overwhelmed by love. “Thank you, sis. Thank you, Mom.” Joanne’s mom, usually smiling, suddenly looked stern. “Why call her your sister and me by my name?” “Mom.” “Good girl, now blow out the candles and make a wish.” I closed my eyes, feeling the happiest I’d ever been. I made my wish with all my heart. I wasn’t a neglected child anymore. I had a family. But the joy in my dream soon twisted and warped. My sister was brought home on a stretcher, motionless. Her body was cold, covered in bruises, and she was already gone. They said, “Joanne had a wild lifestyle. She died from playing too hard with too many men. Her friends confessed.” Lies. All lies. They said they’d offer me compensation, out of “humanitarian concern.” But I couldn’t hear anything. My ears were filled with the buzzing of a thousand angry bees as I stared at my sister’s lifeless body. The sun mixed with the bloodstains on her skin, creating a grotesque blend of light and dark. “Sis…” Joanne didn’t die from playing around with men. She was in college, working hard to support herself. How could she have been involved with men, let alone with multiple men at the same time? It all started with Ethan’s childhood friend, Ava Caldwell. She was mad at him for some petty argument, and to make her jealous, Ethan had deliberately gone after my sister. He brought her flowers, gifts, breakfast. He showered her with compliments and sweet words. Joanne, never having experienced such attention, fell for it. She thought she had finally found true love. But Ava couldn’t take it. After she made up with Ethan, she ordered her friends to bully my sister. “If Ethan says she’s got a great body, why don’t you guys check it out for yourselves?” From the beginning to the bitter end, it was all handled by a lawyer. He had the look of a stiff academic, his glasses betraying his sharp, calculating eyes. He spoke with precision, like a surgeon, and acted with cold efficiency. We had no chance against the power and influence they wielded. Ethan and Ava never even showed their faces. After reconciling, they went on a romantic trip to see the Northern Lights in Iceland. How romantic. How absurd. Months later, I finally learned their names. Two rich kids—Ava Caldwell and Ethan Coleman. I had another dream—my mom’s hair turning white overnight. Empty pill bottles lay by the bedside as she slept in silence, forever. She had gone to join Joanne. My birthday wish had never come true, and I vowed never to celebrate another birthday.
I didn’t think I’d be facing Ava again so soon. But with her entitled attitude, there was no way she would let things slide. She had only been gone for three years, but in that time, Ethan had found someone new—me. So the very next day, Ava invited us to a high-end boutique to try on clothes. Of course, Ethan brought me along. The fitting room was enormous, luxurious, and completely private. Ava sat at the center of it all, wearing a sleek black designer outfit, sipping tea like the queen bee. Her entourage buzzed around her. She glanced up at me, her disdain obvious, and suddenly smirked. “Ethan, so this is the little pet you’ve been keeping, huh?” “She does look a bit like me, I guess.” Her friends chimed in with laughter. “No matter how much she imitates you, she’ll never come close to even a finger of yours.” My hand clenched at my side. I lowered my head and suddenly realized. Ethan had brought me here to let Ava take out her frustrations on me. With his passive approval, everyone around me treated me like trash, eagerly assisting Ava in her cruel game. “Well, since you’re here, why don’t you try on some clothes?” Ethan, sitting beside Ava, spoke casually. “Go ahead, try them all on until Ava is satisfied.” I spent the entire afternoon walking in circles, changing into outfit after outfit, while wearing a pair of towering high heels. “Just standing there doesn’t help. Walk around so we can see how the clothes look.” “Exactly! And strike a few poses! Are you really that stupid?” They sat on the couches, sipping their fancy tea, directing me like I was a mannequin. The heels dug into my feet, blistering my heels until they bled and stuck to the insides of the shoes. Sweat beaded on my forehead, and it felt like my legs were no longer mine to control. Finally, Ava seemed to be satisfied, her anger fading. “These beautiful clothes are wasted on someone like you.” “I don’t want any of the pieces she’s worn. Pack up the rest.” She leaned against Ethan’s chest, playfully poking him in the chest like a spoiled child. The normally cold and indifferent man smiled indulgently, letting her have her way. “Go clean yourself up and remember your place.” I clutched the neckline of my slipping dress and bowed before quickly heading out. I stumbled, falling to the floor. My eyes instinctively sought out Ethan, and tears fell without warning. I looked as pitiful as possible. Ethan’s gaze drifted toward me, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. I noticed. And so did Ava. With a sweet, mocking smile, Ava sauntered over to me. “You’re crying over trying on a few clothes? I didn’t know you were such an actress.” The next second, I felt a burning pain on my scalp. Ava had poured the entire cup of hot tea over my head. She casually placed the cup down and pouted at Ethan. “Ethan, you know how much I hate manipulative girls. I just couldn’t resist teaching her a lesson.” “Don’t be mad, okay?” Ethan stood up and wrapped his arm around her waist, his eyes full of affection. “As long as it makes you happy.” The group of them laughed as they left, not giving me a second glance. Leaving me all alone.
That night, for once, Ethan didn’t stay with Ava. Instead, he came to me. I heard the sound of the gate outside and lay on the couch pretending to sleep. Ethan walked in, scooping me up in his arms. I “woke up” at just the right moment, my voice hoarse from pretending to cry. “I’m sorry… I’m so useless. I know you love Miss Caldwell the most, but I couldn’t even handle something as simple as trying on clothes for her.” “If Miss Caldwell is still mad, I can move out…” Before I could finish, everything spun. He had thrown me onto the bed, grabbing my wrist as he leaned over me. “You want to leave?” I lowered my lashes, biting my lip, my eyes reddening involuntarily. After a long moment, I finally whispered, “Yes.” Ethan chuckled, his anger simmering just beneath the surface, and grabbed my chin roughly. “Daisy Greene, you’ve grown bold.” “In this world, no one tells Ethan Coleman what to do.” “Remember, if I don’t let you go, you’re not leaving.” A flood of thoughts rushed through my mind in that instant. Tears streamed down my face. Ethan gently brushed my hair aside, blowing softly on the burned spot from Ava’s tea. For the first time, his usual detached demeanor softened. It was the first time I’d ever seen him like this—so gentle.
The burn on my scalp continued to throb with a dull pain, making it hard for me to sleep. In my dreams, I was taken back to a time long ago. It was when I was thirteen, and my dad suddenly started acting nice to me. For the first time in forever, he invited me to sit at the dinner table and even put a few pieces of meat in my bowl. “Daisy, how about you ask Joanne’s mom to become your new mother?” I choked on my food, almost suffocating in shock. So that was it. He had his eye on Joanne’s mom, Sarah Greene. He knew how well they treated me, so he wanted me to play matchmaker for him. When I refused, he kicked me away from the table, taking the meat from my bowl and eating it himself. I thought he was just running his mouth. The next day, though, he went to Sarah’s stand at the farmers market and loudly declared his love for her. Of course, Sarah didn’t accept. My dad, humiliated, got furious. He started spreading rumors, saying Sarah was cursed, that she was responsible for her husband’s death. The gossip spread from the market to every street corner in town. “Why would you say such things about Sarah? Now she’s too ashamed to run her stand,” I yelled at him. He smirked, slurring his words, “Who does she think she is, turning me down? I didn’t even care that she’s a widow.” I couldn’t hold back anymore. I screamed at him. “You’re despicable!” He stood up and beat me, again and again. When he was done, he kicked me and demanded food. I got up, made him a bowl of noodles, and dumped five tablespoons of salt into it. He ate the whole thing, complimenting me on how much my cooking had improved. The booze had clearly wrecked his taste buds. For a while after that, Joanne kept coming to check on me. I avoided her, ashamed, but she cornered me after school one day. “Are you trying to break up with me?” she asked, frowning. I froze. Then, as if suddenly realizing the absurdity of it all, she pinched my cheeks and said, “Daisy, you’re my sister. Why would I break up with you?” I had put on a bit of weight from all the meals at their house, and she pinched my face a little more. “You’re you, and you don’t need to carry anyone else’s guilt.” I hugged her tight, crying until I noticed the wounds on her hands. She said she’d hurt herself while making homemade cheese, but it didn’t hurt anymore. I held her hand, feeling a pang of sorrow. She brought me back to their house. Sarah was in the kitchen, her smile warm as always when she saw me. “Dinner’s almost ready. You two, go wash your hands.” That evening, the sunset painted the sky in a fiery orange, and the warmth in the dining room felt so comforting. Not long after that, my dad, drunk as usual, fell into the river and drowned. That left me alone. He had been such a notorious scumbag that the rest of the family had cut ties with us long ago. Sarah was the one who arranged his funeral. Once it was all over, Joanne and Sarah held my hands and gave me a real home. I had my own room, fresh sheets, and a brand-new desk. For the first time, I thought this might last forever.
Ava started taking over her family’s company. She used the excuse that she was still unfamiliar with the local market after being abroad for so long. So, Ethan sent me to work as her assistant. That’s when she began her campaign against me, making sure to humiliate and isolate me. Her methods were childish and petty, but relentless. Every time I needed to use the printer, it was out of paper or ink. In the break room, someone would “accidentally” spill coffee on me. My computer would mysteriously get viruses, and completed presentations had to be redone. Ethan’s response? “Just keep trying.” I told him I would, then hung up, not wanting to bother him while he was out with Ava. But then she went too far. During a business dinner with some clients from Hong Kong, Ava called my co-worker away, leaving me alone. The clients poured me drink after drink until I was barely conscious. One of their hands started creeping up my leg. I fought back with everything I had, but they beat me half to death. A waiter heard the commotion and called the police. I woke up two days later in a hospital room, the sharp smell of disinfectant in the air. During that time, someone had posted a video of me being carried into the ambulance online. The person who posted it claimed that Ava had deliberately left me there. The video went viral in no time. Ava’s family was competing with a rival company for a big project, and this scandal hit them hard. When I finally woke up, I heard Ethan and Ava arguing in the hallway outside my room. “Ava, you went too far this time,” Ethan’s voice was cold, harsher than I’d ever heard. “I’ve let you do whatever you wanted since we were kids, but this could’ve killed her.” Ava’s voice cracked with tears. “You feel sorry for her now?” “She’s just a fake, a knock-off. If she’s gone, she’s gone. It’s not like this is the first time someone’s died.” Ethan’s tone grew even icier. “You can’t keep doing whatever you want. You need to rein in that temper.” Ava was stunned by his words. “Ethan, are you saying you’re tired of me now? What did I do wrong? Before I left the country, you said you’d wait for me.” Tears fell from her eyes as she spoke. “I was only gone for three years, and you’ve already replaced me with someone beneath us. I can’t stand her.” “The things people have been saying about me these last two days, I know you’ve seen it.” “Are you telling me you’d rather see me lying in that hospital bed?” Her face, usually so bold and beautiful, was now tear-streaked and fragile, full of vulnerability and sadness. And Ethan, who had known her since childhood, was affected. After a moment of silence, he sighed and pulled her into his arms. “All these years, I’ve only ever loved you.”
I watched them through the crack in the door as they kissed. Then I turned my head away, expressionless. I’d known for a long time that Ava wouldn’t be easy to defeat. She and Ethan had over two decades of history together, a bond so close it was almost symbiotic. But that bond wasn’t unbreakable. Now, I had planted a seed in both of them—my pain, my suffering. One day, that seed would grow into an explosion, and when it did, nothing would ever be the same. When I woke up the next day, the public opinion had shifted again. A new video had surfaced. This time, it was a statement from my co-worker and the waiter. The story they told? That I had lured my colleague away and then tried to seduce the client myself. When the client rejected me, I insulted him, which led to me getting beaten. The internet blew up with hate. Everyone was condemning me. When Ethan visited me that day, he didn’t say a word about it. I acted like nothing was wrong, chatting with him like usual. Sometimes, I’d tug on his sleeve and make small, harmless requests, doing everything I could to keep things normal. Then, the next day, a woman barged into the hospital room with a group of people—clients’ wife. They slapped and hit me while yelling accusations. Ethan arrived, only to find me huddled in the corner of the bed, curled up into a small ball.
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