After my twin sister died of cancer, my family manipulated me onto my brother-in-law’s bed. The next day, I knelt naked before Julian Vance, begging him for a chance at life. His dark eyes lingered on my face, a mirror image of the woman he’d lost. A flicker of something — yearning? — crossed his features, and he took me into the Vance family. For ten years, I tirelessly managed their daily lives, serving both father and son. Then, when I was pregnant again, Julian Vance tore up the lab results. “Get rid of the child.” But his stepson, Leo, who always seemed to despise me, stepped in front of me. “Don’t hurt Mom!” Yet, when I was six months pregnant, after drinking the porridge Leo himself had prepared for me, I bled uncontrollably. A cruel satisfaction spread across Leo Vance’s childish face. “Finally, this day has come. Disappointed, aren’t you?” “I only recognize Dr. Serena Wells as my mother. As for you? Just die!” What he didn’t know was that I married into the Vance family for one reason: to avenge my sister.
As consciousness slowly returned, my eyes met Julian Vance’s grim stare. He carried the distinct scent of Serena Wells’s perfume. Our gazes locked, and a trace of lingering memory still clung to his face. Seeing me instinctively touch my stomach, Julian Vance’s expression immediately hardened. “Awake?” “Leo is still just a child. It was only an embryo, don’t hold it against him.” I lowered my gaze, a sorrowful expression on my face. But inside, I let out a sigh of relief. It was for the best. This child was never meant to stay. “The doctor said you’ve completely lost your fertility after this miscarriage. That’s good, actually.” “Now you’re no longer a threat to Leo, and he’ll be more affectionate towards you.” My face remained indifferent; I had long prepared myself for this. This wasn’t the first child I’d lost. Only after marrying into the Vance family did I realize what a monster Julian Vance was, despite his ruthlessness in the corporate world. Because I bore an uncanny resemblance to my sister, he often, in a haze of twisted obsession, used me to vent his frustrations over the sister he loved but could never truly possess. To satisfy his perverse desires, he forced me to take special medication that induced lactation. But the drug also damaged my body. Every time I became pregnant, I would experience a threatened miscarriage within three months. The fact that this child lasted six months inside me was a miracle. At the loss of this tenacious little life, I wasn’t sure whether to feel relief or regret. Seeing my prolonged silence, Julian Vance grew impatient. He pressed down on my shoulders, one hand ruthlessly clamping my throat. “Clara Davies, don’t try my patience.” “As compensation, I’ll agree to collaborate with the Davies family on the new downtown project.” “You schemed your way into my bed, didn’t you? Just so your family wouldn’t lose out on profits after your sister died?” My knuckles turned white as I gripped the bedsheet. He had no idea. I wished nothing more than for the Davies family to collapse. Years ago, my sister had a first love, a relationship of many years, and they were on the verge of getting married. But Julian Vance, fixated on a minor favor my sister had once done for him, insisted on marrying her once he regained power. For the sake of profit, our father broke them apart, even orchestrating a car accident that sent her fiancé plunging off a cliff. Consumed by despair, my sister finally agreed to marry into the Vance family. I’ll never forget the day of the wedding, seeing my sister in her pure white gown, forcing a smile and still trying to comfort me. “Mr. Vance loves me so much, he’ll surely treat me well after we’re married. Don’t worry.” I was so naive then. I actually believed my sister’s words, thinking she’d still find happiness in the Vance household. But when I saw her again, she was covered in injuries. She barely managed to beg me to look after Leo Vance before she took her last breath. Driven by hatred, I married Julian Vance, and for years, I constantly humbled myself and acted subservient within the Vance family, slowly lulling him into a false sense of security. And finally, I found the compromising evidence: his illegal research into mind-altering drugs. I lowered my head, suppressing the raging hatred in my eyes. When I looked up again, my face had returned to its usual docile expression. “I married you… it was never for profit.” “I just hoped that one day, you would see my feelings for you.” My suffering from unrequited love seemed to amuse him. He sighed regretfully. “If only your sister had been half as obedient as you, I wouldn’t have had to resort to such drastic measures.” “On the day the collaboration is announced, you will attend as Mrs. Vance.” I forced a faint smile. The day that new project launches will be the day of your public downfall, Julian Vance.
The day I was discharged, I handled the paperwork alone. My phone, in my purse, kept buzzing. I opened it to find a barrage of photos from Serena Wells. She and Julian and Leo were all in matching outfits. Lately, they’d gone on an expedition to Antarctica, seen the Northern Lights in Iceland, and watched dolphins leap from the water in Alaska. Serena’s message read: “Julian and I have known each other since childhood. If I hadn’t gone abroad, how would you and that short-lived sister of yours have managed to swoop in?” “Everything that belongs to me, I’ll take back, little by little!” The image of my sister’s emaciated face before she died flashed in my mind, and my heart felt as if it were being torn to shreds by a sharp blade. These were all places my sister had longed to visit in her lifetime, but Julian Vance had held her captive, never allowing her to fulfill those wishes until her dying day. I opened Ins, and the very first post was a photo of Leo Vance and Serena Wells. He was nestled in her embrace, a joyful smile plastered on his face. “Happy Birthday, Serena Mom!” My nose stung. I stared blankly at the photo until my phone screen went dark, then snapped back to reality. They had all forgotten. Today was also my sister’s death anniversary. I suppressed the disappointment festering in my heart and took a cab to the Vance family cemetery. My sister had loved freedom more than anything, but Julian Vance refused to honor her dying wish of having her ashes scattered at sea. “Elara Davies will never escape my grasp, not in this life, nor in any other.” Touching the necklace around my neck, my voice was hoarse. “Sister, I’ll be able to avenge you very soon.” Back at the mansion, I heard cheerful laughter from the living room before I even pushed open the door. But the moment I stepped inside, the sounds abruptly ceased. Julian Vance’s lips thinned. “You’re back just in time. It’s Serena’s birthday today. As Leo’s mother, you should at least show some appreciation to his private doctor.” “Though you’re useless in most regards, your cooking is somewhat presentable. You’ll prepare tonight’s dinner.” But Leo Vance hurled a teacup at me from the table. “This woman isn’t my mom! I only recognize Serena Mom!” Warm blood trickled down my temple, and a sharp, stabbing pain shot through my heart. When I first married into the Vance family, Leo Vance was quite fond of me. But after he fell gravely ill at age seven, he woke up no longer recognizing me. Serena Wells rose and walked towards me. Still wearing her matching outfit, she subtly pulled my hand, a silent boast. “Leo is still young and speaks his mind. I hope you’ll be patient with him, sister.” I pulled my hand away, my voice cold. “I only have one sister, and she’s dead.” “If you want to be my sister, you’ll have to ask her in her grave if she agrees.” A flicker of discomfort crossed Serena’s face. She took two steps back, casting a helpless glance at Julian and Leo. As she turned, I noticed the gemstone necklace around her neck. I lunged, grabbing it. My voice trembled. “My sister’s keepsake! How did you get this?!” Serena cried out in pain. Leo Vance immediately charged, knocking me to the ground like an enraged bull calf. “This is something Mom left for me! Whoever I give it to, that’s my new mom!” “I’ve been wanting to give it to Serena Mom as a birthday gift!” “As for you, you scheming woman, don’t ever think I’ll acknowledge you!” My heart chilled to the bone. I pressed my hand tightly against my chest, trying to relieve the suffocating despair that engulfed me. “You only remember that today is Serena’s birthday.” “But do you remember that today is your mother’s death anniversary?!”
Leo Vance’s small face immediately went pale. But the next second, he roared at me. “Shut your mouth! You’re not worthy of mentioning my mother!” I raised my hand, and with a loud crack, five angry red marks appeared on his face. I looked at him with profound disappointment. “I am your mother’s biological sister. Your aunt.” “The same blood runs through our veins. We were the closest people in the world. How can I not mention her?” My gaze swept over them, one by one. “If I’m not worthy, then neither are you!” “Leo Vance, you are her only son, yet on her death anniversary, you embrace another woman as your mother. Are you worthy of mentioning her?!” I then pointed at Julian Vance, but before I could speak, he cut me off. “Enough!” “My heir is not for you to lecture.” “Someone, bring the discipline.” The barbed iron whip was brought in, and the servants forcibly bound me. Julian Vance put on white gloves, looking at me as if I were already dead. “After all these years, have you still not learned what to say and what not to say?” He raised the whip and lashed it hard across my back. One lash, two lashes. Each strike tore away a piece of raw, bleeding flesh, and my screams echoed through the villa. After ninety-nine lashes, my back was a mangled mess of wounds. I lay in a pool of blood, my breathing barely perceptible. Julian Vance tossed the whip away, his voice cold. “Take the madam downstairs.” Leo Vance let out a cruel, maniacal laugh. “You wretched woman! You deserve this!” Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. Every inch of my body screamed in agony, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. His words were like sharp blades, each one a cold, gleaming knife, gouging out my heart until it bled. I was dragged into the utility room by a maid. She spat at me and tossed me onto a wooden plank to die. “Gold-digging homewrecker! You couldn’t wait to jump into his bed before the former madam’s grave was even dug! You deserve it!” Not long after she left, a click echoed, and the door opened again. Serena Wells’s hateful face came into view. I turned my head away, unwilling to look at her. But she leaned down, whispering into my ear like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. “I didn’t even care about your sister. As for you, I care even less.” “You don’t know, do you? At first, Julian really was good to her.” “It was I who framed her for still pining over her first love, which made Julian harden his heart and kill her.” I completely lost all reason, struggling to get up and fight her. Serena immediately stumbled and fell. Just then, Leo Vance pushed open the door. He walked in to see Serena on the ground. He yelled furiously. “Evil woman! Serena Mom came here out of kindness to put medicine on you, how could you be so ungrateful!” I screamed, my voice raw. “Serena killed your own mother! Are you still going to protect her like this?!” Serena feigned sorrow. “Clara, I know you don’t like Leo being close to me, and you’re trying every way to get rid of me.” “But Leo’s mother died of cancer, and I was studying abroad at the time. How could I have possibly harmed her?” With that, she covered her face and began to sob. But through her fingers, I saw her cast a defiant smile at me. In an instant, my entire being felt like it was boiling with rage. But just as I gathered every last ounce of strength to make Serena pay, a bucket of saltwater was thrown squarely in my face. The icy water streamed down my back, and instantly, a pain like a thousand ants gnawing at my flesh erupted from my wounds. Leo Vance burst into cruel laughter. “High-concentration saltwater, specially prepared for you! Do you like it?!” Immense agony pierced through my flesh, and my eyes filled with profound disappointment as I looked at Leo Vance. He was my sister’s only child. On her deathbed, my sister had even begged me to be his safety net. His hatred for me was truly chilling.
Leo Vance seemed stung by the disappointment in my eyes, his gaze flickering for a moment. But he quickly recovered, anger spreading across his face. He threw a divorce agreement in front of me, his cold, dark eyes identical to Julian Vance’s. “Sign this divorce agreement and get out of the Vance family. Make way for Serena Mom!” I gritted my teeth. “No, not yet…” Leo Vance thought it was an excuse to buy time. He raged. “Then don’t blame me for being rough!” He ordered someone to bring a bucket of water and mercilessly pushed my head into it. One minute… two minutes… Bubbles gurgled to the surface. In my blurred consciousness, I thought I saw a younger Leo, smiling sweetly at me. “Auntie.” But when my head was pulled out again, his face was utterly ruthless. “Still not agreeing?” I bit my lip hard, enunciating each word. “Never.” Leo Vance’s lips thinned into a straight line, and he pushed me back into the water. After continuous torture, I was barely breathing. Seeing that I wouldn’t yield, he snorted coldly. “I’ll come back another day to take good care of you, until you agree.” He sneered. “Mom.” Before completely falling into unconsciousness, I clutched the necklace concealing the chip, thinking: “Don’t worry. The day I avenge sister is the day I leave.” “I won’t spare Julian Vance, and I don’t want you either.” … On the day the new project launched, as I was leaving the house, I coincidentally ran into Leo Vance, who was heading to school. A malicious glint flashed in his eyes. My heart suddenly lurched. But when I looked again, his small face had already changed to one of docile obedience. “Goodbye, Dad. Goodbye, Mom.” I suppressed the strange feeling in my heart, took a deep breath, and got into the car heading downtown. This project collaboration was incredibly important. The attendees at the ribbon-cutting ceremony were all prominent figures from various industries. I hadn’t found the exact location of the lab, so the evidence I had wouldn’t be a devastating blow to Julian Vance on its own. But with the complex web of powerful figures present today, if I merely hinted at the truth, many rivals would surely launch their own investigations. This was my perfect opportunity to bring Julian Vance down. My entire body trembled with excitement, revenge so close. When it was my turn to speak, the screen behind me changed. A collective gasp swept through the crowd. I picked up the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to report Julian Vance for illegally researching mind-control drugs for unfair competition and personal gain…” But the crowd’s expressions weren’t outrage; instead, they were a gossipy, entertained curiosity, as if watching a show. I sensed something was wrong. I turned around, and when I saw what was on the screen, my blood ran cold. The large screen behind me displayed not the content extracted from my chip, but rather, my sister, covered in wounds.
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