My best friend, Zara, had studied magic performance in Las Vegas for half a year. When she came back, she shot to stardom. To make more money, she loved performing extreme stunts at every live show. At first, I earnestly warned her to be careful, but she completely ignored me, becoming even more obsessed. I gradually realized something was terribly wrong. When she performed a chain escape act on stage, my shoulder inexplicably dislocated. When she locked herself in a water tank for an extreme escape, I felt an intense pressure in my chest and uncontrollably spewed water at the dinner table. The most terrifying time, she showed the audience her razor blade swallowing act. My esophagus was horrifically lacerated by some foreign object, rotting all the way down to my stomach. From my hospital bed, I tearfully pleaded with my husband, Noah, who was her magic assistant. He, however, lectured me, “Zara went to study magic, not black magic. You’re pregnant; why aren’t you being more careful? What does her magic have to do with you? Just stay home and focus on your pregnancy.” I sat there, stunned, reflecting. Was it really just prenatal depression? Then came Zara’s national tour, with the grand finale act: sawing a person in half. Six long knives were plunged into the box she had entered. She emerged unharmed, but I was stabbed through my pregnant belly, killing both me and my unborn child in my own home. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of Zara’s first performance after returning home.
A soul-shattering pain radiated from every part of my body. I instinctively touched my eight-month pregnant belly… empty? I looked down; there was no blood, no baby bump. “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Master Zara, here to bring you her highly anticipated comeback show!” The host’s booming voice on stage yanked me back to reality. I was reborn. Reborn back to the day of Zara’s comeback show. My baby was only three months old in my womb. Everything was still salvageable. In my previous life, I was tidying up at home, holding my stomach, when I accidentally stumbled upon a photo of my best friend and my husband. Before I could even take a closer look, I was stabbed to death. In the photo, they were naked and in a highly intimate embrace. I didn’t even have time to confirm if it was really them. This time, I had to rush home and find out what that photo was all about. Before Zara even went on stage, I frantically packed my bag and tried to leave from backstage. The next second, Noah blocked my way. “Mia, where are you going? Zara’s about to go on stage.” Seeing Noah’s furrowed brow, he clearly wasn’t happy about me leaving right now. Seemingly realizing his attitude was off, Noah quickly put his hand on my arm and smiled. “Honey, Zara is your best friend. She studied abroad for so long, finally achieved something. Of course, you have to be here for her first show. Aren’t you happy for her?” I stared at Noah’s face. My best friend’s performance seemed to make him happier than me. “Oh, it hurts so much!” I pretended to clutch my stomach, a pained expression on my face. This was exactly the second week after I found out I was pregnant. Noah was still absorbed in the joy of becoming a father, and he was incredibly doting on me. “Are you okay, honey? Is the baby kicking you?” I playfully tapped his chest. “Oh, darling, don’t be silly. The baby’s only three months old; it doesn’t even have feet yet!” Noah chuckled, taking my fist and pulling it to his chest. But I used the momentum to push him away, stepped back, and clutched my stomach. “I probably ate something bad for lunch. I need to find a restroom right away.” “I’ll go with you!” He said, trying to put his arm around me and lead me towards the backstage exit. Zara’s sickeningly sweet voice floated from behind me: “Noah, darling, get ready, we’re on!” He froze. Noah had just taken a step before letting go of my hand, a look of apology on his face. “Mia, I have to go on stage. You go by yourself.” I forced a fake smile and waved at them. “Go on, I’ll be back to watch your show in a bit. Good luck!” Zara jogged over and playfully swung my hand. “Mia, this is my first show back home. Having you here makes me feel so much better~” I sneered inwardly. *You feel better, alright. All the cuts and pain were landing squarely on me.* Once I found out what methods you used, that would be the day you perished. For the two lives they stole, for my unborn child, I swore I’d make them pay! I left the backstage area and immediately hailed a taxi home. Relying on my memory, I found the secret compartment under the double bed Noah and I shared. The compartment opened to reveal that very photo, along with a dozen love letters, full of flowery words. And the entwined figures in the photo were Zara and Noah…
The tearing pain of being stabbed through once again surged through me. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart. I clutched my chest and sank to the floor. The photo slipped, face down. On the back, a row of small, handwritten words: “My eternal love, forever in my heart.” I recognized the handwriting instantly as Noah’s, bold and flowing script. He used to love writing me love letters in that very hand when he was pursuing me. The date was November 2023, three months after Noah and I got married. In the throes of our honeymoon phase, he was in bed with my best friend, claiming “eternal love”? Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit me. I clutched my chest and dry-heaved. I couldn’t tell if it was morning sickness or just pure disgust. My hands trembling, I picked up a few of the love letters and read them. Some felt familiar, others I’d never seen. Familiar because the content was identical to the letters Noah used to write to me. But judging by the dates, he wrote Zara’s first, and then simply copied them for mine. After facing the harsh reality, I put everything back in place, pretending I hadn’t touched anything. I immediately ran out the door and hailed a taxi to the hospital. At the same time, Zara’s magic performance had already begun. “Driver, hurry to the county women’s and children’s hospital!” Before the driver could even step on the gas, my shoulder suddenly flared with pain, and blood started to seep through. I knew it was Zara and Noah performing the blindfolded knife-throwing act. In my previous life, no matter how off-target Noah threw the knives, Zara would always come off stage completely unharmed. Noah had even bragged to me about it multiple times. “Honey, I’m a magic prodigy! Zara and I are a match made in heaven as stage partners!” More and more bloody lines appeared on my body. The driver was so scared he floored it to almost 120 mph. “Miss, are you okay! This… this looks really serious!” I covered my wounds with tissue paper and spoke weakly, “I’m fine, I’m fine, driver. Please, just go faster.” Luckily, the blindfolded knife-throwing only involved three knives, so they didn’t hit any vital organs. I got out of the taxi, covered in blood, and even gave the driver an extra two hundred dollars for car cleaning. I rushed into the hospital lobby, yelling for a doctor. At this moment, the hospital’s TV was also broadcasting Zara’s magic debut live. After a quick cleanup and bandage in the emergency room, I scheduled an abortion for the obstetrics and gynecology department. Noah, that scumbag, didn’t deserve to have a child with me! His child had already been stabbed through by his own six knives in my previous life. As I lay on the operating table, sedated. Zara was preparing to perform her underwater escape act. While the doctor was performing the surgery, I suddenly started convulsing and spitting up water. The doctor was so startled they didn’t dare continue. I took deep breaths and tried to reassure them. “It’s okay, Doctor, please continue… *cough, cough*…” Large amounts of clear water gushed from my mouth and nose. This was the second time I had experienced the sensation of almost drowning. The doctor had never seen such a scene, but at my insistence, they had no choice but to complete the surgery. Half an hour later, the surgery was done, and I lay weakly in the hospital room. The young nurses came in, making their rounds, gushing about Zara’s magic performance. “That Master Zara’s underwater escape just now was truly spectacular!” “Yeah, she was trapped in that water tank for five whole minutes and wasn’t hurt at all, she escaped successfully.” “A master who came back from abroad is just on another level. She even dropped the key to the lock but wasn’t in a hurry to pick it up. She was so calm, like a real-life mermaid.” I clenched my fists, swearing that no matter what evil methods she used, this time I would not let her harm me in the slightest. Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Noah calling.
I decisively rejected the call and replied to him on SnapChat. “Honey, company just scheduled an unexpected business trip for me. I’ll be gone for a few days.” Worried he’d notice something was off, I added another line: “Love you, remember to miss me and baby, and wish Zara success on her debut~” After that, I bought a flight ticket to a country known for its mysticism. I had to find out where Zara had really learned her magic. After some investigation, I learned that she hadn’t been studying in the UK for the past six months at all. Instead, she had gone to a country in Southeast Asia, a land steeped in ancient, forbidden magic… I caught a connecting flight. The moment I landed, I saw an old woman faint. The old woman was shabbily dressed, clutching a worn-out bag in her hand. I gave her some water and fanned her. She finally woke up. Just as I was about to leave, the old woman grabbed my hand. “Don’t go, young lady. We’re destined to meet, and I can help you.” Before I could answer, she abruptly snapped the chain of the small gold charm pendant around my neck. “Hey! What are you—” I frowned, about to scold her. But I saw her twist open the gold charm. This gold charm was a wedding anniversary gift from Noah this year. I had no idea this decorative locket could even open. The old woman pulled out a small piece of paper from inside. It was clearly a hex paper. She tsk-tsked, shaking her head. “My dear, someone put a hex on you.” … That afternoon, I felt disoriented. Even on the flight home, I hadn’t fully recovered. The old woman’s words kept echoing in my mind. *A hex…* If Zara put a hex on me, then why was the gold charm from Noah? Could he have known all along about Zara using this hex to transfer the harm to me? Like I was possessed, I found myself heading home, only to find Noah and Zara panting softly, entwined in the bathroom. Zara was even wearing the designer shirt I had bought Noah for our wedding anniversary. Seeing me return, they were clearly startled. Noah quickly straightened his clothes and came out, hugging me and trying to explain. “Mia, Zara got hurt during her performance today. I was just helping her with her wound.” I glanced at Zara; there was a nearly healed scratch on her collarbone. Suddenly, Noah’s grip tightened on my wrist. He glared at me, demanding, “Mia! Where’s the gold charm I gave you? How could you take it off?! No wonder Zara got hurt!” His grip was so tight it hurt, and tears welled up in my eyes. Realizing his outburst, he quickly let go and spoke gently, coaxing me. “Honey, that’s not what I meant. I meant this gold necklace is a symbol of our love, you can’t just take it off.” At this moment, I finally believed that he must have known about the hex paper hidden inside the charm. I pulled the broken chain and pendant from my bag, my face expressionless. “The chain broke. I can’t wear it.” The next second, Zara directly took off the gold chain from her own neck and handed it to me. “Mia, that’s such a shame. Then use my chain, darling. After all, it’s your wedding anniversary gift from Noah. Noah would surely be upset if you didn’t wear it.” Without waiting for my agreement, Zara picked up the gold charm, went to the side, and threaded it onto her gold chain. In the reflection of the mirror, I saw her whispering something to Noah. They opened the gold charm to confirm the hex paper was still inside, then pretended nothing was amiss. “Come on, honey. See how generous Zara is? She just gave you her gold chain. It’s hard to find a best friend like that.” Watching Noah put the almost identical gold chain around my neck, it was hard not to suspect he had bought two chains from the start—one for me, one for Zara. Too disgusted to say more, I walked straight into the bedroom. Carefully, I picked up the long strand of hair on the bed that didn’t belong to me.
Soon, it was time for Zara’s next live performance. By now, she was incredibly famous, with many fans traveling from out of town just to see her perform. She had already hyped it up online: today, she would perform the incredibly difficult grand finale act, sawing a person in half. The sensationalism and marketing had already been unleashed. Many magic enthusiasts gathered in the theater, eagerly awaiting her groundbreaking show. “I’ve been a magician for over ten years, and this is the first time I’ve seen a flawless performance like Master Zara’s.” “She’s truly a prodigy! I definitely need to ask her for some tips after the show.” These professional magicians couldn’t stop praising her. In just one month since returning home, Zara had become a legend in the magic world. I sat in the first row of the audience, clutching my phone tightly. I had mailed Zara’s long strand of hair to the old woman days ago, but I hadn’t heard from her. *Had I been scammed?* I took a deep breath, telling myself not to overthink. I’d already died once. At worst, it would be an all-out war with these two bastards. Cold sweat drenched my back, and my body trembled uncontrollably. Ten more minutes, and the show would begin. Zara’s opening act today was swallowing razor blades. I kept staring at my phone, the seconds ticking by. Zara and Noah came onto the stage, greeting the audience, who erupted in cheers. “Master Zara is a magic goddess!” “A legendary newcomer in magic! A dark horse!” “Flawless, astounding performance! We love you!” The applause lasted for a full three minutes before finally quieting down. Zara smiled gracefully, waving to acknowledge them. “Ladies and gentlemen, please settle down. Thank you all so much for coming to my show~” She deliberately spoke in a saccharine sweet voice. You could literally see the men in the audience melt. Noah on stage melted too. “To thank you all for your support, today’s opening act will be one of my signature skills~” “Razor blade swallowing!” Before she even finished, fans in the audience were already shouting it out for her. Zara smiled brightly, raising her hand to take a tray of blades Noah brought onto the stage. A whopping eighteen blades. Noah and Zara exchanged a knowing glance, then both looked at me simultaneously. A feeling of suffocation crawled over me. *Were they… planning to kill me directly?* But if they killed me, how would Zara perform the sawing a person in half trick? Zara’s overly sweet voice sounded again. “Just kidding with you all, I can’t swallow eighteen blades! I’ll only swallow three today~” Before the words fully left her mouth, she picked up a blade and swallowed it whole, without even chewing. The piercing pain of a sharp object tearing through my throat flared, and I clutched my neck, unable to speak. My phone rang. It was the old woman! I quickly pressed the answer button, but then I heard a piercing scream from the stage. Ah—
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