My husband was the literary world’s most celebrated genius. Then one evening, he confessed to me. “Stella, my inspiration has run dry. I found someone online, an ‘inspiration provider.’ Ten thousand a month.” “But it’s just work. You are the only one I love.” later, I learned the truth. He and that provider, the one he had promised never to meet in person, already had a seven-year-old son. “Chloe, you must hide the child well. Don’t let anyone find out.” “After the new book launch, I’ll figure out a way to get Stella out of the picture, and give you and the child a proper place.” “Don’t worry, she’s just a clueless housewife.” I smirked, silently closing the message-sharing app on my phone. A way out? I’ll help you find one. How kind of me. Suddenly, the lock turned. Julian strode in as if he owned the place, an adult and a child trailing behind him. “What is this?” I sneered. My own voice sounded eerily calm. He turned awkwardly, a guilty smile on his lips. “Stella, you’re home! Perfect, let me introduce you.” “This is Chloe Hayes, the inspiration provider I mentioned. And this is her son, Leo.” Leo? How fitting. “Didn’t you promise you’d never meet in person?” I cut him off with a cold laugh. Julian’s expression tightened. He hadn’t expected me to be this direct. Chloe’s eyes welled up instantly. She stepped forward, a picture of wounded innocence. “Stella, please don’t blame Julian. This is all my fault. If my presence upsets you, I’ll leave right now.” She turned as if to go. “Don’t be ridiculous.” Julian quickly moved to block her path. He turned back to me, his face etched with impatience. “Enough, Stella, stop making a scene.” “I had no choice. This is all for my work.” “Can’t you see it? Chloe’s insights are brilliant. She’s a single mother, raising a child alone. That mix of strength and fragility she carries…it’s exactly what my writing needs. Having her here is purely to facilitate the creative process.” “A single mom? Sounds like a woman with a story.” “So?” I met his gaze, a dismissive curl to my lip. Julian frowned, annoyed. “For now, Chloe and the boy will stay here. I’ve had the guest room prepared. Everything else can wait until after the new book launches.” His tone sharpened abruptly. “And enough with the interrogation. Everything I do is for the work. There’s nothing personal in it.” I almost laughed. If I hadn’t been ready, I might have believed every solemn word. Three months ago, Julian did mention his writer’s block. He was, after all, the most celebrated literary genius of his time. Nearly every book he wrote became a sensation. But that night, he was smoking uncharacteristically. “Stella, I don’t think I can write anymore.” “Every word feels like a stone lodged in my mind…impossible to move..” My heart sank. At our wedding ten years ago, he had declared to everyone. “Meeting Stella was the beginning of all my inspiration.” But now, his eyes were as lost as a child’s. “Stella, I’m truly desperate. The pressure is crushing. The publisher has called three times. Readers ask about the new book every day on social media. The entire world is waiting.” “So I hired someone online-ten thousand a month. She shares life details and emotional stories through messages, just to spark something in me.” He suddenly looked up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “It’s a fair trade. She needs the money. I need the inspiration.” My breath hitched. “You won’t meet her in person?” “Of course not!” He grabbed my hands at once, his voice certain. “It’s strictly professional. Stella, don’t read into this. You’ll always be my wife. The only one I love.” And yet now, he was secretly planning how to remove me from his life. I sank slowly back into the couch and turned on the newest film. Julian, you didn’t really think I was just some useless housewife, did you?
The very next morning, Chloe was already at the dining table, wearing my clothes, her child beside her. She looked like a conqueror holding court. “Stella, you’re awake? Come, have breakfast..” “I heard you love soy milk, so I asked the housekeeper to make you a cup. Consider it a welcome gift.” She smiled, pushing the cup towards me. “No.” I had no words to waste on her and turned to leave. But Chloe suddenly reached out and grabbed my arm. “Stella, where are you rushing off? You haven’t touched your soy milk. It’s a gesture from my heart.” “Let go!” Without a second thought, I jerked my arm free. Suddenly, Leo’s face flushed, and he started struggling to breathe. “Mommy, I…can’t breathe…” “Leo, what’s wrong?” Chloe’s scream was perfectly timed. It drew Julian’s attention instantly. He rushed downstairs without hesitation. “What happened?” Chloe spun around, tears already streaming down her face. With a practiced thud, she dropped to her knees before me. “Stella, I know you don’t like me, but how could you hurt a child?” “Whatever you feel toward me, take it out on me. Leo is just a boy. He doesn’t understand any of this.” Julian’s face instantly changed. He quickly, tenderly, helped Chloe up. “Chloe, what are you doing? Don’t worry, with me here, no one will dare to bully you.” Then, he erupted in anger, pointing his finger at me. “Stella, what did you do?” “Why would you hurt a child?!” I scoffed. Looking at the man who once swore I was his entire world, I almost laughed out loud. “Julian, are you blind, or just willfully ignorant? Which part of you saw me lay a finger on anyone?” “No, no, Julian, Stella didn’t do anything, it’s not her fault.” Chloe cut in perfectly, tears already tracing down her cheeks, her expression a masterpiece of wounded sorrow. “I shouldn’t have moved in. I shouldn’t have disturbed Stella’s life.” “And I definitely shouldn’t have mentioned carelessly that Leo is allergic to soy milk, only to still offer it to him… just to try and please her.” “Still, regardless of fault-Julian, please, just take Leo to the hospital first.” “Tsk, what a well-rehearsed script.” “Ms. Hayes, your performance is wasted here. It’s a shame you never pursued acting.” I applauded softly, a smile on my lips. “Stella, that’s enough!” Julian was livid, his hand rising as if to strike me. I scoffed and leaned in closer. “What’s wrong, famous author? Can’t bring yourself to do it?” “Or are you worried your wife might say something…untimely at your book launch in two days?” “You!” Seeing his face freeze, I knew he was afraid. Because I understood better than anyone how desperately Julian craved success. I had watched him claw his way up from obscurity, from a writer no one knew into the “genius” everyone praised. His expression shifted. He released me angrily. “Stella, you’ve disappointed me.” He scooped up Leo, shoved past me roughly, and rushed out. Caught off guard, I crashed into the sharp corner of the table, the impact jolting through my abdomen. Disappointed? I laughed, and the tears came instantly. I had once been pregnant, too. Seven years ago, during Julian’s most hectic book launch, I had lost the child in an accident. Back then, he had held my hand, his eyes filled with a sorrow that felt genuine. “It’s okay, we’re still young.” “There will be other chances.” I still remembered the grief in his eyes. After that, he never mentioned trying for a child again.. But now, I recalled everything I had uncovered last night. My miscarriage. Chloe’s pregnancy. The timing aligned with a precision so chilling it froze the blood in my veins.
“Stella, you have the nerve to be sleeping here!” Julian stormed in. He grabbed my hair, roughly dragging me downstairs. A searing pain instantly shot through my scalp. My vision went black. “Julian, are you insane?!” “Insane? Well, you drove me to it, Stella! Do you know, if we had been ten minutes later, Leo might have died!” “Anaphylactic shock can kill someone! How could you be so vicious?!” He violently flung me to the floor. I sneered, lifting my head to glare at him. “What, Mr. Famous Author, so worried about a child who’s an outsider? Could it be that he’s related to you?” “Stella, what are you talking about?!” Julian immediately roared, his face flushed with shame and anger. “I’m talking nonsense?” I scoffed. “To think you’d strike and scream at your own wife over another woman’s child. Anyone who saw it would think he was your secret son.” Sure enough, his face paled. I knew him too well. Julian valued his reputation above all else. Countless envious eyes were watching him, waiting for him to slip. If a scandal broke now, especially at a critical moment like his new book presale launch, his meticulously built image would be completely shattered. “Stella, how many times do I have to tell you? They are inspiration partners for my work. I brought them home for my writing. What is wrong with that?” “It’s you who’s petty and narrow-minded, constantly bullying her and her child.” “Now the new book’s presales have broken industry records on the very first day. They helped achieve that. How dare you, with such a malicious heart, slander our benefactors?” Benefactors? More like a conquest in the bedroom, wouldn’t you say? But when I turned and saw what Chloe was holding, my blood turned to ice. A scream lodged itself in my throat. “Julian, what have you done?!” It was unmistakably my mother’s urn. Why was it in her hands? Without Julian’s silent permission, how could she ever have reached it? Julian’s expression faltered, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. “Stella, let me explain.” Chloe suddenly stepped forward, a mask of panic on her face. “Oh? Was this so important, Stella? Here, I’ll give it back right now!” Before I could even move, her eyes darted sideways, a vicious smile touching her lips. In one swift motion, the urn dropped from her hands. It shattered against the floor with a sickening crack. “Chloe!” Rage surged through me, hot and blinding. My vision flushed crimson. I lunged for her, past all reason. But Julian’s arm shot out, blocking my way. Chloe immediately cowered behind Julian. “Stella, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, it was an accident! I didn’t know it meant so much to you. It’s all my fault. My hand just slipped. Please, please forgive me.” “Chloe didn’t mean it.” Julian watched me crumble, my voice breaking, and frowned with distaste. “Stella, get a hold of yourself. It’s only an urn.” Only an urn? I laughed, a bitter, furious sound. I bit down hard, forcing the words out slowly. “Julian. Tell me. Why did you give her my mother’s ashes?” Julian lowered his gaze. Chloe smugly peered out from behind him. “Stella, it’s my fault, all my fault. There’s an old belief where I come from… if a child in the family falls ill from fright, the ashes of an elder can absorb the bad luck. I was just so worried about Leo’s condition.” “So I begged Julian for help. I’m begging you, please don’t blame Julian, and don’t let this cause any trouble between you two because of me.” She cried and whimpered, making to kowtow again. Julian moved without hesitation, stepping wordlessly in front to shield her. “That’s enough, Stella. What happened to Leo is, in part, tied to you. And your mother is gone. Keeping her ashes is just clinging to the past.” “Just gather them up. We’ll get a new urn.” Ward off evil? If the moment weren’t so grave, I might have laughed until I cried. Julian. You, the celebrated author of our time. You would actually believe such a pathetic excuse. “Fine.” The word tore from my throat, bitter with the taste of blood I kept forcing down. “Perfect.” I dug my nails into my palms, clinging to the pain to stay calm. I’m so sorry, Mom. I let them defile you. Don’t worry. They will pay. Then I took out my phone and texted Julian’s assistant: “Change of venue for the launch. Await my instructions.”
When I first met Julian, he was just an obscure writer, not even worthy of the title author. His writing couldn’t even sell as scrap paper. But even then, I saw his dedication and hard work. For him, I hid all my own brilliance. I retreated behind the scenes, pouring vast resources and connections into his career, handing him opportunities on a silver platter. I never imagined I was feeding an ungrateful ingrate. “Stella, I want to talk…” The next morning, Julian stood outside my door, a look of apology on his face. “I thought about yesterday all night. I was too impulsive, I didn’t think things through.” “Didn’t you want to go to a luxury spa retreat? How about this, I’ll make arrangements today, and take you out to relax, just like when we first got married.” I looked up and saw Chloe standing at the corner, glaring at me with resentment. I raised an eyebrow. Pretending? Who couldn’t? I leaned in, feigning deep affection, and whispered in his ear. “Okay, honey. I was out of line too, ignoring how stressed you’ve been lately.” “It has been a while since we went out together. Maybe we could even try for a baby while we’re there.” Sure enough, Chloe went rigid, all color draining from her face. I smirked. Hook, line, and sinker.. At 3 PM, Julian’s message arrived right on time.. “Stella, I’m so sorry. The publisher called an emergency meeting. The spa day will have to wait. I promise I’ll make it up to you next time.” My reply was gracious, sent with a smile. “No worries, your work comes first. Don’t overwork yourself.” I even added a hugging emoji. Then, I opened the GPS tracker on my phone. I texted Julian’s assistant again. “Launch the new book. Immediate release. Alert all major media and news outlets. Be ready.” Next, I scrolled through Chloe’s latest update. A carousel of photos, each more boastful than the last. “They say this is the most expensive hot spring bath in the world!” “With the right person, even the air tastes sweeter.” “Turns out, the one who isn’t loved will always be the third wheel.” Location: The Hot Spring Resort. A cold smile touched my lips. All they knew was that the place was private and expensive. They had no idea I had bought it years ago. Meanwhile, I had already contacted all the major players in the industry and arranged for them to accompany me to the resort. Our cars had barely reached the foot of the mountain when a swarm of cameras and microphones surged toward mine. “Why was the launch date moved up so abruptly? Are there additional plans?” “Is Julian already at the resort? Why was this location chosen for the launch?” “It’s said this is Julian’s long-awaited masterpiece after two years of reflection. Pre-orders have sold out before the official release. Can you share where his inspiration came from?” I smiled. “Thank you all for your attention. There will indeed be a special program today. As for the details…” I paused, letting my smile deepen. “You’ll just have to wait and see.” As I walked, I dialed Julian’s number right in front of the rolling cameras. His voice came through, raspy and uneven between breaths. “Honey, I’m…having hot pot with some colleagues.” “Of course.” I smiled and ended the call. What a “business dinner,” Julian. Or should I say, a couple’s retreat? A sharp-eyed reporter caught the discrepancy. “This doesn’t look much like a restaurant.” The guards at the entrance saw us and their expressions shifted instantly. “Sorry, it’s a private event. We’re not admitting any guests!” I didn’t slow down. “Out of my way.” Then, I kicked the door open. The internet broke.
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