Author: Momo Chan

It started with a dare. A stupid, drunken game that ended with my boyfriend’s mouth on another woman’s. Bennett and I hadn’t even shared a kiss that night before Tina lunged forward, pushing me aside to claim his lips for herself. “Stop messing around, Tess. It’s Claire’s birthday,” Bennett said, his voice laced with that infuriatingly indulgent tone as he pinched her cheek. The room went deathly silent. My friends sat frozen on the velvet sofas of the lounge, eyes darting between me and the girl currently preening under my fiancé’s touch. Tina giggled, a sharp, girlish sound. “Don’t be mad, Claire. Bennett doesn’t even see me as a girl. Right, Ben?” Bennett looked at me, his expression shifting into that familiar mask of weary patience. “It was just a dare, Claire. Don’t be so sensitive. Don’t ruin the night.” … Everyone expected me to explode. They were waiting for the tears, the screaming match, the usual dramatics that defined our three-year cycle of “Bennett and Tina vs. Me.” Instead, I felt a strange, hollow calm. I reached down, slid the engagement ring off my finger, and took Tina’s hand. I slipped the diamond onto her ring finger. It glided on perfectly. “Let me know when the wedding is,” I said quietly. “Oh my God, Bennett! You’re so sweet. What have you been eating? Honey?” Tina’s voice was a saccharine coo that filled the private booth. Bennett had been looking at her with a soft, reminiscent smile, but as the silence of the room finally registered, he noticed me—standing there, having been shoved onto the edge of the sofa. He let go of Tina’s face and gave her a playful swat on the back of her head. “Alright, enough. It’s Claire’s birthday.” Tina pouted, her lower lip trembling with practiced precision. “Ugh… Claire isn’t going to be that girl, is she? It was just a dare.” The air in the room felt thick. This wasn’t a harmless slap on the wrist or a shot of tequila. This was a kiss. A real one. I saw a few of our friends pull their shoulders in, bracing for the impact. They knew my history. They knew I usually fought for him until I was breathless. But I just looked at the ring. Then I looked at Tina. I walked over and slid it onto her finger. It was a perfect fit. Eerily so. I forced a smile. “Invite me to the wedding.” The room gasped. Even Tina looked stunned, her eyes wide as she stared at the rock on her hand. “Claire, it’s a game. Are you seriously doing this right now?” Bennett’s voice had turned icy. “I know it’s a game,” I replied, my voice steady. “I’m just helping you guys win.” Bennett’s face darkened, a muscle leaping in his jaw. Tina tugged at his sleeve, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Fine, Bennett. It’s my fault. I didn’t realize she’d be so… fragile about it.” She slipped the ring off and tossed it toward me with a careless flick of her wrist. “Here. Stop being mad. I didn’t mean anything by it.” The ring hit me square in the cheek before clattering onto the floor. Clink. The silence was absolute. My cheek stung, but my heart felt nothing. I bent down, picked up the ring, and looked at it one last time. “If you don’t want it, then it’s useless,” I said. I tossed it into the tall trash can by the door. “Claire, are you insane?” one of our friends yelled. “That’s your engagement ring! Bennett spent a fortune on that!” “Quick! Get it out!” “Where did it go? I can’t see it!” Suddenly, half the party was scavenging through the trash, hands diving past discarded watermelon rinds, beer cans, and someone’s half-eaten burger. But the ring was small, and the trash was deep. Tina looked panicked now, clutching Bennett’s arm. Her eyes welled with tears. “Bennett, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think she’d react like this. Is it me? Am I the problem? We’ve just always been so close, I forgot…” Bennett stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body. “Stop! Everyone, stop looking!” They froze, looking up at him from the trash can. His eyes pierced through me, cold and judgmental. “If you can’t handle the game, why did you play?” he spat. “Now everyone is miserable because of you. Are you happy now?” A lump formed in my throat, but I refused to let it break. Tina was the one who kissed my fiancé. I was the one being “flexible.” And somehow, I was the villain who ruined the party. In the past, I would have sobbed. I would have pointed at Tina and listed every boundary she’d crossed since we started dating. But looking at them now, I just felt… finished. I picked up my purse. “Then I’ll leave. Enjoy the rest of the night.” As the heavy door swung shut behind me, I heard someone whisper, “Wait… it’s Claire’s birthday. It’s kind of messed up that she’s leaving, right?” Bennett’s voice was sharp, impatient. “Let her go. She needs to grow up. Anyway, Tina just got that faculty position at the university. Since the cake is already here, let’s celebrate her instead.” The room erupted into cheers again. “Congrats, Tina! To a brilliant career!” I felt something cold on my cheek. I wiped it away. I was crying. But I wasn’t sad. I was just… empty. I grew up in the faculty housing of a prestigious university, always the quiet girl in the shadow of the golden boy, Bennett. He was the star, the genius, and I was the one who studied until my eyes bled just to see my name next to his on the Dean’s List. I never had Tina’s spark. I was the polite stranger in his life until we got to college. When Tina went to a local state school and got a boyfriend, I finally found the courage to tell him how I felt. And by some miracle, he said yes. From that moment on, every choice I made was for him. He wanted to stay and teach, so I turned down a fellowship in Europe. My advisor begged me to go, citing all the brilliant researchers who had gone on to become department heads before thirty. I just blushed and told her, “A quiet life with him is enough for me.” I gave him everything. And he never even considered me. Standing in the freezing night air, I took a long, shaky breath and dialed my old mentor. “Professor? Is that spot on the Dublin project still open?” There was a pause, then a surprised laugh. “Claire? Did you finally come to your senses?” “I think I did.” “Of course it’s open! I’ve been fending off interns for weeks hoping you’d call. When can you be here?” I smiled. “Give me two weeks. I need to get my affairs in order.” I spent the next few hours deep-diving into the project details. Dublin was hours ahead. By the time I finished the call, the sun was starting to peek through the clouds in Ireland. Here, it was nearly 3:00 AM. My head throbbed. I ran a hot bath and sank into it, letting the steam coat my skin. The exhaustion hit me like a wave. I put on some ambient music and drifted off right there in the tub. I woke to the sound of the front door slamming. “Claire?” It was Bennett. His voice echoed through the apartment, growing more agitated as he moved through the rooms. When he finally shoved open the bathroom door, his expression was dark. “Claire.” He looked at me with genuine reproach. I didn’t understand what he was angry about. Was he mad I wasn’t waiting on the sofa to scream at him? Mad I didn’t ask where he’d been for the last four hours? “You’re back,” I said, my voice raspy. “Sorry, I fell asleep. I didn’t hear you.” I gripped the edge of the tub and looked at him. “Could you please step out?” My tone was polite, distant. Like I was talking to a landlord. He frowned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He looked exhausted. “I’m late because Tina was wasted. Her ex has been stalking her again, and I couldn’t just leave a girl alone in that state…” “I get it. Safety first,” I said. He froze. I gave him a small, tight smile. “You’re… not mad?” I actually laughed. “Why would I be mad? You’ve been best friends since you were in diapers. Of course you’d see her home. Especially since she lives alone.” For a second, Bennett looked at me like I was a stranger. I waited for him to move, but when he didn’t, I simply stood up and reached for my towel. We lived together; he’d seen it all before, but suddenly, the familiarity felt wrong. I wrapped the towel around myself and walked past him. He grabbed my wrist. “Claire, just say it. Whatever you’re thinking, just spit it out.” I blinked. “Say what?” “You… you usually have a lot to say,” he muttered, his grip loosening. I thought about it. In the past, every fight involving Tina was a marathon of me trying to explain why his “friendship” felt like a betrayal. But I realized then that you only go crazy when you’re still trying to save something. I didn’t feel the need to save anything anymore. I gently pried his hand off. “Don’t be silly. It’s after 2:00 AM and I have lab work tomorrow. Let’s just go to sleep.” His hand stayed suspended in mid-air. I yawned. “Don’t stay up too late. Goodnight.” I climbed into bed and closed my eyes. A moment later, a thunderous BANG shook the walls. Bennett had slammed the bedroom door from the outside. I knew why he was angry. He had offered me a “truce”—a chance to play my part in our usual drama—and I had refused to take the bait. I slept better than I had in years. The next morning, I was ordering takeout when the door opened. A small, elegant cake was placed on the table. Bennett sat behind it. “Late birthday wish. Happy birthday, Claire.” I paused, my thumb hovering over the ‘pay’ button on my phone. “I know yesterday was a mess,” he said, his long, pale fingers sliding his phone toward me. “And I know the ring is gone. It was an old style anyway. Pick a new one. Tina… she’s a child, Claire. Don’t take her seriously. That kiss meant nothing to her. She’s just impulsive, you know how she is—” “You got me a custom cake? Thank you, Bennett. That’s so sweet.” The sudden interruption cut him off mid-sentence. He stared at me, dumbfounded. “Claire?” I leaned over the cake, reading the inscription: To my girl, eighteen forever. “What a lovely sentiment,” I said brightly. “I love it.” He scowled. “Claire…” I started grabbing plates and forks. “What?” He looked down. “Nothing.” “This bakery has the best buttercream in the city,” I chirped. “I can never get a reservation. You really put effort into this.” He gave a noncommittal grunt, looking unsettled. “Claire… the ring. Look, this one is the biggest they have. You can’t waste this one.” I slid the largest slice of cake onto a plate for him. “Here. You can’t let this go to waste.” I took a small bite of my own. “Is this a new flavor? It’s delicious.” “Claire.” His voice was tight. “Will you please look at what I’m showing you?” I looked down at his phone. It was an order page for a Tiffany & Co. True Love setting. The kind of ring that’s marketed as a once-in-a-lifetime promise. My hand trembled slightly. If he had shown me this twenty-four hours ago, I would have burst into tears of joy. Now? It just looked like an expensive piece of carbon. “No, thank you,” I said, chewing slowly. “It’s a lot of money for something so symbolic. It’s fine.” “Claire?” He looked at me like I’d grown a second head. I smiled. “Really. I’m just over that kind of thing. Don’t waste the money. The cake is more than enough.” I set my empty plate down. “I have a meeting, so I have to run. Put the dishes in the dishwasher, okay?” I turned to go to the bedroom to change. Creeeeeak—thud! The sound of his chair being shoved back. I turned around. Bennett was pocketing his phone, his face a mask of cold fury. “Fine. Whatever. I’ll give it to Tina. She actually appreciates nice things.” He slammed the door on his way out. He hadn’t touched a single bite of the cake. A few days later, I was walking past the faculty lounge when I heard the squeals. “Oh my God, it’s stunning! Look at that pavé work!” “Who bought this for our girl Tina? If a man buys you this, you marry him on the spot!” I glanced through the glass. Tina was surrounded by a gaggle of admiring TAs. On her finger sat the very ring I had seen on Bennett’s phone. The “True Love” setting. They say the meaning behind that specific cut is Love Until Death. “Oh, stop it! It’s just a gift from a friend,” Tina giggled, her eyes darting toward Bennett, who was sitting at a nearby desk. When she saw me, she feigned a gasp, covering her mouth with her hand. “Oh! Claire! I didn’t see you there.” She lowered her voice, though not enough. “This isn’t from Bennett, I swear! Don’t get the wrong idea!” She had made eye contact with me the second I walked in. She had been flaunting that hand the entire time. The room went quiet. Everyone remember the “incident” at the birthday party. They all looked at me, waiting for the explosion. Bennett looked at me, too, his expression unreadable. I walked right up to Tina and took her hand, lifting it to the light. “It’s beautiful,” I said. “Your boyfriend has excellent taste.” Tina froze. Bennett’s hand, holding a coffee cup, tensed. The silence stretched until someone nervously laughed. “Well, Claire knows her jewelry. If she says it’s good, it’s good! Tina, your mystery man really pulled through.” Someone whispered loudly, “See? If it were Bennett’s, Claire would be screaming. It must be someone new.” The tension broke. “Tina, who is he? Don’t keep us in suspense!” “When’s the wedding?” Tina’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, then she looked at me, her voice trembling with a hint of malice. “Well, I don’t know how he chose it. I just said I liked it, and he bought it for me. I didn’t think he had such… sophisticated taste.” “Take it off.” The voice was sharp. Sudden. Tina blinked, looking at Bennett.

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When my mother asked which man I wanted to marry into the Sterling family, I didn’t choose Julian this time. Instead, I chose his uncle, Sam Sterling. My mother looked at me, her expression a mix of confusion and concern. After all, everyone in the elite circles of North Heights knew that Julian and I were childhood sweethearts. I had spent ten years following him like a shadow, loudly proclaiming to anyone who would listen that I wouldn’t marry anyone else. I offered her a bitter, weary smile. My mind drifted to my previous life—the years spent in a hollow marriage where Julian never touched me. I had spent those years convinced he suffered from some secret, shameful illness, going to great lengths to protect his dignity. It wasn’t until our golden wedding anniversary that I accidentally stumbled into the basement vault he had forbidden everyone to enter. The walls were covered, floor to ceiling, with thousands of candid photographs of my cousin, Stephanie. In that moment, the truth shattered me. He wasn’t cold; he just didn’t love me. He never had. Since the universe had seen fit to give me a second chance, I decided to step aside and let them have each other. But later, when I walked toward his uncle in a Vera Wang gown, Julian’s face turned deathly pale. And then, he lost his mind. … Three days after the engagement was finalized, I ran into Julian at an upscale lounge. His friends saw me walk in and immediately began to snicker, their eyes gleaming with mockery. “Look, Julian, your little shadow is back!” “Hey, Nancy, the contract is signed, isn’t it? Do you really need to keep him on such a short leash? Can’t the guy even grab a drink with the boys?” When Julian saw me, his irritation was palpable. He looked at me as if I were a stain on his expensive suit. “Nancy, are you really that desperate?” he hissed, stepping close enough for me to smell the bourbon on his breath. “Going behind my back to get our families to settle the contract? Now everyone in the city thinks we’re engaged. You really outdid yourself this time.” The disdain in his eyes used to make my heart ache. Now, it just felt like a dull, distant noise. I took a slow breath and spoke calmly. “I didn’t need your permission. Because the man I’m marrying isn’t you.” The room went dead silent for a heartbeat before erupting into laughter. Julian’s friends were practically doubled over. “Julian, man, go comfort your little fiancée!” one of them wheezed. “Or she’s going to find an even crazier way to get your attention!” Julian frowned, his ego clearly bruised by my lack of tears. “Nancy, is this a new game? Playing hard to get?” He scoffed, stepping into my personal space. “Marrying into the Sterlings? If it’s not me, who else could it be? You’ve been screaming about being my wife since you were in pigtails. Everyone already considers you my property.” He leaned down, whispering harshly into my ear: “I’ll let the engagement thing slide. But remember this—I’ll give you a grand wedding to keep the families happy. But the legal papers? The actual marriage license? I’m saving that for the woman I actually want.” I looked up at him, stunned. In my last life, Julian had followed his family’s orders perfectly. We had signed the papers and married almost immediately. Did he… remember? Was he reborn, too? Before I could read the expression on his face, Stephanie arrived. The moment she saw Julian and me standing together, her eyes welled up with practiced precision. “Nancy… Julian…” she sobbed, her voice trembling. “I heard you’re… you’re getting married soon. I didn’t bring a gift, but I just wanted to wish you… wish you both a lifetime of happiness.” Before she could finish, she turned and ran out of the lounge, crying. “Look what you did!” Julian snarled at me. He didn’t spare me another glance before charging out after her. When they finally returned, they were holding hands, fingers interlaced. Stephanie’s lips were swollen and red, and there was a very deliberate, dark hickey on Julian’s throat. The crowd watched me with hungry eyes, waiting for the explosion. In the past, if I saw another woman so much as breathe near Julian, I would have caused a scene, screaming and crying until he looked at me. Julian stepped in front of Stephanie, shielding her, his face set in a look of defiant anticipation. He was waiting for me to break. But minutes passed, and I just sipped my sparkling water. Julian looked surprised, then let out a cold, mocking laugh. “I see you’ve finally grown some sense. At least you aren’t making a fool of yourself tonight.” When the party ended, Julian caught me by the arm. “It’s late. It’s not safe. I’ll drive you.” I didn’t decline. A free ride was a free ride. As I walked toward the car, I moved for the front passenger door, but Julian blocked me, his body a solid wall. “Sit in the back,” he said curtly. He then held the front door open for Stephanie, ushering her in with a gentleness he had never shown me. “I’m so sorry, Nancy,” Stephanie chirped from the front seat, looking back with a faux-pitying smile. “Julian is just so worried about me. He knows I get car sick if I’m not in the front.” I said nothing and climbed into the back seat—exactly where I had intended to sit anyway. The entire drive was filled with their hushed giggles and whispered inside jokes. At a red light, Stephanie leaned over, pouting, asking Julian to help her apply lip gloss. They lingered, their faces inches apart, their breathing becoming heavy and synchronized in the quiet cabin of the car. Suddenly, Julian glanced in the rearview mirror, as if remembering I was there. When he saw me staring blankly out the window, completely indifferent, his expression shifted. His jaw tightened, and he slammed the car into gear, his mood turning inexplicably foul. When we reached my house, I moved to get out, but Julian caught my wrist again. He shoved a small jewelry box into my hand, his tone condescending. “Fine. Stop with this ‘indifferent’ act. It’s beneath you.” He sighed. “This bracelet is your engagement gift. Just be a good girl, and I’ll give you the wedding. At least in the eyes of the city, you’ll be my wife.” I looked at the box, then at him. “And the marriage license? Who are you signing that with? Stephanie?” Julian’s temper flared, though there was a flicker of smug satisfaction in his eyes. “I knew you were faking. I’m warning you, Nancy—don’t you dare say a word of this to our parents. What Stephanie and I have is beyond your understanding. She’s fragile, she’s kind, and she doesn’t have a manipulative bone in her body. If you hurt her, don’t blame me if I call off the wedding entirely.” I almost laughed. He was so cowardly, so afraid to stand up to the Sterling patriarchs, yet he framed it as if I were the villain in his tragic romance. I didn’t answer. I simply turned and walked into my house. The second I closed the door, my phone buzzed. It was a video from Stephanie. In the video, Julian was carefully fastening a diamond necklace around her neck. I recognized the brand—a luxury boutique. I realized then that the bracelet Julian had shoved at me was likely a “gift with purchase” from that very necklace. The camera tilted. Their lips met, and the wet, rhythmic sound of their kissing filled my quiet hallway. “Nancy,” Stephanie’s text followed. “Julian told you, right? After the wedding, he’s signing the papers with me.” “Think about it—a marriage that isn’t legally recognized means no inheritance. No rights. I think it’s my turn to be the billionaire’s wife this time around, don’t you?” My blood ran cold. Stephanie had been reborn, too. No wonder they were moving so fast. In the previous life, they had hidden their affair for decades. Now, they were trying to rewrite history together. I looked down at my phone, remembering the business trends from my past life. After Julian and I “married,” the Sterling Group had suddenly exploded with new contracts and unprecedented growth. Everyone said I was his lucky charm. I had lived in that lie for fifty years before seeing those photos. My mother came into my room then, her voice soft. “Sam is coming back from London in five days.” I felt a spark of genuine hope. In my last life, Sam Sterling—Julian’s uncle—had never married. He was the ghost of the family, a powerful, silent figure who lived mostly abroad. I remembered him as a kind, older-brother figure from my childhood. Marrying him felt like finding a safe harbor in a storm. The next day, I went to my “secret garden”—a private glass conservatory on the rooftop of my family’s office building. I had spent years filling it with exotic blooms, all of them Julian’s favorites, in a desperate attempt to please him. Now that my future husband had changed, the garden needed to change, too. I spent the next few days clearing out the old and planting the flowers Sam preferred—deep blue hydrangeas and white lilies. I stepped away to the breakroom for a coffee, and my phone pinged. I opened Instagram to see Stephanie’s latest post. My heart stopped. The photos showed my conservatory in ruins. My carefully tended flowers were snapped at the stems, petals scattered like blood across the floor. In the center of the carnage, Julian was holding Stephanie, both of them beaming at the camera. “Julian knew I needed a place for my photoshoot, so he found this hidden gem for me! It feels so good to be loved!” I sprinted back to the roof. Inside, Julian was plucking a stray jasmine bloom—one of the few left—and tucking it behind Stephanie’s ear. “This is my private space!” I screamed, my voice cracking. “How dare you bring her here? How dare you destroy my garden!” Stephanie flinched, her eyes instantly brimming with tears. “Julian… did I do something wrong? Why is she so angry? I’m so scared…” Julian stepped in front of her, his face darkening. “Nancy, quit the theatrics. You grew these flowers for me anyway, didn’t you?” He gestured vaguely at the wreckage. “I was bored of your little obsession with this place. What does it matter if Stephanie uses it for a few photos? Stop making everything about you.” I looked at the crushed lilies on the floor, my eyes stinging. “Who said these were for you? I was preparing this for my future husband!” Julian let out a sharp, mocking bark of laughter. “Give it a rest, Nancy. We all know I’m the only man you’ve ever wanted. I’ve already agreed to marry you—stop acting like a brat.” I looked at the broken petals and began to cry. Just then, a crew of workers began hauling in massive crates of sunflowers—Stephanie’s favorite. As they began to unpack them, the air became thick with yellow pollen. My throat tightened instantly. My skin began to flush a violent red. Julian knew. He had known since we were ten years old that I was deathly allergic to sunflower pollen. But his eyes weren’t on me. He was busy directing the workers, his face lit up as he watched Stephanie twirl among the bright yellow blooms. Suddenly, Stephanie let out a small gasp. “Julian… I think I scratched my finger on one of Nancy’s roses. It hurts…” Julian’s face twisted into a mask of maternal worry. He swept her up into his arms, then turned to me, his voice a roar of fury. “Nancy! Even your flowers are as spiteful and vicious as you are! If Stephanie gets an infection from this, I swear to God, you’ll pay for it!” He turned and carried her out, ignoring the way I was clutching my throat, my face turning purple, my hand reaching out to him in a desperate plea for help. I don’t know how long it took me to crawl out of that room. Every breath felt like swallowing glass. When I finally reached my medication in the office below and the air began to return to my lungs, the cold truth settled in my gut. In the past, I thought Julian just didn’t love me. I never realized he was capable of watching me die for the sake of a scratch on Stephanie’s finger. I leaned against the wall, shaking. Thank God. Thank God I wasn’t marrying him. I took several hours to compose myself. Tonight was the formal family dinner to welcome Sam back. I needed to look perfect. I needed to make a good impression. When I reached the underground parking garage, I saw a car rocking rhythmically in the distance. As I got closer, I recognized Julian’s silver Maserati. The driver’s side window was half-down. Julian had Stephanie draped over his lap. Her eyes were glazed, her body moving in a slow, steady rhythm. Even though I no longer loved him, the sheer audacity of it—doing this in the family garage before a formal dinner—made my chest tighten. Julian opened his eyes and locked onto mine. A flicker of panic crossed his face, but it was gone in a second. Instead of stopping, he reached up, brushed a strand of hair from Stephanie’s face, and kissed her deeply, moaning loudly enough for the sound to echo off the concrete walls. He was doing it on purpose. He wanted to break me. I looked away, climbed into my own car, and drove toward the Sterling estate. On the way, I stopped to pick up a silk tie I had ordered for Sam. I arrived at the mansion at the same time as Julian. As he stepped out of his car, I could see discarded wrappers on the floor of his passenger seat. He saw the gift bag in my hand and his smirk returned, full of smug entitlement. “Bought me a gift? Let me see.” I pulled the bag behind my back, my pulse racing. “It’s not for you.” He chuckled, lighting a cigarette and blowing a cloud of smoke toward me. “I saw you in the garage, Nancy. I know you’re dying inside.” He leaned against his car. “I told you already. You get the wedding. Stephanie gets the license. She’s the one making the sacrifice here, really.” He flicked ash onto the pavement. “She’ll be my legal wife. What we do is natural. She’ll probably stay at our house sometimes. You’ll have to get used to it. It’s for your own good, really—keeps the family name intact.” The level of his delusion was staggering. I turned to walk away, but he grabbed my arm. “Listen. My uncle Sam is going to be there tonight. The whole family answers to him. This dinner is serious.” He leaned in, his voice dropping to a low warning. “I’m giving you enough face by showing up. If the elders ask about the marriage license, you tell them we’ve already signed it. Understand?” “Also, Stephanie’s finger is still sore. After dinner, you’re going to apologize to her. If you don’t… well, I can always call off the wedding before it’s official.”

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“Natalie, the fireworks! They caught your house—your parents are still inside!” It was New Year’s Eve, the kind of night where the air feels brittle with frost and expectation. My childhood friend, Hailey, had insisted we go out to celebrate. She wanted a spectacle, something to mark her “return” to our small town, so she’d dropped nearly two thousand dollars on professional-grade pyrotechnics. I’d watched her line them up along the dry brush at the edge of my property, my stomach doing slow, anxious somersaults. I tried to talk her out of it, pointing out how close they were to the porch, how the wind was picking up. She’d just brushed me off with a sharp, practiced laugh. “I know what I’m doing, Nat. Lighten up for once.” She didn’t wait for an answer before she struck the match. I couldn’t watch. Feeling a headache coming on, I retreated to a neighbor’s house to play cards, trying to drown out the booms with small talk. I hadn’t even finished my first hand when she burst through the door, breathless and wild-eyed, screaming that my parents were being burned alive. I froze, the cards slipping from my numb fingers. My parents? That was impossible. I was the only one spending the holidays at the house this year. … My first instinct was that this was one of Hailey’s twisted jokes. She’d always had a flair for the dramatic, a need to be the center of every tragedy. “Hailey, stop. My parents aren’t—” “I’m serious!” she shrieked, grabbing my arm so hard her nails dug into my skin. “I’m not lying! We have to go, now! The fire is out of control!” She hauled me toward my house. Before we even cleared the treeline, the heat hit me—a physical wall of shimmering, orange air. The fire had turned the Victorian structure I grew up in into a skeletal furnace. Neighbors were frantic, tossing buckets of water that vanished into steam before hitting the flames. Above the roar of the fire, I heard it: a low, guttural moaning from inside the house. Someone was screaming a name, the sound muffled by the crackle of burning cedar. My heart hammered against my ribs. If my parents weren’t home—and they shouldn’t have been—then who the hell was in there? I reached into my pocket, my fingers trembling as I tried to dial 911. Before I could hit ‘call,’ Mr. Henderson, the head of our local neighborhood association, intercepted me. He looked haggard, his face smeared with soot. “Natalie, honey, your parents… they’re trapped. The fire’s too hot. We’ve tried everything, but…” He trailed off, wiping a hand across his red-rimmed eyes. “You need to prepare yourself.” I looked at the house. Through the shattered parlor window, I could see two silhouettes wreathed in flame, thrashing in a desperate, final dance of agony. A wave of nausea rolled over me. Even if it wasn’t my parents, I had to save whoever was in there. But as my thumb hovered over the emergency button, Mr. Henderson snatched the phone right out of my hand. “No, Natalie. You can’t call the police.” I stared at him, bewildered. “What are you talking about?” “Our town is in the final running for the ‘Safest Heritage Community’ grant,” he said, his voice dropping to a frantic whisper. “If word gets out about a fatal fire caused by illegal fireworks on New Year’s, we lose everything. The funding, the reputation… we can handle this ourselves. We’ll get the fire out.” I opened my mouth to scream at him, but Hailey was suddenly there, flanking me. “He’s right, Nat. Don’t make a scene. Look at everyone helping you—if you call the cops now, you’re basically stabbing the whole neighborhood in the back. Just let them put it out. That’s all that matters right now.” Their logic was insane, a product of small-town desperation and warped priorities, but the roar of the fire was louder than my thoughts. I didn’t fight them. I grabbed a bucket and joined the line. We fought the flames until three in the morning. When the last ember finally hissed into silence, the air was thick with the cloying, sweet-metallic scent of charred meat. Two blackened shapes were carried out on stretchers and covered with white sheets. Hailey didn’t wait for me to process it. she collapsed into the dirt, wailing into her hands. “Natalie, I’m so sorry! Your poor parents… I never should have lit those fireworks. I didn’t think… I didn’t know your house was the only one that would go up. Please don’t hate me.” She was performing, making herself the victim before I could even find my voice. Two people were dead, and she was worried about being blamed. I clenched my fists, the grief and rage finally bubbling over. “I warned you, Hailey! I told you it wasn’t safe, but you had to have your ‘moment.’ Now my house is gone, and people are dead. Do you think an apology fixes that?” Hailey looked up, her eyes swimming with well-rehearsed tears, and sobbed even harder. One of the neighbors, a woman named Mrs. Gable, stepped forward to shield her. “Honestly, Natalie, shouting won’t bring them back. You’re being cruel.” “Exactly,” another man added, crossing his arms. “It’s just bad luck. Everyone else’s house is fine. Maybe your place was just a tinderbox. You can’t pin that on Hailey.” Then, Mrs. Gable let out a long, airy sigh. “And look on the bright side, dear. At least you won’t have to worry about the cost of assisted living anymore. That’s one hell of a silver lining, isn’t it?” I felt the blood drain from my face. “What did you just say?” “I’m just saying, the elder-care burden is halved! You should be thanking her for the closure.” “You’re disgusting,” I whispered, stepping toward her. I wanted to tear that smug look off her face. Mr. Henderson stepped between us. “Enough. Natalie, don’t take it out on her. She’s just… being practical. Look, you can stay at my place for a few days. We take care of our own.” Hailey reached out, catching my sleeve. “Stay with me, Nat. It’s the least I can do. I’ll be your family now. My parents can be your parents. Please?” I looked at her. Her eyes were darting everywhere but at me. I remembered the fireworks—how she’d aimed the Roman candles directly toward my roof, laughing like it was a game. A cold realization began to settle in my gut. Mr. Henderson kept pushing. “Let’s just get the bodies to the funeral home for a private cremation before the sun comes up. No need for an autopsy, no need for the county coroner to get involved.” He signaled for a few men to lift the stretchers. I smiled, a cold, hard thing. “There’s just one problem, Mr. Henderson. My parents didn’t come home for the holidays. Those two bodies? They aren’t mine.” “I think we should call the police and see who they actually belong to.” The entire group froze. The silence was absolute. Hailey was the first to break it. She scrambled to her feet, pointing a trembling finger at the sheets. “That’s impossible! Who else would be in your house? You’re just saying that because you want to call the cops! Natalie, for God’s sake, have some perspective! Is your pride really more important than this town’s future?” Perspective? I couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. What was even more chilling was the way the rest of the neighbors nodded, their eyes turning cold and accusatory. Mr. Henderson frowned, his voice laced with a hidden threat. “Natalie, I know you’re grieving, but don’t make this difficult. If you turn this into a crime scene, nobody in this town is going to help you with the burial. You’re a young woman—you think you can handle this alone?” “It’s over. We’re burying them in the local plot at dawn. Simple as that.” He barked an order at the men, but it was New Year’s Day, and the grim reality of handling charred remains had dampened their enthusiasm. Nobody moved. Hailey shoved me toward them. “Natalie, don’t just stand there! Give them some cash for the trouble. Don’t you know how things work? You’ve been in the city too long. You owe these men at least a thousand each for the hazard pay.” “Pay up. It’s your family. Do the right thing.” A thousand dollars each? It wasn’t “hazard pay”; it was an extortion tax to keep me quiet. Suddenly, ten men found the energy to step forward, holding out their Venmo codes like vultures. I didn’t move. I raised my voice, letting it carry through the cold morning air. “I told you. Those aren’t my parents. I don’t know who those people are.” Hailey’s face contorted. From the back of the crowd, Mrs. Gable scoffed. “Stop lying! I saw your parents at 8:00 PM last night! I waved to them in the driveway!” “Me too,” another woman chimed in. “We were all at the end of the block. We saw them go inside. Why would we lie about that? It’s bad luck to lie about the dead.” Their certainty was terrifying. My head started to throb. My parents had told me they were staying in the city. But why would all these people insist they were here? Hailey gripped my shoulder, her voice dropping to a faux-sympathetic coo. “Nat, I know it’s hard to accept. But everyone saw them. If you don’t believe us, why don’t you just call them? Prove us wrong.” My hands began to shake uncontrollably. Someone thrust a phone in my face—a grainy doorbell camera clip from a neighbor’s house. It showed two people, dressed in my parents’ winter coats, waving to the street before entering my front door. I fumbled for my own phone and dialed my father. Straight to voicemail. My heart hammered against my teeth. I dialed my mother. Ringing… ringing… no answer. I tried five more times. Nothing. I took a shaky breath and called my older brother, my last hope. He picked up on the third ring. “Natalie? It’s five in the morning, what’s up?” “Jack,” I whispered, my eyes burning. “Did Mom and Dad go back to the house last night? To the old place?” Jack chuckled on the other end. “Yeah, Dad was obsessed with those two sea bass he had in the deep freeze there. He insisted on having them for New Year’s dinner. I drove them down myself last night. Why?” The air left my lungs. The phone slipped slightly from my ear. I could hear my nephew crying in the background, and then the line went dead. I looked at the two white sheets. My knees turned to water. Hailey caught me, pulling me into a suffocating hug while whispering in my ear. “Just give them the money, Nat. Let them rest. It’s almost over. Everyone is waiting.” I was shaking with a mix of horror and fury. I knelt in the dirt before the stretchers. After a few jagged breaths, I reached out and peeled back the sheet. I wanted to find something—a ring, a watch—that would tell me it wasn’t them. But the fire had been too thorough. They were unrecognizable. I broke down, sobbing into my hands. Behind me, I felt Hailey’s hand on my back, and I could swear I heard the faint, satisfied click of her tongue. “It’s okay, Nat. It’s over now.” Over? How could it be over? If she hadn’t lit those fireworks, they’d be alive. I reached for my phone, intent on calling the authorities, grant be damned. Hailey slapped the phone out of my hand. “I said no police! Are you deaf?” I reached for the phone again, and she kicked it three feet away into the ash. I felt a surge of pure, primal adrenaline. I stood up, ready to swing at her, when a voice drifted from the driveway. “Natalie? What is everyone doing on our lawn so early?” I spun around. My mother and father were standing there, holding a grocery bag, looking perfectly healthy and utterly confused. If my parents were standing there… then who was under the sheets? The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating, and punctuated only by the sound of Hailey’s jaw hitting the floor.

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My Aunt Eleanor left a will, granting her entire million-dollar estate to me. My father, Robert, snatched the will and ripped it to shreds. “What does a dying person need so much money for?” he sneered. “Without a will, the three of us siblings will split it equally, as per the law.” I felt all the color drain from my face. “That’s Aunt Eleanor’s money, left specifically for me! I need it for my leukemia treatment.” My uncle, Gary, stomped hard on the shredded pieces of paper on the floor. “Even with the money, your illness might not be cured anyway,” he said, callous. “We’re Aunt Eleanor’s closest relatives. The adults decide how it’s divided.” Everyone else looked gleeful. “Your father is right, we completely agree.” A cold dread washed over me. They clearly had no idea that Aunt Eleanor’s will also existed digitally. If you don’t care that I’m critically ill, then don’t blame me for abandoning all family ties. Seeing me frozen in place, speechless, my father, Robert, calmly tried to console me. “Ava, I know you’re upset. But the living are important too. Gary’s son, Daniel, is getting married soon, and Richard’s daughter, Chloe, is preparing to study abroad. Everyone is short on cash right now. Splitting it equally among our three families, as the law dictates, is the fairest way.” It felt like I was being brutally dragged to hell; the pain was excruciating. “Even without this money, Daniel would still get married as planned, and Richard and Sharon could still afford to send Chloe to study abroad. But I’ll die if I don’t get enough money for treatment! Besides, Aunt Eleanor clearly stated in black and white that this money was for me. What right do you have to take it?” Robert was furious at my “immaturity,” the flesh on his face trembling. “Ava, how can you be so selfish! This money might not even cure your illness, but it would make everyone else’s lives much more comfortable.” Brenda started to tear up dramatically. “Don’t be silly, talking about dying. Would we, your family, ever abandon you?” Sharon quickly chimed in. “Exactly! We’d definitely work hard to find you the best doctors and hospitals. Blood is thicker than water; we’d never treat you badly.” I found it laughable. Ever since my diagnosis, they had been avoiding me like the plague. Afraid I’d infect them, or worse, ask them to get tested for bone marrow donation. “Oh no, we’re too old for surgery.” “Daniel and Chloe aren’t even married yet. What if something goes wrong with the bone marrow donation? I won’t allow it.” Where was their “blood is thicker than water” concern back then? I countered their pretense. “The doctors already said they found a suitable bone marrow donor. The cost is exactly one million. If I inherit Aunt Eleanor’s full estate, I’ll live.” They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with cunning. Richard was the first to speak. “Doctors aren’t saints. Is everything they say absolutely true? Maybe they’re just after your surgery fees.” At Richard’s words, everyone nodded in silent agreement. “We’re family. Would we really harm you?” My expression remained unmoved. “In short, Aunt Eleanor’s money was promised to me. I won’t give a dime to anyone.” Robert was the first to accuse me. “Ava! If I get the inheritance, wouldn’t I still give you money for treatment? You wouldn’t be losing anything. Splitting the money equally would make everyone happy. Do you really have to upset everyone because of your illness?” Robert’s words emboldened the others. Brenda began to earnestly lecture me. “Ava, don’t blame me for being blunt. With your illness, even if you survive, you’ll burden the family with your care. Just take pity on Robert, who worked so hard to raise you alone. Don’t put him through any more trouble.” Sharon nodded vigorously. “Besides, Eleanor’s money should belong to the Sterling family. It’s only right and legally supported for us to split it equally.” I gasped in anger, loudly refuting them. “No! The law won’t support that!” Sharon looked at me as if I were a clown. “If the law doesn’t support an equal split, does it support you taking everything? Now that the will is gone, the law will certainly not support you.” I pointed at the fragments on the floor, arguing passionately. “The will clearly stated in black and white that all of Aunt Eleanor’s estate was for me alone!” The Sterling family had never truly cared for Aunt Eleanor. Early on, my grandparents had wanted to marry Eleanor off for financial gain. After a huge argument with the family, Eleanor ran off to make her own way. Robert felt Eleanor’s actions betrayed the Sterling family, and he was furious. “Let’s just pretend Eleanor was never part of our family!” I knelt on the floor, trying to pick up the fragments of the will. “You didn’t respect Aunt Eleanor when she was alive. What right do you have to divvy up her money now that she’s dead!”

Gary’s son, Daniel, stood idly by, watching me. “Robert, Brenda, Gary, don’t you remember? Ava always loved going to Aunt Eleanor’s house as a child. Aunt Eleanor doted on Ava, and she’d given her a lot of money privately over the years. See? Now she’s left her entire estate to Ava.” Gary and Brenda understood Daniel’s insinuation. Brenda quickly squatted down and used her sturdy body to shove me to the floor. “So you’re a conniving little thing! So young, and you already manipulated Aunt Eleanor into leaving her entire estate to you. The Sterling family’s inheritance should rightfully go to the men of the family! What business does a dying woman like you have with it!” I lay sprawled on the floor, my body aching all over, but I still defended Aunt Eleanor. “You’re the ones who abandoned Aunt Eleanor first! Her death isn’t even unrelated to you! You have no right to take a single penny of Aunt Eleanor’s money.” Aunt Eleanor was never married and had no children, so she poured a lot of her affection into me. She’d always give me pocket money, delicious snacks, and pretty clothes and bags. Later, when Daniel and Chloe found out, they came to Aunt Eleanor’s house demanding things. “My parents said that since you don’t have kids, everything you own will go to Daniel after you die.” Aunt Eleanor was furious and kicked them out on the spot. “You can forget about taking my money!” But Daniel’s words gave her a sense of urgency. Aunt Eleanor pulled me aside and made her will in advance. “Ava, Aunt Eleanor loves you the most. You must guard her money carefully and don’t give a single penny to anyone from the Sterling family.” For double assurance, Aunt Eleanor specifically tucked another legally binding copy of the will into her diary. That was the will we had just found while going through Aunt Eleanor’s belongings. Later, when I was diagnosed with leukemia, Aunt Eleanor, heartbroken for me, wired me fifty thousand dollars. “Don’t worry, Ava. Aunt Eleanor has money, and she’ll pay for whatever treatment you need.” When Brenda found out Aunt Eleanor had given me money, she went to Aunt Eleanor’s place and caused a scene. “What are you doing? Why are you giving Daniel’s money to Ava? Give us back the money!” During the argument, Aunt Eleanor fell, and not long after, she passed away in bed. Brenda suddenly remembered the money Aunt Eleanor had given me before she died, walked over, and kicked me. “Eleanor’s fifty thousand dollars to you also belongs to Daniel! Cough it up, now!” Helpless, I looked up at Robert. Robert stood there, not showing a hint of sympathy. Instead, he just looked annoyed by my “immaturity.” “Ava, this is where you’re wrong. Quickly hand over that fifty thousand dollars to be part of Aunt Eleanor’s estate, and then our three families can split it equally. That’s the only proper way. Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution for keeping that fifty thousand dollars?” I reached out, struggling to grasp the fragments on the floor, my eyes burning with hatred. “You wish. Aunt Eleanor’s will clearly states all her money goes to me. You won’t get a single cent!” Daniel stomped heavily on my hand. “Stop struggling. You’re half-dead already. Why not give up on treatment sooner, die sooner, and be free? At least leave some money for your dad.” Brenda was practically spitting as she spoke. “Exactly! We spoiled you for nothing! How can you be so cold-blooded and petty? What if you win this inheritance fight, what if you get cured? You’ll be hated by everyone, completely alienated, and no one will want anything to do with you.” I bit back the pain and reached for the fragments. Robert grabbed a handful of fragments and, pulling out a lighter, burned them to ashes. “Give up. Now there’s no will, so the inheritance has to be split equally.” Tears streamed down my face from the pain. “Dad, why are you so cruel? I’m your own daughter! Can you really just stand by and watch me die from lack of surgery money?” I didn’t wait for Robert’s answer; the pain simply overwhelmed me, and I passed out.

When I woke up, I found myself in a hospital bed. The nurse saw I was awake and couldn’t help but complain to me. “You’re finally awake! You wouldn’t believe how ‘exciting’ it was while you were unconscious. A group of people brought you here, demanding we wake you up by any means necessary so you’d ‘cough up’ that fifty thousand dollars. The hospital staff thought they were causing a disturbance and kicked them out. Who exactly are those people, to treat you like that?” My heart felt like it was being pricked by countless needles, yet I replied calmly. “They’re my family.” The nurse gasped in shock. “No way! They looked like they wanted you dead.” Realizing she’d spoken out of turn, she quickly covered her mouth, watching my reaction. I didn’t say anything, just quietly made a call. “Hello, Mr. Evans? I’d like to claim Aunt Eleanor’s inheritance according to her will, to be used entirely for my leukemia treatment.” I arrived at Mr. Evans’s law firm, only to find Robert, Gary, and Brenda already there. Brenda was the first to look at me with disdain. “Well, look who’s got good intel, knowing we’re here today to discuss Aunt Eleanor’s estate. Too late, though. We asked a lawyer. Without a will, the estate is split equally among her siblings. Your share? Go ask Robert for it.” Robert’s tone was dismissive. “Ava, out of a million, our family would only get a little over three hundred thousand. It’s barely enough for your initial surgery, and after that, we’d be out of resources. Don’t bother with this anymore. Consider the fifty thousand Eleanor gave you before she died as a goodwill gesture from our three families. Live well, eat well, and consider your life complete.” Seeing me silent, Brenda walked up to me and handed me a bright red invitation. “Oh, by the way, Daniel is getting married. You should really try to stay alive to attend the wedding, you know.” I opened it and saw it was for a famous five-star hotel in town. Daniel’s fiancée was a rich girl. To ensure Daniel married well, Gary and Brenda were pulling out all the stops, sparing no expense for the wedding, just to keep up appearances. I didn’t expect them to lend me money for my treatment. But why were they still trying to steal my life-saving money? Angrily, I tore the invitation to shreds and threw it on the floor. Brenda cursed loudly. “Ava, don’t be so ungrateful!” I shrugged. “Just following your lead. Didn’t you rip up the will too?” Mr. Evans came out to greet me. “Ms. Sterling, hello.” I stated my purpose. “Hello, Mr. Evans. I’m here to inherit Aunt Eleanor’s entire estate according to her last wishes.” The moment I finished speaking, they burst into laughter. Sharon laughed, calling me presumptuous. “Are you crazy from your illness? What will?” Robert, clearly embarrassed by me, explained to Mr. Evans. “I apologize. My daughter is ill, and her mind isn’t quite right. Please don’t listen to her nonsense. And don’t accept any money from her; she has no income and can’t afford legal fees.” I still didn’t understand why Robert was so determined to prevent me from inheriting Aunt Eleanor’s entire estate. “Dad, Aunt Eleanor’s will clearly states all her money is mine. If I don’t get cured, my money would eventually be yours. Why did you still tear up the will to split it with the others? Wouldn’t you get less that way?” Robert stammered for a long time, finally retorting with a flushed face. “I’m doing this for the good of the family! You can’t be so selfish.” Since Robert wouldn’t tell me the truth, I had no desire to engage with him. I pulled out the paper copy of Aunt Eleanor’s will and scanned the room. “I have Aunt Eleanor’s will, and all the money belongs to me.”

At first, they didn’t believe me. “Impossible! How could you have a will?” “It must be fake! You’re lying!” Sharon grabbed Mr. Evans’s arm. “Don’t believe her! Her will is definitely a fake! Quickly, tell her what the consequences are for forging a will!” Robert, without bothering to distinguish right from wrong, started yelling at me. “Ava! I know you’re desperate for money for treatment! But you can’t forge a fake will just for money! You’re completely shaming the Sterling family name!” Mr. Evans calmly addressed everyone. “Everyone, please calm down. The will Ms. Ava Sterling holds is indeed the will created by Ms. Eleanor Sterling during her lifetime, and it is legally binding.” Their panic was palpable. “How is that possible? The will was clearly torn up that day!” “Yes, it was torn up. If it’s torn, it has no legal validity.” The moment he spoke, Robert rushed forward, snatched the paper will from my hand, and, repeating his previous act, tore it into tiny pieces. He let out a long breath and looked at Mr. Evans. “Now the will is gone. Eleanor Sterling’s estate can be split equally among us three brothers, as the law dictates, right?” I stared wide-eyed in disbelief. “Dad, why? Why would you tear up the will, even in front of a lawyer? Are you really so desperate for that three hundred thousand dollars that you’d abandon your daughter’s dignity and even her life?” Overwhelmed with anger and grief, I suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Robert didn’t answer my question or show any concern for my pain. Instead, he muttered regretfully. “If only I’d known she’d die so soon, I wouldn’t have torn up the will then. All her estate would have been mine after she died.” A knot of anger formed in my chest, making me so choked up I wanted to cry. Mr. Evans quickly supported me, concern etched on his face. “Are you alright?” I gritted my teeth and forced out a sentence. “Continue with the legal proceedings. I want to inherit Aunt Eleanor’s entire estate.” Robert was still scoffing at my audacity. “Ava, you don’t have a will. The law states that the money is to be split equally among us three brothers.” Mr. Evans adjusted his glasses. “Ms. Eleanor Sterling’s will has a digital copy. Even if you tear up the paper version countless times, it still holds legal effect. Ms. Ava Sterling possesses the lawful right of inheritance; you will receive absolutely nothing. Furthermore, Ms. Sterling has formally petitioned the court to rule that you intentionally destroyed the will. This action is suspected of misappropriating another’s property, and we reserve the right to prosecute.” Gary was the first to react, immediately throwing Robert under the bus. “It was him! He was the one who tore up the will, from start to finish. It has nothing to do with us.” The others quickly formed a united front, blaming Robert. “Counselor, he was the one who instructed us to go along with splitting the money. We knew nothing!” Robert stared in disbelief at the people who had just turned against him. “When we were talking about splitting the money, you called me a hero! Now there’s trouble, and you’re throwing me out? We’re family, aren’t we?” Robert turned to me, whining. “Ava, are you really going to force your own father to his death?” Just then, a man suddenly burst into the law firm and threatened me. “Ava, you must split Eleanor Sterling’s estate equally today, or I will take Robert to court.” Looking at the man’s familiar face, I finally understood why Robert was willing to take such risks just to split my money with his relatives. I fought through my physical pain and asked the man. “Fine, let’s both sue. We’ll see whose priority is higher. I’m suing him for destroying a will with intent to infringe upon my lawful property. What about you? What are you suing him for?” The man was clearly prepared. “I’m suing him for…”

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I was found three years after I disappeared. I was only nineteen, but I’d gone blind and was pregnant. My parents held me, sobbing. “My dear daughter, you’ve suffered so much…” But I asked softly, “Where’s Ruth?” Vivian quickly explained. “She didn’t mean to lose you that year. I already punished her—no snacks for a month.” “Don’t blame her, okay?” But I remember when I was little. I just tripped once, and Mom grabbed a knife and stormed over to the neighbor’s kid’s house to raise hell. Even when people spat at her and called her a shrew. When I had a high fever that wouldn’t break, Dad desperately went to church to pray. He prayed for ten days straight. They protected me fiercely, standing firm behind me, time after time. And then Ruth appeared. They sent me to the countryside. I could only see them once a year… The wind carried my parents’ anguished screams. I stood on the hospital rooftop. Smiling, I said, “I’m going to become a little star and fly up to the sky.” That way I won’t be abandoned again, right?

When someone grabbed me, I thought it was the bastard who tortured me every night. I screamed in terror: “I’m being good! I’m not crying!” The person quickly let go, his voice trembling with remorse. “Daughter, we’ve been searching for you for three years. We finally found you!” “Don’t you recognize me? I’m your dad!” Dad? Those two words pierced my mind like a thorn, like thunder. Countless images flashed through my mind. The clearest one was of me being taken by a man and woman from a broken wooden shack to a beautiful big house. They said that would be my home from now on. A girl who looked like an angel came out of the house. She called out sweetly, “Daddy! Mommy! You’re back?” When the girl saw me, she gave me a candy. “Fran, we meet again. Don’t be scared. My parents are your parents now.” I remembered! Even though my body hurt badly—the bastard had hit me with a hammer so many times. But I still couldn’t help feeling excited: “Is Dad here to take me home?” In the darkness. I reached out my hand hopefully, wanting to be held by Dad like Ruth was. But I grasped at empty air. “Your eyes…” Dad’s voice cut off abruptly. I panicked a little: “I’ve gone blind. Will Dad hate me now?” “How could I? Dad loves Fran the most.” He sounded like he was crying. When he picked me up, he barely dared to use any strength. But he was lying! I clearly saw in those flashes of memory that he was only good to that angel girl. Dad held her and spun her around, making her giggle with delight. “Fran, your mom and I have been working hard in the city these years. We had no choice but to send you back to our hometown. Only Ruth stayed by our side.” “Even though she’s just my coworker’s daughter, her parents died in an accident. She’s very pitiful. You need to treat her like a real sister and not bully her, understand?” I nodded obediently. Secretly, I wrote in my diary: [As long as I can stay with Mom and Dad, those people won’t be able to call me a bastard with no parents anymore.] Strange… I didn’t cry when the bastard beat and kicked me. But when I saw that thick diary. My muddled brain felt like it had been shot through with an arrow and exploded! My ears filled with chaotic noise. “Fran! Why are you always jealous of Ruth? She’s smarter and more likable than you—isn’t that how it should be?” “Fran, can’t you learn from Ruth? Is it so hard to smile at your parents and act cute? We raised you for nothing!” Dad gently touched my forehead, asking what was wrong. I came back to my senses in a panic. I asked uncertainly: “…Do I still have a home?” The last page of the diary read: Dad and Mom are Ruth’s dad and mom. That beautiful big house is also Ruth’s home. None of it is mine. My whole body curled up. My damaged eyes and torn lower body throbbed with unbearable pain. Covering my face, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I broke down crying. “Bad people hurt me. I hurt everywhere!” “I waited so long. No one came to save me.” “You think I’m stupid. You don’t want me anymore!”

Dad carried me away from the place where I’d lived for three years. The rotten, foul smell disappeared. But I felt very uncomfortable. I didn’t dare breathe deeply. My face turned red from holding my breath. Dad painfully stroked the area around my eyes. “Your mom and I didn’t abandon you. Bad people locked you up, and we couldn’t find you.” “Don’t worry, Fran. The bastard who trafficked and abused you has been caught by the police. He’ll get what he deserves.” His voice shook as he promised he would cure me. I stared blankly at the pitch-black air. I wanted to tell him I was used to it now. “I’m not scared of the dark anymore.” I comforted Dad, gently probing: “Mom won’t want to send me away again, will she?” The air froze. Dad didn’t respond to my words. Just then, a call came rushing over. “Fran!” A familiar fragrance hit my nose. I greedily took a few more breaths. The woman’s hand touching my face trembled with excitement, her voice thick with tears. “My sweet daughter, I missed you so much.” “Making you suffer so much out there—Mom is so sorry…” I wanted to speak. But suddenly I dry-heaved, scaring them. “Is Fran blaming me?” Vivian’s voice became anxious. The doctor happened to come over with the examination report. His tone was complicated: “The patient was imprisoned and beaten for a long time. She’ll have post-traumatic stress reactions. Try not to upset her.” “As for her physical condition—multiple fractures, internal bleeding, detached retinas in both eyes. We need to schedule surgery soon to restore her sight.” “…Also, she’s pregnant. Four months along.” The hospital room fell silent as death. “Bang!” Something crashed to the floor. Dad roared like a lion. “I’m going to kill that animal!” Vivian sobbed uncontrollably too. She kept apologizing to me. “You were only sixteen before you went missing. What did you go through these three years…” I touched my slightly protruding belly. So I was pregnant. There was a child here whose father I didn’t even know. Even more unlucky than me. While waiting for surgery, my parents stayed by my side the whole time. They tactfully didn’t mention Ruth. I greedily enjoyed this special care, but couldn’t help comparing. “Why didn’t Ruth come?” The hospital room fell silent for a few seconds. Dad asked, “Fran, do you hate Ruth?” Mom hesitated for a moment, then held my hand earnestly. “After you disappeared, Ruth blamed herself terribly. She fell into a slump for a long time. Fortunately, she came to her senses in time, got into the best university in the province, and even got a police officer boyfriend who could help look for information about you.” “So Fran, Ruth didn’t mean to lose you three years ago.” “I already punished her at the time—no snacks for a month. She had to reflect properly.” My whole body trembled. I clutched the blanket tightly. I heard her say quietly: “I read that diary of yours. Every page blamed your dad and me for favoring Ruth.” “That’s all our fault. But don’t resent Ruth, okay? She’s innocent.” Dad also came over to pat my head. “You were silly enough to follow bad people. In the end, you bear more responsibility for this than Ruth does.” He sighed. “Never mind, let’s not talk about it. It’s good that Fran is safely home.” My hands hidden in the bedding clenched into fists. I wanted to tell them. That day at the alley entrance, it was Ruth who stuffed Mom’s bank card into the bad person’s hand. She also said: “Fran, Daddy and Mommy will only ever belong to me!” But my heart felt like it was being torn apart. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. I didn’t understand why it hurt so much. Amidst the ringing in my ears, I could no longer hear what they said after that… The surgery was scheduled quickly. Before entering the operating room, my parents encouraged me. “Fran, you’re stronger than most people. You’ll definitely get better.” Yes, I’m very strong. When so many people rode on top of me, I didn’t die. The smell of disinfectant was strong. The anesthesia took effect. In my daze, I thought about many things.

When I was little, I had a high fever. Everyone said my brain got fried and I became stupid. That’s why my parents sent me to the countryside. But I know I’m not stupid at all! I have a really, really good memory! Later, when I was brought back from the countryside to the city, I tried hard to make my parents not send me away again. I studied hard, sleeping only four hours a day. I finally ranked first in my grade. Excitedly, I brought my report card home. My parents were indeed happy. They even made a huge table full of dishes. But the whole time, no one noticed. I didn’t eat a single bite. Because every dish had chili peppers—Ruth’s favorite. And I would break out in red rashes if I ate them. I watched Mom smile and kiss Ruth’s forehead, praising her delicate skin. Like a peeled egg. I secretly touched my own face. Bumpy and uneven, covered in acne. So I desperately applied things to my face. Sometimes my cheeks would ulcerate, itching unbearably. After struggling for a while, I finally got a bit prettier. Boys even started pursuing me. But Mom still never noticed the change. Until one day I was cornered in an alley by some thugs and came home crying with my clothes disheveled. Before I could say anything, Mom scolded me harshly: “Fran! Didn’t your teacher teach you about decency and shame?” She looked at me with exhausted eyes. “This is the city, not some rural village.” “At such a young age, if you don’t respect yourself, are you trying to corrupt Ruth?” But Mom. I just wanted you to kiss my forehead too. Like when I was little. Back then, even if I just had a nightmare, it would scare Mom so much she couldn’t sleep all night. Dad would stay by my side too, telling me stories all night long. I racked my brain but couldn’t figure out why things had changed. Maybe I really am that stupid, unlikable. After accepting this fact, I got sick. Every night I wanted to kill myself. My hair fell out in clumps. The smell of meat made me want to vomit. The high school entrance exam scores came out. My first-in-grade performance had plummeted to barely qualifying for vocational school. My parents looked at me with both helplessness and complexity. They comforted me: “You were never that smart anyway. We don’t expect you to do well in school.” Then they turned around and treated Ruth even better. At every meal, Ruth would complain: “Dad and Mom favor Fran! They only put food on my plate. They want to fatten me up like a pig!” When I went to vocational school, people gossiped behind my back. So my parents paid to get Ruth into the city’s best high school and hired a premium tutor for her at thirty thousand a month. “The Faulkner family’s daughter is no worse than anyone else. Our family will definitely produce a college graduate!” On my birthday. They said they had to work overtime and couldn’t send me a gift. But on Ruth’s birthday, they flew back overnight from thousands of miles away just to give her an expensive, beautiful princess dress. “Happy fourteenth birthday to our princess Ruth! Baby wants to go to the beach for vacation, right? We’ll take you during winter break in a few days.” The moment she blew out the birthday candles, I suddenly couldn’t breathe. I rushed back to my bedroom in a panic. The door blocked sound, but it couldn’t block out the happy laughter of Dad, Mom, and Ruth outside. Curled up under the blanket, I dug my nails into the mottled scars on my wrist. The old ones hadn’t healed yet, and new ones were bleeding. Just like my illness, it would never get better. … I came back to consciousness from the suffocating feeling of drowning. The surgery was over. I don’t know how much time had passed. Suddenly a crisp female voice rang out: “Dad, Mom, I heard you found Fran! I rushed back overnight to see her!” “Is Fran okay?” That voice came to my ear, full of self-reproach. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. Fran, wake up quickly. Hit me, yell at me—I’ll accept it!” All the blood in my body flowed backward.

Finally, the day came to remove the bandages. After a slight sting, my eyelids slowly lifted. The long-lost light made me uncomfortable, so I quickly blocked it with my hand. Seeing my reaction, my parents breathed a sigh of relief. “You can see now, right! That’s wonderful.” The first thing I saw. Was Ruth. She stood behind my parents, smiling at me from across the room, revealing two cute dimples. Like an angel. But my heart filled with panic. Three years had passed. She’d grown much taller. Her hair had a slight curl. She’d become even more beautiful, radiating the vitality of a teenage girl. Confident and bold. Making me feel like a rat in the gutter, utterly ashamed. I quickly lowered my head. But she wouldn’t let it go. She forcibly lifted my chin to examine me carefully. “Fran used to care so much about her appearance. Too bad her face has scars now.” “Mom, one of my classmates’ families runs a beauty salon. Why don’t we let Fran try it?” Mom stepped forward and slapped away her hand holding my chin. She chided, “Watch your manners! Is that how you talk to your sister? Do you think you’re at home?” Realizing she’d said the wrong thing, Mom looked at me nervously. She changed the subject. “Now that your eyes are better, should we consider the matter of the child?” All eyes focused on my belly. Dad spoke first: “This bastard child must be aborted!” He patted my shoulder comfortingly. “Don’t be afraid. You’re my daughter. Even if you were violated, it’s okay. Your mom and I will take care of you for life.” Mom chimed in agreement. She looked proudly at Ruth: “Ruth is so outstanding. She’ll definitely be successful in the future. By then there’ll be no shortage of excellent men around her. She can just pick one for you.” The smile on Ruth’s face grew bigger and bigger. She affectionately rested her head on Mom’s shoulder. “Mom, you only care about Fran. You’ve even figured out her whole life. Am I still your daughter or not?” “Yes, yes, yes. You’re the one who knows how to act cute…” I quietly watched them laugh together. For some reason, my throat filled with the taste of blood. The day of the abortion. My parents had to go out for something. Only Ruth stayed by my side. She gently stroked my swollen belly and suddenly asked. “Fran, why did you come back?” There were only the two of us in the hospital room. Her beautiful face twisted. She looked down at me from above. “Do you know? Dad and Mom are really wonderful. They treat me even better than my real parents did.” “So when my parents died in that car accident, I wasn’t sad at all.” “That year I was five. My only birthday wish was to be a family with Dad and Mom forever.” “But then you appeared. You stole the love that should have belonged only to me!” Ruth’s eyes turned red as she glared at me with hatred. “Ever since you were brought back, everything had to be bought in pairs. You even had to sleep in my room. That was clearly my home!” I was like a child being scolded, not daring to make a sound. Thinking, so this was why Ruth gave me to those bad people. I was the extra one in this family. Dad and Mom must think so too. They just pitied me for being stupid and didn’t want to hurt me. But I’m really not stupid! The hospital room door was pushed open. Ruth immediately put on a smile. “Fran, once you’ve recovered, I’ll take you out to play again.” Was she going to give me to bad people again? My whole body trembled, my heart panicking. As the doctor wheeled me away for the abortion, touching my round belly, all I could think about was how to escape. No one in the family welcomed me. So I’d just leave on my own. I didn’t want to be hit with a hammer by that bastard again! Before the surgery started, I made an excuse to use the bathroom and secretly slipped away. I walked for a long time and found myself on the hospital rooftop. The sunlight was harsh, hurting my eyes. But I couldn’t walk anymore, so I just sat there in the sun. Suddenly, shouts came from below: “Look! Someone’s going to jump!” I was surprised to see the crowd gathering below growing larger and larger. Alarm sounds echoed throughout the hospital. Ruth came too. And so did my parents, rushing over in a hurry. They were far away. I couldn’t see their expressions clearly, but I heard their frantic shouting. “Fran! Are you crazy? Get down right now!” “Fran! We finally found you, and now you’re doing this? Are you trying to drive your dad and me to death?” So many people held up their phones. I saw my parents getting angry. I anxiously wanted to go down, but my body wouldn’t listen. The dense scars on my wrist suddenly started itching. I scratched them until they were bloody. I was having an episode again. But I didn’t dare tell my parents. I was afraid they’d hate me even more. Suddenly a voice in my heart spoke up: Jump! Books say that when people die, they become stars and fly to the sky to protect their family. Dad and Mom don’t want to hurt me or abandon me. But I should be sensible. I need to protect them. After figuring this out, I grinned and smiled in my parents’ direction. Amidst their horrified screams, I walked forward without hesitation. Slowly, I fell… I’m going to become a little star! Fly up to the sky and protect you. “No!!!” Someone was shouting. Someone was screaming. Time seemed to stop.

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After my husband Derek Kingsley had sex with his secretary Vivian Clarke 100 times, he forced me to sign the divorce papers. He even personally pulled the plug on our son’s ventilator. But I wasn’t one to back down—I leaked company secrets, drove him to bankruptcy, and took a knife to his chest. That blade was blocked by Vivian Clarke. I was taken away by the police. A year later, he had already made a comeback and had a child with Vivian. When we met again, I was cleaning the house. Derek mocked me: “What gives you the right to be here? Does the Harrison family know you’ve been to prison? Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be fit to lick their shoes!” I laughed coldly. Me, unworthy? I’ve never been to prison. Besides, today wasn’t just the day my husband Brandon Harrison became CEO of Harrison Group—it was also our son’s first birthday party. I had every right to be here. Seeing my silence, Derek became even more animated. He blocked my path: “Serena, I really didn’t expect you to still have such smooth skin after a year in prison. You must have bribed those guards quite a bit, huh?” “What can a woman use to bribe them? Her body, perhaps?” He deliberately drew out his words, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. The implication was crystal clear. After all these years, his mouth was still as vile as ever. I casually picked up a fruit knife from the table beside me. Vivian immediately went on alert. She spread her arms wide, shielding Derek completely. Just like that year. “Serena, I know my presence made you resentful back then. If you have a problem, come at me! Derek has nothing to do with this!” I toyed with the knife in my hand, then slowly picked up a pear from the side and began peeling it, one cut at a time. Back then, Derek and I had been together for four years before we got married. My family and I spent money and effort supporting him, helping his career climb steadily upward. But on our fourth wedding anniversary, a female secretary joined the company—Vivian Clarke. From that moment on, he came home later and later. Midnight became 3 a.m., and eventually he stopped coming home at all. My son and I huddled together at home, until one day my son was diagnosed with leukemia. During his chemotherapy at the hospital, Derek never once came to visit. The only time he showed up was when I went abroad on business—he took that opportunity to pull the plug on our son’s ventilator. I rushed back from overseas, but I didn’t even get to see his whole body. All that was left for me was a handful of ashes that would scatter with the slightest breeze. And Derek, the “model husband” in everyone’s eyes, was having an affair with his secretary in a hotel room on the day of our son’s funeral. At this thought, I imagined the pear in my hand was Derek and stabbed the knife in viciously. If today weren’t such a special day, I would have driven this knife straight into this scumbag’s chest without hesitation or mercy. Derek watched my angry but restrained expression and laughed again. In his eyes, I was just a servant in the Harrison household. Even if I wanted to hurt him, I wouldn’t dare. I was about to leave, planning to settle accounts with this pair of cheaters after the party ended smoothly. But then a little boy grabbed something and threw it at me.

“You bad woman, what are you trying to do to my mom and dad!” The sharp object grazed my neck. I felt something cold, and when I raised my hand to touch it, there was blood! Derek and Vivian’s child stood in front of me with his hands on his hips, looking exactly like a carbon copy of his father with that arrogant expression. As the object clattered to the ground, I finally saw what it was—a small pair of scissors. Though they weren’t large and the child didn’t have much strength, they had definitely cut my neck. I walked over, picked up the scissors, and threw them back without hesitation. But Derek was quick—he stepped forward and blocked the child. Unfortunately, the scissors didn’t touch his skin. Neither of them was hurt. “Serena! Have you lost your mind? What are you doing to a child!” Vivian let out a piercing shriek, screaming as she threw herself into Derek’s arms. “Derek, are you okay?” After checking Derek from head to toe, she went to examine her child. After confirming they were both fine, she ran up to me and slapped me across the face. I didn’t react in time and actually let her land the hit. But I wasn’t someone to be pushed around—I immediately slapped her back. Derek seemed shocked that I, now just a servant, would dare to be so bold. He swung his hand and shoved me to the ground. “You crazy woman, what the hell do you want? I get it now—you knew I’d be at the Harrison party today, didn’t you? You were waiting here on purpose to hurt my child and my wife!” Vivian’s scream had already drawn a lot of attention. Now, with this commotion, a crowd gathered around us, whispering. “Isn’t that Mr. Kingsley? Why is he getting physical with a servant?” “I saw it clearly just now—this woman tried to hurt Mr. Kingsley’s child!” “That’s right. Someone else’s wife got angry and tried to discipline her, and she dared to hit back!” “So shameless. Does she think working as a servant for the Harrisons makes her one of them? She’s not even worthy of carrying Mr. Harrison’s shoes!” I had been pushed to the ground by Derek and listened silently to everyone’s commentary. I thought of my child who had already passed away. My heart felt both tragic and absurd. I had merely disciplined Vivian’s child, and Derek flew into a rage and attacked me. But my child, when he was dying in that hospital bed, called out “Daddy” over and over again. And Derek remained completely unmoved. I clenched my teeth and my fists. A few seconds later, I released them. Forget it. Patience for a moment brings calm. I had secretly bought the Harrison family’s lost Ocean Heart gemstone at auction at a high price, hiding it from everyone. I did this to surprise Brandon today, and I didn’t want some dirty things to ruin it. I slowly got up. Brandon had an art class today and should be picking him up right now—he’d be back any minute. I wanted to hide and surprise him and our child. However, the onlookers’ words grew increasingly vicious. Some called me shameless, some called me a whore, and one person even called me a mistress. I couldn’t understand where these blind people got the idea I was a mistress. Did they think that when a man appeared with two women at the same time, one of them must be a mistress? I glared viciously at the man who called me a mistress. The man saw my fierce expression and immediately fell silent. But Derek clearly had no intention of letting me go. Seeing my defiant attitude, he sneered again.

“He’s not wrong to call you a mistress.” Derek walked up to me, leaned down slightly, and said in a voice only we could hear: “After all, the one who isn’t loved is the real mistress.” Then he turned around, took Vivian’s hand, and raised it high. “This is my wife, Vivian Kingsley. I will never betray her in this lifetime.” The crowd erupted in cheers, all praising Derek as a responsible, good man. I found this scene utterly ridiculous. When we graduated from college, Derek had said the same thing to me. He said: Serena, you’re the only one I’ll ever marry. Besides you, I’ll never love another woman. In the years from our courtship to our marriage, I had believed those words completely, because he truly did respond to everything. He cared for me and our child immensely. But Vivian’s appearance shattered it all. But if he could fall in love with Vivian during our marriage, how could he guarantee he wouldn’t fall for someone else during Vivian’s marriage? A look of pity flashed across my face. Derek froze slightly, thinking his words had hurt me. He whispered in my ear again: “I know you must be struggling since you got out of prison. How about this—I’ll give you a place to stay. Every weekend, I’ll come visit you. If you behave well, I might even stay a few extra days.” “Get lost!” I didn’t want any further entanglement with Derek. Brandon would be back any minute. I just wanted to surprise my husband. But after I’d only taken a few steps, as I passed Vivian, she suddenly stuck out her leg and tripped me. “Thud!” I fell hard, and the box in my pocket fell out. I tried to get up, but the pain in my knee was impossible to ignore. In a daze, I heard the people around me whispering again. “That box looks so exquisite. How would a servant have something like that? She must have stolen it from the Harrisons, right?” Derek looked at the box thoughtfully. Clearly, he also believed what those people were saying—that I might have stolen the box from somewhere. The next second, he walked over, picked it up, and opened the beautiful box in front of everyone. Inside lay the Ocean Heart. “Isn’t that the Ocean Heart, the Harrison family heirloom that’s been passed down for hundreds of years?” Vivian screamed when she saw it. The fact that the Ocean Heart was a Harrison family heirloom wasn’t a secret in New York. Many people also knew that over a hundred years ago, this treasure had been stolen from the Harrison family. I had searched for a long time to find out where the Ocean Heart was. All so I could surprise Brandon today. But now the treasure I’d bought at such a high price was in someone else’s hands. I forced myself to stand despite the intense pain, trying to take back what was mine. But Derek gripped the Ocean Heart tightly, his face full of disbelief. The people around also recognized the item, their eyes filled with suspicion. Vivian immediately jumped out to mock me: “So you showed up at the Harrison house for this Ocean Heart?” “It’s not enough that you like stealing other people’s men—apparently you also like stealing their family heirlooms!” I ignored the pain and lunged forward to grab it, but Derek caught my arm and held me in place. “This isn’t the Ocean Heart. It’s obviously fake. She’s just trying to use this thing to scam money from the Harrisons.”

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Late at night, I received a notification from my smart home app. It showed that the electronic lock at my house had been unlocked by fingerprint. I thought my husband Damian Reed had ended his business trip early to surprise me. Filled with joy, I opened the surveillance playback to check, only to see him passionately kissing the young housekeeper we’d just hired. The housekeeper cooed coyly, “Mr. Reed, be gentle.” My heart sank like a stone. The next second, I received a message from Damian: “Honey, my flight got delayed. I’ll have to spend the night at the airport.” I couldn’t take it anymore. That very night, I downloaded all the cloud recordings from the door lock over the past two years. Only then did I discover that during the two years, they’d had sex over a hundred and fifty times while I was away from home. My heart turned completely cold. I packaged all the indecent videos and sent them to all the group chats at his company. Damian, since you can’t control yourself, then prepare to be completely disgraced.

I’d just sent the videos to Damian’s company chat groups. In less than a minute, I was forcibly kicked out of the groups. Damian’s call came through immediately. He roared into the phone, “What the hell is wrong with you?” “How dare you slander me with fabricated videos?” “Get your ass to my office right now and explain yourself!” I clutched the breast cancer diagnosis report in my hand, the edges of the paper almost cutting into my flesh. I hailed a cab straight to Damian’s headquarters at Reed Corporation. As soon as I reached the first-floor lobby, I saw Damian wearing a custom-tailored suit, looking radiant. Standing beside him was that young housekeeper, Jessica Shaw. Jessica was now dressed in designer clothes, carrying a limited-edition handbag. She looked nothing like a housekeeper. The receptionists and security guards were fawning over them obsequiously. The receptionist said, “Mr. Reed and Ms. Shaw are a match made in heaven.” “Ms. Shaw, you look so elegant today.” I walked up and used all my strength to slap Damian across the face. The crisp sound made the entire lobby fall silent in an instant. “Damian, you bastard.” Jessica immediately let out a shriek. She hid behind Damian like a frightened rabbit. “Mr. Reed, who is this crazy woman?” Damian covered his rapidly swelling face, his eyes vicious enough to devour someone. He shoved me away forcefully. My back slammed heavily into the cold glass door, the pain making my vision go black. Damian pointed at my nose and cursed. “Security, throw this lunatic out.” I steadied myself against the door and shouted back, “I’m your wife.” “I sent videos of you messing around at home with this housekeeper to the group chats. Are you going to deny what you did?” All eyes in the lobby hit me like spotlights. Jessica covered her mouth, her eyes showing undisguised mockery. “Are you out of your mind? I’m the Vice President of Reed Corporation. Mr. Reed has always been single—everyone in the company knows that.” I stared at Damian in shock, my heart feeling like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand. “You’ve been pretending to be single at the company? Have you forgotten how you knelt before my father begging for funding?” Damian’s eyes darted away, then were replaced by even greater fury. “Shut up. You’re money-crazy. I don’t even know you.” He turned to the security guards and roared. “Are you all dead? Throw her out!” Several security guards rushed forward. They twisted my arms like I was a criminal being apprehended. I struggled desperately. “Damian, you’ll die a terrible death. You used my father’s money to start your business, and now you want to kick me aside?” Jessica walked up in her high heels and slapped me across the face. “Shut your filthy mouth. Mr. Reed built his business from nothing—what does it have to do with you?” “If you keep slandering him, I’ll have you thrown in jail.” She lifted her foot and kicked me hard in the abdomen with her heel. I curled up on the ground in pain, cold sweat instantly soaking through my back. The dull ache from my breast cancer combined with the sharp pain from this kick nearly made me pass out. The security guards dragged me across the smooth marble floor like a dead dog. They threw me at the bottom of the steps outside the company entrance. My knees scraped across the rough ground, blood seeping out bright red. Damian walked out and looked down at me from above, his eyes full of disgust. “If you dare make trouble again, I’ll break your legs.” I gritted my teeth and pushed myself up off the ground. “Damian, we’re not divorced yet. You’re transferring marital assets and keeping a mistress. I’m going to sue you in court.” Damian let out a scoffing laugh. “Go ahead and sue. Let’s see who’ll believe a mental patient.” He turned around and put his arm around Jessica’s waist. The two of them swaggered into the private elevator as if what just happened was an insignificant farce. I pulled out my phone to call the police. But I discovered the screen had been smashed by the security guards at some point. It was completely black and wouldn’t turn on at all. I could only drag my injured leg and walk out step by painful step.

I limped toward the roadside. I wanted to hail a taxi. A black SUV suddenly screeched to a halt in front of me. The window rolled down, and Jessica sat in the passenger seat. She took off her sunglasses, her face full of mockery. “What’s wrong? Can’t get a cab?” Damian sat in the driver’s seat, his gaze cold, as if looking at a stranger. Jessica pulled out a stack of bills and threw them out the window, hitting me in the face. “Take this and buy yourself some medicine.” “Stop fantasizing that you’re the CEO’s wife.” “Looking like a poor wretch, you’re not even worthy of carrying my shoes.” I said nothing and stomped hard on the bills on the ground. “Jessica, you’re getting a superiority complex from being a mistress?” “When you were a housekeeper at my house, you were on your knees washing my feet.” Jessica’s face instantly turned ugly. She immediately turned to Damian, her voice taking on a whining tone. “Damian, look at her talking nonsense again.” “When did I ever work as her housekeeper?” Damian glared at me viciously. “Try insulting Jessica one more time.” “Jessica graduated from a prestigious university overseas.” “She agreed to do part-time housework at my place to experience life.” “Stop flattering yourself.” I was so angry at his shamelessness that I laughed. “Experience life? Experiencing her way into the master’s bed?” “A hundred and fifty videos—do you want to watch them again carefully?” Damian pushed open the car door and strode toward me. He grabbed my hair and forced me to look up. “You dare bring up those fabricated videos again?” “I’ve already reported you to the police for blackmail and extortion.” “Wait for the court summons.” A tearing pain shot through my scalp. “Damian, you’re truly shameless.” “Those videos are from the cloud monitoring built into your door lock.” “The police will know if they’re real or fake with one check.” Damian suddenly lowered his voice, speaking in a volume only the two of us could hear. “You think the police can find anything?” “I deleted all the cloud data long ago.” “The backups on your phone have already been hacked by someone I hired.” “What proof do you have now?” A chill rose from my spine and instantly spread to all my limbs. No wonder he was so fearless. He’d already destroyed all the evidence. Jessica got out of the car and affectionately took Damian’s arm. “Damian, don’t waste words on this crazy woman.” “We still need to go look at wedding houses.” “Wedding house?” Those two words pierced my ears like needles. “Damian, we’re not divorced yet.” Damian disgustedly released my hair. “We will be soon.” “I’ve already submitted proof to the court that you have schizophrenia.” “Your assets will be managed entirely by me.” “You’ll spend the rest of your life in a mental institution.” He pulled out several photos from his pocket and threw them at me. The photos clearly showed my “medical records” from a psychiatric department. “When did you forge these?” I desperately tore up those false documents. “I have breast cancer, not a mental illness!” Jessica giggled delicately. “Mental patients never admit they’re sick.” “See, you can’t even remember what illness you have.” “How pitiful.” She turned and pulled Damian toward the car. “Damian, let’s go. The baby just kicked me.” I stared at her flat stomach. “You’re pregnant?” Damian’s face showed vindictive satisfaction. “That’s right, Jessica is carrying my son.” “You barren hen should have gotten lost long ago.” The car roared away, splashing mud all over me. I stood there, chilled to the bone. I’d managed the household for him for eight years. I developed breast cancer from years of exhaustion. Not only did he cheat, but he also wanted to seize my assets. He even wanted to silence me permanently by locking me in a mental institution. I absolutely couldn’t let him succeed. I had to seek help from my father’s old friends.

I dragged my injured body to a pay phone booth. I dialed Mr. Harrison’s number. Mr. Harrison was my father’s former business partner. The startup capital for Damian years ago was pooled together by Mr. Harrison and my father. The phone connected, and I cried out. “Mr. Harrison, it’s Claire.” There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. “Claire, what do you need from me?” I told him everything about Damian’s affair and transferring assets. “Mr. Harrison, can you help me?” Mr. Harrison let out a long sigh. “Claire, it’s not that I won’t help you.” “Damian is now the chairman of Reed Corporation.” “My company depends on him for orders.” “Your marital affairs—I’m an outsider, it’s not appropriate for me to interfere.” My heart sank to the bottom. “Mr. Harrison, if it weren’t for my father back then, he wouldn’t be where he is today.” “You can’t just watch me die.” A shrill female voice came from the other end. “Harrison, don’t meddle in other people’s business. Be careful or Mr. Reed will cut off our supply.” Mr. Harrison immediately said, “Claire, I have a meeting. I’ve got to go.” The phone was hastily hung up. I leaned against the cold glass of the phone booth in despair. Damian now had absolute power. Everyone chose to stand on his side. What could I do? Just then, several thugs with bleached hair surrounded me. The lead thug had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, reeking of cheap tobacco. He looked me up and down. “You’re Claire?” I backed away warily. “What do you want?” The thug sneered coldly and spat out his cigarette. “Someone paid for one of your legs.” “Do it.” Several thugs rushed at me. They pinned me to the ground, fists and feet raining down on me like hail. I protected my head and screamed for help. “Help! They’re attacking me!” Passersby all avoided the scene. No one dared come forward. A thug pulled out a gleaming steel pipe and aimed it at my right leg. “Bitch, you should’ve watched yourself.” I closed my eyes, waiting in despair for the excruciating pain to come. Suddenly, the piercing wail of a police siren grew from distant to near. A patrol car stopped at the roadside. The thugs saw this, cursed, dropped the pipe, and ran. The police came over and helped me up. “Ma’am, are you alright?” I was covered in blood and shook my head weakly. “I need to report a crime. Someone hired people to hurt me.” The police took me back to the station. I gave my statement, identifying Damian and Jessica as the instigators. The police checked the surveillance footage and quickly caught the lead thug. But in the interrogation room, the thug insisted stubbornly. “I don’t know any Damian.” “This woman owes us loan shark money.” “We were just collecting the debt.” The police told me, “Ms. Williams, there’s no evidence proving Damian was behind this.” “He’s just a debt collector. We can only detain him for a few days.” I sat in the chair in despair. Damian had covered his tracks completely. He’d already arranged a scapegoat. I left the police station covered in injuries. My stomach suddenly cramped sharply. The dull pain from my breast cancer also began to flare up. I had to go to the hospital to get medication. I took a cab to City Central Hospital. Just as I reached the obstetrics department entrance, I heard a commotion. Damian was carefully supporting Jessica as she came out of the examination room. Jessica held an ultrasound report in her hand, her face full of coy shyness. “Damian, the doctor said it’s a boy.”

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After my husband Liam cheated on me, I threatened him countless times: “I’m going to find a lover too!” But he didn’t even bother to look up, just mocked me: “Tara, you’ve said that a hundred times already, but you haven’t found a single man. I don’t have time for your drama—I need to take my sweetheart on a trip.” He had no idea that this time, I meant it. A month later, Liam came back. Looking at me curled up on the couch, he shook his head with a laugh: “Tara, after what happened in high school, you developed severe mysophobia. You can’t stand any man touching you except me.” My phone buzzed. A message from my boyfriend. An ultrasound image, followed by a line: “Tara, our babies are twins. In three days, I’m coming to marry you.” Liam finally noticed I was distracted. He looked somewhat displeased. “Did you hear what I said?” I looked up at him, slightly dazed. This man’s face—I’d been looking at it for ten years. Seven years dating, three years married. I remembered how nervous and stuttering he was the day he proposed. I remembered him crying at our wedding, vowing to be together for all eternity. I also remembered the first night he didn’t come home. We fought. He slammed the door and left. I sat on the balcony all night. After that came a hundred chances, a hundred threats, a hundred disappointments. I thought this time would cut my heart like a knife, just like before. But now, watching his lips move, I felt nothing. My thoughts even drifted away to another man. His cool lips, burning body, scorching hands. I liked every part of him. In fact, he and I were more compatible than Liam ever was. More importantly, that man had loved me in secret for ten years. I stood up. I was a head shorter than him, but for the first time, I felt I could finally look him in the eye. “Liam.” I called his name, my tone unusually calm. “I’ve printed out the divorce papers and left them on the desk. Go sign them. City Hall closes soon—we need to hurry.” His expression froze instantly on his face. I walked past him toward the door to change my shoes. As I passed him, I caught a whiff of that perfume. Gardenia. My once-favorite flower. I never bought them again after that. “Oh, by the way,” I turned back and smiled at him slightly, “that pot of flowers of yours—I forgot to water it. It died.” Liam pressed his lips together tightly. A sign he was getting angry. But I didn’t care. “After the divorce, I’ll leave with nothing. Not even this house. It’s all written clearly in the divorce agreement. If you don’t believe me, you can read it first.” “But Coco—even though you were the one who got her, I’m the one who took care of her all these years while you were cheating. I can’t bear to part with her, so I’m taking her.” “I’ve been busy these past couple days handling the divorce and moving, so I didn’t have time to take care of her. I dropped her off at the pet boarding place yesterday.” After a long silence, I heard nothing. I looked up. Liam had already walked up to me. He stared at me intently. Just when I thought he would question me, he suddenly laughed. “Baby, who taught you this trick? You actually changed your tactics? You want to divorce me?” I paused, then looked at him with complete seriousness. “No one taught me, Liam. I really want to divorce you.”

Seeing how serious I was, he suddenly burst out laughing. “Baby, stop joking. If you divorce me, where will you go?” “You’re an orphan. No father, no mother. You don’t even have a family to go back to.” “Oh, right! You said you don’t want any assets. You’ve been a housewife for so many years—if you don’t take a single penny, what are you planning to do?” “Paint? But baby, you haven’t painted in years, and you have no reputation. Do you really think you can sell anything?” With every word he spoke, my heart sank a little deeper. Liam lovingly ruffled my hair. “Alright, stop making a fuss. She’s on her period today and in a bad mood. I need to go be with her. I’ll have my assistant transfer you some extra money later to make it up to you.” With that, he grabbed his car keys with a smile and left. I watched his retreating back. Liam, this time I’m not making a fuss. I really don’t want to be with you anymore. I looked down and contacted a lawyer: [Can I file for divorce unilaterally?] [Yes, as long as you have sufficient evidence of the other party’s infidelity.] After leaving the law office, I contacted my best friend Brooklyn and told her everything. Brooklyn’s eyes immediately turned red with rage: “Tara! Did you even consider me your friend?! Something this important and you’re only telling me now?!” “That bastard Liam! I always thought something was off about him—I knew he was no good!” “And now he’s not only blatantly cheating, but he dares to humiliate you?! I’m going to kill him right now!” I grabbed her hand with a smile, looking helpless. “Come on! I don’t care anymore.” That made it worse. Brooklyn burst into tears on the spot. “How can you not care?! You two were together for ten years! I saw more clearly than anyone how you spent those ten years!” “How much you suffered for him, and that time you entered that competition for him…” Brooklyn saw my expression change and immediately switched topics. “Anyway, I just can’t stand that bastard. If he dares betray you, I’ll definitely find a way to destroy him and that homewrecker!” Watching her defend me so fiercely, my nose tingled with emotion. To have someone by my side like this all these years—it was enough. “Alright, Brooklyn, let’s not talk about unhappy things.” “I have good news to tell you.” Brooklyn blinked. “What good news?” I smiled and pulled her hand to rest on my lower abdomen. “You’re going to be a godmother.” Brooklyn’s eyes went wide. “You’re actually keeping Liam’s spawn? Tara, are you crazy? He cheated on you!” I knew she’d react this way. “It’s not his.” “What?” Brooklyn’s voice shot up. People around us turned to look. I quickly pulled her closer. “Keep your voice down.” Brooklyn looked shell-shocked from one revelation after another. “You better come clean.” I nodded. “Remember that genius from high school, Julian Scott?” “Of course I remember. We share a last name but not brain cells.” I smiled slightly, about to say “It’s his” when a deep voice suddenly came from nearby: “Tara, what are you doing here?” I turned my head to see Liam walking out of a private room with a young, pretty girl on his arm. “You bastard! I was just looking for you!” Seeing him, Brooklyn grabbed the ketchup from the table and strode forward, slapping it hard against his shirt. “Do you have any conscience at all? How dare you cheat!” “How can you face Tara? How can you face all those years she spent suffering with you?” “I’ll kill you today!”

The girl beside Liam immediately stepped in front of him. “Who the hell do you think you are to hit my man?” “Your man?” Brooklyn laughed bitterly. “Bitch, get it straight—he’s a married man. What you’re doing is called homewrecking. You’re the mistress. Do you have no shame?” Chloe snorted coldly. “In love, the one who isn’t loved is the real mistress. Liam and I have mutual feelings. If anyone’s the mistress, it’s that old hag.” She looked at me, eyes full of triumph. Brooklyn suddenly grabbed her hair. “If your mother didn’t teach you how to be a decent human being, I’ll teach you today.” “Ah!” Chloe was yanked to the ground, and before she could react, her clothes were being ripped open. She desperately covered her chest, crying as she looked at Liam. “Liam, make this crazy woman stop!” Liam snapped out of it and pulled Brooklyn away forcefully. “Brooklyn, you can’t even control your own husband—what right do you have to control others?” Hearing his words, Brooklyn’s face turned deathly pale. My expression turned cold. I stood up and slapped him hard across the face. “Liam! What gives you the right to say that to her!” Liam took the slap head-on. He looked at me, face dark, but said nothing. But the woman in his arms couldn’t keep quiet. Eyes red, she shouted at me: “You old hag, what gives you the right to hit him! I can’t even bear to touch a hair on his head, and you dare slap him—Ah!” A sharp crack rang out. I cut off her words. Chloe covered her face, disbelief written all over it. “You dare hit me?” I sneered. “You dare to be a homewrecker, so why wouldn’t I dare hit you?” “Only someone like you would pick up someone else’s trash like it’s treasure and then flaunt it in front of me.” Chloe trembled with rage. “You think you’re so noble? You were raped before and got pregnant! It was Liam who scraped together money to take you for an abortion and stayed with you in the hospital for over a month before you dared to—Ah!” “What gives you the right to say that about me!” My eyes turned red as I grabbed her hair. Chloe’s face contorted with pain. “Am I wrong?” I raised my hand to slap her again, but Liam grabbed my wrist and flung it away. “Enough! Tara, there’s a limit to throwing tantrums!” “I’m throwing a tantrum?” My eyes were red. “Liam, get it straight! She’s the one who started cursing—” “Isn’t she right?” Liam coldly interrupted. My entire body went ice cold. I couldn’t believe it. “What did you say?” Liam repeated in a cold voice, “I said, isn’t she right? Weren’t you raped? Didn’t you have an abortion? So, is she wrong?” Hearing his heart-gouging words one by one, I could barely stand. Chloe leaned against him, face full of smugness. I suddenly laughed—a laugh with bloodshot eyes—staring at him hard. “Liam, you’re truly disgusting.” With that, I turned to leave. Chloe’s eyes flickered, and just as I turned around, she deliberately pushed me. Off-balance, my stomach slammed hard into the table. “Ah!” “Tara!” Brooklyn’s face changed. She rushed forward immediately. I clutched my stomach desperately, feeling a warm flow slide down between my legs. My face instantly turned deathly pale. Liam came to his senses and was about to step forward when Chloe suddenly cried out too.

“Ah! Liam, I’m so dizzy! Did I lose too much blood?” With that, she closed her eyes and fainted directly into Liam’s arms. Liam glanced at me, then at the person in his arms. In the end, he picked up Chloe and rushed out. “Fuck you, Liam!” Brooklyn’s hands trembled as she dialed emergency services. By the time they got me into the ambulance, my consciousness was fading. I passed out. … When I woke up, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose. Instinctively, I touched my lower abdomen. A nurse’s voice sounded by my ear: “Don’t worry, the baby’s fine. Very strong.” I let out a breath of relief and said hoarsely, “Thank you.” Suddenly remembering something, I asked the young nurse, “Is Dr. Scott in the hospital?” “Dr. Scott?” The nurse smiled. “Julian Scott?” I nodded. “He took time off. I heard his girlfriend got pregnant, so he went back to prepare the bride price.” She sighed. “We didn’t even know he had a girlfriend all these years. A few days ago we suddenly heard his girlfriend was pregnant and he was going back to prepare the bride price. Broke quite a few hearts among the young nurses here.” I smiled and touched my abdomen. “After you’re discharged, remember to rest well and take care of the pregnancy. Don’t have any more accidents.” After giving her instructions, the young nurse turned and left. I threw off the covers and got out of bed to handle the discharge. Remembering I hadn’t seen Coco in days, I decided to pick her up. The divorce proceedings were almost complete anyway. But when I got to the pet boarding place, I was told someone had already picked her up. “Half an hour ago, your husband came to pick her up. You both brought the dog here for a bath before, so when he came, I handed her over to him.” I thanked them and turned to leave, face somewhat grim. But in the end, I still opened my chat with him. [Is Coco with you? I’ll come get her.] He replied instantly: [Come over. I’m at our house.] Coco’s bed, food, and toys were all at the house. I could bring everything back at once. I hailed a cab and went straight there. The villa door stood wide open. But the moment I stepped inside, I froze completely. Coco’s dog bed was a complete mess. Several pieces of blood-soaked fur and broken bones were carelessly scattered on the ground. The spilled blood had half-congealed, showing a glaring red color in the morning light. I stood frozen in place, only the thick smell of blood continuously invading my nostrils. Suddenly, a piece of brown dog skin, like a torn rag, was thrown out. A coquettish voice rang out: “Stupid dog. Finally dead.” Chloe walked out, her hands stained with blood, waving them in front of my eyes. My eyes instantly filled with blood. “You killed Coco?” Chloe said carelessly: “Who told her to bite me? Besides, Liam allowed it. He knew I was studying veterinary medicine and wasn’t good at dissection practice, so he let me practice on her.” I grabbed a wooden stick from the ground, eyes bloodshot, and swung it at her. “Chloe! I’ll kill you!” Before the stick could hit her, a large hand grabbed it. “Tara, haven’t you caused enough trouble?” Liam’s voice was ice cold. Seeing him, my hand holding the stick trembled. “Liam, you actually let her kill Coco? Are you even human? Do you have a heart? How can you face her?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “368745”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #重生Reborn #擦边Steamy #校园School #狼人Werewolf

Today was supposed to be my wedding day with Zach, but when it was time to pick up the bride, he was late. I called him, but he didn’t answer. Just as I was getting anxious, a stream of floating text suddenly appeared before my eyes. [The supporting character has no idea that our male lead deliberately went the wrong way to pick up his ex-girlfriend instead.] [The female lead and male lead are the real couple. The supporting character is just part of their story.] [If it weren’t for the business marriage arrangement, the male lead would never marry the supporting character. He’s being forced into this.] I stared at the floating text and opened my phone to check Zach’s location. Sure enough, he was at Serena’s place. It seemed this floating text was telling the truth. Zach finally returned my call. “Hey, Hazel, our wedding car broke down on the road. I’ll be there soon.” I watched the text still scrolling before my eyes and replied coldly. “Don’t bother coming. The wedding’s canceled.”

The moment those words left my mouth, Zach froze on the other end of the line. Then he snapped back to reality and spoke in a panicked voice. “Hazel, what are you talking about? So I’m a little late—is that really worth getting this angry? This isn’t something to joke about. Just wait for me, okay? I’ll be right there.” He hung up hastily. [Why is the supporting character suddenly refusing to get married? According to the plot, she’s supposed to play the clueless wife tonight and watch the male and female leads get together.] [The male lead is so bad. He got the female lead so worn out she couldn’t get out of bed, and only then remembered to call the supporting character.] [The supporting character is just throwing a tantrum. Don’t worry about her. Once she gets to the hotel, she’ll obediently participate in the wedding.] I watched the floating text and unconsciously clenched my fists. A clueless wife? Were they planning to do that in my wedding bed? My mother walked up behind me then, pretending to be angry. “What’s gotten into Zach? How can he be late for his own wedding? When he gets here, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind!” She grabbed my hand. “Don’t be too upset. He’s probably just so excited he took a wrong turn.” I looked at my mother’s face as a terrifying suspicion rose in my mind. Besides being Zach’s ex-girlfriend, Serena was also my mother’s goddaughter. Could it be… did Mom know about what was going on between them? Just as I was wondering, the floating text gave me the answer. [I love the mother-in-law the most! She’s the biggest assist for the male and female leads! Without her, how could they have it so easy?] [Exactly! To help the male and female leads be together, she’s the one who drugged the supporting character.] [Well, the female lead is her biological daughter too. Of course she’s going to help her own daughter.] I turned to look at my mother, trying to stay calm. Serena was actually my mother’s illegitimate daughter! No wonder I always felt like she treated Serena better than me. Did Dad know about this? Just as my mind was racing, commotion suddenly erupted in the courtyard. “They’re here! They’re here! The wedding convoy is here!” Mom quickly pulled my hand, dragging me toward the house. “Hurry inside to the bridal suite. Zach’s here.” I hadn’t recovered from the enormous shock yet when she forcibly pulled me back to the bridal suite. Since Zach was so late, all the traditional bride-picking games were skipped. He rushed straight into the bridal suite to get me. “Hazel, our parents at the hotel are already calling. All the relatives are there waiting for us.” But I didn’t get up. I stared at Zach and spoke slowly. “You’re this late because the car really broke down?” When Zach heard my question, his expression instantly froze. He forced himself to stay calm as he replied. “Really, Hazel. Why would you ask that? Don’t you trust me?” I pulled out my phone, opened the location app, and turned the screen toward him. “Then why was your location showing you at Serena’s place just now?” The moment those words fell, the bridal suite went completely silent.

The groomsmen and bridesmaids were all our friends, so naturally they knew Serena was Zach’s ex-girlfriend and also my mother’s goddaughter. For a moment, everyone held their breath, not daring to speak. Zach’s face turned deathly pale. He tried to change the subject. “Hazel, when did you install location tracking on my phone? You’re spying on me?” I laughed bitterly. “Spying on you? You were the one who begged me to install this, crying and insisting. You said it would let you know where I was at all times so you could find me. Now I see it just makes it convenient for you to cheat with Serena!” Zach was speechless, unable to say a word. Just then, Mom stepped forward to break the deadlock. “Oh, Hazel, this is all a misunderstanding! Don’t blame Zach. I’m the one who asked him to go. Serena called me this morning saying she had terrible stomach pain and no one was home. I was really worried, so I asked Zach to stop by and bring her some pain medication. Zach didn’t tell you because he was afraid you’d overthink it. Please don’t misunderstand him.” [The mother-in-law is clutch! Saving the day at a critical moment. Almost exposed that the male and female leads are still entangled.] [Pain medication? Hahaha, more like emergency contraception! The male lead spent all last night with the female lead—of course he needs to take precautions.] [The original book didn’t have this part where the supporting character finds out. How did she suddenly get smart? Did she awaken?] Zach quickly followed Mom’s lead. “Right, Hazel. Your mom asked me to bring pain medication. I didn’t want to go at first. I was afraid you’d be upset, so I didn’t tell you. I never expected you’d still misunderstand.” He stepped forward, trying to hug me. “Hazel, don’t be angry, okay? Today is our big day. Don’t let this little thing ruin our mood.” Mom gave Zach a meaningful look. Zach immediately understood and forcibly picked me up. “Hazel, stop making a fuss.” Zach leaned close to my ear and added quietly. “The only person in my heart right now is you. Serena is already in the past for me.” If he’d said this before, I definitely would have been touched. But now, I just felt disgusted. After carrying me to the wedding car, Zach started calling his parents, telling them we were about to leave and asking them to play our wedding photos at the venue to stall for time. I looked at his profile, thinking. Mom had introduced me to Zach. As long as I married him, Dad would invest in the Williams family business. Although the two families claimed it was a partnership publicly, in reality the Hayes family was bailing out the Williams family. That was also why Zach kept trying to please me. And I had fallen for Zach at first sight, loved him desperately. Even though Dad thought Zach wasn’t reliable and had ulterior motives in approaching me, I insisted on marrying him, threatening to kill myself otherwise. Dad had no choice but to agree in the end. Given the current situation, I absolutely would not marry Zach. And I couldn’t let him off this easily either. He’d been playing me for a fool for so long. The wedding car soon arrived at the hotel. Zach’s parents were waiting anxiously for us at the entrance. As soon as I got out of the car, Mrs. Williams came over and grabbed my hand. “You’re finally here. Hurry inside.” As she spoke, her eyes unconsciously glanced behind her—clearly she had something on her mind. [This is so exciting! The female lead is hiding in the trunk of the wedding car. The whole family knows except the supporting character who’s completely in the dark.] [When we get to the banquet hall, the female lead is going to change into a wedding dress in the dressing room and listen to the male lead’s passionate confession from below the stage.] [This wedding is really for the female lead and male lead. The supporting character is just serving a cosmetic function.]

I followed Mrs. Williams’s gaze toward the trunk of the wedding car. No wonder Zach stopped talking to me once we got in the car. Serena was also in the car, hiding in the trunk. Just then, my parents got out of the car behind us. The moment Zach saw my dad, he immediately put on a respectful smile and hurried forward to ingratiate himself. “Dad, you’re here! Please, come inside!” But Dad didn’t even look at him. He just grunted and walked past without giving him a single glance. An awkward expression flashed across Zach’s face as he turned around sheepishly. Dad walked up to me, his eyes full of heartache and reluctance. “Hazel, this is the husband you chose. I respect your choice and won’t object. As long as you’re happy.” Looking at Dad’s caring eyes, my nose tingled and tears almost fell. In this world, the only person who truly cared about me was probably Dad. And I had hurt his heart again and again for a man who deceived me. [What’s the supporting character’s dad acting so superior for? Once the Hayes family’s money gets into the male lead’s hands, won’t he be begging the male lead on his knees?] [The male lead married the supporting character because she’s an only child. After the wedding, the supporting character’s mom will convince her dad to transfer the company shares to the supporting character. Then it’ll all belong to the male lead.] [Though this method seems pretty underhanded, who told the supporting character to interfere with the male and female leads’ relationship? The supporting character deserves this fate.] They even wanted my family’s assets? And Mom was in on it with them. Did Mom really value Serena more than Dad and me? My pupils constricted as waves surged through my heart. Mom hurried over and tugged on my arm, urging me. “The wedding started a while ago. Don’t just stand here. Let’s go inside.” “No rush.” I looked at the trunk, an idea forming in my mind. “Yesterday I saw online that newlyweds should burn their wedding car. It symbolizes a prosperous future together. Let’s burn this car now. I’ll go in and get married after we burn it.” The moment those words fell, the Williams family and my mother’s faces turned deathly pale. Dad immediately supported my decision and instructed his assistant. “Young people have this tradition now? Alright then. Dylan, go ahead and light it.” Zach snapped back to reality and frantically tried to stop it. “No! You can’t!” I pretended to look upset at him. “Why not? This car isn’t even expensive. If you won’t burn it, that means you don’t love me and don’t want to marry me. Then I won’t get married today!” [What’s wrong with the supporting character? Why is she causing so many problems today?] [Our female lead is still in the trunk! We can’t burn the car!] [But if we don’t burn the car, the supporting character won’t participate in the wedding. Won’t that stall the plot?] My dad also looked sternly at Zach. “My daughter just wants to burn a car, and your family won’t agree? Looks like your sincerity about this partnership isn’t very strong.” Zach was sweating profusely now. He struggled for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth and nodded. “Fine. Burn it. We’ll do whatever Hazel and Dad want.” The moment he spoke, Dylan immediately lit the fire. The car body instantly ignited, and I could feel the heat wave from several meters away. I wonder how Serena was feeling in that trunk. Mom couldn’t help but urge me again. “The car’s burned. Let’s go inside now.” This time I didn’t refuse. I nodded and went straight into the banquet hall. The moment I appeared, the wedding ceremony began. Throughout the entire ceremony, Zach was distracted, his mind on worrying about Serena. And through the floating text, I learned that Serena had already been rescued by people Zach sent.

I wasn’t worried about that, because the real show was still to come. Burning the car was just a small lesson for her. After the ceremony ended, Zach’s parents were making small talk with guests, and Dad was pulled into socializing too. Mom came over and handed me a glass of wine. “Hazel, congratulations on your wedding.” The floating text immediately flooded the screen. [Hurry up and drink, supporting character! Drink it! The good show is about to start!] [Finally waited for this moment! After drinking this wine, the supporting character will pass out and the male and female leads can have sex!] [Drink it, drink it! I’ve already pulled up a chair to watch the famous scene!] I calmly took the glass and drank it down in one gulp. Mom’s eyes lit up the moment she saw me finish the wine. She quickly stepped forward and held my arm. “Hazel, you’ve had a long day. Go back to your room early and rest.” As she spoke, she pulled me upstairs. When passing by Zach, she even gave him a subtle look. Zach understood immediately and returned the look. I obediently let Mom pull me upstairs, closing my eyes and pretending to feel dizzy. After reaching the room, Mom helped me onto the bed. “Rest well. Zach will be up soon.” After saying this, she tiptoed out of the room. The moment the door closed, my tightly shut eyes flew open. I had prepared in advance. Before coming to the hotel, I deliberately went to a pharmacy to buy an antidote and took it beforehand. The little bit of sedative in her wine had absolutely no effect on me. I quickly climbed out of bed and pulled a tiny pinhole camera from my small purse. I had just asked someone to buy this camera for me. I installed the camera in the light directly above the bed, adjusted the angle, then returned to lie down on the bed. The floating text didn’t notice any of my actions. I’d observed the pattern of the floating text today. It only appeared when someone was around me. When I was alone, it wouldn’t appear. I’d barely been lying down for a few minutes when the room door was pushed open. I could hear two sets of footsteps walking toward the bed. Without even thinking, I knew it was Zach and Serena. “The burns on my body hurt so much. Be gentle when you touch me.” It was Serena’s voice. Zach’s voice carried a hint of sleazy laughter. “Okay, I’ll be gentle. Tonight, let her be the clueless wife as punishment for suddenly burning the car and tormenting you.” Then I felt the other side of the bed sink down. The two of them were already embracing, kissing and biting each other, making suggestive moaning sounds. Their movements were rough, completely disregarding that there was still a sleeping me on the bed. I suppressed the urge to vomit, turned my back to them, and quietly pulled out my phone. I opened the monitoring software and found the connection to the banquet hall’s large screen. With a light tap of my finger, the image on the screen instantly switched, broadcasting the live feed from the room directly to the large screen in the banquet hall downstairs.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “368744”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #重生Reborn #擦边Steamy #校园School #狼人Werewolf

On Valentine’s Day, my husband transferred $1 million to our female neighbor, but only gave me $10. In a fit of rage, I accidentally pushed him downstairs. He died on the spot. Although my mother-in-law signed a settlement agreement, I became a criminal from that day forward, subjected to daily abuse from the female neighbor. To atone for my sins, I worked as my mother-in-law’s unpaid maid. Five years later, the female neighbor gave birth to a son. My mother-in-law happily went to take care of her, even treating the neighbor’s son as her own grandson. Looking at the baby’s face—identical to my husband’s—I felt doubt for the first time. Later, I heard sex noises coming from the female neighbor’s house. I opened my door and saw a man walking out of her room. That silhouette looked exactly like my dead husband. Possessed by some inexplicable force, I quietly followed him. When we reached a deserted area, the man removed his hat and took off his mask. Looking at that familiar face, I felt as if I’d been struck by lightning. I nearly screamed out loud, but managed to cover my mouth just in time to stifle the sound. That face was identical to my husband Sebastian Hunt’s. Could he really be Sebastian Hunt? But five years ago, I had accidentally pushed him downstairs to his death! Could this just be someone who looked like him? My fists clenched tightly as my mind tangled with indecision. I was about to approach and demand answers. Just then, his phone rang. After answering, his voice was exceptionally gentle: “Lauren, don’t worry. There’s no way that idiot Claire could discover me.” “Relax, I’ve already safely left the complex.” He really was Sebastian Hunt. I immediately understood—he had deliberately faked his death and kept it from me. It felt like plunging into an ice cellar. My heart seized with violent pain, as if pierced by millions of arrows, leaving my flesh torn and bloody. Sebastian had once made vows at our wedding, promising me a lifetime of peace and swearing never to tell me a single lie. Who could have known he would tell me such a monstrous deception? My eyes burned with unbearable acidity. Scalding tears froze in the cold spring wind. I reached up to wipe them away, but the tears only came faster, like a broken faucet that wouldn’t stop. After a long while, my tears finally dried. When I looked up again, Sebastian had vanished without a trace. My phone suddenly vibrated—a SnapChat voice message from the female neighbor, Lauren Evans. I took several deep breaths, desperately trying to suppress the waves of cold rising in my chest. My fingertips turned white from the pressure as I clicked it open. “Claire, I suddenly want lobster and shrimp soup. Go to the supermarket right now and buy me some imported ones.” Even through the screen, I could feel the entitled tone in her voice. On the day Lauren gave birth, my mother-in-law had declared that I should be Lauren’s on-call servant. Before, though I had my suspicions, I mostly believed my mother-in-law was projecting her longing for her son onto the child, using the baby’s face to ease the pain of losing her son. So I had been willing to set aside my grievances and serve Lauren hand and foot. Who could have known this was all an elaborate scheme they had carefully planned? I steadied my trembling breath and calmly replied with a simple “okay.” Lobster and shrimp? I’ll satisfy you. But I dare to buy it—do you dare to eat it? I didn’t go to the supermarket to buy any imported lobster or shrimp. Instead, I bought some expired, rotten products from a roadside stall. Rotten people deserve rotten food. A perfect match! As soon as I opened the door, a wet baby diaper came flying at my face. Along with the stench of urine and feces came my mother-in-law’s venomous curses. “You husband-killing whore! Where have you been slacking off? Don’t you know Emma and her baby need care, or are you trying to work these old bones to death?”

Unlike before, I didn’t stand still and take the abuse. I quickly dodged to the side. The diaper flew past the bag of lobster and shrimp, and baby feces dropped inside. My mother-in-law hadn’t expected me to dodge. She froze for a moment, then became furious, her face contorted with rage. Like a madwoman, she rushed over, raising her arm high to viciously slap me. Looking at the old woman resembling a vicious wolf, I dodged again. Images of the beatings I’d endured over the past five years flashed rapidly through my mind. She had first laid hands on me the day Sebastian faked his death. That day, she beat me until I nearly vomited blood. Back then, consumed by guilt, I wanted nothing more than to die alongside Sebastian. How could I have fought back? Later, she signed the settlement agreement, sparing me from prison. I felt even more indebted to her. But she seemed to have found an outlet for venting, beating me more viciously and cursing me more filthily. Before, I couldn’t understand why—despite my servility and meticulous care for her—she never showed the slightest mercy when striking me. Now I finally understood. She tormented me not because I had killed her son, but because cruelty flowed through her very bones. A natural-born monster. I wanted nothing more than to strangle the old woman right then and there, but if she died so easily, how would that repay my five years of suffering? These scumbags had to pay ten times, a hundred times over. My fists clenched so hard they broke the skin of my palms. Gritting my teeth, I endured it: “Lauren wanted lobster and shrimp soup, so she asked me to buy lobster and shrimp to make it.” My mother-in-law snorted coldly, her harsh exterior masking her inner cowardice: “Then what are you still standing here for? Hurry up and make the soup. If my precious grandson’s mother goes hungry and it affects her nursing, I’ll skin you alive!” After speaking, she vindictively pinched the soft flesh at my waist, muttering curses as she went next door to Lauren’s place. Ignoring the bone-piercing pain in my waist, I quickly installed miniature cameras in various corners of the room. After setting up the surveillance, I rushed to put the doctored lobster and shrimp in a pot to make soup. When my mother-in-law returned and saw the soup wasn’t ready yet, she launched into another tirade of abuse before huffily returning to her bedroom. In the kitchen, I opened my phone and connected to the surveillance equipment. In the video, my mother-in-law was on the phone with someone. “Sebastian, your idea about having Claire bring the baby back to raise is quite good. I support you.” “Claire may be a bit stupid, but she’s conscientious and meticulous. When it comes to childcare, she’s definitely more reliable than Lauren.” “What? You’re worried Claire won’t agree? She wouldn’t dare!” My mother-in-law’s voice suddenly rose, then dropped again: “If she dares say no, I’ll beat her mouth to a pulp!” Though I already knew Sebastian was scum, his despicable shamelessness broke through my lowest expectations once again. He deceived me with a fake death for five years, subjected me to both mental and physical torture, and now he wanted me to raise his child with his mistress. He wouldn’t rest until he had extracted every last drop of value from me, crushing me to the bone! I watched the mother and son chatting enthusiastically in the video, my gaze drifting to the steaming lobster and shrimp soup on the gas stove. My eyes turned ice-cold. After the soup finished cooking, I served the first bowl to my “poor” mother-in-law who had “lost her son,” then delivered the rest to Lauren to satisfy her cravings. When I returned, my mother-in-law had just finished her soup and set down the bowl. She couldn’t wait to speak: “Lauren is young and had a child out of wedlock—she’s unreliable. My precious grandson is the apple of my eye. I can’t bear to see him suffer even slightly.” “Didn’t you say you wanted to stay by my side to atone? Now I’m giving you that chance.” “As long as you bring him back and raise him well, I’ll forgive you for the heinous crime of killing my son.” I nearly laughed from anger. If I didn’t know Sebastian was alive, I would almost be moved to gratitude for her magnanimous generosity.

“Fine!” I agreed without hesitation, so readily that it made the old woman look at me sideways. After all, raising a child wasn’t like raising a cat or dog. Agreeing instantly without thinking seemed far too casual. “I knew you were obedient and wouldn’t refuse.” “Starting tomorrow, I’m entrusting my precious grandson to your care. If he loses a single hair, I’ll pluck you bald.” She seemed convinced that five years had completely tamed me. She quickly dismissed her brief suspicion and, after delivering a pile of threats, went next door again. Presumably to inform Lauren of the great news that I had agreed to bring the child back to raise. Watching her light, quick steps, a mocking sneer crossed my lips. Old hag, if you still have the energy tomorrow to care about whether I’ve brought your precious grandson back to raise, I’ll admit defeat! Before the next day even arrived, around midnight both my mother-in-law and Lauren couldn’t take it anymore and rushed to the emergency room. After five or six IV drips, both finally returned home at dawn, barely alive. It wasn’t for nothing that I worried the expired lobster and shrimp wouldn’t be potent enough—I had specifically added two extra tablets of the bisacodyl my mother-in-law took for constipation. I had to take care of my mother-in-law and couldn’t spare time for the baby. Lauren had drunk more and her symptoms were more severe than my mother-in-law’s, so Sebastian had to take the baby away to care for it. Sebastian had no idea how to care for a child. In less than a day, he was calling my mother-in-law to complain. He said the baby cried all day and he couldn’t soothe it. He wanted to send the baby back to Lauren’s place and have me bring it back to care for it as they had discussed. My mother-in-law usually went on and on about her “precious grandson,” but now she flatly refused. “No way. I’m having dozens of bowel movements a day and can’t be left alone. If the baby comes back, how will Claire have the energy to take care of me?” “Just hold on a bit longer. We’ll talk about it when I’m better.” I laughed out loud through the screen. When it came to her own wellbeing, the old woman wouldn’t care even about her own son, let alone her grandson. Sebastian didn’t give up and continued to plead pitifully. My mother-in-law didn’t soften or agree. Instead, she started complaining: “Don’t beg me. Speaking of which, this is all your fault. Look at what kind of women you’ve chosen! One is so greedy she wants lobster and shrimp right after giving birth, and the other is so stupid she can’t even handle seafood properly.” “Not only does it mean you, a grown man, have to take care of the baby alone, but I nearly lost my life because of it.” “If you hadn’t embezzled money from the company account to gamble and lost so much you couldn’t repay it, I never would have agreed to you faking your death, and we wouldn’t have all this trouble today.” She didn’t suspect me of sabotage—she simply believed I was too stupid to handle seafood properly. My attention wasn’t on that comment, but on her last sentence. Embezzled company money to gamble, and lost so much he couldn’t repay it? So that was the real reason Sebastian faked his death. No wonder after his death, his direct supervisor Mr. Reed came to the funeral and tactfully asked me many questions about his accounts. At the time, I was drowning in grief and self-blame and hadn’t realized it at all. When a person dies, debts die with them. Sebastian knew I cared about gestures, yet deliberately provoked me on Valentine’s Day with a $10 transfer, using my hand to fake his death and escape his debts. It turned out that in his heart, I was just a tool for him to evade debt and fake his death. From beginning to end, he never once considered that as his wife, if I pushed my husband downstairs to his death over a $10 transfer, how much psychological pressure I would endure afterward, how many contemptuous looks I would face from the world. The more I thought about it, the more I felt like I’d fallen into an ice cellar, as if a huge hole had been carved in my chest. Cold wind from all directions blew through the opening, devoid of any warmth. I involuntarily crouched down, hugging myself tightly into a ball, as if this could block out the external cold and give myself a little more warmth.

After a long time, I finally stood up trembling and took out my phone to call Mr. Reed. “Mr. Reed, hello! There’s something I’d like to discuss with you…” Lauren received IV drips for three consecutive days. When she finally felt better and had some energy, she came to settle accounts with me. She was an influencer with a modest online following. To gain streaming traffic, she rubbed her eyes red and cried pitifully online. She accused me—a widow whose husband had died—of being jealous that she had a son, deliberately sending her contaminated food that nearly cost her her life. My mother-in-law also appeared on camera to corroborate, saying I was extremely jealous and couldn’t stand seeing the female neighbor living better than me. The two sang in harmony, and the livestream’s popularity skyrocketed with comments flying by rapidly. “I was skeptical at first, but with the mother-in-law testifying, I believe it!” “Shocking inside story—the widow neighbor is the murderer who personally pushed her husband downstairs to his death on Valentine’s Day five years ago.” “A woman’s heart is the most poisonous. She could even lay hands on her own husband, let alone a neighbor.” “Scum!” The information was so explosive it immediately shot to the top of trending topics. I became a rat everyone wanted to beat. Many netizens threatened from afar to be careful, saying if they found me, they would teach me a good lesson on how to be human. Everyone thought I would hide in fear, cowering at home and not daring to appear before the public again. But I looked at the steadily climbing popularity and smiled with satisfaction, dialing the number for the city channel’s hottest show, “Neighbor to Neighbor.” This was a program specializing in mediating neighborhood disputes, with a massive viewer base. The show’s director, recognizing my current high topic value, immediately agreed, wanting to ride this wave of traffic. After I set a time with the director, I went to Lauren’s place to clean. I secretly used her phone to send a message to Sebastian. “Honey, I’m feeling better. This afternoon is my last IV session. I should be home around 3:00. Bring the baby back then!” Sebastian, who was nearly driven crazy by childcare, replied almost instantly. “Okay.” I deleted the sent and received messages, put the phone back where it was, and sat back to wait for the show to begin. At 3:00 PM, just as Sebastian was holding the baby in one arm and grasping the door handle with the other, I blocked him with the “Neighbor to Neighbor” production team. I looked at him in full disguise, a flash of amusement quickly crossing my eyes, but my mouth cried out in panic: “Catch him quickly! He’s a thief! Stealing a child!” A neighborhood mediation colliding with child theft? This was heaven gifting them traffic! The director was so excited all the wrinkles on his face smoothed out. He led the production team to quickly surround Sebastian, encircling him completely. Sebastian was so frightened he trembled, shaking his head like a rattle drum, stammering: “It wasn’t me… I’m not a thief… didn’t steal… didn’t steal a child…” I immediately refuted: “Sneaking around like that, anyone can see you’re not a good person. If you weren’t trying to steal the baby, why are you covered up so much you won’t even show your eyes?” “If you’re not guilty, do you dare show your face?” Of course Sebastian didn’t dare show his face in front of me. He stammered, trying to find an excuse. “My face is allergic… can’t be exposed to light…” The production team wasn’t stupid either. No one believed his lie. The director moved like lightning to snatch the baby from his arms, while others worked in perfect coordination to restrain him, removing his hat, sunglasses, and mask. My voice rang out loud enough to be deafening: “Sebastian…” The director’s pupils contracted sharply upon hearing this. A husband who faked his death, a female neighbor who had a child out of wedlock—with his keen journalistic instincts, he knew God was determined to make this episode explode globally!

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “368743”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #重生Reborn #擦边Steamy #校园School #狼人Werewolf