Author: Momo Chan

To save my family from the king’s dungeons, I married the Lord Regent—the most feared man in the realm. On our wedding night, the man they whispered was no man at all took me until I teetered on oblivion. The next morning, royal decree in hand, he ordered my House slaughtered. I knelt at his door for three days. “Ten years ago,” he said, ice in his gaze, “your father’s betrayal saw my kin butchered like cattle. This is fate’s wheel turning. Blood owed, paid in blood.” For five years he kept me locked away, tormenting me daily. I held on for my mother’s sake—until he ripped our seven-month child from my womb for his mistress. Seven days before my promised freedom, I stood atop the Spire, wind lashing my robes. And there—the mighty Regent on his knees, begging me not to jump. 01 The moment Damien Vaughn kicked the door open, I had just finished lighting the three memorial candles for our child’s tablet. He seized my wrist, his grip like iron, his expression savage. “Elara, you have some nerve!” “I told you, do not go near Liana. Yet you provoke her, again and again.” “Do you truly believe I won’t do anything to you?” He shoved me violently. My forehead struck the edge of the wooden table behind me, and a painful, red welt immediately began to form. But I acted as if I felt nothing. I slowly sank to my knees before him, pressing my bruised forehead to the cold stone floor. “I am sorry.” Damien’s eyes tightened. He instinctively reached out to help me up, but the moment his fingers brushed my arm, he flinched back. As if he had touched something foul, he snatched his hand away and hid it behind his back. “What game are you playing now, Elara?” I shook my head, my voice as still and dead as a winter lake. “No game. It is my duty to see to Lady Liana.” “Whatever has befallen her, I accept the blame.” It was always this way. He never investigated anything concerning Liana; he simply decreed it was my fault. If Liana had a headache, he claimed it was because our stars were crossed in ill-omen. If Liana sprained her ankle, he accused me of deliberately placing loose stones on the path. And two days ago, when Liana miscarried, and the royal physician found saffron in her tonic… He didn’t need proof. He declared I had done it out of jealousy and spite. He was the one who held the bitter draught to my lips, forcing me to drink. He was the one who ordered the midwife to tear our seven-month-old child from my body, to serve as a companion for Liana’s lost baby in the cold earth. The thought of that unborn child sent a wave of grief so profound through me that I nearly collapsed. I bit down hard on my lip, just to maintain the last shred of composure in his presence. Experience had taught me that any display of weakness would be seen as another ploy, another attempt to manipulate him with pity. The candles on the table burned out. Damien’s gaze swept over them and fell upon the child’s memorial tablet. His face contorted. He strode forward, lifted me without a word, and threw me onto the bed, his hands moving to the ties of my bodice. I could smell it on his collar—the cloying scent of Liana’s favorite perfume. I caught his hand, my eyes meeting his with a strange calm. “My body has not yet healed. Perhaps another day.” Damien froze, then his eyes raked over me, a deep, mocking sneer spreading across his face. He leaned in close, his whisper a venomous caress against my ear. “Elara, besides this body of yours, what other value do you possess?” A chill pierced me to the bone. Ignoring my trembling, Damien ripped away the last of my clothing. The bed canopy fell, casting the room in wavering, uncertain light. His face, devoid of passion, was reflected in my tear-filled, numb eyes. I couldn’t deny it. I loved Damien Vaughn. He was the brilliant, beautiful boy who had dazzled my youth. He was the man I had defied my parents for, kneeling outside their door for three days and nights, determined to marry. But I couldn’t help but hate him, too. He had seduced me into his trap, only to send my entire family to the gallows. He had personally overseen the execution of my parents and a hundred other members of House Sutton. He had kept me a prisoner for five years, shaming and torturing me, day after endless day. It wasn’t that I hadn’t thought of death. But five years ago, in that dark, cold dungeon, my mother had clutched my hand, her face streaked with tears. “Elara, my darling,” she had wept, “I only ask one thing of you. No matter what, you must live.” “I will wait for you on the shores of the afterlife for five years. If, after five years, you still have not found a reason to live, then you may come and find me.” My mother hoped that promise of five years would give me a reason to hope, a reason to survive. Even the coming of our child… I had allowed myself to believe it was a glimmer of light my mother had sent me from beyond. But that fragile flame had been ruthlessly snuffed out by Damien. And now, there were five days left until my five years were up. 02 When I woke the next day, Damien, contrary to his usual habit, had not left. He had summoned two maids. One held a steaming bowl of a foul-smelling tonic. “Elara, that child… it was an accident.” “You should understand. You are not worthy of bearing a child of House Vaughn.” Damien was right. I wasn’t worthy. My father was the man who had framed his, leading to the unjust deaths of one hundred and eight innocent people. If Damien hadn’t been blind drunk seven months ago, on the anniversary of his family’s execution, I never would have conceived. But that night, cradled in his arms, he had suddenly begun to weep. “When they purged my House, my little brother was only three. They dragged him to the execution block… and his head rolled in the dirt.” “My sister… she was three days from marrying the man she loved.” “But because of your father’s lies, she was defiled by the guards in her cell. She took her own life in despair.” “If I hadn’t been fostered at the Abbey as a boy, I would have died with them.” “And my family would have been cursed by the people for generations, branded as traitors for a hundred, a thousand years to come.” “Elara, shouldn’t I hate you?” “But, Elara… what am I supposed to do?” I knew in my heart that Damien was just like me. He loved, and he hated. The bond between us was a knot that could never be untied, only severed. I lowered my eyes, took the bowl with both hands, and drank the barren-womb draught in one gulp. A single, wrapped candy fell onto the bedsheets beside me. It was from the confectioner on the East Gate, my favorite. Damien used to buy them for me all the time. Even if it meant waiting in line for hours. I clutched the candy, a sudden, sharp ache in my chest. He always did this. Just when my heart had turned to ash, he would casually light a small lamp. Then blow it out. Then light it again. And blow it out again. Over and over, making my life a torment. Making death an escape I couldn’t quite reach. My hand, hidden in my sleeve, clenched into a fist. I wanted to say something, but when I looked up, all I saw was his retreating back. The two maids whispered to each other. “The daughter of an enemy. I can’t imagine why the Lord Regent keeps her here.” “If it were me, I’d have had her flayed and quartered long ago. Instead, he feeds her, clothes her, lets her play the lady of the manor!” They made no attempt to hide their scorn. The words were meant for me. After they left, the vast room was empty again, except for me and the child’s tablet on the table. … For the next few days, I didn’t see Damien. The servants whispered that Lady Liana had caught a chill, that her head was splitting with pain. Damien stayed by her side the entire time, caring for her diligently. On the final day of my five-year promise, the estate’s steward pushed open my door. “The Lady Liana wishes to plant a winter rose garden. She has commanded that you are to go and turn over all the soil in the back garden.” My head snapped up. The back garden. That’s where I buried my child’s body. 03 By the time I stumbled into the back garden, Liana had already directed the groundskeepers to dig up half the frozen earth. “Stop! All of you, stop!” I screamed, heedless of my appearance. But the servants knew my place in this house. They paid me no mind. I rushed to Liana. “Tell them to stop! Make them stop now!” Liana waved a dismissive hand, and two of her personal guards pulled me away. She toyed with a string of pearls, a light, cruel laugh on her lips. “A wretched little thing like that doesn’t deserve to be buried in the hallowed grounds of this estate.” “The frost is deep, and the beasts in the forest are hungry. Once we dig the little beast up, we can toss it to them. Consider it an act of charity.” Her words struck me like a physical blow. I was filled with a blinding rage. I don’t know where the strength came from, but I broke free from the guards and seized the front of Liana’s dress. “Liana, you took my child from me. I’ll kill you!” I pulled the simple wooden pin from my hair and lunged, aiming for her throat. The pin had barely scratched her delicate skin when a powerful hand shoved me from behind. I slammed into a stone bench, and in an instant, the cold steel of a dozen swords was at my throat. Liana, feigning terror, collapsed into Damien’s arms, sobbing. “Damien, my love, you came just in time! If you hadn’t, I would never have seen you again.” Damien’s brow was a knot of fury, but his eyes were fixed on me, silent and unreadable. I ignored the animosity between us, my voice a desperate plea. “Damien, please. I beg you, make them stop.” “Punish me however you want, I’ll accept anything, but that is my child!” “Damien… he is our child…” Ignoring the blades at my neck, I crawled step by agonizing step and knelt at his feet. I clutched the hem of his trousers, my voice a raw, ugly rasp. “He was a boy, Damien. He will never learn to ride a horse or draw a bow now…” In countless nights past, Damien had kissed my hair and whispered in my ear: “Elara, my love, when we have a child…” “If it’s a boy, I will teach him to ride and shoot.” “If it’s a girl, you will teach her poetry and song.” But now, our child never even had the chance to see this world. The memory must have struck Damien too, because his pupils contracted sharply. He instinctively glanced at the ravaged garden, his face shadowed and dark. Liana sensed his hesitation. She dabbed at her eyes with a lace handkerchief. “Damien, the Master Physician came yesterday. He said my ceaseless headaches are caused by the unquiet spirit of a dead infant buried on the grounds.” “It was foolish of me. I was only thinking of myself, not of my lady’s feelings.” “If she truly cannot bear it, I suppose I can continue to suffer…” I didn’t hear another word she said. All I saw was a groundskeeper unearthing a small bundle wrapped in red cloth. The searing crimson made my tears fall anew. I tugged desperately at Damien’s leg. “Damien, if you just spare my child…” “I will give up my position as your wife. I will give it to Liana!” “My wife?” Damien’s brow furrowed, and then a storm of fury erupted in his eyes. He gritted his teeth. “Elara, does the title of Lady Vaughn disgust you so much?” I knelt there, sobbing too hard to speak. His lips thinned into a white line, his face ashen. Suddenly, he let out a harsh, barking laugh. “You are truly something else!” “A dead infant is an ill omen. To leave it here will only bring disaster upon this house. Men! Bring me tinder and dry branches…” Damien squeezed his eyes shut, hiding the raw crimson within them. He bit out each word. “Burn it. On the spot.”

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“Reina, I’ve made up my mind.” I stood before the mirror, staring at the pale, hollowed-out reflection of myself. It turned out that making one of the most important decisions of my life wasn’t so difficult after all. “Jasper… will you accept my proposal?” On the other end of the line, Reina’s voice was a soft, gentle melody. A sudden pang of sorrow touched my heart, but I nodded. “Reina, I will.” “Jasper, I’m so happy.” “You know, back in college, I dreamed of this day.” In the mirror, a faint smile had unknowingly appeared on my lips. “Reina, just give me two weeks. I need to take care of some things here.” “Alright, Jasper. I’ll be waiting.” The moment I hung up, my bedroom door was violently shoved open from the outside. “Jasper,” my father said, clearing his throat with a touch of unease. “Your brother’s health isn’t good. Your room gets the morning sun. Why don’t you two… switch for a few days?” I didn’t answer. My gaze fell on my stepmother and my half-brother, Simon, standing behind him. My stepmother quickly interjected, “Oh, dear, we don’t need to trouble the young master.” Simon looked aggrieved. “Yeah, Dad, it’s fine. Don’t make my brother upset because of me.” “What trouble? You’re my son too,” my father said, then turned a stern gaze on me. “Jasper, you’re the older brother. Be more sensible.” I stared blankly at my father. I thought I would be devastated, furious. That my own flesh and blood would dote on a son who wasn’t his, more than on me. But I felt nothing. Not a single ripple of emotion. I even managed a small smile and a nod. “Fine. I’ll switch with him.” In two weeks, I would be leaving this place forever. Which room I slept in didn’t matter anymore. 2 My father seemed pleased with my compliance. My stepmother smiled, satisfied. After they left, however, Simon lingered. “Brother, let me help you pack.” He stood before me, the picture of obedience, but his eyes, as they scanned the room, held a smile he couldn’t quite conceal. “I didn’t expect Dad to agree to let us switch rooms.” “Brother, are you angry with me?” “After all, I just stole Victoria from you, and now I’ve stolen the bedroom you’ve lived in for ten years.” I didn’t want to engage. I turned to get my suitcase. Suddenly, Simon let out a yelp and fell hard onto the floor. “Brother…” His arm had hit the corner of the desk as he fell, and a dark bruise was already forming. “Jasper, what are you doing?!” Victoria had come upstairs at some point. She saw Simon on the floor. Her face hardened. She rushed over and gently helped him to his feet. “Tori, I’m fine. My brother didn’t mean to.” Simon grimaced in pain but forced a pained smile. “It doesn’t hurt, Tori.” “It’s already bruised, and you say it doesn’t hurt?” Victoria looked at the injury on his arm, her eyes filled with heartache. But when she looked at me, her gaze turned cold as frost. “Jasper, if you have a problem, take it out on me.” “Don’t hurt Simon. He’s been through enough.” “Unlike you, born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you’ve never known a day of hardship in your life.” I thought I was past being hurt by her words. I thought I would never again let Victoria break my heart. But in the end, I was just an ordinary person. I wasn’t made of steel, and my heart wasn’t unbreakable. The girl I grew up with. The woman I had loved for three years. In just a few short days, she had fallen for the younger, more cloying Simon. And had started to see me as a vicious, cruel monster. I didn’t want to be sad. I even wanted to laugh. But when I opened my mouth, my voice was raw. “Victoria, we’ve known each other for so many years. Don’t you know what kind of person I am?” Victoria’s brow furrowed slightly. Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, her expression seemed to soften. 3 But then Simon spoke up. “Tori, don’t fight with my brother because of me.” “It’s fine. He has every right to be angry with me…” Simon’s voice trailed off, as if he were the victim of some great injustice. Victoria’s gaze on me hardened once more, turning to ice. “You’re jealous that I like Simon.” “Jealous that I’m good to him.” “Jealous that everyone likes him.” “Jasper, you’re not the person you used to be.” “You’re twisted now, aren’t you?” With that, she took Simon’s arm and turned to leave. I watched them go. And suddenly, I realized that the last, lingering shred of sadness had vanished. This was for the best. I had grieved over Victoria countless times in the past few days. From now on, I truly believed I would never feel a single pang of sorrow for her again. That evening, the group chat with our mutual friends exploded with activity. Victoria had posted a message. “What do you do when you suddenly want to get married?” The chat went wild. “Tori, are you and Jasper finally tying the knot?” “Should we start calling him brother-in-law now?” People started tagging me. “@Jasper Congrats, brother-in-law! Are you going to send out big red envelopes?” “Tori, when are you inviting us to the wedding?” The chat was a chaotic flurry of messages. I was about to type a message to clarify. I wasn’t their brother-in-law. And I wasn’t the one Victoria wanted to marry. But Victoria beat me to it. “What are you all talking about?” “I never said I was marrying Jasper.” With that, she added Simon to the group chat. Then she tagged everyone. “Take a good look. This is your real brother-in-law.” The boisterous chat fell silent. For a long time, no one said a word. Victoria: “Why is everyone so quiet?” “Say hello to your brother-in-law.” A few scattered greetings for Simon began to trickle in. I thought for a moment, then typed a message. “Congratulations. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness.” After sending it, I left the group chat. 4 The moment I left the group, my phone rang. It was Victoria. “Jasper, I need you to come over. Right now.” “Where?” “You know where. The usual place.” “Is something wrong?” “Apologize to Simon.” “Why should I apologize?” “Do you have any idea what our friends will think of him after you just left the group like that?” Victoria’s tone was harsh, demanding. “I won’t have people slandering Simon.” “I’m the one who likes him. I want to give him a proper place by my side.” “He’s innocent. He shouldn’t have to bear the stigma of being the other man because of your rashness and immaturity.” Even though I was no longer emotionally swayed by her words, a dull, aching anger throbbed in my chest. My fingers, clutching the phone, trembled. When I spoke, my voice trembled too. “Victoria, you can’t treat people like this.” “What gives you the right to treat me this way?” “You were the unfaithful one. I did nothing. I even congratulated you. Isn’t that enough?” My voice was shaking badly. There was a moment of silence on the other end. “Jasper.” “I’ll let it go this time.” “But I want you to remember, Simon is innocent.” “Don’t take your anger out on him. Don’t hurt him.” She hung up. I sat on the sofa, my whole body shaking. On the nightstand, in a silver frame, was a photograph of my mother. She was looking at me with gentle, loving eyes. A sudden sting filled my nose. I lunged for the frame and hugged it tightly. Through the cold, hard glass, I pressed my cheek against hers. In the photo, it was as if my mother was grieving for her child’s pain. I didn’t want to be sad. I didn’t want my mother to worry, wherever she was. After the anniversary of her death, I would take the few things she left me. I would leave this city forever and never come back. 5 Simon moved into my room. I, however, didn’t move into his. I just found an empty guest room and stayed there. The bedding the maid prepared for me was cold and damp. I ended up sleeping in my clothes. It was only for a few more days. Once I got through this, it would all be over. But the next morning, as I came downstairs, I saw that the small side hall, where my mother’s photograph and the memorial offerings were kept, was in complete disarray. My mother’s photo had been thrown on the floor. The glass of the frame was shattered, and the picture was covered in muddy footprints. My mother’s smiling face now seemed to be weeping in agony. The offerings were scattered everywhere, and Simon’s puppy was chewing on them. Simon stood to the side, clapping his hands and cheering the dog on. I stood there, feeling the blood rush to my head. All reason, all thought of endurance, vanished in an instant. Like a madman, I grabbed a vase and hurled it at the dog. The dog yelped and ran off. Simon shrieked as a shard of the broken vase grazed his arm. “Jasper! What are you doing? How could you raise a hand to your brother?!” By the time my father’s voice rang out, Simon had already hidden behind him, his face pale. “Dad, save me! My brother is trying to kill me…” “Jasper, you’re going too far!” “Can’t you see? He threw away Mom’s offerings, he ruined her picture…” My whole body was shaking. Tears finally streamed down my face. I was heartbroken for my mother. I knew the dead couldn’t fight the living. But even in death, she didn’t deserve this. Was there no place in this house for even her memorial tablet? But my father only glanced at the mess on the floor and frowned. “That’s no excuse to hurt someone!” “Dad…” “Jasper, your mother has been gone for so long. The living are more important than the dead.” Simon spoke up timidly. “Dad, it was my puppy. He accidentally knocked over the offerings. I was going to apologize to my brother, but he just rushed down and attacked me. I didn’t even have a chance to say anything before he threw the vase at me…” He held up his bleeding arm, looking pitifully at my father. “Dad, maybe Mom and I should just move out…” “The animal doesn’t know any better, but don’t you?” My father glared at me, then suddenly raised his hand. When the heavy slap landed, I forgot to move. He seemed to freeze for a moment too. But in the end, he said nothing. He turned and took Simon to treat his wound. I watched them leave, and only after a long moment did I feel the burning sting on my cheek. I raised a hand to my swollen face and couldn’t help but let out a bitter, mocking laugh. I knew it then. This house had no room for any trace of my mother. And there was no place left for me. 6 In the middle of the night, I was woken by crying and screaming. I had just sat up when my door was kicked open. My stepmother rushed in, crying. Before I could react, she slapped me hard across the face, several times. “How could you be so cruel?” “Wasn’t hurting him this morning enough? Now you want to kill him?” She collapsed into my father’s arms, sobbing. “He knows Simon is allergic to perfume, and he deliberately sprayed it all over his bed and pillows.” “He’s trying to kill our Simon!” “Alright, stop crying. Simon took his medicine in time, he’s fine.” My father comforted her softly, then looked at me with disgust. “Jasper, you’ve disappointed me greatly.” “Move out tomorrow.” “If you stay here, you’ll just bring chaos to this family.” My stepmother’s crying stopped instantly. I looked at the man before me. He was once the closest person I had in this world. He had loved me dearly. I was his only child. But then, everything changed. I felt like the protagonist in a novel whose luck had been stolen, gradually losing everything. At first, I couldn’t understand it. I fought, I argued, I resisted. But now, I finally understood. The bond between us, father and son, was completely broken. The day I moved out of the family home, my father said to me, “After the anniversary of your mother’s death, I’ll bring you home.” I didn’t answer. After they left, I took all the photos of me and Victoria, and all the photos of me and my father, from all the years. I cut them into pieces and burned them. Finally, I threw away the pair of rings I had secretly bought. I had bought them after Victoria confessed her feelings for me. I had imagined, countless times, the moment I would place one on her finger. But now, that was all over. 7 All that was left were the various gifts Victoria had given me over the past three years. There were quirky, fun little trinkets. And there were expensive watches and jewelry. I sorted out the valuable items, planning to have a friend hold onto them for me. After I left the city, he would return them to Victoria. That way, we would be truly even. There was a time when I cherished even a small keychain from her. But now, as I prepared to discard everything, my heart felt nothing. Not a single ripple. After I was done, I carefully wrapped my mother’s photograph and placed it in the hidden compartment of my suitcase. Without a backward glance, I left the home I had lived in for ten years. As I walked out the main gate, Victoria’s car happened to pull up. I didn’t even look at it. But the car suddenly stopped beside me. The rear window rolled down, revealing Victoria’s stunning face. My gaze merely brushed past her, and my steps didn’t falter. “Jasper.” Victoria’s brow furrowed. “Where are you going?” I ignored her and kept walking. But Victoria suddenly opened the car door and got out. “Do you want me to have my driver give you a ride?” “No, thank you.” I avoided her hand and continued on my way. But Victoria grabbed my wrist. “Jasper, why are you being so stubborn with me?” “Just be like you used to be. Bow your head a little. Maybe I’ll soften up again.” I forcefully shook her hand off and looked at her calmly. “Victoria, there’s no need.” No need to bow my head. And no need for her to soften up. Time and time again… I was tired. Exhausted. “Fine. Do whatever you want.” Victoria scoffed, but her eyes held a look of disbelief. 8 After all, in the past, no matter how hurt I was, I would always willingly and silently wait for her to come back. She was used to it. Everyone around her said I would never be able to leave her. And she believed it wholeheartedly. I was about to leave with my suitcase when Simon’s voice rang out. “Tori, you’re here.” He walked over and took her hand. “Is your allergy any better?” Victoria brushed the hair from his forehead, examining him closely. “Much better.” Simon smiled obediently. “Tori, don’t be mad at my brother.” “It’s my fault for being so weak. If my health wasn’t so poor, Dad wouldn’t have made us switch rooms.” “And my brother wouldn’t have taken his anger out on me…” “How is that your fault? He’s the one who’s petty.” Victoria glanced at me, then deliberately stroked Simon’s cheek. “Let’s go inside. Your face just healed, don’t let the wind get to it.” “Okay.” I watched the two of them walk away, clinging to each other like Siamese twins. And my heart was as calm as a placid lake, without a single ripple. After the anniversary of my mother’s death, my father didn’t come to get me. And in the blink of an eye, it was Victoria’s birthday. In previous years, I would have prepared a gift long in advance. Then I would have gone to great lengths to book a hotel and meticulously decorate the party venue. But this time, I had no gift. And I wouldn’t be celebrating with her. At five in the afternoon, I was in a car on my way to the airport. New messages kept popping up on my phone. My father was urging me, “Why aren’t you here yet? Your aunt, Simon, and I are all here.” “Jasper, you need to be more magnanimous. Victoria is going to be part of our family.” “If you don’t come, what will people think? They’ll think you and your brother have had a falling out.” I found it utterly ridiculous. I didn’t reply, just blocked him. As I was about to board, I received a message. It was from Victoria. “Why aren’t you here yet? Everyone is waiting for you.” I smiled, didn’t reply, and blocked all of her contact information. Then, I walked through the boarding gate and never looked back.

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After passing the civil service exam, before I had even done the medical check and started the job, my boyfriend insisted on taking me on a road trip through Yellowstone during the one-month break I had. An adventure enthusiast, he drove our car right into a grizzly bear conservation area and told me I could feed the “cute little bears” with rice crackers. But when we actually encountered one, my naturally cautious nature kept me from opening the window. The massive grizzly before us looked to be over six hundred pounds, with a ferocious face and sharp fangs—not at all the “cute little bear” my boyfriend had described. Seeing my hesitation, he actually used the car’s master controls to lower my window, allowing the grizzly to tear the skin from my face with a single swipe of its paw. Disfigured, I lost my chance at the civil service position. My boyfriend, who was the runner-up, took my place. In despair, I chose to hang myself in the new house he was preparing for our marriage. When I opened my eyes again, I was back, five minutes before we met the grizzly bear. 01 As we drove through the grizzly bear conservation area, a few bears appeared ahead, hunched over, eating something. The edges of the leftover hide on the ground were curled—it looked like the hind leg of a pronghorn antelope. The blood on the ground had been licked clean, making the scene almost deceptively less gruesome. Quinn pulled the car over, his voice electric with excitement. He reached into the back seat, grabbed a bag of rice crackers, and handed them to me. “Here, you can open these and feed them. They’re so cute, don’t be scared! Look how fluffy they are. They look so soft to the touch.” I stared at the grizzlies in the distance, tearing and fighting over the antelope leg, and couldn’t connect them with the word “cute” in any way. The car radio crackled intermittently with a news report about the local bear population. “The Yellowstone grizzly is the apex predator of this region, known for its astonishing speed and power… and each year, these bears consume…” Quinn quickly switched off the radio. I asked anxiously, “Consume what?” He smiled innocently, patting my cheek to reassure me. “Just a few pronghorns and rabbits, that’s all. Such cute animals can’t possibly eat people, right? You’re already a bit of a worrier, don’t overthink things.” I was still a little uneasy, but I took the rice crackers from him. Outside the window, the grizzlies had savage faces and sharp fangs. Their massive paws were still caked with bits of flesh. From a distance, they looked fluffy, but up close, their fur stood up like steel needles. One of the grizzlies was watching us warily, its eyes fixed directly on me, its blood-red tongue licking the blood from its lips. Seeing my hesitation, my boyfriend, Quinn, reached over to roll down my window himself. In my past life, to snatch a coveted civil service spot, Quinn had taken me to Yellowstone to be bear food. He had convinced me the grizzlies were gentle, rolled down my window, and let one tear the skin from my face, disfiguring me and disqualifying me from the position. Afterward, he played the innocent victim, claiming I had been injured because I had underestimated wildlife, and it had nothing to do with him. Not long after, he successfully took my place at the job, started dating again, and his family joyfully bought them a new house. Meanwhile, I was in a hospital, my face wrapped in bandages, crying every single day. To spite Quinn and cause him financial ruin, in the depths of my depression, I chose to hang myself in his newly renovated house. Relying on the memories of my past life, I quickly grabbed Quinn’s hand as he reached for the window controls. I forced a relaxed smile. “You know, I’ve been thinking a lot, and I don’t think a government job is for me. I’d rather start my own e-commerce business, focusing on international markets.” 02 Quinn was visibly taken aback, but his hand remained poised over the window controls. To sweeten the deal, I continued in a light tone. “My parents really like you, you know. They said that after you get the job, they want to buy us a house. And my dad said he’d buy you a Porsche Panamera once we go back and get our marriage license.” He finally moved his hand away from the controls. He smiled, his expression softening, his whole demeanor relaxing. “Well, a great guy like me ending up with you… I guess your ancestors must have done something right.” Seeing his attitude change, I breathed a sigh of relief. According to his original plan, in two more days, his parents would fly into Jackson Hole. We were supposed to finish our tour of the northern part of the park, then pick them up and drive south to see the wildflowers bloom. He drove a few meters forward, away from the bears, and then turned the car around. “Let’s just go straight to Jackson and wait for my parents. There are too many cute little bears here. I’m afraid I might hit one.” Quinn’s eyes were filled with blatant calculation, devoid of any genuine emotion. His desire for money was on full display. But I had underestimated his determination to get that Panamera. The moment we parked at the hotel, Quinn was eager to drag me to a dealership. His expression was fawning. “Babe, why don’t we just buy the car here in Wyoming and drive it back?” “Drive it back?” I was speechless but managed to hide my impatience. “A Panamera has low clearance. I don’t think it would handle these mountain roads very well, do you?” He hesitated, his face falling. “Well, then why don’t you just transfer the money to me? I can call the dealership back home and place the order. We can pick it up as soon as we get back.” I pretended to rummage through my makeup bag, saying casually, “Oh, really? But my dad said he’d only buy it for you after we get our marriage license.” My dad wasn’t here. To ensure my survival for the next few days, I was prepared to say anything. “Then let’s get married now! Getting married in a new place, isn’t that exciting?” Quinn excitedly pulled his ID from his pocket and grabbed my arm, ready to drag me to the courthouse. To stay alive, I had to lie and say I couldn’t find my ID. Later, when he was asleep, I cut it into pieces and flushed it down the toilet. 03 A few days later, at the airport, Quinn’s mother was clearly not expecting to see me standing there, perfectly intact. The moment she saw me, her face soured. “This is so annoying. Son, why is another woman here? This was supposed to be our mother-son vacation.” Quinn, afraid of giving the game away, quickly intervened. “Mom, Chloe and I are getting our license as soon as we get home. Then her parents are buying us a house and a car. We’ll all celebrate together.” In my past life, after the bear attack, a passing park ranger had called for help, and that’s how I survived. But after being brought back to Jackson, Quinn didn’t take me to a top hospital in a major city as I had begged him to. He listened to his mother, left me in a local clinic, and took his parents on a tour of the southern sights. “It’s just her face. It wasn’t that pretty to begin with. It’s not a big deal. Don’t be so dramatic.” I was in agony every day. In the end, I had to call my own parents to come and get me and take me home for proper treatment. But it was too late. The skin and flesh torn away by the grizzly failed to graft properly. I was destined to live the rest of my life as a monster. But now that I was reborn, I would not be the same weakling I was before. This trip, everything was going to be different. This time, I would be the one feeding Quinn and his family to the bears. 04 I went on TikTok and started aggressively liking promotional videos for remote, secluded cabins in the backwoods of Wyoming. The algorithm worked its magic. Before long, Quinn’s mother started seeing the same videos on her feed. And that woman was used to getting her way. As the matriarch of her family, if she took an interest in these beautiful cabins, she would insist on staying there. Last year, at this same time of year, a large grizzly known to mimic human behaviors—like walking on its hind legs—had killed and eaten three people near this very cabin. Later, local hunters had managed to blind it in one eye. In retaliation, the bear had tracked the hunters’ scent back to their home in the dead of night and slaughtered the entire family. The locals knew that once a bear had tasted human flesh, it would never be satisfied with animals again. And this particular bear was known for its vengeful nature. People even avoided grazing their livestock in this area. The cabin had been empty for a long time. To stay there this time of year was basically serving yourself up on a platter. But Quinn’s mother, obsessed with beautiful scenery and luxury, was oblivious to all this. “Son, this cabin is so beautiful! Mommy wants to be romantic too. Let’s go stay there, shall we?” Quinn glanced at the address. It was remote, but his mother always got her way. He didn’t even think to object. He looked at the price and thought it was a bit steep. He turned to me. “Honey, I’m driving. Can you book this cabin for us?” His mother chimed in, “You haven’t contributed anything this whole trip. It’s only right that you pay for this.” Throughout our relationship, Quinn had rarely spent a dime. He always had an excuse to make me pay. By evening, we finally arrived at the “Wildflower Cabin.” Quinn’s mother, who had never stayed in such a wild setting before, was thrilled, taking pictures of everything. The cabin had a keypad entry. When Quinn asked me to book it, I had specifically said I was worried we wouldn’t rest well all in one place and booked three separate rooms. One for his parents, one for me, and one for Quinn. I had also checked local forums and learned that the one-eyed bear had been spotted in this area for several consecutive days. The news reports said grizzlies have an incredibly keen sense of smell and are often drawn to the scent of food in people’s homes. So, I took out the beef jerky I had bought in Jackson and “gifted” it to Quinn’s parents, leaving it in their cabin. Then, I went to Quinn’s cabin, ate some spicy chips, and drank a butter tea I had prepared, “accidentally” spilling it all over his floor. The strong, greasy smell of the butter and milk was potent; it could be smelled from a great distance. 05 Before going to sleep, I propped a table against my door from the inside, then pushed the nightstand and coffee table against it for extra reinforcement. I had deliberately chosen the room at the very end of the row. It only had one window, and it was pathetically small. No matter how you looked at it, a six-hundred-pound bear couldn’t possibly climb through that tiny ventilation window. That night, I stayed alert, too scared to sleep. Sure enough, at one-thirty in the morning, the distinct, heavy breathing of a wild animal came from outside. At the same time, someone knocked on the door. Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock. The sound sent a chill down my spine. This grizzly… it could even mimic a human knock. “Who is it?” Quinn’s mother, a light sleeper, heard the knock immediately and yelled out in her loud, grating voice. In my past life, his mother was a fearless, almost reckless woman. When visiting a Buddhist monastery on a trip, she had ignored local customs and taken photos of the sacred statues. When criticized, she had flown into a rage, climbed onto a statue, and screamed defiantly, challenging the local faith. The incident even made the news. Now, hearing a knock in the middle of the night, she was even more irritable and started shouting. Sure enough, the sound attracted the bear. Soon, the sounds of crashing and his mother’s screams came from her cabin. Ping. A text message. It was from Quinn. “What’s going on with my parents? You should go check on them. Show some concern, you’re their future daughter-in-law.” I pretended to agree, but instead, I slid under the bed and pulled the blankets down to cover the gaps. A quick glance wouldn’t reveal I was there. To prevent the bear from smelling me, I had already sprayed an entire bottle of perfume on the bed and curtains, hoping to mask my scent. I also turned on the shower in the bathroom to create the illusion that I was in there. “Did you go see my parents? My good little future wife.” Facing Quinn’s prodding, I lied again. “I did. It was nothing, just a wild turkey bumped into their door. They got a little scared. You should probably go check on them.” I don’t know if Quinn bought it, but the shouting and screaming had gradually died down. All I could hear was the frantic pounding of my own heart. His parents’ cabin fell silent. It seemed they were either dead or hiding. I suspected the former. In my past life, after I died, I learned that Quinn’s parents had been in on the plot to steal my civil service position. It was his father, a long-time viewer of nature documentaries, who had suggested the brilliant idea of taking me to Yellowstone to be bear food. His parents had always coveted the antique, high-quality jade pendant I wore, a family heirloom worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. After my accident, I was in no state to care about it, and his mother had swiped it while the doctors were saving my life. They had used the money from selling my pendant to buy Quinn’s new house. Thinking of this, I tucked the jade pendant from my neck into my bra. Even if I died today, I would not let Quinn’s despicable family profit.

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An ambulance brought in a completely naked young woman, an unknown fluid dripping down her legs. A doctor, flustered, found me and asked me to lead the surgery. He said the girl had multiple objects lodged inside her, making the procedure incredibly difficult. No one else dared to do it. I took the surgical consent form to find the family member. “I’ll sign!” I stared at the man before me and froze. He was my husband, the man I shared my life with. My husband, Daniel, who had used work as an excuse not to see me on Valentine’s Day, had been cheating with another woman. A wave of nausea washed over me as I watched him unhesitatingly write “spouse” on the form. I was in my surgical scrubs, my face covered by a mask. He didn’t recognize me. He grabbed my hand, pleading, “Doctor, you have to save my wife.” I yanked my hand away. The wedding ring on his finger clattered to the floor. 01 Adhering to the principle that all life is precious, I entered the operating room. Looking at the woman on the table—her hair a mess, her face a bloodless, pale mask—my expression darkened. Who would have thought that the person lying on the operating table would be my best friend. All this time, I had never suspected a thing between them. Before I could even process my thoughts, my best friend’s legs began to tremble uncontrollably on the table, a clear sign of extreme pain. I knew we had to operate immediately. A cucumber had been inserted inside her, with a tennis ball wedged at the end. It was stuck. If not removed promptly, it would be life-threatening. That something so absurd could actually happen… And the person responsible was the man I shared my life with. I was about to administer anesthesia, preparing to use forceps to forcibly remove the foreign objects. But unbelievably, even in her agony, my friend didn’t forget to flirt with my husband. “Danny, come in and stay with me. I’m scared to be alone.” “Doctor, let him in. Now.” I tried to hold her trembling body down, my eyes meeting the anesthesiologist’s, signaling him to proceed. But she pushed the doctor away, ignoring the pain in her lower body as she tried to sit up. “If he’s not with me, I’m not having the surgery.” The other medical staff in the room exchanged uneasy glances. They had never seen such a bizarre patient. With the situation at a standstill, the department head waved his hand, allowing Daniel to come in from outside. “Get him scrubbed in.” “Once you’re in, don’t move around. Just stand to the side and watch.” After scrubbing in, Daniel rushed past me and took Hailey’s hand. “It’s all my fault. I got too carried away.” Hailey reached up and caressed his face, managing a weak smile. “It’s okay. To make you happy, we can do it again next time.” “It’s because you’re so charming. I’d do anything for you.” Listening to their banter, I froze for a second. The scalpel in my hand slipped and fell to the floor. Seeing my carelessness, Daniel roared at me. “How did someone like you become a doctor? With hands like that, what if you slip and cut the patient?” “I suggest you take this seriously. If anything happens to my wife, this hospital is finished!” “If you can’t do it, just say so! I’ll take my wife to a major hospital. I know people there, much more professional than you.” Wife? A bitter smile formed on my lips. The only reason he had come to this smaller clinic was probably to avoid running into me at the provincial hospital where I worked. But he never could have imagined that I would be here today, supervising a training session. And that I would happen to run into him and his little girlfriend. Almost no one at this clinic knew who my husband was, so he wasn’t afraid of anyone telling on him. That’s why he could so brazenly pretend to be married to someone else here. He would never, in his entire life, have guessed that I was standing right in front of him. Listening to him spew his filth. The surgery was quick. After the anesthesia, it was a simple matter of removing the objects. After the procedure, as I walked out of the operating room, I heard an impatient voice from the hallway. “Just make up an excuse. I’m busy here. I don’t have time to spend Valentine’s Day with her.” “Tell her I’m in an important meeting and not to call me at all today.” Not long after he hung up, I received a message from his assistant. “Mr. Hayes is in a meeting and might have to go on a business trip out of state. He’ll be busy for the next couple of days. He wanted me to apologize to you.” “The roses he ordered for you have been delivered to your home. That’s all.” “Okay, I understand.” My calm demeanor seemed to surprise the assistant. After all, I was usually very interested in Daniel’s schedule, constantly pestering his assistant for details. After hanging up, I was about to take a break when another doctor came running towards me in a panic. 02 “Dr. Evans, come quick!” “That patient from before, something’s wrong!” There was a large bloodstain on his chest. I was startled. “It’s the patient’s heart. She just vomited blood.” How could this be? I didn’t understand. I rushed to a computer to look up Hailey’s pre-operative examination reports. All I found was blank data. Besides her name and age, all other critical information was missing. A nurse explained anxiously, “The patient was an emergency case. She’s been receiving treatment at the provincial hospital, so we don’t have her records here.” I suddenly understood. For them to be playing so rough, they must have been using drugs. The patient was likely suffering from kidney failure induced by some kind of substance. I immediately contacted the lab. “Get a blood test for her, now. Give me the results as soon as they’re ready.” The patient was rushed back into the operating room. Just as I was about to enter, Daniel blocked my path. Without a word, he slapped me across the face. “It’s your fault, you quack! I knew you were incompetent. Go get the best doctor in this hospital, now!” The muscles in his face trembled with rage, his eyes shot with fury. Other medical staff rushed forward to intervene, shielding me behind them. But Daniel was relentless, shouting abuse. “If anything happens to her today, none of you will get away with it. Especially you! You’ll pay with your life!” The faces of the doctors around me turned grim. The man’s words were vicious. This madman was a completely different person from the charming, sophisticated man I thought I knew. It was only then that I truly understood. I had never seen him for who he really was. “What is wrong with you? Doctors aren’t gods. They can’t cure every disease. Besides, if her condition was so serious, why didn’t you go to the main provincial hospital?” “Yeah! If you’re so well-connected, why not go to a major hospital?” people in the crowd started to chime in. Daniel was, of course, unable to answer. He wouldn’t dare go to the provincial hospital. Too many people there knew him. The lab report arrived. I glanced at the data and immediately understood the situation. All the indicators pointed to one thing. Hailey had overdosed on stimulants. No wonder her heart rate was so high. What was even more infuriating was that Hailey was also pregnant. It must have been too early for them to have noticed. There was no time to wonder who the father was. I held up the report and roared at Daniel. “She’s pregnant, and you let her take those drugs? You’re worse than an animal!” “In all my years as a doctor, you are the most despicable man I have ever seen!” Daniel’s face turned deathly pale. He mumbled, “The guy at the pharmacy said… it was harmless.” I was about to retort when, from behind me, my best friend’s furious voice cut through the air. “I took the drugs willingly! What business is it of yours, you outsider?” “You uptight women will never understand my kind of happiness!” She wanted to say more, but her body could no longer support her shouting. She began to convulse violently and then passed out. There was no time to lose. I quickly assigned tasks to the surgical team, and we prepared to enter the operating room. Just then, my arm was grabbed. It was Daniel, holding a bank card. “All this talk, it’s about this, isn’t it?” “There’s ten thousand on this card. Fix her up, and there’s a bonus in it for you.” I took the card from him. A flicker of pleasure crossed his face. Then, right in front of him, I threw the card on the floor. “Get out of my way.” 03 Hailey’s condition was extremely critical. I had never dealt with a similar case, and the difficulty of the surgery skyrocketed. We had to consider her physical state and the side effects of the drugs. I was giving it my all, but we were at a point where we had to choose between the mother and the child. Since the fetus was still small, we had to choose the mother. The doctors in the room looked troubled. They knew that with this level of trauma, it would be nearly impossible for her to have children in the future. But the patient’s fading vital signs left us no time for hesitation. I looked up at one of my assistants. “Go have the family member sign the critical condition notice. Inform him of the situation. The fetus cannot be saved.” I was just about to focus on the next step of the procedure—stopping the bleeding and suturing—when a sharp, tearing pain shot through my abdomen. It was so intense I almost collapsed. I had to sit down and rest. Fortunately, we hadn’t reached the most critical part of the surgery yet, and a colleague took over for me. I gasped for air, and after a moment, the pain subsided. Then, I forced my weakened body to complete the most difficult part of the surgery. After more than two hours, the operation was finally over. We observed her for a while longer, and only after confirming that Hailey’s vitals were stable did we wheel her out of the operating room. The moment I stepped out, my legs gave way, and I nearly fell. The other doctors rushed to support me. “You’ve been through so much, Dr. Evans. Performing surgery while pregnant… you’re incredible.” “You’re a true national treasure in medicine. It’s an honor to learn from you.” “Don’t worry, we’ll report this to the director. We’ll make sure you get an award for this.” I touched my stomach, a bitter twitch at my lips. It didn’t matter anymore. This child… I wasn’t going to keep it. They helped me back to the break room. Before I even got inside, I saw Daniel, his face contorted in a snarl, his fists clenched, storming towards me. Before anyone could react, he kicked me hard in the stomach. “You’re the one, you quack! You killed my child!” “I knew the doctors here were useless! You can’t even handle a simple case!” His shout drew a crowd in the hallway. Daniel pointed at me on the floor and roared. “My wife was fine when she went in, and when she came out, the baby was gone!” “This doctor just thought the money I offered wasn’t enough. Five thousand dollars! A whole five thousand, and she thought it was too little! She threw the card on the floor!” “Everyone, be the judge! We can’t let this murderer get away with it!” The kick felt like a bolt of lightning. I collapsed to the floor, shaking uncontrollably. The other doctors, finally reacting, rushed to restrain him. But Daniel was like a ravenous beast. He shoved them aside and dragged me to a corner. “You tell me! Why did you give up on saving my child? It took me so long to have this child, and now, because of a vicious doctor like you, it’s gone!” “You small-time clinics should all be shut down! You can’t even save a baby!” “If I had known you were all so useless, I would have gone to the provincial hospital!” He vented his rage hysterically. And under his rough handling, I lost consciousness. Daniel was still not done. He took out his phone and reached to pull the mask from my face. “I’m going to expose you online! I’ll let everyone see what a butcher you are.” He ripped off my mask, still ranting. “Hmph, don’t be shy. Let everyone see your face!” He got closer, grabbing my hair, the camera lens fixed on my face. The moment he saw who I was, he froze completely, stumbling back several steps in disbelief. “How can it be you? … You, what are you doing here?”

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Three years after our wedding, and Jaxson still hadn’t made it legal. He kept putting off signing the marriage license. Tonight, I heard him through the haze of a drunken party, his voice raw as he confessed to a friend. “Ava was kidnapped, man. I just… I feel like she’s tainted.” His next words were a whisper, but they hit me like a physical blow. “Her family’s bankrupt now, you know? And she has no idea my company is about to go public.” My blood ran cold, freezing me in place. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Then, I watched as he casually pulled another woman into his lap, his lips tracing a path down to her stomach. She was a singer from the bar, young and impossibly beautiful. As I stood there, stunned, my phone buzzed. A friend request. I opened it to see a photo of an ultrasound. The message attached was pure venom: You tainted little thing. What have you got that I don’t? What Jaxson didn’t know, what no one knew, was that I was never kidnapped. Three years ago, I was an undercover operative on a high-stakes, top-secret rescue mission. My fingers, shaking, typed a message to my father. “Dad, where’s that private island of yours? Time to send the jet.” The day I finally walk away from Jaxson will be the day my secrets, and the truth of what happened that night, are finally brought to light. 1 The family photo album on the shelf felt unusually thick. I slid my fingers into the back sleeve and pulled out what was hidden inside: an ultrasound photo. Scrawled on the back in Jaxson’s handwriting were the words, “Hello, little one. Daddy loves you.” The address on the clinic’s letterhead led me to a sleek, low-lit lounge downtown. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it. Jaxson—my Jaxson, who prided himself on his respectable, academic family, on his propriety—was leaning back on a plush sofa, his shirt unbuttoned, letting some woman smear her lipstick all over his chest. He always told me I was graceful, composed, the perfect wife. It seems that title was just a cage to keep me in, while he roamed free. His friends gave them a wide berth, a silent understanding passing between them as the two whispered and kissed. I could just make out their low chatter over the music. “I thought Jaxson was head-over-heels for his wife? Guess our Mia has him wrapped around her little finger now.” “Well, Mia gave him three years of her life, and she was untouched. She’s the one who’s been hurting.” “So why won’t he just divorce the other one? Give Mia the life she deserves.” “Shh! Don’t even go there. Word is, he never even signed the papers with that… damaged girl.” “Damaged? Ooh, spill the tea…” I huddled in a dark corner, the hood of my sweatshirt pulled low, a ghost in their world of secrets. Across the room, on that velvet sofa, Jaxson and the singer—Mia—were wrapped around each other. His knuckles were white from how tightly he was gripping her, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones. Mia’s face was flushed, but even in their passionate embrace, she found a moment to twist the knife. My phone lit up with another text from her. Ava, do you know why he hasn’t touched you in three years? Because you’re tainted. He told me. Every time he looks at you, all he can picture is what happened that night you were gone. I stared at the dark screen, my whole body trembling. So that was it. That was the real reason he’d been dragging his feet. Three years ago, I’d received a coded message activating me for a rescue operation. The task force knew about my training, my background—they knew everything. It coincided with a string of kidnappings in the city, so I let myself be taken to infiltrate the group. I got the girls out. All of them. But the ringleader escaped and is still at large, which is why I could never show Jaxson the mission footage as proof. I told him, over and over, that nothing happened to me that night. That I was still me. I even had some of the other rescued women vouch for me, but he refused to believe it. Once a seed of doubt takes root, it’s impossible to pull it out. Now, watching them, my heart felt like it had been ground to dust. I was done. Tired of trying, tired of loving. Mia, however, was a master multitasker. Her body was still coiled around Jaxson, yet she was texting me again. Oh, and I forgot to tell you. I’m pregnant. He said he’s going to make things official with me as soon as the baby starts showing. Then you’ll just be the pathetic other woman. Haha. Pregnant. The other woman. The words swam in my tear-filled eyes. I slammed back a shot of tequila, then another, a part of me wanting to march over there and throw a drink in their faces. But my body wouldn’t obey. I was frozen, trembling, unable to even form a word. At the table next to mine, one of Jaxson’s drunk friends got bold. He shouted across the room, “Jaxson, my man! If you don’t have the guts to tell Ava, we’ll do it for you! Can’t let Mia and the baby be treated like this!” Jaxson’s arms, which had been wrapped around Mia, suddenly dropped. Her face fell, and she shot the friend a venomous look. But Jaxson simply stood up. He calmly straightened his shirt, walked over to his friend, and punched him squarely in the jaw. His voice was ice. “Don’t you ever talk about my wife like that. Anyone who brings this up with her will have to deal with me.” He sidestepped Mia’s attempt to cling to him, his eyes suddenly clear and sober. “That’s enough for tonight. I have to get home to Ava.” And with that, he turned and walked out of the bar. Mia stared after him, her face a mask of disbelief and fury, before collapsing onto the table in a storm of sobs. I watched it all unfold with a cold, hollow laugh. My heart was finally, blessedly, calm. My father’s reply came quickly. What’s wrong, pumpkin? Is your husband coming too? Did you tell him about the island? I typed back: No. Just me. The three dots appeared and disappeared for a long time before his final message came through. Got it. Give your old man three days. I’m coming to bring my princess home. 2 When I got home, the table was set with a warm, three-course meal. Jaxson, wearing an apron, knelt to take off my shoes, then scooped me into his arms and set me down at the table. He’d even laid out a warm, damp towel for me to wash my hands. He’d already changed into his pajamas, and his freshly laundered shirt was hanging by the window, all traces of the bar—and Mia—gone. Everything was just as it always was. There wasn’t a single shred of evidence of his betrayal. He was playing the part of the perfect, doting husband. The only thing he never did was share my bed. I remembered one night, not long after the “kidnapping.” Jaxson had come home drunk and pushed me down onto the bed. But before I could even unbutton my shirt, he’d clapped a hand over his mouth and bolted for the bathroom. When he came out, he leaned against the wall, looking weak. “Honey, I’m sorry. I had too much to drink. I couldn’t hold it down. Let’s… let’s save our first night for after we make it official.” He went to the study that night and had slept there ever since. Three years. Three years of a beautifully crafted lie that had completely fooled me. It wasn’t the alcohol that made him sick. It was me. The thought of me, the idea of touching me, disgusted him. Now, he held a piece of food up to my lips with his chopsticks, his eyes full of loving expectation. I stared at him, and suddenly, a wave of nausea rolled through me. I shot up and ran to the bathroom, vomiting violently into the toilet. Jaxson rushed in after me, his face etched with worry. “Ava! What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?” “I’m fine,” I said, my voice cold and distant. “Just had a little too much to drink with my coworkers.” He had no idea that now, it was him who made me sick. The next day, I composed myself and went to the hospital to quit my job. I was just a nurse; a big hospital like this wouldn’t even notice I was gone. As I was walking out with a box of my personal belongings, Jaxson burst through the doors, frantically supporting Mia. “Doctor! Someone, help! You have to check on her, check on my wife and our baby!” He was in such a panic that he slammed right into me, knocking my box to the floor. When he saw it was me, his face went deathly pale. He completely forgot about Mia, who was being helped away by other nurses. He stammered, his words tripping over each other. “Ava, honey, don’t misunderstand. She’s… she’s the wife of a friend. He’s out of town, and I was so worried I just… I said she was my wife in the heat of the moment.” I knelt, picking up my scattered things, my voice flat. “Right. I understand.” He finally noticed the box in my hands. His brow furrowed. “Ava, did you quit?” I didn’t answer. He took the heavy box from me. “It’s for the best,” he said, trying to sound cheerful. “I can support ten of you now without breaking a sweat. From now on, you can just stay home and enjoy life.” He was about to walk me out when a nurse called after him. “Sir? Mr. Jaxson? We need your signature for Mia’s admission forms.” He looked at me, torn. I looked up and managed a small smile. “Go on.” Seeing me smile seemed to reassure him, and he hurried off. That night, a text from Mia. She wanted to meet me at the bar. When I arrived, Jaxson was, of course, already there. Mia, looking pale and fragile after her scare at the hospital, stood on the small stage. She looked right at us and announced she was going to sing a song to thank us for our help. The song she sang was a heartbreaking ballad of unrequited love, every note, every word, a declaration of her love for Jaxson. In their world, in this bar, I was the villain. The audience erupted in applause as she finished and made her way to our table. Jaxson was busy excitedly showing me the “proper” way to drink tequila. Mia sat down, placing a hand on her stomach with a small, knowing smile. “You know, Jaxson hardly ever used to drink. I was the one who taught him all about tequila.” I met her gaze. Jaxson had nearly destroyed his stomach with alcohol-fueled stress during his startup phase. I had no idea what she thought she was gloating about. “Oh, really? Well, Miss Mia, you certainly seem to be an expert on the nightlife scene. You know so much.” Her face went white. She looked helplessly at Jaxson, who suddenly stood up, mumbling about needing the restroom. The second he was gone, Mia dropped the act. Her voice was pure acid. “Don’t you dare talk down to me, Ava. Everyone knows Jaxson can’t stand to touch you. I may have worked in a bar, but I’ve only ever been with him. You, on the other hand… a whole night with your kidnappers. Tsk, tsk. We all know what that means.” A slow smile spread across my face. “Don’t be so quick to judge, Mia. Yes, I was held for a night. But I seem to recall seeing a woman in the kidnapper’s back room… acting like a little dog for them. Funny, now that I think about it, she looked an awful lot like you.” Mia shot to her feet, her lips trembling. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about! You have no proof! Don’t you dare slander me!” Her panic was all the confirmation I needed. But I wasn’t going to expose her just yet. That would be far too boring. Seeing my silence, she seemed to relax. Just then, Jaxson started walking back from the restroom. In a sudden, dramatic move, Mia grabbed a shot glass and threw back a gulp of tequila. By the time Jaxson reached the table, she was hunched over, retching. “Oh, Ava,” she cried, looking up with tear-filled eyes. “A pregnant woman really shouldn’t drink. Please don’t force me. I swear, there’s nothing going on between me and Jaxson.” Jaxson’s gaze on me turned to ice. For the first time in our entire relationship, he yelled at me. “Ava! Did you just force a pregnant woman to drink?” I raised an eyebrow. “I did no such thing. Are you going to believe her, or are you going to believe me?” Jaxson scoffed. “What pregnant woman would risk her own baby’s life just to make a point? I never knew you could be so vicious, so consumed by jealousy.” I stood up. There was a full glass of tequila still on the table. I picked it up, threw its contents squarely in Jaxson’s face, and walked out without a word. 3 I walked home, the cool night air doing little to calm the fire in my chest. When I arrived, the front door was wide open. The moment I stepped inside, Jaxson’s mother hurled a teacup at my feet, where it shattered into a hundred pieces. “Well, well, look what the cat dragged in! How dare you lay a hand on my son, you worthless girl!” I was confused. When had I hit Jaxson? Then his father shoved a phone in my face. It was a video of me, just moments ago, throwing the drink at Jaxson in the bar. A quick glance at the chat history confirmed my suspicion. Mia had sent it to them. Jaxson’s younger sister looked me up and down with utter contempt. “Ava, you were defiled three years ago. It was my brother’s love and pity that made him marry you. And this is how you repay him? You ungrateful bitch, now you’re physically attacking him?” His parents sat on the sofa like a king and queen on their thrones, their eyes boring into me. “Our family has been respected for generations,” his mother sneered. “We ignored all the gossip and welcomed you into our home. Is this your gratitude?” “Ever since your father went bankrupt, we’ve been saddled with you—damaged goods. Do you have any idea how much our Jaxson has suffered?” his father added. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Respected for generations? Is that what you call letting your son cheat on his wife and marry some barfly?” “Shut your mouth!” his sister shrieked. “How dare you call my future sister-in-law a barfly! Mia may sing in a bar, but she supports herself. She doesn’t rely on a man. She gave herself to my brother pure and untouched, not like a tainted creature like you.” I actually snorted. “Pure and untouched? How would you know? Did you watch them?” Jaxson’s father, furious, pointed a trembling finger at me. “You… you vulgar woman! Get out of my son’s house!” I was about to tell them that I’d paid half for this house, and if anyone was getting out, it would be them. But before I could speak, the door opened again. It was Jaxson, helping a frail-looking Mia inside. He froze for a second when he saw everyone was there. Mia let out a little “ouch” and collapsed onto my favorite armchair, casually grabbing my pashmina to cover herself. Before I could even tell her to get her hands off it, Jaxson rushed over and snatched the scarf away. “Don’t use that,” he said, a look of disgust on his face. Mia’s lips curled into a triumphant smirk. “Oh, Jaxson, honey, I don’t mind. It’s not her fault she was… violated. It wasn’t her choice…” I just stared at them, my blood turning to ice. Mia stood up, pretending to move, and “accidentally” dropped her purse. The contents spilled out, and a property deed slid across the floor. She gasped, covering her mouth. “Oh, my goodness! I’m so sorry. The deed to the gift my darling Jaxson gave me just fell out.” She bent to pick it up, but I was faster. I snatched it from the floor. It was the deed to our marital home. My home. And the name on it was Mia’s. For three years, I never cared about material things. But now, he was giving the home I lived in, the one he apparently found too “dirty” for himself, to her. I held up the deed, my voice dangerously calm. “Jaxson. Do you have anything you want to say to me?” Guilt flickered in his eyes. He stammered, unable to look at me. His parents chimed in from behind him. “What are you afraid of, son? You’ve protected this broken thing for three years. You know what people have been saying about you. It’s time to rip off the band-aid.” Finally, Jaxson made his decision. He pulled Mia to his side, lacing his fingers through hers. “Ava, I’m sorry. It’s just like you see. Mia and I are together. I can’t keep wasting my life like this. With your family’s status now, you can’t be part of the Sanchez family. I hope you can understand.” I stared at him, my heart a dead weight in my chest. “Jaxson, why? Just because of that night? Because you think I’m not clean anymore? But I proved to you nothing happened! If you loved me, none of this would matter—” “Enough!” he roared, cutting me off. “Ava, I said enough! It’s because I loved you that I tried! I tried so hard, but I can’t touch you! The thought of it makes me sick! I’ve seen therapists! I’ve been in hell for three years! Why can’t you understand what I’ve been through?” SLAP! The sound echoed in the silent room. “You’re a coward,” I hissed. “If that’s how you felt, you should have told me. Not betrayed me.” His parents gasped, rushing forward to attack me. But this time, I was ready. I took two steps back and threw open the front door. A team of large, imposing men in dark suits filed in, forming a protective circle around me. They stared down the Sanchez family with cold, hard eyes. A smile touched my lips. “Jaxson, take your family and get out. I never want to see you again.” Backed against a wall, Jaxson spat out one last threat. “This isn’t over, Ava. You’re the one with no money now. Let’s see how long you can afford to pay these thugs. Let’s see you survive without a dime of my money.” I slammed the door shut on his face, feeling nothing but the cold, clean relief of finality. Outside, I could hear his mother’s voice. “Hmph. Just wait. When she’s broke, she’ll come crawling back to our son.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “393088”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

During the night shift, I refused my stepsister’s request to administer an IV to her patient. I had to watch with my own eyes as the seven-year-old boy died from an allergic reaction to the wrong medication. In my last life, the moment I’d finished hanging the IV bag, the boy’s furious family stormed the nurses’ station, beating me black and blue. “It was you! You gave him the wrong medicine! You poisoned my grandson!” But it was just a simple glucose drip. Nothing should have gone wrong. Someone called the cops as my consciousness began to fade. I thought salvation had arrived. Instead, my own brother, a police officer, shoved my face to the ground. “Your fingerprints are on the IV bag, you murderer.” Then Ryan, the medical examiner I’d grown up with, presented the autopsy report, pointing a damning finger at me. “Time of death was around 5 a.m., exactly when you were administering the drip.” I had no defense. In the end, the boy’s enraged family cornered me and beat me to death. Even as I died, I couldn’t understand. Why would the brother who had always doted on me, and the childhood friend who had always protected me, do this? Then I opened my eyes. I was back in that same night. 1 “Caroline, listen. Amber’s stomach is killing her. Since you’re on the night shift anyway, could you just cover for her?” My brother Alva’s warm voice on the phone sent a violent tremor through my body. My eyes shot to the wall clock. It was 2 a.m. I stared at the frantic, fluorescent-lit chaos of the nurses’ station, and it took a long moment for the reality to sink in. I had been reborn. Amber, seeing me dazed, gave me a sharp shove, her face a mask of impatience. “So, are you going to do it or not? If you say yes, I’m out of here.” She clutched her stomach theatrically. “It hurts so bad, I need to go home and rest. Just remember to change the IV for the patient in bed 6 at 5 a.m.” Last time, I’d caved for Alva’s sake and agreed to cover for her. The moment I’d reached the patient’s bedside, I knew something was wrong. The little boy was almost completely cocooned in his blankets, only his face visible, ghostly pale in the moonlight filtering through the window. Just as I was about to check on him, Amber’s call came through. “Is the new bag up yet?” she’d asked. “This kid… he’s sleeping so soundly it doesn’t seem right,” I’d replied, a knot of unease tightening in my gut. “I’m going to check his vitals first.” Amber had exploded on the other end of the line. “Oh, come on! He’s been a terror all day. He’s finally asleep. Are you seriously going to wake him up?” Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread. “Where are his parents? Why is there no one with him?” “Just stop worrying about it! It’s not like you even have to find a vein, just switch the bag on the stand. Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Do you have to wake him up just to feel like you’ve done your job?” I glanced at the label on the new IV bag. It was just glucose, for hydration and energy. My shoulders relaxed. I let my guard down. That single moment of carelessness cost me everything, branding me with a death I didn’t cause. The next morning, as I was getting ready to clock out, the family from bed 6 had descended on the nurses’ station and, without a word, began to tear me apart. That’s when I learned that the boy, Jacob Vance, had died of anaphylactic shock. And I was the last person to touch his IV. But I’d hung a glucose drip, the same one he’d been on for days. He couldn’t have been allergic to it. After it all went down, Amber had shoved all the blame onto me. “Caroline was the one who administered the drug. It had nothing to do with me.” I thought for sure that Alva, my brother, and Ryan, my closest friend, would help me uncover the truth. Instead, my own brother, the cop, pointed me out in a lineup. “The fingerprints on the IV bag are Caroline’s. She’s the killer, no question.” And Ryan, the brilliant M.E., had thrown the autopsy report at my face. “The time of death coincides exactly with when you were in his room. What else is there to say?” My words were useless. In the end, the grieving family cornered me outside the police station. And as Alva and Ryan watched on with cold, indifferent eyes, they beat me until I stopped breathing. Until the very end, I couldn’t understand why. Why would the two people I trusted most in the world abandon me to such a fate? The phantom sting of torn skin and shattered bones still lingered, a ghostly echo in my new body. Reborn into this life, I would not let that tragedy repeat itself. 2 Alva’s anxious voice on the phone pulled me from my dark memories. “Caroline? Are you going to help or not? Just give me a yes or no so I can come pick Amber up.” In my past life, I hadn’t noticed his urgency. His haste to have me cover the shift, and later, his haste to convict me. It was as if he was terrified the blame might somehow splash back onto Amber. Could Alva have been involved from the start? A chill, colder than any hospital draft, snaked up my spine. I glanced at Amber out of the corner of my eye. She couldn’t hide the panic in her expression. Her eyes kept darting toward Room 302, as if some terrible secret was coiled up in the darkness there. I cleared my throat, forcing my voice to be steady. “No, I can’t. I just got back from assisting in the ER, and I’m dead on my feet. Besides, I have my own patients to look after. I can’t help you.” Amber stared at me, her mouth agape. She’d clearly expected me to fold. Her face flushed a deep, angry red. “Seriously? It’s just hanging one IV bag! How much effort is that? You won’t even do that?” Even Alva’s voice turned sharp over the phone. “Caroline, it’s a small favor. Does all the affection I’ve shown you over the years mean nothing?” I was done arguing. I hung up and went back to my duties. Amber rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath. “So cheap. Knew I couldn’t count on you for anything.” Last time, I’d helped her without a second thought, and my reward was her pushing me off a cliff. She could find someone else to take the fall. Amber went around the nurses’ station, asking one person after another. But her reputation preceded her. She was bossy, arrogant, and constantly trying to ditch her shifts. No one, except the old me, ever wanted to deal with her. Eventually, her “stomach ache” miraculously subsided. Cursing, she stomped off to the restroom. Why was she so desperate for someone to cover for her? Could it be that something had already happened to Jacob Vance? To test my theory, as soon as Amber was gone, I pulled on a pair of gloves and slipped into Room 302. In the pale moonlight, Jacob’s face was a waxen, bloodless white. I pulled back the blanket to check his temperature. My hand recoiled. I froze, paralyzed by the truth. His body was already cold. Rigor mortis was setting in. He’d been dead for at least an hour. Amber had gone in to change his IV at one o’clock. Had she realized back then that she’d made a fatal mistake? Was that why she was so desperate to find a scapegoat? The thought sent a wave of nausea and terror through me. My first instinct was to report it to the hospital administration immediately. But I took one step toward the door and stopped. That idea was a death sentence. If I, with no reason to be here, was found in the room of a deceased patient not under my care, what would happen? With Amber’s talent for deflecting blame, would she twist the situation and point the finger at me? It wasn’t a possibility. It was a certainty. Making sure no one saw me, I fled the room. It took me a long time, sitting at the nurses’ station, for my trembling to subside. As my mind cleared, one critical point slammed into me. If the patient had died around one in the morning, why did Ryan’s autopsy report in my past life state the time of death was between five and six? He was hailed as a prodigy in the medical examiner’s office, capable of pinpointing a time of death to within the hour. He never made mistakes. How could a professional of his caliber make such a catastrophic error? 3 A splitting pain shot through the back of my head. I pressed my hands to my temples, but I couldn’t make sense of it. Ryan and I had been inseparable since we were kids. He was my knight in shining armor for so many years. Why would he send me to my death? I spent the rest of the night focusing on my own work, deliberately ignoring Amber. She paced back and forth at the nurses’ station, a caged animal, unable to settle. As the clock hand crept toward five, I saw her pick up a medical tray and sit down, showing no intention of going to the patient’s room. She waited. She waited until the other nurses were occupied with their own rounds, leaving just the two of us at the station. She shot me a single, silent glance before finally heading toward Room 302. Calculating the time, I knew the family’s arrival was imminent. I found a discreet corner to hide in and waited. Soon enough, the same agonizing wails from my past life echoed from Room 302. “My baby, my sweet grandson! Wake up, please, don’t scare Grandma!” “Son, open your eyes! Look at Mom and Dad! What’s wrong?” “My Jacob! The doctor said you’d be home in a few days! How could you just be… gone? How are we supposed to live without you?” A storm of noise erupted, and the family swarmed the nurses’ station like a tidal wave of grief and rage. Jacob’s father, a thick-necked man with a booming voice, demanded to know who the nurse on duty was. Who had administered the last IV? Amber cowered in a corner, not daring to speak, her eyes frantically searching for me in the chaos. One of the other nurses, her face pale with fear, pointed a trembling finger at Amber. “Bed 6… that’s Amber’s patient. She’s always been in charge of him.” Before Amber could utter a word, Jacob’s father lunged forward and a sickening crack echoed as his fist connected with Amber’s eye socket. She staggered back, and before she could regain her balance, Jacob’s mother drove a foot into her stomach. Caught between them, Amber collapsed to the floor, howling in pain as Jacob’s grandmother fell upon her, yanking at her hair with savage force. “It was you! You killed my grandson! I knew there was something wrong with you from the start!” “You murderer! I want you to pay with your life! I’ll kill you!” Seeing me step out from my hiding place, Amber’s bloodied face lit up as if she’d seen a savior. She pointed a shaking finger at me and shrieked. “It was my shift, yes, but Caroline was the one who gave him the medicine! It must have been her! She gave him the wrong dose!” In my last life, exhausted from a long night, I was just about to go home when the family cornered me. Faced with their questions, Amber had immediately pointed at me. “Caroline was on duty tonight. She administered the IV. It had nothing to do with me.” I never even had a chance to explain before they were on me. Jacob was only seven years old, their only child. His father looked like a man you didn’t cross, his mother was a lawyer, and his grandmother was notoriously unreasonable. The 25-year-old me had stood no chance, a lamb to the slaughter. This time, Amber wasn’t getting away with it. 4 The family’s furious gaze shifted to me. I immediately held up my hands. “Don’t even try to pin this on me. I did not give him that IV last night, and everyone here can prove it.” The other nurses, seeing an ally, quickly chimed in. “It’s true. Amber asked Caroline for help last night, but Caroline said no. Amber was the one who went to the room.” “Who says?” Amber shrieked, her voice raw and laced with blood. “I asked her again later, and she agreed! At five o’clock, none of you were here!” Her blood-streaked face, twisted by her screams, was a horrifying sight. “This is a person’s life we’re talking about! Do any of you dare to swear you saw me give that IV?” she challenged them. “I’m telling you, Caroline gave him the wrong medicine and now she’s trying to pin it on me to save her own skin!” At the mention of a human life, the other nurses fell silent. No one wanted to get involved. Seeing the anger in the family’s eyes rekindle and turn toward me, I spoke up, my voice clear and firm. “I never went into that room. If you don’t believe me, you can check the security cameras.” “The hallway camera is broken,” Amber shot back, a smug, almost imperceptible smirk playing on her lips. She was holding a winning hand, and she knew it. Of course. She knew the camera was broken. That’s why she waited until the other nurses were gone. The whole thing was a premeditated setup to frame me. Jacob’s father had lost all patience with our back-and-forth. With a roar, he kicked over a computer monitor at the station, then slammed his fists on the desk. “I don’t care! One of you did this, and one of you is going to pay with your life!” Just then, a voice from the crowd shouted, “The police are here!” My heart seized. Through the parting crowd, I saw the familiar face of my brother, Alva. He was here. Finally. But the moment he saw Amber lying bloodied on the floor, his expression was one of pure shock. “What happened? Why are you the one who’s hurt?” Amber clutched her wounds, tears streaming down her face. “Alva, it really wasn’t me who gave the medicine. You have to believe me, you have to help me.” Something was wrong. The situation had exploded so suddenly, no one had had time to call the police. How did Alva get here so fast? It was as if he’d known someone was going to die here tonight. As I stared at him, my mind reeling with suspicion, he strode forward and slapped me across the face. The force of it was staggering, my ear rang, the world tilted. “Caroline,” he said, his voice a distorted buzz in my ringing ear. He sounded like a complete stranger. “You’ve disappointed me so much. Since you made this mistake, you need to have the courage to admit it.” Then, he turned to the family, his face transforming into a mask of placating sympathy. “I apologize on Caroline’s behalf. I hope you can see that she’s still young and won’t be too hard on her.” He paused, letting the words sink in. “I will personally arrest her and make sure she faces the full force of the law.” My own brother. Without a shred of investigation, he had just declared me guilty in front of everyone. At that moment, my heart didn’t just feel cold. It felt dead. 5 I clutched my swelling cheek, hot tears streaming down my face. “I didn’t do it,” I sobbed. “Amber did. My fingerprints won’t be on the IV bag. Go check. You’ll see.” Amber flinched, then looked at me with a wounded expression. “I’ve already taken a beating for you, and you’re still trying to slander me?” Finally, Jacob’s mother, the lawyer, stepped forward. “Fine. We’ll let the police conduct a thorough investigation. I want the person who killed my son found, and I want them to pay.” During the agonizing wait for the fingerprint analysis, everyone was on edge. Everyone but me. I was calm, confident. I hadn’t touched the bag, so my prints couldn’t possibly be on it. But when the results came back, I was slapped in the face by reality all over again. Ryan was at the police station, standing by with the detached air of an observer. Alva held the report, his gaze sweeping over the room before landing squarely on me. “The prints on the right side of the IV bag are a confirmed match for Caroline. The evidence is irrefutable.” The moment the words left his mouth, every eye in the room turned to me. Ryan’s face was a mask of grim disappointment. “Impossible!” My prints could not be on that bag. Not unless Alva had used his position to forge the evidence. Living in the same house, getting my fingerprints would have been child’s play for him. But I had no way to prove it. And this was the man who prided himself on his integrity, a man who claimed to despise injustice. In my past life, I was naive enough to believe I’d actually done something wrong, that his disappointment in me was justified. I never blamed him for his harshness. Now I saw the truth. It was a trap he and Amber had set together from the very beginning, and I had walked right into it. All the memories of his kindness, his brotherly affection, seemed like a cruel joke. When it came down to a choice between me and Amber, I was always the one to be sacrificed. I didn’t need a brother like that. Just as Jacob’s parents were about to erupt, I raised my voice, posing a question. “Hasn’t anyone found it strange? When you found Jacob, he already had signs of livor mortis. Does that look like someone who just died?” I pressed on. “If you calculate the approximate time for lividity to appear, it means he was likely dead before two in the morning. At that time, I was in the ER assisting with a procedure. The surgeons in the operating room can verify my alibi.” If I could prove Jacob died around 2 a.m., then I couldn’t have been involved. “If you truly want to find the real killer,” I said, my voice ringing with conviction, “you should demand a full autopsy. I’m sure Jacob, wherever he is, would want the truth to come out so he can rest in peace.” Jacob’s parents, their faces etched with grief, fell silent for a long moment before finally nodding. “We agree. We want an autopsy.” Amber, looking as if she had been prepared for this all along, exchanged a quick, subtle glance with Ryan. “Then let’s have the police department’s own Ryan, the renowned medical examiner, perform it. I’m sure he will uncover the real killer.” 6 Jacob’s mother’s eyes lit up, a flicker of hope in her grief. “Is he the one they call the genius M.E.? Good. If he’s handling it, I can be at ease.” She began to weep again. “Finally, we’ll find the monster who killed my boy. Oh, my poor, ill-fated son.” In my past life, I too had been filled with that same hopeful anticipation, only to be sentenced to death by Ryan’s own report. I knew this move. I had seen this play before. But I was not the same person I was then. Seeing my hesitation, Amber’s tone turned mocking. “What’s wrong, Caroline? Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet about the autopsy now. What exactly are you so afraid of?” I looked down at my phone, at the message I had already composed, and hit send. Then I lifted my head and stared directly into Ryan’s eyes—the same eyes that once held galaxies, that once held only me. I asked him, my voice earnest and clear, “Ryan, with your skills, you will find out the truth. You’ll clear my name, won’t you?” Ryan adjusted his glasses, his gaze a mixture of sincerity and a subtle, condescending pity. “I won’t frame an innocent person, Caroline. And I won’t let a guilty one walk free.” Fine. This was the last chance I would ever give him. If he failed to grasp it, he would be sealing his own doom. “Okay,” I said. “I agree to have Ryan perform the autopsy.” While we waited for the results, Alva cornered me. His words were earnest, his tone filled with what sounded like concern. “Caroline, listen to me. Before the autopsy report comes out, you should confess. You’ll get a lighter sentence. Medical malpractice leading to death… it’s three years, tops. Even if you go to prison, I can pull some strings, take care of you. When you get out, you’ll still be our family’s little treasure.” Amber stood beside him, nodding eagerly, her face full of anticipation. In my last life, panicking from my first-ever encounter with a patient’s death, I had been easily swayed by his words. I was so touched, so stupidly grateful, believing he was looking out for me. The truth was, I never even made it to sentencing. I was beaten to death by the family right outside the police station. They just wanted me to be the scapegoat for Amber. They could dream on. I tilted my head, glanced at Amber, and called out to her. “Amber, did you hear that? Now’s your chance to confess. It’s not too late.” Alva shot up from his chair. “What is that attitude? I was telling you to confess! Since when did I ask Amber to take the fall for you?” I spread my hands, shrugging. “Once the autopsy report is out, everything will be crystal clear, won’t it?” Amber’s chest heaved with fury. “Fine! We tried to help you, and this is the thanks we get. You clearly don’t appreciate my brother’s kindness. Go on then. Wait for the consequences of your own actions.” We’ll see who reaps those consequences. Two days later, we were all gathered at the police station again. Ryan, with grave solemnity, unfolded the autopsy report and, with his own finger, pointed at my name. “The time of death was between five and six a.m. The cause of death was an allergic reaction to penicillin. The evidence is conclusive: Caroline injected the wrong drug, leading to fatal anaphylactic shock.” 7 The words, a carbon copy of the sentence that condemned me in my past life, crashed down on me like a meteor. Even though I had prepared for this, the pain was so sharp it stole the air from my lungs. For Amber’s sake, my brother and my childhood friend had both betrayed their professional ethics, conspired to pin a death on me. Before I was eight, I was the treasure of their world. Alva and Ryan hovered around me constantly, making sure I got the best treats, protecting me from any bullies. But everything changed the day Amber arrived. Suddenly, I was the invisible one, the afterthought. If that’s how it was, then I didn’t need a brother or a childhood friend anymore. I was temporarily detained, pending further investigation. But I wasn’t worried. After a couple of quiet days, Jacob Vance’s family was back at the police station, raising hell, demanding my life and my money. In my last life, taking advantage of a moment when most of the officers were out on a call, Amber had suggested I go out and apologize to the family in person. And so, right under the noses of Alva and Ryan, I was beaten to death by the enraged family at the station’s entrance. This time, Amber tried the same trick. “We can’t let the family keep making a scene like this,” she said to the officers. “Why not let Caroline apologize to them face-to-face? It might calm things down.” Her underlying meaning was clear: It’ll save you, the police department, from further embarrassment. Anyone with eyes could see her true intention: to let the family kill me, leaving no one to contest the official story. To my horror, her proposal was met with unanimous agreement from both Alva and Ryan. Ignoring my protests, they dragged me toward the entrance of the police station. A wall of large, red-faced men turned to see me, and without a word, they surged forward. In that split second, as a baseball bat swung towards my head, a sharp voice cut through the chaos. “The person who killed Jacob Vance was not Caroline!”

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I bought my fiancée a private island, but she used it to throw an orgy with her first love, Lucas. When I found out, they stabbed me multiple times and fled on the only lifeboat. As I lay dying, a police officer named Mia risked her life to save me. She later told me that Lucas had drowned. With eyes full of devotion, Mia swore to protect me for the rest of my life. But a year later, I accidentally saw Mia entangled with Lucas. “You deliberately dismissed the island’s security and then schemed to marry him, all so he would sign over his inheritance?” Lucas’s voice was a low hiss. Mia’s reply was cold. “Once he inherited that massive fortune, I knew he would come after you. I couldn’t protect you with force alone. I had to solve the problem at its source.” “He’s going to hate you for this, you know,” Lucas said. Mia just gave a bitter smile. “I’ve already gambled the rest of my life on him. I don’t owe him anything more.” My heart turned to ash. I wrote out the divorce papers. This toxic love Mia offered? I didn’t want it. … I swallowed my tears and walked alone to the hospital. The doctor had called. My grandfather’s condition was critical. I needed to prepare for the worst. My wife and the man who tried to kill me were carrying on right under my nose, but I couldn’t bring myself to care anymore. I just wanted to be with my grandfather in his final moments. But when I reached the hospital, several men in military-style uniforms blocked my path. “Officer Mia has ordered that no strangers are to approach this room. She needs to be with her husband as he says goodbye to his grandfather.” “Don’t stop me!” I pleaded, my voice cracking. “I’m Mia’s husband! The man in there is my grandfather!” The lead officer’s face hardened. “Impossible. The man Officer Mia is with is Mr. Lucas Thorne. The patient is his grandfather.” “You’ve made a mistake!” My hand trembled as I dialed Mia’s number. “Mia, tell your men to let me in. I need to be with Grandpa. That’s my grandfather!” There was a moment of silence on the other end, then her voice came back, laced with irritation. “Don’t make a scene, Jaison. Grandpa’s condition is very unstable. I’m afraid the shock of seeing you would be too much for him. Just wait outside.” The line went dead. But I knew she was lying. I had just seen a lawyer go in with a will. Suddenly, a wave of sobbing erupted from the room. My grandfather was gone. I struggled, desperate to get in, but the guards warned me again and again. Just then, Lucas walked over. He shot me a taunting look, then said to the officer blocking my way, “Officer Mia sent me.” The officer nodded and immediately let him pass. And I was still barred from entry. “Lucas, what the hell are you doing? That’s my grandfather! Let me in!” But Lucas only glanced back at me with a smirk before instructing the officers. “Keep a close watch on him. The man’s unstable. I wouldn’t want him barging in and disturbing Grandpa’s final moments.” He turned, and just as he did, Mia emerged from the room to greet him. They took each other’s hands and walked away together. And Mia never once looked at me. The blood in my veins turned to ice. A wave of rage and grief washed over me, and I collapsed, unconscious. For Lucas, she wouldn’t even let me see my grandfather one last time. When I opened my eyes again, I was met by Mia’s worried face. “Grandpa?” I asked through clenched teeth, the word tasting of salt as tears fell into my mouth. Mia frantically wiped my cheeks. “I’m sorry, Jaison. I didn’t let you in because I was afraid you’d be too heartbroken…” I threw off the blanket. “I’m going to see Grandpa. And I’m going to be there for the reading of the will.” Mia’s expression changed instantly, and she blocked my path. “Wait. There’s something I need to tell you.” “Before he passed, Grandpa changed his will. He said that Lucas surviving his ordeal and then staying by his bedside to care for him was a rare kindness. So, he left his entire inheritance to Lucas.” My body trembled, a knot of air caught in my throat. I stared at Mia, my eyes burning. “Mia,” I whispered, “do you actually believe the words coming out of your own mouth?” This self-proclaimed “tough-as-nails” woman, this iron-willed officer, had become such a talented actress for the man she loved. I already knew Lucas was alive. I knew they were plotting against me. “I heard Lucas washed up on a beach somewhere. Luckily, some fishermen saved him,” she had told me before. “Jaison, don’t overthink it. He’s already died once, in a way. Let the past be the past. I’ll protect you.” Protect me? If I hadn’t overheard her conversation with the lawyer, I might have actually believed her. Mia’s voice choked. “I know this is hard for you to accept, but Grandpa felt sorry for Lucas being an orphan. He even asked me to take good care of you. I’ll make sure you never have to worry about anything…” I couldn’t listen anymore. I pushed past her and went to the morgue, collapsing over my grandfather’s body, my sobs echoing in the cold, sterile room. I had been a good husband to Mia. I had given her everything. Why was she doing this to me? Mia’s mother had died young, and her father was clueless about raising a daughter, so she grew up a tomboy. In high school, Lucas had mocked her for her “boyish” short hair and even led the charge in bullying her. I was the one who told her short hair was beautiful on a girl. I was the one who brought her home to my family, who helped her find her confidence again. Because of me, my grandfather had always treated her like his own granddaughter, giving her gifts and money every year. But now I knew the truth. She had been in love with Lucas all along. She had even conspired with him to forge my grandfather’s will. My grandfather didn’t even know Lucas, other than as the man who had cheated with my fiancée. He would never, ever leave his fortune to him. The law would never recognize a forged will like this. What they were doing was illegal. I arranged my grandfather’s funeral. I didn’t invite Mia. But she came anyway, and she brought Lucas with her. I blocked their path. “What are you two doing here?” Lucas put on a wounded expression. “Jaison, Grandpa left his entire estate to me. The least I can do is come and pay my respects.” The relatives who had come to offer their condolences saw this and started murmuring. “What’s going on? Shouldn’t the old man’s inheritance go to his own grandson?” I let out a cold laugh, my eyes locked on Mia. “Don’t believe him. My grandfather told me himself that his will was for me and me alone.” I turned my gaze fully on her. “Mia, my grandfather was good to you. Do you dare to swear on his memorial portrait that you didn’t tamper with his will?” Mia’s face paled slightly, but her voice was loud and defiant. “Jaison, I am your wife, and I am a police officer. How can you doubt me?” “And if we’re talking about debts of gratitude, don’t I have one from you? Don’t forget who it was that rescued you from that island!” My fists clenched at my sides. “And who was it that left me to die on that island in the first place?” She knew I had almost been murdered, and now she was helping the murderer torment me. Mia fell silent. The surrounding relatives began to murmur their disapproval. Suddenly, Lucas burst into tears. “I know Jaison hates me, but I was forced to do it! Now that Grandpa’s gone… I might as well just join him!” He lunged toward a nearby pillar, collapsing to the ground before he even seemed to touch it. “Lucas!” Mia rushed to him, cradling him in her arms, her face ashen with fear. I had never seen such a panicked expression on her face before. “Jaison, are you fucking crazy?” she shrieked at me. “Grandpa’s spirit is watching! He’ll never forgive you for hurting Lucas like this!” “The inheritance will always be Lucas’s. I was going to let you have a little something out of pity, but now you won’t get a single penny!” She cursed at me a few more times before helping Lucas to his feet and leaving. My grandfather’s funeral had turned into a pathetic, gossiped-about farce. The relatives quickly dispersed. I just felt a deep, hollow guilt for my grandfather. I took his ashes and went home. I found a renowned lawyer to prepare a lawsuit and drafted a divorce agreement. As I sorted through my grandfather’s belongings, my heart grew heavier and heavier. “Jaison, who let you into my house?” Lucas suddenly stormed in and kicked over a box of my grandfather’s things. I grabbed him by the collar. “Get out. This is my grandfather’s house!” Lucas just sneered and easily pried my hands away. “Oh? The will says everything is mine, including this house. The one who should be getting out is you.” I broke out in a cold sweat, my body weak. The stab wounds from three years ago had left me with lasting nerve damage. In a physical fight, I was no match for him. Seeing my pathetic state, Lucas looked at me with contempt. “I took out one of your kidneys back then. You’re a cripple now. No wonder you can’t satisfy Mia in bed. She screams my name when I’m on top of her.” His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “By the way, do you know how your grandfather really died?” “That night, after the old man fell asleep, Mia couldn’t help herself. She pulled me onto the bed right next to his… The old bastard must have heard us. He had a heart attack on the spot. Hahaha!” I snapped. My hands shot out and closed around Lucas’s throat. He didn’t fight back. Not until a sharp voice barked from the doorway. “Let him go!” A dark shadow flew toward me, and my body was sent flying across the room. Through a daze, I saw Mia cradling Lucas, her voice trembling like a plucked bowstring. “Lucas, what’s wrong? Don’t you scare me…” Lucas coughed. “I’m fine… cough, cough… Mia, don’t be angry. I don’t blame Jaison for taking it out on me…” Mia’s eyes, blazing with fury, found me. “Are you insane? Why would you hurt Lucas?” She knew exactly how to make me hurt. She kicked me right where I had been stabbed three years ago. I forced myself to my feet, gritting my teeth against the pain, and slapped him hard across the face. “Because he deliberately killed my grandfather! Is that reason enough for you?” But the next second, something dark and metallic appeared in my vision. My eyes widened. I was staring down the barrel of a gun, held by Mia. She glared at me, her finger on the trigger. “You move, and I’ll shoot.” My already numb heart suddenly ached with an intensity that took my breath away. That gun had been with Mia for years. It had been aimed at countless enemies, countless criminals. And now, it was aimed at me. An image of a young girl’s face flashed in my mind, her hand shaped like a gun. “They all call me a tomboy. So when I grow up, I’ll be a soldier. If Lucas ever bullies you again, I’ll come back and protect you!” The memory was so painful that a sudden ringing filled my ears. I doubled over, gagging. Mia hesitated for a second, then rushed to my side. “Jaison, are you okay?” I looked up at her, my voice dazed. “Mia… am I a criminal? Or am I the enemy?” She froze for a moment, then her voice came out, hard and brittle. “I was just… I was just in a panic. That’s enough. I can’t watch you hurt Lucas anymore. That accident three years ago… it was all that bitch Ava’s idea. Lucas never owed you anything.” “We’ll be back for Grandpa’s things later. You should prepare yourself.” She pulled Lucas away, not seeing the triumphant, smug look on his face. I locked up my grandfather’s house, checking every door and window, before I finally felt safe enough to leave. What they didn’t know was that my grandfather had a second, hidden will. The real assets were in a high-security vault overseas, a vault that only my iris scan could open. The inheritance in this country was just a drop in the bucket, and it was all controlled by the overseas estate. Which meant I was the only true heir. The divorce papers were drafted. I sent Mia a text. “Mia, let’s get divo—” Before I could finish typing, an urgent call came through. “Mr. Hayes, it’s not good! Your wife is here with a strange man, claiming the company belongs to him!” What? I was stunned. I rushed to the company immediately. In the conference room, Mia and Lucas were both there. Mr. Davis, the lawyer my family had employed for years, was reading my grandfather’s will. He claimed that all of my grandfather’s company shares now belonged to Lucas, and that there was a video of my grandfather personally authenticating it. But I could tell with one glance that the video was a fake. The shareholders sat in stunned silence, all of them looking at me. Before I could speak, Mia stepped forward to vouch for it. “I am a police officer. I witnessed the entire process of Chairman Hayes recording his will. If anyone has any doubts, you are welcome to accompany me to the police station to verify the video’s authenticity.” I let out a cold laugh. “Then let’s go to the police station.” Mia grabbed my wrist. She pulled me aside, her voice a low, urgent whisper. “I know Grandpa left you more than this. That’s why I’m not letting you leave the country. And I’ve already switched out your grandfather’s ashes. If you don’t sign the inheritance transfer agreement, I’ll scatter them to the wind.” My blood ran cold. I couldn’t react for a long moment. Threatening me with my grandfather’s ashes? Was she even human? Mia’s expression was complicated, but her tone was non-negotiable. “You know I have connections at the police station. The outcome will never be what you want.” “So just be good, Jaison. With me, you have everything. I’ll make sure you’re happy for the rest of your life.” A warm sensation touched my cheek. It wasn’t a tear. It was Mia’s hand. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Bring it here,” I said, my voice hollow. “I’ll sign.” Lucas’s eyes lit up. He immediately produced the inheritance transfer agreement. I signed it quickly. He clutched it to his chest like a precious treasure, then pulled Mia into a tight, shameless embrace. “This is great, Mia! I… I finally have something to my name!” Mia also let out a sigh of relief, her eyes shimmering with joyful tears as she looked at Lucas. I cut them off, my voice like ice. “Give me back my grandfather’s ashes.” Mia hesitated, then sheepishly handed me a key. I took it, rushed home, found my grandfather’s real ashes, and had them re-interred. By the time I got to the airport, it was almost midnight. Mia sent me a video. “Lucas was so happy today, he asked me to stay for a few drinks. You go ahead and sleep.” “Thank you for understanding. Once everything settles down, let’s have a child.” I didn’t reply. I blocked her number and boarded the plane to America. Mia, we will never see each other again.

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1 I was the Celestial Princess, born of starlight and blessed by the All-Mother. My destiny was to undergo the final Ascension—a trial to become the last true god. But during my trial, as the last lightning struck, the storm raged on. Lyra, my lifelong handmaiden, then transformed. Nine amethyst tails unfurled—proof of divine bloodline. She wept in my mother’s arms: “Eloise’s trial will fail. I have the sacred blood!” The Queen, furious, dragged me to the Scourge Dais. “Today, I’ll have justice for my true daughter!” The King siphoned my millennia of power to Lyra. “This is what you owe her.” My husband Kaelen gazed at Lyra tenderly. “Fate’s threads weave true. At last, destined lovers unite.” Lyra demanded a final price: my flesh for my mother, my bones for my father. I died piece by piece, consumed by cosmic despair. 2 When I awoke, reborn into the past, I was standing on the Scourge Dais once more. My mother was just about to announce my true parentage to the assembled Celestials. But this time, something was different. Just as I braced myself for the denunciation, my mother’s voice rang out, sharp and unyielding as forged steel. “Eloise is the one and only Princess of the Celestials! This is not open for debate!” The sky, already a bruised tapestry of storm clouds, was ripped open by jagged white scars of lightning. A bolt of raw, divine power struck me, and the world dissolved into white-hot agony. The skin it touched blackened and split, a searing torment. But I had no skin left to burn. No flesh left to char. In my last life, my father had already seen to that. On that day, to erase any lingering doubt, he had put me on trial before the entire court. “You have been nurtured by the Celestial realm for seventy thousand years,” he had declared, his voice devoid of any warmth. “This is a debt you owe Lyra. Today, you will repay it.” By then, my seventy millennia of carefully cultivated essence—my very core—had already been drained from me by a secret Celestial artifact and poured into Lyra. I was nothing more than a mortal husk, collapsed and broken on the cold stone. “My power… I earned it through ages of toil,” I’d rasped, my breath shallow. “Lyra now wields it with no effort. Is that not enough?” Lyra’s reply was a cold hiss, her eyes like a serpent’s. “Enough? You dare speak of seventy thousand years? You stole my life! You stole my parents! For seventy thousand years, I should have been the princess, and instead, I lived as a servant because of you!” She turned to the King and Queen. “Father! Mother! If she does not repay her debt—flesh for my mother, bone for my father—then I would rather not be a princess at all!” My mother had flinched, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes. “Must it come to this? She has already been…” But Lyra threw herself into our mother’s arms, her expression a perfect portrait of pitiable suffering. “Mother…” The Queen said nothing. She sighed, a sound of resignation, and turned away. Seventy thousand years of raising me, undone by a single, whispered word from Lyra. The Celestial guards dragged my unresisting body to the execution block on the dais. The pain was so absolute that I tried to throw myself from the platform, to find the mercy of a quick end. But Kaelen, my husband, stopped me. “Lyra said you’re not to miss a single cut.” Driven mad by agony, I begged him, a primal plea. “For the love we shared, I beg you. Grant me this one mercy. Let me die with dignity. Let me die now!” Kaelen’s face was a frozen mask. “The love we shared? My wife has always been, and only ever will be, the Princess of the Celestials.” The flesh was carved from me, strip by agonizing strip. A torture so inhuman it shattered my soul. Lyra’s laughter echoed, wild and triumphant. “The highest form of this execution requires three thousand, three hundred and fifty-seven cuts. If I find any of you slacking, you’ll regret it.” The guards used the dullest blades. Every slice felt like it was scraping against my very spine. … Now, my father’s deep, imperious voice pulled me from the suffocating grip of that memory. “Eloise. As the Celestial Princess, why has your Divine Trial failed? Why have you not Ascended to godhood?” I lifted my gaze to meet his, a wall of ice. In my last life, I died never understanding how Lyra, a mere handmaiden, could manifest the nine tails—the ultimate proof of divine heritage. Reborn, I would not be so foolish as to walk the same path to ruin. 3 At the King’s question, the assembled Celestials erupted into a cacophony of murmurs. “The seven thunderbolts of the trial have all struck. Why is there no sign of her becoming a god?” “And the storm continues… It’s more than seven. Could her lineage be tainted? Is this a divine curse instead of a blessing?” I threw the question back at my father. “Am I the Celestial Princess or not? Father, are you not the one who knows this best?” I pressed on, my voice ringing with false innocence. “You watched me born, watched me grow. Could there have been a mistake?” The King was dismissive. “As ruler of the Celestials, my duties are vast. I have little time for the affairs of the inner palace.” The implication was clear: he could not, or would not, confirm my legitimacy. The doubts among the court grew louder. “The Princess is destined to become the last true god! The purity of her divine lineage is paramount to the honor of our race!” “If her blood is not pure, then where is the true heir?” My eyes found Kaelen. Though I already knew the answer that festered in his heart, I needed to hear it from his lips. “They all doubt me,” I said, my voice quiet. “Do you?” Kaelen, who had looked at me with such adoration only moments before, now had a storm of conflict in his eyes. “The entire court gathered to protect you through your trial. But seven thunderbolts have fallen, and you have not Ascended.” He couldn’t meet my gaze. “You are not the true princess… which means you are not my wife.” A bitter, humorless laugh escaped my lips. “Kaelen. Three thousand years we have been bound, and only today do I see you for what you are: a parasite. You never loved me. You loved the title: Princess of the Celestials. Future God.” He opened his mouth to defend himself, but a sweet, cloying voice cut him off. “Kaelen, darling, why waste your breath on this mongrel?” Lyra swept in, a vision of deliberate splendor, having dressed for the occasion. Before the entire court, she made her declaration. “Allow me to reveal the truth. I, Lyra, am the true Celestial Princess!” She let the ensuing chaos swell before continuing her tale. “Eloise’s mother was a handmaiden to the Queen. Consumed by jealousy, she switched the infants while the Queen was weakened from childbirth.” Lyra’s eyes met mine. She noticed my gaze lingering on her magnificent gown and smiled, a secret, triumphant smirk. She spoke to me then, a whisper carried on the wind that only I could hear. “I’ve always loved this dress on you. But it’s not just the dress. From now on, everything that was yours… is mine.” An uproar tore through the assembled nobles, but my father remained unnervingly calm. He simply asked, “Even if Eloise is an imposter, how can you prove that you are the true princess?” Lyra’s posture was one of pure arrogance. “Only those with the purest divine lineage can manifest the form of the ancient Nine-Tailed Vulpine, the mark of true god-kin. It has been tens of thousands of years since a child was born with the trait, but on the day the true princess was born, the sacred totem of the Nine-Tailed Vulpine shone with a violet light for three days and three nights.” As she spoke, a sliver of violet light pierced the gloom of the storm clouds, illuminating her in a solitary, divine spotlight. And there, for all to see, nine tails of pale amethyst unfurled behind her, like a blooming, deadly flower. A gasp went through the crowd. “By the All-Mother! It’s the blood of the Nine-Tails! The mark of a true god-kin, and the most noble violet, at that!” “She is the true princess! Have we been squandering our resources on a fake for all these years?!” Lyra swished her tails, a peacock displaying its lethal finery, the undeniable proof of her identity. Watching this perfectly orchestrated drama unfold, I saw all the seams I’d missed in my first life. It was too smooth, too rehearsed. And there was still one key player missing. I scanned the dais. My mother, the one who should have been at the forefront of my condemnation, was nowhere to be seen. 4 I tried to summon my own power, to manifest my true form, but just like before, nothing happened. The nine tails would not appear. In my previous life, desperate to prove my legitimacy, I had forced the transformation. But what had emerged was not my beautiful, elegant Vulpine tail. It was a thick, coiling tail of obsidian scales—a serpent’s tail. The sight had horrified even me, and it had sealed my fate as an imposter. If it weren’t for the memories of my own childhood, of my tail popping out uncontrollably whenever my power flared, I might have believed their lies myself. Now, in the present, my father draped a protective, sorrowful arm around Lyra’s shoulders. “My lords and ladies,” he announced, his voice heavy with feigned grief. “Our Celestial realm has been deceived by a lowly servant’s whelp for seventy thousand years! The princess who will bring us glory is here. It is Lyra!” At the pronouncement from their authoritative King, the eyes of the court turned on me, filled with accusation and hatred. “The daughter of a common servant, enjoying the honors of a princess for millennia! She must repay the debt!” “Cast the imposter from the Scourge Dais! Let her die in torment and regret!” I watched the mob’s fury rise, a familiar coldness seeping into my heart. For seventy thousand years, I had accepted their reverence, yes. But I had never shirked the duties of a princess. The Celestial population was sparse, and I had personally handled countless matters that never reached my father’s throne. Many of the nobles now screaming for my blood had accepted precious artifacts and elixirs from my own hand to break through their cultivation bottlenecks. For the honor of our people, I had trained without a single day’s rest, reaching the cusp of Divinity in a mere seventy thousand years. And now? I had done nothing but lose my title. The moment I could no longer benefit them, they wanted me dead. “The Scourge Dais? That’s too good for her!” Lyra spat, her voice laced with venom. “Without the realm’s resources, how could her essence have grown so powerful, so fast? Meanwhile, I, the true princess, was burdened with menial tasks, my own cultivation stagnating. Who knows how many millennia it will take for me to reach the power Eloise now possesses?” My eyes sharpened. This was the moment. In my last life, my father had heard these words and immediately agreed. “The Celestials possess a secret artifact, the Soul-Siphon. It can drain the essence of another and make it one’s own.” Just as I remembered, my father’s gaze turned on me, cold and hard. “This is what you owe her,” he said. “The debt is due.” I recoiled, feigning defiance. “Impossible! The essence I cultivated with my own blood and sweat? I will not give it as a gift to another!” Lyra’s eyes burned with envy. “If you weren’t a princess, with an endless supply of the realm’s treasures, you would be nothing!” The court roared its agreement. My father, taking this as his mandate, produced the Soul-Siphon—an obsidian amulet that seemed to drink the light from the air. It was clear he had it ready all along. “If you submit, you will suffer less,” he threatened. He lunged, a sword of pure energy materializing in his hand, aimed at my heart. I summoned a shield of my own, preparing to block the fatal blow. But with a deafening CLANG, his blade was struck from the air. A furious voice cut through the chaos. “Stop!” 5 All heads turned to see who possessed such power. There, standing before the King, her eyes blazing red, was my mother. The Queen. The King’s voice softened instantly. “Jocasta, my love, we have been deceived for seventy thousand years! The daughter you’ve protected with all your heart… she is not our blood!” I watched the scene unfold, a silent observer of my own past. In a moment, Lyra would rush to my mother, weeping about her tragic life as a servant. With the nine tails as proof of her divine blood, no one would doubt her. My mother, torn between pity and fury, would then personally escort me to the Scourge Dais. The Celestial lineage, since time immemorial, had been matrilineal. This was to ensure the sacred Vulpine blood—the spark of the gods—was passed down. Without my mother’s consent, my death would not have been so certain, so agonizing. Just as I remembered, the Queen pulled me towards the Scourge Dais. She turned to the assembled nobles and declared, “Today, I will have justice for my trueborn daughter!” Below the dais, Lyra shot me a playful, mocking wink. “Blood calls to blood, my dear. A mongrel like you could never compare.” She turned to the Queen. “Mother, I believe that after we transfer her essence to me, she should be flayed and boned. It’s the only way to appease my hatred.” The Queen glanced at Lyra, her expression darkening. She took a deep, shuddering breath, and then her voice rang out, clear and resolute. “Eloise is the one and only Princess of the Celestials! This is not open for debate!” The King’s face contorted. “Jocasta! The entire court saw Lyra’s nine tails. The proof of her blood is undeniable! Are you going to deny what is before our very eyes?” Lyra, stunned at this departure from the script, added her own poison. “Mother, if you claim Eloise is your daughter, then where is her tail? Where is her proof of the sacred blood?” The court echoed her sentiment. “If she is the princess, let her reveal her Vulpine form and prove it!” But the Queen, who should have been raining fury upon me, now looked ill, her face pale. She moved to shield me with her own body. “I am the Matriarch of the Celestials. The matter of the divine bloodline is mine to decide! All of you, leave this place!” Under the weight of her absolute authority, the nobles hesitated, some already beginning to retreat. But at that moment, a splash of liquid, cold and shimmering, hit me. I spun around to see Kaelen, an empty flask in his hand, his face a mask of cold indifference. “The Waters of Revealing will show one’s true form. We will see who my wife is, once and for all.” Kaelen. The greatest warrior of the Celestials, his Frostfang blade having defended our borders for millennia. At the foot of Mount Kunlun, he had taken my hand, his eyes full of wonder. “My sword will protect only one from this day forward. Where my wife’s gaze falls, there my blade will follow.” Only today did I understand. He was protecting his wife, yes. The Princess of the Celestials. Who that princess was… didn’t matter. Before I could even process the fresh wave of betrayal, a thick, coiling tail of obsidian scales burst from the base of my spine. A collective gasp of horror rippled through the court. 6 Scorn. Disgust. Mocking laughter. The thunder above me grew louder, a relentless, punishing barrage that showed no sign of stopping. In my last life, it was at this moment—gravely wounded by the heavenly trial—that my father had struck. He had used the Soul-Siphon while I was at my weakest, tearing my seventy thousand years of essence from my broken body. And just as before, a bolt of lightning struck me square on the crown of my head. Pain, absolute and blinding, threatened to tear me apart. Through the ringing in my ears, I heard Lyra’s sharp cry. “This is no ordinary trial for godhood! The heavens have thirty-six realms, and each has its own thunder. She is enduring the Thirty-Six Storms of Ascension, a trial no one has ever survived!” The sky felt as though it were collapsing, the black clouds pressing down on the terrified Celestials. But the single violet spotlight around Lyra remained, a sanctuary in the maelstrom. “You see?” she shrieked, her voice triumphant. “She is a cursed thing, an abomination condemned by the heavens themselves! I am the one born of auspicious signs, the one with the true divine blessing!” Even Kaelen turned to Lyra, his eyes full of pity and dawning realization. “So it was you all along. You are my true wife. The threads of fate weave true, letting destined lovers finally be together.” My father seized his chance. With a cry of triumph, the King launched himself into the air, the Soul-Siphon in his hand aimed straight for me. “Jocasta, you see the proof!” he roared. “Today, I will make her repay every moment of suffering our true daughter endured!” A single, soul-shattering cry from the Queen: “NO!” It was too sudden. She was too far away to stop him. The Soul-Siphon was already at my brow. The King’s methods were as swift and merciless as I remembered.

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The day before my wedding, I got a call from the hotel. “Mr. Winston, hello. Someone has… well, they’ve wrecked your wedding venue.” I rushed over, completely bewildered, only to find some pretty boy holding a wedding photo of himself with my fiancée, screaming, “You shameless gold digger! Seducing my wife! Spending her money on a lavish wedding like this!” The scene was a powder keg of outrage. Even the hotel manager was pointing a finger at me. “I knew something was off,” he sneered. “The bride-to-be never showed up for a single planning meeting. Turns out he’s not even the real husband.” The crowd of onlookers grew, their whispers turning into a mob. They beat me, shoved me, and in the chaos, my leg was broken. A laugh, sharp and bitter, escaped my lips. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to my secretary. “Cancel the wedding. And tell Ella Lee to get the hell out of my company.” Spending my money to keep a boy toy, and one this arrogant? Let’s see how I tear you both apart. … I was standing in front of the mirror, adjusting the fit of my tuxedo for the next day, when the hotel manager’s call came through. His voice was dripping with a sick sort of pleasure. “Mr. Winston, ah, yes. About that ‘Starlight Dream’ luxury wedding you’ve booked? Someone’s smashed it all to pieces. I think you’d better get down here.” Smashed? My mind went blank for a second. I had spent half a year and millions of dollars planning this wedding. Who would dare? Tomorrow was the day. The day I was supposed to marry Ella Lee, my girlfriend of seven years. This was the last moment for something to go wrong. Fury ignited in my chest. I didn’t have time to think. I shot a quick text to Ella and sped toward the hotel. I could hear the manager’s oily voice from the entrance. “Oh, I had no idea Ms. Lee’s husband was so young and handsome! A perfect match for a CEO like her!” “See? I told you something was up,” another voice chimed in. “Never saw the bride once during the setup. He’s the other man!” “Let’s exchange contact info. If the hotel has any new projects, I hope you’ll put in a good word with Ms. Lee for us!” Ms. Lee? My heart dropped. I followed the sound and saw him: a skinny, pale pretty boy, pocketing the manager’s business card with a look of venomous satisfaction. “Of course,” he said. “Just as soon as I’m done with this shameless leech.” “I’ll be sure to remember your help.” I strode forward into the ballroom. The magnificent floral arch, which had been painstakingly assembled that afternoon, was toppled like a fallen giant. The towering champagne fountain lay in glittering shards across the floor. And strewn among the wreckage were the vulgar remains of rotten vegetables and broken eggs. My dream wedding venue, a palace of opulence just hours ago, was now a scene of utter chaos. I swallowed my rage, the words grinding between my teeth. “Who. Did. This.” “I did!” The pretty boy saw me and, without a second thought, swung his leg and kicked me hard in the ribs. “I, Leo, am going to teach you a lesson today, you pathetic leech!” I staggered back, nearly losing my footing. “Leo?” The name was vaguely familiar. Right. Ella had mentioned him before—a junior from her university who’d asked for help finding a job. His name was Leo… Ella and I had been together since college. A cold, humorless laugh escaped my lips. So, this was her game. My father, taking pity on her because she was pregnant, had magnanimously made her the acting president of a subsidiary company to “play with.” And she’d actually started to believe her own hype, brazenly keeping a lover on the side. My glare fixed on Leo. “Who the hell do you think you are?” I snarled. “You dare touch me?” Leo whipped out his phone, the screen displaying a wedding photo of him and Ella. He then pointed a trembling finger at the large welcome portrait of Ella and me at the ballroom entrance. “Who am I?” he shrieked. “I should be asking, who the hell are you?!” “My wife and I had our wedding photos taken six months ago! And you still have the nerve to seduce her?” Seduce her? What a joke. I reached for my own phone to call Ella and have her face this mess, but Leo snatched it from my hand and smashed it on the marble floor. “Calling for backup, are you, gold digger?!” His voice was shrill, attracting a circle of gawkers who began pointing and whispering. “I just Googled her. The woman is Ella Lee, the CEO of Apex Industries.” “Kids these days… they’ll do anything for money.” “I know, right? He’s a good-looking guy, too. Why throw it all away to be a kept man?” Sensing the drama escalating, the hotel manager scurried over to placate Leo. “Don’t be angry, sir, it’s not worth your health. How about this? I’ll arrange our finest presidential suite for you, and a year of complimentary stays for you and Ms. Lee. Please, just calm down?” He then turned to me, his face a mask of contempt. “Mr. Winston, I’m sorry, but our hotel will no longer be hosting your wedding.” I laughed, a sound raw with disbelief. “You’re canceling? Are you prepared to pay the breach of contract penalty?” I swept my gaze over the trashed venue. “And this… this million-dollar setup. Are you sure you can afford to replace it?” Leo scoffed and, catching me off guard, grabbed the collar of my shirt. “Pay?! You used my wife’s money to pay for this, you leech! And you have the audacity to ask me for compensation? Have you no shame?” It was then that he noticed the key fob for my limited-edition supercar in my hand. His face flushed with rage. “So that’s why Ella couldn’t buy me this car! Because you, the mistress, already took it!” He lunged for the keys. My first instinct was to hold on tight, but then I thought better of it. It wasn’t worth getting hurt over this parasite. I let go. Leo, clutching the key fob, then dramatically stumbled backward and fell to the floor. Instantly, the onlookers rushed to help him up, their accusations turning on me. “What has this hotel come to, letting a degenerate like him in?” “Exactly! Mr. Leo, don’t worry, we all saw it! He assaulted you!” “That’s right, Mr. Leo! Um… my husband works at your company, in the marketing department. I hope you’ll mention him to Ms. Lee, perhaps for a promotion?” … Ella was a president in name only, of a company that wasn’t even publicly traded. Yet they were all fawning over “Mr. Leo,” the “CEO’s husband.” I remembered my father telling me just a few days ago that after Ella and I were married, he would slowly hand over the rest of the group’s companies to us. And now? All I felt was a profound sense of relief. Leo, propped up by the crowd, smugly straightened his clothes. He pointed at me and shouted at the manager, “You let anyone into this hotel? Are you trying to ruin your own reputation?” The manager bowed and scraped. “Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right, Mr. Leo. It won’t happen again!” Leo snorted and, dangling my keys, swaggered toward the entrance. With a chirp, the lights of a multi-million-dollar supercar flashed. He pointed at the car, his voice a screech. “You bastard! How dare you waste my wife’s money like this!” He walked back to me, rubbing the key fob menacingly against my cheek. “Someone like you deserves to drive a car like this? I’ll have it smashed to pieces!” He threw the keys to the ground and stomped on them again and again, grinding his heel until the fob was a mangled wreck of plastic and metal. Still not satisfied, he grabbed a hammer from a nearby toolbox. “A ten-million-dollar car is too good for a leech!” He stormed towards my car, raised the hammer high, and as I watched in stunned silence, brought it down with all his might. I didn’t stop him. I just mentally tallied up the damages he’d owe me. Just then, the hotel owner came rushing in. The manager whispered a few words in his ear, and the owner’s head snapped up. He looked at me, his face grim. “Mr. Winston, from this day forward, you are blacklisted from our establishment.” I couldn’t believe my ears. How could this entire group of people be so thoroughly manipulated by one pathetic pretty boy? “Are you sure?” I asked, looking the owner dead in the eye. He gave me a disdainful once-over. “We pride ourselves on our reputation. We do not welcome people like you here.” I nodded slowly. “Fine.” This hotel, of which my father was a major shareholder. Let’s see how much he regrets this. I bent down to retrieve my mangled phone, but Leo’s foot slammed onto my back, pinning me down. “I’ve already called my wife. She’ll be here any minute. Let’s see how cocky you are then!” Wincing in pain, I grabbed his ankle, twisted hard, and sent him sprawling to the ground. The manager gasped and rushed to help him up. “Mr. Leo! Are you alright? Should I call an ambulance?” “Forget the ambulance! Arrest him! This man is a shameless homewrecker!” Leo screamed, his eyes red. “You seduce my wife and then you assault me? I’ll ruin you!” The hotel owner’s face was livid. “How dare you attack Mr. Leo! This hotel has security cameras everywhere! I’ve already called the police!” The crowd of spectators now transformed into a posse of righteous vigilantes. They swarmed me, pulling my hair, tearing at my clothes. “You dare hit Ms. Lee’s husband? I’ll record this as evidence! You’re not just a homewrecker, you’re a violent criminal!” “Yes! Post it online! Make him famous!” They shoved me, dragging me toward the welcome portrait of Ella and me. Someone ripped it from its stand and, with a vicious RRRRIP, tore our photo in two. I watched the image of us shatter, and I felt nothing. Nothing but a cold, bottomless well of disgust and rage. Good. Rip it to shreds. “Did you get that on camera? Post it! I want everyone to see this leech’s true face!” Leo directed the mob, puffed up with the thrill of victory. I clutched my broken phone, the screen flashing with dozens of unread messages from Ella. Hah. She still had the nerve to message me? While they were distracted, I managed to open the notifications. Unsurprisingly, they were a stream of pathetic apologies, excuses, and pleas for forgiveness. I scanned them quickly, then deleted and blocked her number without a second thought. Then, I sent one last message to my secretary. “Cancel the wedding. And have my father pull all his investments from the Starlight Grand Hotel. Also, tell Ella Lee to get the hell out of my company.” The reply was instantaneous. A single sentence. “Understood, Mr. Winston.” Leo saw me using my phone. He raised the hammer and swung it at me without hesitation. I couldn’t dodge in time. A muffled grunt escaped my lips as a sickening crack echoed through the room. White-hot agony exploded in my lower leg, and I collapsed, curling into a ball on the floor. A wave of gasps went through the crowd, but they quickly fell silent. The hotel owner looked down at me, his voice dripping with condescension. “Mr. Winston, stop faking it. The damage to the venue was a result of your personal dispute. The hotel will not be compensating you.” “Furthermore, I suggest you apologize to Ms. Lee’s husband, Mr. Leo.” Pain was making my vision swim. I couldn’t speak. I could only glare at the faces looming over me, my eyes burning. Suddenly, the manager pointed at my leg, his voice trembling. “Blood…!” I looked down. My calf was bent at an unnatural angle. Was it… broken? A flicker of panic crossed Leo’s face, but it was quickly replaced by a vicious smirk. He crossed his arms. “Hah! You thought you could seduce my wife with your pretty face and live off her money? Let’s see you seduce anyone with a broken leg!” “You deserved it!” I pressed my hands to the floor, fighting to stay conscious.

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My wife, Ava, needed a guinea pig for her lover’s new wonder drug. So she had me committed. I’d just had surgery for stomach cancer, still weak and stitched up, when she sent me to a private psychiatric facility. They zapped me with electricity until I drooled, my body convulsing on the cold table. Through it all, Ava just covered her lover Ethan’s eyes, her voice laced with disgust. “It’s filthy. Don’t look.” Ethan’s “research” on me earned him a prestigious nomination. To celebrate, Ava set off a firework display that lit up the entire city. And I, under that same brilliant, festive sky, had my right leg amputated. The constant electroshock had caused the tissue to die. To hide his crime, Ethan arranged for a cheap prosthesis and threatened me never to tell Ava the truth. He told her my leg was just “injured” during an experiment. Numbly, I packed my own severed leg into a portable cooler. In seven days, at Ethan’s award ceremony, it would be my gift to her. … My eyes were red-rimmed as I begged Nate, one of the orderlies, for help. He was the only person in this hellhole who’d shown me an ounce of kindness, saying I reminded him of his brother. He didn’t have the power to save me from Ethan, but seeing me clutch my prosthetic leg, sobbing my heart out, he hesitated, then agreed. He’d just taken the cooler and turned to leave when he ran right into Ava. The faint, coppery smell from the box made her wrinkle her nose. She watched the orderly walk away before lowering her hand, her brow furrowed. But nothing could dampen her mood today; she was radiant, like a general returning from a victorious battle. “Ethan’s experiment was a massive success,” she said, her voice bright, almost speaking to herself. “He’s finally going to achieve his dream.” She’d been in my room for minutes, but her gaze was fixed on the fireworks blooming outside my window. She hadn’t spared me a single glance. Only when the silence stretched did her cool eyes finally sweep over me, her brow knotting in irritation. “Leo, this is the only thing Ethan has ever asked of you. You were just sitting at home recovering anyway, with nothing to do. Here, you can make some friends, help him out. You don’t have to look so miserable about it.” Friends. Let’s see. There was the old woman who’d snuck into my room to harass me. The old man who’d tried to strangle me, accusing me of stealing his money. The man who’d kicked me to the ground, screaming that I’d stolen his wife. These were the “friends” Ava was talking about. I was pumped full of Ethan’s drugs and subjected to repeated shocks until my leg rotted from the inside out. The doctor who treated me later said if I’d gotten to a proper hospital sooner, they could have saved it. But what good is a hospital when you don’t even have your freedom? Seeing me with my head down, my eyes burning with unshed tears, Ava finally moved closer, ready to question me. “Leo—” Her word was cut in half as her phone lit up. The moonlight fell across her face, illuminating an expression of pure, unadulterated happiness. She was so absorbed that in the twenty minutes she spent in my room, she never once noticed that my right leg wasn’t real. I was exhausted, about to drift off, when one of Ethan’s assistants came in with my daily dose of pills. The thought of my empty trouser leg filled me with a sudden rage, and I swatted the pills to the floor. Ava, who had been texting by the window, startled. She strode over, scooped the dusty pills from the ground without a second thought, and held them to my lips. Her voice was merciless. “This is part of Ethan’s research. If you don’t take them, how is he supposed to write his report?” Tears blurring my vision, I turned my head away, but she gripped my chin, forcing my mouth open and shoving the bitter pills down my throat. She was about to say more when her phone buzzed again. With a final glance, she turned and left, forgetting her coat in her haste. I knew why she was leaving. I opened my social media feed. The first thing I saw was a cute, goofy picture of Ethan with tissue paper stuffed up his nose. The caption read: Watched fireworks all night and caught a cold. Btw, taking an extra cold pill won’t kill you, right? Ava’s reply was the first in the comments. You have a cold? Why didn’t you tell me? You silly goose. We won’t know if it’s serious until you get checked out. Wait for me. She didn’t come back that night. After midnight, I silently wished myself a happy birthday. I remembered, before all this, Ava taking me for a check-up. The doctor had said my cancer surgery recovery was going well, and her face had lit up. “The day you’re fully recovered is your birthday! We have to celebrate properly.” But times had changed. Now, she was setting off a city’s worth of fireworks for Ethan’s meaningless nomination. The next morning, Nate brought me a small, palm-sized cake. “I remember you said today was your birthday,” he said, his voice soft. “But your leg…” He trailed off, but still lit the candle for me. His care was the only thing keeping me sane. I closed my eyes, made a wish, and was about to blow out the candle when a figure appeared in the doorway. Ava saw the scene, her brow twitching as if she’d just remembered something. “Oh. It’s your birthday.” Flustered, she fumbled in her coat pockets, searching for something, anything, to serve as a gift. What she pulled out was a half-empty box of condoms. Mortified, she shoved it back into her pocket. “That’s… someone must have put it there as a joke. I’ll get you a proper gift later.” I blew out the candle with a sharp puff. “Don’t bother.” Her face instantly darkened. She shoved her hands in her pockets, radiating impatience. “Are you really going to be like this over a gift? I paid for your father’s medical bills when he was sick. And now you’re giving me attitude over some stupid birthday? Don’t you think you’re being unreasonable?” I just bit my lip and listened. She was right. She was my family’s savior. The debt I owed her was one I felt I could never repay. Nate, sitting beside me, couldn’t take it anymore. He stood up and brushed past Ava on his way out, bumping her shoulder. She stumbled, her expression turning even uglier. She shot me a glare and turned to leave, only to run into Ethan, who was just arriving in his lab coat. Beneath the collar of his white coat, a faint red mark was visible. Ava’s anger vanished like smoke. She rushed to his side, her voice tender. “I told you to rest at home. Why are you here?” Ethan let out a theatrical sneeze. “You gave me your coat to keep me warm yesterday. I’m much better now.” He suddenly remembered I was there and pulled his adoring gaze away from her, offering me a strained smile. “I came today because there’s an important experiment we need to run. I’ll need your cooperation, Leo.” A jolt of terror shot through me. I looked at Ava, pleading with my eyes, shaking my head, silently begging her to say no. But she just smiled generously at Ethan. “It’s fine,” she said breezily. “He’s not doing anything else.” The knife I felt hanging over my head finally fell. Ethan’s lips curved into a smile. He looked back at me and added, “This one might hurt a little more, but you just have to bear it. You’ve been so cooperative before, Leo. I’m sure you’ll do great.” A deep, dark premonition coiled in my gut. Ava had poured a fortune into setting up this lab for Ethan. She let him test his concoctions on living people, even using barbaric electroshock therapy. And every time something went wrong, she was there to clean up the mess. She seemed to enjoy it. But I never thought she would let him torture me. I didn’t fight back. I owed her too much. But after this, I thought, the debt would surely be paid. At a clap of Ethan’s hands, a group of technicians entered with various instruments. Once everything was set up, Ethan draped his arm around Ava’s shoulders. “Ava,” he whispered, “I’m a little worried. What if this one fails?” Her heart clearly melted. She squeezed his hand, her voice overflowing with tenderness. “It won’t. Let’s go outside. They can just bring us the data when they’re done.” Inside the room, I lay on the cold bed, staring at the ceiling as they strapped down my arms and legs. The light blurred. My consciousness began to fray. As they increased the voltage, my body went numb, but my mind drifted in and out of a strange clarity. In the haze, I heard them scrambling, the clatter of metal. “Shit, what are you doing? You can’t even control the voltage!” Then, an all-consuming convulsion. A distant voice shouting. “Get him to the ER! Now! We might still have time!” I didn’t struggle. It was like being knocked out with a club. When I opened my eyes again, I was in a new, unfamiliar room. Before I could speak, a man’s voice cut through the silence. “You really worked hard for us, Leo. Here’s a little something for your trouble.” Ethan flashed me a mocking grin and pulled a single bill from his wallet, placing it on my pillow. He turned and came face-to-face with Ava, who had just entered. His sneer vanished, replaced by a frown of remorse. “It’s all my fault,” he said, looking down. “I was careless and caused Leo to pass out. I’ve already apologized to him.” Ava barely glanced at me. She stroked Ethan’s face with a doting expression. “It wasn’t your fault. You don’t need to apologize.” Then she paused, as if remembering something. She walked to my bedside. “The doctor said there was a problem with your leg. Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?” I said nothing. At the time, she was too busy watching fireworks with Ethan. I’d sent her countless messages. She hadn’t replied to a single one. Nate, who was standing beside me, started to speak, but Ethan shot him a threatening look, cutting him off. He turned to Ava. “It’s my fault. There was an unexpected complication with the experiment, and I was so busy handling it I forgot to tell you about Leo’s injury.” “Why would it be your fault?” Ava said lightly. “He’s fine now, it’s no big deal.” She forgave him on my behalf before I could even open my mouth. To keep Nate from talking, Ethan steered him out of the room. Ava turned back to me, a sliver of guilt in her eyes. “You’ve been cooped up for a while. I’ll take you out to a nice restaurant tonight. We’ll celebrate.” She didn’t wait for my answer, simply dragging me to a high-end clothing store and buying me a suit. As I was changing, she saw the mass of bruises, black and blue, covering my back. Her hand, holding out the shirt, faltered. But in the end, she said nothing. She made an excuse and waited outside. Guilt? The thought was so absurd it was almost funny. She saw the state I was in, and she felt guilty? Everything she saw was her own damn handiwork. At the restaurant, Ava’s eyes never left her phone. At one point, she disappeared to the restroom for over twenty minutes. When she returned, she finally remembered to ask the waiter for a menu. But she was completely distracted, randomly pointing at a line on the page. The waiter was baffled. She was pointing at the restaurant’s address. With a sigh, I took the menu and ordered for both of us. The food had just arrived when Ava suddenly stood up, grabbing her coat. “Ethan’s getting bullied at a party. I have to go, now.” She started to leave, then paused, her voice cold. “You should come too. It’ll be hard to get a cab this late.” In the car, she was silent, her eyes glued to her phone, terrified of missing a message. We rushed to the location Ethan had sent. The private room was anything but a scene of bullying; it was loud and celebratory. The moment Ethan saw me, his smile vanished. He quickly composed himself, looking down with an expression of self-reproach. “I didn’t know you were with Ava, Leo. I only sent her the address because I lost a dare.” Ava, still catching her breath from rushing in, showed no sign of annoyance. “It’s not a big deal. We were just having dinner.” Every eye in the room fixed on me. I dug my nails into my palm, wanting to end the farce. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.” I turned to leave, but Ethan called out. “Leo, my research isn’t finished yet. You can’t go home. You should stay in the hospital a while longer.” A mocking voice piped up from the crowd. “So that’s Ethan’s little test subject. No wonder he’s covered in scars.” Another person chimed in. “Scars are one thing, but look at him. A cripple in a suit that expensive. What a waste. It’s hideous.” I kept my back to them, biting the inside of my cheek to swallow the lump in my throat. Ava acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing. “Ethan’s right,” she said, her voice firm. “You’ve come this far. You can’t give up now. Go back to the hospital.” I gritted my teeth, enduring it. But before I could even leave the room, my phone rang. It was the hospital. “Mr. Evans? It’s about your father. His condition is critical. If you can, you should come back… to say goodbye.” My world exploded. I tried to run, but two burly men, clearly bodyguards, blocked my path. I struggled, turning to Ava with desperate, pleading eyes. Her face was a mask of displeasure. “Ethan has worked so hard to get here. Do you have to cause trouble at the last minute?” Seeing my silence, her voice hardened, leaving no room for negotiation. “You are going back to the facility. Tonight.” I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “My father is dying! I have to see him!” For a fleeting second, she seemed moved. But then Ethan tugged on her sleeve, his face a mask of wounded innocence. Her tone shifted instantly, becoming harsh. “There’s plenty of money in your father’s hospital account. What good would you do there? Ethan has been nominated. The awards are in a few days. Can’t you stand to see him succeed?” My throat closed up. The blood in my veins turned to ice. Her face was a storm of impatience. She gave a slight nod. The bodyguards seized me, dragged me out, and unceremoniously threw me into the back of a van from the psychiatric facility. The journey was long. I was locked back in that cold, dark room. It wasn’t until I saw the official notification of my father’s death that the world shattered completely. Images, sounds, memories—they all crashed down on me. It was like being plunged into a frozen lake. In the days that followed, I was a walking corpse. Ethan could do what he wanted to me. I no longer fought back. On the final day, Ava accompanied Ethan to the award ceremony, a constellation of flashing camera lights. And I was finally free. With a plane ticket Nate had bought for me, a heavy box of ashes, and a body full of scars, I went home. The moment I landed, my phone screen was flooded with missed calls. All from Ava. I thought for a moment, then typed out a single message. Ava, I want a divorce. Then I blocked her number and disappeared into the crowd. Back in my old, run-down neighborhood, I let out a breath I’d been holding for months. I was halfway through packing up my father’s apartment when Nate called. “It’s all over the city news…” Before he could finish, I opened the video link he’d sent. It showed Ava, calm and composed, getting ready backstage. Her evening gown was a perfect match for Ethan’s tie. Nate, just as I’d asked, brought the cooler to her. Ava recognized him, pausing as she adjusted Ethan’s tie. A mocking smile played on her lips. “Did he send you?” she asked. “Knowing him, he’s probably petty enough to put a bomb in there, isn’t he?” The stylists and makeup artists around them burst into laughter. Nate just placed the cooler on the table, his voice unnervingly calm. “Mr. Evans asked me to give this to you. He said it was a gift.” Ethan frowned, looking at the cooler with disdain. “Ava, what good could possibly be in there? Get someone to throw it out. The ceremony is about to start.” Ava scoffed and gestured for her assistant to take it.

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