Author: Momo Chan

For Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend said he was taking me back to his hometown to meet his family. Instead, the moment we arrived in his isolated backwoods village, he hogtied me and threw me to a mob of men. My boyfriend wrapped his arm around his childhood sweetheart, staring at me with cold indifference. “If I didn’t trick you into coming here, Chloe would be the one going up the mountain to be sacrificed to the Old God.” His little sweetheart gloated, parading in front of me. “Being chosen as the Forest God’s bride is an honor! People beg for this blessing and never get it!” You want this blessing so bad? Take it! Staring at the painfully familiar statue inside the decaying chapel, I wailed like a broken siren. When I ran away from the altar a century ago, the God swore that if he ever caught me again, he would crush me to death! “Carter, even if you don’t want to marry me, did you really have to kidnap me?” I was bound hand and foot, dumped on the freezing mud floor, surrounded by villagers glaring at me with malicious intent. A million possibilities raced through my mind. Was this a human trafficking ring? If he just needed cash, he could have asked! After all, the one thing I have an endless supply of is money. But Carter just held his childhood sweetheart, Chloe, looking at me without a shred of pity. “If I didn’t trick you into coming here, Chloe would be the one going up the mountain to be sacrificed.” “You always said you wanted to get married. Who cares who you marry? Just think of this as doing me a favor.” I thought I had been kidnapped for ransom. I never expected it was a cult sacrifice. Without giving me another glance, he signaled the villagers to take over. “I brought her back. You can do whatever you want with her, but nobody touches Chloe again. We have a deal.” Carter looked down at me, a twisted sense of self-righteousness on his face. “I treated you so well for two years. It’s time for you to repay me.” We had been together for two years. I truly thought Carter loved me. When he pursued me, he was incredibly attentive. Whenever I needed him, he was there. He even spent most of his meager paycheck on me. Different breakfasts every morning, cheap but thoughtful little gifts—I was so moved. I thought that was what true love looked like. I considered myself lucky to have found a good man. It wasn’t until I saw the fiercely protective way he held Chloe that I realized what the look of true love actually was. “Don’t worry, the Forest God only needs one bride. Carry her to the lodge.” The town’s mayor, an old man with rotting yellow teeth, puffed on his pipe. His greasy eyes scanned me up and down. “Tsk. She’s definitely prettier than Chloe. The Old God will love her!” Like a prized pig prepped for slaughter, I was bound so tightly I couldn’t move an inch. They forced me into a vintage crimson gown. They told me I had to be locked inside the unheated lodge for three days to fast and “purify” my body before being offered to the God. The Forest God’s bride had to be a pure, untouched virgin, inside and out. In the dead of winter, tied to a wooden pillar in the freezing chapel, I shivered uncontrollably, starving and freezing. I had already gone through this exact routine once before. Doing it a second time didn’t make it any less miserable. That night, when Carter came in carrying a wool blanket, I cried so hard I couldn’t breathe. “I’m begging you, Carter, let me go! I have money, I can pay you!” “If you just let me leave, I’ll give you whatever you want!” When Carter wrapped the blanket around my shoulders, I thought he had finally softened. Instead, his hands slid directly down to my waist. His face twisted into a greasy, greedy smirk. “Let me test the merchandise first. It’s a damn shame to let someone else have you when I haven’t even gotten a taste!” His hands slipped lower, grabbing my leg. For two years, he had completely respected my boundaries, claiming he wanted to wait until marriage because he cherished me so much. That was exactly why I trusted him so deeply, believing he was a decent, honorable man I could rely on. I never suspected that beneath his handsome exterior hid such a nauseating, vile monster. Terrified, I kicked my legs wildly. “What is it going to take for you to let me go?!” Carter’s rough fingers dug into my skin. His eyes were full of calculation. “Give me the passcode to your safe. You’re an orphan anyway, you can’t spend all that wealth yourself.” Staring at his greedy, venomous face, I suddenly calmed down. He wanted the money and my life! Even if I gave him the passcode, he would never let me walk out of here alive. During the honeymoon phase of our relationship, I had foolishly shown him all my cards. The contents of my private vault held enough wealth to last several lifetimes. Back then, I completely missed the flash of pure greed in his eyes. When he acted indifferent, I actually thought he was a man of high morals who didn’t care about money. Turns out, he was worse than any criminal I had ever met! He just hid it better. But right now, begging was my only option. I had to play along. “I really don’t want to be sacrificed. You just want the money, right? We can make a deal!” “I can give you more money than you could ever spend. Just let me go! With that cash, you and Chloe could move anywhere in the world!” Carter seemed tempted. He stroked my cheek, his hands getting bolder. “Such a great body, such a pretty face… Would that bullshit Forest God even know what to do with you?” “I might as well enjoy you first. If you’re a good girl, maybe I really will take you with us!” Carter started rooting around my neck like a pig. Stripped of his disguise, his evil nature was on full display. He was vicious and rough, leaving dark bruises across my pale skin. Just as I was fighting back the urge to vomit and trying to break my bindings, Chloe ran into the lodge, crying hysterically. “You bastard!” Smack! Carter took a hard slap to the face, instantly snapping him out of it. Seeing Chloe’s tear-streaked face, his demeanor flipped. He hugged her, frantically trying to soothe her. “Chloe, it’s not what you think! I didn’t touch her, I was just trying to scare the vault passcode out of her!” “She forced me to do it! Yes, she was trying to seduce me! I didn’t touch her for two whole years, why would I want her now?!” Chloe glared at me with pure venom, acting like she was the ultimate victim, looking like she wanted to eat me alive. “You’ve been together for two years! The Mayor just said she’s prettier than me, I don’t believe you never had feelings for her!” Carter practically dropped to his knees. “I swear I didn’t! She doesn’t even compare to a single strand of your hair! I only dated her for you. She’s a sacrifice for the God, I wouldn’t dare touch her!” Hearing that, Chloe bought it. With a few whimpers, she leaned in, and they started aggressively making out right in front of me. The sick lust he had just directed at me was now being unleashed on Chloe. Watching them act like they were about to consummate things on the chapel floor, I quietly spat on the ground. Disgusting. Terrified they were actually going to put on a live show, I had to speak up. “Are you guys really not going to consider letting me go?” Chloe leaned against Carter, panting, glaring at me like a victorious queen. “Let you go? Then who goes to the God? Don’t try any tricks. If you try to seduce Carter again, I won’t hold back!” Seeing this toxic duo perfectly united in their delusion, I had to play my final card. “Let me tell you the truth. I actually know the Forest God. If you offer me to him, you are going to bring down a terrible curse on yourselves!” Chloe looked at me like I was a mental patient and burst out laughing. “That’s hilarious! You know the Ancient God?” She pointed to the faded portraits hanging in the back of the lodge. “See those? Those are the women who actually met the God. Not a single one of them ever came back alive!” The portraits were of previous sacrificial brides. If they looked closely, one of the heavily faded, ancient portraits in the corner looked exactly like me. But it was covered in a century of dust, totally unnoticeable. Carter frowned, losing his patience. “You’re going crazy because you can’t have me, aren’t you? Playing insane won’t work. I have plenty of ways to make you spit out that passcode!” I kicked my legs out, adopting a “nothing left to lose” attitude. If they weren’t going to let me go, they weren’t getting a dime! I was dead either way! Seeing me turn hostile, Carter slammed his fist into my stomach. “You bitch! Tell me!” I curled in on myself, tasting copper in my mouth, but my glare remained fiercely defiant. Carter raised his fist again, but Chloe stopped him. “Carter, stop. If you bruise her up too badly, the Mayor won’t accept the sacrifice. I have a way to make her talk.” Carter’s face lit up. “Really?” Chloe smiled maliciously, pushing him toward the door. “Of course. Go get some sleep. I promise I’ll get the code.” Once Carter left, I looked at Chloe’s wicked face, a deep sense of dread pooling in my gut. “What are you going to do?” Chloe swung her arm back and slapped me hard across the face, her acrylic nails leaving deep bloody scratches on my cheek. She gritted her teeth. “You really think you’re prettier than me?” My head spun from the impact, my ears ringing. I struggled instinctively. “If you ruin my face, aren’t you afraid you won’t be able to deliver the sacrifice?” Chloe grabbed my jaw. Pulling out several long sewing needles from her pocket, she viciously jabbed them into my arms. “What do I have to be afraid of? Once I get your money, Billy is going to take me far away from here.” “Even if the village investigates, the only ones taking the fall will be you and that cowardly loser, Carter!” “If Carter had just been man enough to protect me years ago, why would I have had to sell myself to all these disgusting men in the village?” “No woman who goes up that mountain comes back alive. You think you have a chance to fight me?” With that, she violently pinched my cheeks open and shoved a squirming, pitch-black insect into my mouth. Before I could spit it out, the bug slithered down my throat. As someone with a lifelong phobia of creepy crawlies, my entire world collapsed. If it wasn’t for the fact that the Forest God’s realm was full of bugs, I wouldn’t have run away from my wedding a hundred years ago! Watching me gag and tear up, Chloe smiled with immense satisfaction. “That’s a Veritas Parasite. Once you swallow it, you can only speak the truth. Now, give me the passcode to the vault!” If she had something this effective, why did she even bother torturing me first?! This evil witch did it on purpose! In the end, she got exactly what she wanted. The vault passcode slipped easily from my lips. The Veritas Parasite lived up to its name; my mouth was completely out of my control. Before Chloe left, she deliberately took a blade and sliced my cheek. The moment she stepped out, a hulking man stepped in. “Billy, didn’t you say you wanted a taste of that bitch? Once you’re done, we’re leaving! You promised you’d take me away from this dump!” Billy looked absolutely thrilled. “Carter is such a coward, how could he hold back with a piece of meat this prime? More for me!” “Good job, babe! I’ll reward you properly later. With that cash, leaving this town is gonna be a breeze!” Chloe left looking overjoyed, pulling the heavy lodge door shut behind her. Covered in blood and barely breathing, I watched the massive man approach, cursing every deity I knew. If I knew I was going to suffer this much in the human world, I would have just stayed on the mountain with the bugs! Terrified I would scream, Billy gagged me tightly with a dirty rag. Just as he was unbuckling his belt, Chloe’s voice shrieked from outside: “Billy! Your dad is coming with the elders!” Billy panicked, yanking his pants back up. He spat on the floor in frustration and shoved a burlap sack over my head. “Damn it! Whatever, with millions of dollars, I can buy whatever woman I want.” The door slammed shut. I heard voices talking outside. Billy, being the Mayor’s son, corroborated Chloe’s story, claiming he had already “inspected” the sacrifice, and shooed the elders away. Gagged and blindfolded, I whimpered as I listened to their footsteps fade away. It wasn’t until the third day that they finally came for me. Starving and barely conscious, with the sack still over my head, I was tossed into a wicker palanquin. As they carried me up the bumpy mountain trail, I used every last ounce of my strength to push the rag out of my mouth with my tongue. If I could just let them see my ruined face, they wouldn’t dare send me up the mountain! The Ancient God only accepted flawless brides. Even a single blemish was considered an insult. My tongue was completely numb by the time the rag finally popped out of my mouth. Using my remaining strength, I threw myself out of the palanquin, crashing onto the dirt trail, trying to scream with my hoarse voice. But all that came out was the metallic taste of blood. I couldn’t form a single coherent word. Three days without food or water, raging with a fever from my infected wounds, my throat felt like it was lined with broken glass. The Mayor panicked. He ordered the men to grab me and shove me back inside. “Oh, please, Bride of the God, stop fighting! If you get bruised, the Old God will unleash his wrath!” “Just accept your fate! This is an honor people beg for!” I let out desperate, raspy hisses, but couldn’t speak. I thrashed violently, and during the struggle, I managed to yank the burlap sack off my head. My heavily scarred, infected, and festering face was exposed to the daylight. The entire procession gasped in collective horror. Carter stared at Chloe in shock, but cowardly chose to keep his mouth shut. The Mayor turned pale. “Who did this?! Who the hell did this?! The God will destroy our town!” One of the villagers nervously suggested, “The damage is done! We have to swap the bride!” Instantly, every single pair of eyes locked onto Chloe. Carter instinctively jumped in front of her. “You promised you wouldn’t touch Chloe!” The Mayor’s face darkened. He brutally kicked Carter to the ground. “To hell with your promises! We’re out of time. It has to be Chloe!” “Or what, are you going to die to appease the God’s wrath?!” Carter, stunned and clutching his stomach, turned deathly pale and didn’t dare make another sound. Seeing his cowardly submission, Chloe ground her teeth in fury and rolled her eyes. “I’m not pure anymore!” she shrieked. “I can’t be the God’s bride! You have to send Scarlett! At least she’s never been touched by a man!” Carter’s jaw dropped. His face flushed beet red with absolute fury. He grabbed Chloe’s arm, shaking her. “What did you just say? I’ve been away working for two years and never laid a hand on you! You’ve been sleeping around behind my back?!” Chloe impatiently ripped her arm away and hid behind the Mayor. “You worthless loser. You disappeared for two years. Did you expect me to wait for you forever?” The surrounding men exchanged knowing, sleazy smirks. Carter’s face burned with humiliation, his eyes looking like he wanted to murder her. “Today is the God’s wedding day! Carter, are you really going to cause a scene?” The Mayor’s eyes roamed over Chloe’s body with a perverse glint, before making the final call. “Enough! We have no other choice. Send Scarlett up the mountain! Let’s just finish the ritual and hope for the best!” I stared at the mob in pure disbelief, fighting with everything I had. But it only earned me a brutal beating. They aimed for my ribs and stomach—places where the bruises wouldn’t be visible. I finally passed out from the pain, blindfolded once again, and tossed into the palanquin in utter despair. When I woke up, I was inside the familiar, ancient temple at the peak of the mountain, surrounded by the chanting of the villagers. Terrified to linger, the cultists quickly retreated and locked the heavy wooden doors. But the next second, I was magically violently hurled through the air, crashing hard onto the stone floor outside the doors. A freezing, booming voice echoed from within the temple: “I said no more women! Get out!” It was the Ancient God! The villagers outside fell to their knees, shivering in terror. Chloe was the first to react. She pulled out a hunting knife and lunged at my throat. “Please calm your wrath, O Great God! We will slaughter the imperfect sacrifice to appease you!” Wait, if he said he didn’t want a woman, why are you killing me?! I frantically rolled to the side. The knife plunged into my shoulder instead. Chloe pounced on me like a rabid animal, tearing away the thin fabric of my crimson gown. On my shoulder, the divine mark the deity had branded me with a century ago was exposed to the freezing air. “You have to die! I am not spending the rest of my life trapped on this mountain with a monster!” Chloe screamed. As the knife came down for a second strike, I squeezed my eyes shut. But from within the dark temple, a voice echoed in pure, shocked disbelief: “Scarlett?!” A blast of gale-force wind erupted from the doors. Chloe was sent flying backward like a ragdoll. The next second, I fell into a freezing, iron-hard embrace, shivering uncontrollably. This terrifyingly familiar sensation… it felt exactly like being coiled up by a giant serpent. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but the entity holding me seemed to be trembling slightly too. From above my head, Silas’s voice spoke through gritted teeth: “You said you’d rather die than stay here. Why did you come back?” “I told you… if I ever saw your face again, I would not spare you!” Weakly, I parted my lips to speak, but all that came out was a mouthful of dark blood. Great. He doesn’t even have to kill me. I’m already dying. I used to be so terrified of being caught by him again. But now, I didn’t find him scary at all. In fact, his freezing cold, scale-like skin felt incredibly soothing against my feverish body. I thought that if I died, Silas would be thrilled. But there wasn’t a trace of joy in him. Instead, his eyes turned blood-red. He gripped my neck, shaking me frantically. “Speak to me!” Even if he strangled me to death right now, I physically couldn’t speak. My throat was agonizingly tight, and I felt like I was fading fast. But I wasn’t afraid. I had lived a long, full life anyway. A hundred years ago, when I was originally offered as a sacrifice, I smashed a vase over the Serpent God’s head, stole the bridal hoard of gold, and ran away. After that, I realized I no longer aged and couldn’t die naturally. Like a freak of nature, I lived from the pioneer days all the way into the modern era. I had lost track of how old I actually was. I don’t know if it was a near-death hallucination, but I felt a powerful, warm current flowing from Silas’s body into mine. I couldn’t seem to take my final breath, so I just closed my eyes and played dead. But that warm energy only grew stronger, knitting my bones back together. Outside, none of the villagers dared to step closer. Everyone knew that those who looked upon the Ancient God never returned. Except for Chloe. Gripping the stone wall, she furiously staggered back to finish me off. But the moment her eyes landed on Silas, she froze in her tracks, a suspicious blush spreading across her cheeks. In utter disbelief, she stammered, “You… you’re the Forest God?” Silas was undeniably breathtaking. He had an otherworldly, razor-sharp beauty, his features completely flawless. Dressed in ancient, flowing black robes, he looked like an immortal god stepped out of a myth. He was gorgeous, sure, but he was literally a giant snake. His body was ice-cold and rock-hard. Not exactly ideal husband material. I was thinking practically, but Chloe was clearly blinded by lust. She had always assumed the Forest God was a grotesque monster. Who knew he was an insanely hot, ethereal being? If he didn’t look like a bug, she was perfectly willing to be his bride. She twisted her body, acting coy and shy. “My Lord, I am actually your true bride! Scarlett dared to impersonate me and desecrate your presence. I’ll throw her out for you right now!” Silas didn’t even spare her a glance. He was too busy glaring down at me, his handsome face radiating immense, overflowing resentment. Seeing him ignore me, Chloe looked thrilled and took a step closer. “My Lord, she’s an ugly monster! I am your destined bride! You must punish her severely!” Carter suddenly rushed forward and grabbed Chloe’s arm. Even though he was wearing the ultimate horns, when push came to shove, he still cared about her.

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After breaking up with Liam Sterling, I found out I was three months pregnant. I raised our little Lily all by myself for five years. But the sheer exhaustion of working three jobs finally caught up with me. I suffered a massive stroke and died suddenly. Now, I was floating in mid-air. And suddenly, I saw him. Liam Sterling, who was now a Hollywood superstar. He was knocking on my front door. 01 It took a long time for the door to open. “Who are you?” The one opening the door was my daughter, Lily. She had to stand on her tiptoes to reach the deadbolt, which took her a while. She looked warily at my ex-boyfriend—her biological father, Liam Sterling. Seeing it wasn’t me, Lily immediately tried to close the door. Liam caught the frame with his hand. He frowned. “Where is Emma Hayes?” Lily thought for a moment, looked up at him, and gave a bright smile. “You’re looking for my mommy! Mommy isn’t home.” “She’s at work.” Liam’s face darkened. He asked again, “Where is your dad?” It’s you! You are Lily’s father! I screamed frantically from mid-air, but he couldn’t hear me. Lily tilted her head. “My daddy is far, far away making lots of money. Mommy said when he makes enough money, he’ll come pick us up.” Liam’s frown deepened. Suddenly, he let out a self-deprecating laugh. He muttered to himself in a low voice. “Heh, I must be out of my mind. I actually thought you’d wait for me.” With that, he turned to leave. But he suddenly stopped. He asked for Lily’s full name. “Lily. Lily Hayes.” “Mommy says I’m her little flower, so my name is Lily.” Lily said it with so much pride. Liam’s eyes searched her small face. It was as if he was looking for some kind of proof. But in the end, he didn’t say anything. He stepped into his black stretch SUV. I looked at the car driving away into the distance, screaming. Don’t go, Liam! If you leave, what is our Lily going to do? She’s only five! How is she supposed to survive all alone? I turned back to my daughter, who was blinking her big eyes at the dust kicked up by the departing car, and coaxed her softly. Be a good girl, Lily. Go chase after Daddy. Mommy is gone now, he’s the only one who can take care of you. But Lily couldn’t hear me either. She just muttered, “What a weird man.” And she closed the door. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to slap myself across the face. Why didn’t I tell Lily who her father was sooner? Why didn’t I ever show her a picture of him? This was all my fault. It didn’t matter that I was dead. But my daughter… what was going to happen to her? 02 Lily swung her little legs from the chair, waiting for me to come home. The last light of the sunset faded. The sky grew dark. Normally, I would have been home by now. Because I knew Lily was terrified of the dark. But I was already dead. My coworker, Sarah, had just received the notification at the hospital that my resuscitation had failed. She was told to contact my next of kin. But when she opened my phone, she found the “Family” section of my contacts completely empty. However, everyone at work knew I had a child. So, that night, the phone in our tiny apartment rang. Lily ran toward the phone on her little legs. “Hello?” That sweet, innocent voice brought tears to my coworker’s eyes. She didn’t know how to explain to a little girl that her mother had passed away. That she was never coming back. “Is that you, Mommy?” Lily’s voice was full of excitement. “Are you working late again? It’s okay, I’m fine. I’m not hungry at all. I just ate the muffins Mommy bought.” She patted her round little belly as she spoke. “Lily… your mommy… she just passed away.” Lily asked, confused: “Where is passed away? Is it far? It’s okay, Mommy will definitely take me with her.” Once, because of a last-minute schedule change, I had to travel out of state for work. I couldn’t bear to leave Lily home alone. So I took her with me. It was Lily’s first time leaving our city. Sitting on the Amtrak train, she pointed at the scenery outside the window, thrilled. So right now, Lily still thought I just went on another business trip. Hearing her innocent reply, Sarah let out a heavy sigh. She didn’t know what else to say. She could only hang up the phone. In the end, she represented the company and sent my body to be cremated. All that was left of me was a single urn of ashes. 03 That night felt agonizingly long. It was the first time I hadn’t come home. Every so often, Lily would run to the front door, peeking out to see if I was there. But quickly, the darkness of the hallway would scare her back inside. She ran back and forth like this countless times. Unable to fight off her exhaustion. She finally fell asleep hugging the teddy bear I had bought her. Dawn broke. She jolted awake. She hurriedly ran to the door again. Seeing I still wasn’t back. A flash of disappointment crossed her face. But soon, she comforted herself. “It’s okay. Mommy is just really busy. She’ll be back soon.” Having eaten almost nothing the night before, her stomach began to rumble. She could only eat another muffin to fill the void. Then she opened a carton of milk I had bought. Mimicking what I used to do, she wanted to heat up some water on the stove to warm the milk. “Mommy said I can’t drink it cold, or my tummy will hurt.” As she spoke, she held a heavy pot filled with water. But her hands were so small, how could she possibly lift it? I was frantic, screaming at her to stop. But I was completely powerless. Standing on a stool, just as she tried to heave the pot onto the stove burner… Her grip slipped. Water splashed everywhere. The heavy metal pot crashed down right onto her tiny foot. Instantly, the top of her foot swelled up. My heart ached as if it were being carved out with a knife. But at the same time, I was so thankful the water hadn’t been boiling yet. Lily began to whimper softly. Quickly, she hugged her foot and blew on it. “Mommy isn’t here. I’ll blow on it myself, and it won’t hurt anymore.” She wiped her tears away. She dragged the stool over. She sat right in front of the living room, staring unblinkingly at the front door. “I won’t cry. When Mommy comes back, she’ll tell me how brave I am.” Lily was so well-behaved. So mature. So mature that it shattered my heart. How I wished she would resent me right now, blame me for being a terrible mother. But she just sat there, waiting so patiently for me to come home. 04 Two hours later. A car pulled up in front of our apartment building. Sarah knocked on the door. Lily was overjoyed, thinking it was me. She ran as fast as she could. But she tripped and took a hard fall. Her little leg was scraped by the sharp edge of the doorframe. But she just frowned, quickly scrambled back up, and opened the door. When she saw it wasn’t me. Her emotions finally broke. She burst into loud, heartbroken sobs. “Mommy… why isn’t Mommy back yet?” “My foot is swollen, and my leg hurts so much. I’ve been so brave!” “But Mommy still isn’t back. Mommy doesn’t care about me anymore.” “Does Mommy not love me anymore?” Lily cried so hard she could barely breathe. Hearing her, my heart shattered into a million pieces. … Sarah hurriedly comforted her. She found the first-aid kit in the bathroom, disinfected Lily’s scrape, and put a Band-Aid on it. After making sure she was okay. Sarah brought in my urn and the belongings cleared from my desk at work. Lily looked confused. But then she spotted a photograph I had kept on my desk. It was from a recent trip to the amusement park. In the photo, I was holding Lily, and we were both laughing brightly. She recognized me. She asked, “Miss, are these my mommy’s things? Where did my mommy go?” Sarah fought back her tears. She pointed at the small urn. “Your mommy… she’s inside here. If you miss her, you can hug it and talk to it.” Lily violently shook her head. “How could my mommy turn into a jar? She’s not a wizard, she can’t just magically shapeshift! You’re lying.” She pulled my photograph tightly into her arms. “This is my mommy.” She pressed a loud kiss to the photo. And smiled sweetly. Sarah let out a heavy sigh and placed my urn high up on a shelf. Then she looked around the empty apartment. She asked, “Where is your daddy? Are you all alone here?” Lily lowered her head. “Mommy said Daddy went far away to make money. I haven’t seen him since I was born.” Sarah looked at her in disbelief. “Do you have any other family? Grandparents? Aunts or uncles?” Lily shook her head. Sarah couldn’t hold back her tears any longer and pulled Lily into a tight hug. “You poor, sweet girl.” “You’re so little… how could your mother bear to leave you all alone in this world?” Lily argued back. “Mommy didn’t leave me! Mommy loves me the most!” Sarah pressed a debit card into Lily’s small hand. “This is the compensation money from your mommy’s company. There’s $30,000 on this card. The PIN is 0000. Keep it safe. Don’t ever lose it.” Lily nodded seriously. She gripped the card tightly in her fist. Because we were so poor, I had taught Lily from a young age that money was important and had to be guarded carefully. Now, she had etched that lesson into her heart. After figuring out the next steps. Sarah made a call to the local child protective services. They were an organization specifically for children with nowhere else to go. My heart swelled with profound gratitude. Floating in the air, I bowed deeply to my coworker. Thank you. If she could get into a safe children’s home, at least my little Lily would survive. 05 When the social workers arrived to pick Lily up. She refused to go. She clung to the doorframe, wailing at the top of her lungs. “You’re kidnappers! Don’t take me! I’m not worth any money!” The social workers didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The lead woman crouched down. She spoke to her gently: “We aren’t kidnappers, sweetie. We’re taking you to a new home.” Lily frowned. She told them very seriously. “This is my home! If you take me away, Mommy won’t be able to find me when she comes back. She’ll be so worried!” I covered my mouth, tears streaming down my face. The social workers exchanged a look, their own eyes growing damp. They gently coaxed her: “Be a good girl, Lily. Your mommy is the one who asked us to take you there. She had to go on a very long trip for work, and she can’t come back just yet. She asked us to take care of you until she does.” “Plus, there are lots of other kids just like you there. You won’t be lonely.” Lily listened carefully. She blinked her big eyes at them. “Really?” “Of course.” Only then did Lily slowly let go of the doorframe. But right before getting into the car. Lily ran back inside the apartment. She grabbed the teddy bear I bought her and the photograph of us. She held them tight against her chest. As the car drove away. It was Lily’s first time traveling so far with strangers. The bravery she had forced herself to show earlier… Shattered. Fear and panic washed over her all at once. She finally broke down sobbing. “Mommy, I promise I’ll be good. I’ll be so good.” “You have to come pick me up soon, okay?” I drifted behind the car, floating, following. Wherever Lily went, I went. But she couldn’t see me. And I couldn’t hold her.

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Years after we parted ways, we crossed paths again. I was holding my son’s hand; he was arm-in-arm with his new girlfriend. When someone mentioned his ex, he scoffed. “I paid for her entire college education. Once she graduated, she dumped me because I was too poor and married someone else.” Someone joked, “I bet your ex is drowning in regret right now.” His eyes flashed, locking onto mine. “Does Mrs. Vance think she regrets it?” I choked down the bitterness in my throat. “No regret…” He let out a cold laugh. “Well, I regret it.” “I regret ever taking that stray cat home.” 1 When I was eighteen, Liam took me in when I had nowhere to go. He worked to put me through college, loving me with everything he had. We agreed to get married right after graduation. But after graduation, I left him, citing his lack of money, and married someone else. Five years later, he appeared at a high-end charity auction, a beautiful girlfriend on his arm, throwing money around without a second thought. “Three million.” “Three point five.” “Four million.” Liam seemed intent on outbidding Arthur Vance. Every time Arthur raised the bid, Liam immediately countered. The entire room of elite guests settled in to watch the show. Unfazed, Liam casually raised his paddle again. “Five million.” A collective gasp echoed through the room. Arthur hesitated for a moment, contemplating another bid. I reached out and gently rested my hand on his arm, stopping him. “It’s fine, Arthur. Let it go.” Arthur tilted his head slightly, whispering, “You don’t want it?” I shook my head. “Five million going once. Five million going twice. Sold!” “The antique gold and kingfisher feather hairpin goes to Mr. Sterling for five million dollars. Congratulations.” The room buzzed with gossip about the CEO of Sterling Enterprises spending a fortune to impress his date. Back when we were together and struggling to get by, he had bought me a simple wooden hairpin. It cost fifty dollars. It felt too expensive. He worked so hard for his money back then. I cried, begging him to return it. He just ruffled my hair, unfazed. “I’ll buy you much more expensive ones in the future. My Scarlett deserves something worth at least five million.” Today, he really did spend five million on a hairpin. It just wasn’t for me anymore. After the auction, Liam was surrounded by people. Some were networking; others were asking for photos with his girlfriend. His girlfriend was famous—Chloe, a rising starlet currently trending everywhere. I was holding little Leo’s hand, walking out beside Arthur, when we collided head-on with Liam. He was wearing a bespoke suit, radiating an intimidating, aristocratic aura. His expression was cold and detached—a look I had never seen on him before. The woman clinging to his arm was smiling brightly, looking absolutely radiant. “Thank you for yielding the floor today, Arthur.” Liam stopped and greeted Arthur, but his eyes were fixed entirely on me. In the past, whenever he looked at me, his eyes were always full of a unique, gentle adoration. Now, his gaze was freezing and completely alien. The moment our eyes met, my heart seized. I gripped Leo’s little hand tighter. “Don’t mention it, Liam. The highest bidder wins, simple as that.” Arthur smiled warmly, offering a polite handshake. “This is my wife, Scarlett, and my son, Leo.” Liam’s eyes flickered. His gaze drifted down to where my hand held Leo’s. He froze for a fraction of a second before a dark, unreadable smirk curved his lips. “You’re a lucky man, Arthur.” Arthur returned a modest smile. “I can’t compare to you. Chloe is even more stunning in person than on screen.” Chloe blushed, offering a happy, contented smile, and tightened her grip on Liam’s arm. Arthur joked lightly, “Spending five million dollars just to make a beautiful woman smile—that’s a story people will be talking about for a while.” The surrounding crowd echoed his sentiments, admiring the picture-perfect couple. But then, the assistant standing next to Liam suddenly let out an inappropriate, mocking laugh. “That’s nothing. You should have seen how our boss treated his ex-girlfriend. He practically ripped his own heart out to give it to her.” I almost didn’t recognize him. It had been years. He used to be a punk kid with dyed red hair who hung around Liam. Now, Chris was wearing a sharp suit, his hair cut into a clean, professional style. His eyes swept over me, carrying blatant, undisguised mockery. “It’s just a shame that some people are completely blind.” The crowd immediately started whispering among themselves. “I didn’t know Mr. Sterling had an ex.” Liam shook his head, his expression indifferent. He let out a light chuckle. “It’s not worth mentioning.” His cold eyes carried a faint, derisive sneer. “I paid her way through four years of college. Once she graduated, she decided I was too poor and married someone else.” Chloe, sensing the tension, playfully chimed in. “Chris, why didn’t you ever tell me about this? A girl who could make Liam act like such a hopeless romantic must be incredibly beautiful, right?” Chris scoffed. His mocking gaze locked onto me, his tone dripping with cruel amusement. “You know what’s funny? Mrs. Vance here actually looks a lot like my former sister-in-law.” He emphasized the word ‘former’ heavily, his expression dripping with absolute contempt. “If she knew how successful Liam is today, do you think her guts are green with regret?” I lowered my eyes, desperately avoiding his stare, but Chris only pressed harder. “I heard Scarlett is Arthur’s second wife. They say being a stepmom is a tough job, but Scarlett seems to be handling it pretty comfortably.” Suddenly, everyone was looking at me. The whispers grew louder, filled with veiled speculation and judgment. The humiliation washed over me like a suffocating wave. I ducked my head as low as I could. Just as my embarrassment peaked, little Leo violently ripped his hand from mine, charged straight at Chris, and bit down hard on his arm. Chris hissed in pain, his face contorting, but he couldn’t exactly hit a child in public. Arthur quickly stepped forward and pulled Leo back. “My apologies. My son can be a bit unruly.” He picked Leo up, his demeanor remaining polite but noticeably colder. “I don’t believe I have any prior grievances with you, Mr. Sterling. What exactly is your assistant trying to achieve by publicly humiliating my wife?” Liam frowned slightly, reaching up to loosen his tie. His gaze shifted back to me. “My apologies. Perhaps Mrs. Vance just looks a little too much like my ex.” He turned to Chris. “Chris, apologize to Mrs. Vance.” Chris shoved his hands into his pockets, barely lifting his eyelids. “My bad, Mrs. Vance. I hope you—don’t take offense.” His voice was lazy and insincere. It wasn’t an apology; it was a taunt. “You know how it is for guys like us who grew up on the streets. We’re just uneducated trash with no manners.” Chris’s words pierced my heart like a needle, leaving a dull, aching pain. Five years ago, when we broke up, I had screamed at Liam: “Liam, you’re nothing but a broke, uneducated thug! You are completely beneath me!” Now, he had transformed into an industry titan. He was highly successful, with a beautiful woman by his side. It felt like a resounding slap across my face. My hands, hidden beneath my sleeves, were clenched so tightly they were trembling. Just as the humiliation became unbearable, Leo ran back over and grabbed my hand. “Mommy, bathroom.” “Okay, Mommy will take you.” I grabbed Leo’s hand and practically fled the scene. 2 I leaned against the tiled wall outside the restrooms, letting out a shaky breath. My entire body was trembling slightly. Liam. Liam… Even now, I couldn’t believe this sudden, unexpected reunion was real. Then, footsteps echoed from the end of the hall. When I looked up, that sharply defined face, backlit by the hallway lights, was stepping closer and closer. It felt like something slammed violently into my chest, making it impossible to breathe. I didn’t dare look at him. My only instinct was to run. I spun around in a panic, trying to leave. “Scarlett.” His deep voice resonated behind me. My trembling fingers twisted tightly together. “What are you running from?” He stepped in front of me, casting a tall shadow over me. He had taken off his suit jacket, leaving only a black dress shirt. The collar was unbuttoned, his tie hanging loosely around his neck. Familiar scent. Unfamiliar eyes. “Liam… it’s… it’s been a long time…” I tried desperately to suppress my panic, but the words stumbled out in a broken, trembling whisper. He stared at me, a violent storm seemingly raging in the depths of his eyes. After a long silence, his Adam’s apple bobbed twice. “Don’t you think you owe me an explanation for what happened?” His thin lips were pressed tightly together, his jaw clenched hard. Meeting his dark, unfathomable gaze sent waves of panic and sour pain crashing through me. I had seen him in so many different states, but this—this familiar yet terrifyingly foreign version of him—felt like an illusion layered over the Liam I remembered. I stayed silent for a long time, only managing to force out two words: “I’m sorry…” He stared at me, suddenly letting out a harsh scoff. “Hah. Five years, and all I get is ‘I’m sorry.’” He suddenly stepped closer. I scrambled backward in panic until my spine hit the cold wall. “Scarlett, I have a lot of money now.” His voice was icy, his expression steeped in profound loneliness. He trapped me in the corner. I could hear his heavy, uneven breathing right next to my ear. I pressed myself tightly against the wall, keeping my head down, too terrified to meet his eyes. “Liam, I… I’m married…” His breathing grew heavier. He suddenly reached out, gripping my chin and tilting my head up, staring intensely into my face. “Do you regret it, Scarlett?” I was forced to look into his eyes. The corners of his eyes were rimmed with red, his gaze burning hot and cold at the same time. I clenched my fists, desperately suppressing the agonizing ache in my chest. “No regret…” He suddenly laughed softly. His hand slid from my chin down to my neck, tightening just enough to restrict my breathing. “Scarlett, you really are… something else…” His bloodshot eyes glared at me, his icy stare piercing my heart like a blade. “But I regret it.” “I regret ever taking that stray cat home.” —— The “stray cat” he was talking about was me. Ten years ago, I was curled up on a hard plastic chair in a hospital hallway, shivering from the freezing cold. He sat down next to me, covered in fresh cuts and bruises. When I caught a glimpse of the tattoos on his arm, I was terrified and secretly scooted a few inches away. He shot me a bold, sideways glance. “Scared of me?” I hugged my knees tightly, not daring to look at him or answer. “I’m a pretty handsome guy, am I really that scary?” I snuck a quick peek at him. His face was bruised and swollen, and a slightly crooked bandage was wrapped around his head. He looked absolutely nothing like ‘handsome.’ I frowned and shook my head. He looked confused. “What does shaking your head mean? Not handsome enough, or not scary?” I didn’t answer. Instead, he stood up and stood directly in front of me, looking me up and down. “Whose kid are you? What are you doing in a hospital all by yourself?” “Did you get into a fight with your parents and run away?” I still didn’t respond. He frowned, looking at me with genuine curiosity. “Are you mute?” He pulled out his phone and started dialing. “Kid, I’ll have the cops take you home in a second.” Seeing him about to call the police, I panicked. I grabbed his shirt and begged, “Please, don’t…” “Oh, so you can talk,” he teased. “Where do you live?” he asked again. “I… I don’t have a home…” I whispered. “Aren’t you afraid of freezing to death sleeping here in the middle of winter?” “None… none of your business…” I was pretty scared of him. He looked exactly like the kind of violent thug you shouldn’t mess with. “Tch, fine. I don’t want to get involved anyway.” He shot me a look and turned to walk away. Just as my racing heart began to settle, he suddenly spun around and marched right back. Without a word, he grabbed my backpack and jerked his chin at me. “You can either go to the police station, or you can come home with me. Pick one.” I was terrified by his sudden aggression and frantically tried to grab my backpack back. But he was tall. He just lifted his arm straight up in the air, and even when I jumped, I couldn’t reach it. “Give… give it back to me…” I was so desperate I was on the verge of tears. “Do I really look that much like a bad guy?” He frowned, looking at me in utter disbelief. I stared at his bruised face, biting my lip hard, too scared to speak. “My good looks are just temporarily sealed away right now. Once these heal, I’ll be handsome again.” He shot me a disdainful look. “Besides, kid, look at yourself. What do you even have? My taste isn’t that bad.” “Either come with me, or I’m taking you to the cops. Pick one.” I was so anxious I didn’t know what to say. Seeing me stay silent, he drawled lazily, “I’m counting to three. If you don’t speak, I’m calling the cops.” “Three, two…” “No, no police station…” In my panic, I grabbed the hem of his jacket. He couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He grabbed my wrist, holding my hand with one hand and carrying my backpack in the other, and walked out the door. At the entrance, a guy with dyed red hair saw Liam holding onto someone and looked absolutely shocked. “Wait, bro… you went to get checked out and came back with a cute girl?” His eyes darted around slyly. He nudged Liam, grinning mischievously. “Where’d you find her? She looks super young. Is this your type?” Liam shot him a lethal glare and snapped impatiently, “Found her.” Years later, curled up in his arms, I asked him why he decided to take me home that day. He said that back then, I was blinking at everything with big, wet, terrified eyes, defensive against the whole world, just like a stray kitten. I looked so pathetic it inexplicably triggered his protective instincts. Later on, he always joked that he had literally picked his future wife up off the street. 3 That night, my heart was in my throat the entire time I followed him upstairs. It was a rundown, ancient apartment complex. The motion-sensor light in the stairwell was incredibly dim, shutting off just a few seconds after it flickered on. When the stairwell plunged into darkness, my foot missed a step. Just as I was about to fall, he quickly grabbed my shoulder to steady me. But my heart was hammering faster and faster. I regretted it. Why was I following a strange man to his apartment? My brain started flashing through every true crime documentary I had ever seen about missing teenage girls. When we reached his door, I stood completely frozen, refusing to go inside. He threw me an annoyed glare. “What, you like squatting in doorways?” He stepped over the threshold, tossed my backpack onto the sofa, and then flopped down right next to it. He grabbed a black puffer jacket, threw it over himself, and closed his eyes. He casually added: “Forgot to tell you, this building is haunted. Weird noises start echoing through the walls around midnight.” Standing in the doorway, I looked back at the pitch-black stairwell and was absolutely terrified. I stood there, paralyzed with fear, not knowing what to do. A draft blew through the hallway, making me shiver violently. The guy in the living room let out a sudden, annoyed huff. “Either go sleep in the bedroom, or shut the front door.” With that, he pulled the puffer jacket completely over his head. The night was far too quiet. So quiet I could only hear the wind and my own heartbeat. I glanced at the guy on the sofa. He seemed to be asleep. It was too cold and I was too exhausted. I tiptoed into the bedroom. Compared to the hard plastic chairs at the hospital, the bed felt like heaven. I fell asleep almost instantly. When I woke up the next morning, he was gone. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed my backpack, and practically sprinted out the door. His apartment was very close to my high school. It wasn’t until I arrived at school and saw the zipper of my backpack open that I realized my English textbook was missing. After frantically retracing my steps and finding nothing, I narrowed the prime suspect down to that sofa from yesterday. But he looked so intimidating. I didn’t dare go back and ask him. We were from completely different worlds anyway. I figured our paths would never cross again. Until a few days later, when someone stood at the back door of my classroom and called my name. I turned around. It was a guy wearing a black puffer jacket, hands shoved deep in his pockets, leaning lazily against the doorframe. He was tall, with sharp, narrow eyes, thin lips, and a lazy, slightly feral aura about him. I thought I misheard. I didn’t know him. I glanced at him once and turned back around. “Hey, Liam! What brings you down here?” a guy from my class asked as he walked by. Liam answered impatiently, “Looking for someone.” “Scarlett, senior class four.” He called out again. The voice sounded familiar, but the face didn’t. “Scarlett! Liam is looking for you!” a guy yelled at the top of his lungs. The entire class turned to look at me. Under the scrutinizing stares of thirty students, I slowly shuffled over to him. “H-hi… did… did you need something?” He let out a cold scoff, dropped a book directly onto the top of my head, and turned to leave. I confusedly pulled the book down. It was my missing English textbook. It was him. It really was him… His battered, swollen face from that night was completely unrecognizable from how he looked now. He truly did have a very handsome face. A group of classmates immediately swarmed me, burning with curiosity. “Hey Scarlett, how do you know Liam Sterling?!” He was Liam Sterling??? Even though I had only recently transferred to this school, I knew that name. He was the secret (and not-so-secret) crush of half the girls in the school. The notorious bad boy from the science track upstairs who fought like he had a death wish. But thinking back on it, he didn’t seem quite as evil as the rumors claimed. 4 That afternoon, my mom unexpectedly showed up to pick me up from school. My mom didn’t like me. In fact, she resented me. She was incredibly beautiful and had spent most of her life relying on men to support her. I had always been her dead weight. Her new husband, Richard, was very wealthy. He looked refined and cultured. And he didn’t seem to hate me. He smiled at me and bought me pretty clothes. I thought my days of wandering aimlessly with her were finally over. But then I noticed my stepdad finding excuses to casually touch me. Until one day, while I was taking a shower, he used a key to unlock the bathroom door. That night, I fled the house in sheer terror. With nowhere to go, I hid in the hospital corridors. That was the night I met Liam. “Mom, is Richard still away on his business trip?” I asked cautiously, testing the waters. “He just got back today. That’s why he asked me to pick you up so we could all have a nice family dinner.” “I’m not going. Let me out of the car.” Sheer terror instantly paralyzed my body. “What are you throwing a tantrum for? Your stepdad had a little too much to drink that night and accidentally opened the wrong door. It’s not a big deal.” My mom glared at me impatiently, pointing a warning finger at me. “Scarlett, I finally managed to land a rich man. Do not ruin this for me. Pissing off Richard won’t do either of us any good.” That night, Richard bought me more expensive clothes, and at the dinner table, he calmly explained away the “misunderstanding.” But I was still terrified. The bed in that massive mansion was incredibly soft, but I didn’t dare fall asleep. At 2 AM, I heard the lock on my bedroom door click open. Richard stood silently behind me, reaching for the hem of my pajamas. He told me to put on the new clothes he bought me so he could see how they looked. I had a total breakdown. I called the police and showed them the hidden camera footage from my bedroom. Yes, I had secretly installed a camera just so my mom would finally believe I wasn’t lying. I handed the footage to the police, but the officers said the video “didn’t prove anything concrete.” My mom stood next to them, laughing nervously, dismissing it as a family squabble caused by a rebellious teenager acting out. Richard was a highly influential local businessman. In the end, the police actually apologized to him before leaving respectfully. My mom slapped me hard across the face. She called me cheap. She accused me of trying to seduce her husband. She said I ruined her life. She told me to get out. She said she no longer had a daughter. I didn’t understand what I had done wrong. If she hated me so much, why did she even give birth to me? With nowhere to go, I aimlessly wandered the dark streets. In a narrow alleyway behind my high school, several stray cats were huddled together inside a battered cardboard box. Someone was crouching down, tearing open a cheap sausage and breaking it into pieces to feed them. The person caught sight of me out of the corner of his eye. When we made eye contact, I was a little surprised. It was Liam. “Liam…” He fed the last piece of sausage to the kittens and gave them a gentle pat on the head. “What?” He stood up and walked over to me. I stayed crouched on the ground, not daring to look up at him. “Hello? Scarlett.” When I didn’t answer, he gently nudged the toe of my sneaker with his shoe. “Can… can I come home with you?” I whispered, slowly lifting my head to look at him. The moment our eyes met, he froze slightly. “What, is my place a designated safehouse now? Or a hotel? The kind you sleep at once and then run away from?” He glared at me, clearly displeased. “Weren’t you fighting tooth and nail not to go the other night?” “I… I don’t think you’re a bad person…” I explained softly. He couldn’t help but let out a cynical laugh. Maybe it was because he was willing to feed cheap sausages to stray cats that I felt like, despite his intimidating exterior, he was actually kind-hearted. “My… my mom doesn’t want me anymore. Can… can you take me in for a little while?” “Hah. Why the hell should I take you in?” he fired back. “I can take care of you! I can cook, wash your clothes, clean your apartment! And… and I don’t eat very much…” I looked up at him with pleading eyes, hoping he would show some mercy. I was terrified to live on the streets alone, and I had almost no money. I genuinely didn’t know how I was going to survive. He gritted his teeth, looking incredibly irritated, before turning around and walking away. Just as my head dropped in bitter disappointment, he stopped, frowned, looked back over his shoulder, and snapped impatiently, “Well? Are you coming or not?” But when he saw the burnt, rock-hard pancakes I tried to make for him, he grabbed one, used it to smash a walnut open, and looked like he seriously regretted his life choices. “Scarlett, this is what you call knowing how to cook?” “Are you trying to murder your… trying to kill me?! This is what you call taking care of me?!” He yelled at me, looking furious. “I… I’ll learn. I promise I’ll learn fast.” I explained in a tiny voice. He let out a heavy huff, turned around, walked into the kitchen, and boiled two bowls of ramen for us. 5 Even though he constantly complained about me, he eventually bought a folding cot and put it in his bedroom. He even hung a curtain between our two beds. For the first time in weeks, I didn’t have to stay awake paralyzed by fear. The sound of his steady breathing coming from the other side of the curtain inexplicably made me feel incredibly safe. I spent most of my time in the bedroom doing practice exams to prep for the SATs. He spent most of his time in the living room, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, playing video games on his computer. There seemed to be a very clear, impenetrable boundary line between us. But as time went on, the tension between us began to ease. He looked mean, and he constantly threatened to kick me out, but he was always the one aggressively cooking enough food for both of us. I reminded him that smoking was bad for his health. He brushed it off with a careless, “When it’s your time, it’s your time.” I pulled out my phone and read webMD articles to him out loud: “Long-term smoking leads to cardiovascular damage, throat cancer, and lung cancer.” He ignored me, blowing smoke rings at the ceiling. “It also leads to low sperm count, sperm abnormalities, and severe infertility…” He cursed loudly under his breath and aggressively crushed his cigarette into the ashtray. One night, right before we went to sleep, a sharp scream echoed from the apartment above us. I was so startled I clutched my blanket tight. I suddenly remembered Liam telling me this building was haunted and that weird noises happened at midnight. Terrified and shaking, I called out, “Liam… are you asleep?” “What do you want?” he answered, his voice thick with sleep. “Did… did you hear that weird noise upstairs? Is this place actually haunted?” I was petrified. “I…” He gritted his teeth, rolled over aggressively, and didn’t answer me. The noises from upstairs continued intermittently. It wasn’t until my face was burning hot that I finally realized what the sound actually was. Blushing furiously, I pulled the blanket over my head, but I couldn’t fall asleep. Once the noises upstairs finally stopped, Liam got out of bed and went to the bathroom. He went back and forth three times. I started getting worried. “Liam, are you sick? Do you need to go to the hospital?” He ground his teeth together. “No.” “You really need to stop smoking. It’s destroying your immune system,” I advised him earnestly. He snapped back fiercely, “Scarlett, if you don’t go to sleep right now, I’m throwing you out the window.” He yelled at me again, but I knew he wouldn’t actually throw me out. That night, for whatever reason, we both suffered from a mutual, unspoken bout of insomnia. Through that thin curtain, we talked for hours. I asked him why he lived alone. He said his parents divorced when he was little, and two years ago, his dad was killed by a drunk truck driver. Now it was just him. He asked me why I was crying that day in the alley, and why I had a handprint on my face. I told him my mom married a new guy, they both hated me, and she threw me out. I didn’t dare tell him about my stepdad. I was young, and I felt like being assaulted was dirty and shameful. He said, “If they don’t want you, I’ll take you. You’re easy to take care of anyway, and you barely eat anything.” I asked him, “Liam, are you going to college?” I knew his grades were terrible. Even if he tried, he’d only get into a community college at best. He said he wasn’t cut out for school. Once he graduated high school, he was going to start working, save up money, and marry a good wife. I stayed quiet for a long time before saying, “Liam, I want to go to a college out of state.” I hated this city. I was terrified I might run into Richard again one day. He stayed silent for a very long time before finally grunting, “Good. Then nobody will be here to annoy me anymore.” I thought that maybe our story would just quietly end after high school graduation. He was like a beam of light that shone on me for a brief moment, but I couldn’t hold onto him. I was just a stray cat, destined to wander the world alone. 6 But stories rarely go the way you expect. I never predicted the ending, and I certainly never imagined that one day, he would be pinning me against a wall with bloodshot eyes, demanding to know if I regretted leaving him. I choked back my agony and told him no, but he told me he regretted it. He stared at me like he wanted to rip me apart and devour me whole. Until little Leo started furiously kicking and punching his legs, screaming, “Bad man! Let go of my mommy!” His grip loosened immediately. He stared at me, completely stunned, and whispered, “Scarlett. This isn’t over.” I didn’t have time to overthink what his “not over” meant until three days later, when a massive shipment of Arthur’s company goods was unexpectedly detained at the port. Customs flagged the entire shipment for “suspected smuggling” and ordered a full-scale inspection. Arthur was bleeding thousands of dollars a day in penalty fees, the delivery deadline was looming, and the port authority refused to release the cargo. I went to Liam’s corporate headquarters. It was the tallest skyscraper in the city. The massive letters “Sterling Enterprises” gleamed blindingly in the sun. His secretary told me politely but firmly that Mr. Sterling was busy and had no time for visitors. “That’s fine. I’ll wait until he isn’t busy.” I waited in the reception lobby for five agonizing hours. Eventually, his girlfriend Chloe walked straight into his office, and a few minutes later, walked out with her arm linked happily through his. I swallowed my humiliation, lowered my pride, and approached him. “Mr. Sterling. Do you have a moment now?” He slowly, casually checked his luxury watch and let out a mocking laugh. “It’s only been five hours. Have you ever tried waiting for someone for five years, Scarlett?” I forced down my crushing embarrassment, my tone incredibly submissive. “Mr. Sterling, what happened back then was entirely my fault. Arthur had nothing to do with it. Please, let his company’s shipment go.” He shook his head, a cruel, mocking smile spreading across his face. “Nothing to do with it? You are Mrs. Vance. He is your husband. You think he has nothing to do with it?” “Liam, what do you want? I’ll do whatever it takes,” I asked, fighting to keep my composure. He looked at me, a dark, unreadable smirk playing on his lips. “What if I want you to divorce him?” His eyes burned into me, as if trying to see straight through to my soul. When I stood there frozen in silence, he let out a harsh scoff and turned to walk away. “Mr. Sterling.” I panicked and stepped in front of him to block his path. “I can divorce him…” Arthur and I had never actually had a real marriage anyway. He had helped me survive the darkest period of my life. I refused to let my past destroy his company. His eyes flickered. He looked at me, his gaze swirling with emotions I couldn’t decipher. “Do you still remember 52 King’s Hill Road, Scarlett? Be there tonight. Wait for me.” 52 King’s Hill Road. That was the address of the apartment he bought to be our future home. Walking down that familiar street again made my chest ache with a suffocating pain. The passcode to the smart lock was still my birthday. I pushed the door open. The tiny 900-square-foot apartment, which had just been bare concrete and exposed wires five years ago, had been transformed into a warm, beautiful home. Standing in the center of the room, every conversation we had in this exact spot played through my head like a movie. “Liam, I love minimalist Scandinavian design.” “Let’s fill the balcony with potted flowers.” “I want a massive bookshelf right here.” “Let’s make this a photo wall.” “How about a rocking chair over here?” He had held me in his arms, agreeing to every single thing, promising to buy me an even bigger house in the future. Now, standing in this apartment, the home I had dreamed of was completely real. The bookshelf, the fresh flowers, the rocking chair, the beautiful renovations. On the photo wall behind the sofa hung picture after picture of us together, from age 18 to 22. Running my fingers over the photos, my control shattered. I broke down and sobbed uncontrollably. The memories of those years crashed over me like a tidal wave.

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My husband’s secretary was trapped in a locked car for half an hour. In a fit of blind rage, he locked me inside the storage room. I knelt on the floor, desperately gripping the hem of his shirt, confessing to a crime I didn’t commit. But he impatiently pried my fingers away and stomped hard on my hand. His eyes held not a single shred of warmth. “Who do you think you are, daring to hurt Chloe?” Suffering from severe claustrophobia, I curled up in the pitch-black, cramped space, gasping violently for air. My palms were torn and bloody from clawing at the door, yet it did nothing to fend off the suffocating, impending grip of death. A week later, he finally remembered me after returning from an overseas vacation with his secretary. But little did he know, I had long died in a pool of terror and hatred. Chapter 1 1 When Ethan Carter walked into the villa with his arm wrapped tightly around Chloe Davis’s waist, the maids had already decorated the house perfectly. Rose petals scattered across the floor, a dazzling diamond necklace resting on the dining table, and beside it, a three-tier cake featuring a custom cartoon caricature of a girl. Everything screamed of just how much Ethan valued Chloe. Leaning against Ethan’s chest, Chloe saw the surprise. She covered her mouth in shock, her eyes shimmering with tears as she looked up at him. “Ethan, you treat me so well!” Ethan affectionately tapped the tip of her nose, his tone incredibly gentle. “I have one more gift for you.” He turned to his personal assistant and ordered coldly: “Go upstairs and tell Mia to come down. I’m going to make that vicious bitch kneel and apologize to Chloe in front of everyone.” I watched the man I had loved for ten years with cold, dead eyes. My heart was utterly numb. “Ethan, please don’t blame Mia. I believe she didn’t mean to hurt me on purpose. We are half-sisters, after all. If you punish her, it’ll break my heart.” Chloe’s voice took on a tearful edge, but with my omniscient view, I caught the fleeting gleam of pure malice in her eyes. Yes, I was already dead. A week ago, an infuriated Ethan decided to “teach me a lesson” by locking me inside a storage room that was barely ten square feet. I had desperately clawed at the doorframe, admitting to every fabricated sin he accused me of, just begging him not to lock me in that dark, suffocating box. But all he left me was his back and a vicious promise: “I will make you suffer a hundred times over for the pain you caused Chloe. This is what you owe her!” He seemed to have completely forgotten that I suffered from severe claustrophobia. While he held Chloe’s hand and flew to Iceland to watch the Northern Lights, I was curled into a tight ball, suffocating. I had pinched and clawed at my own arms and thighs until they were a bloody mess, desperately trying to anchor my fading consciousness. But in the end, it wasn’t enough. In my final moment, my soul violently tore itself away from that terrifying room. Hearing Chloe plead for me, Ethan’s heart melted. He reached out and gently cupped her cheek. “You’re just too kind for your own good. That’s why she keeps bullying you. I won’t let her hurt you ever again!” I couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. So, in his eyes, I had always been this evil, venomous woman. Everything I had ever sacrificed for him had become nothing more than a colossal joke. Just then, his assistant came running down the stairs in an absolute panic. 2 “Mr. Carter, there’s no response from the storage room. Mrs. Carter… she doesn’t seem to be breathing.” A flicker of panic flashed across Ethan’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a knowing, cynical smirk. “Liam, has Mia bought you out too?” “I let it slide when you helped her trap Chloe in the car, but now you’re helping her fake her own death?” “It seems you’ve forgotten who signs your paychecks. Pack your things. You’re fired.” Before Liam could even utter a word of defense, Ethan took Chloe’s hand and led her up to the master bedroom. Liam stood frozen in the foyer. He opened his mouth, but ultimately, no words came out. I genuinely couldn’t fathom how Ethan had morphed into this monster. We used to be so deeply in love. I had known Ethan for ten years. I stayed by his side when he built his startup from the ground up, all the way until he became a rising corporate magnate. But it wasn’t until I died that I finally understood: the scale in Ethan’s heart had tipped the very second Chloe walked into his life. Chloe Davis was Ethan’s personal secretary. She was also my half-sister. A week ago, Ethan took Chloe and Liam on a business trip to visit a supplier. That same day, my mother—who was in the final stages of terminal cancer—had a rare moment of clarity. She held my hand, softly asking about my marriage with Ethan. But the very next second, the numbers on her monitor plummeted. Staring at the closed doors of the resuscitation room, I helplessly dialed Ethan’s number. He rushed over and sat silently beside me in the waiting area. That is, until his phone rang. It was Chloe, and his face instantly drained of color. Over the phone, Chloe weakly sobbed about how scared she was, even having the nerve to tell Ethan to “take good care of your legal wife.” Panic consumed Ethan. Ignoring my tearful pleas, he didn’t even grab his coat before sprinting out of the hospital to save her. What he didn’t know was that just ten minutes after he walked away, my mother left this world forever. The pathetic part was that even then, I still hadn’t grasped how much Chloe meant to him. Not until he shoved me into that storage room with a deadpan expression, crouched down, pinched my jaw hard, and said with ice in his voice: “Mia, I used to think you were just a bit jealous, but I never realized you were this venomous. Chloe is your own sister, and you actually tried to kill her.” “If it weren’t for you and your short-lived mother, I wouldn’t have left Chloe’s side when she was in danger!” “Stay in here and reflect on what you’ve done. You can come out when you finally figure out exactly what you did wrong.” My fingers were crushed beneath his expensive shoes, and my heart was left numb with agony. And now, he was still waiting for me to lower my head and obediently apologize. Too bad for him, this was one expectation I would never meet. Ethan stood outside the storage room door, his face radiating icy disdain. “Mia, it’s time to drop this little temper tantrum of yours. You know my patience is limited.” “Crawl out here right now and give Chloe a proper apology, and I might just consider forgiving you.” He was met with dead silence. Growing impatient, Ethan pounded heavily on the storage room door, his voice turning malicious. “Fine. If you don’t want to come out, then rot in there.” Watching his retreating figure, a profound sorrow welled up inside me. I had no choice but to admit that the man I once loved so fiercely had rotten away from the inside out a long time ago. Chapter 2 3 For the next few days, Ethan stayed by Chloe’s side. He didn’t come home once. I watched him diligently care for another woman—taking her out to dinner, watching movies with her, doing every romantic thing couples do. All I could do was laugh at my own pathetic life. Today was my father’s birthday. Bright and early, Ethan showed up at the Davis residence with bags of expensive gifts, Chloe right by his side. My father, who was watering the plants in the front yard, beamed with joy as he ushered them inside. Chloe skipped over and intimately hooked her arm through my father’s, acting spoiled and sweet. Ethan just watched her with a fond smile, carrying the gifts behind them. It was so natural. It looked like the three of them were the real family. At the dinner table, Chloe’s sweet-talking had my father laughing non-stop. Ethan routinely picked up Chloe’s favorite dishes and placed them in her bowl. From beginning to end, not a single person mentioned me. It was Ethan’s ringing phone that shattered the domestic bliss. He answered it, and the voice on the other end made his expression freeze. “Hello, Mr. Carter. I am a doctor at City General Hospital. We received a female corpse today. Based on DNA matching, we have confirmed that the deceased is your wife, Mrs. Mia Carter.” “Would it be convenient for you to come to the hospital now to process the paperwork?” Ethan furrowed his brow, listening to the caller. Then he scoffed, his tone dripping with mockery. “Oh? Let me guess, Mia hired you to put on this little show? Do me a favor and tell her that playing dead won’t earn my forgiveness.” “Also, tell her this trick is incredibly boring.” Without waiting for a response, Ethan hung up the phone. Seeing him put the phone down, Chloe asked with a face full of concern: “Ethan, did something happen to my sister?” Ethan reached out, affectionately patted the top of her head, and shook his head. But for the rest of the dinner, he was completely distracted. He even accidentally served Chloe celery several times, knowing it was the vegetable she hated most. Even my father noticed something was off, so he didn’t insist Ethan stay late. To my surprise, after Ethan drove Chloe home that night, he didn’t stay over at her place like he usually did. Instead, he drove straight to City General Hospital. I followed him to the chilly hallway outside the morgue. His hand rested on the door handle, but he hesitated to press it down. I saw his lips moving. It wasn’t until I drifted closer that I heard what he was whispering. “Mia, if I find out you’re playing another prank on me, I’m going to flay you alive!” Hah! Even now, he was still threatening a dead woman. If I had a physical body, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from slapping him across the face. As if he finally braced himself, Ethan pushed the door open and walked into the morgue. The medical examiner on the night shift was dozing off at his desk. Seeing Ethan’s dark figure, he jumped up in alarm. “Who are you?!” Acting as if he heard nothing, Ethan walked slowly toward a steel gurney a few feet away, where a body lay covered by a white sheet. “Mia, get the hell up! Stop pretending!” Ethan stood before the corpse, his fists clenched tight, shouting as if he were trying to suppress a massive surge of anger. But it was a corpse. How could a corpse answer him? Suddenly, Ethan lost his mind. He grabbed my lifeless body through the sheet and began shaking it violently. Somehow, even floating in the air, I felt a phantom wave of severe dizziness. The doctor finally snapped out of his shock, rushed over, and tackled Ethan in a bear hug to stop his manic shaking. “Mr. Carter, please calm down!” Ethan shoved the doctor away roughly, screaming: “This can’t be Mia! You’re all liars! You’re all lying to me!” Honestly, it had been a very, very long time since I had seen Ethan lose control like this. Yet, at this moment, I only felt an overwhelming urge to laugh. The doctor shook his head at Ethan’s hysterics. He walked back to his desk, picked up a piece of paper, and handed it to Ethan. Chapter 3 4 I floated closer and saw that it was my official death certificate. “Mr. Carter, it was your housemaid who noticed a foul odor coming from the storage room. That’s how your wife’s body was found.” “My condolences.” The doctor patted Ethan’s shoulder and quietly left the room, giving him space. Ethan was left entirely alone. He crouched on the floor, his head bowed, staring blankly at the death certificate in his hands. “How is this possible? Mia, how could you be dead?” “You’re lying to me, aren’t you?” “Yes, that has to be it! I’m going to expose your lie right now!” When Ethan tried to stand, he stumbled, staggering awkwardly toward the covered corpse. “Mia, I’m giving you one last chance. Get up right now, and we can pretend none of this ever happened.” The room was dead silent. Ethan pinched the corner of the white sheet but couldn’t bring himself to lift it. I saw his fingers trembling uncontrollably. A sudden, wicked urge flared within me—I wanted to scare him. I wanted him to taste true terror and despair. Summoning all the spectral energy I had, I blew a gust of cold air directly at the sheet. It slipped off the body and drifted to the floor. My corpse was entirely exposed to his eyes. Due to suffocation, my face was a bruised, mottled purple. It was so grotesque that even I found it horrifying to look at. My eyes, which had never closed even in death, bulged out grotesquely. Under the eerie fluorescent lights of the morgue, it was a nightmarish sight. “Ahhhhh!” Ethan screamed, stumbling backward until he fell hard onto his rear. He kept scrambling backward, shouting: “Stay away from me! Don’t come closer! I was wrong!” Seeing his pathetic, comedic reaction, the heavy knot of resentment in my chest finally loosened just a bit. Ethan sat paralyzed on the floor for a long time before he finally caught his breath. When he stood up, his legs were still shaking violently. He slowly inched his way back to the corpse. Staring down at the lifeless, horrifying shell that used to be his wife, his eyes turned bloodshot. “How is this possible?” “Nothing happened between me and Chloe! Please, don’t be mad at me anymore, okay? Just come back!” A massive tear fell from his eye. Then a second, and a third. I truly didn’t understand this man anymore. When I was alive, he ruthlessly trampled all over my devoted heart. Now that I was dead, he was putting on this grand, tragic performance. Who was he acting for? 5 I had known Ethan for ten years, and I had loved him for ten years. When we first met, he was the untouchable, brilliant golden boy of our university, while I was quiet and gloomy due to my broken family. I never expected our paths to cross, but I couldn’t stop myself from watching his every move from afar. I was like a rat hiding in the dark, desperate for the light but too terrified to touch it, only able to admire it from a distance. In our senior year, I heard he was starting his own tech company. Without hesitation, I threw away a lucrative offer from a Fortune 500 company to join his scrappy startup. In the early days, it was just the two of us. I lived with him in a damp, moldy basement apartment. I ate stale leftovers and even ended up in the hospital with food poisoning just to save a few bucks. Even the claustrophobia that eventually killed me was entirely because of Ethan. Back then, we were desperately searching for a decent office space on a shoestring budget. We toured building after building. The accident happened on one of those tours. We found a newly built high-rise in the suburbs. Little did we know, the developers had cut corners and installed an elevator that didn’t meet safety standards. That day, Ethan and I were trapped in that pitch-black elevator for five excruciating hours. I genuinely thought I was going to die in there. Ever since that day, I suffered from paralyzing claustrophobia. But I never imagined that the man who survived that brush with death alongside me would eventually use an almost identical method to push me into my grave. Chapter 4 When the company finally stabilized, we threw a celebration party for landing our first million-dollar contract. That night, I confessed my feelings to him. I will always remember how we held each other tightly under the cheering of our colleagues. At that moment, I truly believed we were going to be together forever. The turning point came in our second year of dating. We were preparing for our wedding, but my parents suddenly announced their divorce. My normally elegant, composed mother went absolutely hysterical. That was when I learned my father had been cheating on her for years, and he had an illegitimate daughter born two months before me. That daughter was Chloe Davis. How hilarious was it? Just a few months prior, my father had pressured me into making Ethan bend the hiring rules to give Chloe a job at our company. The night before the wedding, my mother sat next to me, holding my hand. She told me all men were garbage and asked if I was really sure about this. At that time, I was naive but firmly convinced that Ethan would be the exception. Looking back now, my innocence was laughable. After leaving the hospital, Ethan drove back to our house. Seeing him enter, the maids rushed forward to greet him, but he just waved them off, his face deathly pale. He walked straight up to the storage room in the attic. Even though the maids had thoroughly cleaned it, a faint, foul odor of death still lingered. Returning to this terrifying place made my ghostly stomach churn. The despair and suffocation I felt right before I died crashed over me like a tidal wave. But Ethan acted as if he didn’t smell a thing. He walked right in. He suddenly pulled his arm back and punched the wall with everything he had, muttering like a madman: “Fine! You dare run away from me, Mia? Faking your death to trick me? When I catch you, you’re dead meat.” I didn’t even know how to react anymore. My literal corpse had been laid out right in front of his eyes, and he was still lying to himself. It was beyond pathetic. 6 Ethan locked himself in the master bedroom for two whole days, drinking bottle after bottle of whiskey. It wasn’t until the third day that a heavily dressed-up Chloe came to the house with a new assistant to pick him up. Today was the company’s annual gala. It sounds absurd, but as the CEO’s wife, I had never once attended an annual gala. After we got married, Ethan told me that a house needed someone to manage it, and he couldn’t bear to see me exhausted from the corporate grind. Like a fool, I believed him. I left the company and became a full-time housewife. Fast forward to today, and aside from a few founding members, almost no one at the company even knew Ethan was married. At the gala, Chloe hooked her arm through Ethan’s, flashing a radiant smile and never leaving his side. As the banquet neared its end, Ethan went on stage to give the CEO’s address. Towards the end, his tone shifted: “Tonight, I want to thank a very special someone. She has walked this long road with me, staying quietly by my side.” “Without her, I wouldn’t be who I am today, and this company wouldn’t exist.” … Before Ethan could finish, a commotion broke out near the front tables. Chloe had somehow collapsed onto the floor. The man who was just giving a speech instantly dropped his champagne glass, bolted off the stage, pushed through the crowd, and helped her up. Ethan’s face was fraught with tension. “Chloe, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” Chloe looked up, her eyes wide and tearful as she stared at his face. “I think I sprained my ankle. I’m so sorry, Mr. Carter, I interrupted your speech.” Without another word, Ethan scooped her up into his arms in a bridal carry. Chloe buried her flushed face into his chest, looking like a shy, delicate flower. Hah. Chloe was just using her old tricks to prove she held more weight in his heart than I did. Back when my parents first divorced, I only hated Chloe’s mother for destroying our perfect family. I had genuinely thought Chloe was innocent. I even entertained the delusion of being friends with her. But what did she do? At my father’s 60th birthday banquet, she pulled me aside near the staircase. Dropping the innocent facade she wore in front of the elders, she glared at me with pure venom. “I want you to watch very closely as I take everything that belongs to you. Not just our dad. Your man, too.” Then, she intentionally threw herself backward, tumbling down the stairs. I stood at the top, frozen in shock. By the time I snapped out of it, I was met with my father’s explosive fury: “How did I raise such a vicious daughter?! You’re exactly like your psychotic mother!” I stared numbly as the father I had always respected held Chloe with agonizing tenderness, while Ethan stood behind them, looking up at me with a complicated, dark expression. I tried to explain, but absolutely no one believed me. Although Ethan never said it out loud, I knew deep down he believed I was the one who pushed her. And from that day onward, Ethan and Chloe grew closer and closer. Chapter 5 Whenever Ethan went on business trips, he always remembered to bring her a gift. He reasoned, “She’s your sister and my subordinate. It’s only polite.” Whenever Chloe felt the slightest bit sick, Ethan was the first person she called. He would rush out in the dead of night to take her to the ER. To him, my complaints were just signs of a jealous, unsympathetic shrew. I watched Chloe slowly infiltrate my life and Ethan’s life, and I couldn’t do a thing to stop it. Because Ethan looked me dead in the eye and said, “I despise jealous women.” Just like tonight. Chloe clearly realized the “special someone” in his speech wasn’t her, so she deliberately bumped into a waiter and faked a sprained ankle. But I no longer had the right—or the desire—to intervene. 7 The gala ended abruptly due to Chloe’s “injury” and Ethan’s hasty exit. He carried her straight to his car and drove to the hospital. I couldn’t help but remember last winter. A nasty flu was going around, and I caught it. I laid in bed all day, burning up with a high fever, drifting in and out of consciousness. That night, unable to endure the pain, I called Ethan and begged him to come home and take me to the clinic. And what was his response? He said he was incredibly busy and told me not to bother him with such trivial things. He added that even if he rushed home, he wasn’t a doctor, so it wouldn’t make a difference anyway. You see, when it came to me, he was always so rational, so detached. But now, over Chloe’s minor ankle sprain, he dropped his entire company of employees just to rush her to the doctor. Strangely, though, when they arrived at the examination room, Ethan didn’t follow her inside. Chloe grabbed his sleeve, looking up with a confused, cautious expression. “Ethan, aren’t you coming in with me? Did I… did I make you mad?” Her voice grew quieter and quieter until she lowered her head, playing the role of the fragile victim perfectly. I had to admit, her acting was getting professional. It was a pitiable sight. But oddly enough, this time, Ethan wasn’t swayed by her routine. He stared blankly at the top of her head before finally speaking. “Be a good girl. I’ll have Liam’s replacement go in with you. I’m going to grab a smoke. I’ll be right back.” With that, he turned sharply and walked away. I followed him, only to find ourselves back in a very familiar place: the morgue. The night-shift doctor was the same as before. Seeing Ethan, he didn’t try to stop him. He just patted Ethan’s shoulder in sympathy and stepped outside. My corpse was still in the exact same spot. Ethan walked straight over to it, pulled back the white sheet, and stared with bloodshot eyes. “Mia, you’re just punishing me, right?” “Well, I’m telling you, it worked. You won. So please, just get up now.” He sat on the cold floor, his back leaning against the steel table, staring hollowly at the opposite wall. “Are you mad because I got too close to Chloe? As long as you come back, I’ll fire her immediately. I swear I’ll stay far away from her.” “I refuse to believe you’re dead. You loved me so much. How could you bear to leave me?” Ethan’s voice was hoarse, as if the words were being forcefully squeezed from his throat. By the end, he was choking back sobs. In the past, whenever he did something to upset me, all he had to do was lower his head and act slightly apologetic, and I would throw away all my boundaries and forgive him unconditionally. But that was in the past. Now, watching him play the victim and beg, I only felt nauseated. “That’s right. How could you bear to leave me? There has to be more to this. I’m going to find out the truth!” Ethan wiped away his tears, completely discarding his melancholic breakdown, and suddenly looked intensely driven. Seriously, I really wanted to ask him where he got the sheer audacity to assume I still harbored any lingering affection for him. He sprang up from the floor and marched out of the hospital with wide strides. He completely forgot about Chloe, who was still waiting for him in the examination room.

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My father loved my mother to the point of obsession, but she died because of me. Later, he adopted another daughter. The adopted daughter looked exactly like my mother. On our sixteenth birthday… He treated his adopted daughter like a beloved princess, while his guests mistook me for the maid’s daughter. Right then, my phone rang. “Happy birthday, baby! It’s been so long, Mommy missed you so much!” Me: ! My mother had returned. 1 When Chloe’s guests ordered me to wash her car, my father, Arthur Davis, happened to return from an outing. His assistant, trailing behind him, presented a priceless crystal castle to Chloe. Immediately, Chloe’s classmates gasped in awe. Their envy was palpable. Then, I heard Arthur’s voice, filled with indulgence and affection: “A castle for my princess. Happy birthday, my one and only little princess.” His only princess. I rolled those words around in my mind, a bitter taste spreading through my chest. Today wasn’t just Chloe’s birthday. It was mine, too. But, just like every other year, I received nothing. Because in Arthur’s eyes, I was a sinner. I didn’t deserve a birthday. Because I killed my mother. 2 Ten years ago today, my mother was in a fatal car accident while going out to buy the strawberry cake I was crying for. She left us forever. From that day on, Arthur hated me with every fiber of his being. At her funeral, he announced to everyone, “Harper Davis is no longer my daughter.” I crouched on the ground, blinking my red, swollen eyes at him, completely lost and confused. I was too young then to understand his cruelty. Only as I grew older did I realize how absolute that rejection was. Later. His company went public, and his net worth skyrocketed. After becoming a wealthy CEO, he adopted Chloe. From then on… He only loved Chloe. Chloe lived in the master suite of our mansion; I lived in the maid’s quarters. Chloe was chauffeured to school; I took the public bus. Chloe’s closet overflowed with new designer clothes; I wore whatever she discarded. Chloe lived like royalty. I lived like a live-in servant. It was true, though. I was a servant with no parents. 3 But I wanted to be a princess, too. I remembered Arthur promising me that when I was little. Back then, my mother was still alive. Arthur’s company was just starting out, and our family of three was crammed into a tiny, two-bedroom apartment. To support him, my mother secretly transferred the holiday money my grandfather gave me into Arthur’s account. “Harper and I don’t need much. Don’t worry,” she would always coax him. I loved to parrot her words. “Daddy, don’t worry! Harper will give you all her allowance…” Before I could even finish, Arthur broke down. He pulled us close, pressing his face between ours. Soon, scalding drops fell onto my chubby cheeks. They tickled. Looking back, those must have been his tears. Before I turned ten, he would constantly tell me: “When Daddy becomes successful and makes lots of money, my Harper will be a princess. How does that sound?” … See? He promised. But he broke his promise. As I was lost in thought… A snobbish, polite voice interrupted me: “Excuse me, maid girl? Why aren’t you washing the car? Do you think just because I’m Chloe’s classmate, you can ignore me?” Chloe went to an elite private school. Her classmates were all rich kids, naturally acting high and mighty. But. I wasn’t a maid. I glared at her, about to snap back. But the next second… Arthur’s cold voice cut through the air, directed at me. “Why aren’t you going?” Why aren’t you going? Hearing those words felt like taking a sledgehammer to the chest. How could I forget? In Arthur’s eyes, I was just a maid. “Right away.” 4 Arthur had made it clear: if I ever displeased him, he would cut off my tuition and living expenses. But. I had promised my mother I would get into the best university. I couldn’t break my promise to her. So. As long as Arthur kept paying my tuition, I would endure anything. I bit my lip gently and turned around. Then. A soft voice called out from behind me: “Daddy, why don’t we let Harper blow out the candles with me? It’s her birthday today, too. She was actually really looking forward to it. Yesterday, she even snuck into my closet and tried on my evening gown…” I frowned. I turned around to say I hadn’t done any such thing. But a wave of disgusted murmurs erupted: “Oh my god, a maid actually dared to wear her employer’s dress?” “Chloe, did you get that dress dry-cleaned?” “Unbelievable.” “So she’s a thief, too.” 5 Hearing those whispers, I almost charged over and shoved Chloe’s face into the cake. I wanted her dead. I admit it. Last night. When she was showing off her new dress, I was envious. But that was it. Just envious. I never stole anything… I am not a thief. My eyes turned red with fury, but I didn’t dare move an inch. Because. Arthur seemed to anticipate my reaction and stepped protectively in front of Chloe. He glared at me, his face dark with fury. Disgust. Hatred. Coldness. “How could she give birth to a daughter like you? Apologize. Or you’re expelled tomorrow.” Threatening me again. Hah. “How could she marry a husband like you?” I shot back. The moment the words left my mouth. Arthur’s face turned completely black. I had never seen him look so terrifying. 6 Slap— A resounding slap echoed through the living room. Arthur had ignored me for a decade, but this was the first time he ever struck me. Within seconds. My right cheek swelled up painfully. I was furious and heartbroken. But. What could I do? I was only sixteen. I only had this father in name. A father who… Ignored me. Hated me. Threatened me. Hit me. It was true. He didn’t love me. Not even a little bit. Meanwhile. Chloe, acting as if she had accidentally caused a scene with her “good intentions,” rushed over to play peacemaker. “Daddy, it’s normal for girls to like pretty dresses! I didn’t mean to get her in trouble.” Then what did she mean? Whatever. I had already been hit. Nothing else mattered now. So. Slap. Slap. Slap. I slapped Chloe three times in rapid succession. “That’s the price for framing me.” 7 After I hit her, Chloe crumbled like a fragile flower. “Harper Davis!” Seeing Chloe looking so disheveled, Arthur’s face filled with distress. He helped her up himself. He comforted her softly: “Does it hurt? Daddy will call the doctor right now.” Chloe covered her face, tears streaming down her cheeks. “It’s okay, Daddy. Don’t blame Harper. Please… don’t hit her again.” Once she said that. Her classmates snapped out of their shock and began condemning her for being too “kind.” They all urged Arthur to throw me out. Hah. Throw me out. It was ironic, and pathetic. I looked up, making eye contact with Arthur for the first time in years, and saw the absolute coldness in his eyes. His voice was devoid of any emotion. “Harper. I am sending you to an orphanage. Starting today, you will never set foot in this house again.” An orphanage. I was perfectly fine with that. I was already an orphan anyway. Plus. I could still go to school if I lived there. It was miles better than staying near Arthur. …A few moments later. Arthur’s assistant escorted me out. I turned and walked away, head held high. I felt no attachment whatsoever. However. I hadn’t taken two steps when the phone in my pocket suddenly rang. I didn’t want to answer it at first. But the vibration pulsed steadily, like someone knocking on the door to my heart. Finally, I pulled it out. I glanced at the caller ID. Instantly. I froze. I couldn’t believe it. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again. “Mom…” “It’s Mom!” I stopped dead in my tracks. The assistant beside me rushed me, “Hurry up, Mr. Davis doesn’t want to see you…” I ignored him. With trembling fingers, I answered the call. Even though I knew it was impossible. My mother was dead. It had been ten years. This number had never been active. Was it a cruel prank? But even so. My mother was dead. I answered, but didn’t dare speak. I just stood there, mouth agape, frozen. Then, a voice came through the speaker. A painfully familiar voice— “Baby! Happy birthday! It’s been so long! Mommy missed you so much!” Her voice, amplified by the phone’s speaker, echoed throughout Arthur’s living room. 8 My mother’s voice was exactly as I remembered it. It hadn’t changed at all. Like a warm cup of water. Comforting and soft. “Mom…” I burst into tears. Is it really you? Mom? Are you calling me from heaven? I gripped the phone tightly, my fingers trembling. In that moment, it was the most precious thing in the world to me. But the next second. My hand was empty. Arthur had snatched the phone away. “Give it back!” I ground my teeth in fury. Did I not even have the right to talk to my dead mother? She called me. Not him! I reached up to grab it, but Arthur was too tall. He shot me a cold look and ordered the assistant to pull me away. As our eyes met, I saw that his were red. Yet, when he spoke, his voice was perfectly calm. “Who is this? Why are you impersonating my late wife?” Me: … Was he deaf? Could he not recognize her voice? Every instinct told me that this was my mother. Sure enough, a moment later. The voice snapped through the phone: “I am Eleanor Vance, your wife! Arthur Davis, didn’t you used to say you’d recognize me even if I turned into the wind?! What is this? You can’t even recognize my voice now? Have you forgotten me?! Fine, give my daughter back, we’re getting a divorce!” It had been a very long time since anyone dared to speak to Arthur like that. His assistant trembled, terrified he was going to explode. Instead, Arthur’s face visibly softened. When he spoke, he sounded like he was choking back sobs. “Eleanor. Is it really you? Where are you? I’m coming to get you right now.” He looked overjoyed. A middle-aged man acting like an ecstatic boy. “And don’t you dare say the word divorce! I will never divorce you!” Eleanor sighed in exasperation. “Make sure you bring our daughter. Our Harper must be so beautiful now.” 9 Hearing that I was going to see my mother. I was delirious with joy. I wanted to sprint out the door right then and there. But as I turned. A hand yanked me back. I looked over my shoulder. It was Arthur. He stared at my face for a moment. “Let’s go together.” I paused, touching my right cheek. It was still swollen. My mother just said I must be so beautiful now. She was going to be disappointed. I wasn’t beautiful at all right now. Arthur seemed to realize this too. He ordered a maid to take me upstairs to shower and change. I refused. “No need.” Even if I wasn’t pretty right now. I didn’t want to lie to my mother. And I especially didn’t want to lie to her with Arthur. I wanted her to know that my life had been miserable these past few years. I wanted her to know that Arthur had slapped me. Arthur was silent for a few seconds, but didn’t force the issue. Before leaving, he glanced back at Chloe’s guests and frowned. He ordered his staff to see them out. Instantly, Chloe’s face turned a sickly shade of green. She walked over, looking pitiful, staring up at Arthur with wide, starry eyes. “Daddy, are you leaving? My mom is coming over soon. She said you have a weak stomach, so she made you a special dinner.” Hearing that, I almost rolled my eyes. A special dinner. The mere sight of that mother-daughter duo was enough to make anyone sick. Chloe’s mother had been in a coma from a car crash, which was why Arthur adopted Chloe. A few years later, her mother woke up. Instead of taking her daughter back, she constantly used “visiting Chloe” as an excuse to cozy up to Arthur. Arthur just gave a noncommittal “Hmm,” grabbed the car keys from his assistant, and looked at me. “Let’s go.”

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Chapter 1 It started as a simple dinner party game, but it was the moment I decided to divorce Ethan Sterling. During a round of “Two Truths and a Lie,” he absentmindedly blurted out how much he loved resting his head against a pregnant belly to hear the baby kick. The entire room went dead silent. Every single pair of eyes shifted to me. There was no shock in their gazes. Only pity, and the sheer panic of a dark secret being dragged into the light. I realized, right then, that they all knew. Ethan had gotten another woman pregnant. And every single one of our friends had helped him hide it from me. They did it because they knew I was Ethan’s entire world. If I found out, I would leave him. And if I left him, he would lose his mind. So, to speed up his descent into madness, I did three things. First, I took the silver wedding band he had custom-forged for me and had it melted down. Second, I saved the security footage of Mia Harper’s brazen provocations onto a flash drive. Third, I accepted an invitation to join a highly classified federal research initiative. My deployment date was set for our seventh wedding anniversary. On that day, I would vanish from his life as if I had never existed. All he would get from me was a single FedEx envelope. Inside would be the flash drive, a signed divorce agreement, and the confirmation paperwork for my scheduled abortion. I swallowed the bitter red wine in my glass, fighting to keep my composure. My voice was barely a whisper, but the question cut through the silence: “How many months?” Ethan looked like he had been violently shaken awake from a nightmare. The wine glass in his hand shattered under his sudden, white-knuckled grip. Jagged glass pierced his palm. Blood dripped onto the expensive rug. He didn’t even flinch. He just lunged forward, pulling me into a desperate, suffocating embrace. His voice shook violently. “Clara, it’s not what you think! The baby… it was just a mistake!” Hearing those words felt like my soul was being torn to shreds. Swallowing the agonizing lump in my throat, I forced out the words, syllable by syllable. “So you really… got another woman… pregnant?” Ethan fell silent. He couldn’t give me an answer. I closed my eyes. Two stray tears slipped down my cheeks. The thought that he had held another woman like this made my stomach churn. I pushed him away in disgust and turned to run. Ethan chased me to the front door, but his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and immediately answered. Through the quiet foyer, I could hear a whiny, sweet female voice on the other end. “Ethan, honey~ Your little baby keeps kicking your big baby. It’s torturing me~” A sharp pain stabbed my chest. I sped up my steps and fled out the door. He didn’t follow me. I let out a bitter laugh, unsure if I felt relieved or entirely hollow. Pulling out my phone, I dialed a secure, out-of-state number. “Professor Davis, I’m accepting the offer. I’ll join the DARPA research team.” The man on the other end sounded surprised. “Truly? That’s incredible news, Clara. We desperately need your brilliant mind on this project.” “But you understand this program is strictly confidential, right? Once you’re in, you will be entirely cut off from your family.” “Your husband is so protective of you he’d probably call the FBI if you went missing for an hour. Is he on board with this?” My eyes dimmed. My voice was hoarse. “I’m divorcing him.” The professor stayed quiet for a moment. He didn’t pry. He simply said, “Understood. I’ll fast-track your clearance. You deploy in three days.” The second I hung up, my eyes drifted to a massive billboard across the plaza. It was broadcasting a live financial interview with Ethan. The host sharply noticed him twisting the ring on his finger and smiled. “Mr. Sterling, you keep touching your ring. But… it looks like a very standard silver band. Is there a story behind it?” Ethan’s expression softened into total adoration. He held his hand up to the camera. “This is my wedding ring.” “Oh! My apologies, I just assumed a man of your net worth would have sprung for platinum or a massive diamond.” Ethan smiled. “I forged this ring myself, seven years ago, when I had nothing. I polished it by hand. It has our initials engraved on the inside.” “Wow, it really does. E.S. and… C.H.” “C.H.,” Ethan confirmed. “My wife. Clara Hayes.” “Wow. Your wife must have won the lottery of life to marry a man like you, Mr. Sterling.” Ethan gave a gentle shake of his head. “No. I’m the one who caught lightning in a bottle. I’m the lucky one.” “This year marks our seventh anniversary. Seven years ago, when I was a nobody, she stood by me. She even sacrificed our first child to save my life…” “Clara Hayes is the only woman I will ever love. In three days, on our anniversary, I’m throwing her the wedding of the century. I want the whole world to witness what she means to me.” Passersby on the street were cooing, praising him as the ultimate devoted husband. It was true. Everyone thought Ethan loved me more than his own life. Up until today, I thought so too. Looking down at the ring I had worn for seven years—the one Ethan never let me take off—I walked straight into a local jeweler. “I need this ring melted down, please.” The clerk looked at the ring, then at me, her eyes widening. “Wait… are you Clara Sterling?” Her coworker rolled her eyes and hushed her. “Please, it’s just a coincidence that it has E.S. and C.H. Mr. Sterling worships the ground his wife walks on. Why would she ever melt her ring?” Listening to them gossip, I laughed mockingly at myself, paid the fee, and walked out. I wandered aimlessly through the chilly streets until a familiar car parked at the curb caught my eye. It was Ethan’s SUV. It sat there, idling in the cold wind, as if waiting for something. My steps slowed. A complicated knot of emotions tightened in my chest. I hated myself for the tiny spark of hope that flared up inside me. What was I hoping for? That he had tracked me down? That he was waiting here to apologize? I didn’t know if I should confront him or run away again. Taking a deep breath, I slowly walked toward the car. Every step felt like walking on broken glass. Suddenly, the driver’s side door opened. Ethan stepped out and hurried to the passenger side. He opened the door and gently, carefully, helped a young, heavily pregnant girl step out onto the curb. Chapter 2 The girl giggled, pressing a sweet kiss to his cheek before holding up her left hand to admire it. On her ring finger sat a silver band. “Ethan, the ring you made is so pretty. If our baby knew how much his daddy loved his mommy, he’d be so excited to come into this world.” Ethan took off his designer overcoat, draped it over her shoulders with an adoring smile, and bent down to gently rub her swollen belly. “Daddy can’t wait for him to get here, either.” Watching this scene unfold from the shadows, I started to laugh. But as I laughed, the tears broke free and streamed down my face. For seven years, Ethan had kept every other woman at a strict ten-foot distance. There was a time the tabloids joked he was terrified of women. He brushed it off, stating it was the basic respect a married man owed his wife. He even bought books on “Setting Boundaries in Marriage” and treated them like gospel. I used to tease him for being so dramatic, but he’d pull me close and say he just wanted me to feel utterly safe. He told me his love was exclusively mine. But now, he had carved out a massive piece of that love for the woman carrying his child. I stood there in silence until Ethan finally sensed my burning gaze. Our eyes locked. He shot up instantly. Suddenly, the girl in his arms looked like a live grenade. He dropped his hand from her waist and sprinted toward me. His hands shook as he framed my face, then grabbed my freezing fingers, his eyes wide with frantic worry. “Clara, why are you out here? You’re freezing! And you’re crying—what’s wrong? Don’t scare me.” The panic in his eyes was so agonizingly genuine that, for a split second, my heart actually softened. But the girl standing behind him, proudly displaying her massive pregnant belly, was a glaring reminder that his concern was nothing but a sick joke. She didn’t look scared at all. She rested one hand on her bump, lifted her chin with a smug smirk, and stared me down. I ripped my hands out of Ethan’s grip and stumbled back two steps. As if draining the last ounce of air from my lungs, I asked him weakly: “Who is she? And the baby… is it yours?” In that single moment, I wagered our entire seven-year history on his answer. It was a desperate, final gamble. If he denied it. If he looked me in the eye and swore that baby wasn’t his. I would have believed him. I would have forced myself to forget the betrayal and the pain. But from a few feet away, the girl let out a soft, highly calculated whimper. It sounded like the universe laughing at my delusion. Guilt flashed across Ethan’s face. He closed his eyes in agony, and when he opened them, he delivered the kill shot. “It’s mine.” My legs gave out. I collapsed onto the concrete sidewalk. I threw my hands out to catch myself, scraping my palms raw against the pavement. Ethan dropped to his knees in a panic, his voice cracking with desperation. “Clara! Hit me, scream at me, whatever you want—just please, don’t hurt yourself!” He was practically begging. He grabbed my hands, desperately trying to wipe the dirt from my bleeding palms. Suddenly, he froze. The blood drained from his face. “Clara… where is your wedding ring?” I pulled my hands away, offering a bitter, hollow smile. I flicked my eyes toward the girl. “Isn’t it on her finger? One silver ring is enough for you, right?” Panic seized him. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. Suddenly, he raised his hand and slapped himself across the face. Hard. Twice. The sheer force left bright red handprints on his cheeks. The girl gasped and rushed over, shielding Ethan behind her. Her voice trembled, but she spoke with a defiant edge. “Mrs. Sterling, I’m Mia. Ethan and I are both victims here! Please don’t blame him!” Tears pooled in her eyes as she bravely tried to protect my husband from me. Ethan’s face darkened, his voice dropping to a freezing temperature. “Clara is my wife. Show some respect.” Mia shrank back slightly, but her chin remained high. “You have to believe me. I’m only twenty-three! If it wasn’t for Ethan’s mother… I never would have kept this baby!” The moment she said that, Ethan’s deadened eyes snapped toward her, and he blurted out, “Shut up!” And right then, I knew. There was no future left for us. Chapter 3 I didn’t waste my breath on another question. I let Ethan drive me back to our penthouse in silence. During the ride, he fed me the tragic backstory of his “mistake”: Nine months ago, during a business trip to Chicago, a corporate rival slipped something into his drink. In his drugged stupor, he stumbled into Mia’s hotel room by accident. After that night, he wrote her a massive check and told her to vanish. He didn’t expect her to get pregnant. And when his mother found out, she immediately flew Mia back from Europe and demanded the child be kept at all costs. I knew my mother-in-law’s obsession with the family bloodline. Seven years ago, Ethan and I took a cruise for our honeymoon. A freak storm capsized the vessel. As we were thrown into the churning ocean, Ethan shielded me from a falling steel beam, shattering his leg in the process. Using his last ounce of strength, he shoved the only life preserver into my arms and begged me to survive. But how could I let him drown? I stayed. I held him afloat, treading water to keep him from sinking. By the time the Coast Guard found us, I had been submerged in the freezing Atlantic for twenty-four hours. Ethan made a full recovery. But the hypothermia and trauma caused me to miscarry our first child, leaving my body permanently scarred. I was told I would likely never conceive again. From that day on, Ethan treated me like royalty. He said we had survived death together, swearing on his life that he would never leave me. But his mother despised me for failing to produce an heir. Now, with a surprise grandson dropping into her lap, it was obvious she would protect Mia with everything she had. In the quiet car, Ethan held my hand, his voice thick with remorse. “Clara, I swear to God, it was a terrible accident…” I looked him dead in the eye, forcing down the bile. “The baby or me. Pick one.” He fell completely silent. That silence was all the answer I needed. I pulled my hand out of his and turned to look at the glittering city skyline through the window. My marriage was just like those city lights. Dazzling and bright for seven years, but eventually, the morning always comes, and the lights go out. When we got home, Ethan reached for me gently. He brought out the first-aid kit to treat my scraped hands. “Promise me you won’t hurt yourself again. It kills me to see you bleed.” I didn’t say a word. I just pulled my hands away, walked into the guest bedroom, and locked the door behind me. A few minutes later, a soft knock echoed through the wood. “Clara, please,” he coaxed, his voice muffled. “Just say one word to me. I’m so worried about you.” I pulled the heavy duvet over my head and shut my eyes. The next morning, I woke up and dressed in head-to-toe black. I looked at the framed photo of my parents on the nightstand, my eyes welling up with tears. Five years ago, a drunk driver took their lives. Today was the anniversary of their deaths. I vividly remembered standing at the morgue, sobbing until I couldn’t breathe as the sheets were pulled over their faces. Ethan had held me tight, whispering into my hair, “Don’t be afraid, Clara. You still have me.” He had dropped to his knees before their graves and sworn he would love me forever. He promised he would stand by my side every year to honor them, to show them how perfectly he was taking care of their daughter. The bedroom door clicked open. Ethan walked in, looking like a ghost. His clothes were wrinkled, his eyes bloodshot from a sleepless night. “You have the spare key. Why didn’t you come in last night?” I asked coldly. He knelt on the floor and gently slipped my feet into my slippers. “Consider it my punishment. I’m healthy; one night awake won’t kill me. If I came in, you wouldn’t have slept at all. Wear your slippers. The floors are cold.” My nose stung. I blurted out, “Do you even remember what day it is?” Ethan looked up at me, entirely serious. “Of course. It’s the anniversary of your parents’ passing. I would never forget.” He stood up, energetically gathering the flowers and items we needed for the cemetery visit. Suddenly, my phone on the vanity buzzed with a notification. He glanced at it, freezing as he read the screen. He picked up the phone. “You… canceled a flight?” I didn’t flinch. “I was looking into a vacation for us, but the timing felt wrong, so I canceled it.” He opened his mouth to ask more, but his own phone rang. “Ethan! I slipped! My stomach hurts so bad! There’s blood—what do I do?!” Ethan’s entire demeanor shifted to pure panic. The canceled flight completely vanished from his mind. He grabbed my hands, his eyes begging for mercy. “Clara, I just have to go make sure she’s okay. I swear on my life, I’ll meet you at the cemetery!” He turned, ran to his car, and peeled out of the driveway, disappearing around the corner. Tears fell rhythmically onto the hardwood floor. I wiped my face, but the tears just kept coming. I went to the cemetery alone. I sat there until the sun went down, talking to my parents. When I finally got back to the penthouse, I started packing my bags. Ethan didn’t get home until after midnight. He threw his arms around me, apologizing over and over again. I let him hold me. I didn’t say a word. That night, it felt like a massive fault line had cracked our world in two. His embrace was so familiar and warm, but in my heart, he had never felt further away. Chapter 4 When I woke up, Ethan’s side of the bed was already cold. He had left a sticky note on the nightstand: Emergency at the office. Had to head in early. Made you breakfast, please eat. What he didn’t know was that at the crack of dawn, I had heard his phone ring. It was Mia. She had called him away. Looking at the perfect breakfast he’d prepared on the kitchen island, a sudden wave of severe nausea hit me. A wild suspicion took root in my mind. I grabbed an Uber and went straight to a clinic. Staring at the ultrasound results, I actually laughed until I cried. The doctor looked at me with deep sympathy. “Are you a single mother? Do you plan to keep the pregnancy? Given your medical history and the severe scarring from your past trauma, if you terminate this pregnancy, you will absolutely never be able to conceive again.” Leaving the clinic, I hailed another ride and gave the driver the address to the $50 million Hamptons estate Ethan had bought me. Looking at the massive stone archway that read “Hayes Haven,” I felt nothing but irony. Below the name, Ethan had personally engraved a plaque: To hold Clara’s hand is to hold my future. This was supposed to be our sanctuary. Our exclusive escape. Aside from the cleaning staff, no other woman had ever been permitted to step foot on the property. Yet, as I walked up the driveway, Mia Harper was standing on the front porch. She looked at me with a victorious smirk. “The legendary Hayes Haven isn’t that impressive after all. I walked right through the front door.” “I heard this was your little love nest? But Mrs. Sterling said the ocean air here is the best for my pregnancy, so Ethan let me move in. You aren’t mad, are you?” “Oh, and just to be safe, Ethan had all the sharp-edged furniture thrown out and replaced. He let me pick out the new pieces. They’re much more my style~” I looked around the house. Everything was different. The suffocating bitterness rising in my throat made it hard to breathe. Memories crashed over me like a tidal wave. On our third anniversary, Ethan had dropped to one knee on this very porch, pressing the keys into my palm. “Clara, no one else will ever cross this threshold. This is a monument to us. Our private world.” This place was sacred to us. Now, he had gift-wrapped it for his mistress. My legs felt hollow. I leaned against the doorframe, stripped of the energy to even stand straight. Mia’s eyes bored into me, burning with jealousy and spite. And all I could feel was profound, bottomless grief. The place that held my best memories was now the graveyard of my heart. “So how much longer do you plan on squatting in the role of Mrs. Sterling? Can’t you see how much Ethan spoils me and this baby?” she sneered. Squatting? I forced a bitter smile, utterly exhausted by her theatrics. Then, my eyes swept the living room. The mantelpiece, where I kept the framed memorial portraits of my parents, was bare. “Where are my parents’ photos?!” I snapped, my voice finally cracking with real panic. “Oh, those gloomy things? Ethan threw them out. Bad vibes for the baby,” she replied breezily, admiring her manicure. I glared at her with pure venom until she rolled her eyes and begrudgingly pulled the framed photos from a trash bag in the corner. Then, staring right into my eyes, she smiled, struck a lighter, and set the photographs on fire. I lunged forward to smother the flames. The moment I moved, Mia conveniently threw herself backward onto the floor and began shrieking in pain. I ignored her completely, using my bare hands to frantically stamp out the fire burning my parents’ faces. Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed behind me. “Clara! Why the hell did you push her?!” Ignoring the burns blistering my hands, I finally put the fire out. When I looked up, Ethan didn’t even glance in my direction. He scooped Mia up in a frantic panic and carried her out the door. I looked down at my scorched, blistered palms. This seven-year marriage really was a spectacular joke. I went to the sink, ran my hands under the cold tap, and started cleaning up the burnt mess. Suddenly, my mother-in-law stormed into the room and slapped me across the face with everything she had. “You barren jinx! If anything happens to my grandson, I will destroy you!” Ethan, having rushed back inside, quickly intercepted her. He finally ran to me, grabbing my injured hands, his face twisting in agony as he pulled out a tube of burn ointment. When his mother started screaming again, Ethan barked, “Mom, her water broke.” His mother immediately bolted for the door. Once she was gone, Ethan carefully studied my face, trying to gauge my temper. Finally, he whispered carefully: “Clara… Mia is young and immature. I know she upset you, but you shouldn’t have shoved a pregnant woman.” “I pushed her?” I asked, my voice terrifyingly calm. “It’s fine, it’s fine. I apologized to her for you. She won’t hold it against you.” With one sentence, he acted as my judge and jury. A heavy, suffocating exhaustion pinned me down. I didn’t even want to argue. Between me and Mia, he had already chosen who to believe. Seven years as husband and wife couldn’t compete with a shiny new toy he’d known for less than a year. I watched him gently blow on my burns, though his eyes were constantly darting toward the door. I remembered the brief, undeniable flash of joy in his eyes when he told his mother the baby was coming. I rested a hand on my flat stomach. Ethan, I thought. You just made the decision for me. Chapter 5 Ethan eventually left for the hospital. I called a car, went back to our penthouse, and finished packing my luggage for tomorrow’s flight. I scrubbed the apartment of any trace that I had ever lived there. I left nothing behind for him. Except for one massive, custom-framed wedding portrait, which I took a pair of scissors to, leaving it in shreds on the floor. I pulled the flash drive from my purse, slipped it into an envelope alongside the signed divorce papers and my scheduled abortion confirmation, and dropped it off at FedEx. The delivery address was the grand ballroom where Ethan was hosting our anniversary vow-renewal tomorrow. The recipient was Ethan Sterling. After dropping it off, I pulled out my phone and typed a single text to Mia. “You wanted to be Mrs. Sterling? Congratulations. You can have him, and you can have tomorrow’s wedding.” That night, Ethan didn’t come home. It was the first night in seven years he hadn’t slept in our bed. But he called the house relentlessly, asking the maid if I had eaten, and reminding her to make sure I dried my hair before bed. He always remembered that if I slept with wet hair, I’d get terrible migraines. Late at night, I woke up to find the maid quietly tucking the blankets around me. She smiled warmly. “Mr. Sterling called again. He said you always kick the blankets off and made me promise to check on you so you wouldn’t catch a cold.” She kept rambling about how we were the most envied couple in the city, how we hadn’t fought once in seven years. She gushed about how sweet it was that he was throwing a massive surprise wedding just to make me smile. I didn’t answer. I just closed my eyes. The next morning, Ethan called to say he was sending the event planners to pick me up, and that he would head straight from the hospital to the venue. I was already in a taxi headed to the airport when I answered his call. The driver confirmed the destination out loud. “Clara, why are you in a cab?” Ethan asked, confused. “I decided to take a cab to the venue,” I lied effortlessly. Ethan went quiet for a moment, then spoke with deep, emotional sincerity. “Clara, the baby was born. But I need you to believe me. You are the only woman I will ever truly love.” His exclusive, one-and-only love was suddenly becoming very crowded. How could a man split his heart down the middle and still have the nerve to play the devoted husband? I hung up the phone and told the driver to step on it. From today on, I was flying toward a brand-new life. Meanwhile, at the hospital, Ethan felt a bizarre, creeping anxiety in his chest, as if something priceless was slipping through his fingers. But a newborn’s cry broke his train of thought. Looking at his new son, a flicker of joy crossed his face, but he refused to hold the child. He was terrified that if he smelled like the baby, Clara would be upset when he saw her. By noon, the grand ballroom was packed with high-society guests. Ethan stood proudly at the altar, beaming with anticipation. The grand double doors swung open to the majestic swell of the wedding march. A bride in a breathtaking white gown slowly walked down the aisle. But when the bride lifted her veil, Ethan’s smile instantly died. It wasn’t me. It was Mia. And in her arms, she held her newborn baby. The whispers in the ballroom escalated into a shocked uproar. Ethan’s face went pale. He stormed down the aisle, grabbing Mia’s arm forcefully. “What the hell are you doing here? Where is Clara?!” Mia flinched, tears welling up as she struggled against his grip. “I don’t know! She texted me and told me to wear the dress today!” Before Ethan could process the madness, a FedEx courier stepped into the ballroom. “Ethan Sterling? I have a priority package from Clara Hayes.”

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Our families were merging their trusts, and an alliance was required. When my older brother asked me who I wanted to choose, I didn’t hesitate. I chose my arrogant, playboy childhood best friend: Cole Harrington. Yet, after we married, he kept his first love strung along. They even ended up having a child together. When his wealthy friends joked about his infidelity, Cole just scoffed. “Vivienne Vance is the world’s biggest doormat. No matter what I do to her, she’ll never leave.” My heart finally died. I packed my things and walked away, only to end up in a horrific pile-up on the interstate. Two lives were lost that night—mine, and the baby I was carrying. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the evening of the engagement gala. Chapter 1 “Vivi, have you decided who you want to choose?” my brother, Wyatt, asked gently. I stood frozen, trembling from head to toe, completely unable to process that I had actually been reborn. Before I could answer, Mrs. Harrington stepped right up to me, slipping a priceless vintage estate ring onto my finger. She smiled warmly. “Vivi will definitely pick our rotten boy. They grew up together, thick as thieves. No one can compare to their bond.” “Mom, are you drunk without touching a drop?” Cole sneered, his brow furrowing as he looked at me. “Who wants to marry Vivienne? Her grades were awful, she’s short, and her looks are painfully average. Marry her? She’d taint the Harrington gene pool.” His gaze was laced with a deep, unmistakable disgust. It was the exact same venomous tongue as my past life. Back then, I was so blinded by love I thought it was just our usual childhood banter. I never realized that Cole genuinely despised me. Snapping out of my daze, I immediately took two steps back. “Mrs. Harrington… Cole and I are just friends.” The words dropped, and the bustling ballroom went dead silent. Everyone in elite society knew the Vances and Harringtons were century-old allies. And everyone knew I had been hopelessly in love with Cole Harrington since we were kids. Mrs. Harrington’s smile stiffened. She pulled her eyes away from me and sharply slapped her son’s shoulder. “Stop talking nonsense! If our family manages to marry Vivi, it means we hit the absolute jackpot.” Cole clearly hadn’t expected me to reject him. His already icy expression dropped a few degrees colder. My hands shook as I tugged at Wyatt’s tuxedo jacket. My eyes were red. “I don’t feel well,” I whispered. “I want to go home.” The corporate marriage wasn’t urgent. Wyatt immediately raised his hand to summon his driver. But in the next second, Cole grabbed my wrist. He practically dragged me toward the exit, his voice hard. “Wyatt, I’ll take Vivi home myself.” His grip was like a vice; I couldn’t pry his fingers off. I wanted to call out for help, but when I looked back, Mrs. Harrington had expertly stepped in front of my brother to block his path. The moment we stepped out of the hotel doors, Cole ruthlessly threw my hand away. Off-balance, my high heels betrayed me. I stumbled backward. Out of pure instinct, I reached my hand out toward him to catch myself. Cole hadn’t anticipated the fall. He reached out to grab me, but my reflexes kicked in faster. I violently yanked my hand back and crashed hard onto the concrete pavement. A sharp, shooting pain radiated up my spine. My face twisted in agony. Cole’s expression shifted. He stepped forward to help me up. “Don’t come near me,” I snapped without a second of hesitation. Catching my breath, I unbuckled the designer stilettos, pushed myself off the ground with my bare hands, and stood up. My reaction turned Cole’s face completely dark. He sneered, “What kind of game is this? Playing hard to get? Vivienne, since when did your tricks get so pathetic?” I looked up at him. Without realizing it, tears had pooled in my eyes. “Cole…” There was so much I wanted to say, so much pain I wanted to hurl at him. But meeting his eyes—seeing that same profound disgust—every word felt like a fishbone lodged in my throat. I looked down and let out a broken laugh. Before he could speak again, I threw the ten-thousand-dollar heels onto the pavement, turned my back, and walked away barefoot without a single ounce of hesitation. Those shoes were a coming-of-age gift from Cole. Mrs. Harrington had told me he spent weeks picking them out. Knowing how important tonight’s gala was, I specifically chose to wear them. But I forgot that the shoes were a half-size too big. They didn’t belong to me. Just like I forgot that forcing a fit with the wrong person will never work out. Chapter 2 Cole didn’t chase after me. To him, this was just another calculated, manipulative stunt to get his attention. When I finally got home, I climbed into the bathtub, feeling entirely drained. My mind was a hurricane, spinning with every horrific event from my past life. My hands clamped down on the edges of the porcelain tub, shaking uncontrollably. The water slowly crept over my nose, and I choked violently, coughing up water as I scrambled out of the tub, finally fully awake. I wrapped myself in a robe and stared at the mirror. This face had no burn scars. It was flawless. I touched my cheeks, bowed my head, and began to sob hysterically. In my past life, the Harrington estate caught fire. Cole didn’t hesitate; he scooped up his first love, his “golden girl,” and carried her out to safety, leaving me behind. I was left trapped in the flames. By the time the firefighters pulled me out, my face was irreparably destroyed. Afterward, Cole explained it away. “I didn’t see you. Chloe’s legs were pinned under a beam, and the fire was spreading too fast. I had to save her first.” Remembering that, I raised my hand and slapped myself hard across the cheek. It was laughable. I was as stupid as a dog in that life, played like a fiddle by Cole’s empty excuses. Maybe because the shock of rebirth was so heavy, I tossed and turned all night, trapped in nightmares of the past. When I woke up the next morning, my entire body ached with exhaustion. Perhaps noticing something was wrong last night, Wyatt—who usually left for the corporate office at dawn—was sitting downstairs waiting for me. “Come eat breakfast since you’re up.” Wyatt looked at the dark circles under my eyes, a flash of deep heartache crossing his face. “Did I wake you up when I came in late last night?” I shook my head, my eyes watering as I sprinted into his arms. I hugged my brother with everything I had. Wyatt froze for a second, then set his newspaper down and gently patted my back. He spoke softly. “If loving the Harrington boy is too exhausting, then stop loving him, okay? Even if you never marry in this lifetime, I can take care of you forever.” I sniffled, choking back a sob. The truth was, the families didn’t strictly need an alliance. Wyatt had just noticed how deeply I loved Cole, so he paved the road for me. Remembering how Wyatt had died taking a bullet for me in my past life, my chest tightened with agonizing pain. I hugged him even tighter. Until a light cough broke the silence. I turned my head, my eyes still red. I hadn’t noticed a man sitting on the adjacent sofa. With tears blurring my vision, I couldn’t make out his face at first. The man smirked. “Good morning, Princess.” I blinked in shock, quickly stepping out of Wyatt’s arms as I recognized Liam Sullivan. He was Wyatt’s closest friend. In my past life, after my brother was murdered, it was Liam who hunted down the killer and beat him to death with his bare hands. The last time I saw him, he was behind the glass in a state penitentiary. He told me he wanted to take me away. He told me Wyatt’s death wasn’t a simple kidnapping. But I was blinded by love. I genuinely believed that Cole, a man I had known for decades, could never be involved in something so sinister. By the time I realized Liam was right, I was bleeding out on the interstate. In a daze, I also remembered the very last voice I heard before I died. “Why are you here?” I blurted out in shock. At this hour, Liam should have been dead to the world, sleeping off another wild night of partying. Liam raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Ahem,” Wyatt cleared his throat, gesturing toward the breakfast spread. I nodded, sat down, and started eating, sneaking glances at the man behind me every so often. After a few bites, Wyatt hesitated before asking, “Vivi, did Cole do something to upset you recently?” I looked at my brother, not quite understanding. Wyatt unlocked his phone and pulled up Cole’s latest Instagram story. It was a photo of a foggy mountain peak at dawn. The caption read: “What do I do? I made the princess angry. How do I coax her back?” My fingers clamped around my spoon, my entire body trembling with a rage I couldn’t suppress. In my past life, it was this exact post that tricked me into believing Cole actually cared about me. It wasn’t until much later I discovered that his “princess” was his first love, Chloe Jenkins. It was never me. The warm oatmeal suddenly tasted like wax. I couldn’t swallow it. I lowered my eyes, my voice shaking. “Wyatt, I don’t want to talk about Cole ever again.” In this life, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. The twenty years I spent loving him was nothing but pathetic, unrequited delusion. Wyatt paused. He didn’t say a word. He just opened his text thread with Cole—a thread where Wyatt had been asking him if I made it home safe—and ruthlessly blocked and deleted the contact. He smiled warmly. “As long as your brother is around, you will never suffer a single grievance.” Tears welled in my eyes again. Wyatt was always like this. He chose me without hesitation. When I loved Cole, he built the bridge. When I hated him, he’d gladly burn it down. Chapter 3 After breakfast, Wyatt took me to his corporate headquarters. Originally, I was supposed to inherit the company. But because I was so obsessed with marrying Cole, I wanted to dedicate all my time to him. I practically never showed up to work, which caused massive operational issues. Wyatt had to abandon his ventures in Europe just to come back and clean up my mess. The employees all knew about my obsession with Cole. As I walked through the lobby, an assistant covertly tried to hand me a limited-edition movie poster of Cole. Before I could even react, a hand shot out, snatched the poster, crushed it into a ball, and tossed it into the nearest trash can. I looked up. It was Liam. Wyatt’s voice rang out coolly. “From this day forward, no merchandise or mention of Cole Harrington is permitted in this building.” It hit me then—I had almost forgotten that Cole was an A-list Hollywood actor. Once we got into the executive office, Wyatt instructed his assistant, “Pass the word down. Tear down any posters of Cole Harrington in the breakrooms. And also…” “Wyatt, you don’t have to go that far,” I interrupted. After all, Vance Corp still had massive business dealings with the Harringtons. Wyatt saw through my worry. He shook his head with a light laugh. “I told you, you won’t suffer any grievances.” With a wave of his hand, he sent the assistant off to execute the order. Wyatt had to step out for an emergency board meeting, leaving just me and Liam in the massive office. I didn’t actually interact much with Liam. The only thing I knew about him was that he had been hopelessly in love with a girl for years, but couldn’t have her because she loved someone else. Feeling his intense gaze on me, I awkwardly looked away. A moment later, my phone buzzed in my purse. I pulled it out, stared at the screen for three seconds, and hung up without hesitation. Liam raised a brow, amused. “Not gonna answer?” “Spam call,” I said, my face dropping into a scowl. A second later, a text popped up: [I’m sick. Bring me medicine.] Followed immediately by a hotel room number. I stared at the screen, my brow furrowing deeply, completely oblivious that Liam had stood up and walked over. By the time I noticed, Liam was smirking over my shoulder. “Well, well. Who’s sending our princess hotel room numbers?” My situational awareness was usually top-tier. In the past, I could sense Cole walking into a room before I even saw him. But this time, I jumped, clutching my chest as I gasped for air. Liam seemed equally surprised by my severe reaction. He grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to me, though he couldn’t resist a jab. “That room number looks familiar. Isn’t that the Harrington golden boy’s permanent suite at the Ritz?” Every heir in our circle had a dedicated suite at the top hotels. Cole’s room was always 0726. In my past life, I never thought twice about it. But now, it clicked with sickening clarity. July 26th. Chloe’s birthday. My fingers began to tremble violently. Liam, who had been teasing me just a second ago, instantly sensed the shift. His smirk vanished, replaced by a dark frown. “What is it? Did that Harrington punk put his hands on you?” “I might not be good at corporate politics,” Liam added, his voice dropping low, “but I’m excellent at breaking bones.” I shook my head quickly, then immediately blocked and deleted Cole’s number. “He’s an insignificant person now. It’s not worth getting into trouble over someone who doesn’t matter,” I said, looking up at Liam. His eyes were incredibly intense, holding a flirtatious depth that made my face flush. Liam clearly didn’t believe me, but he didn’t push it. Chapter 4 Back in suite 0726, Cole was waiting for his medicine. Yesterday, someone had witnessed our fight outside the gala, and the elite group chats were having a field day. [Ooh, trouble in paradise? The childhood sweethearts breaking up?] [The Vance princess looked genuinely pissed this time.] [Cole, stop pissing Vivi off. If she actually stops caring about you one day, you’ll cry yourself to sleep.] Reading the messages, Cole let out a cold, arrogant scoff. He had known Vivienne since they were toddlers. He knew her personality inside and out. Once she showed up with the medicine, he’d buy her a cheap designer trinket, and she’d immediately go back to being his pathetic, loyal puppy. They had played this game a thousand times. He was genuinely getting bored of it. He lounged on the velvet sofa, scrolling through TikTok for over half an hour, but his medicine never arrived. The group chat was still popping off, people asking if she had come crawling back yet. The relentless teasing finally struck a nerve. Cole aggressively closed the app, opened his pinned contacts, and dialed her number. Call failed. He froze. He stared at the screen, bewildered, and dialed again. Call failed. The young heir of the Harrington empire had never been blocked a day in his life. He didn’t even know what the dial tone meant. He had to Google it. When he read the search results, he sat entirely paralyzed for a full minute. When reality finally set in, his face contorted in rage. He hurled his brand-new iPhone against the marble floor, shattering it into a dozen pieces. “Vivienne Vance. You’ve got nerve.” Miles away, I had no idea what kind of tantrum Cole was throwing, and frankly, I couldn’t care less. By the time Wyatt finished his board meeting, it was past noon. Liam stretched lazily and suggested, “Let’s get hotpot. I’m craving it.” I looked at Liam. Whenever I was in a terrible mood, I loved eating insanely spicy hotpot. I would eat until my lips went numb so I wouldn’t have the brain capacity to think about my miserable life. Cole had definitely ruined my morning, but right now, I felt surprisingly free. Wyatt didn’t know the context, but seeing I had no objections, he told his assistant to book a table for three. We went to our usual high-end spot. Walking through the doors, a wave of nostalgia hit me. In my past life, when I got pregnant, Cole claimed spicy food would stunt the baby’s development. For nine excruciating months, I wasn’t allowed to touch a single drop of chili oil. To hell with Cole Harrington. To hell with his rules. The moment we sat down, I ordered everything on the menu, telling the manager, “I want the broth entirely spicy. Extra spicy. Lethal.” It was the first time I had ever shown such a fiery temper. Even the manager looked a bit shocked. Suddenly, I remembered Wyatt telling me once that Liam couldn’t handle spice at all. I quickly corrected myself, “Wait, make it a split pot, please.” We were seated in a private VIP room, so I didn’t have to worry about maintaining the elegant socialite facade. When the food arrived, I dove in, practically inhaling the beef. Wyatt shot Liam a curious look, communicating silently. Liam just waved his hand dismissively. But midway through the meal, a loud commotion erupted outside our private doors. I hated loud noises. Hearing the shouting, my face instantly scrunched up. Seeing my reaction, Liam raised a hand and flagged down the manager. “I’m buying out the restaurant for the rest of the afternoon. Let the current guests finish, but don’t seat anyone else. It’s getting too loud.” He pulled out a sleek black Amex card. The manager didn’t take it. He looked terrified. “Mr. Sullivan… it’s the Harrington boy. He just walked in.” Neither the Vances nor the Harringtons were people a restaurant manager could afford to offend. He was paralyzed. I stopped chewing. Before any of us could react, a voice cut through the tension faster than the door opening. “Wyatt, you don’t mind if I bring a plus-one, do you?” Chapter 5 Cole strode into the room without waiting for an answer. Before anyone could reject him, he waved a hand behind him. Chloe Jenkins, dressed in a form-fitting silk dress, stepped out from behind his shadow. She offered a sickeningly sweet smile. “Pardon the intrusion, everyone.” Cole pulled out a chair and sat down right across from me. Facing Wyatt and Liam’s deadly glares, he smiled effortlessly. “Suddenly had a craving for hotpot. This is my assistant, Chloe. We went to high school together, figured it was a good time for everyone to meet…” “I refuse,” I said, my voice dripping with ice. Crashing our private lunch like this was something Cole had never done before. I didn’t understand what he was playing at, and I didn’t care to figure it out. Chloe, who had been halfway through sitting down, immediately stood back up, acting deeply wronged. She looked at Cole with huge, teary eyes. Cole’s casual smile vanished instantly. Completely ignoring my brother’s presence, he issued a cold warning. “Vivienne, if you keep throwing these tantrums, I swear to God I will never speak to you again.” The entire room fell into a suffocating silence. Even the manager, who had been secretly wiping sweat from his forehead, froze in place. Wyatt’s face turned thunderous. He opened his mouth to absolutely decimate Cole, but I grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back. I looked Cole dead in the eye. “Please. Never speak to me again. Cole Harrington, from today onward—no, from yesterday onward—we are complete strangers. Whether you live or die has absolutely nothing to do with me.” I never want to love Cole again. I never want to know him again. This was the vow I repeated to myself all night long. Cole’s entire body went rigid. He clearly never expected me to say something so final. His eyes darted to Liam, who was sitting comfortably beside me. Cole didn’t recognize Liam. Assuming he was just some young, fresh-faced heir, Cole sneered mockingly. “Ha. No wonder you cut ties with me so fast. You already had a backup lined up.” “You really have no shame, Vivienne. Professing your undying love to me yesterday, booking a private room with another guy today.” “Then again, a pretty boy like this does have a decent face.” His insults flowed effortlessly, turning the air in the room dangerously cold. Even Chloe felt the shift; she desperately tugged at Cole’s jacket under the table, but he ignored her. Liam just laughed. He leaned back in his chair, radiating an arrogant, untouchable aura. He didn’t seem angry at the insults at all. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and pointed directly at Chloe. Cole didn’t understand the gesture. Not until a horde of paparazzi burst through the restaurant’s front doors. Liam clapped his hands lazily. He smirked. “If Vivi actually liked me, it would be the honor of my life. But an A-list actor caught secretly hooking up with his assistant? I wonder if that headline is explosive enough?” He threw a flirtatious wink at the flashing cameras. The reporters, entirely seduced by the drama, instantly swarmed Cole and Chloe, cornering them against the table. Before I could even process what was happening, Liam grabbed my hand, pulled me up, and sneaked me out the back exit. I hadn’t expected Liam to speak up for me. Remembering what he just said, my heart skipped a strange beat before settling back down. “Liam, thank you.” I turned to look for my brother. Wyatt, usually the epitome of calm, was furiously barking orders into his phone at his executive assistant. “Set up a meeting with the Harrington board. Let’s see exactly how they raised this bastard of a son.” “And run a full background check on Chloe Jenkins and her exact relationship with Cole!” He didn’t skip a beat. Wyatt was still burning with rage. I gently grabbed his hand. Originally, I just wanted to quietly sever ties with the Harringtons and never see them again. But I knew Wyatt. He would never let anyone disrespect me like that, and Cole’s insults had crossed a massive line. “Wyatt, Cole’s words can’t hurt me anymore. I just want you…” I paused, looking over at Liam as well. “I just want you both to be safe, healthy, and alive.”

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The day I broke up with Vance Sterling. He accepted the fact of my departure very calmly. When people asked him if he would ever regret it, he scoffed lightly: “I never regret anything.” He truly didn’t regret it. He even wired me a massive, multi-million dollar breakup fee. I took it without hesitation. I thought our history was wiped clean. But later, when I was at the movies with my new boyfriend… A figure of pure, arrogant elegance sat down next to us. He was dressed in head-to-toe bespoke couture, looking completely out of place in a noisy, sticky-floored theater. It was Vance Sterling. 1 It had been six months. I never expected to see Vance again. Especially not in a crowded, noisy movie theater. The man in front of me wore a custom-tailored suit worth more than a luxury car. He sat bolt upright, as if he weren’t in a standard fifteen-dollar-a-ticket cinema, but in the spacious, sunlit boardroom of a Wall Street skyscraper. I blinked, thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me. But I looked closer. It was really him. Just as my mind was reeling, a crisp, clear voice came from beside me: “Maya, what are you looking at?” I snapped back to reality, withdrawing my shocked gaze, and looked at Liam beside me. Liam Hayes was three years younger than me. Young, energetic, and full of life. His dark eyes were remarkably bright, even in the pitch-black theater. I shook my head. “Nothing.” “Oh.” He was so sweet and trusting. Without a shred of suspicion, he went back to happily watching the screen. But right at that moment, the man who hadn’t turned his head this whole time suddenly looked over, catching my gaze. His eyes were endlessly deep. The light from the movie screen reflected in his pupils, casting shifting shadows over my reflection in them. A dark, dangerous undercurrent seemed to flow there. My gaze faltered, and I quickly looked away. 2 Back then, I was the one who chased Vance. There was no complex reason. He was just too handsome. Plus, when I was being mocked by the wealthy kids for applying for a financial aid grant, he stepped in and helped me. The boy in his sharp prep-school blazer snatched my application form back from the kids mocking me and placed that thin piece of paper gently into my palm. “There’s nothing shameful about this. Go turn it in.” His voice was flat, just stating a calm fact. But I froze. My fragile, sensitive heart felt like it had been plucked like a guitar string, blooming with an unexpected warmth. That was the first time my heart fluttered for him. From then on, I chased him like I was chasing the sun, even following him to the same Ivy League university. I chased him for four full years before I finally managed to pull this untouchable elite down from his pedestal. When I confessed to him, my face burning red, the violent pounding in my chest was something I can still feel to this day. But he didn’t actually like me. Being with me seemed to just be a matter of indifference to him—something he could take or leave. Still, I was secretly thrilled for a long time. I thought that someone as outstanding as him was finally mine. But for the three years we were together, he treated me with nothing but cold indifference. I still remember my birthday. One of his trust-fund frat brothers had his eye on me and smiled at him. “Vance, where’d you find this little girlfriend? She’s pretty gorgeous.” Saying that, he reached out to touch my face. I instinctively dodged. Vance frowned and stopped him. “Show some respect.” Seeing this, the guy backed off awkwardly, keeping his hands to himself. But before I could even breathe a sigh of relief, Vance’s phone rang. I didn’t know what was said on the other end, but he suddenly stood up. Confused, I tried to grab his sleeve. “Where are you going?” But I missed. The fabric slipped right through my fingertips. His tone took on a blaming edge. “There’s an emergency at the company. I have to go.” With that, he left without looking back. Leaving me completely alone in the VIP lounge. The guy who had bad intentions toward me let out a cold laugh. “You actually thought Vance cared about you? He’s just playing around. Otherwise, how could he leave you here so easily? Why don’t you ditch him and get with me?” I broke out in a cold sweat. My immediate instinct was to leave, but he grabbed my arm. Thankfully, there were a few rational people still in the room, and in the ensuing scuffle, I managed to flee the lounge as if running for my life. 3 That birthday was a complete disaster. But that guy’s words kept echoing in my head, like needles piercing me over and over again. At the same time, countless other memories flooded my mind. Like the time I was rear-ended, and the other driver, seeing I was just a young woman, twisted the truth and became incredibly aggressive. I called Vance in a panic, but he just told me to call the insurance company or the cops. He was in a meeting and couldn’t come. Afterwards, seeing I was upset, he bought me an entire set of the latest Tom Ford lipsticks. Or the time I blushed, put on sexy Victoria’s Secret lingerie, and tried to spice things up. Vance’s expression remained ice-cold. He just gripped my waist hard, his voice deep and detached: “I’ll buy you that Birkin bag you liked tomorrow.” I didn’t understand him back then. It wasn’t until much later that I finally woke up. Vance came from old money. From the very first moment we met, it was destined that we were not from the same world. …He had never truly respected me. In his eyes, my passionate, burning love was nothing more than a scheme to get his money. I realized it too late. Without any hesitation, I broke up with him. Vance’s expression was incredibly indifferent. He just said, “Okay.” He sat on the couch, quietly watching me pack my things and leave. He didn’t stop me. From the moment I started packing until I walked out the door, he didn’t say a single word. Later, I heard from mutual acquaintances that a friend asked him: After so many years together, just cutting ties like that, would he regret it? How did he answer? Maintaining that same aloof, aristocratic demeanor, he said: “I never regret anything.” My memories stopped there. Although I didn’t quite understand why Vance was here, I didn’t care to figure it out. Maybe he just had a sudden whim to see a movie. Who cares. Whatever the reason, it had nothing to do with me. But what I didn’t expect was that the hand I had resting on the armrest was suddenly covered by a large, warm hand. At first, I thought it was Liam, so I didn’t pull away. But I quickly realized something was wrong. The hand holding mine was coming from my right side! A jolt went through my body, and I snapped my head to the side. The man’s expression was as indifferent as ever. But tracing down from his sharp jawline and prominent Adam’s apple, my eyes landed on those long, elegant fingers. His hand was resting firmly on top of mine. What kind of psycho trip was he on? I tried to pull my hand back, but he exerted force, and for a moment, I actually couldn’t break free. I started to get angry. Was he doing this on purpose? And right at that exact moment, Liam turned his head toward me— 4 My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Luckily, at the crucial moment, Vance let go of my hand. I wanted to snatch my hand back immediately, but I felt like a sudden, jerky movement would only draw Liam’s attention. So, I forced myself to stay still. Liam’s sweet voice sounded near my ear. “Maya, I’m going to run to the restroom real quick. Be right back.” “Okay.” The movie wasn’t over yet, and the theater was pitch black. As soon as Liam walked away… I stopped holding back. I ripped my hand away, instinctively stood up, and followed him out. —I absolutely did not want to sit next to Vance a second longer. But in my peripheral vision, I saw Vance stand up too. I walked faster and faster, but he still managed to grab my arm as I turned a corner in the hallway. “What are you doing?” I coldly shook off his hand. Caught off guard, he was easily shaken off. A flash of hurt crossed his deep eyes, but he quickly concealed it. His voice was still flat: “Is that your new boyfriend?” I gave a perfunctory nod, thinking to myself: What does it have to do with you? He was the one who said he’d never regret it. What was the point of harassing me now? I was just trying to get away, but he refused to step aside. “How did you meet?” I lost my patience. “None of your business.” Saying that, I turned to walk away. Right then, Liam walked out of the men’s room and spotted me immediately. He walked toward me happily, tossing his paper towel into the trash. He came over and grabbed my hand, his dark eyes sparkling. “Maya, did you come out just to wait for me?” Our fingers had just intertwined when his gaze fell on the man behind me. He let out a surprised gasp: “Vance?” Hearing this, I froze and asked him, “You know him?” Liam didn’t think much of it and nodded naturally. “Yeah, we grew up together. He’s a few years older than me, our families run in the same circles.” I went completely silent. In a flash of lightning, a thought crossed my mind. No wonder Vance suddenly asked how Liam and I met. Was he afraid I was trying to swindle another rich kid for his money? I found it laughable, but I didn’t show it on my face. Liam’s gaze shifted back and forth between us, and finally, he asked curiously: “Why are you two standing together…” It was just the two of us over here. It really was hard to explain. I wanted to say Vance was my ex-boyfriend, but the words got stuck in my throat. What were those three years, really? To me, it was a relationship. But to Vance, maybe it was just a transaction? A sugar baby arrangement? When I brought up the breakup, he didn’t say a word, but the moment I left, he wired me a massive “breakup fee”. Ha. Maybe it wasn’t a breakup fee at all. It was just a severance package to thoroughly end our three years together. My mood suddenly plummeted, and my attitude grew sour. “We went to high school together. Just bumped into each other.” “We’re very close.” The two voices dropped at almost the exact same time. Liam’s expression shifted slightly. 5 Wait, what? I furrowed my brows deeply, looking at the completely composed man across from me. I had no idea what kind of play he was putting on. Just as I was trying to figure out what to say, Liam suddenly leaned in and planted a kiss on my cheek. He said brightly, “So you’re just high school classmates! I knew it. You like younger guys; you definitely wouldn’t be into Vance’s type.” Saying that, he cast a sideways glance at Vance, whose expression had darkened considerably. As if completely oblivious to the older man’s icy glare, Liam offered enthusiastically, “Vance, we’re going to grab dinner after the movie. Want to tag along?” Then he turned to me with a beaming smile. “Maya, what are you craving? I’ll make the reservation.” “Whatever you want.” Liam was incredibly handsome and sweet. When his dark eyes locked onto you, he looked like an eager golden retriever wagging its tail. When he turned on the charm, it was impossible to say no. Being interrupted by him, the gloomy mood that had settled over me instantly cleared, and a smile broke across my face. Off to the side, Vance stared at us laughing happily. His eyes grew incredibly dark, and his tone was like cracked ice. “No. I have business at the firm. You two go.” Knowing him as well as I did, this attitude meant he was genuinely angry. When we were together, he rarely got angry. Most of the time, he was just apathetic. But back then, because I loved him so much, I would unconsciously monitor his every mood, tracking his joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. But now? What did his emotions have to do with me? Since he said he was busy, Liam bought it completely. “Alright, we’re heading out then.” I let him lead me away by the hand. I didn’t even notice that the man behind us stood rooted to the spot, lingering for a very long time before finally leaving.

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My father crashed his sports car while street racing. As he lay dying, he tried to write a will leaving his entire fortune to his mistress and his unborn illegitimate child. My mother, who had served him like a slave her entire life without a single complaint, suddenly rushed forward. Weeping hysterically, she slapped the pen right out of his trembling hand. “Honey, I won’t let you write a will! You’re going to pull through this! You’re going to live!” I, the son he had ignored for over two decades, dropped to my knees, snatched the half-written document, and ripped it to shreds. “Dad! Don’t you worry! I’ll take over the company and run it perfectly!” My dad was so furious he couldn’t catch his breath. His eyes rolled back, efforts to resuscitate him failed, and he died right there on the spot. By the time his mistress rushed to the hospital, cradling her eight-month pregnant belly and screaming about how the new inheritance laws meant her bastard child was entitled to a cut, it was too late. My dad had already been pronounced dead, rushed through a direct cremation, and his estate was locked down. Fight for the fortune? I wasn’t leaving her a single cent! 1 My father, Richard Sterling, was a deadbeat playboy who sowed his wild oats wherever he went. When he was young, he used his movie-star looks to con my mother into marrying him without spending a dime on a ring or a wedding. According to my mom, he made all these grand promises. He swore he would work hard, build a life from the ground up, and take care of his little family. But three years into the marriage, he was either drinking, gambling, or sleeping around. He was never home. We practically never saw him. My mom tried to talk sense into him a few times. In response, fueled by cheap whiskey, he pinned her to the sofa and beat her. Blood stained the couch in our tiny rented apartment, and the landlord forced us to pay a $500 damage fee. That just threw our already poverty-stricken family deeper into the abyss. My mom cried every single day. Once, after a few drinks with a friend, my mom had a moment of pure clarity and decided to file for divorce. But right at that critical moment, she found out she was pregnant with me. She didn’t want her child to be born into a broken home. Plus, whenever my dad screwed up bad enough, he would drop to his knees and give a tearful, Oscar-worthy apology. Ultimately, for my sake, she decided to endure it. The fact that she married him for nothing, combined with her refusal to fight back, made my dad feel invincible. He truly believed she couldn’t live without him. And so… the domestic violence escalated. Not even her pregnancy or nursing phases were spared. The most ruthless incident was when my dad stepped on my mother’s head, looked down at her, and spat in her face. “I didn’t even pay a dime for a ring! You’re a worthless, cheap bitch!” “Even if I bring my women home and sleep with them in our bed, you’re going to watch, you’re going to listen, and you’re going to wash our laundry and cook us breakfast!” Then I was born. My mom shifted her entire focus onto me and stopped paying attention to him. As far as she was concerned, as long as I knew I had a father and didn’t feel inferior to other kids, that was enough. She expected nothing else from him, and relied on him for nothing. And he lived up to that. From the moment I formed memories, my dad never once held me. Forget teaching me how to ride a bike or buying me toys. My mom and I were outsiders in his life. We were the closest people in the world to each other, surviving against the odds. My dad was just a background character. If we saw him today, we probably wouldn’t see him again for a week or two. As for child support or living expenses? My mom never saw a single penny. Mrs. Higgins, the old lady in the apartment upstairs, was a saint. She knew our situation and knew my dad was a piece of trash. Taking pity on me, she would give me her grandson’s old hand-me-down toys. She also hired my mom to clean her apartment and cook her meals, paying her under the table. Because of Mrs. Higgins, my mom and I didn’t starve. But the good days didn’t last. My dad found out. He interrogated my mom, demanding to know how much cash she was making. When she refused to speak, he beat her black and blue. If I tried to shield my mom, he’d beat me too. With one arm, he could effortlessly throw a five-year-old me across the room. Eventually, my mom compromised. She agreed to give him a $1,000 cut of her earnings every month. I remember Mrs. Higgins asking my mom why she didn’t just call the cops. She told her domestic abuse was a felony. My mom’s response is burned into my memory to this day. With tears in her eyes, she whispered: “If I divorce him, he’ll kill me and my son. He’s crazy enough to do it.” Later, a massive tragedy struck our family. My maternal grandparents were killed in a horrific crash. An 18-wheeler ran a red light—total liability on the trucking company. Because my mom was an only child, she received a $1 million wrongful death settlement. That period was the most terrifying, despair-filled time of our lives. Not only were we grieving, but we had to guard ourselves against my dad. He threatened us. He said if we didn’t hand over the settlement money, he would murder us. That was the moment my mom finally called the police. But it’s hard to gather evidence behind closed doors, and since my dad hadn’t physically acted on the death threats yet, the cops just mediated the dispute and gave him a stern warning. For over a month, my mom and I lived in a cheap motel, terrified. Then, one night, my dad kicked the motel door in. We screamed, but he just calmly sat down on the armchair, staring at us with dead eyes, and delivered an ultimatum. “Give me the money. I’m starting a business. I am going to change my destiny. If I don’t get it, my life is meaningless anyway. I’ll just kill myself and take the two of you down to hell with me.” Then he left. He didn’t hit us. He didn’t yell. It was the first time I had ever seen him so cold and calculated. My mom told me that in that state of mind, he really would pull the trigger. She stroked my hair, crying, apologizing to me. She promised that once I graduated high school, she would file for divorce. “With that money, your father probably won’t hurt us anymore,” she reasoned. And just like that, through extortion and death threats, he took the million-dollar settlement. He got incredibly lucky. He rode the wave of a booming real estate and logistics market, and his very first startup became a massive success. The first thing he did after becoming a multi-millionaire? He asked my mom for a divorce. But this time, she refused. As she put it: she had suffered through decades of a miserable life, swallowing her pride, taking beatings, and living in squalor. Now that he was rich, why should he get to cast her aside? My dad felt his authority was being challenged. Money had inflated his ego, making him even more arrogant and ruthless. He grabbed my mom by the hair, preparing to beat her into submission. But I was older now. I rushed him, punching him as hard as I could, screaming that I was going to call the cops, call the press, and send him to a federal penitentiary. For the first time in his life, my dad backed down. He was no longer fearless. He had a weakness now. His precious corporate empire. As a newly minted “successful entrepreneur,” a massive domestic violence and extortion scandal would utterly destroy his public image and his business. He tucked his tail between his legs and ran. That was the day my mom realized we finally had a shield. That million-dollar settlement wasn’t a total waste after all. From then on, we demanded an exorbitant allowance. If he refused, we cried, screamed, and threatened to hold protest banners outside his corporate headquarters. To save face, he paid up. It was more than enough for us to live comfortably. He never brought up divorce again, but he also never came home. He spent his days at galas and his nights in luxury penthouses. He spent his time sleeping with his secretaries and female executives. Living the high life. When he was feeling particularly smug, he’d even bring his mistresses back to our house to hook up. Whenever those disgusting noises echoed from the master bedroom, my mom would cover my ears. But it had been a very long time since she shed a single tear over him. As I grew older and understood how the world worked, I finally asked her the question that had been burning inside me. “Why keep this charade going? A father’s love like this… what’s the point of maintaining this legal marriage?” The seeds of hatred and pain had been planted in me since childhood. As for fatherly love? I didn’t possess a single ounce of it. My mom teared up, looking at me with deep guilt. But her answer is something I have engraved in my mind to this very day. “I used to be stupid. I thought keeping the family whole mattered. But you’re right, a father like him is worse than no father at all.” “But now, I have to think about your future.” I pondered that sentence for nearly a decade. Until I was twenty-two. My mom and I were making dinner when the hospital called. My dad had been in a horrible accident. In a flash of lightning, I finally understood what my mom had meant all those years ago! We dropped everything and rushed to the hospital. On the way, we exchanged dozens of glances. There was no grief. No pain. Just intense anticipation and wild speculation. When we arrived, our deepest hopes were confirmed! The doctor said my dad had been street racing and crashed. His condition was critical, and they needed us to sign the surgical consent forms immediately. We were escorted to the ICU. Seeing my dad covered in blood and hooked up to a dozen tubes, I didn’t feel a shred of sadness. Instead, I noticed he was struggling desperately to write something on a clipboard. My mom’s reflexes were faster than mine. She lunged forward, slapping his hand hard, sending the pen clattering to the floor. She wailed with theatrical devastation: “Honey! I won’t let you write a will! You’re going to pull through! You have to live!” I peeked at the clipboard. The bastard was trying to leave his entire corporate empire to his mistress and her unborn child. His handwriting was a jagged, illegible mess. It had taken all his remaining strength just to scribble a few lines. Without missing a beat, I dropped to my knees, snatched the paper, and tore it into confetti. “Dad! Don’t worry! You still have me! I’ll step up and run the company! I won’t let your life’s work go to waste!” Outside the glass doors, the nurses and doctors were wiping away tears, whispering about how lucky my dad was to have such a devoted wife and son. My dad’s face turned purple with absolute rage. He choked around the intubation tube, unable to speak, making furious, muffled groans. He tried to blindly reach for another pen. I casually kicked the clipboard into the biohazard bin, completely severing his hopes. Finally, the sheer rage and spike in blood pressure caused him to pass out. The doctors rushed in with a defibrillator. I held up a hand, stopping them. I let out a heavy sigh, my eyes shimmering with fake tears. “My father just signaled to me… he doesn’t want to live without dignity. Please, pull the plug. Let him go in peace.” Perhaps my dad could hear me in his comatose state, because the heart monitor spiked violently before flatlining into a solid, continuous beep. The doctor checked his vitals, looked at us with a heavy expression, and pronounced him dead. I nodded, vigorously rubbing my eyes as if wiping away tears, while internally, I was doing backflips. We didn’t even bother with the morgue. The moment we got the death certificate, my mom and I hired a transport service, took him straight to the crematorium, and had him burned to ash. Before the ashes had even cooled down, I scattered them in a drainage ditch. Armed with the death certificate, I hired a high-powered proxy lawyer. By throwing an obscene amount of money at the problem, I had the inheritance paperwork expedited and finalized within hours. In a single day, I transformed into a multi-millionaire CEO. 2 We went back to the hospital to finalize some billing paperwork and were just about to happily head home. Suddenly, a woman caked in heavy makeup, clutching a massive pregnant belly, stormed into the main lobby. “Where is Richard Sterling?! Where is he?!” “The CEO of Sterling Enterprises! I’m asking you, where is Richard?! What room is he in?!” I knew this woman. She was the Chief Financial Officer at my dad’s company. Her name was Serena Vance. My dad had brought her to our house multiple times while flaunting his affairs. She knew exactly what the dynamic was in our family, so she treated my mom like absolute garbage. The first time she came over, she was somewhat restrained. By the second time, she was barking orders, treating my mom like the hired help. My mom got angry and told her to check her attitude. In response, emboldened by my dad standing right next to her, Serena slapped my mom across the face, leaving five red fingernail scratches. “Don’t you raise your voice at me, you washed-up hag. Don’t you know your place?” Seeing my mom get hit, I charged forward, aiming a kick straight at Serena’s ribs. But my deadbeat father intervened, kicking me squarely in the chest and knocking me to the ground. He’d rather assault his own flesh and blood than let his precious mistress get a scratch. Seeing her again today, waddling around the hospital lobby, gave me a profound sense of karmic justice. Tsk, tsk. Looking at that belly, she had to be at least eight months along. Ready to pop any day now. What a shame. The kid is going to be born without a father. Oh, wait, not just fatherless—an unrecognized, illegitimate bastard with absolutely no legal standing. My mom and I exchanged a wry look. We were just about to slip away when Serena spotted us. Like a madwoman, she screamed and charged at us. “Stop right there! Both of you, stop!” She jogged over and grabbed my mom’s jacket. I stepped in, forcefully shoving her hand away. “Lady, running around like a maniac at eight months pregnant? Aren’t you afraid of having a miscarriage?” “Where is Richard?! Where is he!” My mom looked at her coldly. “Don’t you have your own man? Why are you looking for my husband?” As soon as she said that, the nurses, patients, and visitors in the lobby all turned to stare. Serena must have sensed something was terribly wrong. Throwing all care for her reputation out the window, she shrieked: “I am carrying Richard Sterling’s child! Why don’t I have the right to know where he is?! Tell me where he is right now!” “My husband died in a car crash. He’s currently burning in hell.” “And why would you be carrying his child? Is this some kind of sick joke?” Serena only heard the first sentence. The rest of the words flew right past her. She looked like she had been hit by a truck, stumbling backward a few steps. Then, snapping out of it, she lunged forward again. “I’m carrying his flesh and blood! I want his assets! I want half of everything he owned!” “Heh…” I let out a cold laugh. “Lady, my father was incredibly devoted to his family. He would never do anything to betray my mother. Stop joking around.” “If you keep slandering my late father’s good name, I won’t be so polite.” 3 Serena looked incredibly confused, staring at us as if she had never met us before. “What act are you two putting on?! I’ve been to your house multiple times! You know exactly who I am and what my relationship with Richard is!” “The baby in my belly is his! Now that he’s dead, I want my share! I demand my child’s inheritance!” Wanted a cut of the fortune? She wasn’t getting a single dime. Why did my mom and I rush to have him cremated and his ashes scattered in a ditch? Exactly to prevent mistress number three, four, five, and six from showing up and demanding DNA tests! As for his reputation? Dad, to secure the bag, I’m defending your honor! You were a paragon of marital fidelity! Because of Serena’s screaming, a massive crowd had gathered. They were pointing fingers and whispering about this shameless woman. But Serena didn’t care. Her brain was completely consumed by dollar signs. “Don’t think you can screw me out of this! Richard and I have been together for over two years! I’m eight months pregnant; the baby is coming in a month. If you don’t give me my cut, I’ll take you for everything you have!” “Since when do mistresses have the guts to show up and demand an inheritance?” a bystander muttered. “Don’t you know? Under state law, an illegitimate child has inheritance rights if paternity is proven!” “Tsk, tsk. She looks like a professional, but she willingly became a homewrecker.” “Sterling Enterprises is worth hundreds of millions! A baby could secure a massive bag. If it’s his biological kid, why shouldn’t she take the money?” “What is wrong with your morals? You think destroying someone’s family is justified?” “What’s wrong with my morals? The man is the one who stepped out! She went for the money, it was consensual, who did it hurt? People live and die for money, what’s the big deal?” “I spit on that! So the legal wife just deserves to get screwed over?” The crowd started arguing amongst themselves. Serena took advantage of the chaos to raise her voice. “I didn’t do it for the money at first! I didn’t even know he was married until after I got pregnant! But what was I supposed to do? Get an abortion? The baby is innocent!” “Now that he’s dead, I can’t just walk away with nothing! I’m just fighting for what rightfully belongs to my child! Is that a crime?!” Serena completely flipped the script, painting herself as the tragic victim. A good chunk of the crowd began to murmur in agreement, seemingly swaying to her side and whispering insults about my dad. Right then, I put on a pained expression and decided to reveal the “truth.” “After my dad and mom had me, my dad was in a horrific accident. He lost his fertility.” “Lady, whose bastard child are you really carrying?” 4 Since the dawn of time, spreading rumors regarding a woman’s chastity is a despicable way to ruin her. But using it on this vile mistress? I felt absolutely zero guilt. When my dad was younger, he did slip and fall while blackout drunk, requiring a hospital visit. There were medical records of the ER trip. As for losing his fertility? Completely made up. But it didn’t matter. It completely shifted the crowd’s perception of Serena. Their eyes practically screamed: Are you trying to pin another man’s bastard on a dead billionaire just to steal his money? Serena trembled with fury. In her panic, she ripped her phone out of her Prada bag. She pulled up dozens of intimate photos of her and my dad, threatening to read their explicit text messages out loud. “Look at this! We were deeply in love! Here are photos of us living together in his penthouse!” “He wasn’t devoted to anyone! He was a serial cheater who slept with half his office!” “Oh…” “Miss, didn’t you just say you didn’t know he had a wife?” I didn’t even need to speak. A sharp-eared bystander immediately called out her lie. “I meant I found out after I got pregnant! Are you all deaf?! And what does that have to do with any of you anyway?!” Serena completely lost her mind, screaming profanities at the crowd. The crowd, obviously not taking kindly to being cursed at, fired back with every insult in the book. My mom and I exchanged a look. The scene was getting way too chaotic. Time to bounce. We grabbed our paperwork and casually strolled out of the hospital.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391483”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

A breaking news alert popped up on my phone: [State University freshman lured overseas to work in an international cyber scam ring.] I was having lunch with my best friend, Chloe Davis. She glanced sideways at my screen. Immediately, her face broke into a massive, condescending grin. “Oh my god, that’s not your son, is it? I mean, your family is so broke, he’d definitely be the easiest target to brainwash.” “But seriously, do not even think about asking me for ransom money. My husband needs our cash for his stock investments.” Fuming, I locked my screen. Two minutes later, my son called me. [Mom, it’s bad. Aunt Chloe’s son got lured overseas by a scam syndicate. I heard they’re asking for a $300,000 ransom.] Right then, a text from my husband popped up. [Honey, brace yourself and get ready to console Chloe. Richard gambled away every last dime they had. They’re completely bankrupt.] I slowly put my phone down and turned to look at Chloe. She was laughing even harder now. “Oh my god, look at your face! Did the kidnappers just call you for the ransom?” I gave her a cold, slow shake of my head. The kidnappers definitely won’t be calling me. You just sit tight and wait for your phone to ring. “No… it wasn’t the kidnappers…” My mind was racing, trying to figure out how to break the news to her gently. But Chloe was laughing so hard she was clutching her stomach, wiping away tears while continuing to mock me. “Don’t give me that! Look at how pale you are. Your cheap drugstore foundation is literally cracking.” She found her own joke so hilarious she practically rolled out of her booth. The restaurant chair squeaked loudly under her shifting weight. “I’m telling you right now, Sarah, my family absolutely does not have money to lend you. And even if we did, it would take you a whole lifetime to pay us back.” My head was spinning with rage, but she just kept blabbering. “You and your husband Tom are just two corporate slaves. You make pennies every month. Of course your kid would run off the second someone flashed a dollar sign in his face!” “If I were your son, I would’ve run away ages ago. Look at my Tyler. Why didn’t he run off?” “Because my Richard is a powerhouse! My husband makes more in a month than you two make in a year. Tsk, tsk.” “But nobody’s money grows on trees. Even best friends need to keep their finances separate. I’m putting my foot down right now: I am not lending you a dime.” My grip on my phone tightened. A thin layer of sweat had coated the back of my phone. It felt damp, sticky, and incredibly uncomfortable. I took a few deep breaths and set the phone down. I pulled out a napkin and wiped my palms. “Chloe, hypothetically… if something catastrophic happened to your family, would you swear to never ask me for a loan?” She let out an ear-piercing shriek of laughter. “Ahahahaha! What did you just say? Me? Ask you for money? Keep dreaming, Sarah. Are you really that desperate to see me beneath you?” I shook my head, exhausted. Chloe reached over and grabbed my hand. “Sarah, honestly, I advise you to just let him work over there.” “With your family’s pathetic bank account, your kid isn’t going to find a good job after graduation anyway.” “Do you really want him working like a dog for pennies, just like you?” “Who knows! Maybe he’ll actually make some real money doing scams!” I violently snatched my hand back and yelled at her, “Are you out of your mind?! Do you have any idea how much they torture and beat those kids who get lured over there? Do you not watch the news?!” She shrugged, completely unfazed. “Well, poor kids need to be taught a lesson anyway. So what if he gets beaten? That’s what he gets for having useless, broke parents.” Okay. Fine. Since you want to be this vicious, I have absolutely no reason to show you any mercy. You can just wait for someone else to deliver the devastating truth. I called the waiter over for the check, ready to part ways. She pulled out her phone, smirking. “Like I said, financial boundaries. Don’t think just because your family is in crisis I’m going to treat you to lunch. We’re splitting the check.” I gave a tight smile. “Of course we’re splitting it. I’m not the type to take advantage of people. I hope you aren’t either.” She raised an eyebrow. “God wouldn’t even give me the opportunity to take advantage of you, don’t you think?” She bobbed her head, deliberately trying to piss me off. Right at that moment, a notification popped up in the university parents’ group chat. Chloe’s son and mine were in the same program, so she received it too. [URGENT: A major incident has occurred. Several male students from our university have been lured overseas to international scam compounds under the false promise of high-paying jobs. The school will hold an emergency safety presentation this afternoon in the main auditorium. We strongly urge all local parents to attend.] Chloe immediately sat up straight, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “Oh my god, some real drama?! I am absolutely going to watch this.” I had originally planned to work overtime this afternoon, and since I knew my son was safe, I didn’t want to wade into this mess. But Chloe grabbed my wrist tightly. “Let’s go, let’s go! Your son got kidnapped, you need to meet the other parents! You can all trauma-bond together.” Fine, let’s go, I thought. I can’t wait to see your face when you realize it’s your son who’s gone. We walked out to the restaurant’s parking garage. “I’m not riding in your car,” Chloe announced. “I’ll drive mine. Riding in cheap cars makes me motion sick.” I tilted my head but didn’t respond. I got into my Honda, and as I drove past her, I saw her staring blankly at an empty parking spot. “Huh? Where’s my car?” She looked back at me. “Maybe my car was just too luxurious, and one of Richard’s friends borrowed it. I’ll call him right now and tell him to bring it back.” She dialed her husband’s number. It rang and rang. No one answered. I slammed on the gas and sped off. Goodbye, my dearest best friend. You aren’t getting that car back. Your beloved husband already gave it to his creditors to pay off his gambling debts. And don’t you dare ride in my car. Cheap cars make you nauseous, remember? I glanced in my rearview mirror and saw Chloe, teetering in her three-inch designer heels, sprinting frantically after my car. She was waving her arms, screaming at the top of her lungs, “Sarah! Stop! Stop the car! Take me with you! Take me!” I pretended I didn’t hear a thing and sped out of the parking lot. Chloe arrived at the university auditorium ten minutes after I did. Her hair was a windblown mess, and she stood at the entrance panting heavily, scanning the room. The second she saw me, she aggressively stomped over. I smiled at her. “Oh hey, did your husband bring your car back? That was pretty fast!” “Screw you! You did that on purpose! You heard me screaming for you, and you purposely didn’t stop!” She collapsed into the seat next to me, ripped a water bottle out of her designer purse, and chugged it aggressively. I suppressed a laugh. “What? You were screaming for me? But you said you couldn’t ride in my cheap car. Why were you calling me?” She waved me off irritably. “Enough, just drop it.” I tugged her sleeve. “How did you get here?” Her chest heaved with fury. “Don’t even get me started! My husband is being so weird. He suddenly froze my credit cards, and I couldn’t even link a rideshare app.” “Your family is so wealthy and you only rely on credit cards? You don’t have any cash on you at all?” She rolled her eyes disdainfully. “What do you know? We rich people have credit limits you can’t even imagine. Plus, our cash flow is always tied up in investments making more money. I wouldn’t expect a poor person like you to understand. Just shut up and let’s listen to what the administrators have to say.” Did she literally run all the way here? The more I thought about it, the funnier it got. I zipped my lips and looked straight ahead. On the stage, the university representative gave a broad overview of scam awareness and explained the current crisis. A photo was projected onto the massive screen behind them. “As you can see, parents, this photo was secretly taken by a bystander near the border crossing. We can’t clearly make out how many students are in the group. We ask that all parents try to contact their children right now so we can begin the process of elimination.” Chloe stretched her neck out like a giraffe and practically yelled, “Look at the one in the blue hoodie! Sarah, that is one hundred percent your son.” “What did I tell you? Your family is broke, so your kid was easy prey.” “Hahaha, it’s definitely him! Big head, thick neck, that’s your boy! I have 20/20 vision, I’d never mistake that.” I let out a heavy sigh. She really had the ultimate mother’s blind spot. Her son had completely let himself go after starting college. He had gained forty pounds and looked incredibly sloppy, but she was completely oblivious to it. I nudged her arm. “Do you want to try calling your son?” She squinted at me mockingly. “What, do you honestly think my son would go commit fraud for a few extra pennies?” “Fine, fine, I’ll call him just to prove it to you!” She pulled out her phone and dialed Tyler’s number. It rang for a long time. No one picked up. She laughed awkwardly. “I bet his dad picked him up. Those two are practically joined at the hip. They go fishing together all the time. It’s so boring, I never go with them.” My heart hammered in my chest. Are they really out fishing? I quickly texted my husband: [Did you know Richard takes his son out fishing all the time?] My husband replied instantly: [Fishing? Yeah right. That’s just the excuse they give Chloe. Those two go to sketchy underground strip clubs and brothels together.] I bit my lower lip hard, glancing over at Chloe, who had just pulled out her compact mirror to fix her makeup. How could she possibly care about her makeup at a time like this? Tom sent another text: [Do not tell Chloe this, but Richard is completely bankrupt. He owes millions to loan sharks. I bet Tyler knows too. The whole family has been keeping Chloe in the dark.] A cold sweat broke out on my back. I couldn’t even fathom how Chloe was going to react when she found out the truth. But honestly, I was a little eager to see it. The administrator on stage raised the microphone again. “If any parents have been unable to reach their children, please come to the front desk after the presentation to register. Um, would any parents like to say a few words? If not, we will conclude—” Before the administrator could finish, Chloe shot up from her seat, waving her hand wildly. “I have something to say! Me, me, me!” The administrator leaned back, clearly startled, but maintained a polite smile. “Alright, let’s welcome this mother to the stage to share her thoughts.” Chloe practically skipped up the stage in her heels, her face glowing with pride. She snatched the microphone right out of the administrator’s hand. A sharp burst of feedback blasted through the speakers. Everyone in the auditorium covered their ears. “Ow! Watch it!” “Who is this woman? She has no manners.” “Seriously, she’s acting like this is her personal stand-up special.” “Let’s see what kind of garbage comes out of her mouth.” Chloe cleared her throat and began a speech that completely shattered everyone’s perception of human decency. “Hello, teachers and parents. I am Tyler Davis’s mother. My name is Chloe. Chloe, as in flawless luxury. I’m sure you’ve all heard of us, considering our family is incredibly wealthy. Tyler has the highest monthly allowance of any student in his class. I’m sure your children are deeply envious of Tyler and have probably mentioned our family to you at home. As a successful and capable parent, I’m here to share my personal perspective. I believe that if your child was lured away to work in a scam ring, the primary responsibility lies entirely with you, the parents! If you weren’t so useless and actually provided your kids with enough money, would they have been tricked? At the end of the day, you people never deserved to have kids in the first place. Useless people breed useless children. Even if they hadn’t been kidnapped, they’d be completely worthless after graduation anyway. Honestly, they might as well go run scams. Who knows, they might actually make some real money for once.” By this point, the crowd was in an uproar. Some parents were shouting curses at her, while others muttered furiously. “Who the hell do you think you are?! How dare you judge us?!” “Trash! Who knows what kind of dirty money your family makes. You need to be investigated!” “You’re just a housewife spending your husband’s money! What are you acting so high and mighty for?!” “Get off the stage!” The entire auditorium erupted into a furious chant. “Get off the stage!” “Get out of here!” But Chloe just tilted her chin up, flashing a sickeningly arrogant smile. “See? This is exactly how poor people act. You deserve to be suppressed! You deserve to be mistreated! And look what happened. Your kids got trafficked. They’re probably getting beaten half to death by cartels right now. They are suffering for your sins! I advise you all not to even bother trying to raise ransom money. Hundreds of thousands of dollars? You couldn’t scrape that together if you sold your own blood. For the sake of the living, I highly suggest you just cut your losses and abandon your kidnapped children. If your bodies are still capable, just make a new kid. If not, just accept your miserable lives. It’s called cutting your losses!” “Screw your losses!” a father roared. “You don’t get to talk about our children like that!” “Yeah! Who do you think you are?!” “Watch it be her own son who got kidnapped. I’d love to see her brag then!” “Honestly, the kid in the photo looks exactly like her son Tyler. Same thick neck and chubby face!” Chloe suddenly raised the microphone, and another piercing shriek of feedback echoed through the hall. Over the noise, she screamed, “Impossible! My family is rich! My son would never be desperate for money! The blurry boy in that photo is Sarah Miller’s son! His name is Jake!” But right at that exact moment, the administrator turned and stared at the auditorium doors. Through her lapel mic, her voice carried clearly across the sudden silence. “Jake Miller? Do you need something?” Chloe’s face twisted into an expression uglier than if she had just swallowed dirt. She whipped her head around toward the entrance. There, my son Jake strode confidently into the auditorium. “Excuse me, I’m looking for my mom. I heard the presentation was over. I didn’t realize it was still going on, I’m so sorry.” The administrator gave him a warm smile. “It’s alright, come on in.” My son stood tall, his posture straight, looking a bit leaner than usual. He had probably been training hard for his sports team recently. The administrator smiled at him. “Are you here to ask your mom for your allowance? You need to be a bit more frugal, you know.” Jake nodded politely. “Yes, I know. But actually, I’m here to take my mom shopping. I recently picked up a part-time job tutoring, and I saved up some money. I wanted to buy my mom a beautiful new outfit.” The expressions of all the parents in the room instantly melted into pure warmth. “What an incredible kid.” “He’s the absolute perfect son.” “I really need to get my boy to be friends with him.” But Chloe’s mouth fell open, stretching wider and wider in sheer disbelief, before her eyes filled with toxic venom. Someone in the audience yelled out, “Hey, Tyler’s mom! Weren’t you absolutely certain that Jake was the one who got trafficked? He’s standing right here! So who do you think that boy in the photo is?!”

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