Author: Momo Chan

1 Evelyn and I were reborn. We came back to the day of our wedding, right after college graduation. She was still in the makeup chair when she suddenly tore off the pristine white gown. “Tim,” she said, her voice sharp and final. “I’ve thought it over. We’re not right for each other.” “I’m not marrying you.” I didn’t try to stop her. I knew. In our last life, she regretted every moment she spent with me. A heart that won’t warm up stays frozen, no matter how hard you try to melt it. And just like that, three years of love evaporated. We went our separate ways. Evelyn left the country, cutting off all contact. I stayed behind in Riverton. Seven years later, she returned, a success story with her childhood sweetheart in tow. They were the picture of happiness, their engagement announcement splashed all over social media. But when she found out I’d been married for four years—to the daughter of the city’s richest man—her regret was a poison she couldn’t swallow. “Tim, you promised you’d only ever love me!” she’d screamed in our first life. “How could you do this to me?” But that was then. This is now. On a perfect weekend, I’d cleared my schedule to spend the day at the beach with my daughter. She was a whirlwind of joy, giggling as she flung sand and seawater all over me. I was watching her, my heart overflowing, when my old college buddy Mark called. “Tim, where are you? It’s getting late.” I’d completely forgotten about the class reunion. “Sorry, man, totally spaced. I’ll be there.” “By the way,” he added, his tone shifting, “forgot to tell you. Evelyn’s back in town. She’s with Ethan.” Ethan. Back in freshman year, he was my biggest rival. He and Evelyn were childhood friends, practically joined at the hip. Their connection ran deep. But I’d won her over, or so I thought. I still remember Ethan clapping me on the shoulder after she and I got together, a fake smile on his face. “You better take care of her, man,” he’d said, a warning disguised as a joke. “Or I’ll be there to pick up the pieces.” I had the housekeeper take my daughter home and grabbed a cab to the hotel. On the way, Mark filled me in. Turns out Evelyn had done very well for herself abroad. With Ethan’s help, she’d landed a management position at a Fortune 500 company. The rumor was she made more in a month than most people do in two years. On top of that, her design work had won international awards. She was a rising star. Their return to Riverton was almost certainly to get married. Mark kept warning me to be careful, to not lose my cool at the party. “The person she is now, Tim,” he said, “you can’t afford to piss her off. And don’t even think about messing with Ethan.” “Thanks for the heads-up,” I said with a calm smile. “I’ll be careful.” I was stepping out of the cab at the hotel when a sleek, black BMW 3 Series screeched to a halt behind me. “Well, well, if it isn’t our resident genius, Tim!” The voice dripped with sarcasm. I turned. At the wheel was Kevin, Ethan’s most loyal lapdog. He’d hated my guts ever since Evelyn chose me over Ethan in college, even threatening to have me jumped. I still suspected he was behind the “random” mugging I suffered just off campus back then. Kevin parked haphazardly and swaggered over, slapping my shoulder. “Tim, my man! Years go by, but you haven’t changed a bit, have you?” I just smiled. Before I could reply, a Porsche Cayenne pulled up. And in the passenger seat, looking like she’d stepped off a magazine cover, was Evelyn. Seven years had passed. She wore designer sunglasses, a head-to-toe brand-name outfit, and flawless makeup. Ethan was driving, and when he saw me, his eyes narrowed into slits, a triumphant smirk he couldn’t hide spreading across his face. Kevin, true to form, scurried over like a puppy, fawning as he opened the passenger door. “Ethan, you made it!” “Yeah.” Ethan got out and gave me a dismissive nod. “Tim. Long time no see.” “Long time,” I echoed. Evelyn looked me up and down—the sandy hair, the dirty t-shirt, the board shorts and flip-flops. Her perfectly sculpted eyebrows furrowed in distaste. “Tim, have you gone backward? You couldn’t even bother to change for a class reunion?” I scratched my head, playing dumb. “Didn’t have time. It was a last-minute thing.” Evelyn scoffed. “With an attitude like that, I bet you don’t even have a girlfriend, do you?” I nodded. “Nope.” Kevin let out a derisive laugh. “Come on, Tim! You were the star of our department back at Riverton U. How did you end up like… this? You’re embarrassing all of us, man. Don’t you have any ambition?” Ethan could barely contain his glee, but he put on a show of magnanimity. “Alright, Kevin, that’s enough. We’re all old friends here. No need to be so harsh.” He turned to me, his voice oozing fake sympathy. “Look, talent doesn’t pay the bills these days. I’m sure Tim has his reasons for being in this spot. For my sake, let’s not rub salt in the wound.” Kevin just grinned and shut up. “Let’s go,” Ethan said. “Everyone’s probably waiting.” As we walked into the hotel, Evelyn linked her arm through Ethan’s, a gesture so natural it was like a second skin. She was tall and slender, her long legs accentuated by stilettos, turning more than a few heads. Ethan shot a glance back at me over his shoulder, a look of pure victory. I pretended not to see. The private room was already buzzing. When Ethan and Evelyn entered, our old classmates practically jumped to their feet, their faces lit up with welcoming smiles. “Ethan, man! You finally made it!” “Looking sharp as ever!” “Evelyn, you look stunning! So classy.” “You two look so good together!” “Looks like we’ll be getting a wedding invitation soon!” Ethan beamed at the praise, while Evelyn blushed, feigning modesty. I trailed in behind them like a ghost. No one said a word to me, no one even looked my way. Finally, Mark waved me over to an empty seat in the most inconspicuous corner of the room. As the food arrived, the room filled with laughter and toasts. I sat in my corner, ignored, and just ate. The conversation inevitably turned to Ethan. Mark asked, “So, Ethan, the company’s booming, huh? I heard you just landed a partnership with Sterling Enterprises. Is that true?” Ethan smiled casually. “We’re still in talks, but it’s looking very promising.” Kevin raised his glass. “Dude, the CEO of Sterling is the richest man in Riverton! Once you’re in with them, you’ll be unstoppable!” “It’s nothing, really,” Ethan said, waving it off modestly. “Just a small business. Compared to Evelyn, my achievements are nothing. She’s an internationally recognized designer now. Just won a major award.” As he spoke, he took Evelyn’s hand, and they exchanged a look brimming with affection. Watching them, my mind drifted. In our first life, after Evelyn and I got married, we both got jobs at the same firm. We lived a quiet, stable nine-to-five life. Our combined income was comfortably upper-middle-class for Riverton. We had a house, a car, savings. It was a good life. Evelyn seemed content, too. Until the day she saw her friend’s social media feed. Her best friend, a woman named Sarah, was by all accounts less attractive and came from a humbler background than Evelyn. But Sarah had married well. Her husband was a wealthy businessman. She never had to worry about money. She took spontaneous trips around the world, drove a Porsche, and lived in a mansion. Even the diamond on her wedding ring was five times the size of Evelyn’s. Evelyn couldn’t stand it. The thought of living out her days in quiet mediocrity became a nightmare. She started pressuring me, a daily barrage of brainwashing. “What’s the point of this dead-end job? This pathetic salary can barely support us!” “We only have a few hundred thousand in savings. It sounds like a lot, but we can’t even afford a luxury car.” “Thank god we didn’t listen to your parents and have kids early. We probably couldn’t even afford a decent preschool.” “Tim, you can’t go on like this! Just quit your job, let’s start a business together!” “Or we could move abroad! My friend guaranteed we could get residency within two years.” “We’re still young! If we don’t take a risk now, our whole lives are already written for us!” I tried to reason with her, to tell her that our life wasn’t so bad. Starting a business, moving to a new country—both came with massive risks. If we failed, we’d lose everything. But she wouldn’t listen. She gave me an ultimatum: take a risk with her, or get a divorce. Divorce. The word hit me like a physical blow. I never dreamed that the woman I’d loved so deeply, the wife with whom I’d never even had a serious argument, would say that. All because she’d seen her friend’s lavish lifestyle. The foundation of our love, which I thought was rock-solid, crumbled in an instant. In the end, I couldn’t change her mind. I agreed to the divorce. On the way to the courthouse, our car was rear-ended by a speeding dump truck. We both died. And then, we were reborn. “Tim! Hey, genius! Ethan asked you a question!” Kevin’s sharp voice snapped me back to the present. He gave me a rough shove. I looked up. Ethan was watching me, a mocking smile playing on his lips. “Tim, everyone’s shared what they’re up to. It’s your turn. So, where are you making your fortune these days?” “I’m not working at the moment,” I said calmly. “Unemployed, I guess.” “What? Unemployed?” Kevin crowed, his voice dripping with fake disbelief. “Tim, the genius from Riverton U, can’t even find a job? If word gets out, you’ll be a laughingstock!” A wave of snickers went through the room. Evelyn looked at me with a mixture of pity and disgust, but underneath it all, there was a flicker of relief. Relief that she had made the right choice. If she had married me, stayed in Riverton, her life would have been the same as the last one: comfortable, but painfully average. Nothing like the glamorous life she had now. Mark frowned. “Tim, if you don’t have an income, how are you getting by?” “I do odd jobs here and there,” I said. “Some freelance stuff. Enough to support myself.” Kevin scanned me from head to toe, his expression scornful. “And by ‘freelance stuff,’ do you mean hauling bricks at a construction site?” I didn’t answer, and the silence was all the confirmation they needed. The whispers started. “No wonder his clothes are so dirty, and he’s wearing flip-flops.” “He’s even got sand in his hair. Looks like Kevin was right.” “A top-tier university grad ending up as a manual laborer. What a waste.” “If I were him, I’d be too embarrassed to even show my face here.” “I bet the only reason he came was to see Evelyn.” “I still don’t get what she ever saw in him. She was the campus belle.” “Exactly! Ethan is handsome, rich… Tim can’t even compare to his little finger.” “Thank God they didn’t get married. Her life would have been ruined.” I’d had enough. I muttered an excuse and headed for the bathroom. I was washing my hands when I heard the click-clack of high heels behind me. It was Evelyn. She stood there, her eyes full of a familiar disappointment. “Tim, I can’t believe it. Just because I didn’t marry you, you let yourself go completely. You’ve become a total deadbeat.” “It’s been seven years,” she continued, her voice sharp with judgment. “Everyone has built a career. Even Mark is a sales manager now. But you… you have zero ambition. I’m so disappointed in you.” I looked at her face, so familiar yet so alien, and said calmly, “Everyone gets to choose their own life. I chose this one because I like it. I have enough to eat, a roof over my head, and I don’t have to deal with office politics or corporate burnout. It’s a good life.” Evelyn let out a contemptuous laugh. “Tim, do you know why I didn’t marry you?” “I do,” I said evenly. “We want different things. You want money and fame. That’s what matters most to you.” “It’s not just what I want. It’s what any sane person wants,” she retorted. “You only live once. If you don’t strive for something, what’s the difference between you and a piece of driftwood?” She softened her tone slightly, a calculated move. “You’re brilliant, you’re responsible, you can be romantic. You were the ideal husband material. But your biggest flaw is your lack of ambition. You’re happy being a big fish in a tiny, insignificant pond.” She took a step closer. “Tim, life is short. If you don’t push yourself, you’ll never know what you’re capable of. I’m glad I made the right choice. Instead of marrying you, I went abroad and fought for my career. Now, I’ve come back successful. You and I… we’re in two different worlds now.” I nodded. “You’re right. You’ve changed.” “But some people never change,” she said, her voice dripping with scorn. “Or they get even worse. Tim, I think you’re destined to be a loser for the rest of your life.” After delivering the final blow, she sighed dramatically. “But fine. For old time’s sake, I’ll give you a chance. Ethan’s company is looking for a design assistant. With your talent, you could handle it. The pay isn’t great, maybe six or seven thousand a month with bonuses, but it’s better than what you have now.” I shook my head. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m not interested.” Her brow knitted into a sharp ‘V’. “Tim, you’re in this state and you still have an ego? Ethan would never have offered this if it wasn’t for me.” Before I could reply, Ethan appeared. He wrapped an arm around Evelyn’s waist, his voice smooth as silk. “What’s wrong, babe? You look upset.” “Nothing. Just annoyed by someone who doesn’t know what’s good for him.” “Oh?” Ethan turned his gaze to me, a smug smile playing on his lips. “Let me guess. Tim turned down your generous offer, didn’t he?” He shook his head in mock pity. “Tim, Tim, Tim. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Evelyn has a good heart. She’s only trying to help you out of nostalgia. Look at you. You look worse than the security guard at the front door. She offers you a white-collar job with a decent salary that fresh grads would kill for, and you throw it back in her face. You’re a real disappointment.” I kept my voice level. “Ethan, I know my own limits. I haven’t had a real job in years. I’m used to being lazy. Thanks for the offer, but no thanks.” Evelyn snorted. “You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped.” She turned and walked away. After she was out of earshot, Ethan leaned in close, his voice low and menacing. “Tim, remember what I told you freshman year? I told you to take care of her, or I’d move in. You actually let her go. So thanks for that. That’s the only reason I let her offer you a job.” His smile vanished. “But I’ll give you another warning. Stay away from Evelyn. Don’t even think about getting back together with her. Or I will make you disappear.” He punctuated the last sentence with a hard shove against my shoulder, his face twisted in a snarl, all traces of his charming facade gone. I just looked at him and smiled faintly. Back in the room, it wasn’t long before the main event began. Ethan got down on one knee in front of everyone, presenting Evelyn with a massive bouquet of roses as he proposed. The room erupted in applause and cheers. Evelyn feigned surprise, but a delighted, shy smile spread across her face as she accepted the flowers. Mark shot a worried glance my way, but relaxed when he saw my expression was completely neutral. But then, as Ethan reached into his pocket for the ring, his expression changed. “That’s weird,” he said, patting his jacket. “The diamond ring… it’s gone.” Kevin piped up. “Did you leave it in the car, man?” “No way. I remember putting it in my pocket when I got out. I checked on it during dinner; it was definitely there.” A murmur went through the room. “Maybe it fell out somewhere?” “Or… maybe someone stole it?” Kevin immediately seized on the idea. “That’s it! One of us is a thief! Someone with sticky fingers stole Ethan’s ring!” “That ring must have been expensive, right?” someone asked. Ethan tried to sound casual. “Not too bad. Just over a million.” A collective gasp went through the room. Mark suggested calling the police, but Kevin shot that down. “No, the cops will take forever. Let’s just search everyone. We’re all old friends here. For Ethan’s future happiness, we can all put up with a little inconvenience.” Without waiting for an answer, he marched straight toward me. “Tim, we’ll start with you. You don’t mind, do you?” I said I didn’t, and he immediately started patting me down. A few seconds later, he pulled a glittering ring from my pocket. “This is it!” Ethan exclaimed. “That’s my ring!” The room exploded. “Tim, I knew you were poor, but I never thought you were a thief!” “There’s no honor among thieves, but stealing from an old classmate? That’s shameless.” “Everyone, check your wallets! See if anything else is missing!” “I knew this guy was bad news. Call the police! Get him arrested!” “A million-dollar ring? He’s going to jail for a long, long time.” Evelyn stared at me, her face a mask of cold, absolute disappointment. I tried to tell them I didn’t do it, but no one listened. As I stood there, cornered and accused, the door to the private room swung open. Led by the hotel manager, a woman of stunning beauty and unshakeable confidence walked in. She was holding the hand of a little girl, about two years old, who looked like a perfect porcelain doll. Ethan froze for a second, then his face broke into a wide, sycophantic grin as he rushed forward. “Ms. Sterling! What a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?” The woman gave him a quizzical look. “I’m sorry, have we met?” “I’m Ethan from Apex Innovations. We spoke briefly at the bidding conference the other day.” Mark whispered to the person next to him, “Who is that?” Kevin, the resident expert on the rich and powerful, whispered back, “You don’t know? That’s Sophia Sterling, the new CEO of Sterling Enterprises! Her dad is worth billions. She’s a true heiress!” The entire room was stunned into silence. But the biggest shock was yet to come. The little girl suddenly let go of her mother’s hand and came toddling straight toward me, her arms outstretched. “Daddy, up!”

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1 My mother-in-law was having a heart attack. My husband, a top cardiac surgeon, was the only one who could save her. I didn’t call him for help. I just stood there and watched, my eyes cold, as she took her last agonizing breath in front of me. In my last life, when she had this heart attack, I called my husband immediately. He accused me of being a jealous, manipulative wife, faking an emergency just to drag him home. He refused to come. She died in the hospital. And when my father-in-law demanded to know why, my husband swore I had never called him, pinning the entire blame for his mother’s death on me. My father-in-law, consumed by hatred, stabbed me to death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on that very day. … “Eva, Dr. Chen is the only one who can perform this surgery. You have to get him here now. If he’s not here within the hour, she’s not going to make it.” When I came to, my mother-in-law, Helen, was already on the hospital bed, her breaths shallow and ragged. The situation was critical. On instinct, I pulled out my phone and started to walk away. But after two steps, the image of my father-in-law butchering me flashed through my mind. I hadn’t died after the last stab wound. I remember looking down, my stomach a bloody, mangled mess. A shiver ran down my spine. My husband, Liam, loves to dodge responsibility, doesn’t he? Well, not this time. The phone rang for what felt like an eternity before he finally picked up. “What is it?” Liam’s voice was sharp with annoyance. My own voice trembled, thick with unshed tears. “Liam, it’s your mom. She’s had a heart attack. We’re at your hospital, and the head nurse said you’re the only one who can do the surgery. You have to come, please.” There was a pause, then his tone turned cold with fury. “Eva, are you serious right now? I take Winona to the mall for a few hours, and you pull a stunt like this? You’re using my mother’s life to score jealousy points? Have you lost your mind?” “No, I’m not,” I whimpered. “She’s really—” “Liam, honey… I don’t feel so good.” A sweet, delicate voice cut me off. “Winona? Are you okay?” Liam’s voice instantly shifted to panicked concern. He didn’t forget to hiss a final threat into the phone. “Eva, I hope you’re happy now. And you better stop cursing my mother with these fake illnesses, or I swear to God, you’ll regret it.” He hung up. I looked up. The faces of the emergency room staff around me were a mixture of awkwardness and pity. I offered them a helpless smile. Last time, I’d rushed out of the room to make the call, trying not to upset Helen further. But when everything went to hell, Liam, terrified of the hospital’s reprimand and his father’s wrath, denied I had ever contacted him. This time, I made sure to make the call in front of everyone. I needed witnesses. But that wasn’t enough. I hit redial. Once. Twice. Three times. On the fourth try, the call wouldn’t go through. He’d blocked me. I leaned over Helen’s bed. “Mom, just hang on. Liam wouldn’t just leave you.” She was still conscious. As I said those words, her monitor shrieked, the lines going haywire. The doctors and nurses jolted into action, a chaotic ballet of desperation. The head nurse pulled me out of the room, her face grim. “Eva, her situation is deteriorating rapidly. I don’t care how you do it, but you need to get Dr. Chen here. Now.” “But he won’t answer my calls,” I cried, my voice thick with panic. “Then try someone else’s phone.” She disappeared back into the room, leaving me alone in the hallway. Someone else’s phone? I borrowed phones from two different nurses. Both times, as soon as Liam heard my voice, he hung up. The head nurse had given me a direct order. I had to find another way. Wiping my tears, I opened the app for the city’s biggest livestreamer, a guy who ran a channel called “HelpForce Live.” I sent the biggest virtual gift they had. A moment later, I was live with him. “Hello, HelpForce,” I began, my voice choked with sobs. “I’m just a regular person, but I’m in a terrible situation. My mother-in-law has had a sudden heart attack, and Dr. Liam Chen is the only surgeon who can save her. But he won’t take my calls. He’s at the city center mall right now. If anyone sees him, please, tell him to get to St. Jude’s Hospital immediately. His mother only has about forty minutes left.” I finished, my whole body shaking, and sent the streamer a photo of Liam. The streamer hesitated. “Ma’am, I understand you’re upset, but doctors have private lives too. We can’t just ambush him because you say it’s an emergency. This could be a serious invasion of his privacy, so…” 2 Before he could finish, the head nurse burst out of the ER again. “Have you reached him? She’s worse than we thought.” I shook my head, my heart sinking. “That man is completely unreliable,” she muttered. Just then, another nurse poked her head out. “Charge nurse! Patient is in cardiac arrest! Get the crash cart!” Cardiac arrest. The words hit me like a physical blow. I stood frozen for a long moment. Then, as if waking from a trance, I bolted for the elevators. I stabbed the button for the top floor. The hospital’s CEO and all the department heads were in the middle of a board meeting. When I threw the door open, the room fell silent. Every eye turned to me. I spotted Liam’s boss, Dr. Peterson, the head of cardiology. I ran to him and dropped to my knees. “Dr. Peterson, please, you have to save my mother-in-law! She’s dying in the ER!” His face darkened. “Isn’t there a doctor in the emergency room? Why have you come all the way up here?” “Dr. Peterson, I’m Liam Chen’s wife,” I sobbed. “The doctors down there said only Liam can perform her surgery, but he… he can’t make it. Your skills are legendary. Please, you’re the only one who can save her now.” Hearing my story, the CEO gave Dr. Peterson a nod. He agreed to go down and assess the situation. When he heard the full story of my unanswered calls, Dr. Peterson let out a string of curses. “Has Liam lost his mind? He’s always been a bit of a flake, but to abandon his own mother? Don’t you worry, I’ll call him myself.” He pulled out his phone, trying to reassure me as he dialed. The call connected almost instantly. Dr. Peterson’s voice was granite. “Liam, I don’t care where you are or what you’re doing. Get back to the hospital now. Your mother has had a massive heart attack, and you’re the only one who can operate.” Liam’s voice on the other end was incredulous. “Dr. Peterson? You’ve got to be kidding me. She even dragged you into her little drama? Sir, I really can’t come back right now. Please don’t fall for her act. You have no idea what this woman will say when she’s jealous. I know my mother’s health. I listened to her heart this morning myself; it was perfect. She used to pull this stunt all the time to get me home. I’m not falling for it again, and with all due respect, neither should you. I have to go.” He hung up before Dr. Peterson could get another word in. Dr. Peterson’s face was a thundercloud. He tried calling back, but the phone went straight to voicemail. Liam had turned it off. “Son of a bitch,” the normally mild-mannered director snarled, his knuckles white around his phone. “Is that man even human?” Just then, the streamer’s voice came from my phone. “You heard it here, folks. It’s real. This is not a drill. If you’re in the city, keep an eye out for Dr. Liam Chen. We need to get him to St. Jude’s!” I’d completely forgotten the livestream was still running. Everything—Dr. Peterson’s call, Liam’s callous dismissal—had been broadcast to the world. When I looked at my screen, the viewer count had jumped to thirty thousand. The chat was flying. [OMG, I was about to roast this chick for being a drama queen, but holy crap, what a plot twist.] [This guy has serious issues. His MOM is dying and he’s out with his side piece? I wanna punch him through the screen.] Seeing that comment, I quickly cried out, “Please, don’t hurt him!” Then, I handed my phone to Dr. Peterson and knelt on the floor, facing the camera. “Everyone watching, please, I’m begging you, help me find my husband. My mother-in-law has always been so good to me. I can’t just watch her die. Liam, if you’re seeing this, please come back. If you save your mother, I’ll do anything you ask.” I slammed my forehead on the cold, tiled floor, over and over again. The raw desperation of the act brought tears to the eyes of the nurses around me. “What kind of scumbag makes his wife beg like this just to save his own mother?” someone muttered. But the performance was for nothing. Half an hour later, Helen was gone. As they wheeled her body to the morgue, the head nurse patted my back. “Don’t blame yourself,” she said gently. I collapsed into her arms, my voice raw with grief. “She’s gone! I don’t have a mother-in-law anymore!” Her own voice was thick with emotion. “You did everything you possibly could, Eva.” “Eva.” A familiar voice cut through my haze of sorrow. I looked up and saw my father-in-law, Arthur. 3 Arthur had just driven in from their country home, still covered in dust and dirt from the fields. As he walked toward me, I saw the ghost of the man from my last life, the man with the knife. I instinctively took a step back. But this time, he just reached out and gently stroked my hair. “I heard the broadcast on the way here. After everything Liam put you through, you still fought so hard for her. Thank you, Eva.” I nodded, my expression a mask of grief. Inside, a wave of relief washed over me. I’d gotten away with it. Arthur went to the morgue to see his wife. The moment the white sheet was pulled back, his legs gave out, and he crumpled to the floor. “Helen, my love, why couldn’t you wait for me? Why didn’t you let me see you one last time?” he wailed. “And that ungrateful son of ours… he’s the one who killed you!” Arthur and Helen had a deep, twisted kind of love. They’d married for passion, not arrangement. But neither of them was a saint. When they were young, Arthur had been so obsessed with her that he’d jumped into a river to force her to marry him. And Helen, who had been in love with someone else, was never faithful after they wed. One was dangerously obsessive, the other perpetually restless. Their life was a cycle of explosive fights. After each one, Helen would storm off to the city to stay with Liam, where she would spend her time criticizing me. She thought a simple accountant like me was lucky to have landed a brilliant surgeon, and she was the one who had introduced Liam to the beautiful and accomplished Winona. She never imagined she was digging her own grave. Arthur said he wanted some time alone with his wife, so I stepped out of the morgue. I was about to sit down and catch my breath when a voice barked my name. “Eva Chen!” A shiver of pure terror shot down my spine. In my past life, Arthur’s attack hadn’t killed me immediately. Liam had found me, bleeding out. I begged him to take me to a hospital. But he was afraid I’d tell the police what his father had done. Instead, he pressed a towel over my face and smothered me. I’ll never forget the look in his eyes as he killed me. Vicious. Final. “L-Liam.” My legs turned to jelly. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He shoved his phone in my face. The video of me begging and banging my head on the floor was playing. “Are you addicted to making a scene? Humiliating our family in front of the entire city wasn’t enough for you?” I shook my head. “That’s not what happened.” “Bullshit! Do you have any idea what I’ve been through today? People are calling Winona a homewrecker, screaming at us in the street, forcing me to come here. Are you happy now?” He backed me into a corner. “You said my mother was dying. So where is she? I didn’t see her in the ER.” I pointed a trembling finger toward the morgue behind me. He still didn’t believe me. “Oh, perfect. First, you lie about a heart attack, and now you’re pretending she’s dead? Fine. You’re coming in with me. And if I don’t find a body, I swear to God, you and I are finished.” He grabbed me by the collar and dragged me inside. The moment we were through the doors, he started shouting. “Mom? Where are you? The joke’s over! Honestly, why would you go along with this crazy woman’s scheme? Do you know how embarrassing this is?” His tirade stopped cold when he saw his father. Liam frowned. “Dad? What are you doing here? Don’t tell me Eva tricked you into coming, too.” Arthur strode forward and slapped his son across the face, the sound echoing in the silent room. “You ungrateful bastard,” he seethed. “It’s come to this, and you still don’t believe it? You let your own mother die for some tramp, and you have the audacity to come in here shouting?” Liam’s eyes widened. “What? It was real? Her heart attack… it was real? Then where is she?” Arthur kicked the back of his knee, hard. Liam buckled, landing on the cold floor. He looked up, and his eyes finally met the pale, lifeless face of his mother on the gurney.

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To take over the family airline, my grandfather insisted I rotate through the flight attendant position for a week. On my first day, I encountered a man brandishing a Platinum Card and acting like a petty tyrant toward the crew. “Do you know what this Platinum Card means? It can buy the miserable lives of every single one of you!” “That bow is too shallow. Is it a bad back or just disrespect? Ninety degrees! Hold it for a hundred minutes!” “What kind of hogwash are they serving in Economy? I’ll bless you with some premium ingredients!” I was about to intervene, but the flight attendant next to me quickly stopped me. “He’s the older brother of our CEO’s personal assistant. In our airline…” She leaned in conspiratorially and pointed upward. “You have a chance of survival if you offend our CEO, Ethan Bell. But if you offend his assistant… you’ll be utterly ruined.” I was stunned into silence, and honestly, a little amused. I reached for the satellite phone and dialed my grandfather. “Grandfather, tell the pilot to execute an immediate landing at the nearest airport. When we land, I want to see my divorce certificate from Ethan Bell.” 1 Today was the first day of my undercover rotation. I stood at the cabin door, maintaining a standard, professional smile as I welcomed the boarding passengers. Most passengers were kind and nodded cordially. Until a man in a bubblegum-pink Chanel tweed suit appeared at the jetway. He was clutching a shiny Platinum Card, his critical gaze sweeping over me from head to toe. “New here? That explains the total lack of decorum!” “Do you know what this Platinum Card means? It can buy the miserable lives of every single one of you!” “That bow is too shallow. Is it a bad back or just disrespect? Ninety degrees! Hold it for a hundred minutes!” Following the standard protocol, I offered a slight bow and a professional smile. “Good morning, sir. Welcome aboard.” That single word, “sir,” was enough to unleash hell. 2 His footsteps halted abruptly, his voice dripping with theatrical annoyance. “How should I put this? In the flight attendant profession, a cute smile isn’t enough. You need to have some situational awareness!” He pointed to his outfit. “Look at me. From my hair to my heels, what part of me looks like a ‘sir’? Call. Me. Ms. Kai!” Sarah, the senior attendant greeting passengers with me, looked horrified. She quickly snatched my arm, shoved herself forward, and dipped into a rigid, ninety-degree bow. “Our deepest apologies! Ms. Kai, good morning! She’s a new hire and hasn’t been properly trained, please forgive the oversight!” The man snorted dismissively through his nose, rolled his eyes at us, and strutted into the First Class cabin. Sarah immediately whispered to me, “That’s Kai Foster. A Platinum Card member. Serve him perfectly, or one complaint will ruin our entire crew’s career and bonus pool.” 3 I stiffened. Our airline had only issued three Platinum Cards. Two went to my grandfather’s oldest friends. And the third… I personally gave it to my husband, the current CEO, Ethan Bell, to use for the most crucial corporate relationships. But why would Ethan Bell entrust the Platinum Card—the symbol of our airline’s highest honor and absolute trust—to this outlandish man? I forcefully suppressed the rising turmoil and suspicion in my chest. For now, ensuring the smooth operation of the flight and caring for all passengers was my primary job. It was also a perfect opportunity to observe, under Ethan Bell’s esteemed leadership, exactly how his Platinum-level guest behaved, and what my frontline staff were being forced to endure. 4 Right after takeoff, Kai immediately pressed the call button. I walked over. He was lounging with crossed legs, not even bothering to open his eyes. “A cup of warm water. Forty-five degrees Celsius. Not a degree more, not a degree less. I need to take my medication right now.” I hurried to prepare it, but because I needed to mix in cold water to precisely regulate the temperature, I was delayed by exactly one minute. That single minute caused him to explode. When I rushed the cup to his seat, he slammed his hand down on the tray table. “What kind of service is this? Check the time! You missed my medication window by a whole minute! I’m taking birth control! Do you have any idea what the consequences are?” “If I end up pregnant, are you prepared to take responsibility?” Every eye in First Class snapped toward him. Though his makeup was heavy and he wore a skirt suit, his prominent Adam’s apple and firm facial structure made it obvious to everyone that he was a man. I struggled to maintain my composure. “Ms. Kai, I am sincerely sorry, but regulating the water temperature takes a moment.” He snatched the cup from my hand and, with no mercy, threw the water directly onto my chest, soaking my uniform. “Honestly, how did a clumsy pig like you manage to climb to this position? I bet you offered the pilots some ‘special services’ to get here. You disgusting plague! Get ready for the complaint that will fire you!” 5 My nails dug into my palms, my fist clenched. A scorching wave of fury went straight to my head. Just as I was about to lose control, Sarah shot forward and shielded me. “I’m so sorry! Ms. Kai! She is truly new, I apologize on her behalf! Please, please, don’t upset yourself. Your precious health isn’t worth getting angry over!” As she was speaking, she gripped my wrist hard, whispering an urgent plea only I could hear: “Hold it! Don’t you dare! Think of the complaint! Our entire team will lose our bonuses and face grounding! He’s not worth it, the trash! Let me handle him!” Kai Foster watched Sarah’s desperate deference, finally achieving the sense of superiority he craved. He slowly pulled out a tissue to wipe his hands. “Hmph. At least you old employees understand the rules.” His voice was a tone of condescending charity. “Come on. I’m going with you to catering!” 6 Catering? Airline catering has extremely strict safety and sanitation regulations. There was no way he could just walk in. “Ms. Kai, passengers are not permitted to enter the catering area. It’s regulation…” I tried to dissuade him. Before I could finish, Sarah yanked my arm again. “Are you still not getting it? His sister is Sienna Foster. She’s the CEO’s favorite personal assistant.” “You have a chance of survival if you offend our CEO, Ethan Bell, but if you offend his little assistant, Sienna Foster, you’ll be utterly ruined.” “The CEO practically does whatever she tells him! Everyone in the company whispers that she’s going to be the new Mrs. Bell! Our jobs are one word from her away from being terminated! You’re still on probation, don’t be a hero!” The new Mrs. Bell? My husband, Ethan Bell’s… new wife? Kai noticed my moment of stunned silence and, mistaking it for fear, let out a venomous, mocking laugh. “Oh, look! The name Ethan Bell finally made her cower?” “Let me tell you, a man like the CEO is not someone a low-level pig like you can provoke! He can decide your fate with a single sentence. Get it?” 7 In the brief seconds I was frozen, Kai had already barged into the catering area. “Ugh, what kind of hogwash do they eat in Economy?” He disdainfully picked up a piece of a vegetable with his fingertip, then violently flung it away. Next, he pulled an exquisite metal tin from his bag, tapping his nail against the side. “Looking at their poor lives, they’ve probably never seen anything good. Fine, I’m in a good mood today. I’ll bless them with some premium black truffle powder! Let them open their eyes to quality!” With that, he twisted open the tin and was about to sprinkle the contents onto the meals. “Ms. Kai! Absolutely not!” The Crew Chief, Olivia, finally broke. She shot forward, standing determinedly in front of the catering cart. Her voice was frantic but firm. “Airline food safety protocol absolutely forbids adding any outside food or seasoning to the crew-prepared meals. This is for the safety of all our passengers! Please, you must understand!” “Protocol? Safety?” Kai laughed as if he’d heard a joke. “You think my food is less safe than your garbage? Do you know this little tin cost more than your annual salary?” “Get out of my way!” Olivia stood her ground. “Ms. Kai, this is a matter of principle! If there is any issue, we cannot bear the responsibility! Please, don’t make this difficult for us!” Seeing that the Crew Chief dared to stop him repeatedly, Kai’s face instantly darkened to a thunderous storm. He pulled out his phone and initiated a video call. “Sienna, look at this! These flight attendants have revolted! They won’t let me add seasoning to the food! And they dare talk back to me!” On the other end, a delicate, sweet voice came through the speaker. “Brother, don’t get worked up. Give the phone to the Crew Chief.” Kai triumphantly shoved the phone in Olivia’s face. Sienna Foster’s voice instantly turned bone-chillingly cold. “All of you, kneel down and apologize to my brother immediately! Otherwise, every single one of you will be fired for severe misconduct and blacklisted from the airline industry forever! I mean every word!” 8 The air in the catering area solidified. Olivia’s lips trembled, tears of shame welling in her eyes. Sarah and the other flight attendants were deathly pale, exchanging desperate glances, their eyes full of struggle. Sienna, seeing their hesitation, gave a cold laugh. “Fine. No kneeling, huh? You’ve got tough spines, huh? You’ll regret this!” Immediately, the video feed began to shake violently. Sienna had run straight into the CEO’s private conference room! As the camera stabilized, the full view of the room became clear— The long conference table was filled with executives whose faces were grave, and the projection screen displayed the airline’s second-half strategic planning PPT. Ethan Bell was at the head of the table, listening to a report. Seeing Sienna suddenly burst in, he first froze, but his expression showed no annoyance at the interruption. Instead, it was instantly filled with deep concern. “Ethan, honey, huhu.” Sienna completely ignored the astonished looks of the executives. She ran straight to Ethan, practically collapsing onto the armrest of his chair. “Look at what the flight attendants are doing! They ganged up to bully my brother. He just asked for one small thing, and they yelled at him and insulted him! My brother has a heart condition, and they made him cry! Ethan, you have to defend us!” As she spoke, she leaned against Ethan, her body soft and boneless. Tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls, as if she had suffered an unthinkable injustice. She was a completely different person from the sharp-tongued woman from moments ago. Ethan Bell’s face instantly darkened. He didn’t ask a single question about the facts. All his attention was focused on the trembling, weeping Sienna in his arms. “Shhh, baby, don’t cry. Your eyes will get all puffy and ruined. Why cry over something so small? Hmm? I’m here. No one is allowed to bully you or your family.” He gently wiped her tears, then lifted his head, looking at the phone screen, his tone plummeting to freezing point. “Are you all deaf? Didn’t you hear what Sienna said?” “I am ordering you right now, do exactly as Mr. Kai demands! Kneel and apologize!” “If I don’t see your compliance in the next three seconds…” Before he could finish his threat, I walked straight into the center of the phone camera’s view. My figure, along with my calm expression, was clearly visible on the screen. “Ethan Bell. Are you sure you want me to kneel?” 9 “Wife?” The word ripped from Ethan’s mouth like a thunderclap. Those two words briefly ignited a spark of hope in the desperate flight attendants. But it vanished instantly. Ethan’s surprise was quickly replaced by a deeper feeling of annoyance and irritation. He didn’t even release his arm from around Sienna, only rubbing his brow impatiently with his free hand. “Audrey, what are you doing here?” “Your ‘new job’ last night… was an intern flight attendant at my own airline?” I nodded, my expression perfectly composed. Ethan’s gaze swept over my soaked uniform. His voice deepened. “Stop being dramatic. Just do what Mr. Kai asked and apologize. We’ll discuss this farce after the plane lands.” At that statement, not just I, but all the flight attendants in the catering area, were stunned. Their shock turned back into despair, and finally, only numbness remained. Sienna, seeing the reaction, nestled further into Ethan’s embrace, adding fuel to the fire. “Oh, Ethan, so this is Audrey. She was so mean, honey. I think she scared my brother badly!” Ethan immediately patted her back with sympathy. “Sienna and her brother are good, simple people. They just want a sincere apology.” “Be a good girl, Audrey. Just kneel and apologize to Mr. Kai. Don’t make this difficult for me.” 10 I looked at him, and then I smiled—a cold, cutting smile that held no warmth whatsoever. “Ethan Bell, do you remember the vow you made on your knees before our wedding?” “Now! It’s time for you to honor your commitment!” With that, I didn’t wait for his reaction. I ended the call. I didn’t stop for a second, turning sharply and walking to the crew storage cabinet. I pulled out a much heavier, secure satellite phone. “Grandfather.” “A passenger is interfering with normal cabin service and disrupting the security of the aircraft.” “Notify the pilot to execute an immediate landing at the nearest airport.” “And when we land, I want to see my divorce certificate from Ethan Bell.” 11 Kai Foster stared at the satellite phone in my hand. After two seconds of stunned silence, he burst into mocking laughter. “Oh my God, the new girl is putting on a show! You think holding a fake satellite phone and calling ‘Grandfather’ makes you an heiress?” His eyes were full of scorn. “Do you have any idea who the CEO, Ethan Bell, is? In this airline industry, when he stamps his foot, the whole ground shakes!” I gave a cold laugh, not even sparing him a glance. “Ethan Bell? He’s nothing.” He was merely a son-in-law to the Harrington family. Years ago, Ethan’s grandfather had done a favor for mine. The Harrington family never forgot a debt of honor. So, when Ethan’s family fell on hard times, my grandfather approached me, hoping I would fulfill the long-ago arrangement. I saw that he was capable and seemed honest enough. I agreed. Before the wedding, I called him to the study and made my terms perfectly clear: “Ethan Bell, loyalty is my absolute bottom line. The day you harbor a second thought or betray me, I will file for divorce immediately.” What was his reply then? He knelt before my grandfather, swearing on his life that he would never fail me. If he broke that vow, he would walk away with nothing, forever disgraced. My grandfather and I had one final contingency. We never told him the true extent of the Harrington family’s wealth. So Ethan Bell always believed I was just a “regular rich girl.” He also truly believed that he sat on the CEO’s throne purely because of his own hard work and superior ability. What an utter fool. Today, I would make sure he saw exactly what he was without my name—Audrey Lane—behind him. 12 My grandfather’s voice came through the receiver, calm but with an undeniable edge of seriousness. “My dear, have you thought this through?” “Yes.” I didn’t hesitate for a second. Grandfather was silent for three seconds, then gave a command to the person next to him. “Execute the order as my granddaughter has instructed. Immediately.” The moment the words finished, another voice—calm and highly efficient—cut in. It was Mr. Vance, my grandfather’s chief aide. “Understood, Mr. Harrington.” In the background, I heard the rapid clicking of a keyboard and clear instructions being broadcast: “AeroSky One to Tower. Flight G-1024 is initiating a maximum-priority emergency landing. Clear the airspace. Give them landing priority.” “Legal department: Initiate full asset separation. Ethan Bell is to be stripped of all assets. The signed divorce certificate must be delivered to the emergency VIP lounge within half an hour.” Mr. Vance’s final message came through: “Madam, everything is secured. Landing at Midcoast Airport in thirty minutes.” “The dossiers for the Platinum Card perpetrator and the accomplice, Sienna Foster, will be sent to you in ten minutes.” 13 Kai Foster, listening to the clear instructions from the other end of the line, laughed hysterically again. “Ha ha ha! ‘AeroSky One’? ‘Clear the airspace’? Keep acting! Just you wait! When we land, my sister will talk to the CEO, and you won’t even know how you died!” However, his laughter was cut short. The aircraft announcement system came on. This time, the pilot’s voice carried an unprecedented severity. “Ladies and gentlemen, please be advised. Due to circumstances involving a security matter, this flight is initiating an emergency landing at Midcoast Airport. Please return to your seats immediately and fasten your seat belts…” The mocking expression on Kai’s face instantly froze! He frantically pulled out his phone to call Sienna. Before he could dial, two security officers quickly walked over and confiscated his phone. “Mr. Foster, you are suspected of jeopardizing flight safety. Please cooperate with the investigation.” Moments after Kai was escorted away, I received a text from Ethan Bell. Ethan Bell: Audrey, that is quite enough drama. Sienna is very delicate; she would never be as hysterical as you! I want to be perfectly clear: I love you! But I need to be with her for at least three years. In the meantime, you need to be a quiet, dutiful wife and not cause me problems. If I get bored after three years, I might consider coming back to our marriage. Ethan Bell: Don’t forget, without me, Ethan Bell, you, Audrey Lane, are nothing. I picked up my phone and replied calmly: Audrey Lane: Be at Midcoast Airport in thirty minutes. Audrey Lane: I have a huge gift for you. Audrey Lane: You can choose not to come. If you don’t, I hand Kai over to the police. Then, I blocked his number.

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Leo came to me right before the fall semester started, looking for the money he’d earned lifeguarding over the summer. I threw my hands up. “I don’t have it.” When Mom and Dad found out, they pointed fingers in my face, screaming that I had no shame. Then, I pulled out the bank statements and showed them the truth. Their jaws hit the floor. 1. Because Leo didn’t have his own checking account set up for direct deposit, his wages from two months of lifeguarding had been wired to my account. It was a temporary fix, or so I thought. A week before classes started, he cornered me, demanding the card so he could withdraw cash to buy an iPad for school. I was in the middle of a deep-focus work sprint, buried in spreadsheets, so I just handed him the debit card without looking up. By the time my brain caught up with what I’d done, Leo was already gone. It wasn’t until later that the study door flew open with a violent bang. “Maya, where is the money?” Leo stood there, eyes bloodshot, shaking a fistful of withdrawal receipts at me. “Two months of work, and there’s only a hundred bucks left?” I blinked, pulling my headphones down. “I forgot to tell you. The account is basically empty.” “Just a hundred bucks?” His voice cracked. “Yeah.” “Are you treating me like an idiot? How could two months of wages just disappear?” His gaze, sharp with misplaced rage, locked onto the sleek, silver laptop sitting on my desk. “You used my money to buy that, didn’t you?” Before I could process the accusation, he lunged. He hooked his fingers under the edge of my laptop and yanked it forward with a feral grunt. “Don’t—” The plea died in my throat. CRACK. The sound was sickening. The machine hit the hardwood floor corner-first, the screen shattering into a spiderweb of dead pixels before going black. “My files. My laptop.” The final deck. The quarterly strategy pitch I was due to present in forty-eight hours. It was all in there. I didn’t walk; I scrambled across the floor, falling to my knees beside the wreckage. “Leo, have you lost your damn mind?” I screamed, looking up at him. He hadn’t just broken a machine; he had smashed half a month of my life. My sleep, my sanity, my ticket to a promotion—gone. “That was my presentation! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? I never touched a cent of your money!” “You didn’t touch it? Then where did it go? Did it fly away?” he roared back, vibrating with adrenaline. “You think I’m stupid? You have the card. If it wasn’t you, who was it?” “What is going on up here? The neighbors can hear you from the street!” My parents jammed themselves into the doorway simultaneously. My mother took one look at the scene—me on the floor, Leo panting—and her brow furrowed. “Maya,” she sighed, the exhaustion in her voice performative. “How did you provoke your brother this time? You’re an adult. Can’t you just be the bigger person?” The injustice of it felt like a physical blow to the chest. “I provoked him?” I pointed a shaking finger at the aluminum corpse of my laptop. “He came in here like a psycho and smashed my work computer! My project files are gone, Mom. Gone!” My father looked at the broken laptop. He knew how much these things cost. For a second, the room held a heavy, stunned silence. Then, the silence was broken by a sound so pathetic it had to be rehearsed. “Mom… Dad…” Leo’s tears were instantaneous. Big, alligator tears rolling down his cheeks. “I’m just… I’m so stupid. I worked so hard all summer, sweating in that chair for two months, and Maya took it all to buy herself a fancy new computer. That’s why she wouldn’t let me see the account. I just wanted an iPad for school…” I stared at him, paralyzed by the sheer fluidity of his lie. He was rewriting reality in real-time. My parents, whose hearts were already heavily weighted in his favor, softened immediately. Slowly, I bent down, picking up the scattered papers, trying to salvage what I could. “You’re going to pay me back,” Leo sniffled, his voice gaining strength. “With interest. Twenty grand. Principal and interest.” He shoved past my father and stormed out of the room. 2. “Interest? Twenty grand?” I screamed at the empty doorway, my voice trembling so hard it hurt. “Your little lifeguarding gig paid three grand, tops! I’m telling you, I didn’t touch it! Not a penny!” “Watch your mouth!” My father’s low growl came from behind me. “You ungrateful brat. Spending your brother’s hard-earned money and then denying it? Have you no shame?” My mother’s voice was sharper, cutting through the air like glass. “We raised a wolf in sheep’s clothing. All that education, wasted on a thief. You owe him that money, Maya.” “I didn’t do it.” Nobody was listening. That night, the phone didn’t stop ringing. It was a tribunal by telecommunication. I kept picking up, masochistically hoping for someone to be on my side. First, it was Uncle Bob. “Maya, honestly. Being the older sister means looking out for him, not skimming off the top. Is this what college taught you?” I tried to speak, but he hung up. Then Aunt Karen: “Oh honey, aren’t you embarrassed? A grown woman stealing from a teenager? Pay him back before the whole family finds out.” Every call was an indictment. Then, the screen lit up again. Grandma. No hello. No warmth. “Listen to me, girl,” her voice crackled, old and brittle. “You give my grandson his money back. Every cent, plus whatever interest he wants. He earned that. If you short him even a penny…” She paused, letting the threat hang in the static. “…then you are no granddaughter of mine. Don’t bother coming to Thanksgiving. Don’t bother coming back at all.” “Grandma…” I whispered. Click. From the doorway, a soft, rhythmic crunching sound made me look up. Leo was leaning against the doorframe, casually eating an apple. He looked relaxed, victorious. “Heh,” he smirked, taking another bite. “Karma.” At dinner, the air was thick enough to choke on. “Some people really have thick skin,” Leo muttered to the ceiling. Mom slammed a plate of green beans onto the table. “You have the nerve to sit here and eat? After spending your brother’s blood and sweat money?” “I didn’t spend it!” The anger flared up, hot and white. “I’ve said it a thousand times. The account was empty. Fine. I’ll print the statements. From the day the card was issued until now. We’ll see exactly where it went.” I yanked my phone out of my pocket. The motion was too violent; it dislodged something else. Clatter. My car key hit the linoleum and slid under the table. “Car key?” Leo was faster than me. He scooped it up and dangled it in front of Dad’s face. “Dad, Maya bought a car? Since when did she have a new car?” Absolute silence. Then, the realization dawned on my parents’ faces—a false epiphany that fit their narrative perfectly. “That explains it,” Dad said, his voice dangerously quiet. “I was wondering how a few thousand dollars just vanished into thin air.” He slammed his hand on the table, making the silverware jump. “You used it to plug the hole for your down payment. You’ve got some nerve.” Mom clutched her chest. “Oh, my god. You took his sweat equity to buy yourself four wheels? Maya! is your heart made of stone?” “I didn’t!” I roared, the pressure in my head nearing an explosion. “I saved for that Civic for two years! Leo’s lifeguarding money wouldn’t even buy the tires!” Leo’s smirk vanished. He turned to Dad, whining like a wounded animal. “Dad, look at her. She thinks she’s better than us. She used my money and now she’s lying about it.” SMASH. My father snatched the key from Leo’s hand and hurled it at the floor with all his strength. The plastic casing cracked open. 3. I scrambled to pick up the pieces, my hands shaking. “Are you happy now? A replacement fob costs three hundred dollars.” The absurdity of it, the sheer humiliation, made me nauseous. My father loomed over me. “Three hundred is too much? But your brother’s summer of waking up at dawn, the money he slaved for—that means nothing to you?” “Wait,” Mom cut in, her eyes narrowing. “I remember. When she was looking at cars, she said she was short a few thousand. She asked us for a loan, and we said no.” She pointed a finger at me, triumphant. “That was when she did it. She couldn’t afford it, so she raided the account.” It was a logic built on sand, but to them, it was concrete. “That’s not what happened,” I said, my voice sounding thin to my own ears. “I got a subsidy from the company. A commuter bonus. It was approved last month. I didn’t touch his money.” “Subsidy?” Dad sneered. “Keep lying. If you can’t produce the cash, you spent it.” He pointed at the broken key in my hand. “Stop with the excuses. This car… your brother owns a piece of it now. Since you used his money, he has a share. Actually, the car is his.” I stared at him, horrified. I looked at Leo, whose face had shifted from fake victimhood to genuine, greedy delight. “Are you insane? On what grounds?” “On the grounds that thieves don’t get to drive,” Mom spat. Leo didn’t hesitate. He snatched the broken key from my hand. He held it up, a cruel grin stretching across his face. “Thanks, Sis. Thanks for the new ride.” I watched the key swinging in his hand, gritting my teeth so hard my jaw ached. There was nothing I could do. Not right now. I had to wait. That evening, to celebrate Leo “getting his first car,” my parents insisted on taking the whole family out to dinner. I ate nothing. The food tasted like ash. All I could think about was the key in Leo’s pocket. On the way out of the restaurant, Mom suddenly gripped my arm like a vice. “Wait.” I looked up. We were standing in front of an electronics store. The window display was full of tablets. Alarm bells rang in my head. Mom dragged me toward the entrance. “Let’s go in. Pick out an iPad for your brother. He’s a college student; he needs it.” I yanked my arm away. “Mom, I said no. He already stole my car. Why on earth would I buy him an iPad? Do you think I’m an ATM?” “Why?” Mom’s voice rose to a shriek. “Because you selfishly embezzled his summer wages!” Leo’s eyes lit up. He ran into the store, pointing at the newest, most expensive Pro model. “Mom! I want this one. The big screen.” Shoppers and employees turned to look. “I’m not buying it,” I said, turning to leave. “You will buy it!” Mom stepped in front of me, blocking the exit. “You aren’t leaving until you do.” “Yeah, I deserve it!” Leo, emboldened by Mom, grabbed the box of the expensive tablet and hugged it to his chest. “I want this one. If she doesn’t buy it, I’m sleeping here tonight!” The commotion was attracting a crowd. Whispers started circulating. Mom saw the audience and immediately switched into performance mode. She slumped against a display table, sliding toward the floor. “Oh, what did I do to deserve this?” she wailed. “I raised a heartless daughter! She stole her own brother’s hard-earned money and now she won’t even replace it with a tablet for his studies! God, open your eyes! Why is my life so bitter?” Every eye in the store locked onto me. “What kind of person does that?” “Stealing from a kid? That’s low.” “Look at the poor mother.” I saw phones come out. Young customers were recording, cameras pointed squarely at my face. “Put this on TikTok,” someone muttered. “Expose her.” “Karen in training,” another sneered. A store employee, looking awkward and tired, approached me. “Ma’am, please. Either pay for the item or take this outside. You’re disrupting business.” I looked at Leo, clutching the iPad with a smug, challenging look. I looked at Mom, fake-sobbing on the polished concrete. The explanations died in my throat. Instead, a cold, hard rage clarified my mind. “Fine,” I said, my voice cutting through the noise. “I’ll show you the evidence. Let’s see whose heart is black.” I whipped out my phone. My fingers moved across the screen in a blur. Bank App. Login. FaceID. History. Filter: Custom Date Range. June to August. The list loaded instantly. Crisp, undeniable black text on a white background. “Look,” I said, holding the phone up. “Open your eyes and look.” Dad, who had just parked the car and walked in, pushed through the crowd. “Look closely. From the day his first paycheck hit.” Dad snatched the phone. Mom scrambled up from the floor to look. Their eyes scanned the screen. And then, they froze.

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The day after my high school graduation, my parents dropped a bomb: they were getting a divorce. Before I could even process the shock, my dad looked at me, his face drained of all color, and asked: “Maya, after we divorce, who do you choose to live with?” I was shaking with rage. I screamed, “I don’t choose anyone!” They looked at each other, their expressions turning ghastly pale. In the next second, they sprinted toward the open window and jumped. I watched them fall. I heard the sickening sound of them hitting the pavement below. My parents committed suicide right in front of me. I thought the nightmare was over, but the horror was just beginning. On the day of the funeral, my Grandma and Grandpa pulled me aside. With twisted, strange expressions, they asked: “Maya, we’re getting a divorce too. Who do you choose to live with?” 1 The day of the funeral was gloomy, the rain coming down in sheets. I stood by the gravesite, watching my parents’ caskets being lowered into the ground. My brain was absolute mush. Grandpa walked over and placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Maya, your Grandma and I are getting a divorce.” I froze. “You… you guys are splitting up?” My voice trembled. Grandma shuffled out from behind him. Her face was gray, but her cloudy eyes burned with a strange, frantic intensity. “Who do you choose to live with?” It felt like someone had shoved a rock down my throat. I couldn’t speak. They were saying the exact same words my parents said before they died. “W-why?” My head was spinning. “You guys have been together for fifty years. You love each other. Why divorce?” Before my parents dropped the bomb, they were the perfect couple. They never fought. They doted on me. My grandparents were the same—inseparable. I didn’t understand. Why did everything change the moment I graduated? Why did everyone want a divorce? Grandma and Grandpa didn’t answer. They just stared at me, waiting for the verdict. A chill crawled up my spine. The image of my parents’ desperate, final glance before they jumped flashed in my mind. “No… No! I won’t choose…” I stumbled backward, shaking my head. “Don’t ask me! I’m not choosing!” Their expressions instantly sank. The fire in their eyes extinguished, replaced by a hollow darkness. Without answering my question, they turned around and walked straight toward the busy road outside the cemetery. “Grandpa! Grandma!!” I screamed, terror ripping through my throat. Thud! A semi-truck couldn’t brake in time. It slammed into them with a bone-chilling crunch. Blood mixed with the rainwater on the asphalt, spreading into a crimson river. I threw myself onto the wet ground, kneeling in the puddle of water and blood, my limbs ice cold. Echoing in my ears was their final question: “Maya, we’re getting a divorce. Who do you choose to live with?” 2 The police arrived quickly. I sat on the curb, my mind a total blank. “You’re saying they just… ran into traffic?” Detective Miller frowned, scrutinizing me. I tore at my hair, shaking my head violently. My thoughts were a chaotic mess driving me toward insanity. “I don’t know… They suddenly told me they were divorcing and asked who I wanted to live with. I said I wouldn’t choose, and then they just…” Miller’s brow furrowed. “Why?” I opened my mouth, but the words stuck. “I don’t know…” I finally choked out. “I really don’t know why they killed themselves…” Tears streamed down my face. In three days, I had lost four family members. Miller checked the nearby surveillance cameras. It confirmed my story. On the footage, my grandparents clearly walked into the path of the truck on purpose. Miller looked even more disturbed. He glanced at me with a strange expression. Just then, my phone rang. It was my Uncle Ben. He told me to come to his house immediately. He said it was urgent. Detective Miller patted my shoulder and offered to drive me. On the way, Miller asked more about my family. When I told him about my parents jumping off the building, his face darkened. “Your parents asked you who you’d live with before they jumped, too?” I nodded numbly, consumed by grief. Miller muttered, “This is too weird. Why ask that specific question before dying? Why would perfectly sane people commit suicide en masse?” His sharp eyes locked onto me, searching for any crack in my story. “I really don’t know!” I was on the verge of a breakdown. “I want to know why too!” We pulled into Uncle Ben’s driveway. Uncle Ben and Aunt Sarah were sitting on the couch, stiff as statues. When they saw me, it was like a spell broke. They pulled me down to sit between them. But the moment I sat, Aunt Sarah said something that made my blood run cold. “Maya, your uncle and I… we can’t go on like this.” “You guys are divorcing too?” I felt like all the energy had been drained from my body. My voice was barely a whisper. I locked eyes with Detective Miller. He looked just as shocked as I was. We both realized it. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. Uncle Ben and Aunt Sarah looked rigid, their faces pale as sheets. “Yeah…” Uncle Ben’s voice sounded like he was being strangled. Aunt Sarah suddenly grabbed my wrist. Her grip was iron-tight. I tried to pull away, but she held on, staring dead into my eyes. Her voice shook, forcing my heart to hammer against my ribs. “Who do you choose to live with?” “I…” I couldn’t breathe. They didn’t give me a second to think. Their urgency ramped up. “Choose, Maya! Who do you pick?!” I struggled, biting my lip until it bled, keeping my mouth shut tight. I was terrified. I knew if I spoke, they would die. Their faces turned beet red. Sweat beaded on their foreheads. Veins popped in their necks. It looked like someone was holding a gun to their backs, forcing them to do this. “No… don’t force me…” I shook my head, feeling like my brain was going to explode. Seeing I wouldn’t answer, their breathing turned ragged. They gasped for air, their eyes filling with despair and madness. They started shaking violently. “Choose! The time is almost up!” Uncle Ben shook me roughly, his hands bruising my arms. “No! No! I don’t choose anyone! Uncle Ben, Aunt Sarah, what is happening to you? Why do I have to choose? What is going on?!” I screamed, terror and confusion suffocating me. Suddenly, their faces went slack. Total misery. “Time’s up,” Uncle Ben whispered, his eyes void of hope. What time? Before I could ask, they both pulled knives from their jackets. I scrambled backward in horror. Detective Miller lunged forward to stop them. But it was too late. Slash. Warm blood sprayed across my face. My uncle and aunt collapsed to the left and right of me, like puppets with their strings cut. Dead. 3 I sat there, frozen. My brain went blank, like a fuse had blown. Detective Miller looked horrified. Uncle Ben and Aunt Sarah died with their eyes wide open, tears still streaming down their faces, as if they had so much more to say. I looked at the blood on the floor and finally vomited. Parents. Grandparents. Aunt and Uncle. Six people. Gone. And every single one asked me to make a choice before they died. Who was next? Was there anyone left? I couldn’t think… Tears poured out, and my body shook uncontrollably. It felt like an invisible hand was manipulating everything. Later, sitting in the ER hallway, my hands were ice cold. The bodies had been taken away. The blood wasn’t fully cleaned up. The air smelled of iron. Detective Miller stood nearby, face grim. He lit a cigarette, his hands trembling. After a long silence, he said, “This isn’t normal.” My Nana (maternal grandmother) rushed in. I threw myself into her arms and wailed. Nana’s eyes were red. She grabbed my hand and said she was taking me home. I wanted to ask her so many things, but my throat was swollen shut. She didn’t speak the whole ride. Her face was grayer than the overcast sky. “Nana,” I whispered, “do you know something?” Her eyes flickered, avoiding mine. “Don’t think about it. Be a good girl. Let’s go home and sleep.” “But why did they die?” I pressed. “Why did they all want a divorce? Why did they ask me who to live with?” “Enough!” she snapped, her voice trembling. I flinched. The car went silent, save for the rhythmic swish-swish of the wipers. Maybe she realized she scared me, because her expression softened into her usual warmth. She smoothed my hair. “Maya, just rest. We can talk tomorrow, okay?” She wouldn’t talk, so I stopped asking. But my mind was racing. Did they really die because I refused to choose? Back at Nana’s house, I showered and lay in bed. A nameless dread wrapped around me. What did Nana know? I wanted to run out and demand answers, but then I heard whispering from the living room. It was Nana. Her voice was hushed, but through the thin walls, I caught fragments. “…Yeah, can’t delay anymore… time is almost up…” “…I know. I’ll take her over there tomorrow…” The words were broken, but terrifying. Time is almost up? That’s what Uncle Ben said before he died. I held my breath, trying to hear more, but the voices cut off abruptly. The silence was heavy. I instinctively scooted back against the headboard. Suddenly, the door creaked open. Nana walked in. Her eyes—usually so kind—were now staring at me with a dark, predatory intensity. “Why aren’t you asleep?” Her tone was cold. Not like my Nana at all. I stammered, “I… I was just about to…” Her face instantly shifted back to a gentle smile. She walked over and patted my head. “Sleep. Tomorrow, it all ends.” My throat tightened. “Tomorrow? What’s happening tomorrow?” She went silent again. “Nana,” I tested the waters, “can you tell me what’s going on? Why did everyone die?” A flash of coldness passed through her eyes before she handed me a glass of warm milk. “Drink this first. You’ll understand tomorrow.” She pushed the glass toward me. I had zero appetite, but seeing her desperate stare, I forced it down. Satisfied, she left. I lay there, tossing and turning. It was all so bizarre. Why did she keep saying the time was almost up? Around 1:00 AM, my phone buzzed. A text message. Who would text me at this hour? I unlocked the screen. It was Detective Miller. I tapped the message, and my scalp went numb. “Maya, RUN! That is not your Nana! Get out of there!” Creaaaak. My bedroom door handle turned. Nana was coming back. 4 A long shadow stretched across the floor. I squeezed my eyes shut, feigning sleep. She entered, her footsteps barely audible. She paced around the room, then stopped right by my bed. I felt her shallow, ragged breath on my face as she leaned over me. My heart hammered against my ribs so hard I thought she’d hear it. I was sweating bullets. Finally, she turned and softly closed the door. I opened my eyes and grabbed my phone. I needed to ask Miller what he meant. Not my Nana? But the chat window was empty. The message was gone. Even Detective Miller’s contact info—gone. Deleted. I froze, then realized: Nana. She must have deleted it while I was “sleeping.” My palms were sweating. I crept out of bed and tiptoed to the door. I cracked it open an inch. Nana was standing right there! She was facing the door, just staring at it. I almost screamed. “Where are you going this late?” she asked, her voice low and gloomy. I fought the urge to collapse. “I… I’m thirsty. Getting water.” She didn’t speak. Her eyes followed me. I walked past her, my throat burning. She followed me to the kitchen and watched me drink. I gulped the water down, shaking. “Done,” I said, forcing a smile. “Going back to bed.” She didn’t smile. Just nodded. “Sleep early. Stop thinking so much.” I ran back to my room, heart pounding. I didn’t dare go out again. She was guarding the door. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and I passed out. When I woke up the next morning, I checked my phone. Still no message from Miller. “Where are we going today?” I asked Nana as she packed a bag. “The funeral home… for Uncle Ben and Aunt Sarah?” She paused, then slowly looked up. Her voice was dangerously soft. “Who said we’re going to the funeral home?” My stomach dropped. “Then… where?” She smiled—a gentle, grandmotherly smile—but it made my skin crawl. “You want the truth, right? I promised I’d tell you. Come with me, and you’ll understand.” I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay calm as I got into her car. But ten minutes into the drive, I realized something. This was the route to the hospital. I gripped the seatbelt. “Nana… why are we going to the hospital?” She didn’t look at me. “I planned to take you anyway. You’re sick…” My heart rate spiked. I was sure now. She wasn’t my Nana. My real Nana told me everything. She never hid things. And why take me to the hospital when I’m physically fine? “Who are you?” I scooted toward the door. “Detective Miller said… you aren’t my Nana.” The air in the car turned instantly frigid. She chuckled, the wrinkles around her eyes twitching. “Silly child. What are you talking about?” Her tone became overly sweet. “Maya, don’t be scared. Nana is here. We’ll face this together.” I was terrified. “I… I need to pee…” I pulled the door handle. Locked. Child lock was on.

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After I secured a $40 million contract for his company, my CEO husband, Jason, was thrilled. He grabbed my hand, beaming, and said he wanted to buy me a watch. Then he pulled out a Sharpie and drew a cartoon watch on my wrist. “Babe,” he said with a straight face, “the company took a hit this year. I’ll get you a real one next year.” Ten minutes later, I saw a post on his secretary’s Instagram. Jason had just won an auction for a limited-edition watch worth $15 million. He had “lit the sky lantern”—an old auction term for paying whatever it takes—just for her. His caption: “True love means giving her the only one in the world.” It wasn’t that the company had no money. It was just that I wasn’t worth it. I didn’t scream. I didn’t cry. I just quietly liked the post. His secretary’s comments section exploded. A minute later, Jason called me in a panic. “Babe, don’t misunderstand! I bought it to motivate the staff! Just delete your like and help me clarify things, okay? If you do, I promise we’ll go on that honeymoon this year.” But the pie he was painting was too big, and I wasn’t hungry anymore. “Don’t bother,” I said. “Let’s get a divorce.” 1 “I’m serious, it was just an employee incentive! You own half the company, I did it for us!” Jason’s voice was sharp with annoyance. “If you don’t appreciate it, fine, but don’t joke about divorce.” “Marriage isn’t a game, Eva. I’m warning you, this is the last time.” “Also, I gave you a chance. If you refuse to clarify things online, don’t blame me if I don’t save face for you.” He hung up angrily. I looked at the “Divorce Filing” sign ahead of me and sighed. He didn’t know. I was tired. This time, I wasn’t joking. The line was long. I held my number ticket and scrolled through my phone. The comments under his secretary, Bella’s, post were piling up like a skyscraper. Most of them were from my team, defending me. “Stealing someone’s husband? Great upbringing. Teach me how to climb the ladder like that?” “Agreed. Working overtime is useless compared to having a sweet mouth. Zero skills but promoted every month. Shame I learned too late.” The sarcasm was thick. No wonder Jason called to threaten me. His precious Bella was getting roasted. But my team was telling the truth. Bella was beautiful, but useless. Jason hired her over candidates from Ivy League schools, even though she had a degree from a community college. When rumors started flying, I asked him about it. He looked at me with disappointment. “Babe, I thought you understood me. Are you elitist now too?” “Remember our mission? Equal opportunity. We give young people a chance.” I believed him. I felt guilty. I immediately told HR: “Talent over pedigree.” Then HR hired a guy from a state school, and Jason spent the afternoon screaming at them. “Is this company a garbage dump? You hire anyone off the street? If you can’t do your job, get out!” Turns out, “equal opportunity” only applied to Bella. Just then, my team messaged me. “Boss, don’t be sad. We got you.” Watching the funny memes they sent, my chest felt a little lighter. I was about to tell them to stop before they got in trouble. Then a notification popped up in the company Slack. Jason posted a penalty notice. “Anyone caught slacking off or using phones during work hours will have their pay halved and bonuses stripped. Next offense is termination.” I laughed when I saw the list of penalized employees. Everyone who liked or congratulated Bella was fine. The people fined were all my team members. My phone blew up with their complaints. “Jason is pushing it! This isn’t about phones, he’s targeting you, Boss!” “Boss, are you planning to leave? Start your own thing?” “Where you go, we go!” Seeing their loyalty hurt. After seven years of marriage, Jason knew me. I was protective. I valued loyalty. So whenever I displeased him, he punished my team. I had endured it again and again. Not anymore. I made a call. “Eva! You finally decided to join us? Welcome!” The voice on the other end was ecstatic. “I have one condition.” “Name it. Anything.” “I’m bringing my whole team.” “Deal! I’ll draft the contracts now. Everyone gets double… no, triple their current commission!” My team was always the top performer, but because of me, they hit walls constantly. They had become Jason’s leverage against me. From today on, no more. By the time I finished the call, my number was up. I handed over the divorce papers. Seven years ago, when we were most in love, we signed a prenup. Not to protect assets, but to protect our freedom. “If we treat each other badly, either of us can leave at any time.” We thought we’d never use it. “Ma’am, we need to confirm the marriage is irretrievably broken,” the clerk said. I called Jason. He kept declining. Ten minutes passed. The couples behind me were getting restless. Even the clerk looked annoyed. I opened Bella’s Instagram. As expected, Jason was at Bella’s apartment, wearing a ridiculous apron, clumsily cooking for her. I showed the clerk the photos of the luxury gifts he bought her. The clerk looked at me with pity. She didn’t ask any more questions. “Come back tomorrow for the certificate.” “Thanks.” I walked out, relieved. That’s when Jason finally called back. 2 “Now you’re in a hurry?” “I tried to talk sense into you, but you wouldn’t listen. I’m angry now, so save your breath.” “I have work tonight, so I won’t be home. Reflect on what you did wrong.” Before he hung up, I heard Bella’s voice in the background. “Jason, which dress should I wear for the birthday dinner?” Click. Today wasn’t my birthday. It wasn’t Jason’s. It was Bella’s. “Work?” He was just throwing Bella a birthday bash. Jason had childhood trauma. He never celebrated birthdays. For his sake, I stopped celebrating mine too. But for Bella, he broke his rule. I smiled bitterly. Love really is a cure-all. Too bad in seven years of marriage, I was never his true love, nor his cure. I pushed the thoughts away and met with the new company. After settling the contracts, my team tried to console me. “Boss, listen to us. A man who sides with outsiders isn’t worth it.” I laughed dryly. I remembered when I first met him. He wore a cheap white t-shirt, too shy to speak. Now, he was a smooth-talking liar who hurt me repeatedly. I spoiled him. At first, I loved him so much that no matter what he did, a little coaxing fixed everything. He thought I had no bottom line. Later, he’d just use sweet words. If I didn’t yield, he’d sabotage me. Until today. I gave him chance after chance. I was naive to think he’d change. I shook my head. “Drinks on me tonight! We aren’t going home until we’re wasted!” Cheers erupted. We drank and sang until dawn. I dragged my exhausted body home and opened the door, ready to crash. But there sat Jason—the man who said he wouldn’t be home—waiting on the sofa. He smelled the alcohol on me and recoiled. “I told you I hate women who drink. Why did you drink so much? Do my words mean nothing to you?” I laughed. Because he “hated drinking,” I had been sober for seven years. But just a while ago, Bella sent me a video. She was drunk, acting pitiful. “Sorry Jason, I know you hate girls who drink…” Jason cupped her face. “Silly. Drink if you want. I don’t hate alcohol; I hate cleaning up after drunks. I’m too lazy.” Then he held out his hands to catch her vomit. “But for you, I’m willing.” Thinking of that, I slapped his hand away. “Thought you weren’t coming back?” He threw a blanket at me. “I was worried about you being alone.” “And look at you. Out partying all night, didn’t even call me. I even packed your favorite food.” Before, I worried about his safety. Even if we fought, I’d check in every hour. This time, I hadn’t replied for a whole day. He only came back because he sensed something was wrong. The food on the table was indeed my favorite. I didn’t touch it. A slap and a sweet date. His classic move. I wasn’t falling for it. Jason didn’t notice my mood. He thought I was bought, as usual. His face softened. “Okay, fighting is tiring. Let’s meet halfway.” “You framed Bella and made her suffer. I can overlook that. But you have to give her the ‘Titan Project’ account.” “She’s talented. If you hadn’t suppressed her, she’d be flying high by now.” “If you behave, I’ll revoke the fines on your team right now.” So that was it. He came home early and brought food not for me, but for Bella. He really loved her. Even during our cold war, he put on a show for her sake. I sneered. “Sure.” Jason smirked. He wasn’t surprised. “Next time, think before you act. If you weren’t so petty with your likes and inciting your team to bully her, we wouldn’t be fighting.” “Whatever, it’s in the past. Go do the handover.” I pulled my ID badge from my pocket and tossed it onto the table. “One account isn’t enough. Give her my job too.” 3 Jason froze. “What do you mean?” “She’s so talented, she should be at the top.” “I’m trying to discuss this nicely, why are you throwing a tantrum again?” He looked ugly when he was displeased. I wouldn’t yield, he said I was targeting Bella. I yield, he says I’m unreasonable. He wins either way. Seeing my silence, Jason frowned. “Is this about the watch? Fine, I’ll buy you one.” “God, Eva. You’re a Director. Holding a grudge over a stupid watch? Bella is so much more magnanimous. Learn from her.” He still thought this was about the watch. “No need. Save your money for your precious Bella.” Jason exploded. He threw a pillow at me. “I told you, Bella and I are just colleagues! Why are you as dirty-minded as everyone else?” Everyone called her Ms. Shen. Only he called her “Bella.” It was obvious, yet he still lied. “Believe what you want.” Jason’s face turned purple. He grabbed my wrist. “If that’s what you think, then wipe off the watch I drew! I drew it personally. You don’t deserve it!” He tried to roll up my sleeve. I yanked my arm away and showed him. My wrist was clean. The ink was gone long ago. “Don’t worry. I scrubbed that trash off yesterday.” Jason looked at me, hurt. He raised his hand as if to strike, veins popping, but stopped at the last second. “You win!” He slammed the door and left. The old me wouldn’t let him leave angry. The new me went to bed and slept like a baby. When I woke up, my phone was blowing up again. This time, the demotion and pay cut weren’t for my team. They were for me. “Since someone thinks she doesn’t deserve to be Director, wish granted. Demoted.” No one dared to speak up for me anymore. I didn’t care. I took my entire team to the office to hand in our resignations. HR called Jason in a panic. “Mr. Fu, people are quitting…” On the other end, I heard Bella. “Jason, if you’re busy, go back. I can watch the movie alone.” “No. You were wronged. I promised to make it up to you.” Then he whispered angrily into the phone, “Why are you bothering me with resignations? What do I pay you for?” “But…” “But what? The stamp is in my drawer. Stamp it yourself and stop annoying me!” He hung up and turned off his phone. HR was red-eyed. Helplessly, she processed our resignations. Rumors spread outside that we were fired. Bella’s lackeys gleefully reported back to her. “Talent means nothing if you can’t keep a man.” “First come, first served? In love, the one not loved is the third wheel!” They gossiped about me openly. My team wanted to fight. I stopped them. I smiled and blessed the gossips. “You’re right. I hope your partners find their ‘true loves’ too.” Ignoring their sour faces, I led my team out. We stopped by the courthouse to pick up the divorce certificate. Looking at the booklet, I smiled. “I’m in a good mood. Lunch is on me. Pick anywhere.” My team cheered. They argued between seafood and steak. I scrolled my phone waiting for them to decide. Someone nudged me. “Boss, look over there.” I looked up. 4 Jason and Bella were walking hand-in-hand, shopping. Their companions teased them. “Bella, you finally brought your boyfriend of three years out to meet us!” Jason smiled gentlemanly. “Sorry, work has been crazy.” “Bella says you guys take good care of her. Pick whatever you want, I’m paying.” Three years. Bella hadn’t even graduated then. So they started that early. No wonder he fought to hire her. Someone next to me kicked a chair in anger. The noise caught Jason’s attention. He saw me and immediately let go of Bella’s hand. “What are you doing here?” I scoffed. “Just ‘colleagues,’ huh?” Jason panicked for a second, then remembered our cold war. He raised his voice. “I’m just playing a role to help her out! You’re too dumb to see that and you’re yelling at me?” “And you! It’s work hours. You’re skipping work? Do you even respect me as your boss?” “You and your team—pay docked! All of it!” Bella played hooky every day to hang out with him, and it was fine. But we were strict liability. I laughed. “Forgot to tell you. We all quit.” “Have fun. We’re done.” Jason blinked. Then he raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Playing hard to get again?” “I’m busy. I don’t have time for your games!” Busy indeed. Busy dating Bella, busy treating her friends, busy punishing me. Bella tugged his sleeve, adding fuel to the fire. “Jason, she clearly doesn’t respect you as her husband.” “Quitting is one thing, but taking the core team? She’s trying to kill the company.” Her friends chimed in. “Yeah, Bella is better. Young, pretty, obedient. She wouldn’t stab you in the back.” “We heard Eva is just a lazy housewife. Bella does all her work. You should have fired her ages ago.” “Drop the dead weight, handsome. Bella is your match.” Hearing them slander me, Jason—who knew the truth—didn’t defend me. He sighed. “Eva, for the sake of our years together, one last chance.” “Apologize, give the account to Bella, and you can keep your job. Or else…” Or else, divorce. He didn’t say it, but I knew the look. Practice makes perfect. Before, that look terrified me. I’d beg. But now… I tossed the divorce certificate onto the table in front of him. “No thanks. We’re already divorced.”

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I wore a new hairpin to school. The school’s notorious bad boy, Dylan, stood in front of me, rubbing his nose. “That hairpin looks good on you.” Trembling, I took it off and clipped it onto his head. “If you like it… it’s yours.” 1 The hallway went dead silent. Then someone snorted, and the laughter exploded. Dylan ripped the hairpin off his head, frowning. “Who said you could put this on me?” I blinked. This guy was weird. He said it looked good, but when I gave it to him, he got all fierce. Seeing the confusion in my eyes, he looked away, his tone softening a bit. “Lost a game of Truth or Dare.” Oh. I understood. I held out my hand. “Then… can I have it back?” Under my hopeful gaze, he brutally rejected me. He shoved the hairpin into his pocket. I swallowed my anger. Fine. Can’t afford to offend him, so I’ll just avoid him. Goodbye, new hairpin that I owned for exactly three hours and twenty-one minutes. During the break, I went out for fresh air and bumped into my friend, Jess. She looked me up and down, noticing something missing. “Where’s the new hairpin you wore today?” I confessed. “I gave it to Dylan.” Jess’s voice went up two octaves. “You gave it to who???” I repeated myself honestly, adding an explanation. “He said it looked good on me, so I gave it to him.” Jess froze. She frowned, looking at me like I was a hopeless case. “Is there a possibility… that he was saying you looked good?” “Does he have a crush on you?” I shook my head. “He’s not blind.” I sit in the corner of the classroom every day. I’m a mouse who avoids all attention. Why would he notice me? 2 Compared to Dylan, my life was dirt, and his was the sky. My home was a chaotic war zone; his was peaceful and perfect. I wanted to use grades to escape. He was at the bottom of the class but still had a glittering future. Some people spend their whole lives trying to get to Rome; some people are born there. I was the former; he was the latter. Rich, handsome, wild but principled. Countless girls threw themselves at him. Me? I hid behind thick bangs and black-rimmed glasses, drowning in a uniform two sizes too big for my skinny frame. In a crowd, I was invisible. There was no way he liked me. He definitely just liked the hairpin. Thinking about that hairpin, I felt a pang of regret. I just bought it. Five bucks. It hurt a little. But once something is in his hands, it’s gone. I sighed and opened my math workbook. Whatever. I’ll solve a few problems to calm down. When I looked up again, I saw Dylan leaning against the doorway. He lifted his chin at me. “Hey, Shorty. Come out here.” I pointed at myself. “Me?” He nodded. “Yeah, you.” Feeling like the mouse I was, I closed my workbook and shuffled out nervously. Under Dylan’s oppressive gaze, I mustered up the courage to compliment him. “That hairpin looked pretty good on you too.” He looked stunned. He pulled the hairpin out of his pocket. “You… said I looked good wearing this thing??” I was confused. “Yeah?” He seemed to choke on his words, his face turning a weird color. He shoved the hairpin into my hand. “This is for girls. Take it back.” I instantly beamed, immersed in the joy of recovering lost property. But when I examined it closely, I frowned. “A rhinestone is missing.” The next second, Dylan’s face darkened. “How much? I’ll pay you.” I answered matter-of-factly. “Five dollars.” He pulled out his phone. “No cash. Venmo?” I obediently took out my phone. It was so old it took forever to open the app. He waited quietly the whole time. I glanced at him cautiously, but saw no impatience or disdain in his expression. Relieved, I added him as a friend. I didn’t see the corner of his mouth turn up as he turned away. And that missing rhinestone? It was sitting safely in his wallet. 3 When I got home that evening, the usual sounds of my mom complaining and my dad arguing back filled the air. Mixed with my little brother’s crying. The noise made it impossible to focus. I thought about sleeping, but it was too chaotic. I remembered the five dollars in my Venmo. So I grabbed my backpack and left the house. My parents, deep in their argument, didn’t even notice. I walked slowly to the McDonald’s nearby, splurged on a Coke, and sat in the corner to do homework. I was so focused that by the time I finished, the ice had melted, diluting the sweetness. I packed up. I couldn’t bear to throw away the half-empty cup, so I carried it home. When I pushed open the door, Mom was sitting in the living room, silent. My heart skipped a beat. Her gaze landed on the cup in my hand. “Vain enough to drink McDonald’s Coke now?” “The dollar soda at the bodega isn’t good enough for you?” “We hesitate to buy a bottle of water when we’re out.” “Where did you get the money?” I whispered my defense. “I lent a hairpin to a classmate. They broke it and paid me back.” “Which classmate?” I stammered, unable to answer. She walked over quickly and slapped me across the face. “Learning to lie now?” I stood in silence until she finished venting and told me to go to my room. Lying in bed, moonlight streaming through the window, I blinked. Tears soaked into the pillowcase. Outside was a vast world; inside was a cramped storage closet. I gritted my teeth. I would leave this place. I would. The next morning, I rarely let my hair down, trying to cover the red mark on my face. But I ran into Dylan wandering around campus. He had sharp eyes. He noticed something was off. Before I could react, he brushed my hair aside. “Who hit you?” I turned my face away, shame and anger rising. “None of your business. Are we close?” He paused, crossing his arms. “Of course it’s my business. Classmates should help each other.” I froze for a second, suppressing the flutter in my heart. “Thanks, but no thanks.” He seemed annoyed, pursing his lips and staring at me for a moment before turning and walking away. I couldn’t accept kindness comfortably. Because I knew I couldn’t repay it. 4 During break, I went to ask the class valedictorian—a boy—about a math problem. While we were discussing it, Dylan seemed to accidentally knock my notebook off the desk. I glanced at him and bent down to pick it up, but my fingers brushed his. He pulled his hand back instantly, the tips of his ears turning a faint pink. “I was afraid bending over would be trouble for you.” Then he walked away. I dusted off the notebook and put it back on the desk. Turning back to the unfinished problem. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dylan’s jacket fluttering in the doorway. Swaying gently in the wind, just like him. After school, I was rushing home on my bike when Dylan suddenly appeared in front of me. I slammed the brakes, stopping just an inch from him. Seeing this, he threw his backpack down and sat on the ground. “June, you hit me.” I stood there silently, unsure how to respond. He stood up again. “Tell you what. Do me a favor, and I won’t pursue it.” I knew he was faking it, but there were no cameras on this road. I couldn’t prove anything. I accepted it. “What favor?” Dylan looked serious. “Come home with me.” I was stunned, hesitating. He flicked my forehead. “What are you thinking? My parents are home.” “Oh.” He grabbed my handlebars. I frowned. “You’re riding my bike. What do I ride?” The next second, my feet left the ground. He lifted me up and placed me on the crossbar. My face instantly heated up. I stammered, trying to protest. “This… is too close…” “If people see, they’ll think we have some relationship…” “Tch.” Dylan scoffed. His tone was nonchalant. “So what?” He stepped on the pedal, and the bike moved forward steadily. The road was full of students rushing home. I lowered my head, trying to minimize my existence. When we got to Dylan’s house, I sighed with relief, thinking no one saw us. Until I opened my phone. Jess sent a message. [Respect (Thumbs up)] Attached was a blatant paparazzi shot. From that angle, it looked like I was leaning into Dylan’s embrace. The smile froze on my face.

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During spring break, my husband, our son, and I went shopping. My son, Tyler, fixated on a game console. When I said no, he started screaming at me right there in the mall. “Monkey! Why won’t you buy it for me? I want it! If you don’t buy it, I’ll hit you!” He lunged at me, punching and kicking. This wasn’t the first time. My husband, Dave, looked at me with pure disgust. “Let’s go. Stop embarrassing us.” I looked at my son coldly. “From now on, I’m not your mom. If you want something, ask your new mom.” I turned and walked away, leaving Tyler screaming in the middle of the mall. I quit. 1 Walking home alone, I realized I wasn’t even sad anymore. Countless hurts had left me numb. For years, I gave up a career I loved to raise a son and a daughter. But all they did was resent me. My son, Tyler, is only in elementary school, but he’s obsessed with video games and junk food. When I say no, he acts like I’m a monster. He has zero respect for me, hits me when he’s mad, and calls me “Monkey” in public. My daughter, Chloe, is just as bad. Since starting middle school, she’s become rebellious, obsessed with dating some blue-haired delinquent. I tried to guide her, but she sees me as the enemy of her true love. This is all thanks to their father—a misogynist who loves playing the “cool dad.” He constantly brags about his achievements while belittling mine in front of the kids. “Daddy works so hard to make money. Mommy has it easy; she doesn’t do anything.” “Housework and kids are women’s work. I’m a man; I do big things.” “I make four grand a month! Do you know how hard that is? I don’t have time for your nagging.” Every time I discipline the kids, he swoops in like a hero, badmouths me with them, and buys them junk food to make them happy. I’m the villain. He’s the saint. No wonder the kids hate me. Was I wrong? Maybe. Wrong for choosing this husband. Wrong for birthing two ungrateful tumors. I opened the door to see Chloe already home, dressed like a wannabe gangster, sitting at the table. She rolled her eyes. “Hey, I’m broke. Give me some cash.” I ignored her and walked to my room. She followed, leaning against the doorframe, shaking her leg. “Hey, I’m talking to you. Give me money. I need to go out!” I was so disappointed in this girl who only cared about hanging out with her blue-haired boyfriend. I hung up my new clothes. “No money. Ask your wonderful father.” Chloe snapped, slapping my clothes away. “What do you mean no money? You have money to buy clothes but not for me?” She reached for my phone, cursing. “Stupid bitch, why is it so hard to get money from you?” I pushed her away, disgusted. “Get out. Go ask your little boyfriend to support you!” “Fine! I knew you were trying to break us up! Tyler was right, you are just a brainless monkey!” Slap. I hit her across the face. “Watch your mouth. Since this is my last day as your mother, let me teach you how to speak like a human!” Slap. I hit her other cheek. I used to be too soft to discipline her. Now, I was completing her education. Just then, the lock clicked. Dave and Tyler were home. Hearing Chloe’s screams, they rushed over. Tyler charged at me, fists flying. “Stupid Monkey! Let go of my sister!” I backhanded him across the face. His cheek swelled instantly. “Listen here, you little brat. Call me ‘Monkey’ again, and I’ll slap you until your mouth rots!” Tyler wasn’t used to this. He screamed like a banshee and tried to hit me again. I grabbed his arm and kicked his butt and thighs. I used to hold back. Now that he wasn’t my son anymore, I hit him as much as I wanted! Dave finally stepped in, shielding the kids. “Jane! Enough! It’s just a nickname, is it necessary?” I laughed. “Dave, it’s about respect! They turned out like this because of you! If you think it’s no big deal, how about I call you ‘Pig’ from now on?” Dave was furious. How could anyone talk to a “big man” like him that way? “Jane, are you done making a scene? Fighting with kids, what kind of mother are you! Earlier at the mall, Tyler just wanted a game console. You should have just bought it. Making a scene in public… I’m embarrassed for Tyler having a mom like you!” “Yeah, so embarrassing! You don’t deserve to be my mom if you don’t buy me stuff!” Tyler chimed in. It was always like this. They ganged up on me until I caved. They spent my savings, but Tyler thought it was Dave’s money. He hated me and loved Dave more. But I wasn’t their mom anymore. I wasn’t compromising. “Tyler, ask your dad. Isn’t he the best? He’ll buy it for you. I told you at the mall, I’m not your mom anymore. Go ask him!” “And Chloe, you want money? Ask your dad. He’ll give it to you. Hurry up, grab the cash and go find Blue Hair.” The kids looked at Dave with expectant eyes. “Dad, you’re different from that old hag, right?” Dave looked awkward. He hated spending money on the kids, but he didn’t want to ruin his “cool dad” image. “Tyler, don’t worry. I’ll buy it for you. But Daddy is a little tight this month. How about… when I get paid next month?” Dave was the king of empty promises. Only an idiot like Tyler would believe him. “See? Stupid woman! Dad will buy it for me. You’re nothing compared to Dad!” Chloe held out her hand. “Dad, I don’t need much. Just five hundred.” Dave acted pained, pulling out two crumpled twenties. “Chloe, Daddy won’t stop you like your mom. But I only have forty on me. Take this for now.” Chloe looked grateful. “Thanks, Dad! You’re the best. Unlike her, hoarding money. Dad, I’m leaving, Blue Hair is waiting!” She ran out. Dave coaxed Tyler back to his room, then stormed back to confront me. “Jane, I work my ass off to support this family! You sit at home enjoying life and can’t even manage two kids? What good are you?” I scoffed. “You support us? You haven’t brought a dime home in years. We’ve been living off my savings! Where do you get the nerve to lecture me?” Dave puffed up his chest. “Being a supportive wife is your duty! Raising kids is your job! Paying for things is what you’re supposed to do!” I truly didn’t understand how his brain was wired. “Duty my ass. Go look in a mirror. I’m saying this for the last time: I quit being a mom. I’m done with those two. I’m not spending another cent. You handle it!” I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. “If you don’t handle it, who will?!” Dave roared. “Their wonderful father, obviously.” 2 Outside, I dialed a number I hadn’t called in years. After a short ring, it connected. “Jane? Finally calling me? You heartless woman, did you forget your best friend?” Hearing Sarah’s voice, I finally felt safe. I started crying. “Hey, hey, why are you crying? I’m not blaming you! Did that dog Dave upset you? I told you he was trash!” I sobbed, “Sarah, I regret everything…” “Okay, okay, stop crying. Come to the dance studio. Same place!” When I arrived, Sarah was waiting. She saw my haggard face and said nothing, just led me to her office. “Jane, you used to be so radiant. That guy… he destroyed you. It hurts just looking at you!” I smiled bitterly and told her everything. Sarah was furious. “How did you put up with that for so long?! Ungrateful wolves! I would have torn them apart! Jane, what do you want to do now?” “I want to start over. I want to make them regret everything.” “That’s my Jane! But the industry changes fast. Even though you were in the National Troupe, you haven’t danced in years. You need to catch up on trends. Can you start as a regular instructor?” I agreed instantly. I was just grateful for the chance. I knew I could be the best. Sarah was happy. “Let’s go shopping! New makeup for your new life! You need to look gorgeous as a dance teacher!” By the time we finished shopping, it was evening. With Sarah, I felt like my old sparkling self again. I stayed at Sarah’s that night. My phone rang non-stop. All Dave. When I finally answered, he started screaming. “Jane, where the hell are you? No dinner, house is a mess! I come home from work to a cold kitchen! Get back here and cook!” I fired back, “Are your hands broken? Or are you paralyzed? Waiting for me to serve you? Cook yourself or starve! Don’t bother me!” “Jane, did you take the wrong meds? Fine, you don’t care about me, what about the kids?!” “Yeah, I took the wrong meds years ago when I decided to serve you like a maid. Are they hungry? Not my problem! I’m not hungry!” I hung up before he could respond. Sarah gave me a thumbs up. “That’s the spirit! No more taking crap!” Until bedtime, Sarah updated me on the dance world and sent me videos to study. She promised to start recruiting students for me tomorrow. For the next few days, I practiced from dawn to dusk. The familiar feeling returned. Sarah said I could start teaching next week. I was thrilled. I told Sarah I was going back that night. “Jane, you’re not going back to be a maid, are you?!” she asked, shocked. I laughed. “No way! I just want to see how those dogs are living.” I went back right before dinner. The house smelled awful. Leftover takeout everywhere, overflowing trash cans, sour stench. Dirty laundry piled high, socks on the sofa. Hearing the door, Tyler and Chloe came out, thinking it was Dave. “Dad, what’s for dinner?” Seeing me, their faces fell. “Stupid woman, you finally came back! Look at this mess! Clean it up and cook! I’m starving!” “Wait until Dad gets home, he’s gonna kill you!” Just like Dave. Disgusting. I pushed Tyler aside, sat at the table, and opened a large container of spicy crayfish I bought for myself. “If you’re starving, cook. If you can’t cook, you aren’t hungry enough.” Chloe sat next to me, reaching for a crayfish. I slapped her hand. “Hey! What are you doing?” “Eating! What does it look like?!” “Stealing my shrimp! Buy your own! Can’t afford it? Then watch! Don’t touch with your dirty paws!” Tyler tried to sweet-talk me. “Mommy, give me a bite? You know I love shrimp.” “Hey, I’m not your mom. Don’t call me that. You don’t deserve these shrimp. You can suck on the shells.” Tyler saw flattery wasn’t working and tried to hit me. “Stupid Monkey! Give it to me or I’ll beat you!” I backhanded him to the floor. “I told you. Call me Monkey, get slapped. Why use your mouth to bark like a dog?” Tyler screamed. “Ahh! You hit me! I’ll kick you to death! Die! Die!” Chloe yelled too. “Crazy bitch! You starve us and eat alone?!” She tried to flip the bowl. I held it down. Then I grabbed the other takeout containers on the table—their old leftovers—and dumped them on her head. “No manners! You want to eat? Eat this!” “And you, Tyler. Have a feast!” I threw the leftover soup and rice on his face. They shrieked like kettles boiling over. I took a video and sent it to Sarah: [This is what happens when you mess with me.] Sarah replied: [Queen!] I ignored their crying, ate my crayfish, and watched a show on my phone. By the time I finished, Dave still wasn’t home. I went to pack some clothes. While packing my skincare, I noticed something wrong. My expensive face masks were missing. I thought Chloe took them, but then I found a press-on nail in the drawer. I never wear those. Dave found a new mom for the kids. Good. Evidence of infidelity would be useful for the divorce. I packed quietly. Just as I was leaving, the door opened. Dave was back, holding a bowl of cheap spicy soup. Feeding the kids slop while he probably ate a feast with his mistress. Seeing me, he assumed I was back to beg forgiveness. He put on his arrogant face. “Couldn’t make it out there, huh? A woman with no skills can only starve. How would you live without me?” Ridiculous. I laughed. “Is your brain broken or did you gargle with sewage? Why does your mouth smell like sh*t? Rely on you? And eat spicy soup? No thanks.” Dave sneered. “Keep talking tough. If I’m wrong, why are you back? Whatever, I’ll save you some face. Since you’re back, clean this place up. Look at this mess.” He looked me up and down. “Yellow-faced woman wearing a dress? Go change. How can you clean in a dress?” He threw his jacket on the sofa and marched toward the bedroom like a king. “Okay. Let me show you how I clean in a dress.” I grabbed the bowl of spicy crayfish soup and dumped it over his head. “Here’s a tip. Crayfish soup. Oops, look at you, eating so fast you got it everywhere. Let me help you wipe it.” I grabbed a filthy rag from the table and smeared it over his face. Dave shoved me away, roaring. “Jane! Are you crazy?! You dumped soup on me?! You want to die?!” Tyler and Chloe ran out, looking like two sad piles of garbage. Tyler hugged Dave and cried. “Dad! That crazy woman bullied us! She threw leftovers on me! Kill her, Dad!” Chloe joined in. “Yeah, Dad, beat her! Blue Hair says disobedient women need a beating. Don’t lose face!” Brainwashed beyond repair. Dave was riled up. “Okay! Daddy will teach this bitch a lesson for you!” He raised his hand to hit me. Just as he thought! Before he could strike, I messed up my hair and clothes, ran out the door, and collapsed on the ground, screaming. “Help! Domestic violence! Dave is beating his wife! Help!” Neighbors opened their doors. A kind old lady ran to me. “Jane, what happened? Don’t cry, tell me.” “Dave… he beat me! I just came home a little late and he beat me!” “I don’t want to live anymore!” I had a reputation as a saint in the neighborhood. Everyone believed me and started yelling at Dave. Dave tried to defend himself. “No! She’s lying! I didn’t hit her! Look, she threw soup on us!” “If I didn’t throw it, I wouldn’t have escaped! He would have killed me! I took care of them for years and this is what I get!” The neighbors were furious. They looked ready to mob him. Dave panicked. He threw my bag out. “Jane, get out!” Slam. The neighbors comforted me. Once I “calmed down,” they went home. Dave’s reputation was ruined. I picked up my bag and went back to Sarah’s, satisfied. 3 When I got to Sarah’s, she had good news. The studio posted about my classes online, and lots of people remembered me. Many signed up. Sarah was excited. “Jane, you’ve still got it! You brought in so many students. Big bonus coming your way! Honestly, since you stopped playing maid, you look amazing. With a little makeup, you look just like you did back in the day.” I looked in the mirror and smiled. I used to be the troupe beauty. I told Sarah about Dave’s affair and asked her to investigate. I needed proof for the divorce and property division. She was on it. Two days later, Sarah got the PI report. The mistress was a new hire on Dave’s team, named Vivi. Photos of them dining, kissing, entering hotels. Ironclad evidence. Living it up with his mistress while his kids ate garbage. They deserved each other. Sarah asked, “Jane, what’s the plan?” I smirked. “Total destruction.” That night, we prepared. Sarah printed flyers. I made posters. Tomorrow was Monday—perfect day for drama. The next morning, Sarah hired five people to hand out flyers at Dave’s office. The flyers had dates, times, and pictures. The colleagues were shocked and thrilled. Nothing beats office gossip. Within an hour, everyone knew. We waited at a cafe until 5 PM. Quitting time. My turn. I wore a tight dress, heels, and sunglasses. Two bodyguards followed me. At the office entrance, the bodyguards unfurled a banner filled with intimate photos of Dave and Vivi. Large text: “CONGRATULATIONS DAVE ON YOUR NEW CONCUBINE!” I held a megaphone, looping a recording of their timeline. Colleagues leaving work stopped to watch and record. Soon, Dave and Vivi walked out, arms linked. Their smiles froze when they saw the banner. I took off my sunglasses. “Dave, long time no see. Congrats on the new lady.” Dave lunged at me, but saw the phones recording. He hissed, “Jane! What are you doing? Stop embarrassing us! Let’s go home!” I laughed. “Embarrassing? I don’t think so. I’m not the one who should be embarrassed. Let’s talk right here.” Sarah walked up. “Yeah, Dave. Dare to do it, dare to own it?” Dave’s face was black. “It’s not what you think. Let’s go home and talk.” “Not what I think? Then what is it? Say it here. Nothing to hide, right? I’m sure your colleagues want to know the truth.” Dave shouted, “Jane, Vivi and I are just colleagues! Nothing else! These are fake!” I pretended to believe him. “Really? Then let me check your phone.” “That’s my privacy! You can’t!” “I’m your legal wife! But fine, don’t show me. These proofs are enough.” I took the divorce papers from Sarah and slapped them onto Dave’s face. “Sign it. Cheating means you get less.” Sarah and I walked away, leaving Dave in his humiliation. 4 The next morning, I brought movers to the house. I bought most of the furniture and appliances with my savings. I wasn’t leaving them for the trash family. When I entered, Tyler, Chloe, and Dave were at the table, waiting for Vivi to make breakfast. Tyler glared. “Stupid woman, why are you here? We don’t need you. We have a new mom. She’s a million times better. She bought me my game console.” Chloe added, “Yeah, we don’t want a cheap mom. New mom supports me and Blue Hair. That’s what youth is about! Unlike you, old antique.” Laughable. They thought Vivi’s indulgence was love. She was just raising them to be useless. Not my problem anymore. “Think what you want. Good luck with Vivi. I don’t want you two idiots anyway.” I directed the movers. “TV, bookshelf, computer… I bought them all. Take them.” Dave slammed the table. “Who dares?! This is my house!” I shrugged. “Your house, sure. But I bought the stuff. I have receipts. Even the cops can’t stop me. Guys, ignore him. Move it out. I’ll pay extra.” “Jane, don’t go too far!” “I am going too far. What are you gonna do about it?” I walked into Chloe’s room. “Take the piano too.” Chloe blocked it. “My piano! You can’t take it!” “I paid for it. You begged to learn, then called me a control freak for making you practice. I’m doing you a favor. You’re too busy riding scooters with Blue Hair to play anyway. Don’t waste my money.” I pulled Chloe away. “Move it!” Chloe glared. “I hate you!” “Feeling is mutual.” I walked out under their hateful gazes. “Bye bye, trash.” A few days later, the court ruling came. I got 70% of the assets. Dave got 30%. The same day, Dave got fired for “misconduct affecting company image.” Meanwhile, my career was booming. My rate kept going up, but students kept coming. Parents wanted me to mentor their kids for dance school. I became the star teacher. Hearing Dave lost his job, I called him to gloat. I love kicking a man when he’s down. Even with little money left, Dave insisted on a lavish wedding with Vivi to save face. He sent me an invite to show off. I went. Dressed in black, looking fabulous. I gave him a thick red envelope. Dave smirked. “Regret it now? You were shortsighted.” I spoke loudly. “Oh, I regret it so much! Getting most of the money… This wedding cost a lot, right? Shame you can’t live the poor life anymore!” Dave huffed. “Don’t be smug, Jane. I’ll earn it back in no time. You’ll just eat through your savings.” “How? With your non-existent job? Oh, I forgot, you have no job and two kids to feed. Unlike me, making sixteen grand a month.” “Don’t bully the poor youth! You’ll regret it!” “Sure, sure. ‘Don’t bully the poor middle-aged man.’ I’ll wait for your miracle.” I left before eating. Pity I couldn’t see their faces when they opened the envelope full of spirit money (hell money).

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Another girl just confessed her love to Levi. Thirteenth time this semester. Even though everyone knows he has a girlfriend, they still throw themselves at him like hungry wolves. Luckily, I’m used to it. After all, I’m the one who told him not to go public with our relationship. 1 Someone stepped up to comfort the crying girl, shooting Levi a playful, resentful glare. “Same old excuse, Levi? Could you at least change it up? Save the girl some face.” Whoa. That’s the Drama Department’s Queen Bee, isn’t it? Judging by those soft eyes and that intimate tone… is there something going on? I felt a spark of excitement. Is Levi about to cheat? Does this mean I can finally dump him guilt-free? Clearly, I wasn’t the only one smelling drama. The mixer instantly buzzed with energy. “Ooooh~ Look who’s stepping in to comfort her? Smells like the real girlfriend energy.” “Saving the face he wouldn’t give, huh?” “Does anyone not know our department Queen and King are the #1 ship on campus? They beat second place by two thousand votes!” “Why are they even at this mixer? Just here to flex on us singles?” “Probably just supporting the class. Otherwise, this power couple would be on a date right now!” … The jeering got louder. Someone shoved the Queen Bee, and she stumbled, nearly falling right into Levi’s arms. I whipped out my phone, camera ready. I just needed them to hug, and click—cheating evidence secured. But Levi dodged her like he was on roller skates. Smooth. Tsk. What a pity. “I told you, I have a girlfriend.” Same old line. Someone laughed dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, you’ve said it a hundred times since freshman year. We all know you ‘have a girlfriend’.” Another girl giggled, linking arms with the Queen Bee. “And that girlfriend is her, right? You two been keeping it secret?” The Queen Bee shook her head frantically, blushing with embarrassment and shyness. She glanced at Levi. “Stop talking nonsense! I’m not his girlfriend!” “She’s shy! She’s shy!” The noise erupted. I watched Levi’s expression darken. A bad feeling started to creep in. I heard him say, “She’s not my girlfriend.” The Queen Bee chimed in, “Exactly! If you guys keep talking nonsense, I’m gonna get mad!” The others exchanged knowing looks and laughed. We get it, wink wink. Levi’s face was now black as a skillet. He looked up, scanning the crowd. My heart skipped a beat. I tried to turn away casually. But he locked onto me in a second. Then, under the gaze of everyone in the room, he parted the crowd and strode straight toward me. He touched the glass in my hand and took it away. “You have a bad stomach. Don’t drink cold stuff.” He downed the drink in one gulp, turned to the statues in the room, and said, “I’m taking my girlfriend home.” Under the dim lights, I saw the Queen Bee’s face go pale, her eyes fixed on me with a death stare. 2 Levi actually has a girlfriend. The news swept through campus that night. By morning, the school forum was flooded with my info and photos. The judgment threads were building skyscrapers. [She’s so average I can’t believe it.] [Does Levi have an ugly fetish?] [A flower stuck in cow dung.] [Comparing her to Sienna is an insult to Sienna. Levi needs to see an optometrist.] And those were the nice comments. Some were so nasty I started to wonder if I was some hideous monster unworthy of life. After venting their confusion, the forum reached a consensus: [I bet Levi just doesn’t want to go public with Sienna yet, so he grabbed a random girl as a shield.] This theory got rave reviews. Any dissenting opinions were ignored. I lay in bed, scrolling with relish. I ignored Levi’s messages and even liked the “shield” post, bringing the likes to a perfect 666. Just as I was clicking the next thread, my dorm door slammed open. My roommate—who slept on the bottom bunk—stormed in and smashed her lunch box onto my bed. I jumped up, dumbfounded, watching food splatter all over my sheets. “Are you crazy?” “You’re the crazy one!” She stared at me with pure hatred. “You’re really Levi’s girlfriend?” “…” Right. I forgot. She’s also one of Levi’s secret admirers. She used to rant in the dorm about how shameless Sienna (the Queen Bee) was. “You watched me fangirl over him every day. Were you laughing at me the whole time?!” ?? I swear to God, I wasn’t! Levi has been a shining star since he was a kid. Even with his prickly personality, he shines. It’s normal for everyone to love him. Why would I laugh? But my roommate clearly didn’t see it that way. Her eyes were red, and she looked ready to scream more, but my phone interrupted her. “Zoe, are you okay?” My roommate and I both froze. I looked at my phone. When I jumped earlier, I must have accidentally answered Levi’s call. He heard everything. It was awkward. His tone was icy. “I’m coming over.” “Don’t!” But he hung up before I could finish. My roommate finally reacted. She threw herself on her desk and started wailing like she’d been mortally wounded. “You did that on purpose!” Through her sobs, she spat venom at me: “Don’t get cocky, Zoe! The last person who crossed Sienna dropped out in disgrace. She won’t let you off!” Hearing this unexpected gossip, I didn’t even blink. I just stared sadly at my quilt. I just changed the sheets. My spare set isn’t dry yet. 3 Five minutes later, Levi arrived. My roommate bit her lip stubbornly. Levi glanced at my messy bed, his face cold enough to freeze water. Then he looked at her, undisguised disgust in his eyes. “You did this?” Being looked at like garbage by your crush is apparently hard to handle. My roommate’s lips trembled, and she ran out crying. Levi stepped up onto the ladder with his long legs and started stripping my bed. I slid down to sit on his chair, scrolling the forum, eating my own melon (gossip) while dealing with him. “Move out of the dorm.” “Where would I live?” “Rent a place off-campus.” “With you?” I scoffed. “Dream on.” He went silent. My finger twitched, refreshing the page. Two new threads popped up. [BREAKING! Campus King just entered the girls’ dorm!] [Debunked! Zoe Cow-Dung might not be a shield. Her roommate just got dumped and ran out crying.] “…” Zoe Cow-Dung? Seriously?! Levi walked over with the dirty sheets in a bag. “Let’s go buy new bedding.” I looked up at him coldly. “Did I or did I not say I didn’t want people to know?” “But I hate them throwing themselves at me when they know I’m taken.” I laughed sarcastically. “Ungrateful.” “I only want you to like me. Everyone else can get lost.” I hate it when he gets cheesy. He’s been like this since we were kids. An emotionally stunted weirdo who followed me around calling “Zoe, Zoe” like a lost duckling. People thought I was his child bride. God knows I was just a stray kid his grandpa picked up while collecting cans. Before his house, I lived under bridges and in hospital waiting rooms. And less than two years after I arrived, his parents died in a car crash. Grandpa died of grief soon after. I’m a jinx. He shouldn’t be with me. 4 The rumors got wilder. Besides attacking my looks, they added new lore. They said I was a rich heiress who used money and power to force Levi to be my boyfriend. They said I was loose, sleeping with tons of guys on and off campus. They described it so vividly you’d think they were watching. At noon, I was at my new part-time job at a bubble tea shop when I heard my roommate’s voice. I couldn’t see who she was talking to, but I heard her say I wore cheap clothes but used cameras worth thousands. “The rumors aren’t fake. She’s dirty. Levi was definitely tricked.” “Really?” The other voice was gentle, concerned. “Then Levi…” “There’s no way Levi is with her because he likes her!” “Who knows what dirty tricks she used?” I wanted to laugh. I was about to look up when the agitated voice continued: “Sienna, no one would choose her over you! Levi wants to be an actor, and your family owns a media empire. How could he not choose you?” “What are you saying? Choose me…” The other voice sounded flustered, then sighed softly. “It has nothing to do with my family. I’m just worried about Levi. Even if he doesn’t like her, his reputation will suffer. You know how important a clean image is in this industry.” “Then you should steal him back!” My roommate urged. “If it was you, I’d accept it. Everyone would. But Zoe? Who does she think she is? How is she worthy of Levi?” “Stop… stop saying that. We’re just good friends!” “Levi never makes friends easily. You’re the special one!” I quietly lowered my head, covering my face with the ingredient list.

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It all started because my brother, the billionaire philanthropist, made a casual comment while handing out scholarships: “Funny coincidence. You and my sister share the exact same birthday. Down to the minute.” Because of that one sentence, the scholarship student, Sarah, convinced herself she was the real heiress who had been switched at birth. She hired two thugs, kidnapped me, and planned to kill me to “reclaim” her identity. In my past life, in that moment of crisis, I called my fiancé for help. But the moment he picked up, he sneered impatiently: “Serena, you stole Sarah’s life. This is the price you have to pay.” When I was pushed off the cliff into the river, my fiancé’s uncle suddenly appeared. He dove into the freezing water to save me. But exhaustion took him. We both drowned, sinking to the bottom of the river together. When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back to the day of the kidnapping. This time, when Sarah smirked and told me to pick someone to call for my last words, I didn’t hesitate. I called my brother. 1 “Serena Vanderbilt, you shameless thief! You’ve been squatting on my life for twenty years. Today, I’m taking it back!” Sarah signaled the thugs. They immediately moved in, tearing at my clothes. Seeing the panic on my face, Sarah laughed, a sound dripping with triumph. She kicked my phone across the dusty floor toward me. “You aren’t walking out of here alive. But I’m generous. I’ll give you one phone call to say your goodbyes.” I looked up. Sarah was staring at me with eyes that were beautiful but filled with pure venom. I knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted me to call Chad—my fiancé—so I could be humiliated and rejected by him one last time before I died. That’s how it went down in my previous life. But not this time. I dialed my brother’s private line. I never imagined that my brother’s casual remark about our birthdays would fuel such an insane delusion in Sarah. I tried to explain, but Sarah was dead set on her fantasy of being the “True Heiress.” Even Chad, the man I was supposed to marry, bought into her garbage. If my brother knew how Chad treated me, he wouldn’t just ruin him financially; he’d make him wish he were dead. The call connected. I screamed before anyone could speak. “East Hampton, Cliffside Villa! Sebastian, save me!” Sarah snatched the phone from my hand and smashed it onto the concrete floor. “You didn’t call Chad?” She looked at me in disbelief, then sneered. “Doesn’t matter. Even if you called your ‘brother,’ he won’t save a fake like you.” “Alright, hurry up. Tie her up and toss her in the river. Make it look like a suicide.” I knew Sebastian would move heaven and earth to get here, but I needed to stall. My heart was pounding out of my chest. “Let me go! This is a felony! I already sent out an SOS. If anything happens to me, you’re all going down for life. Is it worth it?” The thugs didn’t care. They dragged me toward the edge. Just as the rushing water came into view, a familiar figure sprinted out of the woods. He kicked one of the thugs in the chest and pulled me into his arms. “Serena, I’ve got you. Don’t be scared.” Hearing Julian’s voice, tears instantly blurred my vision. He was Chad’s uncle, but only three years older than his nephew. In my last life, I thought we were strangers. But when it mattered, he was the one who died trying to save me. Since fate hit the reset button, this time, I’m going to protect him. “Julian, run! I can handle them!” I yelled, seeing his pale face. He had been sickly since childhood, rarely leaving his estate. Fighting two thugs was suicide. Predictably, the thugs recovered and knocked him to the ground. Sarah frowned. “Where did this random hero come from? Whatever. Toss him in too.” Seeing Julian struggling to get up to protect me, I screamed at Sarah. “Sarah! That’s Chad’s uncle! He’s a Kensington! If you hurt him, the Kensington family will hunt you to the ends of the earth!” Sarah hesitated for a second, then scoffed. “I’ve never heard Chad mention an uncle. And look at him—he’s a sick weakling. He’s probably a reject of the family.” “You think the Kensingtons would go to war with me, the Vanderbilt heiress, over a reject? Please. Besides, dead men tell no tales. I write the history today.” Julian was beaten half to death. I was hogtied on the ground. I glared at Sarah. “I don’t know what kind of mental gymnastics you did to convince yourself you’re a Vanderbilt, but I am my parents’ daughter. I can forgive a lot, but if Julian dies, I swear I will make you beg for death.” Sarah threw her head back and laughed maniacally. “Serena, you really are delusional until the end. I get it. Who would want to give up the billionaire lifestyle?” “But denying it won’t help. I already did a DNA test. I am the Vanderbilt heiress!” I stared at her, stunned. A DNA test? How? My parents passed away years ago. It’s just me and Sebastian. How did she get Sebastian’s DNA? I didn’t have time to ask. The thugs dragged Julian and me to the cliff’s edge. Below us, the river raged. It was a hundred-foot drop. “Break her legs before you throw her,” Sarah commanded, her voice sweet and cruel. A thug raised a metal pipe. Julian, blood streaming down his face, threw his body over mine. “Serena, I’ll hold them off! Run!” “Die, hero!” The thug swung the pipe down. SCREECH! A convoy of black SUVs skidded to a halt mere feet away. “Freeze! Drop it or you die!” My brother’s head of security, Marcus, jumped out. Behind him was an army of Vanderbilt guards. Finally. The thugs were pinned instantly. Sarah shrieked, “Who are you?! Unhand me! I am the Vanderbilt heiress!” Marcus didn’t hesitate. He chopped her neck, and she crumpled to the ground, unconscious. “Take the trash to the warehouse,” Marcus ordered. “Ms. Serena will decide their fate.” Julian and I were rushed to the hospital. The doctor said I only had superficial wounds. Julian was worse—severe concussion, broken ribs. When he was finally stable in the VIP ward, I borrowed a nurse’s phone to call Sebastian. “Serena,” Sebastian’s voice was shaking. “I’m stuck in a board meeting in London, or I would be there myself. Are you okay?” “I’m fine, thanks to Marcus. Leave some guards here, let Marcus go back to you.” Then I took a breath. “Sebastian, cancel the engagement. I don’t want to marry Chad anymore. I love his uncle, Julian.” There was a pause, then a dark chuckle. “Good. That Chad kid has no spine anyway.” “Since you’re done with him, I’m pulling all Vanderbilt funding from the Kensington Group starting today. Let’s see how he likes the real world.” After hanging up, I sat by Julian’s bed. In both lives, Chad was a disappointment. He ignored my calls for help and sided with a delusional stalker. But before I could even plan my revenge, Chad burst into the hospital room. He looked furious. Without a word, he slapped me across the face. Smack! “Serena! Are you insane?! You stole Sarah’s life for twenty years, and now you hire thugs to hurt her? When your brother finds out, you’re dead! Don’t drag me down with you!” I tasted blood. I didn’t cry. I didn’t flinch. I slapped him back with everything I had. “You believe her? You grew up with me and Sebastian. Does she look anything like us?” Chad touched his cheek, stunned, then scowled. “Stop lying! Sarah showed me the DNA test.” Then his tone shifted to fake sympathy. “Look, I know you don’t want to lose the money. If you confess and give Sarah her identity back, I’ll keep you as a mistress. You won’t be Mrs. Kensington, but you won’t starve.” I was still trying to figure out the DNA test angle when a voice screeched from the hallway. “Serena Vanderbilt!” Sarah marched in, face unscathed (she must have woken up), followed by… my family’s own security guard? “Who let her out?” I asked, shocked. The guard stepped forward and kicked me in the shin. I dropped to my knees. He grabbed my hair and slapped me. “You fake! How dare you act like the boss in front of me? Tired of living?” My ears rang. This guard looked at me with pure disgust, like he knew I was the imposter. “Did Marcus not tell you?” I gasped. “Sarah is lying.” The guard sneered. “Ms. Sarah is the real bloodline. You’re just a cuckoo in the nest.” Sarah waved her hand dismissively, and the guard stepped back, bowing to her. She looked at my swollen face and turned to Chad. “Chad, babe. She stole my life, tried to kill me, and nearly got away with it. If my loyal guard hadn’t arrived, I’d be dead.” “So, as her boyfriend, how are you going to handle this?” Sarah’s story was full of holes, but Chad ate it up. He stepped on my hand, grinding his heel into my fingers. “You’re toxic, Serena. Apologize to Sarah now!” “Chad, we’re still engaged! You think you can get away with this?” I screamed. He pressed harder. “Engaged? To a fake? Dream on. I’m marrying Sarah. I know you’re obsessed with me, but it’s over. Beg Sarah for forgiveness, and maybe she’ll let you live.” Pain shot up my arm. I glared at them. “You prize a delusional psycho over me? Just wait until you fall from your pedestal, Chad.” The word “psycho” triggered Sarah. She grabbed a baton from the guard’s belt. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” She swung the baton at my head. I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact. It never came. “Leave her alone!” Julian had dragged himself out of the hospital bed and thrown himself over me. The baton cracked against his back. He collapsed, coughing blood, but still managed to gasp: “Chad… don’t be an idiot. Serena is real. Sarah… she kidnapped us…” Chad looked at his bleeding uncle, hesitation flickering in his eyes. But Sarah started sobbing. “He’s your uncle? Chad, maybe we shouldn’t get married. Serena kidnapped me, and now your family is bullying me too…” “I can’t handle a family with such… loose morals.” Chad’s hesitation vanished. He kicked Julian in the ribs. “Uncle, how could you side with this fraud against Sarah? You’re a disgrace.” Chad grabbed the baton. “Serena, today I’m breaking your leg as payment for Sarah’s suffering.” He raised the weapon. I couldn’t move. Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the hall. A voice, cold as the grave, boomed: “STOP! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

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