Author: Momo Chan

As an office drone who had fought her way from a small Midwestern town into a New York advertising agency,I envied rich people who never had to clock in. When the wealthy Walker family finally found me,I thought I could say goodbye to overtime for good. Instead,they refused to give me money or shares in the family company.All they wanted to give me was love.Lots and lots of love. So I had no choice but to keep suffering through endless workdays and late nights. One night,I came home late again after rushing to finish a project.Lillian,the Walkers’adopted daughter,was sitting in the living room in tears. “Erin,why are you always hiding at the office?Do you hate me so much that you can’t even stand being in this house?” Mr.and Mrs.Walker looked at me with disappointment. “Erin,do you have to treat Lillian like this?She waits up for you every night.She gets so anxious she can barely sleep.” My so-called brother,Kyle,stepped into my path.”This family hasn’t had a moment of peace since you came back.You owe Lillian an explanation.” I stared at the stale family drama playing out in front of me and felt nothing but exhaustion. “How long are you going to keep this act up?” “Can we speed it up?I have a pitch meeting tomorrow morning.” … All four of them fell silent. My phone buzzed again.The client sent over an eighteenth round of revisions,and I nearly blacked out. All I wanted was to go upstairs and collapse onto my bed. I had barely turned away when Kyle grabbed my arm. “What kind of attitude is that,Erin Walker?Is your job really more important than Lillian?” I rolled my eyes.”Obviously.If I don’t work,where am I supposed to get money?It’s not like any of you gave me shares in the company.” All four of their faces changed again. I had disappeared before I turned three.By the time the Walker family found me,I had already been working for two years. When I learned that I was the long-lost biological daughter of a wealthy family,I almost popped open a bottle of champagne on the spot. For Lillian’s eighteenth birthday,the Walkers had given her an eight-figure trust fund and ten percent of the family company. If their adopted daughter had received that much,surely their biological daughter would receive at least as much. But after I completed the identity paperwork,took back the Walker name,moved into the estate,and asked about my shares,they told me they had prepared nothing for me. “Why?”I asked. Mr.Walker gave me a solemn look.”A transfer of equity involves the board and the terms of the family trust.It isn’t as simple as you think.” Right. It had not been complicated when they gave shares to Lillian.It only became complicated when it was my turn. Fine.If shares were out of the question,they could at least give me an allowance. Mrs.Walker refused that too.”Erin,it isn’t that we don’t want to.Lillian hasn’t asked the family for money since she came of age.If we give money to you and not to her,she’ll think we don’t love her anymore.” I nearly laughed from sheer disbelief. Her trust fund could support an ordinary person for several lifetimes,and she collected dividends every year.Of course she never needed to ask for money. If I had all that,I could afford to act above it too. When I said nothing,Kyle spoke coldly.”Money.Shares.Trust funds.Is there anything else in your head,Erin?” “Mom makes cream of mushroom soup for you herself every day.Have you touched it once?Lillian waits for you every night.Have you ever thanked her?” “They’ve both tried to welcome you,but you walk around with a sour face every day.Besides,you were the one who wandered off back then.Who exactly are you blaming now?” He stood on his moral high ground,accusing me of being ungrateful and incapable of appreciating family. I laughed. Kyle’s face went livid.He raised his hand to hit me. “You have no manners at all,Erin.Today,I’m going to—” Before his hand could come down,Lillian rushed over and stopped him. “Kyle,don’t hit Erin!” She looked at me with reddened eyes.”Erin,this is all my fault.I took your place,and I received the shares that should have belonged to you.If you truly want them,I can give them back.” Kyle immediately panicked.”No!Those shares are part of your trust.They’re your security in the Walker family.If you give them to her—” “Great.”I cut him off and smiled at Lillian.”Since you’re so willing,have the lawyers prepare the transfer documents tomorrow.”

Lillian went quiet. Kyle’s expression darkened.“Erin,just because you’re the Walkers’biological daughter doesn’t mean you get to bully Lillian.Those shares belong to her.” I ignored him and kept my eyes on Lillian.”You weren’t just saying that,were you,Lillian?” Her face went pale for a few seconds,but she quickly recovered her usual gentle expression. “Of course not.I’d be more than happy to give them back to you.” “But the company isn’t a private shop.Any share transfer has to go through the board,and shareholders take on legal and financial liability.You don’t have any experience.I’m afraid the directors might make things difficult for you.” Mr.and Mrs.Walker joined in,explaining that the company was controlled by a family trust and any transfer required approval from a majority of the board. I might be their biological daughter,but I had lived away from the family for years and had never been trained as an heir.The board might not accept me. They were all excuses. The board was made up of relatives and Mr.Walker’s oldest friends.If he wanted the transfer approved,no one would oppose him. The four of them talked over one another,acting as if withholding money from me was some noble attempt to protect me.It made me sick. My phone buzzed again. My creative director informed me that even though tomorrow was Saturday,I still had to submit a revised proposal. My nose stung.Every argument I had wanted to make died in my throat. Forget it. Let the whole world burn. I went upstairs,took a shower,and crawled into bed.The moment my head touched the pillow,I finally felt human again. I was about to scroll through my phone when someone knocked on my door. “Erin,are you asleep?”Mrs.Walker called from the hallway.”I warmed up some milk for you.” “No,thanks,”I said automatically. After several seconds of silence,she spoke again.”I’m sorry.I didn’t know you were allergic to mushrooms.You loved them when you were little.When did you develop an allergy?” She sounded almost hurt. The truth was,I did remember a few things about this family. I remembered sitting with her beside the fireplace while she held me,patted my back,and sang me lullabies. At first,I really had hoped they would love me. But then I realized they had already given Lillian all the affection that might once have been meant for me.That was when I stopped wanting it. I still gave in.I opened the door,took the glass,and drank all the milk. I was about to say good night when Mrs.Walker produced another glass from behind her back. “I can’t drink another one.” “This isn’t for you.”She pressed the glass into my hands.”Would you take it to Lillian?What you said earlier hurt her,and she ran back to her room crying.Could you make the first move and give her a way to put this behind her?You are family,after all.” My hands stiffened.With every word she spoke,my heart sank a little further. Finally,I asked,”If I take this to her,will you leave me alone tonight?” She froze,then nodded anyway. I carried the milk to Lillian’s room. When she opened the door,I held out the glass.”Mom asked me to bring you this.She wants you to stop crying.” I clearly remembered waiting until her fingers had closed around the glass before I let go. But the next second,the glass crashed to the floor. Lillian screamed. The broken glass cut the top of her foot.

Her scream brought the other three running. Kyle went for the first-aid kit.Mr.Walker called the family doctor.Mrs.Walker stared at the blood on Lillian’s foot,then snapped her head up at me. “If you didn’t want to bring it to her,you could have said so,Erin.Why did you let go on purpose?” I had barely opened my mouth when Kyle shoved me aside. “Why else would she do it?Lillian refused to give her the shares,so she’s taking revenge!” Mr.Walker’s expression darkened too. Lillian spoke through her tears.”Don’t blame Erin.I was the one who didn’t hold on tightly enough.” The more she defended me,the more the three of them fussed over her. No one noticed the cut on my calf where a shard of glass had struck me. I watched them crowd around Lillian,said nothing,and left. There was nothing a good night’s sleep couldn’t fix. Besides,the next day was Saturday.I still had to work,but at least I could sleep two hours later than usual. I slept until nine before going downstairs. To my surprise,Mr.and Mrs.Walker were still waiting at the breakfast table. I assumed they wanted to question me about the night before.Instead,Mr.Walker said,”Erin,your mother and I have talked.We’ve decided to give you shares in the company.” My eyes lit up,but I immediately grew wary.”Are you serious?” Mrs.Walker nodded.”You didn’t grow up with us.It’s understandable that you don’t feel secure.We also spoke to a family counselor.Love can’t exist only in words.Real security is the clearest way to prove it.” Mr.Walker continued,”Before,we were worried that receiving so many assets at once might cause you to make reckless decisions.Lillian also warned us that people who come into sudden wealth can lose themselves.” I knew it. Lillian had been the one persuading them not to give me anything. Still,they had finally come to their senses,so I decided not to hold it against them for the moment. “How much are you giving me?” Mr.Walker raised two fingers.”Twenty percent.The same as Kyle.” I almost whistled. Now that was generous. A phone clattered to the floor behind me. Lillian stood at the foot of the stairs,her face rigid.Jealousy flashed across her eyes. Mrs.Walker immediately hurried over to support her.”Didn’t the doctor tell you to stay off that foot?If you need something,ring for the housekeeper.” Lillian forced a smile.”Mom,I thought I heard you say you were giving Erin shares.Is that true?” Mrs.Walker nodded. “That’s wonderful.”Lillian’s smile was barely holding together.”I’m only worried that the directors might take advantage of her.” Mrs.Walker waved the concern aside.”She’ll have to face them sooner or later.Once your father and I retire,the company will belong to her and Kyle.” Lillian’s face grew even paler. I was in such a good mood that after breakfast,I returned to my room with renewed energy to finish my design. Half an hour later— All right.The energy was gone. How did the client manage to come up with so many pointless revisions every single time? I cursed silently and kept working.Two hours later,the message I had been waiting for finally arrived. [Thanks for your hard work.We still think the first version was best.] In my head,I called them an idiot. I replied:[Of course.No problem.] After staring at the screen for so long,I went downstairs for a glass of water. When I returned,someone was in my room. Lillian stood beside my laptop with a malicious smile on her lips. “What are we going to do,Erin?” “I think I broke your computer.”

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In my fifth year of dating Ryan Cole, I brought up marriage three times. The first time, he said, “Lily fell at home. I need to take her to the hospital to get checked out. We’ll talk when I’m back.” The second time, he said, “That limited-edition figure Lily wants goes on sale in-store today. I have to go line up. Don’t rush me.” The third time, I asked him point-blank: “Ryan, do you actually want to get married, or do you want to break up?” He stared at me for a long time without speaking. Finally, he said, “Emma, stop. We’ll get married, just not right now. I promised Lily I wouldn’t get married until she finds a boyfriend.” I had my answer. I didn’t push it. I picked up my phone and called the jeweler I’d already been in contact with. “That custom men’s wedding band I ordered—cancel it.” “I don’t need it anymore.” Ryan didn’t know I’d given him three chances to choose me. After the third, I was done waiting. Once I confirmed the cancellation with the jeweler, I called a secondhand furniture and appliance buyer. They came quickly. The man followed where I pointed, saw the TV, the refrigerator, and the couch in the living room, and froze. “Miss, are you sure you want to sell all of this? The TV, the fridge, the couch—they’re practically brand new. Shouldn’t you talk to your boyfriend first?” I shook my head. “No need. Give me a price. Whatever you can haul out today, take it.” He didn’t ask again after that. He quoted me a number. Once we agreed, his face broke into a grin. “These are big pieces—I might not get them all in one trip. Mind if I come back a few times?” “That’s fine.” Ryan came home from work just as the buyer was directing his guys to carry the TV out the door. He stood in the entryway, his brow creasing instantly. “What’s going on? Where are they taking the TV?” “I sold it.” I didn’t hide it. “You sold it?” Ryan let out a disbelieving laugh, his eyes full of shock. “You sold the TV—what’s Lily supposed to watch when she comes over? You know she loves binge-watching her shows…” He trailed off, as if something occurred to him, and the tight crease in his brow softened. “Fine. The old one was too small anyway—bad for the eyes after a while. You sold it, I’ll just buy a bigger one.” When I’d first suggested buying a TV, he’d been completely against it. “We’re both busy with work. Who has time to watch TV? It’d just sit there collecting dust.” He’d forgotten—I was the one with no sense of security. On the nights he worked late and I was alone in this cold, silent apartment without a single sound, I was afraid. So I’d bought the TV despite his objections. I thought that when I was scared of being alone, it could keep me company in Ryan’s place. What I hadn’t expected was that, once the TV was there, the person who watched it most wasn’t me. It was his childhood friend, Lily Evans. I said nothing. Ryan pulled out his phone and started browsing for a new TV. After placing the order, he didn’t forget to look up and remind me: “Stop fighting Lily for the remote from now on. She’s still like a kid. Be the bigger person and let her have it.” Five years together, and I’d heard this line more times than I could count. Whenever Lily was around, nothing in this home belonged to me anymore. I had to give way to her in everything. In the past, every time I heard something like that, I’d blow up at Ryan. But this time, I just nodded calmly. “Got it. I’ll never fight her for it again.” Not just the remote. I wouldn’t fight her for him either. Ryan heard my promise, and something like relief flickered in his eyes. He sighed. “Emma, if only you’d been this reasonable all along.”

Before, the mere mention of Lily’s name from Ryan’s lips was enough to make me lose control. Like last year, when he took the birthday gift he’d bought for me and gave it to Lily instead. I’d broken down on the spot, pointing at him and screaming: “All you see is Lily! If you love her so much, why don’t you just make her your girlfriend?” That day, the look he gave me was ice-cold. In his eyes, I’d become some irrational, unhinged woman. He said with open disgust: “Emma Miller, I have always seen Lily as a sister. Stop talking nonsense.” After that, whenever I made a scene, all he’d say was: “People with dirty minds see dirt in everything.” But he didn’t understand. I made scenes because I cared about him. Now that I’d stopped—it wasn’t because I’d gotten “reasonable.” It was because I’d stopped loving him. “Oh, right.” Ryan seemed to remember something. “Lily’s going to her high school reunion tonight. Her old classmates always gang up on her, and she can’t handle them alone. I need to go with her. Don’t wait up for dinner.” He didn’t wait for my response. He walked straight to the bedroom to shower and change. The buyer texted me around the same time. “Miss Emma, I’ve transferred you the money for the TV. Each time I pick something up, I’ll send you a payment. Does that work?” I replied: “That works.” By the time Ryan emerged dressed and ready, I was packing the throw pillows, blankets, and little stuffed animals from the couch into a large bag. I said to him, “These are all Lily’s things. Do you want them in your room, or should you bring them back to her?” All of it—every last piece—Ryan had bought for her. Once, while watching TV, Lily had offhandedly complained that the couch looked too bare and boring. The very next day, Ryan bought her favorite throw pillows, a soft blanket, and plush toys. He’d even arranged a spot on the couch that was exclusively hers. If I accidentally sat there, he’d frown. “The couch is huge—can’t you sit somewhere else? Lily’s a little OCD. She can’t stand her stuff being messed up.” Then he’d make me move and carefully refold the blanket, repositioning each toy exactly where it had been. Now, he looked at the bag in my hands, and his expression went cold. “Emma, what are you doing now? Those things were perfectly fine on the couch. Why do you always have to stir up trouble?” His voice was low, barely containing his anger. I said, “I sold the couch. Someone’s coming to pick it up tomorrow. Do whatever you want with this stuff.” I set the bag by his bedroom door. I didn’t want to argue. I was about to go change and head out for dinner when I heard Ryan’s scornful laugh behind me. “When you bought that couch, I told you it wasn’t right. So you’ve finally come around to selling it and getting a new one?” “Don’t bother buying another one—I’ll pick it out. Lily has a bad back. A stiff leather couch isn’t good for her. I’ll find something she can lie on without getting sore.” When I’d chosen that firm leather couch, it was because Ryan had said that style put less strain on the spine. Every word he’d ever said to me—I’d held on to all of it. But he’d apparently never held on to a single word of mine. I pressed my lips together and said softly, “Do whatever you want.” It wouldn’t matter much longer. I’d be gone soon. Whatever he bought had nothing to do with me. Shortly after Ryan left, I changed and went out too. I found a restaurant with great reviews. But the moment I walked in and followed the hostess to my table, I heard a burst of teasing laughter from the other side of the partition.

“Lily, you’re something else—you actually landed the school heartthrob! How long have you two been together?” “Right? When’s the wedding? Don’t forget to invite us old classmates for a drink.” “I always knew you two would end up together. Back in school, Ryan was cold to everyone except Lily. When he looked at her, his eyes literally lit up.” The two familiar names made me pause mid-sit. I glanced over instinctively. Ryan and Lily had their backs to me. I couldn’t see their expressions, but I could clearly see Ryan deftly picking bones out of a piece of fish and placing the clean flesh into Lily’s bowl. A chorus of envious gasps erupted around them. “Oh my God, Lily, Ryan is so good to you. I’m so jealous. If my husband were half that thoughtful, I’d be thrilled.” “Seriously. If mine were that attentive, we wouldn’t fight every other day.” Lily was basking in the compliments, barely concealing the smugness in her eyes, deliberately suppressing a smile. “It’s not that big a deal. Ryan just understands me, that’s all.” Yeah. Ryan understood her perfectly. One look from her, and he knew exactly what she was thinking. She wanted to catch a midnight movie—even if he could barely keep his eyes open, he’d change and drive her to the theater. She wanted to go hiking—even though he was terrified of heights, he’d go along with her whims. And me? When I had a fever so bad it turned into pneumonia, and I begged him to take me to the hospital— He said: “Lily’s dog ran away. She’s at home crying her eyes out. I need to go help her look.” “You just have a fever. It’s not going to kill you. Go to the hospital yourself.” Thinking about that, I suddenly recalled what my mom had said to me at the beginning of the year. She said: “The day after your dad and I started dating, he was already itching to go to your grandma’s house and ask for my hand.” “You’ve been with Ryan five years. Has he ever once brought up marriage on his own?” “Emma, if you keep dragging this out, what are you going to do when you’re older and he throws you away?” Even after hearing that, I was still naive. I gave Ryan three chances to choose me. If he’d shown even a flicker of wanting to marry me, I would have kept waiting. That’s why I’d contacted the jeweler ahead of time and ordered a custom ring. But reality slapped me across the face. That day, he told me that as long as Lily didn’t have a boyfriend, he wouldn’t get married. I asked him: “What if she never finds another man she likes? What if it’s her whole life?” He was silent for a long moment, then said: “Marriage is just a piece of paper. As long as our relationship is stable, it doesn’t matter whether we have it or not.” I understood perfectly. What he meant was: as long as Lily was single, he would never marry me. In that moment, I finally saw the full picture. Five years of loving him—what an absolute joke. “Oh! Emma, what are you doing here?” A familiar yelp of surprise. I looked up and found Lily standing in the aisle—I had no idea when she’d gotten there. Ryan heard the voice and turned to look at me too. His gaze was complicated, his jaw subtly tight. Like he was afraid I’d say something I shouldn’t. “Ryan, Lily—you guys know this beauty?” someone asked with a laugh. Hearing that, I was suddenly curious. How would he answer? Ryan slowly looked away. His voice was cold and flat. “No. I don’t know her.” Those words landed on my heart like a sledgehammer. Crushing the last shred of hope I had left. I actually laughed. Then I turned to Lily and said, “That’s right. I don’t know you. You’ve got the wrong person.”

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One week before the wedding, I stumbled across a sex tape of my sister and my fiancé. On a porn site. The video already had over a hundred thousand likes. One of the comments read: *”Whoa! Brother-in-law screwing his sister-in-law? Incest is so hot! Does her sister know?”* The uploader had replied: *”Of course not! Her sister and I are getting married next week. Vivi just begged me for one last thrill before the wedding. I couldn’t bring myself to say no.”* *”Was she the one who wanted the video posted?”* *”Absolutely! Vivi said that with the video out there, she’d still have something to remember me by after I got married. What can I say—she loves me too much.”* I didn’t hold back. I downloaded the video and sent it straight to Ethan. …… I don’t know how much time passed before my phone lit up again. But it wasn’t Ethan. It was Vivi. *”Cassie, I made it—got to see my boyfriend. Slept with him right after his birthday. It was AMAZING!”* She’d attached a photo. A shot from bed. In it, her chest and shoulders were bare, and she was lying against the sheets. A man’s right hand had slipped into the frame beside her. I knew the ring on that man’s finger. I knew it well. Ethan had been sent to London for a year on assignment. Before he left, he’d proposed to me. He said we’d get married the moment he came back. But now, there was no point in waiting. There wasn’t going to be a wedding. I stared at my chat with Vivi. I didn’t reply. I didn’t know what to say. What was there to say? Demand to know why she was sleeping with her soon-to-be brother-in-law? I’d always known Vivi had someone she was in love with. I just never knew who. For a whole year, she’d flown abroad two or three times a month, saying she was chasing a chance at love. Even this trip—she’d flown out under the excuse of celebrating her boyfriend’s birthday. When I’d mentioned it to Ethan, he’d scoffed. *”Only someone as dumb as her would fly halfway across the world chasing a guy. Total lovesick idiot.”* He’d never had any patience for Vivi. So I’d never let my mind go anywhere else—like the fact that Vivi’s destination was always the same city Ethan lived in. Or that the man she was in love with just happened to share Ethan’s birthday. It never once occurred to me that he might be with Vivi. The screen lit up. A message from Ethan. *”Cassie, wait until I get back. I’ll explain everything.”* He was admitting it. Of course he was—with a video like that in my hands, there was no denying it. My eyes drifted to the calendar on my desk. The 26th was circled in red, marked with an exclamation point. That was the day Ethan came back. Two days from now. Another message: *”Don’t confront Vivi, okay? She’ll feel terrible.”* Every word of it a shield around her. My eyes burned. What did the two of them take me for? *”She’ll feel terrible? Terrible about screwing her own sister’s fiancé?!”*

Ethan was quiet for a long time before answering. *”Cassie, just wait until I get back. You’ll understand then. Let me explain.”* What was left to understand? They’d already been in the same bed. What explanation could possibly change that? I stopped responding to him and messaged my real estate agent instead: *”Please arrange showings. I don’t want the apartment anymore.”* After I finished with the agent, I noticed Vivi had updated her Instagram. This time it was a photo of the two of them—hands intertwined. Just the image. No caption. I noticed Ethan’s ring had been swapped out for a different style, and there was a new ring on Vivi’s hand too. A matching pair. In the comments, a mutual friend asked: *”Wait, when did you two get MARRIED?!”* Vivi answered quickly: *”Ha, not married! It’s a proposal! It was his birthday, and he proposed to me~”* I stared at the post for a long time. I didn’t confront Ethan again. Didn’t message Vivi. I just quietly tapped like. Five minutes later, Ethan sent me another message: *”She wanted to know what it felt like to be proposed to. It wasn’t a real proposal.”* *”Don’t take it to heart.”* I stared at those two lines. Then typed a single *”Okay”* and left it at that. I switched off my phone and dragged myself to the fridge for some water. When the door swung shut, I saw the magnet Ethan had made. *Remember to take your meds. —E.* I’d had chronic migraines for years. When they hit, the pain was unbearable, and I always forgot my medication. So Ethan had custom-ordered that magnet and stuck it on the fridge, so I’d see it every time I reached for water. I looked at it for a moment. Then peeled it off and dropped it into the trash without hesitation. …… Ethan came back with Vivi. “Cassie!” She ran up and threw her arms around me, beaming. “Ethan happened to be flying home today too, so I came back with him.” I gave a flat “Mm.” My eyes went to Vivi’s hand. The ring was still there. Then I looked at Ethan. The ring on his hand—the one that had matched Vivi’s—had already been switched back to my engagement ring. Vivi’s brow furrowed slightly. “Cassie, are you not feeling well?” She was looking at me with a completely normal expression. Not a trace of guilt on her face. As though she and Ethan had never happened. If not for the ring still on her finger. I took a step back. “I’m fine.” Vivi’s expression stiffened for a moment before smoothing over again. Ethan spoke suddenly. “Vivi’s just worried about you.” I laughed under my breath. Worried? How could he even say that with a straight face? “Really?” My voice was quiet, but the sarcasm cut through. “If she’s so worried, then why did she—” “Cassie!” Ethan cut me off. The words *become the other woman* lodged in my throat, unable to go either up or down. I met his warning glare, feeling completely hollow inside. He was that afraid I might even *mention* it. He turned to Vivi. His voice softened. “It’s late. Just stay here tonight.” Vivi glanced at me hesitantly. “Is it a bad time?” She shook her head. “Never mind, I’ll head home.” Ethan frowned. “It’s not safe to go back this late. Just go tomorrow.” Vivi stayed. No one asked me. Ethan made the decision. I didn’t say a word. I got up and went to my room. Ten minutes later, Ethan opened the door and came in. Neither of us spoke first. He poured himself a whiskey, downed it in one swallow, and finally said, hoarsely: “Don’t worry. It’s not what you think. You’re still the only one in my heart.” “Vivi’s never expected anything real from me.” “Cassie, she’s hurting too. She didn’t want any of this either.” I looked at Ethan. Said nothing. I didn’t know what to say. My own sister, the one I’d grown up with, had slept with him. And he was standing there telling me *she* was hurting. The truly laughable part—he was still insisting *I* was the only one in his heart. “Cassie,” Ethan went on, “just give us a little more time. I’ll sort things out with her soon, and then we can get married.” I asked, flatly, “When did it start?” His expression shifted. He answered honestly. “Seven months ago.” That would have been the fifth month after Ethan left for London. Around then, Vivi had been flying out two or three times a month, always coming back looking wrecked—then locking herself in her room for an entire day. Ethan closed his eyes, then opened them and looked straight at me. “At first, I said no. But then…” He trailed off, unwilling to continue. He only said, “Cassie, just wait one more month.” “At least, give her some time. Please?” I looked at him, and for the first time, I felt like I was staring at a stranger. A stranger so foreign I wasn’t sure I’d ever known him at all. “No.” My voice came out barely above a whisper. “Ethan, if she’s suffering that much, then be with her.” I slipped the ring off my finger and set it on the table. “Let’s break up.”

Ethan froze. The color drained from his face. “You want to break up?” I didn’t answer him. I just looked at him. “You and her won’t have to sneak around anymore. And that ring on your finger—you can switch it back to the matching one.” “Cassie, don’t talk nonsense,” Ethan said in a low voice. “Vivi never intended to take anything from you. Stop being ridiculous. I already told you—once this passes, everything will be fine!” I finally laughed. There was no visible wound, yet my heart was breaking. “Fine how?” I looked at him. “After you two break up, I’m supposed to pretend nothing happened, stay with you, and marry you?” “Ethan, I can’t do it.” “And I can’t pretend nothing happened either.” I couldn’t accept that my fiancé had gotten involved with my sister. And I couldn’t bring myself to *understand* them. Frustration crept across Ethan’s face. “Then what do you want? Vivi is already miserable. Cassie, can’t you have a little sympathy for her?” I almost laughed until I cried. How was I supposed to have sympathy? Sympathize with the fact that Vivi flew to London every month to see him? That they ate dinner together, went on dates, slept together? That he proposed to her? “Ethan, I can’t understand it,” I said. “My sister and my fiancé got involved behind my back. How exactly do you expect me to understand?” The more I said, the more it hurt. I closed my eyes. Opened them again. “Ethan, let’s just end it.” The words had barely left my mouth when the door was pushed open. Vivi stood in the doorway, her eyes red-rimmed. “Cassie, it’s my fault. It has nothing to do with Ethan. I’m the one who fell for him. I’m the one who kept pushing—” Tears rolled down her cheeks one after another. “But I swear I never meant to take him from you. I know it was wrong, but—but I couldn’t help myself.” “Every night I hate myself for what I did. I’ve been wanting to tell you.” Ethan walked over and pulled her into his arms. The image was almost unbearable. “Cassie, I promise you—I’ll break up with Ethan. I’ll never come near him again,” she said, voice trembling. “Please don’t break up with him…” Ethan cut her off. “Don’t talk nonsense. Look at yourself right now.” I looked at Vivi. For as long as I could remember, I’d given her everything. Been good to her. Any treat, any toy—she got it first. We’d never once fought. Never even raised our voices at each other. She loved to cling to me, to be spoiled by me. When she’d first met Ethan, she’d even mocked him with disdain: “Who do you think you are? *I’m* my sister’s little shadow. I take better care of her than you ever could.” Ethan hadn’t backed down either: “No one knows Cassie better than I do—not even you.” The two of them had competed to dote on me, arguing over who got to pour my water, pass me things, rub my shoulders. And those same two people had ended up together. Behind my back. “You two don’t need to break up,” I said quietly. “I’ll be the one to leave.” “Cassie, enough already!” Ethan snapped. “Can’t you see how upset she is? Can’t you be a little more understanding?” I said nothing. He seemed to realize how sharp his tone had been. His voice softened. “Once you’ve cooled off, we’ll talk properly.” “Get some rest tonight.” He didn’t spare me another glance. He wrapped his arm around Vivi and led her out of the room. The moment the door clicked shut, the tears came. The engagement ring lying on the table looked more like a joke than anything else. I picked it up and dropped it into the trash without a second thought. I didn’t want the ring anymore. And I didn’t want Ethan anymore either.

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On a full-moon night in my past life,my best friend and I found a badly injured wolf in the junkyard behind town. Chloe thought the wolf was filthy and refused to touch him. I couldn’t bear to leave him,so I carried him home. I spent all my savings to treat his wounds. Only later did I discover who he was. He was the Pureblood Alpha King,missing for years. Once he regained his senses,he put me on a pedestal. He gave me his claiming bite,blessing me with eternal youth,and made me queen of all the packs. We sealed our soul-bond before the Moon Goddess. Chloe chose an Alpha officer from the pack. He lost a power struggle and was cast out. She suffered with him in exile for half her life. She envied me for having everything. While the Alpha King was away,she killed me with a cup of poisoned wine. I was reborn. Before I could clock out of work,my best friend sprinted toward the junkyard. I knew. She remembered everything too. I clocked out,feeling only scorn. She didn’t know about the Pureblood King’s frenzy. He tore apart anything in sight. In my last life,I only survived because of my calming pheromones. Without them,he would have devoured me… Before she left,Chloe glanced back at me. Her delight and greed were impossible to miss. She looked terrified I’d beat her to it. That confirmed my suspicions. She was reborn,too. I didn’t follow her. I counted the stock on the shelves. My work uniform was folded and hung in my locker. Then I punched out. Memories of my death came back. Chloe tricked me into drinking the poisoned wine. The dizziness came quickly. She grabbed my hair and dragged me into the cold cellar. In the dark,she punched me in the nose. “Evelyn,I’ve always hated your stuck-up act!You smell like sewer water.Why should you have a better life?!” She kicked me in the stomach. I screamed as I felt my bones crack. “You found some mutt in a junkyard.And you’re the high and mighty queen?No way!All the luck,all the riches—they should have been mine!” The she-wolf lunged. Her teeth tore out my throat. That pain never left me. It was branded on my soul. Thinking of it made my body tremble. Hate tightened around my heart. Chloe thought stealing the Alpha King would give her my former glory. But she had no idea how terrifying a Pureblood Alpha’s rut was. Without a specific Omega’s calming pheromones,the Alpha King became a killing beast. Even I needed days to recover. Eventually,I couldn’t stand it. But the Alpha King locked me up and called it love. To outsiders,it looked like proof of his deep love for me. Chloe was an ordinary Beta. Getting close to him was a death wish. I pushed the thought away,pulled my coat tighter around me,and walked home through the snow. Four days later at dawn,the roar of engines shattered the town’s peace. A dozen armored vehicles rolled down the town’s main street. The doors flew open. Armed guards quickly fell into formation. A tall,stern-faced man stepped out of a vehicle. Holt.The Alpha King. Chloe,dressed in lavish furs,took his hand and stepped out. She held her chin high and looked over the crowd. Holt wrapped an arm around her waist and announced to the crowd, “From this day on,she is my fated mate.The future queen of the pack.” The crowd gasped. Chloe basked in their awe. Her eyes found me in the crowd. She walked over to me in her high heels. “Evelyn,we’re in two different worlds now.” She lowered her voice,her tone full of pride. “But the way you look at my mate makes me uncomfortable…” I looked at her and said nothing. Chloe gave a nasty smile. She raised her voice for everyone to hear. “You live in one of the pack’s high-end apartments,don’t you?As of today,Evelyn’s housing rights are revoked!Throw her out and dump her in the North District slums!” The North District slums had no heating. At night,the temperature dropped to twenty degrees below zero. The people around me fell silent. But no one dared to speak. Holt frowned but didn’t stop her. Two guards moved to restrain me. I didn’t resist. As I handed over my key,I said to Chloe, “Congratulations.You got what you wanted.” My words pleased her. She laughed. “Remember this.Next time you see me,you’d better be on your knees.” Holt stood by the car,checking his watch. “Sweetheart,it’s time to go.The pack elders are waiting.” Chloe’s face softened. She trotted over and threw herself into Holt’s arms. As the convoy sped off,snow spraying in its wake,the townspeople pointed and whispered. Pretending not to hear them,I dragged my suitcase toward the North District. The slums reeked of garbage and sewage. I pushed open the broken wooden door of my assigned room. There wasn’t even a bed inside. Just a pile of moldy hay. A cold wind howled through a hole in the window. I barely felt the cold. The fire inside me kept me warm. I closed my eyes. The corners of my mouth slowly curved into a smile. Chloe only smelled of cheap perfume. The moment Holt’s frenzy hit… She’ll learn what it means to wish she were dead.

I was stripped of my old post and sent to the servants’quarters at pack headquarters. It was the lowest kind of manual labor. My days were spent in a damp cellar,sorting thorny herbs. My fingertips were covered in bloody cuts. I didn’t even have the energy to complain. Every day,my coworkers talked about the same thing. The upcoming Moonlight Vow Ceremony. “Have you heard?The new queen really has her ways.She has the king mesmerized.” “Totally.I heard the king gave her the biggest ruby from the vault.” “She’s just lucky.It’s not for us to dream about.” The manager walked over. He kicked over the basket of herbs I had just stacked. “What are you dawdling for?The Queen herself asked for these calming herbs.If you’re late,it’s your head.” I bent down. I picked up the scattered herbs and put them back in the basket. Mocking laughter rose up all around me. I did the math. Holt’s rut was due within the next day or two. Chloe had been arrogant for so long. She was finally about to pay for it. The higher you climb,the harder you fall. She couldn’t seem to grasp that. But none of that had anything to do with me anymore. I lowered my head and kept working. That afternoon,the manager threw a heavy wooden box at me. “Take this to the queen’s suite on the top floor.And be quick about it!” I hoisted the box onto my shoulder and got into the service elevator. When the elevator opened on the top floor,the sharp smell of blood hit me. It was mixed with the low,restrained growl of a beast. I had just stepped out when I saw Holt stumbling out of Chloe’s room. His chest was bare,every muscle drawn tight,his eyes blazing red. Frantic Alpha pheromones filled the hallway. They were almost suffocating. He had gouged deep claw marks into the metal walls. Sparks flew. He was beyond reason. With a roar,he lunged for the isolation room at the end of the hall. I flattened myself against the wall and tried to mask my scent. The sound of Holt’s footsteps finally faded. Only then did I see her:Chloe,collapsed on the carpet. Her clothes were torn,her hair in disarray,and her body was covered in vicious bite marks. Blood stained the carpet red. She heard my footsteps and snapped her head up. The moment she saw me,fear turned to rage. “What are you doing here!Are you here to laugh at me?!” She scrambled up,screaming,and threw a vase at me. The vase shattered at my feet. A few guards heard the noise and rushed over. Chloe pointed at me and screamed. “It was her!There was something wrong with the herbs she delivered!They triggered the king’s frenzy!” “Throw her out!Make her pay for this!” The guards moved forward and dragged me roughly out of the building. Outside,it was ten degrees below zero. Snow was falling heavily. They pushed me into the snow and forced me to my knees. Chloe came out,wearing a thick mink coat and supported by a handmaid. She carried a bucket of water freshly drawn from a hole in the ice. “Evelyn,you’ve clearly forgotten your place.I’ll put you back in it!” She lifted the bucket and dumped it over my head. The cold stabbed into my veins. It took the last of my warmth. I shivered uncontrollably,my teeth chattering. Chloe leaned close to my ear. “Evelyn,for the rest of your life,you’ll be nothing but dirt under my shoe.I will always be above you,enjoying everything you can only dream of.” I raised my head and met her gaze. The bite on her neck was deep enough to show bone. Its edges were already festering and turning black. That was the venom that came with a Pureblood king’s frenzy. Without calming pheromones to neutralize it,the wound would never heal. It would only get deeper. I pulled my lips back into a mocking smile. “Is that so?You can barely survive one of his frenzies.Next month,what will you use to satisfy that beast?Queen?” Chloe’s face went pale. Her legs gave out.She collapsed in front of me. She was half a head shorter than me,even though I was kneeling. The surrounding attendants rushed to help her up. I saw some of them exchange glances. It was a look of scorn for their future queen. But Chloe didn’t see it. She clutched her battered body and ran off in a daze. She was close to breaking. What came next would be worth watching.

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Kyle’s favorite phrase was always“when the time is right.” When his position as Alpha was secure,he would place the Moonstone on me,making me his one and only Luna.I waited for two years. When his mother accepted my low birth,we would hold our formal bonding ceremony.I waited another three years. In the fifth year,at the victory banquet celebrating Kyle’s consolidation of all his territories,his mother,the proud former Luna,publicly unclasped the Moonstone from her neck. It was a relic passed down through generations of the pack,bestowed upon the future Luna as a sign of acceptance into the bloodline. This time,I thought,I wouldn’t have to wait anymore. “Come,child.” However,holding the softly glowing stone,she walked past me and placed it securely around the neck of Layla,who was sitting beside me. The entire long table of werewolves fell silent. The former Luna patted Layla’s hand.“Layla grew up with Kyle.Her parents died protecting the pack,so she is family to us.” My hand was still on the table,my claws digging into my palm,my fingertips ice-cold. Someone whispered,“Then what about Ila…” Kyle leaned in,his voice low enough for only me to hear.“My mother is just feeling sentimental about old friends.Don’t take it to heart.” “Next month,I’ll conquer the Black Rock tribe and bring you their chieftain’s skull as a wine cup.Be good,just wait a little longer.” Layla held up the Moonstone on her chest and smirked at me,her smile a taunt.“Isn’t it beautiful,sister Ila?The former Luna said it’s a sacred object that has absorbed a hundred years of moonlight.” I said it was beautiful. Just then,the communication crystal hidden in my leather armor vibrated. “Have you made up your mind?When are you coming to the Land of the Elders?” … “Why aren’t you talking?” In the off-road vehicle on the way back,Kyle,steering with one hand,glanced at me. The moonlight cast hard shadows on his statuesque profile. I pulled my gaze back from the forest outside the window.“There’s nothing to say.” Kyle sighed and stopped the car by a small stream. He freed his right hand and reached across the center console,habitually trying to stroke the back of my neck—a gesture of comfort among werewolves for their mates. I tilted my head slightly,avoiding his touch. His hand froze in mid-air for a moment. He then smoothly retracted it,placing it back on the steering wheel.“Still sulking about the Moonstone?” His tone held the weary condescension one uses with a misbehaving cub. “You know my mother’s temperament.She values ancient bloodlines above all else.” “Layla’s parents died in battle.She grew up in our home,and my mother has always felt indebted to her.” “It’s just a stone.So she gave it to her.Did you really have to give me a long face in front of the entire pack?” I hadn’t said a word.I had just quietly torn into my piece of roasted meat. But in his eyes,my failure to smile and flatter Layla’s gloating was a breach of decorum. “Kyle,”I said his name calmly. “Hm?” “You promised me that Moonstone five years ago.”

The car fell silent for a second. The howl of a lone wolf echoed in the distance,a reminder that he should be continuing his patrol of the territory. Kyle restarted the engine,the vehicle crunching over the gravel road. “I was just a challenger back then.It was just something I said to appease you.You actually took it seriously?” He let out a short,dismissive laugh. “Does the Howling Wind Pack now lack for a single,worthless stone?” “Next month,I’ll crush the Black Rock tribe.I’ll give you their chieftain’s skull as a wine cup.That’s way cooler than some stupid rock.” “Come on,don’t get hung up on such trivial things.” He was always like this. Using the most domineering tone to casually crush every hope I held. Five years ago,Kyle was still a challenger.In the forest,he had woven a bracelet for me from the fangs of some unknown beast. He put it on my wrist,his eyes red with emotion. “Ila,when I become Alpha,I will make my mother place the Moonstone around your neck with her own hands.” “I want every wolf pack in the Northern Reaches to know that you are my one and only Luna.” I still wore that fang bracelet. It had been imbued with my scent,becoming as smooth and warm as jade. The car pulled up to the wooden cabin in the woods. Kyle unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to look at me. “Tomorrow is the full moon.Want to go to Moonlight Falls?I’ll spend the whole day with you.” In the past,I would have eagerly prepared wine and food,looking forward to a whole night just for the two of us. But now,I just felt tired. “No,thanks.”I pushed open the car door. “I have to tend to my herb garden tomorrow.” Kyle got out,locked the car,and caught up to me in a few strides. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind,resting his chin on my shoulder and nuzzling the side of my neck. “Are you really mad?”

His breath ghosted over my ear.“Layla is so excited about the Moonstone she can’t sleep.She wants me to go with her tomorrow to test its power.” “You know how she is,she can’t control her own strength well.She’s relied on me since we were kids.” “I’ll go with her in the morning and be back in the afternoon to be with you,okay?” “Okay,”I said softly. Kyle chuckled in satisfaction,pressing an uncomfortable kiss to my cheek. “I knew my Ila was the most understanding.” Back in the cabin,Kyle went straight to the bathroom to shower. I walked to the entrance and,from a leather pouch hanging there,took out a scroll made of a special tree bark. It was an acceptance letter for advanced studies in the Land of the Elders,specializing in the ancient art of Soul-Healing. On the bottom line was my name,which I had just signed this afternoon in wolf’s blood. I took it out and placed it in the hidden compartment of a bag I had already half-packed. The sound of rushing water came from the bathroom. I walked out to the balcony and sent a mental message to my senior in the Land of the Elders. [Silas,I’ll be leaving at dawn the day after tomorrow.] He replied instantly:[Finally saw the light?That’s more like it!Why suffer through that marathon of misery?Come to the Land of the Elders,and I’ll show you every kind of handsome wolf on the continent!] I looked at the faint light shimmering in the crystal and smiled faintly.

The next morning,I was awakened by the sound of Kyle’s deliberately hushed roar. He was standing on the balcony,holding his communication crystal. “A crack?Is it serious?” “It’s fine if the stone is cracked,as long as no one’s hurt.” “Don’t cry,it’s just a stone.I’m on my way.” His voice was laced with concern. I lay in bed,staring blankly at the wooden ceiling. Five minutes later,he pushed open the bedroom door. Seeing my eyes open,he paused,then quickly walked over. “Did I wake you?” He sat on the edge of the bed,reaching out to touch my face. I turned my head away and sat up. “Are you going out?”I asked. Kyle’s hand froze in mid-air and he awkwardly pulled it back. “Layla tried to test the Moonstone’s power this morning and accidentally knocked it against the altar.She’s crying her eyes out.” “I have to go check on her.She lives alone,I’m worried.” As he spoke,he quickly shed his pajamas and changed into his combat leathers. “I’ll skip breakfast.Just go into the woods and catch something for yourself.” I watched him expertly tighten his vambraces. “Kyle.” “What is it?”He didn’t turn around,fixing his messy hair in the reflection of a water basin. “I want to go see that plot of land in the southern valley today.” His hand stilled. The southern valley.We had talked about it six months ago. He had said it would be our future cubs’nursery,and that as soon as his position as Alpha was stable,he would designate it as our private territory. Kyle turned,his expression a little unnatural. “That land isn’t going anywhere.” “Layla is very unstable right now.I have to go comfort her first.” “Once this blows over,I’ll take you to pick an even better spot,one with more spiritual energy.The southern valley is too close to human territory anyway.” I looked at him,my gaze calm. “Okay.” Kyle visibly relaxed. He walked over and placed a hurried kiss on my forehead. “Be good.I’ll be back.”

He left.I got up and went to the kitchen. I opened the ice cellar;it was filled with all sorts of game. I took out two bird eggs and a pouch of milk-tree sap. As I fried the eggs,memories surfaced uncontrollably. Back then,we lived in a cave. Every day,Kyle would wake up before me and go into the forest to find the freshest honey and berries for me. Once,I casually mentioned wanting to eat the fire frogs from the western marshes. He ran for half the night through acid rain to catch them for me. When he returned,the fire frogs were still alive and hopping,but a large patch of his own fur had been corroded away by the rain. “If Ila wants to eat something,I’ll get it for her even if it’s raining knives,”Kyle had said then. And now? Even accompanying me to see the land he had promised had become an inconvenience he could casually dismiss. I plated the fried eggs. As I poured the sap,my hand slipped,and some spilled on the stone table. I grabbed some moss to wipe it up but accidentally knocked over a bottle next to it. It was a vial of high-concentration“wolfsbane”extract. The dark brown liquid oozed out,emitting a pungent smell. I stared at the puddle,my stomach churning. I’m severely allergic to high-concentration wolfsbane. Kyle had brought this vial back two days ago. Because Layla had said she felt vampires lurking around the territory,and wolfsbane could strengthen their defenses. Kyle had even forgotten that the strong scent of wolfsbane alone made it hard for me to breathe and left me feeling weak all over. I threw the moss into the fire,burning it to ash along with the plate of eggs and the vial of extract. Then,I went back to the bedroom and pulled out three large leather trunks from under the bed. I started to pack. There wasn’t much that was truly mine. A few healer’s robes,a few ancient medical texts,a stone mortar for grinding herbs. The rest were things Kyle had brought back for me from his hunts. Trophies that were powerful but ill-suited for me. He always armed me according to Layla’s tastes. “Layla says bear-skin cloaks are imposing.You should try one.” “Layla says this model of bone-splinter dagger is perfect for a girl’s self-defense.I made one for you too.” I gathered all those things and stacked them neatly in the deepest part of the storage room.

At three in the afternoon,Kyle returned. He pushed open the door and froze,seeing the three large leather trunks piled in the living room. “What are you doing?” He strode over,his brow furrowed. “Sorting furs for the winter?” I tied the last leather strap. “Getting rid of old things.” Kyle’s gaze fell on an unsealed trunk. Inside were the horn cups we drank from on our first date,and the white wolf doll he had given me. His face darkened. “Ila,are you ever going to let this go?” He snatched the horn cup out and slammed it onto the stone table. “You’ve been throwing a tantrum since last night over a stupid rock!” “Now you’re throwing this stuff out?What’s next?Are you going to tell me you’re leaving this home?” I straightened up and looked at him calmly. “Yes.” Kyle laughed,a sound laced with fury. “Fine.You’ve grown bold.” He yanked open the leather tie at his collar,sat down in a chair,and watched me coldly. “Where are you going to go?To your friend Kora’s cave?Or back to that birthplace of yours that never even sees the moonlight?” “Ila,you’re not a cub that needs protecting anymore.Can you stop acting like a little she-wolf,playing this’running away from home’game all the time?” “Do you really think I’ll come begging for you to come back if you’re gone for a few days?”

He was convinced I couldn’t leave him. Convinced I was just using this clumsy method to force him to bow his head to me. I offered no explanation. I just silently placed the horn cup back in the trunk and tied the leather strap. “Think whatever you want.” Kyle watched my actions,a flicker of irritation in his eyes. He stood up,walked over to me,and softened his tone. “Alright,stop it.” “Tomorrow is our five-year anniversary.” “I’ve booked the top-floor table at the Moonlight Restaurant.After dinner,we’ll go pick out a blood-diamond ring.” “As for the southern valley,I’ll have my Beta go plant our pack flag there tomorrow and write your name on the deed.” “Does that work for you?” He thought this was the greatest concession an Alpha could possibly make. I looked at his familiar yet alien face and smiled. “Okay.” I nodded. “See you tomorrow.” Kyle let out a sigh of relief and ruffled my hair. “That’s my good girl.” He didn’t know that in my bag,I already had a map for tomorrow’s journey. I had fourteen hours until my departure.

The next morning,Kyle left early for the pack council meeting.Before he left,he planted a kiss on my forehead. “I’ll pick you up at six tonight.” “Wear that white moonlight dress.It looks good on you.” The moment the door closed,I turned and walked into the closet. That white dress hung in the most prominent spot. It was the same style as Layla’s. I didn’t touch it. I changed into a simple linen shirt and leather pants. This was what I used to wear most often the year I met Kyle. I dragged the three sealed trunks outside and called the pack’s transport team. I had them sent to a friend who recycled old goods. “Ila,this stuff is still pretty new.Are you sure you don’t want it?”my friend asked through the communication crystal. “I don’t.Please get rid of it for me.” After ending the call,I looked around. This spacious wooden cabin,once filled to the brim by me. The cushions on the sofa,I had sewn by hand. The herbs on the balcony,I had nurtured one by one. The pottery in the kitchen,I had traded for at the human market. Now,they were all still in their places. But all personal traces of me were completely gone. As if I had never lived here at all. Just then,the communication crystal vibrated. It was a mental message from Kyle. [Ila,I’m sorry,but we might have to cancel dinner tonight.] [Layla got hit by a rampaging horned deer at the training grounds.Her ankle is sprained and swollen like a ball.] [I have to take her to see the High Priest.] [We’ll go look at blood-diamond rings in a few days,okay?]

I stared at the light on the crystal,not replying. A moment later,another message came through. [Are you mad?Don’t be.I promise I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.] Make it up to me.Again. I silenced the crystal and tossed it on the bed. I went to the kitchen and cooked myself a bowl of clear noodle soup. This was my last meal in this territory. Just as the noodles were ready,the lock clicked. Kyle pushed the door open,a hurried look on his face. Seeing me standing in the kitchen with a bowl of noodles,he froze. I placed the bowl on the dining table,pulled out a chair,and sat down. “Weren’t you at the High Priest’s with Layla?” Kyle walked over and poured himself a glass of water. “Layla said she was craving the pastries from that elven bakery in the west district.I came back to get the Raptor from the garage to go buy them for her.” The west district. The place where he had once braved acid rain to catch fire frogs for me. Now,he was about to cross half the Northern Reaches for Layla’s pastries. “Ila,are you being moody again?” Seeing my silence,Kyle’s brow furrowed again. “I already told you,Layla’s hurt.I can’t just leave her alone,can I?” “Can’t you be more considerate of the difficulties I face as an Alpha?” I lifted a chopstick full of noodles to my mouth. It was bland,tasteless. “I’m not being moody,”I said calmly. “Go buy them.Don’t keep her waiting.” Kyle gave me a suspicious look. He seemed surprised by my excessive calm today. But he was in a hurry to leave and didn’t press the matter. “I’m leaving then.I probably won’t be back tonight.Layla’s scared to be alone,so I have to stay the night at the Priest’s Tower.” “You go to bed early.” He grabbed his car keys and turned to leave. As he reached the door,he suddenly stopped.

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My sister Chloe was blind with love. She sat on a plane for thirty straight hours just to celebrate the birthday of the boyfriend she’d kept overseas for three years. She looked at me, a martyr’s glow in her eyes. “Elena, you don’t understand. Every year, the one who gets to spend his birthday with him is never me.” “This time, I want to stand beside him myself.” I sighed and let it go. When my fiancé, Don Julian, heard, he gave a cold little snort on the other end of the line. “She flew halfway around the world just to throw a man a birthday party? Has she lost her mind?” “A woman who throws herself at a man like that—let her do whatever she wants.” The night Chloe landed at Sheremetyevo International, I stumbled onto her post on Twitter. A photograph of a man from behind, with a caption of nothing but a curt *Happy Birthday*. But my breath froze in that instant. The ring on the man’s ring finger was the Ashford family ring, set with black diamonds. The perfect match to my engagement ring. That was when I understood. The boyfriend Chloe had been dating for three years. Was my fiancé. … I sat with that photograph all night. Two days earlier, when I’d told him I wanted to fly to the Moscow estate to celebrate with him, he’d answered in that steady, unruffled voice of his: “There’s no need, Elena. When I’m back in New York, we’ll do it privately, just the two of us.” But it wasn’t that he wasn’t celebrating. It was that he already had someone to celebrate with. And that someone was my own sister. I didn’t fall apart. I took a screenshot and sent it to Julian. Ten minutes passed. My phone lit up—but the message was from Chloe, cheerful as a bell. *Elena! We met up—finally! But I didn’t have time to get him a gift. Do you think if I tied a bow around my wrist and let him unwrap me, it would be too forward?* She’d attached a photo. A three-tier dark chocolate cake beside a champagne tower. A man’s right hand rested casually on the edge of the table. The black-diamond ring on his ring finger was now unmistakable. Three years ago, when Julian decided to expand into the Russian market, he’d promised in front of every elder that the moment he returned to New York, we would marry, and I would become the Donna of the Ashford family. But now, it seemed there was no need for that wedding at all. I didn’t reply to Chloe. What was I supposed to ask her? Why did you climb into your sister’s fiancé’s bed? I’d always known Chloe was carrying someone in her heart. Through college, she was forever off traveling in Russia, saying she was “making up for the regrets of her youth.” Whenever Julian and I made small talk about it, his face would twist with disgust. “Only a fool like her would chase all the way to Russia. Serves her right if the traffickers get her.” He had never shown Chloe a shred of patience, never a decent expression. Precisely because of that, it had never once crossed my mind that Chloe’s every trip led to the very Russia where Julian was doing his market research; never once did it strike me as strange that they shared a birthday. I had never once imagined that they’d been together for three years, right under my nose. The screen lit up again. Julian. *What’s the meaning of this?* He was denying it. I leaned against the rosewood desk for support, my fingers cold as I typed out a few words: *The one celebrating that birthday with her—isn’t that you?* A long silence, long enough for me to believe he’d thrown his phone into the Volga. Then the call came through. I picked up. His heavy breathing came through the receiver. “Elena. When I’m back in New York, I’ll explain it to you myself.” A confession, dressed up as something else. My eyes fell on the leather calendar on the desk. The 26th was circled thickly in red pen, the Ashford family seal stamped beside it. The day of his return. The day after tomorrow. Julian let out a heavy sigh. “Don’t make a scene in front of Chloe. Promise me.” His tone was thick with undisguised favor and protection. My eyes stung suddenly. My throat was so dry it felt full of grit. “Why, Julian?” “Elena, wait until I’ve landed.” Before the words had fully left his mouth, a soft, delicate voice drifted through. “…Was that Elena on the phone?” Julian’s voice dropped instantly to something so gentle I’d almost never heard it from him. “No.” “Just one of my subordinates.”

Ten years of knowing each other. Five years of shared profit and shared bloodshed. Three years of me in New York, waiting for him through the days and nights. And now, to keep Chloe from being startled, I had become “just one of his subordinates.” I hung up. A second later, Julian’s message came through. *Chloe feels awful about you. She doesn’t want me mentioning you in front of her.* Awful? A woman who climbs into her sister’s fiancé’s bed knows what awful means? Late into the night, sleepless, I refreshed the feed. Chloe had posted a new photo: two hands laced tightly together, the Ashford estate in Russia in the background. The black-diamond ring on Julian’s little finger had been swapped out. On Chloe’s ring finger sat a ring that matched his. Down in the comments, several Made Men in the know were exclaiming: *Chloe! When did you and the Don get secretly married?!* Chloe replied beneath: *Not married yet—engaged~ At last night’s birthday party, he officially made his vows to me~* I stared at those words for a long time. Julian had given the vows and the tokens he’d once given me to someone else. It was time for me, the future Godmother in name only, to exit the stage. I didn’t confront Julian. I didn’t tear the mask off Chloe. I simply, calmly, tapped a like beneath the photo. Five minutes later, Julian’s message came in: *She’s still a little girl—she can be vain sometimes. She only wanted to know what it felt like to be proposed to by a Don.* *As the future Godmother of the Ashford family, you’ll need to have a bigger heart.* I stared at those two lines and answered with a single word: *Fine.* Exhaustion crashed over me. I got up and went to the fridge for a drink to clear my head. When I opened the door, I saw the note taped to the bottle. *Less iced whiskey. Warm milk helps you sleep.* Whenever I’d stayed up too late reconciling accounts and it triggered my stomach pain, Julian had always torn the iced liquor out of my hand with a stern look and taped the note here as a reminder, ordering the housekeeper to keep fresh milk stocked every day. I looked at it for two seconds. Without hesitation, I peeled the note off, threw it into the trash along with the milk. Two days later, Julian returned to New York—with Chloe. “Elena!” Chloe ran over and wrapped her arms around me, laughing. “Julian just wrapped things up with the Russian market today. I hitched a ride back on his private jet.” I nodded coolly, my eyes drifting down to her hand. The ring—the one that had symbolized his vow—was still on her finger. I looked up at Julian. The ring on his hand that had matched Chloe’s had already been swapped back for the one he’d placed on my finger before the family council. Chloe’s brow furrowed slightly. “Elena, what’s the matter?” Her face was written all over with concern, without a shred of guilt anywhere in it—as if she’d never lain tangled up with my fiancé in that Moscow penthouse. I stepped back from her. “Nothing.” Chloe’s smile stiffened for a beat before returning. Julian shot me a look of disapproval. “Chloe’s worried about you.” “Is she?” A brittle laugh escaped me, my voice rising. “If she’s worried, then why did she—” “Elena!” Julian cut me off sharply. The words *become Julian’s mistress* choked in my throat. I met his furious eyes, and something in my chest was struck as if by a blunt weapon—a huge, hollow space opening up. I hadn’t even said it. And Julian could already look at me with a face that savage. He turned back to Chloe, his expression softening. “Stay here tonight. Don’t go.” Chloe glanced at me, hesitating. “Is that… really all right?” Julian frowned. “It’s not safe traveling this late. Go tomorrow.” And so Chloe stayed. Julian had decided, without asking me a thing. I turned and went back to the master bedroom. Ten minutes later, he pushed the door open and came in. Julian lit a Cuban cigar. The ember flared and dimmed in the shadowed room. Half of it was gone before he finally spoke, his voice rough. “Chloe has never dreamed of replacing you.” “Elena, love isn’t something people choose. She’s in pain too. Can’t you find it in you to understand?” I leaned back against the sofa and looked at him. The sister I’d grown up with, who’d shared every honor of this family with me, had gotten involved with the fiancé I’d loved for five years. And what was more absurd—Julian was actually asking me to have compassion for *her* pain. “And what about me?” I asked. Julian looked away. “Elena. Give us a little more time.” “When did it start?” I asked, blunt. His eyes flickered. In the end he answered honestly. “After that firefight with the arms dealers, three years ago.” For those months, Chloe had practically lived in Russia. She’d even called me to ask how to clean the necrotic tissue out of a wound. I’d wanted to go and take care of him too—but a traitor had led men into the Ashford compound, and while I was trying to protect Julian’s mother, two bullets had gone through my shoulder blade. While I was bleeding for his rule as Don, for his family, he had wavered. Julian closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he looked at me with the eyes of a man used to being in control of everything. “At the beginning, I refused her. But she saved me…” He paused, not going further. His tone turned to something like a plea. “Elena. Give me one more month.” “Give Chloe, at least, a little time to adjust.” I looked at this man, this man who ruled an enormous empire of the night, and for the first time I felt he was a stranger. “No.” “Julian Ashford. Since she’s in so much pain, just marry her.” I slipped the black-diamond ring—the token of my status as the future Donna—off my finger and set it gently on the rosewood table. “We’re calling off the engagement. This ends here.”

Julian froze. Disbelief flashed across his eyes. “You’re calling off the engagement?” I withdrew my hand. “That way she won’t have to sneak around showing off anymore. That ring of yours—you can go ahead and swap it for the one that matches hers.” “Elena, don’t talk like that when you’re angry.” Julian’s voice went cold. “Chloe has never once tried to steal your place as Godmother. You don’t need to put on this act. I told you—in a month, everything will go back to the way it was.” I couldn’t help laughing. But the place where my heart sat felt as if a blade were sawing back and forth through it, the pain almost enough to strangle me. “Back to what way?” I stared at this man who controlled half the underworld of North America. “After the two of you have had your fill of tangling in some foreign country, then I’m supposed to walk into St. Patrick’s Cathedral like a fool and swear that we will never betray each other?” “Julian, it makes me sick.” “I can’t pretend nothing happened.” I couldn’t accept that my fiancé had betrayed me, and I couldn’t begin to understand what role I was supposed to play as the stumbling block in their forbidden, agonized love. Julian looked exasperated. “Chloe is emotionally unstable right now! As her older sister, can’t you show a little consideration?” Consideration? For them? For Chloe flying to Russia every month for a date with him? For Julian proposing to her in front of the whole family? I drew a slow breath. “Julian Ashford. You slept with my sister, and you want *me* to be considerate?” The stabbing pain in my chest almost drowned me. I spoke slowly. “Let’s just end it here.” The bedroom door was suddenly pushed open. Chloe stood outside, her eyes red, her body trembling, tears falling one after another. “Elena… it’s my fault, none of it is Julian’s fault! I was the one who fell for him, I was the one who wouldn’t let him go…” “But I really never meant to replace you! I know it’s a betrayal of you and of the family, but I couldn’t control myself…” “It’s all my fault…” Julian moved on instinct, closing the distance in a single stride and pulling her into his arms. Chloe wept against his chest, pleading. “Elena, I promise—I’ll leave New York right now, I’ll never appear in front of him again!” Her voice was shaking violently. “I’m begging you… don’t call off your engagement…” Julian looked down at her, tenderness aching in his eyes. “Don’t talk nonsense. Silly girl.” I looked at Chloe, numb. From childhood onward, as the older sister, I had given in to her about everything. Fine food, couture gowns, family resources—the first thought I ever had was of her. We had never fought. In those first years after I met Julian, Chloe had even lifted her chin at him with all the imperiousness of a spoiled child: “Who do you think you are? *I* am Elena’s most loyal guard. I take better care of her than you ever will!” And back then, Julian would only ruffle my hair fondly and shoot back, “No one loves Elena more than I do. Not even you.” The two who had once quarreled over the right to look after me, who had sworn in front of me to protect me for a lifetime, had now, in the cruelest possible way, entangled themselves behind my back. “You don’t need to put on this scene. The engagement—I’m calling it off. It’s decided.” “Elena, enough!” Julian’s patience snapped. His voice was harsh. “Can’t you see what state Chloe is in right now?” I didn’t say another word. Something must have told him his tone had gone too far. Julian forced his emotions down. “When you’ve calmed down, we’ll talk. Get some rest first.” He didn’t look at me again. He put his arm around Chloe and walked out of the room. The heavy slam of the door rattled through the walls. I turned and looked at the black-diamond ring on the rosewood table. Once it had stood for absolute power and eternal favor. Now it looked like nothing but the punchline of a ridiculous joke. I walked to the window, drew the curtain back, and hurled the ring into the storm-battered dark of Lake Michigan. The token that marked me as Donna—I didn’t want it. And Julian Ashford—I didn’t want him either.

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My husband,Damian Blackwood,the King of Wall Street,treats me like ice. But today,he sent me a text. “Go to the pharmacy.Get the usual.” When I got back to our penthouse on Fifth Avenue,his so-called“best friend,”the socialite Chloe,was sitting in our bedroom,slowly pulling a pair of torn stockings back onto her legs. Seeing me,she feigned surprise.“Oh,Aurora,you’re back so soon?” She shook the empty box in her hand.“Damian texted the wrong person.Don’t take it personally.” Damian sat on the edge of the bed,a cigar between his fingers,smoke swirling around him. “I promise,this is the last time.Our open relationship ends now.”He didn’t even look at me,his voice devoid of apology.“She’s an old friend.Had to give her a taste of married life.” He had his assistant send me an encrypted file. “Here’s a list I picked out for you.You should try it,too.” In the ninety-eight times this has happened before,I broke down,screamed,and became hysterical. But this time,I calmly accepted the file. … The next morning at breakfast,Chloe was wearing Damian’s silk shirt,unbuttoned to show off the marks on her neck. She sighed dramatically.“Ugh,I told Damian not to be so rough.I won’t be able to cover these for the gala.” Damian didn’t look up from his steak.“You should go.I need to talk to Aurora.” Chloe pouted,then deliberately bumped into me as she stood up. My coffee cup tilted,and the hot liquid spilled onto the back of my hand,instantly raising two blisters. Damian just chuckled in his usual way.“Stop messing around.” It used to be that if anyone dared to treat me like that,Damian would grab them by the collar and intimidate them until they apologized to me. Chloe slammed the door shut. Damian then pulled a blue jewelry box from a nearby pile of luxury shopping bags. All these years,every time he brought another woman home,he would give me a piece of jewelry as“compensation.” I’ve never opened any of them.They fill an entire walk-in closet. “My dear Aurora,”he said,pulling me into his arms,enveloping me in the scent of his expensive cologne.“The title of Mrs.Blackwood will always be yours.With them,I’m just having fun.” I’ve heard that line hundreds of times. “Good girl.Don’t be angry.” His words were light,certain that I wouldn’t dare to resist again. After all,my previous attempts at resistance had cost me dearly.

The first time,he was with a new Hollywood starlet.I leaked the story to the*New York Post*.Publicly,Damian did nothing.Privately,he cut off all my credit cards and trust funds until I begged him to stop. The second time,he was involved with an Ivy League professor.I anonymously exposed their affair on an online forum.In return,“dirt”on me—exaggerated and fabricated details of my private life—was plastered all over the gossip sites. … “Oh,Aurora,”Chloe said,tossing a few pieces of lace lingerie at my feet.“These are couture.You’ll have to hand-wash them.” “A wild girl like me can’t handle such delicate things.Remember that New Year’s party in the Hamptons?Damian’s suit was covered in champagne,and you washed it clean,didn’t you?” I remembered the stain on that suit perfectly. I had asked Damian what it was. “Spilled something at the party,who remembers,”he’d said,completely unconcerned. He had insisted I hand-wash it with cold water and a specific detergent.The next day,the expensive suit was in the trash. This time,I calmly pressed the toe of my high heel onto the pile of clothes. “I’m not washing them.If you think they’re dirty,throw them out.” I saw a flash of anger in Damian’s eyes. I picked up my Hermès bag and turned to leave. Behind me,Damian’s voice was ice-cold. “Aurora Collins,if you walk out that door today,you’ll regret it.” I paused for a second,then slammed the door shut. On the road,I got a call from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “Miss Collins,Mr.Blackwood’s account has stopped all payments for your brother Leo’s medical expenses…” But. “My brother is already dead.”

I paused,then added. “My brother has been dead for a long time.You’ve been taking Damian’s money for an empty hospital bed for so long,it should be enough.” On the passenger seat was a bouquet of white roses,my brother’s favorite. Thirteen years ago,I found a half-dead Damian under an old tree in Central Park. He was just a penniless kid off the street.My brother and I took him back to our tiny apartment and saved his life. I remember the boy in oversized slippers,clumsily holding a cup of hot water.The steam blurred his face,but his eyes,when he looked at me,were full of conviction.“I swear,Aurora,I’ll spend my life protecting you!” “Leo,from now on,you’re my brother,too!” The Damian of the past would divert his private jet just because I mentioned wanting macarons from a small shop in Paris. He cared more about my brother’s health than I did. The sound of a siren broke my train of thought. I slammed on the brakes.A cop knocked on my window. “We have a report of you maliciously entering and damaging private property.Please come with us.”

I stared at them in disbelief. In a panic,I instinctively dialed Damian’s number. “Damian,I…” The loud party music on his end immediately went quiet. “Aurora,”his voice was as gentle as a poisoned knife,“I told you to learn how to be an obedient wife.” “Since you won’t behave,go where you need to go and learn some manners.” My hands were cuffed behind my back,and I was pushed into the police station. “Mr.Blackwood gave us special instructions to take good care of you.” Fists and feet rained down on me.My arms and legs were quickly covered in bruises. The pain nearly made me pass out.I vaguely heard someone making a call outside the door. “Miss Chloe,we’ve’taken care of her’just as you asked.” “Good.Damian’s money has already been transferred.” A sharp pain twisted in my stomach,making my heart tremble. After what felt like an eternity,someone opened the door. “The person who reported it said it was a misunderstanding.you can go.”

It was raining and cold outside.The wind was biting. Damian was leaning against his Rolls-Royce.At his feet were the white roses I’d bought,trampled and ruined. “Get in.” I quietly opened the back door. Damian gave me a strange look.“Why not sit in the front?” The car’s interior had been redone in pink,Chloe’s favorite color.On the passenger seat was the wrapper from a used condom. My phone buzzed nonstop. A news alert headline made my breath catch. “Famous Investigative Journalist Arrested Late at Night,Career Possibly Over…” My fingers trembled as I clicked on it.Below was an internal email notifying me of my three-month suspension. I snapped my head up. “Damian,did you leak this story?” He knew how much I had sacrificed to become a star reporter for the*New York Times*.He once held me and told me how proud he was of me. But now,he had just socially executed me with no effort at all. “Aurora,this is your punishment for hurting Chloe.” Punishment? I rolled up my sleeve,revealing my bruised arm.“Damian,isn’t getting beaten like this enough?!” Damian’s gaze froze. His expression shifted.“Aurora,how did you get those bruises?” “Someone…” I cut him off,my voice full of hate.“Damian,isn’t this what you ordered them to do?” “You and Chloe planned this together.Don’t play innocent now!”

He slammed on the brakes,the car screeching loudly. Damian stared at me,his eyes filled with disappointment. “Aurora,not only can you not tolerate my friends,but now you’ve learned to tell these kinds of lies?” He sneered. “This trick to get sympathy might have worked when you were younger.You’re really willing to hurt yourself just to make me feel bad!” He yanked open the car door,and a blast of cold,rainy wind rushed in. Damian dragged me out of the car. “The position of Mrs.Blackwood doesn’t need a hysterical woman!” He threw one last cold sentence at me. “Aurora,before you act out,you’d better think about your brother’s expensive medical bills!” The car sped away. Another phone in my pocket buzzed. It was a message from Julian Vance,with a picture of a ring. “When are you getting a divorce?I want to marry you.” I typed my reply. “Three days.”

When I went home to pack,I could hear disgusting sounds coming from our bedroom. This was the home I had meticulously decorated.In the past,Damian would complain if even a cleaner stepped too far inside. But now,he was in bed with another woman on the top-of-the-line mattress I had chosen. I clenched my fists,but my heart was surprisingly calm. I didn’t have much,just one suitcase. As I zipped it up,a lazy male voice spoke from behind me. “Where are you going?” His bare chest was covered in fresh scratches.The battle must have been fierce. I quickly looked away,my voice flat.“Out for a few days.” The red tip of Damian’s cigar glowed.He looked down at me,his tone certain. “You have nowhere to go.” The only property in my name was this penthouse.My company had dorms,but I had never applied for one.All my bank cards and trusts were under his control. He easily snatched my suitcase and tossed it on the floor. “Aurora,you’re not a little girl who can play the’running away from home’game anymore.” My heart trembled. He then softened his tone,as if soothing a pet. “Go apologize to Chloe,and I’ll let you see Leo tomorrow.” I laughed mockingly.“Damian,my brother is dead.”

He would spend a fortune on other women. But when the hospital called asking for payment,he thought it was a trick I was using to make him come home. He hung up with a cold laugh,saying,“If she wants money,have Aurora come beg me herself.” That day,New York was buried in a blizzard.I went to find him wearing nothing but a thin formal dress. My frozen body was shocked back to life by the wave of heat when I pushed open the door to his private club room.Damian was surrounded by a crowd of men and women. “One drink,ten thousand dollars,”a greasy man jeered. I can’t drink.Alcohol causes a severe allergic reaction. The few times I had,it was for Damian’s business. That night,the liquor burned my throat and stomach like fire.The pain was so bad I was close to convulsing,but I drank glass after glass. Until Damian threw a stack of cash at me. “Enough.Get out.” “Aurora,I hope you’ve learned your lesson.If you dare to act on impulse again,it won’t be this simple.” He was referring to the third time I had tried to expose one of his mistresses.

Chloe’s sneer shattered the silence. “Aurora,if you’re going to lie to Damian,at least come up with a better excuse.The payment for Leo’s medical bills was just transferred from Damian’s account this morning.” Damian snapped back to reality. For a moment,seeing the dead look in my eyes,he had almost believed me. He grabbed my chin,his grip so tight it felt like he would crush it. “If you spout any more nonsense,I’ll really cut off his medication.” He shoved me away.My forehead hit the corner of a cabinet,and blood started to flow. His eyes flickered,as if he wanted to come over. But Chloe grabbed his arm. “Damian,my stomach hurts a little.I think the baby’s kicking me~” Chloe whined,clutching her belly. Damian didn’t hesitate.He turned,scooped Chloe into his arms,and strode away. I was alone,cleaning my wound,when Damian’s call came.He told me to go to the“Stardust Club.” I had the divorce papers in my pocket.All they needed was his signature.

When I opened the door to the VIP room,Chloe was sitting next to Damian in a sexy bikini. I didn’t fight for the seat next to him like I used to. I walked straight over and handed him the file.“This is the company’s acquisition plan for the next quarter.” He signed it without a glance. He seemed surprised when I took the document and turned to leave. “Aurora,didn’t you used to always want to…” After all,I had once furiously bid three hundred thousand dollars at a charity auction just for the seat next to him. Before I could say anything,Chloe raised a remote control. “Everyone,let me show you the latest entertainment!” The giant screen on the wall lit up. A familiar voice exploded in my ears. “Damian…I want…” On the screen,I was kneeling before Damian,pleading with him. A chill ran down my spine.I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Damian,did you film this secretly?!” The man stubbed out his cigar.“You still wouldn’t apologize to Chloe.This is the apology gift I prepared for you.” It was like a lightning bolt to my ears. Chloe had already signaled her friends to surround me and hold me down. Chloe crossed her legs,her eyes seductive.“If you ask me,it was even more thrilling last time,when you sent this video to your brother Leo!” Leo…my brother. I stared at Damian in utter disbelief.

The man avoided my gaze but still spoke. “After all,you were the one who leaked my affair with Ellie to the media that day.” My voice was like a death rattle. “Damian Blackwood,you’re a monster!” Hearing this,Chloe pouted,her eyes full of provocation. She clutched her stomach,leaning pitifully against Damian. “Damian,my stomach hurts.The baby must be tired.Will you take me to the hospital?” Damian hesitated.“But Aurora is still here.” Chloe lowered her head to hide the venom in her eyes.When she looked up,her expression was innocent and cheerful again.“What are you worried about?My good buddies are here!We’re all family,they’ll take good care of her!” I felt a warm,sticky touch on my back.I didn’t know whose hand it was.In the dim light,the men around me had eyes glinting with…lust. Panic seized me.I tried to grab Damian’s sleeve. “Damian,take me with you!” But before I could finish,a hand clamped over my mouth. I whimpered,tears falling onto the expensive carpet. Chloe laughed.“See?They’re taking such good care of Aurora.” My limbs were pinned.I couldn’t move.

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The day after I signed my divorce papers with Julian Vanderbilt,my ex showed up at my door. Carter Reed,the tech billionaire who ruined my life,stood there wearing a smug smirk. “You’ve had your fun,Elara,”he said,taking a step closer. “You got out of that cage.Now isn’t it time to come back to me?” He dialed back the Silicon Valley arrogance and played the devoted man.”I’m done with Maya.I swear,Elara.This time,I’ll give you everything.” Hearing that name made my blood run cold. Maya. She was the waitress Carter bankrolled into a Hollywood star. Because of her,I lost my baby. Because of her,the hands that were supposed to play Carnegie Hall were ruined. Carter had taken a Juilliard prodigy and driven her to the edge of madness. So I looked him dead in the eye and said,”Coming back?Not in a million years.” Carter dropped the act instantly.”Why?”he snapped. “Julian took over the Vanderbilt empire. The whole Upper East Side knows he dumped you. Who else is going to take you in?” I turned to look at him,my eyes cold.”Who said he dumped me?” … Carter paused for a beat,then let out a scornful laugh.”Elara,you never change.Always living in your own little fantasy.Julian Vanderbilt is the sole heir to a billion-dollar empire.He went back to claim what’s his. Why would he keep a girl with no family and a ruined past?He got bored.Face it.” Let him believe that. Sure,the papers are signed.But Julian didn’t dump me. Five years ago,he walked away from his trust fund just to marry me. The succession war within his family was getting vicious. To keep me and our daughter safe,he had to go back and claim his throne. This divorce is just a cover. It’s our little secret. But to Carter,I was nothing but a woman the old money had chewed up,spit out,and forgotten.

My silence made Carter think he’d finally gotten to me. His voice softened. “I’m sorry,Elara.That was harsh.But I just want you back.I really do.” “I knew it wouldn’t last the moment you married Julian. I’ve been waiting for this day for five years.” His words dragged up memories I thought I’d buried. Back on the Columbia campus,on the lawn,him clutching onto my backpack charm with a flushed face,asking,”Elara,can I be your boyfriend?” I thought he was sweet and ambitious—a world apart from everything I knew.I thought a guy like him could never hurt anyone. But I was wrong. When a”good guy”goes bad,he’s far more ruthless than any real villain. I scoffed.”Five years?Carter,you could wait fifty,and it still wouldn’t change a thing.We ended a long time ago.” I turned and grabbed my suitcase. My fingers,once so agile on the piano,felt stiff and clumsy from the old injury. Carter stepped forward,blocking my path again. “You don’t have to love me.But what about Chloe?She needs her father.”

At the mention of my daughter,every defensive wall I had went up. “Chloe is Julian’s daughter and mine,”I spat. “She has absolutely nothing to do with you.Stop flattering yourself.” Carter frowned,clearly not buying a single word.He took a step closer,his gaze locked on my face.”Chloe is six years old,Elara! She was already born when you married Julian five years ago. We hadn’t even officially broken up back then.You were pregnant with my baby!” “Is admitting you had my child really that humiliating for you?” The more confident he sounded,the more absurd it was. The man who had thrown me away for some cheap actress now wanted to claim another man’s treasured daughter.He didn’t get to have it both ways. I didn’t bother arguing.My Uber was already idling at the curb. I brushed past him,pulled open the car door,and gave him one last,freezing look. “Believe whatever you want.I have nothing to say to you.” The car pulled away.In the rearview mirror,Carter’s figure shrank into New York’s concrete jungle,until the rushing traffic swallowed him whole. I let out a long,shaky breath. Chloe is actually only five years old. Five years ago,Julian pulled some highly illegal strings to protect me and secure our marriage. He used his wealth to alter her birth certificate,making her a year older on paper. It was a risky move,but Julian did it to protect us. My daughter shares not a single drop of blood with Carter Reed.My hand drifted unconsciously to my stomach,my fingertips trembling slightly. There had been a time when I carried his child in here. But his brutal betrayal ruined everything. I lost the baby,and he broke me.

The year I graduated,I turned down Carnegie Hall. Instead,I crammed into a tiny Brooklyn apartment with Carter,using every penny I made tutoring piano to fund his tech startup. My clients were ultra-rich. One hour of teaching paid more than a normal weekly salary. I taught from dawn till midnight,my fingers swollen and my voice hoarse,just to scrape together his startup capital. The day his company launched,he lifted me up by the Hudson River,laughing like a kid. “Elara,I see our future,”he promised. “Once we go public,I’ll buy out Tiffany’s on Fifth Avenue and make the happiest bride in the world.” We both thought the hard times were finally over. But I had no idea.It wasn’t the end of the struggle.It was the beginning of my hell.

Once the cash started rolling in,Carter got busy. Then came Maya—a waitress who delivered his lunch,the one variable I never saw coming.He pitied her,fell for her acting dreams,and decided to play hero: “Want to be a star?Let me help you.” Just like that,the money I nearly killed myself to earn became Maya’s stepping stone. He paid for her elite acting school in LA and bought her a supporting role in a hit show. When I confronted them on set,Carter shielded a sobbing Maya and shoved me to the ground. I was pregnant. I fell,my stomach slamming into the sharp edge of a metal prop box. Blood soaked my dress. My baby died right there—killed by his own father. Carter panicked.He swept me up and rushed me to the hospital,crying and begging for forgiveness the entire way.Numb,I told him it was over.But he lost it.He grabbed a knife,slit his wrist,and used self-harm to threaten me. “We’re just business,Elara!”he cried. “I was just doing charity.Didn’t you fall in love with me because I’m kind?” Yes.I used to believe that was kindness.But he had no right to feed that”kindness”of his with my flesh and blood.I was weak.I forgave him. Until my birthday.I received a teaching offer from Juilliard and called him,dying to share the news.Over the line,all I heard was the unmistakable sound of a man and a woman,breathing hard together—nauseating and undeniable. After what felt like forever,Carter’s panicked voice came through:”Baby,I’m almost home.”In that second,our six years together died.

Before I could even grieve,Maya cornered me in the music academy restroom with two bodyguards. She raised a hammer and brought it down hard on my Steinway—the one that had been with me for years. The keys shattered. My dreams shattered with them. Maya smirked,looking like a lunatic. “You think you’re something just because you can play a few songs,Elara?Come after my man again,and this is what you get.Carter was sick of you long ago.Get a clue!” During the struggle with her bodyguards,one of them stomped on my hand. Two of my fingers broke instantly,twisting at a sickening angle. My piano career was dead. The moment I left the hospital,my first thought was revenge.I sent the proof to The New York Post. Carter siphoning my money to launch Maya’s career.Maya’s deliberate assault.Every single detail. Maya was a rising star,so the scandal exploded online.Furious fans flooded Carter’s socials demanding answers.But he publicly gaslit me. “Elara’s mental health has been unstable.We broke up long ago.Please stop harassing my friends.” Maya followed up,painting herself as the victim and me as a bitter,obsessed stalker. Overnight,I became the laughingstock of New York. I was terrified to leave my apartment,hiding like a sewer rat. I begged Carter to just tell the truth.I promised I’d walk away forever. He just looked at me,cold and unmoved.”Maya’s career is just starting.I can’t let her be ruined.Just bear with it,Elara.I’ll make it up to you later.” Bear with it?Make it up to me? Everything I had suffered came from him. I went to his office to make a scene,and he had me arrested. At the police station,the man who bailed me out was Julian. Back in college,he was the one who would sit in the last row of the concert hall,day after day,just listening to me play. He draped his coat over my trembling shoulders. “You’re a free bird,Elara.You don’t belong in a cage.Let me take you home.” He pieced my broken soul back together. To give me a safe haven,he fought the entire Vanderbilt family,gave up his inheritance,and married me. “Elara,I won’t just say’I love you.’I will share your fate,for better or worse. We are each other’s destiny.”

I carried my bags to the apartment Julian had prepared for me. It was our safe haven.Warm,beautiful,and hidden from everyone. The door flew open,and Chloe ran out on her tiny legs,throwing her arms around me. “Mom!You’re back!Daddy says this is our secret castle!” Julian and I had agreed: once he took full control of the Vanderbilt empire,we would officially remarry. Life should have been peaceful,but Carter wouldn’t leave us alone. Every morning,he had fresh roses delivered to my door. Every evening,he stood outside the building,desperate for a glimpse of Chloe and me. He even bought out the entire FAO Schwarz toy store,crouching down to win over my daughter.”Chloe,I’m your dad.Can you call me dad,just once?” I immediately covered Chloe’s ears and walked right past him. “Chloe,remember,you only have one father.His name is Julian Vanderbilt.” Chloe gave a firm nod,her little face serious. “I know!That weird uncle bullied Mommy.He’s a bad guy!” I patted her head and smiled. “Yes.A bad guy.”

I ignored him.But Carter only pushed harder. One day,he planted himself at my door,arms full of property deeds,stock transfer agreements,and a pile of asset documents.”Elara,I’ll give you everything.Just come back.” “You and Chloe won’t have to keep hiding.Isn’t this the stability you wanted?” I looked at him.Two cold word:”Get lost.” Three months later.Julian called. “Darling,let’s remarry.” After the paperwork,he took an overjoyed Chloe to kindergarten.”I’ll pack at the apartment.Pick me up later.” He leaned in for a kiss,pouting. “You don’t even miss me?” I laughed.”So childish.” His eyes turned serious. “The ones who are loved never need to pretend to be mature.” At my apartment,I froze. The walkway was covered in red roses.Endless. Carter knelt with a massive diamond ring. “Elara,I know you’re still angry with me.” “But I’m willing to put up with every mood,every moment of it.You used to be the one giving everything—now let me be the one who comes to you.Marry me.” The neighbors who had gathered,oblivious to the truth,erupted.”Say yes!Say yes!” I walked up. I slapped the ring out of his hand. My heel crushed the roses. “I refuse.” Carter stood up,eyes bloodshot. “Why?!You still love me!” “I don’t,”I snapped. I held up the marriage certificate—still warm from my hands—for everyone in that room to see.”Because I’m already married.”

The crowd erupted in murmurs.”Oh my god,she’s married.What a clown.” “Come on,man.Stop embarrassing yourself.” Carter stared at the paper,his eyes wild. “It’s fake!You divorced three months ago!You’re lying!” He lunged and grabbed my wrist. The familiar fear rushed back. The miscarriage.The helplessness. “Let go!” He ripped the book from my hands. He opened it.The husband’s name: Julian Vanderbilt. Carter burst into manic laughter. “Julian?A billionaire like him would never take you back!” “He threw you out like trash!” “Enough!”My voice shook with rage. “He is nothing like you.” I snatched it back,then tucked it carefully into my bag,turned,and headed upstairs.

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Seven years ago,I saved a girl from a living hell. She repaid me by sleeping with my husband. At our third-anniversary gala,Ethan Vance hugged me from behind. He leaned toward my neck. I pushed him away. “Why so cold?”he said,his tone a playful complaint. “You’re not afraid I’ll seek comfort from another woman?” I smiled at him. “Have you heard the saying?”I asked in return. “Cheaters always end up losing everything.” Ethan scoffed. His thumb brushed the big diamond on my ring finger. “The CEO of the Sterling Group believes in something like that?” I looked at him and shook my head. “That was the vow you made when you proposed to me three years ago.” Ethan’s expression changed. I looked away from him and took off my wedding ring. I handed it to my assistant,Chloe. “Happy anniversary.Yours,not mine.” Both Ethan and Chloe were stunned. … “Tori…Miss Sterling,it’s not true…” Chloe’s eyes filled with tears. Her voice caught in her throat. “I…I never wanted to hurt you.” She shook her head. Her limited-edition Van Cleef&Arpels clover earrings chimed. She looked nothing like the girl from seven years ago. A desperate girl from a remote Appalachian town. She had begged me to save her. Her family was trying to force her into a marriage with a violent alcoholic. Back then,she had said,”Please get me out of that hellhole,and I’ll do anything for you.” So this was how she repaid me. Chloe was crying now. A flicker of pity crossed Ethan’s eyes. He stepped forward and pulled Chloe behind him. “Tori,it’s not what you think…It’s our anniversary tonight.Half of New York’s elite is here.Can we talk tomorrow?I’ll give you an explanation?”

I tilted my head and looked at him. My eyes landed on a faint lipstick mark below his collar. It was our anniversary.That hadn’t stopped him from sleeping with her.Or from asking why I was cold. I glanced down at my wrist,which he still held. I pulled it free. “Afraid I’ll make a scene?” His expression froze. He quickly changed his argument. “I’m worried about your father’s reputation!” My father,Robert Sterling,built the Sterling Group from nothing,with courage and integrity. Everyone who ever dealt with him admired his character. He had passed away. Now his son-in-law was openly sleeping with his daughter’s assistant. In the very empire my father built. If word got out,the Sterling Group would become a joke. Seeing me stay silent,Chloe thought Ethan had swayed me.She spoke up at once. “Miss Sterling,you were born with everything.You could never understand someone like me,someone who has to rely on others to survive…I only wanted to help you.” She paused,then went on as if it were true. “You’re meant for more than this.You shouldn’t waste your time on him.” So that was her excuse for sleeping with my husband？

Her shameless excuse almost made me laugh. Ethan glanced at Chloe,signaling her to stop. He turned to me,his gaze intense. “Tori,trust me one more time,please?I promise I’ll explain everything!” “Alright.” I gave a cold smile. I pushed open the doors to the banquet hall. A spotlight hit me. Hundreds of guests turned to look. Our third-anniversary video was playing on the big screen. In it,Ethan was down on one knee. His eyes were red-rimmed. His voice echoed through the hall. “Victoria Sterling,I swear,if I,Ethan Vance,ever betray you in this life,may I lose all my wealth,be abandoned by everyone,and die alone!” The guests applauded. I watched Ethan and Chloe hurry out after me. I picked up the microphone. “Thank you all for coming to Ethan’s and my third-anniversary celebration.Since Ethan Vance chose to cheat with my assistant,Chloe Miller…this marriage ends tonight.” The room erupted. Ethan rushed onto the stage,his face pale. “Are you crazy?”he hissed.”Do you have any idea of the consequences?” I gave him a cold look. “I only know the consequences of not doing this.” The crowd was in an uproar. Scornful looks turned on Chloe. She instinctively started to play the victim. “Miss Sterling,you’ve misunderstood.Ethan’s feelings have never changed.He only loves you…” Her knees gave out mid-sentence.I caught her. I raised my voice into the microphone. “Careful now.Don’t want to hurt the baby.” Chaos broke out. I left the two of them frozen on stage. Camera flashes exploded around me. I walked away,head held high.

My first stop was our penthouse on the Upper East Side. I changed every password. All of Ethan’s things were packed up and thrown out. Then I took a bath and fell asleep. My dream was full of him. He was eighteen and broke. We were outside the university library. He stepped in front of me and scared off some rich kids who were harassing me. At twenty,he worked odd jobs for months. He did it to buy a decent suit for my birthday party. He stopped me. “Victoria,I know I have nothing right now.No connections,no future.But…can you wait for me?Five years…no,three.In three years,I’ll make something of myself.I’ll earn the right to pursue you!” Back then,I had laughed. I found the ambitious boy amusing. I laughed in my dream and woke up laughing. My pillow was wet with tears. I sighed and wiped my tears. I opened my bedroom door. Chloe stood outside my door,deathly pale. “Miss Sterling,I came to apologize.” Her eyes were red. She pressed an abortion clinic appointment slip into my hand. “I never meant to ruin your marriage.” Didn’t ruin it? Just slept with my husband?

Her shameless logic almost made me laugh. I blocked the door with my arm. “The baby is yours.Your choice.”I shoved the slip back at her. “Don’t try to guilt-trip me with it.Get out.” I went to shut the door. Chloe pressed her hand against it. “Miss Sterling,it’s true!” “You got me out of that town.Without you,my parents would have married me off to that drunk.They would’ve used me to clean up their mess and bankroll my brother.” I watched her coldly. I wanted to hear what she would say. Her eyes welled with tears. She looked down,her hand on her stomach. “He told me you never wanted children.He said he’d given up on having a family with you.I know that doesn’t excuse anything.But I lied to myself.I thought if I got pregnant,maybe he would choose me.I know it sounds pathetic.” My stomach turned. I felt sick. “So what was the plan?I’d raise the baby as my own while you disappeared?” Chloe bit her lip. She looked up at me for a second,then lowered her head. “Fine.” I stared right at her,a humorless smile playing on my lips. “You’ll go to Europe and stay there until the baby is born.” I paused. “I’ll have someone take the baby the moment it’s born.” “You will stay abroad.Forever.Never see Ethan or the child again.Do you agree?”

Silence fell. She said nothing. After a long moment,she dropped the act. “Miss Sterling,you saved me.But compared to your condescending charity,Ethan is truly good to me.” I almost laughed.I still remembered their first meeting. Ethan had hated that she dirtied the carpet.He made her wipe it clean with her sleeve. “All you did was help me escape my hometown.You got me out,but I lost my family because of you.Ethan is different.” “He got my brother a job in the city,helped my parents pay off their debts,gave me the warmth of a normal family.He’s treated me better than you.” I felt sick again. Since childhood,her useless brother had pushed their parents to sell her for video game money. Her greedy parents nearly beat her to death trying to marry her off to an alcoholic. I paid them off and had a lawyer put them on notice. She would still be trapped there if it weren’t for me. Now she thought Ethan was better for being”generous”to that trash? I suddenly regretted every cent I had ever spent on her. I was done with her. “That’s enough,”I said.”You’re fired.” Chloe’s lip trembled. “Miss Sterling…” “It’s Ms.Sterling to you.” “But—” “Get out!” “But…the penthouse is in my name now.” I froze. Then I heard a car downstairs. Ethan was here.

He dropped the act,wrapped an arm around Chloe,and comforted her with a tenderness I’d never seen before. “Honey,wait for me in the car.” We were together for two years.Married for three. Ethan was good to me. He remembered everything I liked. No matter where I traveled for work,he would fly out to meet me. Everyone said I was lucky to have a husband like him. But now I understood. What he gave me wasn’t love. It was performance.With Chloe,it was different. He watched her get into the car. Then he turned back to me,a hint of blame in his voice. “Tori,you were too impulsive.” “Whatever Chloe did,she’s pregnant.You didn’t have to go that hard on her.” I looked away and fought back tears. “Cut the crap.What did she mean,this penthouse is hers?” Ethan sighed. He took out a document. The money for this penthouse came from my premarital account. But I was focused on my sick father at the time. Ethan handled all our finances. He had suggested putting the property into a new LLC for”tax optimization.” I signed the papers without reading them. Ethan had secretly changed the LLC’s beneficiary to Chloe. The transfer date was the day my father died. Rage flooded me. Smack. I slapped him across the face. “You son of a bitch!”

Ethan tilted his head and kept talking. He still spoke calmly. “She’s carrying my child.I can’t make it official,so I can only compensate her with material things.You’re not short on properties.She’s used to living here.So I transferred it to her.” Blood rushed to my head. My legs nearly gave out. I grew up in this house. Before my father founded the Sterling Group,it was only an old home. My childhood memories were of curling up here to watch Mom read. And waiting for Dad to get home from work. Later,when Mom fell gravely ill,Dad sold the house to pay for her treatment. Her dying wish was to come back here one last time. Ethan knew what this house meant to me. And he still gave it away. My throat tightened. I bit my lip hard to keep the tears from falling. I finally spoke. “How dare you…” I swayed.Ethan reached for me. “Tori,face reality.Your father is gone.You dropped everything to care for him for three years.You’ve spent the last month grieving instead of running the company.The Sterling Group isn’t the same anymore.” He reached to smooth my hair. “You’re a woman.Why make life so hard for yourself?Wouldn’t it be better to leave everything to your husband?”

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1 I dated Arthur for three years. At first, our friends thought he was just playing around, but eventually, they were wishing us a lifetime of happiness and a house full of kids. But I was the only one who knew the truth. Behind closed doors, almost every night, he’d whisper to me: We don’t do commitment, babe. Just love. Finally, the day came when his family demanded he marry for status. He gave me a twenty-million-dollar breakup fee. I took it without a second thought. I turned right around, dialed his little brother’s number, and said: “Ten million to buy you for the rest of your life. Is that enough?” When Arthur slid that black card across the table, his face was as unreadable as ever. I searched his features, desperate to find a single trace of guilt or reluctance. Unfortunately, I found nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. There was a shift, but it wasn’t what I wanted to see. For the first time in three years, those usually affectionate eyes of his held something else—a heavy, exhausted kind of relief. “Cassidy,” he murmured, deliberately softening his voice. “The family arranged a marriage. It’s the Sinclair girl. You know how it is. We need this alliance.” I didn’t say a word. I just picked up my cold brew and took a slow sip. It tasted bitter. “These past three years…” he trailed off, seemingly weighing his words carefully. “I haven’t treated you badly. From now on, whatever resources the company has, whatever your studio needs—just say the word.” I set the glass down. The sharp clink against the marble tabletop felt deafening in the dead quiet of the private room. “Twenty million?” I stared at the card sitting between us and let out a laugh. Arthur blinked, clearly thrown off. He had probably expected tears, screaming, the classic What did I mean to you? speech. He might have even braced himself to take a glass of iced coffee to the face. After all, when my company was just getting off the ground and my cash flow dried up, he wouldn’t even lend me half a million. His excuse? Money ruins romance. Now, suddenly, he was feeling generous. “Yeah,” he nodded, his tone slipping back into that arrogant, condescending charity he wore so well. “It’s enough for you to buy a nice place out of the city, keep running your studio, and live a good life.” Live a good life. How thoughtful. It was as if I’d been nothing more than a canary he kept in a gilded cage for three years. Now that the master was getting a new pet, he was handing me a severance package and telling me to fend for myself. I reached out and picked up the card. It was cold to the touch, its edges so sharp I felt like they could slice my fingers open. “So, you’re finally ready to do commitment, huh?” Just not with me. I looked up at him, my smile widening. Arthur’s face instantly froze. He opened his mouth to say something, then swallowed it back down. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, swiftly replaced by irritation. He definitely hadn’t anticipated this reaction. “Cassidy, don’t do this…” He reached out, trying to grab my hand. I pulled away smoothly, slipping the card into my purse with a crisp, fluid motion. “Alright. We’re square.” I fired the words out, refusing to give him a single syllable more. The color drained from Arthur’s face. He watched me stand up and grab the Hermès bag he’d bought me for my birthday last year. Back then, he’d said it suited me. Looking back, he probably just thought a girl from my background was only worthy of a nice bag. “You don’t have anything you want to ask me?” He couldn’t help himself. There was a faint trace of expectation in his voice, one he probably didn’t even realize was there. I stopped at the door and glanced back at him. The overhead lighting cast harsh shadows across his face. This man, who used to make my heart race so hard I couldn’t sleep, was sitting there looking like a decaying statue—beautiful on the outside, rotting from within. “Ask what?” I tilted my head. “Ask if you loved me? Ask if the last three years were just a game to you? Or maybe ask…” I paused, flashing a smile as gentle as a spring breeze. “Ask if, every night when you whispered ‘We don’t do commitment, just love,’ you were already planning for today?” Arthur went completely pale. I turned the handle, walked out, and never looked back. The hallway was endlessly long, lined with expensive Persian rugs that swallowed the sound of my footsteps. This private club was one of Arthur’s favorite haunts. In three years, I’d accompanied him here countless times. I’d watched him close deals, entertain friends, even met his parents here. And every single time, he introduced me as a friend. “Cassidy is a bit shy. She’s not really into formal settings.” That was always his excuse. Then, when no one was looking, he’d squeeze my palm and steal a comforting kiss in some dark corner. I bought it. Or rather, I forced myself to buy it. When the elevator reached the lobby and the doors slid open, I caught my reflection in the mirrored walls. I was wearing a white dress. It was Arthur’s favorite style. He used to tell me I looked like moonlight in white—pure, soft, clean. Thinking about it now, moonlight doesn’t demand commitment. It shines for a moment, then fades away. How fitting. Stepping out of the club, the April night air hit me, carrying a sharp chill. I stood by the curb and pulled a cigarette from my purse. Arthur didn’t know I smoked. He once said it wasn’t a good look for a girl, so I never lit up around him. At least I didn’t have to pretend anymore. The second the lighter sparked, I dialed a number that had been sitting in my phone for three years, completely untouched. It rang five times before someone picked up. A lazy, gravelly voice came through, thick with sleep. “Yeah?” I could hear the thumping bass of electronic music in the background. “Jaxon,” I said his name, my voice so steady it surprised even me. “Ten million to buy you for the rest of your life. Is that enough?” Dead silence on the other end. And then, I heard him laugh. It was a low, rumbling sound vibrating through the speaker, carrying a raw, magnetic edge. “Cassidy?” He didn’t even hesitate on my name. “My brother just dumped your ass, and you’re already coming to me? That desperate?” “Desperate.” I exhaled a lungful of smoke, watching the pale cloud dissolve into the night. “Extremely desperate. So, is it enough?” Jaxon laughed again. “Send me the pin,” he said. “We’ll talk in person.” Hanging up the phone, I stood by the street, waiting for my ride. The night breeze caught the hem of my dress, dragging my thoughts back to a night exactly like this, three years ago. It had been April too, the air biting with the same cool edge. I had just graduated college and landed a job as a strategist at an advertising firm. Arthur was our biggest client, launching a new product line for his family’s empire. The first time I saw him was during the pitch meeting. He sat at the head of the long table, the sleeves of his crisp white shirt rolled up carelessly to his elbows, flashing a watch worth more than my life. After my presentation, he gave a curt nod. Didn’t say a word. But after the meeting, he pulled me aside. “Miss,” he said, handing me his business card with a slick smile. “The proposal is solid, but it’s missing something.” “Like what?” I asked. “Ambition.” He replied smoothly. “It’s too safe. Reads exactly like something a junior associate would write. The market you’re trying to capture doesn’t want caution. It wants to be surprised.” I took the card, my fingers brushing against his. He was warm. “And what exactly does a surprise look like to you?” I stared right back at him. Arthur raised an eyebrow. He told me later that was the exact moment I caught his attention. Most girls were either a nervous wreck around him or tripping over themselves to flatter him. But me? I questioned him. “Let’s grab dinner tonight,” he had said. “I’ll show you.” That dinner lasted three hours. We talked about everything from marketing tactics to art philosophy, from corporate warfare to life goals. Arthur had a silver tongue, but he knew how to listen, too. When he looked at me, it felt like his eyes held the entire night sky. When he finally dropped me off outside my apartment building, he said, “Cassidy.” It was the first time he used my first name. “I really admire you.” “Thank you,” I kept it polite. He smiled, reaching out to tuck a windblown strand of hair behind my ear. “You don’t have to be so formal,” he murmured. I didn’t answer. “I know what you’re thinking.” He stepped closer. He smelled like cedarwood mixed with the faint, intoxicating scent of red wine. “You think I’m some rich playboy looking for a one-night stand?” I did. “I’m not.” He looked at me, dead serious. “I just think it’s rare to find someone who actually gets me. We could try this. But without all the cliché baggage.” “Like what?” I asked. “Like commitment. Like marriage. Like the future.” He said, “That stuff is too heavy. Let’s just focus on right now. The feeling. Let’s just talk about… love.” When he said the word love, his voice was so soft it sounded like poetry. Like an idiot under a spell, I nodded. It wasn’t until much later that I realized every word he spoke that night was a meticulously crafted disclaimer. We don’t do commitment, just love. What a romantically packaged lie. It was so romantic it blinded me to the simple truth: A man who refuses to take on responsibility has absolutely no real heart to give. Twenty minutes later, a matte black sports car screeched to a halt in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing a face that looked strikingly similar to Arthur’s, but the vibe was entirely different. Arthur was polished, restrained, like a flawlessly cut diamond. Jaxon, on the other hand, was exactly what his reputation suggested—wild, reckless, like a jagged, unpolished stone. He had dyed his hair ash blonde. Three black studs lined the cartilage of his ear. The top two buttons of his black shirt were undone, showing off the faint edges of a tattoo tracing his collarbone. “Get in.” He jutted his chin toward the passenger seat. I pulled the door open and slid inside. The interior smelled like faint tobacco and some sharp, icy cologne. “Where to?” I asked. “Somewhere we can actually talk.” Jaxon hit the gas, and the car tore through the night like a sleek shadow. I buckled my seatbelt and turned to look at him. I’d seen this face a handful of times at family gatherings over the years. He was always sitting in the farthest corner, head buried in his phone, blending into the wallpaper. The illegitimate son. The brother Arthur looked down on the most. “The way you’re looking at me,” Jaxon broke the silence, his tone dripping with amusement, “is like you’re trying to appraise a piece of meat.” “I am.” I didn’t deny it. “I’m trying to see if you’re actually worth ten million.” He chuckled, taking a sharp turn down a narrow alleyway with one hand casually draped over the steering wheel. “How much did my saint of a brother give you? Twenty mil? Thirty?” “Twenty.” I told the truth. I figured there was no point in hiding anything from him now. “So you’re throwing ten at me,” he shot me a sideways glance, his eyes razor-sharp. “What about the other ten? Retirement fund?” “No,” I said flatly. “That ten million is your seed money.” The car slammed to a halt. We were parked outside a hidden speakeasy. The sign was tiny, just a neon Whisper flickering in the dark. Jaxon killed the engine and stared at me through the dim light. “Make it make sense.” His voice dropped, losing all its playful edge. “Cassidy, I’m not an idiot. You just got dumped by my brother, and five minutes later you’re calling me, offering ten million. What the hell is your game?” I met his gaze head-on. “I need you to do something for me.” “What?” “Simple. Blow up Arthur’s engagement.” Silence. A long, suffocating silence. Jaxon stared at me for a solid minute, and then he just started laughing. A loud, chest-deep laugh that had him leaning over the steering wheel, wiping a tear from his eye. “Fascinating,” he breathed, still chuckling. “Absolutely fascinating. Cassidy, I severely underestimated you.” He leaned in closer. The smell of tobacco suddenly felt suffocatingly intimate. “Do you have any idea how important this marriage is to the family?” He kept his voice low, his face inches from mine. “The Sinclairs are sitting on the zoning permits for the Eastside development. The family’s new commercial hub is dead in the water without that land. If he marries the girl, he gets the permits, and his spot as the heir is untouchable. But if the wedding goes up in flames…” “The old man cuts him loose,” I finished the thought. Jaxon raised an eyebrow. “You know a lot.” “Three years,” I said coldly. “Is plenty of time to learn where the bodies are buried.” Like the encrypted files on Arthur’s laptop. Like the audio recordings of him drunk, complaining that marrying the Sinclair girl was selling his soul. Like the trail of corporate resources he funneled under the table just to keep me happy. I kept the receipts for all of it. “How exactly do you want to play this?” Jaxon asked. “You have proof of Arthur’s shady dealings.” I locked eyes with him. “Three years ago, when he acquired the Eastside plot, he hired thugs to intimidate the locals to drive the price down. He buried it, but you kept the evidence. Am I right?” Jaxon’s eyes shifted. “How do you know that?” “Because you hate him,” I said softly. “I haven’t forgotten how your mother died.” The air in the car instantly turned to ice. Jaxon’s mother had been the old man’s mistress. She died under highly suspicious circumstances. The family spun it as an accident, but everyone in their circle knew Arthur’s mother—the legitimate matriarch—had her fingerprints all over it. “So,” I pushed forward, “you give me that evidence. I’ll make sure the old man sees it, and I’ll make you look like the hero. In exchange, you get me the proof that Arthur isn’t exactly a loyal fiancé, and you drop it right in the Sinclair girl’s lap.” “That spoiled princess hates being lied to more than anything.” Jaxon leaned back against his seat, his fingers absentmindedly drumming a rhythm on the steering wheel. “How long have you been planning this?” he asked. “Since the first time he told me we weren’t doing commitment.” He smirked, his eyes narrowing like a fox sizing up its prey. “Deal.” He held out his hand. “But ten million isn’t going to cut it.” “What do you want?” “I want Arthur’s seat at the table,” he said. “When the dust settles, the VP spot belongs to me.” I looked at his outstretched hand, but I didn’t take it. “Fine,” I said. “But you have to prove you’re actually useful first.” “How?” “Three days from now. The family gala. The Sinclairs will be there.” I pulled a small recording pen from my bag and hit play. Arthur’s voice floated through the car, slurred and drunk: “Marriage? I’m practically selling myself. That Sinclair bitch is a nightmare. If it wasn’t for her family’s land…” I clicked it off. Jaxon’s eyes lit up. “You want me to accidentally play this at the gala?” he asked. “No,” I slipped the pen back into my bag. “That’s way too obvious. I need you to orchestrate a moment. Make sure his precious fiancée overhears it purely by chance.” “And then?” “And then,” I smiled, “we get to see exactly how much of a nightmare the Sinclair girl really is.” After parting ways with Jaxon, I went back to my apartment. It was a place Arthur had bought—a sprawling, two-thousand-square-foot penthouse right in the heart of the city. He’d said, “Cassidy, this is close to my office. It’ll make it easier for me to come see you.” Easier for him to come see me. It was never our home. It was just a convenient pit stop. I unlocked the door, and the motion-sensor lights flickered on, casting a warm glow over the entryway. Sitting right by the door was a pair of plush pink slippers. Arthur bought them. He said girls should wear pink. I kicked off my heels and walked barefoot across the freezing marble floor. I opened the fridge. It was packed with imported groceries. Arthur had hired a private nutritionist to prep my meals, delivered daily, claiming it was for my “health.” So thoughtful. I grabbed a bottle of ice water and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside, the city was alive—a sea of neon lights and endless traffic. From here, I had a perfect view of his family’s corporate headquarters. The lights in the top-floor office were still burning. He was probably still working. Or out to dinner with his fiancée. My mind drifted back to a night about a year ago. We’d been together for two years by then. Things felt stable. Comfortable. My friends had started teasing me. “He treats you so well. When’s he going to put a ring on it?” I always just laughed it off. That night, Arthur had a few drinks. He was resting his head on my shoulder, lazily twirling a strand of my hair around his finger. “Cassidy,” he mumbled. “Rick asked me again today when I’m going to marry you.” Rick was his best friend, the only guy who actually knew the truth about us. “What did you tell him?” I asked. “I told him,” he chuckled, his breath warm against my neck, “that marriage is a transaction, but love is art. And I refuse to let our art turn into something vulgar.” What a beautiful way to spin it. Art. He called us art. But art requires an audience. It requires a gallery. It requires validation. Our art was locked in the dark, never allowed to see the light of day. “So you’re never going to marry me, are you?” I whispered. Arthur went quiet for a long time. Then he said, “Cassidy, we don’t do commitment. We just do love. Isn’t that better?” “I love you,” he kissed my forehead. “That’s enough.” Enough. Back then, I actually managed to convince myself that it was fine. Looking back now, it was pathetic. How much love can a man really give you when he won’t even give you the dignity of a title? I walked into the study and pulled open the safe hidden behind the bookshelf. There were no diamonds inside. No stacks of cash. Just a few very specific items: A flash drive containing a complete backup of every encrypted file on Arthur’s laptop. Including that little backdoor deal he made with a rival firm, trading his family’s resources for leverage on a side project. A voice recorder filled with every drunken confession he’d made since our first month together. Audio of him trashing his family, mocking the arranged marriage, bragging about his cutthroat tactics. A leather notebook detailing every single corporate expense he’d authorized for me over the last three years. Dates, amounts, purposes, the names of the fixers. And a stack of photos. The one right on top was taken three months ago, the day Arthur’s mother paid me a visit. He was out of town, and she practically kicked my front door down. She was dripping in bespoke tailoring and designer leather, radiating the terrifying authority of a matriarch who owned the world. “Miss.” She sat on my sofa, completely ignoring the tea I offered her. “I’ll get straight to the point. My son is getting married. To the Sinclair girl.” I stood in front of her, keeping my mouth shut. “I know what the two of you have been doing.” She looked at me like I was a piece of trash stuck to the bottom of her shoe. “I don’t care if young men want to play around. But there are lines that cannot be crossed.” “He is the heir to this family. His marriage dictates our entire future. You,” she paused, letting the silence hang, “are entirely inadequate.” I didn’t blink. “I heard you’re running a little startup?” She pulled a checkbook from her designer bag, scribbled on it, and slid it across the coffee table. “Five million. That should be plenty for your little business. Leave him alone. Stop dragging him down.” I stared at the check, and I laughed. “Ma’am,” I started, keeping my voice perfectly level. “How much do you think your son is actually worth?” The color drained from her face. “Excuse me?” “I mean,” I leaned over, picked up the check, and slowly ripped it in half right in front of her eyes. “To me? Arthur isn’t worth this much.” She shot up from the sofa. “You—!” “Also,” I tossed the torn pieces into the garbage can. “Do me a favor. Tell him that if he wants to break up, he needs to come do it himself. Sending his mommy to do his dirty work is just pathetic.” She was shaking with rage. She snatched her bag and marched toward the door. Before leaving, she turned back and glared at me. “You’re going to regret this, you little bitch!” “I already do,” I smiled sweetly. “I regret not realizing sooner that everyone in your family is cut from the exact same garbage cloth.” I had the housekeeper secretly snap a picture of that exact moment. Her furious, purple face contrasted beautifully with my calm, collected smile. It was a masterpiece of irony. I placed the photo back into the safe and locked it. My phone buzzed. A text from Jaxon: Tomorrow. 8 PM. The family gala. She’s wearing a sapphire gown and an emerald necklace. The move happens by the garden fountain. I replied: Got it. Another text popped up: Are you seriously going through with this? You guys had three years. That’s got to mean something. I stared at the screen. I typed out a response, deleted it, typed another, and finally just sent: He threw it away first.

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