Author: Momo Chan

1 I bought a small slice of cake for my birthday. A gift to myself. I got home just as my sister was having one of her episodes. In the agonizingly slow minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive, my mom spotted the small cake box in my hand. All her fear and rage found a target. She lunged at me, and a sharp sting exploded across my cheek as her palm connected with my face. “Your sister is dying, and you have the nerve to be thinking about cake? How did I give birth to such a cold-hearted monster!” My dad’s foot slammed into the back of my knees, sending me crashing to the floor. His eyes were bloodshot, his voice a low growl. “If it wasn’t for Tina’s illness, we never would have had you!” The cake box hit the wall, splattering cream and crumbs across my shirt. I stared down at the mess, my head bowed. It felt like an eternity before I could speak. “Then you can just pretend I’m dead.” … The twisted fury on my parents’ faces froze, replaced by disbelief. “What did you just say?” I was a pathetic heap on the floor, my worn-out t-shirt smeared with buttercream. “I said,” I repeated, my voice surprisingly steady, a strange calm settling over me, “you can just pretend I’m dead.” My sister, Tina, was diagnosed with a rare congenital immune disease when she was three. She needed a bone marrow transplant. After my parents both proved to be incompatible donors, I was conceived to save her. Until I was six, I was passed around between relatives. The only time my parents ever appeared was when Tina had a flare-up, and they’d drag me, frantic and panicked, to the hospital. My entire childhood was a soundtrack of my own screams as thumb-thick needles plunged into my flesh, punctuated by my parents’ harsh commands to “hold still.” As I grew older, Tina’s staggering medical bills became a crushing weight. They pulled me out of school and forced me to study nursing, all so I could be a better caretaker for her. “You should be grateful to Tina,” they’d say, over and over again. “She’s the reason you exist.” “And I’d rather have never been born.” … Mom must have realized she’d gone too far, but her voice was still dripping with blame. “You know perfectly well your sister can’t eat cake because of her condition. You bought it just to spite her, didn’t you? I see right through you!” She snatched the ruined box and hurled it into the trash, the little fondant rabbit on top shattering into pieces. Then she turned to Tina, her voice melting into gentle sympathy. “Don’t you worry, my sweet Tina. In this house, no one will ever make you feel bad!” Dad’s face was a thundercloud. “How dare you talk back to us. You’re just asking for it, aren’t you?” The shouting had drawn the prying eyes of our neighbors, their faces peeking out from doorways. Mom immediately put on a mask of weary apology for their benefit. “Oh, please forgive the noise. Leah is just being a bit difficult. Her sister is having an attack, and she started a tantrum over wanting cake.” “Her father and I are trying to teach her some discipline. Tina’s so fragile, you know, and Leah will have to take care of her for the rest of her life. She can’t be so selfish!” She effortlessly painted me as the villain, directing the neighbors’ chorus of tuts and disapproving glares my way. But the truth was much simpler. I was just tired after a long day. I passed the bakery. The sweet scent pulled me in. I remembered it was my birthday. That’s all. The handprint on my cheek burned. I lifted my head, my gaze sweeping over the dining table, laden with an elaborate spread of dishes. “You know all of Tina’s favorite foods, her favorite jewelry… you have it all memorized.” A tear threatened to fall, but I blinked it back. My voice was barely a whisper. “Mom, do you even remember when my birthday is?” Her tirade stopped short. A flicker of confusion crossed her face. She didn’t remember. Just like she didn’t love me. I’d known this my whole life, but in that single, silent moment, the truth still managed to break me. The tears came, hot and silent. “August 19th,” I choked out. “It’s today.” “My eighteenth birthday.” I dropped my gaze, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “Mom… what am I to you? Really?” For a second, I saw a flash of panic in her eyes. She opened her mouth, as if to offer some kind of explanation. But then a soft cough stole her attention. Tina’s eyes were red-rimmed. She coughed again, thumping a frail fist against her chest. “It’s all my fault,” she rasped, her voice thick with self-pity. “This useless body of mine… ruining my little sister’s birthday. I’m so sorry, Leah. Please, don’t be mad at Mom and Dad. It’s all my fault. You can hit me, yell at me, whatever you want…” With a dramatic flourish, she struggled to get up, as if she were about to kneel before me. I instinctively reached out to steady her, but a violent force slammed into me from behind. “Leah, that’s enough!” Dad roared, his eyes blazing with fury. “Tina is fighting for her life, and you’re still throwing a fit over a stupid piece of cake!” The kick sent me flying. My forehead smashed into the sharp corner of the table, and warm blood trickled down my face. Through the ringing in my ears, I heard Tina’s tearful voice. “Oh, Leah, I envy you so much. You have a healthy body. You can celebrate your birthday like a normal person…” She let out a heart-wrenching sob. “Unlike me… I’m so sick I can’t even have a single bite of cake…” Her tears were all it took to melt our parents’ hearts and stoke the flames of their rage toward me. “Apologize to Tina. Now!” Dad commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument. When I refused, his anger boiled over. He grabbed a fistful of my hair and started dragging me across the floor. The searing pain ripped a scream from my throat, which only seemed to enrage him more. “We had you for your sister’s sake! That’s it!” he snarled, yanking my head back. “If you can’t handle a little pain, how are you ever going to take care of her?” He forced me to my knees in front of Tina, slamming my head down against the floor. Once. Twice. Three times. Blood matted my hair and dripped onto the carpet. Only then did Tina speak, her voice slow and syrupy. “It’s okay, little sister. I forgive you.” She gave me a condescending smile. “Mom and Dad work so hard to keep this family afloat. You need to be more understanding and stop making them upset.” The neighbors cooed over how beautiful and kind and mature she was, how lucky our parents were to have such a wonderful daughter. No one spared a glance for the bleeding, broken girl in the corner. My heart, finally and completely, turned to stone. I staggered to my feet, desperate to escape. As I reached the front door, Dad’s icy voice cut through the air behind me. “You take one step out that door, and you are no longer a part of this family. You will have nothing to do with us ever again!” Decades of repressed emotion crashed over me like a tidal wave. A crushing weight settled on my chest, my breaths coming in short, ragged gasps. I collapsed, my body convulsing on the welcome mat. “Mom… help me…” I begged, my eyes finding hers. I thought, I hoped, that even if she didn’t love me, she wouldn’t just stand there and watch me die. But she just gave me a look of pure indifference. She even held up a hand to stop a concerned neighbor from approaching. “Don’t worry about her,” she said dismissively. “She’s always been a drama queen, pulling stunts like this for attention.” I stared at her, my world tilting on its axis. Her voice was cold as steel. “You tried this same trick ten years ago. It almost drove Tina to suicide. You really think I’m going to fall for it again?” Just then, the paramedics arrived. In a flurry of motion, they surrounded Tina, lifting her onto a stretcher. As they rushed her out, the last thing I heard before the darkness took me was my mother’s voice, laced with venom. “I will never forgive her for the scars on Tina’s body. Never.” When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed with an IV in my arm. A doctor with kind eyes sighed, his expression full of pity. “My dear girl… who did this to you?” My father’s parting gift. Three fractured bones. My phone buzzed on the bedside table. It was Mom. “Where the hell are you? It’s past dinnertime! Don’t you know your sister can’t go hungry when she’s this weak?” she screeched the moment I answered. “Tina wants sweet and sour ribs! Get them made and bring them over! Now!” Not a single question about where I was, or if I was okay. It was an asthma attack, triggered by the intense emotional distress. If the neighbor hadn’t ignored my mother and called a second ambulance for me, I might be dead. The life I owed them would have been paid in full. “From now on,” I said into the phone, my voice flat, “I have nothing to do with you.” I hung up. The only sound was the steady drip of the IV. And suddenly, a memory surfaced. I was six years old. Thanks to my bone marrow, Tina’s condition had stabilized. My parents, celebrating her recovery, finally remembered the little daughter they had stashed with relatives. They came for me on a snowy day. They saw my too-short coat and my hands covered in chilblains, and for the first time, I saw guilt in their eyes. They took me to an amusement park, to a real restaurant, to the movies. They bought me new clothes, a new backpack, and a soft, cuddly doll I fell in love with instantly. That night, I fell asleep clutching my new doll while my mother hummed a lullaby. It was the first time she had ever been so gentle with me. That gentleness shattered the day they found out Tina had tried to kill herself. In a sterile hospital room, I met my sister for the first time. She was swimming in an oversized hospital gown, a pale, fragile creature huddled in the corner of her bed. But her eyes, when they met mine, were full of a stubborn, wounded pride. When she saw our parents holding my hand, she burst into tears. “I’m just a burden to you, aren’t I, Mommy?” she wailed. “Everyone says now that you have a new daughter, you don’t want me anymore!” Mom rushed to her, pulling her into a fierce embrace, but it did nothing to stop the flow of tears. “Just let me die, Mommy,” she sobbed. “You have Leah now, a healthy child… I can’t do anything…” That was the moment. That was the day my mother made her choice. She held Tina’s face in her hands and told her: “You are the only daughter I will ever have. Leah is just a tool, born for your sake.” I was too young to understand what those words truly meant. All I knew was that from that day on, everything changed. Mom stopped calling me her ‘sweetheart.’ She never bought me another piece of clothing. For a long time, she wouldn’t even let me call her ‘Mom.’ “I only have one daughter,” she would say, as if trying to convince both herself and me. But I refused to believe it. I stubbornly craved that sliver of affection I once had. The memories flickered through my mind like a broken film reel. The door to my hospital room swung open. My parents and Tina stood there. Mom’s eyes widened for a moment when she saw the bandages. “You’re really hurt?” But before she could say more, Tina shot me a look of disapproval. “Leah, I know you’re jealous of me, but you shouldn’t fake an injury and waste medical resources like this. What about the people who are actually sick?” A look of dawning comprehension spread across Mom’s face. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Leah, will you ever stop? Can’t you quit these pathetic little games?” Her gaze softened slightly as she took in my pale face. “Alright, alright. I know you’re just upset that we forgot your birthday.” She pulled a bright red folder from her purse, but she handed it not to me, but to Tina. “You know, you wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for your big sister. So, on your birthday, the first gift should naturally go to Tina!” She presented the folder to Tina as if it were a trophy. “Tina, honey, Dad and I sold the old family home to buy this for you. We know your health is poor and you can’t work. This house… this is your safety net. Your security.” “With this, even when Dad and I are gone, no one will ever be able to push you around!” Tina opened it, her gasp echoing in the quiet room. “Oh my god! A half-a-million-dollar lakeside house! Dad, Mom, thank you so much!” She threw her arms around Mom’s neck. Dad watched them, his expression soft and loving. A perfect, happy family of three. And me, the unwelcome intruder. After their tearful reunion wound down, Mom finally seemed to remember I was there. “I know how you like to keep score, so don’t worry. We got something for you, too.” She shoved a cheap, old bracelet into my hand. The glass stone was murky and dull. The faded trinket in my palm was a pathetic contrast to the vibrant deed Tina clutched to her chest. Suddenly, the birthday present I had yearned for for so long seemed utterly meaningless. Without another word, right there in front of them, I pulled out my phone and made a call. “Hello, I’d like to press charges.” “Against my own father.” At the police station, Dad finally snapped out of his stunned silence. “Can you stop this nonsense already?” was the first thing he said. “I hit you a couple of times, and you call the cops? Let me tell you something! You are my daughter! I raised you! It’s my right to discipline you, even if it means beating you to death!” He was panting, his eyes glaring at me as if I were his mortal enemy. Tina chimed in, her voice dripping with false concern. “She’s right, Leah. ‘Spare the rod, spoil the child.’ Dad was only doing it for your own good.” She turned to the officers with a helpless sigh. “My sister… she’s always been rebellious. She used to steal money and jewelry from our relatives when she was little. It only got worse as she got older. She dropped out of middle school, and… well…” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “She started sneaking out to spend the night with all sorts of men.” The air in the room shifted. Suddenly, every eye on me was filled with judgment. I trembled with rage. “Tina, you know damn well why I dropped out of school! How can you stand there and say that?” In ninth grade, I’d aced the city-wide exams. The best high schools were offering me full scholarships. All I had to do was show up. But then Tina had sighed one evening, “I envy Leah so much. She gets to have a normal, carefree school life. Unlike me… trapped by this body, I’ll never escape the hospital…” And just like that, my parents forced me to drop out. My teachers came to our house to plead my case. They promised I was university-bound. But nothing could sway my mother. “We’re a poor family,” she’d stated flatly. “We need Leah to get a job and earn money for her sister’s treatment.” But I knew the truth. It wasn’t about the money. She just couldn’t bear to see Tina sad. Before I could say anything else, Tina clutched her chest, a look of pain on her face. “I’m sorry, sister, I misspoke. Please don’t be angry…” That was all it took for Mom to lose it. “Enough!” she shrieked. “Tina was just trying to keep you from going down the wrong path! You should be grateful, but instead you scream at her? I’ve been too soft on you, and that’s why you think you can bully her over and over again!” Then, to my horror, Mom took out her phone, opened an app, and pointed the camera at me. “I should have listened to Tina from the start and put you on blast for the whole world to see what a monster you are!” Viewers flooded into the livestream. Fueled by my mother’s twisted narrative, a torrent of righteous fury was directed at me. 【These parents are too kind! That’s how you end up with a leech like her. I would’ve thrown her out years ago!】 【Exactly! Screaming at her sick sister? She’s doing it on purpose, the little psycho!】 … Watching the stream of hate-filled comments, Mom finally seemed satisfied. “See? Now you know how good we are to you.” “Oh, yes. Three broken bones. You’re just the best.” My voice was eerily calm, a stark contrast to the chaos on her screen. I looked past her, my eyes landing on Tina. “Doesn’t Tina remind you of someone?” I asked quietly. “Who?” Mom asked, caught off guard. “Evelyn.” Evelyn. The daughter my grandparents had adopted. My aunt. And my father’s unforgettable first love. At the sound of her name, the color drained from my father’s face. “Shut up! Don’t you dare say her name!” He was like a cornered animal, his anger mixed with a potent dose of guilt. This bizarre reaction didn’t escape my mother’s notice. “I remember Dad saying, back when he was drunk once, that Aunt Evelyn had the most enchanting, almond-shaped eyes.” My mother has soft, round eyes. I have her eyes. But Tina… Tina doesn’t look like our mother, or our father. She has the exact same almond-shaped eyes as Evelyn. Meeting my mother’s stunned gaze, I smiled and held out a document I had prepared. A declaration to sever all family ties. “Sign this,” I said, “and I’ll tell you a secret.”

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I was the star recruit, the prodigy the university had paid a fortune to poach. In my last life, during the final round of the National AI Championship, the son of the university’s Chairman of the Board submitted an algorithm identical to mine. My own teammate, my supposed best friend, testified that he personally saw me plagiarize it from the chairman’s son. I was publicly shamed, dragged through the mud. My girlfriend was my only solace, her comfort the only thing that kept me going. The scandal was just starting to die down when compromising photos of me surfaced online. The story spun was that I’d only been accepted into this prestigious university because I was a sugar baby for some rich old man. The university, citing damage to its reputation, sued me for an exorbitant amount in damages. I had no way to pay. In the end, I turned on the gas and let the darkness take me. When I opened my eyes, I was back. One week before the competition deadline. This time, I decided to just quit. Let them have it. But then my girlfriend told me she had a kidney disease and desperately needed money for a transplant. 1 “Joey, you’re exhausted. Don’t sleep at your desk, you’ll catch a cold.” My best friend’s voice woke me. For a disoriented moment, I saw him—Bob, the snake who’d sold me out. I rubbed my eyes. It was really him. I swung my arm in a wide arc and slapped him across the face. A sharp crack echoed in the lab, followed by a high-pitched yelp. “Agh!” Bob stared at me, his eyes wide with disbelief. I was just as shocked. In my nightmares, I’d done this a thousand times, but my hand had always passed right through him. This time, it connected. I slowly became aware that the low hum of the lab had fallen silent. I looked around. Everyone was staring at us. What was going on? “Where am I?” Bob clutched his cheek, looking utterly bewildered. “Joey, are you still asleep or something? We’re in the lab!” My eyes shot to the calendar on the wall. September 1st. One week until the competition deadline. Of course. No wonder Bob was so surprised. He hadn’t stolen my code for Jack Thorne, the chairman’s son, yet. I scrambled to apologize. “Bob, man, I’m so sorry. I was out of it, must have been a bad dream.” Bob patted my shoulder, forcing a smile. “It’s fine, dude. I know you’ve been under a lot of pressure. It’ll all be over after the competition. I’m counting on you to win so you can buy me dinner!” I nodded along. “Yeah, the pressure’s been getting to me. Headaches all the time. I think I’m just going to go home and get some real sleep.” Ignoring Bob’s stunned expression, I packed my things and walked out. Without the betrayal of my past life, I never would have realized he wasn’t my friend. He was my warden. He wasn’t waking me up out of concern; he was waking me up to make sure I kept working, to make sure Jack Thorne would have a winning project to steal. In my previous life, the university had poached me with a ten-million-dollar scholarship, personally offered by Chairman Thorne. At first, I thought they just wanted a poster boy to attract more students. I never imagined I was being drawn into a massive conspiracy. To justify that scholarship, I entered every competition I could. And in every single one, my scores were identical to Jack Thorne’s. Slowly, Jack’s popularity eclipsed mine. He was hailed as the handsome, charming genius, the full package. I was just the book-smart scholarship kid who was trying too hard. The poor can’t produce real genius, they’d whisper. I became obsessed with proving myself. I entered more competitions, worked harder, but no matter what I did, Jack’s results always matched mine perfectly. The other students started to mock me. “He looks so ugly when he’s trying so hard to win,” they’d say. “Jack doesn’t even have to try.” Some even started a rumor that Jack was intentionally matching my scores out of pity. Jack would then put on a show of magnanimity. “Hey, don’t talk about Joey like that,” he’d say with a pained look. “He’s not as gifted, maybe, but he really does try his best.” This only made them praise Jack’s generosity and mock my supposed lack of talent even more. As graduation neared, I taught myself AI, figuring it was a field so new that Jack couldn’t possibly follow me into it. He signed up for the same championship. I remember Bob sighing dramatically, “It’s like there’s only room for one genius in this town.” Before the competition even began, the whispers started again. “Think you can beat our golden boy by taking a different path? Looks like you walked right into his territory.” “I don’t get why Chairman Thorne wasted so much money on that guy. He’s so desperate to win. He should’ve just given the ten million to his own son.” Their words were like fuel. I pushed myself harder, pulling all-nighters, fueled by coffee and spite. The competition had multiple tracks. I chose iris recognition, a niche and difficult field of biometric security. I never, ever imagined Jack would choose the exact same one. He submitted his code the day before I did. After I uploaded mine, I went home and slept for a full day and night. I woke up to find my world had ended. I was being crucified online. I was an ungrateful leech, they said, who took the Chairman’s money and then stole his son’s work. Bob and I had been inseparable during the entire development process. He was the one person who could prove my innocence. Instead, he went to the media, his face a mask of righteous indignation. “I told him not to do it,” he said, shaking his head sadly. “I warned him, but he was just so obsessed with beating Jack for once. I tried to stop him!” The truth hit me like a physical blow. He had been my shadow for months, watching every line of code I wrote. He was the leak. The baseless accusations from strangers were one thing, but the betrayal from my closest friend broke me. I fell into a deep depression. My girlfriend, Nina, was my rock, patiently pulling me back from the edge. But just as I was starting to recover, Jack’s fanatical supporters released the final blow: doctored photos of me in a compromising position with a bald, older man. I tried to explain that they were AI-generated deepfakes, but no one believed me. The narrative was set. I had slept my way into the university. The school sued me for twenty million dollars for defamation. I had nothing. My only way out was the gas stove. But now, fate has given me a second chance. And I refuse to be Jack Thorne’s stepping stone ever again. My plan is simple: tomorrow, I’m quitting the competition and just coasting until graduation. 2 The next morning, for the first time in months, I wasn’t in the lab at 5 AM. Bob, my loyal supervisor, was always there with me at 5 AM sharp. I would start coding, and he would promptly fall asleep at the next workstation. Today, he wasn’t getting his nap. He was panicking. My phone buzzed with a string of calls from him, all of which I ignored. It wasn’t until 10 AM, after I’d secured a fake doctor’s note from an urgent care clinic, that I finally picked up. “Joey! Where are you? Why aren’t you in the lab? I’ve been calling you all morning, why didn’t you answer?” His usual calm demeanor was gone, replaced by a sharp, frantic edge. I let out a fake cough. “I’m sick. Just got back from the doctor. Didn’t want to worry you, so I didn’t pick up. He said I’ve been running myself ragged and have a bad flu. Told me to rest for a week.” “But what about the AI championship? Chairman Thorne said he expects the winner to come from our university this year. Are you really going to let him down?” “It’s fine. I’m sick, but we still have Jack, right? I already gave my doctor’s note to the professor. She approved my withdrawal from the competition. I really don’t feel well. I’m going back to bed.” I hung up before he could argue. Back in my apartment, I collapsed onto my bed and went over the plan. If I don’t compete, none of the rest can happen. I’m just one person against a powerful family. This life, all I want is to live quietly and peacefully with Nina. Just as I was drifting off, my phone rang again. This time, it was Nina. “Joey, oh god, something’s wrong. I’m sick. I might need a kidney transplant. I need a lot of money!” I shot up in bed. “What? What happened?” Nina told me she had suddenly fainted and her classmates had rushed her to the hospital. The diagnosis was uremia. Kidney failure. My mind went blank. In my past life, Nina was perfectly healthy, right up until the day I died. She was never sick. Was this fate’s twisted joke? Was I destined to be separated from the one person I loved, no matter what? 3 Nina and I were childhood sweethearts. We’d been together for eight years; our bond was deep. When I was a kid, a fortune teller told my parents I was cursed and would bring them nothing but misfortune. They never let me forget it. The ten million dollar scholarship from Chairman Thorne? I gave it all to them to officially buy my freedom and sever all ties. Now, with Nina sick, I didn’t have a single penny to my name. But the prize money for the AI championship was two million dollars. Enough to save her. Was I really being forced back into the competition? I let out a long, heavy sigh. Maybe this was why I was brought back—not to escape my miserable fate, but to face it head-on. I canceled my medical leave and went back to the lab. The only person there was Bob. He gave me a smug look that said, I knew you’d be back. Seeing his triumphant expression, a hot spike of anger shot through me. “I’m still not feeling well,” I said coolly. “The professor agreed to let me work from home. So you don’t have to get up early to come to the lab with me anymore.” His smirk froze. As I started packing my laptop, he blurted out, “I can come with you! I’ll help you code at your place, and I can take care of you. How about that?” I politely declined. He opened his mouth to insist, but I was already out the door. I don’t know how much he got for selling me out in our last life, but I’ll be damned if he makes a cent off me in this one. My gut told me the Thornes wouldn’t give up that easily. Back at my apartment, I immediately swept my computer and my entire room for bugs, listening devices, and keylogging software. The scan came up clean. I could finally relax. I threw myself back into the work, writing and running code, losing track of time. Around 9 PM, my doorbell rang. It was Nina, a frown creasing her forehead. “Did you give Bob a hard time?” she demanded. “Do you have any idea how worried he was about you? Can you stop being so insanely jealous all the time? The only reason I even know Bob is because of you!” The accusation stung, but then I remembered how she’d stood by me in my past life, how she’d been my only light in the darkness. I couldn’t bring myself to argue with her. She was probably the only person in the world who truly cared about me. After a long internal debate, I decided to tell her everything. I laid out the whole story of my past life—Bob stealing my code for Jack, the public shaming, everything. Nina’s expression shifted from shock to pure fury. “How could they? Bob and the Thornes… that’s monstrous! So you’re just going to give up? But Joey… the doctor just told me today about my kidney. We need that money for a transplant!” A strange, unreadable emotion flickered in her eyes, gone as quickly as it appeared. “But no matter what,” she said, her voice firm, “Joey, you can’t enter this competition. I would rather die than see you dragged through the mud like that again!” My heart ached for her. I pulled her into a hug, tears streaming down my face. “How could I ever just watch you die? Bob won’t be around this time. I won’t let them steal it! Don’t worry, Nina. I will win that prize money, and I will get you that kidney!” Nina hugged me back, nodding into my shoulder. As if in response, the Thornes declared war. Chairman Thorne announced publicly that the winning iris recognition project from the competition would be implemented directly into his corporation’s financial software. Technology and application, seamlessly integrated. The prize money was increased accordingly. Everyone saw it as a done deal. The Chairman was just making sure the prize money stayed in the family. The winner would, of course, be Jack Thorne. Nina was my constant source of encouragement, urging me to block out the noise. To help me focus, she started bringing me nutritious, home-cooked meals every day, despite her own failing health. Her cooking was incredible, better than any five-star restaurant. Seeing her unwavering faith in me, I couldn’t bear the thought of letting her down. I worked late into the night, every night. Finally, on the last day before the deadline, I submitted my code with absolute confidence. The result was the same. A crushing, familiar disappointment. Jack Thorne had submitted his code ten minutes before me. The judges once again ruled that I was the plagiarist. And once again, I was thrown to the wolves. I hid in my apartment like a stray dog while Jack, dressed in a designer suit, accepted the award on a grand stage. Chairman Thorne presented him with the trophy himself, proudly announcing that his son’s revolutionary iris recognition system would go live that very night. Just like last time, the internet vultures descended, their comments more vicious than I remembered. Nina tried to take away my phone and laptop, to shield me from the hate, but I stopped her. Because this time, I was waiting for something. The next morning, a new headline screamed from the top of every news site. 【Thorne Corp Financial App’s Iris Recognition Fails; System Unlocks with Picture of a Dog’s Eye】 【Thorne Corp Users Report Accounts Drained Overnight】 【Source Claims Up to $50 Billion Stolen; Chairman Thorne Previously Promised 20x Compensation for Any Security Breach. Will Thorne Corp Honor its Promise?】 The news exploded. No one cared about my plagiarism scandal anymore; they were all frantically checking their bank accounts. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt a sense of peace. I could finally sleep. But someone was determined to ruin it. My phone rang, and it was Nina, her voice shrill with panic. “Joey, what is going on? How could Jack’s code have a bug?” I kept my voice calm. “His code has a bug. What does that have to do with me?” There was a pause, and then I heard Nina’s voice on the other end, tight, seething with a rage I’d never heard before. “When did you find out?” I played dumb. “Find… find out what?”

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1 My wife’s whole family was dying from pufferfish poisoning. The only antidote was made by her company. After 99 calls, she finally answered, annoyed: “Why are you blowing up my phone over one dance with Leo?” I begged her to bring the antidote—her parents and brother’s family were dying. But she gave it all to her first love, Leo, whose family was also poisoned. “They’re my assets. I decide,” she said coldly. “If your family died, that’s their bad luck.” She showed no remorse and even signed a settlement for me, protecting those responsible. When I demanded a divorce, she scoffed, “Your family’s dead—is that really a big deal? They were greedy to eat that fish anyway.” Righteous and unmoved, she still didn’t realize… the dead were her own family. My in-laws were rushed to the hospital after dining at a new upscale restaurant. Pufferfish poisoning. By the time I got there, they were already fading. The doctor was blunt. The only thing that could save them was a specialized antidote manufactured by my wife Chloe’s company. I started calling her immediately. She didn’t answer. Call after call went to voicemail. Finally, on the ninety-ninth try, she picked up. Before I could even speak, her voice, dripping with annoyance, cut through the phone. “It was Leo’s company gala. I danced one cha-cha with him. Why are you blowing up my phone?” The mention of Leo Vance sent a familiar spike of irritation through me. I wanted to confront her, to demand answers, but the thought of my in-laws fighting for their lives in the ER silenced the angry words in my throat. My voice trembled as I got to the point. “Your parents… your brother and his family… they’ve been poisoned by pufferfish. It’s bad, Chloe. The doctor said only your company’s antidote can save them. You have to bring it back, please…” Before I could finish, a cold, dismissive laugh cut me off. “Your family gets pufferfish poisoning, and I’m just supposed to hand over the antidote? Do you have any idea how much that stuff costs?” Her tone was chillingly detached. “I’m a businesswoman, Benny, not a charity. Call me back when they’ve scraped the money together.” Then, as if she couldn’t wait to be rid of me, she hung up. The dial tone buzzed in my ear. I just stood there, stunned, unable to process the cruelty in her words. How could that have been Chloe? My phone vibrated. A text message. It was from the bespoke watchmaker, asking if I was satisfied with the quality of my custom timepiece. It was a birthday gift from my parents. I’d been so swamped with work I hadn’t even had time to pick it up. Chloe must have gone behind my back. And I knew exactly what she’d done with it. She’d given it to Leo to make him happy. It wasn’t the first time she’d done something like this. Every time I confronted her, she’d sneer. “Look at yourself, Benny. Do you even think you deserve a watch like this anymore? It looks better on Leo. He has the class for it.” So generous with Leo, handing over a ten-thousand-dollar watch without a second thought. But when it came to an antidote that could save five lives, she had to nickel and dime me. Rage burned through me. I tried calling her again, but her phone was off. A few minutes later, I was scrolling through my phone when I saw her Instagram post from half an hour ago. A picture of her and Leo, dancing, his arm wrapped around her waist. He was wearing my watch. The caption read: “Gifting my love a custom watch and dancing the night away. Pure bliss!” I was shaking with a fury so intense I felt dizzy. As if on cue, a new post popped up on my feed. It was Leo. “Because of you, my family is safe. I’ll love you for a billion years!” The photo was a selfie. He was holding up a vial of the antidote, planting a kiss on Chloe’s cheek. I wanted to tear her apart. Her own family was dying, waiting for that very medicine, and she was off playing the hero for another man. Just then, the door to the emergency room swung open. The doctor approached me, his expression grim. “I’m sorry. We did everything we could.” The tears came instantly. I had braced myself for it, but hearing the words still felt like a punch to the gut. Five lives. Just gone. Wiping my eyes, I pulled out my phone and called the watchmaker. “I never authorized anyone to pick up my watch,” I said, my voice cold and steady. “I think you’ve been scammed. You should call the police.” Five deaths put immense pressure on the police. It didn’t take them long to identify the owner of the restaurant. It wasn’t a stranger. It was Leo Vance’s parents. For a moment, I didn’t know how to feel. All my grief suddenly felt like a joke. I was a clown, mourning for the family of a woman who had just saved their killers. A bitter, humorless smile touched my lips. I hoped Chloe would never regret this day. The police officer explained, apologetically, that they couldn’t make an arrest yet. The restaurant owners, he said, were also in the hospital being treated for the poisoning. My face remained a mask of stone. “I know they were poisoned.” “But they’ve already been saved.” I looked the officer dead in the eye. “I will be pressing charges. I expect to see them in court.” My certainty seemed to surprise him, but he saw the look on my face and didn’t ask how I knew. He just gave a firm nod. “Rest assured, Mr. Knight. This is a five-person homicide case. We will investigate it to the fullest and bring justice to the deceased.” After finishing the paperwork, I collapsed onto a waiting room chair, every ounce of strength gone. That’s when Chloe called. She didn’t give me a chance to speak, launching into a tirade. “You had the store call the cops? Benny, are you insane? I’m your wife! How dare you accuse me of fraud?” “Because my father paid for that watch, Chloe. And speaking of which, where is the birthday gift my parents gave me?” Silence. After a long pause, her voice returned, softer now, laced with that familiar manipulative sweetness. “We’re a team, aren’t we? What’s yours is mine. Leo has wanted a custom watch for so long, just a little something to reward himself. How could I say no? You should have seen how happy he was.” “He’s not selfish like you,” she cooed. “He even told me to thank you on his behalf.” “Honestly, Benny, look at the difference between you two. The man has class…” She kept rambling, her voice a grating buzz in my ear, until I couldn’t take it anymore. “Shut up!” I roared. The word slammed into her, and she fell silent, stunned. A moment later, her voice came back, laced with disbelief and a wounded tone. “Benny… you told me to… shut up?” Chloe came from nothing, and I’d always been so careful with her pride, always spoken to her gently. I had never, not once, raised my voice to her. But today? Today she had chosen Leo over five human lives. I had no more ground to give. Even a dog shows gratitude when you feed it. She was worse than a dog. “Enough of your nonsense,” I said, my voice flat and cold. “The entire family is in the hospital morgue. Get back here and arrange their funerals.” Her response made me realize that comparing her to a dog was an insult to dogs. “They’re dead, so they’re dead. What’s there to arrange? The company needs to improve the antidote. They can finally be useful and contribute to the research.” “Leo had a scare today,” she added breezily. “I need to comfort him. I don’t have time for this. Just remember to have the bodies sent to the company labs.” She hung up before I could reply. And that’s when it fully hit me. Chloe still had no idea it was her family that was dead. I thought about it for a long moment. Then, I decided to honor her wishes. I would send her family’s bodies to her company. Let them be useful. Given that it was a case of five deaths, the legal proceedings moved quickly. That afternoon, Chloe stormed into our home, her face a mask of fury, and slapped me hard across the face. “Benny, when did you become so vicious?” she shrieked. “Leo’s parents just barely escaped death, and you’re already suing them? Are you trying to push them over the edge?” I held a hand to my stinging cheek, my voice void of emotion. “And they only escaped death thanks to your antidote, didn’t they?” She flinched, a flicker of guilt in her eyes, but she quickly covered it with defiance. “They’re my assets, so I decide what to do with them. If your family died, it was just their bad luck. Why did they have to get poisoned at the same time as Leo’s family?” Her voice grew louder, more self-assured with every word. “Leo’s parents are good people! It’s not like they killed your family on purpose. Can’t you be a little more generous? It was a small mistake, and you’re clinging to it.” “Even if you sue them, even if they go to jail, what good will it do? It won’t bring your family back.” Seeing my expression remain unchanged, she switched tactics, her tone softening into a coaxing purr. “I know it’s hard to accept their deaths right now, but you can’t bring them back. Those of us who are still alive have to move on.” “I’ve already talked it over with Leo. We’ll give you a hundred thousand dollars in compensation.” “Just drop the lawsuit,” she said, her voice light, as if a hundred thousand dollars could simply erase five lives. “Let’s just put this all behind us.” A morbid curiosity sparked within me. I wondered if she’d sound so casual if she knew it was her family we were talking about. When I didn’t respond, her face darkened again, her tone becoming hard and final. “You’ll agree whether you like it or not. I’ve already signed a settlement agreement on your behalf, as your wife.” “With my help, Leo’s parents will be fine, whether you drop the suit or not. But if you refuse, you won’t even get the hundred thousand.” A dry, humorless laugh escaped my lips. I looked at her, my voice laced with ice. “If you’re so determined to protect the people who killed your entire family, there’s nothing more for me to say.” “I just hope you don’t regret this later.” “Regret what? Since you’ve agreed, I’ll call Leo right now.” She seemed surprised by my quick surrender, but she was too eager to think about it. She immediately dialed Leo’s number. Through the phone, I could hear his insincere, syrupy voice. “Chloe, darling, please tell Benny how sorry I am for his loss. I never imagined such a tragedy could happen…” I knew perfectly well Leo couldn’t come up with a hundred thousand dollars. But Chloe would cover for him. He’d probably contribute ten grand, if that. Sure enough, after she hung up, she disappeared into the bathroom. Less than two minutes later, a notification lit up my phone. A hundred thousand dollars had been transferred to my account. Seeing the bank alert, a knowing smile spread across my face. Then, slowly and deliberately, I pulled out the divorce papers I’d already prepared. “Sign them,” I said. “I can’t stay married to an accomplice in my family’s murder.” Chloe froze. Then she snatched the papers, her hands moving to tear them in half. I crossed my arms, my voice calm. “If you tear those up, I’m sending the hundred thousand right back to Leo. And our entire agreement is off.” Her hands stopped. Her eyes widened as if she were seeing a stranger. “You’re threatening me? Benny, you’re actually threatening me?” She completely lost it. “So your whole family is dead. Is that really such a big deal?” “Besides,” she raged, “if your parents and your brother weren’t so greedy, they never would have eaten the pufferfish in the first place!” “You’d divorce me over a bunch of dead people? Are you even human?” I just raised an eyebrow, perfectly calm. “No more talk. Are you signing or not? The choice is yours.” A storm of emotions crossed her face—white, then red, then dark, like a twisted kaleidoscope. The standoff lasted for what felt like an eternity before she finally ground out the words through clenched teeth. “I’ll sign.” She scanned the document, then angrily scrawled her name, the pen tearing through the paper. She threw it on the table with a sneer. “A hundred thousand dollars for five lives. Your family really went cheap.” I pressed my lips together, saying nothing. The fool. She still hadn’t noticed a single thing was wrong. She still had no idea. “Chloe,” I said. “Before the papers are final, we’re still husband and wife. Let’s go see Mom, Dad, and my brother’s family off one last time.” “After all,” I added, “I did what you asked. I sent them to your company, so they could keep being useful.” She was about to refuse, but my last words made her pause. Reluctantly, she nodded. In the company laboratory, Chloe stared at the five bodies covered by white sheets, her expression placid and detached. My own heart was a tangled mess of grief and a sharp, cruel satisfaction. “Dad, Mom, my brother Michael, his wife Sarah, and little Joey… Chloe’s finally here to see you…” Joey. That was her nephew’s nickname. The moment she heard the name, her calm expression shattered, ripped apart by a tidal wave of shock. As if struck by lightning, her legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor, the blood draining from her face.

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1 Zoe, Adrian’s mistress, spun a twisted tale: that my daughter Annie, born with a lucky star, had stolen the very breath from her own child’s lungs. The next day, my seven-year-old Annie was forced to take Zoe’s place in a game of Russian Roulette. I dropped to my knees, begging them to spare my daughter’s life. But Adrian just sneered. “She’s got luck on her side, anyway. What’s the big deal if it makes Zoe feel better?” he said, his voice cold. “If Zoe’s happy, she won’t be giving me a hard time.” I could only watch in horror as Zoe placed the bet: one hundred million dollars. A million for every pull of the trigger. One hundred shots. Lady Luck only smiled on my Annie thirty-six times. On the thirty-seventh, a bullet tore through her head. But Adrian hadn’t even stayed to watch. By the seventh click of the empty chamber, he had already swept Zoe into his arms and carried her off to their suite. My screams were torn from my throat, a raw, primal sound that he later told me had served as his aphrodisiac. When he finally emerged, flushed and satisfied, he sauntered over and patted my cheek. “You know, your crying… it sounded so real. It was a real turn-on,” he praised. “Relax. The gun was never loaded. It was just a show for Zoe. A way for her to get some closure.” … Zoe’s child and my Annie had been in the same hospital, both critically ill. My Annie survived. Her daughter did not. Ever since, she’d clung to the insane delusion that my daughter’s good fortune had somehow siphoned the life from her child. “If your daughter hadn’t sucked all the good luck out of the room, my son would be alive!” Zoe would shriek. Adrian said nothing, but the next day, Annie was on that yacht, a sacrifice in a sick game. By the time I arrived, she was already strapped to a large, rotating wheel, her small body spread-eagled. To keep her from struggling, heavy-duty restraints bound her wrists, ankles, and neck. When she saw me, her voice, already raw from crying, cracked. “Mommy, help me! Mommy, I’m not a jinx, I’m not!” My Annie, who was always so careful about her appearance, was so terrified she couldn’t stop hiccuping. And her father, Adrian, watched as if the child on that wheel were a stranger, his expression a mask of indifference. My heart shattered into a million pieces. I surged forward to free her, but Adrian’s security guards blocked my path, their arms like steel bars. “Adrian! Are you insane? That’s your daughter!” I lunged, my fingers twisting in the fabric of his expensive collar as I screamed in his face. He shoved me away without a second thought, his arm instantly wrapping around Zoe’s waist, pulling her close. “Marissa, you’re the one who chose that hospital. You’re the one whose daughter drained the life from Zoe’s child. You both owe them this!” Then he turned to Zoe, his voice melting into a tender murmur. “Zoe, my love. Tonight is all about you.” Zoe shot me a triumphant smirk over his shoulder. I stared at the man before me, a stranger wearing my husband’s face. Just then, a crew member approached with a set of numbered paddles and a revolver. Zoe picked up a paddle, her movements light and airy. “I imagine Mrs. Lacy isn’t familiar with this little game, is she? It’s not your typical Russian Roulette. See, there’s only one bullet in the chamber, but you get a million dollars every time you pull the trigger on an empty slot. And there’s no limit to how many times you can play.” She purred, her eyes glinting. “I wonder just how much money Annie’s famous luck can make for Adrian tonight.” She lifted the paddle marked ‘6’ and kissed it. A revolver holds six rounds. Logically, if the first five shots were blanks, the sixth was a guaranteed kill. My daughter’s luck wasn’t an infinite shield. A chilling dread washed over me. I looked to Adrian, my eyes pleading, but he refused to meet my gaze. Zoe’s voice dripped with malice. “Tell you what, Mrs. Lacy. If you kneel down right now, slap your own face, and scream ‘I’m a homewrecker,’ I might just consider letting your daughter go.” Adrian said nothing. His silence was his consent. My eyes found my daughter, small and terrified on that wheel. I didn’t hesitate. The cold deck met my knees. Fearing Zoe would find some excuse to back out, I struck myself hard, the force splitting my lip. Blood filled my mouth. “I’m a homewrecker! I’m a homewrecker! I’m a homewrecker!” The whispers and stares of the other guests were a sharper pain than the sting on my cheek. In that moment, Zoe looked more like the lady of the house than I ever had. Zoe laughed, a bright, cruel sound. “To think the high and mighty Marissa Lacy could look so pathetic.” She paused, savoring the moment. “Fine. I forgive you.” A flicker of hope ignited in my chest. “I forgive you,” she continued, her smile widening, “but my son can never forgive Annie.” “So…” “I’ll bet one hundred million!” From heaven to hell in a single breath. A hundred million. One hundred pulls of the trigger. My Annie, my poor Annie… BANG! The deafening roar of the gun snapped me back to reality. A man in a black suit stood with the revolver, its barrel still smoking, pointed at my daughter. Annie was too scared to even cry anymore. “Adrian! Zoe! You’re monsters! Animals!” I thrashed against the guards holding me down, desperate to reach her. Zoe dissolved into tears, burying her face in Adrian’s chest like a frightened child. “Oh, darling, it’s so loud! I’m so scared!” Adrian’s face hardened into a granite mask. He snatched the gun from the crewman and, without a word, aimed it at Annie and fired five more times in quick succession. “NO! ANNIE!” I screamed, my eyes locked on her. She was still alive. By some impossible miracle, her luck had held. The sixth chamber had been empty. My vision swam with black spots. I gasped for air, my mind racing, searching for a way—any way—to save my child. “You’re so good to me, darling,” Zoe cooed, pressing a kiss to Adrian’s lips, her hands roaming over his chest. A flicker of raw lust crossed his face. He scooped her into his arms, ready to leave. But after two steps, he paused and looked back over his shoulder. “See that all one hundred shots are fired,” he commanded the crew. “I want to see just how lucky my daughter really is. Let’s find out if she’s really some kind of monster who feeds on the fortune of others.” Annie heard him. The light in her eyes, already dim, flickered and died. She understood. Her own father wanted her dead. Yet, she managed a weak, trembling smile for me. “Don’t cry, Mommy. Even if Annie dies, you have to keep living, okay?” She closed her eyes, surrendering to her fate. The cold-blooded executioner resumed his task. Click. The 7th shot. Click. The 8th. Click. The 9th… Each empty click was a hammer blow against my heart. But I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t let my daughter think I had abandoned her too. I begged them. I kowtowed until my forehead was bloody. I promised them fortunes. Finally, my pathetic, broken state earned me a sliver of pity from one of the crew. “Ma’am, the yacht is in international waters now. No one can stop this unless Mr. Lacy gives the order. We don’t want to end up as shark food.” I knew it was hopeless, but it was my only chance. Annie, hold on. Mommy will save you. My limbs felt like lead, but I crawled, inch by agonizing inch, to the top deck, to their suite. As I neared the door, I could hear the obscene sounds from within. “You’re such a little devil…” My daughter was facing a firing squad, and her father was indulging in his sordid pleasures. I beat on the door with my fists. “Adrian, I was wrong! I’ll sign the divorce papers! Just let Annie go! Please, you’re going to kill her!” The noises inside paused for a second. “What are you making a scene for? Annie’s not going to…” His voice was swallowed by the sickening, wet sounds that followed. “Adrian, darling,” I heard Zoe’s sultry whisper through the door. “Your wife is so desperate to see you, she’s even offering a divorce. It’s actually kind of thrilling, isn’t it? Your wife begging outside while your true love is in your arms.” Her words were answered by the rhythmic, brutal slam of bodies against the headboard. I threw my own body against the door, screaming apologies to Zoe, but my desperation only seemed to fuel their passion. The sounds from within grew louder, more frenzied. My despair was their stimulant. When I stumbled back to the lower deck, a crewman looked at me with a flicker of pity in his eyes. He told me they had just fired the 32nd shot. They had slowed down as much as they dared. Annie’s eyes had been closed, but she opened them when she heard my footsteps. A sad understanding dawned on her face. Tears welled in her eyes. “Mommy, being your daughter… that was the real luck. The best luck I ever had.” BANG! The 33rd shot. “Mommy, when I’m gone, you have to divorce him. I know you only stayed with him for me… but he’s not a good man.” BANG! BANG! The 34th and 35th. “I’m only seven… but these seven years with you, Mommy… they were the happiest.” BANG! The 36th. She seemed to sense it was coming. She glanced at the revolver, its barrel now glowing faintly red from the repeated firings. “Mommy.” “I want to go home.” “I love you.” “Next time… I want to be your little girl again.” BANG! The 37th shot. This time, Lady Luck turned away and wept for the child she could no longer protect. A single, deafening crack. I thought I would scream. I thought I would faint from the pain. But I did nothing. I felt nothing. It was as if my soul had been ripped from my body, leaving an empty, silent void. The long torture was over. They finally unstrapped Annie’s body from the wheel. My vision began to fade to black. The last thing I saw was a splash of crimson spreading across the floor as her small, limp body was laid on the cold deck. No one would ever call me ‘Mommy’ in that sweet voice again. The little girl who always said, “If you and Daddy divorce, I’ll choose you, Mommy,” was gone. The shock was too much. My world didn’t just go silent; it went dark. I had gone blind. I don’t know how long I stood there, or how I managed to carry Annie’s body back to our cabin, sightless. I carefully, fumblingly, wiped her clean and dressed her in her favorite dress. My Annie, always so neat, so beautiful. I avoided touching her head. I held her cooling, stiffening body in my arms. I held her for a long, long time. Then, a thought broke through the fog. “Divorce,” I murmured. “Go home. We have to go home.” My phone was gone. I found a crew member and had them print a copy of a divorce agreement for me. I felt the thin stack of papers. All this time, I refused to sign, wanting to give Annie a complete family. And that refusal had killed her. I would take my Annie home. I wanted nothing more to do with that disgusting animal. As for revenge… I bowed my head, and a cold plan began to form. A crew member led me back to Adrian’s suite. The door swung open just as we arrived. The cloying, acrid smell of sex rolled out in a wave. Even the crew member took a hasty step back. I didn’t need eyes to imagine the depravity that had taken place. Adrian’s voice, thick with satisfaction, floated out. “You know, your crying last night… it sounded so real. It was a real turn-on. And don’t worry, the gun was never loaded. It was just a show for Zoe.” His words ignited the dead embers of my heart into a raging inferno. I raised my hand and, guessing his position, swung with all my might. CRACK! The force of the blow sent a numbing jolt up my arm. “Adrian! Annie is dead! You killed her! Her own father killed her!” In my rage, I didn’t realize I had struck Zoe, who had been standing in the doorway. “Ma’am, I… I was just so heartbroken about my own son… I only wanted to scare her a little! I never meant to kill her!” Zoe wailed. Adrian’s hands closed around my throat, squeezing. “Do you really think I’d fall for such a pathetic act?” he snarled, his voice dangerously low. “There were no bullets in that gun. Zoe just wanted to give her son’s spirit some peace. Are you using our daughter to play games, to fight for my attention? Look at yourself! Have you no shame?” The more he spoke, the more convinced he became, any flicker of doubt extinguished by his own rage. “Tie her up,” he commanded his men. “And hang her off the back of the yacht. Let the sea cool her head.” A rope was crudely tied around me, and I was thrown into the deep, dark ocean. The icy shock of the water was so cold it felt like a thousand needles stabbing my skin. The yacht’s wake crashed over me again and again, dragging me under, choking me. Even as I clamped my mouth shut, the salty, bitter water forced its way down my throat. And in that moment of agony, a memory surfaced. Years ago, when I was learning to swim, I accidentally swallowed a mouthful of water. He had panicked, pulling me from the pool with tears in his eyes, forbidding me from ever trying again. But that memory, like the foam on the waves, was fragile and fleeting. It vanished instantly. He had murdered our daughter to please his mistress. And because I’d slapped her, he was now trying to drown me to appease her. My body temperature plummeted. Just as I felt the last of my consciousness slipping away, I was hauled back onto the deck. A crew member handed me a towel and a cup of hot water. “Mr. Lacy is putting on a fireworks display for Miss Zoe all night,” he said quietly. “A deMarissation of his love.” I felt nothing. If Adrian dropped dead in front of me right then, I might have laughed. I had them print a new divorce agreement and send it to him. I hadn’t even had the chance to get his signature before he’d had me thrown overboard. Once feeling returned to my limbs, I stumbled back to my cabin. I began speaking into the empty room, as if Annie were still there. “Annie, Mommy’s back. Sorry I took so long. You’re not mad at me, are you?” “Annie, I heard everything you said. As soon as he signs, we’ll get off at the next port. I’ll take you home.” My hands reached for the center of the bed where I’d left her. I froze. It was empty. Annie’s body was gone. A frantic, primal fear seized me. I tore the room apart before summoning the ship’s purser. The purser glanced around nervously, then lowered his voice. “Ma’am… Miss Zoe had your daughter’s body taken away a little while ago. She said… she said she was going to sell her organs to buy a few new handbags. I tried to call you, but I couldn’t get through.” I grabbed the wall to keep from collapsing. Of course he couldn’t reach me. At that moment, I was being dragged through the ocean by my own husband. Zoe wouldn’t even leave my daughter’s body in peace. The purser left me standing alone in the silent room. The thought of Annie’s small body being cut into pieces sent a wave of nausea through me. A hot, coppery taste filled my throat. “Well, if it isn’t the grieving Mrs. Lacy.” It was Zoe. She stepped close, taking my hand and placing it on the supple leather of a new designer bag. Her voice was as soft as silk, but her words were laced with venom. “Annie was worth quite a bit, you know. I was finally able to buy this limited edition piece. Paid in full.” She leaned in, her breath hot against my ear. “This is your fault, Marissa. You wouldn’t sign the divorce papers. You’re a washed-up hag, but you just had to cling to Adrian, using your daughter as an excuse. So I had to get her out of the way. She was blocking my path to a life of luxury.” Her words were daggers, twisting in my heart, gutting me. What else did I have to fear? I had nothing left. I coughed, and a spray of blood splattered onto the floor. A strange lightness filled me, a surge of adrenaline and pure, unadulterated rage. I launched myself at her, my hands, my teeth, my nails becoming weapons. Her screams were music to my ears. “Give me back my Annie! GIVE HER BACK!” “Zoe!” Adrian rushed into the room. He yanked me off her and slapped me across the face. Zoe collapsed into his arms, sobbing. “Adrian, I was just worried about her! I came to see if she was okay, and she tried to kill me!” I stumbled, my hands flailing in the darkness. The purser caught my arm, steadying me. “Take me to Annie,” I begged him, my voice a broken whisper. “I’ll give you anything.” It was only then that Adrian noticed my vacant, unfocused eyes. He saw that I was blind. A thick, suffocating unease enveloped him. Why was Marissa suddenly blind? And where was Annie? “Darling,” Zoe whimpered, “is she going to start saying Annie’s dead again? I just saw her playing on the deck today.” Adrian shook the absurd, terrifying thought from his head. He pulled out the divorce papers, scrawled his name across the bottom, and threw them at me. “Keep up the act. Just keep it up. I have never seen such an unfit mother. You keep saying your daughter is dead, aren’t you afraid you’ll actually curse her to death?” “You are not worthy of being my wife!” He held Zoe and walked out. I made a phone call. I liquidated all my assets, my shares in his company, and made several other arrangements. I gave every last dollar, every piece of jewelry I owned, to the purser. In return, he gave me a small, heavy box. An urn. I stood on the deck, the signed divorce papers in one hand and the urn in the other. Adrian was hosting a grand banquet, so the deck was deserted. “Annie,” I whispered to the box, “Mommy is useless. I can’t take you home.” “Annie… next time, I’ll be your mommy again.” As a kaleidoscope of fireworks exploded across the night sky, I clutched the urn to my chest and stepped off the edge, into the cold, dark sea. Adrian Lacy, may we never meet again, in this life or the next.

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I’d been supporting Leo for ten years. When he finally asked me to marry him, it came with a condition: I had to get a tubal ligation. We would adopt a child from an orphanage. Just as I was about to follow his plan and adopt a little girl named Carrie, text suddenly materialized in the air before me, like comments in a video stream. 【Congratulations to the supporting female character on officially becoming the sucker. Carrie is the male and female lead’s biological daughter.】 【Carrie will get rid of the villainess soon enough. Then all her money will belong to our happy family of three.】 【Serves her right. Who told her to use her stupid money to get in the way of true love!】 My breath hitched. I turned away from the sweet-faced girl and walked toward a child in the corner of the yard. She’d just been in a fight and was now coolly tying her shoelaces. The pop-ups started again. 【No, don’t pick her! That’s the ultimate boss villain of the future! She’s the one who’s destined to fight the main characters!】 【Is the evil villainess insane? I feel so helpless, I wish I could reach through the screen and slap her!】 Oh. But of course. A villainess and the ultimate boss villain… weren’t we destined to be a family? 1. On the way to the orphanage, Leo gave me the silent treatment. The scowl on his face only vanished when he saw the little girl, Carrie. Eager to please him, I hurried over to ask her if she’d like to be my daughter. “You bitch! You think you’re good enough to be my mom? I hate you!” I was completely taken aback. This little girl, who looked so clean and angelic, so out of place in these drab surroundings, had just kicked me as hard as she could. “Get away from me, you slut! Just go die already!” She’d put all her strength into it. A sharp, searing pain shot through my knee, and I stumbled, crashing hard onto the ground. She just smirked, then ran to Leo and hid behind his legs, her dark eyes peering out at me. “Who gave you permission to talk to Carrie? What if you scared her?” Leo’s voice was ice. His eyes were filled with nothing but disgust. “She’s just a kid, how hard can she kick? Are you putting on a show so I’ll feel sorry for you? Get up. And apologize to Carrie!” I was about to speak when the pop-up text flooded my vision again. 【Nice one, Carrie! Avenge your real mom! And congrats to our villainess on being the sucker. Carrie is the main couple’s biological kid.】 【Carrie will get rid of the villainess soon enough. Then all her money will belong to our happy family of three.】 【Serves her right. Who told her to use her stupid money to get in the way of true love!】 I couldn’t believe my eyes. Congratulations on being the sucker? Just then, Carrie started to make fake sobbing noises. Leo’s face darkened with rage. He strode over, yanked me roughly to my feet, and roared, “I told you to apologize! Didn’t you hear me?!” “I’ll count to three. If you don’t apologize, the wedding is off!” 2. He stared down at me, confident he had me completely under his thumb. The pop-ups cheered. 【Father and daughter, working together to get revenge for the female lead! This bitch stole her man and is about to steal her child, she deserves this!】 【So awesome! They’re standing up to her power. Just because the villainess is rich doesn’t mean she can walk all over our male lead.】 I swallowed my fury and pushed myself off the ground. “I’m the one paying for this adoption. I’m the one who was just insulted and knocked over. And now you expect me to suck up to this little monster?” “Leo, you don’t have to call off the wedding, because I’m calling it off myself. And as for Carrie, there is no way in hell I’m taking her.” The air went still. A moment later, Carrie was the first to break the silence, screeching, “No! I don’t want to stay here and have the other kids call me an orphan! No!” “I want to eat steak and lobster! Not the boiled cabbage they serve here! And I don’t want to live in a gross dorm with those other kids, it stinks!” Leo’s eyes were wide, his chest heaving. But he quickly recovered, a cynical sneer twisting his lips. “Clara, don’t forget, you’ve already had the sterilization procedure. The one that can’t be reversed. You love children, don’t you? If you don’t adopt, you’ll never be a mother.” He softened his tone, trying a different tactic. “I know you’re just upset that I didn’t defend you. Carrie was rude, I’ll admit. But why are you holding a grudge against a child?” “Look at the other kids here. They all look so dull. Who can compare to Carrie? A little mischief just means she’s smart. Come on, honey, let’s just get the paperwork done. We can talk about everything else when we get home.” But my expression didn’t change. He reached for me, and I slapped his hand away. “I’ll say it one more time. Our engagement is over. If you want this girl so badly, you can adopt her yourself.” I walked over to the corner of the yard, to the little girl who had just finished her fight and was now calmly tying her shoes. I’d been watching her for a while. She had been quietly building a little house out of blocks when a group of other kids had deliberately run over and kicked it down. She hadn’t cried. She hadn’t screamed. She had simply launched herself at them, a silent, furious little whirlwind. I went to her, unwound the silk scarf from my neck, and wrapped it around hers. My voice was gentle. “Would you like to come home with me? To be my daughter?” “I promise you, you will be the only child I ever have. I will give you all of my love.” The pop-ups went wild. 【No, don’t do it! That’s the ultimate boss villain of the future! She’s the one who’s destined to fight the main characters!】 【Is the evil villainess insane? I feel so helpless, I wish I could reach through the screen and slap her!】 The girl stared at me, her dark eyes unblinking. As the warmth of the scarf seeped into her skin, her small body gave a slight tremble. “Okay,” she said, her voice raspy. Since I could no longer be a biological mother, I would be the best adoptive mother I could possibly be. 3. The director told me the girl’s name was Quinn. Her parents had sent her to the orphanage at age three, right after her little brother was born. “Quinn. It’s a strong name. I like it,” I said with a smile. The little girl looked up at me, then pouted. “It’s not a good name. They just picked it. It means nothing. Like a weed.” One of the boys she’d fought with earlier saw his chance. He snuck up behind her and shoved her hard, sending her sprawling. “Quinn looks like a weed, too!” he taunted. “Her hair looks like a dog chewed on it! It’s so ugly! Freak!” I finally noticed her hair. It looked like she’d cut it herself with a pair of blunt scissors—uneven, choppy, and shorter than a boy’s. “That’s because you spit bubblegum in my hair! I couldn’t get it out!” Quinn shot me a quick, embarrassed glance, then scrambled to her feet, her jaw set. Her palms were scraped raw, but she ignored the pain, ready to charge back into the fight. “Quinn!” I grabbed her, holding her back. For such a small thing, she was surprisingly strong. I stepped in front of her and fixed the boy with an icy stare. “My Quinn is the most beautiful girl in the world. As for you, what kind of big man bullies a girl? Apologize to her. Now.” The boy flinched under my gaze but stood his ground stubbornly. “You won’t? Fine. I’ll just have a word with the director. I’m sure she’d be happy to cancel your lunch today.” “No, no! Okay, I’m sorry! Quinn, I’m sorry, it was my fault!” He looked like he was about to cry, gave a half-hearted bow, and scurried away. I turned back to Quinn, smiling as I gently pinched her cheek. “Such a pretty face. It would be a shame to get it all scratched up in a fight. From now on, if anyone bullies you, you tell me. I’ll be in your corner.” “Come on. Let’s get some antiseptic for that hand. And when we get home, I’ll have a professional stylist give you a whole new look.” For a moment, her little body went rigid. She stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief, as I lifted her scraped palm to my lips and gently blew on it. I sent my assistant to handle the adoption paperwork and led Quinn to the car. Leo, finally snapping out of his shock, blocked our path with Carrie in tow. “Clara, are you serious? You’re actually adopting… this thing?” Quinn might be young, but she was sharp. At his words, she bristled like a wounded animal, baring her teeth at him. If I hadn’t been holding her tight, I think she might have launched herself at him like a tiny missile. “Quinn is adorable and so well-behaved. Of course I’m taking her home.” I smiled sweetly, stroking Quinn’s choppy hair and deliberately raising my voice. “After all, I have so many maids and chefs at the villa. We’ll get Quinn fattened up in no time. Oh, and of course, every girl loves fashion. I’ll have to set up a walk-in closet just for her.” Carrie, though just a child, looked like she was about to explode with jealousy. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of parents had raised her to be this way. “You’ll regret this, Clara,” Leo snarled, shoving past me. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done today.” He stormed off with Carrie to handle her adoption himself, since his plan had failed. What a joke. As Leo dragged her away, Carrie kept looking back over her shoulder, her eyes fixed on me as I lifted Quinn into the back of the Rolls-Royce. “Ready, Quinn?” I said, buckling her in. “Our amazing new life starts now!” 4. Back at the villa, I had Quinn take a long bath, and then we went downstairs in our pajamas to enjoy a nutritional meal specially designed for children by my private chef. I was worried she might be a picky eater, but she wasn’t at all. She ate with gusto, her appetite amazing. After dinner, we took a walk in the garden to aid digestion, and then I took her up to her new room. I had originally decorated it for Carrie, a pink-themed princess fantasy. It had several massive wardrobes and no fewer than ten jewelry boxes already filled with accessories. A pastry chef I’d hired from France wheeled in a cart laden with exquisite desserts. Quinn’s jaw dropped the moment she walked in and it didn’t close. “The bed is so big!” Droplets of water from her damp hair trickled down her neck as she let out a whoop of joy and launched herself onto the massive bed, rolling around gleefully. The maids smiled fondly. The new young miss was captivated by a big bed, unaware that any single dress hanging in the closet was a one-of-a-kind original, worth thousands of dollars. On the drive home, I’d had my people investigate Carrie’s background. The so-called “female lead” was none other than Anna, the daughter of a woman who had once worked as a maid in my house. Back in high school, her mother had begged me to let Anna live with us, claiming their apartment was too far from school. I was lonely, so I happily agreed. She ate with me, lived with me, and I treated her like a sister. I thought she was my best friend. I told her everything, including my secret crush on Leo. I never imagined that she was going behind my back, pursuing him herself. The two of them saw me as nothing more than a spoiled rich girl throwing my money around, and they plotted to have their own child inherit my entire fortune. The pop-ups started scrolling again. 【So what if a young couple in love has a baby? This isn’t the dark ages. If Clara really loved the male lead, she should accept every part of him.】 【Um, upstairs, what they did was seriously messed up. Having a kid is fine, but tricking someone else into raising it for you? That’s just scummy.】 【Yeah, the morality in this story is getting weird. This is supposed to be a revenge plot? Looks more like a family of ungrateful parasites to me.】 My chest felt tight. I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. If I remembered correctly, Anna’s mother had been fired for theft. There was even evidence that Anna had been involved, but I’d still given her a substantial amount of money to help her start a new life. “Anna,” I whispered, my fingers trembling as I stared at the phantom text. “Why would you, of all people, stab me in the back? How could you do this?” “Where is this person?” Quinn was standing right behind me. She looked up, her eyes glinting with a coldness that didn’t belong in a child so young. “The people who bully you… I want them all to die.” She was so small and thin from years of malnutrition, she couldn’t have weighed more than a feather. And yet, this tiny child reached up and caught a tear as it slid down my cheek. “You’re crying. Tell me where she is.” 5. In that single moment, I knew I would do anything for her. I knelt and pulled her into a fierce hug. “Honey, from now on, it’s just you and me against the world. We’re going to live beautiful lives. We’re going to be happy.” Quinn was six but had never been to school. I immediately had my assistant find the best one for her. To ensure the staff and teachers would take extra good care of her, I simply donated a new building to the campus. I had the money, after all. And within my power, I would make sure my daughter got the very best of everything. Unfortunately, on her first day, I spotted Leo in the main auditorium, holding Carrie’s hand. He’d siphoned off a lot of money from me over the years, so he could maintain his lavish lifestyle for a while longer. “Well, well. It seems fate just loves to bring us together.” Our eyes met. Leo smirked at me, his chin held high. “I heard some big shot invested a fortune in this school for their kid this year. They even renovated the entire cafeteria. Aren’t you afraid of bringing… that… in here? What if she offends someone important?” Leo and Anna knew I was rich, but they had no idea that my family owned nearly every major commercial property in this city. They thought I was just new money. I smiled sweetly. “I was feeling pretty good about this school, but seeing you here makes me have second thoughts. The admission standards seem a little lax. They’re letting just anyone in these days.” “By the way, Leo,” I added, my voice dripping with innocence, “that little Carrie looks an awful lot like you. And you seem so fond of her. You two aren’t actually father and daughter, are you?”

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1 My best friend, Abby, mailed me a rib she’d had removed during weight-loss surgery. She wanted me to make a bone broth with it, and she insisted I record a video of myself drinking it. The thought of it turned my stomach. I posted anonymously online, asking for advice. An anonymous account replied. 「Don’t drink it. It’s a bone-swapping curse. She’s trying to trade lives with you!」 An idea sparked. I went to the butcher, bought some beef ribs, and simmered them into a rich soup. I filmed myself drinking it for Abby. Then I took the rib she sent me and tossed it into the feeding trough at a pig farm. The next day, I went back to check. The sow, nursing five piglets, stared at me with eyes full of venomous resentment. … 「Clara, this is the rib I had them take out for you during my surgery. You have to make a soup with it, and don’t forget to send me a video, okay?~」 The message from my best friend, Abby, ended with a smiling emoji. A moment later, a package from a local courier arrived. I opened it. Inside were two ribs, cut clean by some sharp instrument. One was still stained with blood. A wave of nausea hit me, and I shoved the box away. Two weeks ago, Abby had complained about her weight and announced she was getting full-body liposuction. I gently advised her to think it over, warning her about the risks. I never imagined she’d not only go through with it but also have two of her ribs removed. I took a moment to compose myself, then texted her back. 「Are you insane? You want me to make soup with your rib?!」 「If you want to drink it, drink it yourself! I’m not doing it!」 The moment I hit send, my phone rang. The sound was shrill and insistent, like an alarm in the dead of night. Abby’s smiling face flashed on the screen, and for a long moment, I couldn’t bring myself to answer. On the sixth call, my boyfriend, Leo, suddenly appeared behind me. “Clara, what are you doing? Why aren’t you answering your phone?” he murmured. I froze, about to stop him, but it was too late. He’d already pressed the answer key. I snatched the phone and retreated to the balcony. Before I could say a word, Abby’s cloyingly sweet voice drifted from the receiver. “Clara, didn’t we just talk about this a couple of days ago? We promised to be best friends forever!” “This is a special ritual just for us. If you drink the soup, our wish will come true!” The hairs on my arms stood on end. I hadn’t seen Abby in two months. We’d been so busy with work we hadn’t even spoken in a week. What “couple of days ago”? The last time we’d talked was when she congratulated me on my “dumb luck” for landing a rich boyfriend like Leo. The more I thought about it, the more wrong it felt. I used an anonymous account to post on a forum. 「My best friend wants me to make soup with her rib and send her a video. Is this normal?」 Replies flooded in almost immediately. 「OP, can you actually stomach that? Because I definitely couldn’t.」 「I’ve heard of psycho boyfriends, but a psycho best friend is a new one. Is this just for clicks?」 「Yeah, I love a good twisted story, but if this happened in real life, I’d be shaking.」 Amid the jokes and shock, one anonymous account stood out. It had posted three comments in a row. 「Don’t listen to her! It’s a bone-swapping curse. Your friend is trying to trade lives with you!」 「If you do what she says, your fate and your body will be exchanged with hers!」 「Get rid of the ribs immediately. But you can’t just throw them away, or the curse will backfire on you. Find a living creature to take it for you!」 I stared at the comments, a cold sweat breaking out on my skin. Abby and I had been friends since we were kids. We went to the same university. We’d always promised that whoever got married first, the other would be the maid of honor. Our kids would be best friends, too. How could she possibly want to harm me? But the voice on the phone… it was definitely Abby. As I stared at my phone, lost in thought, Leo walked out of the kitchen holding a bowl of soup. “You said you were hungry, right?” he said softly, setting the bowl in front of me. “I saw the ribs you bought and made a broth. Eat it while it’s hot.” He scooped up a spoonful of the glistening broth and brought it toward my lips. My eyes fell on the two familiar-looking ribs in the bowl. I flinched, instinctively shoving his hand away. The hot liquid splashed across the floor. Leo’s expression soured. “Clara, what’s wrong with you? You almost burned me.” Seeing the anger in his eyes, I quickly made an excuse. “You know I can’t drink meat broth without white pepper.” “And we’re all out. Could you run down to the convenience store and grab some?” For some reason, I had a nagging feeling that something was off about Leo. He was the kind of guy who wouldn’t even make instant noodles for himself, always ordering delivery. For him to be making soup this late at night was completely out of character. Was he in on this with Abby? My excuse seemed to work. His face softened, and he pulled out his phone to order a delivery. I quickly put on a disappointed look, wrapping my arms around his. “The store is right downstairs,” I pouted. “You’ll be back in ten minutes. If we order delivery, it’ll take at least half an hour. The soup will be cold by then.” He sighed, unable to refuse. As soon as he was out the door, I poured the hot rib soup into a thermos and hid it. Then, I took out the leftover beef ribs from last night’s dinner, carefully selected two small ones, and simmered them in a fresh pot of water. I poured the new broth into the bowl Leo had used. The beef ribs glistened with fat, looking almost identical to the ones Abby had sent. Leo was back in less than ten minutes. He was out of breath, as if he’d been rushing. I pretended not to notice, took the pepper with a smile, and sprinkled it into my soup. While I drank, I recorded a video for Abby. “Abby, Leo made the soup for me. I’m drinking it now!” I had Leo hold the phone as I tilted my head back and finished the entire bowl. Then I made sure to praise his cooking skills. Maybe it was my imagination, but Leo seemed to let out a small sigh of relief when I was done. A minute after I sent the video, Abby replied with a cute emoji. She hadn’t suspected a thing. Leo left soon after, and I finally let myself relax. I retrieved the thermos and fished out the two bones. They had been steeping in the broth for hours, and their color had changed. One of them had taken on a grayish-blue tint, as if it had been cut from a long-dead skeleton. Suddenly, a wild idea took hold of me. The next morning, I took the thermos of soup and bones to a pig farm on the outskirts of the city. The owner was a distant relative, a place I used to visit as a child. In one of the pens, a massive sow was lazing in the sun, a litter of pink piglets nursing at her belly. My uncle, Ben, saw me staring. “Don’t you recognize her?” he chuckled. “That’s the little piglet you used to feed all the time. She’s a mother now.” He scratched his head. “She’s been acting a bit strange lately, though. Always keeps her head down, gives you this weird side-eye. It’s creepy.” It took me a second to process what he’d said. I quickly urged him, “Uncle Ben, you go on with your work. I’ll feed her for you today.” He nodded and handed me a bucket of feed. As soon as he was gone, I pulled the thermos from my bag and started to pour the soup into the stone feeding trough. The sow, who had been dozing, suddenly snapped her beady black eyes open and stared right at me. A shiver ran down my spine. My hand trembled, and the soup and bones tumbled into the trough together. The sow went berserk. She scrambled to her feet and lunged at the trough, slurping down the soup with frantic, grunting noises. She even crunched the two bones to splinters and swallowed them, like a starving demon. The sound of the cracking bones made my skin crawl. I was about to leave when the sow let out a strange, low whimper from behind me. It didn’t sound like a pig. It sounded like a human sigh. Goosebumps erupted all over my body. I whipped my head around. The sow, which had been on all fours, was now standing on her hind legs, her front hooves off the ground. Her eyes held a look of pure, venomous resentment. I screamed and stumbled backward, falling to the ground. Ben heard the noise and rushed over, helping me up. “Clara, what is it? You look pale as a ghost.” I swallowed hard, my voice shaking. “Uncle Ben… that… that sow… something’s wrong with her…” I pointed toward the pen. But the sow was back on all fours, casually munching on her feed as if nothing had happened. It was like I had imagined the whole thing. In a daze, I noticed my phone had over a dozen missed calls and a flood of unread messages, all from Abby. 「Clara, did you drink the soup or not? Why doesn’t it look like my rib in the video?」 「Tell me the truth. Did you switch the bones?」 「Clara, you dare lie to me!」 As I wondered how to reply, a call from an unknown number came through. I answered. All I could hear at first was heavy, labored breathing. Then, Abby’s voice, seething with rage. “Clara, you fed my rib to a pig? How could you…” The line went dead. Immediately, my phone rang again. It was Leo. “Clara, where are you? I need to talk to you, it’s urgent!” Hearing the panic in his voice, I knew for sure he was involved. There was no other reason for him to be this desperate to find me. I cut him off with a cold laugh. “Leo, I’ve been thinking, and this isn’t working out. Let’s break up.” “Don’t ever contact me again.” I hung up before he could respond. I didn’t know what his connection to Abby was, but I figured if I stayed away from both of them, they couldn’t hurt me. But when I checked my home security feed on my phone, I saw Leo using a locksmith to pry open my apartment door. I couldn’t go back there. I checked into a hotel for the night, deciding to figure out my next move in the morning. I couldn’t sleep. At two in the morning, my phone started buzzing wildly. It was a video call from Abby. After a long hesitation, I answered. The face on the screen was a complete stranger, yet I could vaguely make out Abby’s features. Her cheekbones were unnaturally high, her eyes were long, narrow, and slanted upwards, and a grotesque smile was plastered on her face. “Guess where I am…” The camera spun around. It was a pigpen. In the moonlight, I could see Uncle Ben’s old sow undergoing a horrific transformation. Its snout was shrinking, its eyes were moving down and growing larger. A human face was beginning to emerge from the pig’s head. And then the creature, not quite human, not quite pig, opened its mouth and spoke in Abby’s sickly sweet voice. “Clara, we promised, remember? Best friends forever. Why did you break your promise…?” A tidal wave of terror washed over me. The phone slipped from my hand and clattered to the floor, ending the call. A crash of thunder rattled the window. A storm had rolled in. I was grateful I wasn’t at home. This was a horror movie come to life. Just as I let out a breath of relief, a notification popped up on my phone. It was from the couples app Leo and I used, which tracked our proximity to each other. 「Your distance from your partner is now 5km… 3km… 900m…」 My blood ran cold. How did he know where I was? Did he put a tracker on my phone? I did a quick check, but found nothing. Then, a frantic knocking echoed from my hotel room door. Was it Leo? But the app said he was still three hundred meters away. A strange, melodic voice called from the other side of the door. “Clara, it’s me, your best friend Abby… open the door…” The voice was a horrifying mix of Abby’s and something animalistic. Goosebumps prickled my skin. I slid down the door, my back pressed against the wood, my hand clamped over my mouth to stifle a scream. My hands shaking, I fumbled for my phone to call the police. Just then, a message came through from Uncle Ben. 「Clara, where are you? Something’s happened at the farm! The old sow… she’s talking! She keeps calling your name. It’s terrifying. I’ve called the cops, do you want to come see?」 But the thing that was—or wasn’t—Abby was still outside my door. Hearing my silence, it began to claw at the wood, a high, piercing screech that set my teeth on edge. My phone buzzed again. It was Ben. 「The sow is getting worse. The police don’t know what to do. It’s speaking in full sentences now, says it’s going to get even with you. Clara, did you mess with something you shouldn’t have?」 Before I could reply, the thing outside spoke again. “Clara, I know you’re in there… why won’t you open the door?” Then, its voice dropped, becoming a gravelly, unfamiliar snarl. “Did you think you could hide from me? You can’t escape the swap…” Suddenly, there was a scraping sound at the window. I whipped my head around. A dark silhouette was climbing up the side of the building, its shape visible against the rain-streaked glass. My blood turned to ice. It wasn’t the shape of a person. And the voice outside my door hadn’t sounded like Abby anymore, either. Who were they? Trapped, I didn’t know what to do. My phone screen lit up. It was a new message from the anonymous account on the forum.

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In Port Sterling, everyone knew the story of the old Kingpin of Cards: two wives, two daughters. My mother came from the graceful, old-money Ashworths; Vivian’s mother was all fire and audacity. Vivian and I were oil and water from the start. She thrived in glittering galas and gritty corners alike—a natural at the tables, adored by all. Except Johnny Thorne. He saw only me, whispering, “Sera, you’re the only one who matters.” Vivian took it as war. She raided his casinos; their battle for dominance was fierce. It ended when Johnny inherited my father’s crown as the new Kingpin. I thought we’d won. Then the Ashworth fortune was seized—my mother’s dowry, her heirlooms, all gone to auction. I burst into Johnny’s room and found him with Vivian, tangled in the sheets. “If your wife knew you ruined the Ashworths,” Vivian purred, “would she still have you?” The truth shattered me. Johnny met my devastation with a cold smile. “Since you know,” he said, “play by the city’s rules. Want your mother’s legacy back? Take a seat at the table.” 1 I swayed, my vision blurring at the edges, and nearly collapsed. I dug my nails into my thigh, the sharp pain a brutal anchor to reality. This wasn’t a nightmare. The man who had whispered declarations of love to me just last night had shed his skin, revealing the monster beneath. “Pfft. A good little girl like my sister has probably never even touched a deck of cards. Does she even know how many suits there are?” Vivian chuckled, covering her crimson lips with a delicate hand. She rose from the bed, shrugging on a silk robe. Her pale skin was a canvas of angry red marks from their passion. A wave of nausea churned in my stomach. Johnny had always been so gentle with me, almost hesitant in our intimacy. “Sera, you’re too perfect,” he would murmur, holding me close. “I’m afraid I’ll break you.” It turned out he was just saving his real passion for someone else. Johnny said nothing. He let Vivian settle onto his lap, lighting a cigar for her and then taking it from her lips with his own in a gesture of sickening intimacy. The last ember of hope in my heart turned to ash. I took a deep, shuddering breath. “Fine. I agree. Let’s play.” Vivian’s eyes widened for a second, then she burst into laughter. “This is priceless! Absolutely priceless! I never thought I’d live to see the day our precious Miss Ashworth sits down at a gambling table. Johnny, darling, you promised me a fun night. This is going to be spectacular.” Johnny’s hand was still resting on her waist. My words seemed to startle him, too. He glanced at me, his fingers tightening on her hip. “Alright. Anything you want.” He finally stood and walked toward me, his face a mask of feigned pity. “Sera, you always make things so difficult. Is it really that hard to just learn to submit?” I met his gaze, my own eyes cold as ice. “Let’s not waste any more time. Let’s go.” But as I turned, a single, traitorous tear escaped and traced a hot path down my cheek. The elevator descended, a silent drop into the city’s glittering, gold-plated heart of darkness three floors below ground. As the doors slid open, a wall of noise hit me—cheers, shouts, the clatter of chips. A few of the old crew saw me and faltered. “Miss Seraphina? Johnny isn’t here today…” These were my father’s men once, before they pledged their loyalty to Johnny. They had always treated me with a fawning respect, calling me “Miss Seraphina” or “the boss’s lady.” Then the elevator doors opened again. Vivian walked out, clinging to Johnny’s arm without a shred of shame. A hush fell over the room for a heartbeat. Then, I heard a collective sigh of relief. “Well, you should have just said! We were trying to cover for you guys.” They swarmed Vivian, laughing and joking, their camaraderie disgustingly familiar. My eyes burned again. Everyone knew. I was the only fool left in the dark. Vivian, a cigarette dangling from her lips, shot me a sultry, victorious look. “My dear sister is joining us at the table tonight, everyone. Be sure to treat her well.” The whispers started immediately. “No way. Seraphina Ashworth? At a card table?” “You haven’t heard? The Ashworths got slammed these past two months. Johnny taught them a lesson for always siding against Vivian. He’s just defending his girl’s honor.” My nails dug into my palms. My grandfather, my uncle, my cousin—they had always adored my mother and me. They never hid their contempt for the second family, and business clashes were frequent. But to think Johnny would dismantle my entire family’s legacy… just to appease Vivian… It was only then, with everyone watching, that Johnny finally addressed me directly. “Sera, the rules of this city are simple. Once you sit at the table, you can’t walk away. Are you sure you want to do this?” A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Those things on that auction block are mine. I’m walking out of here with them tonight.” Vivian sauntered over. “So, what’s it going to be? Poker? Blackjack? Let’s not say I’m bullying you. How about something simple… Mahjong?” A smirk played on Johnny’s lips. He wasn’t even trying to hide his contempt. After all, I probably didn’t even know how many tiles were in a Mahjong set. But after a moment of silence, I lifted my chin. “Fine. Mahjong it is.” 2 The room erupted. “Is she insane? Everyone in Port Sterling knows Vivian is a Mahjong prodigy! That tile-reading technique of hers was taught by the old Kingpin himself. I’ve never won a single game against her!” “They always said the Ashworths were too high and mighty for us common folk. I can’t believe Seraphina actually has the guts to play.” “What do you know? A fight between two women over one man is the best kind of show. Looks like the new Kingpin has the same tastes as the old one—wants the pleasure of having both! Hahaha!” The crude remarks washed over me, but I didn’t care. After I agreed, Vivian’s smile widened, while Johnny’s face hardened. But she ignored him, her voice ringing with excitement. “Well, now! It’s me, my sister, and Johnny. We’re short one player. Who wants in?” Hands shot up across the room, but Vivian, as if by design, chose Carter Vance—a man known throughout the city for his predatory habits and wandering hands. As Carter sat down, he leaned in close, his breath hot on my ear. “Miss Seraphina, you just ask me nicely, and I’ll be sure to feed you some good tiles.” I turned away in disgust. The table was set up in an instant, and we became the center of the universe. Every other game in the casino stopped. The entire floor crowded around to watch the spectacle. Johnny clapped his hands, and a sneer touched his lips. Several security guards in black suits wheeled in a series of display carts. As the velvet cloths were whipped away, the brilliant fire of jewels lit up the faces of the onlookers. A lump formed in my throat. It was all there. My mother’s dowry. Vivian’s eyes gleamed with avarice. “My, what a lovely collection. I’ll have to play my best tonight. Win all these little trinkets to give to my maids to play with.” Her words were a deliberate provocation, a poisoned dart aimed straight at my heart. The room went quiet. It was common knowledge in Port Sterling that Vivian’s mother had started out as nothing more than a maid in my mother’s household. She was slapping me in the face. Under Johnny’s watchful eye, the dealer approached, his hands trembling slightly. “Ladies and gentlemen, the stakes for each round will be settled individually. For this first round, Mr. Thorne has offered ‘The Tear of the Pacific,’ a 22-carat Kashmir sapphire ring.” “We will now roll the dice to determine the dealer.” My breath caught. I couldn’t tear my eyes from the ring glittering on the velvet stand. It had been my mother’s favorite. I clenched my fists, my knuckles white. My hand shook as I cast the dice. They tumbled across the felt, landing on a paltry six. I lowered my head in defeat. Vivian rolled next, a triumphant twelve. She let out a low whistle. “Ooh, I like that ring. It’ll look fabulous on my little Lumi at home. Excellent taste, Johnny. In that case, I’ll put up the deed to my West End estate.” Gasps rippled through the crowd. She had snatched that piece of land from Johnny at the beginning of the year, a move that had left him fuming for weeks. I saw Johnny let out a small, indulgent chuckle. Vivian shot him a flirtatious wink. They were flirting right in front of me. “Sister, what about you?” Vivian’s voice was syrupy sweet. “I remember that magnificent Starfall Tiara you have. How about that?” My head snapped up. The Starfall Tiara. It was my wedding gift from Johnny, studded with 108 flawless South Sea pearls. Its debut had dominated the headlines of every newspaper in the city for a week. It was the proof that Johnny had once loved me. I gritted my teeth. “Fine. The tiara.” My palms were slick with sweat. My hands felt clumsy and foreign as I drew my tiles. I kept thirteen of them face down, trying to push them forward with a flourish like I’d seen others do, but I fumbled. Tiles scattered, two of them clattering to the floor. The crowd roared with laughter. “Is she here for comic relief?” Even Vivian couldn’t suppress a smirk. But it was like I was underwater; I couldn’t hear a thing. Compared to the effortless confidence of Vivian and Johnny, I was a clown. I shakily discarded a few tiles. “One of Bamboo. Pong,” Johnny declared, his voice flat. The next second, Vivian’s voice rang out, giddy with excitement. “Four of Characters. Kong.” A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead. Then came the voice I had been dreading. “Dealer’s self-drawn win,” Vivian announced, her voice dripping with triumph. “I win. Sister, your Starfall Tiara is mine now.” 3 The first round ended with Vivian’s complete victory. My face was ashen. I sat there, head bowed, feeling the weight of a hundred pairs of eyes on me. Johnny, seated to my left, leaned over slightly. “Sera, it’s not too late to walk away.” I whipped my head around to face him, my jaw tight. “No. We continue.” His expression hardened, and he let out a cold snort. Vivian tugged on his sleeve, cooing like a spoiled child. “It’s all thanks to you, darling, feeding me all the right tiles. Are we being too mean to my poor sister?” Johnny sneered. “She’s the great Miss Ashworth. She can take it.” The dealer brought the sapphire ring to Vivian. She played with it for a moment, admiring the sparkle, then casually tossed it over her shoulder. It landed with a soft plink in a bystander’s champagne flute. “It’s not that impressive up close. Nothing special.” I stared at her, my body rigid with fury, and tried to stand. Two of Johnny’s guards immediately stepped forward, their hands on my shoulders, forcing me back into my seat. Vivian leaned in, her voice a venomous whisper only I could hear. “You and your mother, always so high and mighty. The way you used to look down on us… it made me sick. Second round, Seraphina. Do you still have the nerve to play?” I heard my own voice, thin and reedy. “Again.” Vivian snapped her fingers. “Second round, I’m betting my Rosewood Manor. And sister, look over there. Isn’t that your mother’s favorite pink diamond necklace on the display stand?” I was silent for a long moment. “I’m in,” I said, my voice hoarse. “The Oceanview Penthouse at Marina Bay.” When we were eighteen, Vivian had wheedled a new house out of our father. Not to be outdone, Johnny had made a grand spectacle of buying me the Marina Bay penthouse. “Sera,” he had said then, his eyes full of adoration, “anything she has, you will have better.” I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. The second round began. Vivian was practically glowing with confidence. Johnny, still seated to her right, was now openly feeding her winning tiles. “Three of Bamboo…” I discarded. “Pong!” Vivian’s voice was sharp and clear. She discarded a tile with a triumphant smirk. “Your turn, sister. Try to keep your tiles on the table this time.” A wave of suppressed snickers went through the crowd. I pressed my lips into a thin line, my fingers stiff as I drew a new tile. I knew they were ganging up on me. I knew my chances were nonexistent. But I couldn’t back down. I wouldn’t. My hand was a chaotic mess, a jumble of useless tiles. Every time I tried to build a sequence, Johnny would discard the one tile that blocked me. The moment I was waiting for a single tile to win, Vivian would claim it, holding it back as if she could see right through my hand. “Oh, my. I’ve been waiting for this Red Dragon for ages,” Vivian chirped, taking the tile Johnny had just discarded. “Kong!” She gracefully drew a replacement tile from the end of the wall, her thumb stroking its surface for a fraction of a second. Her smile bloomed into a radiant grin as she slammed the tile onto the table. “A win off the replacement tile! A pure straight flush! So sorry, sister. I’ve won again!” Her voice, laced with pure, unadulterated glee, echoed in my ears. A roaring filled my head, and my vision swam. Lost. I had lost again. The Marina Bay penthouse… another monument to his false promises, now another trophy for Vivian. The dealer presented the deed and the keys to her. She held them up to the light, inspecting them for a moment before casually tossing them to one of her cronies. “Here, it’s yours. Weren’t you saying you liked the place? Go on, take your little models there for a party.” The man bowed and scraped. “Thank you, Miss Vivian! You’re too generous!” He even had the gall to jangle the keys in my direction. I felt the blood freeze in my veins. Vivian leaned across the table. “You see, sister? Everything you cherish is worthless to me. Your man, your possessions… if I want them, I take them. So, shall we play a third round? What else do you have left to bet? Oh, I know. Your mother’s favorite antique pearl tiara is still sitting on that display stand…” Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Under the weight of every gaze in the room, I heard my own trembling voice. “Continue.” 4 Vivian let out a peal of laughter and draped herself over Johnny. “Did you hear that, darling? She wants to keep going. Don’t you dare say I’m bullying her.” The muffled laughter in the room grew louder. “Just give it up, Miss Ashworth. You can’t beat them.” “Vivian and Johnny together? No one in Port Sterling could win against that pair.” Johnny finally looked at me, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. “Sera, enough is enough. If you keep this up, you’ll lose more than just your possessions.” I understood his threat. But at this point, I had no way out. “I said, continue.” The game went on. The stakes got higher and higher. I became just like every other crazed gambler who’d lost their senses at the table. No fatigue, no reason. “The Porsche.” “The villa at Silver Creek.” “The yacht.” “The trust fund.” “The company shares…” Every asset to my name became a chip on the table. One by one, they were brought out. And one by one, they were lost. Vivian and Johnny read my every move, anticipated my every play. No matter how hard I fought, it was useless. “Big Four Winds.” “Seven Pairs.” “Thirteen Wonders.” “You lose, sister.” “You lose.” “Seraphina, you’ve lost again.” I was numb. Vivian’s side of the table was overflowing with chips. My face was a pale mask as I discarded a Nine of Characters. “All terminals. Sorry, I win again.” My body went limp, and I sank back into my chair. I opened my mouth to say “again,” but the dealer stepped forward, his expression hesitant. “My apologies, Miss Seraphina, but you have no assets left to your name.” The buzzing of the crowd flooded my ears again. My hands and feet were ice. I didn’t know what to do. Instinctively, I looked at Johnny. For the last twenty years, he had been my guardian angel, my protector, always there when I needed him. But tonight, in my darkest hour, he was my opponent, the architect of my ruin. The spectators, sensing Johnny’s attitude toward me, grew bolder. “Out of cash, Miss Ashworth? How about you spend a night with me? I’ll lend you a million, how about it?” “I’ll offer two million! Come on, give me a night of fun, hahaha!” The filth washed over me. Vivian, drunk on her winning streak, was lounging against Johnny’s shoulder. “I’m getting a little tired of this. Let’s be sisters, just for a moment. I’ll give you a quick end. One final round. I’ll bet everything I’ve won from you so far. You in?” I met her eyes and slowly shook my head. “No. That’s not enough.” My gaze shifted, locking onto Johnny. “For the final hand, I’m betting on myself.” A collective gasp went through the room. “If I lose,” I announced, my voice clear and steady, “I, Seraphina Ashworth, will voluntarily renounce all rights to the family inheritance, leave with nothing, and…” I took a breath. “As you wish, I will get out of Port Sterling and never return. If you lose, I want everything I’ve lost back, and everything you both own.” The casino floor exploded. The stakes were astronomical. Johnny’s face went dark. Vivian frowned. “Are you insane?” But I was possessed by the fever of a true gambler. “Do you dare?” Vivian sneered. “Bet! Why wouldn’t I? Johnny, let’s play! Let’s make her lose so badly she’ll have no choice but to crawl out of this city for good!” I nodded slowly. With a loud clatter, Vivian pushed her mountain of chips to the center of the table. I pushed my single, symbolic chip forward. Our eyes met across the table. “All in.” The sound of dice rolling filled the air once more. I looked up, my voice ringing with newfound authority. “This time, I’m the dealer.” Shuffling. Building the walls. My movements were still not perfectly smooth, but this time, they did not tremble. Thirteen tiles lay securely before me, face down. Vivian was getting impatient. “Just give up if you can’t win.” I ignored her. Under the stunned gaze of every single person in the room, I slowly, one by one, turned my thirteen tiles face up. “A Heavenly Hand. The Thirteen Orphans. I win it all.” Johnny and Vivian shot to their feet as if electrocuted. “That’s impossible!”

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My favorite idol got canceled, and I was sobbing in an internet café. The hot guy next to me lost his game and ripped off his headset in frustration. “What the hell are you crying for? I’ll win the next round. I’ll be your man.” And just like that, I found myself nervously watching him play, terrified he’d lose. 1 This guy had a “player” face—sharp, aggressive, and dangerously handsome. He looked like trouble. I recognized him. Caleb Rivers, the heartthrob from the art school next door. Someone I would never cross paths with in a million years was now offering to be my man? Talk about a pie falling from the sky—and a sweet one at that! In the middle of the game, he “died” once. during the respawn countdown, he glanced sideways at me, his gaze lazy and tired. That look seemed to say: Relax, I’m definitely going to be your man. Finally, the screen flashed VICTORY. I got so excited I couldn’t help myself and grabbed his arm. “Bro, you won!” I realized how forward I was being as soon as I said it. But hey, I’m a sucker for good looks. A little lack of reserve is normal. The man leaned back in his chair, headset hanging loosely around his neck, his tone casual. “So, are we dating for real?” He said it with a smile, not quite a question, but not quite a statement either. “Wait… didn’t you say it?” My voice was timid, but inside, I was already cursing him out. Just then, four men in suits walked up behind us. They looked like bodyguards. The leader nodded slightly. “Mr. Rivers, if you’ve had enough fun, it’s time to go home.” “…” What is this? This vibe was giving “Domineering CEO drags his little wife home.” I couldn’t help but look at the guy next to me. Drop-dead gorgeous, but frowning with impatience. He turned to meet my gaze for half a second, then suddenly smirked. “Can’t I even say a few words to my girlfriend without you interfering?” “…” I blinked. He had already taken my hand. His palm was warm, sending a tingle straight to my racing heart. The bodyguard was clearly stunned. “Of course, sir. We wouldn’t dare.” “…” Caleb didn’t say another word. He just pulled me along and walked out. 2 Standing on the street corner, my thoughts slowly returned. My idol got canceled, but I got a boyfriend out of it? Thank you, cancel culture! Caleb let go of my hand, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it with his head tilted to the side. Smoke drifted from his pale hand. He had this undeniable bad-boy aura. “Crying that hard over a breakup?” he asked. I wanted to explain, but it felt unnecessary. “Have you always…” I swallowed, “liked me?” With a move like that, it was hard not to misunderstand. Caleb took a drag, chuckled lightly, and stubbed out the cigarette on a trash can. He didn’t say anything, which felt like a silent admission. He really had a secret crush on me! I felt a sudden pang of guilt. “I’ll take responsibility for you.” “…” I don’t know which part tickled his funny bone, but his shoulders shook with laughter, muscles flexing under his white tee. “Babe, you really are clueless.” He grabbed my hand again. “Hungry? Let’s get some food.” I hadn’t eaten much for lunch, so I was actually starving. On the way, we ran into a few of his friends. “Yo, Caleb, who’s this?” “You turned down Vanessa for this innocent little bunny?” “Where are your bodyguards? How come they aren’t tailing you today?” I’ve always been a well-behaved girl. Hearing these guys from a different crowd talking about me made my cheeks burn. Caleb’s tone was light. He took a cigarette offered by a friend and twirled it in his fingers. “Why would they follow me? To watch us hold hands? Or to watch us…” He didn’t finish because I slapped his shoulder in embarrassment. I guessed what he was going to say and glared at him. Caleb raised an eyebrow and gave me a meaningful smile. This scene caused the guys opposite us to hoot and holler. “Since when is Caleb whipped?” “…” Caleb didn’t linger. He laughed, cursed them out, and dragged me away. 3 We found a dessert shop. I have a serious sweet tooth. I took a bite of a waffle and peeked at him, only to lock eyes. He hadn’t touched his food. I quickly lowered my head. A few seconds later, I heard a faint chuckle by my ear. “Why are you blushing?” His voice was cool but laced with a smile that made my heart flutter. I wiped my hands. “Why do you keep staring at me?” “I’m looking at my own girlfriend. Got a problem with that?” My face turned even redder. I changed the subject. “Why do those bodyguards follow you?” He stirred his coffee absentmindedly. A few seconds later, he looked up at me lazily, clearly up to no good. “To be honest, babe, I’m sick.” “…” I stared at him, stunned. “What kind of sickness?” He didn’t answer directly, looking away. “I do like you, but I don’t want to hold you back. So maybe we should just…” His tone was pitiful. Paired with that handsome face, it triggered my savior complex instantly. In that moment, I was Mother Teresa. I put my hand over his. “Caleb Rivers, don’t worry. I won’t abandon you.” A flicker of stiffness crossed his brow, but then he laughed out loud and held my hand back. “Glad to hear it.” 4 The news of Caleb dating spread to every campus confession page by the next day. “Holy sht, my crush is taken?”* “Help! How does this girl compare to Vanessa? She looks like such a ‘pick-me’…” “…” The words “pick-me” kept replaying in my head. I was so mad I threw my phone. Just one photo and they decided I was a “pick-me” girl? “Summer, tell me, how did you hook Caleb?” My best friend, Lila, whispered, leaning in. I raised an eyebrow. “He confessed to me.” Silence. Lila laughed. “You think I’m stupid? Caleb just rejected the campus queen next door, and then confessed to you?” She switched to a fawning smile. “Get to know him better, introduce his friends to me. Keep the good stuff in the family.” “…” I brushed her off and went to find Caleb. The basketball court stands were packed with girls. Oh, and the four bodyguards standing on the sidelines. “Caleb, your girlfriend is here,” someone said. I looked in that direction. He was wearing a black tee and gray sweatpants, his features sharp and cold. He was wiping sweat with a towel. He was tall. He walked towards me, towel in hand, the muscles in his neck and shoulders on full display. “What’s up?” His tone was casual. I lowered my head. They called me a “pick-me,” right? Fine, I’ll show them a pick-me. Without thinking, I hugged him. 5 Boys hooted around us, enjoying the drama. A girl in the stands stood up and left. His waist was really firm. My ears burned, and I couldn’t focus on anything else. I looked up at him and saw his Adam’s apple bob slowly. Caleb looked down, his hand resting on my waist. “Don’t start. I’m sweaty.” I shook my head, looking aggrieved, forcing tears into my eyes. “They called me a pick-me.” Caleb looked uncomfortable and clicked his tongue. “How did I end up with such a crybaby girlfriend?” Suddenly, a basketball flew from the next court. I instinctively shrank into his arms. He raised a hand and intercepted the ball effortlessly. Frowning, his tone unchanged: “Who called you that?” That move was so hot I was dazed. “Just… online.” Caleb nodded. “Got it.” “…” That’s it? I poked his wrist. “Lunch together?” Caleb didn’t speak. His gaze remained calm. He glanced behind me, his voice lazy. “Sure.” After he showered, he naturally took my hand. He looked at the bodyguards nearby. “We’re going on a date. You coming too?” The leader hesitated for a few seconds, then shook his head.

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While at work, I suddenly received an anonymous text. The sender asked if I would sell them my phone. If I refused, the consequences would be severe. I thought it was a scam and deleted the message without a second thought. But at lunch, a greedy coworker stole a drumstick from my DoorDash order, and he died on the spot. We thought it was food poisoning. But the doctor frowned and said: “Call the police.” “Cyanide poisoning. This was a murder attempt.” 1 “Can you describe exactly what happened at the time?” After the police arrived, they took the case very seriously. Homicide is no joke. I started to recount the events: “It was just like any other day. I grabbed my lunch delivery, but my boss suddenly asked me to run a file upstairs.” “So I left the food on my desk.” “My coworker got hungry and stole a drumstick from the box. And then…” The detective nodded. “Matches what we saw on the security footage.” “Our current assessment is that the target was you. Your coworker was just collateral damage.” “Think carefully. Have you offended anyone recently?” I shook my head. “I’m just a corporate drone. Who would I offend?” “At most, I argue with my boss about project proposals.” Hearing this, my boss standing nearby jumped in, terrified: “Officer, that’s normal work discussion! I wouldn’t poison someone over that! It’s not even my company!” The detective smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry. You were in your office the whole time. You had no opportunity to poison the food, so you’ve been cleared.” He turned back to me. “Think harder. Any conflicts of interest that might have happened unintentionally?” Suddenly, I remembered the anonymous text from that morning. I showed it to the detective. He frowned. “It’s highly likely this is the person responsible. But why do they want your phone?” I shook my head. “I have no idea.” The detective thought for a moment. “Come with me to the station. We need to check if there’s anything on your phone.” I spent the entire afternoon at the police station, but we found nothing. Photos, videos, chat history—everything was normal. What was the trigger that made someone want to kill me? With no leads, the police had to let me go home, advising me to be careful. As for food, they arranged for someone to deliver meals to me to prevent another poisoning attempt. That gave me some peace of mind. Back home, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, trying to figure out how to solve this. The police had traced the number—it was a virtual number, unregistered. The location couldn’t be tracked either. All I knew was that until they got my phone, I was in danger. Of course, I couldn’t just destroy the phone. That might provoke them further. I picked up the phone and looked through it again. Nothing stood out. Was it like in the movies? Was there a microchip of drugs hidden inside? I examined the phone. It was a foldable, ultra-thin model. Even if there were drugs inside… How much could there be? A few grams? Surely not enough to justify poisoning someone! Unless they were crazy. I felt there must be something else in the phone that made them so desperate. Exhausted by fear, I eventually drifted off to sleep. Until a knock on the door woke me up. A voice called from outside: “Hello, I’m with the police department. Delivering your dinner.” I groggily moved to open the door, but something felt off. I looked through the peephole. The person was wearing a police uniform. But he announced himself as a police officer. Why was he alone? Don’t officers always work in pairs? 2 “Just leave it at the door! I’m in the bathroom!” I shouted from the direction of the bathroom. The voice came again: “I have some questions I need to go over with you. Just open the door when you’re done.” My heart sank. This guy was planning to come in! Logically, if they needed to contact me, they wouldn’t wait for meal delivery time. Detective Hu, who was handling my case, had my number. He could call anytime. Plus, when I left the station, everyone was busy. They wouldn’t have time to personally deliver food. It would likely be a cafeteria worker or an auxiliary officer. I went back to the peephole and stared at the person outside. His cap was pulled low, obscuring most of his face. What really confirmed he wasn’t a cop was his shoulder patch. It was crooked. Not just hanging crooked, but the uniform was too small, pulling the fabric weirdly. Police uniforms are fitted. This wouldn’t happen. Putting it all together, I texted Detective Hu immediately: Detective Hu, help! There’s someone at my door pretending to be a cop delivering food. He keeps insisting on coming in. Detective Hu replied instantly: Stay safe! We’re on our way! I typed back: Should I try to stall him? Detective Hu replied quickly: Prioritize your safety! You don’t need to fight bad guys. He didn’t say anything else, presumably rushing over. Hearing no movement from inside, the person outside grew impatient. He started banging on the door. “Sir, hurry up. I have another assignment.” “I need to verify some questions with you face-to-face right now.” I stayed silent, waiting for Detective Hu. But things didn’t go as planned. While I waited, I heard the lock being picked. The guy couldn’t wait and was trying to break in. Luckily, my lock was high quality. He fiddled for a while but couldn’t open it. He got more agitated. He started trying to force the door. Terrified, I ran to the kitchen and grabbed a cleaver. If he came in, I’d hack him. I waited in fear. But the lock rattling stopped. The noise outside ceased. It seemed he had left. I cautiously looked through the peephole. He was standing there, motionless! He was pretending to leave to trick me into opening the door. He stood at a clever angle, avoiding the peephole’s view. But he overlooked one thing. The neighbor across the hall loved fashion and had a full-length mirror by her door. Through the peephole, I could see the reflection of a pair of men’s leather shoes in her mirror! I texted Detective Hu again: Detective, be careful when you arrive. He’s baiting me to open the door. He might have a weapon. Detective Hu repeated: Stay safe. Don’t be a hero. Catching criminals is our job. I stopped texting. I watched through the peephole. Suddenly, the person outside turned and left, seemingly giving up on the ambush. Shortly after he left, I heard hurried footsteps. Detective Hu called: “We’re at your door. Open up!” Then came the knock, and Detective Hu’s face appeared in the peephole… 3 “Are you okay?” Detective Hu asked patiently, then inspected the doorway. The suspect was careful and left no traces like hair or fingerprints. Detective Hu was puzzled. Why would someone target a regular office worker like me? He asked about my personal life again. Basically, a normal corporate slave life, 996 schedule (9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week). Wake up, work, sleep. Almost no free time. The only potential conflict source was mobile gaming. Not that I’m toxic! But when your mid-laner feeds, your jungler is useless, and your support steals kills… Anyone would rage! “Those players, I swear…” I got agitated. Detective Hu sighed. “Alright, alright, Jason. I get it.” “Working all day only to get trolled in a game is frustrating.” “But I don’t think a bad game warrants assassination.” “Unless they’re psychopaths killing for fun.” I looked miserable. “What if they really are psychos?” “Am I doomed?” Detective Hu comforted me. “Don’t worry, we’re investigating.” “It’s only been six hours. We haven’t even finished reviewing the surveillance footage.” “Solving cases takes time.” I nodded. About half an hour later, an older man knocked on the door. Detective Hu opened it and greeted him warmly. “Uncle Zhang, thanks for coming.” Uncle Zhang waved his hand with a smile. “No problem. I was free anyway.” “Besides, this counts as participating in the case, right?” “You know me, can’t sit still.” Detective Hu introduced us. Uncle Zhang, the designated food deliverer, was a retired detective. After retirement, he was bored and kept wanting to work. The department, seeing his enthusiasm, gave him a job in the cafeteria. Usually, Uncle Zhang wasn’t thrilled about it, but hearing he was protecting a victim, he lit up. Not only did he volunteer to deliver food, but he also geared up with a stab-proof vest and a baton. Planning to be my bodyguard! I looked at Uncle Zhang. He was fit, definitely stronger than me. But he was old enough to be my dad. I felt bad troubling him. Uncle Zhang patted his chest. “Don’t worry, kid. I was a champion in the police combat tournament back in the day!” “A couple of thugs are nothing!” Detective Hu sat Uncle Zhang down. Confirming I was okay, they left together. Uncle Zhang told me: “Kid, just leave the dishes when you’re done.” “I’ll pick them up tomorrow.” “I know you young people hate washing dishes.” Looking at Uncle Zhang, I felt inexplicably moved. If my dad were still around, he’d probably take care of me like this. I opened the lunch box. Beef stew with potatoes. Police cafeteria food was good; the beef chunks were huge. Eating, I replayed the day’s events. I opened my phone, scrolling endlessly. What on earth was in here that someone wanted me dead for? Still nothing. But I sensed something. Maybe I didn’t know the secret in my phone either. That’s why they just demanded the phone without saying what they wanted! But what could be on my phone that I didn’t know about? Pacing the room, my eyes landed on the door, and I realized something even more terrifying! Why did the suspect leave? And the timing was perfect? Just a minute or two later, he would have run into Detective Hu… 4 “He was in the stairwell. He couldn’t have known Detective Hu was coming up.” “That means he wasn’t alone.” My eyelid twitched. I looked from my window to the building opposite. The building wasn’t far. You could see into the living rooms. Looking down from my floor, the height was perfect to see the street below. Goosebumps erupted all over my body. If there was someone in the opposite building watching my every move when the knock came… It fits! The suspect avoiding the peephole, pulling his cap low… It was all to avoid my attention. A person outside the door couldn’t be so omniscient. But if there was a spotter across the street, it explained everything. My breathing grew heavy. If there wasn’t just one suspect, but two or more, I was in deep trouble. I kept thinking. My home wasn’t safe. If they didn’t want the phone back, but just wanted to destroy it, they had many ways. Like starting a fire! Or staging an “accident” in my home… Most importantly, I didn’t know what was on the phone. I couldn’t assess the danger or negotiate. I had thought about contacting them to give up the phone. But they didn’t know if I had seen the secret. They dared to poison someone. If they suspected I knew their secret, I was dead! First thing I did was close all the curtains. couldn’t let them see what I was doing. As for thermal imaging, I doubted they had it. Even for a large organization, that kind of equipment is strictly controlled. So, my temporary safety relied on the country’s strict gun control laws. I didn’t believe they could blow my door open with a grenade and spray me with machine gun fire! After closing the curtains, I checked the room for bugs. Maybe my place was bugged. As for next door, it shouldn’t be bugged. An elderly couple lived there; they didn’t rent out rooms. I had a good relationship with them, even ate with them before. Confirming the room was safe, I used my spare phone to call Detective Hu. Fearful my main phone was tapped. I looked at my phone, wanting to slap myself. I used it to contact Detective Hu earlier. Maybe there wasn’t anyone across the street; maybe the phone was just compromised. The call connected, and I reported to Detective Hu: “Detective, I found something new.” Detective Hu’s voice was calm: “Go ahead, I’m taking notes.” I told him my analysis and actions. After all, Detective Hu was the person I trusted most right now. He thought for a moment and said: “It’s very possible.” “The number used to text you has never appeared before.” “It was registered specifically for you and went dormant immediately after.” “We’ve backed up your phone data and are analyzing it.” “I’ll let you know as soon as we have results.” He paused, then told me the plan: “Don’t go to work for the next few days. I’ll get you paid leave under the pretext of cooperating with an investigation.” “Except when sleeping, send me a video message every two hours to confirm you’re safe.” “During sleep hours, I’ll arrange for plainclothes officers to patrol outside your building.” I thanked him profusely. But analyzing it, I couldn’t smile anymore…

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When I was eighteen, my dad came home with my nemesis and a DNA test report in hand. Suddenly, floating comments appeared before my eyes like a live stream: “The heroine is no longer the only daughter of the Vanderbilt family.” “The show begins! Let me savor this family drama!” I was furious and slammed the table: “You bold illegitimate child! How dare you step into my house!” My dad immediately covered my mouth and scolded: “Don’t talk nonsense! Julian is your mom’s and my biological son.” Julian and I were born on the same year, same month, and same day. If he is my mom and dad’s child… Then who am I? 1 High school graduation. I walked out of the exam hall full of confidence, looking for my nemesis, Julian. The exam felt smooth. I wouldn’t say I’d be the state valedictorian, but beating Julian should be a lock. I had to go rub it in his face. The students poured out of the school like wild dogs off the leash. But finding Julian was easy. Just look for the tallest guy in the crowd. After all, Julian is 6’3″. I scanned the crowd and locked onto him instantly. Julian looked weird today. He was wearing a flashy suit and seemed to have styled his hair. Looking a little handsome. The roses in his arms were still fresh with dew. Oh no, this guy is definitely going to confess his love to someone. I calculated the failure rate of Julian’s confession. Rich kid, straight-A student, school heartthrob, captain of the basketball team with abs… Plus a bunch of first-place trophies from various competitions. With all these buffs, the probability of Julian failing his confession was lower than the sun rising from the west tomorrow. Is this guy really going to win at both love and academics? No way. Not on my watch. I hid behind the crowd, secretly took a photo, and sent it to Julian’s mom. Auntie May, I’m reporting Julian for dating early. Auntie May replied quickly: Bella, isn’t Julian confessing to you? Are you rejecting him and reporting him at the same time? Huh? Me? Confessing to me? In an instant, I felt like I was hit by Pikachu’s Thunderbolt, fried to a crisp. Wait, I’m not a French fry. I mean, I was shocked to the core. No! Is that the point? The point is, I treat Julian as my nemesis, and he wants to date me? Even if he’s the school heartthrob, that’s a no. For the first time, I felt my 5’3″ height was actually pretty good. Easy to slip away. I followed the crowd and snuck home. After graduation, I should be catching up on sleep. Dating is such a waste of time. 2 Sleeping groggily, I felt myself being wrapped in a large embrace. I was too sleepy, found a comfortable position, and continued to sleep. My face felt ticklish, so I swatted at it in my dream. Someone seemed to speak: “Okay, no more kissing.” I don’t know how long I slept before my eyelids were willing to open. As soon as I opened my eyes, a pair of beautiful eyes met mine with a smile. Is this a fox spirit? I reached out and touched his face. So handsome. Consciousness slowly returned. Wait! I finally realized it was that dog Julian who climbed over the balcony into my room again. I kicked him off the bed. Caught off guard, Julian fell with a heavy thud. The floor shook. “Trying to murder your husband?” Julian rubbed his butt and climbed up. Before I could retort, the next second, roses were stuffed into my arms. Julian said, “Happy graduation, my little wifey.” I stuffed them back. “Not accepting, thanks.” Julian stuffed them back again: “You promised to marry me when we were kids.” I stuffed the flowers back again: “Childhood promises don’t count.” Julian: “A gentleman’s promise is heavy as a mountain.” Me: “I’m a villain.” Julian: “You, you, you…” Me: “You what!” … After three hundred rounds, Julian left resentfully. Leaving behind a sentence before he left. “Bella, I’ll be back.” 3 I thought Julian would come back. But I never thought Julian would come back like this. My dad brought him in. I thought he couldn’t out-talk me and decided to try a different approach. But my dad’s expression was wrong, and Julian’s expression was even more wrong. It felt like the world was about to explode in the next second. My dad, hands trembling, took out a paternity test report. The subjects were my dad and Julian. The conclusion read: Based on the analysis of DNA results, it is supported that Arthur Vanderbilt is the biological father of Julian. What?! Maybe because the plot was too melodramatic, it actually summoned bullet screen comments (danmu) floating in the air: “The heroine is no longer the only daughter of the Vanderbilt family.” “The show begins! Let me savor this family drama!” “I expected messy, but not THIS messy!” Julian and I were born on the same year, same month, and same day! That means my dad cheated with Auntie May shortly after being with my mom. Or maybe he came back from cheating and had me with my mom. In an instant, my sky collapsed. No wonder I’ve always felt like Julian and I were astrologically incompatible. Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for not being polite. I was furious, slammed the table, and stood up: “You bold illegitimate child! How dare you step into my house!” Julian looked at me, his eyes full of sadness. Why is he sad? Aren’t my mom and I the biggest victims? I opened my mouth, planning to directly greet the culprit—my dad, that old scumbag. My dad immediately covered my mouth and scolded: “Don’t talk nonsense! Julian is your mom’s and my biological son.” Please, Julian and I were born on the same day. If Julian is my mom and dad’s child… Then who am I? My brain spun fast. My dad is 6’3″, my mom is 5’9″. And I am 5’3″. Growing up, everyone said I didn’t look like my dad or my mom. The bullet screen didn’t forget to add insult to injury: “The heroine is really too cute.” “Why is the heroine’s brain full of illegitimate children? Has she never thought about being switched at birth?” At this point, there is only one truth. The “Switched at Birth” trope has become reality. Julian and I were switched. I am not my mom’s biological daughter! For a mommy’s girl, this is a fatal blow. Moreover, my mom and Auntie May have different parenting philosophies. Thinking about Auntie May’s strict elite education, Julian and his brothers grew up between school and tutoring classes. While my mom had only one attitude: as long as my daughter is happy. That won’t do. I can’t believe this dog-blood life. Oh heavens! Oh earth! Oh fate! I rushed over, hugging my mom and crying: “Mommy, although I’m not your biological daughter, I really love you, I can’t bear to leave you! Mommy, don’t drive me away, don’t send me to Auntie May.” I cried sincerely. It didn’t move my mom; instead, she slapped the back of my head mercilessly. I was shocked, freezing on the spot. Did the love transfer so quickly? I wailed even louder. My mom said grumpily: “I told you to read fewer messy novels, but you wouldn’t listen. Something happens, and you start fantasizing. Your primary task now is to delete that reading app from your phone.” How can I do that? I haven’t finished reading so many good stories. I looked aggrieved. My mom couldn’t help laughing. It melted my dad’s eternal iceberg face, bringing a hint of warmth. My dad patted my head and softened his voice: “Stop crying. We didn’t say you aren’t our biological daughter either.” What? Under my parents’ explanation, I finally figured out the whole story. It turned out my mom gave birth to fraternal twins back then. But Auntie May, who gave birth on the same day in the same VIP ward, had a stillborn baby due to doctor error. The doctor couldn’t afford to offend the richest family in the city, the Sterlings. Seeing that our family had twins, he took my mom’s son, swapping the civet for the prince, to replace the Sterling family’s stillborn. Then he told my family: “Congratulations, you have a precious daughter.” Full of holes. Unreasonable. Makes no sense. I could only ask my mom: “Didn’t you do prenatal checkups?” My mom suddenly had tears in her eyes, looking up at the sky. My dad took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag. Sighing, he answered: “Your mom and I were DINKs (Double Income, No Kids). If we knew she was pregnant, we would have aborted. Probably knowing our thoughts, you two siblings gave your mom zero pregnancy symptoms and even caused some monthly bleeding to confuse us. When your mom had a stomachache and was sent to the hospital, you two popped out.” Julian and I were silent. Suddenly, a comment floated by. “Although it’s a mess, does anyone feel sorry for our male lead? He’s about to shatter.” Male lead? I looked at Julian. F*ck! I’m the heroine? Julian is the male lead? We are biological siblings! I can only pray we are going for a family affection route. Deep sibling love is barely acceptable. The bullet screen never let me go: “The male lead wakes up to find his beloved wifey became his biological sister. His sky collapsed.” “Male lead’s inner monologue: I wanted wifey to call me ‘Oppa’ (Brother), but I meant it in a romantic way, not a genetic way.” “It’s okay, it’s okay, this is all part of the setbacks. The heroine will end up with the male lead.” “Nemesis trope plus taboo elements, ahhh author you really know what you’re doing.” “Like! Write more! Love to watch!” Oh my god. No way. Everyone knows incest is intolerable to society. The place that tolerates what society doesn’t tolerate is also intolerable to society. Oh no, it’s the German Orthopedics Ward! (Internet slang for incest treatment) My god! Is Julian trying to ruin this family? I sneaked a peek at Julian, trembling with fear. Julian caught me. Julian’s beautiful dark pupils trembled. Sensing my wariness towards him, the pool of spring water in his eyes shattered into a sky full of stars. I didn’t comfort him. Who knows where the comfort would lead? I insist on: better you die than me. Let Julian be sad by himself. 4 I started avoiding Julian. No, I have to call him Arthur Jr. now… wait, no, Julian Vanderbilt. The fact that Julian is my brother brought quite a shock to my circle. They started a new group chat, discussing frantically. “Oh my god, that doctor had some guts. Swapping babies, offending two wealthy families at once!” “Good thing the doctors and nurses involved back then were all sent to prison by the Sterlings.” “Deserved. But I’m curious what Julian thinks?” “What can he think? Probably going crazy. Not playing ball, not logging into games, locking himself in his room all day. He even bailed on the graduation trip to see the Northern Lights in Scandinavia.” “Well, how could Julian go now.” “Why do you say that?” “Because Bella has always liked the Northern Lights. Julian planned to take Bella to see them and bond.” “Julian liked Bella so much, a secret crush for years, finally finding out she’s his biological sister. How can he handle it?” “Feel sorry for Julian.” “Feel sorry +1.” Amidst a pile of sympathy. I belatedly realized that some of Julian’s strange behaviors back then made sense if he liked me. Basketball game, taking away the water I just opened. Insisting on teaching me different solutions to math and physics final questions. Reporting boys who wrote me love letters… Too many to count. Back then, I thought he was provoking me… But it’s meaningless to say these things now. The group was still discussing: “By the way, did Julian confess to Bella? If he succeeded, wouldn’t that be the real-life version of ‘May all lovers turn out to be siblings’?” “Even if they dated, they’d have to break up. Wealthy families like ours can’t accept taboo love.” I really want to curse this pretentious guy to death. Someone beat me to it: “Lee the Second, what nonsense are you spouting? No normal family would accept it, okay!” “Wait, who the hell added Bella to the group!” “Holy sht!”* Amidst a pile of “grass” (slang for f*ck) emojis, the newly established gossip group was disbanded. So uncomfortable, can’t watch them gossip about me anymore. I felt helpless. It’s no longer about love or not love. Julian being my brother is an established fact. We have to stay within the bounds of secular morality. Julian should understand. He thinks about his romance. I think about my inheritance rights. I hope Julian doesn’t hate me because of love and fight too hard for the money. I think a 50/50 split is reasonable. The evening breeze was a bit hot today. Cicadas disturbed my dreams. I climbed up. Stared at the wall Julian used to like climbing the most from the balcony, dazing for a long time. I don’t know how long passed, the door of the balcony next door clicked softly. I turned my head and saw Julian, who now lives next to me. He didn’t expect me to be on the balcony either, stunned for a long time before speaking. “Why… haven’t you slept yet?” The love I didn’t notice before was now surging in Julian’s eyes. I seemed to find the beginning of the tangled mess. Julian’s love was being peeled away bit by bit in front of me. I started to see. But now the love carries struggle. Julian wanted to hide it, but couldn’t. If I had to describe my feelings. It’s that, I rejected him before because I’ve been single since birth and couldn’t accept a confession momentarily. Now it’s a moral judgment! Dame (No)! It won’t pass censorship. I could only pretend to be sleepy and yawned. “Going to sleep now. Goodnight. Brother, you sleep early too.” I turned back to my room and lay down. Couldn’t sleep at all. Because the bullet screen started refreshing: “Brother! One word, shattered our humble male lead’s heart into glass shards.” “It’s most moving when you want to love but can’t.” “Can only say the male lead’s moral bottom line is too high.” Damn, this is basic morality, okay? But I didn’t dare speak, afraid of being discovered. Continued peeking at the bullet screen: “Begging the heroine to look at our broken puppy, he’s turning from a sunny boy into a gloomy ghost.” “Really want to fast forward to the forced love plot.” Forced love? Is this serious? No, I have to escape this terrible native family. Swim fast, little fish, anywhere is freer than here.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “386529”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel