Author: Momo Chan

When I was at my most money-hungry, I got together with Julian, a guy who’d hit his head and lost his smarts. Not only was he mentally a child, but he was also a germophobe who hated being touched. After three years together, I finally managed to have his baby. Then his first love came back. I took the money and ran. It was the logical thing to do. Five years later, a random guy tried to hit on me. Out of nowhere, a little kid ran up and roasted him. “Mister, you don’t even have a nose bridge. You’re so ugly.” The kid looked exactly like Julian. Terrified of being recognized, I tried to walk away, but he grabbed my shirt. “Miss, my daddy is handsome. Can I introduce you?” 1 The stranger glanced at the Porsche key in my hand. “Hey beautiful, looking for a good time?” He flipped his bangs and gave me a greasy smile. “I’m a virgin. Interested?” I looked at the stark difference in foundation color between his face and neck and almost laughed out loud. I bit my lip, about to politely decline. Suddenly, a little boy ran out. “Mister, you don’t even have a nose bridge. You’re so ugly.” The kid turned to me with a grin. “Right, Miss?” Me: “…” The man’s face turned the color of raw liver. “Where did this brat come from? Get lost.” “But Mister, your makeup is flaking off,” the kid said, blinking his big eyes innocently. The man awkwardly wiped his face and stormed off. “Miss, I chased away the ugly man. Wasn’t I brave?” The boy looked up at me, raising an eyebrow, clearly fishing for a compliment. I froze. He looked familiar. Way too familiar. That expression was identical to Julian’s. I asked tentatively, “What’s your name, sweetie?” “Lucas.” My heart skipped a beat. That was the name I picked when I was seven months pregnant. I scanned the area. No sign of Julian. I let out a breath. “Thanks, kiddo.” “You should go home now. I have to go too.” He called me “Miss,” which meant he didn’t know who I was. I grabbed my bag and turned to leave, but he tugged on my shirt. “Miss, my daddy is handsome. Can I introduce you?” 2 I had to admit, his dad was handsome. Back when Julian crashed his car and reverted to the mental age of a ten-year-old, the doctors said it was a blood clot. He’d only recover when it dissolved. But Julian’s father, Mr. Sterling, wanted a grandson immediately. He arranged three “girlfriends” for Julian. The first two failed. I was the third. Mr. Sterling was blunt. “Sasha, give me a grandson, and I’ll wire you ten million dollars. Immediately.” I agreed without hesitation. Taking advantage of a mentally impaired guy was immoral, sure. But my morals were flexible, especially when his own father was green-lighting it. To complete the mission, I practiced every seduction technique in the book. Our first meeting. Julian was sitting on the couch, playing with an Ultraman figure. I wore a white dress and spoke in my gentlest voice. He looked up. Sharp jawline, high brow. Thick lashes framing eyes that were clear and innocent. I thought to myself, Even just sleeping with him once would be a win. This deal is pure profit. Julian stared at me for a moment, then smiled. “Hi, big sister.” “Good boy.” I thought this would be easy money. But when I sat next to him and tried to hold his hand… “Go away! Don’t touch me!” He shoved me with surprising force. His smile vanished. Like a spooked cat, he scrubbed the skin I had touched until it was raw. I realized why the first two girls failed. He wasn’t just slow; he was a germophobe who hated physical contact. But I only saw dollar signs. I wasn’t going to give up. I researched. I read books. I became his friend. I played games with him. I treated him like a child. As long as I didn’t touch him, he was easy to get along with. He’d follow me around calling me “Sister.” He’d share his snacks. When he won a game, he’d look at me for praise. But the moment I initiated contact? He’d freak out. Two years passed. Our relationship remained painfully platonic. I was getting impatient. I decided to force the issue. I drugged his food. Once he was out, I tied him to the bed. But the idiot had a weird constitution. The sleeping pills barely worked. He woke up almost immediately. Seeing me straddling him, shirt unbuttoned, he started crying. Wailing. Snot bubbles and all. “I’m not clean anymore! I’m dirty!” “I hate you! I hate you!” “You’re a bad sister!” I have thick skin. I was immune to his tantrums. Besides, I never claimed to be a good person. I had him tied up. It was now or never. I grinned like a villain, tracing his abs, then sliding the strap of my lingerie off my shoulder. “Be good. We’re just playing horsie.” That night, I awkwardly made it happen. Miraculously, I got pregnant on the first try. Mr. Sterling was thrilled. He said if I wanted, I could stay after the baby was born. Honestly? I considered it. But I quickly snapped out of it. At Lucas’s one-month celebration, a beautiful girl named Chloe showed up. The moment Julian saw her, he smiled. He even reached out to hold her hand. No sign of the germophobe anywhere. My heart sank. The maids told me Chloe was Julian’s first love. He crashed his car racing for her. After that day, Julian started disappearing. Rumor had it he was hanging out with Chloe. Even with a broken brain, his body remembered her. My mother was a hopeless romantic. I watched her fight other women for my dad her whole life. But my dad never changed. He racked up massive gambling debts. Eventually, she gave up. She turned on the gas and took him with her. I was the one left behind. Orphans with debt don’t have the luxury of romance. I wasn’t going to end up like my mom, fighting for a man. Besides, Julian wouldn’t be like this forever. One day, he’d wake up. Better to leave on my own terms than be kicked out later. So, I took the money and left. Without looking back. 3 I know, I’m selfish. In five years, I only visited them twice. But after seeing Chloe carrying Lucas in and out of the Sterling mansion like she owned the place, I stopped going. Thinking about it made me irritable. I blurted out, “Your dad has Chloe. He doesn’t need me.” Suddenly, small arms wrapped around my legs. “You know Chloe! You are my mommy!” Lucas looked up at me, eyes serious. I realized this wasn’t a coincidence. He was looking for me. But when I left, he was a baby. Chloe had already taken my place. He shouldn’t know me. Did someone tell him? Definitely not Julian. Even if he recovered, he probably wanted to kill me for what I did. I pushed down the storm of emotions and pried his hands off. “I’m not your mom. You got the wrong person.” His big eyes turned red. He looked confused and hurt. I put on my sunglasses and stormed out of the cafe. At the alley entrance, I stopped. I looked back and saw Julian. He was wearing a tailored suit, his face cold and expressionless. He looked nothing like the boy who followed me around calling me “Sister.” He was saying something to Lucas, and it didn’t look nice. Then, a familiar figure walked out from behind him. Chloe. She looked even more mature and beautiful than five years ago. Pretty mom, handsome dad. A perfect family. I looked away and went home, feeling defeated. I had left the law firm dinner early because I hated the smoke. I wanted to relax at a cafe. Instead, my day was ruined. I sat in my empty apartment. When I left the Sterlings, I only took half the money. I left the rest for Lucas. I paid off my dad’s debts and went to law school in the US. I never expected to run into them three months after returning. 4 That night, I dreamed of Julian. After the “forced incident,” he seemed to get used to my touch. Sometimes, he’d stare at me and gulp. He didn’t know what was happening to him. Once, we were watching Ultraman. He kept glancing at me. “What is it?” I asked. “Sister…” He was breathing hard, hands fidgeting in his lap. “Every time I look at you, I feel like I’m going to explode. Am I sick?” He asked innocently, but his eyes drifted to my neckline. I understood immediately and burst out laughing. I wish I had recorded it. The only time we slept in the same bed voluntarily was when I was five months pregnant. There was a thunderstorm, and the power went out. He knocked on my door, hugging a Transformer. “I’m scared. Can I sleep with you?” “Fine. But…” I pointed at the toy. “That thing has to go.” “No! He stays with me!” I hadn’t been paid yet, so I compromised. I slept on the left, the Transformer on the right, and Julian in the middle. Thunder cracked. He grabbed me, burying his face in my back. I realized he was terrified of thunder. It made sense; he was mentally ten. I patted his back like a mom until he fell asleep. In the middle of the night, I felt something hot pressing against my back. His voice was husky but childish. “Sister, I want to play horsie again.”

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The day my biological family finally came to take me home, there was a car accident. My parents and the fake son who had taken my place, Julian, were all declared dead. Only my sister, Victoria, survived. From that day on, she hated me to the bone. She blamed me for the accident and the subsequent bankruptcy of the family company. To atone for my “sins,” I worked over a dozen jobs a day. Every cent I earned, I handed over to Victoria. I did it all to help her buy back the family estate, the villa filled with their memories. But the day I finally saved enough money, I walked up to the villa and saw the impossible. My “dead” parents were inside, alive and well, celebrating Julian’s birthday. Even Victoria, usually cold as ice, was smiling gently at them. When the cake was brought out, my mother mentioned me: “It’s Jace’s birthday today too, isn’t it? We’ve punished him for eight years. Maybe we should bring him back?” Victoria refused instantly: “We agreed on ten years. He needs to learn his lesson so he never dares suggest sending Julian away again. Not a year less!” I clutched my medical diagnosis in my hand and laughed until tears ran down my face. But Victoria… I don’t have two years. I’m going to die soon. It took me two hours to rummage through the apartment and find a blister pack of ibuprofen. I didn’t know if it was expired, and I didn’t care. I swallowed the pills dry, praying they would dull the pain that felt like a drill boring into my skull. I had just curled up on my cot in the corner of the living room when Victoria came home. Seeing me resting, pale-faced and eyes closed, she frowned. She stormed over, grabbed a handful of my hair, and dragged me into the guest bedroom. This room was a shrine. It held the memorial tablets for Mom, Dad, and Julian. I had knelt on the futon before these tablets thousands of times over the last eight years. Enduring the stinging pain in my scalp, I knelt down, numbness taking over. Victoria released my hair, her voice dripping with ice. “Today is the anniversary of Mom, Dad, and Julian’s death. I spent the whole day cleaning their graves, yet you have the audacity to lie here and rest?” “If not for you, they would still be alive! You will spend your entire life paying for those three lives!” “It’s been eight years since you killed them. Tonight, you stay on your knees. Eight hundred kowtows. Don’t stop until you’re done.” But I knew the truth now. Earlier that day, I saw her at the villa—the one she claimed was foreclosed. She was celebrating Julian’s birthday with the parents she claimed were dead because of me. I fought back the nausea caused by the pressure in my brain and asked, voice raspy: “Why haven’t you ever taken me to their graves to apologize in person?” Victoria paused, then looked at me with disgust. “An animal like you would only dirty their path to the afterlife.” “Jace, don’t try to stall. If you miss a single kowtow, you’re not sleeping tonight!” I closed my eyes. My mind replayed the truth I had uncovered today. There were no graves. They didn’t buy plots because they thought it was bad luck for living people. All those times Victoria said she was visiting their graves—leaving me to kneel for hours—she was actually visiting Julian. They called it “punishment.” All because eight years ago, when I found out about my true parentage over the phone, I asked them to send Julian away. He reacted by threatening to slit his wrists. So, for eight years, I carried the guilt of “killing” my parents. I let Victoria vent her hatred on me. A sharp blow to the back of my head snapped me back to reality. Victoria was forcing my head to the floor, again and again. “I told you to kowtow! Are you deaf?” “Jace, do you think a little suffering is enough to wash away your sins?” Blood soon trickled down my forehead. Maybe the ibuprofen was working, or maybe my nerves were dying, but I didn’t feel much pain. But before I could feel relieved, a familiar numbness spread through my limbs. I lost control of my body and collapsed sideways. Victoria stared at me, watching my breathing grow shallow. It took her a moment to react. She pulled me up, looking flustered. “What kind of act is this? Fine, I’ll take you to the hospital.” Just as we stepped out of the room, her phone rang. It was a specific, custom ringtone. She froze. After a second of hesitation, she dropped me back onto the floor and rushed outside to answer the call. I lay on the floor for a while, but eventually, I couldn’t hold it back. I vomited acid all over the floor. I recognized that ringtone. I had heard it many times before. Only today did I realize it was the special tone she set for Julian. While I was heaving, dizzy and sick, Victoria returned, her face dark. Seeing that I had vomited on her designer bag on the sofa, her anger exploded. She slapped me across the face. “You dared to ruin the gift Julian gave me? I shouldn’t have been soft on you!” The next second, I was dragged back to the memorial room. Victoria forced me to finish the kowtows. Only after she counted eight hundred did she let go of me, barely conscious. “Stay on your knees. You can leave when I’m no longer angry.” I don’t know how long I was out. I woke up to knocking on the door. I stumbled to open it. It was the landlady, Mrs. Higgins, coming for the rent. Before she could scold me, she saw the blood on my face and gasped. “Oh my god, child! What happened to you? Come, let me take you to the hospital.” At the hospital, after the tests, Mrs. Higgins was heartbroken. “You poor thing… you’re so young. How could it be brain cancer?” Seeing me pale, thin, and unable to eat, she called her son to bring homemade soup and fed me spoonful by spoonful. My eyes welled up. Eight years ago, when I found out my biological parents weren’t the abusive couple who raised me, this was the kind of mother I had dreamed of. Mrs. Higgins wiped my tears gently. “Don’t cry, honey. We’ll treat it. You can get better.” I shook my head. I transferred the last of my wages—money I was supposed to give to Victoria—to Mrs. Higgins. “Thank you, Mrs. Higgins. But it’s malignant. It’s too late.” “This isn’t enough for the rent and the medical bills you paid, but I promise, I’ll find a way to pay you back.” She tried to persuade me, but I insisted on discharging myself. As I walked down the hallway, passing a consultation room, I heard Victoria’s voice. “Mom, you shouldn’t have mentioned Jace yesterday. Julian had a nightmare that Jace came back to kick him out.” Then, Julian’s tearful voice: “I’m so scared he’ll come back and make me leave. If I can’t be with Mom, Dad, and Vicky, I’d rather die!” Through the crack in the door, our eyes met. Julian immediately screamed. “He’s here! He’s really here to kick me out!” He ran to the window and leaned half his body out. “Don’t send me away! I don’t want to go back to being abused by the Millers! If you don’t want me, I’ll jump!” Mom, Dad, and Victoria turned pale with terror, rushing to pull him back. Once Julian was safe, Dad and Victoria turned on me. Their faces were grim. They marched over and kicked me to the ground before I could even turn away. I clutched my stomach, coughing up blood. Victoria grabbed me by the throat. “Jace! You stalked us here? You almost killed Julian again!” “I’m going to make you feel the fear Julian just felt!” She and Dad dragged me to the rooftop. They tied my hands and dangled me over the edge. “This is just a small lesson. If you scare Julian again, it won’t be just dangling!” Listening to their footsteps fade away, I felt like I had run out of tears for this lifetime. I was the one switched at birth. I was the one abused for eighteen years by strangers. I was their flesh and blood. But just because I didn’t want to live with the son of my abusers, my own family deceived and tortured me for years. Now, they left me hanging off a building, terrified I would fall. I wasn’t resigned. I didn’t want to die like this. I tried desperately to grip the rope. But the tumor was pressing on my nerves. My right hand was losing feeling. My left hand wasn’t strong enough. No matter how hard I gritted my teeth, the knot on my wrist was slipping. I was sliding down, inch by inch. Just as I thought I was going to fall, Mrs. Higgins’ frantic voice rang out from above. “He’s here! Help! Someone help him!” I ended up hospitalized for another five days because of the muscle strain from hanging. When I finally returned to the apartment, Victoria was waiting, arms crossed, eyes dark. She sneered. “Jace, you’ve got guts. Running away? Did you think anyone would look for you?” “Crawling back after five days… I thought you had more backbone than that.” I looked at her, my voice hoarse. “I tore the muscles in my arms from hanging there too long. I was in the hospital. It wouldn’t be hard for the great Victoria Sterling to verify that.” She stiffened, her expression softening slightly. “I thought Dad would have let you down sooner. Whatever.” “You know now that Mom and Dad aren’t dead. We just wanted you to learn to be sensible. To stop targeting Julian.” “You still failed the test, but you are blood. After today, you can move into the Sterling mansion.” Before I could speak, she added: “But first, you have to apologize to Julian. Promise him you will never suggest sending him away again.” I refused flatly.

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The day my acceptance letter to Harvard arrived, my sister jumped into the river, leaving behind a suicide note claiming she couldn’t handle the pressure. My parents were devastated. They tore my acceptance letter to shreds. Then, listening to a charlatan psychic, they locked me in a coffin for seven days without food or water to “purge my sister’s resentment,” all so her spirit would return on the seventh day. I screamed until my throat bled, scratched at the wood until my nails were gone. All I got in return was, “This is what you owe your sister.” I suffocated to death in that coffin. Seven days later, my sister returned, alive and well. And my parents? They lost their minds. 1 Slap. A heavy hand struck my face, instantly numbing one side. My ears rang so loudly I couldn’t hear anything for a second. My father’s face was twisted with rage, screaming as if he wanted to devour me. “How did I raise such a vain, selfish daughter? Would it kill you not to show off in front of your sister?” “Your sister jumped into the river! Are you happy now? Are you satisfied?” My mother clutched the suicide note my sister, Chloe, had left, crying as if her heart was being ripped out. The letter was full of lies. It claimed I fought with her for everything, showed off, belittled her, mocked her, humiliated her. She wrote that she was tired, that she couldn’t take my oppression anymore, so she chose to leave this world. I didn’t understand. What oppression? In this house, Chloe was the treasure. My parents believed everything she said unconditionally. They wanted to give her the best of everything. Meanwhile, I got whatever she didn’t want. We had two spare bedrooms. She took one to sleep in and the other for her walk-in closet. I was relegated to the damp, cramped storage room downstairs. In summer, I was covered in heat rash; in winter, my hands were full of chilblains. Mom always said that as the older sister, I stole too much nutrition in the womb, which made Chloe weak and sickly at birth. So I never complained. Even when my heart ached, I accommodated Chloe. But why? Just because Chloe failed her SATs, my acceptance to Harvard—earned through my own blood, sweat, and tears—became a sin? I looked at the acceptance letter, torn into confetti by my furious father, scattered like trash on the floor. It felt like a hole had been punched through my chest, cold and painful. I bent down, trying to pick up the pieces. Suddenly, Mom rushed at me like a madwoman, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me violently. “You jinx! You curse! You stole her nutrition in the womb, and now you bully her in life!” “Why wasn’t it you who died? Give me back my Chloe!” She shoved me to the floor. Through my blurred vision, I looked up at her, helpless. “Mom, I’m your daughter too.” Her eyes were bloodshot, glaring at me with pure hatred. “No, you’re not. My only daughter is Chloe. You are a disaster. I regret not strangling you at birth so you wouldn’t have the chance to harm my Chloe… my poor Chloe…” She sobbed uncontrollably, the disgust in her eyes as if I were something filthy. Dad walked over and kicked the paper scraps in front of me. “Ava, you are a murderer. You killed your sister, you killed my precious daughter. How do you have the face to go to such a good university? You should live in a garbage dump for the rest of your life to atone for your sins.” 2 They locked me in the storage room. The next day, dizzy from hunger, the door finally opened. Dad carried me out. Mom fed me seafood porridge, spoonful by spoonful. She even ran a bath for me and washed me herself, claiming I was too weak. “Mom spoke too harshly yesterday. Let me give you a good wash, then you go have a good sleep.” Her smile was stiff and forced. But my starved heart was moved. Tears streamed down my face. “Mom, I’ll be good. I’ll study hard and take care of you and Dad.” Mom murmured a vague response, looking preoccupied. After cleaning me up, she hurried me to bed. In the middle of the night, I slept fitfully. I heard faint noises, like chanting. Someone came into the room, picked me up, and placed me in a cramped space. The smell of sandalwood was overwhelming. Fear gripped me. I wanted to move, to call for Mom and Dad, but my limbs felt heavy, like I was paralyzed. Struggling with all my might, I finally opened my eyes. I met my parents’ cold gazes. And saw a wooden board sliding over my head. I looked around, realizing with horror that I was lying in a coffin. The board above me was the lid. Trembling, I tried to sit up, gripping the edge. But Dad pushed me back down by my shoulders. His eyes were manic. “The Master said Chloe left with resentment towards you. You are the cause. Only by locking you in a coffin for seven days without food or water can we purify her resentment. Only then will her soul return to see us on the seventh day.” I stared at him, unable to believe he would trust such insanity. “Dad, there are no ghosts! If Chloe is dead, she can’t come back!” Mom wiped her eyes, her tone softening. “Ava, be good. Your sister hasn’t even visited our dreams. She must be too angry with you. Just lie in the coffin for seven days. Once her soul returns to see us one last time, we’ll let you out. Mom will make it up to you.” “Mom!” I screamed, tears flowing. “Seven days without food or water? I’ll die!” “No, you won’t. I asked the Master. He cast a spell. It only purifies your soul and removes Chloe’s resentment. After seven days, you’ll be perfectly fine. Once we see Chloe one last time, fulfilling our wish, Mom will let you out immediately. I’ll make your favorite food. You can even have Chloe’s room, okay?” “Why waste breath on her? After Chloe’s seventh day, she’ll be the only one left. Everything will be hers. She’s probably laughing inside. We just ask her to lie in a coffin for seven days and she makes excuses. It’s not like we’re asking her to die. Selfish by nature. She can’t compare to Chloe.” Dad ignored me and started sliding the lid shut. I clawed at the wood, tears streaming. My limbs were weak from the sleeping pills they must have given me. The “care” they showed me earlier was all for this. All for Chloe. “No, Daddy, please! I’ll die!” The gap narrowed. Suffocating despair crushed me. “Mommy, save me! I’ll be good! Mommy…” Mom looked away, unable to watch. “Be good. Once we see your sister, Mom will make it up to you.” “A scourge lasts a thousand years. If your death could bring Chloe back, that would be your blessing,” Dad muttered. The lid slammed shut, sealing my fate. The air thinned instantly. The sleeping pills dragged me toward unconsciousness. I pushed weakly against the lid. The heavy wood didn’t budge. “Are you sure you asked the Master? Is it really safe?” Mom asked, worried. “Of course. He’s famous. It cost me twenty grand just for a few words. He guaranteed that as long as Ava stays in there for seven days, Chloe’s resentment will vanish. Her soul will return. And Ava won’t die; she’ll even be healthier.” Mom sighed in relief. “Thank God. My poor Chloe must come back.” Dad patted her shoulder. “She will. Chloe is so kind and filial. If Ava hadn’t pushed her, she wouldn’t have left us. It’s all Ava’s fault.” “Ava is narrow-minded and selfish. Letting her reflect in the coffin for seven days is good for her,” Mom agreed. I heard their voices, my heart numb with pain. The suffocating feeling in my lungs triggered a survival instinct. I slammed my head against the lid, desperate. Bang! Bang! “This damn girl still has strength after the pills. I need to get some nails.” Mom pressed down on the lid. “Hurry! If she breaks out, the spell will fail. We can’t delay Chloe’s return.” Their cold words pierced my heart like knives. I screamed, tearing my throat. “Mom, I can’t breathe! Help me!” “Stop acting, Ava! You drove your sister to death, and now you won’t even help her soul rest? It’s such a small request. How did I give birth to someone so heartless?” Dad returned with a hammer. The sound of nails being driven in echoed like a death knell. Bang. Bang. “Ava, you owe this to your sister. Behave. In seven days, you’ll be our only daughter. Everything will be yours. You won’t have to worry about Chloe stealing our love.” My voice cracked into a raspy whisper. Love? Did I ever have it? After nailing it shut, they patted the lid to ensure it was secure, then left satisfied. My tears mixed with the blood on my forehead. In the pitch-black coffin, I lost track of time. My ten fingernails broke as I scratched uselessly at the wood. I had no strength left to scream. My hands dropped. I died on the third day. My eyes were wide open. Tear tracks dried on my temples, mixed with blood. I looked like a monster. 3 That night, my parents came in. Hearing silence from the coffin, Dad scoffed. “Playing dead now? You think that will make us soft? Four more days until Chloe comes back. Behave yourself.” Mom scolded, “Ava, you committed an unforgivable sin. Seven days of reflection is a light punishment. Think about Chloe—she lost her life. You’re just lying there comfortably. Be grateful.” My spirit floated in the air, laughing bitterly. So, suffocating in a coffin is “comfort” to them. Over the next few days, they visited often. Seeing I wasn’t making noise, they relaxed. Mom smiled gently. “It’s good you thought it through. We love Chloe to make up for your bullying. You cut her clothes, broke her toys, tore her notebooks, made her fail her SATs. She only thought of suicide because you were too vicious.” I was speechless. Chloe did all those things to me. She twisted the truth, making herself the victim and me the villain. I looked down. Salty tears filled my mouth. They never believed me. Even when Chloe spread rumors about me sleeping around, hired thugs to bully me, or tried to destroy my exam ticket. I told them. But Chloe just had to cry and claim I was framing her. Then they would scream at me, beat me with hangers and belts, or lock me out in the rain all night. No matter what Chloe said, it was gospel. My explanations were lies. I endured, retreated, compromised. But I was always the outsider. Now, I was dead. Finally free from begging for their love. On the sixth day, a smell started to seep out. I sat on the coffin lid, watching my parents arrange paper effigies, game consoles, spirit money, and pretty dresses around the coffin. All Chloe’s favorite things. Mom cried, “I wonder where my Chloe is wandering. Is she cold? Hungry? Are other ghosts bullying her? She’s so delicate…” Dad hugged her. “Tomorrow is the seventh day. When she comes back, we’ll ask her what she needs and burn it for her immediately.” Mom wiped her eyes and glared at the coffin. “Ava, your sister is coming back tomorrow. Don’t make a sound. Don’t upset her.” I didn’t respond. Dad spat. “Ava, don’t be ungrateful. Playing dead? Seems you haven’t reflected enough. Fine, stay in there for half a month.” Just then, the doorbell rang. It was Mrs. Liang, the neighbor. “Hey, are you pickling something? It smells like something’s rotting. I can smell it from my house.” Dad froze, his face darkening. “There’s no smell. You’re imagining things.” He slammed the door. “What a dog nose. Saying my house smells like rot. Bad luck,” he muttered. Mom stared at the coffin, dazed. Suddenly, she got angry. “Ava, I know you’re silent on purpose to spite us. Fine. Tomorrow when we open it, let’s see if you can keep acting.” I laughed softly. Mom, I don’t need to act. I’m already dead. You’ll never have to see your disgusting daughter again. 4 In the summer heat, the smell grew worse. Neighbors hurried past holding their noses. Some knocked to ask, but my parents cursed them out. They seemed to have lost their sense of smell, joyfully awaiting Chloe’s soul. Day seven. My parents waited by the coffin early. I was curious too. How was this “Master” going to guide Chloe’s soul back? He said he’d come at midnight. But in broad daylight, the doorbell rang. Parents looked at each other and ran to open it. They froze. Standing there, biting her lip pitifully, was Chloe. The girl who supposedly jumped into a river. Seeing them, she flew into their arms like a bird returning to the nest. “Mom, Dad… I finally see you again.” Mom snapped out of her shock, face full of joy. “Chloe! Is it really you?” She touched her all over. “You’re not dead?” “Mom, it’s me. I jumped, but a kind person saved me. I was in a coma until two days ago. I came back as soon as I woke up because I knew you’d be worried.” She coughed weakly. “Mom, Dad, after coming back from death, I realized I can’t leave you. I’m so scared I won’t see you again. Don’t worry, I won’t do it again. Even if Ava bullies me, I’ll kneel and beg her, but I won’t do anything stupid.” Mom’s heart broke. She hugged Chloe like a precious jewel. “My poor daughter.” Dad wiped his eyes, comforting her while gritting his teeth. “I knew Ava was a jinx. So vicious at such a young age, driving her sister to death.” Chloe looked up with red eyes. “Where is Ava? Even though she did so many bad things, I don’t blame her. If she apologizes to me, I’ll forgive her.” Forgive? What did I do wrong to need forgiveness from a lying, vicious sister? I was suffocated in a coffin! Chloe came back alive and hopping. What about me? Did I deserve to die? She claimed she suffered, but her rosy cheeks didn’t look like someone recovering from a coma. She was lying. The suicide was just a ploy because she was jealous of my acceptance letter. Only my parents would believe her. I closed my eyes, tears falling on my ghostly hand. In this house, even my sadness was seen as dramatic. My parents exchanged a weird look. Mom hesitated. “We thought you died. A Master said if we locked Ava in a coffin for seven days to purge your resentment, your soul would return.” Chloe covered her mouth in feigned shock. “What? Then let her out! I’m back. Tomorrow is Mom’s birthday, let’s celebrate together.” Dad huffed. “She’s strong as an ox. Let her stay in there one more day. Wait until after your mom’s birthday. Don’t let her ruin the mood.” The last shred of hope in my heart vanished. I smiled bitterly. What was I expecting? Even when Chloe was “dead,” I was just a sacrifice. Now that she’s alive, I’m even less than nothing. My presence is just bad luck.

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On Mother’s Day, I forced myself to drink a bowl of abortion medicine. The baby, who had been healthy at every checkup, became an eight-month-old stillborn. Looking at the tiny, lifeless body, my orphan husband was devastated, and my widowed mother nearly fainted. They screamed at me hysterically, “How could you be so cruel? That was your child!” With my blood-stained hands, I showed them a video on my phone. A few seconds later, their eyes bulged in horror. “Dead! That filthy thing must die! Bringing him into this world would be a disaster. He had to die!” 1 While my husband and mother were out, I gulped down the entire bowl of abortion medicine. Moments later, my stomach cramped violently, and blood soaked my pant legs. I clenched my teeth, my body drenched in sweat. Using every ounce of strength, after what felt like an eternity, a bloody fetus slid out. I collapsed in a pool of blood and sweat. My mother, just returning from grocery shopping, turned pale with shock. The ribs and beef in her hands fell to the floor. “The… the baby is born?” I stared at her for a long time, unable to speak. She immediately called my husband, David. “David! David! Lily gave birth! Come back quickly!” Ten minutes later, David rushed in, his face full of joy. “Really? My son is born?” He crouched down to pick up the baby, but the next second, he collapsed at my mother’s feet. “The… the baby…” Seeing his reaction, my mother crouched down too. I saw her pupils dilate and her mouth drop open. Because the child I gave birth to was already dead. He died inside me. Both my mother and David sat in the pool of blood with me, reaching out to check for the baby’s breath. After a long while, my mother screamed hysterically, “Why? I was only gone for a few minutes to buy groceries! How is the baby gone?” “You carried him for eight months! I served you hand and foot every day! How could you give birth to a stillborn?” David was equally devastated. “It took us two years of marriage to conceive this child. Lily, do you know how much I looked forward to him?” “Why didn’t you protect him?” “Why did you let him leave me?” He didn’t know yet. It wasn’t that I failed to protect him; I killed him with my own hands. 2 I called 911 myself. My mother and David were too busy holding the dead fetus and wailing to pay any attention to me. The doctor said I was lucky to survive after losing so much blood. As soon as they stitched me up and put me on an IV, David slapped me across the face, holding the bowl with the residue of the abortion medicine. “Bitch! Why did you kill my son? Tell me why!” So he figured it out. I touched my burning cheek. “You know why.” He shook his head vigorously. “What do I know? Since you got pregnant, haven’t I treated you like a goddess?” “You know my father died when I was young and my mother remarried. You know I’m an orphan. You know how much I wanted a child, a family.” “I just don’t understand. Why did you abort my child?” He didn’t understand? Fine. I’ll make him understand. With my bloodstained hands, I unlocked my phone and played a video for him. He immediately turned pale with horror and stumbled backward. I asked him, “Do you still want this child? Tell me, do you?” He shook his head violently, terror in his eyes. “No. He deserves to die. He really deserves to die!” My mother ran into the ward right after him, crying just as hard as David. “Lily, I told you to just have the baby. I would have raised him for you.” “Why did you have to abort him at eight months? Do you know what a sin you’ve committed?” “It’s Mother’s Day today. Is this the gift you give me?” I knew. I knew everything. But he couldn’t be born. The mother in the next bed had given birth half a day ago. Her whole family was beaming. The baby’s grandma looked at me while holding her grandchild. “Seriously? Aborting at eight months? That’s murder.” “You’re going to hell.” “Exactly,” the baby’s other grandma chimed in. “Young people these days are ridiculous. If you didn’t want it, you shouldn’t have gotten pregnant. Aborting at eight months?” “Hurting your own body and killing a child. You’re not human!” They scolded me righteously, and my mother nearly fainted again. “You don’t know! My son-in-law has low sperm motility. It was a miracle we got this child.” “This sinner! She cut off my son-in-law’s bloodline!” David leaned against the wall. “Stop it. Mom, stop talking.” But the more he said that, the angrier my mother got. She slapped me again. “Slut! Slut! If I knew you were such a thing, I should have strangled you like you did to him.” “Do you dare celebrate Mother’s Day ever again? Do you even have the right?” The two ladies next door nodded in agreement. “Exactly. A woman with a heart so vicious she won’t even spare her own child shouldn’t be alive. She should have died with the baby.” I looked at the two angry women and showed them the video on my phone. Their faces changed just like David’s, and they started trembling. “The filthy thing deserved to die! Good riddance! He should never have been conceived!” “That wasn’t a child; that was a curse!” 3 My mother thought she misheard. “What kind of bullshit are you spouting? That was my grandson, my son-in-law’s only chance at a child.” “Why did you want him dead?” No one answered her. The women immediately pulled the curtain shut, as if we were some contagious filth to be avoided. My mother turned to me. “Show me what’s on the phone!” I wouldn’t show her. She didn’t deserve to see. She went crazy. “They can see it, why can’t I?” No matter what she said, I refused. The more I refused, the more curious she became. She ripped open the curtain next to us and looked at the two women. “Tell me, what’s on her phone?” The women looked terrified, pointing at my mother. “Get away! Don’t come near us! Get away!” My mother was confused. “Are you all crazy?” The women immediately called the nurse. “We want to switch beds. Immediately.” The nurse apologized. “Only VIP rooms are available right now, they are more expensive…” “Switch!” The women said in unison. In less than ten minutes, the whole family moved to VIP. The ward was left with just me and my mother. Before leaving, they glared at my mother and spat. “Filthy thing. Filthy thing!” My mother was furious, almost fighting them. “What bullshit are you spouting? Who are you calling a filthy thing?” The women dropped those three words and ran. My mother glared at me angrily. “Show me the thing. Now.” The more agitated she got, the less I gave it to her. She finally snapped, ripping out my IV drip to threaten me. “If you don’t tell me why you aborted the baby, I’ll kill you right now.” Looking at her fierce expression, I asked calmly, “Are you still my mother?” Her eyes flickered. “If I’m not your mother, who is? Your deadbeat father died over ten years ago. I raised you all by myself, working myself to the bone.” “I gave you twenty thousand dollars cash and a two-hundred-thousand-dollar property when you got married. I gave you a thousand a month for nutrition while you were pregnant, serving you hand and foot.” “Where did I go wrong for you to try and anger me to death like this?” I twitched the corner of my mouth. “Mom, it’s my belly, my child. Is it wrong that I didn’t want it? Why are you so angry?” “Shouldn’t I be angry? You know David has fertility issues. You know he’s an orphan. You know better than anyone how important this child was to him. You…” She got angrier and more agitated as she spoke, finally slapping me again. 4 The doctor doing rounds saw her slap me and immediately scolded her. “The patient is so weak. As a mother, instead of taking care of her, how can you hit her?” My mother wailed, recounting my “crimes” with snot and tears. The doctor looked at me with complicated eyes. “It is a sin. An eight-month-old baby could have survived on its own.” My mother nodded and cried, wiping her tears. The doctor comforted her sympathetically. “It’s okay, ma’am. Your daughter is still young. She can get pregnant again.” I said calmly, “I won’t get pregnant again. Even if I do, it won’t be David’s child.” “What did you say? You want to cheat on David? Lily, how did I raise such a shameless thing?” My mother raised her hand again in anger. The doctor stopped her in time, but his look towards me was no longer friendly. Without a word, I showed the video to the doctor. In just a few seconds, his attitude changed just like the others. “Filthy thing. Deserved to die! Absolutely deserved it!” Exactly the same words as the women. My mother was frantic. “What is it?! Lily, tell me what’s on the phone!” “How can your own child be a filthy thing? How?” No one paid attention to her. The doctor reinserted my IV and warned my mother: “If you disturb the patient’s rest again, we will call the police.” My mother glared at me hatefully. “Slut, you have to come home eventually. I’ll be waiting. This isn’t over until you explain clearly.” Two days later, I was discharged. For those two days, neither my mother nor David showed up. The doctors and nurses took care of me. When I got home, it was as I expected. Only my mother was there. David was gone. My mother looked ten years older. She kept dialing David’s number repeatedly. “The number you have dialed cannot be connected. Please try again later!” No matter how many times she called, the mechanical voice was the only answer. She couldn’t find David. Seeing me, she immediately threw down her phone and lunged at me. “Slut, you finally came back?” “Tell me quickly, what did you show David that made him leave suddenly? “It’s been two days, and I still can’t find him. Where did he go?” I held her hands tightly. “He’s an adult with legs. How should I know where he went?” My mother’s eyes were practically spitting fire. “He left after watching the video on your phone. Tell me what you showed him!” I just wouldn’t tell her. She went crazy, grabbing things around her and throwing them at me. Anything she saw became a weapon. I hid outside the door. The neighbor, Auntie May, heard the commotion and came to intervene. “Oh my god, what are you two doing? Lily is about to give birth. How can you beat her like this as a mother? “Careful not to hurt the baby!” My mother put her hands on her hips, panting heavily. “She’s giving birth? Can she still give birth? Look at her stomach.” Auntie May looked at my flat stomach and gasped. “Did she give birth prematurely at eight months?” I shook my head. “No, I aborted it myself.” Auntie May covered her mouth. “Oh my god, Lily. Your baby was almost full term. Why didn’t you want it? “If you didn’t want it, you shouldn’t have gotten pregnant. We all saw how well your mom and David took care of you during your pregnancy. “You’re too cruel.”

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My mom was the quintessential 90s rebel girl. When she gave birth to me at 19, she didn’t even know who my father was. Always concerned with her image, she took one look at my dark, wrinkled newborn face and decided I embarrassed her. So, she secretly threw me away. And while she was at it, she threw away her new boyfriend’s son, too. Five-year-old Lucas took my hand and led me into a life of wandering. He resented me, yet he spent half his life desperately protecting me. 1 I wasn’t a cool baby. Five pounds, dark, skinny, and wrinkled like a prune. My mom took one look and recoiled like she’d seen a ghost. She was a rebellious teen in the 90s, barely 19 when I was born. She didn’t even know who the father was. The guy who came with her to the hospital was her current boyfriend. He wore bell-bottoms, had a perm, and dragged along a dirty little boy. “Dump it,” my mom said with a giggle, deciding my fate as easily as flicking ash off a cigarette. Pointing to the little boy, she added, “Might as well dump him too.” When I was placed in the wooden basin, five-year-old Lucas was still tickling me, blowing warm breath on my tiny hands, making me gurgle with laughter. Innocent laughter that couldn’t melt the rusted hearts of two adults. 2 Maybe fate decided we weren’t meant to die. Lucas and I were fished out. Back then, abandoned babies were common; people were numb to it. Everyone was poor, and everyone had too many kids. No one wanted two more mouths to feed. I cried until my face turned purple. But five-year-old Lucas didn’t cry. He stood there, picking at his dirty fingernails, staring wide-eyed at the circle of adults pointing and whispering. The little boy looked around until his gaze landed on the Blind Granny. He shouted at her, “You can’t see! Take us home, and I’ll be your eyes!” The Blind Granny was kind-hearted and felt pity, but she was destitute and could barely feed herself. Seeing her hesitation, Lucas walked over and tugged on her clothes. “Granny, I’m a hard worker. Please take me and my sister home, okay?” That sentence made the Blind Granny pick me up. When she held tiny me in her arms, the crowd laughed. “A blind old woman with two kids? They’ll starve in five days!” Lucas got angry. He grabbed a handful of mud and threw it at the man who spoke. “I won’t starve!” 3 The Blind Granny could endure hunger. Even Lucas could tighten his tattered belt and go days without food. But I didn’t understand hunger, and I couldn’t endure it. My wails turned into weak, kitten-like whimpers. The Blind Granny couldn’t bear it. She went out to borrow grain. Before leaving, she told Lucas a thousand times to watch me. Lucas kept putting his little hand under my nose to check if I was still breathing. Once he felt air, he ran off to play. The moment the room went quiet, I started crying again. I cried until my voice was gone. Finally, the Blind Granny returned with a handful of rice. She couldn’t find Lucas and started cursing. “Damn brat! Big ideas for a small kid, dumping the burden on an old woman and running off! If I catch him, I’ll beat him!” She made a thick rice porridge and fed me. It tasted sweet. Just as my belly got round and full, Lucas came back. Hearing his voice, the Blind Granny raised her cane and swung. Being blind, she swung with all her might, assuming he would dodge. But Lucas didn’t move. Thwack. The cane hit him square on the forehead. A huge bump swelled up instantly. He stumbled and fell, but he still didn’t cry. He said, “Granny, I went to catch fish to make soup for my sister. She won’t go hungry anymore.” The Blind Granny froze. She reached out her hands, feeling the air. “You foolish child! Why didn’t you say something? You’re so small, what if you drowned? Did you expect me to raise your sister for you?” Finally touching Lucas, she asked, “Does it hurt?” “No. Look, Granny! Fish!” Lucas held up a fish the size of a palm. The Blind Granny touched it and started to cry. Her empty eyes seemed to fill with hope. “Good. My little grandson can catch fish.” She gripped that fish tightly, as if holding onto our future. 4 The three of us survived on small fish and shrimp. I grew slowly. Lucas grew tough, acting like a little man. No kid in the village could catch fish like him. But talent breeds jealousy. Fatty, the village bully, always picked on Lucas. He’d snatch the fish Lucas caught and throw them back in the river, taunting him. “Go catch more, big shot! I’ll throw them back every time!” They didn’t know those fish were just toys to them, but they were our lives. Lucas fought like a furious lion, beating them until they ran home crying to their moms. When the parents came knocking, Lucas stood his ground. “Come on! I’m not scared!” A few adults slapped him around. He tried to fight back with a stick, but a ten-year-old is no match for grown men. He was knocked down quickly, glaring at them with hatred in his eyes. I was five then, timid by nature. I hid behind the Blind Granny. She couldn’t see, and her limbs were slow. She could only cry and beg them not to beat her grandson. But no one cared about a helpless family with no backing. Mrs. Niu, our neighbor, even threatened, “If you touch my Fatty again, I’ll bury you alive!” Uncle Huang, usually a quiet man, spoke up for us. “Mrs. Niu, don’t be so vicious. Kids fight, they don’t know their own strength. Just scold them and move on.” Mrs. Niu snapped back, “You’re so noble, why don’t you be their daddy and teach them?” She cracked her long cattle whip against a haystack. Crack! Crack! I was terrified and started crying. Uncle Huang shook his head, walked over to me, and pulled a piece of candy from his pocket. “Don’t cry, Cassie. Uncle will give you candy.” At five, I was a glutton. The sight of candy stopped my tears instantly. Just as I reached for it, Lucas dashed over, snatched the candy, and threw it far away. He shouted at Uncle Huang, “Who wants your candy? Stay away from my sister!” Uncle Huang didn’t get mad. He just laughed. “Ungrateful brat.” But I wasn’t happy. My candy was gone. I sat on the ground and wailed. I hated Lucas in that moment.

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The last time Sebastian kicked me out of his car, I knew it was over. I wasn’t as heartbroken as I expected. Honestly? I felt relieved. I agreed to the arranged marriage my family set up and prepared to move to Germany with my new fiancé. On Sebastian’s birthday, our friends teased: “I wonder what Sophie got for Sebastian this year? That plot of land he’s been eyeing? Bet she hands it over on a silver platter.” But the party ended, and I never showed up. He didn’t know I was already on a plane to Germany. And he didn’t know I was finally done with him. 1 Friday morning, I got a text from Sebastian. Come to the family estate tonight. 6 PM. I replied “Okay” and tossed my phone aside. At six, I went downstairs. Sebastian’s Bentley was waiting. His driver, Mr. King, opened the passenger door for me. I nodded thanks and got in. Unsurprisingly, Sebastian and Bella were in the back seat. They were laughing and chatting, completely ignoring my existence. Fine by me. I leaned back and closed my eyes. After a while, Bella seemed to finally notice the extra person in the car. “Sophie,” her voice was soft, almost timid. “Sorry, did we wake you?” Old me would have snapped back. You knew you were loud, so why didn’t you shut up? Or maybe, Who do you think you are talking to me? But this time, I didn’t. I shook my head calmly. “No. Carry on.” Bella froze for a second, then continued, “It’s all Sebastian’s fault for distracting me. I didn’t even see you get in. You aren’t mad at me, are you?” She stuck out her tongue playfully, then clung to Sebastian’s arm. “Seb, tell her not to be mad. It’s my first time meeting your grandfather. I can’t have him upset with me.” “Don’t worry, Bella.” Sebastian’s voice dripped with affection. He kissed her cheek, then looked at me. His eyes were cold, a warning in their depths. “Sophie wouldn’t do that. Right?” It wasn’t the first time he’d questioned me because of her, but my heart still stung. In his mind, I was that petty. I let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Of course. I wouldn’t stoop so low.” 2 Something I said triggered him. The air in the car turned freezing. Sebastian narrowed his eyes. “Sophie Shen, what do you mean by that?” I straightened up and met his gaze in the rearview mirror. “I said I wouldn’t stoop so low as to sabotage her. Is that clear enough, Mr. Stone?” It was the first time I’d addressed him so formally. Sebastian fell silent. I looked away. Our families had arranged our engagement when we were kids. Back then, he was the handsome, gentle boy next door. I was infatuated with his dark, expressive eyes. Now, the gentleness was gone, replaced by a sharp, cold stranger. And frankly, I didn’t want to force my way into his world anymore. The silence was broken by Bella’s sobbing. “It’s my fault. I made Sophie angry. I only asked to come because I was nervous about being alone… I’m sorry.” She bit her lip, looking at Sebastian with teary eyes. “Sophie, please don’t be mad. I won’t go.” She fumbled with her seatbelt, her hands shaking too much to unbuckle it. Sebastian grabbed her hands, pulling her into his embrace. He murmured comforts until she cried herself to sleep in his arms. When he looked up again, the tenderness vanished. He glared at me. “We both know the engagement is a joke. It means nothing compared to Bella. I’ll say this one last time: I don’t love you. I only love Bella.” I knew. I knew he loved her. The whole social circle knew. His bias was blatant. 3 “If Grandfather didn’t insist on seeing you,” Sebastian said coldly, “I wouldn’t have brought you along to upset Bella. Get out.” Kicked out of the car again. But this time, as I stood on the curb, I exhaled. I wasn’t devastated. I was… relieved. I remembered my birthday. I had been mad at him for dating Bella. To cheer me up, he rented out the ballroom at The Peninsula. But he arrived halfway through the party. My friends tried to comfort me. “Sebastian definitely saved the best gift for last. Just wait.” I believed them. But when he opened the box, it was a bracelet—a free gift-with-purchase that came with the expensive necklace Bella was wearing. Before I could even react, his phone rang. It was Bella. “Seb… did you leave the door unlocked? I hear noises downstairs… I’m scared…” Her voice trembled like a frightened kitten. My skin crawled. But Sebastian ate it up. He chuckled softly. “Babe, I’m at a friend’s birthday. Don’t be silly.” Then came a scream and a crash from the other end of the line. Sebastian’s smile vanished. He looked at me. “Sophie, stay here and enjoy the party. I have to go check on Bella.” He didn’t wait for me to speak. He turned and ran. I don’t know what possessed me, but I chased after him. I only saw his taillights fading into the distance. I squatted on the curb for hours. It started to rain. Night turned into dawn. My legs went numb, and I collapsed onto the pavement. That was the moment I finally understood. Unrequited love is a lonely war. The boy I loved was gone. And finally, so were my feelings for him. 4 “Sophie Shen.” I looked up to see a pair of long legs approaching. My gaze traveled up to a face that was devastatingly handsome. Even better than his photo. Months ago, my dad asked if I still wanted to marry Sebastian. I said no. His relationship with Bella was serious. I had lost. Or maybe I never even played. To Sebastian, I was just a childhood joke. But Sebastian’s grandfather credited me with saving his life once, so he insisted I be his granddaughter-in-law. My family didn’t know how to break it to the old man. Then, three days ago, Dad showed me a photo. “How about this guy?” He was exactly my type. Dad laughed. “This is the youngest son of the Cheng family. You should get to know him.” I didn’t realize then that “the Cheng family” meant The Cheng Family of New York. “I didn’t think you’d come,” Julian Cheng said. After all, my “childhood sweetheart” had just kicked me to the curb. Julian was just a stranger, an arranged match. “Sophie, don’t sell yourself short. You’re worth showing up for.” His eyes were sincere. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he liked me. I smiled and got into his car. As I reached for the seatbelt, he leaned over. His scent—clean, expensive—filled my senses. My breath hitched. His long arm reached across me, pulling the belt. For a second, it felt like a hug. My heart started pounding. As he started the engine, his voice was warm. “You probably haven’t eaten. May I have the honor of taking you to dinner?” Usually, I don’t dine with strangers. But this time, I said, “Sure.”

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After finding out my childhood best friend was dating someone else, I hid on the terrace to cry. My nemesis, Sebastian Hayes, found me in my pathetic state. He stood over me and casually offered the worst idea ever. “Date me. We’ll piss him off together. What do you say?” I looked up at the tall, handsome man and swallowed hard. “Um, do you mean like… a fake dating thing or a real dating thing?” He smirked, the corner of his mouth curving up. “I recommend the real thing.” He leaned down, his voice husky and lazy against my ear. “After all, I have two more abs than him, I’m better looking, and I’m better in bed.” 1 The day of Liam’s birthday party, I was thrilled. I put on my best dress, did my makeup perfectly, and headed to his house full of hope. The main hall was buzzing. My eyes scanned the crowd, instinctively searching for Liam. When I found him, he was holding hands with a girl. A stunningly beautiful girl. The smile froze on my face. They were the center of attention. Liam held a drink in one hand and never let go of her with the other. He blocked drinks for her, leaned in to whisper things—every move screamed intimacy. It hurt. Just two days ago, he told me I was “still young,” that I should focus on school and not rush into dating. But today, he was holding hands with someone else. I hid in the corner, downing colorful cocktails one after another, feeling like I was going to explode. The cabbage I’d been guarding for years was suddenly harvested by someone else. And the girl who stole it was gorgeous, which just made it worse. Maybe it was the alcohol amplifying everything, but my eyes started to sting. Afraid someone would see me break down, I snuck up to the second-floor terrace. Pathetic, I know. I hugged my knees by the glass railing, sobbing quietly over a relationship that never even started. I didn’t notice the faint smell of cigarette smoke until a lazy voice drifted over. “Sarah, you really can cry, huh?” I sniffled and turned my head. Sebastian Hayes was leaning casually against the railing, a cigarette burning between his fingers. He looked down at me with amusement. I shifted away uncomfortably and tried to glare at him. “None of your business!” Sebastian laughed. “Still got a temper.” I ignored him. He didn’t get mad. He put out his cigarette with one hand, walked over, and crouched beside me. “Sad because Liam’s dating?” Hit where it hurt. I buried my head in my arms. Sebastian sighed dramatically and stood up, looking down at the party in the courtyard. “Your precious Liam is kissing his girlfriend. Want to see?” Hearing that, I didn’t dare turn around. I just wailed louder. “You are so annoying!” “Tsk,” he chuckled. “Hating me again?” He waited for me to finish crying before speaking again, his tone unhurried. “If you feel that bad, how about I give you an idea?” I sniffled. “What idea?” He grinned. “Date me. Let’s make him jealous. What do you think?” “I’m tall, I’m handsome. Dating me isn’t exactly a loss for you.” “Besides, Liam and I have never gotten along. Seeing the girl who grew up following him around get stolen by his worst enemy? He’d be furious.” I thought about it. It kind of made sense. They say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone new… or something like that. I hesitated, then looked up at the tall man in front of me and gulped. “Um… do you mean like… a fake dating thing or a real dating thing?” Sebastian paused, surprised by my question. Then he smirked, reaching out to pull me up. He leaned down, his lips brushing my ear, his voice raspy and lazy. “I recommend the real thing.” “After all… I have two more abs than him, I’m better looking, and I’m better in bed. You won’t find a deal this good again.” 2 My face burned. I pushed him away. “You’re being a pervert!” He pulled me back. “Wow, gaslighting already? It’s not perversion, it’s my resume. Don’t believe me? Feel for yourself.” I bit my lip, avoiding his eyes. I glanced down at the courtyard. Liam was wiping cream off the girl’s face. My heart clenched. Seeing his gaze start to drift upward, I quickly turned back to Sebastian. “Okay.” Sebastian smiled, a wicked “gotcha” look on his face. He straightened up and cupped my face in his hands. Our lips were inches apart. Just as I thought he was going to kiss me, he stopped. “Baby, want to give him a show?” I looked down at the courtyard again. Gathering my courage, I stood on my tiptoes and pecked his lips. He froze for a second, then that helpless smile returned. His thumb stroked my cheek. “Let me teach you something better.” He lowered his head and captured my lips. My eyes widened in shock. I clenched my teeth, nervous. My heart felt like it was going to hammer out of my chest. “Open up,” he murmured, his eyes half-closed, a teasing smile on his lips. I obeyed instinctively. He held the back of my head, pressing gently, forcing me to look up and deepen the kiss. His clean, sharp scent filled my senses. For a moment, it felt like I was drowning in him. Slowly, the kiss stopped being gentle. It became demanding, domineering. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I bit his lip. He pulled back slowly. I stood there, face flushed, mind blank. Seeing the small cut on his lip, I felt guilty. “I didn’t mean to bite you.” He licked the wound. “Feisty.” “You were kissing too hard.” He looked at me and smiled. “Fine. I won’t hold it against you.” I glared at him. “You seem pretty experienced.” He smirked, pinching my cheek. “Yeah. I have even more experience with other things. Want to try next time?” I turned away, puffing out my cheeks. Who knows how many girls he’s kissed! 3 Blushing, I ignored him and looked down. Liam was staring right at me from the courtyard. I froze. Sebastian pulled me into his arms, looking down at Liam with a triumphant, provocative grin. He was showing off so hard. I poked his rock-hard chest. “You’re kind of evil, you know that?” “Tsk.” He pinched my face. “Is that how you talk to your boyfriend?” I pouted. “Who said you’re my boyfriend?” He laughed, squeezing the back of my neck. “Sarah, are you playing with an innocent boy’s heart?” I looked up at him. “Ha. Innocent boy? You kiss way too well for that.” Sebastian looked at me, amused. “Don’t you know men are born with this talent?” I scoffed. Yeah, right. He leaned in close, his hot breath tickling my ear. “Not entirely self-taught. There are plenty of… educational videos out there.” My face went atomic red. I was speechless. “You…” Sebastian ruffled my hair. “What, you want to learn? I’ll share my playlist with you later.” Mortified, I punched his chest. “Who wants to learn that!” He chuckled, burying his face in my neck. “Okay, okay. Don’t get mad. I’m teasing.” 4 The party ended at midnight. Sebastian insisted I drop him off at the gate of his gated community. After he got out, I turned to leave, but he called me back. He hooked an arm around my neck and planted a heavy kiss on my lips. I glared at him, blushing. “Why do you like kissing so much?!” He smirked. “I’m addicted.” “Go home! It’s late.” He rested his hand on the steering wheel, pausing. “Will I get a DUI?” “Did you drink?” He shook his head. “No, but you did. We kissed for so long, what if I’m drunk by association? If I get arrested, it’ll affect our future son’s record.” I smacked him on the head. “Shut up!” I ignored him and walked away. My house was just a few villas down from Liam’s. As I passed his place, he called out to me. “Sarah.” I turned. “What?” “When did you start dating Sebastian?” His questioning tone annoyed me. I stared at him without answering. He sighed. “He’s not a good guy. Dating is fine, but don’t get too invested.” I bristled. “You’re not my brother. You don’t get to decide.” “And don’t badmouth my boyfriend in front of me. I’ll get mad.” I’ve always been protective. Sebastian is my boyfriend now. Liam has a girlfriend. Him trying to manage me felt… gross. Instant turn-off. Actually, I’ve known Sebastian forever. When we were kids, my parents were busy, so I stayed with my grandparents. The houses in that neighborhood were close, just separated by a wall. Sebastian lived next door. Grandpa used to drag him over to play with me. But the guy was a menace from day one. Mean mouth, loved to bully me. I suffered under his tyranny for years. That’s why I liked Liam. He was gentle, reliable, like a real adult. He solved my problems instead of mocking me like Sebastian. “Sarah, God gave you a brain to use, not just for decoration.” “Sarah, crying makes you ugly.” “Sarah, be gentle or no one will marry you.” … But sometimes, Sebastian was okay. When I got bullied, he’d protect me. Even while mocking me, he’d wipe my tears. When I didn’t get a perfect score, he’d show me his failing test paper. “Look at mine! I failed! You got a 99! You’re way better than me.”

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The Wolf Clan’s lineage was dwindling. Prince Valen, the Wolf King’s heir, had lived for a thousand years. He was a fearsome warrior, respected across the Beast Realm, but utterly uninterested in romance. The Wolf Queen was frantic. Beauties from every clan lined up outside the Wolf King’s den, hoping to catch his eye. I’m Ginger, just a regular girl from a poor family who accidentally fell into the Beast Realm. After crossing over, I stumbled into the Wolf King’s chambers by mistake. On the day of his engagement to the Tiger Princess, I ran away—pregnant with a litter of wolf pups. Years later, as I was busy feeding meat to my eight little wolves, he pushed open my garden gate. He looked at me like a kicked puppy, ears drooping. “Ginger, do you really not want me anymore?” 1 The Great War between the beast clans shattered the barrier between the human and beast worlds, and I fell right through the cracks. I was just trying to help my grandma dig up some wild ginseng in the back mountains. One wrong step, and I woke up here. Half-human, half-beast creatures were everywhere. Before I could process anything, a Wolf Clan patrol surrounded me. They wanted to execute me on the spot, but Grandma Leopard intervened and brought me into the Wolf Clan’s territory. I grew up in the mountains with my grandma. I rarely saw anyone besides the villagers, so I knew nothing about the outside world, let alone this one. At first, I thought I should treat these beast-men like the animals back home. I reached out to pet their heads and ears, but their ferocious snarls scared me back. They were fiercer than the neighbor’s Rottweiler! But Grandma Leopard was kind to me, just like my own grandma. She tried to give me chores like cleaning, but I was useless in this world. I tore ancient scrolls while dusting and nearly burned down a room while mixing potions. Exasperated, Grandma Leopard took me to the Wolf Queen. The Queen looked me over, noting my curves with satisfaction, and whispered to her handmaidens. “This little human looks like a good breeder. A bit dim, perhaps, too innocent.” “That’s fine. Let’s test her fertility. If the Prince takes a new consort later, she’ll be easy to dispose of.” Breeder? Consort? I didn’t care. I only cared about what Grandma Leopard told me: “Spend one night in the Wolf Prince’s bed, and you’ll survive here.” So, I happily let them take me to Prince Valen’s courtyard. A crowd of wolf beauties was already there, clearly unhappy about my arrival. One silver-haired beauty even tossed my luggage into the muddiest corner of the yard. I didn’t see the Prince until evening. He had fluffy wolf ears atop his head, but his face… god, he was handsome. “You… you’re so handsome…” I blurted out. Valen paused, seemingly intrigued by this bold human. He leaned in, sniffing me, his eyes thoughtful. This enraged the other beauties. From then on, they bullied me relentlessly. Threatening to tear out my throat, putting bugs in my food—I hadn’t had a decent meal in days. The wolves ate raw meat, which I couldn’t stomach. Starving and desperate, I remembered Grandma Leopard’s words. One night in his bed, and I get to live. And eat good food. So, under the cover of darkness, I snuck into the Prince’s chambers. The room was empty. I climbed into his bed and burrowed under the covers. Soon after, Valen walked in. He stripped as he walked toward the bathing pool. Through the steam, I saw his muscular back and powerful waist. It was the first time I’d ever seen a naked man! My heart pounded. Suddenly, he turned around. I ducked under the blanket. After what felt like forever, he stood by the bed. “Come out,” his voice commanded, heavy with authority. I peeked out timidly and patted the pillow next to me. “Your Highness… wanna sleep together?” Valen raised an eyebrow, amusement dancing in his eyes. “What is your name?” “Ginger,” I answered honestly. He stared at my lips, his breathing growing heavy. He turned back to the pool, then returned moments later. His eyes were redder now, his breath ragged, as if suppressing something wild. “I… I was injured recently. There’s a dark energy in me I can’t control.” “Ginger, I need you now. Is that okay?” Need me? For what? I was confused by his burning gaze. “If I say yes, will you give me food? Will I get to live?” He chuckled and nodded. “Then hurry up! I want to eat when we’re done!” The next second, he was on top of me. His kisses were overwhelming. I felt like I was melting. My clothes were torn away in a daze. Then, a sharp pain snapped me back to reality. I pushed him. “Ouch! No more! I don’t want to eat anymore!” He kissed away my tears, whispering comforts, but his movements only grew fiercer. My protests seemed to fuel him. “Shh, be good. Relax, it’ll be over soon.” I sobbed in pain, but he wouldn’t stop. When it was finally over, I clung to his arm. “You promised. Food.” Valen stroked my hair, looking satisfied. He ordered a feast. And just like that, I, a human who had only been there a few days, became the first person to sleep with the Wolf Prince. 2 I woke up the next morning covered in Valen’s scent. I didn’t know what that meant in the Beast World. The wolf beauties in the courtyard glared at me with fire in their eyes. Overnight, I had become public enemy number one. I was moved to a special room. They said it was designed for humans, with strange runes on the walls. It was close to Valen’s chambers, heavily guarded. But Grandma Leopard was right. After sleeping with the Prince, I never went hungry again. No one dared threaten me. Valen treated me well, sending me cooked food and desserts every day. Some of it was weird, but it was better than raw meat. Rumors said Valen was cold and uninterested in women. I now knew that was total bull. Since that night, he was addicted. The moment he returned to his chambers, he was on me. Bed, bath, desk—nowhere was safe. I’d pass out and wake up to dawn breaking. Even while working, he’d hold me on his lap, kissing and nibbling on me. Sore and exhausted, I complained to Grandma Leopard. She smiled ambiguously. “Silly girl, he’s marking you! That’s a huge honor in our clan!” “If you get pregnant with a wolf pup, your future is set! You’ll be a hero to the Wolf Clan, set for life.” I blinked. “What if I have a human baby?” Grandma Leopard frowned. That stumped her. That night, in Valen’s arms, I asked. “Your Highness… if we have a baby, will it be a wolf or a human?” Valen’s hand paused in my hair. “You’re young. Don’t worry about children.” From the next day on, he fed me a strange fruit after every encounter. He said it was good for my health. I ate it without question. Only later did I learn it was a contraceptive fruit. Clearly, Valen never intended for me to bear his heirs. He kept me by his side constantly. He taught me the beast language. My writing was terrible—like chicken scratch—but he was patient, teaching me stroke by stroke. I loved writing his name in the beast script. It made me happy. Valen knew my tastes. He brought me rare treats from his travels: glowing berries, savory mushrooms, legendary “Beast God Nectar.” My heart started feeling strange. When he wasn’t there, I missed him. When he was, just sitting quietly nearby made me happy. The annual “Full Moon Festival” approached. It required a pilgrimage to a distant holy land. As the Prince, Valen had to go. The night before he left, he was insatiable, as if stocking up for the month apart. I was sad to see him go. That night, I was unusually responsive. Valen was so excited his wolf tail popped out. The big, fluffy tail wagged happily. After he left, I felt listless. Even roasted chicken wings lost their appeal. I remembered a proverb Valen taught me: “The lone wolf watches the moon, sleepless in its shadow.” I understood it now. I, a girl who had been single since birth, realized this was love. It had seeped into my bones without me noticing. The day he returned, he dragged me into his room immediately. I thought he wanted sex, but he pulled a glowing fruit from his robe. “Try this. It’s a fruit from the Beast God Tree. I stole it for you.” I almost cried. The Beast God Fruit was a sacred treasure. Even the King rarely ate it. I took a bite, and energy flooded my body. I felt light, floaty. In that moment, I thought staying here with Valen forever wouldn’t be so bad. I forgot I was just a “breeder.” How could I dream of growing old with the Wolf King? Soon, news spread that the Wolf Clan was forming a marriage alliance with the Tiger Clan. The Tiger Princess was coming to stay, acting like the future Queen. 3 The wolf beauties mocked me mercilessly. “A mere human, dreaming of keeping the Prince’s favor forever?” “The real deal is here. Scram, you hairless pet!” We lined up to welcome Valen and the Tiger Princess, Roxanne. When they walked in together, my heart skipped a beat. Valen radiated power, and Roxanne was elegantly wild. They looked… perfect together. Acid filled my chest. Thinking about watching them be a loving couple for the rest of my life made it hard to breathe. In the following days, Valen showed Roxanne around the territory. They watched the moon, hunted together. Some gossips even used magic to project images of their dates for me to see. I pretended not to care. But at night, I cried. Valen hadn’t summoned me in days. He came back late, and I never saw him. Maybe I really was just a toy, a pastime for when he was bored. One day, the Queen summoned us to the main hall. Valen was busy, so we were ordered to entertain Roxanne. Roxanne smiled and linked arms with me. “I heard you serve Valen. It must be hard work.” Once we were alone, her face changed. She threw my hand off. “A human like you thinks you deserve to be by his side?” “I heard you think you’re his partner. Guess who’s more important to him? You or me?” Alarm bells rang in my head. Before I could run, she ripped a talisman from her neck and threw it into the nearby Miasma Forest. Valen walked into the courtyard just then. Roxanne threw herself into his arms, sobbing. “Valen, this human is so rude. I just wanted to talk, but she insulted me and threw my mother’s talisman into the Miasma Forest!” I hadn’t seen Valen in so long. The man I shared a bed with now looked at me with cold, stranger’s eyes. “I didn’t…” I tried to defend myself, but he cut me off. Valen comforted Roxanne softly. “Don’t worry. I’ll send someone to find it.” Roxanne pouted, pointing at me. “She lost it. She should find it!” Humans have the weakest sense of smell here. I couldn’t navigate the poisonous fog. Valen knew this. He used to tease me about my “useless nose.” But now, he commanded coldly: “Go find it!” I stumbled into the forest. The acrid air made me dizzy. The toxins burned my skin. I crawled around, feeling my life draining away. I don’t know how long it took, but I found the damn talisman. Covered in cuts and burns, I crawled out and handed it to Roxanne. The Queen had arrived. She glared at me. “Disgraceful! A stain on the Wolf Clan!” “Stay in the forest for a day and night as punishment!” Valen didn’t even look at me. He walked away with Roxanne. The night wind blew, and I shivered. I finally understood the gap between a breeder and a Queen. I had no voice here. Roxanne could decide my life or death on a whim. I, who had once loved this place, wanted to leave for the first time. 4 I didn’t last long in the forest before fainting. In a haze, I smelled Valen. He licked my wounds gently. I sobbed, “Do you care about me at all?” He was silent. When I woke up, I was alone. A hallucination, surely. Then, footsteps. Valen walked in, face grim. I felt a flicker of hope. “Your Highness, you came?” He sat by my bed, eyes complex. “Ginger, Roxanne has contracted Soul Wither from losing her talisman. It’s critical.” He paused, his gaze hardening. “The shaman says we need human heart-blood as a cure. You… you’re always sensible. Will you help her?” “I promise I’ll make it up to you!” It felt like being doused in ice water. I shook. “I didn’t lose it! She threw it herself!” “Why don’t you believe me?” “I’m sorry,” his voice went cold. “You owe her this.” He grabbed my arm. Despite my struggles and begging, he drove a knife into my vein. The pain was excruciating. I couldn’t tell if my arm or my heart hurt more. Before I blacked out, I thought I saw pain in his eyes. No. Impossible. Another hallucination. The next day, I heard Roxanne recovered. The Queen summoned me so Roxanne could “thank” me. Before I entered, I heard them laughing. “Good child, take care of yourself.” “When you marry Valen, give us a strong wolf pup.” “As for that mongrel in his yard, I’ll watch her. She won’t birth the first pup before you arrive.” “Once you’re Queen, you can do whatever you want with her!” I realized then: to them, I was livestock. Roxanne thanked me insincerely. The Queen ignored me. “Just a lowly plaything. Giving blood is her honor. Why thank her personally?” “You’re too kind.” Message received. Leaving, I looked at my reflection in a puddle. No ears, no tail. But I was human. I had dignity. Why let them trample me? I was just a hidden breeder in Valen’s backyard. I never had a chance. Let alone growing old together. It was time to go. I stopped dreaming and started planning. The Queen’s Moon Festival was coming up. All clans would visit. Perfect cover. I snuck into a Bear Clan merchant’s wagon. Watching the Wolf territory fade into the distance, tears streamed down my face. “Goodbye, Valen.”

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One week ago, the real daughter of the Sterling family showed up at our doorstep. That was when I found out I was a fraud. A placeholder. But my biological parents were long dead, so the Sterlings decided to keep me on as a charity case. The newly returned heiress, Harper, seemed to have a bone to pick with me. Not only did she reclaim the attention of Mom, Dad, and my older brother, but she also set her sights on the fiancé who was supposed to be mine. I didn’t really care. I just wanted to survive and keep a roof over my head. But when I tried to return my fiancé to her, the usually gentle Liam showed a dark expression I’d never seen before. He gripped my waist tight, looking down at me with a suffocating intensity. “Chloe, I’ve known since we were kids. You can only be mine.” Just then, Harper pushed the door open. She blinked, flashing a smile that showed off her cute canines. “Liam, didn’t you promise Mrs. Vance you’d have dinner with me?” Weirdly, I suddenly heard a roar echoing from her soul. — “Get away from the female lead, you psycho protagonist! She belongs to the second male lead, you absolute trash bag!” 1. I’ve become weird. Normal people can’t read minds, but apparently, I can. Specifically, I can only read Harper’s mind. Harper is my sister in name, but she’s the true Sterling bloodline, and I’m the fake. The day she was brought back, Mom, Dad, and my brother Ethan held her and cried their eyes out. I stood off to the side, clearly an outsider looking in. From that day on, I knew my place. No more acting spoiled. No more willful demands. I just needed to be a quiet piece of furniture in this house. The whole world started revolving around Harper. Harper hated me, the imposter, which I understood. I had lived a life of luxury in her place for nineteen years while she suffered out there. I accepted my fate. I was pretty chill about it. Mom, Dad, and Ethan were hers. My childhood fiancé, Liam Vance, should also be hers. Harper had been visiting the Vance estate a lot lately. She’d come back and flex in front of me about how nice Mrs. Vance was to her, how polite and gentle Liam was, and how lively the house was with her around. My brother, usually close to me, looked like he wanted to say something but held back. Finally, Mom came to me. “Chloe, Harper has really taken a liking to Liam. She’s knitting scarves, baking pastries… If Harper hadn’t gone missing, she would have been the one engaged to him…” Before she could finish, I cut in. “Mom, as long as my sister is happy, I’m happy.” Mom breathed a sigh of relief, then seemed to feel a delayed pang of guilt. “Good child. Mom will keep an eye out for a great guy for you in the future. We won’t mistreat you.” I nodded obediently. But everyone knew how awkward my position in the Sterling family was now. Any ‘great guy’ would probably avoid me like the plague. Whatever. I never planned on relying on a man anyway. 2. Liam must have heard the rumors. He walked into my room casually, just like he did when we were kids. We grew up together; he used to love lounging in my room while I played house, forcing him to eat ‘fried rice’ I made out of Play-Doh. But this was the first time since we grew up that he barged in without knocking. “Liam…” I barely got his name out before he yanked me up from the sofa by my wrist. His grip was rough. I realized standing in front of him that I only reached his chest. Through his thin white dress shirt, I could see the definition of his muscles rising and falling. There was a dangerous, wild edge to him. He was mischievous as a kid, but grew up to be gentle and calm. I’d never seen this side of him. My wrist throbbed. I wanted to curse him out like I used to, but then I remembered—this guy was about to become my brother-in-law. Let it go. But when I stayed silent, he escalated. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me tight against him. Even though we were engaged early on, we had never been this intimate. “Liam, are you crazy?” I couldn’t help but snap, trying to struggle free. “Shh,” his voice was low and raspy, right in my ear. “Be good. Let me hold you for a second.” I struggled harder, but against his absolute strength, it was useless. He held me for a long time, then suddenly looked down at me. His eyes were dark, like they wanted to swallow me whole. “Chloe, I’ve known since we were kids. You can only be mine.” His predatory gaze made my skin crawl. The childhood friend I knew had turned into a wolf that had been lying in wait. 3. When Harper walked in, Liam didn’t let go. I was standing in the middle of a total nightmare scenario, scalp tingling with awkwardness. But Harper, clearly a girl of deep schemes, didn’t even flinch at the scene. She just smiled. “Liam, didn’t you promise Mrs. Vance you’d have dinner with me?” At that exact moment, her lips didn’t move, but I heard a roar full of primal rage. It hit the room like a thunderclap. — “Get away from the female lead, you psycho protagonist! She belongs to the second male lead!” Liam’s expression didn’t change. I thought I was hallucinating. But then came another line. — “Toxic male, get your ass downstairs and eat. Don’t bother the heroine.” — “Or I swear to God I’ll send you to prison myself!” Me: ? I looked at Harper, who was smiling innocently, and felt my worldview shattering. She had no idea I could hear her screaming internally. — “Big sis is here. I won’t let you hurt the heroine.” — “Got it?” 4. From then on, I kept hearing these bizarre rants coming from Harper’s mind. Like the day she came back from dinner with Liam and started bragging to me as usual. “Liam is so sweet. He heard I hate de-boning fish, so he picked all the bones out for me. He said there’s this amazing seafood place he wants to take me to next time. I’m totally going to love seafood~” In reality, her mind was spewing profanity. — “Eat sht!”* — “Liam, that son of a btch. Who was he showing that long face to during dinner? It’s not like I kidnapped him!”* — “He wants the heroine but also wants the Sterling family’s political backing to secure his place in the Vance empire.” — “Trash. Absolute societal garbage.” — “Useless except for his face.” — “I sincerely hope he has a micropenis.” — “Three-second wonder.” Me: … Me: “Pfft.” Harper instantly looked at me, her fake bragging expression cracking. Her inner voice fired up again. — “? What’s she laughing at?” — “Sigh, her mental state. She must be driven crazy by me.” — “Hope she’s okay.” — “But short-term pain is better than long-term suffering. Stay away from this cheating psycho and you’ll be happy for eight hundred lifetimes.” Harper walked past me up the stairs, then suddenly turned back and gave me a provocative smirk. “Sister,” she said. “Liam… I’m going to win him, you know.” She strutted away like a peacock fanning its tail. Accompanied by her excited inner thoughts. — “Yessss!” — “I’m amazing.” — “I should go get an Oscar.” 5. My brother Ethan came back from a business trip in Chile. He brought gifts. Harper and I each got a crystal bracelet. She got an extra pair of pearl earrings. I got an extra jar of artisan chocolates—I’d specifically asked Ethan to bring them. He knew I didn’t care much for jewelry but loved sweets. Harper eyed my chocolate. She wanted the whole jar. Ethan couldn’t handle her whining and soft-soaping. He turned to me. “Chloe, Harper has never had these before. Her old family couldn’t afford them… How about you give the chocolate to her this time? I’ll buy you more later.” I never realized before how good my family was at making empty promises. The moment I handed the chocolate to Harper, a hurricane raged in her mind. — “Wow. Just wow.” — “If he’s so good at selling dreams, why doesn’t he go into marketing? Spineless coward.” — “Useless trash man. His brain fell out somewhere over the Pacific.” — “Heroine, please give up on this loser already.” — “If this guy gets a wife later, he’s just going to let her bully you too.” — “Now he asks you to ‘tolerate’ giving up chocolate. Later, if his wife slaps you, he’ll tell you to ‘tolerate’ that too.” — “Heroine! Wake up!” — “There aren’t that many things in this world worth tolerating!” I looked up at her, stunned. There aren’t that many things in this world worth tolerating. I don’t know why, but that sentence hit a nerve. Snap. Two tears rolled down my face.

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Years after graduation, my high school desk-mate and secret crush had become a massive superstar. When we crossed paths at our class reunion, his expression was icy. “And you are?” Everyone thought Perry Wright had forgotten me. That was until the news of my accidental death traveled back. While my best friend was packing up my belongings, she accidentally discovered a love letter Perry had written to me years ago, hidden inside a picture frame. [June, loving you in secret is too bitter. I don’t want to like you anymore.] But further down, there was a line of small text: [Just kidding. I lied.] That same night, the news of Perry committing suicide made global headlines. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the class reunion. I looked at the indifferent Perry sitting across from me, tentatively pulled out my phone, and sent him a text. The very next second, his phone blasted a unique, dedicated ringtone. Perry: “…” 1 I died on a snowy day. I went out to the mountains looking for inspiration, got lost, got trapped, and died of hypothermia. It was a very undignified way to go. My best friend, Zoe, rushed over the moment she got the news. When she identified my body, she was crying so hard she could barely breathe. “June! How could you have the heart to leave me like this?” “Even if Perry doesn’t remember you, you still have me!” My soul was floating in mid-air, and hearing this made me cringe so hard my phantom toes curled. If I weren’t already stone-cold dead, I would have rushed over to cover her mouth. The police had already ruled it an accident. Why did she have to make it sound like I offed myself over a broken heart? Can’t a girl leave a little dignity behind? But clearly, Zoe didn’t think so. For some reason, she was convinced my death had something to do with Perry. She whipped out her phone and dialed his number. It rang for a long time before he picked up. “Hello?” A raspy male voice came through, sounding like he’d just been woken up. “Zoe? What is it? I just pulled an all-nighter filming…” “Perry,” Zoe interrupted him, her voice thick with grief. “June is dead.” Silence stretched on the other end of the line. Even as a ghost, I felt a tiny spark of hope. How would Perry react knowing I was dead? Would he be sad? Or would he think it was just the passing of someone insignificant? After all, at the reunion a few days ago, he had been so cold. When our classmates teased us, he simply asked in a chilly voice, “And you are?” The moment those words left his lips, the air in the room froze. Meeting his indifferent gaze, the courage I had spent hours building up instantly evaporated. I could only stammer, “No… nothing,” and lower my head, terrified to look up again. Actually… I couldn’t blame him. He was a top-tier celebrity now. It had been six years since graduation. It was a good thing he didn’t remember me. Otherwise, I would always feel like I owed him an apology. “Perry, did you hear me?” Zoe cried into the phone when he didn’t respond. “I said June is dead! She’s gone!” Thud. A heavy sound came from the other side, like something dropping to the floor. Perry seemed to be gritting his teeth, his voice trembling. “…I don’t believe you.” The next second, the call was disconnected. Zoe, furious and sobbing, snapped a photo of my death certificate and texted it to him, only to find she’d been blocked. I wanted to comfort her, but my hand passed right through her shoulder. So, I just hugged her through the air. Don’t cry, you silly girl. 2 Five days after my death, Zoe brought my ashes back to the city. I didn’t have much family in the country. My only brother was on a business trip abroad and was currently on a flight back. When Zoe entered my apartment with the urn, my Ragdoll cat, Nugget, had been hungry for two days. I had left three days’ worth of food, thinking I’d be back. I never thought I wouldn’t make it. Zoe used to visit often, so Nugget recognized her immediately and pounced, meowing for food. Probably realizing I wasn’t there, Zoe almost started crying again. She filled the bowl, and the cat dove in. Zoe went into the study to pack up my things. I was a full-time author, so I spent more time in the study than the bedroom. The desk was exactly how I left it. Next to the computer was a framed photo of our high school friend group. In the photo, Zoe was linking arms with me in the center. Perry stood on the far right. While I smiled at the camera, Perry’s eyes were looking sideways—at me. Zoe was currently furious at Perry. She packed everything else and reached for the frame last. Just then, a very full Nugget jumped up. Seeing Zoe reach for the frame, the cat launched a playful attack. Crash! The frame hit the floor, glass shattering everywhere. Zoe jumped. As she picked up the cat, she noticed something hidden in the backing of the broken frame. “Meow.” Nugget realized he’d messed up and let out an apologetic squeak. Zoe bent down and pulled a letter out of the debris. She opened it. It was a love letter. Both Zoe and I were confused. The paper was yellowed with age, but the handwriting was sharp and clear. Every word was filled with a hidden, grand, unrequited love. [June, loving you in secret is too bitter. I don’t want to like you anymore.] Further down, in smaller print: [Just kidding. I lied.] When our eyes hit the bottom right corner, we both froze. The signature was Perry. The current A-list celebrity. And my high school desk-mate whom I had secretly loved for years. I suddenly remembered. Perry had given me this photo frame in our senior year. I had moved many times over the years, but this frame always came with me, sitting by my computer. I never dreamed it held such a secret. I thought back to that last phone call, Perry’s trembling voice saying “I don’t believe you”… My heart ached violently. Do ghosts feel heartbreak? Zoe immediately pulled out her phone and unblocked Perry. But before she could dial, a notification popped up from Twitter. #PerryWright Suicide My hands shaking, I watched Zoe click the trending topic. A video from a verified gossip account had been posted ten minutes ago. An ambulance was parked outside a luxury villa. Security and staff were everywhere. The camera shook, catching a glimpse of a hand hanging off the stretcher. The fingers were pale, slender. Dark red liquid dripped from the fingertips, blooming like flowers on the pavement. [Perry Wright attempts suicide at home. Suicide note suspected to reference a lost love.] I stared at the words “Lost Love.” My brain short-circuited. No. It shouldn’t be like this. Why would he die? How could he die? In an instant, memories flashed through my mind like a carousel, finally stopping on a snowy winter day. Seventeen-year-old Perry stood at the bottom of the school steps, reaching his hand out to me. “It’s a deal then, June.” He smiled, his eyes curving into crescents, looking impossibly gentle. “If I become a big star, you have to come be my manager.” A gust of wind blew, covering the world in white snow. It felt like a long dream. 3 “June? June!” I snapped back to reality. “Why are you zoning out? Perry is here!” I looked at Zoe’s concerned face and felt my eyes sting. It’s real. I was back. Back to the day of the reunion. I looked up and locked eyes with Perry. In that split second, I knew exactly what he was going to say— And you are? “Why are you crying?” The voice in my memory overlapped with the voice in my ear. I looked at him blankly. “What?” Unlike the last life, Perry didn’t ask who I was. He frowned, his voice cold as he repeated himself. “Why are you crying?” He instinctively started to reach out, but realizing where we were, he froze. He turned his face away, his frown deepening. I touched my cheek. I hadn’t realized tears were falling. “June?” Zoe noticed something was wrong. “Are you okay? Do you feel sick?” “No, nothing…” I took a deep breath, hastily wiping my face and pretending to rub my eyes. “I think an eyelash got in my eye.” So awkward. Crying right in front of him. Perry must think I’m insane. I stole a glance at him. He was talking to Zoe. Zoe was a fashion editor now, the only one in the room who had any professional connection to Perry. That was why she could contact him when I died in my past life. The reunion had been planned for a month. Knowing Perry was coming, tons of people showed up. Even now, as food was served, countless eyes were glued to him. Some people are born protagonists. He just had to sit there to be the center of the universe. Separated by Zoe, I buried my head and ate quietly. Seeing him again was enough. In this life, if I don’t die, he won’t die. Halfway through the meal, the Class President walked over with a glass of wine, insisting on toasting Perry. “Mr. Superstar! We thought you wouldn’t make it. You really honored us today!” Perry smiled politely, took a sip of his wine. The Class President’s gaze drifted to Zoe, then to me. He frowned slightly. “Are you… June Wells?” Suddenly, the other classmates who were toasting looked over. “It really is you!” The President got excited. “You transferred so suddenly senior year and cut off all contact. I didn’t think you’d show up!” “Speaking of which, weren’t you and our Superstar desk-mates back then?” I felt Perry’s gaze land on me. “Really?” I heard Perry’s voice, cool and detached, as if he didn’t care I existed. “I forgot a long time ago.” The food in my bowl had gone cold. I swallowed it. It tasted bitter. 4 In the winter of our senior year, I transferred schools suddenly due to family issues. One day we were planning our future; the next, I vanished. For the next few years, Zoe was my only link to my old life. She knew my situation but never brought it up. The following summer, Perry appeared on a talent show and won the championship. That summer, his name was everywhere. The face I knew so well was on every TV screen. His songs played in every mall. Overnight, I went from the girl sharing his desk to being one in a million fans following him on social media. And I could finally say out loud that the person I liked was named Perry Wright. College years were lonely. Several times, I opened Perry’s chat window, only to fall silent looking at the history. [June, where are you?] [June, you’re late.] [June, what happened?] [June, it’s snowing. Remember your umbrella.] Below that were dozens of missed calls and countless worried messages. The last message was sent nine hours later, at midnight. [June, I’m not waiting anymore.] That was New Year’s Eve. We had a date. I stood him up. I typed and deleted, typed and deleted. Finally, my phone rang. It was him. I jumped, and seeing the caller ID, I instinctively answered. I heard his familiar breathing. My throat was tight. I opened my mouth but didn’t know what to say. “June…” The person on the other end sounded like he was grinding his teeth. “Speak.” “What does ‘typing’ for ten minutes mean?” I took a deep breath and whispered, “Are… are you okay?” The breathing stopped for a second. I had imagined our reunion a million times. But in the end, separated by a screen, his voice was ice cold. “Thanks to you, I’m doing great.” After a long silence, I said dryly, “Then… I wish you the best. I hope you get famous. A smooth path to the stars…” Beep— He hung up. I stared at the screen, crying and laughing at the same time. Later, he did exactly what I wished for. He exploded in popularity. And my secret, grand high school crush came to a quiet end.

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