Author: Momo Chan

“Look at these photos! You disgust me!” Julian leaned down, snatched an envelope from the coffee table, pulled out a thick stack of pictures, and hurled them at me. Dozens of photos scattered instantly, fluttering wildly before landing all over the floor. I stared at Julian, utterly bewildered, then picked up one that had landed on the sofa in front of me. “This…” My voice died in my throat the moment I saw the picture, my wide, innocent eyes staring, round as saucers. I quickly gathered all the photos around me. Each one showed a naked man and woman passionately entangled in a luxurious King-Size hotel bed, doing things that made my face burn with shame. And the woman in the photos was me. “What ‘this’? I never would have thought that Chloe Davis, the heiress of the mighty Davis Empire, would stoop to such shameless acts!” Julian roared, his voice deafening, laced with uncontrollable fury. “No, I didn’t, Julian. I’ve never done anything to betray you…” I reached out, tugging at the hem of his jacket, pleading pitifully, tears welling in my eyes. He violently my hand away and took a few steps forward. “Enough! The evidence is right in front of me. Stop your act; it makes me sick.” I slumped onto the sofa, sobbing helplessly. “Mrs. Jenkins, bring the medicine over for her.” Julian’s thin lips pressed together as if he’d made a grave decision, then he suddenly called out. Mrs. Jenkins walked straight over, holding a small white porcelain bowl in her hands. “What medicine?” I lifted my head at his words, my swollen eyes questioning Mrs. Jenkins. “Young Master, this…” Mrs. Jenkins looked at Julian, a hint of difficulty in her expression. “Abortion pills,” he pronounced, the words chillingly firm. Boom! It felt like a thunderclap had exploded in my mind. I slapped the bowl out of Mrs. Jenkins’ hand and stood up. “Julian Thorne, are you insane? You’re making me drink abortion pills!” “Why else would I keep that bastard child?!” Julian was clearly enraged by my outburst. He turned, his voice dark and menacing. “It’s your child, it’s not a bastard! It’s not!” I shrieked, my voice raw and hoarse. “Enough!” Julian roared. He took a massive stride forward and suddenly gripped my neck. “Today, you will drink this medicine, whether you want to or not!” I struggled desperately, but I couldn’t break free from his iron grip. My face turned crimson from lack of oxygen. Soon, Mrs. Jenkins brought another bowl, and Julian finally released his hand from my throat. “Cough, cough,” I gasped, sucking in fresh air, but Julian roughly shoved me back, pinning me beneath him. “You… you can’t do this to me!” My hands were firmly pressed down by his leg, unable to move. Only my feet flailed wildly, but it was useless. “Why can’t I? Who do you think you are?” Julian’s eyes gleamed with a chilling coldness. He pinched my chin with one hand, forcing my head up, and took the medicine bowl from Mrs. Jenkins with the other. “Julian, I beg you, don’t do this to me! Please, don’t!” My tears gushed out like a broken dam. I pleaded, my voice hoarse from crying. But the man was heartless, completely unmoved. He ignored my pleas, not even a flicker of emotion crossing his face. He brought the bowl to my lips and forcefully poured the liquid down my throat. “Cough, cough, cough…” I choked violently, the bitter concoction spilling over me, though most of it was forced down. “Mrs. Jenkins, from today onwards, without my permission, my wife won’t be allowed to step foot outside this villa.” Julian stood up, casting a disdainful glance at me crumpled on the sofa, issuing his command like an arrogant king. “You!” I started to speak, but a knife-twisting pain suddenly erupted in my lower abdomen. I clutched my stomach and curled up on the sofa. Blood seeped from beneath my dress, quickly staining the fabric. I felt a wet warmth spreading, and I struggled to speak to Julian, “Please, save my baby…” But the man remained completely indifferent, not even sparing me a glance before he stormed out the door. The pain was so intense that my whole body slid from the sofa to the floor, large beads of sweat trickled down my forehead. Mrs. Jenkins had quietly retreated at some point, and in the vast villa, only my agonizing moans could be faintly heard. I felt as if my child was slipping away with every passing second, yet I was utterly helpless, my lips parched and pale. There was no one to even call for help. The intense pain spread from my stomach throughout my entire body. Tears mingled with sweat and the blood on my dress, soaking my clothes in a truly horrific sight. Before long, the pain consumed me, and I lost consciousness. When I woke again, I was in this familiar room, dressed in clean clothes. This had once been our bridal suite, every corner filled with memories of our happy moments. But now, the entire room felt chillingly cold, like a faded painting devoid of color, lifeless and desolate. Instinctively, I placed a hand on my lower abdomen, but my flat stomach was a cruel reminder: my baby was gone. Tears sprang from my eyes again, soaking the pillow beneath me. I longed to cry my heart out, but at that moment, I could only weep silently, my sobs almost imperceptible. Since I woke up, Mrs. Jenkins had brought me three meals a day on a small tray, but I hadn’t touched a drop of food or water. I felt like a hollow shell, a walking corpse. I’d open my eyes and simply stare blankly out the window for an entire day. And so, on the third day, Julian appeared. Still half-asleep, I felt a massive jolt. When I opened my eyes, I was already being dragged from the bed, my weak body roughly pressed against the dining table by Julian. “Eat,” he said, his voice cold, as he leaned one hand on the table, standing inches from me. I didn’t even lift an eyelid, my gaze still vacant and distant, my face utterly devoid of emotion. “You’re going to eat, do you hear me!” Julian snarled, grabbing the bowl of porridge from the table and shoving it into my hands, his intensity as if he could devour me whole. But I slowly, deliberately, placed the bowl back on the table, a slight curve to my lips. “What, are you afraid I’ll starve to death?” “Afraid? You think too highly of yourself. You gave me such a huge slap in the face; I haven’t tormented you enough yet. How could I let you die so easily?” Julian’s voice echoed like a demon’s in my ears. For a moment, my eyes widened. I couldn’t understand where the loving, tender Julian I once knew had gone. The man before me was so cold, it was as if we were strangers. He picked up the bowl again, scooping a large spoonful of porridge, and brought it to my lips. But I suddenly recoiled, standing up and putting distance between us. When Mrs. Jenkins called him, telling him I hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for two days, he’d dropped everything and rushed back without a thought. This foolish woman, trying to go on a hunger strike. Fine, she thought this would set her free, did she? Dream on! Julian took a large sip from the porridge bowl, then closed the distance between us in a few quick strides. Seeing him approach, I instinctively backed away, my eyes wide, as if I were looking at something utterly repulsive. “Ah!” My lower back hit the window railing, and I cried out in pain. Before I could react, Julian had me cornered against the floor-to-ceiling window. I looked up into his eyes. “What are you doin’…” My words were cut short as Julian’s kiss landed precisely on my lips. I struggled fiercely, but he held me tight against him, my hands pinned behind my back, his arm clamped around my waist. Then, slowly, he forced the porridge from his mouth into mine, making me swallow every drop. “You!” I glared at him indignantly, frantically wiping my lips. “Well, are you going to finish the porridge obediently, or do you want me to keep feeding you?” Julian asked playfully. “I’ll drink it myself!” I glared back at him. “Good, saves us both trouble.” And so, under Julian’s watchful eye, I finished the entire bowl of porridge. Afterward, Julian didn’t linger. He gave a couple of instructions to Mrs. Jenkins and then left. Having witnessed this man’s ruthless methods, I sat motionless at the dining table, a bitter smile on my face. Was this truly the same man who had once sworn eternal love to me? It was all so unbelievable… Unexpectedly, Julian returned for dinner, sitting upright at the dining table. Seeing me descend the stairs, ready to eat, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk touched his lips. It seemed I was still obedient. Perhaps it was due to the days without food or water, but my face was pale. My once form-fitting loungewear now hung loosely on my frame, making me appear even more fragile and bony. Looking at Julian’s still handsome face, my heart ached. I walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down. “Let’s get a divorce,” I said calmly, without anger, as soon as I was seated. “What did you say?” Julian was visibly startled; he hadn’t expected me to say that. “Divorce,” I repeated, my face expressionless. He tugged at his tie with long fingers, clearly irritated. “Chloe Davis, have you lost your damn mind?” “You…” I closed my eyes in pain, as if recalling something terribly hurtful, and whispered, “You could lay hands on your own flesh and blood. Why keep me by your side?” “My own flesh and blood?” Julian sneered, lifting his gaze to my face. “Even now, you’re still trying to deny it? If the woman in those photos isn’t you, then who is it? Go on, explain it to me. Do you have a long-lost sister?” “…” I pressed my lips together, unable to utter a single word in my defense. I had been the Davis family’s only darling daughter since childhood; how could I have a sister, let alone an identical twin? Yet, I swore I had never done anything like that with another man… Unbeknownst to me, Julian had risen and walked behind me. He suddenly lifted me from the chair. “What are you doing?” I demanded, shaking myself awake. The next moment, his handsome face filled my vision, then he leaned down and claimed my lips. “Mmmph…” I desperately pounded on his chest, trying to push him away, but the man held my hands behind my back with one hand and tightly embraced my waist with the other, pressing me close against him. He had only intended to punish me slightly, to assert his undeniable dominance. But the moment he drew near and inhaled my unique fragrance, he was lost in it. The feeling of him intimately exploring my mouth made me feel even more humiliated, and my eyes welled up with fresh tears. *Plip!* A single hot tear dropped onto Julian’s chest, searing through his thin shirt. He looked down to see me, the woman in his arms, pouting and crying, and he instantly sobered. He roughly pushed me away, then turned and said, “Listen to me, woman. Even if we divorce, it’ll only happen when I’m tired of you. Otherwise, you’ll never leave me in this lifetime!” I staggered where he pushed me, his words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. “Hello? Be at the Thorne mansion in half an hour. Now.” Julian said coldly into his phone, then turned and left the dining room. “Damn it!” Julian cursed under his breath as he walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. The president of the mighty Thorne Corporation, flustered and agitated over a woman? It must be because he hadn’t touched a woman in too long, so he called for Serena Price, a prominent socialite from Olympus City’s elite circles. There had been countless women who pursued him, but his reputation as a doting husband was also well-known throughout Olympus City, breaking many young women’s hearts. But now, this woman, whom he had once held so dear, dared to betray him. He would make sure she understood the consequences of betrayal! He had told himself more than once that he absolutely couldn’t fall for such a woman again! Yet, he had to admit, for a fleeting moment just now, he had truly lost himself. A short while later, the doorbell rang urgently, and Mrs. Jenkins quickly went to open it. “Julian, did you miss me?” A syrupy sweet voice cooed, and a woman in a tight black dress sashayed in, her voluptuous figure swaying provocatively, the body-con design accentuating her curves. It was Serena Price, the mayor’s daughter. Her chestnut-brown waves cascaded over her shoulders, and the strapless design exposed her alluring collarbones. Her bright, expressive eyes fixed on Julian, who was seated on the sofa, from the moment she entered. She walked directly towards the man she had admired for so long, wrapped her arms around his neck, and settled onto his lap, leaning in to offer her vivid red lips. Julian frowned, his handsome brows furrowing in displeasure, and subtly shifted, expertly dodging her advance. The woman in his lap froze, looking at his action. Hadn’t he called her here himself? For some reason, he felt no interest in the woman eagerly offering herself to him. In fact, he felt a slight resistance. But then, his eyes caught a glimpse of my figure standing in the dining room doorway, looking on, and a harsh glint flashed in his eyes. He took control, gripping the back of the woman’s neck and pressing his lips to hers. Tears streamed down my face. The scene in the living room assaulted my eyes and nerves. I turned my head, wanting to avert my gaze from this revolting live-action show, yet my legs felt like lead, stuck to the spot. “Oh, I want you~” Serena cooed, a sound that sent shivers down my spine. My red, swollen eyes followed the sound. Feeling my gaze, Julian looked at the stunning woman beneath him, a husky laugh escaping his throat as he playfully chided, “You little tease~” Julian stood up, still holding the woman in his arms, and swept her into his arms, heading towards the bedroom on the second floor. As he passed the dining room doorway, he didn’t even glance at me, completely ignoring my living presence. Only the woman in his arms looked at me standing there, every expression on her face oozing with blatant provocation and triumph. She tightened her arms around Julian, proudly asserting her claim. Watching their retreating figures, my heart turned to dust. If everything before had been a misunderstanding, perhaps there might have been some faint hope of forgiveness. But now, he was intimately involved with another woman right in front of me! I felt as though my heart was being stabbed by dozens of knives, suffocating me. All the love between us, at that moment, was extinguished and vanished completely. I stared at the closed bedroom door upstairs, wiped the tears from my face, and returned to my own room. Back in the empty bedroom, although the soundproofing was excellent and I couldn’t hear a single sound from next door, my mind kept replaying the horrifying image of my husband being intimate with another woman on the bed. A splitting headache pulsed through me, and I slid down the wall, sinking to the floor. I frantically pounded my head, trying to force these sickening thoughts away, but the more I tried to escape, the clearer the images became. “Oh no! The young madam has tried to kill herself!” With Mrs. Jenkins’ scream, the entire Thorne mansion erupted in chaos. Julian rushed out of the adjacent room. When he saw me lying in a pool of blood, he felt his vision darken, utterly lost and bewildered. His crimson eyes blazed with a murderous rage, his heart pounding erratically. He had never been so rattled; he wouldn’t even blink when signing billion-dollar deals for the corporation, but now, seeing this scene, he was truly panicked. He was terrified of losing me like this. On the floor beside me lay a blood-stained fruit knife. There was a long, deep gash on my slender wrist, and bright, startling blood continued to gush out… “Ah!” Serena, who had arrived shortly after, shrieked, her face turning ashen as she stumbled back a few steps. Just then, the wail of an ambulance sounded from outside the villa. Julian’s furious eyes shot a glare at Serena. Without a word, he scooped me up from the pool of blood and stormed out the door. *Chloe Davis, you can’t die. You’re not allowed to die without my permission! You foolish woman, do you think this is how you’ll get away? If you dare to die like this, I’ll haunt you even as a ghost!* The ambulance quickly arrived at the hospital. I was lifted from the stretcher by the accompanying doctors and nurses and rushed into the hospital. Julian clung tightly to the railing of the stretcher, jogging alongside as we moved towards the operating room. “Patient name: Chloe Davis, female, attempted suicide by wrist laceration, severe blood loss. Emergency hemostasis was performed in the ambulance…” The accompanying nurse calmly and swiftly reported my condition to the emergency doctor walking towards them. “Understood. Notify the blood bank to prepare for transfusion.” Julian’s heart, like the slowly closing operating room doors, rose higher and higher, lodged in his throat. He couldn’t imagine what would have happened if Mrs. Jenkins hadn’t gone to my bedroom to bring me food, worried that I hadn’t eaten dinner, and found me… If she had waited until the next day, all that would have awaited him was a cold corpse. *Chloe Davis, how could you be so cruel!* Soon after, my adoptive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Davis, also arrived at the hospital, waiting anxiously outside the operating room. *Bang!* The operating room doors burst open, and a disoriented young nurse stumbled out. A crowd of people immediately surged forward. “The patient has a rare RH-negative blood type. Our hospital’s blood bank is currently low on this blood. Are there any relatives here? We need a family member to donate blood,” the young nurse anxiously looked up at the surging crowd. But they only looked at each other, their faces filled with complex expressions. “How can Chloe have RH-negative blood? No one in our family has this blood type…” Mr. Davis turned to my adoptive mother, Mrs. Thompson, his face bearing an unquestionable authority. “Why are you looking at me? How would I know?” Mrs. Thompson’s face was tinged with sharp indignation. The atmosphere instantly turned hostile. A dark secret of the elite was about to spill. — Cut-off Point — “Sir, Madam, let me donate blood for Chloe. I am RH-negative,” Maria Miller, a housekeeper, suddenly spoke from behind. Everyone turned to look. A woman in her forties, her expression heavy, slowly walked forward. “You?” Mrs. Thompson’s face showed a hint of intriguing suspicion. Mr. Davis, however, seemed to suddenly remember something, his eyes widening as he looked at Maria, but then he abruptly shook his head, finally letting out a deep sigh. “Go and donate blood first. Saving a life is urgent.” His voice turned old and hollow, filled with a palpable sense of weariness that struck anyone who heard it. The nurse quickly led Maria into the operating room. But Mrs. Thompson suddenly acted as if she’d gone mad, grabbing Mr. Davis and shouting, “What’s going on? Why does she have the same blood type as Chloe! Mr. Davis, you better explain this to me!” “I don’t know either, I just asked her to go and donate blood for Chloe first,” Mr. Davis replied dismissively, his thoughts drifting back to that stormy night over twenty years ago… It was a night of pouring rain and fierce winds. The Davis Corporation was still on the rise back then, and Mr. Davis, having just lost a multi-million-dollar deal, was utterly devastated. He returned to the Davis mansion utterly drunk. He swayed at the entrance, struggling for a long time to take off his shoes. “Sir, you’re back.” Maria Miller, then just a girl in her early twenties, had not yet been called Mrs. Miller. “Maria, it’s you. Where’s Mrs. Davis?” Mr. Davis squinted his drunken eyes, trying to steady himself as he spoke to her. Maria saw him struggling with his shoes and quickly knelt down to help him take them off. “Sir, why did you drink so much? Mrs. Davis had an afternoon tea appointment; she hasn’t returned yet.” “Oh,” Mr. Davis secretly let out a sigh of relief. Maria looked at Mr. Davis’s dejected state, her heart aching for him. He always treated the staff so well, and he was so charming and dashing. Over time, she couldn’t help but develop some feelings for him. Mrs. Thompson’s family held immense power, openly and subtly assisting his career for years. If she found out he’d messed up such a huge deal, he couldn’t imagine how much she would scold him. But after so many years of marriage, they still had no children, and the thought alone gave Mr. Davis a splitting headache. Yet, he dared not express his frustration. The alcohol’s effects wore off considerably. Mr. Davis, with a droopy head, walked forlornly upstairs and went directly into his bedroom. *Knock, knock, knock…* A knock sounded at the door. “Sir, I’ve warmed you a hangover tea,” Maria called from outside the door. But there was no sound from the room for a long time. Maria knocked again hesitantly, then, worried, pushed the door open and entered. As soon as the door opened, a pungent smell of alcohol assailed her. Maria frowned, waved her hand in front of her face a couple of times, and walked into the room. “So thirsty, thirsty…” Mr. Davis, completely passed out from drinking, lay sprawled on the bed, mumbling incoherently. Maria quickly walked over and placed the hangover tea on the bedside table. “Sir, wake up, wake up.” Maria knelt by the bed, gently shaking the drunken Mr. Davis. “Get up and drink some hangover tea.” Mr. Davis groggily half-opened his eyes and, with Maria’s help, sat up. Perhaps truly thirsty, he took the hangover tea and drank it all in one gulp. Maria had just set the empty teacup aside when she turned around to find Mr. Davis had already fallen back asleep, his head lolling to the side. She smiled helplessly, stood up, and slowly helped him lie down, even tucking the blanket around him thoughtfully. Just as she picked up the teacup and turned to leave, a sudden dizzy spell hit her. A strong hand pulled her onto the bed. The teacup clattered to the floor with a *thump* at the same moment Mr. Davis’s kiss descended upon her… *Bang!* The operating room doors slowly opened, interrupting Mr. Davis’s thoughts. I was wheeled out on a hospital bed, and Maria also emerged, supported by a nurse. At this moment, my adoptive mother, Mrs. Thompson, didn’t immediately rush to embrace me, her eyes filled more with scrutiny. She looked at my face, then at Maria, who had just emerged, and her suspicions solidified. “The patient is out of danger. She should wake up after some rest, but will need to stay for observation for two days,” the doctor said, taking off his mask and advising the family. The group followed my bed to a VIP room. Julian had to leave due to other engagements, and this was clearly a Davis family matter, so even as a son-in-law, it was inappropriate for him to stay. Mrs. Thompson was the first to sit in the chair by my bed, while Mr. Davis and Maria stood by. Watching the doctors and nurses busy themselves attending to me, who had just been transferred to the room, I felt an indescribable mix of emotions. It had taken so many years of marriage to have a daughter, so I had been given boundless love and care since childhood. But now, after more than twenty years, and with me already married, they discovered… After the doctors and nurses had left, only Mr. and Mrs. Davis, and Maria remained in the large hospital room, apart from me, who lay unconscious on the bed. “Start talking. What exactly happened?” Mrs. Thompson’s eyes narrowed, making Maria shiver. “Darling, listen to me…” After a long silence, Mr. Davis slowly began. “You shut up! I want to hear what *she* has to say!” Mrs. Thompson exclaimed, pointing at Maria. The atmosphere instantly became tense. She and Mr. Davis stood by the bedside, looking at me lying there, feeling utterly heartbroken. A secret kept for over twenty years, it seemed, could no longer be hidden. “Madam, it’s all my fault. That year, I took advantage of Sir when he was drunk…” *Slap!* Mrs. Thompson suddenly stood up and delivered a stinging slap across Maria’s face. “Darling, what are you doing?” Mr. Davis quickly stepped forward, shielding Maria behind him. “What am I doing? Mr. Davis, this is all your doing! How dare you even ask me?” Mrs. Thompson reached past Mr. Davis and grabbed Maria’s arm. “So, Chloe is your daughter?” “Yes… yes, she is,” Maria replied, clutching her red and swollen face. “Then where is my daughter? Where is my daughter now?!” Mrs. Thompson’s eyes bulged with fury, as if spitting fire. She unconsciously tightened her grip on Maria’s arm, as if she wanted to crush her bones. “She… she…” Maria stammered evasively. “What happened to her?!” Mrs. Thompson demanded urgently, her voice carrying an irresistible authority. “Actually… Victoria is… your daughter…” Mrs. Thompson first froze, then suddenly burst into two harsh laughs before delivering another slap. “Oh, wonderful! My daughter suffered for so many years because of you, and you actually made me raise *your* daughter for over twenty years?” “Darling, you…” Mr. Davis started to speak, but meeting Mrs. Thompson’s furious gaze, he swallowed his words and said no more. “You shut up!” Mrs. Thompson turned and swung her fists at Mr. Davis. “Did the two of you plan this? Have you known about this all along? Have you?!” Mr. Davis gripped Mrs. Thompson’s wildly flailing hands, his brows furrowed in pain, and said, “What are you talking about? How would I know?” “How would you know? How could you *not* know where Chloe came from! My poor child suffered for over twenty years with this lowly woman!” Mrs. Thompson cried hysterically, her eyes red as she accused Mr. Davis. After learning such a shocking secret, any normal person would struggle to accept it, especially Mrs. Thompson, who was usually proud and arrogant. At that moment, she was utterly distraught. “Dad? Mom?” I was awakened by the arguments in the room. I slowly opened my tired eyes, propped myself up on one arm, and with difficulty, sat up in bed. Mr. Davis strode over, picked up a pillow, placed it behind me, and helped me sit up properly. “Mr. Davis, what are you doing?” Mrs. Thompson stepped forward, knocking his hand away from me and pulling him aside. “Mom?” I looked at my adoptive mother, confused. “Don’t call me Mom, I’m not your Mom!” Mrs. Thompson turned her face away, tears streaming down. After all, I was the daughter she had raised for over twenty years, cherished in her hands. Even though she now knew I wasn’t her biological child, twenty years of affection couldn’t be erased in an instant. “This… Mom, what’s wrong?” Seeing Mrs. Thompson’s distress and Mr. Davis’s hesitant expression, I was so anxious I almost leaped from the bed. “I told you, don’t call me Mom. *She’s* your mother!” Mrs. Thompson pointed at Maria. It was then that I saw Maria standing near the hospital room door, her slender frame huddled, her head bowed. Though I couldn’t clearly see her expression, I could vaguely see her trembling. My eyes widened in horror. I threw back the covers and got out of bed, but perhaps due to severe blood loss, I felt dizzy and fell to my knees on the floor. “Mom, what are you saying? How could she be…?” My eyes instantly blurred with tears. Mrs. Thompson looked at me, fallen to the floor, with a worried glance, instinctively reaching out to help, but immediately dismissed the thought and withdrew her outstretched hands. Maria heard the *thump* and looked up, her heart twisting like a knife to see her biological daughter kneeling on the cold floor. Her feet, as if by some ghostly force, moved a few steps forward, but Mrs. Thompson’s cold stare stopped her dead in her tracks. Only Mr. Davis knelt down, trying to help me up from the floor, but I tightly gripped his hand. “Dad, did you hear what Mom just said? She’s just kidding with me, right?” Looking at my hopeful eyes, even though the aging father’s heart was filled with boundless reluctance, he could only lower his head helplessly. “Dad, say something! What is going on? You’re all just playing a trick on me, right?” The hospital room fell silent. No one was willing to shatter my last hope. Even though Mrs. Thompson detested Maria, she opened her mouth but couldn’t bring herself to say anything that would hurt me further. “Let me tell you.” With a *bang*, the hospital room door was suddenly pushed open from outside. Almost simultaneously, everyone looked up towards the door. Victoria Thompson elegantly entered, walking to my front and kneeling down. Her slender hand grazed my haggard cheek, a hint of indescribable amusement on her face. Mrs. Thompson looked at Victoria walking in, her heart filled with joy, tears streaming down her face. This was her daughter, her *biological* daughter! “Victoria, why are you here?” Maria’s voice, thick with tears, sounded from behind. “Why am I here? How could I miss this wonderful show?” A flicker of hatred crossed Victoria’s eyes, suddenly making her look terrifying. She paused, staring intently at me. “What an arrogant young madam, thinking you’re still the cherished heiress of the Davis family?” My eyes were bloodshot, staring unblinkingly at Victoria. “What do you know? Tell me.” Apparently not expecting my calm, Victoria paused, then stood up and took a step back. She looked at me, still on the floor, and suddenly clapped her hands. “Indeed, you’ve been a fake heiress for over twenty years. You’ve certainly learned how to stay composed.” “What did you say?!” The words “fake heiress” pierced my ears like daggers. I gasped, my face instantly turning pale. “I said you’re fake. Did you hear me clearly?” Victoria declared, looking down at me, enunciating each word. These words also deeply wounded everyone present. I violently shook off Mr. Davis’s hand and stumbled to my feet. Meeting Victoria’s gaze, “You’re lying!” I screamed, using every ounce of my strength, swaying precariously. “I’m lying?” Victoria’s eyes were bloodshot, her expression suddenly becoming fierce and vicious. “Do you really think you’re a Davis heiress? You’re nothing but a bastard born to *that woman*!” I felt as if my soul had been ripped out; my whole body suddenly wilted and I staggered backward. But Victoria wouldn’t give up. She stepped forward, grasping my shoulder. “The real Davis heiress is me! You, Chloe Davis, stole the life that rightfully belonged to me!” “No, this isn’t true, this isn’t true!” Tears streamed down my face. I stood there lost, mumbling to myself. “Chloe!” Maria could no longer hold back. She stepped forward and grabbed my arm. “Don’t touch me!” I recoiled as if I had been contaminated by something unclean, distancing myself immediately, my eyes wary as I looked at this woman who was both familiar and a stranger. “What, Chloe Davis, you won’t even acknowledge your own mother?” Victoria’s mocking voice echoed in the room. I staggered to Mrs. Thompson, cautiously asking, “Mom, tell me, they’re not telling the truth, are they?” Mrs. Thompson looked up at my tear-streaked face, her heart aching. After all, I was the child she had raised for twenty years; how could she have no feelings for me? “Mom, tell me!” I asked again, my voice hoarse. “What she said… is… all true,” Mrs. Thompson slowly admitted. Upon receiving the answer, I suddenly fell back onto the floor. The waves of pain from my body had long numbed my nerves, because the pain in my heart at that moment was far more unbearable. I sat on the ground in despair, my eyes vacant, tears streaming down relentlessly. “It’s all my fault, all my fault! If it weren’t for my selfish moment…” Maria stood there, consumed by self-reproach. She looked at me sitting on the floor, then at Victoria standing before her, her heart feeling as if dozens of knives were slowly cutting into it.

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“Asher, please, just let me go.” Chloe was pinned against the dining table, biting her lower lip to evade the man’s kisses. She had just found out she was pregnant today. The doctor said her constitution was very fragile, and it was a miracle she’d conceived at all, so she needed to be extra careful in her daily life. Any slight jolt, bump, or fall could easily lead to a miscarriage, and if that happened, she’d never be able to be a mother. Hearing her plea, Asher scoffed, his eyes bloodshot and blazing. He reached out, clamping her jaw and forcing her to look him in the eye. “Let you go? Chloe, weren’t you always scheming to seduce me? Weren’t you always hoping to get pregnant with my child to solidify your claim as my wife? Why the sudden act now? Or is this your new trick to play hard-to-get?” “I didn’t!” Chloe shook her head, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes. She had never wanted Asher this way. A child should be a symbol of love, not a tool. “You didn’t? You think I’d believe that?” Asher sneered, a chilling coldness in his eyes and brows. He stared into her tear-filled eyes, mocking, “If it weren’t for this face of yours, identical to Izzy’s, do you really think I’d ever touch you?” “Asher, I’ve told you countless times! I never pushed Izzy down the stairs; she jumped on her own!” “She jumped on her own? Chloe, that was from the fourth floor! Izzy and I were about to get married. Why would she jump? You must have forced her, you’re the one who put her in a coma all this time!” Chloe desperately shook her head in denial, but in Asher’s drunken eyes, she was simply making excuses. His gaze grew even colder, thick with disgust. “Do you know why I’ve kept you around and haven’t sent you to jail?” Chloe’s breath hitched, the last hint of color draining from her face. She knew. Of course, she knew. Izzy had a heart condition. Asher had said it more than once: Izzy needed a heart, and as Izzy’s biological sister, Chloe was a 100% match. “Soon, Izzy will be able to have her heart transplant surgery.” Asher said it softly, but his tender tone was like a cruel saw, tearing at her heart with every agonizing word, leaving her bleeding and broken inside. Asher had never once considered that without her heart, she’d die. “Asher, haven’t you ever thought about believing me, just once?” Asher sneered, “Hah, what about you is worth *any* trust?!” Chloe’s entire body stiffened and grew cold. He would never believe her, of course. Faced with Asher’s misunderstanding, she couldn’t explain anymore. She could only beg. Whatever happened, her only wish now was to protect this baby. “Asher, please, I’m begging you, let me go! I don’t feel well today, I really don’t feel well.” “Sick?” Asher scoffed coldly, a flicker of sarcasm in his eyes. “Chloe, if you were to die from illness, I wouldn’t even bother to bury you.” Asher roughly tore open Chloe’s clothes. “From now on, shut your mouth. I don’t want to hear your voice!” Her voice was different from Izzy’s. Izzy’s voice was like a sweet songbird, while Chloe’s vocal cords had become hoarse and unpleasant due to a severe cold in the past. Because of this, Asher always demanded she remain silent during their encounters. Chloe painfully closed her eyes. Just then, the dining room door suddenly burst open. Isabelle stared incredulously at the two in the room, clutching her chest. “You…!” “Izzy! You, you’re awake?” Asher panicked, roughly pushing Chloe away and rushing towards Isabelle. The push sent Chloe sprawling, her lower abdomen slamming hard against the table’s edge. A sharp, violent pain instantly ripped through her. Her eyes widened, and she instinctively clutched her stomach, terrified something had happened to the baby inside her. She wanted to call out to Asher, but he was already gone, cradling her twin sister, Isabelle. Chloe struggled to her feet, numbly picking up the torn pieces of her clothes and wrapping them around herself. Enduring the dull ache in her lower abdomen, she limped back to the small, neglected room he’d assigned her. Asher said a vicious woman like her only deserved to live in the staff annex. Back in the room, she immediately pulled out the prenatal medication hidden under her pillow and took two pills. After a while, the pain in her stomach gradually subsided. Chloe gently stroked her belly, thinking, *This child, I absolutely must protect this child.* At the hospital. Isabelle, her face deathly pale, wept silently. “Asher, how could you be with Chloe? Don’t you know, she’s the one who forced me to jump, so I couldn’t marry you.” “Izzy, you’ve misunderstood. I’ve never loved Chloe; you’ve always been the only one I love.” Asher gently stroked Isabelle’s head, his voice tender. “Ever since you saved me when I was seven, you’ve been the only one in my heart.” Isabelle lowered her head, a flash of coldness and disgust in her eyes hidden beneath her dark lashes, but on the surface, she maintained her fragile act. “But… if you don’t love Chloe, why would you do such a thing?” Isabelle’s tears streamed down her face. “I’m in so much pain. I wish I hadn’t woken up. Just thinking about the person who harmed me being with the person I love… I’m breaking down, especially since that person is my own sister!” Tears slid down Isabelle’s beautiful face, and Asher immediately became anxious. “It… it was Chloe who seduced me. I won’t be with Chloe anymore. She hurt you so badly; how do you want to get back at her?” Isabelle, her eyes red, looked at Asher. “Asher, I don’t want to see her face.” Asher clenched his fist, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “I understand. Don’t overthink it. I love you, I don’t love Chloe at all. Your priority is to get well, understand?” Isabelle lay obediently in Asher’s arms, her eyes gleaming with undisguised triumph. After spending several hours with Isabelle at the hospital, coaxing her to sleep, Asher left with a grim expression. He returned to the villa, found the small, neglected room Chloe lived in, and violently kicked the door open. The loud “bang” startled Chloe awake from her uneasy dreams. The moment she saw Asher, Chloe instantly became wary. “You, why are you here?” Shouldn’t he be at the hospital with Isabelle, who had just woken up? Asher stood by the bed, looking down at Chloe. Then he pulled a small dagger from his pocket and tossed it onto the nearby table. The blade hit the tabletop with a sharp clang. Asher’s gaze was calm. “Izzy said she doesn’t like your face. You should know what to do.” Chloe’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You want me to ruin my own face?” “Chloe, blame it on that face of yours!” Asher took a step forward, his large hand clamping down hard on Chloe’s jaw. “And, later, you’re going to kneel before Izzy and apologize, telling her you seduced me!” “Asher, have you lost your mind!” “I haven’t. If you don’t apologize, I recall you have a grandfather who raised you from childhood, right? I’ll make him slash his own face and kneel to apologize to Izzy.” Chloe’s heart was ripped apart, her emotions crashing down in an instant. She looked painfully at the man before her, his face tight, his gaze cold and unfamiliar. She screamed hysterically, “Asher, if you dare touch my grandpa, I’ll fight you to the death!” Asher watched her, his expression indifferent. “You can try.” Chloe took a deep breath. She knew she couldn’t fight Asher. Her gaze turned icy as she stared at him. “Asher, don’t touch my grandpa. I’ll do as you say!” Chloe closed her eyes in despair, taking a deep, shuddering breath. *It’s fine. It’s just a face. What’s there to be afraid of? Being disfigured is better than death.* With a surge of strength, she pressed the blade, and a gush of blood erupted from her right cheek. It hurt so much, but even that agonizing pain couldn’t compare to the coldness in her heart. Blood dripped onto Chloe’s clothes, staining them. Her beautiful, delicate face now bore a gruesome, disfiguring wound. Asher looked at the jagged cut on Chloe’s face, and at the desperate look she’d given him moments ago. For some reason, a strange, tight grip squeezed his heart. Chloe, still holding the bloodied dagger, tried to slash her left cheek, but Asher grabbed her wrist. “That’s enough. Now, go apologize to Izzy.” … In the chilling silence of the hospital room, only the crisp sound of slaps could be heard. Chloe had no idea how many times she had slapped herself. She just numbly raised her hand and brought it down again, repeating the motion. With each slap, she muttered, “I’m sorry, I seduced Asher. I’m sorry, I seduced him.” She didn’t dare stop; her grandpa’s life depended on it! Before her eyes was the sight of Asher and Isabelle nestled together, Asher constantly comforting Isabelle, telling her that once she recovered and had her heart transplant, he would marry her. Chloe listened to Asher’s tender tone that seeped into her very bones, feeling a pain in her heart as if it were laced with poison. Suddenly, her arm went limp. She couldn’t lift it anymore; it dropped weakly to her side. Asher watched Chloe’s bloodied face, his eyes cold, his emotions completely unmoved. “Why did you stop? Izzy hasn’t forgiven you for seducing me yet.” “Asher, I think my sister knows she was wrong. Let’s not push her anymore. Sister, you should go back and rest well.” Isabelle said, seemingly out of mercy, but to Asher, it sounded like Chloe was being ungrateful. He walked up to Chloe and raised his hand, fiercely slapping her. The slap landed squarely on her injured wound, and Chloe let out a piercing scream of pain. The sound was utterly desolate, causing her to instantly lose consciousness. “Chloe, don’t you dare pretend to be dead.” He instinctively thought Chloe was faking it. It was just a slap; how could she pass out? But the only response was a deathly silence. Asher finally realized something was wrong. He quickly turned Chloe over and cursed under his breath when he saw the raw, open wound on her face. “Damn it!” Asher scooped her up and rushed to the emergency room. Half an hour later, the doctor emerged. He pulled down his mask and spoke. “Mr. Asher, Ms. Chloe fainted from excessive blood loss. The wound on her face has been treated, but it will likely leave a scar. There’s also something else: Ms. Chloe is pregnant.” The doctor’s words made Asher’s hand, holding a cigarette, tremble. “What did you say? She’s pregnant?” The doctor looked confused. “Yes, she’s about a month along.” “I understand.” Asher pursed his lips, his deep-set eyes instantly growing dark and profound. Isabelle sat in her hospital room, her mind filled with the words the bribed nurse had whispered to her earlier. She hadn’t expected Chloe to be pregnant! *That bitch, how could she carry Asher’s child!* Isabelle gritted her teeth in furious resentment. Then, a spark ignited in her mind, and an idea formed. Asher sat by Chloe’s bedside, gazing at her sleeping face. He didn’t know why, but he found himself absurdly conflating the image of the little girl who saved him with Chloe’s face. *Impossible!* It was Izzy who saved him, not Chloe. He must just be sleep-deprived lately, which was why he was having such a ridiculous intuition. Just then, Chloe vaguely stirred from her unconsciousness. “Where am I?” Chloe’s voice pulled Asher abruptly from his thoughts. Remembering that Chloe was a month pregnant, Asher’s eyes turned utterly cold. “Chloe, I can’t believe you secretly got pregnant?” “I…” Chloe was still groggy, her mind not yet clear from confusion. Reflexively, she grabbed Asher’s hand, wanting to explain. But Asher didn’t give her the chance, immediately dialing his assistant. “Arrange an abortion, now!” “Asher, how can you be so cruel? You’re going to kill your own child! I’m begging you, please, just let him live!” Chloe pleaded, her eyes red. “He won’t threaten Izzy. If you just let me give birth to him, I’ll give my heart to Izzy right away. I’m begging you!” Asher gripped Chloe’s chin, then harshly kicked her in the stomach. A sharp, violent cramp immediately shot through Chloe’s abdomen. She looked at Asher in disbelief, his eyes filled with icy disdain. “Chloe, don’t think for a second I don’t know what you’re thinking. Do you believe by secretly having this child you can keep me?” “I’m telling you, that’s never going to happen!” Hearing his words, Chloe laughed, tears instantly streaming from her eyes. She should have known this would be the outcome, shouldn’t she? Chloe thought, *It was all her fault. She made a terrible mistake loving him, and now she couldn’t even protect her own baby.* Asher stood nearby, and when he saw the utter despair in her eyes, his breath hitched. His heart felt as if something had just pierced it. A deathly silence spread through the hospital room… Just then, the door to the room suddenly burst open. The nurse attending to Isabelle rushed in, panicked. “Mr. Asher, Ms. Isabelle is not doing well! The doctor says Ms. Isabelle needs immediate heart surgery!” “What did you say?” “The doctor said Ms. Isabelle’s condition was stable and her heart could wait, but she was agitated two days ago, and her emotions are unstable, so the surgery must happen immediately.” Asher’s eyes deepened upon hearing this. “Alright, I understand.” As soon as the nurse left, Chloe nervously clutched the bedsheets. Her eyes, filled with dread, stared at Asher, her heart pounding frantically. Meeting Asher’s gaze, Chloe’s lips trembled as she asked, “Asher, what are you going to do?” “Izzy’s heart isn’t well. You should know what needs to happen next.” Asher stared at her, his eyes devoid of any emotion. “You want me to give her my heart? Right now?” Chloe looked at Asher in disbelief, her right hand tightly gripping the fabric over her lower abdomen. She was still carrying his child; how could he be so heartless? Asher looked up at her. “Why not now? Whether the child is aborted or not, the final outcome is the same. Both of you have to die! Isn’t that right?” Chloe felt as if something inside her had shattered. *Yes, long ago, when she had suffered so much she wanted to die but couldn’t, she had already been told that Asher wouldn’t let her die.* Because she was still useful: Izzy needed her heart! She had known the outcome for so long, so why, now that this moment had truly arrived, did her heart ache so much? “Asher, no, I won’t! I’m still pregnant; I can’t have heart surgery, I can’t!” Chloe rose from the bed, her mind in a daze. She only knew to beg Asher not to do this, completely forgetting that this man had just said he would never let her go. Asher gave the order mercilessly. “Guards, take Chloe to the operating room. Give Izzy her heart.” After giving the command, he immediately left. As Asher walked out, a group of bodyguards and nurses swarmed through the door, rushing to Chloe’s bedside and hauling her up. “No! Let go of me! How dare you? I’m still alive, I don’t want to donate my heart! This is illegal!” Chloe struggled, twisting her body, trying to break free from the nurses’ grip. “Ms. Chloe, Mr. Asher has already spoken with his lawyer. This heart surgery is a voluntary donation of the organ source. It’s not illegal.” The nurse explained, a hint of pity in her eyes as she looked at Chloe. Chloe heard this and gave up struggling, a self-mocking laugh escaping her lips. Their words meant that no matter how much she resisted, the outcome wouldn’t change! But even if she died, she would watch Izzy and Asher, remember their faces, and return as a vengeful spirit to haunt them and claim their lives! “You don’t need to hold me. I’ll go myself.” Chloe stopped struggling. She lowered her head and placed her hand on her abdomen. *Baby, I’m sorry. Mom couldn’t protect you. In our next life, even if I have to work like an ox or a horse, I’ll repay what I owe you!* Raising her head, Chloe took a step, then another, walking towards the operating room. In the operating room, Chloe, dressed in a sterile gown, lay desperately on the operating table, her gaze fixed with hatred on Izzy on the adjacent table. Looking at that face, identical to her own, Chloe wanted to tear her apart! “Surgery begins.” As the doctor announced, Chloe felt a sharp, icy prick on the skin of her arm. She had endured so many injections to protect her baby, but none had hurt like this one. As the injection finished, the tubes on Izzy’s operating table were pulled out. Immediately, Izzy rose and walked over to Chloe’s side. “You, how can you be…?” Chloe’s eyes widened as she stared at Isabelle, who showed no signs of weakness, a look of utter astonishment in her eyes. Isabelle smiled, her arms crossed. “What? Is my sister surprised to see me like this?” Watching her smile, Chloe suddenly realized. She turned to look at the doctors nearby, and sure enough, they had all put away their surgical tools, standing impassively as if they hadn’t seen anything happening. Chloe’s cold sweat immediately broke out. “What did you inject me with?” “What do you think?” Isabelle’s lips curved into a smirk. She reached out and pressed hard on the wound on Chloe’s face. A searing pain shot through Chloe’s face, and the blood, which had just stopped, began to flow again. “What a shame, such a beautiful face, ruined just like that.” Isabelle said with a feigned sigh, her face devoid of any actual pity! Chloe was about to say something when a sudden, sharp pain ripped through her lower abdomen. Isabelle had picked up a glass bottle and pressed it down hard on her stomach. Chloe’s eyes widened, her eyeballs bulging, blood vessels crawling through them. *Her baby, her baby!* A warm gush flowed down her thighs, and the smell of blood began to fill the operating room. “Baby… my baby…” The agonizing, heart-wrenching pain drowned out Chloe’s desperate cries. The torment in her abdomen was so suffocating she wished she could die instantly. Her baby, just like that, was gone! That was her precious baby, her very soul! “Isabelle, why don’t you just kill me? Why?!” Chloe struggled frantically, her reason completely lost, glaring fixedly at Isabelle. Isabelle, however, just laughed. “Kill you? That would be too easy, Chloe. How does it feel to watch your baby slip away? Does it feel good?” “What’s the point of all this? You’ve gained so much, why won’t you just leave me alone?” She didn’t understand. They were supposed to be the closest of kin, yet Isabelle had hated her so much since childhood. What had she ever done to offend her? “Leave you alone?” Isabelle laughed as if she’d heard the funniest joke. “Chloe, do you have any idea how much I hate you!” “We both learned to dance, but you were so talented while I could never learn. I hated you for it!” “And Mom and Dad, too. Growing up, no matter what, they always favored you. And me? I was always ignored!” “And Asher, why was it you who saved him, and not me?!” “What did you say?” Chloe didn’t understand the meaning of her last sentence. Seeing Chloe’s bewildered expression, Isabelle’s smile grew even colder. “Do you know why Asher is so utterly devoted to me? Because I’ve always told him that I was the one who saved him from the fire when he was a child. But actually, that day, I originally planned to set you on fire, but unfortunately…” “!!!” So the little boy she saved as a child was Asher. Chloe stared blankly at the ceiling. Why was fate playing such a cruel joke on her? Isabelle looked at the blood continuously gushing onto the operating table, a soothing sense of pleasure surging through her heart. But this wasn’t over yet. A glint flashed in Isabelle’s eyes, and then she suddenly screamed. “Ah—” Asher heard Isabelle’s scream and immediately pushed open the operating room door. The moment he entered, the smell of blood hit him. The scene before his eyes froze him in place. Chloe lay slumped on the operating table, wearing a white gown, her body covered in bright red blood. Even her dangling hair was dripping with it. Asher’s brows furrowed in a sharp frown, but before he could dwell on it, his thoughts were interrupted by Isabelle’s cries. **截断点** “Asher, what do we do? Is my sister having a baby? Asher, quickly call the obstetrician!” Isabelle clutched the edge of the bed, weak and frail, her face utterly haggard. Asher immediately rushed over, scooping Isabelle into his arms. “Izzy, your heart isn’t well; how can you get out of bed?” “I saw my sister bleeding heavily, I’m scared…” Isabelle seemed to be at a loss. “Asher, forget about me for now, quickly call a doctor to save my sister! Even if she’s not good to me, I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.” Asher immediately made a call. However, the next second, Chloe suddenly sprang up, then violently lunged at Asher, pulling Isabelle from his arms. Isabelle was caught off guard. She never expected Chloe to have so much strength while bleeding heavily, so she fell unprotected to the floor, hitting her head. Stars instantly exploded in her vision. She wanted to scream, but the searing pain that followed made it impossible. Chloe’s eyes were filled with overwhelming hatred. She straddled Isabelle, pouring all her strength into every brutal punch, hitting Isabelle’s chest again and again. She wanted Isabelle to pay for her baby’s life; she wanted Isabelle to die in agony! Chloe’s vision was consumed by darkness, for her world had already been plunged into blackness. Asher had been stunned for a moment by Chloe’s sudden actions. By the time he reacted, he saw Isabelle on the verge of unconsciousness from Chloe’s blows. He immediately lifted Chloe away from Isabelle. Chloe struggled desperately, turning her head and biting hard into Asher’s bicep. No matter how tough his muscles were, they were no match for her teeth. Chloe only thought of avenging her child, and Asher, in pain, immediately flung Chloe away. Chloe fell to the floor, her vision blurring for a moment, unable to sit up. She braced herself with her hands, glaring with gritted teeth at the two people before her. “You despicable, cheating pair! You murdered my baby! I will avenge my child!” Asher’s face was so dark upon hearing Chloe’s words, it almost dripped ink. He shook the blood from his arm, his voice cold and sharp, his eyes piercing. “Chloe, you’re absolutely insane.” “I’m insane?” Chloe lay on the floor, laughing, her heart bleeding endlessly. “Asher, you’re right. I am insane. I was utterly insane to have ever loved you, but you don’t deserve it. You don’t deserve it at all!” Asher glared at her. “You’re completely irrational! Guards, lock Chloe in the ICU! No food or water without my permission!” With that, Asher picked up Isabelle and left. Chloe was restrained by Asher’s bodyguards and locked in the ICU. She remained perfectly calm throughout, offering no struggle. She was imprisoned by Asher for seven days. Asher didn’t visit her once. On the eighth day, someone entered the ICU, but it wasn’t Asher. Chloe stared blankly at the person standing at the doorway. “Liam…” Liam was a medical student senior she knew from university. They had been good friends. She had thought she’d never see him again after graduation, but who would have thought they would meet under such circumstances. “Chloe, I finally found you. I’m taking you away.” A flicker of surprise crossed Liam’s eyes. “No… I’m not leaving.” Chloe struggled to move Liam’s hand away, a faint smile on her face as she looked at him. “Liam, I appreciate your kindness, but if I leave, Asher won’t let my family go.” “Chloe… your grandpa…” “What about my grandpa?” Liam lowered his eyes. “He… he passed away.” Hearing this, Chloe froze completely. Her vision instantly went black, and only a buzzing sound filled her ears. “You… what did you say?” The air seemed to be sucked out of the room. Chloe’s face went stark white. She gripped Liam’s arm tightly, her voice trembling in a way that twisted his heart. “Why? How could this happen?” Liam said gravely, “Your grandpa passed away from a heart attack. I was passing by his house yesterday and found him collapsed on the floor. Even though I immediately administered aid, he couldn’t be revived.” Chloe desperately shook her head. Grandpa Arthur had always been so healthy; how could he have a heart attack? This was impossible, impossible! Pain slowly spread across Chloe’s face, as if a thousand needles were simultaneously piercing her heart, causing her to sob loudly. “Liam, please, take me to see Grandpa.” “Okay.” At the funeral home. The moment Chloe entered, she saw the portrait of her grandpa in the mourning hall. In that instant, her vision blurred, and a sharp pain from her chest immediately triggered her tear ducts. Chloe’s tears gushed out, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably, collapsing onto the soft cushion. “Grandpa, Grandpa, I’m here. Why did this happen?” Chloe’s voice was hoarse, her breath ragged. The intense emotional shock ravaged her entire being, making her wish for death. Liam looked at Chloe, his heart aching. He knelt down to comfort her. “Chloe, please accept my condolences.” Chloe’s vision was a blur; she felt the taste of blood in her throat. She couldn’t understand. She had only not seen her grandpa for a week, and now they were separated forever by death. Just then, a group of burly men in black suddenly barged into the mourning hall. The man in charge spoke, giving an order, “Smash this mourning hall! Whoever smashes it the worst, I’ll give them twenty times their pay.” Chloe heard this and immediately panicked. “Who are you? What are you doing?” The leader glanced at Chloe, said nothing, but raised his hand and gestured. The group of burly men behind him began to tear apart the mourning hall. Liam stepped forward to stop them, but how could he be a match for these men? The moment he rushed forward, two men in black immediately hauled him away. Chloe’s eyes were bulging, unable to stop them. Her grandpa’s mourning hall was completely demolished. Despair spread through her heart, and even her breathing came with convulsive pain. *Why was she so useless? She couldn’t even protect her grandpa’s last shred of dignity.* Just then, one of the thugs, carrying her grandpa’s urn, ran out through another side door. Chloe almost shrieked, “What are you doing?!” She immediately gave chase, following him to the back door of the funeral home, where she saw the thug hand her grandpa’s urn to Isabelle! In that moment, a chilling realization dawned on Chloe: Isabelle was involved in her grandpa’s death!!! Isabelle raised her chin, watching the tormented expression on Chloe’s face as if it were the most delightful thing to behold. “Chloe, want to know how Grandpa Arthur died?” “You know?” “Of course, I know. He was killed by you, by his most beloved granddaughter!” Isabelle said, opening her phone, and pressing play on a video. “Chloe, look closely. Do you see it? Grandpa Arthur, he was so shocked by *that* that he died. The expression on his face at the time, it was truly…” Isabelle savored the memory, her face alight with pleasure, repeating the scene word by word to Chloe. Chloe’s eyes widened, staring at the phone screen, at her own tormented appearance at Asher’s hands. She clutched her heart in pain, her eyes bloodshot, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes. “Isabelle, how could you be so cruel! He was your grandpa too!” Chloe yelled, pointing at Isabelle, one hand clutching her heart. Over the past six months, all the pain she had endured, along with all the kindness her grandpa had shown her, flashed through her mind like a horrific film. Chloe completely broke down, slumping numbly to the ground, letting her tears fall. It was all her fault. She was the one who dragged Grandpa Arthur into this; she was the one who killed him! “So what if he was my grandpa? That old fool, all he ever did was care about you, never even asking about me. And in the end, he even wanted to leave the ancestral home to you! I’m his granddaughter too; why didn’t he consider me more?” Chloe felt like she was crying blood, not tears. She glared at Isabelle. “Isabelle, you’re not human! You’re an animal!” Isabelle laughed maniacally, completely unaffected. “Whether I’m human or not is none of your concern, but I know that once you give me your heart, you’ll soon stop being human, Chloe. Are you full of hatred? Utterly broken?” Hatred? Of course. She had lost her child, lost the grandpa who had loved her since she was a baby. How could she not be full of hatred? Despair? Absolutely. Asher didn’t love her, he tormented her, trampling her heart into the dirt. How could she not be utterly broken?

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I was married to Damian Thorne, an arms magnate, for seven years. My hands, meant for painting masterpieces, learned to assemble firearms and disarm bombs, walking through hell and back with him. But in the seventh year of our marriage, he became utterly obsessed with a former convent girl, delivered to his bed by his rivals. That girl was pure as freshly fallen snow, and for Damian, who had grown up steeped in blood and violence, she was an addiction he’d never known. He built her a lavish, secluded sanctuary, shielding her from every shadow. Until I unexpectedly discovered the word “divorced” on our official marriage certificate. I confronted him, shattering, but Damian casually polished his gun barrel. “Elara gave up her sheltered life for me. I owe her a proper name, a legitimate place.” He paused, eyes cold. “What compensation do you want? Just name it.” Consumed by bitterness and rage, I slapped Elara across the face at their wedding. That very night, my critically ill mother was tied to the front of an armored vehicle. “Seraphina, you shouldn’t have touched Elara. This is your lesson.” I fell to my knees, begging him to stop, but the engine roared to life, and my mother’s blood and flesh splattered across my face. Clutched my stomach, a searing pain, I screamed until darkness claimed me. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day I discovered I’d been divorced. This time, I didn’t confront him. I booked a flight that very night, desperate to take my mother somewhere Damian Thorne would never find us. … “Ms. Vance, our system shows your current marital status as divorced.” The monotone, official voice of the government clerk dragged me back to reality. My eyes widened in horror. I could almost taste the coppery tang of my mother’s blood in my nose. “When was this processed?” I asked, my voice hoarse. “August 29th.” My heart felt like it had been crushed by a blunt instrument. August 29th. Our seventh wedding anniversary. That day, I’d bought fresh flowers and candles, preparing a meticulously cooked dinner. But the candles melted down, the roses wilted, and Damian never showed. He had been busy dissolving our marriage. I clutched the divorce papers in my hand. As I turned to leave, I saw the familiar black Bentley pulling up outside. In that other life, I had stormed out, oblivious, to confront him. Damian, afraid Elara would discover our connection, had smashed the butt of his gun into my jaw, cracking it. Remembering that, I immediately ducked into the shadows of a corner. Moments later, the car door opened. Damian Thorne, usually so arrogant and domineering, acted like a chauffeur, personally opening the passenger door. Then he took off his trench coat and draped it gently over the girl’s shoulders, his movements impossibly soft. Elara Sterling was dressed in a simple white gown, her eyes serene, standing in the morning light like a vision of porcelain purity. Damian took her hand gently and led her inside. Elara’s pale lips tightened, her expression flustered. “Mr. Thorne, are you really going to marry me?” “Of course. I dream of this day. I’m responsible for you leaving your sheltered life, and I must take responsibility.” Elara’s slender fingers brushed against her slightly swollen belly. “But I was just an ordinary convent girl. I’m not worthy of someone as powerful and revered as you, nor am I worthy of carrying your child. Perhaps…” Her unfinished sentence was interrupted by a dominant, possessive kiss. I don’t know how long it lasted, but when it finally ended, Damian cupped her face, his eyes overflowing with doting affection. “Elara, no one in this world is more worthy of me than you. Only you are fit to bear my child.” A sharp, searing stab of pain suddenly ripped through my lower abdomen. I clutched my stomach, a desperate grasp, tears blurring my vision. It wasn’t until I saw them disappear into the marriage registry that I stumbled away, making a resolute decision. *** **【Chapter 2】** I took a cab to the hospital and scheduled an abortion. Lying on the examination table, the doctor sighed as she looked at the ultrasound results. “Ms. Vance, your uterine lining is naturally thinner than most. This might be the only child you’ll ever have.” I stared at the ceiling, my voice as calm as still water. “I’m divorced. This child shouldn’t come into this world.” The cold liquid surged through my veins, and my consciousness slowly blurred. In a daze, I saw Damian once, his ear pressed to my belly, listening to the baby kick, laughing as he talked about teaching our child how to modify guns. I saw him flipping through baby name books, talking about finding a name that brought good fortune. I saw him holding me, promising to distance himself from the bloodshed, to live a peaceful life with me, to be a good father… Finally, all those images froze on his words to Elara: “Only you are fit to bear my child.” Two hours later, my face pale and drained, I walked into my mother’s hospital room. She was still in a coma, on a ventilator, but she was alive. My living, breathing mother. In that other life, I had dragged my mother into ruin. This time, I wouldn’t be so foolish. I went through discreet channels to arrange her transfer to a new hospital. Then I went to the immigration office to process my emigration papers. In just three days, once all the paperwork was complete, I would vanish from Damian Thorne’s world forever. After doing all of this, I stood in the rain, feeling an unprecedented sense of lightness. Just as I was about to walk away, three men, masked and wearing baseball caps, suddenly rushed out from behind me. Before I could react, the iron bars in their hands whistled through the air, smashing into me. A searing pain sent me stumbling to my knees, my back instantly slick with blood. I didn’t need to guess. These were enemies of Damian, coming for revenge. I tried to grab my phone for help, but one of them slammed a bar down, shattering it. Then, countless blows rained down on me like a storm. Just then, that familiar Bentley drove past the intersection. It was Damian’s car! “Damian Thorne!” I screamed with all my might, struggling desperately to get his attention. The car slowed for a split second, and my heart hammered wildly in my chest. He saw me! But the next moment, the Bentley accelerated again, speeding away from the intersection without hesitation. Through the window, I saw Damian raise his hand to shield Elara’s eyes. In that instant, I lost the will to even scream. Of course. Elara was in the car. Damian wouldn’t want his pure, snow-white angel to witness such a bloody scene. Excruciating pain surged through every limb, my vision blurred, and my consciousness faded into the metallic tang of blood. **【Chapter 3】** When I opened my eyes again, I saw the stark white ceiling of a hospital room. The door was ajar, and I heard Damian’s subordinate say, “Boss, what if Ms. Vance discovers Elara? If she starts digging, we won’t be able to hide it.” Damian snuffed out his cigar. His voice was cold. “Don’t worry about that. Your only job is to protect Elara. She’s too pure, not like us. Sera is cunning, always playing dirty. Elara is too innocent, too simple-minded to stand a chance against her. If necessary, we can use Sera’s sick mother. She’s Sera’s only weakness; Sera won’t abandon her.” I clutched the bedsheets, biting down hard on the tender flesh of my lower lip, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth. Years ago, when he proposed to me, he had knelt on one knee and said, “My Sera, with me by your side, no one will ever lay a hand on you.” The same protective instinct, the same promise, but the recipient had long since changed. The woman he once guarded was now, in his eyes, a dangerous schemer capable of playing dirty. Footsteps approached. I quickly closed my eyes, reopening them with an expression of icy indifference. “You’re awake? I had my men investigate. It was that Southeast Asian crew.” Damian walked to my bedside and tossed a document onto the blanket. “This is a ceasefire agreement. Sign it, and they’ll agree to abandon the South American arms market.” Our eyes met. I couldn’t utter a single word. I had almost died at the hands of his enemies, only to become a bargaining chip in his business deal. My voice was hoarse. “Damian, when did you decide on this deal?” Was it the moment he saw me being beaten? Or when he knew the Southeast Asian arms dealers were coming for me? Damian frowned, displeased by my probing. I knew better than to push. The answer, to me, was already irrelevant. As if to appease me, he worked from my hospital room for the next two days. But his phone was never out of his hand. Occasionally, he would smile softly at his screen, that gentle smile, once reserved only for me. I suddenly remembered the first time we met, seven years ago. He was being chased by enemies, covered in blood, and collapsed at the entrance of my art studio. He was like a dying lone wolf, his eyes fierce, yet betraying a hint of vulnerability. I should have called the police, but the moment our eyes met, as if by some strange compulsion, I dragged him into my studio. I never imagined that one act would drag me into an endless hell. Later, my family went bankrupt, and my father sold me to the largest underground black market in Southeast Asia. A depraved rich heir, known for torturing women, tormented me until I was a shadow of my former self. It was Damian, passing by, who rescued me. That was our second meeting. It was then that I understood: in this world, kindness was a useless weakness. From then on, I, once a budding artist, became the infamous ‘Gunsmith Queen,’ a name whispered with terror in the underworld. I assembled firearms and disarmed bombs for Damian, my hands stained with indelible blood. I thought we could stand shoulder to shoulder, equals. But he saw me as someone already swallowed by darkness, not as pure as Elara. I looked at my hands, hands that should have been holding a paintbrush, depicting landscapes, but now only knew how to dismantle weapons and engage in brutal skirmishes. Then I thought of Elara’s clear, pure-as-snow eyes, and the irony was crushing. All my profound love and unwavering loyalty had become nothing but a cruel joke. **【Chapter 4】** After I was discharged from the hospital, Damian claimed he needed to handle an arms deal and never showed his face again. It wasn’t until the day before I was due to leave that I went to the local chapel, wanting to pray for my unborn child’s soul. At the chapel gate, I saw Elara. She was bandaging an injured stray cat, her simple white dress making her look even purer. Perhaps her movements were clumsy, for the kitten struggled violently, spilling antiseptic everywhere. I walked over and took the cotton swab from her hand. “There’s still a tiny stone in the wound. Applying medicine will only make it hurt more.” This was the first time we’d been alone together since Damian changed. She didn’t know who I was. She pressed her palms together in a respectful bow. “Thank you.” I forced a faint smile, my heart surprisingly calm. When she learned I was there for my lost child, her eyes instantly welled up. She knelt before the altar, pressing her palms together in prayer. “Oh, Heavenly Father, please bless that unborn child to find peace in the afterlife, and grant this mother peace and health.” Standing there, I suddenly felt a flicker of pity. I wanted to tell her that Damian Thorne’s tenderness was poison, that anyone who got close to him would eventually be dragged into the abyss. But looking at her devout profile, the words caught in my throat. If she knew my true identity, she would surely break ties with Damian, and then all of his wrath would be unleashed entirely upon me. The horrific memory of my mother’s death in that other life/timeline surged into my mind, and a shiver of icy dread ran through me. I used the excuse of offering prayers and slipped into a quiet alcove, opening my phone to check the security camera feed. The caregiver was pushing my mother in her wheelchair for a walk, and only then did I feel a little peace. My mother was my only weakness. This time, I absolutely would not let her get caught in this conflict again. As I calmed my emotions and stepped out of the alcove, a cold gun barrel pressed against the back of my head. **【Chapter 5】** My body froze. I glanced towards Elara. She had already collapsed softly beside the offering altar. I cursed under my breath, ‘Of all the rotten luck!’ The next second, the gun butt smashed into the back of my neck. When I woke again, I was in a derelict warehouse, tied to a pillar with Elara. Her voice was trembling, on the verge of tears. “Who are you? We have no quarrel with you. Why are you holding us?” The next moment, a brutal slap landed across her face. Scar, the scar-faced leader, grabbed her hair. “Why are we holding you? Damian Thorne stole our biggest deal in Europe and America! We’re in this line of work—how could we just let that slide? He cherishes you, doesn’t he? I’m going to torture you to death, slowly, today!” So, they were the arms dealers from Europe and America. That territory wasn’t under my jurisdiction, which explained why they didn’t recognize me. I took a deep breath, discreetly using the small blade hidden in my sleeve to saw at my ropes. I’d been through scenes like this too many times not to have some precautions. Noticing I was awake, Scar rummaged through my wallet. “Ms. Vance, tough luck for you. Tell your family to bring ten million for your ransom, or wait for your corpse.” “Ms. Vance… I’m so sorry. I dragged you into this. But don’t be afraid! My husband will come rescue us soon. He’s incredibly powerful,” Elara said, her eyes full of trust, as if Damian was a divine savior. My hands paused, but I didn’t respond. Suddenly, Scar roared into his phone. “Damn it, Damian Thorne doesn’t believe me? Looks like I need to send him a big present!” He threw a knife at our feet. “Alright, men, cut this convent girl’s bastard child out of her belly and send it to Damian!” My pupils contracted. If Elara died here today, Damian would surely tear me and my mother apart for revenge. Elara was trembling uncontrollably, tears drenching her face. “No… please, don’t hurt my baby…” Her simple white dress was covered in dust, tears streaming down her face, a picture of fragile despair, like a terrified fawn. Her appearance completely ignited the savage instincts of these madmen. “Boss, this girl has such delicate skin. Why don’t we have some fun with her first?” Seeing them reach out to drag Elara away, I, having just cut through my ropes, charged forward, ramming into Scar and shielding Elara with my body. “Damn it! Beat her to death!” Scar roared, clutching his stomach, and the men immediately swarmed me. Two fists against a dozen, I could only protect Elara with my body, enduring countless blows and kicks. “Ms. Vance… don’t hit her… please, let her go…” Elara cried out, trying to block the blows, but I held her down tight. Just then, an SUV smashed through the warehouse door, and gunfire instantly echoed through the space. **【Chapter 6】** All eyes turned to the entrance. Damian Thorne stormed towards us like a madman, pulling Elara into his embrace. “Elara, don’t be scared. I’m here.” Elara sobbed in his arms, almost fainting. The moment she relaxed, she passed out. He carefully lifted her into an ambulance, gently wiping away her tears himself. I struggled to my feet, meeting Damian’s icy, piercing gaze, and my heart plummeted to my gut. “Seraphina.” His voice was low, yet carried a bone-chilling coldness. “Why are you here?” I swallowed the metallic taste of blood, forcing out a broken laugh. “If I told you it wasn’t me, would you believe it?” A hard slap landed across my face, sending me crashing into a pillar, blood immediately welling at the corner of my mouth. “Seraphina, can’t you even come up with a believable lie?” I spat out the blood, ultimately deciding not to say I was there to pray for our child. He placed his foot on my wrist and pressed down, grinding it. The excruciating pain forced a scream from me. “When did you start plotting against Elara?” “I didn’t.” Damian turned and shot Scar in the leg, then pressed the muzzle against his head. “Did she not?” Scar howled in pain, trembling as he pointed at me. “It… it was Ms. Vance who hired us! She said she’d pay us to teach that convent girl a lesson…” “You’re lying!” I retorted fiercely, but his men held my shoulders down tight. Damian sneered, then pulled the trigger, blowing Scar’s brains out with a single shot. “Seraphina.” He crouched down, gripping my chin, his eyes ruthless. “You hurt my Elara. You’ll pay with your most precious possession.” With a sickening crunch, he snapped my wrist clean. “Ah—!” The pain made my vision blur, my body convulsing. “Damian Thorne! How can you do this to me!” He stood up, adjusting his suit, his voice flat as if discussing something trivial. “Sever her hand tendons.” “Do it.” Two words, light as a feather, yet carrying a deathly chill. I was roughly pinned to the ground, my hands forced open. “Damian Thorne!” I cried out in utter despair. “Seven years ago, I should have let you rot in that alley…” His back, as he turned to leave, paused for a fraction of a second. But in the end, he didn’t look back. The second before the searing pain hit, I remembered him kissing my wrist, saying, “My Sera’s hands are meant for painting. If anyone dares to touch them, their entire family will pay with their lives!” Seven years ago, I saved him, stepping deeper into the abyss with each choice. Seven years later, he personally severed every last one of my hopes. Four in the morning. I lay sprawled on the cold warehouse floor, my hands twisted at grotesque angles. My loyal aide rushed in with a medical kit. Behind us, the warehouse blazed with roaring fire. In the car heading to the airport, cold sweat drenched my clothes, yet my voice was resolute. “Once the plane takes off, destroy all traces of me. I want the name Seraphina Vance to completely vanish from this world.” **【Chapter 7】** At the hospital. The moment Elara woke, Damian knelt on one knee to apologize, his palm gently stroking her cheek, his eyes full of self-reproach. “I failed to protect you.” Elara gently shook her head, tears still clinging to her lashes, but her first question was about me. “Ms. Vance? Is she alright?” Damian pulled her into his embrace, his chin resting on her head. “Why are you always so kind-hearted? I just love how pure you are.” Elara’s cheeks flushed at his words, and she forgot to press about me. After Elara fell asleep, Damian walked out of the room and said to his subordinate in a cold voice, “Take the divorce papers to Seraphina. And transfer 30% of Thorne Industries’ shares into her name. Tell her to be out of the mansion before dawn.” But the next day, Damian waited at Thorne Industries all morning, with no news from Seraphina. He stared at his messages, which had vanished without a trace, his fingers unconsciously tapping the desk. Beyond frustration, a strange unease began creeping up his spine – Seraphina had never ignored his calls before. “Where is she? Do I have to go get her myself?” His subordinate hesitated. “Boss, perhaps Ms. Vance is at the hospital.” Damian’s brow furrowed abruptly as he suddenly remembered that he’d ordered her hand tendons severed yesterday. No wonder she wasn’t replying. He tossed the divorce agreement to his subordinate. “Find out which hospital she’s in and give her these. And when you find her,” he called out before the man could turn, “assign two men to watch her. She’s vindictive; don’t let her play any dirty tricks against Elara. If you detect any unusual movements, send her to a private mental asylum. Release her after Elara’s child is born.” Late that night, Damian returned to the mansion. The master bedroom was empty, without a trace of me. That sense of unease surged again. Just as he was about to call his subordinate, a faint rustle of art supplies came from the art studio downstairs. She’s back? Well, where else would she go but to him? Her edges had grown sharper over the years. This was an opportunity to break her spirit, lest she harm Elara in the future. With that thought, he went downstairs and pushed open the art studio door. **【Chapter 8】** Moonlight streamed over the girl’s hair. Her slender fingers held a paintbrush, delicately outlining shapes on the canvas, pure as an untouched painting. Damian’s expression, however, darkened instantly. “Who told you you could touch these art supplies?” This set of custom German paints and brushes, he had personally commissioned for Seraphina. Her hands, besides holding a gun, could also paint gentle landscapes. In those years, after every late-night arms deal, I would always paint a “Starry Night” here. He knew it was her way of self-redemption. The paintbrush suddenly stopped. Elara looked up in a panic, meeting his cold gaze. “The butler said I could use them… I’m sorry.” Seeing her eyes redden, Damian’s expression softened. He pulled her into his embrace. “I didn’t mean to snap at you. These are my late wife’s belongings. If you like them, I’ll order a new set for you.” Elara’s eyes filled with sympathy, her earlier hurt instantly forgotten. So he truly harbored such deep affection for his wife, who had passed away five years ago. Such a man would surely make a good husband and father. At three in the morning, Damian’s phone suddenly rang wildly. His finger hovered over the answer button, hesitant—his intuition, honed by years in the underworld, told him this call would make him lose something very important. “Boss, Ms. Vance is gone! We can’t find her!” his subordinate’s anxious voice came through. “But we found her medical records. You should really see them yourself.” Damian was about to hang up when the subordinate added, “Boss, Ms. Vance knew you had divorced her a long time ago.” When Elara woke, she found Damian sitting on the balcony, smoking, the floor littered with cigarette butts. “Is work not going well?” she asked softly, thinking his job at the District Attorney’s office was indeed very demanding. Yes, afraid of alarming Elara, Damian had always lied, telling her he worked for a federal agency. Damian looked up at her, his eyes bloodshot. He had read the files his subordinate sent last night over and over again—Seraphina was pregnant. The day she terminated the pregnancy was the same day he married Elara, only an hour apart. He understood at a glance: Seraphina must have seen him and Elara going to get married. But she dared to abort his child. Initial anger surged, but then he looked at Elara, standing in the morning light, golden rays illuminating her white dress and dark hair, like an ethereal angel, pure as snow. So utterly different from that blood-stained, manipulative woman. This was for the best, he thought. They were divorced anyway. Her leaving on her own saved him the trouble. He should probably thank Seraphina. “No, it’s nothing. Work matters are handled.” He stood up and closed the window. “I reek of smoke. I’m going to shower.” Elara nodded, relieved. Damian went into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He called his subordinate. “Wipe out those scum from Europe and America, every last one of them. Chop off their fingers and feed them to the dogs.” **【Chapter 9】** Elara became the new lady of the mansion. Damian ordered new art supplies for her, and for a while, she believed herself to be the happiest woman in the world. But after Damian took over the affairs Seraphina had left behind, the killing intent radiating from him grew heavier. Every time he came home and faced Elara’s pure face, he felt an overwhelming exhaustion—she was, after all, not like Seraphina; she couldn’t help him deal with his dirty business. And he still had to pretend to be some upstanding federal prosecutor in front of her. One day, after dealing with a traitor in his organization, he was about to follow his routine and bring Elara a small cake when he was suddenly captivated by an international art competition playing on a store screen. The familiar face on the screen was confident, vibrant, and full of life. That day, he went to buy Elara dessert, and in a gallery window, one of my old pieces was displayed. It depicted sunflowers blooming in the sun, painted with bright, spirited brushstrokes. It was like a vibrant red rose, blazing with color, outshining even the purest snow. Damian stood in the store for a long time, his heart still pounding even after the store closed. He walked into Seraphina’s old art studio for the first time in ages, the dusty easel standing quietly in the corner. Memories suddenly broke through the dam— The first time they met, Seraphina stood at the studio door, holding a sketchbook, her white dress splattered with paint, like an angel who had wandered into the darkness. That year, Seraphina had just graduated from college. He had pulled her into his world, utterly reckless. Seraphina was the only light in his bloody life; only by her side could he find a moment of peace. He had once sworn to protect Seraphina his entire life, to love her forever. When did that change? Was it when Seraphina first accepted a deal from his men? Or when she picked up a gun and killed for him? Seraphina gradually became like him, her paintbrush stained with blood, yet he began to crave a different kind of purity. Long-forgotten emotions surged, and Damian had only one thought: he wanted Seraphina back, no matter what it took. “Tear the world apart if you have to, but find Seraphina!” he yelled into the phone at his subordinate, his voice trembling. “Even if she’s dead, she’ll die in my arms!” “Boss, she’s been gone for so long. It’ll be hard to find any trace of her now.” “If you can’t find her, find her mother!” Damian interrupted. “She’s critically ill; she must be in a high-end nursing home. Seraphina wouldn’t skimp on her only family.” As he hung up, Elara stood at the art studio door. “Damian, who are you looking for?” **【Chapter 10】** Damian turned, his tone distant for the first time. “Work matters. You don’t need to worry about them.” Elara’s smile was a little stiff. She sat on the art stool. “What do you want to paint? I’ll paint it for you.” In a daze, he almost saw a familiar figure. “Paint ‘Starry Night’.” Elara froze for a moment—that was a very obscure painting. “Okay.” Days passed without a single lead. They couldn’t even find a trace of Seraphina’s mother. “Worthless! A bunch of useless fools! You can’t find a living, breathing person?!” Damian swept his desk clean, sending papers flying. “Why are you still standing here? Get out there and find her!” He had never been this agitated. Every day without Seraphina felt like his heart hollowed out a little more. In the wine cellar, he drank himself into a stupor. Elara pushed the door open, intending to help him back to his room. Damian had been distraught, and at first, she could convince herself it was truly just about work. But then she’d overheard Damian’s conversation in the art studio. Was his wife really dead? Elara’s hand instinctively went to her noticeably swollen belly. After a moment of hesitation, she knelt down, trying to help Damian up. “Damian, let’s go back to the room. I made you some hangover cure.” Damian said nothing, his eyes hazy as he stared at her face for a long moment. Suddenly, he reached out and cupped her cheeks, pressing a burning kiss to her lips. Elara blushed, her smile barely forming before she heard him murmur, “Sera… I miss you so much.” All the blood in her body instantly froze. The next day, Damian came downstairs to find Elara waiting for him in the living room. Wedding invitations were laid out on the coffee table. Before Damian could speak, Elara tentatively asked, “The doctor says the baby is strong. We can have the wedding now.” Before, Damian would have been ecstatic. Now, only irritation remained. He put his arm around her. “Have I been too busy lately? Is it affecting you?” “I just want to know when the wedding will be, and will it be public?” Elara looked up, her eyes filled with sorrow. “If you don’t like me, I can leave.” Damian stiffened for a moment, then placated her. “Next week. We’ll have the ceremony next week, and it will be public. Don’t overthink things, just rest and take care of yourself, okay?” After he left, Elara went to Thorne Industries, the company he’d mentioned in his files. She waited outside for three days, asking everyone she met, “Do you know Seraphina Vance?” Until one person, hearing Seraphina’s name, stared at her suspiciously. Soon after, Elara was disoriented and shaken, barely remembering how she got home. The basement door was ajar, and screams echoed from inside. **【Chapter 11】** Damian was having a man chained and dragged across broken glass. It was utterly barbaric. “Damian Thorne! I already gave you the South American deal! What more do you want?!” the man screamed. “What’s the South American market compared to my wife?” Damian sneered. “You should have known your fate the moment you laid a hand on her!” The man spat blood, a mocking glint in his eyes. “The day I sent my men to beat her, you were wrapped around your little mistress! Now you’re pretending to be so devoted? Disgusting!” “Cut out his tongue.” Damian’s voice was terrifyingly calm. This was his true face—not a grieving prosecutor mourning his late wife, but a ruthless arms magnate, his hands steeped in blood. Elara fled back to her room, frantically packing her bags. She had to leave. She had to get out of here. When Damian caught up, he saw Elara’s red-rimmed eyes and knew she’d seen everything. “Elara, those were just tactics. He hurt me, but that was the punishment he deserved.” Elara, tears still streaming, stopped packing. “Seraphina saved me. When those men tried to hurt me, she shielded me with her own body. She’s so good. I can’t betray her.” A flicker of panic crossed Damian’s eyes. Elara knew everything. He quickly stepped forward, grabbing her hand, trying to explain. “I didn’t mean to lie to you. I had my reasons…” He tightened his grip. “You have to understand me. You should understand me. Aren’t you the most compassionate person I know?” Elara pushed him away, tears flowing freely. “Do you know why she went to that chapel?” “Why?” Damian’s heart sank. “She was there to pray for your lost child. She truly loved you and your baby.” **【Chapter 12】** Damian’s outstretched hand fell uselessly to his side. A gut-wrenching roar of agony tore through the mansion. What had he done… I spent four months in a rehabilitation center in New York, undergoing nine surgeries on my hands. Every night I woke in pain, I’d go to the rooftop for air. That’s where I met Jaxson Reed. He’d broken his leg in a street race and would sneak up to the roof to drink beer, hiding it from his doctors. I asked him if he’d won. He flashed a wild grin. “Of course, sis. By just 0.01 seconds. I never lose.” On the day I was discharged, he handed me a love letter, blushing, and my dead heart felt like it started beating again. Later, I learned he was the son of a powerful New York crime boss, raised under his family’s protection. When he talked about the family business, his eyes gleamed like a coiled panther, ready to strike. I couldn’t help but be drawn to him, yet because of the shadows of my past, I always kept my distance. I picked up my paintbrush again, finding a job at a gallery. Jaxson would come pick me up every day after work. Today, I waited for half an hour with no sign of him. Just as I was about to call, someone clapped a hand over my mouth and dragged me into a van. When the black cloth was ripped off, I saw Damian Thorne’s face. “Long time no see,” he said. I raised my hand and slapped him across the face. “What do you want? You’re not in charge here.” He ran his tongue over his reddened cheek, then leaned the other side closer. “Wifey, how about this side too?” I recoiled, a chill running through me. “We’re divorced. I didn’t stand in your way with Elara. What do you want?” “I’ve looked for you for a long time. I missed you.” A shadow of sorrow crossed his eyes. He was still wearing our wedding ring. “Come home.” “Dream on!” I sneered. “Damian Thorne, I hate you. Forever.” His eyes suddenly reddened. “I know about the baby. Sera, can we start over? This time, I’ll protect you.” I didn’t bother to reply. My smartwatch was already automatically sending a distress signal—Jaxson had given it to me; it would alert him if I left a safe zone. Damian rushed me towards a private airfield when Jaxson’s video call suddenly came through. On the screen, Elara was tied beneath a helicopter, cradling a baby. “Let her go, or I’ll send your wife and child on a one-way flight,” Jaxson’s voice was laced with challenge. I looked at the child, nearly a year old, and my brow furrowed—so he hadn’t split with Elara after all; the child was already quite big. The video ended, and Damian expressionlessly turned off his phone. “Let me go! He’ll really do it!” “She’s not as important as you. Sera, Elara means nothing to me compared to you.” His eyes were filled with a terrifying obsession. “For you, I’d give up everything.” I was stunned by the madness in his eyes. He’d truly lost his mind. The car sped forward. Just as it turned the corner, a motorcycle suddenly cut in front of us, and bullets instantly shattered the window. Suddenly, gunfire erupted everywhere. **【Chapter 13】** Damian’s men and Jaxson’s crew immediately engaged, fighting with murderous intent. He took a bullet to the abdomen, but still clutched my hand. “Don’t be scared, I’m taking you home.”

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My best friend suggested I use a fake account to test my boyfriend’s loyalty. I agreed. I registered a burner account and told her it was his. Once she added him, she immediately started trashing me, claiming I was cheating on multiple guys, that I’d been ‘around the block’ too many times. At the same time, she flooded him with super sexy, revealing photos—low-cut tops, legs spread, ass provocatively posed. “Hey, big boy, wanna hook up?” “I’m super obedient, you can do anything you want with me.” I replied, “I don’t believe it, unless you…” The next day, during a company-wide meeting, Serena was rushed to the emergency room by paramedics, after a foreign object inside her vibrated so violently, she collapsed. After my boyfriend proposed to me, my best friend, Serena, seemed a little off. Was she worried I’d be mistreated? But Liam was not only tall, handsome, and highly educated, he came from a good family and was completely devoted to me. I couldn’t find a single flaw. Or was she upset that after I got married, I’d have less time for her? I even tried to reassure her, “Liam loves taking me all over the world, but don’t worry, I’ll bring you a souvenir from every single place.” To my surprise, she got even angrier after hearing that. I tried everything to calm her down, but nothing worked. I started to get anxious and asked her what was really going on. Serena was my best friend; we’d known each other since elementary school. She’d been there for almost every important moment of my life. I really didn’t want her to have any unspoken concerns about my marriage or my fiancé. Serena counted on her fingers, stammering, “Chloe, I’m still a bit worried about Liam. Are you being too rash deciding to marry him?” My heart sank. Was Liam cheating on me? Seeing the change in my expression, Serena quickly waved her hands, “I’m just being reasonably suspicious, you know? Think about it, what man doesn’t stray? Especially Liam, with his amazing looks and background. Plenty of girls chase after him. Why would he be so completely devoted to *you*? Your… well, your ‘conditions’ are just… okay, I guess.” I frowned. What was she implying? That I wasn’t good enough for my own boyfriend? Serena quickly tried to backtrack, “My point is, marriage is a huge decision, a lifelong commitment. It’s never too late to make sure you fully understand and trust a person’s character before you tie the knot.” “What if he shows his true colors after marriage, cheats, or becomes abusive? Your whole life would be ruined!” I hesitated, “So what do you suggest I do?” Serena’s eyes lit up. She grabbed my hand and said, “Give me your boyfriend’s SnapChat. I’ll add him with a fake account and test him. If he can resist the temptation, it means he’s a good guy, and then I’ll feel comfortable letting you marry him.” Immediately, I felt uneasy. This clearly showed a lack of trust in Liam, and it wasn’t how I usually handled things. But Serena kept pestering me, so I finally told her I’d think about it and get back to her later. When I got home, I thought long and hard. I decided to tell Liam everything. Honesty was key in a relationship. Instead of playing games, it was better to talk things through. If there was a problem, we could cut our losses early. No big deal. I finished telling him, expecting him to be angry. Instead, he burst out laughing. He stroked my head and said, “Are you sure that’s your best friend? Or is she a frenemy trying to steal your boyfriend? Her intentions are practically screaming in my face. What a manipulative schemer.” Annoyed, I swatted his hand away. “What kind of talk is that? We’ve been together for over ten years; we’re not going to tear each other apart over some guy.” Liam looked like he wanted to say more but held back. Finally, he came up with an idea: “Okay, how about this. You register a fake account yourself. Give *her* that fake account and tell her it’s mine. Then *you* can chat with her using the fake account.” “Let’s see how she plans to ‘test’ me.” Just then, Serena messaged me again, urging me to give her my boyfriend’s account. A lightbulb went off. “Alright, that’s what we’ll do!” I immediately registered a fake account and sent it to Serena. The next second, I received a friend request: “Hey there, handsome.” I thought for a moment, and mimicking Liam’s tone, I replied: “Who is this?” She replied instantly: “Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is, do you know your girlfriend is cheating on multiple guys behind your back, and you’re just going to be left holding the bag?”

I stared at my phone screen in disbelief. *This* was how Serena was testing my boyfriend? By immediately slandering me? I took a few deep breaths, steadying my trembling hands, and quickly typed: “What do you mean? What about my girlfriend?” Serena quickly sent a ‘hug’ emoji and replied: “She’s tricked you. Don’t let her innocent facade fool you. In college, she was notoriously wild, dating several guys at once. Her reputation was ruined long ago.” “To spice things up, she even sought out Black international students. So many classmates saw her going to hotels with several Black guys at once.” “There was even a period when she was constantly battling STIs, had growths down there—ugh, absolutely disgusting—and it took forever for her to get better.” “I know you’re about to marry her, but I just can’t bear to watch an honest, kind person like you be deceived by a woman like that.” With that, she sent another string of ‘kiss’ emojis. *This* was my best friend, spreading vicious rumors about me under the guise of “caring for my well-being”! I was instantly furious, but I forced myself to calm down. I replied: “Do you have proof of any of this? Don’t just make baseless accusations.” But Serena continued to fan the flames: “I have photos and chat logs from her college days. Want to see them?” How was that possible?! Before I could ask another question, she immediately dumped a pile of chat logs and photos on me. I clicked them open, and it *was* me! But these chat logs had clearly been tampered with and stitched together. Many were even fake conversations using my profile picture. And the so-called photos were group pictures of me participating in a school international student program, taken with international students. Packaged by Serena like this, combined with her detailed, seemingly credible story, even matching times and locations – if she sent this to anyone else, it really could fool them. After all, with “irrefutable proof” right there, who wouldn’t believe it? Rage pushed me to the brink of sadness, of utter despair. I was the clown all along. I’d been so good to her. I shared every good thing, every good news with her first. I stood by her unconditionally in everything. Why? Why would she do this to me? The next second, I had my answer. Serena seemed to give “Liam” three minutes to process, then continued: “I know you and your girlfriend, and I know about her hidden past. I totally understand how you must feel right now.” “A trashy girl like that doesn’t deserve you. You’ve been so good to her, and she still doesn’t appreciate it.” Then she changed tack: “Hey, handsome, what about me? I’ve been quietly following you, and my heart aches for you.” “If I had a boyfriend as amazing as you, I’d never cheat. I’d cherish you with all my life.” Hahaha… I laughed out loud, enraged by this sudden confession. So *that* was it. Liam was right. She wanted to steal my boyfriend. To pressure “Liam” into making a quick decision, she even sent several more super revealing, close-up photos—no face, just low-cut tops, legs, and a provocatively posed ass, with the caption: “I know you’re hurting. Come out and relax, forget about that rotten girl.” Liam saw the distraught look on my face and my labored breathing. He quickly took my phone away, telling me to calm down. He raised his hands and swore, “I’d never be interested in a two-faced person like Serena. You’re the only woman I love, wife.” “Don’t get upset over trash like her.” “Now you’ve seen her true colors. We’ll just cut her out of our lives. Out of sight, out of mind.” I gave a tight smile and patted Liam. “No way! She’s coming after *me*. Am I just going to let her get away with biting me?” I thought for a moment, then replied to her: “Who are you? Why should I believe a stranger’s words?” She immediately replied: “You’ll find out when we meet. It’ll be a real surprise.” For the next few days, I continued to play the role of the heartbroken and dejected Liam on SnapChat. I’d chat with Serena occasionally, but I wouldn’t commit to breaking up. Serena grew impatient, her messages becoming bolder and more direct: “Hey, big boy, wanna hook up?” “I’m super obedient, you can do anything you want with me.”

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Landon Thorne and I? We were infamous, a legendary toxic couple in our circles. After ten grueling years, we finally called a truce. The day Landon got back in town, he decided to make a grand gesture for some new girl. He tore my bar apart, all to put a smile on some pretty face. I ripped into him for it. “Tsk, loved smashing your place, didn’t I? What kind of compensation do you want? Name your price.” What could a dying person possibly ask for? It wasn’t until my last follow-up appointment that I knew. I was out of time. A mother and daughter, recovering in the same ward, looked at me with pity. “That poor thing, so young. And at the end, there won’t even be anyone to claim her body.” I sat in the cold hospital corridor, my fingers tracing the number I’d had saved for ten years. “If you really want to pay me back, then promise to handle my funeral.” *** It was a rainy night. The bar was almost empty. The TV screen flashed with news of Landon Thorne’s return. Just as I was about to close up, a young woman walked in. She folded her umbrella, her eyes bright as she pointed at the bottles behind the counter. “These? I’ll take them all.” Trailing in behind her was Asher Vance, Landon’s best friend. He saw me, and his expression froze. “Uh, maybe we should try somewhere else?” “I brought Landon some drinks from here once, he absolutely loved this brand,” she chirped, looking at me. “Bartender, I’ve booked the whole place tonight. Just get these ready for me.” I murmured a reply, my hand trembling slightly as I scooped ice. It wasn’t nerves, or anticipation. It was my illness. Untreatable. “Asher, can you help me light some candles? Landon will be so happy when he gets here, won’t he?” Asher didn’t answer. He knew Landon would never be happy if he saw me. On the news, Landon smirked at the camera. “I’m sure she’s watching this now. And I’m really looking forward to our reunion.” The camera angle highlighted the scar above Landon’s eyebrow. It was particularly noticeable. Yeah, I did that. With a kitchen knife. No real reason, just a bad mood. The ugly scar at the base of my thumb? That was him. He tore my hand open, and it got infected again and again. “So, where are you headed next, Mr. Thorne? With those roses, are you meeting your girlfriend?” He paused for a beat. “My fiancée.” The young woman, Jasmine, meticulously arranged the bar, then turned to watch the TV. “Asher, have you ever met his first love, the one he was with for ten years?” I lowered my head, shaking the cocktail shaker, but my peripheral vision caught Asher’s gaze. “Landon!” Jasmine rushed out, forgetting her umbrella. “Jasmine.” Landon tilted his umbrella to cover her. She eagerly rose on her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth, her excitement palpable. Landon clearly flinched back for a split second. My gaze met his through the rain-streaked glass. Jasmine tried to follow his line of sight, but he lifted her chin, pulling her into a deeper kiss. I looked away, adding mint leaves to a glass. Asher was already at the counter. After a few hesitant moments, he finally spoke. “Please, just… don’t torment him anymore.” He thought for a second, then added, “She’s really beautiful, isn’t she? A little like you when you were younger. She’s only nineteen.” I nodded, feeling a strange disconnect. “She is very pretty.” Two figures walked into the bar. Landon folded his black umbrella. “Were you… talking about my fiancée?” His words hung in the air, that familiar gaze, so long absent, finally landing on me. Asher held his breath, watching me. He wasn’t sure if I was about to do something crazy again. But I simply placed the glasses in front of them. “Here you are, everyone. Enjoy.” Jasmine Hayes rested her chin in her hands, her eyes sparkling with joy as she looked at Landon. “Landon, try this. It’s your favorite, the one you loved.” He took a sip, his fingers tracing the rim of the glass. “Bitter and astringent. Yes, definitely my favorite.” Jasmine took a suspicious sip. “It’s sweet! You’re lying again!” She didn’t see it, but his eyes were fixed, deeply, on mine. The bar door burst open. “Bro! Welcome back!” A few guys swaggered in, but their cheerful faces froze the moment they saw me. Their eyes followed my movements, cautious, probing, then flickered to Asher.

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During a family dinner with our parents, my husband’s junior, Seraphina, threw a projected delivery bill onto the table in front of me. She declared that she was having my husband’s baby, and demanded I split the one hundred and sixty thousand dollars for the delivery and postpartum care. I stared at my husband, utterly stunned. I desperately hoped he would offer an explanation. Instead, he took Sera’s hand and turned to me, saying, “Sera is so lonely. I promised her a child, my own flesh and blood. As my wife, it’s your responsibility to share the expenses. Stop trying to shirk it.” In that moment, a chilling realization hit me. Nine years of marriage—it was all a pathetic joke. Some people truly belong in the trash. Just as we settled in for dinner with both our families, my husband’s junior slammed a bill onto my face. She stood, chin lifted high, a smug, triumphant smirk plastered across her face, like she’d just won the damn lottery. “Alex wants me to be a surrogate for him. I’ve calculated the costs from pregnancy to delivery, plus postpartum care—it comes to a hundred and sixty thousand. We’ll split it.” A suffocating silence descended upon the dining table. My parents, who had been clinking glasses and chatting cheerfully with my in-laws, froze, utterly bewildered. I stared at my husband, speechless. I prayed he would tell me it was all a sick joke. We were a couple, married for nine years, and we had always been childfree by choice. Now, someone else was having his child, and I hadn’t even known about it. I couldn’t believe this was real. But there he was, my husband, his fingers intertwined with another woman’s. His gaze on me was cold, ruthless. “Chloe, this child will be my flesh and blood. As my wife, it’s your responsibility to cover half the expenses. Stop trying to dodge it.” Emboldened by Alex’s support, Sera Blackwood shot me a defiant look, then lightly kissed Alex’s lips right in front of me. Then, she produced a signed agreement. “Regarding me having Alex’s child, I have three conditions.” “First, from now until I give birth, you must serve me well until the baby arrives safely.” “Second, after the baby is born, to help me care for the child, Alex will stay with me on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He can only return to you on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. You are not allowed to be jealous.” “Third, Alex’s and my child will be his sole heir and will inherit all of his assets. To guarantee the child’s inheritance rights, you must undergo a tubal ligation.” Listening to her outrageous demands, my parents finally snapped out of their initial shock. My mother’s face darkened, and she couldn’t hold back her anger. “What absurd nonsense are you talking about!” She turned to my in-laws. “Mr. and Mrs. Sterling, aren’t you going to do something about this?” Sera scoffed. “My godparents have already agreed to this.” Alex’s parents had long treated Sera like their own daughter. At her words, they both chuckled and nodded. “Yes, we are already aware of this matter.” Mrs. Sterling even tried to reason with me. “Chloe, you know that Sera’s father, Professor Blackwood, was Alex’s mentor. His only dying wish was for Sera to be cared for, to have a protector. Alex is merely honoring that wish.” “You’re an educated woman, you understand what it means to show gratitude, don’t you?” I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “This repulsive affair, you call it gratitude?” Alex’s face immediately darkened. “Chloe, this is a notification, not a negotiation!” “Sera will be the mother of my child. If you speak to her like that again, don’t blame me for breaking ties with you!” I stared at him, utterly incredulous. “Alex, say that again!” He rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Chloe, I’m just trying to repay a debt of gratitude. Can’t you stop being so dramatic?” “Besides, Sera is intelligent, studious, and a high-achiever. Her excellent genes are more deserving of being passed on.” “Excellent genes?” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Her excellent genes led her to sleep with a married man?” Sera’s eyes immediately welled up. Alex shot up from his seat, shielding Sera. “Sera comes from an academic background. What do *you*, a small-town girl, know about such things?” “Besides, you refused to have my child, and now you’re going to deny me one from someone else?” A sharp pain pierced my heart. His words infuriated me completely. Before we got married, he was the one who insisted he was childfree and would never have kids. To support him, I also chose to be childfree. For nine years of marriage, my parents had subtly hinted a few times for us to have children sooner. I had always shut them down, just to avoid putting any pressure on him. Now, it was becoming his reason to condemn me? In that moment, I finally understood: nine years of marriage was nothing but a cruel joke! If he didn’t want to make it work, then none of us would! I shot to my feet, slamming my hands onto the table and flipping it over in one swift, furious motion. Plates clattered, and a rainbow of sauces and food splattered all over Sera and Alex. Sera shrieked. Alex’s face turned beet red with rage. Before he could speak, I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face. Then I looked at Sera. “This garbage? I don’t want him anymore.” “You want him? He’s all yours!” “Alex, we’re getting a divorce!” I enunciated each word clearly, then turned and walked away. My parents, their faces grim, rose and followed me. Only a chaotic mess remained, and the pale faces of the Sterling family. Alex trembled, roaring at my retreating back. “Chloe! How dare you divorce me? You think that scares me?” “I’m telling you, go ahead and divorce! I’ll be just fine without you!” I didn’t look back. I hurried away from the Sterling house with my parents. I didn’t want to stay in that toxic place for another second! Alex, once you’re rid of me… Your good days are over too! After dropping my parents home, I returned to the house Alex and I shared, intending to pack my things. But as I reached the door, I saw all my belongings tossed outside, like trash. The door lock’s code had been changed. I called Alex, but he didn’t pick up. I had no choice but to try a SnapChat video call. It connected. But the person on the other end was Sera. She was sprawled across *my* wedding bed, wearing *my* favorite nightgown, her chest half-exposed, covered in fresh hickeys. Seeing me, she arched an eyebrow, her expression smug and taunting. “Alex and I are busy making babies, is there something you need this late?” I was about to speak when she casually dangled her hand. My vision blurred as I saw the diamond ring on her finger. It was my wedding ring, the one Alex and I had exchanged, a unique piece I had crafted myself. Just days ago, Alex had claimed he was taking it to be cleaned and polished. I never imagined he’d give it to Sera. Even the decorative items I used to place on the nightstand had been replaced by intimate photos of her and Alex. There were pictures of them kissing, and others of them embracing. Noticing my gaze, Sera flashed a wide smile. “Oops, my bad, Chloe. Alex said this house is mine now, and all that old junk shouldn’t be here, so I had your things thrown out.” I clutched my phone, my knuckles white. Taking a deep breath, I asked, “Where’s Alex?” She blinked. “Alex? Oh, he’s in the shower.” She sighed dramatically. “You know, Alex is so insatiable. He kept insisting on another round. I’m just… waiting for him.” A wave of nausea washed over me. “Oh, right. Alex said since you’re the one who asked for the divorce, you should just take your things and leave.” “After all, he bought this house.” Before I could reply, Alex emerged from the bathroom, stepping into view. He was wrapped in a towel from the waist down, his upper body bare, his chest covered in red marks. His eyes still held traces of lingering desire. He immediately pulled Sera into his arms, his hands roaming over her. Sera feigned embarrassment. “Alex, Chloe’s watching.” Only then did he notice me. His face instantly changed, becoming annoyed. “Didn’t you want a divorce? Why are you crawling back in the middle of the night? This place has nothing to do with you anymore!” The fury in my chest finally erupted. “Alex, don’t forget, I put up the money for this house! And the startup capital for your company? I sold two tech patents for that! Even your first major deal came through my connections! Did you really get so full of yourself just because people call you ‘Mr. Sterling’? What right do you have to kick me out?” Alex had been on his high horse for too long; it had been ages since anyone ripped off his facade. Hearing me expose his dirty secrets, his face twisted in extreme ugliness. “Chloe, don’t flatter yourself! Everything I have now, I earned myself, and it has nothing to do with you! On the contrary, if you hadn’t married me, someone from your humble origins, would you be enjoying this good life now? For nine years, you and your parents have bled me dry. What right do you have to bark at me?” My heart ached with a searing pain. I looked at his face, contorted with rage, and my last shred of hope died. “Alex, for these nine years, every single penny my parents and I spent, I earned with my own two hands! Without me, do you really think an incompetent fool like you could be where you are today?” He gritted his teeth, seething. “I’m a high-achiever, how dare you talk about me like that? Do you honestly think the company can’t function without you? Chloe, who the hell do you think you are!” “You want to cause a scene, huh? Fine! I’ll give you one! Tomorrow, we’re filing for divorce, and you’re out of the company! I’ll show you that the company runs just fine without you!” “Alex, since you’re showing no mercy, don’t blame me for doing the same!” “Your company? It’s going down!” I sneered and was about to hang up the video call. Alex was so furious he stomped his foot, roaring just before the call ended. “Chloe, you think you’ll have a good life without me, without the company?! I’ve already spoken to every company in A-City! You won’t find a single job here! I’m going to make sure you can’t survive!” I hung up the video call without hesitation and turned to leave. I was afraid if I waited another second, I’d lose control and storm in there to destroy those two scumbags. The next day, I drafted divorce papers and went to the company to find Alex. Just as I reached the company entrance, I was stopped by a security guard. I frowned. “I’m the company’s Vice President…” The guard sneered, cutting me off. “Vice President of what? Early this morning, the company issued a notice—you’ve been fired!” “And, Mr. Sterling gave specific instructions: Chloe and dogs are barred from entering here from now on.” I clenched my fists, my chest aching with rage. Just then, Sera and Alex walked out together. Sera’s voice dripped with mock concern. “Oh, isn’t this Vice President Chloe? Why aren’t you going in?” Before I could speak, she feigned surprise, covering her mouth. “Oh, right, I forgot. Alex fired you. You’re a nobody now.” The security guard chuckled obsequiously beside her. Alex wore a sneering smile. I took a deep breath, pretending not to hear, and fixed my gaze on him. “I’m here to discuss the divorce.” A glint flashed in Sera’s eyes. Alex scoffed, pulling out an agreement and handing it to me. “I already prepared the divorce papers. Sign them.” I took them and glanced at the contents. My temples throbbed. “You want me to walk away with nothing?” The divorce agreement stated clearly that Alex wouldn’t leave me a single asset! How *dared* he? Alex smirked coldly. “What else did you expect?” Sera crossed her arms. “Isn’t that obvious? This is Sterling Corp. Everything you’ve enjoyed before was Sterling family property. What right do you have to claim any of Alex’s assets?” “Alright, if you want to save some face, just sign it.” Seeing me hesitate, Alex sneered, “I knew you wouldn’t let go of your comfortable life. Why the act earlier? Chloe, if you humbly agree to cover half of my expenses for Sera’s delivery, and go to the hospital for that tubal ligation, I might just give you another chance. Otherwise…” “No, I’ll sign.” I cut him off abruptly, pulled out a pen, and swiftly signed my name. Alex’s face was grim. “Chloe, you actually…” “Alex!” He hadn’t finished his sentence.

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President Julian Vance always loved bringing his friends home for dinner, claiming it made us feel more like a family. As I served a table full of dishes I’d cooked, one of his friends grinned and spoke up. “Mrs. Vance truly has the grace of the one and only Mrs. Vance!” My expression didn’t change. I playfully asked, “Oh? So there’s some petty little ‘other woman’ you’re comparing me to?” His friends froze, a flicker of panic in their eyes. Julian, however, just laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Don’t listen to their nonsense. Besides you, who else in this world is worthy of being my wife?” Watching his nonchalant act, I smiled. But as I turned to walk away, I dialed a number. “Alex, Julian Vance is cheating. Let him rot in prison.” My brother on the other end of the line was silent for three seconds. “Clara, are you sure? Julian, he couldn’t have…” I slipped off the wedding ring from my left hand. The diamond dug painfully into my palm, a sharp echo of the pain in my heart. “We’ve been married for ten years. Every single one of his cufflinks, I had custom-made in Italy.” “But today, he’s wearing a cheap plastic flower. Alex, do you still think I’m wrong?” “You know I won’t tolerate any injustice. Expose all his dirty laundry to the world. And while you’re at it, get me the best lawyer. I want a divorce.” Hearing my words, Alex grew furious. “Consider it done.” Half an hour later, my phone pinged with an encrypted file. I clicked open the first photo: a sweet-faced girl in a white shirt, looking utterly charmed, was clinging to a man’s arm, her face beaming. On the wrist peeking out from her sleeve, I saw it—a wolf’s head tattoo, exactly like Julian’s. I didn’t hesitate. I immediately drove to his company. Minutes later, a girl with long, straight black hair, dressed in a white skirt, hurried out. I glanced at her employee badge: Willow Hayes. The moment she saw me, her face instantly drained of color, and she instinctively yanked her hands behind her back. But I still saw it: a custom-made Swiss watch. Last year, around my birthday, I received a notification for a Swiss purchase. A watch worth four-hundred-thousand dollars. A necklace valued at seven-thousand. The necklace was still carefully kept at home. The watch was on her wrist. I let out a cold laugh, cutting straight to the chase. “Ms. Hayes, your husband seems to have the same taste as mine. Even your custom-made watches have the exact same design.” Willow trembled at my words. Her painted lips gaped and closed for what felt like an eternity before she finally managed to stutter, “Y-yes… I guess men just have similar taste.” Her knuckles were white as she clutched the fabric of her dress. “Enough. Stop pretending.” “You’re the one they call the ‘other woman,’ aren’t you?” Seeing me lay it all out, Willow began to tremble even more violently, her panic palpable. “Please, don’t misunderstand. Mr. Vance just had another low blood sugar episode and fainted, and I merely helped him. His friends thought I was very attentive, and they were just joking around.” “I’m truly sorry if I caused any misunderstanding.” With that, she even exaggeratedly bowed ninety degrees to me. She put on the most pathetic, ‘poor me’ act. If I hadn’t witnessed her manipulative tactics with Julian myself, I might have actually fallen for it. Half a month ago, she posted a video on Ins. A man was swiping his card at a luxury car dealership next to a Porsche. Her caption read: “A man’s love is where his money goes.” Meanwhile, I was at home, burning with a fever so high I was drifting in and out of consciousness. I called Julian, asking him to take me to the hospital. He sounded flustered for a second, but then his voice turned hoarse, as if he was suppressing something. “Honey, I’ll have the housekeeper take you. I have something urgent here I can’t leave.” An hour later, I was in the hospital being resuscitated, suffering from pneumonia. She, however, posted a photo of herself lying in a car, a man’s perfectly sculpted abs visible, adorned with suggestive red marks. The caption: “New car and you, both forever branded as mine.” When Julian finally showed up, his shirt buttons were haphazardly fastened. He slumped by my bedside, his eyes red. Back then, I naively thought he was genuinely worried about me. But now I knew it was just the cheap guilt of a man who’d been cheating. A wave of nausea washed over me. *This* was the kind of cheap trash Julian thought was worth betraying me for? Too disgusted to watch her pathetic act any longer, I turned and left. But just as I got into my car, Julian called. The moment I answered, his voice was panicked. “Why did you suddenly decide to come to the office?”

“Why?” I started the car, asking casually. “Just had a contract to discuss, that’s all. Is there something you’re afraid I’ll find out?” Julian didn’t seem to expect such a question. His breathing hitched, and after a few seconds of silence, his voice softened, adopting his usual coaxing tone. “Honey, what are you talking about? I don’t have any secrets from you. It’s just that my office is a mess, and I’d have asked someone to tidy it up if I knew you were coming.” “Besides, how could I ever betray you? You can check anything you want.” Hearing that, I was somewhat surprised. Willow hadn’t told him I’d confronted her. I flipped through the evidence on my phone, listening to him rationalize. Three gigabytes of data, every single day somehow linked to Julian. Last Valentine’s Day, he claimed to be on a business trip abroad and couldn’t call, but he was actually with Willow, watching the Northern Lights. When my father was critically ill, I called him over thirty times, all unanswered. He was celebrating Willow’s birthday then. “I believe you, but what about that watch?” Seeing me bring it up, Julian seemed to relax a little. His voice moved closer to the receiver, a forced intimacy in his tone. “That watch? I fainted at the office, and Willow happened to pass by and took me to the hospital.” He paused, then added, “She stayed with me all night, so I bought her a watch as a thank-you. I just forgot to tell you about it.” Forgot? He seemed to forget a lot. Not just that, but also the three days and nights they spent in a hotel penthouse suite that same night. He forgot that too. A cold laugh echoed in my mind. “She’s quite meticulous, isn’t she? Even the black shirt you wore the day you fainted—she washed it, ironed it, and returned it spotless the next day.” Julian on the other end clearly stiffened, his breathing momentarily catching. Then he chuckled, trying to brush it off. “Isn’t she though? Such a thoughtful young woman.” “See, you’re always so suspicious. You’re the only one in my heart, honey.” His voice was close to the receiver, full of forced intimacy. “After this busy period, I’ll take you to the Maldives for a make-up vacation, just the two of us. How does that sound?” That gentle tone used to melt my heart, but now, it only made me sick. “Sounds great.” I gazed out at the passing city lights, my voice as calm as if discussing the weather. “But you focus on your important business first. Don’t let me get in the way.” “Nothing is more important than spending time with you, honey.” Julian’s voice held an eager, pleading note, but my heart grew colder and colder. Not because Julian had betrayed me and cheated, but because I couldn’t believe they’d been putting on this act right under my nose for so long. My grip on the steering wheel tightened. I fought the urge to confront Julian then and there. I wanted him to admit his relationship with Willow in front of everyone, then utterly ruin both of them. I mumbled a few noncommittal words and ended the call. Just then, Willow’s Ins account updated. The screen showed her in a complex, diamond-studded wedding gown, her eyes sparkling with joy. “Another mistress tried to cause trouble today, wanting to take my place. Mr. Vance is making it up to me—he’s finally going to marry me!” “I only mentioned wanting a castle wedding, and he bought me an entire castle!” She hooked her lips, and the camera casually swept over a property deed. “And these wineries! He actually wants me to manage them!” “How could a little airhead like me possibly do that? Luckily, Mr. Vance promised to accompany me to assert my authority, so no one tries to bully me because I’m young!” Watching the video, seeing the property deed with my French name printed on it, a wave of pure fury surged through me. Those wineries were a coming-of-age gift from my brother.

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The woman who inspected me said I was a once-in-a-century find, a true enchantress in bed, designed for unparalleled pleasure. And so, I was delivered to the most powerful arms dealer in the region, right onto his bed. “No… it’s too much, I can’t take it…” Feeling that terrifying heat, my face went deathly pale with fear. But the man just chuckled, relentless, pushing deeper until there was nowhere else to go. My vision blurred, and my mind went blank. “Don’t worry, your surprise will be unimaginable.” The man bent down, biting hard on my earlobe, his voice a sinister whisper, “Tell me, who’s better, me or Rhys?” … Right after graduation, tricked by a promise of a high-paying job, I was sold into a lawless territory in Southeast Asia. It was pure hell. Every girl there was broken beyond recognition. The moment I arrived at the compound, a group of thugs swarmed me, tearing at my clothes, threatening to live stream their vile ‘entertainment’. Their lewd laughter plunged me into utter despair. Just as I was about to bite off my tongue to end it all, a gunshot rang out. A man’s deep voice declared, “She’s mine.” No one dared to challenge him. Later, I learned his name was Julian. He was the king of this hellhole. On the surface, he was a respected business magnate, but secretly, he controlled half of the region’s darkest dealings. Trembling, I clung to the hem of his pants. For the next seven years, I transformed from an innocent girl into the most venomous rose in his empire. By day, I handled his dirty business, deflecting dangerous threats. By night, I entwined with him, surrendering myself, enjoying a tenderness he showed to no one else. Everyone said Julian adored me, that marrying me was only a matter of time. Until that day. He’d just found his release when he pushed me away, rising from the bed. His voice was as dispassionate as if he were discussing the weather: “Three days from now, at the Gray family banquet, you’ll sleep with Rhys Carter.” “Only if Seraphina sees it with her own eyes will she give up and come back to me.” It was like a bucket of ice water had been poured over my head; my blood turned to ice in my veins. “Seraphina is a germaphobe; she won’t touch anything someone else has touched.” “Here’s a packet of powder. Find a way to get Rhys Carter to drink it. I’ll arrange the room, and then I’ll bring Seraphina to catch you.” Seraphina Gray, the eldest daughter of one of the region’s four powerful families. And his unattainable ideal, the woman he truly loved but couldn’t have. Her heart and soul were only for Julian’s sworn enemy, Rhys Carter. Over the years, Julian had argued with her countless times because of this. The fiercest fight they’d ever had was when Julian took a knife for her. His wound hadn’t even been bandaged, but Seraphina couldn’t wait to rush off to see Rhys Carter. Julian went absolutely ballistic. He, still wounded, went to the compound, looking to vent his rage on some disobedient captives, when he stumbled upon me, about to be defiled. Perhaps to spite Seraphina, he staged a dramatic rescue. From then on, I became his constant companion, his shadow. He wanted to prove to Seraphina that the genuine affection she trampled on was something others desperately craved. The good things she disdained, someone else would cherish. So, after that, with jewels and designer clothes, I lacked nothing Seraphina had. Anything she didn’t have, I had double. At one cocktail party, a spoiled rich kid, drunk, flirted with me. Julian put a bullet through his jaw. He made an enemy of that family, and when ten armored cars surrounded us, he still smiled, reassuring me, “Scared? Next time anyone dares to touch you, I’ll kill their entire family.” From then on, everyone in the underworld knew that the girl by Mr. Julian’s side was untouchable. Hearing it so often, even I started to believe in the illusion that maybe, just maybe, he truly loved me. Until now, seeing the icy indifference in his eyes, I knew the truth. The last spark of hope in my heart shattered. I took the packet of powder he offered, nodding calmly. “Okay.” Julian paused while putting on his shirt, seemingly surprised by my compliance. “You can refuse if you don’t want to. After all, you’re a girl, your reputation matters.” As he spoke, he reached out to pull me into an embrace, but I stepped back, avoiding him. I clutched the powder, my knuckles white. “I’m willing.” His hand hung in the air. He gazed at me for a long moment before shrugging with a faint smile, “Suit yourself.” Then, just like countless times after our intimate moments, he helped me put on my underwear. His hot breath brushed my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “I know you’re easily embarrassed. Just take off your jacket for show, you don’t actually have to go through with it.” He gently stroked my hair, his tone both tender and cruel. “If you pull this off, I can grant you one wish. Anything.” I looked up at his handsome face, a faint smile playing on my lips. “Okay, thank you, Mr. Julian.” As the sun rose, the lingering warmth of the previous night’s intimacy slowly faded to cold. As I turned to leave, he suddenly called out, “Cassie.” It was the same soft whisper he used during our most passionate nights. He stood against the light, his eyes deep. “If you ever fall for someone, tell me. I’ll prepare your dowry… We can part ways amicably.” Seven years ago, at eighteen, Julian rescued me, barely clothed, from the clutches of those monsters. From the first moment I saw him, I knew we weren’t meant for a future together. These seven years I’d had with him felt like stolen moments, a bonus I never deserved. I swallowed the bitterness in my throat and forced a smile. “Okay.” Perhaps out of guilt, Julian splurged at an auction, buying me a pair of exquisite jade bracelets. As he was putting them on my wrist, Seraphina burst in, crying. She shoved me aside. I fell to the ground, the bracelets shattering, leaving a ghastly gash on my arm. “Rhys Carter said he hates me!” Her face streaked with tears, she cried, “He actually had his bodyguards throw me out!” Normally, if anyone dared to touch a hair on my head, Julian would make them wish they were dead. But at this moment, he merely glanced at my bleeding hand, then gently cupped Seraphina’s face, wiping away her tears. “After all these years, you still haven’t given up?” he scoffed. “Rhys Carter left the country just to avoid you, and you chased him abroad without an ounce of shame.” Seraphina angrily hit his chest. Julian’s expression darkened, then softened as he coaxed, “Chasing a man requires strategy. Throwing yourself at him like that will only make him look down on you.” Seraphina pouted, hurt. “Then what should I do?” Julian’s lips curved into a smirk as he looked at me. “Rhys Carter loves your rosewater pastries the most. Go prepare some, and say Miss Seraphina specially learned to make them for him.” Although Julian and Rhys were bitter rivals, their families had long-standing ties, so they maintained a facade of civility. Rhys Carter would always visit Julian’s estate whenever he returned to the region. The meals served to him were always prepared by my own hands. He had praised my cooking more than once. I thought, perhaps this was also why Julian believed I could get Rhys Carter into bed. As I got up to prepare, I heard Seraphina’s harsh sneer, “Is this the trash you picked up from that dirty place?” “Weren’t you treating her like a treasure, holding her in the palm of your hand? Now you actually dare to order her around?” Julian chuckled softly, “Are you jealous? Marry me, and everything she has will be yours.” “Forget ordering her around; she can be your maid if you wish.” My heart felt as if it had been pierced by a sharp blade, the pain so intense it almost suffocated me. In the kitchen, the maids who used to flatter me now bowed their heads, pretending not to see me. Everyone understood: I was out of favor. I arrived at Carter Corp. I walked straight to Rhys Carter’s office without any obstruction. Unlike Julian’s domineering, oppressive presence; Rhys Carter was coolly aristocratic, his shirt meticulously buttoned to the collar, his suit impeccably tailored. There was no trace of the ruthless killer he was rumored to be. He was looking at documents when I entered, appearing even more distant and cold than three years ago. His trembling subordinates quietly retreated. I hesitated, then spoke, “Mr. Carter…” “Get out.” His voice was devoid of hesitation, but then he saw me and abruptly stopped. “Julian sent you?” “It was Miss Seraphina. She heard you love rosewater pastries, and specially…” Before I could finish, he suddenly pulled open a drawer and took out a red velvet box. He rose and walked directly towards me. I thought he was leaving. Just as I was about to ask him to stay, he handed me the box. “Is this for Miss Seraphina?” I asked, bewildered. “It’s for you.” Rhys Carter took out a necklace from the box, reached around, and fastened it around my neck himself. I stood there, stunned. He used to send me gifts, but I always thought it was out of respect for Julian. As I left, I cautiously asked, “Mr. Carter, Miss Seraphina’s birthday banquet in three days…” “Do you want to see me there?” he interrupted, asking instead. I instinctively nodded. A smile touched his lips. “Good. If you want to see me, I’ll definitely be there.” My heart fluttered, and I almost fled in a panic. Just outside the Carter Corp doors, I bumped into Julian, who was rushing over. His expression was tense. He grabbed my arm, pulling me closer. “Why did delivering a simple package take so long? Did Rhys Carter give you trouble?” His gaze fell on the necklace around my neck, and his face instantly darkened. “Mr. Carter sent it…” I whispered in explanation. Julian ripped it off immediately. I cried out in pain. Then, he ordered his men, “Buy ten identical ones and send them to Mr. Carter. My woman never wears gifts from other men.” Julian was angry. But I didn’t understand why he was angry. Wasn’t Rhys Carter showing interest in me exactly what he wanted? Back at Julian’s estate, Julian roughly pulled me, pushing open the door to a guest room. Meeting my questioning gaze, he irritably loosened his collar. “Seraphina will be staying here for a few days. She liked your room, so you can make do here for now.” I nodded, silently beginning to pack my belongings. In my ears, he was cursing Rhys Carter’s despicable character, accusing him of stealing his woman. Suddenly, he stopped talking. I looked up and met his deep, penetrating gaze. I knew that look all too well; he would always stare at me like a hungry wolf when desire stirred within him. “Mr. Julian, you should go back,” I quickly said. “Miss Seraphina is waiting for you in her room.” He didn’t listen. He simply took off his shirt. “Did Rhys Carter agree to go to the birthday banquet?” “Yes.” Julian’s movements paused. After a long moment, he said, “Remember, it’s just an act. Don’t let him actually touch you.” On the night of the banquet, getting close to Rhys Carter was easier than I’d imagined. The notoriously cold and aloof underworld figure seemed to have no defenses against me. “Try this.” I handed him the juice I had drugged. Rhys Carter was about to drink when he suddenly looked up at me. “Have you thought this through?” My heart leaped, but I pretended not to understand what he meant. Watching him drink it all, I helped him up and led him to the suite upstairs. My hands trembled uncontrollably as I took off his clothes. “Cassandra.” He suddenly opened his eyes, which seemed to burn with a fierce fire. His body was scorching hot, the heat radiating through our touching skin, threatening to melt me. I frantically tried to escape, but he pulled me into his arms. “Mr. C-Carter…” Rhys Carter’s intense gaze locked onto me, like he was assessing his prey. Suddenly, he cupped my chin and kissed me hard. It was wilder, more brutal than any kiss Julian had ever given me, with a suffocating invasiveness. I instinctively struggled, but then my mind flashed back to that day in the compound, to my utter despair. It was Julian who appeared in time, giving me a second chance at life. Fine, I thought. Consider this repaying his kindness. I closed my eyes, letting the man have his way with me. Rhys Carter’s kisses moved lower, leaving crimson marks on my collarbone and chest. My body slowly awakened. I gradually lost control, hearing only the pounding of my heart and the soft sounds of our mouths. It wasn’t until a sharp sting brought me back to reality that I realized things were spiraling completely out of control. One passionate encounter. Rhys Carter still wouldn’t let me go; he had drunk every last drop of the drugged wine. The effects of the drug would likely last for a long time. Sure enough, the next second, the man kissed me deeply again. I tried to break free. But suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the door. The door was violently kicked open from the outside. My body stiffened, and I instinctively held the man tighter. Rhys Carter also reacted, immediately pulling the blanket over me. But… it was already too late. Seraphina’s scream pierced the air: “You… you actually!” Julian stood in the doorway, his face terrifyingly dark. He stared fixedly at my exposed shoulder, his hands clenched into fists. But in the end, he said nothing, turning to chase after Seraphina. Only the gawking guests remained, pointing and whispering: “Is that Mr. Julian’s kept woman? She dared to sleep with Mr. Rhys.” “I heard Miss Seraphina was going to confess her feelings to Mr. Rhys today, and this ruined everything.” “She’s just a cheap whore from the criminal compound, easily seducing any man.” The cruel whispers rose and fell. Rhys Carter swept a gaze over the crowd, and they immediately fell silent. After the door closed, Rhys Carter’s aura instantly turned cold. He slowly and deliberately buttoned his shirt, as if the earlier passion had never existed. I knelt quietly on the rumpled sheets, awaiting the judgment of this terror of the underworld. Unexpectedly, my heart was eerily calm. It felt like I had finally unburdened myself of a heavy load. Whether Rhys Carter wanted my life or to make me wish I were dead, I would accept it. “Cassandra,” he suddenly said, “let’s get married.” I looked up in shock, only to see his eyes darkened. “The Carter family rule is that a man, apart from his wife, cannot touch other women.” I had no right to refuse this marriage. After the scandal broke, Carter Corp’s stock plummeted. Rhys Carter couldn’t let it go unaddressed. I didn’t know what methods he used to pressure Julian’s family. Even with their fear of Julian’s ferocious and ruthless nature, they could only hide the truth from him and give me the title of “an adopted daughter of the Julian family.” They put me in a wedding dress that very night, hastily arranging a wedding no one blessed. But everyone had worried too much. After that night, Seraphina was devastated, threatening to become a nun. Julian stayed by her side, not caring in the least about my fate. On the customary post-wedding visit, three days after the wedding, Rhys Carter suddenly said, “Julian has proposed to the Grays for Seraphina.” My fingers dug into my palm. It took me a long moment to squeeze out the words, “Mr. Julian finally got what he wanted… that’s good.” Rhys Carter stared at me intently for a long time. He suddenly reached out, and I reflexively flinched. “We’re in the car…” His fingertips hovered in the air, catching a single tear.

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I’d been with the crime lord for six years. But on my birthday, he brought home another girl. He was covered in blood, and the dainty girl was tucked safely in his arms. From that moment on, he, who had indulged my every whim, never spared me another glance. Everyone assumed I was heartbroken, utterly devastated by my unrequited love for Julian. I just smiled, fiddling with the watch on my wrist. I was an undercover agent for the police, planted deep within the West Coast’s largest criminal enterprise. All these years I’d spent by his side were to put him behind bars. How could I possibly… fall for him? Late at night, the mansion was still blazing with lights. I sat on the sofa, relighting the candles on the cake. “Anya, don’t wait up.” “The boss said he won’t be coming…” The lighter clicked open and shut in my hand, a flicker of flame springing to life then dying. I stared at the tiny fire. “If he doesn’t come back, I’ll just keep waiting.” “He promised to spend every birthday with me. What kind of excuse is breaking that promise?” “…” But in reality, the clock on the wall already showed three in the morning. He wasn’t coming back. I was stuck in the mansion with a whole bunch of his men, just waiting. To those who knew, I was waiting for him to celebrate my birthday. To those who didn’t, it looked like I was waiting for him to start a war. Finally, just a second before the clock struck four AM, the roar of a car engine echoed from downstairs. “Anya! The boss is back!” Someone rushed upstairs, shouting the news to me. I stood up, walking to the banister and looking down. Yes, he was back. I frowned, asking the man who stood downstairs, watching me with an unreadable expression. “Julian, who’s the woman in your arms?”

Julian had a long knife scar, tracing from his eyebrow down to his cheekbone. It was still bleeding freely. Looking at it now, it only added a touch of savagery to his otherwise refined and handsome face. I reached for some gauze to dab at his wound, but he caught my wrist. “Anya, have I been too lenient with you all these years, hmm?” His fingers traced my pulse point, lingering. That’s just how he was; all his ruthlessness and threats hidden beneath tender gestures. I lowered my eyes. “Lenient? I don’t think so.” He chuckled softly, his thumb rubbing my radial bone, light and languid. “Really? Then why did you call so many people to my house…?” “Someone might think I’m running a mob.” As if he *wasn’t* a mob boss. He clawed his way up from a life of constant violence and bloodshed, his empire built on a mountain of bodies and broken lives. Oh, but now he’d gone legit, transformed into a celebrated young entrepreneur. The newspapers were full of praise, calling him a rising star. It made me sick to my stomach. “Who’s the girl you brought back?” I didn’t struggle hard, just enough for him to release my hand. And successfully changed the subject. But he simply arched an eyebrow, carefully avoiding my gaze. “None of your business.” He stood up, taking the gauze from my hand, then leaned down to press a kiss on the corner of my lips. “You have time to worry about what woman I bring home…” “But no time to worry about how I got this wound, huh?” He finished, biting my neck lightly, almost as punishment. “All that effort for nothing.”

The wind in Arcadia Bay was particularly strong these days. Or perhaps it was just this abandoned building I was in, letting drafts in from every corner. In the distance, I could faintly hear the sounds of punching and kicking, but someone beside me offered a cigarette. I pushed it away. “Julian doesn’t like me smoking.” … “Find out everything you can about the girl Julian brought back last night.” I turned to the man beside me. He’d been with me since I joined the organization. They called him Leo Hayes, for his rank, but I usually called him Leo. He’d been with me so long, he’d started saying things others wouldn’t dare. “Anya, sigh…” “You’re the smartest woman I know.” “So, you should understand that love, that kind of thing, shouldn’t be a part of our lives.” “…” He stood beside me, hands shoved in his pockets, watching the desolate, ruined lot with me. “Which one of us hasn’t got blood on our hands?” “The boss might be going legit now, but he’ll never marry someone with blood on their hands like us.” “We’ve all taken the fall for him, and he treats us well for it, sure. But a proper, legitimate place in his life? A title? That’s never going to happen…” Yes, Julian trusted me so deeply, pampered me so much all these years, precisely because I’d taken the fall for him. Over the years, the blood on my hands was substantial enough that sometimes, in the dead of night, when I looked at myself, I saw the vengeful spirits coming for me. Sometimes, I even forgot my true identity. An undercover agent, a nail driven deep into the dark, a long, deadly fuse. Thirteen years of my life, bought with the blood of my comrades. No one came to the abandoned building, and the sounds of fighting had long since stopped. I looked up, gazing at the bright white clouds against the clear sky. I didn’t care how many women Julian had; I was only afraid. Afraid that decades of careful preparation would be ruined by an unpredictable factor. “Come on, let’s go meet the little girl he brought back.” I turned to the man behind me.

Unlike the lingering cries in the abandoned building, Julian’s mansion was quiet and peaceful. As I entered, I saw a girl with braided hair, lying on the sofa reading a book. Seeing me, she startled, immediately becoming reserved. “You…” The girl’s eyes darted away when she saw me, then she lowered her lashes. “Are you… the boss’s wife?” I was surprised by her words and sat down beside her. “No.” “Oh…” The girl shrank back into the corner, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. “I thought only a woman as beautiful and outstanding as you could be worthy of Julian.” “…” There was a wide-eyed, almost childish innocence in her gaze. I grimaced inwardly. Another girl completely taken in by Julian’s facade. Just as I was about to reach out and pat her head, someone suddenly called out. “Anya, the boss said you’re not to touch Ms. Carter.” The guard appeared quickly, stepping in front of me. If not for the lingering respect, he would’ve practically dragged me away. “Please, don’t come to this mansion again. It belongs to Ms. Carter now.” The girl, startled, curled up even tighter, and I simply raised an eyebrow. Tsk, tsk, such a high level of protection. “Fine, I’m leaving.” Julian had brought back many women over the years, but she was the first to be protected like this.

“Anya, this is all the information we could find.” In the car, Leo leaned over to hand me a file. The information was sparse, but even this little bit was probably what Julian *wanted* me to find. Ms. Carter’s full name was Lily Carter. She was three years younger than Julian. And she grew up in… the same area as Julian. Before Julian brought her back, she worked at an orphanage. Her record was spotless, practically screaming “innocent hothouse flower.” “The boss seems… different with her.” Leo whispered in my ear. Indeed, this Lily Carter—could she really be Julian’s ‘white moonlight’—that pure, untainted love in his dark, twisted world? I bit my nail, thinking. As far as I knew, Julian had very few weaknesses left. He had no parents, clawed his way up from the bottom, even joined this organization later than I did. Young, yet ruthless. I’d watched him climb, then stuck with him, choosing the right man, and also the wrong one. Right, because I became his confidante; cutting me off would be like severing his own arm. Wrong, because… I hadn’t anticipated his explosive rise. By the time I realized it, it was too late. My thoughts were interrupted by Leo’s next words. He clapped my shoulder. “The boss said…” “He wants to eat your cooking.” “…” If Julian wanted to eat, I had to cook for him. I offered a slight smile and told the driver to turn around. To the grocery store, to buy ingredients.

The mansion where Lily Carter stayed was just one of Julian’s many insignificant properties. The place I was in now was the closest thing to Julian’s “home.” A simple apartment building, yet under the watchful eyes of countless bodyguards. I carried the groceries upstairs alone, then washed vegetables, boiled water, and cooked. Julian had eaten every delicacy imaginable, so why would he be so fond of my homemade food? But every time he watched me cook, his gaze would stick to me. It truly gave the illusion of a wife and husband, making my stomach churn. This time, I was preparing fish on the cutting board when he suddenly embraced me from behind. I hadn’t even realized he was there. “Don’t touch me, I smell fishy.” “Fishy where?” He chuckled, brushing my hair aside, playfully toying with my earring. I turned on the faucet, washing the fish blood from my hands. “Not cooking anymore? We can do it after, if you want.” His kisses rained down on my neck. I shifted uncomfortably, half-resisting, half-yielding. Until my gaze met his eyes—bright, fragmented. Even his smile was a practiced, dangerously charming thing. I lowered my eyes, finally pushing him away. “Are you mad?” He asked, slightly teasing, pinching my cheek. “Didn’t give you a birthday, and now you’ve turned into a little pufferfish?” “Who’s a pufferfish…?” That was a genuine retort, but he just tapped my nose. “You, my little pufferfish. All puffed up and prickly, stubborn, and… heartbreaking.” “…” The marble countertop was still clean. He lifted me and placed me on it. He leaned down and kissed me, everything around me spiraling into chaos. I couldn’t breathe, my fingers digging into his sleeve. Until he finally pulled back, smiling down at me. I suddenly realized I was still so young; I didn’t even understand what his smile meant. “Do you know why I was so injured when I brought Lily Carter back that day?” “Because she had something interesting.” He pulled a photo from somewhere, handing it to me. I smoothed it out, staring at the image. “Anya, don’t you think this is fascinating?” He spoke next to my ear, his soft chuckle clearly audible. “She said she’d seen you. She called you… Officer Miller.” The photo showed me in a police uniform, posing with children from an orphanage. He leaned down, kissing the tip of my nose. “Hm? Sweetheart, care to explain?” “…” I looked down, staring at the photo. The tofu soup on the stove was still bubbling softly. He watched me silently, as if not wanting to miss a single one of my expressions. After a long moment, I chuckled, lifting my hand to punch his arm gently. “What’s the meaning of this? Julian, have you forgotten…?” “I graduated from the police academy, I just got… kicked out later.” When they first set up my cover, they’d considered the possibility of my police academy past surfacing. So the department simply gave me the identity of someone permanently expelled from the academy for disciplinary issues. He looked down at me, his eyes dark. I was pressed tightly against the countertop. I wondered if this incredibly paranoid lunatic would pick up the knife from the cutting board and stab me. Until he let out a soft laugh. He rubbed my waist, not too gently, not too roughly. “Oh? Really?” “My apologies, I completely forgot.” “…” He released his grip on me, smiling easily. He even had the leisure to take the ladle from the pot and stir the soup. “Dinner won’t be long, will it?” “I’m so hungry, Anya.” Even as he said it, his gaze was fixed intently on me. I pressed my lips together, straightened my clothes, and nodded. As I smoothed my shirt, I understood why he’d rubbed my waist just now. My back was already drenched in sweat.

That meal, at least for me, was tasteless. In fact, every day I spent with Julian was tasteless. I longed to put those silver handcuffs on this man’s wrists. I thought about it every single day, to the point of madness. Until a light, lazy voice broke my thoughts. “Anya, a shipment will be docking at East Harbor tomorrow. I need you to handle it personally.” I looked up, meeting the man’s eyes across the dinner table. “The buyer is very cautious. Go alone; don’t bring anyone.” “…” I paused, subconsciously asking him. “What kind of shipment?” He stared at me, smiling mysteriously. I knew then that I shouldn’t ask. Julian was always like this, even keeping things from me. Otherwise, collecting evidence these past few years wouldn’t have been so slow. I nodded, picked up my bag, and headed for the door. “Okay, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head out. I…” But as I passed him, he caught my wrist. “Why are you so distracted today?” His fingers casually brushed my pulse point, showing no intention of letting me go. I managed a bitter smile. “I just finished dealing with a subordinate this afternoon. I’m probably… a little tired.” He didn’t speak, but he also didn’t release me. The room fell completely silent. I could only feel his thumb stroking my wrist, again and again. Until his voice softened. “Stay tonight, hmm?” In that instant, my first thought was to refuse. “No, I have things to do tomorrow… Mmph.” Then I was abruptly pulled into his arms, pressed against the dining table, his kisses raining down on my neck. The dim, yellow light flickered, and in my panic, I met his eyes. He was always like this when he was aroused. Controlled, yet his eyes were red. Frenzied, yet… restrained.

I barely slept all night. So, it was no surprise that I woke up late the next day. The bedsheets were tangled, and the man was no longer beside me. I got up, then tried to clear my chaotic thoughts, and took a shower. The deal Julian mentioned was scheduled for midnight tonight at East Harbor. So I still had time to get ready, but before that, I needed to think about two things. First, what exactly was Lily Carter to Julian, and what was her motive? If she truly was Julian’s ‘white moonlight,’ that would be great. Then Julian would have a weakness, and an enemy with a weakness would be far less threatening. If she wasn’t, then it would be a huge problem. She was coming for *me*, trying to take me down. Why, I didn’t know. Whether she could become an ally, I also didn’t know. Second, had my identity been exposed to Julian? This was my biggest fear. Julian was utterly unpredictable; no one knew his next move. Everyone in the game feared him because he’d invite you for tea while he was simultaneously plunging a knife into your back. As I pondered, my hand instinctively went to the phone card hidden in the inner pocket of my bag. This was given to me by the department—my last resort. That year, Chief Jenkins had clapped my shoulder and told me that if there ever came a day when I couldn’t continue my undercover work, I should call this number. The department would do everything to protect me, even if it meant pulling me out of a wolf’s den. But if I made that call, everything would be for nothing. Everything I’d sacrificed. Six years of endurance, the blood of my comrades, every step I’d taken against justice. I would become a criminal in the eyes of the law, because all those sacrifices would have been for naught. I dreamed of putting handcuffs on Julian’s wrists, I dreamed of it constantly. After flipping that phone card countless times, I finally closed my eyes. And put it back in the inner pocket.

Eleven thirty PM. My car sped down the empty highway. Even before arriving, I could almost smell the salty, damp air of the sea. I parked my car, facing the port. Several black sedans were already there. Their headlights glared directly at me. To be honest, it was impossible for me not to notice something off about this mission. But how could I defy Julian? Defy him, and I’d be exposed. I got out of the car, hands in my trench coat pockets, squinting at the man sitting on the hood of one of the cars. He was my contact for this deal. They called him Big Roman on the streets; true to his name, he was ruthless and insane. And I heard he had a lot of dirty business… “Looks like my ‘delivery’… arrived perfectly?” He swaggered down from the car, sizing me up. His gaze made me uncomfortable, but I still calmly handed him the box from the back seat. “The goods are here. Check them yourself.” He merely raised an eyebrow, looking at me. “Ms. Miller, could you please open the box for me?” His eyes were still glued to me, a leering smile on his face. I think that’s when I truly knew something was wrong. But with those car headlights aimed directly at me, where could I go? The box was opened, revealing heavy stones inside. His hoarse, perverse laugh pierced my eardrums. “Heh heh, Ms. Miller…” “Don’t you understand yet? The ‘goods’…” “Are you.”

“Julian! I want to see Julian!” “You can’t do this to me! Let me see Julian!” “Julian! Julian! Julian!” The iron shackles on my wrists rattled loudly, but the only reply was the drip, drip, drip of water from the corners of the room. I swallowed, realizing my throat was raw from screaming. I huddled in the corner, not because I was scared, but because… I was cold. Yes, I’d suspected Julian was onto me for a while. But I truly couldn’t understand why he would sell me out so decisively. Putting aside any feelings we might have had over the years, just for all the things I’d done for him, he should have trusted me more. He just sold me out? Because of a few words from Lily Carter? I instinctively started biting my nails, but the more I thought, the more tangled everything became. The only thing I could be certain of in this mess was that I couldn’t die. I couldn’t die, no matter what, because the mission wasn’t complete. So now, the only one who could save me was Julian. That’s why I kept shouting his name. I couldn’t decipher his feelings for me all these years, but one thing was clear: no one would willingly spend five birthdays with a stranger. Especially not a monster like Julian, who had lost all humanity. So, even if it was a gamble, I had to try. As I relentlessly screamed his name again, someone finally opened the iron door. “Seriously, aren’t you tired of screaming?” “Julian’s not coming to save you! Damn it, if the boss wasn’t planning to sell your organs.” “I’d really like to have some fun with you.” “…” I gasped, staring intently at the man. “Let me see Julian…” “Damn it, I told you there’s no…” Just as the man’s foot was about to kick me, someone suddenly stopped him. It was… Big Roman. “Let me see Julian! I have something to tell him!” There was no response, so I raised my voice. “I said I want to see Julian! Julian!” My handcuffs rattled with a loud clang, until at one point, a low, calm voice came from above me. I stopped. “What’s all the noise about?” “Anya, who are you trying to charm?” “…” I truly hadn’t expected Julian to be here. So, the moment I heard his voice, I froze for no reason. Not even the tips of his shoes were dusty. I, covered in dirt, had to crane my neck to look at his pristine figure. “Julian, why do you suspect me?” “I’ve been with you all these years. Why would you suspect me without even asking?” “Did you ever consider that Lily Carter, she… she framed me…” I tried to make my expression as sincere as possible, until he knelt down in front of me. His fingers gently caressed my cheek. Anyone watching would think he was comforting his lover. “Even now, I still find myself going soft for you, Anya.” “Anya, blame it on… you provoking me.” The hand caressing my jaw slowly moved to my neck, and he gradually tightened his grip. I slowly found it harder to breathe, staring into his eyes, just staring. They were like a dark, bottomless abyss, revealing no depths, no ravenous beast lurking within. Until he suddenly released me. I fell to the floor, coughing violently. Through my blurry vision, I heard his voice, directed at Big Roman. “She’s all yours to play with.” “…” I coughed, my eyes fixed on his pristine pant leg. Before he left, those were the last words I spoke to him. “Lily Carter definitely lied to you.” “Why won’t you… believe me?” He left. After the resounding clang of the lock, the basement returned to silence. It felt like everything was over, and before me lay a path leading to hell. But was it truly over?

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “298585”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic

“Ms. Anya, you’ve successfully purchased the private island. It’s completely secluded; once you’re there, no one will ever find you. Also, your bespoke family experience has been arranged. They are all professionally trained and will offer you absolute, unconditional love.” The respectful voice of the attendant came through my phone. I hummed in response. “I’ll move in after I’ve taken care of everything here, in about 30 days.” I hung up and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was ethereal in a pure white wedding gown, countless sparkling rhinestones adorning it, hinting at its exorbitant value. “Ms. Anya, are you done trying on the dress? Mr. Thorne has been waiting outside to see you.” The soft voice of the shop assistant pulled me back to reality. I paused, then answered, “I’m ready.” With my reply, the assistant stepped forward and pulled back the curtain. I turned at just the right moment, meeting Damien Thorne’s gaze. He was waiting outside, and I clearly saw a flicker of awe in his eyes. “Anya, you’re so beautiful.” He froze for a second, then walked over and hugged me, his voice thick with emotion and a slight catch. “Seven years, and I’m finally going to marry you and bring you home.” How deeply must someone love you to get so choked up when they’re about to marry you? As I was lost in thought, the assistant next to me enthusiastically chimed in, “Ms. Reed, Mr. Thorne personally helped design this gown! He even hand-picked every single rhinestone. Each one would fetch a fortune at auction, and this dress has ninety-nine of them!” “Usually, men get impatient waiting while their fiancées try on dresses, but Mr. Thorne has overseen everything himself and never complained once. He truly adores you, Ms. Reed.” Listening to the assistant detail Damien’s efforts, I couldn’t help but look at him. His eyes, whenever they met mine, were always brimming with love and tenderness, utterly unlike the aloof, unattainable persona of the elusive scion of the city’s most powerful dynasty, as portrayed in the media. So, not only the entire world, but even I had been fooled into believing he genuinely loved me. After the dress fitting, we left the bridal boutique together. He thoughtfully opened the car door for me, placing his hand protectively over the top of the frame to prevent me from bumping my head. Only after making sure I was safely inside and the door was closed did he get into the car from the other side. As the car slowly pulled away, Marcus, Damien’s assistant, began to report something to him. “Mr. Thorne, the opportunistic woman who tried to get close to you has been dealt with. She won’t be appearing in the city ever again.” Damien sharply reprimanded him, “Keep these matters private. Don’t upset Anya.” Then, he quickly and gently took my hand. “Anya, please don’t be angry. That woman didn’t even touch me. Her perfume scent lingered, so I washed ten times before coming home. I’m not dirty at all. You know my heart has only ever been for you all these years.” I knew he wasn’t lying. Given his wealth and status, countless women had tried to get close to him over the years, but he had handled every single one perfectly, never crossing a line. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to be happy. I merely forced a small smile. “I know.” Damien didn’t notice my subtle shift. He gently squeezed my hand, then pulled out his phone to deal with some work. Suddenly, he saw something that made his expression change slightly. “Stop the car!” The screech of tires ripping against asphalt followed the abrupt brake. Before I could even ask what was happening, Damien pushed open the car door and got out. “Anya, something urgent has come up. Marcus will take you home first, alright?” It was a question, but it was clear he wasn’t giving me a second option. He left me, rushing off in a hurry. I watched his retreating back silently, then pulled out my phone and tapped into Seraphina Reed’s SnapChat. A minute ago, she had updated her status. It was a picture of a swollen, red ankle, captioned with five simple words: “Sprained my ankle, it hurts so bad.” Seeing that post, and remembering Damien’s barely concealed panic just now, my eyes welled up. I couldn’t understand why everyone in my life seemed to favor my sister, Seraphina. I’d had two fiancés. The first was Sterling Vance, heir to the Vance Corporation. Our families had arranged our engagement when we were children. I fell for him at first sight, trailing after him since we were kids, but Sterling only had eyes for Seraphina. He despised me, his fiancée. That went on for seven long years. Finally, broken by his coldness, I gave up all hope and turned to Damien Thorne, who had always silently stood by me. All those years, I chased Sterling, ending up utterly shattered. Every time, it was Damien who wiped my tears. He appeared as my devoted savior, silently caring for me, asking for nothing in return, always there if I turned around. So, I cleaned out my heart, letting Damien in. I thought this time, I’d finally chosen the right person. But on the eve of our wedding, I accidentally overheard Damien talking to one of his friends. “You don’t even like Anya Reed, are you really going to marry her?” Damien’s voice, husky and laced with alcohol, replied, “Yeah. Only then can Seraphina be happy.” His friend sighed. “Seriously, you’re one of a kind. A fool for love. Not only have you secretly liked Seraphina for years, but after finding out she liked Sterling Vance, you went and pursued Sterling’s fiancée, Anya Reed, just so Seraphina could have her happily ever after as Mrs. Vance.” “And now you’ve succeeded. Anya Reed is finally out of the way for your beloved. But do you even realize the consequence of what you’re doing? You’re throwing away your own life.” Damien’s voice was low, yet filled with immeasurable devotion. “As long as Seraphina is happy, I’d do anything.” I stood outside the door, listening to those words. It hit me like a thunderbolt! It was only then that I understood: Damien Thorne’s seven years of pursuit and tenderness towards me had all been a lie. His true beloved was also Seraphina Reed. How noble he was, willing to sacrifice his entire life for Seraphina’s happiness! He’d hidden it so well that I never once suspected his years of devotion were an act, never imagined he pursued me only to make way for Seraphina. That night, I cried my heart out, drenched in the rain. Growing up, my parents always favored my sister, Seraphina, never showing me any real affection. Later, my fiancé also loved Seraphina, never reciprocating my feelings. Now, even Damien Thorne, the only one who seemed to genuinely love me, was also in love with Seraphina. Everyone loved Seraphina Reed. No one loved Anya Reed. That day, I made a decision. If there was no one in this city who loved me, then I would go to a secluded private island, pay to customize a family—parents and a boyfriend—just for me. I would leave this place completely and live my life in peace. Even if the parents and boyfriend I bought were fake, their lifelong companionship would be enough. From now on, Mom and Dad, Sterling Vance, Damien Thorne — they would all have nothing to do with me! The car soon stopped in front of the villa Damien had prepared for our wedding. After getting out, I started packing. I threw out everything that belonged to me in that house, destroying every trace of my presence there. Then, I began preparing to sever all legal ties. Only by making myself untraceable could these people never find me again! I gathered all the necessary documents, only to realize the most important one, my vital identification documents, wasn’t with me. Left with no choice, I had to return to the Reed family home. An hour later, I stood at the entrance of the Reed residence. It was my home, yet I didn’t have a key. Even knocking required a great deal of courage. Because I knew my biological parents didn’t welcome me. The housekeeper who answered the door was slow to arrive. As soon as I stepped inside, I saw Mr. and Mrs. Reed pacing the living room, visibly agitated. Hearing the door open, they rushed over. The moment they saw it was me, their faces twisted in disgust. “What are you doing here?” “Since you haven’t been back in years, why are you suddenly barging in now? Why can’t you be more like Seraphina? You’re from the same mother, yet the difference is like night and day!” The familiar scolding washed over me. I’d heard that voice for over twenty years, and now I truly couldn’t bear to hear it anymore. My expression remained indifferent; I acted as if I hadn’t heard a thing. I walked straight upstairs, found my vital identification documents, put them into my bag, and came back down. Seeing my calm, almost detached expression, Mr. and Mrs. Reed grew even more furious, their words growing increasingly venomous. “What, you’re ignoring everything your mother and I say now? Do you have any respect for us? You’re utterly disrespectful, how could we have given birth to such a disgrace?!” Just as they were in the middle of their tirade, the front door suddenly opened again. Damien Thorne walked in, carrying Seraphina Reed. His eyes immediately met mine, standing in the center of the living room. I glanced at their intimate pose, then calmly shifted my gaze away. My eyes were so placid, yet a sudden panic surged in his heart. He hastily put Seraphina down and walked towards me. “Anya, please don’t misunderstand. Seraphina sprained her ankle, and I just happened to be in the neighborhood, that’s why I carried her back…” He didn’t finish, and I didn’t bother to expose his transparent lie. “Sterling is away on a business trip right now, otherwise I wouldn’t have troubled Damien. Sister, please don’t mind.” Seraphina, barely set down and already being doted on by Mr. and Mrs. Reed, was not to be outdone. Her words were meant as an explanation, yet they reeked of subtle boasting. “It’s my fault, I suppose. Being spoiled by Mom and Dad since childhood, even a slight sprain hurts terribly. Luckily, Damien arrived in time. He blew past several red lights to take me to the hospital and then carried me back. It was such a hassle for him.” As Seraphina spoke, her eyes twinkled, fixed on me, trying to provoke a breakdown or an argument. But I remained impassive, taking none of it to heart. Not getting the reaction she wanted, Seraphina’s eyes sparkled with a new idea. “If it wasn’t for Damien, my ankle would be even more swollen. Since we’re all home now, why don’t we just stay and have dinner together? As a thank you!” Her tone was lively and effervescent, a stark contrast to my silent presence. No one bothered to ask my opinion; they simply made the decision for me, opting to stay for dinner together. But when all the dishes were prepared and laid out, and I stood by the dining table, I saw that everything served was Seraphina’s favorite — spicy food. I wasn’t surprised; I simply sat down quietly. In the past, I had once mildly mentioned to Mr. and Mrs. Reed that I had a sensitive stomach and couldn’t handle spicy food, but their reply had been a dismissive, “Don’t be so fussy.” Later, when I was with Damien, he always paid attention to my preferences and even learned many soothing dishes for my stomach. But this time, although he sat beside me, his eyes were solely on Seraphina. At the slightest sign, he would quickly offer her a napkin or serve her food. I suddenly recalled that in the past, even when Damien came to the Reed house specifically for me, his gaze would often subtly drift towards Seraphina. On Seraphina’s birthday, he would subtly probe or feign casual interest in her preferences. When Seraphina had a fever or was sick, he would always claim he had urgent company business and had to leave. I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Damien’s attention to Seraphina had always been so obvious, how could I have only realized it now? But no matter how much he liked Seraphina, he should never have used me as a tool. His blatant deception, using years of my life, hurt me even more than Sterling’s rejection. Dinner ended, and I hadn’t eaten much. On the way back, we were silent. I was thinking about severing all legal ties, and he, about reliving his moments with Seraphina. Finally, I broke the silence. “I’m not going home. I’m going somewhere else.” My voice finally pulled Damien back from his thoughts. Hearing my words, he quickly refocused and gently asked, “Anya, where are you going? I’ll come with you.” “No need.” I shook my head, declining his offer. But he held my hand, stubbornly insisting, “No, I can’t let you go alone. I’d be worried.” I couldn’t refuse, so I ultimately let him have his way. I didn’t explicitly state the destination, merely opened my navigation app and showed him. There wasn’t much traffic on the road, so we quickly neared our destination. Just as we were about to turn in, Damien’s phone suddenly rang. As soon as he answered, Mrs. Reed’s voice came through. “Damien, Seraphina’s wound is inflamed, and she has a bit of a fever. Can you take her to the hospital again?” “I’ll be right there!” He was about to anxiously turn the car around when he suddenly seemed to remember something, and looked at me, conflicted. “Anya, I…” He opened his mouth, hesitating, and just as he was about to say something, I spoke first. “Go ahead. It’s just a short walk from here, I can manage.” With that, I opened the car door and got out. Seeing that I had already gotten out, his concern for Seraphina ultimately took precedence. He restarted the car and sped away. Watching his car disappear into the traffic, I remained silent for a long time, quietly swallowing the bitterness in my heart. Damien, if your car had just driven a little further. You would have found that I was going to the Registry Office to sever my legal ties. You would have seen the signs of my departure. But you didn’t. Because you didn’t care. The process of severing my legal ties was quick. After completing it, I took a cab back to the villa. Not long after, Damien came in, carrying a box of red bean pastries, his face full of apology as he looked at me. “Anya, you’ll be marrying me soon. Then Seraphina and I will be family, which is why I’ve been looking out for her more. Please don’t misunderstand, I’ve pursued you for so many years, you should know that my heart is only for you.” I couldn’t understand how his acting could be so flawless. This particular red bean pastry shop was in the south of the city, requiring a trip across half the city. Its unique flavor meant there was always a continuous stream of customers, and you often had to wait in line for over three hours to get a single box. To ensure Seraphina got what she wanted, he went to such lengths, perfectly embodying the “devotion” others spoke of. Only, that devotion wasn’t for me, but for Seraphina. I was tired. I simply didn’t have the energy to keep playing along. I shook my head, refusing his gesture for the first time. “I’m not feeling well. I’m going to rest.” With that, I turned and walked back to my room without looking at his expression. Damien paused, clearly noticing I wasn’t in a good mood. But he didn’t think much of it, assuming I was still angry about him leaving to find Seraphina. To appease me, he canceled all his work for the next few days and took me out on dates. We had candlelit dinners, he accompanied me shopping for luxury items, and finally, he bought movie tickets for us to watch a film together. As soon as we settled into our chosen seats, a group of girls walked into the theater. And the person surrounded by them was unmistakably Seraphina Reed! Although his expression remained unchanged, I clearly felt his mind wander. His gaze repeatedly drifted towards Seraphina, not far away. The movie was already halfway through, but seeing his distracted look, I guessed he hadn’t absorbed a single thing. It wasn’t until I called his name that Damien finally snapped back to attention. “What is it, Anya?” “I’m not feeling well. Let’s go home.” My voice was light, as if I genuinely felt unwell and was just suggesting an early departure. He glanced at Seraphina, a hint of reluctance in his eyes, but still chose to stand up and leave with me. But just as we stepped out of the cinema, a sudden commotion erupted behind us. A surging crowd, accompanied by chaotic shouts, rushed towards us. “Fire! The cinema is on fire!” Upon hearing what they were shouting, Damien’s face turned ashen. Just as he was about to rush against the human tide, he saw the girls who had entered the cinema with Seraphina also running out. He quickly stopped them, asking each one, his voice laced with uncontrollable panic and desperation, “Where’s Seraphina?!” At his urgent question, the girls exchanged glances. After a moment of frantic recollection, their faces paled, and they stammered out, “Seraphina… she… she might still be inside…” At their words, a furious rage instantly surged within him, burning away all his reason. He roared, “Didn’t I tell you to look after her?!” Before he even finished speaking, he didn’t bother to talk to them further. He lunged, determined to rush into the burning cinema. He hadn’t run far before the driver stopped him. “Mr. Thorne, the fire is too big, you can’t go in. Rescue personnel will be here soon…” But the driver’s words of caution were cut off by Damien’s furious yell, “Get out of my way!” With that, ignoring everyone’s attempts to stop him, he ran against the tide of people, straight towards the cinema! The moment rescue personnel arrived, Damien finally emerged, covered in blood, carrying an unconscious Seraphina Reed. He carefully, tenderly, placed her on a stretcher. Only after confirming Seraphina was safe did he collapse. His collapse fully exposed the severe injuries on his back. The gruesome wounds, bloody and raw, made even me, who thought I could no longer feel pain for him, well up with tears. Not out of pity, but from a sudden rush of memories. Back then, Damien pursued me for a long time. I wasn’t truly heartless, ignoring his efforts. It was just that I couldn’t let go of Sterling Vance, and thus couldn’t accept Damien’s advances. Until one time, I suddenly fainted and was rushed to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with kidney failure. I called my parents, crying, begging them to get tested for a match. Mr. and Mrs. Reed flatly refused, saying they were going on a trip with Seraphina. They even added that kidney failure wouldn’t kill me, and if it did, they’d wait until I was dead before they were notified. My own biological parents mercilessly hung up on me. Desperate, it was Damien who quietly got tested, then just as quietly went into surgery. After the operation, I learned he had donated his kidney. I cried by his bedside for a long time. The first thing he saw when he woke up was my tear-streaked face. He immediately pulled me into his arms, saying over and over, “Shh, don’t cry, I did it willingly.” But hearing those words, I cried even harder. In that moment, I thought perhaps I should give up that pointless waiting and look at the person who was truly there for me. But just as I succumbed to his tenderness and fell completely in love with him, I discovered it was all a deception. Now, looking back, he had always been someone who would fight for love, but the person he was always willing to fight for was Seraphina Reed. Damien was severely injured this time and spent a long time in the hospital. I, who once would have cried endlessly over his slightest injury, this time refused to even mention visiting him in the hospital. Even when his assistant came to tell me Damien wanted to see me, I pretended not to hear, busying myself with my own affairs. Until one night, I was half-asleep when I suddenly felt a weight on me. Startled, I opened my eyes to find Damien holding me tightly. He was wearing a striped hospital gown, clearly having escaped from the hospital. A bandage was wrapped around his forehead, indicating his injuries weren’t fully healed, yet he held me close, silent and unwilling to let go. I struggled a few times, pushing him away before I spoke. “Why are you back here?” “I missed you.” His voice was muffled as he buried his head in the crook of my neck, pouring out his longing. He paused, then spoke again, a hint of complaint in his tone. “Didn’t you get the message I sent through Marcus? Are you not coming to see me all these days because I went to save Seraphina?” “I’m sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have left you to go find someone else. But she is your sister, after all, and the situation was quite urgent at the time, that’s why I went for her. But I promise you, you’re the only one I’ve ever loved, from start to finish. Any extra concern for Seraphina was purely because she’s like a sister, absolutely no other intentions!” “Anya, please don’t be angry with me, okay?” Damien spoke with such sincerity that if I hadn’t known who he truly loved, I probably would have believed him. His frantic return wasn’t out of concern for my feelings at all. He was afraid I would see through his feelings for Seraphina, afraid our wedding would hit another snag, afraid Seraphina wouldn’t get her wish. Honestly, he didn’t need to keep up this act. He could relax. Soon, Soon, none of these people would have anything to do with me. I would completely vanish from their lives and live happily ever after with my customized family. Even if they were fake, the real ones had never given me an ounce of love anyway, so what did “real” or “fake” even matter? “I’m not angry.” I looked at Damien, explaining earnestly. I paused, as if afraid he wouldn’t believe me, then added, “I just caught a cold recently, and I didn’t want to infect you, so I didn’t visit.” “You caught a cold? Did you catch a chill? Is it serious?” Hearing that, he showed no intention of avoiding me. Instead, he pulled out his phone and quickly did something. “It seems a bit colder lately. Do you not have enough clothes? I’ll have someone send over some new seasonal clothes for you.” His movements were too fast for me to stop him. But then I reconsidered; fine, let him buy whatever he wants. I wouldn’t use them anyway. Worst case, when I leave, I’ll just leave them all for his beloved. Thinking this, I didn’t dwell on the matter. “I’m fine. You just take care of yourself. Your injuries aren’t fully healed; you should go back to the hospital.” My words sounded like concern, but my expression remained neutral, making it sound more like I was trying to get rid of him. Damien felt a strange unease, but he didn’t know why, thinking it was just his imagination. He obediently rose to leave. But as he turned around, he saw me still lying in bed, with no intention of accompanying him. Immediately, he refused to move. When I looked at him, he spoke, a hint of complaint in his voice: “If you’re not coming with me, then I’m not going.” After a stalemate, I sighed and resignedly got up, changed, and went downstairs with him. At the hospital, Damien remembered I said I had a cold, so he quickly found a doctor. He only relaxed after being told it was nothing serious and I just needed rest. Because his injuries weren’t healed, he stayed in the hospital for a few more days. During this time, Damien clung to me constantly. Wherever I went, he followed, even waiting nearby when I went to the restroom. Every time the hospital nurses saw one of us, they would subconsciously glance around and always find the other nearby. And every time, I would hear people around us sighing. “Mr. Thorne and Ms. Reed have such a strong relationship. I wish I could find a boyfriend who treats me so well.” “Who wouldn’t? But for that, you’d better go to sleep. You can have anything in your dreams.” … I absorbed the murmurs and discussions around me, but felt nothing. Envious? In love? Only I knew it was all an illusion. His clinginess now wasn’t because he truly loved me. It was just that my behavior had been unusual lately, and he was afraid of another hitch before the wedding. After all, in his mind, if this wedding didn’t go smoothly, I might go back to pestering Sterling Vance. And then, how could his beloved Seraphina find happiness? A few more days passed, and Damien finally recovered and was discharged from the hospital. As soon as we got into the car, his phone rang. It was a call from one of his friends. “Damien, there’s a meteor shower tonight. Bring Anya and let’s all hang out?” Meteor showers were rare, and since he was invited along with me, Damien didn’t hesitate and immediately agreed. I didn’t want to go, but afraid he’d sense my detachment, I went along. When we arrived, I found that not only Damien’s friends were there, but also Seraphina Reed. The moment I saw Seraphina, I keenly sensed the wild joy in Damien beside me, but he quickly composed his expression, making his concern for Seraphina imperceptible. Night slowly fell, revealing tiny specks of stars. Suddenly, a meteor streaked across the sky, followed by more and more. People who came to watch, whether in groups like us or couples on a date, gasped in wonder at the sight of the large meteor shower. After a brief burst of exclamations, everyone quickly closed their eyes and made a wish. At that moment, a vendor pushed a small cart through the crowd. “Want a wishing bottle? Write your wish on a slip of paper under the meteor shower, and I’ll hang it on the tree for you. It’ll make your wish come true even faster!” Although we knew such claims were baseless, seeing Seraphina’s eagerness, everyone bought one. When it was Damien’s turn, he bought all the wishing bottles. His friends couldn’t help but tease him. “Damien, you bought so many wishing bottles, can you even write all your wishes? Share a few with me?” “Seriously, Damien, you already have everything. Why do you need so many wishes? That’s just greedy!” Damien curved his lips into a smile, then turned to look at me, his eyes brimming with tender affection. “I don’t need anything, but I hope Anya can have everything she desires.” At his words, another wave of murmurs and teasing rose. “Damien, you really are the ultimate simp among us, a total slave to his wife!” Someone else might have blushed or been shy in the face of such teasing, but I, the subject of conversation, simply looked at the cart full of wishing bottles and said nothing. Seeing me diligently writing my wish, Damien leaned in curiously. But as soon as he glimpsed a single word, I quickly hid the slip of paper. “It won’t come true if you see it.” Hearing that, he didn’t insist further, instead reaching out to gently ruffle my hair. “Anya, your wish will definitely come true.” I smiled, saying nothing, but wholeheartedly agreed with him in my heart. Yes, my wish would definitely come true. As I slipped the paper into the wishing bottle, I opened it one last time to confirm. There was only one line of text on it. *May Anya Reed and Damien Thorne never meet again in life or death!* By the time Damien finished writing all the wishes for the huge pile of wishing bottles he’d bought, the meteor shower was almost over. Just as we were about to leave, a gasp rang out. I turned to see Seraphina Reed slumped on the ground, her eyes red with distress. “I think I sprained my ankle again. It hurts so bad…” At her words, everyone immediately swarmed around her. Damien could no longer maintain his composure, pushing through the crowd and rushing to her. He hoisted her onto his back and headed down the mountain. I didn’t say a word to stop them. Instead, as they all surrounded Seraphina, I turned and walked up the mountain alone. I found the vendor who had helped us hang the wishing bottles and transferred another sum of money to him. “Sir, can you help me take down all those wishing bottles I just hung up?” Not long after, I returned to the mountaintop with the retrieved wishing bottles. I found a random spot to sit down and began to open Damien’s wishing bottles, one by one. “May Seraphina be happy and joyful year after year, and all her wishes come true.” “May Seraphina be joyful and triumphant, and all things be possible.” “May my beloved Seraphina live a life of blessings, free from illness, and meet only good people.” “May my beloved girl, Seraphina Reed, live a life of joy and peace.” … Ninety-nine wishing bottles, ninety-nine wish slips. Every single slip bore Seraphina’s name. Not a single one mentioned me. My eyes welled up. Finally, I left the scattered wishing bottles on the ground and turned to walk down the mountain. As soon as I reached the bottom, I saw Damien pacing restlessly. Seeing me, he rushed forward and pulled me into a tight embrace, his voice filled with lingering fear. “Anya, where did you go? I came down the mountain and couldn’t find you anywhere! Thank goodness you’re alright. From now on, you’re not allowed to leave my sight for a single step!” Seeing his anxious demeanor, his friends gathered around, teasing and trying to smooth things over. “We told him there’s only one way down the mountain, Anya would be fine, but Damien just wouldn’t believe it. He really does lose his head when he’s worried!” “You wouldn’t believe it, Anya, Damien was so frantic when he realized you hadn’t come down, he was almost in tears, a grown man!” Their words seemed intended to prove how much Damien cared about me, yet my gaze drifted past them, straight to Seraphina Reed at the very back. Her foot was clearly bandaged, and her emotions had stabilized considerably. Listening to their words, her eyes held an inexplicable air of smugness. That knowing smile on her lips, as if she, too, saw through Damien’s true feelings, was a subtle taunt – *See? Everyone says he loves you, but in truth, I’m the one he cares about most.* A sharp surge of humiliation welled up inside me, which I then forcefully suppressed. It’s okay. All of this will be over soon. Not long after that day, Seraphina’s birthday arrived. Mr. and Mrs. Reed spared no expense, booking an entire cruise ship for her birthday banquet and even inviting Damien and me. They had completely forgotten that my birthday was on the very same day. I was used to it, but on the day we received the invitation, Damien hesitated to accept. “That’s your birthday too. Maybe we shouldn’t go?” I could tell he really wanted to attend, but in front of me, he had to patiently keep up the act. I took in his hesitation and granted his unspoken wish. “It wouldn’t be good not to go. Let’s go.” He struggled to suppress his joy, pulling me into a hug, his words full of apology. “I couldn’t spend your birthday alone with you this year, but I’ll make it up to you next year.” I let out a soft laugh at his promise. Next year? There wouldn’t *be* a next year. In just a few days, I would completely vanish from their world. At the birthday banquet, Seraphina, dressed in the latest haute couture gown, was surrounded by everyone, showered with compliments, truly the center of attention. Sterling Vance, who had been away on business, finally returned to the country. He stood beside Seraphina in a sharp suit, a picture-perfect couple. When it came time for gifts, everyone presented their carefully prepared presents. Mr. and Mrs. Reed and Sterling, being closest to Seraphina, naturally drew the most attention with their gifts. And they didn’t disappoint, presenting everything from expensive jewelry to nationally limited-edition supercars. When it was Damien’s turn, he produced a certificate. As everyone looked puzzled, he opened the certificate, revealing a splendid, rose-hued nebula within. “Seraphina, you already have everything. After much thought, I believe this is what suits you best. From today on, the naming rights to this nebula are yours.” This gesture immediately sparked gasps throughout the room, and discussions erupted. “To buy the naming rights for a nebula, Mr. Thorne must have gone to great lengths!” “I’d say Mr. Thorne is absolutely smitten with Ms. Reed, so his love for her extends to everything connected to her, even a grand birthday gift for her sister.” … The murmurs of admiration were endless, but only I knew that his meticulously prepared gift wasn’t born out of extending his love to Seraphina’s family. It was for his true beloved. Unwilling to stay in the main hall, I went out onto the deck for some air. The sea breeze ruffled my hair, and my long-suppressed heart finally felt a degree of ease. Seraphina chose that moment to approach. She stood behind me, her eyes filled with disdain and mockery, but her words were dripping with boastfulness. “Sister, what should I do? It seems not only Sterling, but Damien, too, loves me.” I couldn’t understand. From childhood, she had already taken everything I possessed: my parents’ favoritism, my friends, my crush, and now, my fiancé… Why wouldn’t she leave me alone? Why did she continue to flaunt herself so openly in front of me? I thought that, and I asked her that. Hearing my question, Seraphina didn’t even bother to hide her disdain. She curved her lips into a smile. “No reason, really. I just love seeing you suffer. And I’m so happy, because I’ll get to see it again very soon.” I frowned, just about to ask what she meant, when the next second, Seraphina suddenly grabbed my hand, pulling me with her into the sea. Seawater engulfed my mouth and nose. I instinctively tried to call for help, but the gushing water choked me, a sharp pain searing my throat. The icy touch invaded my senses bit by bit, and the terror of death instantly consumed my mind. As I was churned and tossed by the waves, I saw that people were finally noticing the commotion. Soon, several more splashes sounded. Mr. Reed, Sterling Vance, and Damien Thorne—all three jumped in. But without hesitation, they all swam straight for Seraphina! From the distant cruise ship, I could faintly hear Mrs. Reed’s frantic screams: “Save Seraphina! Make sure you save Seraphina!” In that moment, a crushing despair of being abandoned by everyone washed over me. I closed my eyes, resigned to death’s embrace. But just then, the sound of swimming grew closer, as if someone was approaching me. I vaguely opened my eyes, only to freeze when I saw the face. It was Sterling Vance. I didn’t have time to wonder why Sterling was saving me before my consciousness was completely swallowed by darkness. When I woke up, I was already in the hospital. I blinked my dry eyes, my gaze shifting from the pure white ceiling to the man sitting by my bedside. After confirming several times, I still couldn’t believe it. The only person by my side was Sterling Vance. I hid my surprise and spoke calmly. “Aren’t you going to see Seraphina?” “I just came from there. She has a crowd of people around her, Damien Thorne is there too.” Sterling had expected me to react strongly to the mention of Damien, but to his surprise, I remained expressionless. My next words were merely to dismiss him. “Then you should go too. I prefer peace and quiet.” When my words fell, the man beside me remained motionless. I glanced at him, slightly puzzled. “Is there something else?” “Don’t marry Damien Thorne.” Sterling was silent for a long time, seemingly choosing his words, but eventually, he spoke. Once he started, the rest poured out. “He doesn’t love you at all. He only got close to you to make room for Seraphina!” With the secret on his chest finally revealed, he seemed to feel a sense of relief. But when he looked at me again, he saw my expression hadn’t changed, still perfectly calm and unruffled. As if I had known all along. In an instant, his eyes widened in shock. “You already knew?” “If you have nothing else to say, then leave.” I didn’t answer his question, still urging him to go. But he didn’t leave; instead, his reaction became even more agitated. “You knew and you were still going to marry him? Are you out of your mind?” At his words, I laughed. “What does it matter to you? Haven’t I already broken off our engagement and given you back to Seraphina, who you’ve always held in your heart?” At that, Sterling was speechless. He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He should have been happy, but lately, whenever he looked at Seraphina, he couldn’t help but think of me, who used to trail after him. Even in his dreams, it was me. In the midst of the silence, Damien Thorne suddenly pushed open the hospital room door. The moment he saw Sterling, his face darkened instantly. “Sterling Vance, what are you doing here?” With him present, the conversation naturally couldn’t continue. Sterling gave me a deep look, and ultimately said nothing, turning to leave. He hadn’t gone far when Damien anxiously embraced me. “Anya, I’m sorry. It’s not that I didn’t save you; I just mistook someone else for you at the time.” “Please don’t be angry with me. From now on, I won’t care about Seraphina anymore, and you won’t have anything to do with Sterling, okay?” “You finally stopped loving him and agreed to be with me. If you get involved with him again, I’ll truly go mad.” Listening to Damien’s fragmented apologies, my face remained calm, I said nothing. As I closed my eyes, only one thought remained in my mind: *Let all of this just end quickly.* In the following days, perhaps to demonstrate his resolve, Damien didn’t visit Seraphina again, nor did he pay any attention to news about her. He simply stayed by my side, constantly bringing me all sorts of gifts to try and win my favor. And this continued until the night before the wedding. That evening, I inexplicably began packing my belongings. Damien saw me but didn’t think much of it, even offering to help me pack. But as he packed, he realized that everything I was putting into the boxes were things he had given me during his pursuit. Hundreds of photos he had taken of me; Letter after letter he had written for me; Gift after gift he had sent me; Finally, he found a memo pad. He opened it, only to discover it was filled with my preferences. 1. Anya has a sensitive stomach, can’t eat spicy food. Learn 365 soothing dishes for her. 2. Anya is afraid of thunder and always forgets her umbrella. Always be there for her before it rains. 3. Anya loves cherries. Plant an entire backyard full of cherry trees for her. 4. Anya is lonely. No matter when, if she turns around, you must be there. … Damien read out the full memo pad, item by item. By the end, he let out a soft laugh. “Anya, it was so hard to win you over. I’m glad I persevered.” Looking at his earnest expression, I couldn’t help but feel a little dazed. He really had done so much to pursue me. If I hadn’t personally heard those words from him, perhaps it would be hard for me to believe that this devoted Damien was thinking of someone else entirely when he was with me. Damien didn’t notice my subtle shift. He reached out and hugged me. “Anya, I’m finally going to marry you and bring you home. Tell me, after today, will you finally be mine…” I shook my head. No. From the moment you deceived me, it was clear there would be no future for us. Just then, the butler walked in. “The bride and groom shouldn’t see each other before the wedding. Young master, you should head to the hotel now.” Hearing the butler’s words, he remained motionless, still holding me tightly. “I want to stay with Anya.” The butler looked at him, distressed. “Young master…” As he was about to continue persuading him, Damien’s phone suddenly rang. Seeing the caller ID, he paused, then finally released me and walked to the side to answer the call. I didn’t know what was said on the other end, but when he returned, his attitude had changed. He just held me, reluctantly. “Anya, see you tomorrow.” I knew he wasn’t leaving because of the butler’s words, but because of that phone call. It was Seraphina Reed calling him. But I didn’t try to stop him. I just watched his back disappear out the villa door. Then, I moved all the packed boxes to the front yard of the villa. I had already instructed the housekeepers to prepare a fire pit. Although they didn’t know why, they didn’t ask, simply placing the fire pit in the garden. Now, I threw the contents of the boxes into the fire pit one by one: photos, memo pads, diaries. As the last photo was tossed into the flames, I watched the ashes, a faint smile on my lips. Damien, all our memories are burned away. And we, too, have no future left. In the vast darkness of the night, no one noticed the bride of tomorrow walking out the door with a suitcase, resolute, without looking back… I got into the car without looking back. The moment the vehicle started, I snapped my phone’s SIM card in half and threw it out. No one loves Anya Reed? Then I will love myself! Goodbye forever, this city. Goodbye forever, everyone. There were no direct flights to the private island. I had to fly to the nearest country and then take a boat. By the time I arrived at the private island, whose ownership had already been transferred, a full day and night had passed. A manor, built according to my specifications, was already there on the island. I just needed to move in. My funds were plentiful, and when I first considered coming to the island, I had already thought about how inconvenient it might be to travel in and out. So, I simply bought a yacht. Although I doubted I’d need to leave the island much, I wasn’t sure if my purchased parents and boyfriend would feel the same, so it was better to be prepared. Pushing open the manor gates, I found the facilities fully equipped. I looked around, quite satisfied. This would be my home from now on. I pulled out my phone, about to ask when my customized family would arrive, when the villa’s front door suddenly opened from the inside. A handsome, refined young man appeared before me. Seeing me, he paused, but quickly understood my identity. He flashed a smile, stepped aside to invite me in, and called out to the other two inside. Having been told their employer would arrive today, the three had been waiting for a long time. Once I was inside, the other two also introduced themselves. “My name is Eleanor Grey, I’m your customized mother. And this is Arthur Grey, your customized father.” The first to speak was a kind, elderly woman, who also introduced the man beside her. When it was the young man I had first met’s turn, he spoke before the woman could. “Hello, I’m Caleb Hayes, your… customized boyfriend.” *** Damien Thorne and Anya Reed’s wedding was set for the city’s grandest hotel. This highly anticipated wedding banquet saw almost every prominent figure in the social circle in attendance, all eager to witness this momentous occasion. It wasn’t until the wedding was about to begin that a breathless staff member finally rushed to Damien, whispering in his ear. Those in the audience couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they could see Damien’s smiling face suddenly freeze, then gradually darken. He waved the person away, then turned, avoiding the gazes of those below. “Mr. Thorne, the wedding is about to start, but the bride hasn’t arrived yet. Perhaps you should check if something has happened?” Recalling the staff member’s words, Damien felt his heart hammering in his chest. The unsettling feeling that had lingered since yesterday intensified. He pulled out his phone, found the number he knew by heart, even without saving it, and dialed. After a long series of beeps, the call was abruptly cut off. In that instant, his heart plummeted. But Damien couldn’t believe it. He stubbornly redialed her number. This time, he only heard the ‘call in progress’ tone. He was in disbelief. Was he… blocked? He then called the villa. After a few rings, it connected. Without waiting for a greeting, he went straight to the point. “Where’s Anya? Have you seen her? Did she forget the wedding time? Go remind her, the wedding is about to start…” By the end of his sentence, Damien’s voice grew softer, losing its conviction. Anya was never someone without a sense of time, let alone blocking his number. Yet, he still hoped to hear a different answer from the housekeeper. There was a frantic commotion on the other end, as if people were being dispatched to search for her. But soon, a nervous voice came through. “Young master… Ms. Reed wasn’t found in the villa, but the housekeepers found… her wedding dress burnt to ashes in the garden, and the wedding ring you gave her…” At those words, Damien’s mind went blank. He rushed to the stage, oblivious to everything else, his gaze sweeping the audience. When he realized Sterling Vance was also absent, that tense string inside him instantly snapped. He frantically dialed, his mind consumed only by the fact that Anya had run away. He didn’t care about anything else. In front of everyone, he bolted out of the banquet hall, leaving all the gasps and commotion behind. Sterling Vance answered quickly. Hearing Damien’s breathless voice, he was a little puzzled. Just as he was about to ask, Damien’s near-hysterical voice came through. “Where are you?” The bride hadn’t appeared, and the groom had publicly walked out. The entire wedding banquet instantly dissolved into chaos. Ultimately, Mr. and Mrs. Reed went on stage to stabilize the situation. No one had expected this highly anticipated wedding to end in such a way. After sending the guests away, Mr. and Mrs. Reed made several inquiries and learned that Anya had run away first, leading to this farce. They immediately frowned. “She’s truly a trouble-maker. Even her wedding ended like this. What a disgrace to our family name!” Mr. Reed’s face was dark, but Mrs. Reed considered things more deeply. She glanced at Seraphina, who stood beside her, looking utterly oblivious, and a sudden unease stirred within her. “Anya and Damien were getting along so well, but now she’s suddenly run away. Sterling didn’t show up today either. Could it be that she regrets giving up Sterling and has gone to pester him again?” Her initial thought was a mere guess, but as she spoke it aloud, the others found it increasingly plausible. Their faces changed instantly, and they rushed towards the Vance family home. People often exhibit uncanny synchronicity in the wrong circumstances. The few who knew about the situation all assumed Anya had run away to find Sterling. Luckily, Sterling was not at the Vance residence at that moment, preventing a scene where everyone converged on his home. Sterling had not expected that just the thought of Anya marrying someone else today would leave him so gloomy. Especially knowing she was fully aware of Damien’s intentions, yet still chose to marry him, had only intensified his frustration. So, he went to a club owned by the Vance family. Upon entering the private room, he ordered a table full of drinks and proceeded to drown himself in alcohol. He didn’t want to attend her wedding; he didn’t want to see her walk down the aisle to someone else, uttering those words, “I do.” Drowning in his drunken stupor, he suddenly received a call from Damien Thorne asking for his location. His mind was hazy, unable to comprehend why the person who should be getting married was calling him. An address slipped out directly. Just as he was about to ask something, Damien had already hung up, so fast that Sterling, whose mind was already unclear, thought everything that had just happened was merely a hallucination. He picked up his glass again, poured a full one, and drank it all in one gulp. The thought of breaking off his engagement with Seraphina grew stronger with each drink. He stared fixedly at his phone on the table, a voice echoing in his mind, urging him to pick it up. Just as he was about to dial Mr. and Mrs. Reed’s number, the private room door was kicked open with a bang. Blinding light streamed into the dimly lit room. If it weren’t for the scattered liquor bottles and Sterling, sitting on the sofa, phone in hand, motionless, Damien might have thought he had come to the wrong place. Frowning, he switched on all the lights in the room. The sudden brightness made Sterling instinctively shield his eyes. But as soon as he raised his hand, Damien rushed forward, taking three steps at a time, to stand before him. “Where’s Anya? Has she come looking for you?” Hearing Anya’s name, Sterling’s mind cleared for a moment. Looking at Damien’s angry face, he suddenly smiled. “Isn’t Anya at her wedding with you? Why aren’t you at your wedding, running around looking for me?” As the words left his lips, Sterling seemed to finally grasp the implication of what Damien had said. He suddenly stood up, his eyes wide with shock. “What do you mean?” Seeing that Sterling was indeed unaware, the anger on Damien’s face faded, leaving only confusion. Although Anya had grown up in the city, she had no friends due to her introverted, timid, and insecure nature. She hadn’t come to Sterling, and given the Reed family’s character, they would never help her escape the wedding. So, where else could she have gone? “Anya… she’s gone… She burned the wedding dress and the wedding ring, and disappeared without a trace…” Damien collapsed onto the sofa, his eyes staring blankly ahead, his gaze unfocused. Sterling, too, was incredulous upon hearing this. After all, even when he had told Anya that Damien had no genuine feelings for her, she hadn’t considered leaving. But it was precisely this memory that made a flicker of insight cross his eyes. So, it wasn’t that she didn’t care who Damien loved; it was that she had already planned to leave? But she hadn’t come to him after leaving. So where could she have gone? Sterling was lost in his thoughts, completely oblivious to his sudden silence catching Damien’s attention. It wasn’t until his collar was suddenly grabbed, and Damien’s face loomed large before him. Damien’s eyes narrowed, carrying a dangerous glint, and his voice was chilling. “You know where she is?” All of Sterling’s drunkenness evaporated in that instant. He grinned, a hint of malice in his smile. “I don’t know where she is, but I know why she ran away from the wedding.” Damien froze, his grip loosening slightly. He instinctively asked, “Why?” After all, he still had no idea what Anya was thinking. He had assumed she ran away to find Sterling, but now that it proved otherwise, a pang of annoyance, mixed with a surge of jealousy, churned within him. He didn’t even know why Anya ran away, so how could Sterling? But Sterling opened his mouth and delivered an answer that was a fatal blow to Damien. “Do you remember the day she woke up after falling into the sea? Guess what we talked about during the time we were alone?” Looking at Sterling’s expression, Damien felt his heart hammering in his chest. Unease and anxiety intertwined within him. Finally, in a panic, he stumbled, wanting to flee. He was actually afraid to hear the answer. But Damien’s frantic steps couldn’t outrun Sterling’s voice. Seeing that he wanted to run, Sterling no longer held back, striking directly at Damien’s heart. “I told her that you approached her not out of love, but for another purpose. I told her that the person you truly loved was Seraphina Reed, and that marrying Anya was just to make her clear the way for Seraphina. Now, guess again, what was her reaction after I told her?” The last sentence was a question, but it was clear Sterling had no intention of waiting for an answer. He answered himself directly. “She wasn’t surprised, wasn’t sad, and didn’t disbelieve me. Before I told her, she already knew. Back then, seeing her utterly unresponsive, I thought she loved you so much she didn’t even care that you didn’t love her, that you approached her with ulterior motives.” “At that time, I was quite jealous of you.” “But now, it seems I was wrong. She wasn’t simply letting it go; she was just waiting for the most opportune moment to strike the hardest blow against you.” As Sterling’s last words fell, Damien’s figure had completely vanished outside the private room door. He seemed not to have heard him, yet as Sterling slowly walked to the doorway and watched Damien hurriedly descend the stairs, the desperate scramble to escape in his back said it all. He felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. He wasn’t the only one who had wronged Anya Reed, so why should he be the only one suffering? In fact, compared to Damien, his actions were at least not as despicable. Sterling looked back at the messy private room, called for someone to clean up, then walked directly out of the club. The cool night air brushed his cheek. He exhaled a heavy sigh, looked at the number he had been about to dial before Damien arrived, and then turned off his phone screen. He hailed a cab. Since a wedding escape had happened, if he wasn’t mistaken, Mr. and Mrs. Reed and Seraphina would probably all be at the Vance residence now. Those people’s speculations about Anya were not much different from Damien’s. Fifteen minutes later, he pushed open the door to the Vance family home and saw the three members of the Reed family sitting neatly on the living room sofa. He let out a sardonic laugh. See? He was right. Hearing the door open, the Reed family’s gazes instantly shifted. Seeing that he had returned alone, they still looked behind him, unwilling to give up, trying to find Anya’s tracks. “She didn’t come looking for me,” he shrugged and said. Sterling’s words, however, did not earn the Reed family’s trust. Mr. Reed frowned, his eyes filled with disapproval. “If she didn’t come to you, where else would she go? With her personality, she doesn’t even have a single friend in this city, a disgrace of a girl, and now she’s caused such a scene.” Mrs. Reed echoed her husband’s words, her expression cold and annoyed. If an outsider saw her, they might think Mrs. Reed and the Anya she spoke of were not mother and daughter, but enemies. “With her timid, shrinking demeanor, what else can she do besides snatching things from Seraphina? Sterling, I know you’re too soft-hearted, but you don’t need to cover for her in this matter.” Seraphina leaned against Mrs. Reed, her gaze fixed on Sterling, a smile playing on her lips, but her eyes held no warmth. She didn’t know why Sterling was suddenly helping Anya, but she knew she had to do something, otherwise, Sterling’s heart might truly drift away. “Sterling, marriage is no child’s play. Since Sister agreed to marry Damien, how can she act so childishly at the wedding? If you know where Sister is, please tell us quickly. We can’t just let her continue acting recklessly, can we?” Looking at the three of them united in their shared condemnation, Sterling was somewhat dazed. Were they really Anya’s family? Now that she had disappeared without a trace, no one was worried about her safety; instead, every word was an accusation. It was laughable that he hadn’t noticed any of this before. Had Anya truly grown up in such an environment for over twenty years? How much pain must she have accumulated? He didn’t know, but at this moment, he refused to be an accomplice any longer. “Uncle and Aunt, I truly don’t know where she is right now. But I do have something I’d like to discuss with you.” Seeing all their gazes fixed on him, he cleared his throat and delivered the words he had prepared. “Uncle and Aunt, I want to break off my engagement with Seraphina.” At his words, everyone in the room froze. No one had ever imagined that Sterling Vance, who had previously insisted on breaking off his engagement with Anya Reed to marry Seraphina, would suddenly propose breaking off *this* engagement. After a brief愣怔, Seraphina’s eyes immediately welled up. She, too, was utterly bewildered, unable to understand why he had returned from a short outing with such a declaration. Instinctively, she blamed Anya, who was now nowhere to be found. “Sterling, did Sister say something to you? I…” But her words were cut off by Sterling. He frowned, his eyes filled with confusion. “If I remember correctly, I just said that Anya didn’t come looking for me. Moreover, even if she did, what could she possibly come to tell me?” Not wanting to see their cherished daughter distressed, the stark contrast between Sterling’s aggressive demeanor and Seraphina’s pale lips and tear-filled eyes irritated Mr. and Mrs. Reed. They quickly went to Seraphina’s side, comforting her softly. Mr. and Mrs. Vance, who had been observing the drama, finally realized what their son had said. They quickly tried to smooth things over. “Son, what nonsense are you saying? This is no joke! Marriage isn’t child’s play; you can’t just break it off like that. Right, Sterling? Apologize to your uncle and aunt immediately! And Seraphina, look at how upset you are!” Hearing Mrs. Vance’s words, Mr. and Mrs. Reed’s expressions softened slightly. Remembering Sterling’s earlier statement, they couldn’t help but scoff again. “What good words could that Anya Reed possibly have? All day long, it’s just excuses or trying to snatch things from Seraphina. Not a trace of a proper older sister.” Mr. and Mrs. Reed’s complaints continued, one after another, but they failed to resonate with Sterling. He only found it ironic. No wonder Anya chose to leave alone. With such parents, such a sister, such a fiancé, anyone would want to escape as far away as possible. This was good. Let Anya bloom in her own light. Five years later. After closing off her private island for five years, Anya Reed finally opened it for visitors for the first time. Of course, the private island was no longer called the private island. After much searching, Anya named it “Reunion Isle.” *Life’s partings and meetings are always so; let us rejoice when we meet.* She had bid farewell to a mistaken past and met the right people here. She felt the name was perfectly fitting. Reunion Isle had a beautiful environment, which caught the eye of a director vacationing nearby. After months of negotiation, he finally got permission to film on the island. However, Anya also set conditions: they could film on the island, but they couldn’t damage the environment, nor could they film her family without permission. The director readily agreed to the first condition, but hesitated slightly at the second. Because the director’s variety show opted for a live broadcast premiere, with an edited version for replays, it was inevitable that some things might be missed. After discussion, they both compromised. During the live broadcast, filming would try to avoid the four of them. If they accidentally appeared on screen, the director would have people blur them out immediately. Subsequent broadcasts would also edit out any scenes where they appeared. Anya then decided not to quibble over brief appearances. A month after the contract was signed, the director brought the guests to the island. Since their identities had been disclosed beforehand, no one dared to make any trouble in Anya’s presence, and they generally tried to avoid meeting. However, living on the same Reunion Isle, it was unavoidable that they would appear on camera. Fortunately, the director kept his word, blurring them out promptly whenever they appeared. Anya didn’t take it to heart. Until… after the variety show became a massive hit, a blurred screenshot went viral across the internet. Damien Thorne didn’t usually pay much attention to entertainment news. But for the past five years, he had searched every place imaginable, all to no avail. He couldn’t even trace where Anya had last been seen on the day she disappeared. Only after a thorough investigation did he discover that Anya’s identity information had been canceled half a month before their wedding was supposed to take place. That meant she had been planning her departure for at least half a month. Shocked and distraught, he felt immense regret. His Anya had been planning her departure without his knowledge, meticulously for so long, yet he had shared a bed with her daily, completely oblivious. It was only then that Damien realized his feelings for Seraphina had long been depleted by unrequited devotion, much like Anya’s feelings for Sterling. Love required reciprocity. He had poured ten years into a hopeless pursuit. For Seraphina’s happiness, he had even gone to another woman, playing the role of a suitor madly in love with Anya. But the person he spent every day with was her, the person he had promised forever to was her, and when he was sick or injured, she was always by his side. No matter how much Damien resisted, he had to admit that he had actually fallen in love with Anya long ago. It was only stubborn obsession, only his habit of chasing Seraphina’s footsteps, that had prevented him from seeing his own heart. He wanted to find Anya, wanted to tell her that his love for her had become real. Five years of relentless searching, five years of repeated failures, had shattered his confidence into countless fragments. Even Sterling Vance, who later chose to break away from his family to call off his engagement with Seraphina, began to mock him, laughing at his foolish pipe dreams and his overestimation of himself. Damien had asked him why he was so determined to break off the engagement. Sterling said he hadn’t seen his own heart clearly back then and had made the wrong decision. Now that he finally realized it, he didn’t want to make another mistake. But when it came to mistakes, Sterling wasn’t the only one; Damien had made an even greater one. But unlike Sterling, who chose to let go, Damien wanted to return to Anya’s side. That photo went viral across the internet under these circumstances. Someone was watching the variety show when they saw Caleb Hayes, who appeared for a second before being quickly blurred out. The blur was fast, but not faster than netizens’ eyes and lightning-fast screenshotting skills. A blurry image was quickly posted online. “This man is so handsome! I need all his information in three minutes!” The post garnered many supportive comments and sparked a lot of discussion online. By rights, Damien wouldn’t usually look at such entertainment news, but for the past five years, he had tried every method to find Anya. By the end, he naturally wouldn’t ignore the most widespread channels of information. So, the photo found its way to Damien. He initially didn’t pay much attention, it was just a picture of a man. But for some reason, he couldn’t resist taking a closer look. In that glance, he saw a woman tending to a flowerbed in a blurry corner of the enlarged image. Even though it was so blurred he could barely make out her features, Damien inexplicably felt it was Anya. To confirm his suspicion, he contacted the director through the variety show’s brand representative. The director, suddenly approached by a CEO worth hundreds of millions, thought his show had found another patron. He quickly accepted the friend request. Just as he was wondering how to initiate a conversation without appearing arrogant or too subservient, Damien’s message came through. “Where was this filmed?” Attached was the screenshot that had gone viral online. Realizing Damien was trying to inquire about the island’s owner, the director hesitated. If he told the truth, he might build a good relationship with this CEO. But it was a private island, and if he divulged information without permission, his crew might be kicked off the island. The island owner was already displeased about the photo spreading. Thinking this, he reluctantly refused Damien’s inquiry. “I apologize. We have an agreement with the owner, and I cannot disclose her personal information.” He still couldn’t bring himself to delete Damien, so after much deliberation, he put his phone aside and didn’t pay it any further attention. Seeing that the director was stubbornly refusing to reveal any information, Damien didn’t get discouraged. Instead, he became even more convinced that the woman was Anya Reed. Sterling Vance had the same thought, but his actions were more decisive. Before the variety show began, it was announced that it was being filmed on a private island. Combining this with the already aired segments, he quickly narrowed his focus to a specific region. He flew directly to North America and, armed with the photo, inquired with countries that sold islands. It wasn’t long before he located Anya’s private island. He docked his boat by the island’s shore but didn’t go ashore. He simply waited silently on the boat. Anya didn’t think much of it at first. These days were when supplies usually arrived on the island. Seeing a yacht dock, she assumed the provisions had come and quickly went to the shore with Caleb Hayes. To her surprise, when they rushed over, it wasn’t supplies they found, but Sterling Vance, standing silently on the deck. “Anya!” I turned to leave, but he called out to me. His voice was soft and gentle, yet inexplicably complex. I didn’t turn back, but I also didn’t leave. I just stood there quietly, waiting for him to continue. There had been no opportunity for us to have a proper conversation for a long time. Sterling didn’t care about my attitude towards him. At least from his perspective, seeing me again was already a blessing. But if he could find me, Damien Thorne certainly could too. So he cleared his throat and said earnestly, “I actually only came to tell you two things. Seraphina and I broke off our engagement, and… Damien Thorne might also come looking for you. Anya, do you… want to come home?” Hearing that, I turned back, a little puzzled. “What does your broken engagement with Seraphina have to do with me?” My rhetorical question left Sterling momentarily speechless. As he tried to explain, I had already turned away, no longer looking at him, and didn’t answer his other question. And that question… *Home?* Hearing that word, I found it somewhat amusing. This was my home now. Where else could I go back to? As for Damien Thorne, as long as he didn’t set foot on my island, he could go to the moon and it would be none of my business. I reached out and took Caleb Hayes’s hand. I didn’t linger, walking directly towards the island. Sterling recognized him. That was the man from the photo that went viral online. Seeing their hands naturally clasped, a slight pang of bitterness touched his heart. So, in these five years, she truly had found someone else and no longer needed them. But then he smiled wryly. She had never truly needed them, or rather, when she did need them, they had never been there for her. The island’s terrain wasn’t complicated. From the boat, he could clearly see the guests filming nearby and the villa in the opposite direction. Evidently, the filming had deliberately avoided that area. It seemed that the viral photo was indeed an accident. He turned back to look at Anya, walking away. The manor gates opened, and an older man and woman emerged. Their demeanor was gentle and kind. The four of them stood together, looking remarkably harmonious, just like a true family of four. “Anya, I wish you happiness.” He murmured that phrase, then turned and waved. The boat restarted, slowly pulling away from the island, eventually disappearing into the boundless horizon. On the island, the variety show’s filming had reached its final day. After today, Reunion Isle would return to its usual tranquility. Not only Anya Reed felt relieved, but also Eleanor and Arthur Grey. While they weren’t averse to interacting with others, they disliked being on camera, especially after Caleb’s accidental appearance and subsequent screenshot. They grew even more cautious. Fortunately, the crew was very considerate, mostly filming on the other side of Reunion Isle. Even so, they all breathed a sigh of relief knowing the crew was leaving. I also sighed, deciding I wouldn’t accept such ventures again in the future. “Anya, hurry inside, lunch is ready.” Eleanor Grey was still wearing her apron, smiling sweetly, and Arthur Grey, who followed close behind her, was also beaming. “Eleanor made your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs today. Come try some, it won’t be as good cold.” After five years, my interactions with them had become much more natural. Eleanor and Arthur had always wanted children but, unfortunately, neither could conceive. After becoming my customized parents, they truly loved me as their own child. Through our time together, they grew even more fond of me. I was sensible, filial, and well-behaved. Even though they were hired, I treated them with exceptional respect. They had heard I was also an orphan, which only strengthened their belief that we were destined to be a family. It happened that they had no children, and it happened that I had no parents. The dinner table was filled with warmth and laughter. Caleb Hayes sat beside me, attentively serving me food and peeling shrimp. The island was rich in seafood, but I found it too much bother to eat. It was Caleb who later realized I simply didn’t like handling it, and he naturally took over the task. After eating my fill, I went to the other side to watch the variety show’s filming. Since it was the last day, the production team was uncharacteristically lenient with the guests. A group of young men and women laughed and played, creating a lively atmosphere. I recalled that over these past five years, aside from supply deliveries, there had been almost no other visitors. After all, it was a private island; without my permission, others couldn’t come ashore. It had indeed been a long time since it was this lively. Lost in thought, Caleb came over with a fruit platter. Seeing me staring off into the distance, he offered the platter to me, then sat casually on the ground beside me, not bothering with a chair. “Here.” I didn’t take it. I was sitting on the ground too, with no table. If I took the plate, I’d have to hold it constantly, and I didn’t want to, so I simply didn’t reach for it. I just looked at him, opening my mouth slightly. Understanding my unspoken request, Caleb smiled, speared a small piece of fruit with a toothpick, and fed it to my mouth. I happily accepted it. In the past, I had no privilege to be willful and was accustomed to putting others first. But here, I was the center of attention and had the privilege to be spoiled. Coupled with the genuine affection from Eleanor and Arthur, and Caleb, I had grown a bit lazier. But I felt it was a good thing. Damien Thorne didn’t come alone. With him were Mr. and Mrs. Reed and Seraphina Reed. The Reed family hadn’t fared well over the years. Sterling Vance had started his own venture, and the first thing he did after succeeding was to compete with the Reed family in the market. They had wanted to stabilize their position through marriage alliances, but Seraphina, spoiled rotten by them, was extremely headstrong. After Sterling broke off their engagement, she threw daily tantrums at home. They, too, doted on their youngest daughter and couldn’t bear to force her into an arranged marriage. Worse, their eldest daughter’s two engagements had failed, and then she had completely disappeared without a trace after canceling her identity. They didn’t even know where to look for her. If Damien hadn’t told them he had found her, they would still be unaware of this unfilial daughter’s whereabouts. Mr. and Mrs. Reed secretly resolved in their hearts that when they met her, they would thoroughly reprimand this unfilial daughter. They had heard she bought her own island and lived so luxuriously, yet she hadn’t thought to help her own parents. Their expressions were already unpleasant on the boat, and upon seeing the discreetly luxurious manor on the island, their anger festered. They completely forgot Damien’s earlier instruction to resolve misunderstandings with Anya peacefully. But perhaps there were no misunderstandings between them to begin with. The day I saw Sterling, I guessed Damien would eventually find me. I even wondered if I should hide, but then I thought, they were just some unimportant people. I really had no need to hide from irrelevant people, as if I were someone to be ashamed of. But I truly hadn’t expected Damien to bring Mr. and Mrs. Reed with him. Initially, I had never understood why. Back in the city, I was always the extra person. My parents didn’t love me, my sister rejected me, the person I loved loved my sister, and the person who “loved me” actually loved my sister too. Shouldn’t my departure have been exactly what they wanted? Why did they have to put on such a show, pretending to be frantic about finding me? Was this performance so important, so crucial that even after I, the supporting character, had left the stage, he still had to play out the final act? But I only thought about it briefly. If I couldn’t understand, I wouldn’t dwell on it. Anyway, from now on, they would have nothing to do with me. Whatever they wanted to do was entirely up to them. Damien and his group arrived quickly. When they reached Reunion Isle, we were having breakfast. The door was suddenly pounded on, then just as abruptly, the noise stopped. Not long after, a gentle knocking replaced it. I had just begun to frown when Caleb Hayes stood up to open the door. The door swung open, and the moment he and the people outside came face to face, they all froze. Damien had actually started regretting bringing Mr. and Mrs. Reed when they began pounding on the door. But now, seeing someone else inside my house, a furious jealousy ignited his reason. His chest heaved violently, indicating his extreme agitation. If he hadn’t yet seen me, he might have already resorted to violence. “Who is it?” At the thought of me, my voice drifted from inside. Damien didn’t care who this man at the door was. The moment he heard my voice, his gaze repeatedly swept the interior, hoping to see the person he was looking for. And the moment my voice was heard, Mr. and Mrs. Reed, whom he had brought along, couldn’t even hold back. They completely disregarded their composure and started shouting. “You rebellious daughter! Now you’re pulling a runaway act! Five years, and you haven’t come home once. Do you have any respect for us, your parents?!” “Aren’t you ashamed enough? Get out here and come back with us!” Damien hadn’t even had time to stop them when Seraphina, who had walked in with Mr. and Mrs. Reed, also spoke with her falsely innocent charm. “Sister, I know you’re angry with me, but no matter how much you sulk, you can’t abandon Mom and Dad! They’ve been frantic looking for you these past few years. Come home with us now!” Seeing these people, who claimed to be Anya’s family, immediately launch into insults, Caleb Hayes, with all his good temper, finally snapped. He sneered, “Where did these dogs come from, barking at people for no reason?” He moved his body further, completely blocking Damien’s view of the interior. Before they could erupt in anger, he added another chilling warning, “This is Anya’s island. Trespassing without permission, especially not in your country, means you might end up in a shark’s belly.” His cold gaze swept over them, striking a momentary fear into the four outside, but it was quickly replaced by rage. “Who are you?! How dare you…” Bluntly rebuked, Damien was furious. Just as he was about to say something, the door slammed shut. Damien, who had been about to step forward, ended up getting a nose full of dust. None of the rejected group had expected to be unceremoniously dismissed without even seeing me. Inside, because Mr. and Mrs. Reed and Seraphina hadn’t bothered to lower their voices, I still vaguely heard parts of their conversation despite the distance. So when Caleb approached, saying a group of liars claiming to be my relatives had arrived, my face showed no surprise. Instead, I explained for them, “They’re not liars.” My words caused everyone in the dining room to look at me, puzzled. After all, when I had arranged for my customized family and boyfriend, I had said I was all alone. So how was it that now… Before they could figure it out, a violent pounding on the door suddenly started again. Caleb frowned deeply. Just as he was about to go and send them away again, I shook my head at him and got up to open the door myself. Whatever their reason for coming, I had to clarify things with them. Naturally, I was the most suitable person to face them. I walked to the front alone. The violent pounding and those unfriendly words just moments ago made Eleanor and Arthur, and Caleb, all uneasy about letting me face them alone, so they hurried after me. When they caught up, I had just opened the main door. Whether it was a loss of control from pounding, or if they had intended to strike, the moment the door opened, a slap came flying towards me. Caleb’s heart lurched, fearing I would be hurt. But I was prepared. The instant the slap descended, I stepped to the side, and all that was heard was the thud of flesh hitting the ground. Mr. Reed, having lost face in public, his complexion alternating between pale fury and flushed rage, scrambled awkwardly to his feet, gasping for breath, almost unable to speak. Seraphina quickly rushed forward to help him up, her eyes full of disapproval, her voice thick with accusation. “Sister, how could you treat Dad like this? Dad is an elder, after all. If you have a problem, just take it out on me, why do you have to do this to Dad? He’s getting old; if anything happens to him, can you bear the responsibility?” Mrs. Reed was also visibly anxious. Only after seeing Seraphina help Mr. Reed up did she relax. When she turned to me, a surge of uncontrollable fury pierced through her. “Anya Reed, you unfilial daughter, how could I have given birth to such a heartless thing! Not only did you snatch Seraphina’s fiancé, but you even dare to lay hands on your father! You truly are not half as sensible as Seraphina!” She angrily stepped forward, raising her hand to slap me. But her raised hand never landed. Caleb Hayes, who had followed closely behind me, blocked it. Then, with a slight push, she stumbled backward. Luckily, Damien Thorne was quick to catch her, preventing her from falling flat on her face as well. This, in turn, fueled their rage even further. Not only did they curse me, but also Caleb and the others, incessantly yelling that we had no manners and demanded we all leave. I paid no attention to their insults, my gaze turning towards Damien Thorne, who was pushed to the back of the group. My expression was indifferent. The moment our eyes met, he looked into mine, not with the excitement and joy he expected, but with annoyance and coldness. Not like lovers reunited after a long separation, but like complete strangers. Damien felt a pang of deep unfairness. He had purposely brought the Reed family here, initially thinking that after years of not seeing them and Seraphina, we could catch up. He knew our past relationship wasn’t close, but they were still family, and what parents and children held grudges overnight? Couldn’t they just talk it out? So, on the way, he had specifically instructed them not to be so aggressive when they met me, to sit down and talk things through. Mr. and Mrs. Reed and Seraphina had all readily agreed. He truly hadn’t known they would start a scene like this! But if he were truly honest, Damien knew this was his fault too. So he managed to suppress the bitterness in his heart and reorganized his words before speaking. “Anya, it’s been a long time.” Damien had missed me terribly, thinking of our reunion every waking moment for five years. But countless failed attempts had made him almost believe he would never see me again. Now that we finally met again, he had countless words he wanted to say to me, but he didn’t know where to begin. But while he wanted to reminisce, I, the Anya he had longed for, had no interest whatsoever. “You brought them here just to make trouble for me? Damien Thorne, aside from running away from the wedding, have I ever wronged you? The person you love wasn’t me to begin with, and your claims of loving me and wanting to marry me were just to stop me from hindering Seraphina and Sterling Vance, right? I’ve already chosen not to dwell on how you deceived my feelings for Seraphina, couldn’t we just call it even? Why do you insist on appearing in front of me again?” I paused, then turned to look at Mr. and Mrs. Reed and Seraphina, who were still glaring at me, my voice filled with bewilderment. “You say I’m unfilial, but have you ever fulfilled a single day of your responsibilities as parents? Have you ever treated me like your daughter? And you say I snatched things from Seraphina? That’s laughable. No matter what it was, if Seraphina liked it, I always had to give it to her—my room, my academic achievements, your love, my friends, my lovers. I gave everything to her. Isn’t this exactly what you wanted? From now on, you’re only her parents. Sterling Vance, Damien Thorne, whether it’s the person she wanted or the things she desired, what did she not get? What else do you want me to give?” By the end, my emotions were running high. These two speeches encapsulated the heartbreak of my past twenty-odd years. My chest heaved violently, yet my words left everyone present in stunned silence. Caleb Hayes had guessed there was a story behind me, but I hadn’t told him, so he pretended not to know. Even if our remaining lives were intertwined, he had never intended to pry into my secrets. He had never imagined that the truth hidden in that past, which we all instinctively avoided, would be like this. He stepped forward and gently took my hand. His warm touch banished the cold from my palm. Eleanor and Arthur Grey also approached, shielding me. Although they had initially been confused upon learning I had birth parents, and their relationship with me began purely as a financial arrangement, they had, after all, cherished me as their own daughter for five years. Now that they knew my history, their eyes were filled with overwhelming pity. Sensing their concern, I couldn’t hold back, my eyes reddening. I squeezed their hands tightly in return. It was only at this moment that Damien and his group finally saw this family in its entirety. Their relationship was clearly not that of employer and staff. My accusations against them still echoed in the air. Seeing my clear dependence on these people now, Mr. and Mrs. Reed’s eyes twitched. A sense of unease rose within them, and they instinctively blurted out, “What do you mean by this?” Hearing their voices, my attention returned to them. Looking at their disheveled state, I suddenly laughed. I spread my hands, then pointed to each person beside me, introducing them. “He is my husband, legally protected. They are my parents, also in the legal sense. And as for you, you actually ceased to have any connection with me five years ago.” At my words, they all froze, utterly unable to believe their ears. Damien’s face was filled with incredulity. He unconsciously released Mrs. Reed’s hand, stumbling a few steps forward, trying to grab my hand. But Arthur Grey blocked him, slapping his outstretched hand away, his brows deeply furrowed. “Say what you need to say, but don’t get handsy here.” Arthur had no goodwill towards these people now. They had children, then neglected them, favoring one to the extreme, yet still claiming to be my parents. From the moment they arrived until now, had a single kind word left their lips? Especially this Damien Thorne, who acted like he loved Anya, yet didn’t even know her family situation, and still dared to bring such parents to her doorstep, prattling on about “long time no see.” What a hypocrite. Arthur used considerable force, making Damien’s wrist sting. He bit down hard to keep from crying out, but while he could endure the physical pain, the anguish in his heart was unbearable. He didn’t dare to get closer. Instead, from behind Arthur, he explained to me, his face pale, “Anya, no, it’s not like that. Actually, I had already fallen in love with you even before you left. I was just too slow to realize it. But in these five years you’ve been gone, my heart has been ripped to shreds every single day. I dream of seeing you again, of telling you that I truly know I was wrong. Can you give me another chance?” Looking at his heartbroken expression, I felt absolutely nothing. I watched his performance in silence, calculating how much genuine emotion he had in that moment. After all, with his acting skills, he could fake 100% love for me even while loving someone else. Who knew if his words now were true or false? Seeing I didn’t answer, Damien’s gaze fell on my hand, tightly clasped with Caleb Hayes’s. He seemed to suddenly understand something, and his expression grew agitated. “I know, you’re just still angry with me, right? Anya, I’m sorry, can I apologize to you? I’ve checked, he’s just someone you hired with money, but our seven years together were real! Look, I even brought our wedding rings. I had yours re-forged and engraved with our names. I promise you, from now on, whatever you say goes. You don’t like the Reed family? I won’t associate with them anymore either. Please… Anya, don’t leave me…” By the end of his plea, his voice was choked with sobs. His overly sincere performance made Arthur and Eleanor hesitate. Could he truly love Anya? They turned to look at Caleb Hayes, a hint of apprehension in their eyes. Their relationship with me was born of money, and they couldn’t be sure if five years of companionship could truly replace Damien Thorne, who had been by my side for so long in the past. My feet shifted slightly. I stepped past Arthur. Caleb’s heart lurched. He instinctively tightened his grip on my hand. I turned back, gave him a small smile, and patted his hand reassuringly. “Wait for me.”

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