Author: Momo Chan

At my wedding reception, my best man, Ethan, got up to sing a song for us. He chose Adele’s “Someone Like You,” and by the second verse, he was crying. I thought he was just emotional about me getting married, so I clapped him on the shoulder, trying to comfort him. That’s when the text appeared, floating in the air in front of my eyes, like a live stream chat overlaying my vision. **【Can this loser side character get out of the way? He’s blocking the shot of the main couple singing to each other.】** **【LMAO, he thinks the ML is crying for him. Bro, he’s crying because he didn’t get to marry the love of his life.】** **【It’s okay, guys! Just 10 more episodes! Once the FL finds out why the ML broke up with her back then, she’ll dump this placeholder husband and start grovelling to win him back!】** **【Tbh does this guy really not know about the FL and ML? He’s so manipulative. Later in the story, he almost gets the ML killed to stop the divorce. Thank god the FL loves the ML so much she bankrupts the side character’s family. He jumps off a building and dies. So satisfying!】** A chill went down my spine. I refused to believe what I was seeing. But then I turned my head. And I saw my new wife, Chloe, silently singing along with him, tears streaming down her face, too. 1 I somehow held it together until the last guest left. Ethan was completely wasted. He’d lost his shoes somewhere and was stumbling barefoot on the gravel path outside the venue, his feet bleeding. He was leaning on Chloe like she was a lamppost, slurring, half-crying, half-laughing. “Heyyy, this lamppost is so… soft.” “You finally found your happiness, Chloe.” “I’m so happy today.” “I’m so, so, so happy for you!” For a split second, I almost believed him. I thought he was genuinely happy for me. But then the chat popped up again, shattering that last bit of hope. **【Ugh, my heart breaks for him. He’s dying inside but still has to pretend to be drunk to wish her well. 😭😭】** **【Here we go, here we go! The key plot point is coming! The FL is about to offer to take the ML home, and the loser husband will finally realize something’s off and throw a fit, which just makes the FL hate him more!】** **【Chloe, what are you doing just standing there?! Can’t you see his feet are bleeding? Go get his shoes!】** Chloe has a thing about germs. She won’t even touch my shoes after I’ve worn them. But right then, she walked back inside, found Ethan’s leather dress shoes, and knelt to put them on for him. I saw an emotion I’d never seen in her cool, distant eyes before: it looked like pain. Like she was hurting *for* him. She turned to me, her voice casual. “It’s late. He can’t get home like this. Is it okay if I give him a ride?” She was asking my opinion, just like she always did. Respecting me. My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms. “Are you sure?” My voice was unnaturally calm. “Chloe, it’s our wedding night.” I added, “I can call an Uber or ask one of the other groomsmen to take him.” A small frown creased her forehead. The chat messages flew across my vision. **【LMAO does he really think that’s going to make her stay?】** **【His wedding night? Who cares? The ML is a wreck right now, how could she just leave him?】** **【Get ready for her to shut him down HARD. His little tantrum is just gonna make our ML look even more sympathetic and sweet!】** I could see the conflict in Chloe’s eyes. After a moment of silence, she made her choice. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She turned to leave, but I let out a short, sharp laugh. “Wait.” She spun back, her patience clearly wearing thin. “I *said* I’ll be back soon.” I swallowed the suffocating tightness in my chest and tossed her my car keys. “Take my car.” She frowned, about to refuse. “He doesn’t get carsick in mine,” I added flatly. Chloe paused, then snatched the keys from the air. Before she got in the car, she rolled down the window. “Wait for me.” I watched them drive off. Then I calmly called a moving company. I had them clear out all of my belongings, which I had just moved into our new home yesterday. Then I left the house Chloe and I had bought together, paid in full. 2 I didn’t meet Chloe through Ethan. So, this whole time, I never knew they even knew each other, let alone that they had this kind of history. When I was set up on a blind date with Chloe, I’d been single for the better part of a decade. I’d given up on finding a soulmate. I went to the date with zero expectations, only to meet a woman who was, in every conceivable way, my perfect type. She came from a good family, she was stunningly beautiful, and wickedly smart. Her only flaw was that she was so rational, she sometimes came across as cold. But she was like that with everyone. Including herself. A month after we met, I was dropping her off after a date when we got mugged. The guy held a knife to her throat, but she didn’t even flinch. She just calmly negotiated with him. “If you leave now, I won’t call the police,” she said, her voice steady. “But there’s only one of you. I can fight you long enough for him to call for help. There’s a police station less than a block from here.” The mugger, panicked and angry, didn’t listen. He lunged, aiming the knife at her. In that split second, I didn’t think. I just knew I couldn’t let her get hurt. I threw myself in front of her, tackling the guy. The blade sank deep into my back, the pain so intense it stole my breath. Chloe immediately dropped to my side. She calmly called 911, then pressed her jacket against the wound to stop the bleeding. She only asked me one thing. “Why didn’t you run?” “Because I want to be your boyfriend, Chloe,” I gasped. For the first time since I’d met her, she seemed speechless. Then her brow furrowed slightly. “But I don’t know how to love someone.” “That’s okay,” I said. “I know how to love you.” And just like that, I dove headfirst into her world. We started dating. And she was right; she didn’t know how to be affectionate. But she tried to learn. For me. She learned to buy me flowers on our anniversary. She learned to pick me up from work. She learned to cook my favorite meals. I thought that as long as she was willing to learn for me, it meant she loved me. I never imagined that she was just imitating what love was supposed to look like. That it didn’t mean she was actually in love with me. 3 From the live stream chat, I learned that Chloe and Ethan were high school sweethearts. They’d dated for three years. Right after graduation, Ethan’s mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and he had to drop out of college to go home. But when he got there, his abusive, alcoholic father, desperate to keep him from leaving again, found his official school records and destroyed them. His future was gone. With no prospects, he tearfully broke up with Chloe. He told her he didn’t want to hold her back. He said he’d met someone else, someone more suitable, and was going to marry her. From that day on, Chloe changed. The vibrant girl he knew disappeared, replaced by the quiet, cool, rational woman I met. She got into an Ivy League school, graduated, started a successful company with a partner, and never looked back. **【If it weren’t for this stupid side character, the ML and FL would’ve gotten back together when they ran into each other a year ago!】** **【Remember how the husband acted all generous, telling them to ‘catch up’? Little did he know they already knew every mole on each other’s bodies. 😂】** **【My heart aches for Ethan. He had such a tragic life, but he pulled himself up by his bootstraps. Cared for his mom until she passed, then made sure his dad ended up in prison. He started from nothing, got himself back into college, and became just as successful as Chloe. They’re a true power couple!】** **【NGL what does the husband even have? Some family money? A fancy degree? He’s nothing compared to our self-made king.】** **【Wait, this isn’t following the script. Isn’t he supposed to be fighting with Chloe right now? That fight is what’s supposed to make her realize how gentle and kind Ethan is!】** **【You don’t get it. This is his new tactic. The manipulative loser is running away from home! But it’s not gonna work. Ethan is super sick from the booze, so Chloe is gonna stay and take care of him all night. She won’t even know her husband is gone. What a waste of drama!】** Just as the chat predicted, Chloe wasn’t coming home. A text from her lit up my phone: **【Emergency meeting at the office. Let’s meet at the courthouse at 8 AM tomorrow to sign the papers.】** I just leaned back and closed my eyes. In that moment, I was profoundly grateful that we had the wedding first. Everything could still be undone. 4 I got to my parents’ house at 3 AM. They didn’t ask any questions. They just put fresh sheets on my bed, handed me a glass of warm milk, and my dad patted my shoulder. “Get some sleep, son.” I slept better than I had in months. When I woke up, it was already one in the afternoon. My phone showed two missed calls and two unread texts from Chloe. For her, that was the equivalent of a full-blown panic. And yet, for Ethan last night, she had promised three separate times, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I smirked and opened her messages. The first was from 8:15 AM: **【It’s 8:15. You’re late.】** The second, five minutes later: **【I only offered to take Ethan home because I was worried you’d be concerned about your best friend. If you’re angry about that, I fail to see the logic.】** I deleted our entire chat history without replying. Then I opened Instagram. Ethan had just posted a new story. A picture of a latte, with a caption: **【Woke up at 11 and there’s a perfect latte waiting for me. How did I get so lucky? 🙏】** My grip on my phone tightened, my knuckles turning white. It was just a picture of a coffee, but I knew, with absolute certainty, that Chloe had made it for him. Because I love lattes. One year, for my birthday, I’d wished that I could wake up every morning to a latte with foam art. So Chloe learned how to do it. But she could only ever make one design: a heart. And the tip of the heart always had a little tail, a long, thin line trailing off, exactly like the one in Ethan’s picture. Chloe had liked his post. The chat exploded. **【Poor baby. He’s lived alone for so long. Now he finally has her with him. ❤️】** **【LMAO the husband is probably still waiting for Chloe to come find him and apologize. Joke’s on him. He missed his chance this morning. If he played his cards right, he could’ve at least been the ‘ex-husband.’ Now he’s just an ex-boyfriend.】** I ignored the comments. I went to Ethan’s post and left a comment of my own. **【That’s the only design she knows how to make.】** 5 Because of that comment, my phone rang almost immediately. It was Chloe. Her voice, usually so detached, was sharp with accusation. “Liam, are you serious?” “You were the one who told me Ethan liked coffee. He was drunk and hadn’t eaten anything all night, so I made him one to settle his stomach.” “First you stand me up at the courthouse, and now you’re leaving comments like that on Ethan’s post? Why are you being so childish and irrational?” I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to smother the rage flaring in my chest. But before I could speak, I heard a rustle on the other end. Ethan had taken the phone. His voice was laced with gentle reproach. “Chloe, don’t talk to Liam like that.” Then, he spoke directly to me, his tone full of concern. “Hey man, don’t be mad. And don’t… don’t blame Chloe.” He sighed. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have drunk so much last night. I’m sorry I ruined your wedding night.” He took a shaky breath, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. “Don’t get the wrong idea about us, okay? I swear to you, nothing happened between us. Chloe… she really loves you.” He said it with such familiarity, such confidence. “If she didn’t really love you, she never would have been with you this long. She never would have agreed to marry you…” Ethan’s voice cut off abruptly. There was a fumbling sound, and I knew Chloe had snatched the phone back. But in the split second before she hung up, I heard her ask him one thing, her voice choked with pain. “Ethan, is that what you really think?” The line went dead. A heavy, suffocating pressure built in my chest. I stared at the dark screen of my phone, feeling completely numb. **【I SHIP IT SO HARD. Who else felt that raw, hidden love in his voice? I’m dying.】** **【And Chloe! Can you imagine being misunderstood like that by the man you love? Chloe, stop holding back! Just tell him the truth already!】** **【The husband is gonna be so lost. He ran away from home and tried to cause drama on Insta to get her attention, but her mind is completely on the ML right now. She’s not gonna give him a second thought.】** **【LMAO he really thought he was so important to her. She hasn’t even realized he moved out yet!】** I put my phone down and let out a short, bitter laugh. So, *this* is what Chloe was like when she was truly in love. She didn’t not know how to love someone. She just didn’t know how to love *me*. I ignored the chat and called a real estate agent. I listed the house. Since it was newly renovated and I priced it to sell, I found a buyer almost immediately. They were a young couple, desperate to move in. So, even before the contracts were signed, I agreed to let them start moving their things into the house. At their request, I had the place completely cleared out. All the furniture we’d spent six months picking out together, gone. As I stood in the empty space that was once our “home,” I thought I would feel sad. Instead, I felt a profound sense of relief. As if a crushing weight had finally been lifted from my shoulders. The woman who was only *learning* to love me… I could finally let her go. 6 I didn’t contact Chloe for the next few days. But I saw traces of her all over Ethan’s Instagram. A picture of them at a trendy hot pot place famous for date nights. A selfie of them standing in front of their old high school. A series of stories from a road trip they had promised each other they’d take when they were kids. By the time they got back, my lawyer had the sales contract for the house drawn up. All it needed was Chloe’s signature to completely sever the last tie between us. So, for the first time in over a week, I called her. The chat went insane. **【Look look look! The side character finally caved! He’s calling her!】** **【LMAO what’s the point? She and Ethan are *this* close to getting back together. He’s been sitting around waiting for her to come home and apologize while his whole life got stolen from under him.】** **【For real. And this whole ‘selling the house’ stunt to make her jealous? Does he really think she’ll care?】** **【Got my popcorn ready. Can’t wait to watch him throw a massive tantrum about the house. The bigger the scene he makes, the more gentle and perfect our ML looks. This is the final push they need!】** **【Yessss, my OTP is finally getting their happy ending!】** Chloe picked up. Before I could say anything, she spoke. “Not mad anymore?” A sarcastic smile touched my lips. So, this whole time, she was just waiting for me to be the one to break the silence, to be the one to apologize. The truth was, I wasn’t mad anymore. Because I didn’t care anymore. “We need to meet, Chloe,” I said calmly. There was a pause on the other end, followed by a low, airy chuckle. “Fine. I’ll come home tonight.” “Don’t,” I said. “Let’s meet somewhere else.” “Why?” she asked. I hesitated. I decided it was better to tell her about the house in person. “It’s… not convenient,” I said vaguely. After all, the new owners had already moved in. It wouldn’t be right to barge in on them. 7 I never expected Chloe to go back to the “marital home” that evening. I booked a table at a Sichuan restaurant, texted her the address, and went back to focusing on my new startup. When I finished up and checked my phone, I saw a message from her, sent half an hour earlier. **【Ethan is going to join us for dinner.】** **【No matter what, you two are best friends. And you really did misunderstand him.】** **【I expect you to apologize to him, and then we can put this behind us. We can go back to our lives, and you two can go back to being friends.】** **【Oh, and Ethan can’t eat spicy food, so the Sichuan place is out. He offered to cook a few dishes at our place. Swing by the market on your way home and pick these up.】** She sent a long list of groceries. It was mostly seafood. I knew Ethan loved seafood. What I didn’t know was that Chloe had apparently forgotten that I’m deathly allergic to it. I ignored the list and was about to call and tell her not to go to the house when my phone rang. I answered, and Chloe’s voice, tight with fury, snarled in my ear. “Liam, why is there a couple living in our house, and why didn’t you think to ask for my opinion?!” “This is our HOME! How could you just let your friends move in without telling me?” “I’m on my way,” I said, and hung up. 8 When I got there, Chloe and Ethan were standing side-by-side on the porch, their faces grim. The couple who had bought the house were blocking the doorway, looking furious. The guy was only wearing a pair of boxers, half-unzipped, and the woman had thrown on a silk robe, her face flushed. The second they saw me, they rushed over. “Mr. Hayes, what the hell is going on? Did you sell this house without telling your wife?” “We already wired the money! If you back out now, you’ll be in breach of contract!” “That’s it, we already called the cops! This needs to be sorted out, right now!” I apologized profusely and managed to calm them down before I walked over to Chloe. Before I could speak, she hissed, her jaw tight. “Liam, if you wanted to let your friends stay here, I wouldn’t have cared. But you could have at least given me a heads-up! Do you have any idea what they were doing in our house? When I opened the door, they were on the couch—” She stopped herself, taking a deep breath. Ethan finished for her, his face pale with disgust. “Dude, seriously. This is yours and Chloe’s home. For your friends to be doing… *that*… in here, it’s just not right.” Looking at their horrified expressions, I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. No wonder the new owners were so pissed. These two had walked in on something they shouldn’t have seen. “You think this is funny?” Chloe stared at me in disbelief. “Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?” I sobered up and pulled the neatly folded sales agreement from my briefcase. “Sorry about that. I was going to tell you over dinner tonight. I really didn’t expect you to bring Ethan back here.” I handed her the document. “They aren’t my friends, Chloe.” “Technically, this is their property now.” “I sold them the house.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “385091”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My love, on her journey to resurrect me, fell in love with someone else. When I woke up, Seraphina asked me what I wanted. I was about to say I wanted to finally have the wedding we never got to finish. But in that instant, lines of text began to scroll through my vision. **”The FL is so devoted. She became the freaking Celestial Queen and still didn’t forget to resurrect her mortal sidekick.”** **”Seriously, this sidekick has no shame. He just got brought back and he’s already demanding things. Our ML is the one who fought and bled beside her for a million years!”** **”Whatever. He’ll just get taken back to the Celestial Realm, cause a bunch of drama, and get cast aside. That’s when the FL will realize our ML is her true love!”** I considered this. Then I looked at her and said, “I want a separation.” 1 Seraphina froze. She looked almost exactly as she had before I died. Even more beautiful, more radiant. “Rhys,” she said, her voice trembling with disbelief, “are you joking?” **”A toxic, competitive guy like him wants a separation? This makes no sense!”** **”This old man is obviously using a separation to manipulate her. What a tool! I can’t believe the author wrote such a trash character!”** **”Just wait, our ML is about to show up with the kid. Get ready for the sidekick to get put in his place!”** The words floating before my eyes were vile. According to them, I was seeing the live-chat comments for a fantasy romance epic titled *The Celestial Queen’s Rebellious Love*. Seraphina was the female lead, the “FL.” A prodigy of immense talent, aloof and proud. In order to save her “white moonlight” husband—the first love who died shielding her from a divine trial—she embarked on a long, arduous journey to attain godhood. That husband was me. On her journey, she met Kael, the “ML”—the male lead—a roguish half-demon, half-celestial. They were rivals at first, then friends, supporting each other and growing stronger together over the course of nearly a million years. Kael confessed his love for her many times, but Seraphina always refused, holding my memory in her heart. Until one day, facing a trial she couldn’t overcome, she joined with Kael. United their essence. And conceived a child. Twice. The first was a son. She was now pregnant with their daughter. And me? According to the “plot,” after my resurrection, my personality would warp. I would become consumed with jealousy, constantly fighting with Kael for Seraphina’s affection. I would even try to frame him for crimes, leading to a confrontation so stressful that Seraphina would miscarry. Filled with hatred for me, she would finally strike me down during one of my jealous fits. A single blast of crimson light. And I would be annihilated, body and soul. What a joke. 2 “Sera! Rhys must still be dazed from his long sleep. He’s only human, after all. His mortal flesh is weak. Why don’t we let him rest in the Celestial Realm for a while?” A man in flowing green robes descended from the clouds, a miniature version of himself standing beside him. “Mama Sera! Hug!” The little boy, a half-eaten candied fruit in his hand, launched himself at Seraphina. “Kael, you little troublemaker. I thought we agreed no more sweets for Leo while he’s teething.” The moment before, Seraphina had been clutching my hand. Now, she instinctively scooped the boy into her arms. **”There it is! The pet names! ‘Sera’ and ‘Trouble’! Even their son Leo calls her that! The FL is the Celestial Queen and she still lets her man and kid call her silly names. This family is so cute I could die!”** **”Is someone feeling a little… extra right now? I won’t name names.”** **”Our ML is too kind, offering to let the sidekick stay in the heavens! My poor baby doesn’t know what’s coming.”** I bit my lip and tried to get her attention. “Seraphina.” No response. She was too busy flirting with Kael. I said it louder. “Seraphina!” That finally broke the spell. She put the child down and knelt before me on one knee. She pulled a small, ornate box from her robes, a shy expression on her face that I hadn’t seen since we were teenagers. “Rhys, I’m sorry. It’s… it’s been a very long time since anyone has called me that. Let me introduce you. This is Kael, my companion on my journey. When he said your mortal flesh was weak, he wasn’t insulting you. He just meant that the human body is fragile.” She leaned closer, her voice a whisper. “So… tonight, I will personally transfer my essence to you. You’ll become an immortal, just like me. And we’ll never have to be apart again.” I pointed at the man and his son. “You have his child, you carry his baby, and you stand in front of him and tell me *we’ll* never be apart?” As expected, Kael’s eyes welled with tears. The little boy started punching my leg. “You mean man! You made my daddy cry! Say you’re sorry!” **”This sidekick pretending to be the innocent victim. Ugh. It’s okay, Kael baby, don’t cry.”** **”If he wants a separation so badly, he can just leave. Jump through the Sundering Gate and you’re back in the mortal world.”** **”He’s just bluffing. The loser would never give up the luxury of the Celestial Realm and the temptation of eternal life.”** I turned to leave, but Seraphina’s hand shot out, grabbing my arm. At the same time, she grabbed Kael’s, who had also made a move to leave. “Rhys, where are you going?” “To the Sundering Gate. I told you, my wish is to separate from you.” She frowned, completely bewildered. “Just because Kael and I have children? Are you really that petty?” Am I petty? My wife fell in love with another man while she was supposed to be saving me. Am I not allowed to be angry? “Let me go.” I didn’t want to become the monster described in those floating words. Leaving was my only option. And she did let go. She let go of Kael’s hand, stepped behind me, and wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace. “My only goal on this entire journey was to bring you back,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “Without you, nothing I’ve done has any meaning.” My own eyes started to burn. We were childhood sweethearts. Maybe I should trust the Seraphina I knew. Not these strange, cruel words. 3 “Mama! Daddy doesn’t look so good!” Kael was clutching his stomach, his face pale and contorted in pain. Seraphina immediately let go of me and rushed to his side, channeling her power into him to calm the chaotic energy in his core. Kael sagged against her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She didn’t push him away, simply supporting his weight. “Kael gave me a third of his life force a few days ago to help me nurture the baby,” she explained, not looking at me. “I need to help him stabilize his power. Rhys, I’ll be right back.” He was injured for the sake of their child. She, as the child’s mother, was taking care of him. It made sense. It was logical. But a selfish part of me couldn’t help but think: *If I hadn’t died, we would have had children. We would have been a normal, happy couple.* “Rhys, it’s incredibly difficult for celestials to have children. Kael is just… my partner in this. We are not in love. Don’t overthink it.” My fingernails dug into my palms. I swallowed the resentment and forced myself to say, “Okay.” 4 Seraphina was still worried I’d jump from the Sundering Gate. She had me confined to a lavish palace, guarded by hundreds of celestial soldiers. The servants were forbidden to speak to me. I had no way of finding the Gate. I had no idea how much time was passing. **”Phew, that was close. Good thing the sidekick didn’t do anything stupid. Sera gave birth to a healthy baby girl! The FL says she looks just like she did as a baby!”** **”Has anyone noticed the sidekick looks… older since he’s been locked up?”** **”A day in the heavens is a year on earth. The FL has been with Kael for his ‘post-partum’ recovery for fifteen days. That means the sidekick is a 30-year-old man now.”** Thirty. An old man? Seraphina and Kael were a million years old, and they still looked like they were in their early twenties. I looked in the mirror. Fine lines were beginning to creep around my eyes. My skin was sallow. I was aging. One day, two days, ten days. I started to miss my parents. My family. I never got to see my father’s hair turn grey, or my mother’s face grow old. I never brought honor to our family name. Back then, my entire world revolved around Seraphina. When she needed a sacred vessel forged for her ascension, our family were the only artisans in the region who could do it. But no one believed that she, an orphan everyone considered bad luck, could ever become a god. So I knelt in our ancestral hall. I begged my parents, my elders. I kowtowed until my forehead was bleeding. The only condition they gave was that she marry into our family. On our wedding night, the heavens roared. A divine trial descended. I threw myself in front of her, taking the lightning strike that was meant for her. With my death, she broke through to the next stage of her power, becoming the strongest mortal alive. My parents, my family… how much pain must they have felt, seeing me die? To give up your life for a woman… was it worth it? Back then, I didn’t understand. I thought a young man’s love could conquer anything. I couldn’t just wither away and die here. I had to go home. I owed my family an explanation. 5 “Rhys, are you still angry?” Seraphina’s voice was right behind me. I turned, and there she was, bathed in a holy light, more radiant than ever. And I… I was shriveling up. She wrapped her arms around me, holding me tight. “Rhys, I had a daughter. She looks just like I did when I was born.” **”The Queen’s memory is insane. She remembers what she looked like as a newborn.”** She sighed. “Rhys, will you call me by my full name again? Like you used to?” I tried to pull away, but her grip was like iron. “Do you remember when we were kids?” she murmured. “You used to fight off all the other boys who bullied me. You’d get into wrestling matches with a whole group of them, and you’d come back covered in bruises and mud. But you always won. You’d win all their marbles, and we’d sell them at the market and buy honey cakes until our stomachs hurt, and we’d lie on the flat rocks by the river and watch the moon.” How could I forget? Under that moonlight, a tiny Seraphina had puffed out her chest and proposed to me. “I, Seraphina, will marry Rhys in ten years!” she had declared. “I’ll never change my mind! For my whole life, and all my other lives! I’ll only ever love Rhys! The stars are my witness! And if I break this promise…” She’d paused, scratching her head. I’d been laughing so hard I fell over. “…then I’ll never get to eat honey cakes again!” For a five-year-old girl and a six-year-old boy, there was no imaginable punishment more severe. “Rhys, I’ll give you half of my power. You won’t get old anymore. Please, don’t be angry anymore, okay?” The lights in the room suddenly went out. My robes were being untied. With her power, she had moved us to the bed. I closed my eyes. The chat reappeared. **”Oh no, oh no, the FL is about to get tainted!”** **”My poor ML, all alone with their two kids! Author, can you please stop torturing him!”** **”See? I knew it. The sidekick couldn’t stand getting old. All that talk about leaving and jumping from the Sundering Gate was just an act. So fake.”** A bitter anger welled up inside me. A normal mortal man, cast out of heaven with nothing… how was I supposed to survive in a world teeming with gods and monsters? How was I supposed to find my family, who had likely been reincarnated countless times? If Seraphina was willing to give me her power, why shouldn’t I use it? 6 The next morning, my youth was restored. A strange, powerful energy coiled in my core. Her power. Seraphina was still asleep, her body curled against mine, trapping me. I tried to shift. “Kael… stop it…” she mumbled in her sleep. In the heat of passion, she had told me a thousand times that she loved me, only me. But now, in her most unguarded moment, she was dreaming of him. **”The sidekick should open his eyes and see! Subconsciously, the FL loves our ML the most!”** **”The sidekick was with her for fifteen years. Our Kael was with her for a million. It’s obvious who she truly loves.”** **”The sidekick thought he could die and become her unforgettable first love, then come back and win her heart. Too bad. The one who isn’t loved is the third wheel. This forbidden love is so thrilling!”** **”When is this loser finally going to jump from the Sundering Gate? I can’t take it anymore.”** I shook my head, trying to clear the words, but they wouldn’t go away. So I stopped pretending. “Alright,” I said to the empty room. “If you’re so smart, tell me where the Sundering Gate is.” 7 The chat exploded. They didn’t seem to know I could see them. **”Is he talking to us?”** **”Is the sidekick crazy? Or am I crazy? How can he see the chat?”** **”Sidekick, if you can see this, make a heart shape with your hands.”** A heart shape? What did that mean? I didn’t understand, but I placed my hand over my heart. “Like this?” The chat went silent for a moment. Then the messages came in a flood. **”You guys, type slower! I can’t read anything!”** My head started to throb. **”Wait, so he saw all the mean things we said about him?”** **”So what? We weren’t wrong. He IS a tool.”** **”But he hasn’t actually done anything evil yet.”** **”I wish our ML could see this instead. Why did it have to be the character I hate the most?”** **”Guys, has anyone noticed the next chapter is gone?!”** **”WTF! It’s blank! Someone message the author and ask if it’s a bug!”** **”I thought this was a finished story. I’ve read it a dozen times.”** **”Does this mean… our comments can change the plot?”** **”Don’t get ahead of yourself. He’s just a worthless, villainous side character.”** Side character or not, I am the hero of my own story. And I would use any advantage I could get. “So,” I said again, “are you going to tell me where the Sundering Gate is, or not?” 8 Following the chat’s directions, I slipped out of the palace. Seraphina’s power allowed me to turn invisible, evading the guards. “So this is the Sundering Gate.” I stood before a well that swirled with iridescent, cosmic clouds. Peering through the mist, I thought I could see the faces of my family, long passed. “Mom, Dad, your son has failed you. I’m coming to find you.” Just as I was about to jump, a crimson cord of light wrapped around me, pulling me back. “And where do you think you’re going, Rhys?” Kael stood there, holding a newborn baby, looking weak and pale. “I’m going through the Gate. To leave you two in peace.” I tried to use my new power to break free, but the cord only tightened. “That’s a Celestial Tether,” he said calmly. “The more power you use, the stronger it gets. Are you angry with me, Rhys? If I’ve done something to offend you, I apologize.” And with that, he knelt, his body still weak from giving half of his lifeblood to his newborn child. The chat immediately started gushing with sympathy. **”My poor baby looks even worse than when the sidekick framed him and got him thrown into the Demon Abyss.”** **”I regret telling Rhys where the Gate was. He should have just stayed in his lane and been the evil sidekick.”** **”The ML is apologizing and he didn’t even do anything wrong!”** **”The sidekick is just using us to bully the ML!”** **”Next time he asks for anything, I’m giving him fake directions. Let him get into trouble himself!”** Wow. Their ability to twist reality was impressive. I ignored them and focused on my core, trying to suppress my power so the Tether would loosen. When Seraphina and I had first started our journey, I had been the faster learner. I was always more powerful than her, but I held back, letting her win, to protect her pride. If only I hadn’t died before my own ascension, my power might have rivaled hers by now. Kael must have felt the Tether slacken. His fingers twitched, and he whispered, so low only I could hear, “I won’t let you have her. We’re soulmates. You just need to play your part. Hate me. That’s all you need to do.” A small, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips. Something felt very wrong. In the next instant, the Celestial Tether vanished. Kael collapsed, and the baby, dropped to the stone floor, let out a piercing wail that echoed through the heavens. Seraphina appeared in a flash of light. She took in the scene—the unconscious Kael, the crying baby, me standing over them—and her eyes narrowed into a furious glare. “Kael told me you held a grudge against him, but I didn’t believe him. I told him you weren’t the type to be consumed by jealousy. I told him I have never loved Kael, that my heart has only ever been yours. Why can’t you leave him alone? He was worried you’d be in danger if you went back to the mortal world, so he tried to stop you. And you attacked him to break free!” Her voice shook with rage. “I never knew you could be so cruel. He just gave his essence to our child; he’s incredibly weak. Now he’s bleeding internally. Are you trying to kill him?” She looked at me, her face a mask of cold disappointment. “Resurrecting you was my million-year obsession. Now, my obsession is fulfilled. We are even.” She picked up Kael, her eyes red. “You wanted a separation? Fine. You can have it.” She drew a dagger of pure light and severed a lock of her silvery hair, throwing it at my feet. As she turned to leave, she scoffed. “You have no idea what the mortal world is like now. I bet you’ll be on your knees before one of my statues in three days, begging me to take you back.” I turned my back to her, swallowing the last of my tears. “You’re mistaken, Your Majesty. You and I… we will never meet again.” And I leaped into the swirling clouds below.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “385090”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

On the third day of my business trip, I idly opened my boyfriend’s private Instagram account. He had posted something new just a few seconds earlier. **“Biggest regret in life might be meeting the girl you want to take care of forever, right before you’re supposed to get married.”** The caption was paired with a candid shot of a young woman in a floral sundress. Her name is Lily. She’s my boyfriend’s classmate from his undergrad days. Sweet, innocent, and ten years younger than me. 01 I stared at the screen, my mind going blank for a second. My boss, sitting next to me, nudged my elbow. “Daydreaming again? Pay attention, the clients are talking. Go over the proposal one more time; you’re presenting in five. You got this.” I quickly shoved my phone back in my purse and gave him a thumbs-up. “Don’t worry. I’m gonna nail this.” After the meeting, my boss told me to grab a quick lunch. We were heading to the manufacturing plant for a site inspection in half an hour. I pulled out my phone to order something on DoorDash and saw the Instagram icon. I couldn’t resist. I tapped it open again. The post was gone. Just then, my best friend Megan called. “Dude, finally,” she said, her voice a dramatic rush. “You are not going to believe what I just saw.” “Your PhD-candidate boyfriend was at the grocery store with some young girl. They bought two huge bags of groceries, laughing and joking the whole time.” “I followed them. Subtly, of course. They went into your apartment building.” “Oh my god, he’s taking another woman into the condo you guys just bought together!” “Chloe, this is huge. Why are you so quiet?” I rubbed my forehead, a bitter smile on my face. “Meg, I’d love to say something, but you haven’t exactly taken a breath.” “Hold on, I took pictures. Sending them now.” My phone buzzed. A series of photos popped up. The angles were terrible—clearly spy shots—but the faces were crystal clear. The man, with his rimless glasses and handsome, scholarly look, was my boyfriend of eight years, Leo. And the girl… she was petite, radiating a youthful sweetness. Her name is Lily. A fellow student from his alma mater, from the same small town he grew up in. A senior at the local university now. “Did you see them?” Megan demanded. “Yeah,” I said. “That’s it?! Just ‘yeah’?!” My laugh was hollow. “What do you want me to say?” I could practically hear her cracking her knuckles over the phone. “You should be flying back here right now to key her car and make that asshole walk home in his boxers!” I massaged my throbbing temples. “First, I’m in the middle of a business trip. If this deal closes, I get a promotion. I can’t just leave.” “Second, we don’t know for sure if anything is actually happening. I could fly back and find nothing.” “And finally, even if they are sleeping together, so what? I go back and we have a huge, messy fight. Megan, breaking off an engagement isn’t like a normal breakup. It’s exhausting. This whole mess with him might make me cry, but my job just got me a big enough bonus for a new designer bag. You tell me which one’s a better investment.” Megan sighed. “I get it. I do. I just hate this for you. You’ve been with him for so long, supported him through two grad school applications, through his entire PhD program. You were cooking him special ‘brain food’ meals every single day while he was studying for his comprehensive exams. If he dares to cheat on you, I will personally ruin him.” “I know you’ve always got my back,” I said, forcing a smile into my voice. “I’ll bring you back something nice.” After we hung up, I just stood there. My nose started to burn, and I felt tears welling up. I squeezed my phone, forcing them back down. After a few minutes of deep breathing, I put on a smile, pulled out my phone, and ordered a salad. I needed to eat. I had a long afternoon ahead of me. 02 The trip was a huge success. We landed a major contract, and just like my boss promised, I was promoted to Director of Sales for the West Coast. Three days later, we flew back to San Francisco. As a reward, my boss gave me two days off and offered to have his driver take me home. I smiled and told him not to worry about it; my boyfriend was coming to pick me up. I stood at the arrivals curb with my oversized suitcase and called Leo three times. I sent five texts. No answer. The early March rain was cold, like icy needles against my skin. Defeated, I hailed a cab. I punched in the code to our condo and was hit by the rich aroma of a home-cooked meal. There were already four dishes on the dining table. Leo, wearing an apron, was at the stove. And on our new white sofa, a stranger—a man in his fifties—was asleep. He looked tired, his hair graying. A lit cigarette was perched between his fingers. A long column of ash broke off and fell onto our brand-new white shag rug. I slammed the door shut, startling him awake. He sat up, stubbed out the cigarette in an ashtray, and rubbed his eyes. He glanced at the wedding portrait on the wall, then at me. “You must be…” The man stood up, smiling. “You’re Leo’s girlfriend, Chloe, right?” Leo heard the commotion and came out of the kitchen, spatula in hand. He looked surprised to see me. “You’re back already?” He walked over, completely naturally, and pulled my suitcase inside. “This is Lily’s dad,” he explained. He pulled a spare pair of men’s slippers from the shoe cabinet and placed them at my feet. “Lily’s mom is in the hospital right now, just a couple of blocks from here. Lily and her dad are taking shifts staying with her, so I told them they could crash here for a few days.” “I see,” I said flatly. Leo had to get back to the stove, so he rushed back to the kitchen. I wheeled my suitcase into the master bedroom. The heat lamp in our en-suite bathroom was on, and I could hear the shower running. The sound was like a punch to the gut. The water shut off. A moment later, the door opened. A young woman in cotton pajamas walked out, toweling her wet hair. Her face was fair and dewy, like a jasmine flower after a winter rain. It was Lily. She saw me and froze. “Ch-Chloe? I thought you were on a business trip.” Just like Leo. The exact same words. My eyes fell to her feet. She was wearing my pink, bunny-ear slippers. Lily shifted uncomfortably, taking a step back. “I don’t know if Leo told you, but my mom’s in the hospital. I couldn’t really shower there, so… I just borrowed your bathroom.” Just then, Leo’s voice called from the other room. “Dinner’s ready!” 03 There were four dishes and a soup on the table, a full-on home-cooked meal. All made by Leo. In eight years, he had never cooked a proper meal. The best he could manage was instant noodles. I had no idea he had this in him. The atmosphere at the table was painfully awkward. Lily and her father exchanged nervous glances and ate in silence. Leo put a piece of braised short rib on my plate. “How was the trip?” “Good,” I said. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back today? I would have picked you up.” “I called,” I said, chewing slowly. “You didn’t answer.” He paused. “Oh, right. My phone was charging in the other room. I was in the kitchen, I must not have heard it.” Another suffocating silence. Lily’s dad finally broke it with a cheerful, forced laugh. “Chloe, you’re a lucky woman. A guy like Leo, smart, thoughtful, and he can cook? They don’t make ‘em like that anymore.” I pulled out my phone and opened the HotelTonight app. “Sir, I’ve booked you a hotel. It’s very convenient, just a few minutes from the hospital.” The man slowly put down his chopsticks and turned his head away. Leo nudged my arm. “Her mom is getting out in a few days. Her dad is going through a tough time. It’s just for a little while.” I held up my phone. “I solved his tough time. He can stay at the hotel.” Leo’s face flushed with anger. “Do you have to make such a big deal out of this?” I looked him straight in the eye. “Do I? This is our condo, Leo. The place we’re supposed to get married in. We spent a year renovating it, another six months letting it air out. I’ve lived here for less than two weeks. My slippers aren’t even broken in yet, and you’re moving strangers in without even asking me?” He clenched his fists. “They’re not strangers! They’re from my hometown. Lily is my friend.” At that, Lily, who had been silent this whole time, put down her chopsticks. “I’m so sorry, Chloe.” Her eyes were red. She stood up and pulled on her father’s arm. “We shouldn’t have stayed here without asking you first. We’re very sorry.” She gave me a deep, formal bow. Her father sighed and bowed as well. The slump of his shoulders screamed of shame and humiliation. “We’re sorry, Chloe.” For a moment, my resolve softened. Was I being too harsh? Lily wiped a tear from her eye, her voice choked. “We’re so sorry for the trouble. My mom is still at the hospital… We’ll leave now.” Leo jumped up to stop them. “Lily, don’t cry. Chloe doesn’t mean it. She’s not kicking you out.” The last of my sympathy vanished. “Yes, I am. I don’t like strangers staying in my home.” Lily looked at me, then pulled her father toward the door to get their things. A few minutes later, they were ready to leave, suitcases in hand. Leo was still hovering, trying to apologize. “It’s still raining. Wait, let me grab a jacket for you. I’ll drive you. Just wait for me in the garage.” 04 After seeing them into the elevator, Leo came back into the condo for his car keys. He stood in the entryway, staring at me. I sat at the table, looking at the four dishes and soup, my expression calm. But under the table, my hands wouldn’t stop shaking. “Chloe, when did you become so heartless?” he demanded. “If you’re mad, be mad at me. Why did you have to humiliate them like that? Her dad is a taxi driver, a good, honest man. He was trying to hide it, but I saw him crying. You were so arrogant.” I let out a cold laugh. “Don’t you dare try to guilt-trip me. If they had asked me beforehand, I might have said yes. But this is on you. You made a decision behind my back, and now you have to live with the consequences.” He was cornered, and it made him angrier. “Lily is so shy and sweet. She would never have the guts to ask you. Besides, it’s not a big deal.” Shy? Sweet? I remember about four months ago, it was around 11 PM, and Leo and I were about to get intimate. I had just gotten out of the shower. He looked at me with this awkward, apologetic expression and said he wasn’t in the mood, that he couldn’t… perform. He asked if we could just try another time. What was I going to do, force him? Half an hour later, I pretended to be asleep. He quietly slipped out of bed and went to his study. I heard him get on a video call. It was with Lily. “Which problem are you stuck on?” he asked her. “This one,” she said in this super sweet, girly voice. “I feel like I just can’t get my head around it. Oh no, I’m totally going to bomb the math section of the GRE.” “It’s okay,” he said, his voice incredibly gentle. “We’ll work through it step by step.” “Is Chloe asleep?” she asked. “I hope I’m not bothering you guys, asking for help so late.” “Not at all,” he said quickly. “She has a crazy work schedule. She was out like a light hours ago.” As he was explaining the problem, I saw him discreetly take a few screenshots of her on his screen. … I had tried to rationalize it back then. Eight years is a long time. People say there’s a seven-year itch. He’s only human. I could allow him a moment of weakness, a small crush. As long as he respected our relationship, as long as he stayed on the right side of the line, as long as he still loved me, I could let it go. But he kept pushing that line, further and further, until now, I couldn’t pretend anymore. Just look at the way he was looking at me now. Pure, cold indifference. 05 There was nothing left to say. Leo shot me one last glare, grabbed his keys, and stormed out. The apartment was finally quiet. I looked at the cold food on the table and let out a small, choked laugh. And then the laughter turned to sobs. I hadn’t had a single drink, but my head was spinning. I called Megan. “Hey—” I managed to get one word out before I broke down completely. “What’s wrong? Chloe, don’t cry,” she said, her voice instantly alert. “You’re home, aren’t you? Did you catch them? Did that bastard really cheat on you?” “Hold on,” she said. “I’m coming over right now.” “Don’t,” I managed to say. I told her everything that had happened. She listened patiently. “That son of a bitch!” she finally exploded. “He’s the one who screwed up, and he has the nerve to call *you* arrogant? What a scumbag.” “Do you think,” I said, my voice thick with tears, “that all men just want someone younger?” “No,” she said firmly. “It means he’s a shallow asshole who doesn’t deserve a smart, successful woman like you.” I curled up in the chair and was quiet for a long time. “You know, I always just thought he was the typical nerdy, logical type. Too rational to be romantic.” “Two years ago, when I had the miscarriage… he made me chicken soup. He burned his hand doing it.” “I knew he just bought it pre-made from the grocery store, but I was still so touched.” “Then he had to go to a conference out of state. He asked me if I’d be okay by myself.” “I told him I was feeling better, that I’d be fine.” “So he ordered me a pizza on his phone, and he left.” “And then tonight… seeing him cook that whole meal, watching him chase after that girl…” “I realized it then. It’s not that the nerdy, logical guy doesn’t know how to be romantic. It’s just that his romance isn’t for me.” … I heard Megan light a cigarette and exhale slowly. “From the way you describe it, I don’t think they’ve slept together yet. Chloe, what are you going to do?” What was I going to do? I used to think that we would get married, and that would be that. Every couple has problems. And eight years… you don’t just throw that away. But now… the difference between being loved and not being loved was so painfully obvious. I couldn’t bear the thought of him sleeping next to me, making love to me, while thinking of another woman. “Megan,” I said quietly. “I don’t think I want to marry him anymore.” “Are you sure?” she asked, her voice gentle. Just then, my phone vibrated. A new message. It was from Leo. 06 **“Chloe, I’ve been thinking a lot. I can’t accept your arrogance and the way you treat people. Lily and her dad were my guests. The way you treated them was really a reflection of how you see me. I think we need to seriously consider if our values are even compatible.”** I read the text and laughed. A moment later, my phone rang. It was him. I told Megan I’d call her back and answered. “Hello, Chloe. It’s me.” “Lily is sitting right here next to me. She’s been crying this whole time. The phone is on speaker. I need you to apologize to her. Right now.” “If you refuse to apologize, then I think we need to seriously reconsider whether we should be getting married.” I paused for a beat, a cold smile spreading across my face. “Fine,” I said. “Then let’s not get married.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “385089”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The day our final high school grades were released, Reina threw a huge celebration party for Alex. But she didn’t invite me. Later, when her meticulously planned drone light show over the Hudson River made local headlines, I quietly changed my college application from Columbia to NYU. Eighteen years of being inseparable, and in the end, I lost out to the new guy. I never thought the person I would lose to would be the underprivileged student I had personally vouched for. And this time, I don’t think I can ever forgive Reina. 1 I only found out about the party because someone in our class group chat accidentally posted and then quickly deleted a video. The moment Alex saw his grades, he let out a whoop of joy and swept Reina into a massive hug. “Reina! I can go to Columbia with you!” Reina didn’t push him away. She just smiled and slipped a wristband with a small, silver “King” charm onto his wrist. “Congratulations,” she said. In the background of the noisy video, our classmates were all cheering for him. It felt less like a celebration of his grades and more like they were celebrating him and Reina finally getting together. And there I was, staring at my phone, the punchline to a joke I didn’t even know I was in. I hesitated for a second, then called her. After two rings, a voice I didn’t expect answered. It was Alex. “Hey, Liam. Reina’s in the bathroom. She’s been running around all night planning this party for me, this is the first break she’s had.” He paused, realizing his mistake. “Actually, I told her to invite you, but she said you might be bummed about your scores, so she didn’t want to bother you.” “I’ll have her call you back, okay?” “Whoa…” I heard him gasp, like he had just seen something incredible. I didn’t care what it was. “Don’t bother,” I said, my voice flat. “You guys have fun.” I hung up. A local news notification popped up on my phone. A drone show over the Hudson. When I saw the image of the drones spelling out “CONGRATULATIONS ALEX – COLUMBIA BOUND,” I understood his gasp. A gesture that grand, that public… what guy wouldn’t fall for that? I glanced at my computer screen. A perfect 1600. I had worked my ass off for the past six months. I could get into Columbia, no problem. I could get into any school I wanted. Once, going to Columbia together was our plan, our promise. After Reina got in through early decision, that promise became a heavy weight on my shoulders, making every practice test a source of anxiety. But now, it seemed like I was the only one who even remembered that promise. And there was no point in keeping it anymore. 2 The next day, I slept in until noon. I called my parents and told them my score. My dad wired me ten grand and told me to “go celebrate, buy yourself something nice.” My mom, after a brief silence when I told her I was choosing NYU, finally spoke. “I thought you were going to choose Columbia. With Reina there, I wouldn’t have to worry about you.” She sighed. “But, if you have your own reasons, I support you completely.” “Yeah, Mom. I can take care of myself,” I said, ending the call quickly. After my parents divorced and remarried, having new kids with their new spouses, I became the baggage neither of them wanted. I thought I was used to it after all these years. But hearing her say that… it still stung. Because now, even Reina wasn’t going to be by my side anymore. 3 That afternoon, I was in the backyard, watering the roses, when Reina called to me from over the fence. “You seem to be in a good mood. What did you get?” she asked, yawning. She was still in her pajamas, her voice casual. She probably didn’t actually care about my score. If she did, she wouldn’t have waited until the next afternoon to ask. “1600,” I said quietly. “That’s great!” she said, her voice suddenly bright, like she was genuinely happy for me. “So you can come to Columbia with us!” That one word—”us”—twisted something in my gut. It was like she had only ever wanted Alex to go with her, and I was just an unexpected, and maybe unwanted, addition. I was about to tell her I wasn’t going to Columbia, but then Alex stumbled out of her back door, stretching. He was wearing one of her oversized t-shirts and a pair of pink pajama pants that were way too small for him, making him look like a kid in hand-me-downs. He saw me and ran over, his face beaming. “Liam, man, I’m so sorry. I was so excited yesterday, I completely forgot to ask you how you did.” Of course he was excited. Reina’s grand gesture had made him the talk of the town. Even if the drone show was old news by now, for them, it would be a memory that lasted forever. I looked at the pink pajamas again, and my good mood vanished. Their relationship was moving a lot faster than I had thought. Reina, sensing the awkwardness, tried to smooth things over. “Liam got a 1600. He can come to Columbia with us.” Alex’s smile faltered. “Wow, that’s amazing. You did even better than me.” He looked at me. “Do you know what you want to major in?” I was still stuck on “with us.” “I don’t know,” I said irritably. “With this score, I can probably pick whatever I want.” “Liam, don’t be rude,” Reina said, frowning at me like she was scolding a child. Alex quickly jumped in. “Liam comes from a wealthy family; he can just choose whatever he’s passionate about. For me, I have to think about my future career, job prospects… it’s so hard to choose.” “Don’t worry,” Reina said, reaching up to ruffle his hair, her voice soft. “I’ll help you figure it out.” The casual intimacy of the gesture was like a slap in the face. As they walked away, Reina turned back. “Liam, you shouldn’t talk to Alex like that. His family doesn’t have the advantages we do. He’s worked incredibly hard to get where he is.” “And about yesterday,” she continued, “the party ended really late, and he couldn’t get back to his place in the suburbs, so he just crashed in my guest room. Don’t read anything into it.” “Besides,” she added, “you’re the one who told me to help him out.” “Anyway, I’m really happy you got into Columbia.” I turned off the hose, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. A half-assed explanation and a pat on the head. Was that all I was worth to her? So, Alex’s struggle was a struggle, but mine wasn’t? It was true, when I first introduced them, I had asked her to help him, to tutor him. I never thought he would end up replacing me in her life. I never thought my best friend, the girl I had grown up with, would one day say my full name with such a cold, dismissive tone, all for some other guy. But it was done. Three was a crowd, and someone had to be the one to gracefully exit. So, I wasn’t going to Columbia. In a month, I would be gone, and Reina and I would be over. Forever. 4 I called a real estate agent and listed the house. I told him to price it slightly below market value, but that I would only accept a cash offer. He came over to take pictures and gently told me that finding a cash buyer for a house this size would be difficult in the current market. I just smiled. “That’s fine. Just list it. I’ll leave a key with you when I go to college.” As I was showing him out, I saw Reina and Alex leaving. Alex saw me and immediately came over, all smiles. “Reina’s taking me to get some stuff for my dorm room. Want to come?” He was wearing a brand-new, expensive-looking watch. A gift from Reina, no doubt. It was also obvious that he hadn’t left her house in days. “Crashing for one night” had turned into moving in. But then I remembered that her parents were out of town on business, and it all made a sick kind of sense. Reina didn’t second his invitation. She just pointed at the real estate agent’s car. “Who was that?” “Oh, just someone from the city to fix a leaky pipe,” I lied. Ever since I decided to leave, I had become a very good liar. I don’t know if it was my acting, or if Reina just didn’t care enough to question it. She just nodded and told me to take care of myself, then walked off with Alex, laughing and talking. The sight of their happiness was so sharp, so painful, that I had to turn away. And for the third time in my life, I felt a profound, aching loneliness in this big, empty house. The first time was when I was seven. My parents got divorced. My mom left with a single suitcase. Before she walked out the door, she knelt down and told me, “Your dad is busy. You need to learn to take care of yourself. If you need anything, go next door and ask Reina’s mom.” “And be polite,” she added. “They’ll like you more if you are.” Reina’s parents did treat me like their own son. And Reina… she always looked out for me. If there was a dish on the table that I liked, she would save it for me. I was a picky eater, and I hated carrots. She would sneak them out of my bowl when her mom wasn’t looking and eat them herself, even though she hated them too. The second time was when I was ten. My dad remarried. His secretary, pregnant with a boy, he had confirmed. He was overjoyed. He bought a house in her hometown and moved there. Out of guilt, I guess, he transferred the deed to this house to my name before he left. He said he would come back and visit, but he rarely did. Even though he was never really around much before, the thought of being completely alone in this house on holidays was a new kind of lonely. Back then, Reina, afraid I would be sad, would come over every day with some new way to cheer me up. She would dress up in a Pikachu costume in the middle of summer and bring me cupcakes. Her mom would cook my favorite meals. Their warmth filled the void left by my own family. And slowly, over the years, my feelings for Reina changed into something more. In our freshman year of high school, she made me promise we would go to Columbia together. The look in her eyes was so sincere, I thought she felt the same way. I had planned to confess my feelings to her the day we both got our acceptance letters. Looking back now, I think I was just fooling myself. Reina was nice to me, but she was nice to everyone. Except for Alex. With him, she was more than nice. She was… everything. 5 Reina’s parents came home early from their trip. Her mom immediately called and invited me over for dinner, saying her dad had a graduation gift for me. It was a new laptop, tablet, and phone, the exact same models as Reina’s. I was grateful. Her dad was a quiet man, but he had always been kind to me. The thought of leaving them was the hardest part of this whole decision. But I would find a way to make it up to them someday. We were halfway through dinner when Reina and Alex finally came home. Alex immediately tried to hide behind Reina. Her dad’s expression hardened. “How many times have I told you to be mindful of your boundaries with people? Bringing a boy home like this… what will people think?” Her mom, trying to keep the peace, gestured for them to sit down. “Let’s just eat. After dinner, I’ll have the driver take you home.” She looked at Alex. “Your parents must be worried about you, right?” Alex didn’t say anything. Under the table, he tugged on Reina’s sleeve. She moved my favorite dish, a spicy stir-fried pork, in front of him. “Mom, Dad, I don’t know why you’re so hostile toward Alex,” she said, her voice sharp. “Liam is over here all the time, and you’ve never said a word to him.” “That’s different, and you know it,” her mom snapped. “How is it different?” Reina retorted. She glanced at me, a flicker of something in her eyes, but no apology. She stood up, grabbed Alex’s hand, and pulled him toward the door. “I promised Alex I would show him every corner of this city this summer. If he’s not welcome in this house, then we’ll just stay somewhere else.” Even though I had tried to prepare myself for this, hearing her say that, seeing her defend him so fiercely… it was like a punch to the gut. The special treatment, the favoritism I thought I had… it had never been for me. Her mom tried to comfort me after they left, but I couldn’t hear her words. I just smiled and said, “It’s okay. People grow up.” And people grow apart. “Don’t be too hard on her,” I said. 6 I spent the next few days packing. After my parents left, there wasn’t much in the house that was mine. The only room that took any time was my bedroom. One entire wall was covered in shelves, filled with gifts from Reina. Crystal snow globes, music boxes, Marvel action figures, limited edition sneakers… for a while, they had made me believe I was special to her, that I was the only one. But now, I realized she had probably just felt sorry for me. A sad, lonely boy who needed cheering up. Throwing them all away felt too cruel. I decided to leave them for the next owner. I just packed a few suitcases of clothes. Reina’s parents eventually managed to get her to come home. As a compromise, they allowed her to take Alex out during the day, as long as she was home by six every night. We would sometimes run into each other, and she would always look at me with this hesitant, almost guilty expression. I think she blamed me. I think she thought that her parents’ disapproval of Alex was somehow my fault. But who was there to care about my pain? 6 The night my acceptance letter arrived, Reina threw a small pebble at my window. It was a secret signal we had when we were kids. We hadn’t used it since she and Alex had gotten close. I opened the window, a strange sense of nostalgia washing over me. Reina was standing in her yard, holding up her own acceptance letter, her face glowing. “Liam! It’s here! Columbia, aerospace engineering!” Becoming an aerospace engineer had always been her dream. For a while, I had even considered majoring in the same thing, just so we could spend more time together. Now, all I could do was smile from my window and say, “Congratulations.” “What about you?” she asked, tilting her head. “What did you end up choosing?” “Literature.” She nodded. “That sounds like you.” She pulled a handful of sparklers from her pocket and lit them. The sparks illuminated her beautiful face, making her look almost magical. “Congratulations on getting into Columbia, Liam,” she said, her voice soft and hypnotic. “Thanks,” I said, a dull ache in my chest. If I hadn’t seen the drone show, I might have been fooled by this cheap, imitation romance. Goodbye, Reina. I did get into the literature program. Just not at Columbia. 7 I wanted to live off-campus, so as soon as my student visa was approved, I booked a flight to New York. Reina was too busy showing Alex the world to notice I was gone. I only said goodbye to her parents. I told them I was just going on a trip, not that I was leaving for good. The pace of life in New York was frantic, and the busyness of it all helped to numb the pain of leaving. But sometimes, I would find myself scrolling through my phone, looking at Alex’s posts. While I was apartment hunting under the hot summer sun, he was posting pictures of him and Reina whitewater rafting. Caption: **”Cooling off this summer! First time rafting!”** Reina’s comment: **”There will be many more times to come.”** While I was eating a sad slice of pizza in a tiny diner, he was posting pictures of a fancy dinner at a restaurant at the top of the Empire State Building. Caption: **”It’s lonely at the top. And a little hard to breathe. First time having dinner with a view like this.”** Reina’s comment: **”I’ll help you check off every item on your wish list.”** I turned off my phone, a cold sneer on my face. It wasn’t the altitude that was making him dizzy. It was the intoxicating fantasy of marrying into money. The night I moved into my new apartment, on a strange impulse, I went through and liked every single one of his posts. Less than a minute later, I got messages from both of them. Reina: **”You little jerk. You went to New York without me?”** Alex: **”Reina told me you’re in New York! Is it fun? I wish I could go. I’m so jealous you can just pick up and leave whenever you want.”** Alex: **”By the way, Liam, school is starting soon. You’re still going to sponsor me, right?”** I was defeated by his sheer audacity. He had already stolen the love of my life, and he still had the nerve to ask me for money for college. I was also angry at myself, for wasting even a second of my time on them. I left their messages on “read” and blocked them both. Finally, the world was quiet again.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “385088”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

While helping my son with his homework, I mispronounced a line from a famous poem. My husband, Leo, corrected me. “It’s ‘The charge of the Light Brigade,’ not ‘The change of the Light Brigade,’” he said. And for that, I asked for a divorce. Leo stared at me, bewildered. “Over a single word?” I was about to nod when words began to scroll across my vision, like a live-stream chat. **【Here we go! This is the part where the shrewish side character makes a huge deal over nothing and tries to divorce the ML!】** **【I feel so bad for the ML. The pronunciation was officially changed like a hundred years ago. What’s wrong with him correcting her?】** **【Tbh, we should thank her. If she wasn’t so crazy, the ML would never realize how cool and understanding the FL is and they wouldn’t get their happy ending.】** **【LMAO, she has no idea. She thinks she’s just throwing a little tantrum, but she’s actually handing her husband over to someone else. Later, she’ll be on her knees, begging him to come back, but it’ll be too late. Even her own son won’t want her anymore!】** I froze, and my eyes instinctively darted to my son, Noah. His brow was furrowed in a look of pure disdain. “Auntie Evelyn said that anyone who doesn’t know how to say that is basically illiterate,” he said, his little voice full of scorn. “Mom, you can’t get mad at Dad just because you’re an idiot.” So, the chat was right. The “female lead” had already infiltrated our lives, and I hadn’t even noticed. I turned and started packing a bag. “Yes,” I said, my voice cold. “Over a single word.” 1 The love letters Leo wrote to me in college? I left them. The anniversary gifts he’d given me over the years? I left them. The matching couple’s sweatshirts we bought when we were just kids? I left them, too. I packed only what was absolutely necessary, all of it fitting into a single carry-on suitcase. When I wheeled my bag out of the bedroom, the warm, yellow light of the living room was still on. Leo was half-turned toward me, the other half of his body cloaked in shadow. He was slouched on the couch, his laptop open in front of him. He was in a meeting. But there were only two people in the video call. Him, and the “Auntie Evelyn” my son had just mentioned. Her real name was Evelyn Shaw. She was wearing a silk robe, a thin cigarette perched between her elegant fingers. Her voice was cool and detached. “Let’s just stick to the plan for the project. Now that we’re done with business, shall we talk about something personal?” she said, taking a drag. “Noah just called me. He said he wanted me to help him with his homework. What’s going on? Where’s your wife?” As Leo was answering her, I was rolling my suitcase toward the front door. He suddenly laughed, a short, sharp sound. He caught my eye, a flicker of defiance in his gaze. “She says she’s divorcing me,” he said, a smirk playing on his lips. “Because I corrected her pronunciation of a word.” I opened the door, my voice calm. “I’m leaving, Leo.” “Fine,” he said. “When do you want to go to the courthouse?” “Tomorrow. 2:30 PM. I’ll meet you there.” I gently closed the door, shutting out the look of sudden shock on his face. The chat in my head immediately exploded. **【??? What’s happening? Why isn’t she following the script? Shouldn’t she be throwing a massive fit right now?】** **【Come on, do your job! We need you to be a crazy, irrational shrew to make our FL look good! Go back in there and start a fight!】** **【You guys are so naive. Don’t you see what she’s doing? She only packed a tiny suitcase. She left all the important stuff behind. She thinks she’s coming back. It’s just a little manipulation tactic.】** **【I’ll bet you ten bucks she’s back in three days, tail between her legs.】** **【I’ll bet you she doesn’t even last the night!】** I closed my eyes, my hand gripping the handle of my suitcase so tightly my knuckles turned white. They didn’t know. I didn’t take those “important” things with me, not because I thought I would be back. But because they weren’t important to me anymore. 2 To win me over in college, Leo wrote me 99 love letters. I hadn’t been interested in dating. I wanted to go to grad school, to work in my professor’s lab, to dedicate my life to research. But he was persistent. He showered me with all the romantic gestures a girl could dream of. For a small-town girl who had spent her whole life with her nose in a book, it was a whole new world. Fireworks over the Disney castle. Stargazing from a boat in the middle of the ocean. A private serenade in the desert at sunset. I turned him down, again and again, but he just smiled. “I can wait, Amelia. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here.” In the end, I gave in. Those were the three happiest years of my life. I, who had never cared for such things, even bought us matching outfits. He would pretend to complain about my taste, but he would wear them with a proud grin. “This way,” he’d say, “the whole world knows you’re mine.” Everyone thought we were the perfect couple. The “nerdy but beautiful” valedictorian and the “rich, handsome” campus heartthrob. “If you two don’t make it,” they’d say, “I’ll never believe in love again.” So, when he proposed after graduation, I said yes. Saying yes meant giving up my dream of a PhD, moving to a new city with him, and starting over. I did it without hesitation. I found a job, and my work ethic quickly got me promoted to department manager. For the first few years of our marriage, he would always surprise me with a thoughtful anniversary gift. I thought I had it all. Love, a successful career… I thought I had found a new kind of fulfillment. Until I found out I was pregnant. Leo was ecstatic. He picked me up and spun me around, but when he saw the look on my face, his smile faded. “I know this is a bad time for your career,” he said, his voice quiet. “If you don’t want to… it’s okay.” He tried to smile, but as he turned away, I heard a small, choked sigh. I lay awake all night. The next morning, I packed away all the anniversary gifts, the love letters, the matching sweatshirts. Along with them, I packed away my youthful ambitions. A year later, after a long and difficult labor, our son, Noah, was born. And my life became completely tied to my family. I traded my power suits and high heels for sweatpants and sneakers. I gave up my monthly manicures and my biannual hair appointments. I became a full-time housewife. I didn’t realize how much I had changed until one night, Leo came home drunk. He wrapped his arms around me in bed, his hands slipping under my pajama shirt. As I leaned in to kiss him, he suddenly pulled back, sobered by the contact. In the darkness, he blurted out, “Amelia… have you gained weight?” He was right. I didn’t have time for the gym anymore. I was always rushing to take care of Noah, grabbing whatever food was quickest and easiest. My metabolism had slowed down. The pounds had crept on. When I sat down, I had three rolls of fat on my stomach. I wasn’t the dazzling Amelia he had fallen in love with anymore. I didn’t say anything. Leo got out of bed and went to the balcony. In the moonlight, I saw him light a cigarette. He was thinking of someone else. “I’ll transfer you some money,” he said, his back to me. “Go buy yourself some nice clothes tomorrow. Evelyn was telling me about the new Chanel collection. You should get out of the house more. You can’t just wear pajamas all the time.” That was the first time I had ever heard him mention her name. But I didn’t think anything of it. Until tonight. 3 Taking care of Noah took up all of my time. I trusted Leo completely, so I never asked him about his work. So, it was from the live-stream chat that I learned about Evelyn Shaw. She had been brought in as a new executive at his company three months ago. At first, no one liked her, including Leo. But in ten days, she had won everyone over. They all called her “Evelyn,” and said she was not only beautiful, but brilliant. A true “boss lady.” I looked at my reflection in the mirror. 150 pounds, wearing an old t-shirt and shorts, my skin dull, my hair dry. It was no surprise that Leo would end up with Evelyn. He was always drawn to bright, shining people. And me? I had been worn down by life, until all that was left was a dull numbness. I had almost forgotten… I used to be a bright, shining person, too. I called my old professor. We hadn’t parted on the best of terms when I left. I had a backup plan, just in case. But to my surprise, he was thrilled to hear from me. “Amelia, it’s not too late. It’s never too late.” I took a deep breath. “Okay, professor. I’ll book a flight and come see you as soon as I can.” After I hung up, the chat went wild. **【Is she kidding? She’s a stay-at-home mom who’s been out of the loop for years. She thinks she can just waltz back into academia? Is she crazy, or am I?】** **【You guys don’t get it. She’s just jealous of our Evelyn. She sees a powerful, beautiful woman who’s a threat, and now she’s trying to ‘improve’ herself.】** **【LMAO, I can’t. Does she really think she can compete with our FL? She’s just a pathetic, washed-up side character.】** **【She should just go beg the ML for forgiveness now. Maybe she still has a chance.】** **【Too late! Don’t you remember? Evelyn was comforting him all last night. He’s already falling for her! He even brought her a homemade sandwich this morning!】** My hand tightened on the doorknob. I remembered, a long time ago, Leo, who couldn’t cook to save his life, had learned to make sandwiches for me. “If you like them,” he had said, “I’ll make them for you forever. Only for you.” But then, at some point, he stopped. He said he was too busy in the mornings. But one time, when I pressed him, the truth slipped out. “Amelia, can’t you just eat less? Sandwiches are full of carbs, you know.” His disgust… it had been there all along, and I had been too blind to see it. I had let him treat me like that for so long. Was this really the Amelia I wanted to be? 4 Before I went to the courthouse, I got my hair done. The chat was merciless. **【LMAO, what did I tell you? She’s getting all dolled up to go beg the ML for forgiveness.】** **【Ugh, so pathetic. Couldn’t even last 24 hours.】** **【No wonder the ML fell out of love with her. Who could love such a desperate, clingy woman?】** … I ignored them and arrived at the courthouse at 2:30 PM, right on time. Leo was ten minutes late. A sleek, black Lincoln pulled up to the curb, and the window rolled down. Evelyn was at the wheel. She looked me up and down, a smirk on her lips. “Hello, Ms. Davis.” Leo got out of the passenger seat. “Sorry, the meeting ran long,” he said. “Another private meeting for two?” I asked with a smile. He frowned. “Amelia, you don’t have to be so aggressive. Evelyn is a dual major, with a law degree. Since we’re getting a divorce, it’s important to discuss the division of assets, and…” He glanced at the back seat. “Noah’s custody.” The chat saw my hesitation. **【Here we go. The son is her whole life. She’ll never give him up.】** **【Too bad the son already loves our Evelyn more. Who would want a poor, ugly, washed-up mom when you could have a beautiful, cool stepmom?】** Even with my “god’s-eye view,” I wasn’t completely immune to their words. Noah was seven years old. I had poured my entire life into him for seven years. He was the precious treasure I had almost died to bring into this world. I couldn’t just give him up. But just as I was about to speak, Noah, who had been hiding behind Leo, peeked out at me. “Dad, Mom can’t even say ‘Light Brigade’ right. How is she supposed to teach me anything?” My heart clenched. All my hesitation vanished. I let out a short, sharp laugh and walked into the courthouse. “You can have him. I don’t want him.” 5 As we were signing the papers, the clerk gave us the standard speech. “Are you two sure about this? Divorce is a major life decision. You shouldn’t do it just because you’re angry.” Leo leaned back in his chair, a smirk on his face. “Did you hear that, Amelia? It’s just one word. Don’t be so petty. You’ve spent the last seven years revolving your life around Noah. Are you sure you can live without him?” His tone was so condescending. Even here, in this drab government office, with the divorce papers right in front of him, he still thought this was just a game, just a tantrum I was throwing. It was then that I realized how long we had been together. So long that not only had I lost myself, but he had forgotten who I used to be. Without a moment’s hesitation, I signed my name.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “385087”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I asked a DoorDash driver to help me deliver a baby. “Deliver to who?” he asked. “The CEO of Sterling Corporation,” I said. “Alexander Sterling. He’s sterile.” Alexander was about to be forced out of his own company because he couldn’t produce an heir. Today was the press conference where they were going to announce that his illegitimate half-brother would be taking over. The Dasher arrived at the press conference, held the baby up high, and shouted, “Who’s Alexander Sterling? Your DoorDash delivery is here. It’s a baby boy.” “Can you sign for him, please? I’ve got another delivery to make.” 1 A hush fell over the room, followed by a wave of frantic whispers. “Is this for real? I thought he couldn’t have kids. Isn’t that why his father is kicking him out and giving the company to the other son?” “Yeah, that earthquake three years ago. He was saving a kid and a piece of rebar got him. No more kids. That’s when his father announced he had a ‘secret’ son in college, to ‘secure the family line.’” Now, three years later, that “secret” son, Ethan, was back, ready to push his older, legitimate brother out of the way and take over the company. Ethan had been gloating about it, his voice dripping with condescension. “Don’t blame me, big brother. Who told you to be a hero? An earthquake hits, and you run *towards* it to join a rescue team? Don’t you know that no good deed goes unpunished?” “You saved some random kid, and now you can never have one of your own. It’s almost… tragic. You had it all, and you just threw it away. I thought I’d be the bastard son forever, but look at me now. Winning without even trying.” I had been at the mall nearby, dressed in a furry bunny costume, trying to earn some money for baby formula. I’d gone to the restroom on my break and overheard Ethan mocking my baby’s father. I decided then and there that I had to do something. I found a Dasher outside. “I’ll Venmo you fifty bucks to make a delivery to the Sterling Corporation press conference. It’s an express order.” “What am I delivering?” he asked. I held up a sweet, pink, sleeping baby. “Deliver this to the sterile CEO, Alexander Sterling. Tell him it’s his son. And if he doesn’t believe you, tell him to get a paternity test.” The Dasher’s eyes went wide. “Are you serious? You’re not trying to pull a fast one on me, are you? This isn’t some kidnapped baby, right? Everyone knows that guy can’t have kids.” I didn’t know how to explain. But then his expression changed. “You know what? I’ll do it. I can’t stand seeing illegitimate kids steal what’s not theirs. Let’s do this.” Ten minutes later, just as Alexander’s father was about to announce that Ethan would be taking over as CEO, the Dasher burst in. “Who’s Alexander Sterling? Your DoorDash baby is here. Sign for it, I’m in a hurry.” The room exploded. Reporters swarmed the Dasher, microphones and cameras in his face. “What did you just say you were delivering?” “His son,” the Dasher said, his voice booming. “Now, where is he? Mr. Sterling, your kid is here. Can you come sign, please? I’ve got another delivery to make.” 2 I was watching the whole thing on a live stream from my phone, laughing so hard I could barely breathe. I could only imagine the looks on their faces, especially that arrogant little prick, Ethan. And my baby’s father, Alexander. It had all started a year ago. I’m a shifter, a bunny shifter. And once a month, my hormones go haywire. I was tossing and turning in my little bunny burrow, unable to sleep. So I shifted into my human form and hopped on my scooter to go to the pharmacy for some hormone suppressants. I was already feeling hot and bothered, and I got distracted. I’m colorblind, and I accidentally ran a red light. A Maybach swerved to avoid me, right into the path of an oncoming truck. The truck sent the Maybach flying, then sped off. I ran over to the wreckage and found Alexander slumped in the driver’s seat, barely breathing. “Hey, stay with me.” I managed to pull him out of the car. His breathing was so shallow, I knew he wouldn’t make it to the hospital. And it was my fault. In a panic, I did the only thing I could think of. I bit him. It’s a little-known fact about bunny shifters: when our hormones are raging, our saliva has healing properties. “What are you doing? Get off me!” he groaned, his body trembling in pain. “Shut up if you don’t want to die!” I snarled. After I bit him, the heat in my own body intensified. This man… he was a work of art. His face, his chest, his waist, his legs… every inch of him was perfect. It was a dark and stormy night, the perfect setting for a little… mischief. He was weak, helpless, completely at my mercy. And I remembered the comments I’d seen online: “Who cares how successful he is? He’s broken where it counts. No respectable woman would want him.” My lips were dry. The internet may not have wanted him, but my hormone-crazed self definitely did. And besides, if he was sterile, what was the harm? All he had to do was lie there. I could do all the work. 3 My hormones were in control. I couldn’t resist. I pushed him back into the wrecked Maybach. What happened next was a blur of passion and chaos. “What are you doing? Who do you think you are? Stop touching me!” He was being so loud. So I took off his tie and blindfolded him. I leaned in and bit his neck, my voice a low growl. “Shut up. I saved your life. Now you’re mine.” When it was all over, I heard the faint sound of sirens. I pulled up my pants and ran. Before I sped off on my scooter, I couldn’t resist leaving him with one last, dramatic declaration. “Remember this. You’ve been marked by me. Even if you are sterile, you will remain faithful to me. And in return, I will protect you for the rest of your life.” He probably thought I was crazy. I never thought I’d actually have to make good on that promise. And I definitely never thought… I thought he was sterile. I thought there would be no consequences. But then, a few weeks later, I was hit with a wave of morning sickness. You’ve got to be kidding me. “Sterile,” my ass. Well, if I was pregnant, I was having the baby. Single motherhood sounded kind of awesome, actually. So I gave birth to a whole litter of bunnies. Seven of them. Six of them were still in their bunny forms, adorable little fluffballs. Only the seventh, my little Lucky, was a human baby. He must have taken after his father. I had no intention of using my son to get anything from his father. But then that little bastard Ethan started bullying him. And Alexander Sterling had been marked by me. That made him mine. And my biggest flaw is that I’m fiercely protective of what’s mine. My second biggest flaw? I love chaos. 4 The press conference was in complete pandemonium. Only Alexander remained seated, calm and composed. He clearly didn’t believe the baby was his. But his mother, Eleanor, had already rushed over to the Dasher and taken the baby, tears of joy streaming down her face. “He… he looks just like Alexander did as a baby! This is my grandson! It has to be!” She turned to her husband, her voice triumphant. “Do you see this, Richard? I have a grandson! And you still want to say my son isn’t fit to be the heir?” After years of dealing with her son’s infertility, her husband’s betrayal, and the humiliation of his illegitimate son, Eleanor was done playing nice. She didn’t care if the baby was actually her grandson or not. She was going to use him to burn it all down. Richard Sterling rushed over. “What is the meaning of this, Alexander?” Alexander didn’t move. The reporters were shouting questions. “Mr. Sterling, is this really your son? Weren’t you sterile? Who is the mother? Are you just using this baby to disrupt the press conference?” Alexander didn’t answer. It was Ethan who was losing his mind. “Dad, this is ridiculous! This baby could be anyone’s! They’re just trying to cause a scene! It won’t work! A paternity test will prove he’s not Alexander’s! Just make the announcement! Let me take over the company!” Eleanor walked over to Ethan and slapped him across the face. “A paternity test? I don’t need a test to know my own grandson.” Ethan almost hit her back, but he restrained himself. “Dad, see? They’re scared! They know the baby isn’t his!” Suddenly, Alexander stood up. He walked out of the room without a word, like he wanted no part in the ridiculous drama. His back was straight, but there was a sadness in his posture that was heartbreaking. The cameras followed him until he disappeared through a side door, surrounded by his bodyguards. 5 The internet was buzzing. Someone tweeted at Alexander: “If you could go back in time, would you still save that kid in the earthquake? If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have to be pulling this fake baby stunt to save face.” His reply was short and to the point: “Yes.” That’s my baby daddy. But why wasn’t he getting a paternity test? Who said Lucky was a fake baby? If my other six little bunnies could shift into human form, I would have sent them all. I was at the mall, buying more formula, when two large men in suits blocked my path. “Ma’am, Mr. Sterling would like to see you.” “What? Why? I don’t even know him,” I said, my heart pounding. I didn’t mind sending him a son, but I hadn’t planned on revealing myself. How did they find me so fast? “We know you’re the one who hired the Dasher,” one of the men said. “Please, come with us.” I had no choice. They led me to a black Maybach. The same one from the accident, now fully repaired. Alexander was sitting inside. He looked at me, a flicker of recognition in his eyes. “You?” “Hi,” I said with a nervous smile. “Fancy seeing you here.” His calm, composed mask finally cracked. “Is the baby yours?” Before I could answer, he shook his head. “No, it’s impossible. I can’t have children.” The disappointment in his voice was palpable. I took a deep breath, and with a pop, my two long, fluffy bunny ears sprang from the top of my head. I wiggled them at him. “I’m not a normal woman. I’m a bunny shifter. See? You can touch them if you don’t believe me.” He did. His fingers were so soft against my fur. My cheeks flushed. “Damn it. I forgot you’re not supposed to touch a bunny’s ears. It… makes us… you know.” He quickly pulled his hand back, his own ears turning a bright red. “You’re incorrigible,” he muttered. “It’s a normal biological reaction,” I said defensively. “If I were to touch your… you know…” My eyes traveled down his long, muscular legs, and I had to stop myself from drooling. “You’re telling me you wouldn’t have a reaction?” He immediately shifted in his seat, trying to hide himself from my gaze. “Are you even a woman?” he said, his voice a mixture of outrage and embarrassment. What’s the big deal? I’ve touched it before. I’ve touched every inch of him. Why were men so proud of sleeping with women, but so embarrassed when a woman was proud of sleeping with them? His blush just made me want to tease him more. 6 Just then, his phone rang. It was his mother. “Alexander, where are you? You need to get out of town. Your father is sending people to find you. He’s insisting on a paternity test. He says he won’t let some random baby with ‘unclear bloodlines’ into the family. The nerve of that man, after he brought his own bastard son into our lives.” “This whole ‘delivery baby’ thing was brilliant, by the way. But you need to lay low for a while. Go on a vacation. You haven’t had one in years. As long as you’re gone, he can’t do anything. I’ll just keep insisting the baby is my grandson. He can’t prove otherwise. He wants to make my life a living hell? Well, two can play at that game. I’m going to use this baby to drive him insane!” His mother was a force of nature. But then, Alexander looked at me, a strange expression on his face, and said, “I’m on my way back to do the paternity test right now.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “385086”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

On the third day of our reconciliation, I suddenly realized I didn’t have feelings for Liam anymore. We were at a dinner party. Liam’s childhood friend, Olivia, was watching him peel shrimp for me. “Look at our Liam, all grown up,” she said with a nostalgic sigh. “Putting his wife first. Not like when we were together. Back then, all he wanted to do was fart on me.” She quickly corrected herself, realizing what she’d said. “Oh, not that we were *together* together. We were just kids, you know, playing house. He was so dumb back then, he didn’t even know how to put on a condom. Almost got me pregnant.” The whole table went silent, all eyes on me. When I didn’t say anything, Liam frowned. “Are you really going to get jealous over something that happened a million years ago? If there was anything real between us, you wouldn’t have even been in the picture.” I didn’t cry. I didn’t scream. I just said, calmly, “No, I’m not.” Suddenly, the glass in Liam’s hand shattered. 1 “Let’s break up.” I glanced at the blood dripping from his palm, my voice flat. He froze for a second, then the veins in his arm bulged, his fist clenched tight, blood pouring from between his fingers. “Ava, what the hell is your problem? We just got back together. Olivia was just joking. Who are you trying to piss off with that face?” “What, are you addicted to breaking up with me now?” Everyone at the table held their breath. In the past, whenever he got angry, I would immediately back down, apologize, and beg for his forgiveness. But now, I didn’t even bother to look at him. I just slowly wiped my mouth with a napkin. “No, a real breakup,” I said. “I don’t love you anymore, Liam.” I pushed my chair back. “I’m full. I’m leaving.” He let go of the broken glass and grabbed my arm, his grip like a vice. He shoved the small bowl of peeled shrimp in front of me. “Sit down and eat.” I cried out in pain, but when I looked up, his face was a mask of sneering contempt. All those times we had broken up and gotten back together, I was always the one to crawl back. He actually thought this, this command, was his way of asking me to stay. When I didn’t immediately sit down, his face darkened. I just laughed at his arrogance, and with a sharp twist, I pulled my arm free. “Give them to your precious Olivia.” The whole table gasped. They had never seen me, the quiet, submissive Ava, publicly humiliate Liam before. He stared at me, his face turning from red to purple, his whole body trembling with rage. Olivia, seeing her chance, tugged on his sleeve. “Liam, don’t be mad. You two just got back together. Don’t let me be the cause of another fight.” Her words were like fuel on the fire. “Ava, don’t push your luck,” he snarled. “Apologize to Olivia. Now.” Olivia looked at me, a triumphant glint in her eyes, but her voice was all sweetness and reason. “You don’t have to apologize, Ava. It’s my fault. I’m just so used to joking around with Liam…” I couldn’t stand her fake innocence for another second. “If you don’t know how to talk,” I said, cutting her off, “then don’t.” She was speechless, her fists clenched, her face red with suppressed anger. I ignored both of their furious glares and walked out. “Ava!” Liam’s voice was like ice. “This better be a real breakup this time. Don’t come crying to me in a few days, telling me how much you love me, begging me to take you back!” His words were like daggers in my back. I had loved him so much, I had lost myself. And now, that blind love had turned into a weapon he used to humiliate me. I fought back the tears, and after a long moment, I managed a small, bitter smile. “Don’t worry,” I said, my voice surprisingly steady. “I’m already over you.” I heard the sound of dishes shattering behind me as I ran out the door. His roar echoed down the hallway. “Get out! And don’t ever let me see you again!” I just laughed. I wanted that more than he did. I was on the curb, trying to hail a cab, when I realized I had left my phone on the table. I had to go back. As I approached the door to the private room, I heard one of his friends speaking. “Liam, man, I think she’s really mad this time. You’re not going to go after her?” “Aren’t you supposed to be proposing on your anniversary in a few days?” “Yeah, what if the bride doesn’t show up?” I peeked through the crack in the door and saw Liam, a smug, cruel smile on his face. “Ava? She won’t last the night. She’ll be on her knees, begging me to take her back. But this time, I’m not going to give in so easily.” “She’ll probably come back with the anniversary ring any minute now.” The room erupted in laughter. I pulled the custom-made ring from my purse and threw it in the nearest trash can. *Happy anniversary, Liam. Marry yourself.* Then I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. 2 The room went silent. A moment later, everyone looked at Liam with a new respect. He just sat there, a smug look on his face, and said, in a long, drawn-out voice, “Ava. We’re broken up. What are you doing back here? Having second thoughts already?” I ignored the sneers and whispers and walked straight to him. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, waiting for me to beg. I just laughed, grabbed my phone from the table, and said, “You wish. I’m going home to write my resignation letter.” He hadn’t expected that. His eyes turned red, and he hissed, “Don’t bother. You’re fired. And Ava, I think I’ve been too nice to you lately. You need to go home and think about what you’ve done.” He was still waiting for me to apologize. I just shook my head and walked out. The next morning, I went to the office to pack up my things. My colleagues were whispering and pointing at me. Then I saw her. Olivia, sitting at my desk, eating a piece of cake off my keyboard. She saw me and pushed the half-eaten cake toward me, her red lipstick smeared on the frosting. “Ava, I’m so sorry. I accidentally reformatted your computer. Here, have some cake. My treat.” She leaned back in my chair, a triumphant smirk on her face. I glanced at my desk, which had also been “reformatted.” There was nothing left to pack. The lost files were the company’s problem, and the personal items were mostly gifts from Liam. Good riddance. I just gave her a look of pure pity and turned to leave. My indifference seemed to bother her more than any anger would have. “Wait!” she called out. I sighed, exasperated. “Olivia, Liam and I are broken up. I’ve been fired. Can you please stop using him to try and get to me?” She picked up the piece of cake and was about to throw it at me. I instinctively put up my hand to block it, and the cake went flying, right into her face. She stood there, covered in frosting, tears streaming down her face, a ridiculous, pathetic sight. The whole office was staring. Liam rushed over, gently wiping the cream from her face. He looked at me with daggers in his eyes. “Ava, are you insane?! Apologize to her right now!” Olivia, a look of pure victory on her face, leaned into his chest and started to sob. “It’s my fault, Liam. I broke her computer, and she got mad and threw the cake at me.” “I can’t believe you,” he roared at me. “I never knew you were such a petty, vindictive person!” He grabbed my wrist and pointed to the mess on the floor. “Now, you’re going to get down on your knees and eat that cake.” I tried to pull my arm away, but he just held on tighter, forcing me to the ground. “Apologize!” I wouldn’t bend. The pain in my arm was excruciating, but I wouldn’t give in. A cruel, vicious look came over his face. “Ava, why have you been so difficult lately? Do I have to… personally teach you how to be sorry?” He dragged me toward the storage room. He was so much stronger than me, my struggles were useless. He threw me inside and locked the door. I looked around. We were alone in the dark, cold room. He picked up a roll of duct tape. I tried to run, but he pinned me against a shelf and wrapped the tape around my hands. I was trembling. “Liam, you can’t…” The tape went around my legs. He looked at my terrified face, a satisfied smile on his. He gently stroked my hair, then leaned in and whispered in my ear, his voice like ice. “You’ve been so spoiled lately, Ava. Why do you keep embarrassing me in public?” “You’re going to stay in here and think about what you’ve done. When you’re ready to apologize, I’ll let you out.” “I have nothing to apologize for!” He kissed me then, a hard, punishing kiss. When he finally pulled away, he tore off a piece of tape and sealed my lips. “Be a good girl, Ava. You’re about to be Mrs. Hamilton. You need to learn to behave.” I shook my head, my eyes wide with terror, as the heavy iron door slammed shut. 3 Suddenly, a blast of cold air hit me. Someone had turned on the freezer unit. I was bound and gagged, unable to call for help. I curled into a ball, shivering. I don’t know how long I was in there, but just as I was about to lose consciousness, the door opened. “Oh my god,” Olivia gasped. Liam rushed in and scooped me into his arms, his usual composure gone. “Who the hell turned on the freezer?!” he roared. He held me close, his warm body a stark contrast to the icy cold. He was tearing at the tape on my hands and feet, his eyes wet with tears. “Ava, it’s okay. I’m here. We’re going home.” For a moment, I was disoriented. His gentleness was so familiar. For five years, I had mistaken his gentleness for love. I saw Olivia and a group of our colleagues walk into the room, and Liam immediately let go of me. Olivia looked down at me, a smug look on her face. “I forgive you, Ava.” I looked at Liam, confused, but he had already moved to her side. “Don’t let it happen again,” he said, his voice flat. He walked out with her, leaving me on the cold, concrete floor. I pulled myself up and staggered out of the storage room. My phone, finally back in range, started buzzing with notifications. The company group chat was blowing up. “I was wrong. I apologize to Ms. Olivia Vance. My jealousy, my pettiness, my shameless behavior has caused her great harm…” It was a thousand-word apology, written by Liam, from my work account, painting me as a monster. In the past, I would have been furious. I would have demanded an explanation. But now, I just wanted to go home, pack my things, and get as far away from him as possible. On the way home, I booked the earliest flight to London for the next morning. This time, it was really over. I donated all the things he had ever given me, all the clothes I couldn’t take with me. In the end, I had just one suitcase. The next morning, as I was about to leave, he came home. He was in a tailored suit, his hair perfectly coiffed. He was clearly planning on proposing to me today. He saw my suitcase, and his face darkened. “Where are you going? Are you really going to throw a tantrum today of all days?” I just sighed. “Where I’m going is none of your business.” He tried to placate me. “Come on, don’t be like this. You’ve always wanted a proper proposal, right? I promise, you won’t be disappointed.” “And you’re already packed. Perfect. After it’s over, we can go to that resort for the weekend.” He pushed me toward the door. I was trying to figure out how to get away when his phone rang. It was Olivia. “Liam, my stomach hurts. I don’t think I can make it today.” “Don’t worry, I’m on my way,” he said, his voice full of concern. He started the car. “Just take a cab,” he said to me, his attention already elsewhere. Before I could react, the automatic door closed, trapping the hem of my coat. My heart lurched. I pounded on the window, but he was too preoccupied with Olivia to even notice I was there. The car started moving, and I was dragged along, stumbling and falling. The gravel tore at my skin, the world a blur of motion. My coat finally ripped, and I was thrown to the pavement. I lay there, unable to move, my jeans torn and bloody. Any last shred of guilt I had about leaving him vanished. I ignored the pain, hailed a cab, and went straight to the airport. Just as the plane was about to take off, he called. His voice was full of a happy, expectant excitement. “Where are you? We’re all waiting for you.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “385085”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

During the divorce, my soon-to-be ex-husband decided to fight me for custody of our son. He said it with the kind of smug confidence that made my teeth ache. “Why don’t we just ask him what he wants?” Alex, clutching his phone, gave me a calm, appraising look from across the living room. “You guys are really doing this?” “Yes,” I nodded, my throat tight. “Fine,” he said, his eyes dropping back to the game on his screen. “I’ll go with Mom. And you should probably give her a bigger settlement. Otherwise, I’m not sure she can afford me.” 1 A moment later, Alex was dragged into the study by his father. My heart hammered against my ribs. I started to follow, but the door slammed shut in my face with a deafening crack. Mark’s furious voice seeped through the wood. “Alex, I’m going to ask you one more time. You’re sure you want to go with your mother? Don’t say I didn’t warn you. She’s a housewife. Do you honestly think she knows how to take care of you?” Alex’s voice, in contrast, was infuriatingly casual. “Dad, it doesn’t really matter to me who I live with. The thing is, Nicole is pregnant with my new little brother. If I stick around, I’m just worried I’ll stress her out.” The mention of his own ugly secret, laid bare by his son, seemed to silence even a man as shameless as Mark. The voices inside dropped to a low murmur. I couldn’t make out the words anymore. All I could feel was a damp heat spreading across my cheeks. I swiped at my face, but the tears just came faster, blurring the expensive, sterile living room I had decorated. I sank onto the sofa, the plush cushions offering no comfort, and finally buried my face in my hands. I don’t know how long I sat there, but eventually, the study door opened again. Mark walked over and stood before me. Seeing me hunched over, sobbing, a flicker of something—maybe pity, maybe guilt—crossed his face. He offered me a tissue from the box on the coffee table. “Alex can stay with you,” he said softly. I lifted my tear-streaked face to look at him. “You can have the house, the car, and I’ll give you five hundred thousand. If you agree to that, we can go to the courthouse and file the papers tomorrow.” I stared at him, numb. I was the one who had screamed for a divorce, but now that it was here, I had no idea how to navigate it. I felt utterly lost. “She probably shouldn’t get the car,” Alex said suddenly, emerging from the study. A bitter smile touched my lips. Of course. Blood is thicker than water. In the end, he would always side with his father. “Mom’s driving?” Alex continued, a smirk in his voice. “Let’s be real. It’s a waste if she doesn’t drive it, and a public menace if she does. Better to just cash it out. That SUV is worth at least seventy, eighty grand. Let’s call it an even million for the house and assets. I think that’s more than fair.” Mark’s gaze on his son was heavy, intense. Alex just shrugged, completely unbothered. Mark looked away. “Fine. We’ll do it that way. I’ll see you at the courthouse at nine tomorrow morning.” 2 The front door clicked shut. With that sound, a part of my heart seemed to shrivel and die. Mark was walking out that door, and this time, he might never come back. We’d met in college. Our love had been the young, earnest kind—the kind you believe is pure and indestructible. I truly thought we would grow old together. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment it all started to fracture, how we ended up in this wasteland. “Mom.” Alex’s voice pulled me from my spiral of grief. “I’m starving. Did you make dinner?” I scrambled to my feet, wiping the last of the tears from my face. “I’ll go to the grocery store right now.” A note of theatrical complaint entered his tone. “Mom, you’re about to be a millionaire. Can’t you at least spring for some BBQ?” I took Alex to the smokehouse restaurant downstairs. He expertly wrapped a piece of glistening brisket in a lettuce leaf and handed it to me. “Mom, this is an all-you-can-eat buffet. You gotta eat more to get your money’s worth.” “Oh. Right,” I said, taking it from him. It tasted like ash in my mouth, and I could barely swallow. My mind drifted to all the articles I’d read online, the ones about how divorce psychologically scars children for life. I chose my words carefully. “Son, even though your father and I are getting a divorce, he’s still your dad. It’s okay for me to hate him, but you don’t have to.” “I don’t hate him,” he said, flipping a chicken wing on the grill. “And you should stop, too. Hating someone is exhausting.” He sat across from me, his face partially obscured by the rising steam, and for a moment, I felt like I couldn’t see my son at all. 3 The next morning, I was sitting on the edge of my bed, staring into space, when a knock came at my door. “Mom, it’s time. Let’s go.” I jolted, pulled back to reality. Why did he seem even more eager for this divorce than his father? I opened the door and looked at him, a suspicion blooming in my chest. “Why aren’t you getting ready for school?” He gave me a complicated look. “Mom, it’s July first. Summer vacation started.” I had been in such a fog for the past month that I had completely forgotten. A wave of guilt washed over me, and I reached out to straighten the collar of his shirt. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.” He tilted his head and smiled. “If you really feel guilty, you can take me on a trip. We could go to the beach. Scuba diving, fresh seafood… the works.” He made a “V” for victory sign with his fingers. “Deal,” I said, a real smile finally breaking through. The heavy gloom in my heart seemed to lift, just a little. Nicole came with Mark to the courthouse. We weren’t even officially divorced, and she was already so impatient to claim her new role. Alex greeted her without missing a beat. “Hey, Nicole. It’s pretty hot for you to be running around like this. You should be careful you don’t melt my little brother.” “You—” Nicole shot him a glare, turning to Mark for backup. Alex quickly feigned innocence. “Dad, I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s a hundred degrees out here. I’m genuinely worried about the baby.” Mark’s face was a stony mask. He turned to Nicole. “Why don’t you wait in the car? There’s no need for you to come inside.” 4 We submitted the divorce application. Next came the mandatory one-month cooling-off period. As we left the courthouse, Mark pulled up to the curb and called out to us. “Let me give you a ride home.” I was about to refuse, but Alex darted forward and yanked open the car door. “Come on, Mom. I’m dying out here.” I had no choice but to get in. We sat in the back, while Nicole occupied her new place in the passenger seat. She tugged on Mark’s arm, her voice dripping with sugar. “Honey, where should we go to celebrate later?” Alex leaned forward between the front seats. “Hey, Nicole, you guys should go to Giovanni’s. Dad loves that place. He used to take Mom and me there anytime we had something to celebrate.” In the rearview mirror, I saw Nicole’s face fall. It wasn’t very charitable of me, but I felt a small, sharp thrill of satisfaction. Alex leaned back, but he wasn’t done. “So, Mom, where should we go for our trip? Maybe not the beach. How about New Orleans? They say it’s the place to go for a whirlwind romance. Who knows, maybe I can find myself a new dad.” Mark’s expression soured. “You’re planning a trip?” he asked, his eyes finding mine in the mirror. “Yes,” I said, not wanting to talk to him. I turned to look out the window. “A change of scenery would probably do you good,” he said, as if to himself. “But New Orleans is overrated. You should go to the Florida Keys. I have a friend who just opened a hotel in Islamorada.” Alex popped his head forward again. “Seriously, Dad? Think he’d give us a friends-and-family rate? With our resemblance, your buddy would probably recognize me on sight, right?” Mark actually smiled, taking a hand off the wheel to ruffle Alex’s hair. “You’re my son. Of course, it’s not a problem.” The two of them shared a warm father-son moment, completely oblivious to Nicole, whose face was now as dark as a thundercloud. 5 In the end, Alex and I went to the Keys. As he put it, “Never turn down a freebie. It’s just bad manners.” He was buzzing with excitement, having prepared a three-page, color-coded itinerary. Not wanting to be the mom who ruins all the fun, I forced myself to match his energy. A thirteen-year-old boy runs on a limitless supply of it. I spent my days parasailing, jet-skiing, and snorkeling with him, and my nights combing the beach for ghost crabs under the moonlight. By the end of each day, my body ached so much I felt like my bones were about to fall apart. I would collapse into bed and fall asleep instantly, too exhausted to even feel the sting of my broken marriage. When we got back from Florida, I was hoping for a few days of rest. But Alex had other plans. He started critiquing my cooking. “Mom, it’s not that your food is bad, exactly… it’s just that there’s a certain… lack of variety.” I shot him a sideways glance. “You’ve been eating my cooking for thirteen years, and you’re choosing now to complain?” He scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. “It’s not a complaint, just an observation. I’m a growing boy. If you switched things up a bit, I bet I could hit six-foot-two, easy.” “Get out of here,” I said, swatting his cheek playfully. I couldn’t help but laugh. Over the past few weeks, I had finally figured it out. All of this—the trip, the critiques, the constant motion—was his way of keeping me busy. He was deliberately exhausting me so I wouldn’t have time to be sad. My judgment in husbands may have been terrible, but I had raised a true gem of a son. What was there left to be sad about? 6 I decided it was time to get a job. Mark had promised me the settlement and monthly child support, but a million dollars isn’t what it used to be. Alex’s tutoring alone cost nearly twenty thousand a year, not to mention all our other daily expenses. If I just sat back and lived off the savings, it wouldn’t be long before we were in trouble. After more than a decade as a stay-at-home mom, my professional skills were practically non-existent. I figured I should start with something simple and accessible, build up some experience, and then look for something better. I brought the idea up with Alex. If I was going to be working, I wouldn’t be around as much to take care of him. He thought for a moment. “I totally support you going back to work, Mom. But looking for a job is like dating. You have to be strategic.” His little-adult tone made me laugh. I couldn’t resist teasing him. “Oh, really? And how many girlfriends have you had that you’re such an expert?” He replied with unshakable logic. “Just think about it. If you rush into something mediocre just to have something, what happens when a better opportunity comes along? Do you break up with the old job, or do you just stay miserable?” I considered it. He had a point. Juggling a job you don’t like while trying to interview for a new one would be a nightmare. “So, finding a job isn’t the urgent thing,” Alex continued, leading me along. “But there is something else that is.” “What’s that?” I asked. “Canceling my tutors.” “Absolutely not!” I shut him down immediately. “Mom!” he wailed. “Three different subjects a day? I’m your son, not a workhorse!” 7 After a period of intense but friendly negotiation, we agreed to cancel the writing and math tutors. We would keep the computer programming class for now, with the possibility of re-evaluating if his grades improved. “All hail the queen!” Alex cheered, running two victory laps around me before voluntarily sitting down to do a set of math problems. Our life was slowly finding its new rhythm. One day, I was browsing a shopping link my best friend, Jenna, had sent me. Alex came over and peered at my laptop screen for a long time. “Does Aunt Jenna actually make money doing this?” he asked. “She does pretty well,” I said absently, entering my credit card information. He tugged on my arm, his eyes shining. “Mom, I think you’d be amazing at this.” A spark ignited in my mind. Jenna always had a knack for spotting the next big thing. She’d made a small fortune in e-commerce years ago and had recently pivoted to a new social commerce platform. It didn’t have a huge user base yet, but it was incredibly user-friendly, with flexible marketing tools. The growth potential was obvious. Most importantly, it had a one-click fulfillment feature, which meant I wouldn’t have to handle any inventory myself. It was perfect for a beginner like me. “You know what? I’ll call Jenna and get the details.” If my years as a homemaker had given me one superpower, it was the art of procurement. I’m picky. I don’t just look at the price; I demand quality. I was the kind of person who would compare ten different brands and read a hundred reviews before buying a toaster. All my friends came to me for recommendations. As Alex said, a platform like this was practically made for me. With Jenna’s help, I had my online shop up and running in no time. I was strict about quality control, personally testing every product before I listed it. So, while I wasn’t making a fortune, I quickly built a loyal customer base. Just like that, the month was almost over. And then, Mark showed up at my door. He told me he wanted to withdraw the divorce application.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “385084”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I was dating a man five years my junior. We’d been together for two years. Liam was proud and prone to drama, picking fights with me every few days over something or other. And because of that devastatingly beautiful face of his, I was always the first to back down, to soothe him, to indulge him. The ninth time Liam told me he wanted to break up, I agreed. That was when he panicked, his wolf-cub eyes turning a desperate, bloodshot red. “Audrey, no,” he’d pleaded. “I’ll be your stand-in… I don’t care. Just… soothe me again. Please.” 1 The night was a boundless stretch of black, pricked with only a few scattered stars. I lifted my head from my computer screen. Eleven o’clock. Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I shut down my laptop and prepared to head home. I had just started the car when my phone rang. It was Liam. I raised an eyebrow; I hadn’t expected him to be the one to break our current cold war. But when I answered, the voice on the other end wasn’t his. It was a man’s voice, vaguely familiar. “Is this Audrey?” It took me a second to place it. One of Liam’s bandmates. “This is she. What’s wrong with Liam?” “Liam’s wasted,” the voice said, rushed. “He keeps yelling your name, but he won’t leave with us. Is there any chance you could come get him?” “…I know where you are. Give me ten minutes.” My office was thankfully close to the bar where his band had a regular gig. By the time I pulled up, the clock read 11:30. I blinked my tired eyes, my only thought to get Liam home as quickly as possible so I could finally fall into bed. I never expected to push open the door to their private rehearsal room and see the supposedly “wasted” man leaning intimately toward a girl. His bandmate spotted me first and gave a nervous cough. Liam froze, then slowly turned to look at me. The girl he’d been cornering scrambled away from him, rushing over to me with a look of pure exasperation. “Audrey, I swear, Liam is having a psychotic episode,” she said, her voice a frantic whisper. “He just lunged at me. There is nothing going on between us!” She leaned in closer. “You can hate him right now, but you can’t hate me.” It was Zoey, the drummer for Liam’s band. We’d met a dozen times, and I’d always liked her. “I know,” I said, a small, tired smile touching my lips. I patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry.” I knew this was a performance, staged entirely for my benefit. He was still angry that I’d accepted a project at work that involved a partnership with my ex-boyfriend, ignoring his furious protests. But it was a corporate directive, a major opportunity. If this project succeeded, it would mean a significant promotion and a huge boost to my resume. I couldn’t sacrifice my future over the ghost of a long-dead relationship. 2 Liam shot a single, cold glance in my direction before slumping back onto the sofa and pointedly taking another swig of his beer. My brow furrowed. I walked over and snatched the bottle from his hand. “We’re going home.” He let me take the beer without a fight, but his tone was laced with venom. “Who are you to tell me what to do?” A wave of exhaustion washed over me. “You don’t want me here?” “…” “You’d rather get home by yourself?” “…” He turned his head away, refusing to look at me, refusing to speak. I gave in. “Fine. Then I’m leaving.” I turned on my heel and walked decisively toward the door. I’d just reached the threshold when the sound of shattering glass exploded behind me. I spun around. Liam’s foot was still resting on the coffee table where a row of empty bottles had been lined up. His eyes, rimmed with red, were locked on me. He looked like a wounded wolf cub, brimming with a hurt he was too proud to ever voice. My heart, as always, softened. I walked back to him, took his hand, and softened my voice. “Come home with me?” It took a long moment before he gave a stiff, reluctant, “Mm.” Only then did I turn to his wide-eyed, shell-shocked bandmates. “I drove. Do you guys need a ride back to campus?” “No! No, we’re good! We’ll grab an Uber!” Zoey said, and the others quickly chimed in with agreement. “Alright. We’re heading out, then.” I nodded and left, Liam letting me lead him by the hand, his tantrum seemingly subdued for now. 3 “Mmph…” The moment the apartment door clicked shut behind us, Liam, who had been silent the entire ride home, suddenly spun me around, lifting me onto the console table in the entryway. Before I could even process it, his lips were on mine. I have to admit, the speed of a man’s progress in this particular area is astonishing. He’d gone from clumsy, innocent first kisses to this—a practiced, predatory confidence. He kissed me until my legs went weak, my body feeling like it was melting. The heavy scent of alcohol on his breath made my head spin. It wasn’t until his warm hand slid from my waist toward the hem of my skirt that I snapped out of the daze and stopped him. “Go take a shower.” Liam froze, his eyes dark with a barely concealed desire. He bit my lower lip, a small act of petulant protest. After a few ragged breaths against my ear, he relented and trudged obediently to the bathroom. By the time Liam emerged, wrapped in a cloud of steam, I was lying in bed, already half-asleep. I squinted at him, and my breath hitched. As if deliberately trying to seduce me, he had come out with only a towel slung low on his hips. Droplets of water still clung to his skin, tracing paths down the well-defined planes of his abs before disappearing into the V of his torso. Liam seemed oblivious, leaning over me with his dark, damp hair falling into his eyes. He whispered my name, his voice soft and low. “Audrey…” I fought to suppress the direction my thoughts were heading and reached for the hairdryer on the nightstand. He sat on the edge of the bed, and I began to dry his hair, running my fingers through the wet strands until they were soft and fluffy. I set the hairdryer down. “All done.” But Liam didn’t move. He just stared at me, his eyes shimmering, the corners of his mouth turning down in the prelude to a pout. “Audrey, my head is killing me.” “And whose fault is it that you drank so much?” “…” He didn’t argue, just wrapped his arms around my waist, burying his face against my stomach and letting out a few pathetic whimpers. “It hurts.” I had never been able to resist him. I sighed, my hands going to his temples, gently massaging them in slow circles. After a while, I asked, “Is that helping?” “Mm-hmm.” We stayed like that in silence. I don’t know how much time passed, but my hands started to ache. The moment I stopped, Liam nuzzled his fluffy head into the crook of my neck, his hands beginning to roam again. “Liam—” I tried to stop him, but the man in my arms was already deploying his ultimate weapon: a wounded, pleading tone. “Audrey, it’s been three days. You haven’t sent me a single text.” His voice was a mumble against my skin. “I’ve missed you so much.” I was exhausted from a long week at work and had no intention of giving in, but I was already losing the battle against temptation. As he spoke, he began nibbling on my earlobe, his fingers tracing lazy circles on the small of my back. “Audrey…” I sighed, defeated. “Just once.” I don’t remember if he agreed. I don’t remember who turned off the lights. All I remember is a room filled with the rise and fall of bodies, lost in the dark. 4 The next morning, the room was flooded with bright sunlight. I clutched my aching lower back and glared at the utterly satisfied expression on Liam’s sleeping face. I couldn’t resist giving him a light kick. Liam didn’t even open his eyes. He just grunted, pulled me closer, and wrapped his arms around me. His voice was a sleepy, morning-after rasp. “Audrey, let’s sleep a little longer.” “Didn’t we agree on ‘just once’?” Perhaps sensing the edge in my voice, Liam’s eyes fluttered open. He knew perfectly well I had to work today. He gave me a look that was pure, drowsy charm, fully aware that he had pushed things too far last night. He started nuzzling my hand like a cat seeking forgiveness. “I just love you so much.” My anger, which hadn’t been that serious to begin with, completely evaporated. I disentangled myself from his embrace, refusing to get drawn into another lazy morning in bed, and hurried to get ready. When I came out of the bathroom, I saw that the man who had been feigning sleep was already busy in the kitchen. He’d only pulled on a pair of sweatpants. I leaned against the doorframe, watching the smooth, powerful lines of the muscles in his back as he moved. Even after seeing him bare countless times, I still felt my mouth go dry. God, there was just something about a man in his early twenties. I took the breakfast he’d prepared for me, ready to rush out the door. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw the droop of his shoulders, the slight downturn of his lips. Damn it. I forgot the goodbye kiss. I quickly leaned in and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “You be good, okay? The project will be over this week. No more being angry, alright?” “Okay.” A smile spread across Liam’s face, his eyes lighting up. He cupped the back of my head, deepening the kiss. I felt something begin to stir against my leg and, blushing, quickly pushed him away and fled the scene. As I left, I tossed a final word over my shoulder. “Pervert!” I could hear Liam’s delighted laughter behind me. “Only for you, Audrey!” 5 Five days later, the project was a success. It was a win-win for both companies, and a joint celebration dinner was planned. As the lead representatives from our respective firms, my attendance—and Mark’s—was mandatory. I gave Liam a heads-up beforehand. An hour of schmoozing and clinking glasses passed. I finally found my seat at the table and took a moment to check my phone. In that short time, a flood of messages had come in from Liam. Don’t you dare talk to him! Don’t even look at him! When is it over? Can I come pick you up? I miss you, Audrey~ A smile bloomed on my face as I read them, and I quickly typed out my replies. You can come get me now. I haven’t talked to him. Haven’t even looked at him. I miss you too. Just as I sent the last message, a low male voice murmured beside me. “Is your phone really that interesting?” I turned. At some point, the colleague sitting next to me had been replaced by Mark. He was leaning his head slightly, trying to peer at my screen. I had a privacy screen protector, so he probably couldn’t see anything, hence the question. When we were working together, I could maintain a professional distance. Now that the project was over, I had no desire to interact with him at all. Luckily, my junior colleague, a sweet girl named Holly, jumped in. “Oh, you don’t know, Mr. Davis? Audrey’s been dating a guy five years younger than her for two years now! They’re still totally in their honeymoon phase!” Mark’s face immediately darkened. But Holly, young and oblivious to social cues, continued to gush about her “ship,” sharing all the cute couple moments she’d witnessed. I have zero interest in sharing the sweet details of my current relationship with my ex. I glanced at the time and stood up. “I’m going to head out. You all have a good night.” Holly’s voice grew even more excited. “Going to see your boyfriend?” I smiled and nodded. “Yep. The kid at home gets a little clingy.” 6 I was waiting by the hotel entrance, leaning against a pillar and scrolling through my phone, when I saw that Liam hadn’t arrived yet. Suddenly, a hand clamped around my wrist, yanking me violently to the side. I was wearing heels and nearly twisted my ankle. Once I regained my balance, I followed the arm up to its owner and found myself staring at Mark. The annoyance I was feeling curdled into disgust. “Mark, what the hell is wrong with you?” I tried to wrench my hand free, but his grip only tightened. “Let go!” He ignored me, his brow furrowed in a tight knot. “You have a boyfriend? Since when?” His tone—as if he’d just caught me cheating on him—was so absurd I almost laughed. Is this guy for real? “Mark, let me remind you, since your memory seems to be failing: we broke up three years ago. Why on earth would I need to inform you that I have a boyfriend?” I stared at him, incredulous. “You can’t possibly be so arrogant that you thought we were just on a three-year break, did you?” Mark stared back, a look of dawning, painful confusion on his face. Oh my god. He actually did. I suddenly wondered just how pathetic and clingy he must have thought I was all this time. I really wasn’t, was I? Just then, a group of young people walked out of the hotel. I seized the opportunity and raised my voice. “Mark, I already have a boyfriend. Are you sure you want to keep holding my hand like this in public?” Mark is obsessed with his public image. Noticing the curious glances from the group, he immediately dropped my hand. I took two quick steps away from him, my voice ice-cold. “Stay away from me. I don’t want my boyfriend to see this and get the wrong idea.” Speak of the devil. A black Range Rover pulled up right in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing Liam, sunglasses on, looking straight at me. Just the sight of my boy’s beautiful face was enough to dissipate the foul mood Mark had put me in. Ignoring the man-shaped statue of melodrama standing beside me, I walked straight to the car and got into the passenger seat.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “385083”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

“She’s back. You need to leave.” When Rhys said the words, his voice was flat, devoid of emotion. I let myself freeze for a moment. One… two… three. I lowered my head, my body beginning to tremble almost imperceptibly. When I looked up again, my eyes were shimmering pools of unshed tears. I bit down hard on my lip, letting the color drain from my face. My slender frame, silhouetted against the afternoon sun, seemed fragile, on the verge of collapse. Rhys’s brow furrowed. He turned, leaned over his massive mahogany desk, and scribbled furiously on a check. “This is for your trouble,” he said, not quite meeting my eyes. “You knew this was the deal. Isabelle is back. There’s nothing I can do.” Jackpot. I nearly broke character when I saw the string of zeros. I dug my nails sharply into my thigh, forcing a single, perfect tear to trace a path down my cheek. My voice trembled as I asked, “Is there really no chance for us?” The sadness, to be fair, wasn’t entirely an act. In this economy, a golden goose this plump and this guilt-ridden was a rare find. Rhys looked away, a flicker of pity in his eyes. He pressed the check into my hand, then pulled me into a brief, stiff hug. “You’ll find someone better,” he murmured, his voice raspy. No, I really won’t. The thought was immediate and certain. I’d been in this business for years. A mark this wealthy and this sentimental was practically a unicorn. Fearing he might try for some kind of dramatic, drawn-out farewell scene, I gently pushed him away. “I understand,” I whispered, my voice thick with manufactured grief. Without another word, I turned and walked away. I heard him call my name, but I didn’t stop. An hour later, I was gone. My luggage was packed, and the sprawling villa held no trace that I had ever existed. I didn’t relax until the eight million dollars from the check was safely transferred into my bank account. Then, a text from Rhys buzzed on my phone. — Where did you go? I could understand his concern. In his mind, I was a delicate, helpless flower, a girl who was constantly being wronged by the world, a girl who loved him beyond reason. He was probably picturing me sobbing in some cramped, lonely apartment. The reality was slightly different. At that moment, a team of young, handsome male masseuses was diligently working on my shoulders and feet. One was peeling grapes with long, slender fingers and feeding them to me between sips of vintage Bordeaux. I was so blissfully relaxed I couldn’t even be bothered to open my eyes, let alone reply to a text. But then, for the next two or three days, Rhys kept calling. And texting. Over and over. I found it… odd. Wasn’t the ghost of his past love finally back in the flesh? 2 Ordinarily, I would have replied. As a professional girlfriend surrogate, my philosophy was always customer-centric. You never know when a client’s idealized memory might tarnish and they come looking to rent your services again. I glanced at my studio’s financial reports and then at my swelling bank balance. With a sigh of resignation, I texted Rhys back a simple, curated message: I’m okay. Don’t worry about me. The less you say, the more they wonder. The more you tell them not to worry, the more they do. It’s a fundamental flaw in the male psyche, and I knew exactly how to exploit it. The next day, I opted for a bright, vibrant makeup look, baked a cake from scratch, and headed to the Wyatt Corporation headquarters. Wyatt Hayes, one of the city’s most notorious heirs, was the epitome of the reckless playboy. His profligacy was legendary, rivaling even Rhys’s quiet wealth. I pushed open the door to his office and found him with a young, ponytailed woman perched on his lap, the two of them tangled in an intimate embrace. I froze. I didn’t even have to act. A genuine wave of disappointment washed over me. Seeing me, Wyatt panicked, shoving the woman off his lap. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. “Uh… Lily, why don’t you head out for a bit.” The woman shot me a resentful glare before reluctantly leaving. Unlike Rhys’s preference for the fragile, damsel-in-distress type, Wyatt’s ideal was the stubborn, scrappy Cinderella. So, I just stood there, my eyes downcast, silent. “As you can see,” he said, gesturing vaguely at the empty space where the girl had been. “She looks more like Vivian did back then. We should break up.” I counted to thirty in my head before finally whispering, “Okay.” I sniffled, then walked quickly to his desk. My words came out in a rush, laced with a tremor, a kind of panicked energy as I carefully placed the cake box before him. “I won’t bother you again. I know you love sweets, and I spent a long time on this cake, but…” I lifted my head to look at him, my expression earnest, heartbroken, my voice trailing off. “Could you… not share it with her? I made it for you…” It was a pathetic, desperate plea. My eyes welled with tears that refused to fall as I held his gaze. He looked flustered, grabbing a tissue and taking a step toward me. I took a step back. “Stella…” he sighed. “I’ll eat the cake.” He picked up his desk phone. “Liz, get the paperwork ready. Transfer the title of the downtown Park Avenue condo to Stella’s name.” He looked back at me. “It’s the only thing I can do. Please, take it. Forgive me.” My heart skipped a beat. The next second, I found my voice, shouting through my tears, “You think this is what I wanted?” And with that, I fled his office, not even waiting for the elevator. I ran all the way to the fire escape. Once inside the stairwell, out of sight, I burst out laughing. Sorry, but this was exactly what I wanted. 3 I heard later that Wyatt actually chased after me, that he’d been searching for me everywhere. By then, I was busy moving. The Park Avenue condo was one of the smaller units, but it was still worth over thirty million. The sale I’d arranged wouldn’t close for another month, so I figured I’d live in it for a while. I was so close to my goal. My elation, however, was short-lived. That same afternoon, I was summoned to the office of Titan number three: Declan. His voice, when he spoke, was a cool, magnetic baritone. “We’re done.” A spark of irritation flared through me, and before I could stop myself, the words slipped out. “You’re breaking up with me, too?!” The moment the word left my mouth, I clapped a hand over it, wanting to smack myself. Declan’s eyebrow arched. A dangerous chill crept into his gaze as he lifted his head. “…Too?” My throat went dry. I couldn’t force out a single word. I watched as he slowly removed his black suit jacket, draping it over the back of his chair. He leaned against his desk, loosening his tie with a deliberate tug. Then, he extended a hand and beckoned to me with one finger, his face a blank mask. “Come here.” Looking at the set of his jaw, the way his muscles flexed… He wasn’t going to hit me, was he? That broad chest, those powerful biceps… he looked like he could end me with a couple of punches. When I didn’t move, he started walking toward me. I immediately backed away, stammering, “No, no, it’s not necessary. I wish you all the best, good fortune, happy breakup.” I had almost reached the door when his foot shot out, kicking it shut. He braced one hand against the door, trapping me. A slow, cold smile spread across his lips, but his eyes were terrifying. “Why don’t you translate for me? What, exactly, does ‘breaking up with you, too,’ mean?” “It’s… well…” I managed a weak, awkward laugh. “Hmm?” “…” “Are you two-timing me?” I shook my head violently. “Three-timing, then?” I froze. The smile on his face turned to ice. He raised his hand, and I instinctively ducked, covering my head. I started babbling, trying to explain and defend myself all at once. “I know this violates our agreement, but you were chasing your old flame, and I was just doing my job as a stand-in. It’s just a few side hustles in my spare time, that’s all! Fine, I don’t want your money, okay? Wait, no…” My brain caught up with my mouth. “Wait a minute, we never actually signed a contract, did we?” The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. The middleman, old Wang, had just said he was introducing me to a similar gig, the CEO of the Hale Corporation. We’d met, things had started, but the paperwork was never finalized. I’d figured the head of a company that big wouldn’t stiff me over a few bucks, so I hadn’t pushed it. Ha! Perfect! My spine straightened instantly. “Break up, then. Fine. We never signed anything, so you can’t sue me for breach of contract.” “What contract?” He frowned. “The stand-in contract, obviously! I don’t want your money anymore. Ah, what a waste, though. All those dinners, movies, and trips over the last six months…” I trailed off, genuinely mourning the lost income. Declan’s eyes darkened. He enunciated each word, his voice dangerously low. “Are you saying… that for the past five months, our dates, the movies, even…” He stopped, his jaw tight. “You did it all for money?” The last few words were practically ground out between his teeth. He looked like he wanted to hit me again. A shiver went down my spine. “But… I’m a professional stand-in. An actress. A professional…” He lowered his head, closing his eyes. For a long moment, there was silence. Then, he slammed his fist into the door right next to my head. I saw that his eyes were red-rimmed when he looked at me again, his voice trembling slightly. “And them… did you…?” He struggled with the words. “I mean…” “You and the others… did you ever… you know…” He couldn’t finish the sentence, his meaning veiled and hesitant. But it made my heart do a strange little flutter. It was almost as if we had been in a real relationship. “Are you talking about… sleeping with them? No. Never. I sell a performance, not my body.” “Then that time with us…” “All fake. A harmless, non-toxic hallucinogen.” A wave of relief washed over his face, so potent he seemed to deflate like a balloon. “Get out,” he said, his voice hollow. I left, completely bewildered. I thought that was the end of it. Until, at a gala a few weeks later, I saw them. The three men, dressed in starkly different suits, were sitting together, drinking. And then, in unison, they all looked at me. 4 I wanted to run. I truly did. Rhys, in a pristine white suit, looked elegant and coolly detached. Wyatt was in a flashy burgundy number, open at the chest, exuding a roguish charm. And Declan, tall and imposing in a classic black suit, radiated an even more intense pressure than usual. Three of the city’s four most eligible bachelors. Yes, they were handsome. Yes, it was a beautiful picture. But I didn’t dare look. I was terrified they were plotting my demise. I took a sharp breath and turned, planning to melt into a less conspicuous corner of the ballroom. Then I heard my name called from behind me. “Stella.” The voice was sharp, arrogant. It was Wyatt. I froze, took a deep breath, and channeled my inner “stubborn Cinderella.” Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to turn back around. To my horror, all three of them were now walking toward me. Wyatt continued, a smirk playing on his lips. “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t chase me? Following me all the way here, huh?” Rhys’s brow twitched. He shot Wyatt a look before turning to me. “Why didn’t you answer my calls? I was worried about you.” I was starting to panic. My eyes darted instinctively to Declan. His face was a mask of cold indifference. “Yes,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “I’d like to know the answers to both of their questions as well.” I stood there, stunned, for three long seconds. Then, I pressed my hand to my forehead, feigning a sudden illness. “My head hurts.” Rhys reacted first, stepping forward and gently massaging my temples. “You can’t even take care of yourself without me. Isabelle has plans tonight. Will you be my date?” Before I could refuse, Wyatt yanked me away. “She came here for me! Why should she be your date?” As they started to bicker, I tried to catch Declan’s eye, desperately trying to signal him, to ask if he’d told them everything. Instead, he spoke up, his tone leisurely. “I don’t have a date either.” I just… stared. The other two, having reached a stalemate, started escalating their offers. “Stella, be my date. You can walk the red carpet with me next month. I’ll get you a custom couture gown.” Ooh. That was tempting. My eyes lit up. “A dress? What’s that?” Wyatt scoffed. “Stella, a red Ferrari LaFerrari. Think about it.” My eyes got even brighter. It was Declan’s turn. He looked at me, his expression cold and impassive. He uttered a single word. “No.” I mentally waved a little white flag. He was out. “Are you all holding an auction? In that case, I offer ‘Willows and Green Mountains’ by the master painter Su Yunchuan.” The voice was warm and clear. I immediately turned to see him. Ethan Fang. Great. Now the whole set was here. All four of New York’s princes. He was also one of my targets for the evening. I gathered my skirt, ready to glide over and give him my most dazzling introduction, when I heard Declan’s chilling voice. “Stella, you’d better choose… carefully.” The threat was unmistakable. My smile froze on my face. “Maybe you could add a little something to your offer? Like, some Bvlgari jewels or…” Declan swirled the wine in his glass, shaking his head like the world’s most handsome cheapskate. “No.” 5 I was starting to suspect Declan was here purely to sabotage me. Which is why, during our obligatory dance, I “accidentally” stepped on his feet several times. As the orchestra played a sweeping waltz, Declan finally spoke. “What are you doing here tonight?” “Business,” I replied curtly, my eyes scanning the room for my real target. “Scouting for your next meal ticket?” I couldn’t read his tone. I didn’t feel angry, but I didn’t feel like answering him either. Declan let out a short, humorless laugh. “All that ambition and no sense.” My head snapped toward him, my brow furrowed. “Because I’m richer than all of them,” he explained simply. “But you’re cheap!” I shot back, launching into a list of grievances. “On our first date, you took me to your company cafeteria. For holidays, all I got were these awful little pastries. And my Christmas gift was corporate swag with the Hale logo on it!” I continued, “Rhys gave me a six-figure credit card right at the start, and Wyatt just gave me a condo downtown…” Declan’s face grew darker and darker. He cut me off before I could finish. “Do you really want to be discussing your three-timing ways in the middle of a crowded ballroom?” I clamped my mouth shut. Then I lowered my voice, defending myself in a whisper. “Don’t spread rumors. I was a perfectly legitimate contract stand-in. I just took on a few extra clients…” I sighed dramatically. “You capitalists will never understand the struggles of us common folk…” As I spoke, I caught a glimpse of Ethan leaving the room. My heart leaped. I pushed away from Declan. “I have to go to the restroom.” Without a second thought, I hurried after him, completely missing the sudden, predatory glint in Declan’s eyes. 6 The meeting was a resounding success. Even in a place as unglamorous as a public restroom hallway, Ethan’s refined, aristocratic air was undeniable. It took all my willpower to suppress my giddy excitement. But as I rounded a corner… I was slammed violently against the wall. Declan’s pupils were so dark I couldn’t read the emotion in them, but his hands trembled with rage, and his face was a thundercloud. I felt the ghost of his fingertips trail across my neck, making me flinch. Then his husky voice was right beside my ear. “If you’re going to be a gold-digger, you might as well dig in my backyard. Hmm?” The last syllable curled upwards, his breath warm against my skin. For a split second, something exploded in my brain, and my face flushed hot. I couldn’t help it. The leading man was just too handsome. The leading lady was losing control. The air crackled with a romantic, cinematic tension. And in the next moment… Declan was knocked to the ground by a single punch. And I, elegant and beautiful in my midnight-blue gown… ended up on the floor with a bruised tailbone from trying to break up a fight between two grown men. 7 It’s not that Wyatt was deeply in love with me. It was more likely his possessive streak acting up. But his little outburst was enough to snap me back to reality. “Look, whatever. The three of us are done,” I announced, getting to my feet. “I’m just a struggling actress trying to make a living. I’m begging you, leave me alone.” I glared at them both. “If you’re going to fight, wait until I’m gone.” With that, I clutched my aching backside and limped away as fast as I could. When I got to the entrance, there wasn’t a single taxi in sight. Just a familiar black Bentley. I glanced back and saw the two of them heading for the door. Gritting my teeth, I made a decision and hurried to the car. “Driver, let’s go, quick!” I said, sliding into the back seat. The second I sat down, I realized the space felt cramped, the atmosphere… awkward. Rhys was leaning over, fastening a necklace around the throat of a beautiful woman beside him. I had just plopped down right where his ass had been. The posture was mortifying. The delicate beauty saw me and, with an understanding look, immediately scooted over to make room. She and I looked about seventy percent alike. I understood instantly. I offered a sycophantic smile. “Mr. Davies, could we maybe get going?” Rhys looked at me, then at the two men approaching the car, a strange smile playing on his lips. “They’re old friends. We should say hello.” Friends my ass! I immediately reached for the door handle, but Rhys stopped me. I was so frustrated I could have laughed. I really should have checked my horoscope before leaving the house today. “Rhys, my man! Quite the party you’ve got in here,” Wyatt drawled, his smile not reaching his eyes. Rhys’s lips curled. “You flatter me.” Declan, however, was looking straight at me. “So this is your choice?” I had only one option… I turned to the beautiful woman. “Oh! You must be Isabelle, right? Your dress is gorgeous! Who’s the designer? And your makeup is flawless! Your skin is amazing. Mine just can’t handle late nights. Do you have any skincare products or a spa you’d recommend?” The words tumbled out of me at lightning speed as I slowly pressed the button to raise the window. The second it was fully closed, I yelled at the front seat, “Driver, everyone’s here! Let’s go!” 8 The car peeled away from the curb. Rhys’s smile vanished, replaced by a scrutinizing look. “How do you know them?” I tilted my head toward him, then leaned forward again, focusing on Isabelle. “So, what did you study abroad? Are you thinking of getting into the entertainment industry now that you’re back?” Rhys’s patience wore out. “Stella.” “Thanks, you can just drop me off up ahead.” Suddenly, he grabbed my hand. I tried to pull away instantly. “Mr. Davies, we’ve already broken… our contract is over. You don’t want to make Isabelle jealous!” “She’s my sister.” “…” “So you two… you guys… ah… that’s pretty… exciting, huh?” I don’t know if it was the unquenchable fire of gossip burning in my eyes or if Rhys had just reached his limit, but I was promptly kicked out of the car. The moon was bright, the stars faint. I was standing beside a vast, empty field. There were no cars in sight. I might have to walk all night. But my mood was strangely calm, almost cheerful. It was all over. My dream could finally begin. A pair of high beams lit up the road behind me. I couldn’t see anything, so I moved to the side of the road. A black Bugatti, its lights now dimmed, pulled up beside me. “Get in.” His gaze was intense. It was Declan. I couldn’t figure out what he wanted, and frankly, his physique still intimidated me, so I obediently got in the car. When I gave him the address, he looked surprised for a moment, then his expression reverted to its usual cold mask. When we arrived downstairs, I gave a formal bow. “Thank you, Mr. Hale. I appreciate the ride.” Declan didn’t say anything, but he followed me into the elevator. A sense of panic began to set in. “Um, you can just drop me here. Thanks. You don’t need to come up. The building is very secure.” “Don’t come any closer. Stop following me. If you keep this up, I’m calling the police!” I walked faster, trying to get to my door first so I could slip inside and lock him out. I turned around and saw… He was unlocking the door to the apartment next to mine. You have got to be kidding me. So much for burying the hatchet. Wait a second… does this mean Declan and Wyatt have something going on? They even bought condos next to each other?!

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “385082”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel