Author: Momo Chan

I held my daughter’s depression diagnosis in my hand and pushed open the door to the psychologist’s office. “Doctor, can you tell if a normal person is faking depression?” “I suspect my daughter is pretending to be depressed to avoid the SAT.” The doctor looked at me strangely, but still asked patiently. “Can you tell me about your daughter’s recent behavior? Why do you suspect she’s faking depression?” I thought carefully and answered honestly about my daughter’s situation. “Rachel has been obedient and studious since childhood. She follows the study plan I set for her every day, and her grades have always been first in her class.” “But this time, in the practice test before the SAT, she ranked seventh. After I slapped her, she ran away from home. When she came back, she had this paper, saying she was depressed.” “I’ve been so good to her. I wake up at four in the morning to make her a nutritious breakfast, and I stay up until midnight studying with her. I’m not depressed, so why should she claim to be?” The doctor saw I was getting emotional and quickly stood up to calm me down. “Dear, you don’t have a daughter!”

What did he mean I didn’t have a daughter? I pushed away the psychologist who had just come over to tell me to calm down. I looked at him in disbelief. “Doctor, what are you talking about? How could I not know whether I have a daughter or not?” I took all the documents out of my bag and slapped them on the desk. “See for yourself whether I have a daughter.” “Sammy is me, Rachel is my daughter.” The doctor picked up the documents and examined them carefully. “Ma’am, don’t get excited. Sit down first. Let me ask you a few questions.” “Are you raising the child alone? Where’s the child’s father?” I froze, not wanting to answer this question. “The child’s father has nothing to do with this.” “You’re a strange doctor. I’m starting to doubt whether you’re actually a psychologist.” I often saw online about patients who would put on a doctor’s white coat and impersonate doctors when the real doctor stepped out. This doctor seemed completely unprofessional. “You just questioned whether I have a daughter. Now I question whether you’re really a psychologist. Take out your credentials and let me see them.” The doctor just looked at me with a smile, offering no explanation and not producing his medical license. I was at my wit’s end, and my daughter was still lying at home refusing to go to school. And here someone was making a fool of me. “What a waste of my time.” I grabbed the documents from the desk and was about to leave. Time waits for no one. I had to find evidence that my daughter was faking depression. After all those years of hard study, the SAT was almost here, yet she refused to take it. I couldn’t accept that. Before leaving, I turned and spat on the floor. “Unscrupulous fraud impersonating a doctor.” He still didn’t speak, just shook something in his hand. I looked closely and saw my daughter’s diagnosis report was still in his hand. I snatched it from him and walked straight out the door. As I walked out, I suddenly thought—he was a fraud, but surely not all the other doctors were out of their offices too. I pushed open another office door. I immediately took out the relevant documents and my daughter’s diagnosis. “Doctor, my name is Sammy. This is my daughter Rachel. She insists she’s depressed. I want to ask you, can you tell if a normal person is faking depression?” The doctor seemed curious about my approach, but still picked up the documents to look at them. “You just said your daughter is depressed and that she’s faking it, right?” “So how did you determine she’s faking depression rather than actually being sick?” How else could I determine? She’s my own child—wouldn’t I know her? “She deliberately talks to herself in the middle of the night, crying one moment and laughing the next.” “Every time she waits until I’m asleep, then deliberately wakes me up. This morning she absolutely refused to go to school.” “Doctor, please write me a note proving she’s faking illness. I’ll take it home and show it to her, tell her to stop pretending and get to school.” The more I talked, the angrier I got. The older kids get, the more disobedient they become. To avoid going to school, she was deliberately faking illness. The doctor pushed up his glasses, carefully examined the diagnosis, then looked at me. “Ma’am, I think you’ve really misunderstood your daughter. She may actually be sick.”

“Impossible. Doctor, I’m certain she’s faking.” I answered decisively. “She just doesn’t want to go to school. Yesterday I discovered she used my phone to search for symptoms of depression.” I handed my phone to the doctor, which showed various symptoms of depression. “Doctor, just write me a note saying she’s faking illness. The SAT is coming up soon—she really can’t afford to miss it.” “Missing class all morning, who knows how much she’s falling behind. Why doesn’t she understand my good intentions?” The grievance and bitterness in my heart made me cry. The doctor kindly handed me a tissue and asked again. “Since you’ve always believed she’s faking, why not just send her directly to school?” “Why do you need proof that she’s faking?” At this point, I really needed to explain this properly to the doctor. “I sent her to school before morning reading today. Who knew she’d throw a tantrum at school, shouting that she had depression.” “Doctor, don’t you think she’s deliberately trying to upset me?” “When the teacher saw her like that, they sent her home with me, telling me to show more concern for my child.” “While I wasn’t paying attention, she ran home first and locked herself in her room. No matter how much I called, she wouldn’t open the door.” The doctor was writing notes, seeming to record something. He looked at me and asked again. “What’s your relationship with your daughter usually like?” Did he really need to ask? I raised my daughter single-handedly—of course we’re close. Seeing the doctor’s serious expression, I could only answer patiently. “My daughter and I eat and sleep together. You tell me if the relationship is good or not.” I couldn’t help complaining internally. This doctor didn’t seem professional either, asking such pointless questions. Growing up in a single-parent family, she’d never seen her father. Besides me, she had no other relatives. I was her everything. And of course, my daughter was my everything too. For her sake, I quit my job to work in her school cafeteria, afraid someone might bully her, and it also let me supervise her to make sure she ate well. Fortunately, my daughter was very successful, always first in her class. She made me look good working in the cafeteria. Every time I served food, I’d give her and her classmates a full scoop of meat, never shaking my hand even once. Which of her classmates didn’t envy her for having such a good mother? Thinking of this, I urged the doctor again. “All I want is that note. Doctor, why do you have so many questions?” By now the first class at school was already over. “Can you write it or not? If not, don’t waste my time.” My impression of this clinic was really bad. Suddenly I thought of something. I asked tentatively. “Doctor, just tell me—how much money do you want to write this note?” I’d been careless, forgetting that’s just how things work nowadays. Something that should be simple—if you don’t pay, they hold you up and won’t help. I took out the last thousand dollars or so from home from my bag and looked at the doctor. “That’s all I have. Name your price.” The doctor looked helpless and put the money back in my bag. “I just want to understand your daughter’s real situation carefully. Don’t misunderstand.” “Let me ask you one more question. Please answer honestly.” “Why does your daughter want to fake depression? Did something else happen between you two?” After asking, the doctor looked at me expectantly. I didn’t want to answer this question. I even felt this doctor was really nosy. “You already said she’s faking it. Can’t you just write a note?” “Or are you not a doctor either?”

Small clinics just weren’t reliable. Patients could randomly impersonate doctors. That one earlier was, and now this one apparently was too. Hearing my question, the doctor laughed and pulled out his work ID from his pocket. “I didn’t expect you to be so alert.” “Look, is the photo on this me? Do you have any other doubts?” I looked carefully. He really was a doctor. I felt a bit embarrassed. “Dr. John, I’m really sorry. Just now there was a patient impersonating a doctor from your clinic.” The doctor waved his hand, not caring at all. “It’s fine. I’m the only doctor here.” “You must answer why your daughter wants to fake depression, otherwise I can’t write this note.” “You don’t want to waste time going to another clinic, do you?” Thinking about it, I felt what Dr. John said made sense. So I told him the reason why my daughter was faking illness. “When I was serving food, I heard her classmate say she had a crush on the new math teacher in her class. When I got home, I interrogated her repeatedly, but she refused to admit it.” “Dr. John, tell me, can she be in a relationship with the SAT coming up? Especially with a teacher! I absolutely won’t allow this to happen.” My emotions were getting worked up again. The doctor timely handed me a glass of water. “Don’t get excited, Rachel’s mom. Continue. What happened next?” I drank the water in one gulp and continued. “Then I secretly monitored her at school and finally caught her walking alone with the math teacher.” “In front of all the students, I scolded her severely, then reported the math teacher to the education department.” “He’s shameless, taking advantage of being a recent college graduate to seduce a female student. He was going to ruin my daughter’s entire life!” The doctor followed up. “Was it after this that you noticed your daughter started faking illness?” I shook my head. No, it wasn’t. “She only started faking yesterday. Before, she was just playing dumb. I caught her spacing out in class a few times, not listening carefully.” “Her grades dropped from first in the class to seventh. This was the last practice test before the SAT. You tell me, wasn’t slapping her face not too much?” The doctor didn’t answer. I continued. “I’d never hit her before. I raised her with care since childhood. Hitting her face hurt my heart too.” “But she actually ran away from home. When she came back, she had this psychological diagnosis in her hand, saying she was depressed.” “Kids these days really can’t take a single word of criticism. At home she’s acting crazy and playing sick, just waiting for me to apologize.” As I spoke, Dr. John kept recording, now filling up an entire page. “Doctor, I’ve told you everything. Can you write the note now?” Another class period wasted. My anxiety grew, and I couldn’t help urging him. “Just write on this paper: diagnosis invalid, this person does not have depression. That’s all.” “Cross out this doctor’s name and write yours. What kind of unethical doctor gave this diagnosis…” Before I finished speaking, I took the note and looked at it carefully. The diagnosing doctor’s name was clearly written as John. “What a coincidence, there are so many people named John…” I didn’t think much of it, simply assuming it was the same name. The doctor had finally finished writing and looked up at me. “Do you really not remember me?” What did he mean? When had I ever met him? “Rachel, you were just here yesterday. Have you forgotten already?” “Wake up, Rachel. Think carefully about who you really are.”

Dr. John waved a pocket watch back and forth in front of my eyes. I grabbed it away and threw it aside. “What? You’re that Dr. John? No wonder you kept asking questions and stalling for time.” “You’re the one who diagnosed my daughter with depression. Now she’s treating that paper like a sacred decree and refusing to go to school.” “I’m blaming you for saying she has depression.” Before he could react, I attacked him directly, scratching at his face with my hands. Asking all sorts of random questions—turned out he was the culprit all along. He must have been the one who taught my daughter to talk to herself at night and deliberately fake illness. “Tell me, are you interested in my daughter too? I’ll show you what it means to be shameless, teaching young girls bad things.” “I’m going to report you, you pervert, molesting patients who come for treatment.” I was absolutely furious. How could there be such a doctor? From the beginning, he’d seen the diagnosis and knew he wrote it himself, yet he kept asking questions, looking shifty—clearly not a good person. I’d already scratched his face, but I still wasn’t satisfied. Pointing at him, I cursed. “You…” As soon as I opened my mouth, he stuffed something in it and tied me to a chair. Was this some kind of illegal clinic? I saw him pick up the pocket watch from the floor again and place it in front of my eyes. “Sleep, sleep. Everything will be fine when you wake up.” In a daze, I really fell asleep. I watched myself first come in and argue with him. I walked out of the office, stood at the door for a bit, then came back in and pushed open his office door again. Could it have been just him all along? In an instant, I woke up. When I awoke, I was lying on the sofa in the office. I stood up abruptly, which made me feel dizzy for a moment. “Rachel, are you okay?” Dr. John actually came forward to support my arm, calling my daughter’s name. And he said he hadn’t been seducing my daughter? What did this mean? Psychologists have some dark arts. My daughter must have fallen under his spell too. I didn’t dare open my eyes or make eye contact with him, afraid I’d be hypnotized again if I wasn’t careful. Supporting myself with his hand, I sat on the sofa. I felt my small cloth bag and my phone inside it. While he was turning around, I immediately dialed the emergency number. “Hello, 911? I want to report something. A psychologist used dark arts to hypnotize my daughter, and now he’s trapped me in his office. Please come quickly.” “I’m at a psychological clinic near AB Middle School. The doctor’s name is John. Please send someone quickly.” I looked at my phone. It was already noon. I’d slept for so long. My daughter had missed class all morning. Who knew how much she’d missed? This damn psychologist. He was actually frowning at me. “Bah.” “I’m telling you, I’ve already called the police. Just wait to face legal consequences.” “My perfectly good child came back from your place depressed, threatening to die at home and faking illness.” If I weren’t afraid he’d knock me out again, I’d want to bite him a couple times to vent my anger. The police arrived quickly. When they came in, they looked at us and asked. “Who called the police?” “Officers, I called. I want to see your badges first.” I was genuinely afraid. Everything felt like a dream. The officers cooperatively showed their police badges. I checked each one before returning them. “Officers, I’m reporting that he used his professional position to brainwash my daughter, making her falsely claim she’s depressed and refuse to go to school.” As I was about to continue, the police interrupted me. “Wait, you said your daughter?” “You look barely of age yourself. Where would you have a daughter?”

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My wife Mira’s first love moved into our house after he got sick. Mira immediately became gentle and attentive, rushing home from work every day to take care of her first love. I urged her to keep her distance from him. But she said, “I just want to make up for past regrets.” I couldn’t win the argument, so I left home heartbroken. That’s when a woman’s figure blocked my path. I looked up in disbelief to see the woman I’d secretly loved for years, supporting herself awkwardly on crutches, yet with tender eyes. Tears instantly filled my eyes. In that moment, I suddenly understood my wife. I couldn’t help but grasp the woman’s hand and say, “Come home with me. Let me take care of you.” “Why are you only getting back now? Hurry up and get inside. Don’t let the cold air blow in—Liam can’t handle the cold.” “Also, Liam is seriously ill. We need to be careful about his diet. I’m making special meals for him, and you should stop eating all that…” Mira, wearing an apron, froze in place. I didn’t have time to pay attention to her as I carefully helped Anna along. “Be careful. I’m replacing this door tomorrow—the threshold is way too high.” Anna didn’t move. She sighed deeply. “Leo, I appreciate the gesture, but me moving into your house really isn’t appropriate.” “I can manage on my own…” Before she could finish, her left leg started trembling noticeably. I quickly let her lean against me, my heart aching. “How can you manage alone?” “Your leg is in this condition—how can I not worry?” Anna still stood stubbornly at the door, refusing to enter. She was being so careful not to make any sudden movements—where was the confident woman she used to be? Seeing her like this, I felt like I couldn’t breathe from the pain. I looked up, following her gaze, and Mira said in a heavy tone: “You want to bring another woman into this house?” “Did you ask for my opinion?” Anna’s leg could barely support her, and she quietly leaned more weight on me. My heart clenched, and I said angrily: “So what if I bring her in?” “She’s disabled. What could she possibly do?” “She’s already in this condition—don’t you have any compassion at all?” Mira let out a cold laugh. “What does a disabled person have to do with me?” “If people find out my husband brought another woman home and is openly making a fool of me, won’t I be completely humiliated?” “No! I don’t agree!” I was about to argue back. That’s when a man’s weak voice called out from inside. “Mira, where did you go? I feel terrible. Come here quickly!” I felt relieved and said sarcastically: “If people find out my wife brought another man home, I wonder if she’ll have her reputation destroyed?” Mira stared at me intently. “How dare you? How dare you slander Liam?” I shot back without hesitation, “Why wouldn’t I dare?” The man inside started moaning softly. Mira panicked, gritting her teeth. “Don’t disturb Liam.” With that, she hurried toward the inner room. I knew this meant she was backing down for Liam’s sake—she’d agreed. I helped Anna inside. Her foot had long since given out. Once in the house, I quickly had her sit on the sofa. She still said quietly: “Leo, I really shouldn’t intrude on your life…” “I just wanted to see you from afar, but I… it’s all my fault…” “I think I shouldn’t drag you down.” A scoff came from the kitchen. “If you know you’re disrupting someone’s marriage, why are you putting on this act?” I ignored Mira and helped Anna position her crutches properly, saying gently: “Don’t mind her. That’s just how she is.” “Just settle in and stay.”

I carried Anna’s things straight into the guest room. Mira shouted, “Stop right there!” “You’re not seriously going to let another woman live with you?” “Letting her into the house is already my biggest compromise. Are you really going to push it even further?” “Absolutely not!” I didn’t stop walking and continued pulling the luggage into the room. Mira rushed over without even rinsing the soap suds off her hands, grabbed my arm, and demanded: “Have you lost your mind?” I shook off her hand and said, confused: “Liam’s body isn’t comfortable. He can only sleep well on a big bed.” “I’ve already given up the master bedroom. Didn’t you say I could do whatever I wanted with the guest room?” When we got married, neither of us particularly cared about the house. But we still wanted our own little life together after marriage, so we bought a small place. The house only had two bedrooms. Liam had already claimed the master bedroom, half crying and half throwing a tantrum. My things in there were looked down upon—Liam felt there was too much stuff and it made him feel suffocated. So I, along with all my belongings, was forced to move into the guest room. Mira hesitated for a moment, seeming to remember that incident. Her tone softened slightly, but she still frowned. “This isn’t about whether you can do whatever you want.” I said, puzzled, “Then what is it about?” “Anna already has mobility issues, and her legs are still recovering. If she doesn’t sleep in this bedroom, where else would she sleep?” Mira’s temper flared again. “But she’s a woman!” Seeing Mira’s face turn completely red, I finally understood a bit—weren’t these all my own lines from before? I sighed. We really should talk this through properly. “Mira, I was wrong.” Mira also backed down. “Good that you understand.” I looked into her eyes sincerely. “I mean, I finally understand how you feel inside.” “Liam is your first love. Now that you see him suffering, your heart aches.” “Today when I saw Anna, I felt the same way. I don’t think I can just ignore her situation.” “How about this—you take care of Liam, I’ll take care of Anna, and we’ll all get along.” “You can fill in your past regrets, and I can fulfill my past self. Win-win.” But Mira blurted out: “Ridiculous! This is absolutely ridiculous!” I said, confused, “Isn’t this perfect? Besides, you were the one who let Liam move in first. If anyone’s being ridiculous, you were ridiculous first!” Mira stood frozen in place, unable to speak for a long time, but her face was still flushed—clearly she hadn’t thought it through yet. Liam made noise in the master bathroom again. “Mira, come quick!” Mira surprisingly didn’t rush in immediately like before. She stood there, quietly studying me. “Leo, are you using this method to blame me?” Liam’s voice inside was getting louder and louder. I didn’t have time to argue with her, so I pushed her along. “What blame? Just go in already. Liam is a patient—if something happens to him, that wouldn’t be good.” Mira finally left, half-pushed. I also breathed a sigh of relief and quickly sped up my organizing. Anna was sensitive. I needed to go keep her company quickly.

Early the next morning, I walked out of the kitchen carrying the breakfast I’d made and ran into Mira, who was just coming out of the master bedroom. She stammered out an explanation. “Liam didn’t sleep well last night. I stayed with him in the second half of the night.” I looked at her oddly. Wasn’t this her daily routine lately? Why was she explaining herself to me? I nodded blandly and was about to walk past her. Just as I lifted my foot, I heard Mira’s delighted voice. “Leo, I knew it. I’m still the most important person to you.” “These pork buns are my favorite.” I swatted away her reaching hand. “What are you doing?” “Doesn’t Liam have a terrible reaction whenever he smells meat?” “This is specially prepared for Anna.” With that, I walked past her without hesitation toward the living room. I loved eating meat, but once Liam moved in, I was stripped of the right to eat meat at home. It even got to the point where after I ate lamb spine hot pot outside and had a bit of the smell on me, he would make a huge fuss. Liam was like he had a tracking device—he could always smell meat on me. He would yell at me, then immediately cover his nose and dramatically go to the bathroom to run the water at full blast. But later I kept seeing him ordering meat snacks online. When I brought it up, Mira just said, “He’s a patient. Why are you arguing with him?” I shook my head, clearing away these unhappy memories. I walked into the living room and saw Anna, who had been happily greeting me, suddenly become cautious again. I turned around and realized Mira had been following me the whole time. “Leo, thank you so much for all you’ve done!” “I’m so useless. If only my legs weren’t injured!” “You stayed up all night watching over me, and now you’re making me breakfast. I really…” Seeing her somewhat guilty expression, I hurried forward to comfort her. “How could that be? I did all this willingly.” “And your legs—you got injured saving that child. Because of you, he survived that traffic accident.” I was about to continue when Mira behind me exploded. “Didn’t we agree I’d sleep in the study and you’d stay in the living room?” “Leo, you actually spent the entire night in the guest room watching over her?” As her words landed, I noticed Anna lower her head. Anger immediately surged through me. “Mira, her leg is uncomfortable. Of course I need to watch over her.” “Isn’t that the same reasoning as you watching over Liam?” Mira froze, instinctively arguing: “It’s not the same…” “How is it not the same!” I cut her off. “I don’t care about you caring for Liam, so don’t care about me caring for Anna.” At those words, Mira instantly fell silent. She stood there, seemingly lost in thought. I didn’t have time to deal with her. I carried the plate over to Anna. “Anna, this is from your favorite place. It’s definitely delicious.” Anna finally broke into a smile. “Thank you, Leo.” But Mira snatched it away. “What do you mean, ‘Leo’?” “What gives you the right to eat what my husband bought?” “What gives you the right to call my husband that?” Anna murmured, “But he is my Leo…” I looked at Mira, exasperated. “What’s wrong with you?” Liam called out again from inside. Mira surprisingly remained unmoved again, her eyes fixed firmly on me, showing no sign of backing down easily. In the tense standoff, Liam walked out with red eyes.

“Mira, didn’t you hear me calling?” “Or do you also think I’m a burden?” “Maybe I should just leave. I’m only dragging you down by being here.” Liam’s red-rimmed eyes—if this were in the past, I definitely would have rolled my eyes. But now, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Mira quickly denied it. “Liam, how could you be a burden?” “I just didn’t hear you. Hold on, I’ll prepare breakfast for you right away.” Mira practically skipped into the kitchen. Watching Mira leave for Liam’s sake, I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that Liam had appeared at just the right time. After breakfast, I faced a new problem. I had to go to work, but I wasn’t comfortable leaving Anna at home with them. Anna seemed to sense my concern and said considerately: “Leo, if you have work, go ahead and take care of it.” “I’ve been on my own before. You know my personality—I can handle basic daily life myself.” I glanced toward the kitchen. Mira happened to come out just then and scoffed. “What do you think I am?” “Am I some kind of villain who would attack a disabled person?” I laughed awkwardly. Was I really doubting my own wife’s character? Although Mira had been emotionally unstable lately, she was undoubtedly a good person. I married her because I valued her inherent kindness. In life, she respected her parents, was loyal to her friends, and before Liam arrived, we’d had a very happy married life. At work, she was consistently voted the students’ favorite teacher year after year. She also regularly donated to charities and did volunteer work. I really shouldn’t doubt her. After thinking it through, I could finally go to work with peace of mind. At the office, I was still somewhat worried. Colleagues noticed my distraction, and some even asked about my situation. Finally counting down the seconds until quitting time, I rushed home. The moment I walked through the door, I saw Anna fallen on the floor, looking completely disheveled. I immediately ran over to check on her condition. But Anna forced herself to say: “I’m fine.” Mira sneered, “Of course she’s fine. She’s just pretending.” “Leo, don’t be fooled by how she looks.” Anna lowered her head, pressed her lips together, and her eyes reddened. “Leo, I’m such a burden. All I do in this house is annoy people. You should just let me leave.” That phrase sounded somewhat familiar. Before I could remember where I’d heard it, Mira immediately agreed. “I think she’s right. She’s way too much trouble here. Let her go.” Rage instantly filled me, and I was about to start an argument when I caught sight of Anna’s reddened eyes in my peripheral vision. Almost immediately, I calmed down. Actually, thinking about it carefully, my marriage with Mira was already in name only. Maybe separating would be better. Anna had injured both legs. If she stayed in this house, I didn’t dare imagine what harm she might suffer when I wasn’t around. Leaving truly was the best choice. I nodded. “You’re right.” Mira said happily, “I’m glad you’ve come to your senses.” I looked at her seriously. “Our current situation really does call for separation.” “Mira, let’s get divorced.” Mira said in disbelief, “Leo, what are you saying? Are you divorcing me for a woman with crippled legs?”

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Before the wedding, my sister Serena eloped with her true love. Her mafia boss fiancé, Victor Ashford, placed the wedding ring on my finger instead. After we married, this cold-blooded mafia lord spoiled me rotten. Until three years later, when Serena came back with cancer. Everyone urged me to divorce Victor and give him back to Serena. Victor frowned and pleaded with me: “Serena was deceived by that scumbag, and now she has cancer. She’s pitiful. I want to give her a wedding and accompany her through her final journey.” I agreed. I watched them have their grand wedding, their honeymoon… It wasn’t until I got pregnant that I discovered my marriage certificate with Victor was fake. Serena was Victor’s real wife all along. When he returned from his honeymoon, I didn’t cause any drama—because I had already quietly married his mortal enemy, another mob boss. I pushed the marriage certificate back across the counter. “That’s impossible. Is there something wrong with the system? Please check again!” The clerk at City Hall said coldly: “Ms. Langley, no matter how many times I check, the result will be the same. According to our records, Mr. Victor Ashford’s legal wife is Serena Langley. They registered one month ago. You are unmarried.” The slap of those words stung like fire across my face. I instinctively pressed my hand to my lower belly. I was pregnant. Just yesterday, Victor had pressed his face against my stomach and said, “I hope it’s a girl.” I hailed a cab and went straight to his private penthouse. When my fingertip hovered over the biometric scanner, I suddenly realized something laughable—after three years of marriage, I didn’t even have access to his private residence. “Mrs. Ashford!” His assistant rushed up behind me, panicked. “Mr. Ashford is in an important meeting…” “Swipe the card,” I heard my own icy voice say. “I’ll wait for him upstairs.” Pressured by my insistence, the assistant swiped his card. The moment the door opened, cold air mixed with heavy perfume hit me in the face. I looked up and caught two intertwined silhouettes against the frosted glass of the floor-to-ceiling windows. I froze in the doorway. Serena’s sickly voice drilled into my ears: “Victor, if you let me stay here to recover, and my sister finds out…” She covered her mouth and coughed twice, but her eyes darted toward the doorway with a hint of provocation. “She’s been spoiled by the family since she was little. If she finds out you’ve been in love with me all along… I’m afraid she won’t be able to handle it.” I took a step back. Just last night, Victor had held me in his arms and said he loved me… Then I heard Victor cradle her face tenderly: “Alright, let’s not talk about her. Have you taken your medicine?” I turned and walked away in silence. The assistant rushed after me: “Mrs. Ashford, why are you—” I ignored him and stepped quietly into the elevator.

When I got home, I started packing my things. While sorting through a drawer, I found a photo album. My fingers touched a hardcover album. I opened the first page, and my breath stopped. Serena at eighteen, her white dress flowing in the wind. Serena at twenty, smiling brightly under her graduation cap. Serena at twenty-five, standing by the ocean, her long hair dancing in the breeze. On the back of the last photo was a line written in sharp handwriting: “My darling, it’s been three years. You’ve finally come back.” … I cried and cried, until suddenly I laughed. So all this time, he had been looking at her photos in corners I never knew about. When my parents and brother begged him to marry Serena, his slight trembling wasn’t because he felt it was unfair to me—it was excitement? On their wedding day, when he held the bride’s face with tears in his eyes, it was because his wish had finally come true? And I—I was foolish enough to believe he was my salvation. I closed the album and put it back where I found it. My stomach suddenly churned. I rushed to the bathroom and dry-heaved. When I looked up, I saw my own pale face in the mirror. I finally remembered why, on the day Victor and I got our marriage certificate, the clerk had been unusually nervous around him. And why the certificate wasn’t printed in front of us… If he never loved me, why did he marry me?

The sound of the door unlocking startled me awake. “Emma?” Victor walked in with his suit jacket draped over his arm. “Why are you sitting in the dark?” “I happened to pass by a bakery and got you some macarons you like.” I looked at the pretty pastries, but my eyes were glued to his shirt collar. That lipstick mark was like a taunt, red as blood. When I took the box, I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “What’s funny?” Victor asked. “Nothing. I just feel… completely unnecessary right now.” He frowned, about to say something, when his phone lit up. I didn’t know when it happened, but his phone wallpaper had been changed to a photo of Serena. But that wasn’t me. My hand trembled, and the pastries dropped to the floor. Victor quickly turned off his phone. He thought I hadn’t noticed. Then he asked: “My assistant said you went to my penthouse today?” I didn’t answer. He continued, “That’s where I work. It’s dangerous. I’ve told you before—don’t go there. Also, Serena is moving into our house the day after tomorrow.” I smiled bitterly. I had actually believed he would feel guilty. “The master bedroom is spacious. It’s better for her recovery.” He adjusted his cufflinks, his tone casual. “You can move to the guest room for now.” When I didn’t respond, he took my silence as agreement. “Also, there’s a charity gala next week. I’m auctioning off a few pieces. I’ll send you the list later.” “But Serena wants to go. She also said she wants to wear one of your dresses…” “Give her everything,” I interrupted, forcing a smile. “Sick people get priority.” His expression stiffened for a moment. Then he relaxed, relieved, and leaned in to kiss me. I turned my head away. The kiss landed on empty air. “Emma.” He sighed in frustration. “Are you still upset?” “Everything I’ve done has been for you.” He rubbed his temples. “Do you want to watch your family cut ties with you?” “Shouldn’t you appreciate my sacrifice?” What a sacrifice indeed. Was it sacrificing the chance to get a real marriage certificate with his first love? Or sacrificing a night of passion with her in the penthouse? “Yes,” I heard my own numb reply. “You’re right.” Those three words pleased him. His expression softened, and he turned and headed for the bathroom. As the water ran, his phone lit up again. I stared at the glowing screen and, almost without thinking, reached for it. Serena’s messages popped up one after another: [Victor, my last wish is to take a honeymoon trip around the world with you] [Look, I planned the whole itinerary myself~] I opened the file she sent and flipped through it page by page. A yacht off the Greek coast. Skiing beneath the Swiss Alps. The Northern Lights in the Arctic. All the places he had once promised to take me—but never did. So all these years, I was just a cheap stand-in. Every time he looked at me, every time he pressed me into the bed, he was probably thinking of Serena. I suddenly remembered our rushed “wedding.” I had been wearing a bridesmaid dress when he pulled me to the church. I wore the ring that should have been Serena’s. We didn’t even have a honeymoon. He had sworn he would give me a proper ceremony someday. That promise came up again and again—but he always put it off. And now, he was willing to set aside everything in his organization to take Serena on a honeymoon. When Victor came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, I was cleaning up the kitchen. “Emma!” He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. “Let the maid handle this. Didn’t you text me today saying you had a big surprise for me?” I forced a smile and instinctively touched my belly. “I was just kidding.”

The next day, a notification on my phone reminded me I was supposed to attend a dinner at the Ashford estate. I put on light makeup to hide the exhaustion of a sleepless night. I was about to push open the door when I froze. In the seat that should have been mine—sat Serena. She was wearing the dress Victor had personally designed for me. Her hair was pinned up, and she was sipping soup that Victor had handed to her. “Serena, you need to eat more. Build up your strength.” Seeing this, I wanted to leave. “Emma?” Serena suddenly looked up, feigning surprise. “Come sit down!” Everyone’s eyes shot toward me like arrows. Victor strode over and grabbed my wrist. “What are you doing here?” “I shouldn’t be here?” I asked, almost laughing. “My parents think we’re already divorced…” he said. I stood frozen. So everyone had already decided that Serena was the real wife. At this point, there was no reason for me to stay. “I’m not feeling well. I want to go home and rest.” “No.” His grip tightened. “Serena invited you to sit down. You need to give her some respect.” “Victor!” My voice trembled. “Emma!” He cut me off sharply, his gaze cold, as if looking at a stranger throwing a tantrum. “You showed up here out of nowhere just to compete with Serena for attention, didn’t you?” My eyes instantly turned red. At the other end of the table, Serena suddenly erupted into a violent coughing fit, as if she might suffocate any second. Victor let go of my hand without hesitation and rushed to her side, not even glancing at me as I stumbled. Serena spoke weakly: “Emma… are you still mad at me? If you leave now, it means you won’t forgive me.” Victor’s expression darkened. “Emma. Sit down.” I didn’t move. With one look from him, two housekeepers stepped forward, each pressing down on one of my shoulders, forcing me into a chair. Victor said coldly, “Don’t make this uncomfortable for everyone.” I let them hold me in place. I couldn’t even feel the pain anymore. The man, satisfied that I wasn’t resisting, gave my hand a brief squeeze, then returned to Serena’s side and continued to care for her attentively. Meanwhile, I sat like an outsider, shoved into the farthest corner. Some relatives whispered and snickered: “Some people sit in a position for three years, and still can’t compare to someone who’s been back for three days.” “Serena is so sweet and elegant. Unlike some people, always looking so cold…” I endured every word. When the dinner finally ended, I stood to say goodbye to his parents. His mother gave me a dismissive nod. “I heard you’ve been spending every night at bars. If Serena hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known you were so loose.” My blood ran cold. This baseless accusation—so this was Serena’s farewell gift to me.

When I walked out of the Ashford mansion, the night wind was freezing. Every other time I came here, I arrived with Victor. This time, I came alone—and I left alone. My phone suddenly buzzed with a notification: [Mob Boss’s Wife Dumped—Sister Takes Her Place] The photo was from their wedding day, showing my back as I was seated at the staff table. The comments were full of mockery: “Heard she hooks up with male models at clubs every night. She deserved to be divorced. Mr. Ashford not putting a bullet in her is already merciful.” “Three years of marriage and not a single kid? Guess he didn’t even want to touch her.” “LOL, the stand-in finally got kicked out!” I calmly turned off the screen. I remembered that three years ago, when Serena’s scandal first hit the headlines, Victor summoned his PR team overnight. Every negative article vanished within three hours. But now, as lies about me flooded the internet, he didn’t care at all. The moment I reached my door, my phone buzzed nonstop. Mom: [Serena wants a family photo. Get to the studio now.] Dad: [Don’t be difficult. She doesn’t have much time left!] My brother Derek: [If you don’t show up, don’t bother calling me your brother anymore!] I sighed. Serena and I were half-sisters. She was raised by my mother. Even though I was her biological daughter, I could never replace Serena in Mom’s heart. Serena was right. I never liked sharing anything, ever since I was little. Because they didn’t know—everything they got handed to them, I had to claw out of the dirt to earn. My parents would give them allowances and forget about me. Even the housekeeper couldn’t remember I was allergic to mango. Her desserts nearly killed me more than once. On my wedding day, my mother cried and said, “If Serena hadn’t been tricked into going abroad, she would have been the bride today.” And now, they wanted me—the one whose husband had been stolen—to stand in a family photo, smiling and playing happy. My phone buzzed again. This time it was Victor. He sent me a location: “Get here. Now.” I laughed coldly and turned off my phone. This time, I wasn’t going to please anyone. Just as I was about to go inside, two strangers rushed out. They grabbed me by the arms, one on each side. “What are you doing?” I struggled hard. “Let me go!” A black sedan sped through the night. I gripped the door handle. Kidnapping? Revenge? Or… The car screeched to a stop outside a photography studio. That’s when I realized—Victor had me brought here. I was shoved inside, trembling with cold. Serena stood in a white wedding gown, leaning against Victor. “Emma! You’re here?” She smiled sweetly. “Come stand next to me, okay?” My brother Derek grabbed me hard, afraid I’d make a scene. “She can stand next to me. Today’s about you!” As the photographer adjusted our positions, I was slowly pushed to the edge. When the photo was finally done, I turned to leave, shaking. Serena suddenly walked toward me and whispered in my ear: “I stole your husband, Emma. Why won’t you hit me?” I knew she was baiting me. Back at home, she used to provoke me over and over, waiting for me to snap so she could play the fragile victim. But this time, I didn’t move. It wasn’t worth it. I turned to leave—and she suddenly fell backward. The sound of tearing fabric filled the room. Everyone rushed to her side. “Emma!” Victor was the first to reach me. He slapped me hard across the face, knocking me to the ground. “Apologize!” My ears rang. The fall was too violent. A sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen. “Victor…” I suddenly realized something was wrong. I doubled over, clutching my stomach. “My stomach hurts. Take me to the hospital…” Inside me was the baby I had been hoping for for two years… “One slap and you’re faking sick?” Victor sneered. “Serena has terminal cancer, and she’s not as dramatic as you.” “Emma, you’ve always been like this—so theatrical,” my mother glared at me. “Serena doesn’t have much time. Can’t you just let her have this?” My brother grabbed me by the hair and forced my head up. “Someone slaps your face and you grab your stomach? Who are you putting on a show for?” They crowded around Serena and left. No one looked back at me. I curled up on the studio floor. Blood stained my phone screen. I finally dialed a number I had buried long ago: “Come get me now. Everything you asked for… I’ll agree to all of it.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “356821”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn #浪漫Romance

After becoming a top-tier lawyer, my ex-boyfriend personally threw me into a club to work as a bunny girl. He made me kneel to open bottles, poured red wine over my head, and called it payback for his new lover. I clutched the money I’d sold myself for and begged him to leave my brother alone. He simply stuffed the bills down my top. “A slut like you is filthy all over.” Then the truth came out. The woman he cherished had only wanted his money all along. Later, panicked, he searched for me frantically in a burning building. But I was already holding another man’s hand. I walked up and slapped an astronomical check across his face. “Get out of our lives, Gavin.” Caroline POV My ex-boyfriend became a top-tier lawyer, and the first thing he did was try to send my brother to prison. A medical injury report slammed heavily onto the table. “Grade Two severe injury-that’s a felony. At least three years in prison.” The man’s voice was ice-cold and cutting. “Caroline, unless you publicly apologize to Ruby online and pay fifty thousand dollars in compensation, don’t even think about negotiating.” I stared at the old watch on Gavin’s wrist-the one I’d given him three years ago when I was still the family heir. Back then, he said he’d love me forever. Now, he was destroying me for that woman who faked a suicide attempt to frame me. “Mr. Gavin, the surveillance footage was edited. Sam threw the first punch…” “I only look at evidence.” Gavin cut me off, his tone dripping with disgust. “Tomorrow morning at nine, if I don’t see the money and apology letter, Jason can wait to be prosecuted.” With that, he turned and left. I stood frozen, ice flooding my veins. The police officer advised me to gather the money quickly, stating bluntly that Gavin was firm in his stance and his connections in the legal world ran too deep-a clean settlement would be nearly impossible. Fifty thousand dollars was an astronomical sum for me now. But for my brother, I had no choice. Walking out of the police station, I immediately dialed the club manager’s number. “I’ll take that VIP room tonight.” “Changed your mind?” The manager’s voice carried a hint of mockery. “VIP clients are high-status. Whatever happens, you take it. If you dare show attitude, even I can’t protect you.” “I understand.” I looked at the pitch-black night outside the window, my knuckles white as I gripped the phone. “As long as the money’s right, I’ll do whatever it takes.” Half an hour later, in the club’s dressing room. I changed into a bunny girl outfit that left almost nothing to the imagination. The woman in the mirror wore heavy makeup, but her eyes looked like stagnant water. The manager pushed the door open and looked me up and down, nodding with satisfaction. “Get in there. Be smart.” I tugged at the corner of my mouth, forcing out a smile I’d practiced countless times.

Caroline POV I pushed the drink cart into the private room. The laughter and conversation stopped abruptly. Everyone in the room was familiar. “Isn’t this our old school’s prom queen Caroline?” Ruby covered her mouth in mock surprise. “Why are you dressed like that? I thought I was seeing things.” A burst of laughter erupted around the room. “It really is Caroline! She was like a princess at school. How’d she end up selling drinks?” “That’s what they call karma. She used to be a princess, now she’s just trash.” I kept my head down, my fingers digging into the cart’s handle. I forced myself to maintain that stiff smile. “Bosses, would you like me to open some bottles?” “Open them, of course.” Ruby leaned lazily against the sofa, raising her hand to run her fingers through her hair. An enormous diamond ring on her ring finger glittered brilliantly under the lights. “Gavin specifically bid on this at the Sotheby’s auction to celebrate my foundation’s establishment.” Pride flickered in Ruby’s eyes. “A few million dollar trinket-I told him not to buy it, but he insisted.” “Gavin really spoils you rotten, Ruby.” “Exactly. Only someone with Ruby’s class could pull off wearing it.” I felt that gleam pierce my eyes painfully. I unconsciously touched the plain gold ring in my pocket. Years ago, in our rental apartment, Gavin had bought it with money from his part-time job and proposed to me. He’d said, “Caroline, I’ll definitely get you a bigger one someday.” “What are you spacing out for?” A male classmate pointed at several bottles of Louis XIII on the floor. “Open all of these. And remember, we want kneeling service.” I took a deep breath and slowly knelt down. My knees hit the marble floor with a sharp stab of pain. Just then, the private room door opened again. Gavin walked in. The air in the room seemed to freeze several degrees. I knelt on the floor, my line of sight level with his dress pants. My whole body stiffened. I even forgot to breathe. Gavin’s gaze swept lightly over me kneeling on the floor, not pausing for even a second, as if I were invisible. He walked over and sat beside Ruby, who immediately hooked her arm through his. “What took you so long?” “Had something to handle.” Gavin’s voice was gentle but distant. “Caroline’s opening bottles for us.” Ruby pointed at the floor. Gavin didn’t even turn his head. “As long as she doesn’t kill the mood.” The guy beside me, emboldened by alcohol, let his hand wander toward my waist. I instinctively dodged, and the decanter in my hand tilted. Red wine spilled out, spattering a few drops on the hem of Ruby’s white evening gown. “What are you doing!” Ruby shrieked, jumping to her feet. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” I frantically tried to wipe it. Hearing the commotion, the manager burst in. Without asking questions, he slapped me across the face and pressed my head down, forcing me to apologize. “Apologize to Miss Ruby right now!” My face snapped to the side from the blow, my ears ringing. Before I could speak, I saw a slender hand reach over. Gavin held a handkerchief, his movements gentle as he wiped the wine stains from Ruby’s dress hem. Meanwhile, he didn’t spare a single glance at me kneeling on the floor with a swollen red cheek. “The dress is ruined, can’t wear it now.” Gavin said flatly, casually tossing the handkerchief in front of me. “Throw it away.” The handkerchief floated down lightly, landing beside my knee. I stared at that handkerchief, my eyes burning dry, unable to produce a single tear. I silently picked up the handkerchief and, still on my knees, moved inch by inch across the floor, wiping the wine stains from the carpet. The wine soaked through the hem of my uniform. No one told me to stop. Not until the party ended. I limped out the back door. In the dark alley, a tall figure blocked my path. Gavin leaned against his car, a cigarette between his fingers, the flame illuminating his cold, hard profile. “Fifty thousand dollars. Got it together yet?” Money-that was his opening line. I leaned against the wall, fighting through the pain in my knees. “Gavin, haven’t you ever suspected that what happened back then was Ruby putting on an act? And today, Sam was the one who started-” “Enough.” Gavin cut me off with disgust, throwing his cigarette to the ground and crushing it under his foot. “Caroline, three years and you still haven’t changed. Nothing but lies.” He stepped forward, staring into my eyes. “Your current situation is entirely your own doing.” With that, he opened his car door and drove off into the night. I stood there, watching his taillights disappear into the darkness. In front of this man, even my breathing was wrong. When I got back to the apartment, it was already two in the morning. Jason was still awake, watching me with dark, sinister eyes. “Jason, let me put medicine on your wounds…” I pulled out the ointment I’d bought. “Get lost!” Jason shoved me away, pointing at my revealing outfit, his voice shrill. “Where did you go dressed like that? To see Gavin again?” “I was working.” “Working? What job needs that?” Jason smashed the water glass on the table violently. “Caroline, you’re a spineless bootlicker groveling to our enemy! You got our parents killed, and now you want me dead too!” Shards of glass flew, one slicing cleanly across my calf. I looked at the broken pieces scattered on the floor. Silently, I crouched down and picked up the shards one by one, not offering a single word of defense.

Caroline POV In the club’s break room, a talk show played on TV. On screen, Ruby’s eyes brimmed with tears. “That bullying incident three years ago gave me severe depression. If Gavin hadn’t been by my side the whole time, I might have already…” She held up a doctor’s diagnosis, showing it to the camera. I sat in the corner eating a cold sandwich and glanced up at the screen. That date. Ruby had been partying all night at a karaoke bar and posted a nine-photo grid on Instagram. “Miss Ruby is beautiful inside and out. That person who bullied her deserves to die.” A coworker beside me sighed. “It’s fake.” I swallowed the dry bread and said flatly. “What’s your problem?” The coworker rolled her eyes. “She showed the diagnosis on camera. You’re just jealous of her good fortune.” I said nothing more. In this world where capital controls the narrative, truth is the cheapest commodity. All I could do was make money. Tonight’s private room hosted a billionaire. William was famously wealthy, generous with money, and known for playing rough. When I entered, Gavin was there too. He’d come to negotiate business, sitting across from William with a very humble posture. Seeing me enter, Gavin’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. I looked straight ahead and walked directly to William’s side, skillfully pouring drinks, my body brushing against him intentionally or not. “Master William, this glass is for you.” My voice was soft and seductive as I tilted my head back and downed a glass of hard liquor in one gulp. William watched me with interest, his gaze roaming over the exposed skin at my neckline. “That tolerance-you’ve practiced?” “As long as it makes Master William happy.” I smiled and reached to pour another drink. A hand suddenly cut in, pressing down on the bottle. Gavin’s face was like ice, his voice cold enough to shatter. “William, she’s not worthy of toasting you. Don’t let her dirty your glass.” William raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting between me and Gavin, then he suddenly laughed. He pulled me into his embrace with one arm. With his other hand, he pulled out a thick stack of bills and stuffed them into my neckline. The green bills pressed against my skin with a temperature of humiliation. “I like the thorny ones.” William looked at Gavin provocatively. “Does Lawyer Gavin control this too? What, feeling protective?” Gavin stared at William’s hand on my waist, dark storms churning in his eyes. “Master William misunderstands.” He shot to his feet. “My fiancée doesn’t like me dining at the same table as this kind of person. Says it’s disgusting.” With that, he gave me one cold look. “Call it a night.” The gathering ended unpleasantly. I leaned against the wall, head down, organizing the bills in my neckline. Gavin emerged from the private room and saw this scene. His steps halted. “You’ve gotten quite practiced at earning this kind of money.” He walked up to me, his tone full of mockery. “You really are cheap to the bone. You’ll sell anything for money.” My hands paused while counting the bills. I raised my head and looked at him calmly. “I earn money through honest work. That’s cleaner than lying and framing people to climb up. And cleaner than certain blind, heartless people.” “Caroline!” Gavin’s expression changed dramatically as he grabbed my chin. “Still slandering Ruby? Seems yesterday’s lesson wasn’t enough.” He leaned closer, his eyes sinister. “Watch your mouth, or I’ll make sure you can’t stay in this city.” With that, he released me in disgust, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his hands as if he’d touched something filthy. I watched his retreating back, clutching the bills tightly. Three thousand dollars total. Enough for Jason’s living expenses. Just then, my phone rang. I answered, and an anxious doctor’s voice came through. “Is this Jason’s family? Your brother’s right hand has tissue necrosis from a medication reaction. He needs surgery now.” A dull buzz filled my ears. “How much will it cost?” “Surgery and follow-up treatment will cost one hundred thousand dollars. If we don’t operate immediately, his right hand will be permanently damaged.” One hundred thousand. The money in my hands fluttered to the ground. The voice on the phone kept urging. “Family needs to come pay and sign as soon as possible. Any later and it’ll be too late!”

Caroline POV When Jason woke up, the anesthesia had just worn off. Seeing me sitting by the bed, hostility flooded those eyes so similar to mine. His uninjured left hand grabbed the pillow and hurled it at me. “Get out! Stop pretending to care!” The pillow hit me with little force, yet it made my chest tighten painfully. I didn’t dodge. I bent to pick up the pillow, trying to hold down his thrashing shoulders. “Don’t move. The bone was just set.” “Don’t tell me what to do!” Veins bulged in Jason’s neck. “Didn’t you go drink with those rich people? Why bother with a burden like me? Get lost!” My hand froze in midair, my eyes reddening. “Jason, do you think I want to?” I pressed down firmly on my brother’s shoulders, my voice trembling. “Why did you go to that place to be a drug trial subject? Do you know how dangerous those clinical trials are? Do you want to destroy yourself that badly?” Jason froze for a moment, then laughed coldly. “Destroy myself? I’m already worthless.” He turned his head away, refusing to look at me. “At least I’m better than some people. Selling smiles to enemies for money, no dignity left. Yeah, I’m rotten, but I don’t need someone who sells her body to manage me.” “You…” My face went deathly pale, as if all the blood had been drained from my body. “That’s enough!” Harry, who’d been standing at the door, rushed in and shoved Jason. “Jason, are you even human? Your sister almost died getting money for your surgery!” “Harry, shut up!” Jason yelled. “I won’t shut up!” Harry’s eyes were red as he pointed at me. “Caroline, don’t listen to his nonsense. This kid became a trial subject because he overheard you on the balcony that day talking about selling your blood plasma. He said he didn’t want you selling your life, wanted to share the burden.” Jason bit down hard, turning his head away as tears slid down his face. I leaned against the wall, covering my mouth to keep from crying out loud. We’d both been trying to give each other a way out, only to crash and burn. The misunderstanding was cleared, but reality hadn’t changed. A nurse pushed the door open and slapped an overdue payment notice on the table without expression. “Surgery still needs one hundred thousand. Pay by tomorrow or the surgery’s canceled.” I wiped my face and turned to leave the room. “Don’t go!” Jason called after me, his voice breaking. My steps paused. I didn’t look back. “Wait for me.” … The manager’s office. “Advance on salary? Impossible.” The manager crossed his legs. “You’ve been here how many days? Rules are rules.” I stood before the desk, spine straight. “I have an emergency.” “Who doesn’t have emergencies here?” The manager scoffed, flicking cigarette ash. “There is a big job tonight though. No one dares take it. If you’re willing to go all out, forget one hundred thousand-two hundred thousand is possible.” “What job?” “Gavin’s grandmother threw her ring into the ornamental pond. Whoever retrieves it gets a hundred thousand dollar tip.” Dead of winter. Temperature below freezing. A layer of broken ice floated on the pond’s surface. Without any hesitation, I took the liability waiver from the desk and signed my name. “I’ll take it.” … The central courtyard garden. Bitter wind howling. Gavin’s grandmother sat by a heater, holding hot tea. Gavin stood in the shadows, cigarette between his fingers, expression unreadable. Seeing me approach, Gavin’s grandmother’s eyes flashed with satisfaction. “Isn’t this that family’s precious daughter?” She pointed at the pond before her, voice shrill. “Years ago when I was a housekeeper at your house, I accidentally lost a brooch and your mother locked me in the basement all night. Today you get a taste of that.” I said nothing. I removed my shoes and socks, rolled up my pants. Those feet, once fair and delicate, were now covered with frostbite and scars. I took a deep breath and stepped into the bone-chilling ice water. The cold was like countless steel needles piercing my marrow. With each step, the broken ice on the surface sliced across my skin, leaving bloody marks. I gritted my teeth, bent over, and plunged my hands into the mud to search. Cold. Cold to the bone. In less than five minutes, both legs had lost all feeling. On the shore, Gavin’s grandmother pulled out her phone and started recording. Gavin remained in the shadows, motionless. Half an hour later, my fingers were frozen purple and stiff. Finally, my fingertips touched something hard. Trembling, I pulled it up. The ring. I dragged my nearly useless legs to shore, soaked to the bone. I held the ring out with both hands to Gavin’s grandmother. “Ma’am, I found the ring.” Gavin’s grandmother glanced at the mud-covered ring and waved her hand in disgust, knocking it away. “Disgusting. Who’d want that now?” The ring rolled across the ground with a crisp sound. I froze, teeth chattering. “Then… the tip…” “Tip?” Gavin’s grandmother acted like she’d heard the funniest joke. “You chose to go in there yourself. Did I force you? And you still want money?” I knelt on the ground, my whole body shaking uncontrollably. I raised my head, looking toward the man in the shadows. “Gavin…” Gavin crushed his cigarette and walked over. He looked down at my wretched state, pulled a check from his pocket, and let it flutter onto my face. “Buy some medicine. Stop embarrassing yourself here.” The check slid down. The amount was only twenty thousand. Not even close to what I needed. I picked up that check. My legs had lost all feeling. I collapsed completely to the ground. But I didn’t shed a single tear.

Caroline POV Hospital corridor. The lights shone on my face, unable to illuminate any trace of color. Gavin appeared at the end of the corridor with his assistant. “I can pay for Jason’s surgery.” Gavin stopped in front of me, tone businesslike. “And I can drop the criminal charges against him.” I raised my head, eyes filled with desolation. “What are the conditions?” This man never made a losing deal. Gavin pulled out a document and handed it to me. “Tomorrow night, Ruby is hosting a charity gala against cyberbullying. I want you to attend and publicly apologize.” I opened the document, my fingertips trembling. The agreement stated I must admit that I had slandered Ruby out of jealousy by claiming she faked her suicide attempt, and confess that I had bullied Ruby for an entire year. “I didn’t do those things.” I closed the document, voice hoarse. “Black can’t become white.” “Is that so?” Gavin laughed coldly, pulling out an injury assessment. “If Jason’s right hand doesn’t get surgery immediately and the nerves die, he’ll never pick up a paintbrush again for the rest of his life.” He paused, delivering another blow. “Also, Jason must appear on camera to apologize too.” My head snapped up, staring at him. “He just had surgery! You want to force someone who just came out of the operating room to apologize to a fraud?” “This is the justice you and he owe Ruby.” Gavin adjusted his cuffs, expression indifferent. “Besides, having a brother who just had surgery appear on camera makes the apology seem more sincere, doesn’t it?” In that instant, I felt utterly hopeless. I looked at this man I’d once loved so deeply. The one who used to warm my hands in his pockets during winter. The one who’d promised to protect me forever. That boy died three years ago. Standing before me now was just a demon in human skin. “Fine.” I took the pen and signed my name on the agreement. … Jason was wheeled into the operating room. I sat on the bench outside, waiting. While they operated, I opened an app to check flight prices. I was planning to leave this place. Go south to find a small coastal town where no one knew me, open a bed and breakfast. Leave everything here behind and start a new life. But I still needed to figure out how to resolve my brother’s case.

Caroline POV The wind on the rooftop was fierce, giving me a headache. I leaned against the railing, looking at the traffic below. “Caroline!” Harry ran up breathlessly, clutching a USB drive in his hand. “Got it!” He rushed over and pressed the drive into my palm. “I bribed the property manager at Sam’s apartment complex. This is the complete surveillance footage from that day!” My hand trembled, nearly dropping it. “Look!” Harry pulled out his phone and plugged in a card reader. The screen showed clear footage. Sam had been the one to surround Jason with his friends, pointing at my photo and calling me a whore. When Jason tried to leave, Sam pushed him to the ground and they kicked him while he was down. Jason only grabbed a brick in self-defense when he was cornered against the wall with no way out. This was self-defense, absolutely not intentional assault. I stared at the screen, tears finally streaming down my face. This was Jason’s innocence. His future. With this, Gavin’s accusations were worthless. … Just then, a news alert pushed to my phone screen. Ruby’s PR team had issued an announcement: “Tomorrow night’s charity gala will feature bully Caroline’s confession, serving as a warning about the dangers of cyberbullying.” Immediately after, Gavin reposted the tweet. Caption: “Justice may be delayed, but it will not be denied.” The comments exploded. “Ruby is too kind. That person should be in prison!” “Can’t wait to see that evil woman Caroline apologize tomorrow!” “Lawyer Gavin is so hot, what a devoted protector!” My hand shook. I closed the phone. … In the hospital room. When Jason learned I was going to apologize on livestream, he got so agitated he nearly pulled out his IV. “I’m not afraid of prison! You can’t go!” He banged his casted hand against the bed rail. “That bastard Gavin will ruin you for life! We don’t need him. Worst case, we all go down together!” “Jason.” I held him down, my expression gentle but resolute. “This is the last time.” I tucked the blanket around my brother, saying softly, “After tomorrow night, we leave this place. Head south. Never come back.” “But-” “Trust me.” I looked into my brother’s eyes. “I will never truly bow my head.” When I left the hospital, Lulu sent me an audio file and a technical analysis report. Lulu was my old college roommate, now an audio expert. Lulu: Caroline, the audio restoration is done. Listen to this. Then came an audio file and a technical analysis report. I put on my earphones and hit play. Three years ago, the muffled audio from Ruby’s suicide note became perfectly clear after enhancement. Ruby, supposedly slitting her wrists, spoke with eerie calm. “Adjust the blood pack. Make it look convincingly brutal. Gavin likes that.” Then the makeup artist: “Is this angle good, Miss Ruby?” “Perfect. Toss the blade far away. Don’t get caught.” I stood on the sidewalk hearing the recording. My whole body shook uncontrollably. Three years of buried injustice had found its release. Gavin. Ruby. You two will pay for this.

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My sister Jade is extremely appearance-obsessed. She hates anyone ugly. In my past life, she fell ill and desperately needed me to gain weight and donate bone marrow to save her. So I ate my way to gaining 30 pounds without hesitation. But after I saved her, she mocked me to her friends. “Ava looks like a fat pig. She’s disgusting!” She even turned my photos into memes for people online to mock, which drove me to depression. Until a murderer broke into the hospital. I begged her for help, but she said coldly: “Fat pig, being near you will just make me ugly too. You’re on your own!” And just like that, I died a brutal death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my family demanded I gain weight to save Jade. Looking at the frail girl in the hospital bed, I smiled and threw her words right back at her. “No way! Aren’t you appearance-obsessed? My bone marrow will only make you ugly. You’re on your own.” “Ava, are you deaf?” “Hurry up and gain weight to donate bone marrow to Jade! If anything happens to her, you’re dead!” My parents’ sinister voices rang in my ears. That’s when I realized I’d been reborn. In my past life. To save Jade, I forced myself to gain thirty pounds, transforming from a slender girl into a bloated mess. But instead of gratitude, I got her and her friends’ relentless mockery. She even deliberately led the murderer to my hospital room. “Ava, you’re so ugly and fat. You living just disgusts me. You might as well just die!” After saying this, the girl hid in the corner. She watched coldly as the murderer stabbed me to death. After I died, not one of them shed a tear. Instead, they cursed me for being unlucky. Thinking of all this. Rage surged through me, suffocating me! Coming back to my senses, I met my parents’ hypocritical eyes and smiled. “Mom, Dad, Jade is appearance-obsessed. She hates anything ugly. If you make me donate bone marrow, do you want her to become as ugly as me?” My mother, Rachel, froze for several seconds before shouting: “Appearance-obsessed? Ava, what nonsense are you making up!” “Jade is your real sister! Can you really bear to watch her die? You selfish, ungrateful brat! I raised you for nothing!” My father, David, also turned red with anger, grabbing my hair and ordering: “Jade is our precious daughter. You have to save her!” I shook off David’s hand. And asked bitterly: “She’s your precious daughter? Then what am I?” The last bit of warmth in my heart was extinguished like a candle in cold rain. After all, their favoritism toward my sister wasn’t new. Those painful memories from even further back suddenly flooded my mind. When I was little, I constantly suffered from constipation. My face would turn red from straining. My parents never bought me laxatives from the pharmacy. Instead, they caught slippery eels to use as a folk remedy. I felt sick to my stomach on the spot, but she just sneered with her hands on her hips: “Stop being so dramatic! Folk remedies work, and they save money!” But whenever my sister coughed twice, they’d immediately take her to see a doctor. Every winter, when the cotton needed picking from our fields. My parents gave my sister a warm cotton coat. But they tossed me a thin shirt and made me work in the fields. Jade had it so good. She never had to do any dirty or exhausting work. I closed my eyes slightly, forcing the tears back, and asked through gritted teeth: “Mom, Dad, why do I, your daughter, have to hide in the gutter like a thief, stealing glimpses of the love you give Jade?” My parents’ faces turned red and white. They said something that absolutely broke my heart. “Because Jade is younger and has a sweet face, while you have that birthmark on your face that’s disgusting to look at!” “No one will ever like you!” I laughed. This time, I finally laughed until tears came out. So this whole family had been influenced by my sister and become appearance-obsessed too! If that’s the case, I don’t need to care about family ties anymore! Just as the atmosphere reached its freezing point. Jade, lying in the hospital bed, spoke up. “Dad, Mom, stop forcing her.” My parents paused, looking at her in confusion: “What’s wrong with you? She can save your life!”

Jade looked at me with disgust. “I don’t want her bone marrow.” “I’m appearance-obsessed. I hate ugly things the most.” “Her bone marrow must carry ugly cells. What if it gets into my body and makes me ugly too?” At these words, my parents didn’t know what to do. After all, what Jade said carried enormous weight in their hearts. Rachel comforted Jade tenderly, then glared at me viciously. “It’s all your fault, you brat! You just had to talk nonsense and make Jade disgusted with you! Are you happy now?” I shrugged, looking innocent: “She’s the one who doesn’t want it. What does it have to do with me?” In the end, my parents had to give up forcing me to donate bone marrow and started searching everywhere for other matches. But bone marrow transplants aren’t easy. Finding a suitable match is like finding a needle in a haystack. Days passed, and Jade’s condition got worse and worse. She often rolled around in bed in pain, crying her heart out. My parents were frantic, spending hundreds of thousands but still couldn’t find a suitable match. Watching them run around in desperation, I only felt incredibly satisfied! But this wasn’t over yet! I needed to help push them to their breaking point even faster! Looking at Jade curled up in the hospital bed, I pretended to be concerned: “Jade, aren’t you appearance-obsessed?” “They say being in a good mood helps you recover faster. Looking at handsome guys might actually help your condition.” Jade struggled to lift her eyes. She frowned and asked: “You’re right! But where can I find good-looking people?” “That’s easy…” I curled my lips. The fish had taken the bait! In my past life, they could force me to sacrifice everything for Jade. This time, let them experience what it’s like to bankrupt themselves for their precious daughter. I continued: “Hire them.” “There are lots of professional male models now. They’re all handsome with great bodies. Having them keep you company will definitely help you recover faster!” Sure enough, my parents exchanged glances. And agreed without hesitation! The next day, I brought a group of handsome but expensive male models to the hospital. Seeing so many attractive people, Jade’s eyes instantly lit up. Meanwhile. To pay for the male models and continue Jade’s treatment. My parents worked construction during the day and ran a night market stall at night, working nonstop until their backs couldn’t straighten. They gritted their teeth and drained their savings to satisfy Jade. Every time I saw them come home covered in dust and exhaustion, I couldn’t stop smiling! I thought I could enjoy their misery for a few more days. But unexpectedly, they set their sights on me! “Ava! We’re out of money. Tomorrow you’re marrying John so we can use the marriage gift to save your sister!” John? My heart sank. That fat, ugly old man over fifty? “I won’t marry him!” I refused without hesitation. Rachel trembled with rage when I disagreed. She suddenly rushed forward and slapped me hard across the face. I turned my head away. My cheek immediately burned with pain. “You brat! It’s your honor to contribute to saving Jade!” “You have no right to refuse!” I covered my cheek, looking at her with icy eyes. David also said with a dark expression: “You money-losing brat! If you dare refuse to marry him, we’ll throw you out and disown you!” Jade in the hospital bed also spoke mockingly: “Ava, you’re so ugly, you should be with an ugly man. It’s a perfect match!” I laughed in anger. Did they really think I was some abused heroine who didn’t know the law? I decisively pulled out my phone, making a show of calling the police. “Forcing a minor to marry is illegal!” “Throwing me out is also abandonment!”

“Do you want to go to jail?” All three of them immediately changed their expressions and rushed to stop me. My parents, having no way to control me, could only slap their thighs and complain. “Oh my, what sins have I committed to have such a rebellious daughter who not only disobeys me but even wants to call the police on me!” Their voices were loud, attracting many patients. The uninformed patients started pointing at me and cursing me as an unfilial daughter. They even posted about me online for people to criticize! But I didn’t care. Looking at the family’s vicious faces. I pulled out my trump card. “I have a better solution.” I suddenly spoke, my gaze landing on Rachel. “I don’t have to marry, and we can still save my sister.” My parents glanced at me sideways. They pressed: “Stop being cryptic! What’s your solution? Hurry up and tell us!” I looked at Rachel meaningfully again. Rachel felt uncomfortable under my stare and couldn’t help but shiver. I smiled coldly. “The solution is to have Mom donate bone marrow!” After speaking, I looked at Jade with a sincere expression. “Mom is so beautiful, and Jade is appearance-obsessed, so she definitely won’t mind. Plus, between mother and daughter, bone marrow matching rates are higher, making the surgery more likely to succeed!” As soon as I finished speaking, Rachel’s expression went blank. Rachel kept backing away, waving her hands: “That won’t work! I’m not good-looking. Jade will definitely think I’m ugly!” “Mom, how could you not be good-looking?” I said with feigned surprise. “When you were young, you were the most beautiful woman around here. Even though you’re older now, you’re still charming.” “If you don’t believe me, I’ll get people to confirm it!” After speaking, I took out my phone and made several calls. Before long, a group of people came to the hospital room. These people were all neighbors from our community. I’d contacted them beforehand, given them some benefits, and asked them to say a few nice words. As soon as they entered the room, they surrounded my mother with endless praise. “You’re so beautiful. At your age, your skin is still so good, and you have such an elegant air.” “Yes, yes, I always thought you were a great beauty. You must have had lots of suitors when you were young, right?” Wave after wave of praise poured into Jade’s ears. Her previously dim eyes suddenly brightened. She stared at Mom with burning intensity, her face showing anticipation. “Mom, I want your bone marrow. I want to become as beautiful as you!” “You love me so much, you’ll definitely agree to donate to me, right?” Donating bone marrow requires gaining weight, eating excessively, turning yourself into a greasy fat person. And the surgery carries certain risks. You might go in and never come out! Thinking of this, Rachel’s face turned even paler. “Mom… Mom can’t do it. Mom’s health isn’t good. Donating bone marrow could be dangerous.” “I don’t care!” When Jade heard this. She immediately threw a tantrum, crying her heart out. “Mom, I want your bone marrow! If you don’t donate to me, I’ll kill myself right in front of you!” Just then, David suddenly spoke up. He looked at Rachel, a sinister expression flashing across his face. “Jade has spoken. Just donate.” “It’s all for our child. Making a sacrifice is only right.” I kept sneering inside. I knew exactly what David was planning. In my past life, I already knew he’d been having an affair with a mistress. He just hadn’t dared divorce because of Jade’s illness and because Rachel still had some assets from her family. I bet he was hoping Rachel would have complications so he could legitimately be with his mistress. Rachel’s eyes widened in disbelief: “You… how can you say that? I’m your wife!” David’s stern face was full of frost. He said coldly: “So what if you’re my wife? Jade is our daughter. She’s still so young. Her life is more important!” The man’s tone was firm, without any hesitation. I stood nearby and couldn’t help but sneer. It seemed this family would fall apart soon! Even the people around them chimed in: “Just agree. Saving your daughter is what matters.” “That’s right. You can’t be selfish and afraid of death. Jade is your daughter. What are you hesitating for?” Rachel was surrounded by everyone. She looked at David’s emotionless eyes, Then heard everyone’s incessant urging, and the color drained from her face until it was deathly pale. “No… I don’t want to…” The woman’s face was full of terror as she mumbled. “I don’t want to become fat, don’t want to donate bone marrow, I’m scared…” “Don’t force me… don’t force me…” Her thin body began to sway unsteadily. A few seconds later. The woman’s eyes closed, and she fainted straight away…

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After I was kidnapped, the kidnappers put me up for rent online. Anyone could have me for just one dollar. If I didn’t service 100 customers each day, I would be tortured with electric shocks. In the rental house, filthy, disgusting men lined up from the third floor all the way down to the first. I struggled desperately, but could only watch in despair as that iron door opened and closed again and again. After one hundred days of living hell, my fiancé Derek finally found me, covered in scars. With red-rimmed eyes, he draped a pure white wedding dress over me and led me into the wedding hall without a trace of disgust. But then the big screen began playing videos of me being violated, one after another. I completely broke down. Before committing suicide, I held the share transfer agreement, wanting to give it to Derek. But in the living room, I overheard his conversation with the kidnapper. “Now that she is so obedient, you don’t need to worry about her bullying Lily anymore.” Derek chuckled softly. “Well done. Watching her grovel like that has really improved Lily’s appetite these past few days.” I staggered, trying to escape, but they discovered me and drowned me alive in the swimming pool. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day I was kidnapped. I secretly used Derek’s phone to send Lily a text message. “Darling, she’s not home today. Come over and let’s have some fun.”

“My greatest wish is to see you one last time before I die.” Hearing Derek’s weak, gasping voice on the phone, my blood boiled. I had actually been reborn! On the other end of the line, Derek kept rambling on, saying he wanted to buy me a birthday present but was hit by an out-of-control truck. He choked up, saying the surgery had less than a three percent success rate. I curved my lips into a smile, my voice full of concern. “Hang in there, I’ll come to the hospital right away!” But after hanging up, I didn’t rush out to hail a cab like I did in my previous life. Instead, I immediately dialed a number I hadn’t used in a long time, my eyes ice cold. In my previous life, Derek lied about being hit by a car and dying, tricking me into leaving the house. Worried about his safety, I—normally so cautious—rushed out in a panic. I didn’t even have time to wake the driver, just flagged down a random empty car on the street. But the moment I got into that car, the radiant princess of the elite circle disappeared forever. I became a cheap woman anyone could toy with for just one dollar. Soon, the person on the other end confirmed it was done. I immediately used the landline at home to call Lily, using a synthesized voice of Derek created by a hacker to talk to her. “You’re so naughty. I knew you’d come over tonight too. I’ve already showered and I’m waiting for you! Oh, just thinking about how you have to please that cheap slut every day makes my heart ache. Come over and rub it for me.” Hearing the sickeningly sweet moans on the other end, I smirked coldly and continued playing the recording. “No, you come here right now. That bitch isn’t home today. Tonight we’ll do it on her bed. That’ll be exciting enough.” Lily giggled shyly, saying she had a surprise for me tonight. After hanging up, I soon saw a figure sneaking out of the villa next door. Before I died in my previous life, I learned that Derek had actually bought Lily a villa right next door. Before I was kidnapped, the two of them would often drug me, shamelessly having their affair while I was unconscious. Derek, you’ve really helped me out this time. Below the window, Lily, wrapped in a fur coat, sneaked to the front gate. But I had changed the password, so no matter how many times she tried, it wouldn’t work. Stamping her feet in frustration, she was about to call Derek when an empty car pulled up from the darkness. “Miss, need a ride?” Seeing her alone and lingering at my door, driver Kevin couldn’t wait to knock her out with chloroform, tie her up like a dumpling, and drag her into the trunk. I breathed a long sigh of relief, but soon noticed on the company surveillance feed that Derek’s phone lit up. “Boss, we’ve got the goods.” Derek nodded with satisfaction and opened his phone. A clear photo of Lily’s face was transmitted over.

My heart skipped a beat as I stared intently at the surveillance feed. Derek casually opened the photo and was silent for two seconds. “Well done.” He snorted softly, his eyes full of disgust. “I’ve been fed up with her noble, cold act for ages. Now seeing her groveling like this is much more comfortable! This woman is so rigid. You’d better give her a real taste of suffering!” Only then did the weight lift from my chest. Lily had never gone bare-faced in front of Derek. But in the photo, the woman’s face was covered in blood, her hyaluronic acid-filled face swollen into a pig’s head from Kevin’s beating. She looked nothing like the little seductress who could make Derek’s heart flutter with just one glance. I sat back down in my chair and opened the surveillance feed of the rental house, watching Kevin push open Lily’s door with a vicious grin. Until the moment before I died in my previous life, I couldn’t understand why. I had given Derek everything—cars, houses, and the position of company CEO. To keep him from feeling inferior, I even resigned from the chairman position to focus on being his support. Why did he have someone humiliate me like that? And Lily—I rescued her from a seventy-year-old man in a mountain village, gave her a respectable job and a monthly salary of fifty thousand dollars. Yet after I escaped, she spread videos of me being violated all over the internet. Every time my mental state improved even slightly, she would release those beasts’ filthy, obscene comments about me from prison, making me hurt myself over and over again in agony. Only now do I finally understand—in some people’s eyes, not burning yourself to ashes to warm them is a crime! Derek deleted that ugly photo with a look of disgust. On the other side, Lily was pinned down by Kevin, crying and shouting that she wanted to see Derek. “Do you know I’m Derek’s woman! If you dare hurt me, he won’t let you get away with it!” Kevin laughed heartily, his greasy hands roaming all over Lily’s body. “So what if your husband knows? Even if he finds out, he’ll be thanking me instead!” Finding her too noisy, Kevin simply stuffed a filthy rag in Lily’s mouth. After stripping off her fur coat, he saw what was underneath. Kevin’s eyes lit up, and he slapped her ass hard. “I thought you were a traditional, conservative woman, but you’re so kinky in private!” Kevin took photos of Lily in her black stockings and leopard-print tail, then sent them to Derek. “Boss, you said your wife never lets you touch her, but who knew she plays so wild in private!” Seeing that slutty tail, Derek flew into a rage in his office. “Rachel Winters! Every day she won’t let me touch her, saying we have to wait until after marriage, but she dresses like this—who’s she trying to seduce! Since she’s so cheap, then you find people to satisfy her properly!” Kevin stood up with satisfaction. He opened the door and held up a QR code to the crowd of foul-smelling men. “One dollar per turn. You won’t lose out, you won’t be cheated.” In the office, Derek felt puzzled. Somehow, after seeing that photo, he had gotten aroused. He couldn’t wait to call Lily and rushed toward the villa. Tonight he would hold his beautiful woman and go until she begged for mercy, no matter how much she cried! In the filthy rental house, mixed with men’s heavy breathing, Lily’s phone lying to the side rang. The ringtone was Derek’s special tone. Lily’s lifeless eyes suddenly brightened, like grabbing a lifeline. She desperately spit out the rag in her mouth, her face full of hatred, speaking with certainty. “My husband installed a tracker on my phone. You’d better let me go right now! If I don’t answer his call, he’ll definitely find this place, and then none of you will escape—you’ll all be finished!”

Hearing this, the man immediately backed off. But Kevin pushed her forward, looking disdainful. “So what if there’s a tracker? Your husband will definitely not come looking for you!” “Why not? My husband loves me most!” Lily saw that Kevin didn’t seem to be bluffing, and her voice weakened a bit, but she stubbornly refused to believe it. Kevin kicked Lily to the ground, laughing until his face wrinkled. “Because your husband is the one who told us to do this!” Lily was stunned on the spot. She sat on the ground in disbelief, her face as white as paper. Kevin grew impatient and called everyone to join in. “Hurry up, I’ve got a quota to meet. The boss said we must service 100 customers a day!” The surveillance feed transmitted wave after wave of obscene laughter. The hellish days from my previous life surfaced in my mind again, and I had to take several deep breaths before switching screens. Downstairs at the company, Derek called Lily several times, all unanswered. He frowned, then smiled knowingly, his tone playful. “Just because I didn’t deal with you for one day, you’ve got quite the temper. I’ll make you cry and beg for mercy later!” Seeing this, I turned off the screen and immediately went downstairs. Derek, I’ve prepared a surprise for you too. Derek rushed into the villa eagerly and opened the bedroom, but didn’t see any trace of Lily. A flash of doubt crossed his mind. Turning around, he found the maid Kate trembling at the kitchen door. Derek’s face showed impatience. “Where’s Lily? Where did she go this late at night!” Kate’s tears flowed freely. “She went to find you, wanting to give you a surprise, but she was hit by a car and is being treated in the hospital now!” Derek’s legs went soft and he nearly couldn’t stand. After learning which hospital, he slammed the door and rushed out. “Nice acting.” I smiled slightly, emerging from behind Kate and withdrawing the knife I had pressed against her waist. On the other side, Derek arrived at my private hospital. As soon as the attending physician saw him, he informed him that Lily was hemorrhaging severely and the situation was critical—she was being resuscitated. The doctor frowned. “It’s just that the blood bank doesn’t have enough blood. I’m afraid the outlook is grim.” Derek immediately extended his wrist. “Take my blood. As long as it saves her, take as much as you need.” Those are your own words. I stood in the distance wearing a mask and nodded to the attending physician. Derek had a thousand milliliters of blood drawn, his face so pale he was on the verge of passing out. But it wasn’t enough. Compared to the harm he brought me, this was still far from enough. For three days straight, Derek had blood drawn at the hospital, but Lily still hadn’t come out of the ICU. On the third day, Derek, dragging his wobbling body, received an anxious call from the driver. “Boss, this woman can’t take much more. She keeps shouting that she wants to see you, and she hasn’t eaten or drunk anything for three days! If this continues, I’m afraid I won’t be able to complete your task!” A flash of ruthlessness crossed Derek’s eyes. It’s all Rachel Winters’ fault! If she hadn’t used money to tempt him, he and Lily would be a legitimate couple! If she would just die already, Lily wouldn’t have gotten into a car accident trying to see him! Thinking this, a cold smile appeared on Derek’s face. “Got it. I’ll come see her right now.”

Watching Derek storm over to settle accounts, I quickly switched the screen to the rental house. Outside the rental house, the queue had already stretched from the third floor down to the first. At the door, hearing familiar footsteps, Lily’s cloudy eyes showed a glimmer of joy. She crawled and rolled, trying to get to Derek’s feet, but Kevin anxiously kicked her away. “Get lost! What kind of trash are you to dirty our boss’s shoes!” At this moment, she was filthy all over, chained in the corner of the bed. Her whole body reeked with a terrible stench, her hair stuck to her face in clumps. Lily tried hard to speak, wanting to call Derek’s name. But after three days without a drop of water, no matter how hard she tried, she could only make ugly guttural sounds. Derek found her disgusting. He wrapped his hand in tissue and slapped her to the ground in disgust. “Rachel Winters, didn’t expect this, did you? You have this day too! From the day you agreed to marry me, you should have died! Those shares your parents left you should all be mine! Mine!” Lily resentfully covered her face. Seeing that Derek didn’t recognize her, she quickly brushed back her hair and spat on her own face, trying to wipe it. Wanting to clean up a bit so he would recognize her. Seeing this, I clenched my fists, nervously watching the screen. As a result, when Lily tried hard to put on a smile, Derek was so frightened he kicked her in the face. “So you’re a plastic surgery monster! Your nose collapsed, your chin’s crooked—an ugly freak like you actually wants to ruin my life? Let me tell you, in my eyes you’re not worth even one of Lily’s fingers!” With that, he vigorously wiped his hands with tissue and spat on Lily’s face. Lily was on the verge of tears but still wouldn’t give up. She bit her finger and wrote her name on the floor in blood. Seeing her awkwardly write out the character for “Lily,” she looked up hopefully. Derek took a deep breath, veins bulging on his forehead. “Lily is still lying in the hospital between life and death, and you bitch dare to curse her! Guards, cripple her hands!” Kevin stuffed a rag in Lily’s wailing mouth, picking up a hammer and smashing down while taking the opportunity to complain. “This slut even has someone saved as ‘Husband’ calling her. She probably already cheated on you!” The fury in Derek’s eyes intensified. “Where’s the phone? Let me see.” Kevin scratched his head. “She said the phone had a tracker or something. We were afraid of trouble, so we drove overnight and threw it in the river.” Derek nodded with satisfaction. “Thorough thinking. I’ll give you a bonus.” He had also put a tracker in Lily’s phone—it was a little game between them. But when did this Rachel Winters start finding men behind his back? His eyes turned cold as he spoke quietly. “Carve the words ‘cheap slut’ on her. Let her remember forever that she’ll never compare to Lily in this lifetime!” Before stepping out the door, Derek made sure to remind them: “Electrocute her until she’s brain-damaged, so she won’t be able to accuse me later.” At that moment, the light in Lily’s eyes completely died, leaving only deathly silence. Watching this scene on the surveillance feed, I excitedly opened several bottles of Romanée-Conti. In my previous life, just because I pointed out a few mistakes in Lily’s work. She held a grudge, and after I was kidnapped, she tearfully complained that I looked down on her. This provoked Derek into having Kevin carve all those company regulations onto my body, word for word. But now, Derek, I really look forward to the day the truth is revealed—what expression will you have? For the next three months, Derek never came to the rental house again. He kept vigil in the hospital corridor with a bruised face, rarely going to the company and not even shaving. But no matter what he said, the doctors wouldn’t let him in to provide care. When Derek got angry, he would give the driver more money, telling him to pay people to use that bitch even if it cost extra. And Lily had been beaten into submission. She no longer dared say she was Lily. She would kneel down as soon as she saw anyone and obediently unzip their pants. On the wedding day, the bride was nowhere to be seen. The guests whispered among themselves, growing restless. But Derek wasn’t anxious at all. He was still waiting. He wanted to do like in his previous life—let the bride’s absence become gossip headline news, then have me appear in my disheveled state before everyone’s eyes, becoming everyone’s laughingstock. He secretly called Kevin. “Put the wedding dress on her first. It’s fine, continue servicing customers. When I give you the signal, bring her over!” Derek suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. My cheerful voice sounded behind him. “Honey, who else do you want to put in a wedding dress?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “356442”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #重生Reborn

My ten-year-old son joined the school’s extracurricular swimming club, but during practice, a classmate held his head down forcefully against the drain. When I saw the water turning red, I frantically pulled my son out. But his entire face had been disfigured by the powerful suction. He coughed up a pool of blood and stopped breathing. The ringleader, a boy, shouted that he was a minor and not bound by law. “So what? I’ve had it out for him for a while. With him dead, no one’s competing with me for first place.” His father contemptuously tossed me a card. “There’s a hundred thousand in here. That should be enough to buy your son’s worthless life.” I was grief-stricken and demanded justice, but my wife stopped me. “He’s just a child too. Just because your son is dead, does that mean someone else’s child should lose their freedom?” I exhausted myself running around, only managing to get the boy sent to juvenile detention—but that wasn’t the outcome I wanted. In the end, disheartened and broken, I swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills at my son’s grave. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I sent my son to swimming lessons. I immediately turned around and pulled him back home, but this time, a boy still died at the pool.

I’d left in such a hurry that my son’s clothes were still in the changing room. I told him to wait in the car while I went back to get them and inform the pool manager about the safety hazard. The moment I stepped into the swimming facility, I heard bursts of mocking laughter. “Look at him—he’s like a dead fish! Move! Why isn’t he moving? Hahaha…” Three boys were laughing shrilly. The tallest one, Derek, was stepping on something blue beneath the water. Seeing the same blue swimsuit my son wore and the faint red tinge spreading through the water made my heart seize with terror. If I wasn’t certain my son was in the car right now, I couldn’t bear to face this scene again. In my previous life, Derek had targeted my son because he’d beaten Derek in academic rankings. Derek wanted to crush him in extracurricular activities too, so he’d murdered him. But who was this boy? And why? I didn’t dare think too much. Saving him was urgent. I shouted sternly. “Stop! What are you doing?!” When Derek saw me, he raised an eyebrow and slowly stepped back half a pace. “Well, well. The old dog’s here to protect the little dog. No more fun.” The other two boys jumped away like startled rabbits, not daring to look at me. Due to the powerful suction, even though they’d released their feet, the boy’s face remained pressed tightly against the drain outlet, his limbs floating with the current. In my previous life, this was how my son had been. I’d plunged into the water to save him, but the suction was too strong—I couldn’t pull him free. By the time the staff arrived and shut off the system, it was already too late. My son had died in my arms. The blue swimsuit before me, the short-medium length hair, the body shape… I kept telling myself this wasn’t Ashton, that he was safe in the car right now. But my hands still trembled violently. With my experience from the previous life, I turned to the staff member nearby. “What are you standing there for? Can’t you see someone’s stuck on the drain down there? Call someone to shut off the water circulation!” The manager finally snapped out of it and hurriedly contacted the control room. A few minutes later, I pulled the boy’s limp body out of the water. His face was swollen and deformed—completely unrecognizable. He’d stopped breathing. His pulse was gone too. Derek stood to the side with his arms crossed, a faint smirk on his lips. “He said he could hold his breath for three minutes. We were just helping him practice.” “Helping him?” My eyes burned red as I slapped him across the face. “You call pressing him against the drain ‘helping him’?” Derek clutched his face and glared at me. “We were just playing around! How were we supposed to know he couldn’t take it!” “You actually dare hit me! Do you know who my mom is? Believe me, I can make your whole family pay!” I knew exactly who she was. That’s why I wanted to tear that indifferent face of his to shreds. I had no idea what kind of taste his mother had—marrying a worthless leech like Cameronas her live-in husband and raising such a monstrous child. “Playing? You call this playing? This is murder! Do you understand?!” The chubby boy beside them finally showed fear, his voice trembling. “Are we in…?” Before he could finish, Derek cut him off. “In what? You were pressing just as hard as anyone a minute ago.” The other boy had already started crying. “I… I want to go home…” I had no time for them. I laid the boy flat on the ground, performing CPR while instructing the staff to call an ambulance. “Call 911 now! Maybe we can still save him!” As I lifted the boy’s chin to give rescue breaths, I noticed a plum blossom-shaped birthmark behind his ear. Something flashed through my mind. The coach exhaled his last puff of smoke and walked in slowly with Derek’s father, Cameron, through a side door. Seeing the scene by the pool, they instantly panicked. “What… how did this happen?!” Derek immediately put on an innocent expression and ran over. “Dad, we were competing to see who could hold their breath longest. He said he could last three minutes. Who knew…” “This is outrageous!” The coach’s face went pale. “How many times have I told you—no one goes in the water without me there!” “Sorry. Won’t happen again. But that uncle can’t just hit people, right?” Derek lowered his head but curved his lips into a smirk aimed at me. Cameron, seeing the handprint on his son’s face, pointed at my nose and cursed. “What gives you the right to hit my son?” He glanced contemptuously at me and the boy on the ground. “The kid didn’t follow the rules. As his parent, you should’ve watched him better. When something like this happens, you can’t blame others, right?” In my previous life, the surveillance footage showed my son doing warm-ups by the pool when Derek pushed him in from behind. Then three of them dragged him to the drain and held him down. This boy’s ordeal must have been similar to what happened to my son, Ashton. I understood that bone-crushing pain of losing a child all too well. So regardless of who this boy was, he was innocent. Saving him was urgent. I didn’t want to waste words on Cameron. Without stopping my compressions, I glanced at the coach. “Coach, you’re also responsible for what happened here. You should notify the child’s parents first.”

The coach fumbled for his phone with shaking hands, stammering. “R-right, right… I’ll… I’ll call right now…” A few seconds later, he looked at the boy’s swollen, deformed face. “He… his face is so badly injured, I don’t even know which student this is.” I looked up, somewhat exasperated. “Can’t you check? How many students were supposed to come today? Eliminate the ones who called in sick and the ones present, and what’s left…” Derek cut in. “No need to check. I know who it is.” He walked over and crouched in front of me, looking at the boy’s face up close. His voice was soft but stabbed into my ears like needles. “This is Ashton, isn’t it? You don’t even recognize your own son?” “You were so worked up just now—I thought you knew. Or can’t you accept the truth?” I stared at him with wide eyes. So he thought this was Ashton, which is why he’d done this? Derek seemed very satisfied with my shocked expression. Seeing that my compressions hadn’t stopped, he continued. “Don’t waste your energy. Haven’t you noticed he hasn’t responded after twenty minutes of CPR?” “Because from the time he went underwater to when you pulled him out, it’s been over ten minutes. The golden rescue window has long passed.” Hearing this, all strength left my body. I collapsed onto the ground, trembling slightly. Was I still too late? In my previous life, I couldn’t save my own son. Now I couldn’t save this boy either. I stared hard at Derek. “Why would you do this? Aren’t you afraid of karma?!” “Oh my, you’re scaring me.” He patted his chest dramatically. “What karma? The law? But I’m only eleven years old. Under the law, anyone under fourteen can’t be held criminally responsible.” He was so close I could smell the orange shampoo in his hair. These words and this scent had become my eternal nightmare in my previous life. Looking at that face mixing malice with childish innocence, I finally couldn’t suppress the hatred that had been churning through two lifetimes. I grabbed his head and tried to push it toward the pool. “So vicious at such a young age—today I’ll let you taste…” Cameron struck my head hard with his car keys, the key chain carving a long bloody gash across my forehead. Seeing me release my grip, he pulled Derek behind him. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” “What’s done is done! Why are you taking it out on a child? My son is just a kid—what does he know about consequences? This was an accident!” “An accident?” I felt all the blood in my body rushing to my head. “Go check the surveillance yourself! Three people holding a child’s head and shoving it into the drain—you call that an accident?!” Cameron turned to glance at his guilty-looking son, then slowly pulled out a card. “So what do you want? Justice? Let me tell you—justice in this world depends on status and money!” He stepped forward, the card nearly poking my nose. “Do you know who my son is? His mother is the only daughter of HX Corporation’s CEO!” “And your son? Just some kid from an ordinary working-class family. Dead is dead. You expect us to pay with our lives?” He casually threw the card at my face. “There’s a hundred thousand in this card. Password is six eights. Take the money and shut your mouth. Give your son a proper funeral.” “If you dare say one word outside, if you dare call the police… I guarantee you and your wife won’t even find work sweeping streets in this city!” Derek poked his head out from behind his father and made a face at me. Not a trace of fear—only smugness. The coach came to his senses and, not wanting things to escalate, advised in a low voice. “Ashton’s father, look—this was an accident. Since the other party has decided to settle privately, why don’t we all take a step back?” Take a step back? I looked down at the bank card on the ground, then at the boy’s cold body, and found it absurd. A human life had been turned into a transaction, spoken of so casually. My gaze swept over the boy’s birthmark again, and I suddenly remembered who he was. Since my son from an ordinary family didn’t deserve their lives in return, let’s see how many lives they’d need to pay for this boy. Derek was still jabbering away. “Look on the bright side. Money in hand is real. Your son is dead—just have another one…” I slowly raised my head, my gaze moving to that face that didn’t know the meaning of consequences. “Your mother’s money won’t work this time.” He raised his chin. “Say whatever you want. I’m not going to get in trouble anyway. My dad said the juvenile protection law is my shield!” I gently wiped the blood from the boy’s face, my fingertip brushing over that plum blossom birthmark. Then I took off my jacket and covered him with it, wanting to give him a final measure of dignity. “A shield?” I pulled my lips into a smile. “Then you’d better pray that everyone in this world believes in the law.” Cameron frowned. “What do you mean?” I ignored him and sent out a message on my phone, then lowered my head and whispered in the boy’s ear. “Don’t be afraid. Your mother will be here soon.” Then I dialed the police. “What do you think you’re doing?!” Cameron sensed something was wrong and demanded harshly. “I’m telling you, this matter ends here today! If you dare…”

Before he could finish, Rachel burst in, panting. “Matthew, I heard something happened at the pool…” She saw me kneeling on the ground in a disheveled state, with a small body covered by clothing beside me. All color drained from her face. “What… what on earth happened?!” Her voice trembled as she stumbled forward. This scene was almost identical to my previous life. But I only felt it was ironic. In my previous life, when she saw our son’s disfigured state, she’d also looked like her heart was shattered and her world had collapsed. But when she learned the killer was the son of her company’s chairman’s only daughter, that pitiful bit of maternal love seemed so laughable when weighed against her own career prospects. Sure enough, the next second, her eyes landed on Cameron nearby, and her expression instantly filled with panic. He bowed slightly, his voice unable to hide his flattery and nervousness. “Why are you here too?” Cameron raised his chin proudly, glossing over what had happened. “Since the other party is Rachel’s son, our family is reasonable. Out of humanitarian concern, I can increase the compensation to two hundred thousand. That’s more than fair.” “But your husband is emotionally unstable and unreasonable, insisting on making a big deal out of this.” “Rachel, I called you here because I believe you’re a sensible person. You can’t destroy several children’s futures—and the adults’ careers—over an accident with someone who’s already dead, right?” Rachel’s body trembled almost imperceptibly. Then she turned to me, her face showing complex emotions. “Honey, listen to me…” I knew what she was going to say and cut her off coldly. “Shut up. You don’t get to decide this!” Rachel thought I was throwing a tantrum and her voice changed pitch in panic. “Honey, we can’t bring the dead back to life. We still have our own lives to live!” “The other party is just a child too. What bad intentions could he have? It was just playing that went too far.” She glanced at Cameron’s expression and moved closer to me with a pleading tone. “They’re willing to compensate us two hundred thousand. We can negotiate the exact amount later.” “Take the money, give Ashton a proper funeral, and then while we’re still young, I can have another child. Everything can start over…” Looking at this woman I’d shared a bed with for years, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Start over?” Despite my best efforts to control it, my voice still trembled. “Start over with money bought with our son’s life? I’m not as cold-blooded and cruel as you!” “And I told you—you don’t get to decide this!” Seeing I was about to dial again, Rachel actually snatched the phone from me. “Give it back!” I got up to grab it back, but she pushed me forcefully backward. My back slammed against the cold pool wall, the pain making my vision go dark. Rachel looked at me, struggle in her eyes, but ultimately threw the phone into the pool. “Can you stop making a scene! You just lost your son. Do you have to make someone else’s child lose their freedom and ruin their life over this?!” So in her heart, our son’s life wasn’t as important as someone else’s freedom. I took a deep breath and nodded calmly. “Fine. I won’t call the police.” My gaze swept over Cameron and Derek, who were both smiling like victors, and I continued. “Just don’t regret it later!” After all, calling the police might have saved their lives. Not calling means it just depends on how tough their luck is. My well-intentioned warning made Cameron think I was being provocative. He spoke with a threatening tone. “Rachel, looks like you don’t have much standing in your family. You can’t even make decisions about your own son?” “An emotionally unstable, unreasonable employee’s family member like this… makes it hard to trust that you can properly handle projects and manage your own team, doesn’t it?” Rachel’s face instantly turned deathly pale. Derek also adopted the tone of adults, speaking with sarcastic mockery. “Just now this uncle was whispering in Ashton’s ear saying ‘don’t be afraid, your mother will be here soon.’ But now she’s really here and he won’t listen to her?” He seemed to realize something and covered his mouth with an expression both innocent and malicious. “Oh my, could it be that uncle has more than just Ashton as his biological son? So uncle…” This sentence made the naturally suspicious Rachel, already threatened regarding her career, whip her head around to look at me. The emotions in her eyes were instantly replaced by shock, humiliation, and rage. “Matthew, is what he said true?!” “Why did you say I can’t decide about our son? Who are you waiting for?!” Looking at that face twisted by suspicion, I only felt absurd and desolate. “He was never our son in the first place. What right do you have to make decisions for him?” Rachel’s eyes widened. “Not our son—what does that mean?” A flash of confusion crossed Cameron’s face, followed by a light laugh. “This is the first time I’ve seen someone admit so righteously to being cuckolded.” He turned to Rachel, his tone exaggerated. “Don’t you get it? He’s saying this dead child isn’t yours!” “So whose son have you been raising all these years? Doesn’t that make you… a living cuckold who’s been raising someone else’s kid for over ten years?!” Cameron’s words made Rachel’s face go from white to red to blue. Feeling everyone’s eyes on her, she clenched her fists and stared at me hard. I knew she’d misunderstood and tried to explain. “Rachel, calm down. This boy…” Before I could finish, she lunged at me and wrapped her hands tightly around my throat. “Matthew! I’ll strangle you, you bastard!” “You had an affair? You had a child with another woman and brought it into our home?” “Is Ashton even my son?! Answer me!!” I instantly couldn’t breathe, sharp pain shooting through my throat. “Let… go!” The air in my lungs was rapidly squeezed out, my cheeks flushed red from congestion and oxygen deprivation. Oxygen grew scarcer and scarcer. Just when I thought I would really die at this woman’s hands— A woman, flanked by several black-suited bodyguards, strode in quickly. Her voice wasn’t loud but carried a chill. “Where is my son? What happened to him?”

Vivian’s appearance made Rachel’s hands around my throat suddenly freeze. The pressure on my neck loosened. I seized the opportunity to bite her hard, and she shoved me away violently. Ignoring the pain in my throat and the dizziness in my head, I called out hoarsely. “Vivian…” “Well!” Before I could finish, Cameron blocked Vivian’s path. He crossed his arms, chin lifted, his gaze sweeping over Vivian like a searchlight. Seeing her approaching middle age but wearing a low-key tailored suit, her face cold and stern—this only confirmed Cameron’s suspicion. This must be my mistress who couldn’t see the light of day. Looking at her bearing, she might even be some nouveau riche with a bit of money. He scoffed, his tone full of mockery. “No wonder you’re so tough. Your mistress is here.” He looked Vivian up and down, his tone frivolous. “Looks-wise… you do have some appeal. No wonder you’ve got Matthew wrapped around your finger. Poor Rachel—been a cuckold all these years.” Derek immediately jumped over and pointed at Vivian. “I remember now! After training ended last week, I saw her talking with this uncle at the pool entrance, all sneaky!” Father and son sang in harmony, completely unaware they were desperately testing the edge of death. Vivian was the legendary living King of Hell who straddled both the legal and illegal worlds, known for her ruthless methods. My only conversation with her was when her son wanted the link to my son’s swimsuit, which is how we’d become contacts. And at this moment, her only son lay at my feet, his face blue and purple and swollen, completely devoid of life. I hadn’t expected this blue swimsuit would make Derek mistake him for someone else. From the moment she appeared, Vivian’s gaze had been locked on that small body on the ground. She didn’t even raise an eyelid at Cameron and Derek’s noise and slander. It wasn’t until Derek pointed and shouted at her that she finally shifted her gaze from her son, turning to the bodyguard beside her. Cameron, who’d been pampered and tyrannical for years, had never been so ignored. Humiliated and enraged, he was about to raise his voice to continue his mockery when a bodyguard behind Vivian slapped him hard across the mouth. “You dare block our boss’s path? You have a death wish!” Cameron’s whole body jerked to the side from the blow, stumbling. “Dad!” Derek screamed and went to support him, barely keeping him from falling. Clutching his face, he finally snapped out of his shock and let out a shrill voice. “You… you dare hit me?!” “Do you know who I am?! I’m the husband of HX Corporation chairman’s only daughter! I’ll make you…” His shouting cut off abruptly. Because Vivian’s gaze had fallen on him. That look was like a butcher examining livestock for slaughter, like a predator locking onto prey beneath its claws. No anger, no rebuke. Just quietly watching. This one glance even stopped Rachel, who’d been about to rush forward and question her, in her tracks. Vivian finally walked toward me step by step. When her gaze caught the edge of blue pants belonging to the boy whose upper body was covered, her pupils contracted sharply. After a long moment, she raised her head to look at me and asked politely. “May I ask where my son is? Did he run off to play again?” I looked at her—this woman rumored to strike fear into everyone who heard her name. Right now, all color had drained from her face. Her fists were clenched so tight her knuckles were white and veins bulged, completely betraying her forced composure. She was afraid. Afraid to confirm that worst possibility. In my previous life, the heart-wrenching agony of losing my son pierced through time and space to strike me. My nose stung and my eyes uncontrollably reddened. I understood her. I understood too well—that desperate hope that your child had just wandered off mischievously, refusing to accept even the slightest hint of terrible news. But I had to personally shatter her last illusion.

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After the company’s video conference ended, my girlfriend, who was away on a business trip, forgot to turn off her camera. All the colleagues in the online meeting saw her having intense sex with her male assistant in the hotel. When she came back from her business trip, she shyly covered her lower abdomen and said to me: “Congratulations! You’re going to be a daddy.” His male assistant even shed tears of excitement. Everyone in the company watched the farce with cold eyes. They said they wanted to help me destroy this cheating woman together. After the company’s online meeting ended, as the meeting host, I was about to close the session when I discovered an intimate scene playing out in my girlfriend Bethany White’s video feed. Her male assistant rushed into the hotel room, pushed her onto the bed, tore off her clothes, and kissed her wildly. My hand gripping the mouse suddenly froze. My colleagues beside me were so shocked their jaws dropped. The atmosphere instantly solidified. At the same time, those sticky, disgusting moaning sounds continued without stopping. “Bethany, you’re so amazing, such a seductive little minx~ Tell me, who’s better—Leaf Newton or me?” “Of course it’s you, Jay Grant.” Bethany mocked: “Who would like an old stick-in-the-mud like Leaf? Ugh, I’ve been dating him for four years, and he’s never taken initiative in bed. He’s not a man at all! I’ve been sick of looking at that appetite-killing old face for ages!” I sat frozen in my seat, my hands and feet ice-cold. I sat motionless, listening to all the mockery and sneering. Anger rose higher and higher like a tide. Bethany and I had been dating since college. After graduation, we started a company with friends. Although we hadn’t met each other’s parents yet, we both considered each other to be life partners. Bethany came from an ordinary family. Her parents did odd jobs and had no money, but I thought she herself was excellent, ambitious, beautiful, and outstanding. Although my parents had some reservations, they still gave face to me and privately prepared a new house, new car, and double the bride price. They even had the wedding money ready, just waiting to finish this busy period and meet to set a date. But now, all of this was fake! And that man was exactly Bethany’s assistant, an intern who’d been with the company less than three months. “Bethany, when can I be with you openly and honestly?” “Watching you hold hands with Leaf and go out together, I’m so jealous!” Jay shamelessly held Bethany, his voice hoarse. “Where does it hurt? I’ll make it better.” The disgusting voices of the two made me want to vomit. They were even so eager they forgot to turn off the screen and camera. “Baby, once I swindle the double bride price from Leaf, won’t our future life be wonderful?” “Oh my, you’re so bad.” Jay giggled and playfully hit her. Bethany draped her arms over his shoulders and kissed him: “Isn’t my badness what you love about me…” The two rolled together again with their moaning and groaning. The scene was disgusting and vulgar, the sound effects more lively than an amusement park. The meeting was deathly silent. After a moment. My closest colleague carefully asked me: “Leaf, are you okay?” Everyone pulled together a group chat and comforted me not to be sad. Others also indignantly cursed, saying Bethany was trash and embarrassed them. Everyone was either a classmate or friend of both Bethany and me. They had witnessed our past sweetness. But now they all despised her actions. Hearing their protective words, my heart was deeply moved. After thinking it over, I asked them to keep it secret for now and pretend not to know. Everyone advised me repeatedly. “Leaf, don’t do anything stupid!” “A cheating woman like Bethany isn’t worth sacrificing your whole life for!” One older colleague even came out with a golden phrase: “A cuckold is temporary, but a dog will never stop eating shit!” Afraid I’d gone love-brain stupid, they clamored to take me to dig wild vegetables. I shook my head, swallowing the surging pain. “Of course I won’t let that scum Bethany get her way.” “But just letting her off easy like this—I’m not willing!” What she took from me, she’ll spit it all back out!

Within two days, I used every means to investigate everything. Soon, the evidence piled up so high it could barely fit on my desk. I collapsed limply into my chair, my whole body trembling, my heart hurting like knife twists. Bethany had betrayed me long ago. Four years of dating. She said she wanted to save money for our future and never gave me any gifts. But she would accompany Jay to sweep through luxury stores in neighboring cities. There were private generous transfer records and gift payments starting at four figures. She went with him to see the World Cup that I’d been longing to watch. Even last month on our anniversary. She had barely finished dinner with me before immediately rushing off to book a presidential suite with Jay! Only I was stupidly kept in the dark! Coming back to my senses. I realized tears had long since soaked my cheeks. A man doesn’t shed tears easily. Only when he reaches the point of heartbreak. I suddenly remembered that just last week I was still enthusiastically discussing with people how to arrange the proposal scene. At the time, Bethany just smiled and didn’t respond. I thought she was shy and silent. But thinking about it now… She was probably laughing at how stupid and naive I was! Bethany’s disgusting behavior was far from over. Soon, colleagues sent me messages. I noticed they were all high-level people in the company. They said Bethany was lobbying, wanting to unite everyone to kick me out of the shareholders’ group. In the chat records, Bethany spoke in high-sounding terms, saying it was for my own good. “Leaf and I are about to get married. In the future, I’ll handle external affairs and he’ll handle internal matters. I feel guilty that Leaf is occupying a position without working.” “How about this—you all help me persuade Leaf to quit the shareholders’ meeting. As compensation, I’ll make him the company’s legal representative. He can still control everything big and small, and he’ll have security…” Several colleagues were disgusted to death. They pretended to agree and strung Bethany along, waiting for the moment of revelation to strike back with satisfaction. I laughed bitterly, my eyes full of resentment. Before her business trip, Bethany found someone to take out a loan of one hundred million in the company’s investment name, promising to return it within six months. But once it couldn’t be repaid… All the debt would fall on me, the unlucky legal representative! “This fucking wants to drive someone to a dead end!” “I’m getting goosebumps reading this. Bethany is a piece of shit!” “On behalf of all women, I expel Bethany! Son of a bitch!!” The small group messages instantly hit 99+. All of it was condemnation of Bethany and sympathy and comfort for me. They wished they could personally tear the cheating woman apart. I calmed the anger in my chest and slowly typed: “Bethany said she’s coming back the day after tomorrow.” The group erupted in excitement again. Someone shared they bought pepper spray, and someone else said they were preparing to buy a stun gun after work. The most outrageous old colleague said he’d picked out the cactus downstairs from the company. Ready to let Bethany feel the refreshing sensation of holes in her ass. And Bethany was quite good at disguising herself too. During the business trip, her daily greetings and care never stopped. If not for the accident during the online meeting, I would never have discovered her beastly heart beneath a human face. Afraid of alerting her, I endured the disgust and chatted with her. I didn’t even glance at those pie-in-the-sky promises. This person didn’t notice anything at all and even said she’d prepared a surprise for me. Soon. Bethany came back from her business trip. She wore a flowing white dress. In front of everyone in the company, she shyly covered her lower abdomen and looked at me affectionately. “Honey, I have good news for you—you’re going to be a daddy!” She was completely immersed in her self-directed performance. She didn’t notice my expressionless face at all. Or the suppressed disgust in the eyes of people around us. Instead, Jay, who had returned from the business trip with her, excitedly said how lucky I was. “Wow, I’m so jealous that Leaf can meet such a good woman like Bethany!” I smiled and held her hand. Then, in Bethany’s delighted expression, I turned and threw her into Jay’s arms. “If you like her, she’s yours. The person too.” “How does it feel to be a happy father?” In that instant. The whole place fell silent. From the corner of my eye, I saw everyone ready to strike. Only Bethany and Jay’s faces turned pale.

“Leaf, what… what are you saying…” Jay was completely stunned. After a long while, the voice squeezed out from his throat kept trembling. It sounded much better than his video calls. I laughed softly, hiding the coldness in my eyes: “You’re so envious, so I’m giving her to you.” “We’ve been good brothers. When have I not given you what you wanted?” When Jay first joined the company, he said he’d been scammed online and couldn’t afford to eat. I felt sorry for him and bought him meals, even vouched for him to get his salary in advance. Later, when he wanted to buy a laptop and new phone, he used the excuse of self-improvement but was troubled by lack of money. I gave him those too. I treated him like a good brother, but he backstabbed me and gave me a cuckold’s horns. What bullshit child! Bethany and I had never had sex at all. Only once, two months ago when we got drunk, we woke up lying in the same bed. Bethany looked very shy at the time, but I didn’t think much of it. After all, a man knows in his heart whether something happened or not. Plus, when drunk, it simply doesn’t work. But I never expected that not only did they scheme for my company and give me a cuckold’s horns. They also wanted me to acknowledge this bastard whose father is uncertain! Simply too much! A modern version of The Farmer and the Snake! Jay was already guilty. With me deliberately pointing this out, he was so scared he didn’t dare say a word. Bethany was obviously panicked too. Cold sweat streamed down her forehead as she laughed awkwardly: “Honey, don’t joke around. I only love you.” I curled my lips and smiled gently: “Look at you two getting so nervous. You didn’t really do something behind my back, did you?” Bethany immediately got anxious: “Leaf, how can you suspect me! I love you so much! Besides, I’m carrying your child!” Look at that. Tell a lie so many times, even the liar believes it. She must love my double bride price and company more! After enjoying their guilty, panicked expressions enough, I smiled: “Just kidding, teasing you two.” The two suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. They even secretly exchanged a smug glance. Probably proud of their superb acting skills. They didn’t see the uniform contempt and disdain from everyone around them. Then Bethany shyly covered her lower abdomen. Acting all affectionate, she wanted me to publicly kneel and propose. Under her hopeful expression. I didn’t hesitate to say: “No!” Bethany’s expression instantly cracked. A trace of anger surfaced on her face. But just as she was about to question me. The surrounding colleagues cut her off. “Bethany, this is wrong of you. If you want Leaf to marry you, you have to let him prepare, right?” “Exactly, exactly. This kind of forced palace behavior is so ugly, it really hurts your years of relationship!” The female colleagues formed a bride’s family army and roasted Bethany until she was utterly destroyed. “Bethany, are you really pregnant? But why does your belly look so big?” “You didn’t do something less than human and want Leaf to be the fool taking the fall, did you!” They mocked Bethany until her face turned blue and white. Really satisfying. I had long anticipated that Bethany would try to make me the backup plan. She had always been bossy with me. Every holiday she’d hint around, making me give her expensive gifts. Not giving them meant I didn’t love her. She also chatted ambiguously with other men in private. Don’t ask—they were just “good buddies.” But she never—she’d self-righteously say those were all excuses, and she had as many scheming thoughts as she had petty schemes. During our dating period, I thought it was just little woman behavior and didn’t think much of it. But now that I’m clear-headed… Ha. Get out! To cooperate with the performance, I “sighed miserably” and leaned on my male colleague’s shoulder. I had to lean—my mouth was about to split to my temples. And Bethany seemed to really believe it. She humbly tried to please me. She even found excuses for herself: “Honey, I just wanted to give our baby a home so badly that I didn’t consider your feelings.” Only then did I emerge from my “sadness”: “Then I’ll forgive you for now.” “But you wanted a five-carat pigeon egg engagement ring before. That depends on your future performance.” Ha, who can’t make empty promises! Bethany’s face twisted for an instant. But under the watchful eyes of other colleagues, she stiffly nodded. Behind her, Jay’s mouth was about to twist in anger. When leaving, I noticed a flash of resentment on Bethany’s face. Because today she failed to trick me into being a fool. But Bethany didn’t know. Everyone already knew about her little schemes. Even if she had been fully prepared today. She would have been picked on by colleagues for stepping into the company with her left foot first—an unlucky omen. Want me to propose? In her dreams! At this moment, my closest male colleague quietly tugged at my sleeve and told me with a laugh that everyone was amused. “Watching this idiot think she’s in control when she’s actually being played like a clown.” “I wonder if she’ll die of shame when the truth is revealed!” I gently smiled: “The good show is yet to come.”

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At eight months pregnant, I went to Everett Ford’s office to deliver some documents. Feeling the sweltering 115-degree heat in the office, I was about to turn on the air conditioning when his female secretary stopped me. “I’m on my period and sensitive to cold. You can’t turn that on.” Worried that heatstroke might harm the baby in my belly, I turned on the AC without a word. That evening, when Everett came home, he immediately interrogated me: “Nina’s on her period. Do you have any idea that by turning on that AC, you caused her so much abdominal pain she ended up in the ICU?” “Everett, she’s just having her period. But I’m eight months pregnant. If I get heatstroke, I could miscarry.” Everett pulled his lips into a smile and nodded. “You’re right.” That night, Everett coaxed me to sleep as usual. But when I woke up, I found myself inside a freezer with glass walls on all sides. Outside the freezer, Everett had his arm around Nina Sutton’s waist as they both smiled at me. “Afraid of heatstroke? Today I’ll make sure you cool off properly!” My heart sank. I calmly pulled out my phone and took photos of them one by one. Then I made a call: “Dad, I don’t want any of these people to see tomorrow’s sunrise!”

When I hung up, the people watching outside first froze. Then they burst into thunderous laughter. “Lana, your dad was thrown into international waters to feed the sharks half a year ago. Have you been frozen stupid, or were you always this delusional?” “Exactly! Still thinking you’re the precious daughter of the West family? Even daydreams aren’t this ridiculous!” Hearing his lackeys mock me, triumph surged in Everett’s eyes. He gently draped his mink coat over Nina’s shoulders, pulled her close, and slowly walked up to the freezer. He extended his index finger and lightly tapped the glass in front of me before speaking slowly: “Lana, are you cold? Do you realize your mistake now?” A large red thermometer indicated that the freezer had been set to negative 58 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrapped only in the thin nightgown I’d worn to bed, I trembled violently from the cold. The skin touching the floor had turned blue-purple and numb, continuously sending sharp, piercing pain through my body. I stumbled toward Everett and Nina, slamming my fist against the glass. “Everett, what did I do wrong?! Isn’t it appropriate to turn on the AC when it’s 115 degrees? Pregnant women are naturally sensitive to heat. If I got heatstroke, both the baby and I could die!” The sudden anger triggered a cramping pain in my lower abdomen. I quickly covered my belly and crouched down, staring at Everett with bloodshot eyes. “Everett, let me out! You know how much I’ve suffered for this baby. I can’t lose him!” A flicker of unreadable emotion crossed Everett’s eyes. He knew better than anyone the heartache of having this child. An accident years ago had left Everett with fertility issues. For eight years, egg retrieval needles as long as my forearm had pierced my body over a thousand times before we finally conceived this child. For eight months, I’d been incredibly careful, preserving this pregnancy day by day. Once, just because a servant brought brown sugar water that wasn’t warm enough, he’d broken the person’s arm. Yet now, just because Nina had menstrual cramps, he’d locked me in a freezer without hesitation. Bitterness welled up inside me. Just as I was about to speak again, Nina yanked off the mink coat Everett had just draped over her. With a pitiful, tearful voice, she said: “Everett, let your wife out. With her delicate constitution, how can she endure this kind of torture? Not like me—I’m from a poor family. Even when I fainted from the freezing AC, I didn’t dare complain…”

Fainted from the cold? I’d only turned on the AC for half an hour. When I left Everett’s office, Nina was still laughing and making plans with her girlfriends to hit the bar that evening! Just as I was about to clarify, Everett’s expression instantly changed, his tone turning ice-cold: “Someone get in there and strip off her coat! She thinks she’s so delicate? Today I’ll make her experience what it’s like to be poor!” He bent down to pick up the coat, gently draping it over Nina while looking at me coldly: “When you admit your mistake, then you can come out! The doctor said my son is perfectly healthy. Don’t think you can use this as an excuse to avoid punishment!” With that, he scooped Nina up in his arms, his voice overflowing with tenderness and affection: “Nina, during your period you can’t let your feet get cold. Today, stay in my arms. Let’s see who dares say anything!” The moment Everett sat down with Nina in his arms, a group of men charged toward me with malicious grins. I clutched my nightgown tightly, shrinking into the corner. But no matter how much I struggled, I was no match for several men. “Riiip…” The thin nightgown tore in half. Instantly, the frigid air crept through every pore into every corner of my body. They gleefully stripped off my nightgown, and as they left, they flashed Everett knowing smiles. “Boss, you’ve got great taste! Your wife’s figure—curves in all the right places!” “Thanks for letting us take care of your wife!” Left in only my underwear, I curled up on myself. My skin, which had retained some warmth, stuck to the frozen floor. Any movement would tear away a layer of skin. Heart-wrenching pain shot from the torn flesh straight to my core. Blood seeped continuously from the wounds, starkly visible against the blindingly white freezer. Everett clearly noticed. He set Nina down and approached, about to speak as he looked at the blood slowly reaching his feet— But Nina ran up from behind, touching the traces of blood through the glass with a trembling voice: “Lana, just apologize. With all of Everett’s friends watching, if you don’t apologize, he can’t back down…” I stared hard at Nina. “Why should I apologize! That day you were clearly enjoying the AC too, and you were even making plans with your girlfriends to—” Hearing my words, Everett looked at Nina with a hint of barely perceptible doubt. But before I could finish, Nina slapped herself across the face and dropped to her knees with a “thud.” Grabbing Everett’s hand, she said in a trembling voice: “Everett! I just can’t bear to see her suffer like this. If she still won’t apologize, then I’ll kneel out here with her!” Seeing Nina kneel, the doubt in Everett’s eyes instantly vanished. He quickly bent down to help Nina up, then looked at me with utter disgust: “Lana, you’ve been spoiled rotten. All these years Nina has endured your treatment in silence. Now, even though this is clearly your fault, she’s willing to suffer alongside you for my sake. You don’t deserve it!” “Today I’m going to fix that entitled attitude of yours! If you don’t apologize, don’t even think about getting out!” With that, he waved to the people behind him: “Go! Bring in more ice blocks and surround her with them! Then pour water over everything so she sticks to that ice!” The moment Everett finished speaking—

A young woman stepped forward and tugged at his sleeve. “Boss, ice plus water will stick to skin like glue. Any movement will tear off chunks of flesh. She’s about to give birth—something could go seriously wrong…” Everett’s commanding gesture froze mid-air. As he hesitated in silence, a soft whimper came from behind. “Everett, forget it. My time in the ICU wasn’t as terrible as you think…” Nina’s words made Everett’s expression turn instantly severe. He lowered his suspended hand and said coldly: “Do exactly as I said!” The young woman tried to stop him again, but Everett waved her off. “This suffering is nothing compared to what Nina went through. I’ve already got an ambulance on standby outside. What could possibly go wrong?” Hearing Everett’s words, the young woman didn’t dare say more. With Everett’s order given, the group grabbed ice blocks and re-entered the freezer. They yanked me up by my hair and surrounded me tightly with ice, then poured a basin of cold water over my head. The next second, my skin felt glued to the ice blocks. Bone-chilling cold flowed through my pores into my marrow. I glanced at the time—I’d already been in this freezer for at least five hours. My limbs had long since turned dark purple. To protect the baby in my belly, I tried to shift position within this ice-confined space. But every tiny movement tore away a piece of flesh. Yet the movements in my belly were growing increasingly faint. Ignoring the stabbing pain from my torn skin, I moved my body, trying to keep my belly in the warmest possible position. The transparent ice blocks gradually became stained with my crimson blood. By the time I’d adjusted my position, the ice had turned completely blood-red. The people nearby who’d been laughing fell silent at such a gruesome scene. Through the scarlet haze, I roared at Everett outside the freezer: “Everett, if anything happens to this child, you—his biological father—will be his murderer! I’ll kneel before his spirit every day and pray that you die a miserable death!” Everett’s gaze wavered, no longer as resolute as before. He slowly approached, seemingly wanting to check my condition through the blurred blood. In the silence, a cry suddenly came from behind: “Boss! My dad says a plane with the West family’s private aviation signature just appeared on their exclusive route!” Everett’s face changed instantly. He slammed his fist against the glass and roared at me: “Lana, what are you playing at?! Are you planning to use your family to intimidate me for the rest of your life?!” Before I could respond, Nina came forward, constantly soothing Everett’s back while looking at me with accusation mixed with grievance: “Lana, if you don’t want to apologize, fine, but why torture Everett like this? You know how much he suffered when Old Mr. West was alive. Now that he’s dead and the West family fortune has been liquidated, what’s the point of this charade?” Nina then took Everett’s hand and said gently: “Let it go, Everett. Let her out. We don’t want anything to happen to the baby and become sinners. I don’t think she’s ever seen people like us as anything but beneath her…” Nina’s words intensified the fury in Everett’s eyes. He cursed, then barked at the people behind him: “Set the freezer to negative 148 degrees Fahrenheit! Now!”

Seeing Everett’s rage, the others didn’t dare say another word. They immediately set the freezer to negative 148 degrees. Instantly, a bone-piercing wind rushed through the vents and struck me. I was frozen to the point where I couldn’t speak coherently, my teeth chattering uncontrollably. In my fading consciousness, a sudden piercing pain shot through my lower abdomen. I forced myself to look down. Bright red blood flowed from beneath me like a small stream, releasing crimson steam in the freezing environment. Soon, the fresh blood melted the surrounding ice and seeped through the cracks. I finally realized what was happening. Clutching my belly, I screamed frantically at Everett outside the freezer: “Everett! Let me out now! The baby! Save my baby!” Everett had been glaring at me with anger until he saw the blood—now melting ice—flowing to his feet. He completely panicked. He grabbed the person beside him and roared like a madman: “Quick! Get the freezer key! Didn’t you ask the doctor before we put her in? Didn’t they say it would be fine?! How did this happen?!” The person handed the key to Everett. Everett’s hands shook so badly he dropped it. The key fell at Nina’s feet. Everett gripped Nina’s arm: “Nina, quick! Open the door! Get Lana out! Hurry!” Frightened by Everett’s state, Nina didn’t even bother putting on her shoes properly and ran toward the freezer door. She glanced at Everett, took the key with her back to him, and inserted it into the lock. The moment she turned around, I caught a glimpse of a smile filled with hatred and triumph in Nina’s eyes. Sure enough—”Snap!” A crisp sound rang out. Nina turned back and dropped to her knees toward Everett: “Everett, the key… the key broke…” Everett’s face turned deathly pale. He stumbled to the door and demanded harshly: “What happened?! How did the key break?! Get a locksmith here now!” By now, warm blood had covered the entire freezer floor. The pain had me moaning uncontrollably. “Everett! Lana still hasn’t admitted her mistake! You said you’d use this opportunity to fix her arrogant personality. So many friends are watching…” “And my suffering in the ICU—are we just letting that go? You promised you’d give me an explanation…” Hearing this, Everett stopped the person going for a locksmith. He turned around, pounding on the freezer door and shouting at me with a hint of pleading in his voice: “Lana, just apologize, okay? For our child’s sake, please?” “Once you admit your mistake, I’ll let you out immediately. You don’t want anything to happen to our baby, right? Please, Lana, what’s the harm in being a little flexible?” The massive blood loss was making my consciousness fade. I lay in the pool of blood, looking at Everett outside and said in a trembling voice: “Everett! Let me out! Or my dad will kill you…” Nina looked at me with a barely concealed savage smile, though her voice still carried a pitiful, tearful tone: “Lana, are you really confused? Mr. West died half a year ago. The West family collapsed half a year ago! Apologize quickly, or no one can save you!” The people outside also began mocking me: “Miss West, stop dreaming! Kill Boss? Your dad is probably still a tormented ghost in hell! And you think he can kill anyone?!”

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On Christmas Eve, my parents half-jokingly announced: “Whoever gets home first between you and your brother gets the house.” I rushed into the elevator first and headed up to the 20th floor. But when the elevator doors opened again, the home I’d been longing for wasn’t there. Instead, I was somehow back on the first floor! The door stood wide open, just as it had been when I first arrived. Confused, I pressed 20 again. The sensation of ascending was clear, and the floor numbers climbed steadily from But when the doors opened, I was back on the first floor again! Cold sweat broke out all over my body. I switched to the stairs instead, counting each floor as I climbed all twenty levels. But when I pushed through the fire door at the top, I was somehow on the first floor once more! That night, no matter what I tried, I could never reach the 20th floor. Meanwhile, my brother had already posted a video in the family group chat showing him celebrating with Mom and Dad. Eventually, exhausted and dizzy, I tumbled down the stairs and died. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on Christmas Eve. 1 I was back downstairs again. This time, instead of rushing home, I pulled out my phone and video-called my parents. They answered quickly, and Mom’s voice came through with a laugh: “Olivia, your dad and I have the property deed ready and everything! We’re just waiting to see who gets home first—you or your brother!” “Your brother’s still over an hour away. Where are you?” In my previous life, I’d also arrived downstairs before my brother, but I never even made it past the threshold. I gripped my phone tightly and spoke quickly: “Mom, I’m downstairs right now.” “But for some reason I can’t get up there. Can you and Dad come down and meet me?” The moment I finished speaking, Mom’s video feed suddenly froze, then disconnected. I tried calling her back, but couldn’t get through. Yesterday Mom had complained to me about the poor signal in their new place, but I hadn’t expected it to be this bad. I sighed and dragged my suitcase toward the elevator myself. But this time I was more cautious. I didn’t go straight home. Instead, I pressed the button for the 19th floor. In my previous life, no matter what I did, I always ended up back on the first floor when the doors opened. So right after being reborn, I’d strongly suspected that maybe the building’s renovation was unusual, making every floor look identical to the first. The elevator started moving smoothly and soon came to a gentle stop. Ding! The moment the doors opened, my eyes went wide! “Impossible… how can this be?” Instead of the empty first-floor lobby, I saw rows of apartment doors! They even had unit numbers on them. 1901, 1902… I walked to the stairwell and looked down through the window. It was high up—about fifty or sixty meters above ground. This really was the nineteenth floor! “So my theory was wrong…” “But if it’s not that, why can I never reach the 20th floor?” Cold sweat covered my body. I returned to the elevator and pressed 20. The sensation of ascending came again. The elevator was definitely going up. I stared unblinkingly at the constantly changing floor numbers, terrified that if I looked away for even a second, I’d end up back on the first floor. But fortunately, that didn’t happen. The number jumped from 19 to 20. Ding! We’d arrived. My heart leapt into my throat. But the next second, everything went black! When the elevator doors opened, I was back on the first floor again! Empty, silent, with no residents—completely different from the 19th floor’s layout and decoration. “What’s going on…” 2 I couldn’t believe it. I closed my eyes tight. When I opened them again, the scene before me hadn’t changed. This really was the first-floor lobby! Cold wind kept blowing in against my face. Exactly the same as what I’d seen when I first arrived! I reached out and pressed every button from 1 to 20 on the elevator panel. All the lights came on. The buttons were fine, and the elevator wasn’t malfunctioning. But it had clearly displayed the 20th floor just now. How did I end up back on the first floor in the blink of an eye? I refused to accept this. I walked outside and looked around the area. Outside was the road leading to the street, with exercise equipment nearby. This was definitely what the outside of the first floor looked like. My heart sank bit by bit. Could I have encountered something supernatural? Would I automatically return to the first floor whenever I tried to go to the 20th? Suddenly my phone rang. It was my brother calling. His tone was concerned: “Olivia, Mom and Dad said you’re already downstairs. Why haven’t you come up?” “They couldn’t reach you on your phone and got worried, so they asked me to check on you.” My best friend, who’d been dating my brother for five years, also spoke up with a laugh: “Olivia, you don’t need to hold back for us.” “Even though your brother and I are getting married soon, we can afford our own place.” “If you should get the house, take it. Don’t worry about us.” I smiled bitterly. Actually, I really hadn’t been planning to hold back for them. After all, Mom and Dad had given them plenty of support over the years. But now I couldn’t even reach the 20th floor. How was I supposed to claim anything? I told her about the strange phenomena in the elevator. My friend on the other end burst out laughing: “Olivia, I remember you’ve been working for a week straight.” “Are you maybe too exhausted and a bit mentally foggy?” “We’ll be home in half an hour. Wait for us and we’ll go up together.” After the call ended, I looked at the street somewhat dejectedly. On Christmas Eve, there were very few cars on the road—just a few delivery drivers still making their rounds. Suddenly my eyes lit up. I knew what to do! I pulled out my phone and ordered food for delivery, entering my parents’ address directly. Soon the delivery guy arrived downstairs. I stopped him with a smile: “Hi, are you delivering to unit 2001?” “I ordered the food, but I’m not familiar with this place and can’t find exactly where it is. Could you please help me get there?” Even if I really was having hallucinations from working too many hours straight, the delivery guy wouldn’t be hallucinating too, right? If I went up with him, wouldn’t I find out what was really going on? “No problem!” The guy nodded readily and led me into the elevator. When the number stopped at 20, the elevator doors slowly opened. The delivery guy looked at me helpfully: “Miss, does this look like your place?” “If not, I can help you look around other areas.” Thump thump thump! My heart started pounding. I immediately recognized the security door of our new home directly across from the elevator. Mom and Dad had shown it to me over video calls before. I couldn’t be mistaken. I’d actually made it to the twentieth floor! Seeing how excited I looked, the delivery guy smiled happily too. He handed me the food, helped me with my suitcase, then took the elevator back down. Looking at the door so close at hand, I was incredibly excited. But just as I turned to knock on the door, my pupils suddenly contracted! I was back on the first floor again! 3 I’d clearly just turned around to take something from the delivery guy. How did the security door right before my eyes suddenly disappear? Not only that, but all the miscellaneous items piled in the hallway had vanished in an instant too. This place had changed back to look like the first-floor lobby! “How can this be…” My head buzzed. I rushed over to examine it carefully. Where the door had been was now completely empty—just a wall painted snow white. I knocked on it hard. The wall made a muffled thud. From the sound, I could tell this was a solid wall. A chill shot up my spine. How was this possible? I panicked instantly, but still refused to give up. I knocked on different spots across the wall surface. All of it was solid. By the time I’d knocked until my hand hurt, I still hadn’t found anything unusual. I sat down against the wall, feeling utterly absurd. This had just been the twentieth floor a moment ago. I’d been one step away from getting home. How did everything change in the blink of an eye? “Impossible… this just can’t be done…” I stood up and rushed into the stairwell. “The stairs can still prove it! If this is the 20th floor, then the stairs should go down.” “I’ll know by checking the stairs!” In my previous life, I’d climbed up from the first floor. I remembered clearly that there was no basement here—the first floor absolutely had no stairs going down. But the next second, I froze in place. There were no stairs going down. Only stairs winding upward. This really was the first floor. “How can this be…” I’d clearly just been on the 20th floor—I’d even seen the door to our home. How did everything disappear in the blink of an eye? “Mom! Dad! Where are you!” “Come out!” “Why has everything here disappeared? Why can’t I get home?” I shouted in desperation. Only the hollow echo of my voice in the corridor answered me. Bang! Suddenly a door upstairs opened, and an elderly woman with white hair came down impatiently, glaring at me. “Are you trying to die? What are you wailing about here?” “If you can’t get home, then leave. You’re giving everyone bad luck.” “Whose kid are you? Which unit do you live in? How can you have such poor manners?” The woman stared at me angrily, but I had no mind to deal with her. Instead, I stared blankly at the smooth first-floor ground beneath her feet. It had been worn shiny from long-term use—it absolutely couldn’t have been temporarily installed. In other words, I really had gone from the 20th floor back to the first floor in an instant. Could it really be like my friend said—that I was mentally foggy from being too tired? But I was still holding the food the delivery guy had just given me. The address on it was still 2001. This proved I’d definitely reached the 20th floor! “Ma’am, I’m from unit 2001, but I just had a fight with my parents and got kicked out.” “Could you please be kind enough to take me back home and help me make peace with them?” I steadied my thoughts and looked at the woman pleadingly. Seeing the suitcase by my feet, the woman seemed to believe my story. Her expression softened a bit. “You’re the daughter from 2001? Your mom and I get along pretty well.” “Don’t worry, I’ll help smooth things over for you in a bit.” She took my hand and dragged my suitcase as we entered the elevator together. Watching the elevator numbers slowly climb from 1 again. Ding! The elevator doors opened. 4 Looking up, we were back on the 20th floor. The familiar security door of our home came into view! I gripped the woman’s hand tightly, not daring to let go for even a second, afraid that if I did, everything would disappear again. “Ma’am, please come knock on the door with me. I’m afraid to go home alone in case they scold me.” The woman patted the back of my hand understandingly. She pulled me to the door. The woman knocked on the security door, and soon Mom’s voice came from inside: “Coming!” The door opened. Mom looked at me with surprise and delight. “Olivia, you’re home!” “Your brother just said you were waiting for him downstairs. It’s so cold down there!” “Mom tried calling to tell you to come up first, but somehow couldn’t get through.” Dad poked his head out from the kitchen, white flour dusting his hair. “Olivia’s home? Come on in.” “You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Dad made your favorite dessert.” Seeing Mom and Dad with my own eyes, hearing their voices with my own ears, all the strangeness from the evening instantly evaporated. I threw myself into Mom’s arms, choking up. She laughed and patted my back: “Come inside.” I nodded, let go of Mom, and grabbed my suitcase, about to enter the house. BOOM! A thunderclap exploded in my mind. I suddenly realized something. I quickly turned around to look. Mom and the neighbor woman, who’d just been standing behind me chatting and laughing, had disappeared. I turned back to look at the door—it had vanished too! Just like last time, only that wall remained! I was back in the cold, windy first-floor lobby. My head was buzzing. “What on earth is going on…” “Could this really be my hallucination?” Gurgle gurgle. My stomach growled. Having just smelled the aroma of food from inside the house, I was suddenly hungry. If this really was a hallucination from being too tired, how could I explain that aroma? I took a deep breath. My phone rang. Mom’s anxious voice came through: “Olivia, where did you go?” “I just walked someone to the elevator, and when I turned around you were gone!” “You even took your luggage with you. Where are you going?” I didn’t know how to explain. My voice was bitter as I spoke: “Mom, I’m downstairs.” “I probably can’t get home today.” There was a pause on the other end, then her voice became even more anxious. “Silly child, what are you talking about? How can you not get home?” “Just sit tight downstairs. Mom’s coming down to get you right now.” Just as the call was about to end, a burst of noise came from the other side. Then came my brother’s cheerful laughter and my friend’s sweet greeting. I sniffled. So in this life too, they got home first. My brother took the phone from Mom, his tone concerned. “Olivia, when Luna and I got back, we specifically looked around downstairs but didn’t find you.” “We thought you’d already come home, so we came up.” “Where are you now? Luna and I will come get you.” Hearing their concern, I felt no warmth at all. In a flash of insight, a thought suddenly appeared in my mind. So that’s it! I laughed coldly. “Stop pretending. Everyone come out.” “I know why I can never reach the 20th floor!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “356438”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #重生Reborn