Author: Momo Chan

A text message suddenly popped up on my phone: [This is my 99th time proposing to you. If you don’t say yes, I’m jumping off the company roof!] My colleague, Scarlett Hayes, saw it and shook me violently. “Amelia Vance, snap out of it! You absolutely cannot marry this obsessive broke loser!” She was convinced I was being emotionally manipulated, and she spread rumors everywhere that my boyfriend was a violent psycho. Director Thompson, swayed by her gossip, mocked me relentlessly. “People blinded by love can’t be trusted.” Suddenly, a million dollars went missing from the company accounts. Scarlett and Director Thompson teamed up to frame me. “Amelia, what has that boyfriend of yours done to you? To actually embezzle company funds!” Seeing their smug faces, I dialed the Chairman’s number directly. “Do you know everyone in your company calls you a stalker?” Liam Sterling’s voice on the phone sounded tired but still gentle. “I’m in Europe for a conference. What’s wrong, Honey?” I cut straight to the chase: “A million dollars is missing from the company account. They say I embezzled it. Should I pay it back?” There was a second of silence on the other end. Then, his low chuckle. “You won’t even use my credit card. Why would you touch company money? Honey, that’s not a funny joke.” I hung up. Director Thompson and Scarlett exchanged a knowing glance, and the office erupted in deafening laughter. Director Thompson doubled over with laughter, pointing at me. “Amelia, where did you find a voice actor?” “His voice actually sounds a lot like the Chairman’s. That must have cost a fortune, right? Can your boyfriend, the one who only threatens to jump off buildings, afford it?” “You think the Chairman’s personal assistant is your housemaid, available at your beck and call?” Scarlett lunged at me, clutching my wrist tightly, her nails digging into my skin. “Amelia, snap out of it! How can you be so manipulated by a man?” She lowered her voice, whispering in my ear: “I know you care about your image, but don’t go to those loan sharks! He’s a broke loser, it’s not worth it!” “Is he forcing you? Did he make you embezzle company funds? Quick, tell Director Thompson the truth! Everyone here is trying to help you!” I told them the truth, but you didn’t believe me. Yesterday afternoon, I was reporting on project progress when Liam Sterling’s text suddenly popped up. [99th proposal. If you don’t say yes, I’m jumping off the company roof.] I reacted quickly and immediately turned off the projector. Scarlett’s face changed dramatically. After the meeting, she pulled me aside, lecturing me earnestly. “Amelia, listen to me, you absolutely cannot keep a man like that!” “99 proposals? Who does that? That’s clearly the behavior of an obsessive freak!” I tried to explain, tried to tell her Liam Sterling wasn’t obsessive, that it was just our little romantic game. My family wasn’t exactly struggling financially either. But she cut me off. “Amelia, wake up! How can ordinary people like us marry an heir to one of the richest families? You’re delusional!” Her words were like a bucket of cold water dumped over me. I looked at her familiar face, remembering all the little details from our four years in college. She always said she was ostracized by her roommates, and only I was willing to be her friend. I knew she struggled financially, so I specifically had my family’s company set up a special scholarship fund for the school and urged her to apply. When she was sick and hospitalized, I took her to our family’s private hospital, lying to her that the director was a distant relative who could give us a discount. I was careful not to hurt her fragile ego, never revealing my family background. I even managed to keep Liam Sterling’s true identity completely under wraps. Now, she was looking at me like I was mentally unstable. “Amelia!” Director Thompson’s roar snapped me back to reality. “What are you spacing out for? I’m talking to you!” Scarlett immediately rushed to Director Thompson, her face contorted in mock anguish. “Director, don’t be angry with her. She… she’s really sick.” “Yesterday, she told me herself that her boyfriend is the heir to Sterling Industries, and that she’s some kind of wealthy heiress herself!” “Sterling Industries’ heir… isn’t that our Chairman? Has the Chairman ever even looked at her properly?!” “What kind of pipe dreams is Amelia having?” “She’s so brainwashed by PUA, she doesn’t even know who she is anymore!” Scarlett choked out, pretending to be heartbroken. “We were roommates for four years in college, I know her situation best! She’s just like me, she only got through college with financial aid!” “Her family was so broke they could barely cover tuition, and I had to scrimp and save every penny for living expenses! Now she’s claiming to be a rich girl?” “What has this obsessive boyfriend of hers brainwashed her into!” Director Thompson listened, his face completely darkening. He sneered contemptuously. “So utterly manipulated by a man that she’s lost her mind, and still dares to embezzle company funds?” He pulled out a termination notice and slapped it on my face. “You have one minute. Sign it, then get out of my sight immediately!”

The paper sliced my cheek, leaving a small cut. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I won’t sign.” Director Thompson’s face flushed a deep crimson. “How dare you defy me!” He coldly flicked his chin at the colleagues behind him. “Throw her things out.” A few colleagues who usually hung out with Scarlett immediately rushed to my desk and pulled open the drawers. I lunged forward, wanting to grab the photos of Liam and me, but someone shoved me hard. My waist hit the desk, and I couldn’t recover for a while. Files, notebooks, a water bottle, gifts Liam had given me… Everything I owned was unceremoniously dumped onto the floor. A fountain pen rolled to Scarlett’s feet. “Oh my God, Amelia… isn’t this a Montblanc StarWalker?” She held up the pen, her voice shrill. “This pen costs hundreds of thousands! How could your boyfriend possibly afford it?” “Did he take out predatory loans to buy this for you? Is that why he’s forcing you to embezzle company funds to pay off debts?” Scarlett seemed to have a sudden realization. She clapped her hands sharply, looking at me with a triumphant expression. “I get it! I get it all now! Amelia, what a cunning scheme you’ve cooked up!” “Director! I know! She and that obsessive boyfriend of hers planned this together! It’s all a scam!” “They want to become TikTok famous!” “She pretends to be a wealthy heiress, her boyfriend pretends to be a rich, handsome CEO-type. They take out loans to buy luxury items for her, then shoot some videos, make up some stories, and post them online to flaunt their wealth. Doesn’t that get them followers and let them cash in?” “There are tons of scripts like this online now! Embezzling company funds is just their first investment to launch this scam!” The surrounding colleagues gasped in understanding, their gazes shifting from contempt to mockery. Seeing their reaction, Scarlett spoke with even more enthusiasm. “To kick off this script, they needed initial capital, right?” “A million dollars, not too much, not too little, just enough for them to buy several fake designer bags, rent luxury cars for a few days, and then buy some paid bots and promotional campaigns!” “This embezzled public money is the startup fund for their influencer careers!” She looked at me with mock anguish. “Amelia, I never thought you’d be this kind of person! For fame, for money, aren’t you even afraid of going to jail? What kind of spell has that boyfriend of yours cast on you!” Just then, a photo slipped out of my notebook and landed at Director Thompson’s feet. It was a picture of Liam and me at Disneyland. Director Thompson picked up the photo. The moment he saw what it was, his face twisted into a sneer. “Amelia, you actually dared to Photoshop the Chairman’s photo!” “My God, to become an influencer, she even dares to use the Chairman’s likeness! She’s got some nerve!” “If the Chairman finds out about this, won’t he sue her to oblivion?” Director Thompson had had enough of laughing. He contemptuously flicked the photo onto my face. “Amelia, you truly astound me.” “The script’s written, the props are ready, even the promotional photos are Photoshopped. All that’s left is the startup capital, isn’t that right?” “Using the Chairman’s likeness for self-promotion, aren’t you afraid that if he finds out, one cease and desist letter will wipe you out financially?” “Or do you think that obsessive broke loser boyfriend of yours, the one who only threatens to jump off buildings, can help you fight the entire legal department of Sterling Industries?” Scarlett snatched the photo, and in my stunned gaze, she tore it in half. “Amelia, snap out of it!” “Stop living in this delusional fantasy! All that junk that man gave you—that crappy fountain pen and all those other useless things—return whatever you can! Then, break up with him immediately!” She took a deep breath, looking as if she was deeply worried about me. “If things are really bad,” “I can introduce you to my brother. He’s not some wealthy heir, but he’s honest and dependable, and he’ll treat you well.” “Both our families are from small towns, we know each other inside and out, so we’re a good match. This is the kind of life you should be living!” I suddenly looked up, staring at her in disbelief. Her unmarried older brother, who was forty years old and still couldn’t find a wife? That lazy bum who never held a proper job a day in his life back in our hometown, only stealing chickens from neighbors and watermelons from people’s gardens? That leech who’d drain half her monthly allowance every time he came to the city to visit her? I couldn’t hold back anymore. A scoff escaped my lips. Scarlett’s face instantly flushed crimson. “What are you laughing at?!” “Amelia, I’m trying to help you out of the goodness of my heart, and this is your attitude?” “My brother, no matter how bad, is a hundred times better than your boyfriend! How can you talk about him like that! How dare you look down on him!”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I slapped her across the face. The sharp sound echoed in the dead silent office. “You’re disgusting.” Scarlett clutched her face, completely stunned. A few seconds later, she lunged into Director Thompson’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. “Director, look at her… she’s crazy! She actually hit me!” Director Thompson exploded in fury, pointing his finger at my nose and cursing me out. “Is this how your parents raised you? Did growing up on a farm make you lose your mind? How dare you assault someone in the office!” He gave a look to the two security guards at the door. “Hold her down!” The security guards immediately rushed forward, pinning me firmly in place. Scarlett walked up to me, her eyes filled with venom, not a shred of her pretense remaining. She raised her hand and slapped me back with all her might. She hit me a dozen times, furiously slapping me left and right until her own hand hurt, and she shook it out. My cheek was swollen like a balloon, and three of my teeth fell to the floor. “Director, my hand hurts so much…” she whined to Director Thompson. A flicker of distress crossed Director Thompson’s eyes. “Take a break if your hand hurts.” His gaze swept across the office. “All of you, line up! One by one!” “Anyone who dares not to hit her today will be fired along with her tomorrow!” The colleagues exchanged glances. No one dared to move, and no one dared to speak. Director Thompson casually pointed at a female colleague who usually got along best with Scarlett. “You, first!” The woman’s face instantly turned white. “Director… I…” “Hit her!” Director Thompson’s voice was devoid of any warmth. The colleague closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and raised her hand, slapping me across the face. Director Thompson smiled with satisfaction. Once there was one, there would be a second. The crowd began to stir. Those who had received small favors from Scarlett in the past, or who feared Director Thompson’s authority, began to line up. One by one, they came forward, their palms landing on my face. Director Thompson seemed to enjoy the spectacle. He watched my disheveled state, the smile on his face growing wider. “Embezzling company funds, disturbing the peace, and even daring to assault someone – the nature of this is truly heinous!” He finally grew tired of the game. “Take her to security and wait for Mr. Sterling to deal with her!” Director Thompson yanked my hair. A searing pain tore through my scalp. He forcibly dragged me out, past countless stares, through the crowd.

I was dragged into a room in the security department. Director Thompson and Scarlett pushed a stack of fabricated account statements and “testimonies” they had coerced from colleagues in front of me. “Amelia, do you plead guilty?” My face was numb, my mouth full of the taste of blood. I looked up, my voice hoarse: “I want a lawyer. Notify my family.” Scarlett shrieked as if she’d heard the funniest joke. “Are you crazy? You want your parents from the farm to sell their blood to hire you a lawyer? Amelia, how can you be so heartless!” Director Thompson folded his arms, surveying me contemptuously. “Stop bluffing. What can your farmer parents do when they get here? Kneel down and beg us?” I ignored him, my gaze fixed on Scarlett’s face. “I really don’t have the heart to.” “But I’m even more afraid that your leech of a brother won’t find another host to latch onto.” Scarlett’s face instantly contorted. She snatched an electric stun baton that a security guard had temporarily placed on a nearby table. “I’ll teach you to run your mouth! I’ll kill you! Die!” The room instantly descended into chaos. The security guards rushed forward, pinning the completely out-of-control Scarlett to the ground. “Don’t do anything rash!” I was taken to a windowless storage room. The door slammed shut behind me. Darkness instantly swallowed me. The air grew thin, and the walls seemed to press in on me. My claustrophobia immediately flared. I couldn’t breathe, my body trembled violently, and cold sweat soaked my back. I curled up in a corner, my mouth opening futilely, but not a single breath of air entered my lungs. Memories flooded back from college, when Scarlett had locked me in the art room and I was almost sexually assaulted by a group of thugs. Liam Sterling had saved me then. I had always thought it was just an accident. Scarlett’s unintentional mistake. Now, in this same darkness, it all clicked into place. It wasn’t an accident. It was premeditated. She probably knew my identity all along. My consciousness began to fade. “BANG!” With a thunderous crash, the storage room door was kicked open from the outside by a powerful force! Light surged in, blinding me. A tall figure stood in the doorway, dusty from travel, silhouetted against the light. Behind him were a dozen bodyguards in black suits with grim expressions, and the pale-faced head of the security department. Liam Sterling’s gaze cut through the dust and light, landing precisely on me. He walked towards me, step by step. “Honey, I’m back.” Liam Sterling took off his suit jacket and wrapped it tightly around me. He ignored everyone else in the room, cradling my face, his voice trembling.

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Rumor had it Marcus was cold as ice, completely uninterested in women. Yet, yesterday, in his office, he took me, not once, not twice, but *eight times*. I naively thought he’d finally accepted me, his ordinary wife. But the moment he was done, he vanished without a trace. He disappeared for twenty whole days. Later, as I knelt sobbing at my father’s tombstone, my husband was holding the wedding of the century. But the bride wasn’t me. It was Serena, his beloved “sister,” who only survived because she stole *my* kidney. A cold realization washed over me. This entire marriage had been a sham from the very beginning. If that’s how it is, then I’ll grant you your wish. I sent him a text: “Let’s get a divorce. See you at the courthouse at 9 AM the day after tomorrow!” To my surprise, he replied instantly. “Okay.” That single, light word utterly shattered my heart. Our mismatched marriage, doomed from the start by our different worlds, had finally reached its end. The person he loved had never been me. I thought back to six months ago, the first time he’d shown a vulnerable side. “Scarlett, if you were the only one who could save me, would you be willing to pay any price?” I stroked his face, answering without hesitation, “Of course. You’re my husband. I’d do anything for you.” He then asked, “What if it’s for my sister?” “Your sister is my sister. We’re family, and I’d help her just the same.” He suddenly looked up, his eyes intense. “My sister needs your kidney. Are you really willing to donate it?” I froze. He saw my hesitation, and tears instantly welled in his eyes. “Didn’t you just say you’d do anything for me? Turns out you were lying to me too!” He pulled away from my embrace, shoving me away. “You only married me for my status and wealth, you gold-digger, you social climber!” Watching him lose control, my heart twisted in pain. Finally, I nodded. “Okay, I promise.” I didn’t know how long I’d been kneeling before my father’s tombstone. It wasn’t until dusk began to fall that I finally prepared to leave. But at the cemetery gates, I ran into the two people I least wanted to see. My soon-to-be ex-husband, Marcus Shen, and his so-called “sister,” Serena Wen. Serena was Marcus’s childhood friend, but he’d always told me she was just a neighbor’s kid. It was only recently that I discovered this “sister” identity was nothing but a smokescreen. “Marcus, it’s so sweet of you to come with me to see Misty. Thank you so much.” Her familiar voice reached me, and I instinctively looked up. Misty was a purebred Ragdoll cat I’d rescued from a pet clinic. She was filthy and had a broken leg back then. After I nursed her back to health, I named her Misty, a quiet whisper for new beginnings, for hope. I never imagined that one day, when Serena visited our home, she’d burst into tears at the sight of Misty. Apparently, Misty looked exactly like her lost beloved cat. One evening, not long after, I came home to find Misty gone. Marcus said he’d given the cat to Serena. I had a huge fight with Marcus then, but he simply accused me of being unreasonable. Later, seeing how genuinely Serena cared for Misty, I gradually put my mind at ease. And yet, here they were, chatting and laughing effortlessly in the cemetery. The moment my eyes met Marcus’s, all tenderness vanished from his face, replaced by pure disgust and contempt. “Scarlett Lin, are you stalking me?” At this absurd accusation, I couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. “Mr. Marcus, you’re quite the comedian. I have far better things to do than stalk you.” He narrowed his eyes, a sneer twisting his lips. “Really? This isn’t the first time you’ve pulled this stunt. Don’t think I don’t know your little games.” “What, did you come here early to pick out a grave for your father? Or are you trying to use his illness to gain sympathy again?” “Last week, I contacted the best specialists. They all said your father could fully recover if he actively cooperated with treatment.” I turned to leave, unwilling to humor his sarcastic remarks. “Think whatever you want.” My indifference seemed to infuriate him. He grabbed my wrist, his voice laced with icy coldness: “I heard you bought your father an exorbitant critical illness policy? No wonder you kept preventing him from getting treatment. Scarlett, you’re quite the schemer, aren’t you?” That sentence ignited my fury. I violently yanked my hand free, the force making him stumble back. Serena quickly caught him. “Scarlett Lin! You crazy woman, how dare you lay hands on Marcus!” Serena shrieked, pointing a finger at me. In the past, I always chose to silently endure their humiliation. But now, I wouldn’t let anyone slander my father. “Marcus Shen, you can trample on my dignity, but don’t you dare try to tarnish the bond between my father and me!” I turned to Serena. “And you, Serena Wen, aren’t you perfectly alive and well right now?” “If it weren’t for *my* kidney, you’d be lying in this cemetery right now! Stop with the innocent act, you fake saint!” Marcus’s face instantly darkened. He snapped his fingers behind him. “Bodyguards! Make her kneel and apologize!” Several men in black suits advanced towards me, but Serena suddenly interjected, “Wait!” She clutched Marcus’s arm, feigning tenderness. “Marcus, don’t get upset over a woman like this. It’s bad for your health.” Sure enough, Marcus immediately calmed down, waving off his bodyguards. “Scarlett Lin, this is your final warning. If you cause any more trouble, don’t blame me if I revoke your father’s medical expenses too.” Watching their retreating figures, walking hand-in-hand, the setting sun stretched their silhouettes long and distorted, like a cruel, jagged sword piercing through the last flicker of warmth in my soul. I gazed at the darkening sky, my voice filled with an unprecedented resolve: “Marcus Shen, 9 AM the day after tomorrow, courthouse. Consider these three years of marriage a time I was utterly blind.”

I hurried out of the cemetery, the night wind scattering the tears from my eyes. As I walked down the street, three years of memories flooded back like a tide. I remembered the first time I met Marcus. It was a rainy night, and I was an intern waitress at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Near closing time, a man, soaked to the bone, pushed open the glass door. He was impeccably dressed in a suit, but he looked utterly disheveled and miserable. I should have politely turned away a customer at that hour, but something in his eyes softened my resolve. “I’m sorry to bother you, but could I get a hot coffee?” His voice was pleasant, carrying a hint of exhaustion. I led him to a seat by the fireplace and brought him the last slice of tiramisu and a hot Americano. Not long after, I heard muffled sobs. “Are you alright?” I offered him a tissue. He looked up, tears blurring his handsome face. “My father kicked me out of the house.” Looking at his exquisite features, my heart unexpectedly fluttered. I thought it was just a typical family spat that would soon blow over. Only later did I realize how wrong I was. That night, he talked to me about many things, staying until dawn before he left. Before walking out, he asked, “Can I come back tomorrow to talk to you again?” Seeing the hopeful glint in his eyes, I found myself nodding, almost against my will. And so, he began to frequent the restaurant. Each time, he was the last customer, always ordering the same coffee and dessert. He spoke softly, his manners elegant. Gradually, I fell into the tender trap he’d woven. Until that day, when he pointed to my intern name tag and said, “Scarlett, do you believe that this restaurant is actually my family’s business?” I chuckled, teasing him, “Mr. Marcus, your storytelling skills are truly exceptional.” “Don’t believe me?” He pulled out his phone, pointing to a business news article. “See who this is?” I froze. The heir to the powerful Shen Group, featured in the news, was indeed the man sitting before me. “Actually, I wasn’t kicked out. I left on my own.” His eyes darkened. “My father wanted me to enter an arranged marriage, but I didn’t want to sacrifice myself to marry a woman I didn’t even know.” “Meeting you was the greatest stroke of luck.” He took my hand. “Scarlett, I have an unusual request…” Watching his hesitant expression, my heart melted. “I need a marriage. That way, my father can’t force me into an arranged marriage anymore.” My heart plummeted. “Are you saying…” He leaned in close, his warm breath caressing my ear. “I want to marry you, Scarlett.” In that moment, all my rationality was swept away. Later, we met his family. His family surprisingly didn’t object, even buying us a beautiful lakeside villa. But we never officially registered our marriage. I started to feel a profound unease. How could an ordinary girl like me be worthy of the Shen family heir? Finally, one late night, I packed my bags and fled back to my hometown. But the very next day, he followed me. “Why did you run? The moment I found you gone, my world fell apart.” He traveled two thousand miles, desperate to find me. I tried to explain, but he simply kissed me, silencing my words. Then he pulled me to City Hall. The sun shone brightly that day, bathing our marriage certificate in a golden glow. If only I had known it was all a meticulously planned deception… If only I had known I was nothing but a pawn in his game… If only I had known his heart had never truly belonged to me… Perhaps, I wouldn’t have hurt so much. I sat in the darkened living room, my fingers tracing the worn cover of my father’s old notebook. “Dad, you were right. We truly belong to different worlds.” “Like a moth to a flame, I was bound to get burned.” I pressed my necklace to my chest, as if seeking my father’s forgiveness. My signature on the divorce papers was already dry. All that was missing was Marcus’s final stroke, and this farce could finally end. Night fell, and the sound of laughter echoed from the villa’s doorway. Their joyous voices pierced my eardrums, a stark contrast to the deadly silent living room. Marcus pushed open the door. The moment he saw me, the smile froze on his lips. His gaze flickered in the darkness, then settled into an expression of disgust. “What? You can’t even afford to turn on the lights? Are you too poor to pay the electricity bill?” Then he tossed a beautifully wrapped box at me. “A new Hermès Birkin, global limited edition.” “Remember to pair it with the Cartier jewelry set I bought you. Don’t embarrass me out there.” This was his usual routine. Every time we had an argument, he’d send me a luxury item, as if offering a peace offering. But this time, I suddenly had no desire to play along. I picked up the documents from the coffee table and flung them directly at his face. “Sign it.”

The papers slipped from his grasp, scattering across the floor. When Marcus saw the contents of the agreement, his expression instantly twisted into a sneer. “Scarlett Lin, what is this supposed to mean?” I met his gaze with cold eyes. “Can’t you read English? Sign it!” I tossed the pen in front of him. “Don’t waste my time. Sign it and get out.” His anger dissipated in an instant, replaced by a playful smirk. “I get it,” he said, a dismissive laugh escaping him. “Did your father put you up to this?” “Trying to threaten me with divorce, hoping I’ll soften up?” He began to pace. “That trick is so old.” “If you want something, just tell me directly instead of playing these games. If you’re short on cash, just ask my assistant. Why go through all this trouble?” “Scarlett Lin, this is my last warning. Don’t play your little game of push and pull. You know I despise that.” He glanced towards the kitchen. “Go prepare dinner. Serena will be here soon, and remember, she prefers mild dishes.” I scoffed, nudging the divorce papers on the floor towards him with my foot. “Marcus Shen, are you seriously that dense, or are you just playing dumb? I want a divorce!” “What did you say?” “Di-vorce!” I repeated, enunciating each syllable. Suddenly, a cold laugh echoed from behind me. Serena had appeared in the living room without me noticing. She shoved me aside. “You ungrateful bitch, I’ve been too good to you!” “Marcus lets you live in a mansion, drive a limited-edition sports car, even your current job was arranged by him. How dare you speak to him with such disrespect?” “Get on your knees and apologize to Marcus!” I stumbled a few steps, my lower back slamming against the coffee table, a dull ache blooming instantly. Once, I would have silently endured such humiliation. But today, I wouldn’t take it anymore.

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I was born with a special condition, having two hearts. This was the only thing that could make my parents happy. Because my brother had a congenital heart disease. My parents gave birth to me only to extend my brother’s life. Later, I met Wendy Wat and married her. She saved me from the abyss of begging for affection. I thought she would be different from my parents. But after my brother fell ill, she stubbornly hoped I could donate a heart to him. But she didn’t know I had long been left with only one heart. And my other heart was with her. —— “It’s just one heart, why are you so selfish? Weren’t you born to keep your brother alive?” My hand was tightly gripped by Wendy. I said helplessly, “But I want to live too. Without a heart, I will die.” Wendy’s expression stiffened, then she continued, “You have two hearts, even if you give one, you still have another, you can live. But your brother is different, without your heart, he will die.” She ignored my struggle and pushed me into the preparation room. I helplessly tried to explain, “I only have one heart now. Didn’t you see the test results?” Wendy didn’t listen at all. “Who knows what you did to avoid donating? Maybe you even bribed the people in the examination room.” Wendy thought I bribed the medical staff to alter the report. I defended myself, “No, Wendy, I had surgery when I was a child, I already donated one heart.” “Enough, Alan, it’s just to save your brother, why are you so stubborn?” Wendy directly cut me off. “I’m not lying, my heart is in you,” I pleaded. Wendy didn’t listen to a word I said and walked straight to my brother’s prep room. At this time, the other doctors in the prep room also froze. Then someone spoke, “Talking about love at a time like this is disgusting.” “Your brother is on the verge of death and you are here telling disgusting love stories to your sister-in-law.” Only our families knew about my marriage to Wendy. None of Wendy’s colleagues knew me. Since Wendy handled all of my brother’s hospitalization procedures, everyone in the department thought my older brother was her husband. And Wendy never explained. “Exactly, instead of saving your brother, you’re seducing your sister-in-law.” “It’s a waste for your heart to stay in your body.” Hearing the other doctors’ words, I couldn’t help but want to tell the truth, “Actually, I am …” Wendy came out of the prep room and grabbed my hand. “Today you must donate your heart. Your brother is already in the operating room and you’re next.” As she spoke, Wendy took out a stack of documents. “I’ve already signed everything, you just need to get on the operating table.” In the operating room, I saw Toby, who looked extremely weak, making everyone feel sorry for him. One of the doctor said, “Don’t worry, your wife, Dr. Wat, will make sure you live a long life.” Toby heard the term and didn’t refute it, just gave a weak smile, “It’s all my fault, making my younger brother sacrifice so much for me.” His words were full of guilt, but his eyes at me were full of provocation. The other doctors, hearing this, thought my brother was kind and I was vicious. After comforted Toby, Wendy ignored my violent struggle and forcibly pushed me onto the operating table. She ordered the anesthetist to quickly inject the anesthesia. A moment later, my intense struggle finally calmed down.

Wendy brushed my cheek, “Don’t worry, I will definitely keep you alive.” Wendy’s mentor had performed heart transplants before, so she was confident she can keep me alive. She said, “After your brother recovers, the whole family will accept you and I will stay by your side.” Wendy and her colleagues carried out the surgery nervously but orderly. After a long time, Wendy took a heart out of my body. Before she could take a closer look, she rushed into Toby’s operating room with my heart. My chest lay open, my body lying alone on the operating table. The sharp alarm of the monitor startled the watching doctor. “How did he die? Didn’t they say he had two hearts?” One of Wendy’s colleagues felt puzzled, “You even believed Dr. Wat’s joke?” “It’s good that he died, after all the bad things he did, not saving Dr. Wat’s husband and even trying to seduce Dr. Wat.” Another colleague replied. “Then what should we do now? He’s dead, just wait for someone to collect the corpse. If no one claims him, the morgue will handle it.” After speaking, all the doctors left the operating room. Wendy devoted herself to Toby’s surgery. Although she was confident, it was her first time performing a heart transplant on a patient. Fortunately, a few hours later, she successfully completed the surgery. After finishing the surgery, Wendy followed Toby back to his ward. After Toby was settled, she finally thought of me. Just as Wendy wanted to return to the operating room to check on me, she ran into a colleague who had assisted earlier, “Where is my husband?” The colleague thought for a moment and answered, “Didn’t he already come back? Don’t worry, after surgery someone will watch him. The nurses will take care of your husband.” Wendy didn’t think too much about the oddity in the words and instead felt her colleague was right. With her influence, the nurses would surely keep an eye on me. So Wendy returned to her office to continue working. A day later, Toby woke up. Wendy stayed by Toby’s side, “Toby, you’re finally awake.” When Toby woke up and saw Wendy, he cried excitedly. Wendy stepped forward to hug Toby, “Don’t worry, the surgery was very successful. Your heart will not have any problems in the future.” Toby touched his heart. Thinking that the disease that had plagued him for years was finally gone, he kept hugging Wendy and crying. While warning him not to let his emotions fluctuate too much, Wendy gently patted his back to calm him. The nurses in the department teased Wendy seeing this scene, “Dr. Wat treats her husband so well.” Wendy froze when she heard this. She thought of me still lying in another room and hurried to explain, “You’re mistaken, he’s not …” Toby timely covered his heart and interrupted Wendy’s words. Wendy could only pat his back, “I told you not to cry. What you need to do now is rest more to recover.” Maybe because of seeing Toby like this, Wendy suddenly remembered me. It seemed she hadn’t seen me since the surgery, “Toby, you rest well, I’ll go check on Alan.” As she spoke, Wendy was about to get up. But Toby suddenly grabbed Wendy’s hand, “I secretly did the surgery without telling my parents. Now is a critical recovery period, without someone with me, I’m afraid I won’t recover well.” Seeing Toby’s pale face, Wendy softened. Thinking the doctors and nurses would take care of me out of respect for her, she felt relieved again.

“Alright, I’ll stay with you a few more days.” After seeing Wendy sit down, Toby slowly closed his eyes. In the morgue, the orderly stared at my corpse, troubled, “It’s been two days and no one has come to claim him. What should we do?” Another orderly was cleaning up, “What are you looking at? Finish up quickly and we can leave early.” So the two of them casually threw my body into a bag together. One of them said, “Judging by how miserable he looks, he probably wasn’t a good person anyway.” “Good person or bad, once they’re cremated, they’re all the same.” “True, but it’s still a pity, he was so young.” *** Two more days passed. After seeing Toby mostly recover, Wendy finally remembered to check on me. She walked to my hospital room and saw it completely empty. A nurse was tidying up the bed. “Where’s the patient from this bed?” Wendy asked. The nurse looked up and saw it was Wendy, “The patient was discharged.” Hearing the nurse’s words, Wendy felt a bit annoyed. She thought I had just had surgery, yet didn’t stay to recover properly. Where had I run off to? She took out her phone and dialed my number. But the call never went through. “Fine, if you have the guts to die out there, don’t come looking for me.” Wendy stormed back to Toby’s ward. Sensing Wendy’s anger, Toby spoke up, “Is Alan very angry, refusing to forgive you? It’s all my fault, I’ll go explain to him right away, don’t let him misunderstand you because of me.” Toby hurried to get out of bed, but Wendy immediately stopped him. “Why care about him? What you need to do now is focus on recovering.” “That way, when you’re discharged, Mom and Dad will be happy to hear the good news. As for Alan, he won’t die, he’s already been discharged,” she said. Wendy recalled how I had desperately begged her before the surgery and she still felt upset. She couldn’t understand why I, as his relative, could be so heartless toward my brother. Seeing Toby always thought of me, she felt even more that I wasn’t as good as him. She thought that since I was so stubborn and insisted on leaving, I could just calm down on my own. When Toby was discharged, it wouldn’t be too late to call me back. In the doctors’ office, the colleagues were laughing and chatting. When they saw Wendy walk in, they all immediately went quiet. Wendy felt something strange. “What were you talking about just now?” No one answered. After a while, a colleague came up and hugged Wendy’s shoulder, “What else could we talk about? Of course, we were saying how deep the love is between you and your husband.” Thinking about how I was forced to donate one of my hearts, Wendy felt that I truly loved her deeply. Even though it was under pressure, at least I had helped her and saved a life. Thinking of this, she forgave my sudden disappearance, but she was still angry that I wouldn’t answer her calls. A colleague noticed the melancholy on her face, “Is your husband in a bad mood?” Wendy stayed silent. The colleague continued, “He just had surgery, feeling down is normal. You should be more understanding, do something to cheer him up.” Hearing this, Wendy’s brows gradually relaxed. She thought of how much I loved the pastries from the shop near home, so she decided to go home after work. Wendy carried the pastries back to our apartment, “Honey? I bought the pastries you like.” No one responded. She had just set down the pastries when she saw the divorce papers I had placed on the table a week ago. The moment she had asked me to donate my heart, I had already decided to divorce her.   Wendy stared at the agreement in disbelief. She thought to herself, was it really necessary? It was just one heart. And he actually dared to propose divorce over this. Wendy angrily threw the pastries into the trash, “If you don’t want this home, then never come back.” At that moment, the phone rang. Wendy picked up her phone. “Wendy? Where has Alan been lately?” My dad, who rarely called, was asking about me. After all, he usually only ever mentioned Toby. Wendy thought for a while and realized only my parents could force me to show up. Plus, Toby had mostly recovered by now. So she told my dad about Toby’s surgery. My parents rushed to the hospital overnight. At the first sight of my parents, Toby couldn’t stop his tears. After the three of them cried together for a while, my parents asked about me, “Where’s your younger brother? You’re in the same department and he hasn’t come to see you yet?” Toby hesitated. “He’s already been discharged.” My mom hugged Toby, “Discharged? His body’s pretty strong, doing surgery and leaving just days later, not afraid of dying out there.” My dad quickly stopped her. “What are you saying? Even though Toby had surgery, there’s no guarantee there won’t be future problems. If he dies, what will happen to Toby?” After hearing this, my mom slapped her mouth repeatedly, “Oh crap! Even if I die, I prefer to die before Toby.” “Don’t worry Toby, Mom and Dad will always protect you.” Hearing his parents’ words, Toby felt a wave of warmth in his heart. The next day, when Wendy entered the ward, she saw a heartwarming scene of my parents surrounding Toby. She felt it a bit harsh to her eyes, because she had never seen my parents treat me like that. “Wendy, you’re here. Toby’s heart is all thanks to you.” My parents focused only on thanking Wendy, never mentioning me. Wendy asked if there was any news about me. As soon as my parents heard my name, their faces fell, “Why care about him? He’s already discharged, meaning he’s fine. Better focus more on Toby.” “Toby has always been weak since he was little, while Alan has always been strong as a bull.” My parents had always wanted to pair Toby with Wendy, but because of Toby’s health, they never said it aloud. Now that I was out of the picture and Wendy was about to divorce with me, they could finally make it happen. Before Wendy could say anything, a colleague walked in, “Dr. Wat is so good to her husband, coming to guard him every day.” Hearing this, my parents assumed it was a done deal, while Toby blushed slightly. But Wendy’s face showed anger instead, “Who told you he’s my husband?” The colleague didn’t notice Wendy’s expression and laughed, “Everyone in the department knows. Don’t pretend anymore.” After saying that, she hurried off to work. My parents pulled Wendy aside, “Wendy, since Alan isn’t around and everyone thinks Toby is your husband, they’ll take better care of him.” Seeing Toby’s pale face, Wendy forced down her anger. Back in the office, before Wendy could find that colleague to ask questions, someone said her mentor had arrived. Hearing this, Wendy quickly ran to the director’s office. The moment she saw EdisonSally, Wendy rushed up and shake hands with him, “Dr.Sally, it’s been so many years, how’s your health?” Edison nodded, then smiled and looked Wendy up and down. “I heard you performed a heart transplant. Truly the student surpasses the mentor.” Edison then reminisced about when he had operated on young Wendy and how she had now inherited his legacy as an adult. Wendy froze in place, “Dr.Sally, what surgery are you talking about?” Edison hadn’t expected such a reaction from Wendy, “The heart transplant surgery, the one you had when you were a child.” The office fell silent for a moment before someone rushed in, “Dr. Wat, come quickly! The family members at ward 32 are fighting!” Hearing ward 32, Wendy immediately thought of Toby. She dashed to the ward. As soon as she entered, she heard someone shouting, “How dare you deny it! My nephew donated his heart to your daughter!” Wendy rushed forward and separated the two people. Upon seeing Wendy, Myra, Wendy’s mother, her eyes turned red with grievance. The other person, after being pulled apart, pointed at Wendy and shouted again, “It’s you! My nephew Alan’s heart is inside you!” Wendy stared at the person in disbelief, suddenly remembering my words, “What’s going on here?”

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My daughter Eliza Mclean was assaulted and murdered, but the court ruled it a suicide. I appealed seven times, never getting a fair outcome. So I kidnapped District Attorney George Kennedy’s daughter, Rosie Kennedy. In the livestream, I strapped Rosie to the autopsy table. Then, in front of everyone watching, I declared loudly: “I performed an autopsy on Eliza myself. Eliza didn’t commit suicide—she was murdered. “I’m giving you seven chances to reveal the real evidence and the killer. For every wasted opportunity, I’ll destroy one part of Rosie’s body.” George and his wife Millie Kennedy cried, begging me to spare Rosie. Millie said, “The evidence shows your daughter committed suicide. Stop this madness and release my daughter. She’s innocent.” At that moment, viewers in the livestream were calling me deranged and cruel, saying I’d lost my mind over my daughter’s death and was taking my rage out on an innocent person. No matter how disgusted everyone looked at me, I smirked coldly, picked up the scalpel, and made a cut across Rosie’s stomach. I said, “Time’s ticking. You better reveal the real killer fast.” I knew perfectly well that the actual murderer was watching this livestream right now. Seeing Rosie bound to the autopsy table, George and Millie completely broke down. George shouted at me: “Freya, your daughter committed suicide. What gives you the right to kidnap my daughter? She’s only eight years old.” Freya Mclean is my name. Millie also said, “You’re a mother yourself—how can you be so heartless?” The police officers standing behind George tried to calm me down. My colleagues also urged me not to do anything stupid, not to ruin my future. A female colleague said, “Freya, calm down. Don’t hurt an innocent child. Eliza really did commit suicide.” A male colleague said, “You understand the law—don’t make a mistake that destroys both you and others. Eliza wouldn’t want to see you like this.” Another female colleague added, “That’s right. Eliza’s body is still in the freezer, waiting for you to take her home.” In the livestream, some viewers joined in condemning me. [Is she sick or something? Her daughter’s dead, so she thinks she can take it out on someone else?] [I heard she won’t accept that her daughter committed suicide—seven appeals all rejected. Looks like she wants revenge on George.] [If seven appeals failed, it proves her daughter definitely committed suicide. Otherwise, they would’ve found the killer by now.] [Her daughter committed suicide, so why doesn’t she think about whether she’s the problem?] They had their reasons, and I had mine. Eliza absolutely could not have committed suicide. Three months ago, Eliza was supposed to start college in Washington, but she suddenly died. Someone pulled her body from the river. She was naked, covered in bruises all over her body. Since Eliza and I were mother and daughter, the police station assigned a different medical examiner to perform her autopsy. I thought the autopsy would give Eliza justice, but the final result still ruled it suicide. However, Eliza was such a bright, radiant child—she absolutely could not have committed suicide. After bringing Eliza’s body home, I performed my own autopsy on her with tears in my eyes, and discovered that Eliza had been assaulted before her death. I gathered the evidence and appealed again and again, demanding the case be reopened. But every single appeal was rejected. On the seventh appeal, I even photographed a particularly obvious, horrifying tear wound on Eliza’s body as evidence. But in the end, I was still rejected. I couldn’t accept it, so I kidnapped Rosie. I wanted the prosecutor’s office to speak the truth with their own mouths.

I walked over to Rosie’s side, toying with the scalpel in my hand. I said to George, “I told you before—Eliza didn’t commit suicide.” “George, I’ve already given you a chance. Whether you can save your daughter’s life depends entirely on your choice. After all, blades are merciless—they can hurt people.” I’ll never forget how indifferent George looked when my seventh appeal was rejected. I was so furious I screamed like a madwoman: “All this evidence was found on my daughter’s body—it’s enough to prove someone committed a crime. I’ve appealed seven times and personally performed seven autopsies on Eliza. If that’s still not enough, what evidence do you people need to reopen the case?” But George just gave me a cold glance. Then he said in that heartless, indifferent tone: “Freya, because you and Eliza are mother and daughter, the materials you’ve provided could be deliberately fabricated. They’re insufficient to prove someone intentionally harmed Eliza.” His words made it crystal clear—no matter how many times I appealed, it would be useless. Even my lawyer shook his head helplessly and said, “Freya, just give up.” Give up? But every time I thought of Eliza’s face, I couldn’t do it. Seeing that I was actually about to use the knife on Rosie, everyone panicked. Millie pleaded with me directly: “Don’t hurt my child.” Then she turned to George, pushing him frantically while saying, “You need to have someone bring out the evidence, or Rosie’s going to die!” George frowned and took a deep breath. He still refused to budge: “Freya, how many times do I have to tell you? Your daughter really did commit suicide.” But before he could finish speaking, the knife in my hand had already sliced off one of Rosie’s ears. Blood flowed from the wound. Even though she was drugged unconscious, Rosie’s body still jerked violently from the pain. I said coldly to George, “You now have six chances left.” Seeing that I had actually hurt Rosie, everyone went into full panic mode. Millie nearly fainted from shock, screaming hysterically: “You psycho! Don’t touch my child—she’s innocent!” George’s eyes turned red with panic as he frantically called his superiors at the prosecutor’s office for help. The police were desperately trying every method to locate my position. Too bad they couldn’t find me. The account I was using for the livestream was a verified account purchased overseas—they had no way of tracking my exact location in such a short time. During the wait, the livestream chat was flooded with comments cursing me. [She’s pure evil—she belongs in hell!] [Why didn’t she die instead?] [Police need to catch this criminal who’s a danger to society!] Countless people cursed me, but I didn’t care. As long as I could clear Eliza’s name, I was willing to do anything. I ignored all the abuse. Ten minutes later, George publicly released what they called their “investigation evidence” in the livestream channel. I took one look at it, then turned and severed one of Rosie’s thumbs. Then I said to George, “You have five chances left.”

I’d already seen those pieces of evidence George had shown me countless times. All of them pointed to Eliza’s suicide. But I wasn’t satisfied with any of that evidence. Those so-called pieces of evidence were nothing but carefully fabricated lies, shields used to cover up the truth. I continued holding the scalpel, gently sliding it across Rosie’s arm, leaving a shallow trail of blood. I said to George, “George, you know damn well this isn’t the evidence I want.” My voice was ice-cold, sharp as a poisoned blade. “I want the real killer. I want evidence of who violated my daughter. I want those things you’ve gone to great lengths to hide. Stop trying to fool me with this fake garbage. Otherwise, next time it won’t just be her fingers that get destroyed.” George’s face instantly turned pale. But he still insisted, “This is the evidence. These things clearly show that your daughter Eliza committed suicide.” Millie rushed toward the camera like a madwoman, crying hysterically. She screamed at me, “You psycho! Let my child go! We’ve given you all the evidence. What more do you want?” Watching her breakdown, I let out a bitter laugh. I said, “We’re both mothers. You can’t bear to see your child suffer, and I can’t accept my daughter dying for nothing.” At that moment, the livestream chat was once again flooded with viewers’ curses. [The evidence is right in front of her face. She just refuses to accept it!] [She’s got some kind of persecution complex, right?] [We live in a society ruled by law now. I really don’t know what she’s still making a fuss about.] The viewers’ abuse was worse than before, but I couldn’t hear any of it. My eyes could only see the truth that refused to surface and the image of Eliza’s death. Time passed second by second. Each second felt like it was slowly cutting through my heart, while also counting down to the next part of Rosie’s body that would be destroyed. By the third chance, they were still trying to fool me with fake evidence. I knew they were stalling for time. They were figuring out how to deal with me, but I wouldn’t give them that chance. I steeled myself and severed the tendons in Rosie’s hand. I said, “George, I have time to waste with you, but your daughter doesn’t. What’s it going to be? Are you really going to sacrifice your own flesh and blood to protect a criminal?” George couldn’t speak. His hands hung at his sides, clenched into tight fists, his whole body trembling. Millie had already passed out. The police were still trying to persuade me, even bringing in my teacher, Hugo Miller. Standing in front of the camera, Hugo squinted his bloodshot, cloudy eyes at me and said, “Freya, you used to speak for the people. How can you hurt the people now? I know Eliza is dead, and you’re heartbroken. But listen to me—don’t go down the wrong path.” Looking at this man who had once loved me like his own daughter, my heart ached terribly. Hugo had personally performed Eliza’s autopsy, yet he was hiding the truth. I asked Hugo, “You watched Eliza grow up. Didn’t your heart ache when you were performing her autopsy? Why are you helping them hide the truth too?” I couldn’t understand why everyone was helping the killer cover things up. Hugo sighed and said, “Freya, Eliza really did commit suicide. I’m not lying to you. The police aren’t lying to you. Neither are the prosecutor’s office or the judge.” After finishing, he exchanged a glance with George, then called in a girl who was standing by the door. Hugo explained to me, “Eliza committed suicide because of depression. This girl can testify to that.” Seeing the girl in front of the camera, I froze.   That girl was Eliza’s best friend, Elsie Jones. Elsie spoke up in front of everyone. She said, “Freya, I can testify. Eliza suffered from depression. She had suicidal thoughts.” Elsie’s words left me frozen in place. It took me a long while to snap back to reality, unable to believe what I’d just heard. I stared at Elsie’s evasive eyes, my heart feeling like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, the pain making it almost impossible to breathe. Elsie was Eliza’s closest friend when she was alive. They were as close as sisters. She often came to our house for dinner and would sleep in the same bed as Eliza, sharing their secrets. How could she come forward with such false testimony? I remembered that just the day before Eliza’s accident, she had excitedly told me that she and Elsie had gotten into the same college. They had made plans to visit Washington together after the semester started, to sightsee and try all the local food. When Eliza told me these things, her voice was full of anticipation and excitement. How could this possibly be the state of someone suffering from depression with suicidal thoughts? I tried to keep my voice calm, but my slightly trembling hands betrayed my emotions. “Elsie, look me in the eyes and tell me—is what you’re saying true? When did Eliza tell you she had depression? Did she go to a hospital? Is there a medical diagnosis?” Elsie wouldn’t look me in the eye, her voice barely audible: “Before the SAT exam, Eliza said she was afraid of disappointing you if she couldn’t get into a Washington school. She said the academic pressure was too much, that she felt life had no meaning.” “That’s nonsense!” I suddenly raised my voice, cutting her off. “Eliza’s grades were always excellent. Getting into a Washington university was her dream. How could she want to die because of academic pressure? You’re lying! Did someone force you to say this? Was it the killer? Or George?” I paused, then looked toward Hugo. “Or was it Hugo?” Elsie shook her head and pulled an envelope from her pocket. She opened the envelope and took out a piece of paper. Elsie said, “Freya, no one threatened me. Eliza really did commit suicide. This is her suicide note.” She unfolded Eliza’s suicide note and held it up to the camera for me to see. The note read: [Mom, I’m sorry. I can’t go on living.] I stared at that suicide note, my heart aching like it was being pierced by needles. The handwriting on the note was indeed Eliza’s, and the police had provided handwriting analysis results. In that moment, I began to doubt my own judgment. Had Eliza really committed suicide because of depression? Had I really failed to notice her psychological condition? In my daze, I noticed a particular phrase in the suicide note. Because of that phrase, I finally understood why Eliza’s death had been ruled a suicide.

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I, Grace Reid, gave birth twenty days before my due date. After being wheeled into the operating room for two hours, I delivered a lifeless fetus. I didn’t cry, didn’t make a scene, didn’t even glance at the tiny corpse. Enduring the pain from my wounds, I calmly walked into the nursery, locked the door tight, and turned down the temperature. In one more hour, the nursery would become too cold for any newborn to survive. All the doctors and parents stood outside the nursery door, begging me to spare their children’s lives. They shouted with all their strength, saying I was a mother too and hoping I could understand their feelings. But I just smiled. “I am indeed a mother, but the child I just delivered is dead.” An obstetrician cried at the door, pleading with me, “We may be responsible for not saving your child. But these newborns are innocent. Please don’t become extreme because you lost your baby. You’re still so young—you can have other children.” I gritted my teeth and roared at her, “But my child isn’t dead at all! She’s still alive. I’m giving you one hour to bring her to me.” Because I wasn’t sure if my child would still be alive after one hour. ***** The nursery door remained tightly shut, while my husband Felix Campbell, wearing his white coat, stood outside looking frantic. He suddenly slapped himself across the face. Then Felix shouted to me, “Grace, it’s my fault—I failed to save our child.” He continued, “I know losing the baby devastates you. This child wasn’t meant to be with us. We can have another. But if something happens to you, I truly won’t be able to live.” Felix looked desperate, almost ready to cry. But I kept staring at him with cold, indifferent eyes. Felix and I had been married for three years. He’d taken excellent care of me, considering every detail thoughtfully. As the head of obstetrics, after learning I was pregnant, he monitored every aspect of my health closely. Yet today, this same Felix who had successfully treated patients with amniotic fluid embolism told me he couldn’t save our child. I had delivered a stillborn. But throughout my pregnancy, all my check-ups showed the baby was perfectly healthy. Three weeks ago, the fetus was already fully developed. Forget being born twenty days early—even if I had delivered three weeks ago, the baby would have survived completely. I absolutely refused to believe my child was dead. Especially since when I was barely conscious, I clearly heard that child crying. I looked at Felix suspiciously, then said with barely controlled trembling in my voice, “With your abilities, why couldn’t you save even a premature baby?” “Grace, I’m incompetent.” Felix said through tears. “Premature birth causes too much damage to infants. I really did everything I could.” Then a man said, “Grace, losing a baby due to premature birth is unavoidable sometimes. You must try to accept this. You’re still young. You’ll definitely have other children.” The other medical staff standing beside Felix also anxiously tried to persuade me. The parents of those newborns pleaded with red-rimmed eyes. One woman said, “Grace, we feel terrible for you and your child too. But our babies are innocent. You know what it feels like to be a mother. Please spare our children. If you have doubts about your baby’s death, you should question your husband and these medical staff. This really has nothing to do with our children.” As they continued pleading, the temperature in the nursery began dropping slowly. Some people started trying to cut power to the nursery, hoping to stop the temperature from falling further. But I had already modified this department’s electrical system. The entire room’s cooling system was controlled only by the device in my hands. With just a light touch of the controls, the room temperature would plummet suddenly, and these children would freeze to death. Seeing that cutting the power didn’t work, they all stared at me with terrified eyes. One newborn’s mother directly pleaded, “Grace, I’m a lawyer. I can represent your child’s case for free and get you justice. Please give me back my baby.” I told her, “My child doesn’t need justice—she just needs to come back to me.” My breathing became rapid as I shouted outside, “My child isn’t dead at all! I clearly remember hearing her cry. If I delivered a stillborn, how could she have cried?”

“When you just gave birth, the anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet, so experiencing blurred consciousness is completely normal,” someone outside answered me. But I shook my head and said, “No, that’s not right. Because it was premature, the situation was too urgent. I didn’t have time for any pain medication.” Felix quickly explained to me: “Grace, many babies are born in the hospital every day. Isn’t it normal for you to hear crying?” Hearing his words, I began to hesitate. It was indeed normal to hear baby cries in the delivery room. But that crying was too close to me, making me feel like it was my child crying. I slowly turned my gaze to Felix. Only then did I realize that after I said “the baby might have been switched,” he didn’t doubt it at all. Instead, he kept telling me the baby was stillborn. I looked at him suspiciously and asked tentatively, “That crying was too close to me. Was it the baby from the bed next to mine?” “It was exactly the baby from the bed next to yours crying,” Felix answered without hesitation. But I was stunned, because there was no one giving birth in the bed next to mine. I stared at Felix in shock, my body trembling uncontrollably. Why was Felix lying to me? Seeing me frown, Felix thought I believed his words. He reached out his hand to me and said, “Grace, please come out from inside. Let’s properly prepare a funeral for the baby. Once you’ve rested, we’ll try to get pregnant again. We’ll definitely have another child.” I clenched my fists, gritted my teeth, and let out a cold laugh before asking him: “Felix, where exactly did you take our child? That’s your child too. Why are you lying to me? Who did you give my baby to?” Felix hurriedly said, “Grace, what do you mean? How could I possibly take away our child? Don’t you even trust what I’m saying?” I shouted angrily at Felix: “I don’t believe you. My child isn’t dead. You’re lying to me!” After saying this, I yanked down the electrical switch that controlled the newborn nursery’s temperature. The room temperature dropped instantly. With red eyes, I looked at the panicked people outside. I said, “I’m giving you one hour to return my child to me. Otherwise, we’ll all die together.” Discovering that I had actually pulled the switch, the people outside immediately panicked. Someone shouted at me: “What does your husband lying to you have to do with my child?” Another person said: “Felix, where exactly did you put your child? Do you really have to drag my child into this too?” Someone else tried to reason with me: “Grace, please calm down. As long as you can guarantee our children will be safe, we’ll definitely help you find your child.” Additionally, someone shouted anxiously at Felix: “Felix, tell us what’s really going on. There are thirty children in here. If anything happens to them, can your hospital take responsibility?” Felix shouted anxiously at me: “Grace, please calm down first. Our child really has passed away. Don’t say one hour – even if you gave me a hundred hours, I couldn’t bring the child back to you.” I stared at Felix with icy eyes. Actually, it wasn’t that I was giving them one hour – I only had one hour. Because when my consciousness was blurred, I heard an unfamiliar voice say: “One hour will be enough.” I didn’t know what my child would experience during this hour. I only knew that after one hour, my child might truly not survive. “Jackson, you’re finally here. Please talk some sense into Grace!” Felix said. His voice snapped me back to attention. My white-haired father Jackson Reid had rushed over anxiously. I quickly cried out to him: “Dad, please go find my child! She’s in this hospital, hidden away somewhere. I’m certain she’s still alive! There are fifty minutes left now. If we can’t find her, she’ll really die! Don’t believe what Felix is saying. What I gave birth to wasn’t stillborn at all. Felix and they are working together!”

Jackson suddenly slapped Felix across the face. Then he roared at Felix in fury: “You animal! You knew Grace couldn’t handle the news of the baby’s death. Why didn’t you watch her properly? Look what you’ve done to my daughter!” I quickly explained to Jackson: “Dad, I’m not crazy. My baby really isn’t dead! You’ve been handling my prenatal checkups all along—you know this. Even if I gave birth three weeks ago, it would have been a healthy baby.” But Jackson looked at me with guilt written all over his face. He said: “Grace, actually, your prenatal reports didn’t show the baby was completely healthy. The fetus had some problems all along. But I was too arrogant, thinking I could secretly help fix things, so I didn’t tell you the truth about the baby’s condition. However, I failed to correct the issues. That child was indeed stillborn.” I was completely stunned. Both my parents are obstetricians, and I’m their only daughter. They cared for me during my pregnancy even more than Felix did. Jackson, who has always adored me, would never lie to me. Could I really have given birth to a stillborn baby? I placed both hands on my lower abdomen as the sound of a baby’s cry echoed in my mind again. I furrowed my brow as a tear rolled down my cheek. I asked: “Maybe this baby and I really weren’t meant to be. Dad, with all your years of experience, was this baby beautiful?” Jackson’s eyes filled with tears as he nodded: “This baby looked just like you as a child—such smooth skin, especially the hands. They were exactly like yours when you were little, with all ten fingers tightly clenched.” I instantly tensed up, my whole body going numb as I stared at Jackson in disbelief. I screamed at Jackson: “Dad, so you’re lying to me too! Why are you deceiving me just like Felix? What is it that you can’t tell me? Why did you take my baby away?” Jackson was stunned and said: “Grace, you’re my only daughter. How could I possibly lie to you?” I broke down laughing hysterically. Then I said: “That’s right. You handled most of my prenatal checkups throughout my pregnancy. But there was one time when I was traveling, and I had a friend who’s also an obstetrician do an examination. What I didn’t expect was that my friend discovered my baby had six fingers. My friend said that because the baby kept its fists clenched during all the previous exams, the doctors never noticed this condition.” Jackson quickly explained: “That kind of examination can easily be misread. How can you suspect me over something like this?” I roared: “Am I the one who wants to suspect you? You’re all lying to me!” My screaming woke up the babies in the nursery. Weak cries of infants could be heard from the room. The parents of the other newborns outside were extremely worried about their children. They kept crying while trying to comfort me, and pleaded with Jackson to tell the truth. But Jackson still insisted that what I gave birth to was a stillborn baby. I took a deep breath, then lifted my head as tears streamed down my cheeks. I glanced at the clock overhead and said: “You have twenty minutes left. It seems you’d rather bear the consequences of thirty lives than return my baby to me. What reason could possibly make you willing to watch me die along with thirty newborns rather than give me back my child?” Everyone around us pressed Jackson and Felix for the truth, but both men maintained that my baby had died long ago. Left with no choice, everyone decided to call the police. But just as one of the mothers was about to dial the emergency number, my mother Mila Reid suddenly rushed over and snatched the phone from her hands. Mila said: “My daughter is just a bit emotional. She’s simply a mother who just lost her child. I’ll talk to her. Please, I’m begging you not to call the police.” After saying this, Mila looked at me with tears in her eyes and said: “Stop being foolish and come back to me.” But I asked her: “Mom, can I trust you?” Mila froze for a moment and said, “Of course you can trust me. You’re my child, you’re my life.” She would even give her life for me. How could she not love me? I asked Mila, “Mom, would you believe everything I tell you?” Mila answered, “Of course I would.” Hearing Mila’s unhesitating response, I immediately told her, “My child is still alive, and he’s in this hospital right now. Dad and Felix both know the truth, but they won’t help save my child. I only have twenty minutes left. If you help me find my child, I’ll honestly turn myself in. I never meant to kill anyone, and I certainly never meant to kidnap these children. I just want to find my child.” Mila paused slightly, looking toward Jackson and Felix. She frowned and said, “Grace, if all of this is true, I want to help you find your child too. But Grace, I was so worried about complications during your delivery that I specifically requested to assist with your birth. I watched you give birth with my own eyes. Felix wouldn’t dare mess around. I personally watched Felix remove a stillborn baby from your belly.” Mila spoke with complete sincerity, but I stood there stunned. Did I really give birth to a stillborn baby? Mila continued, “I know you’re heartbroken and can’t accept this reality. If you dare, I’ll take you to see the surveillance footage. Once you see it with your own eyes, you won’t keep obsessing over finding your child.” Then Mila reached out her hand toward me and said, “Come back.” I stood there numbly, staring blankly at Mila, then walked step by step toward the entrance of the neonatal unit. But just as I was about to reach the door, I suddenly noticed the bloodstains on Mila’s clothes. I immediately stopped and said, “No. You’re lying to me too! When I was giving birth, another woman was hemorrhaging badly. You left my delivery room. I remember it clearly. Mom, why? What secret are you all hiding from me? Why did you replace my child with a stillborn baby?” Mila stood there stunned in surprise and said, “How could I bear to replace your child with a stillborn baby? Grace, what are you talking about? If you don’t trust me, surely you trust the surveillance footage?” I let out a cold laugh and said, “If my own family can lie to me, what about some cold machine?” At that moment, the ten-minute countdown alarm sounded. I turned back to look at the children in the neonatal unit. I said, “Since you all want my child to die, then we’ll all die together.” The people outside immediately became tense. They begged Jackson and Mila to tell me the truth and release their children. Some people cried out to me, “Grace, if they won’t help you investigate, we will. Please spare our children.” I smiled bitterly and said, “I don’t have time to investigate anymore.” I took a deep breath and placed my hand on the temperature control device. Countless anguished cries came from outside the neonatal unit door. But just as I was about to lower the temperature, a voice came from the crowd. It was a man’s voice: “I know where your real child is.”

After giving birth to five stillborn children, I raised my stepson as my own for eighteen years. However, after my stepson graduated from college, my husband brought back his ex-wife. When he asked me to serve as a nanny for their family of three, I finally realized this marriage had been a scam all along. My stepson suffered from a rare heart condition, and my husband’s sole purpose in marrying me was to have me give birth to a matching heart donor. My five children had all been murdered by my husband’s own hands. Upon learning the truth, I carefully devised a revenge plan to make both my husband and stepson pay the price. ***** After I gave birth to my fifth stillborn child, my husband Wyatt Patel brought home his six-year-old stepson Logan Patel. He told me that from now on, this child would treat me as his biological mother. Since then, I devoted myself to caring for Logan for eighteen years. Just as Logan graduated from college that year, Wyatt brought his ex-wife Victoria Flores back home. When their family of three reunited, I finally realized that my marriage had been nothing but an elaborate deception. It turned out that Logan had a rare heart condition and they couldn’t find a suitable heart donor match. So Wyatt married me. Over five years, I became pregnant with five children, and all five of those children became tools to find a heart match for Logan. Yet I spent eighteen years feeling guilty about giving birth to five stillborn babies. The day Wyatt brought Victoria home, I was cooking in the kitchen. He casually ordered me, “Victoria will be living with us starting today. Move your things to the guest room. From now on, she’ll be staying in the master bedroom.” My hands suddenly froze, and I stared at Wyatt in disbelief. The food in the pot quickly burned, filling the air with a acrid smell. Wyatt sniffed and frowned with displeasure. “Stop cooking for now and go clean up the room. Victoria’s been shopping all day and she’s tired. She needs to rest.” Then he pulled out a list of requirements and slammed it down on the dining table. “Victoria has high standards for quality of life. Prepare everything for her according to what’s written on this list.” I picked up the list and looked it over, finding it densely packed with items. Everything had to be the finest quality—it was incredibly extravagant. I smiled bitterly and asked, “Wyatt, do you realize what you’re saying?” Did he really mean that not only would he be living with his ex-wife, but he was also forcing me, his current wife, to give up the master bedroom to them? What did that make me? Was I supposed to be their live-in maid? At that moment, Victoria feigned concern and said with a smile, “Wyatt, forget it. If Athena doesn’t want me to move in, I can just stay at a hotel.” Athena Brown is my name. After a pause, she continued, “After all, I’ve already endured eighteen years of this. I don’t mind enduring a few more days.” Hearing her words, Wyatt’s brow furrowed deeply. His eyes filled with sympathy for Victoria. Then Wyatt said to me, “Athena, when you gave birth to five stillborn children, I had no choice but to bring my son with Victoria home to keep you company. You’re the reason they were separated for eighteen years. This is what you owe Victoria.” I was instantly speechless. Back then, he was the one who voluntarily brought Logan home. Why was I now being painted as the villain who caused their mother and son to be separated? Wyatt kept going: “Although Victoria and I divorced, she’s still my original wife. In the old days, you would have had to serve her properly. Now I’m just asking you to give up the master bedroom—are you really unwilling to do even that?” He acted as if I had received some great favor. Victoria just smiled at me quietly, as if to say, “Now do you believe me?” I stood there stunned, fear coursing through my entire body. No one knew that Victoria had approached me alone a few days earlier. She told me she was getting back together with Wyatt and that I should be smart, pack my things, and leave this house. I thought she was talking nonsense and started to walk away. But Victoria blocked my path and asked, “Do you really think those five children you gave birth to over the years were all stillborn?” Then she showed me five videos. Although the footage was somewhat blurry, I could still make out Wyatt’s face. In all five videos, he was holding a living baby, walking from the delivery room into another operating room. I was stunned. Could those babies have been my five children? My five children were clearly alive—why did Wyatt tell me they had all died? After enjoying the sight of my distress long enough, Victoria finally revealed the truth with cold composure: “Logan has a rare heart condition, and we’ve never been able to find a suitable heart match for him. That’s why Wyatt married you. He wanted to use your womb to produce a child who could provide a heart transplant for our son. But we never expected you to be so useless—it took you five whole pregnancies to finally produce one child whose heart could match Logan’s.” I kept shaking my head, finding this too absurd to believe. I refused to accept that Wyatt could be so cruel. I rushed home to confront him, only to be told he was away on business. I spent the next few days in agony, waiting for his return so I could demand the truth. But when he finally came back, he brought Victoria with him. Wyatt said, “Athena, you haven’t given the Patel family a single child. Victoria and I will have to rely on our son Logan to take care of us in our old age. If you behave yourself now, your life might be easier when you’re older.” I snapped back to reality and stared at him. “Is it really true that I can’t have children? Did the five stillborn babies I delivered really die at birth?” Wyatt replied, “Of course they did.” He unconsciously touched his nose—a habit of his when lying. My heart raced as overwhelming helplessness consumed me. He really had killed our five children! The next moment, my legs gave out and I collapsed to the floor. But Wyatt thought I was just trying to get his attention. He let out a disdainful laugh: “Athena, we’re not kids anymore. Stop playing these childish games. I’m taking Victoria out to dinner tonight. You’d better do some soul-searching. I expect the master bedroom to be cleared out by the time I get home.” The door slammed shut, and my tears finally began to fall. The husband I loved so deeply was the murderer of my five children, and he had only married me to produce a transplant tool for his child with his ex-wife. I couldn’t accept this reality and collapsed on the floor, letting out anguished screams.

Just then, Logan opened the front door and asked, “Why isn’t dinner ready yet?” Seeing me collapsed on the floor, Logan was startled: “Why are you sitting on the ground? Where’s Dad?” I didn’t respond. After all, my five children had died to save him—they never even got the chance to call me “Mom”—yet I had lovingly cared for Logan for eighteen years. Logan called out several times in succession: “Mom! Mom! Mom!” I hesitated, then responded anyway. The child was innocent, after all, and I couldn’t bring myself to be so heartless toward Logan, whom I had personally raised for eighteen years. But after hearing my response, Logan frowned unhappily: “Ms. Brown, I was calling my mother. Why did you answer?” Logan’s look of disgust was identical to Wyatt’s. I froze, trembling as I asked him, “What did you just call me?” Logan said, “Hasn’t Dad told you yet? My real mom has moved in to live with us. To keep things clear, I’ll call her ‘Mom’ from now on, and I’ll call you ‘Ms. Brown.’” He said it as if it were nothing. My heart ached with anger, but Logan kept twisting the knife: “Ms. Brown, our family is finally reunited. You’d better not bully my mom.” Looking at him, I suddenly found myself speechless. This was the child Wyatt had once promised would treat me like his real mother. I felt like I had never truly known him at all. Just then, Wyatt and Victoria returned. Wyatt complained, “What rotten luck—we got splashed with dirty water on our way out.” Victoria added, “My phone got damaged when I dropped it.” Seeing them, Logan instantly became excited and rushed over to them. He said, “Dad, Mom, you’re finally back from your date. You two are still so in love.” Wyatt lovingly patted his head and said, “You little rascal! How dare you tease your parents? If we weren’t in love, how would we have you?” Victoria also showed Logan maternal affection, saying, “You’re still so reckless. Look at you, all sweaty. Let me wipe that off for you.” Logan buried his head in Victoria’s arms: “Mom, you’re the only one who cares about me. Ms. Brown didn’t even notice I was sweating.” Wyatt said, “Well, she’s never had children, so she doesn’t understand these things. Now that you have your real mother by your side, it won’t be like that anymore.” His hurtful words pierced my heart one by one. I wanted to leave, but inadvertently caught sight of the charm on Victoria’s phone. At that moment, I felt like I’d fallen into an ice cellar, chilled to the bone. Victoria shouted, “Athena, why are you grabbing my phone?” Holding the phone, I looked at Wyatt and Logan with a pale smile: “Don’t you owe me an explanation?” The charm on Victoria’s phone was a protective amulet I had personally bought for Wyatt and Logan. After giving birth to my fifth stillborn child, I had nightmares every night. After raising Logan, my nightmares became even worse. I was afraid I was an unlucky person, destined never to have children in this lifetime, and even more afraid that Logan would suffer misfortune because of me. So, starting from Logan’s first Christmas in my care, I would go to the church every Christmas to buy protective amulets. I prayed to God to keep Logan safe, prayed that God wouldn’t take away any more of my children. Ever since Wyatt had that car accident, I also made it a habit to buy him a protective amulet every Christmas. This Christmas, when I went to buy the amulets, I unfortunately encountered a flash flood and nearly died on the mountain. The two protective amulets I had risked my life to buy were now in Victoria’s hands, casually hanging on her phone case. I was trembling with rage. Logan, however, pointed at Victoria’s phone and said nonchalantly, “You mean this charm? I didn’t really want to give it to my mom, since it was something you gave me after all.” I asked, “Then why did you give it to her anyway?” My expression softened slightly. No matter what, Logan still treasured the things I gave him. But Logan said, “You’ve had five stillborn babies, so you’re definitely an unlucky person. How could I dare give my mom something you gave me? If my mom hadn’t insisted on having it, I never would have given it to her.” His words struck my heart like lightning, the pain making it hard to breathe. The next second, Wyatt frowned and snatched Victoria’s phone, then roughly removed the protective amulet. He said, “Could this amulet have stolen your good luck? You need to throw it away! How dare you want something bought by an unlucky person?” Victoria playfully stuck out her tongue. Despite being middle-aged, she still put on the coquettish act of a young girl: “I’ll listen to you from now on, okay?” I looked at them coldly, my heart already numb. After a long while, I finally said quietly, “Wyatt, let’s get divorced.” Upon hearing my words, everyone looked at me as if I were being unreasonable. Wyatt glared at me and asked, “Athena, do you know what you’re saying? You caused Victoria and Logan to be separated for eighteen years. I just want to let this mother and son reunite. Are you so unwilling that you’d even threaten me with divorce?” Logan also stepped in front of Victoria, taking a protective stance. He glared at me with hatred and asked, “Dad, you’re not really going to abandon me and my mom again for Ms. Brown, are you?” Wyatt immediately replied, “Never! Athena is an orphan who’s had five stillborn children, so her mind is inevitably twisted. She can’t stand to see others reunited with their families. But I will absolutely never abandon you two because of her.” The three of them looked like such a warm, happy family, while I felt like an outsider who could never fit in. But Wyatt had pursued me relentlessly back then. He said he wanted to give me a home, wanted to have more children with me, and let me experience the warmth of family. I was so caught up in his sweet words that I didn’t care he’d been divorced once before, and I agreed to marry him. I never imagined this marriage was a scam from the very beginning. All five of my children became someone else’s “nourishment.” And my status as an “orphan” became his weapon to attack me. Thinking of this, I trembled as I slapped Wyatt hard across the face. Wyatt stared at me in disbelief for a moment. After snapping back to reality, he immediately darkened his expression and dragged me in front of the mirror. He said, “Athena, what the hell are you making a fuss about? Take a good look at yourself. You’re not young anymore. Without me, you probably wouldn’t even have a place to live.” He threatened further, “You’d better serve our family of three properly. That way, I might still give you something to eat. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” After saying this, Wyatt shoved my hand away, and I collapsed to the floor again. Logan rolled his eyes at me. He said, “Ms. Brown, stop making a scene. Go cook dinner. My mom loves grilled ribs.” I looked at Wyatt and Logan in silence.

Victoria stood behind them, giving me a contemptuous smile. Looking at her elegant attire, then turning to see my haggard reflection in the mirror, I finally couldn’t take it anymore and ran out. But Wyatt’s voice followed me closely, impossible to shake off. He said, “She won’t last more than a few days. Once she can’t stand the hardship and comes back, she’ll obediently serve as our nanny.” I stayed at a motel for one night. First thing the next morning, I rushed to find a divorce lawyer. Over the years, Wyatt’s career had become increasingly successful. Even if we were getting divorced, I had to get something back from him. This was the price he should pay for deceiving me for twenty-three years. But the lawyer looked at me seriously and said, “Ms. Brown, your marriage certificate is fake.” I froze in place, unable to move. Just then, Victoria sent me a message. I opened my phone and the first thing I saw were five photos of dead babies. Victoria’s messages popped up immediately after. [Stop obsessing over my son. If you really miss children that much, look at your own kids—though they’re already dead.] I stared at those five photos of the children, my heart feeling like it was being torn apart. Victoria’s messages kept popping up. [I bet you didn’t know—Wyatt and I never got divorced.] [The divorce papers he showed you back then were fake, and the place where you two got your marriage certificate was fake too. You idiot actually believed it.] [Back then, after your useless self gave birth to the fifth child who could finally match Logan’s blood type, Wyatt wanted to kick you out immediately. But later, he felt sorry for me being so tired taking care of the child, so he decided to continue this fake marriage with you.] [For the past eighteen years, every time he told you he was going on a business trip, he was actually with me.] Below these messages were various travel photos Victoria had sent. My hands trembled as I held the phone. While I was racking my brains over Logan’s education, they had traveled to famous landmarks across half the world. I don’t know how I walked out of that law office. Looking at the flowing river before me, I felt like my entire life had been a complete failure. Thinking of my five dead children, my heart ached like it was being cut by knives. I even thought, “Maybe I should just jump in and join my children.” But just as I closed my eyes, ready to jump into the river, a pair of hands stopped me. I heard someone shouting: “Athena, I finally found you.” Someone else called out: “Ms. Brown, why did you run so far?” I opened my eyes to see Wyatt and Logan. They grabbed my hands and started dragging me back. On the way, Wyatt said: “You need to come with me to Logan’s company and apologize.” From their conversation, I learned that Victoria had offended Logan’s boss, Ruby Brooks. Last night, Ruby had sent Logan a message, and Victoria saw it. Mistaking Ruby for a woman trying to seduce Logan, Victoria cursed at her and deleted Ruby’s contact information without permission. This morning, Logan walked into the office only to be reprimanded by Ruby and even faced the risk of losing his job. That’s when Wyatt and Logan thought of me—they wanted me to apologize on Victoria’s behalf. Logan said to me: “Mom, when we get to the office, you need to apologize to my boss and beg for her forgiveness.” I laughed sarcastically. Now he was calling me “Mom” again. I yanked my hand free and said firmly: “I’m not going! Victoria is your mother—go find her!” Wyatt frowned and said: “Athena, stop throwing a tantrum.” He covered my mouth and forcibly dragged me to Ruby’s office. Wyatt said: “Ms. Brooks, this is my wife. I brought her here to apologize to you.” Ruby looked puzzled as she watched them covering my mouth. Logan quickly explained: “Ms. Brooks, this is my mother. Ever since she had five stillbirths, she’s had some mental issues. She’s extremely protective of me, her only son, and constantly fears that others will take me away from her.” Logan shamelessly used my most painful experience to attack me. I was so furious that I let out a low growl from my throat, which only seemed to confirm his claim that I was “mentally unstable.” Logan continued: “Ms. Brooks, my mother screams and shouts like this whenever she has an episode. That’s why we’re covering her mouth—we didn’t want her voice to disturb you. Now let her apologize to you.” As soon as Logan finished speaking, Wyatt kicked me in the knee and forced me to apologize. Finally, Ruby couldn’t stand watching this absurd charade any longer and put a stop to it. After they dragged me out of the company building, Wyatt finally released his grip on my hand. He patted my head like he was patting a dog, then said: “Athena, you helped Logan solve a big problem today. I won’t hold yesterday’s incident against you.” Then Wyatt generously transferred $100,000 to my phone. He said: “Take this money and buy some necessities for Victoria. Keep whatever’s left as my gift to you. From now on, let’s just live peacefully as a family of four.” With that, they drove off quickly.

“Mrs. Thorne, your brain aneurysm is in a delicate spot, and there’s already been some bleeding. You need surgery as soon as possible. If it ruptures, your life will be in danger.” “How much will the surgery cost?” “A conservative estimate would be two hundred thousand dollars.” Two hundred thousand? The Vance family went bankrupt, my father had a stroke, leaving us with a mountain of debt. Everything I owned, every single valuable thing, went to fill that gaping hole. Where am I supposed to find two hundred thousand now? And here, in the Thorne family, I, their daughter-in-law, am treated worse than a dog. By the time I left the hospital, it was already dark outside. I hadn’t walked far when my phone rang. A cold male voice spoke. “Get to ‘The Nightfall’.” His tone was a command, giving me no room to refuse. I looked at the medical report in my hand, then thought about our current relationship. I bit my red lip, then nodded and replied, “Okay.” The Nightfall was Veridia City’s most infamous high-end club. When I arrived at the private room, it was packed with men and women, exuding an air of lavish decadence. The man in the center of the room swirled his drink. Seeing me enter, he snapped his fingers, and the room instantly fell silent. He lifted his gaze to me. “Come here.” I hesitated, then walked over. The moment I got close, he yanked my wrist, and the next second, I was pulled into his embrace. “Asher, let me go!” Asher held me tight with just one arm. “Mrs. Thorne, are you sure you want me to let you go? Think about how much the Vance family still owes me, and then think about your father’s medical bills.” At his words, I stopped struggling. “Can you… can you lend me another two hundred thousand?” The man looked at me as if I’d told a joke. Finally, his gaze settled on my makeup-free, gaunt face. “What part of you is worth two hundred thousand?” With that, he pinched my chin, forcing me to face the people around us. “Why don’t you pick a man, spend a night with him, treat him right, and maybe you’ll get two hundred thousand.” “Do you have to humiliate me like this?” “Humiliation?” Asher sneered, his cold lips brushing my ear, his voice like it came from hell itself. “Compared to what your Vance family did to me back then, what’s this little humiliation?” I closed my eyes in agony. **截断点** The Vance and Hayes families were old acquaintances. Asher and I were childhood sweethearts, and in college, we were *that* couple everyone envied on campus. But the year we were supposed to go study abroad together, the Hayes family suddenly went bankrupt. Asher’s father couldn’t handle it and committed suicide by jumping from a building. I went to beg my father to help the Hayes family, only to accidentally discover that my father was the real culprit behind their downfall. I didn’t know how to face Asher, so I broke up with him. Blissfully unaware, Asher couldn’t believe I would leave him at his lowest, most difficult moment. He knelt in the rain outside the Vance mansion all night, pleading with me not to go. But my father took the opportunity to finish him off for good. By the time I arrived, Asher had already been beaten unconscious. I fought desperately to protect his head, but I suffered a severe blow myself, leaving me with lasting aftereffects. To stop my father from going to extremes, I could only agree to an arranged marriage, marrying into the incredibly influential Thorne family. Who knew that six years later, Asher would return to Veridia City as a business magnate, and the first thing he did was completely destroy the Vance Corporation… Just then, someone chimed in from the side. “Mrs. Thorne, Mr. Hayes is doing you a favor! Everyone knows Mr. Thorne’s eldest son is crippled, and your children were conceived through IVF. Has he ever satisfied you in all these years?” After the man spoke, everyone burst into laughter. Amidst the laughter, I clenched my fists tightly and calmly said, “Okay, then I’ll pick one.” 2. Asher’s face instantly darkened. My gaze quietly swept over everyone present, as if I were truly making a selection. Finally, I looked at the man who had just spoken, “You’ll do.” The man was ecstatic. I was known as a great beauty in Veridia City. To have a night of passion with me, let alone two hundred thousand, he wouldn’t mind spending two million. “Then I won’t be polite.” The man stood up, walked to Asher, and tried to lead me away. The next second, he was kicked to the ground, spilling drinks everywhere. The man ignored his messy state and looked at Asher in fear, asking confusedly, “Mr. Hayes, what are you…” “Get out!” Asher’s face was grim. He abruptly stood up, grabbed my throat, and snarled, “I can’t believe how cheap you’ve become!” “Isn’t that exactly how you want me to be?” I retorted, my eyes red. Asher tightened his grip. A pure, smiling face flashed in my mind. *My Asher, we promised we’d be together forever.* But now, everything had changed. Just as I thought I was about to die, the door to the private room was pushed open, and a tall figure walked in. “Asher, let Ellie go!” Asher seemed to snap back to reality and released his hand. He grabbed a tissue from nearby, wiped his hands, and threw it to the ground with a look of disgust. I stumbled up and walked towards the door. “Starting tomorrow, you’ll come to The Nightfall to work until the Vance family’s debt is paid off.” The man’s words instantly plunged me into hell. I gripped the doorknob. “If you don’t come, you’ll face the consequences.” I pulled open the door and walked out. “Ellie, are you okay? Asher just has that temper, don’t take it personally.” The woman followed me out, blocking my path. “Oh, and I’m pregnant with Asher’s child. We’re getting married soon.” I looked at Skylar Dawson’s happy smile, feeling a bit dazed. “Ellie, you’ll bless us, won’t you? After all, we’ve been best friends for over twenty years.” Best friends? The three of us grew up together. How could I have been so blind back then not to notice that Skylar always liked Asher? Skylar looked into my eyes. “You know you and Asher can’t be together, right? After all, it was your father who ruined his family and destroyed his life. You probably don’t want him to know the truth, do you? Given his temper, your father wouldn’t just be having a stroke.” “I wish you two an eternity together, growing old side by side.” I smiled weakly. Hearing my words, Skylar’s lips curved, and she chuckled softly. “It’s best you’re sensible. I’ve been with Asher all these years, fighting alongside him. No one is more important than me in his heart. I’ll ask him to remember your old friendship and not be too harsh on you.” Returning to the Thorne family villa, it was already past ten o’clock at night. As soon as I walked in, a small figure rushed into my arms. “Mommy, I’m hungry.” I looked down at his red eyes, my heart aching as I wiped away his tears. I hadn’t eaten all day either. “Mommy will make Leo some noodles, okay?” Leo Vance nodded happily. I took him into the kitchen, found some ingredients, and cooked two bowls of clear noodle soup. Leo’s mouth watered, and he swallowed several times. Just as I was about to carry the noodles out, a figure appeared in the kitchen. Brenda Thorne, Julian’s mother, looked at me coldly. “Have I not told you that no one is allowed to cook after ten o’clock in the Thorne house?” “Mom, I know, but Leo is hungry…” “Dump the noodles!” Seeing her stern expression, Leo buried himself in my arms. “Leo is hungry, Leo wants to eat noodles!” “Eat what?” Brenda snorted. “Don’t think I don’t know you sold all your dowry to cover the Vance family’s debts. Let me tell you, you won’t get a single penny of the Thorne family’s money!” Leo cried louder for his noodles. Brenda walked over and dumped both bowls of noodles into the nearby trash can. Seeing the noodles gone, the child cried even harder. “Cry, cry, cry! All you do is cry!” Brenda snapped impatiently. “The Vance family made you cry until they went bankrupt. Are you trying to ruin our Thorne family too? Both of you are nothing but bad luck!” Leo immediately cowered in my arms, terrified. After Brenda left, I searched for a long time and finally found a bag of crackers. After coaxing the little guy to eat them, I took him back to his room. Even in his sleep, Leo was still whimpering. My heart ached as I stroked his cheek. No matter what, I had to survive! 3. After he fell asleep, I returned to my bedroom. As I switched on the light, I saw Julian Thorne sitting in the middle of the room. I gasped, clutching my chest. “Why didn’t you turn on the light?” “Where were you?” “The hospital.” “Did you go to Asher?” I didn’t answer. Julian wheeled his chair over to me, his eyes cold. “Did you go to him?” “If I didn’t go to him, he would have come to me anyway.” I scoffed. “He hates me. He’ll never let me off easy.” “That’s just an excuse. You want to rekindle your old flame with him, don’t you?” Julian glared at me furiously. “I knew it all along! You look down on me deep down!” “I don’t.” Julian’s gaze was icy. “Get into bed.” Under his intense stare, I could only close my eyes and lie down. Julian braced his hands on the edge of the bed and moved onto it. He tore at my clothes. He bit and nipped at my skin, making me wince in pain. “Can you… can you lend me two hundred thousand?” Julian’s movements froze. He looked at me with dark eyes. “Did you used to charge Asher to sleep with him too?” “I…” “You’re truly disgusting!” Julian immediately lost interest. He got back into his wheelchair and left the bedroom. I redressed myself. I never imagined I’d be stumped by two hundred thousand dollars one day. The next morning, I dropped Leo off at kindergarten, then called my mother, Martha Vance. I didn’t know what Asher had done, but any money that entered my account was immediately transferred out. All the money from selling my dowry was with Martha. As soon as she heard I needed money, Martha exploded. “What’s the situation with the Vance family now? Where am I going to get two hundred thousand? If the Thornes don’t care about the Vance family’s survival, surely they’ll care about yours?” Before I could speak, Martha was already cursing the Thorne family on the phone. I hung up bitterly, looking at the car parked by the roadside. This was the only valuable thing I had left to sell. I contacted an agent. Because I only needed cash, the car, originally worth a million, was undervalued by the buyer to two hundred thousand. After withdrawing the cash from the bank, I didn’t waste a moment and rushed to the hospital. Just as I reached the hospital entrance, Asher’s call came in. “Mrs. Thorne, your son is so cute.” I clutched my phone. The next second, Leo’s childish voice came through the phone. “Mommy, where are you? I’m scared.” “Leo!” My face instantly turned pale. “Asher, you can take whatever revenge you want on me, but please, I beg you, don’t touch my son!” “That depends on your performance.” Asher’s voice was cold. “Roll your ass over to The Nightfall in half an hour.” I dared not delay and immediately took a cab to The Nightfall. A bodyguard led me to an office. Asher was sitting in a chair, and Skylar Dawson was in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck. They were intimately close, and his face held a rare gentle smile. My heart tightened, and I clenched my fists. “Where’s my son?” “What’s the rush?” Asher’s face turned icy. Skylar slid out of his embrace. “Mrs. Thorne, you have money but you’re not paying your debt. What are you planning?” Asher looked at me with cold eyes. I instinctively hid my handbag behind my back. Skylar noticed my movement and smiled. “Ellie, you’re not thinking of abandoning everything and running away, are you?” Asher’s face darkened at her words. I shook my head. “I’m not.” “Then what’s in your bag? Take it out.” 4. I involuntarily backed away. Asher strode over to me, grabbed my throat, and pinned me against the door. “You think you can just walk away? Do you think I’d let you off that easily?!” “I… I didn’t… Asher, please, I really need this money…” I spoke with difficulty, tears streaming down my face and landing on his hand. Asher’s eyes paused. Watching me cry in pain, he felt no sense of satisfaction. Skylar’s eyes darkened. “Ellie, back then when Asher’s mom needed money for treatment, I was working at a club, earning it glass by glass. And what were you doing then? You were marrying into the Thorne family in grand style!” Asher’s expression instantly turned cold at her words. He tried to snatch my handbag. I clung to it desperately, refusing to let go. It was my only hope now. “The hardships Asher and I endured, you should taste them too, shouldn’t you?” Skylar looked at me triumphantly. Seeing me refuse to let go, Asher said coldly, “If I can’t touch you, then I’ll just have to go after your son.” At his words, I despairingly gave up struggling. Asher threw the handbag to a bodyguard. As he released me, I slumped to the ground like a rag doll. “Give me back my son.” “Whether you can take your son home safely depends on your performance tonight.” Asher looked at me with disdain and instructed the bodyguard, “Take her to work.” I wiped away my tears and followed the bodyguard out of the office. “Asher, you won’t feel sorry for her, will you?” Asher looked out at the endless dark night, clenching his fists tightly. “Why would I?” A small figure walked into the office. Leo ran to Asher’s side. “Uncle, where’s Mommy?” “Your mommy is working. She’ll take you home in a bit.” “Is this…” Skylar looked at Leo’s small face, her eyes filled with undisguised shock. “My son.” Asher picked up his jacket. “Keep an eye on him.” Skylar examined Leo again. The child’s features were indeed five or six parts similar to Asher’s. She clenched her fists tightly. *I can’t believe she didn’t get rid of that child and actually gave birth to him!* In the changing room, I put on a sexy bunny girl outfit. As I turned around, I saw Asher suddenly appear behind me. I instinctively took a step back, only to see Asher take out his phone and snap a photo of me. I rushed forward, trying to snatch the phone, but Asher deliberately raised his hand and scoffed, “What do you think Julian Thorne’s reaction will be when he sees this photo?” I struggled to grab it, but I wasn’t used to high heels. I stumbled and fell into Asher’s arms. Asher instinctively tightened his grip around my waist. The familiar scent, and the captivating softness, left Asher momentarily dazed. He lowered his head. When his gaze swept over the hickey on my collarbone, the desire in his dark eyes vanished, replaced only by endless coldness. “Mrs. Thorne, I’m truly surprised by your forwardness!” I pulled away from his embrace. “Asher, I’m the one who wronged you. Please, don’t hurt anyone else.” Asher stared at the mark on my collarbone, gritting his teeth. “Why wouldn’t I hurt the people you care about? How else will you feel pain?” I followed a group of people into a private room. I was already beautiful, and after being dressed up, I looked like an angel. Every man in the private room tried to take advantage of the opportunity to touch me. I sat next to a pot-bellied man, tugging at my skirt which barely reached my knees. The man reached out to touch my leg. I instinctively recoiled. The man’s face darkened. He directly pulled out a stack of bills and threw them on the table. “One touch, one stack for you!” That stack was ten thousand dollars. Thinking of Leo’s innocent little face, I clenched my fists tightly. I had to survive! 5. The man placed his hand on my leg through my skirt. Seeing that I didn’t pull away, he picked up the money and patted my face. “That’s more like it.” Then, the man tucked the money into my cleavage. I suppressed my revulsion and didn’t flinch. If this was what he wanted to see, then I would give it to him. Seeing my reaction, the man’s hands started to become more brazen. *Bang!* The private room door was kicked open, and the noise inside instantly ceased. Seeing the man’s hand on my leg, Asher’s face was terrifyingly cold. He took a few quick steps and dragged me out of the private room. I forcefully yanked my hand away from his, furious. “Mr. Hayes, what are you doing? Weren’t you going to make me entertain and sell smiles to pay off my debt? If you drag me out, how am I supposed to pay you back?” As I spoke, I pulled the stack of money from my cleavage. The next second, the money was snatched away. Then, my face was stung by the bills, and the scattered banknotes fell to the ground. Ignoring the pain, I bent down to pick them up. A luxurious leather shoe stepped on my hand, making me gasp in pain. Asher bent down, lifted my chin, his dark eyes glinting with malice. “Where’s your pride? Where’s your dignity? Is there anything you won’t do for money?” I looked directly into his eyes. “Isn’t this what you want?” “I should have seen it clearly long ago. You’re nothing but a gold-digging slut!” Asher pushed my face away. “You won’t get to keep a single penny you earn at The Nightfall!” Asher stood up and left. Soon, someone came and picked up all the money from the floor before leaving. I gave a bitter laugh, then changed back into my own clothes and left The Nightfall with Leo. For the next few days, I went to work at The Nightfall on time every day. Unlike the first day, the men who approached me only bought me drinks; no one dared to lay a hand on me anymore. Occasionally, I’d get a small tip, but I could only keep a tiny fraction of it. With such meager income, I couldn’t possibly raise enough for the surgery. Just then, the Thorne family hosted a grand charity gala. As Julian Thorne’s wife, I naturally had to attend. Julian personally took me to get my hair and makeup done. Dressed elaborately, I was beautiful and undoubtedly the center of attention. Until Asher arrived at the banquet hall with Skylar Dawson. Leo saw them and instinctively hid behind me. But the two walked step by step towards Julian and me. Julian’s face was livid. “What are you doing here?” Asher smiled, looking at me. “Of course, I’m here to deliver a grand gift to Mr. Thorne.” My face turned pale. Asher snapped his fingers, and countless photos rained down from the air. They showed me in various sexy outfits, drinking with different men. I instinctively bent down, pressing Leo tightly into my embrace. Everyone present gasped at the photos. Brenda Thorne trembled with rage. She took a few steps forward and *smack!* slapped me across the face. My ears rang. “You shameless woman, doing such things behind Julian’s back!” Brenda wasn’t done. She furiously pulled at my clothes and hair. “Eating our Thorne family’s food, using our Thorne family’s things, and you dare to betray my son? I’ll tear you apart today!” I instantly became disheveled and pathetic. Julian’s chest heaved with anger. He didn’t spare me another glance, turning his wheelchair and leaving the venue. The Thorne family relatives all rushed over. Some pulled Brenda away, while others took the opportunity to bully me. My expensive gown was quickly torn to shreds, and my exquisite makeup smeared. I just desperately protected my child. I looked at Asher outside the crowd, my vision gradually blurring. The boy in my memories who would love and protect me was long gone. Watching my pathetic state, Asher’s dark eyes grew even darker. Why didn’t he feel happy at all? Seeing that Asher’s expression wasn’t right, and people had vented enough, Skylar quickly went over to help me and Leo up. As she did, she whispered with a smirk in my ear, “As grand as your entrance into the Thorne family was, that’s how pathetic your exit will be. This is all your own doing.” I squeezed her arm hard. The next second, I fainted. 6. At the hospital. Seeing Skylar return, Asher’s eyes flickered. “What did the doctor say?” The doctor said she had a brain aneurysm and needed surgery urgently, or she could die at any moment. But she wasn’t foolish enough to tell Asher that. “Nothing serious.” Skylar clutched his arm, looking pitiful. “Asher, are you feeling soft towards her?” Asher’s eyes darkened a few shades. “No, I’m just afraid she’ll die too easily, and get off too lightly.” I happened to be walking past the hospital room door. Hearing Asher’s words, my numb heart still twinged with pain. Noticing my presence, Asher turned around. Seeing my body covered in injuries, his dark eyes darkened further. “If you’re not dead, get your ass back to The Nightfall tomorrow to work.” Skylar gave me a triumphant look, then walked away, holding Asher’s arm. Leo rushed into my arms, crying. “Mommy, what happened to you? I’m so scared.” “It’s okay, Leo, Mommy’s fine.” My eyes red, I hugged him tightly. Because I had no money, I dared not stay in the hospital for too long. The next morning, I took my child back to the Thorne family home, only to find our luggage already thrown outside the door. Brenda Thorne stood before us, arms crossed. “You actually have the nerve to come back! Go get the divorce papers with Julian right now. You’ve done such a disgraceful thing, you’ve completely shamed our Thorne family. Get out!” A black sedan pulled up beside us. The driver loaded our luggage into the trunk. Seeing the scene before me, I gave a weak smile, then turned and got into the car with Leo. On the divorce agreement, I left with nothing but my son. So, at the civil affairs office, the divorce was finalized smoothly. Julian didn’t say a single word to me from start to finish. My son and I stood by the roadside with our luggage. Leo held my hand. “Mommy, did Daddy abandon us?” I looked at his innocent face, my heart aching as I stroked his cheek. “Daddy, he…” Leo hugged me tightly. “Mommy, don’t cry. Daddy doesn’t like me anyway. I only need Mommy.” We found a small motel to stay in. I rummaged through a hidden compartment in my suitcase and found a diamond necklace. This was Asher’s coming-of-age gift to me, and a token of our love. I still remembered the intense look in his eyes when he gave it to me. *”Ellie, my heart for you is like this diamond—it will never change.”* Now, it was all gone, never to return. Though alone, for Leo, I had to survive! I took Leo to a pawn shop. The owner, seeing my injuries and a child with me, deliberately drove the price down. “Diamonds are supposed to hold their value, and this one’s quite old.” The owner said slowly. “I can give you ten thousand, at most.” “Twenty thousand. Not a penny less.” I took the necklace back, about to leave. The owner quickly pressed down on the necklace. “Let’s discuss it again.” The owner tried to pull the necklace, but I refused to let go. “Alright, alright, twenty thousand it is.” Half an hour later, I left the pawn shop with Leo and headed straight for the nursing home. Martha Vance was furious when she heard I wanted to temporarily leave Leo at the nursing home. “What, the Thorne family won’t even keep the child?” I didn’t answer, just said coldly, “I’ll probably be away for a week.” “I have to take care of your father! Where do I have time to take care of a child?” Martha’s face was grim. “Throw him on the Thorne family’s doorstep. I don’t believe they won’t take care of him.” Leo, hearing this, buried his head in my arms. “Mommy, Leo doesn’t want to be separated from you.” “Leaving the child here, where are you planning to go?” Asher’s voice suddenly rang out, and my face instantly turned pale. 7. Seeing Asher, Arthur Vance, who was in a wheelchair, immediately became agitated. He mumbled incoherent sounds, his eyes wanting to tear Asher to shreds. Asher smirked triumphantly. “Mr. Vance, why are you so agitated? You should have thought of this day when you stood by and watched the Hayes family fall, kicking us while we were down. You should thank me for leaving you alive.” “Asher, what do you want?” I anxiously blocked Asher’s view. Although I hated Arthur, he was still my father, and he had already fallen so far, so it was his just deserts. Asher’s face darkened a few shades. “Of course, I’m here to reclaim what’s mine.” Asher snapped his fingers, and several bodyguards stepped forward, immediately restraining Leo and me. Martha Vance quickly said, “What are you doing?” Asher said slowly, “In Veridia City, is there anyone who can stop me from doing what I want?” Leo and I were escorted back to a luxurious villa. Leo cried as he was led to a room by a bodyguard. I tried to follow, but Asher blocked my way. “He’s just a child! Take it out on me!” “Ellie, you sold the necklace Asher gave you. What were you planning?” Skylar Dawson walked over, the diamond necklace in her hand. “Were you trying to escape?” “This is my property. I can do whatever I want with it…” Before I could finish, Asher grabbed my neck, his eyes furious. “Your property? You don’t deserve it!” “This was Asher’s sincere heart.” Skylar dangled the necklace. “Is it really only worth so little?” “Where’s the money?” Asher’s face grew even darker. I shook my head. “If you don’t tell me, don’t blame me for being unkind to your son!” Asher released me and turned to walk upstairs. “No!” I clutched my neck and said anxiously, “Leo, he’s…” “Asher, why bother with a child?” Skylar quickly interrupted me. “Just keep her locked here, and with money, she can’t run away.” I was taken to a servant’s room on the first floor. Leo was also brought back to me. Skylar walked into the room, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the musty smell. “Asher and I will be getting married very soon. Don’t worry, once we’re happily married, I’ll plead with him to let you and your son go.” I held Leo, remaining silent. Skylar looked at the small face so similar to Asher’s, a cruel glint flashing in her eyes. She composed herself and lowered her voice. “Ellie, you simply don’t know how much Asher suffered all these years, how hard he worked to get where he is today. If it weren’t for your Vance family, he wouldn’t have had to endure any of it.” My eyes flickered. It was precisely because I knew, that I accepted all of his revenge. “You have to let him vent a little.” Skylar said earnestly. “Don’t complicate simple things. The child is innocent. I promise you, Asher won’t hurt the child.” After Skylar left, Leo was already asleep in my arms, exhausted. I placed him on the bed, thinking to myself, if Asher knew Leo was his child, he definitely wouldn’t let Leo stay with me. So, after Skylar interrupted me, I quickly suppressed that thought. I must get the surgery done quickly and take Leo away from here! 8. Late at night. Asher returned to the villa, drunk. From afar, he saw a figure busy inside the villa. I was carrying a bucket of water, wiping the stairs step by step. Skylar had said I didn’t need to work at The Nightfall, but I couldn’t be useless at the villa, so the cleaning duties had fallen to me. Finally, having wiped the last step, I wiped the sweat from my forehead. Suddenly, a figure hugged me from behind. Smelling the strong alcohol, I struggled in fright. Asher, however, held me tighter, softly murmuring, “Ellie…” A familiar yet distant “Ellie” made my body stiffen. “Do you know how much I missed you?” Asher inhaled my scent, wishing he could meld me into his own body. “Asher, let me go, you’re drunk.” “Only in my dreams can I miss you without restraint.” Asher whispered softly. I closed my eyes in agony, pushing him away with all my might. Asher grabbed my wrist, pinned me against the wall, and kissed me fiercely. My eyes widened. The possessive kiss gave me no room to breathe, and I couldn’t break free. “What are you doing?” Skylar’s voice rang out. The man’s movements finally stopped. Skylar rushed over, pulled Asher away, and *smack!* slapped me across the face. I covered my face. “He was drunk and harassed me.” “You slut! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning!” Skylar glared at me furiously. “I’ve given him everything all these years! No one can replace me! No one!” Skylar laboriously helped Asher to the bedroom. Asher frowned, looking very uncomfortable. Skylar poured him some water and helped him drink it. Asher mumbled something. She leaned closer. “Ellie…” *Eleanor Vance!* Skylar clenched her fists tightly. Although she didn’t want to admit it, the more Asher hated me, the more she knew it meant he loved me. If he knew Leo was his child… No, absolutely not! The next morning, I let Leo play with toys in the room. I silently cleaned the entire villa, and also looked for ways to escape. Asher had stationed bodyguards at the entrance. These past few days, my head had been throbbing. I knew I didn’t have much time left. Skylar appeared at the top of the stairs, looking at me with an unreadable expression. “Ellie, do you want to see the wedding dress Asher personally picked out for me?” I snapped back to reality, but didn’t respond. I intended to leave, but Skylar walked directly over to me. She grabbed my hand and led me to a room on the second floor. In the center of the room stood a pure white wedding dress, surrounded by many wedding photos. In the photos, Asher and Skylar posed in various ways, both smiling happily. “Are you envious of me?” I blinked my stinging eyes. “Skylar, I sincerely wish you both happiness.” “You’re such a hypocrite!” Skylar sneered. “You must be dying of jealousy inside, otherwise why would you seduce Asher when he was drunk?” “I didn’t!” Suddenly, Leo’s crying came from downstairs. I tried to leave. Skylar grabbed my wrist. “We haven’t finished talking. Where are you going?” “Mommy! I want Mommy…” Leo cried even more sadly. I pulled my hand free and rushed downstairs. Skylar chased after me. She saw the bucket of water left at the bottom of the stairs and deliberately grabbed me. In our struggle, I kicked over the bucket. Water flowed down the stairs. Seeing the bucket roll towards Leo, I quickly pushed Skylar away. “Ah!” With a scream, Skylar slipped, tumbling down the stairs.

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At the wrap party for my new show, I was drugged and exploited. My fiancé, Blake, disgusted with me, leaked the photos and publicly called off our engagement. When everyone was spitting venom at me, it was Caleb Blackwood who shielded me with his jacket. He paid a fortune to delete the photos and brought down Blake’s company. “You don’t deserve to marry Aurora if you can’t even trust the woman you claim to love! Aurora, I’ll protect you for the rest of your life.” His words moved me, and I agreed. Later, he was in a car accident and lost his sight. I willingly offered him my cornea. Everyone claimed Caleb treated me like the most fragile, precious gem, keeping me safe, adored. But when I secretly regained my sight, planning to surprise him, I went to find him. Instead, I heard ambiguous low moans coming from his study. “Caleb, that idiot actually believed you were in a car accident, didn’t she? If she hadn’t gone blind and couldn’t act, I never would’ve gotten her roles. But what *did* happen to her cornea?” Caleb chuckled, his movements not pausing, causing the person on top of him to giggle incessantly. “My cornea? Oh, I fed it to the stray dogs on the street.” Turns out, all that deep affection and love was just an empty dream. Yet, after I left, he broadcast across the entire city, searching for my whereabouts.

“The cornea, mixed with blood, smelled so foul even the dogs were disgusted.” “I told her not to go to the new show’s wrap party, but she insisted. I had no choice but to fake the car accident. She forced my hand.” The low, mocking voices from inside nailed me to the spot. The joy of regaining my sight transformed into a chilling dread that spread through every inch of my body. I stumbled back, my eyes falling on the countless bruises covering my hands and legs. For three years after donating my cornea, I refused to be a burden to Caleb. I stubbornly learned to navigate by memory, relying solely on my mind’s map. The long-term struggle had left my body covered in bruises, offering no benefit in return. I thought I had sacrificed my sight for the man I loved. In the end, it was just a nightmare woven from countless lies. Through the slightly ajar door, Vanessa Thorne, her dress half-slipped off one shoulder, was writhing on the chair, clearly engaged in something intimate. After a long while, she sighed, tracing Caleb’s hair, and asked curiously, “But was that ‘sleeping with someone’ rumor true?” Caleb’s eyes narrowed as he gently stroked Vanessa’s long hair, a slow, rhythmic motion. “She was so conservative, not as uninhibited as you are. How could it be true?” “I just paid her assistant a little money. Her assistant’s family was sick. Someone that desperate for cash will do anything. I didn’t even have to get my hands dirty.” I clamped a hand over my mouth, desperate to stifle my sobs. My heart felt like it had been violently hammered, a dull, aching throb. The butler called out to me from a distance, startling the people inside. Vanessa quickly slid off Caleb, their clothes disheveled as they walked out. I swallowed the bitter lump in my throat, forcing my eyes to remain vacant, and slowly walked along the wall. Vanessa kissed Caleb’s cheek; their affection seemed sickeningly sweet. As she left, she didn’t forget to roll her eyes at me. I pretended not to notice, watching her disappear into a room at the end of the hall. My blood ran cold. She had been living with us all this time. Caleb seemed to sense my stiffness. His voice was laced with concern and urgency as he helped me. “Aurora, didn’t I tell you to ring the bell if you needed anything, and I’d help you? What if you hurt yourself wandering around?” A faint floral scent clung to him, barely perceptible. The concern in Caleb’s eyes didn’t seem fake. My hands trembled as I clutched at his clothes. “Caleb, I want to accept the donation. Will you come with me?” He didn’t hesitate, embracing me with the same tender affection he had shown a thousand times before. “Aurora, donation surgery is very uncomfortable, and there will be all sorts of discomfort afterward. I don’t want to see you suffer.” “Has someone been upsetting you?” Then, his voice filled with fury, he yelled at the butler. “Replace everyone! Get me a whole new staff!” Normally, I would have begged him not to be angry, but this time, I said nothing. I simply loosened my grip on his hand. The light in my heart had completely extinguished. The idea of leaving him began to sprout within me. Caleb cleared his throat, a subtle, awkward sound, and escorted me back to my room to rest. Before leaving, he carefully pulled the covers over me. When his hand brushed against my icy cold feet, He gently cupped my feet, as if they were priceless treasures, warming them before putting on my socks. “Sleep now. I’ll be back soon.” Feeling him leave, I quietly followed. Around the corner, Vanessa was already wrapped around his waist, impatient. Caleb chuckled scornfully. “Even if she was once a celebrated actress, a blind woman is useless. Don’t worry, I won’t let her ever see again.” A buzzing filled my ears. The gentle, attentive Caleb of the past vanished in that moment. My best friend’s family had contacted me about donating a cornea. I’d asked them to keep it a secret, wanting to surprise him. If I had told him directly back then, would I have ever had the chance to see again? A rush of blood surged to my head. Dazed, I stumbled and hit the doorframe with a loud thud. Caleb’s face changed instantly. He pushed Vanessa away and rushed towards me. “Aurora, how are you feeling?!”

The worry in his eyes was like a giant wave threatening to drown me, making it almost impossible to distinguish truth from lies. I could only clearly see Vanessa, leaning against the doorframe behind him, her expression a mix of triumph and pity, like she was looking at a pathetic bug. She reached out, tracing circles on Caleb’s back, over and over. There were still red marks on Caleb’s neck, a blatant declaration of her ownership. His body visibly tensed, and in the quiet air, I heard a distinct swallow. Caleb reached back, giving Vanessa a reassuring pat, his silent lips forming a promise for her to wait. Then he turned and carried me back to the bed. His voice was a little agitated, and his movements were a bit rougher. Looking at Caleb, who was clearly eager to leave, I reached out with a final trace of longing. “Caleb, can you stay and rest with me for a bit?” Caleb’s tone was dismissive, his feet already turned towards the door. “I need to take a shower. I feel dirty.” Before I could even respond, he was gone, his retreating figure radiating an unsettling joy. I sat and waited all night. He never returned. Finally, just before dawn, I sent a message to my former agent, Ms. Miller. “My eyesight is back. We can arrange work.” After getting a positive reply, I started packing my things. While searching for my documents, I noticed my laptop glowing faintly. I meant to close it but accidentally opened it. One glance felt like a sledgehammer to my chest. The screen displayed an unknown dark website, covered in countless photos of me. They were from all angles. Though my head was deliberately obscured, the butterfly tattoo on my shoulder confirmed it was me. All sorts of vile comments were mixed together. [She acts so proper, but when she lets loose, wow.] [More views next time, show her face.] I gripped the table tightly, my knuckles white, tears streaming down my face. I froze for a long moment before finally lifting my hand to delete the webpage, then, still weeping, splashed water onto the CPU. Black smoke billowed from the computer. Caleb returned just then, his face instantly contorted with rage. I feigned panic and helplessness, using the opportunity to let my tears flow unchecked. Caleb had no choice but to force down his anger and try to comfort me. But as he came closer, The pungent perfume on him made my stomach churn. I bent over and dry-heaved. “Doctor! Butler, call the doctor!” Surrounded by people checking on me, Caleb suppressed his impatience and asked the doctor to discuss the results outside. I secretly slipped my phone, which was making a call, into his pocket. Through my earpiece, I heard his gritted teeth. “Didn’t we give her the medication?! How could she still be pregnant?!” “Give me the pills! I don’t want this baby, it’s disgusting!” Even though I had already seen his true colors, I couldn’t help but feel a profound sadness. The doctor hesitated, trying to dissuade him. “The medication given to your wife before has already harmed her body. Forcibly aborting the child now could endanger her life.” “I don’t care! The mother of my child can only be Vanessa!” I hung up the phone, my pillow already soaked with tears. After a while, Caleb brought me the bitter medicine. Numbly, I drank it down, sip by agonizing sip. My abdomen throbbed with an unbearable, dragging pain, as if countless hands were pulling me down. I didn’t make a sound, silently enduring as my child left me. My silence, however, seemed to unnerve Caleb. “Aurora, the doctor said you have a bad stomach, so he prescribed a tonic. Is it too bitter?” “Shall I get you some candied fruit?” He offered me candy coaxingly, but in my mouth, it tasted endlessly bitter. For three consecutive days, Caleb stayed by my side, personally caring for me, even feeding me himself. Only I knew that Vanessa’s shadow was always present at the dining table. My dinner plate was replaced with a dog bowl, and Vanessa, propping her chin on her hand, watched me with a smirk, her eyes glinting with amusement. The once delicious food had become unrecognizable, spoiled for days. Caleb merely frowned, offering a helpless smile, his hands doing nothing. A chill enveloped me. My nose stung, and I couldn’t help but shed tears. Caleb finally stood up in a panic, wiping my tears. “What’s wrong, Aurora? Are you feeling unwell?” “How about we go on a trip tomorrow to clear your head?”

Caleb personally packed the luggage, and I sat obediently by his side. Convinced I couldn’t see, he brazenly packed all sorts of peculiar items into the suitcase. My hands, gripping the bedsheets, gradually tightened, my breathing becoming shallow. Recalling the online comments, a chilling realization hit me: this ‘trip’ was just Caleb’s way of satisfying some sick desire to humiliate me. Caleb noticed my agitation and asked considerately, “What’s wrong, Aurora? Are you feeling unwell?” I lowered my eyes, silently shaking my head. When we left, the butler led me to the passenger seat. Caleb naturally opened the back seat door. “Sit in the back. I’ve put pillows there; it’ll be more comfortable.” I obediently sat down. The “pillows” were just a pile of Vanessa’s designer bags. Vanessa got into the passenger seat, and they held hands, ignoring me completely. They even fed each other snacks occasionally. I had no pain left, only numbness. By the sea, Caleb put his arm around me, carefully draping a coat and scarf over me. He cupped my hands in his, breathing warmth into them. Fireworks erupted across the sky. Caleb’s voice was soft in my ear. “Aurora, thank you for everything you’ve done for me all these years.” “Even though you can’t see, I still arranged these fireworks for you.” “I want you to know, you’ll always be the most brilliant firework in my life.” I looked up at the sky, and there, emblazoned in light, were words: “VANESSA THORNE, I LOVE YOU!——” His phone vibrated relentlessly. Caleb’s expression changed, and he quickly settled me on a long bench. “Aurora, I have an online meeting. Wait here for me.” Without waiting for my reply, he immediately left. Watching his retreating figure, I suddenly remembered when we first got together, before I lost my sight. Caleb had also set off fireworks for me on an island; back then, they spelled my name. When passersby secretly photographed me, he would stand up for me. When I got seasick during a boat trip, he didn’t care about the mess and even used his hands to catch my vomit. I was embarrassed, but he only worried about my health with all his heart. In the distance, under the fireworks, Vanessa stood in a pristine white gown. She was holding a bouquet of flowers. Photographers swarmed around them, instructing them to get closer, to press their cheeks together, looking like a perfect couple. Passersby beside me were excitedly discussing. “Are they taking wedding photos? They look so good together!” “Is that the famous actress who’s been so popular these past few years? No wonder she was shy when everyone kept asking about marriage; turns out they were already engaged in private!” “I envy them, standing together like that. Is the person on this bench blind? How miserable to be all alone.” I smiled sadly. The truth, it turned out, was far more unbearable than I had imagined. This “vacation” he’d coaxed me into was actually Vanessa and Caleb’s photo shoot. I was just an afterthought. Caleb had grandly proposed to me, but then he’d said, “Aurora, with all the scandal, now isn’t the right time for us to get married. I don’t want to expose you to public scrutiny again and see you hurt.” He’d smoothed my hair. “As long as our hearts are together, a piece of paper doesn’t really matter, does it?” I, foolishly, had believed him, convinced that our bond was the most sincere vow. Reality, however, had just delivered a brutal slap to the face. I stood up and walked towards the sea, step by painful step. In the last moment before the fireworks faded. I stood in the ocean, looked up into Caleb’s shocked eyes, and smiled directly at him. He dashed towards me, his hand outstretched as if to pull me back. “Aurora, don’t do anything foolish! I can’t live without you!” I slowly spread my arms and fell backward. My lips silently formed one word: “Goodbye.” The icy waves swiftly swallowed me whole, carrying me away with the current. On the distant shore, Caleb, holding the report confirming my recovered sight, looked utterly insane. “Aurora, come back! Everyone, get in there and find her!”

I swam to a dark spot, then peeked my head out, watching the frantic crowd on the beach. This was the best gift I could leave Caleb. I swam to the other side of the shore. Ms. Miller, my agent, wrapped a towel around me and ushered me into the car. Outside the car window, rescue teams passed by one after another. In the distance, Caleb was still desperately trying to rush into the sea. His distraught expression was sickening. Ms. Miller looked at me worriedly. “Are you sure you want to do this? You might offend Blackwood Group.” I took a deep breath and nodded silently. “If I want to return to the public eye, I can’t do it without a bang. He used me to elevate Vanessa; it’s time he paid the price.” The next day, my news was trending across the city. [Former Actress Announces Comeback! Tune in for Live Broadcast Today!] [Five Years Out of the Spotlight, Is She Still as Beautiful? What Led to Her Return?] [Was the Former Actress’s Scandal Real? What’s the Truth Behind the Scandal?] Along with this came an onslaught of hate comments. [She’s been out of the industry for so many years, her face must be wrinkled like an old lady’s. Why is she coming back to grab money?!] [Can she please just disappear and let my Vanessa shine alone? Is she trying to steal Vanessa’s award at the Starlight Gala?! Don’t be so obvious!] [I knew it. If there was any truth behind that old scandal, why wait until now to expose it? Don’t tell me she spent five years fabricating fake evidence?!] I calmly scrolled through the comments. Thankfully, compared to the pain of being kept in the dark all these years, I preferred to stand in front of people and reclaim my former glory. Rather than disappear from the world as a useless person. My phone rang relentlessly. Caleb Blackwood’s name flashed wildly on the screen. “You dared to fake your death and leave me?! Who gave you the guts to do that?!” “Do you know I’ve been looking for you all night! Aren’t you being a bit too much? I don’t care what you heard or found out, or who helped you regain your sight.” “You better get your ass back here and apologize! Make me happy, and I won’t hold it against you!” I didn’t hesitate to block his number and looked at the live stream studio in front of me. There were five minutes left until my stage time. The screen showed the number of scheduled viewers was already close to breaking platform limits. The waiting room door was violently slammed open. Caleb, filled with fury, pushed past the staff and stood before me. “Do you think you’re so tough now? You had the nerve to hide all this from me?” “Who performed your surgery? Do you really want to leave me that badly?” I didn’t understand why he was angry. He was the one who was so sweet with Vanessa. I calmly met his gaze. “Did you expect me to do nothing and let you deceive me for a lifetime?” Caleb’s anger vanished instantly, replaced by terror, and he reached out to grab my hand. “What do you know?” I promptly shook him off and walked towards the live stream. After the host’s smiling pleasantries, she asked the most frequently scrolled question in the live chat. “Ms. Hayes, it’s been five years since you announced your retirement. Many fans speculated you might have married and had children. Could you tell us why you decided to make a comeback now?” Having not faced a camera for so long, I forced myself to suppress my nervousness. All the past pain flashed before my eyes. I calmly laid everything bare. The host’s eyes widened in shock. “Are you saying the scandal back then was manipulated, and your subsequent blindness was also a calculated plot?” I took a deep breath and nodded, then played the recording I’d made outside the study. Caleb and Vanessa’s conniving faces were exposed for all to see. The live chat began scrolling wildly. [Is that Vanessa’s voice?! I’ve followed her for so long; I couldn’t be mistaken!] [Oh my god, I thought it was redemption, but it was a deep abyss. If it were me, I’d have completely broken down. She’s so brave to stand up and expose her wounds!] [I knew it. With Vanessa’s qualifications back then, how could she have been nominated for such a big award? So, the real star was set up with a scandal. The industry is so messed up!] [I know that guy. He was exposed a few days ago, taking wedding photos with Vanessa by the sea. Aurora Hayes is so pitiful, completely played for a fool!] “That’s not how it is!” Everyone’s attention shifted as Caleb burst in. His eyes were full of menace, but I remained calm. “If anyone is skeptical, I’m willing to publicly go to the hospital for an examination to confirm if I’ve had a recent miscarriage.” “And that abortifacient, Mr. Blackwood, you personally fed it to me.”

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“Professor Evans, I’ve made up my mind. I accept the invitation from the Austrian Orchestra.” Over the phone, Mr. Evans’s delighted laughter was unmistakable. “Finally came to your senses? I’ll arrange everything immediately. My students should know how to choose between love and future. You have a week to say your goodbyes.” I murmured a soft reply, then hung up. A final farewell to the Davidsons, the family I’d lived with for over 20 years, and to my fiancée. I hung up the phone and instinctively touched the watch on my wrist. Beneath the leather strap was a jagged, centipede-like scar. It wasn’t that I’d finally made a choice; it was that love and family had chosen to abandon me. A soft knock came from outside the lounge door. “Asher, can I come in?” Before the words fully left his lips, Liam Miller pushed the door open. His wide, innocent eyes, like a lost puppy, were full of a carefully cultivated vulnerability as he looked at everyone. And on his shirt collar, there was a lipstick stain. Noticing my gaze, he deliberately tugged at his collar, a smirk playing on his lips. “Oops, it’s all Isabella’s fault. She just *had* to tease me.” I couldn’t bring myself to give him a pleasant look. The “Isabella” he spoke of was once my fiancée. Now, she was Liam’s. I still remembered when Liam first returned. Isabella had taken me to the rooftop, swearing beneath a canopy of stars that she’d only ever marry me. No matter who came back, her love would always, *only*, be for me. Sadly, that blatant, passionate love lasted just one year and three months. One year and three months later, on another star-filled night, Isabella and a disheveled Liam knelt in the Davidsons’ grand living room. They pleaded with the Davidsons to change the name on her engagement contract to Liam Miller. What kind of filth and cunning lay beneath that innocent face? Good thing I was leaving. I had just agreed with Mr. Evans to go abroad and accept the consultant position with the Ryan Orchestra. After completing my final farewell performance here, I would never disturb this sweet couple again. “Asher, can you let me be the principal performer this time? Please, please, please?” Liam tugged at my hand, pouting. How many things had he stolen from me over the years using that trick? I was tired of it. I pulled my hand back forcefully. “Get out!” “Asher.” Liam stumbled backward, falling to the floor, clutching his slender hand, looking utterly wronged. Isabella Stone, who had just pushed the door open, rushed forward in two steps, shielding Liam in her arms as if he were a precious treasure. Her beautiful brows furrowed as she gently asked where he was hurt. Liam shook his head pitifully. “It’s okay, Asher didn’t mean it. I just lost my footing.” His voice was choked, not sounding “okay” at all. I instinctively frowned. I hadn’t pushed Liam. I’d only pulled my hand away. Who would believe such shoddy acting? But Isabella did. She looked at me, her eyes icy. “Asher Davidson, I thought you were just a spoiled master of the Davidson family. Even with a bad temper, I thought you at least had some integrity.” Hearing the commotion, the three Davidson sisters also rushed in. They surrounded Liam, doting on him, while their gazes at me were filled only with blame and disappointment. “Liam suffered for so many years because of you, why can’t you just let him have this? Don’t perform at this concert, let Liam do it.” Charlotte Davidson, the eldest sister, always spoke with the most authority. My heart, already simmering in pain, had its last drop of affection squeezed out by her words. This was my farewell performance. I just wanted to put a period on the music I loved and say a proper goodbye to everyone. After all, once I left the country, I wouldn’t be coming back. **Chapter 2** “You still have injuries. It’s just one time. When your injuries heal, you can play as many shows as you want.” Victoria Davidson, my second sister, frowned. Ruby Davidson, my third sister, always the most outspoken, added, “Asher, if you insist on competing with Liam, you won’t be allowed to play the piano ever again.” A bitter taste filled my mouth, but I still wanted to fight for myself this one last time. “Sisters, this performance is very important to me, I…” “You know the Davidsons’ influence. We are your family. If we don’t approve, no one will dare let you play.” Before I could finish, Charlotte cut me off with another warning. I forced a wry smile. Was the Davidsons’ most feared power play finally coming for me? “Liam, come on. Don’t you like LEGOs? Ruby finished building the set for you.” Surrounded by the comforting women, Liam finally smiled, looping his arm around Isabella. “Ruby’s the best!” “Then don’t be sad anymore, okay?” The four women left, circling Liam as if he were the sole star in their universe. I felt disoriented. These past twenty years felt like a long dream. In that dream, I, too, was once cherished by my sisters and Isabella. Back then, I was the Davidsons’ only little prince, adored by my three sisters. And my fiancée, engaged to me since childhood, revolved around me. Every morning, four plates of breakfast would be placed before me, as the four women watched me with eager eyes. I would sigh, vexed, and my parents would just laugh. Everyone told me that the Davidsons’ young master deserved all this affection. When I was six, I fell in love with a pianist performing on stage. My parents didn’t want me to suffer, so my four sisters scrimped and saved to pay my tuition and help me fulfill my dream. Ruby even took on the most ridiculous side hustles at school, even selling her cherished belongings, just to earn money for my piano lessons. Isabella rallied all her classmates to organize my first-ever concert; anyone who clapped could copy their homework. My parents and Isabella’s parents were both furious and amused when they found out. Later, as they grew up, Isabella, whenever she drank too much, would force me to repeat, over and over, that I only loved Isabella, forever and ever. I truly fell for her. I thought that among all arranged marriages, mine would be the happiest. Until Liam Miller appeared. The day I stood at the Davidsons’ doorstep with the DNA test results, Liam was skinny and small, wearing faded, worn-out clothes, looking utterly pathetic. That day, my world crumbled. I learned that I wasn’t the Davidsons’ biological son. Everyone told me that nothing would change, I would just have another younger brother. But my three sisters no longer cherished me as carefully as before. Just a pout and a few words from him, and everything instantly became his. Charlotte, usually calm and composed, would book the most luxurious hotel for him. Victoria, angelic and aloof, would fuss over him in a panic. Ruby, mischievous by nature, would spend hours building a LEGO set for him. Even my fiancée, who once backed herself into a corner, repeating over and over “I love Asher the most,” fearing she’d lose me. She now knelt with him in the Davidsons’ living room, demanding to change the name on the engagement contract. Everything I had was completely taken. Now, even my final farewell performance in this country was taken from me. I forced a bitter laugh, twisting the watch on my wrist. I should have known better. From the moment, three months ago, when the Davidsons chose to rescue Liam from the kidnappers and abandoned me, I should have known. I shouldn’t love Isabella anymore. Nor should I harbor any illusions about the Davidson sisters. I was tired. My heart was cold. In a week, I, the outsider, would leave the Davidsons forever, no longer disrupting their loving family. **Chapter 3** I closed the door, shutting myself off. Inside the lounge, I organized my belongings. Ten years in the orchestra, and the accumulated items filled the entire center of the room. I stared blankly at the expensive figurines and rare collectibles. I loved these models since childhood. Whenever a new one came out, my sisters and Isabella would find ways to buy it for me. Then they’d pat my head and say, “Our Prince Asher deserves to have everything.” Later, Liam came. New things stopped appearing in my room. Even I, it seemed, had become an old item. Now that I was leaving, these old possessions held no meaning. I called a disposal service to come pick them up for destruction. While waiting for the truck, I went to resign from the theater. The theater management, in a tacit understanding, didn’t mention the farewell concert. I didn’t say anything either. Outside these walls, the Davidsons’ influence was too formidable to challenge. I no longer wanted to bother with them. My farewell concert? I’d consider it my final payment to the Davidsons, and an apology to Liam. Leaving the theater, Isabella’s car blocked my way. “Mr. Davidson, Ms. Stone would like you to come to the Hyatt Hotel.” “No.” I turned to walk away. “Mr. Davidson, please don’t make this difficult for us.” Four bodyguards blocked every escape. I knew each of them. These were the people Isabella used to protect me. Now, they were used to coerce me just the same. I lowered my head and squeezed myself into the spacious car. Isabella’s voice, vowing she’d never force me, still echoed in my ears. But I was no longer Ms. Stone’s fiancé. I no longer had the privilege of her special affection. Good. Leaving this way, with a clear conscience, clean. The car stopped at the Hyatt Hotel. The banner in the banquet hall, “Celebrating Liam Miller’s Triumph as Principal Performer,” was particularly glaring. The private room door was open. Four women shielded Liam in the center. Liam stood exactly where I once stood, smiling sweetly. I let out a low, mocking laugh. The word “Triumph”? Truly fitting. “Asher!” Liam was the first to spot me. He ran towards me from inside the room. “I thought you wouldn’t come. It’s all my sisters and Isabella. I told them not to organize it, but they were afraid I’d feel wronged. They insisted. Asher, if you have to blame someone, blame me.” Liam looked at me timidly. I had done nothing, yet it felt as though I had bullied him. Isabella walked out from inside, shielding Liam behind her. “Liam said he’s never had a banquet before. We just found an excuse. You don’t have to blame him.” The four women stared at me as if I were a formidable enemy. Liam was incredibly good at eliciting sympathy. If it were before, I would have gone ballistic. I wouldn’t have been able to stand my honor being stolen, then flaunted in front of me. Even less could I have stood my three sisters’ and Isabella’s affection shifting to someone else. Everyone told me nothing would change, but why did *everyone* change? But now, I just offered a detached smile. “Then congratulations, little brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law.” I strode out of that suffocating circle. Since Liam enjoyed being surrounded, I would let him have it. From now on, my relationship with the Davidsons would simply be that of debtor and creditor. Once I repaid their kindness for raising me, we would be strangers. **Chapter 4** My sudden calmness made the four women uncomfortable. They wanted to call out to me, but then realized that the name “Asher” had, at some point, become bitter on their tongues. “Isabella, let’s go inside too.” Isabella snapped back to reality when Liam hooked his arm through hers. She forcefully suppressed the unspeakable emotions in her heart, then softly whispered to Liam, “Okay,” her actions intimate, like lovers whispering sweet nothings. “Isabella! Asher is still here!” Liam deliberately raised his voice. I understood his intention, but I couldn’t be bothered to respond. The banquet, from start to finish, unfolded exactly as I expected. Because for over twenty years, this was how they had organized banquets for me. My three sisters, true to their word, were giving Liam everything they had once given me, one item at a time. “Liam, look at Victoria’s gift.” Victoria opened a box. Inside was a music stand decorated with dazzling jewels. Each gem was priceless, as if a skilled artisan had secretly brought them into the human world from a fairy’s treasure chest. I stared at the familiar music stand, my fingertips unconsciously digging into my flesh. This was the one Victoria had made by hand for me two years ago when I won the Golden Award, spending months on it. At the awards ceremony that day, Victoria had told everyone that this music stand could only be used by the Davidsons’ young master. That statement had once gone viral, with netizens playfully calling them “obsessed with their little brother.” Watching Liam now, holding the sparkling, jewel-encrusted music stand, I gently pressed a hand to my chest. I thought that if I just left, if I just forgot, the pain would cease. But the dense, stabbing pain that flared in my chest was impossible to ignore. “Asher, Isabella says this music stand has a matching box. Can I borrow it from you?” “Even though I grew up away from home, I want to be the best musician, just like you, Asher.” Liam playfully extended his hand, his eyes full of unspoken accusations. Accusations that I was the thief who’d stolen his life. Accusations that my Golden Award was only because of the Davidsons. “Give it to him.” Isabella’s voice was firm, her icy gaze filled with intimidation. Her stare pierced me, leaving me feeling utterly exposed once again. That exquisite box was something Isabella had privately given me, custom-made by her own hands, engraved with both our names. My gaze fell on each of them, but not one person looked back at me. “Fine.” Since I had decided to leave, I wanted a clean break. I had intended to return the box to Isabella anyway, but hadn’t found the right opportunity. Her asking for it now was even better. I placed the box on the table. Returning what belonged. I wouldn’t cling. “I’m not feeling well, I’ll be leaving now.” I stood up. This was their family dinner, after all. As an outsider, once I’d served as a backdrop, I should discreetly leave. But I couldn’t get out of the room before my three sisters surrounded me. “Asher, what’s wrong? You’ve always had a weak constitution since childhood. Why are you still not taking care of yourself at this age?” Charlotte naturally reached out, touching my forehead. Since I was little, whenever I fell ill, Charlotte would always feel my forehead first. “You’re sick again and not going to the hospital? I’ll take you.” Victoria naturally took my wrist. To look after my health, my second sister had specifically studied traditional medicine. Even Isabella stepped forward, her face cold but filled with concern. “Don’t try to hurt yourself to get my attention. Now, go to the hospital immediately!” Seeing their concerned expressions, I forced a bitter smile. They were the ones who abandoned me, the ones who left me scarred and torn. Yet now they rushed to show concern. I sharply pulled my hand away. Before the words “No need” could escape my lips, Liam suddenly grabbed Isabella. “It must be because of me. I was too happy, I stole Asher’s spotlight, that’s why he’s sick. I won’t have the banquet, I don’t deserve it. Let’s take Asher to the hospital.” **Chapter 5** The four women instantly moved away from me. Isabella’s icy gaze softened into tenderness and pity when it fell on Liam. “Asher, you don’t seem seriously ill. How about we accompany you after the banquet? Occasionally having fun is good for your health.” Victoria delivered her verdict. Between Liam and me, they ultimately chose him. “No need.” I turned and left. I didn’t need their charity. After leaving the hotel, my phone buzzed several times. It was my three sisters, reminding me to go to the hospital, and Isabella’s hospital appointment confirmation. Looking at each word of concern, I just wanted to laugh. What were they trying to do? Isn’t it because of them that I’ve become this way? Three months ago, the ones who kidnapped Liam and me were the Davidsons’ sworn enemies. Everyone knew those people were desperate and that Liam and I wouldn’t fare well. The kidnappers left two addresses, aiming to make the Davidsons split their forces to rescue us. But they miscalculated. Everyone went to rescue Liam; not a single person came for me. The kidnappers unleashed all their rage on me. I was dragged across cold concrete, my skin sliced inch by inch with a small blade. My hands, meant for playing music, had their fingers broken one by one. From hope to resentment, then to absolute despair—it only took half a month. But that half-month felt like a lifetime to me. Half a month later, the police rescued me from the kidnappers. By then, I was tortured beyond recognition. Yet when I returned to the Davidsons’ home. Everyone was gathered around Liam, who was unharmed, merely frightened. No one even noticed I was gone for half a month. No one cared that I’d lost my chance to play the piano. I felt a sticky warmth on my face. When I reached up, I found my cheeks streaked with tears. I’d failed myself. Months earlier, I still held onto hope for Isabella and the Davidsons. But with Liam’s return, a rift had formed between us. Many coveted Isabella, but no one had made a move before because I was always by her side. Then, after a concert, Isabella drunk-dialed me. When I arrived, she was semi-conscious on the floor. The person who drugged her used something potent; there wasn’t even time to get her to a hospital. Isabella clung to me, repeatedly calling my name, repeatedly saying she loved me. I couldn’t bear it. I held Isabella’s face, and for the only time, I forced her to say: “Isabella, always love… me.” Isabella looked up, her expression hazy: “Isabella loves Asher. Always. Only. Asher.” That night, we were both completely reckless. She almost drained me. I fantasized that she would withstand all the pressure and marry me. But later, Isabella and Liam knelt in the Davidsons’ living room, saying she wanted to marry Liam. Yet I always remembered how she’d professed her love. I couldn’t believe Isabella would lie when her consciousness was hazy. I thought she had some unspeakable difficulty. Until three months later, Isabella was found to be pregnant. Judging by the timing, this child should be mine. I went to the hospital alone to get the report, overjoyed, and called her. With this child, we could marry and start our family naturally. But Isabella didn’t answer. I stood on the street, making countless calls. Until the kidnappers abducted me, my phone fell to the ground, still on the dialing screen. But when I returned, the baby was gone. Aborted. **Chapter 6** I’d never believed in ghosts, but I heard that unborn children, those who never saw the light of day, could be tormented. I pricked my fingertip, letting a drop of blood fall, and stitched a tiny protection charm thread by thread. In three days, I would leave. Before I left, I wanted to take the protection charm to the church and pray for the baby. I didn’t leave my room all day. I didn’t want to see any of the Davidsons. I also didn’t have time to go out until late at night, when I finally finished the protection charm. The next morning, I got up early. I didn’t want to disturb anyone in the Davidson household. I walked from the villa community to the subway station, then to the Administrative Services Office. The staff were just starting their day. I picked up my passport. Just as I was about to leave, someone patted my shoulder. “Asher! You’re here too!” Alex Hayes, my best friend, had two dimples when he smiled. He lived right across from the Davidsons. “Why did you cancel your farewell concert? I’d already bought tickets and was planning to cheer you on!” Alex casually slung his arm around my shoulder. We always told each other everything. But now, I didn’t know how to explain. The Davidsons had raised me; I couldn’t throw my sisters under the bus. Seeing my silence, Alex’s smile faded. “Is it because of *him*?” I gave a small smile, not replying. Alex instantly understood, his indignation rising. “I knew he was no good the moment he arrived! Claimed to be a poor, struggling kid, yet he somehow got the Davidsons’ DNA? Your Davidsons…” “Forget it.” I took Alex’s hand. “How the Davidsons choose is their business. I have my own choices too.” As for the Davidsons’ affairs, I no longer wanted to meddle. It was *their* Davidson family. It had nothing to do with me. Alex also fell silent. Big family drama was never something they could truly control. “Asher, you haven’t shown up lately, and everyone’s missed you. Our whole circle? We’re all on your side, Ash! Just say the word if you need anything.” Alex opened his arms. I accepted his hug. We patted each other’s backs, and my eyes welled up. “Don’t be sad. No matter what, I’ve always got your back.” Alex punched me lightly on the shoulder. We looked at each other and both laughed. Alex used to joke with me like this all the time. It always made Isabella fume, which was why she’d never had a pleasant word for him all these years. But now, things were different. After saying goodbye to Alex, I walked alone down the street. Isabella’s car silently followed behind me. Watching my solitary figure, Isabella felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity. She felt I had changed, in a way that made her uneasy. After much hesitation, she called my number. “Get in.” I was surprised when I saw her caller ID. How long had it been since Isabella initiated a call to me? Hearing her voice from the phone, I turned around. Through the car window, Isabella waved her phone at me. At eight in the evening, the streets were bustling with people. I didn’t want to end up on social media. I walked over. As I reached for the back door, Isabella pushed open the passenger door. This used to be my exclusive seat. But now, should I still sit there? “Don’t let Liam misunderstand.” I closed the passenger door and got into the back seat. Isabella fell silent for a moment, looking at the empty passenger seat beside her. “Where to?” “The church.” **Chapter 7** Neither of us spoke during the drive, as if we were already strangers. After waiting for a red light, Isabella pressed the accelerator. “What are you going to the church for?” “To pray,” I said. Isabella asked again, “Who are you praying for?” I looked up, meeting Isabella’s eyes in the rearview mirror. I really wanted to ask her if she truly didn’t remember that night. Did she truly not care that we once had a child? “Do you remember, a few months ago, at the Royal Hotel?” Isabella frowned. She remembered. She only remembered that a small supplier had hosted the event. If it weren’t for an old family referral, she would never have gone to that party. It was also that day that Liam had supposedly “slept with her,” and out of a sense of obligation, she’d proposed changing the engagement. But why was I suddenly bringing up that day? “That day I called off the engagement, it was because of my personal issues, not you. You don’t have to…” Isabella’s phone rang mid-sentence. It was a special ringtone Liam had set on her phone. After just one ring, Isabella answered. “Isabella, are you busy right now? Can you come here? I got scratched by a Chihuahua. I’m sorry, I always mess things up and bother you.” Liam’s pathetic voice came through the phone. Isabella instinctively looked at me. “Isabella, I also have something I want to tell you. Will you listen?” My hand tightened on the protection charm. Isabella frowned. “Later. Liam’s hurt.” “Okay.” In that instant, I truly despaired. I opened the car door and got out without a word, no clinging, no argument. This, paradoxically, made Isabella uneasy. She felt that this time was different from before. It felt like I was truly about to disappear from her world. This feeling was indescribable. Isabella wanted to ask why I had suddenly brought up that day. But a thousand words reached her lips, only to turn into a single, “I’m sorry.” The black car peeled out, kicking up a cloud of dust. By the time the dust settled, I had long since left that spot. The church was on the city’s outskirts; Isabella dropped me off where no cabs would go. I walked the rest of the way to the church. After lighting the incense, I reached for the protection charm, but my whole body froze. The protection charm was gone. I was certain I hadn’t taken it out at all during the journey. If it wasn’t on the road, then it had to be in Isabella’s car. That was the only thing I could do for my unborn baby. I called her several times. Just like the day I was kidnapped, no matter how many times I tried, the calls never connected. I vaguely remembered hearing Liam say on the phone that he was injured at the Davidsons’ house. Along the way, I gave the driver countless tips, begging him to get to the Davidsons’ as fast as possible. “Isabella, give me your car keys, my…” I pushed open the garden gate. Liam was squatting on the ground, teasing a dog. The toy he was using to tease it was the very protection charm I had made for our child. “Asher, you’re back.” Liam looked up. In that moment, the challenging smile in his eyes — I didn’t believe he didn’t know what it was for. “Give it back.” I trembled, reaching out my hand to him. “It’s just a toy, Asher, why are you so tense?” “Unless… this protection charm is for some bastard child of yours?” Liam’s voice dropped to a whisper for the last few words. Seeing me rush forward, he deliberately “missed,” and the puppy bit into the protection charm, shaking its head violently. **Chapter 8** My heart clenched. I lunged for the puppy, desperate to snatch the protection charm. But my foot caught on Liam’s outstretched leg. “Ah!” The culprit behind me fell, and my hand hit a stone, a sharp, piercing pain shooting through me. Thankfully, I got the protection charm back. Baby, I’m so sorry… I clutched the protection charm tightly in my hand, pressing it against my chest. I didn’t even notice my palm was cut, blood staining the fabric. “Liam Miller!” Seeing this scene, Isabella didn’t even have time to put down her phone. She rushed over, embracing Liam who was on the ground. The phone accidentally switched to speaker, and her assistant’s voice came through. “Ms. Stone, the leads from the Royal Hotel have been compiled and sent to your email.” But at that moment, none of the three were in a state to listen. Isabella anxiously checked Liam’s injuries. Liam leaned against Isabella’s shoulder, looking utterly wronged again. “Isabella, why does Asher hate me so much? Is it because I took Asher’s place? But I didn’t want to!” “No, it’s not.” Isabella tenderly rubbed the bruise on Liam’s leg. The intense pity in her eyes turned cold and grim when she looked up at me. “Apologize.” Huh! He was the one who stole my things. He was the one who tripped me. Couldn’t Isabella see? I offered a bitter smile, looking at her deeply. For some reason, seeing me, on the verge of breaking, made Isabella’s heart clench in unbearable pain. I ultimately said nothing, just turned and walked away. “Isabella.” Just as Isabella was about to say something, Liam called out to her. “Asher Davidson, apologize!” “If you just walk away like this, you’ll never see each other again!” My steps faltered for a moment. Then so be it. Never again. I lifted my foot, walking away with even greater resolve. Watching my retreating figure shrink in the distance, Isabella suddenly felt a surge of panic. She had a sudden feeling that something precious was slipping away from her, forever. After leaving the Davidsons’ home, I only belatedly realized the piercing pain in my palm. The protection charm was soaked in blood, stuck to my wound. When I peeled it off, the wound was raw and bleeding profusely. Compared to Liam’s bruised leg, my injury was utterly insignificant. But only children who are loved have the right to cry. I just gritted my teeth and roughly treated the wound myself. Then I went back to the church. I hoped my unborn child could find peace and safety, free from harm. On my last day before leaving, I packed all my luggage and the things I intended to return to the Davidsons. It was ironic. From childhood, my Davidson sisters and Isabella had given me enough gifts to fill an entire warehouse. Yet, the things that truly belonged to *me* could be packed into a single small suitcase. I placed the warehouse keys and my bank card into a drawer. The card held all the money I’d earned playing music over the years. I wasn’t sure of the exact amount, but it was easily over ten million dollars. That should be enough to repay the Davidsons’ kindness for raising me. I stood at the doorway, looking at the spacious, luxurious bedroom. This had once been the best room in the Davidson house, aside from the master bedroom. It was originally meant for Charlotte, but my three sisters, doting on me, had secretly decorated it as my bedroom. After Liam came, he’d hinted and outright asked for it countless times. This was the only space I hadn’t lost, and to protect this one last inch of my territory, I’d been branded as unforgiving. Now, all of it. As they wished. The sky lightened. Downstairs, things were lively for a while. Today was Liam’s first time performing as the principal. My three sisters and Isabella revolved around Liam. Once it quieted down downstairs. I pulled out my suitcase and handed the bedroom keys to the housekeeper. I gave her instructions to handle everything once my sisters returned. From now on, the Davidson household would still have its three masters. No more, no less. I, the outsider, would no longer be there to disrupt their happy family. Closing the door. I didn’t look back.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “298880”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic

On our fifth wedding anniversary, Julian finally gave me a bouquet of roses for the first time. The moment their fragrance hit my nose, I nearly collapsed from the allergy. When I got home after getting my allergy shot, I found Seraphina, wearing my nightgown, curled up in Julian’s arms. Their faces were unnaturally flushed, a clear sign of what I’d interrupted, and they just looked at me with disdain. “My sister didn’t know you were allergic to pollen. She was being sweet, trying to surprise you. Shouldn’t you be grateful?” “Let’s get a divorce.” The words hung in the air. I threw the drafted divorce papers at Julian. “Just because of a bouquet of roses?” His eyes were filled with disbelief. I nodded coldly: “Yes, just because of a single rose.” “I’m hungry, go make some food.” Julian came home a month later. I thought the first thing he’d do after I suggested divorce was to actually go through with it. Instead, he placed a set of skincare products in front of me: “A gift for you. I picked them out myself.” I’d already seen those so-called gifts all over Seraphina’s SnapChat story. After all, he’d spent the entire month traveling and living it up with Seraphina. I even noticed Julian had carved Seraphina’s name into some of the gifts. They were just the leftovers Seraphina didn’t want. Just like me, I was merely what Julian had left over. Julian and I had been happily married for five years, until his father married Seraphina’s mother. Step-siblings with no blood relation, they gradually developed a bond that everyone mistook for a romantic relationship. Julian always insisted they were just family. And because they were “just family,” he’d abandon me in the middle of the night to go to Seraphina. I sat on the sofa, giving him a lazy glance. I didn’t rush towards him with a delighted cry, like I used to, nor did I immediately scramble to the kitchen to cook him a meal. Julian frowned when I didn’t move for a long time. “I said I’m hungry, didn’t you hear me?” “I’m not your chef. What do you expect me to do if you’re hungry?” My voice was steady, devoid of any emotional upheaval after so long apart. Julian’s face instantly stiffened. “Are you still being ridiculous? It’s just because Seraphina caused your allergy, isn’t it? I even bought you a gift while I was away on a business trip. Haven’t you calmed down at all in the past month?” Clearly, he didn’t understand why I was truly upset. He thought that a month was enough time for me to endure his coldness, then toss aside my dignity and resume catering to him like a desperate doormat. After all, Julian was a master of the cold shoulder. If he’d truly been on a business trip, neglecting me for work, why wouldn’t I try to win him back? But he didn’t know that Seraphina had shared their entire month’s itinerary on social media. She’d even personally sent me her social media account details from an unknown number. While they were living it up, I was alone in the hospital, suffering through my illness. I suddenly remembered that in those photos, Julian wasn’t wearing his wedding ring. Instead, he had a matching couple’s ring with Seraphina. My gaze fell on Julian’s finger. There was still a faint mark on his middle finger. He must have taken it off not long ago. “I’m not angry.” Julian looked at me twice, realizing I was genuinely calm, without any resentment. He pulled me into his embrace with his long arm. “Alright, go make dinner. We’ll just have a proper anniversary next year.” As he leaned close, the faint scent of Seraphina’s perfume on him made my breathing difficult. It was her favorite. I covered my nose and slowly said, “If you’re hungry, figure it out yourself.” Julian, who had been kneading my waist, stopped.

Julian released me and turned to throw the skincare products from the table onto the floor. Bottles shattered on the hard surface, fragments scattering everywhere. Just like our fragile marriage. He looked down at me, then asked coldly, “Last chance. Are you sure you’re not going to make dinner?” He was giving me an easy out, a chance to back down. Normally, I would never have pushed him this far. I was known in his circle as his little doormat, always ready to serve. I used to accept that incredibly sarcastic and insulting title. Julian and I were once so in love, and I honestly didn’t care about those labels back then. But now, I refused to throw away my self-respect. I glanced at Julian, who was on the verge of exploding, and quickly shook my head. “You can ask Seraphina to cook for you.” That remark lit the fuse. Julian grabbed the iced tea from the coffee table and aggressively splashed it on me. “Audrey, I think you need a wake-up call.” The cold liquid dripped down my chest, and my soaked sleeves felt extremely uncomfortable. As I rolled up my sleeves, Julian’s face froze for a moment, then erupted in fury. “Are you sick in the head? You even put scar makeup on your arm? My son’s birthday is in two days. Are you trying to use such cheap tactics to gain sympathy?” So that was it. He hadn’t come home because he was tired of Seraphina; he remembered he had a son whose mother he didn’t even know. His harsh voice made my eardrums throb, almost bursting. Or perhaps it was my heart aching, making my whole body hurt. The man who once cradled me and worried over a tiny red burn mark from cooking for him was gone. His love for me had vanished along with him. I calmly picked up a tissue and gently wiped the water from my body, wincing and drawing a sharp breath as my fingers brushed against the wound. “I don’t need anyone’s sympathy, especially not yours.” My flat statement landed in Julian’s ears like sarcastic venom. “Fine, Audrey. You want to make a scene, do you? Then you won’t be attending Leo’s birthday party.” He always did this, using our son to threaten me after a few harsh words. Leo and I had a deep bond. His cheap tricks wouldn’t work on us. “I raised that boy myself; you don’t get to make decisions for him!” It didn’t matter if Julian didn’t love me anymore. I knew Leo would want to celebrate his birthday with me. A mother’s tender affection involuntarily softened my face. Perhaps my smile was too triumphant, because Julian poured a bucket of cold water over my head. “Did you forget, Leo has nothing to do with you!” Years ago, he was set up, drugged and taken to a hotel, then extorted for a huge sum of money. He had just taken over the company and dared not investigate. A year later, an anonymous sender dropped off a baby. A paternity test confirmed it was his child. The scandal caused his company’s stock to plummet, and he lost everything. He was on the rooftop, contemplating jumping, when he ran into me taking a breather. I confessed my feelings for him, gathering the courage to hold his hand and face the public storm together. Even after we married, I poured my love for him into Leo, treating him as my own biological child. But my love and acceptance for him and Leo had now become the very weapon he used to hurt me! Was he mocking me for being so desperate to be a stepmom? “You’re right. Since we’re getting divorced anyway, why don’t you find Leo a new mom? Or better yet, find his biological mother!”

Perhaps he hadn’t expected such a fierce, sarcastic outburst from me, leaving Julian stunned. If he was going to stab at my heart, I would make him squirm. That incident from years ago was a dark stain on his past! All these years, I had carefully protected him, nurtured him with love, and never once brought it up. Now that I’d hit him where it hurt, he would surely be furious enough to divorce me on the spot. I had already imagined the storm that was coming, but Julian just bit his lip, motionless. I pointed to the divorce papers on the table, hopefully offering him a pen. He didn’t take it. He just walked towards the kitchen, annoyed. After ransacking the fridge and finding no food, Julian’s anger finally spilled over. “Audrey! What have you been doing for the past month? The fridge is completely empty! Are you deliberately trying to sabotage this marriage?” I found it a little funny. Did he still think we had a marriage to salvage? “I’ve been waiting for you to come back and finalize our divorce!” To ensure he always had food despite his busy work schedule, I used to keep the fridge fully stocked every day. Just now, when I hit a raw nerve, he didn’t divorce me. But now the fridge is empty—simply because I withdrew a tiny bit of my love—and he’s furious and disappointed. My words echoed in the silent living room. Surely, his arrogance would lead him to sign the papers now, right? Under my expectant gaze, he angrily grabbed the pen, but then hovered over the signature line for a long time. I even felt like joking, “Once we’re divorced, you can get even closer to your sister.” Julian abruptly tore the divorce papers to shreds. “So, you want a divorce because you’re jealous, huh? I’ve told you countless times, Seraphina and I are just family with no blood relation!” Just as I regretted opening my mouth, Julian’s FaceTime started ringing. “Daddy, I want a birthday present!” Hearing Leo’s sweet, soft voice, my heart instantly melted into a puddle. I craned my neck, eagerly trying to see Julian’s phone screen, but he shot me a glare and turned the phone completely away from me. During the month I was sick, I was afraid of scaring Leo, so I hadn’t dared to video call him. Now, just hearing his voice, I couldn’t resist the urge to go pick him up immediately. “Anything you want, sweetheart, Daddy will get for you!” “Daddy, I want Aunt Seraphina to be my mommy! She’s way more fun than Mom!” My soft heart instantly hardened. I almost forgot that Seraphina was the daughter of Julian’s father’s new wife. Technically, Seraphina and Julian were family. And my son was currently being raised at the Sterling mansion. Not only was Seraphina stealing my husband, now she was trying to steal my son too! “Sweetheart, you can’t just pick any mommy! In a couple of days, your real mommy and I will celebrate your birthday with you, okay?” Hearing Julian mention me as his mommy, my already wounded heart came back to life. I eagerly anticipated Leo’s joyful shout. But Leo yelled back, “No! I don’t like Mom anymore! Grandma Sterling said Mom doesn’t love me anymore, that’s why she left me with her.” I had only let the Sterling family take care of Leo while I was in the hospital for surgery, making up an excuse so I wouldn’t scare him. Now, after just one month, he didn’t even recognize me. “So, I want Aunt Seraphina to be my mommy!” Innocent words from a child, yet they froze me to the core. Sure enough, blood is thicker than water, after all. No matter how much you raise a child that isn’t yours by blood, they’ll never truly become ‘yours’. What stung even more was Julian’s smiling agreement to Leo’s request: “Since sweetheart likes Aunt Seraphina so much, then we’ll let her be Leo’s godmother!” My emotions were on a rollercoaster. And at that moment, I felt like I had crashed and burned. Julian’s peripheral glance at me was full of defiance.

After hanging up the phone, Julian crossed his arms and began to interrogate me. “Did you hear that? Even a child knows Seraphina treats him better!” “Confess, what were you doing for the past month? Why did you make Leo feel like you abandoned him?” I frowned, looking at him. For the first time, the man I’d loved for years felt so utterly unfamiliar! “Can’t you tell I had surgery?” I lifted my shirt, allowing Julian to see every scar. I wasn’t doing this to make him feel guilty, but to make him understand that I wasn’t like him. I wouldn’t abandon Leo just to go have fun. When I looked up, Julian’s hand was already reaching for my head. “I… I thought you were faking it.” “I actually received a message about your surgery from the hospital, but I thought you were just being dramatic to get attention…” I coldly pushed his hand away. Faced with my coldness, Julian suddenly changed his tone. “Does it hurt?” I nodded, then shook my head. When the doctor asked me to call family to sign the consent form, I couldn’t reach Julian no matter how hard I tried. Yet, I saw photos of him and Seraphina eating barbecue on her social media. Barbecue was something Julian always disdained as “dirty.” In the past, he’d only given me a disgusted look if I suggested it. But he could eat and drink heartily with Seraphina. He was too busy, of course, to sign my papers. He didn’t know that the reason I needed surgery was because an old wound, suffered when I saved Leo from drowning years ago, had flared up again, pressing on a nerve. “I don’t have any family. Can I sign it myself?” At that time, my head ached, but my heart ached more. My signature on the surgery consent form was like an illegible scrawl. “Audrey, do you want anything to eat?” “No, I’m not hungry.” My stomach suddenly rumbled, and Julian chuckled. I couldn’t bring myself to smile. Because at that moment, his phone rang. Julian glanced at it and hung up immediately. That simple action told me exactly who was calling. The phone kept ringing, relentlessly. Julian’s face finally changed. “You should take it.” He looked at my expressionless face, unable to discern any emotion. Finally, he hesitated, then nodded and answered the phone. He sounded a little flustered, but he took the call right in front of me, not giving Seraphina a chance to speak. “Why do you keep calling? Even if the sky is falling, it can wait until I’m free! I’m with Audrey right now!” After saying that, Julian hung up before Seraphina could say anything else. “Audrey, would you like some chicken soup?” It was the first time in almost a year that he had offered to cook for me. In the past, I would have happily dragged him into the kitchen to mess around together. Now, those cherished memories were distant, unreachable. Seeing that I wasn’t acting as intimately as usual, Julian took my hand, a gesture of great familiarity. But Seraphina was relentless, her phone still ringing persistently. His eyes were glued to the vibrating phone. Even his hand unconsciously started rubbing mine. He was rubbing the back of my hand, causing me sharp pain, yet he didn’t notice at all. This was his subconscious habit when he was anxious. He was worried about Seraphina! I pulled my reddened hand from his grasp and considerately answered the phone for him. “Julian, I’m at the hospital, I’m so…” “Hospital? What happened? I’m coming right now!” Julian’s concern was written all over his face. After hanging up, he grabbed his car keys and hesitantly asked me, “Audrey, why don’t you come with me?” I vaguely heard “OB/GYN department” from the phone. Julian was bold enough to want me to personally care for his mistress. “I won’t go. Just sign the papers before you leave. It’ll only take two seconds.” I wasn’t so pathetic as to fawn over my rival. “Audrey, can’t you be more understanding? Technically, Seraphina is your sister-in-law.” “Are you really that heartless? You’re getting angry at me and threatening divorce over your sister-in-law?” Sister-in-law? Was he referring to the “sister-in-law” who shared his bed? Did he really think I didn’t know that he and Seraphina had been staying in the same suite for the past month? Under the barrage of Seraphina’s intimate photos, my heart had died. I clearly realized that Julian and I could never go back. Julian didn’t look at me again, storming out and slamming the door behind him.

Two days later was Leo’s birthday. No matter what he thought of me as a mom, I still considered him my own. Even if we divorced, I didn’t want to hurt the child. Unexpectedly, when I went to pick Leo up for his birthday, the Sterling house was filled with laughter and joy. Seraphina was holding Leo, playing games with Julian, who was gently wiping sweat from Seraphina’s face. Leo hugged Seraphina and planted a kiss on her cheek. To anyone watching, the three of them looked more like a family. The two elder Sterlings were lounging in rocking chairs, smilingly watching the scene unfold. I felt like a voyeur peeking into someone else’s happiness, standing under the scorching sun for half an hour. Julian had already noticed me, but he pretended not to see me. Looking at the carefully chosen gift in my hand, I hesitated, then pushed the door open and walked in. “Leo! Look what Mom bought you!” Hearing my voice, Leo remained nestled in Seraphina’s arms, showing no intention of running to me. When he saw the superhero action figure set I’d bought, something he used to covet, he pouted. “Mommy Seraphina already bought me something much better.” Then, he turned away from me with a pout. Like father, like son. Their attitudes towards me were exactly the same. Even a dog you raise for years develops a deep attachment. Not to mention pouring my heart and soul into raising a baby from infancy. In that moment, Leo’s betrayal hurt more than Julian’s lack of love. For Julian and Leo, I pretended to be pregnant for ten whole months, never leaving the house during that time. Even later, when my own mother offered to help me with Leo, I politely refused, saying it was common for young parents nowadays to raise their own children. Every time I think of it, I feel guilty towards her. It seemed Grandma Margaret’s wish would be dashed today. Leo wouldn’t be coming home with me to see her. I put down the gift, attempting one last try. “Leo, Grandma Margaret misses you. Do you want Mom to take you home?” “No! Grandma Margaret’s house is so shabby! I want to stay with Mommy Seraphina!” Julian’s face was a mix of embarrassment and anger. He whispered something to Seraphina, then came over to me. “Leo is just a child, don’t hold a grudge against him.” “Seraphina even prepared an apology gift for you. When we go inside, don’t be angry and refuse to speak, or my father will be uncomfortable.” I didn’t expose the truth: that Leo not recognizing me as his mother after just a month was because someone was deliberately manipulating him. I didn’t believe Julian couldn’t see through it. He was just playing dumb. This was probably the last birthday I’d spend with Leo. At the dinner table, I felt completely like an outsider. Seraphina even held Leo, constantly interacting with him to provoke me. Several times, as they played, Leo spilled hot soup on me.

After dinner, I endured the burning on the back of my reddened hand and tried again. “Leo, come home with Mom, okay?” Leo, engrossed in his superhero play with Seraphina, didn’t even hear me. A bitter taste spread through my mouth. “Leo, give Mom a hug, okay?” Seraphina raised her chin, her eyes filled with a hidden triumph as she looked at me. “Audrey, what are you doing? Leo doesn’t seem to want to go with you. Don’t make it hard on the child.” “Some people are such failures as mothers!” Mr. Sterling had appeared beside me at some point, his words chilling. He always believed I was the one who set up Julian years ago, thinking Julian was forced to marry me because of his illegitimate child. Later, he resented me for making Julian a disgrace in his social circle. In that moment, I no longer wanted to keep Julian’s secret. “Dad, actually, I’m not Leo’s…” “Audrey! We’re going home!” Julian’s face was filled with panic. His panicked gaze wasn’t on me, but on Seraphina. How laughable. Was he afraid Seraphina would find out Leo was an illegitimate child with an unknown mother? But had he considered other possibilities? Julian held my hand until I stepped out the front door. But only I knew his grip was so tight it felt like he was crushing my hand, terrified I’d say another word about the past. As soon as we were in the car, Julian dropped the pretense of being loving. “Audrey, what were you about to say?” “What do you think?” My direct gaze made Julian’s chin retract inch by inch. “Didn’t we agree back then that we’d pretend it was your scheme?” “What good would it do to expose it now?” “Expose it, and I can divorce you!” My all-or-nothing attitude towards divorce made Julian heartbroken, as if he’d been betrayed. “I was wrong, okay? I swear nothing happened between me and Seraphina! If you really don’t like it, I’ll bring Leo back immediately. You’re his mother, and that will never change!” Yes, besides me, no one else would be willing to shoulder this burden! Except for his biological mother! “If you don’t want me to expose it, then just sign the divorce papers!” “Audrey! I’ve already apologized to you, what else do you want? Why are you escalating a small matter to divorce?” “Leo isn’t your biological child anyway. I know you’re upset that he’s suddenly not close to you, but shouldn’t you reflect on your own issues?” I pointed at myself, incredulous. “I’m a stepmom. I raised him as my own from birth, doted on him. If you hadn’t indulged Seraphina and her mother in filling his head with bad ideas, would he not recognize me?” I questioned myself. My conscience was clear when it came to Leo. Julian, on the other hand, had always been somewhat distant from Leo because of his parentage. The more he avoided Leo, the more I doted on him. And in the end, I was the fool who got stabbed in the back. “Don’t wrongly accuse innocent people! Kids are smart; do they really need us to tell them what to think?” After saying that, Julian caught himself and covered his mouth. “Audrey, that’s not what I meant. I’m not blaming you, I just… don’t want to divorce you…” “Thanks for the reminder. Otherwise, I might forget that there’s such a thing as family bond! Blood is thicker than water, after all. No matter how much you raise a child that isn’t yours by blood, they’ll never truly become ‘yours’.” With that, I opened the car door and got out, hailing a taxi. “Where are you going! I said I was wrong, okay?” Julian’s shouts echoed behind me, but I didn’t look back.

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