Author: Momo Chan

The day college applications were due, my childhood sweetheart, Asher, who’d pretended to be poor for three years, was finally going to confess his true identity as an heir to a vast fortune to his goddess, Seraphina. He claimed he’d found true love – someone who didn’t care about his family background. But recalling how Seraphina had secretly seduced other rich guys behind his back, I couldn’t help but step in. I stopped her, waved a million-dollar check in her face, and told her to get lost. The next morning, his eyes blazing red, Asher told me he’d seen through the gold-digger. He decided we’d go abroad for college together. Yet, Seraphina, in a fit of spite, married an abusive man. She was beaten to death while pregnant; she and her unborn child perished. Asher hugged me, saying he didn’t care. But the day my family’s company went public, Asher, who was now my husband, teamed up with outside rivals to launch a hostile takeover, bleeding my family dry of all our assets. My father went bankrupt overnight and jumped to his death. My mother was tormented by Asher until she died. When I confronted Asher, demanding to know why, he dragged me to Seraphina’s grave. “Seraphina died because of you! How dare you, a murderer, live as a high-society lady?” “If you hadn’t humiliated her with your money, how could she have become so heartbroken and desperate that she married that scumbag?” “You made me lose the love of my life forever. I’ll make your entire family pay for her!” He pushed me off a cliff with his own hands. My body was never found. When I opened my eyes again, I saw Asher, dressed in cheap, off-the-rack clothes, about to deliver a coffee to Seraphina. I simply turned away, a cold resolve settling in my heart. This time, I was going to watch closely. Would his true love still want him when he was just a penniless nobody?

I was back on the day college applications were due. After Asher revealed his identity as a wealthy heir, he successfully proposed to Seraphina. Amidst the cheers and teasing of the crowd, I quietly slipped away. “Aubrey, stop right there!” I ignored him. He strode after me, grabbing my wrist with a force that felt like he wanted to crush my bones. I winced, struggling against his bruising grip, my eyes on the livid finger marks blooming on my skin. “Why are you hiding? Trying to play hard to get again?” “I just wanted to tell you, I’m not going to Cambridge. I promised Seraphina I’d go to vocational school with her.” Seeing me lower my head in silence, his tone softened slightly. “I know you’ve always struggled academically. You studied day and night just to keep up with me, barely managing to get second place in the entire school for this exam.” “But let me make this clear: Seraphina is the woman I’m going to marry! Stop bothering me.” Seraphina, in her high heels, came strutting over, clinging to Asher, playing the innocent. She twirled a can of soda in her hand, her eyes glinting with a clear challenge. “Asher, don’t be so mean to Aubrey, dear.” “You’re so smart, from such a good family background, and you’re willing to go to vocational school for me… I’m so touched.” “But now that you have me, you need to keep your distance from Aubrey. After all, there’s no room for a third person in a relationship.” Asher shot me a triumphant look, pulling Seraphina closer. “For Seraphina, I can give up Cambridge, give up everything!” “All your so-called efforts? They mean absolutely nothing to me.” Before he met Seraphina, he always told me that if he got a special admission slot, it would definitely be for me. That’s why I, who was never a straight-A student, had worked so hard. All I wanted was to get into the same college with him. Now, just to appease Seraphina, he was willing to let that slot go to waste. As they spoke, Seraphina’s hand suddenly slipped, and the entire can of soda spilled all over my portfolio. “Oh my! Aubrey, you pushed me so hard!” I was stunned. I hadn’t even touched her. “You clearly drenched my work on purpose! How dare you accuse me first?” Asher instantly became protective. “Aubrey! What are you trying to pull now?” “Seraphina is the kindest girl I’ve ever met. Don’t you dare falsely accuse her!” Seraphina nestled into his arms, her eyes welling up. “Asher, my hand hurts so much.” “Don’t blame Aubrey. It’s not the first time she’s picked on me, anyway.” Asher’s rage completely flared. He grabbed my chin, then, in front of everyone, he locked lips with Seraphina in a passionate, mocking French kiss. “Look closely! Seraphina is my true love! If you dare to bully her again, don’t blame me for forgetting our childhood friendship!” He pulled a crystal hairpin from his pocket and tossed it casually at my feet. “This is your compensation. You’ve always been obsessed with me since we were kids. This should be enough.” “This piece of trash? Only you would value it. Don’t bother me with your cheap affections ever again.” I recognized the crystal on the hairpin. It was from a fancy Parker fountain pen. When I was fifteen, I’d worked a summer job for two months, saving up to buy that pen, hoping to make his birthday gift more meaningful. He’d once said that with this pen, his grades would skyrocket. I suppressed the icy chill in my eyes, looking at him calmly. Seraphina laughed, picking up the hairpin and putting it in her hair. “Asher, wasn’t this what you promised to give me? Why did you give it to Aubrey?” “The crystal is so pretty. As a hairpin, it’s much more valuable than on a pen.” Asher gently took her hand. “You’re my fiancée now. Such a cheap hairpin isn’t good enough for you.” “I’ll take you to buy something better right now.” Then, right in front of me, he deliberately stomped on the fountain pen lying at my feet, crushing it. “Aubrey, you’re not going to Cambridge anyway. These things are useless to you now.” “Better to throw them away early, so you don’t feel sad later.”

I pushed open the front door. My dad was ironing the shirt I needed for tomorrow’s interview. My mom brought out a warmed glass of milk. Our home was filled with a comforting scent. Seeing them so healthy and vibrant, my eyes welled up, and tears streamed down my face. My parents, confused, looked at me with concern. Just then, Asher’s mom, Mrs. Hayes, arrived at our door. The moment she stepped inside, she grabbed my hand, her eyes brimming with tears. “Aubrey, dear, I know you’re the most sensible one.” “Asher has been completely charmed by that wicked girl. His father and I, we’ve always believed you are our future daughter-in-law.” “Please, talk some sense into him. Being with that woman will only ruin his future.” I subtly pulled my hand away. In my previous life, she had begged me just like this, only to later tell Asher that I was just jealous and meddling. “Mrs. Hayes, he’s your son. I can’t control him.” Mrs. Hayes’s face stiffened, then she cried even harder. “How can you say that?” “You’ve always wanted to go to Cambridge with Asher since you were little, haven’t you? You worked so hard, so afraid of falling behind him?” “Don’t you feel bad seeing him completely give up his Cambridge future?” “He could even get someone else in with him!” My phone suddenly rang. It was Asher. I answered in front of Mrs. Hayes and put it on speaker. Asher’s icy voice came through the phone. “Aubrey, did my mom come to find you?” “I’m warning you, I will never let you ruin my life again.” “Whether I go to Cambridge or not, I will absolutely never take a vicious woman like you with me.” Mrs. Hayes heard her son’s words and instantly fell silent, her face fluctuating between pale and flushed with embarrassment. I looked at her and said, every word distinct. “Did you hear that?” Then, I hung up. Mrs. Hayes stood there, dumbfounded, unable to speak for a long time. My dad walked over, frowning. “How could Asher talk like that?” “What has our Aubrey ever done to him?” My mom also looked displeased. “All these years, for the sake of our children’s friendship, our family has provided significant business support to your Hayes Corporation.” “If Asher chooses someone else, then our business dealings will be a different matter from now on.” Mrs. Hayes’s face turned green and white. “No, no, Asher is just confused for now.” “Aubrey, don’t worry, I’ll talk to him properly later.” I looked at her coldly. “I don’t care for his charity, either.” Mrs. Hayes stomped her foot in frustration. “But without Asher, how will you get into Cambridge?” “Your grades are so bad, you cried every time there was an exam.” “Besides following Asher, what other way do you have?” I smiled faintly. “You don’t need to worry about that, Mrs. Hayes.” My dad walked over, his tone serious. “Since Asher isn’t willing, then forget it.” My mom nodded too. “Exactly. My daughter is so outstanding, why should she have to rely on anyone else?” Seeing their reaction, Mrs. Hayes slinked away. She reached the door but reluctantly turned back. “Aubrey, are you really not going to reconsider?” “Without Asher, you really can’t get into Cambridge.” I closed the door, ignoring her desperate pleas. My parents looked at me, their eyes filled with affection. “Sweetheart, don’t listen to her nonsense.”

The next day, I walked into the Cambridge admissions office’s video interview room. During the interview, I performed exceptionally well, confident and poised. I was a completely different person from the nervous, insecure follower I was in my previous life. After the interview, I ran into Seraphina, who had been waiting downstairs for a long time. She was dressed head-to-toe in designer clothes. Seeing me, she immediately puffed out her belly. She deliberately waved an ultrasound photo in front of my face. “Aubrey, dear, Asher and I are having a baby.” “He’ll have to take care of us from now on, so he can’t be like when we were kids, letting you follow him everywhere.” I glanced at the ultrasound. The date was last week. They’d only been together for half a month. “I know you saw me shopping at the luxury store with the hot guy from the next class last time. So what?” “Asher only believes me now. I’m going to be the future Mrs. Hayes!” Her voice was deliberately sweet, but it couldn’t hide the mockery in her eyes. She even deliberately caressed her belly, as if it held the utmost honor. She pressed closer, practically backing me into a corner. “That Cambridge special admission slot originally belonged to Asher. He can give it to anyone he wants.” “Now he’s given it up for me and the baby. Do you really think you still have a chance?” “Someone like you, you’re just not cut out for it. You keep struggling, it’s honestly exhausting to watch.” Seeing my indifference, Seraphina’s eyes became even more vicious. She suddenly swayed, gasped, clutched her stomach, and fell backward. “Ow! Aubrey! Why did you push me?!” A tall figure abruptly rushed over. Asher’s face was livid as he quickly caught Seraphina. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face! The crisp sound of the slap echoed through the empty hallway. My cheek instantly stung, and I stared at him in shock. “Aubrey! You vicious woman!” Asher roared, his eyes bloodshot. “How dare you push Seraphina? She’s carrying my child!” “You think you got an interview and you’ll pass? Without me to secure you a special admission, you’ll never even get close to Cambridge!” He pointed a finger at my nose, every word dripping with extreme insult. Seraphina leaned into his arms, sobbing weakly. “Asher, my stomach hurts so much… did Aubrey hurt it?” “Don’t blame her, dear. She probably didn’t mean it.” Asher’s gaze grew even colder. He stared fixedly at me. “Get lost! Don’t you ever appear in front of me again!” Tears welled up in my eyes, but I fiercely held them back. I didn’t explain, didn’t argue. I just dragged my heavy steps away from that toxic place. Behind me, Asher was still raging. “Let her pretend! Without me, she’s nothing!” Seraphina’s voice, laced with victorious glee, softly echoed his words. “Asher, don’t be angry. She’s not worth it.” “She’ll regret it. Just wait until she comes crying to you.”

I stood backstage in the school auditorium. Today was the senior class appreciation event, held after college application submissions. Seraphina walked in, arm in arm with Asher, instantly drawing everyone’s attention. Her designer gown was a stark contrast to my plain white tee. Students immediately gathered around, showering them with compliments. “They look amazing! A goddess and a genius, a match made in heaven!” “Asher actually chose to stay and study domestically for Seraphina! Who could compare to that kind of devotion?!” “Seriously, he was a shoo-in for Cambridge, and he just gave it up like that. So impressive!” Seraphina echoed their laughter, her voice filled with gloating. “Aubrey, dear, don’t blame Asher.” “After all, a place like Cambridge is truly an unreachable dream for ordinary people.” Students on the other side chimed in. “Is Aubrey still standing there? Does she regret not holding onto Asher?” “With her grades, does she really think she could get into Cambridge on her own? Overestimating herself!” “She’s been his annoying shadow since childhood, now she’s finally been completely dumped!” Asher waved his hand dismissively, looking even more smug. “It’s nothing. That special admission slot? I can activate it anytime.” “Worst case, once Seraphina gets tired of staying in the country, I’ll just take her to Cambridge for a couple of years of fun.” His gaze fell on me again. “Aubrey, who told you to push Seraphina that day?” “You want to go to Cambridge with me? Heh, that’s absolutely impossible now.” I looked at him calmly, without a single ripple of emotion. Asher, seeing my indifference, his eyes grew colder. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and opened an email. “Perfect, Cambridge sent an email today.” “It should be the final confirmation notice for that special admission slot.” His voice was loud, as if deliberately letting everyone around him hear. “It’s good to make some people give up completely. Don’t always covet things that don’t belong to you.” Seraphina excitedly leaned over. “Wow, an email from Cambridge!” Just as Asher was about to open the email, the auditorium doors suddenly burst open. Mr. and Mrs. Hayes walked in, their faces ashen. They clutched a thin piece of paper tightly in their hands. It was the vocational school admission letter that had arrived at their house a few days ago. Mrs. Hayes spotted Asher immediately and rushed over. “Asher! You ungrateful brat!” She waved the admission letter, almost poking Asher’s nose with it. “What is this?! Southwood Vocational School?!” “Didn’t you say the Cambridge spot was yours, and you could go anytime?!” Asher’s face instantly went pale as a ghost. “Mom! What are you doing?!” Mr. Hayes walked forward, his face grim. “You rotten kid, did you really think you could hide this from us?” “You better tell me honestly, what’s going on? You’re still lying!”

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I was Darian, the Apex Vampire of the Nether Realm. A decade ago, nine humans willingly traded their souls, signing a pact with me to become my blood servants. They believed that if chosen as my companion at the Grand Embrace Ceremony, they would gain eternal access to my potent blood. Every single blood servant worked tirelessly, collecting soul fragments for me daily, showering me with flattery. All of them, that is, except for Seraphina. She alone disdained to fawn over me. Yet, she was the one I desired most. I even gifted her rare, powerful souls I’d hunted myself. I genuinely believed that by choosing her as my companion at the upcoming Grand Embrace Ceremony, my deepest wish would be fulfilled. But then, Seraphina, who usually showed me no emotion, *dared* to forcefully kiss Caleb, the human boy I had rescued. And Caleb? He was her own brother. They’d become my blood servants to save a dying Caleb. I should have realized it then. Yet, when I granted them their twisted wish, they were consumed by a furious regret.

“Oh gods, the Ceremony is almost here! What if the King chooses *me*?” “What are you scared of? The King despises our attempts at flattery. Just keep up your act, and you’ll be safe.” “Thank goodness for Seraphina. If she hadn’t caught the King’s eye with her aloof demeanor, we might never have been able to stay with Caleb!” “Shh, keep your voice down! She’s the unlucky one, stuck with the King’s attention.” “I’d rather *die* than be chosen by him. I have to marry Caleb. He’s my only light in this damn Realm!” I sat beneath the garden gazebo, my fingertips subtly tightening. So, all this time, their obedience, their excessive flattery, their pathetic attempts to appear inferior… It was all a charade. They were simply infatuated with Caleb, hoping to disgust me enough that I’d reject them as potential companions. Caleb, the one I’d saved a decade ago by sharing my blood, had never signed a pact with me. Naturally, his power couldn’t compare to that of my blood servants, and he couldn’t complete his daily tasks alone. My blood servants would regularly share their collected soul fragments with Caleb, Allowing him to submit his quotas to me. Vampires cannot fall in love with humans. I had always believed their actions were out of pity. It never once crossed my mind that it was *love*. Just then, a strange sound drifted from another corner of the garden. I followed the noise, my gaze falling upon a patch of ground where moonlight dappled through the leaves. There, the usually cold and aloof Seraphina was clinging tightly to Caleb. She kissed him with a desperate urgency, a burning passion I had never witnessed in her before. “Caleb, don’t worry,” Seraphina’s voice was urgent, yet firm. “I will *never* let him choose me.” “Even if he does, I won’t agree to the Embrace. I will *never* become his companion.” Caleb gently pushed her away, a perfectly feigned look of distress on his face. “But, Seraphina, to be embraced by the King grants you his purest blood, eternal life just like him. It’s an opportunity countless souls dream of.” “I don’t care!” Seraphina immediately retorted, cupping his face. “I have no interest in eternal life. I only care about you. I just want to be with *you*.” Standing in the shadows, a chilling realization washed over me. The blood servants I had chosen, the ones who had showered me with flattery… they *all* loved Caleb. I, Darian, the mighty King of the Nether Realm, had become nothing more than a pathetic joke. I was never short of blood servants desperate to be my companion. Since they were so unwilling, I decided to grant them their wish. The next day, I issued a new decree. “Effective immediately, all blood supply to my blood servants will cease.” My blood servants primarily subsisted on the blood I provided, supplied by human thralls. Cutting off this supply meant they would have to hunt humans themselves. “From this day forward, you will hunt for your own blood and soul fragments in the human world.” They exchanged bewildered glances, assuming I was simply in a bad mood. No one dared to object, accepting their fate. With this, they would be constantly busy, traveling between the human world and the Nether Realm, with no time left to coddle Caleb. Without Seraphina and his other admirers “feeding” him, Caleb’s tasks naturally went unfulfilled. He knelt before me, his face ashen, unable to even utter a plea for mercy. “Task failed. You will report to the Sun-Scorched Peaks of the Nether Realm for sun-desensitization training,” I declared, my voice devoid of emotion. The Sun-Scorched Peaks were the closest point to sunlight in our realm, a torture chamber, a living hell for us vampires. When Seraphina heard the news, her face went deathly pale. She raced there without a moment’s hesitation. I watched from a distance as she unfolded her not-so-broad bat wings, Straining every fiber of her being to shield Caleb from the scorching sunlight. The sun pierced through her wings, leaving her almost desiccated, yet she stubbornly held on. I averted my gaze, my heart untouched by a single ripple of emotion.

That night, I led my elite vampire guard in a brutal raid on the human Templar Knights. The battle raged on through the night. Only as dawn approached did we finally claim victory. I had expended a vast amount of blood and dark energy, leaving my body weaker than it had ever been. Even the faint glow of the rising sun on the horizon felt almost unbearable. I stumbled back to the Sun-Scorched Peaks of the Nether Realm, where the intensifying sunlight instantly enveloped me. The rays seared my skin, piercing my very bones. The pain was so intense I could barely stand. Seraphina and Caleb stood not far away. She saw me, saw my agony and my weakness. But she didn’t come to my aid. She didn’t spread her wings to shield me, not even for a flicker of sunlight, as she had done for Caleb. She simply stood there, cold and unmoving, a cruel satisfaction gleaming in her eyes. “My King,” she sneered, “you look utterly pathetic right now.” “This is your karma for punishing Caleb yesterday.” I looked at Caleb, standing so perfectly protected beside her. Suddenly, the decade of favoritism I had shown Seraphina felt utterly ludicrous. While I was recovering, the special Blood Artifact Auction, held in preparation for the Grand Embrace Ceremony, began. Most of the vampires in the Realm would attend, either to choose suitable artifacts for their future companions or to bid on rare, powerful souls. I had no intention of choosing a companion, but I was still intrigued by the countless bizarre blood artifacts on display. The auction was held within a massive cavern, its walls embedded with glowing crystals. My eyes immediately fixed on a potent soul, sealed within a crystal vial. The energy radiating from it was pure and immense, enough to completely heal the wounds I’d sustained in the recent battle. Just as I prepared to bid, I saw Seraphina fiercely competing for that very same soul. “Seraphina, darling, let it go. It’s too valuable. Besides… the King is here too.” He glanced in my direction, his eyes devoid of any reverence. Seraphina shook her head stubbornly, gently patting his hand. “You were burned by the sun, Caleb. You need this to heal.” Then, she abruptly turned to me, her eyes filled with their usual contempt. “Unlike *some* vampires, who only fight a minor skirmish with humans and then need a powerful soul to heal. What a disgrace to our kind!” A vampire’s hearing far surpasses that of any human. Her words, every single one of them, pierced straight into my ears. Fine. *Excellent*. I raised my hand, announcing an even higher price. Seraphina, not one to back down, immediately countered. Whispers began to ripple through the cavern. “Isn’t she the King’s blood servant? Why is she bidding against her master?” “Bidding? She’s using soul fragments granted by her master to compete for an item for *another man*! Isn’t she publicly humiliating the King?” A cold sneer touched my lips. I triggered the final bid. It was the signal for the highest bid, meaning the item was mine. I thought I had won, that I had thoroughly humiliated her. However, as I prepared to draw on my dark energy, to retrieve the soul fragments from my spatial storage to pay, I found my power utterly blocked, refusing to obey. What in the hell was going on? The entire hall fell silent for a beat, then erupted into thunderous laughter. “Hahahaha, have I been out of touch with the royal family too long? Since when was the King nothing but a hollow shell?!” “He just fought *one* battle and now he’s this pathetic?” “Can’t even produce the soul fragments and still dares to trigger the final bid? How utterly clueless!” While they didn’t dare say these things directly to my face, out of respect for my title, My enhanced senses picked up every mocking whisper. The tide of their laughter still threatened to drown me. At that moment, Seraphina, holding Caleb’s hand, slowly approached me. A victorious smile played on her lips as she calmly paid for the soul fragments, claiming the powerful soul. Right in front of everyone, she opened the crystal vial and allowed Caleb to absorb the soul on the spot. Watching the unbridled, triumphant smile on her face, a chilling truth suddenly dawned on me. Last night, she had uncharacteristically delivered my tribute blood herself. She’d said it was the sweetest human blood she’d specially hunted, hoping it would help me recover quickly. She, who had always disdained to flatter me. That sudden warmth, that tainted blood… it was all for this auction. For Caleb, to publicly humiliate me, she had been willing to cast aside her dignity and play me like a fool. “My King, thank you for your generosity.” Caleb, his strength restored, walked up to me, a taunting smile on his face. “If you hadn’t generously gifted Seraphina so many soul fragments before, we really wouldn’t have been able to afford this precious item today.” A sharp, searing pain suddenly tore through my heart. The dark energy within me began to surge uncontrollably. This was… a sign of my transformation into a demon. I couldn’t be bothered to endure their petty, gloating faces any longer. Under the confused and wary gazes of the crowd, I rushed back to my castle. I needed to seclude myself immediately.

The day of the Grand Embrace Ceremony was also destined to be my day of transformation into a demon. All I needed was to infuse my lifeblood into the ancient Blood Artifact, and I would shatter the shackles of my current power, becoming the first true demon in the entire history of the Nether Realm. I sat on my throne in the center of the ceremony hall when a raven descended from the sky, landing on my shoulder. It carried a message from the Divine Realm. It was Astraea. That woman had been stuck to me like glue for centuries. Knowing she was coming, a headache immediately bloomed behind my eyes. I was just about to announce that no companion would be chosen at this ceremony. Suddenly, a violent tremor of dark energy erupted from deep within the castle. Someone had breached the barrier I’d set for my seclusion. The backlash hit me, my dark energy spiraling out of control, forcing the demonic transformation ritual to begin prematurely. Beneath my skin, power surged like boiling lava. “Quick, bring the Blood Artifact!” Seraphina, seeing my state, immediately commanded in a loud voice. A blood servant rushed forward, presenting the ancient Blood Artifact to her. I struggled desperately to control the raging power inside me, cold sweat beading on my forehead, reaching out to take the artifact. Just as my fingertips were about to touch the Blood Artifact, Seraphina suddenly lunged into my arms. Something cold, something radiating a divine aura, plunged violently into my heart. Blinding pain erupted. I shoved Seraphina away with all my might. Looking down, what was impaled in my chest was no Blood Artifact at all. It was a gleaming silver cross—a holy relic of human priests! She had conspired with humans, swapping out my artifact! My dark energy, as if finding an outlet, was being violently siphoned away by the holy relic. Strength drained from me. I crashed to my knees. The hall erupted into chaos. Meanwhile, my nine blood servants, as if on cue, swarmed me, pinning my limbs and body down. Just then, a human priest in white robes appeared before me, seemingly out of nowhere. He chanted arcane words, casting a spell that steadily transferred the dark energy siphoned from my body directly into Caleb. “My King,” one of the blood servants whispered, pressing down on my shoulder, “when you were poring over ancient texts in your private chamber, you must have overlooked that tattered scroll in the corner, didn’t you?” “It records that a vampire’s bloodline and sufficiently powerful dark energy are the keys to becoming a demon.” “Ten years ago, you used your own blood to save Caleb, so your bloodline flows through him.” “Now, by transferring all your dark energy to him, he can take your place and become the Nether Realm’s first demon!” Caleb greedily absorbed my dark energy, while excitedly calling out to the priest, “Father!” Father? It clicked. They had been deceiving me from the very beginning. This wasn’t some impulsive betrayal. This was a ten-year-long conspiracy. “Did you really think we *wanted* to be your blood servants?” Seraphina pressed down harder on my profusely bleeding chest, twisting the holy relic deeper. “You are the most powerful vampire in the Nether Realm, the King of all our kind. To utterly destroy the vampire race, we had to start with you.” “That’s why we orchestrated that pact a decade ago.” “Once Caleb becomes a demon, his power will transcend yours, and our soul pact with you will be null and void.” With my dark energy completely drained, I collapsed, my consciousness fading. Seeing my power gone, the vampire forces below descended into chaos, scattering in a frantic flight. The blood servants, along with the priest, slashed my flesh, broke my bat wings, and gutted my insides. They dragged me to the human world, throwing me into a grand cathedral, where they strung me up high with chains. The skylight above, completely unobstructed, was aimed directly at the scorching sun. They intended for me to hang there, exposed to its relentless rays for ninety-nine days. After hoisting me in the center of the cathedral, they busied themselves attending to Caleb, who was adjusting to his new demonic bloodline. This, ironically, gave me a chance to breathe. I don’t know how long passed. The scorching sun finally receded, and a full moon slowly ascended. Its cold, clear light filtered through the skylight, bathing my broken body. A melodious female voice, laced with a hint of schadenfreude, echoed softly in my ear. “Only a few months apart, and the Nether Realm has fallen so low?” “Tsk, utterly pathetic.” Astraea, the crazy woman who had chased me for centuries. She slowly walked up to me, raising a hand to brush against the chains binding me.

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My son was a star student, accepted into a top university, but my husband dragged him to the hospital for a vasectomy. Just because our son defended me and kicked my husband’s first love, Serena. To get revenge for Serena, my husband ordered his bodyguards to forcibly take our son to the hospital. When I found out, I knelt on the ground, desperately pleading with him. “Damian, what are you doing?! Luke is your own son! What did he do wrong?” “Take it out on me, please, just don’t hurt him!” His eyes were cold as ice as he kicked me away. “It’s because you didn’t raise him right. He damaged Serena’s uterus. I’m just having him sterilized for a while as punishment. That’s fair!” I searched frantically, finally finding the hospital where my son was, only to see him leap from a high floor… And on the phone, I heard only Serena’s mocking voice: “Damian, my injuries are fine now. If Chloe knew you secretly divorced her for me, she’d really make a scene.” My mind went blank. When I finally came to, I dialed a number I hadn’t touched in years. “Please, come save my son! If you save him, I’ll agree to anything!”

The moment I rushed to the hospital entrance, I heard gasps erupt from the crowd. I looked up sharply, and a dark shadow plunged straight down from the high-rise! A dull thud echoed, heavily striking my heart. Time seemed to stand still. I saw him. It was my son, Luke. He was still wearing the red T-shirt I’d bought for him. Now, that red was soaked with blood, making it even more jarring. My legs gave out, and I practically crawled to his side. “Luke! Luke! Look at Mom!” My hands trembled, but I didn’t dare touch him, terrified he’d shatter like a porcelain doll. He struggled to open his eyes, his fractured gaze focusing on my face. Bloody foam spilled from his mouth. With his last ounce of strength, he clutched the hem of my shirt. “Mom… it’s… it’s not… sterilization…” His voice was barely a whisper, each word a knife slicing through my heart. “They… they gave me… gender reassignment surgery…” “I… I can’t live like this.” *Boom!* My mind went blank instantly, and the world spun around me! Before I could even process this cruel truth, a group of strangers in black suits rushed over. They were expressionless, their movements swift and precise. They roughly dragged my dying son and me away. “Who are you?! Let go of my son! Help!” My screams and struggles were so futile against them. A black bag was violently pulled over my head, and I was shoved into a car. I don’t know how long passed, but the car finally stopped. Luke and I were brutally thrown onto the cold concrete ground. The hood was ripped off, and the suffocating smell of mildew and dust filled my nostrils. It was an abandoned warehouse. The single metal door clanged shut, locked from the outside. *It’s over.* They were going to trap us here to die. I fumbled around. Thank goodness, my phone was still in my pocket! This was our only hope! Trembling, I dialed Damian’s number. “Damian! Save Luke! We’ve been kidnapped, he’s dying!” On the other end of the line, Damian’s voice was filled with contempt and impatience. “Chloe, what new trick are you pulling now? It’s just a small procedure, why are you making such a fuss?” “It’s true! He jumped from the building! He’s bleeding so much! We’re in a warehouse in the suburbs, please…” Before I could finish, Serena’s delicate cries came through the phone. “Damian… is Chloe mad at me again? It’s all my fault, I shouldn’t have let you get revenge for me…” “It’s my bad, go comfort her quickly, don’t let her fight with you because of me again…” Damian’s voice instantly turned cold, full of disgust. “Enough! Chloe, stop trying to gain sympathy with these tactics, it’s sickening!” *Beep… beep… beep…* The call was ruthlessly cut off. I clutched my phone, my blood feeling like it had instantly frozen. My last sliver of hope, extinguished by his own hand. A tidal wave of hatred surged from deep within me, threatening to consume me whole. At the edge of despair, I looked at my son, whose breathing was growing weaker in my arms. My finger slid across the screen, stopping on a number I hadn’t touched in years. My eyes turned cold and resolute as I dialed that number. “Please, come save my son! If you save him, I’ll agree to anything!”

Soon after I hung up, dozens of top-of-the-line ambulances, loaded with advanced equipment, swarmed into the abandoned warehouse. Medics in sterile gowns rushed to my son’s side, their movements swift and professional. I saw a glimmer of hope and immediately grabbed one of the doctors by his white coat, crying incoherently, “Save him! Please, save my son!” But the doctor just shook his head gravely, his cold gaze falling on me. “Hope is slim. His injuries are too severe – ruptured internal organs, massive blood loss. He’s missed the optimal rescue window.” His voice was devoid of emotion, like he was pronouncing a death sentence. “Ma’am, you should notify your husband. Prepare for the worst.” Husband… Damian… Those words stabbed me like poisoned darts, leaving me bleeding internally. Tears of regret blurred my vision. I remembered years ago, how I was forced to marry Damian to pay off my father’s massive company debts. Back then, we seemed affectionate in public, but behind closed doors, we were just polite strangers. Only with the birth of our son did a flicker of warmth enter our cold, business arrangement. Damian held the tiny infant, a rare, genuine smile gracing his face, and our relationship slowly warmed. I naively thought things would continue to be good. But then, his first love, Serena, returned to the country, and everything changed. Damian’s tenderness and patience vanished overnight, given entirely to another woman. I had thought about divorce, about leaving this suffocating home with my son. But my selfish father had pointed a finger at me, roaring, “Chloe! If you dare divorce, I’ll jump off this building! Our whole family will be ruined because of you!” I retreated. For my family, I silently accepted Serena’s presence. I thought my forbearance would buy me peace, but she only grew more brazen. One day, she even tried to push me down the stairs. It was my son who fiercely protected me. And it was because of that intervention that my poor son suffered this terrible calamity! The red light of the emergency room went out. My son’s heartbeat stopped. Like a puppet drained of its soul, I numbly pulled out my phone. Clinging to a final shred of hope, I dialed Damian’s number. The phone was noisy on his end, party music blaring. My voice trembled uncontrollably: “Damian, our son… he’s gone. Can you come back, just to see him one last time?” “Chloe, what game are you playing now?” His voice was utterly cold, laced with impatience. “To get me to come back, you’d even lie about something like this? How pathetic are you?” I pleaded humbly: “I’m not lying, Damian, please, just a glance, a final glance!” “Ha, if I believe a single word you say today, I’m an idiot!” “Serena’s birthday party just started. I don’t have time to play along with your drama. Don’t call me again!” “If you dare disturb us again, your father’s company can expect to go bankrupt!” *Beep… beep… beep…* The call was mercilessly disconnected. I clutched my phone, the world instantly quiet, leaving only an endless roaring in my ears.

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After three years on a top-secret mission overseas, I was finally back. Before I left, my superiors strongly urged me to take a dedicated security detail, a whole unit just for my safety. But the first call I got when my boots hit American soil wasn’t from my wife. It was from Brad, my old college class president. “You loser,” he sneered, his voice dripping with condescension. “Heard you’re down and out. Perfect timing, actually. I’m getting married, and I’m feeling charitable. Come see how the other half lives.” Then he dropped a wedding invitation into our old group chat. But when I saw the photo of my wife on the invite, I froze. My stomach twisted into a knot. To prevent a colossal misunderstanding, I quickly typed back, “Are you *sure* that’s your wife?” Brad lost his mind. He bombarded the chat with a string of angry 60-second voice messages. “Whose wife do you think it is, you moron?! Yours?! What kind of trash are you to question me? My wife is the heiress of the Lu family, the absolute powerhouse in this city!” “In this city, the Lu family *is* the law. If you get down on your knees right now and beg me like a dog, I might just be in a good mood and let you off the hook.” “Otherwise, I’ll make sure you can’t even *breathe* in this city!” I scoffed, a cold sneer twisting my lips. “You want me to kneel to you? You’d better make sure you’re even *worthy* of it first!” The leaders of the most influential families in the country bow to *me*. I’d like to see if this ‘Lu family heiress’ he’s so proud of dares to disrespect *me*!

As soon as I pulled up to my mansion, Chloe, my wife, pinged me on SnapChat. “Hey, hubby! I’m out with my girlfriends for a few days. If you miss me, you know we can always connect, virtually. 😉” Chloe and I had been married for ten years. She was vain and a complete gold-digger, but in bed? We were a perfect match. Even when we were miles apart, she’d make sure we connected, *intimately*. She swore she was only mine and knew exactly how to drive me wild. But deep down, I sneered. *Playing around*? She’d probably been busy warming other men’s beds for ages. The next day, I blew off the invites from the city’s most powerful families. I had a more important destination: the address on Brad’s wedding invitation. As I stepped off my yacht, a massive, 10-foot wedding photo dominated the entrance. Thousands of roses were meticulously arranged beneath it, forming giant letters: “Chloe & Brad: Forever Together.” Brad stood in the center of our college classmates, soaking up their adoration like a king. “Bro, Brad, you’re absolutely killin’ it! You actually landed a Lu family heiress!” “The Lu family? They’re practically royalty! You’re set for life, man!” “Brad, don’t forget us little people when you’re swimming in cash!” Even Professor Davies, our notoriously stern college advisor, was practically fawning. “Brad, you failed six courses in one semester, and yet, I *still* awarded you that scholarship. I saw it then! You were just too ‘cool’ to bother with exams, but I knew you had real-world hustle. You were destined for a massive glow-up!” Brad puffed up with self-importance, his nose practically in the clouds. But I just found it pathetic. “Lu family heiress”? Chloe was an orphan. Nobody special. Her real name wasn’t even Chloe Lu. She was just… *Chloe Smith*, born into nothing. After we got married, she constantly complained about her ‘unrespectable’ past. To make her happy, I pulled some strings and *poof*, she was a ‘Lu.’ I used my influence to grant her a new, powerful identity. I effectively *made* her a ‘Lu family heiress.’ And now, that *gift* was Brad’s biggest bragging chip. I stepped forward. A few old classmates spotted me, their faces twisting with blatant disgust. Noticing the yacht behind me, someone sneered, “Did he rent that yacht just to show off? Asher, did you take out a loan just to afford that rental?” Others chimed in, laughing. “Seriously, what’s with the act? Brad’s wife is a Lu family heiress. You’re not even in the same league as her, you pathetic loser!” “Right? Why bother with this pathetic show-off stunt, renting a yacht, when you could just grovel for Brad’s mercy like the dog you are? What a waste of ego!” The crowd erupted in jeers. My voice was flat. “I didn’t rent it. I *bought* it. A billion dollars. Cash.” The words hung in the air for a second, then several people doubled over, roaring with laughter. Brad’s face turned scarlet. He snatched a champagne bottle from a nearby table and *slammed* it against my head. “Stop trying to fool me, you ass! This is *my wife’s* yacht!” “So that’s why you asked if she was *really* my wife. You’re her dirty secret, aren’t you? Her *side piece*! You leech! Being a sugar baby isn’t enough for you? You dare bring *her* yacht to *my* wedding to make a scene?!” Blood trickled down my forehead, and the entire venue fell silent. Someone stammered, incredulous, “Brad, is he serious? Is this yacht really your wife’s?” Brad scoffed, pulling a photo from his wallet. “Who else could afford something like this besides my wife?” The photo showed two people in swimsuits kissing on the yacht. The stern featured custom couple art and engraved initials. A few people circled my yacht, their eyes widening. “Holy crap, it’s exactly the same!” “Asher, you’re not even a man! Being a home-wrecker? Have you no shame?!” Brad’s face was twisted with fury. “You disappeared for three years… was she hiding you away?” At his words, everyone immediately looked at me with disdain. “Remember how many rich women threw money at Asher back then, and he always turned them down? Guess the cash wasn’t enough for him. What a shameless loser.” “Who knows how many sugar mamas he’s been milking dry? He’s probably got more STDs than dollar bills!” “Being a home-wrecker is one thing, but to show up *here*, at *our* wedding? That’s just pure trashy audacity!” Professor Davies and the other teachers looked absolutely disgusted. “You morally bankrupt individual! Don’t you dare claim you were ever our student!” “I’m too ashamed to even know you!” The wedding was being live-streamed. The commotion quickly drew all the cameras to me and Brad, the comment section exploding with hate. Insult after insult scrolled across the screen. I ran a hand over the blood trickling down my face, my gaze locking onto Brad. “You’re laying hands on people before you even know the full story?” Brad’s arrogance swelled. “Yeah, I’m hitting you, you pathetic bastard. So what?” With that, he barked at someone nearby to grab a can of spray paint. He snatched it, then started defacing my yacht, spraying haphazard lines across the hull. “You’re a side piece! What right do you have to question me?!” “ASHER IS A WHORE” blared in huge, ugly letters across the side of my yacht. My voice was cold. “Destroying private property is a crime, you know.” Brad scoffed. “Crime? What’s law got to do with it? My wife is a Lu family heiress! In this city, if I tell the cops to jump, they’ll ask ‘how high?’!” “And you, you’re not just morally bankrupt and a home-wrecker! You’re parading around in *my wife’s* yacht!” “After a piece of trash like *you* tainted it, I don’t even *want* this yacht anymore!” He actually ordered the captain of a nearby vessel to *ram* mine. The sickening crunch of glass and metal echoed across the water as a massive dent appeared in the hull. “Brad’s going to be a Lu!” someone yelled from the crowd of classmates. “We gotta teach this punk a lesson for Brad!” A mob of them surged onto the deck, pouring corrosive liquids onto the yacht, scratching the paint, bashing the hull with anything they could find. In no time, my yacht was a twisted, battered wreck. I clenched my jaw, suppressing a tremor of rage. “I advise you to stop now. Otherwise, the consequences will be far beyond anything you can imagine.” Brad scoffed. “Consequences? Who do you think you are? My wife could crush you like an ant.” Hearing this, the others laughed even harder, smashing with renewed vigor. Suddenly, someone yelled, carrying a solid black, heavy-looking metal box. “This guy hides things so well! Is there something valuable in here?” Brad snatched a small axe and brought it down, splitting the box open. “What’s this? A crown? Must be fake gold, right? Some cheap trick, thinking he’s a king?” I glared at him, a warning in my voice. “Don’t touch that. You can’t afford to pay for it.” This was a priceless artifact, something I was meant to deliver to the national archives. I hadn’t yet processed it because I came straight to this wedding. But Brad, hearing me, practically jumped in a fit of rage. “What do you mean, *I* can’t afford it?! That’s hilarious!” “*My wife’s* fiancé can’t afford your pile of trash? Who are you trying to impress?!” He flung the crown to the ground, doused it in alcohol, and flicked a lighter. The flames licked at the gold, but after a long moment, the crown remained utterly unharmed. Someone’s voice, full of doubt, cut through the laughter. “That crown… it looks like… the Napoleon Coronation Crown. It could fetch *billions* at auction!” Brad’s anger intensified. “Billions?! How could a side piece like him have that kind of money?! He must have stolen it from my wife!” “So what if I turn it into junk right now? Trash like him deserves nothing but trash!” He raised the axe again, smashing the crown until it was a mangled, unrecognizable mess. I watched his furious, insane actions with a cold, detached gaze, saying nothing. Trillions in assets? Laughable. Chloe was always vain. After we got married, global limited edition haute couture gowns and custom jewelry? She owned every single piece. But she was still unhappy. She hated being seen as ‘new money’ or some bumpkin because her ‘family’ had no real standing. To make her happy, I had her officially registered as a Lu. But these idiots actually believed Chloe was a true Lu heiress, fantasizing about the Lu family’s trillions in assets. With Brad leading the charge on the crown, the others were quick to follow suit. They rampaged through the yacht, tearing and smashing my other priceless collections. I was about to intervene when my secure comms device buzzed to life. I answered immediately. “Reschedule the meeting. Send my security detail to my location. Now.” Brad’s cronies noticed my actions, snatched the device, and stomped on it repeatedly. “You pathetic piece of trash, trying to call for backup, are we?” “Laughable! Who’s he going to call? His ‘friends’ from the escort service? Don’t tell me a bunch of spineless pretty boys are coming to save you!” “Seriously, you’re addicted to acting tough, aren’t you? We’re old classmates, we know what a loser you really are!” “You’re a good-for-nothing! You actually think putting on airs will change the fact that you’re trash?!” I looked at the shattered comms device, my voice sharp and deadly. “I hope you’ll still be laughing this hard in a few minutes!” Brad’s eyes bulged. He lunged, slamming his fist into my nose. “Still trying to act tough now?! Your weak, pampered body is going to threaten me? I’m going to teach you a lesson today!” I sidestepped, and Brad, propelled by his own momentum, face-planted onto the deck. He scrambled up, enraged. “Everyone! Hold him down!” Just then, someone held up a string of sandalwood beads. “This fell off the loser! Must be something valuable, right?” My heart plummeted. My voice was a raw snarl. “Give that back!” Brad snatched the beads, a cruel smile twisting his lips. “So tense? It’s just some cheap piece of wood. Is it an antique or something?” I lunged for it. “It’s not valuable, but it’s important to me! Give it back now!” My mother’s ashes were sealed inside those sandalwood beads. When I was a child, I was kidnapped. My mother, to save me, bravely walked into the kidnappers’ hideout and offered herself in my place. I watched, helpless, as she was chained to the ground, and the kidnappers, like savage beasts, unleashed their depraved cruelty upon her. When they were done, her body was drenched in blood, twisted into an impossible, grotesque angle. After she died, I sealed her ashes inside that bracelet. It never left my wrist. I always felt like she was still by my side. It was my only memento, my most sacred treasure. It was my red line, my absolute untouchable. I would *never* allow anyone to take it from me! Brad watched me, a triumphant, malicious grin spreading across his face. “The more you care, the more I want to destroy it!” He lifted it, making a show of tossing it forcefully into the sea. My vision blurred with rage. “No! Just give it back, and I’ll do anything! *Anything*!” Seeing my desperation, Brad laughed, his eyes glinting with pure malice. “Alright, how about this? Get down on your knees and *lick my shoes*. Then I *might* think about giving it back to you.” A roaring static filled my head, my mind went utterly blank. The metallic tang of bile filled my throat as I remembered my mother’s horrific death. I squeezed my eyes shut, and slowly, painstakingly, lowered myself to the deck. With a numb tongue, I licked the filth from his shoe. The cruel laughter spread through the crowd like a plague, but I barely registered it. I urgently rasped, “Now will you give me back the beads?!” “I said I’d *consider* it,” Brad chuckled. “Who said I’d actually give it back?” He gave a sick smile, then *slammed* the beads onto the deck, shattering them into a million pieces. “No!” My eyes burned with unshed tears. I lunged, my fist smashing into Brad’s face! “You deserve to die!” Brad screamed, his face contorted in pain, as he spit out a mouthful of blood. Just as I prepared to strike again, my old classmates rushed forward, pummeling me with kicks and punches. “You got a death wish?! How dare you hit our Brad!” “Brad’s going to be a Lu! Do you know who you’re messing with?!” “That bracelet was probably just some payment from another sugar mama anyway. Just go service a few more rich old ladies, you can replace it, right?” I clenched my fists, blood dripping from between my fingers. “You will all regret this. I swear, I will make you pay a hundred times over!” Piercing laughter erupted around me, laced with undisguised mockery. “Pay a hundred times over? You’re telling jokes now?!” “You’re a nobody! What else can you do besides mooch off rich women?! If you lick *everyone’s* shoes clean, maybe we’ll go easy on you!” “You’re a homewrecker, preying on old classmates! You deserve to be gelded!” Someone aimed a vicious kick at my knee, and I collapsed, hitting the deck hard. The mocking laughter swelled like a tidal wave, drowning me. “Hahahaha, pathetic! He’s already on his knees! What a spineless loser!” “If you crawl through our legs, one by one, maybe we’ll let you off, hahahaha…” Professor Davies pulled out his phone, aiming it at my pale, bruised face. “Look, everyone! This was our department’s ‘brain’ back then! Look at him now! I always knew he’d end up a total loser!” Their sneering laughter stabbed into my eardrums like sharp needles. I clenched the shattered fragments of the beads in my fist, the sharp edges digging into my skin. A desperate cough ripped through me, tasting of iron, mixed with flecks of blood. The wedding live stream’s camera recorded my pathetic state, the comments section exploding with hate, insults scrolling past in a furious blur. They stomped on me, grinding their feet into my ribs, the pain excruciating, bone-deep. I bit down hard on my lip, the metallic taste of my own blood filling my mouth, and rasped out, “You will all regret this!” Brad grabbed my hair, forcing my head up, and spat in my face. “Still living in a fantasy world? Who do you think you are? I could *piss in your mouth* right now, and no one would stop me!” The words had barely left his lips when a low, thunderous roar ripped through the air. Hundreds of dark, predatory attack helicopters descended from the sky. Their doors slid open simultaneously, and fully armored special ops teams rappelled down in perfect synchronicity. 22 The sheer spectacle silenced the entire crowd. All eyes fixed on the formidable helicopter formation.

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It was late June, and the world was baking under a scorching 100-degree Fahrenheit heatwave. My family was chilling in the living room, blasting the AC and munching on ice-cold watermelon. Me? I’d locked myself in my bedroom and cranked the heater to max. “Electricity isn’t free, you know? Turn that off!” my dad, Robert, bellowed. My brother, Kevin, sneered, “Too much studying has fried your brain! Hope you roast, you psycho!” “Open this door, or you’re sleeping in the hallway!” my mom, Sharon, threatened. I didn’t react. In fact, a faint smile played on my lips. Because they had no idea. Tonight, the global temperature would plunge by a hundred degrees. The extreme cold apocalypse was coming. “This station reports, abnormal high temperatures have persisted for ten days, and are expected to climb to 113 degrees Fahrenheit…” The late June sun was a blazing fireball, mercilessly scorching the earth. Outside my window, the leaves drooped, wilted and lifeless. Heat waves distorted the asphalt road. I stood by the window, sweat beading on my forehead and trickling down my cheeks, but my heart felt like a block of ice. I had been reborn. Memories from my past life flooded my mind like a tidal wave: After a prolonged heatwave, the sudden, extreme cold had paralyzed the city within hours. My family of four was trapped in this old apartment complex. Food spoiled quickly in the summer, and we had no stockpiles. Within five days, we were running dangerously low on supplies. Kevin, my brother, cried and howled every day from hunger. Mom and Dad took my last cookie to appease him. They completely ignored the fact that I’d had nothing but a sip of thin gruel for three days. Later, to survive, they sent me—their useless bookworm daughter—out to brave the elements and find food. I was dressed in flimsy clothes and searched for a day and a night. After endless hardship, I finally found some provisions. But when I returned, they not only snatched away the food and water but also locked me out. I curled up in the sub-zero hallway. I watched, helpless, as Mom, Dad, and Kevin sat around a warm hotpot, the steam blurring their smiling faces. What a cozy family scene. And I? I was locked outside, my fingers turning black from frostbite, my breath freezing into ice crystals on my eyelashes. I remembered Mom’s last look at me, as if I were a piece of worthless trash. “Better to freeze to death out there than waste our food here.” That was Dad’s last line to me, shouted through the closed door. “No one will fight me for food now!” Kevin cheered excitedly. And now, I was back. Back to the last day before the extreme cold apocalypse struck. My hand trembled as I pulled out my phone. June 30th, 9:17 AM. Less than fourteen hours until the global temperature plummeted. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and took a deep breath. This time, I wouldn’t be the naive fool who let herself be sacrificed. “Avery! What are you doing with the door shut in broad daylight?” Mom’s shrill voice pierced through the thin door, and I flinched. In my past life, at this very moment, I would have been in the kitchen helping her make a cooling drink for Kevin before his afternoon tutoring. I took a deep breath and looked at myself in the mirror. Eighteen years old, fresh out of final exams, wearing a faded T-shirt, my bangs stuck to my forehead with sweat. Who would guess that beneath this innocent face lurked a soul that had experienced death? “I’m changing!” I casually replied, my fingers flying through the drawers. The scholarship envelope from school after my exams was still tucked under my textbooks—eight thousand dollars. Add to that my hidden earnings from part-time jobs and birthday money over the years, and I had a total of fifty-eight thousand six hundred and fifty-two dollars. This money might barely cover my college expenses, but in the final hours before the apocalypse, it was my lifeline. A sharp honk from outside startled me. A delivery truck pulled up downstairs. Something clicked in my mind, and I frantically opened my phone to check my delivery status. Before I was reborn, I’d bought a down jacket, thermal underwear, and a thick down comforter during an off-season clearance sale. They were all out for delivery right now. I quickly sent an urgent text to the delivery driver, then dialed Mr. Henderson, the hardware store owner. “Mr. Henderson, it’s Avery from Building 7. I urgently need a batch of construction materials…” After hanging up, I stared blankly at the family photo on the wall. In the picture, Dad had his arm around Kevin, sitting front and center. Mom sat beside Dad, smiling. I, however, stood awkwardly on the very edge, like an outsider. This photo perfectly summarized my standing in this family. A superfluous accessory.

“Knock, knock, knock!” A violent pounding on the door jolted me from my thoughts. “You lazy girl, how long does it take to change? Get out here and mop the living room floor!” Mom’s voice was laced with impatience. “Almost done!” I replied, even as I frantically placed orders on various delivery apps: Emergency rations, canned goods, water purification tablets, first-aid kits… My fingers flew across the screen, every cent spent with surgical precision. When I finally opened the door, Mom stood with her hands on her hips. She wore a cheap floral print pajama set, her hair messily tied up. “What took you so long?” She eyed me up and down. “You look pale. Heatstroke?” I shook my head, noticing the deepening lines around her neck. In my past life, on the third day of the apocalypse, it was her who strangled my neck with a scarf, forcing me to go out and find food. *“Anyway, you’re going to die eventually, so you might as well contribute to the family.”* “What are you staring at? Go bring in the laundry from the balcony!” Mom shoved me, then turned and walked towards the kitchen. “We’re having noodles for lunch. Fry three fried eggs. Kevin gets an extra one.” Just like always, there were no fried eggs for me. But this time, I didn’t complain. Instead, I walked silently to the balcony, already planning my renovation. My room was only about 65 square feet, but it was enough to transform into a mini-shelter. In my past life, when the apocalypse hit, our whole family huddled in the master bedroom because there was an old electric heater in there. But in temperatures of negative sixty degrees Fahrenheit, that bit of heat was completely useless. The midday sun was blindingly fierce. I mechanically gathered the clothes, all the while observing the building’s structure. We lived on the top floor, the sixth. There was no rooftop access, and the buildings were spaced far apart. This was both an advantage and a disadvantage: it would be hard for anyone to breach from the roof, but insulation was absolutely critical. “Avery, get me an ice-cold cola!” My brother Kevin’s voice drifted from the living room. I turned and saw him sprawled on the couch, playing on his phone, his T-shirt pulled up to reveal his pale, soft belly. In my past life, he was the first to suggest kicking me out: “She’s so smart; she’ll definitely find food.” I silently grabbed a cola from the fridge. As I handed it to him, I deliberately let the condensation from the bottle drip onto his phone. “Are you blind?!” He jumped up, suddenly enraged, and shoved me. I was prepared, sidestepping easily. He, however, stumbled from the force of his own push. “Avery! You made Kevin angry again!” Mom rushed out of the kitchen, a rolling pin still covered in flour in her hand. “He didn’t hold it steady himself.” I said calmly, watching Mom immediately turn to comfort Kevin, stroking his head as if he were a three-year-old. Fifteen-year-old Kevin, spoiled rotten, was a literal overgrown baby. Dad didn’t come home for lunch. He was a small manager at the district power company, always acting high and mighty outside. In my past life, when the apocalypse hit, he was the first to snatch the canned food I’d found. At 2 PM, after confirming Mom had taken Kevin to tutoring, I immediately got to work. Mr. Henderson arrived with two workers, hauling in materials: A blast-proof door, double-layered tempered glass, insulation wool, soundproofing panels… “Little lady, are you building a panic room?” Mr. Henderson chuckled, wiping sweat from his brow. “We had a break-in,” I said, reciting my rehearsed lie. “My parents are busy with work, so they asked me to oversee the renovation.” During the three hours of construction, my palms were sweating from nerves, terrified my family would return unexpectedly. The workers, though curious, worked incredibly fast, spurred on by the extra payment. When the last insulation panel was installed, my small room had been transformed into a solid, insulated box. “This room could probably withstand a bomb now,” Mr. Henderson half-joked. “But little lady, are you sure you want to stay in here in this heat?” I smiled and paid them an extra five hundred dollars for their hard work. The moment they left, I began arranging the interior. The bed was pushed into a corner, making space for stockpiled supplies. My desk became a workstation. The closet was packed with cold-weather gear. Finally, I installed a simple deadbolt on the inside of the door. This was a lesson learned with my life. At 6 PM, I took a taxi straight to a wholesale warehouse supermarket on the city outskirts. Pushing two shopping carts, I swept through the aisles like a madwoman bracing for the end of the world: Twenty cases of bottled water, thirty bags of emergency rations, fifty cans of meat, five ten-kilogram bags of rice, solid alcohol fuel, first-aid medicines, vitamin tablets, freeze-dried vegetables… “Student, are you opening a convenience store?” the cashier asked curiously as she scanned my items. “School summer camp,” I quickly made up an excuse, my eyes glued to the time on my phone. 6:47 PM. Less than five hours until the apocalypse. In the delivery truck on the way back, the driver kept glancing at me in the rearview mirror. “Little lady, buying so much stuff. Are you moving?” “Yeah,” I mumbled, looking out at the bustling crowds. How many of these laughing, chatting people would survive tonight? News reports from my past life said the first wave of cold killed a third of the city’s population. When I finally hauled the last of my supplies into my room, it was already pitch dark. Dad, uncharacteristically, was home for dinner. He frowned as I walked in. “Haven’t seen you all day. Where have you been messing around?” “Friend’s gathering.” I kept my head down and hurried towards my room. “Stop right there!” Dad slammed his chopsticks on the table. “You’re getting more and more disrespectful. Can’t you even say hello when you see people?” I turned around, seeing three pairs of eyes fixed on me. Kevin still had food stuck to the corner of his mouth, his eyes full of malicious glee. “Dad, Mom, Kevin, I’m back.” I recited the words mechanically, then slipped into my room and locked the door without waiting for a response. Angry curses from Dad and Mom’s soothing voice drifted from outside the door, but none of it mattered anymore. It was 8:00 PM exactly. Four hours until the apocalypse. The first thing I did was switch the AC from cooling to heating, setting the temperature to the highest, 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot air immediately blasted from the vent, and the room temperature began to climb. In less than three minutes, the knocking started, just as I’d expected. “Avery! What the hell are you doing?! Turning on the heater in this weather?!” Dad roared from outside, the doorknob rattling violently. I didn’t respond, continuing to check my supply list. Drinking water, food, medicine, warm gear… Everything was in order. Most importantly, the small diesel generator and ten barrels of diesel, hidden in a secret compartment under my bed. “Electricity isn’t free, you know? Turn that off!” Dad started banging on the door with his fists. “Too much studying has fried your brain! Hope you roast, you psycho!” Kevin’s mocking voice rang out, followed by a dull thud as he kicked the door. “Can’t even use an AC right!” Mom’s voice was the most piercing: “Open this door, or you’re sleeping in the hallway! We don’t need such an undutiful daughter!” I sat on the edge of my bed, feeling the rising temperature in the room. Even as sweat trickled down my forehead and into my collar, a smile unconsciously spread across my lips. This time, it was you who were locked outside. I stared at the clock on my phone: 11:59 PM. The final minute. Sweat had already soaked through my T-shirt. The room thermometer showed 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but I stubbornly kept the heater on. This was necessary preparation: When the extreme cold arrived, a well-insulated room would cool down slowly, not instantly freeze. The numbers flickered, then reset to zero. 12:00 AM A strange, eerie silence suddenly enveloped the entire world. The chirping of cicadas, the hum of cars, even the sound of the wind – everything vanished in that moment.

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I woke up to my boss handing me half a billion dollars. In a rush of adrenaline, I blurted out, “Hubby!” He just chuckled, a glint in his eye. “Only half a billion and you’re calling me ‘hubby’? What if it was five billion, would you marry me then?” My eyes widened. “Is that even an option?” **1** Early that morning, a text notification jolted me awake. Still half-asleep, I picked up my phone, then practically shot up from bed the moment I saw it. My bank account. Half a billion dollars. The sender? My boss, Damon Thorne. Was my boss kidnapped? Did he lose his mind? Why would he randomly send me half a billion? My hand trembled as I dialed Damon Thorne’s number. The second he picked up, my nerves got the best of me, and I stammered, “B-b-b-boss… hubby…” The moment the word left my lips, I wanted to bite my tongue off. Just because half a billion landed in my account didn’t mean I could abandon my principles and call my boss “hubby.” There was a long silence on the other end. “What? I just gave you half a billion and you’re calling me ‘hubby’ already?” Me: “…” My bad, sir! My bad! “Five minutes. I’m waiting downstairs.” Classic domineering CEO vibe. I rushed downstairs. A Rolls-Royce was parked by the entrance—the same car I’d helped him choose. I stood in front of the car, bowing slightly. “Good morning, Boss.” Inside, a man with sharp features and an undeniable aura of power sat. He gave me a cool glance, then his thin lips parted. “Get in.” My heart hammered in my chest as I cautiously slid inside. “Starting today, until midnight on the 10th of next month, you must spend all half a billion dollars I’ve given you.” His words were concise. Me: “?” He added, “Don’t ask why. Just spend the money. If you fail to complete the task…” His eyes narrowed slightly. “You’ll have hell to pay.” I instinctively touched my neck, a shiver running down my spine. Half a billion dollars! This wasn’t just a few thousand. I was just an average person; I’d never seen so much money. How was I even supposed to spend it all? I had absolutely no clue. “Can I buy a house?” I asked cautiously. He shook his head. “No. Property purchases are invalid.” “Then, stocks?” “Stock purchases are invalid.” “What about—” My boss seemed annoyed by my questions. He simply tossed a document at me. I opened it and my face just fell. It was full of legal jargon, but the gist was clear: “I cannot use this half a billion to generate personal assets, nor can I donate it…” This was impossible! “Boss, what am I supposed to do then?” Damon was ruthless. “I’m only responsible for giving you the money. The rest is up to you.” He gave me a month off from work. My sole task for that month was to spend all half a billion. Not a single cent could be left in the account. I sent a SnapChat to my best friend, Chloe, asking for help: *Hey, girl, how do I spend money?* *Spend what money? You’re the kind of person who only has five bucks and change in your account, can’t even get extra cheese on your bagel!* I paused for a moment: *Actually, I probably have enough money to buy every bagel shop in the world now. Chloe, calm down. I need to tell you something. I have half a billion dollars.* Chloe: *What kind of dream are you having in broad daylight?* I screenshotted my bank balance and sent it to her. Five minutes later, Chloe replied. *Alright, smarty pants, you’ve learned to Photoshop. And it’s not April Fool’s Day, sis.* *I’m not lying! I really have half a billion.* Chloe rushed over to my place. After calling the bank and confirming I wasn’t joking, her eyes looked at me differently. Her eyes practically screamed, “Sugar Mama, feed me!” “There’s a job for you. Are you interested?” I asked. I raised my hand. “I’ll pay you this much.” Chloe: “Five thousand a month?” I replied, “Five million a month.” Chloe nearly fainted. When she came to, she grabbed my hand. “Girl, from today on, you’re my breadwinner, my lifeline!” **2** I immediately transferred five million to Chloe and had her sign a contract. Because every dollar I spent, and how I spent it, had to be accounted for. After Chloe left, I was about to take a shower and get into bed to figure out my next spending strategy when Damon called. “How come you only spent five million today?” *Only!* “Boss, I’ll try harder tomorrow.” He was silent for a moment, then patiently asked, “What did you do today?” I dutifully explained everything. His tone on the other end seemed to relax. “Looks like you haven’t become completely brain-dead from following me around all these years. You know how to think outside the box. Keep it up.” The next day, Chloe excitedly called me. “I’ve thought of a great way to spend money!” “What is it?” “Rent a yacht.” Have you ever been on a luxury yacht? I have. With my boss. He was invited to some yacht party, and I went with him. Looking at the incredibly lavish yacht, my mouth hung open wide enough to fit a golf ball. I casually asked my boss, “How much does a yacht like this cost?” He replied indifferently, “Probably over a hundred million.” If buying a yacht cost over a hundred million, how much would renting one cost? The yacht manager looked me and Chloe up and down, a hint of disdain in his eyes. “Our yachts, even if we rent them out, have a strict vetting process.” “What’s the vetting process?” Chloe asked cautiously. The manager snorted. “Minimum capital verification of ten million dollars.” I handed him my phone. The yacht manager’s face instantly went green. His attitude did a complete 180-degree turn. “Oh, my! You’re clearly a young lady from a prominent family! Such elegance! You want to rent a yacht for a birthday party, right? I can arrange it for you.” I waved him off. “No need. What’s your highest daily rental fee?” “Three hundred thousand a day.” “That’s too little. How about five hundred thousand a day, and I’ll rent it for ten days?” The yacht manager looked incredulous. “Five hundred thousand?” “Do you think it’s too little? Then I’ll add another hundred thousand a day.” The deal was smoothly closed. After signing the rental agreement, I held the contract, deep in worry. “Spending money is exhausting.” Chloe gave me a thumbs-up. “I used to think you were timid and meek, like a frightened little bird. I never expected you to be so domineering when spending money!” I didn’t want to be. Last night, I had a nightmare. I dreamed I hadn’t spent the half a billion in a month, and my boss was looking at me with a sinister glare, holding a cleaver, saying he’d chop me into a million pieces if I didn’t spend the money. I woke up crying. Then I checked my bank balance and cried even harder. I had to speed up my spending. The moment I transferred the money, my boss called. “What have you done?” Ugh. I suspected my boss had nothing better to do all day than watch my account. “N-nothing, I promise. I’ll spend the money strictly according to the rules in the contract. Don’t worry.” I told Chloe to contact our high school classmates to prepare for the party. Chloe contacted a bunch of people, but they all thought I was joking. Chloe asked me what to do. I pondered for a moment. “Just tell them that everyone who comes will get a one hundred thousand dollar gift envelope.” Chloe didn’t understand my logic. She was supposed to be my assistant. I explained, “It’s my birthday today. They’re coming to my birthday party. If they give me a fifty-dollar gift, I should give them something back, right?” Chloe gave me another thumbs-up. “Your way of thinking is truly bizarre.” The next day, looking at the overwhelming crowd, I twitched my lips. “I remember our class only had fifty people, right? Isn’t this a bit too many?” **3** Chloe laughed. “It’s fine if they’re from the same school!” I nodded. “Whatever. The more, the merrier. One more person means I can spend another hundred thousand. Worth it. Count the number of people, and we’ll hand out the gift envelopes later.” Chloe thumped her chest. “With that humble-bragging tone, consider it handled!” That evening, the yacht was brightly lit and buzzing with activity. I stood on the deck, holding a glass of champagne, gazing into the distance, and sighed deeply. “I used to only think making money was hard. Now I realize spending money is even harder.” A sarcastic voice drifted over. “A country bumpkin, no matter how dressed up, is still a country bumpkin. What are you trying to prove?” That familiar voice. I turned around and saw my high school nemesis, Tiffany Woods. Tiffany came from a wealthy family and was always the center of attention in class. She looked down on “poor people” like me, so she’d bully me constantly. Sometimes she’d corner me in the restroom, sometimes she’d rip my test papers, sometimes she’d throw my backpack in the water. I always—endured it. Because my mom used to say, “Child, our family has no backing. We came from the countryside. Just bear with it. Studying hard is the most important thing.” What could I do? When I couldn’t bear it anymore, I just endured it more. But my endurance only led to Tiffany’s bullying escalating. How did Chloe invite that menace? “What’s wrong? Did you win the lottery?” I eyed her. “Yeah, are you jealous?” I subtly looked her over, then casually remarked, “Your bracelet looks pretty expensive, doesn’t it?” She preened like a peacock. “Of course! This bracelet is a limited edition.” My bad, I had one too. Just the genuine article. Of course, I rented it. But the cost of renting it for one day was enough to buy that bracelet. My heart squeezed, like taking a sip of soda straight from the fridge. A sharp pang hit me, then a wave of pure relief. But then I thought, this isn’t my money. Why should I feel a pang? I deliberately rotated my wrist. “Ugh, why does my hand feel so sore?” Chloe appeared at just the right moment. “Oh my god, why are there two identical bracelets?” Chloe’s loud voice attracted a crowd. I put on an innocent act. “I don’t know! Maybe mine’s a fake? When I flew on a private jet to pick it up a while ago, the sales associate told me it was one-of-a-kind in the world.” Chloe and I played along. “You know, high-end knock-offs are getting really good these days!” Everyone’s eyes weren’t blind; they could tell the real thing from the fake at a glance. Under everyone’s scornful gazes, Tiffany ran away with her tail between her legs. I figured she wouldn’t dare show her face in public for a long time. Spending several million to get my revenge was definitely worth it. As for why I was wearing *that* bracelet? Coincidence? No way. If I hadn’t done my research beforehand, I wouldn’t have gone to such lengths for this stunt. The way she humiliated me back then, I was going to make her embarrass herself in front of everyone now. “Smiling so happily? Did you find some money?” A familiar voice came from not far away. That voice. My scalp tightened. Damon Thorne emerged from the shadows, looking at me with a half-smile. “You spent millions renting a bracelet just to show off?” Oh, crap. Was he here to settle accounts? Didn’t he say I could spend the half a billion however I wanted? Why was he coming back to haunt me now? “Good evening, Boss.” He glanced around, a slight curl of his lips. “So this is how you spend money, Riley Morgan. I’m impressed. You used to be so timid and frugal, and now with half a billion, you’ve completely let loose.” My tongue slipped. “It’s all thanks to you, Boss!” He shot me a side-eye. I quickly corrected myself. “No, no, Boss, I’m just diligently spending money to meet your expectations!” He looked at me quietly, then said, “Just be careful with that bracelet. Don’t scratch or bump it. And remember to return it when you’re done.” “Yes, sir!” Seeing that Damon wasn’t leaving, my smile became a little strained. “Boss, it’s getting late?” **4** He nodded. “I know.” You know? Then why aren’t you leaving? Do you want me to invite you to stay the night? “So, Boss, good night?” I was already hinting so obviously. My boss let out an exaggerated yawn. “It is late. Take me to my room.” I was completely petrified. “You’re staying overnight on the yacht?” He smiled. “What’s wrong? I contributed fifty dollars for your birthday, and I even brought a gift. Don’t I have the right to stay overnight on the yacht? Oh, and don’t forget to send me my hundred thousand dollar gift envelope later.” I wanted to cry. Goodbye, my cute younger guys. I had planned to party all night with them. Now, they had all turned into sea foam. “Why do you look a little disappointed?” Damon watched me with amusement. I gave a dry laugh. “Haha, not at all, not at all! Boss, it’s an honor to have you at my birthday party!” “Flatterer.” He rolled his eyes at me. I rented the yacht for ten days, but I couldn’t party all night, every night. Because I had to spend money quickly. After Chloe handled the yacht arrangements, she followed me onto a private jet, loaded with bags. It was Chloe’s first time on a private jet, and she was as excited as a giddy ape. I, however, had grown accustomed to it. Before, I was serving my boss. Now, others were serving me. For the first half of my life, my travels were limited to company team-building trips. Bali, Maldives, Provence—to me, they were just names associated with money. But now, we chartered a private jet and visited every place we wanted to see. We enjoyed the highest level of luxury. We stayed in presidential suites. We ate gourmet food. But after all the fun, a deep sense of emptiness settled in. I don’t know if you’ve ever felt this way. When you were a kid, you craved ice cream. You’d think about it constantly, even study incredibly hard to get a perfect score just to earn it. But once you finally had it… It just felt… average. I lay on the soft bed and asked Chloe, “How much money have we spent so far?” “All in all, about twenty million.” I covered my face and sighed deeply. “Why is spending money so hard?” Damon also came to check on my progress. And he didn’t just call; he came in person. I couldn’t sleep that night, planning to use the moonlight to seriously brainstorm how to spend more money. But then, my boss already occupied the best spot. Seeing his tall, slender figure, I froze. “B-b-b-boss?” He turned around, moonlight falling on him. In the shadows, his dark eyes seemed to absorb the night, making his emotions unreadable. “I’m only thirty. Not old yet.” he said. “You’re not… stalking me, are you?” He said indifferently, “I’m not that bored. I’m here on a business trip, and I thought I’d observe your spending progress. But your spending speed is really too slow. You have less than twenty days left, and you still have over four hundred million to spend.” My head ached. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Boss, why do you insist on giving me half a billion and making me spend it in a month, with so many rules? Are you playing some kind of game?” He pursed his lips. “Don’t ask too many questions. In short, the money I gave you is clean. Spend it without worry.” Well, that put my mind at ease. He was so rich, half a billion was probably a drop in the ocean to him. “Boss, spending money is so tiring.” I complained to him without thinking. His eyes seemed to hold starlight, and he wasn’t as strict as usual. “You seem to be having a lot of fun spending it.” “Think bigger.” He patted my shoulder. “Besides having fun, you can do other things.” A thought sparked in my mind. “Boss, do you mean I can get some boy toys—” His eyes instantly became extremely dangerous, his voice like it was forced out through gritted teeth. “You can try.” I instinctively shrank my neck. I was just joking. Why did he look like he was about to chop me up and feed me to dogs? What was he so jealous about? But his words gave me an idea. Eating, drinking, and playing—even if I burned through money, it would be too slow. Why didn’t I invest in a movie? A single investment of several hundred million. Wouldn’t that be fast? The next day, I headed back, bringing my party-crazed best friend with me. Knowing I wanted to invest in a movie, Chloe was a little worried. “Didn’t your boss say this half a billion couldn’t generate personal assets?”

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After five years with Chloe, it felt like she only saw me as her personal ATM. She brought her ex-boyfriend, Liam, who had the mental capacity of an eight-year-old, back to our home. She claimed Liam thought she was his mother and that she had to take responsibility for him until his memory returned. To keep him happy, she spent my money taking him on trips. She’d forget our anniversaries but always remembered his birthday, and she’d demand I grovel and apologize to him without even knowing what happened. She even forced our engagement ring off my finger and gave it to him, just because he said he liked it. My heart was utterly crushed. I decided to give up. But then, when I moved on with someone else, Chloe looked at me with red-rimmed eyes and asked, “Can’t you… please not marry her?” 0 One evening, Chloe and I were kissing passionately on the bed, just about to get more intimate. Suddenly, her ex-boyfriend, Liam, burst through the bedroom door. Chloe glanced at the doorway, frantic, and tried to escape my embrace. She even shoved me away forcefully. I was caught off guard and tumbled off the bed, my head hitting the floor with a painful thud. But Chloe didn’t even notice my condition. She walked straight to a whimpering Liam and gently asked him, “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Liam buried his face in Chloe’s arms, crying aggrievedly: “I had a nightmare again. I dreamt Mom didn’t want me anymore. “Mom said I wasn’t Uncle’s child, and Uncle didn’t like me, so Mom was going to throw me away. “I’m so scared. What should I do?” The “Uncle” Liam kept talking about was me. Even though he claimed he had amnesia and called Chloe “Mom,” he stubbornly insisted I wasn’t his dad; I was just “Uncle.” A bad uncle trying to steal his “Mom.” I stood rooted to the spot, stunned. Watching Chloe gently pat his back. Listening to her soft reassurances: “Don’t be scared, I’m right here. “No one dares to throw you away, not even Uncle. “Mommy always loves our little Liam the most.” I was supposed to be her boyfriend. But at that moment, I felt as superfluous as a stranger. My girlfriend was cupping another man’s face, telling him she loved him the most. A bitter ache spread through my chest. I clenched my fists, my nails almost digging into my palms. The next second, I watched Liam kiss Chloe’s cheek. The veins in my forehead pulsed with fury. When Liam’s crying finally subsided, he let go of Chloe. He looked at me with a hint of apology, then said: “I’m sorry, Uncle Alex. “I was too scared, that’s why I lost control and kissed Mommy in front of you. “You don’t mind, do you? You’re just a normal boyfriend. I’m Mommy’s precious baby.” Of course, I minded, but what could I do? Liam and Chloe used to date. After they broke up, they still worked at the same company. It just so happened that during a company retreat, they were involved in a car accident. Liam shielded Chloe with his body but was knocked unconscious by the impact. So, Liam was Chloe’s lifesaver. A few days ago, Liam finally woke up, but he had amnesia. His mind had regressed to that of a child. He couldn’t remember anyone but insisted Chloe was his “Mommy.” And Chloe actually agreed to play “Mommy,” bringing him home to care for him. Originally, I was against it. But Chloe said: “Liam saved my life. “Now he doesn’t remember anything, and he only thinks I’m his mother. He has no one but me. I can’t just abandon him. “If you’re going to be so petty and can’t understand, then I’ll just move to the company dorm with him.” Clearly, this “son” Liam was more important to her than I was. My heart just seized up. A suffocating pain wrapped around me, like thorny vines. Chloe and I were never on equal footing from the start. She was proud, but also stunningly beautiful and from a privileged background. Countless guys chased after her. I was the one who fell for her first. I shamelessly pursued her for half a year before she finally agreed to be my girlfriend. In front of her, I had always been humble. I didn’t want to lose her. So, no matter how reluctant I was, I put up with it. However, Chloe’s indulgence towards Liam far exceeded my expectations. She allowed Liam to place their joint photo right in the center of the living room bookshelf. In the picture, Liam was smiling brightly, linking arms with Chloe. And Chloe had a tender smile gracing her lips. It was a total eyesore. Chloe’s expression darkened, and she said coldly: “I’m just taking a picture with my son. Are you going to be jealous about that too? “You weren’t like this when you were chasing me. You know I don’t like controlling, narrow-minded men.” Her sharp tone made my eyes sting with tears. Her brow furrowed deeper, a clear sign of annoyance. “Don’t be so dramatic. I don’t like it.” When Liam cried, she would gently comfort him. When it was me, she just found it annoying. I swallowed the lump of hurt in my throat, the pain in my heart growing heavier. A few days later, Liam suddenly wanted to travel. Chloe called me for money, saying she wanted to go on a trip. I thought Chloe wanted a romantic getaway with me, so I happily transferred her $200,000 for the trip and even hired a caregiver and nanny for Liam. However, I waited and waited in my office but heard nothing from Chloe. Then, the caregiver called. Chloe and Liam weren’t home. A terrible possibility echoed in my mind, so I called Chloe. “Hello? What do you want?” Her voice was impatient. “Where are you now?” I asked cautiously. “Didn’t I tell you? I’m traveling. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.” And she did. My heart suddenly felt like it had been punched, a bitter ache spreading through me. Just then, my phone chimed with a text message. “So sorry, Uncle! Mommy and I are traveling!” The unfamiliar number sent a picture: Chloe and Liam wearing matching outfits, holding hands, sitting on chairs at an airport. They were incredibly close. “Mommy and I are clearly wearing matching parent-child outfits, but so many people said we looked like a couple and called us sweet.” “Uncle, why didn’t Mommy bring you on the trip? France is beautiful.” Every day after that, I received messages from that strange number. Sometimes it was photos of them eating together, sometimes videos of them holding hands, even pictures of them gazing at each other in front of the Eiffel Tower, or kissing each other’s forehead. Even… a photo of them lying together on a white hotel sheet. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I called Chloe to confront her: “So you took the money I gave you to travel with him? What about me? I’m your boyfriend. Did you even think about me when you were lying in bed with him?” “Why are you yelling? I told you, he just sees me as his mom, and I only see him as a child. Can you stop being so sensitive?” “No matter how immature his mind is, he’s still an adult man. What if—” “You just love to maliciously speculate about people. Now you’re talking about ‘my money’ and ‘your money’ so clearly. When you were chasing me, you said you’d spend all the money you earned on me. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” “But I—” “I’m not like you, breaking promises and being irresponsible. I promised I’d take responsibility for him, and I will. If you can accept it, fine. If not, then let’s break up.” “No… don’t break up… have fun…” I knew she couldn’t see me on the other end of the phone, but I still forced out a difficult smile. “Can we go to the Seine River tomorrow?” I heard Liam’s whining voice on the phone. “Of course, honey. Whatever makes you happy. Just get well soon.” Chloe’s voice was so incredibly gentle, I had never heard her speak like that to me. Listening to their laughter through the phone, my chest tore with pain. What was I to Chloe, really? A dispensable boyfriend? Or an unrequited, ever-giving ATM? A bitter ache and raw despair twisted in my gut. My vision blurred. 0

On the night of our fifth anniversary, I sat alone on the sofa at home. Before me were the anniversary gift I’d bought for Chloe and the elaborate dinner I’d prepared. She and Liam hadn’t returned from their trip yet. *She won’t forget, she always remembered these dates. She cares about them the most.* But even by eleven o’clock, Chloe still hadn’t come back. The food had been reheated several times. *Maybe they couldn’t get a flight, or it’s the time difference… she’ll definitely call.* I murmured, trying to comfort myself. Midnight. She hadn’t returned, no messages. Our anniversary was over. I stared blankly at our SnapChat chat box. Amidst the sea of green, only a few emojis were from her. The last time she sent me a message was half a month ago. Just then, my phone finally chimed with a notification. I eagerly picked it up, but my smile froze. It was Liam. The message contained photos of him and Chloe at Disneyland. In the pictures, they were beaming, cheeks pressed tightly together, looking sweeter than a couple deeply in love. “Uncle, Mommy and I went to Disneyland today! Uncle, you haven’t been with her, have you? Uncle isn’t mad, right?” “Uncle, Mommy said she won’t be back for another two days, because tomorrow’s my birthday, and Mommy wants to stay longer and give me a surprise.” “So Uncle will have to wait a bit longer. Anyway, Uncle won’t mind, right? Uncle isn’t petty enough to argue with a child, is he?” I put down my phone and ignored it. For the first time, large tears rolled down my face. I ate the already cold food ravenously. The thought of Chloe perhaps eating or playing with Liam at that very moment made my stomach churn with disgust. 0

A week later, they finally returned. I walked through the door of our home and saw Liam pounce on Chloe on the sofa. His face was nuzzling her neck, and she was giggling playfully. Rage exploded in my chest. I quickly stepped forward and pulled the two of them apart. “What exactly are you two doing?” “Doing what? Were we doing anything inappropriate?” Chloe said, her voice dripping with self-righteousness. I was about to retort when I noticed a ring on Liam’s hand. “What is this?” I grabbed his hand and forcefully yanked the ring off. “You gave him our engagement ring?” “Mommy, Uncle is so mean! He hurt me!” “He just thought it looked pretty and wanted to wear it. Why are you so aggressive? You scared him! Apologize right now!” With that, she actually came straight for me, trying to forcibly take the ring from my hand to give back to Liam. Feeling my resistance, she let go, her voice impatient: “Can you be reasonable for once? Either we talk, or we break up.” Seeing Chloe’s self-righteousness and her unwavering defense of Liam, I was utterly crushed. “Fine. Break up then. I won’t apologize. It’s not my fault.” “Don’t you dare regret this. Even if you beg me later, there’ll be no going back for us,” Chloe said, her face grim, staring at me coldly. The disappointment and pure disgust in her eyes were crystal clear. “I won’t.” I calmly took off the ring from my finger, placed it on the table, and turned to leave this woman who had become so utterly foreign to me. Five years of dating, and even though I knew Chloe’s feelings for me were barely a tenth of mine for her, I still loved her fiercely and without reservation. Because I loved her, I indulged her, tolerated all her little tantrums. Whether it was money or anything else, I always tried my best to satisfy her. But I never expected her to take it for granted, to trample on my sincere feelings again and again, even giving our engagement ring to Liam just because he liked it. A suffocating pain wrapped around my heart, tightening its grip until I could barely breathe. I swallowed the lump of hurt in my throat, digging my nails into my palms, trying to stay composed. Let’s break up. Because I loved her, for five years, I tolerated all her bad temper and occasional cold shoulders. I endured her indulgence and favoritism towards Liam, and Liam’s deliberate provocations. I never thought it would lead to this. What man could tolerate his girlfriend unconditionally favoring her ex-boyfriend, even turning on him for the ex’s sake? It’s better to just let it go. Loving her was truly exhausting. After moving into my new apartment, I received a message from her. “Send me some money. I’m taking Liam out for dinner tonight and I’m short.” Even though she had broken up with me, she still came to me for money, ordering me around with that same sense of entitlement. But Chloe, we’ve broken up. We have nothing to do with each other anymore. This is where it ends for us.

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When my friend sent me a video from a private lounge at a high-end club, I was watching the recording of my daughter’s kindergarten performance. In the video, my wife, Chloe, had her cheeks flushed a deep crimson, and beside her was her childhood sweetheart, Blake. Amidst the deafening music, Blake leaned in and kissed her. Around them, friends screamed and cheered them on. Chloe didn’t push him away. In fact, as he pulled back, she drunkenly licked her lips. The camera shook, sweeping across scattered items on the floor—it was her Hermès bag, zipper wide open, revealing a picture of our family of three inside. I turned off the video and called her. Her sweet, yet slightly impatient voice came through: “It was just a game, Liam. You’re not going to be petty about it, are you?” I smiled. Then I’d show her just how petty I could be. Games, after all, come with consequences. I texted my fund manager directly. The next second, Chloe’s call came through, which I promptly ignored. She called my assistant next. Mark politely replied, “My apologies, Ms. Henderson, Mr. Hayes is currently with an important client.” Playing hard to get? As if I couldn’t play that game too. Within half an hour, my office door was violently thrown open. Chloe, in her high heels, stormed over to me, her face contorted with rage, and slammed her phone onto my desk. “Liam Hayes, are you insane?! Stellar Tech was supposed to be our family business, Henderson Corp’s, next big acquisition! Are you trying to destroy us by shorting it now?!” The elegant and poised Chloe, who always presented herself as the epitome of grace, lost her composure for the first time in front of me, looking like a furious, scorned woman—all for her childhood sweetheart. I slowly set down my fountain pen and looked up at her beautiful face, twisted by anger. “You have twenty minutes.” “What?” “Kick him out of your car, then send that car to be destroyed,” I said calmly. “That passenger seat is where my daughter always sits, *her* spot.” Ten minutes later, Mark sent me a photo. Chloe’s white Maserati was being fed into the massive compressor of a metal recycling plant. I immediately notified my fund manager: “Close out the position and transfer all profits to a charity foundation.” Then, I sent Chloe a picture. The landscape painting in her study—her most treasured piece, a priceless, one-of-a-kind masterpiece by a famous artist—was now my canvas. I’d drawn a ridiculous turtle on it with a marker. “Chloe, this is also a game. Remember, this is your first warning. Next time, you’ll face the consequences.” On Chloe’s end, there was dead silence. I knew she must be absolutely furious. But I was even angrier. Our marriage began with love. I had single-handedly supported the nearly bankrupt Henderson Corp, turning Chloe from a sheltered heiress into a renowned beautiful CEO in the business world. I thought our relationship was solid as bedrock. But she, with her own hands, had smashed a crack through it. The millions that evaporated in an instant? That was just the beginning. That night, Chloe didn’t come home. The next day, I had Mark dig up all the information on Blake, then headed directly to the private club where they’d arranged to meet.

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My wife was reported for embezzling company funds, and I took the fall, serving time in prison for her. She promised she’d wait for me in our home, but she never visited, not once. I figured she was busy and didn’t think much of it. Until the day I was released. I found my wife, Serena, leaning into a man’s embrace, gazing happily at two little kids, a boy and a girl, playing in the yard. No wonder she didn’t have time to see me. She was too busy living her happily ever after. I’d sacrificed four and a half years in prison, thinking I was a martyr, but they hadn’t cared at all. The little boy caught my eye, still crouched behind the iron fence. He turned, screaming with excitement: “Mom, Dad, look! A beggar’s here for food!” The man’s gaze fell on me, and a chilling cold spread through my chest. Wasn’t that Vincent Blackwood, the man who’d reported my wife all those years ago? … Vincent Blackwood pulled the two children behind him, his eyes wary. “Go on, sweethearts, play with Mom.” The two kids bounced around Serena. She just looked at me, her brow furrowed. Vincent reached out as if to pat my shoulder, hesitated for a few seconds when he saw my ragged clothes, but completed the standard guy-to-guy greeting anyway. “Next time you visit us, remember to call ahead and make an appointment. You… nearly scared the kids.” “I don’t recall you being due out so soon.” Vincent pulled out a cigarette and offered it to me. I didn’t take it. “Good behavior, got some time off,” I repeated his words in my head, the taste bitter. “The property deed for this house is still in my name, you know.” My life’s work, all those years of struggle, now just a freebie for Vincent because he started a family with *her*. Vincent fell silent. He lit the cigarette himself and took a drag. Serena Miller approached, and his free hand naturally rested on her shoulder. Serena’s eyes swept over me, making me uncomfortable. She let out a soft sigh, those expressive eyes looking at me. “You’ve lost weight.” As if we were truly long-lost lovers, finally reunited. I desperately wanted to ask her if her words from back then still held true, if she’d thought of me at all during all these days. Vincent suddenly clapped his hands, the cigarette still dangling from his lips. “I almost forgot! My mind’s a mess, all thanks to your son.” “Honey, don’t eat that.” He picked up a dog bowl, still wet with dog drool, and haughtily tossed it at my feet. Then, with a sneer, he blew a puff of smoke directly into my face. “Liam, I’m not trying to insult you. Our dog’s monthly food bill is definitely more than what you got in prison. The food won’t be bad.” “I’m just curious, I heard people who’ve done time would eat anything, even rotten scraps, and find it delicious. I just want to see if that’s true.” I had arrived hungry, but in my rush to see Serena, I hadn’t eaten anything before coming. And it wasn’t as if I’d relish rotten scraps, as he suggested. I just hadn’t expected Serena to already have two children. She had forgotten me completely, forgotten my sacrifice. Vincent treated me like dirt, and Serena just offered a faint smile. Infuriated, I grabbed Vincent by his collar with one hand. “What are you showing off for? You framed my wife and stole my family, and I haven’t even settled that score with you yet!” Serena’s fingernails scraped my arm. She snapped, annoyed: “Liam Anderson, Vincent was just joking with you. Why are you overreacting like this?” I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth and let go. The moment I released him, Serena quickly took Vincent’s arm, meticulously smoothing out his collar. “Serena Miller, aren’t you going to give me an explanation? He and those twins…” Serena raised her hand to check the time, her voice cold and distant. “We can talk about this minor issue later. It’s almost time for Leo and Mia to go on the swings.” They treated me as if I were invisible, walking away hand in hand. My anger felt like shouting into a void; no one cared. Serena pulled a hundred-dollar bill from behind her phone and tucked it into my hand. “You’ve worked hard for over four years. Go buy yourself something nice.” I stood there, stunned, clutching the hundred-dollar bill. Keeping cash behind my phone was a habit I’d had for years. That was from a trip with Serena long ago. She’d fainted from heatstroke, my phone had died, and I had no cash. I’d asked countless passersby before finally borrowing money from a girl who’d had a previous spat with Serena. The condition was five bucks for every slap to my face. Since then, to be prepared for any emergency, every morning before leaving, I’d check both our phones to make sure there was cash behind them. Serena’s actions still carried a shadow of my influence, but she no longer loved me. Only this house, where we’d lived for so many years, told me. Those loving memories, they were real. I suppressed the bitterness in my heart, felt under the rug, and found the key, ready to enter the house and change into some slippers. Mrs. Jenkins, the housekeeper, suddenly shouted, accusing me loudly. “Mr. Anderson, what are you doing? Your muddy footprints are all over the tiles! Can’t you think about how hard we work to keep this place clean?” Mrs. Jenkins was a housekeeper I’d hired years ago, back when I was just starting out. She had been incredibly grateful to me at first. I hadn’t expected that in four and a half years in prison, Serena wouldn’t be the only one to change. Ignoring Mrs. Jenkins, I reached for a pair of slippers. Mrs. Jenkins shrieked again, “Mr. Anderson, you still don’t know the rules! These slippers are for guests!” I was about to explode, but Mrs. Jenkins rushed back, bringing me a pair of my old shoes and two red plastic bags to use as shoe covers. She patted my back like an elder. “Mr. Anderson, don’t be mad at me. I have to follow the orders of whoever pays me, right?” “Your things? Mrs. Miller already had me put them all in the storage room. Hurry up and take that pile of junk and move out.” I shook my head and went to the storage room. Expensive watches and custom suits were haphazardly piled on the floor. But on the top shelf of a spotless glass cabinet sat a single shoe box. I quickly and carefully took it down, only to find a pair of canvas shoes cut into shreds, with several burn holes on the upper and traces of cigarette ash. When I carried the shoe box out, the cozy family of four had returned. Seeing my grim face, Serena stepped forward and touched my forehead. “No fever. Why do you look so pale? I’ll have Mrs. Jenkins make you some chicken soup later to perk you up.” “I just discussed it with Vincent. Since we’ve known each other for so many years, you can continue to stay in our house. We won’t kick you out to wander the streets.” I took a few steps back to avoid her touch and opened the shoe box. “Who ruined my shoes?” Serena glanced at them. “Oh, the pair your mom sewed for you, right?” I nodded. Serena pointed at me, letting out a clear laugh. “Vincent, look, a twenty-dollar pair of old-fashioned sneakers, and he treats it like a treasure.” “Who could stand such a mama’s boy? He wore those worn-out shoes every single day, and if it rained, he put them in a safe. Why didn’t he just spend his whole life with his mom?” The little boy, who had been hiding behind Vincent earlier, bravely stepped forward, raising his hand high. “I ruined them! Don’t blame my mom.” He seemed proud of himself. Serena gently ruffled his hair. “If you ruin someone’s things, you have to pay for them. Go buy him a new pair.” Then, she said to me, seemingly helpless: “Liam Anderson, don’t fuss over a kid. He’ll pay you for a new pair, just let it go.” The chubby boy ran over with an alligator-skin wallet, pulled out a handful of coins, and scattered them all over me. He grinned, his smile strikingly similar to Vincent Blackwood’s. Serena praised the boy for being sensible, but then she saw me again, and her brow furrowed. “This is over. Kids are always mischievous. Giving you twenty bucks for those old-fashioned shoes is already generous of him.” Vincent extended a cigarette butt, making a cryptic gesture. The shoes had been placed so high, a child of a meter tall couldn’t have reached them. Besides, there was cigarette ash on them. Serena followed my gaze, playfully punching Vincent’s arm. But when she turned back to me, her face was cold as ice. “You’re not still suspecting Vincent, are you? Even if he knew those old shoes were your family heirloom, Vincent wouldn’t bother with your trash. Can’t your mom just make you another pair?” She couldn’t make another pair. This was the last pair of shoes my mom ever sewed for me. In all those years I suffered in prison, my mom only visited once. She even specifically told me to be good to Serena when I got out. But was it my fault that I couldn’t have a good life with Serena? For five years, I yearned for her. She was laughing in another man’s arms. Serena ignored me, picking up the children. “My darlings must be hungry. Let’s go eat. Hubby, you too, hurry up.” Vincent casually glanced at me. “Honey, it’s been so many years, and the kids and I don’t like Spicy Tripe Stew. I’ve never even seen you touch your fork to it, so why do you still insist Mrs. Jenkins makes it?” Spicy Tripe Stew was my favorite dish. Before, Serena had disliked it, calling it a strange, unpresentable dish. Only on holidays would she allow Mrs. Jenkins to make it for me. Serena froze, her back to me, not answering Vincent. “Liam Anderson, stay and eat. I don’t want the neighbors seeing our guest leave looking upset, thinking we’re bad hosts.” The phrase “our home” had stabbed at me countless times today. Vincent gritted his teeth, then put his arm around my shoulder, acting friendly. “Liam, tonight, we drink until we drop.” A few years ago, he’d solemnly told me he would pursue justice and the law to the very end. His face hadn’t looked like this then. At the most prominent spot on the table, a steaming bowl of Spicy Tripe Stew sat. Seeing me staring at the dish, Serena picked up the bowl and dumped it into the trash can. She didn’t look at me, but smiled sweetly at Vincent. “I can’t believe I used to put such a disgusting dish on the table.” “Only someone with a psychological defect would enjoy a dish like that.” More than her sarcasm, I thought of our marriage, just an empty piece of paper. She must have regretted it long ago, right? I wasn’t incapable of accepting Serena falling in love with someone else, having children with another man, but why didn’t she tell me sooner? Even a message through someone else would have been enough. My place setting was still on the table, but I knew that in this home, which I had fought so hard for, there was no longer a place for me. Serena and Vincent, with their two children, harmoniously enjoyed dinner, while I was isolated outside. I directly asked the question that had been haunting me. “Was what happened five years ago a joint effort between you two?” Serena pressed her lips together and handed the two children to Mrs. Jenkins. Vincent stared at my face and laughed. “Liam, you’re too full of yourself. If I wanted to go against you, it wouldn’t have been just four and a half years. Besides, look in the mirror, see that receding hairline? If I played dirty with you, my subordinates would laugh me to death.” Serena laughed too, glancing at the top of my head with a look of disdain. “What’s past is past. Liam Anderson, you’re just not generous enough. After all these years in the industry, you’re still just an upstart.” Could four and a half years of repetitive prison life just be brushed off with “what’s past is past”? My buzz cut, it was a mark left by them both, yet they laughed so happily. Serena suddenly turned serious, glaring at Vincent. “That’s enough laughing, it’s getting excessive. Show Liam Anderson some respect. I think a buzz cut isn’t bad at all.” She picked up a chicken drumstick and placed it on the plate in front of me. I wiped the fork, which had the little boy’s drool on it, and gently turned over the chicken skin, seeing specks of white maggots lying on the drumstick. It felt like the entire universe was telling me to leave, to stop being moved by little things. Finally, I made up my mind. “Serena Miller, let’s get a divorce.” Serena’s lips turned pale. “Are you sure? Once we divorce, there’s no turning back.” I nodded. “This house has the traces of your partner and children living in it. I don’t want it. Sell it to me at market price.”

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I married the son of a billionaire through an arranged marriage, but he suffered from erectile dysfunction. The only woman who could arouse him was his secretary. To give his terminally ill father a grandson, my husband would sneak out every night to “resolve his physical needs” with his secretary. When I discovered this, he fell to his knees crying, slapping himself until he bled as he begged for my forgiveness. “Honey, I do love you. I just can’t bear to see my father pass away with regrets!” he pleaded. What he didn’t know was that every time he snuck out, I would buy myself a luxury apartment downtown as compensation. And each time his secretary got pregnant, I would treat myself to a private island. In just two years, I had acquired 99 luxury properties and 4 islands. Until one day, I received a photo. In it, my father-in-law – who was supposed to have died from cancer – was lovingly caressing the secretary’s pregnant belly, his eyes glowing with joy. I threw the photo in my husband’s face. He immediately dropped to his knees, repeatedly kowtowing as he begged: “Honey, this child is the fruit of our love. I beg you to spare her…” “I swear I’ll cut off all contact with her once the baby is born!” I clenched my fists tightly, resisting the urge to hit him. Instead, I turned away calmly. “Fine,” I said. Since you don’t cherish what I’ve given you, don’t blame me for taking it all back. 0

In the photo, Kevin was leaning tenderly against Chloe’s swollen belly, smiling with deep satisfaction. I opened my contacts and called him. The phone rang for a long time before he picked up. “Hello? Honey?” His voice sounded guilty. “How was the business dinner? Did you make some good connections? I’m here with some important investors. Just finished a round of talks, I’m exhausted…” I replied with a laugh: “It went well. But I miss you so much right now. Can we video chat?” There was no response from the other end. The two of them were clearly panicking. “Baby, it’s not convenient right now. Besides, who video calls their wife in the middle of a business meeting? It wouldn’t leave a good impression on the clients.” “I know you miss me. Don’t worry, I’ll wrap up work as quickly as I can and spend more time with you tonight, okay?” I didn’t bother exposing his lies. Instead, I asked directly: “Kevin, do you love me?” Kevin hesitated for a few seconds before answering: “Of course I love you, honey! Don’t overthink things. You’re the only woman I’ll ever love!” His voice was very quiet, clearly trying to prevent Chloe from overhearing. Some “wife” I am. How pathetic. I hung up the phone and headed straight to their love nest, knocking on the door. “Sweetie, is that the food delivery? I…” Kevin opened the door, his bare upper body still glistening with sweat. He never expected to see me standing there. He immediately tried to block the doorway with his body, attempting to obstruct my view. “H-honey? What are you doing here… Aren’t you supposed to be…” He was utterly shocked. “At the business dinner, right? Kevin, that’s hardly important now, is it? Just like how you’re not actually in a meeting.” I looked past him at Chloe. She instinctively covered her belly with both hands, stammering: “Sophia… What brings you here…” I knew she was waiting for me to confront her so she could play the victim. But I didn’t. With a blank expression, I unlocked my phone screen and shoved that glaring photo right in Kevin’s face. I asked calmly: “Honey, didn’t you promise you’d never see her again?” “Were you lying to me?” 0

Kevin’s legs gave out and he fell to his knees in front of me. He started slapping himself hard. “Honey! Honey, I was wrong!!” “It’s not what you think! I… I admit I didn’t handle things well. Let me explain!” He tried to grab my pants leg, but I didn’t give him the chance. “Get lost,” I said coolly. “Sophia, you can’t blame this all on Kevin… You’ve been married for years without getting pregnant. Are you saying he’s not allowed to find someone else?” Chloe sneered. At this moment, she was wielding her pregnancy like a weapon. This girl I had once helped out of poverty was now seducing my husband. “Chloe, do you know why Kevin and I haven’t had children in ten years of marriage?” I stared her down. She lowered her head under my gaze, but her tone remained defiant: “You’re going to bring up his erectile dysfunction again, aren’t you? I’ve tried plenty of times and he’s perfectly normal. I don’t think it’s ED at all – he’s just not interested in you!” “A woman who can’t even arouse desire… Your life really is a failure… Ah!!!” I slapped her across the face. “Sophia! If you’re upset, take it out on me!! She’s just a young girl in a difficult situation…” “It’s all my fault… I didn’t handle my feelings properly. But I… I just can’t control myself when I see her… I’m not human! I’ve wronged you!” He was slapping himself repeatedly. Chloe grabbed his hand, crying. “Don’t stop her! She can beat me to death if she wants! I’ve been sick of how she treats you for a long time! You’re such a good man, why should you have to endure this?” “And… and I was willing. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me! Blame me for falling in love with you… for having feelings for you!” The two of them went back and forth, like a deeply affectionate couple. I was tired of watching their performance. “Are you done?” I asked. “If you’re done, I’ll continue.” 0

The scene before me was nauseating. “Kevin, you’d better make a choice between me and her today.” Kevin hurried to placate me. “Honey, you know I love you, but I’m a man too. I have my own needs…” “Besides, you know it’s because you couldn’t give birth that my dad, on his deathbed…” “Your dad! You have the nerve to bring up your dad!” I threw my phone hard, hitting him square on the nose. But he didn’t react at all, his eyes fixed on the photo on the screen. It showed his father, beaming as he touched Chloe’s pregnant belly. “How… how did you get this photo…” Clearly, the discovery that his father had faked his death came as a huge shock. He didn’t even know how to start lying. At this point, what was there for me not to understand? The three of them were putting on a show for me. “Kevin, I’ve warned you many times. Why didn’t you take it to heart?” Kevin dropped the act. “Yes! I lied to you! But don’t you have issues too?” “If you could have children, if you could arouse me, would I have cheated?” With the truth exposed, Kevin chose the stupidest path. That is, to turn against me completely. I was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh. I must have been too good to him all these years, making him forget who made his current lifestyle possible. He couldn’t really think he could afford mansions and sports cars on his $3000 monthly salary, could he? “Kevin, I’ve been so tolerant of you only to end up like this. Don’t blame me for being ruthless now.” “I’ll have my lawyer send you the divorce papers. As for everything I’ve given you, I expect it all returned intact in three days.” With that, I strode away in my high heels. Three days later, not only did I not see a single thing returned, I received a scolding from the miraculously resurrected billionaire: “Sophia! What gives you the right to divorce What gives you the right to divorce my son? What can you do besides make money? You can’t even satisfy a man properly. Who else would want you besides my son!” “Alright, alright, I’ve decided to let him keep Chloe on the side. They can meet once a month, how’s that? But you’ll have to cover her living expenses!” His shamelessness was truly like father, like son. I smiled and said: “I spent over $100,000 on your funeral. When do you plan to pay me back?” What money? Chloe had already pocketed it all. When the old lady heard this, she wasn’t having it. She immediately jumped up: “Have you no shame? I’m a billionaire! I didn’t complain that you couldn’t have children, and now you dare ask me for money? What sins did I commit in my past life to end up with such a wretched daughter-in-law!” She looked ready to throw herself on the ground and start a tantrum. I helpfully offered her a cushion: “Please continue, Uncle. I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t stay to humor your antics.” His father couldn’t stand this indignity. He chased after me, wailing dramatically: “Help! My daughter-in-law is abandoning me!” “At my age, I’m begging her and she won’t even look at me! What a miserable life!” Noticing camera flashes around us, I pretended not to see. If they want to take photos, let them. Just make sure to use a beauty filter on me. 0

A few days later, Chloe actually came to my office threatening suicide. I looked at her helplessly. “Can’t you make a scene somewhere else? People are trying to work here.” But Chloe’s brain clearly couldn’t comprehend the importance of work. She continued shouting: “Kevin and I are truly in love. Why can’t you just let us be together? Do I have to die for you to be satisfied?!” I was confused. Wasn’t I already agreeing to divorce? How was that not letting them be together? What exactly did she want? “Why did you cancel Kevin’s credit cards? Don’t you know we can’t survive without money? How can you be so selfish!” When Kevin rushed over, I rolled my eyes and said, “Oh, you’re here. Your little mistress has been threatening suicide for an hour but hasn’t even scratched herself. Better comfort her quick, or you’ll inconvenience the cleaning staff getting off work.” Kevin’s face turned ashen. But it wasn’t because he found Chloe embarrassing. He was upset at my indifference: “Sophia, when did you become so cold-blooded…” “You’ve really disappointed me…” Mr. Chen was even more dramatic, his eyes rolling back as if about to faint: “Sophia! You little beast! Are you only happy when you’ve driven our whole family to death?!” She yelled loudly, and I replied even louder. “Yep, thrilled.” The onlookers, not knowing the full story, actually started criticizing me: “I can’t believe it. Ms. Johnson seemed so capable at work, but behind closed doors she’s so cold to her own family!” “Yeah, she’s driven that poor girl to the brink of suicide and she’s still making sarcastic comments. You really can’t judge a book by its cover!” “Hmph! Who knows how she got that CEO position. Probably by sleeping with other men.” As the crowd’s speculation grew more and more outrageous, Kevin cleared his throat and put on a magnanimous act: “Sophia, you see how clear-sighted everyone is? They all know you’re in the wrong. Stop making a fuss and come home with me. Who else would want you besides me?” He reached out to grab my hand. I laughed. As if he was worthy of touching me. I stepped back, and under his dissatisfied gaze, I slowly spoke: “Do they know that in all our years of marriage, we’ve had no children because you have erectile dysfunction?” The crowd fell silent, all ears perked up waiting for the juicy gossip. “Sophia! What nonsense are you spouting?!” “If you keep talking rubbish, I really won’t take you back!” The man’s pride was thoroughly trampled in public. I shrugged, cleared my throat, and repeated in a voice the whole office could hear: “You have ED! You have ED! You have ED! You have ED!” “I’ve been married to you for years and never experienced a woman’s pleasure, all because…” “You have erectile dysfunction!!!!”

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