Author: Momo Chan

I, Louise Keller, and my boyfriend, Billy Jordan, went to a supermarket near the mall to buy some snacks. The store owner, Susan Adams, was a woman in her fifties, and I was a regular there. She immediately said the total was 196 dollars. I was confused, but I still paid. When I got home, even if I overestimated the price of the ice cream, it still didn’t add up to that amount. I told Billy the price was wrong and that I was going back to ask. Billy frowned. “It’s not like it’s a huge difference. She’s not having an easy time either.” I was stunned. Was my money just blowing in from the wind? I went shopping at the small supermarket I often visit. It was located near the college. When I was checking out, Susan fiddled with the register for a long time. She wasn’t just inputting numbers one by one, either. The machine made sounds like “20 minus 3,” leaving me even more confused. “Total is 196 dollars.” I was about to ask how much each ice cream cost, but Billy impatiently said, “I’ll wait for you outside.” With a line of people waiting to check out, I didn’t want to take up too much of their time. I went back to my rented apartment, feeling down, and put the ice cream in the fridge. As I took them out one by one, my face grew darker. Even if I overpriced the ice cream, the total still didn’t reach 196 dollars. I’d picked the cheaper ones, too. Billy saw me sitting on the floor for a while and frowned. “What’s wrong?” I pointed to the neatly arranged ice creams and asked, “You heard the price, right? Susan said the total was 196 dollars.” Billy just lay on the sofa when he came in, absentmindedly saying, “Yeah, well, how could she possibly charge you less? Hurry up and cook something.” I pieced the whole thing together and thought that Susan might have overcharged me, which made me feel frustrated. “I’m going to go back and ask Susan if she charged me too much.” I started getting dressed, but Billy was still lying on the couch, unmoved. When he saw I’d put on my shoes, he finally slowly got up. Billy furrowed his brow and tossed his phone onto the couch. “It’s not like it’s a huge difference. She’s not having an easy time either.” I was stunned again. Was my money just blowing in from the wind? “She took extra money from me. Is it wrong for me to ask about it as a customer?” Billy pressed his lips. “If it’s just ten or twenty bucks, do you really need to make a big deal out of it? We’ll be going there again, and we don’t want to offend her.” I immediately lost my temper. Billy wasn’t defending me and was actually defending her. “Is she your mother or something? Why are you protecting her? When you need something, you never think about things from my perspective.” Billy saw I was really angry, so he gave me an awkward smile. “I was just saying it casually, no big deal. I’ll go with you.” I naively thought Billy would help me gain some courage by going with me. But little did I know, he was just making things worse.

I took the bag of things I bought and went downstairs to grab a taxi to the supermarket. There were still quite a few people in the store. As soon as I walked in, I knew I was right. Susan immediately avoided my gaze and quickly unlocked her phone, making a million tiny movements in a second. Every single movement screamed guilt. And at the critical moment, Billy went silent. As soon as we walked in, he shut down and left everything to me. I wasn’t about to let it slide. I slammed the plastic bag onto the counter. The sound echoed loudly. A few customers looked over. I got straight to the point. “Susan, can you recalculate how much the items cost? You might have made a mistake.” Only then did Susan slowly put her phone down, glance at the items, and reluctantly stand up. “You young folks are always in a hurry. I wouldn’t cheat you out of a few dollars.” I stared at her, my eyes sharp. As winter was settling in, a bead of sweat appeared on her forehead. I could tell she was just brushing me off. She pressed a couple of buttons on the calculator, then casually said, “I have a record on my calculator. I remember you two. It should be 169 dollars.” My anger flared up immediately. I raised my voice. “You told us it was 196 dollars, you never mentioned 169 dollars.” Susan frowned and countered, “So how much did you actually pay? You are just talking, I can tell exactly how much you paid.” I pulled up the payment record on my phone and showed the number 196 dollars. She quickly switched her tone and gave a sheepish laugh. “Oh, you must have misheard me. I said 169 dollars. If you didn’t catch it, it’s not my fault.” Her nonchalant attitude pushed me over the edge. She had even asked me to help promote her supermarket in the school group before. I had gladly shared the posts, and now I was being taken advantage of. Her scheme was clear to me. She probably thought she could take advantage of a college student, assuming I wouldn’t notice or wouldn’t make a fuss. I pointed to the security camera footage nearby, my voice full of anger. “Then check the footage, and see what you actually said. If I misheard, fine. But two people mishearing? Come on.” “It may not seem like a big deal, but the way you’re dodging responsibility, do you think I’m that easy to fool?” “Or do you think I’m stupid and won’t come back to you when I’ve been scammed?” Customers in the store had stopped to watch, making it so that others couldn’t even come up to the counter to check out. They had cleared the counter space for us. Susan froze for a moment, glancing at the footage. “What’s wrong with you? It’s just a little over twenty bucks, and you’re making it into such a big deal. I will just refund you, and it’ll be over. “Why do you need to watch the footage? This supermarket is busy. If everyone were like you, the store would be out of business. “Learn some respect for your elders, kid. I’m around the same age as your mom. You should be polite when you speak to me. Twenty bucks is nothing, but you are messing up my business!” The customers gathered closer, their eyes on us, making Billy feel uneasy. He tugged at my sleeve and whispered, “Enough, okay? Susan already said she’ll refund you. Stop making a scene. “There are so many people watching, this is so embarrassing.” I stared at him, my heart sinking. As my boyfriend, he wasn’t standing up for me, and now he was accusing me of making a fuss. Wasn’t I the one losing out here? I took a deep breath, pulling my arm away from Billy. “Is this really just about the money? I come to your store every week. You don’t even have a scanner. How can I know if you’ve overcharged me a dollar or two? Isn’t it you who’s stubborn and won’t admit you overcharged me? “Just show me the footage and clear this up. It’ll be better for both of us. “Unless you’re lying, and you know you deliberately overcharged us, too scared to let us see the footage.” The customers seemed to have caught on to the situation, and they began discussing it in a flurry of voices. “That makes sense. Last time, I bought one big and one small bucket of instant pasta, and she charged me at the large one’s price.” “I knew something didn’t add up. I felt like I hadn’t bought much, but the total was still high. So, it was the ice cream that got me.” “If that’s how it’s gonna be, I won’t come back next time. I thought Susan was nice, handling the cash register at her age, but turns out she’s been treating us college students like fools.” At these words, Susan’s ears turned red, and she hurriedly responded, “Don’t make up lies. The worst thing that happened was that I forgot, but you must have been a competitor sent to cause trouble. “I’m so mad, my chest hurts.” Susan clutched her chest and sat down. I glanced over, and some customers had already pulled out their phones to record her. I did the same, just in case I needed evidence later. Seeing that I wasn’t scared, Susan’s pained expression quickly faded. She picked up the plastic bag and, with a feigned look of regret, said, “I won’t take the money, I’ll give it back to you!” I wasn’t about to take it. Who knew how she might try to pin the blame on me later? “No, just refund the difference, and be more careful next time.” Reluctantly, Susan transferred the difference back to me. Billy, who had been waiting, rushed out faster than I did. Before I left, I glanced back at Susan, muttering to herself. I could tell from her lips that she was saying it was an accident.

When we got home, Billy was in a bad mood. He rolled his eyes, moved the sofa around on purpose, and made noise as if he were throwing a tantrum. Annoyed, I asked, “What’s your problem? I was the one dealing with Susan the whole time, and you barely said anything to help. “You’re still mad after we get home?” Billy stormed toward me. I was a little scared he might get physical, so I stepped back. “You’re just bullying her, aren’t you? “For just a little over twenty bucks, you had to go to the store? By the time I get to eat, it’ll be seven-thirty. What’s the point of all that? “Maybe she really just made a mistake. Didn’t your parents teach you that sometimes it’s good to take a loss?” I felt a little dizzy. Now, I had to listen to Billy complain even after I got home. Did I do something wrong? Just because I was kind, did that mean I deserved to be taken advantage of? I answered firmly, “Just because she’s having a hard time doesn’t give her the right to scam people. There are plenty of people with tougher lives than hers! “We walked into the store, and she was clearly avoiding eye contact. With all her shady actions, how could you not see that? And you’re blaming me? “Talking about not being able to eat, can’t you make your own meals? After you scold me, I’m the one who still has to cook dinner for you. How pathetic am I?” Billy had pulled this kind of thing more than once. These past two years, I kept asking myself, what was it about Billy that made me fall for him? Before we started dating, he would bring me food, and when it rained, he’d make sure to give me his umbrella. His careful attention was what made me fall for him. But once we were officially together, all that was gone. Outrageous things kept happening. On my birthday, he went off to play games with his buddies. His TikTok was full of suggestive content featuring young women. The worst part was when we argued. He went out to drink with friends, then shamelessly asked me to pick him up and pay for it. All these past memories flooded back. But since Billy was my first love, I somehow healed from all the mistreatment. “Billy, let’s break up.” Billy’s eyes went wide, and his mouth hung open for a few seconds before he finally spoke, “Are you serious? Can you stop taking it out on me just because you’re mad?” He waved his hands repeatedly. “Next time, I’ll speak up for you. Don’t be so petty. It’s not like you never let it go before. Did Aunt Flo visit early this month?” I smiled faintly, my gaze cold. This month, Aunt Flo had just left. “No need, just go. The house is rented under my name.” Billy immediately flew into a rage. “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you understand the principle of compromising for happiness? I’m doing this for your own good!” We stared at each other in silence for over a minute, and when Billy saw I wasn’t giving him an out, he angrily put on his clothes, breathing heavily, trying to act as though he was in pain. But even as he opened the door, I chose to ignore him completely. “Fine, Louise. Just wait and regret it later.” That night, it felt like a double celebration for me. My mind was clear, and for the first time, I felt at peace. However, what I didn’t expect was that the supermarket incident would bring me huge trouble.

I had just woken up when my roommate, Dorothy Clarke, sent me a video. I clicked on it, and all the sleepiness disappeared instantly. Someone uploaded a video of me confronting the supermarket yesterday. The account name was the supermarket’s own. But the video wasn’t complete. My face had been blurred, and the footage mainly focused on me arguing my case. It had been edited, leaving out the backstory. The video made it look like I was bullying them, while Susan came off as the victim. Even worse, the supermarket had labeled the prices of the ice cream in the freezer. No matter how people looked at it, I didn’t seem like I was standing up for my rights. I looked more like I was picking a fight. The person who made the video was clearly an expert. The title was: [Do Older People Just Deserve to Be Bullied?] A group of outraged netizens flooded the comments, attacking me. Comment 1: [Who raised this lady? Your supermarket’s too kind. The blur is unnecessary. Just show her face!] Comment 2: [Someone checks if she’s a student nearby. We should tag the nearby universities. We can’t let one bad apple ruin a whole generation. This kind of person should publicly apologize!] Comment 3: [She’s a setback to society, but I sincerely hope people won’t overdo it with the online bullying. If we do, we’ll be no different from her.] As the shares went viral, the comments kept coming in, and one comment was pinned to the top. The person made up a story. They said I had bought ice cream without checking the price, then got upset and blamed Susan for everything. I made my mistake but made someone else pay for it. Their version of events sounded so convincing, like they were eyewitnesses. They corrected the one error, the price was clearly marked. In the video, I had no argument at all. The nearby universities were all tagged, and it seemed like there was an invisible hand stirring the pot behind the scenes. I gritted my teeth and immediately received a call. It was Paul Butler, the agent who handles my family’s business affairs. The year was ending, and rent collection was coming up. “Miss, are the rents for those stores the same as last year?” I answered flatly. “Everything’s the same, except for the supermarket. They don’t need to rent anymore.” Sometimes, people really couldn’t afford to be too kind. Free Point

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My wife, Jacqueline Hampton, was hiding a secret. Her first love, Gerald Andersen, had been in a car accident and urgently needed a kidney transplant. She took me to the hospital for a checkup, claiming it was just a routine exam, but the real reason was to see if I was a match for Gerald. When the results came out, Jacqueline was overjoyed and tricked me into signing a consent form. “Matthew Hampton, it’s just a kidney. You won’t die without it. Why are you being so dramatic? “I promise you, if you help Gerald survive this, I’ll have children with you!” I smirked bitterly, “Children? You’ve got to be kidding. Only my wife can bear my children. Who are you?” “Why the sudden need to take the whole family for a checkup?” I turned to look out the window, my face expressionless, as Jacqueline, holding my hand, awkwardly smiled at me. “I’m just worried about my parents’ health and about you too. You’ve been working late for years, and your health is getting worse. I just want to make sure everything’s okay. “You’re the pillar of our family. If you fall, what will happen to us?” Sitting in the backseat, my parents nodded in agreement with Jacqueline, adding, “Matthew, Jacqueline really cares about you. You should listen to her.” I turned to look into her eyes, and Jacqueline nervously looked down, her grip on my hand tightening. “Darling, do you think I would harm you?” I said nothing, just quietly stared at her. Despite Jacqueline’s calm demeanor, I could tell from her body language that she was lying. Earlier, when I looked out the window, I noticed several cars following us. No legitimate hospital would perform a transplant without the patient’s consent. Judging by the situation, Jacqueline must have gone to a black-market hospital where she could pay to get anything done. I tried calming myself and spoke slowly, “Jacqueline, I know what’s happening. “You brought us to the hospital under the guise of a checkup, but it’s not really a checkup, is it? The real reason is to see if we’re a match for Gerald’s kidney, right?” The mention of Gerald’s name struck Jacqueline like a lightning bolt straight to her heart. In the next moment, I clearly felt a thin layer of sweat forming on her palm. “Matthew, what are you talking about? Since marrying you, I haven’t thought about any other man.” “Really?” I asked, “A week ago, Gerald had a car accident. Didn’t you hear? “I heard he was seriously injured, his kidney was damaged, and without a matching donor, it will fail, and he doesn’t have much time left.” As soon as I finished speaking, Jacqueline let go of my hand, her face filled with guilt. She didn’t argue, and my heart sank. “Matthew, I would never hurt you. Please don’t think that. “This accident was a tragedy. Gerald was just an innocent victim, and I won’t let him suffer, nor will I let you suffer.” I watched her eyes fill with sorrow, and my heart felt like it was being squeezed, aching to the point I could barely breathe. “Gerald is a race car driver. How many families has he ruined over the years by ignoring traffic laws and speeding? “Even this accident was his fault. If not for his family’s connections, he would’ve…” “Matthew!” Jacqueline interrupted me sharply, her eyes red. She looked up at me, her gaze unwavering. “It’s not like that…” “He’s a race car driver. He loves speed. That’s his passion. You can’t say that about him! “Besides, I’m just asking you to get a checkup. Even if you’re a match, donating one kidney won’t affect your normal life. “Please, just do it for me. Help him, and I’ll have children with you!” Jacqueline looked at me with pleading eyes. What I hadn’t expected was that the woman who once refused to have a child with me, terrified of how her body might change, was now using it as a bargaining chip to make demands in exchange for Gerald’s recovery. “Jacqueline, you never used to say things like this,” I said, my voice filled with disappointment. Jacqueline must have sensed it because she clutched the sleeve of my shirt tightly. From the moment she had me get into the car, I knew Gerald was the one who truly mattered to her. No matter how much I did, how much I sacrificed, it could never compare to him. For the next few hours, I didn’t say a word. The car behind us stayed too close, and my parents were still in Jacqueline’s hands. There was no way to escape. Regardless of what the test results showed, my marriage with Jacqueline was already over. The driver brought us to a rundown iron gate. The moment we got out of the car, a group of people surrounded us. “We’ll take him first. Remember to pay the balance,” one of them said. Jacqueline stood there, silent. My parents were trapped inside the car, and if I dared to resist, there was a real chance I’d end up dead. The only hope left was that the test results wouldn’t match Gerald’s. I was quickly taken to an underground operating room, where the environment was dirty and chaotic. From the medical box next to me, which was filled with medical cotton swabs, I could even hear the squeaky sounds of mice. As the doctor took my blood, he glanced at me and couldn’t help but mock, “I’ve been in this business for years, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone send their husband here. “She is ruthless. Afraid you might run, so she brought your parents along.” I didn’t respond. Every word from the doctor felt like a knife cutting into me. When the thick needle went into my skin, my face turned pale from the pain. About two hours later, the test results came out. My kidney matched Gerald’s perfectly. Hearing this, Jacqueline was ecstatic. She eagerly grabbed the doctor’s hand, urging them to take my kidney. I stared at the woman who had been by my side for five years, and at that moment, my heart completely broke.

“Jacqueline! After all these years, Matthew has been good to you, and this is how you repay him?” At that moment, my mother suddenly rushed out of the car, but the bodyguards inside yanked her by the hair and stopped her from moving. “Let go of my mom!” I shouted in panic, but my cries were useless. My hands and feet were bound, and they dragged me toward the underground operating room. From start to finish, Jacqueline stood aside, cold and indifferent. “Matthew, I’m sorry. If your kidney didn’t match, I wouldn’t make things difficult for you. But now the doctor says your kidney can save Gerald, and I can’t let him die in front of me. “The surgery will be quick. Don’t worry. I’ve asked the doctor. Even if you lose a kidney, it won’t kill you! “Honey, don’t blame me. I love you so much. Once Gerald’s out of danger, I’ll fulfill all your wishes.” As I heard Jacqueline’s words, my heart ached like never before. “No need. Once Gerald is out of danger, we’ll get a divorce.” As soon as I said this, Jacqueline froze. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she stood there in front of me. “Honey, I know you’re angry. I made this decision on my own, but I had no other choice. “Don’t say things in anger. We’ll live a good life together once Gerald and you are both well. “You always wanted kids, right? I’ll have them for you. You can have as many as you want. Is that okay?” Jacqueline’s voice grew more frantic, her hands trembling as she clutched mine. The doctor, standing nearby, hurried us along. “Are we going to do this surgery or not?” “Yes! Of course!” Jacqueline didn’t hesitate for a second. A few minutes later, I was dragged into the operating room. The anesthesia the doctor gave me didn’t seem to be enough. I could clearly feel a knife cutting through my skin, layer by layer. They were using their fingers, stirring around in my belly. I wanted to scream, but my body was too weak, no strength at all. For a moment, I even felt like my illness had reached its end. I didn’t wake up until three days later. I woke up in pain. Since Jacqueline had used improper means to take my kidney, she didn’t let me stay in the hospital for fear that her actions would be exposed. Only the doctor who performed the surgery came to see me regularly, changing my bandages on schedule. The servants brought me food during the day for the past few days, and the doctor checked my wound at night. Jacqueline didn’t show up once. I lay in bed, looking at the crooked scar on my stomach. The stitches were ugly, and there was no skill involved at all. Suddenly, my phone rang. I picked it up and saw a message from Gerald. [How’s your health? Jacqueline told me you volunteered to donate a kidney to save me.] [When I woke up, I wanted to come see you first, but Jacqueline wouldn’t allow it. She insisted I wait until I’m fully recovered before I get out of bed.] [Since Jacqueline isn’t with you these days, you need to take care of yourself. I’ll take good care of her for you.] Gerald even sent a photo of Jacqueline sleeping in his hospital bed. Actually, this wasn’t the first time I had received a photo like this. The first time was a year ago when Jacqueline’s company was working with Gerald’s. At the time, her boss somehow found out that Jacqueline and Gerald were close, so he sent her to handle the cooperation talks. Jacqueline came home late every day during that period. Gerald would send me a photo of her sleeping, taken from the side, every night. At first, I tried to fool myself, telling myself she must have been so tired from work. I started driving her to and from work every day. But Jacqueline got mad at me, saying I didn’t trust her. That was the first time we had the biggest argument in our five years of marriage. She was so angry that she moved into the company. In the end, I had to beg her to come home. Thinking back on it, I let out a bitter smile. It was the same old trick. Maybe it seemed fresh the first time, but it lost its effect when it was used too many times. I blocked Gerald without a second thought, then slammed my phone onto the nightstand. I was just about to lie down and sleep when Jacqueline called me. “Matthew, there’s a limit to how much you can fool around. It’s just a kidney, you won’t die without it. Why are you being so dramatic?”

I was stunned by Jacqueline’s harsh words. I couldn’t understand why she was so angry. “Gerald just wanted to thank you. Why did you block him? “You better unblock him and apologize. Then we can just forget about it.” I almost laughed at her unreasonable tantrum. She took my kidney, he showed off pictures of Jacqueline sleeping next to him, and now they wanted me to apologize. It was completely backward! “Why should I apologize? Gerald sent me a photo of you late at night, and I blocked him. What’s wrong with that? “Do you think I shouldn’t have blocked him? Should I have gone over to ask him if he’s dating you now, like some fool?” “Matthew!” Jacqueline was incredibly angry with me at my words. Even though we were talking on the phone, I could feel her rage clearly. “Do you even know what you’re saying? “I know you’re still upset. I stayed at the hospital taking care of Gerald and didn’t go back to give you time to calm down. I’ve told you many times that I’m your wife, and I would never betray you! “Gerald and I are just friends!” If it weren’t for Gerald’s parents strongly opposing their relationship back then, thinking Jacqueline’s family background didn’t match his, maybe they would have been together already. For all these years, Jacqueline often hid alone in the study, secretly scrolling through her phone, reading every piece of news about Gerald. I couldn’t understand. Why did she marry me if she was so unwilling to let go of Gerald? “Friends? Jacqueline, do you really believe that?” There was silence over the phone for a long moment. I guessed that silence was the answer. “It doesn’t matter.” No matter how hard one side tried, a marriage without any feelings couldn’t be sustained. Maybe because I was silent for too long after she said, “It doesn’t matter,” Jacqueline couldn’t hold back any longer. “We can’t resolve this over the phone. I’ll come back and talk to you face-to-face. “Matthew, please don’t be mad at me. I wanted to live a good life with you from the moment I married you. Do you remember what I said to you before the surgery? “I know it’s been five years, and you’ve always wanted a child of your own. Once your wound heals, I’ll make that wish come true.” Jacqueline’s tone even carried a hint of excitement. It was as if, by agreeing to have a child for my family, she expected me to be grateful and forgive all her actions. Five years! Five whole years of effort and companionship! Hearing her say those words made me feel completely disgusted. How disgusting! “Child? Jacqueline, you’ve got it all wrong. Only my wife can give me a child. Who do you think you are? “Do you even deserve to say that?” Free Point

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I was diagnosed with acute leukemia the moment I found out York was dating another girl Winnie. My world shattered, and just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, his uncle appeared. On their wedding day, Winnie whispered something strange to me. After the wedding, York’s true face emerged. Yet, the truth ignited something fierce within me. I couldn’t stand by, not even at the cost of my life. I would fight, using every ounce of strength to save him from his own lies. And in my final moments, I realized—York had always been there, hidden in the shadows, loving me in his own twisted way. Even as I bled out, I knew—he had always been there. In my quest for revenge, I married my boyfriend’s uncle. I’m Zenobia Smith, and I met York Wales five years ago. It was a typical college day when I first saw him—standing under the sun in a crisp white shirt. His clean, perfect image struck me, but it was his eyes—so clear and untainted—that held me. His family was wealthy, and they had already arranged a marriage for him. But York, in defiance, ran away from his world and chose me. We struggled after college. No jobs, no money. But we always had each other. Then, things started to change. A company hired us, and York, after a year and a half, left to start his own business. Despite the hardships, we made it. For five years, we were inseparable. I believed we’d walk down the aisle one day. Then came the diagnosis. Acute leukemia. “I can’t afford the treatment, York. My family… they can’t help. I’m… I’m too far gone,” my voice breaking. York’s face twisted in agony. “I’ll do whatever it takes, Zenobia. I’m not losing you. I’ll find the money, I swear.” But nothing was enough. The bills piled up, and we were drowning. Then came the anonymous envelope, the one with money. I read the handwritten note over and over again, desperately clinging to it like it was my lifeline. As the pain from treatment consumed me, York stayed by my side. He was my rock. But soon, I started noticing the change in him. His phone would ring, and he’d quickly shove it away, muttering about spam. “York, who was that?” I asked one evening, my voice fragile. “It’s nothing, Zenobia. Just… just some junk mail,” he replied, forcing a smile. I could feel it in my bones. Something was off. One day, when he stepped out of the room. I unlocked his phone. The message was clear. “Tonight at 8, Doya Hotel, Room 203, waiting for you.” My heart stopped. The name on the message sent a chill through me—Winnie. His ex-fiancée. The woman his family had chosen for him. I could hardly breathe. My entire world was crashing down around me. “York… How could you?” York had never turned his back on me during my sickness, but maybe the pressure was too much for him. Maybe he needed an outlet—or maybe he just had normal human needs? I tried to rationalize it, to make excuses for him. But as the days passed, my mood soured. My treatment stopped going as smoothly, and I couldn’t hide my anger every time he glanced at his phone. Finally, one day, I exploded. He didn’t argue with me. He just calmly walked out of the room—and he never came back.

I began to resist treatment on purpose, refusing to take my medicine. My former doctors and nurses were at their wit’s end. At that moment, I just wanted to wait for death. Then, my new doctor—Woodruff Jenkins—walked into my world. “Hello, I’m your new doctor, Woodruff Jenkins. Forty-two years old, Cancer sign, no bad habits, I own a house and a car, and after work, I just go home,” he introduced himself, his voice casual yet confident. I thought, What is he doing, giving me his personal details like we’re on a blind date? But I couldn’t help but notice that his introduction caught my attention. “I’ve reviewed your case. There’s hope for you. Don’t worry, no patient of mine has ever given up on themselves,” he said with a reassuring smile like a ray of light cutting through the darkness of my life. I stared at him, and something about his smile—his eyes—reminded me of York. They were just as clear, just as innocent. “Medicine is great, but nothing beats the sunshine. Let’s go for a walk,” his tone gentle but unyielding. “I’m tired,” Before I could respond, he signaled the nurse to bring over a wheelchair. Then, without warning, he swept me into his arms in a princess carry and placed me in the wheelchair. I was stunned by his suddenness but didn’t push him away. I couldn’t help it—there was something about him that reminded me of York. I began cooperating with my treatment. Dr. Jenkins would accompany me on walks whenever he had time, and soon, I found myself eagerly awaiting his rounds. My health improved, and as our bond grew beyond the doctor-patient relationship. One day, as we sat together, he took my hand and said softly, “I think it’s time we take things to the next level. Next week, there’s a family gathering. I want to bring you along.” I froze. Is this happening so fast? Five years with York, and he never once took me to meet his family. But with Woodruff, just three months in, and I was going to meet his parents? The day of the gathering, Woodruff took me shopping for a red dress. The moment I put it on, I felt like a new person—healthier, more alive. I was worried about what his family would think if they knew I was sick, but Woodruff had once said, “A firm choice is more important than any romance.” I wasn’t sure if I believed in fate, but in that moment, I understood what he meant. When we arrived at Woodruff’s home, my anxiety only grew. The large garden, the mansion, the servants—everything screamed wealth. I walked in with him, my heart pounding. “The others aren’t here yet, we’ve arrived first. Let’s wait for them,” Woodruff said, his hand gently guiding me. “Okay,” I whispered, trying to steady myself. “Sit here. I’ll go grab you some fresh juice,” he walked toward the kitchen. As I waited, I noticed the family photos on the mantle above the fireplace. I ran my fingers over them, one by one, until I reached a photo of Woodruff as a child. He looked so innocent. But then, my eyes froze on one particular picture. It was a photo of Woodruff with someone else. York. My heart skipped a beat. Before I could process the shock, Woodruff came back with the juice. He saw the blood on my hands, and panic flashed across his face. “Zenobia! You’re bleeding,” . He rushed me to the car and sped back to the hospital. On the way there,my mind racing. How could I have missed this? Woodruff glanced at me, concern written all over his face. “We’ll be at the hospital soon. Where are you hurting?” “Pull over,” I ordered suddenly. “Zenobia, what’s wrong?” “Stop the car,” Woodruff pulled over and reached out to touch my head. “What’s happening?” “Why… why do you have a picture with York?” “He’s my nephew. I’m his uncle.” I was stunned. “You knew about York and me all along?” “No, not at first,” his brow furrowed. “I didn’t know, but then his father mentioned you to me. I felt for you and wanted to help, but I never expected to fall for you. I’m so sorry, Zenobia. I never meant to hide it from you.” He pulled me into an embrace. “And York… I’m sure you’ve figured out what happened. He and Winnie, they’ve been in contact for a while. They were still meeting, going to hotels together…” His words sliced through me like a knife. They’d been together all along. My heart broke into a thousand pieces. But at that moment, I could feel Woodruff’s arms around me—comforting, gentle. He wasn’t York. He never would be. Yet, even in his warmth, I could still see York’s face, his eyes, his smile. I wanted to confess my feelings to Woodruff, but every time I saw the care he gave me, my words got stuck. He was the light in my life now, and I couldn’t bear to hurt him.

It was valentine day, and a nurse walked in with a bouquet of flowers, smiling brightly. “Dr. White is in surgery, but the flowers he ordered for you have arrived.” Yes, he was always so thoughtful. I placed the flowers in a vase and gazed out at the cars passing below the hospital, each car seemingly carrying a pair of lovers. Last year’s Valentine was spent with York, but this year, everything had changed. “Do you like the flowers?” Suddenly, a pair of large hands wrapped around my waist from behind. It was Woodruff. “I do,” “How about we go out for dinner tonight? I’ve reserved a table at a fancy restaurant,” Woodruff whispered, nibbling at my neck. “Sounds good,” At 8 PM, I changed out of my hospital gown and joined Woodruff at the restaurant. As expected, it was a high-end place. The decor suggested the food might be expensive, though I couldn’t tell if it was any good, but I could already taste the wealth in the air. Sure enough, the dishes that arrived were Michelin-level. Woodruff clearly paid great attention to me. Amid our light conversation, a familiar voice suddenly called from behind. “Uncle.” I turned, and my heart nearly shattered. It was York. “York, Winnie is here too,” Woodruff responded. I quickly turned away, not wanting to meet his gaze, though I could tell York was equally stunned. “I was just checking in on my patient,” Woodruff tried to lighten the awkward atmosphere. “Well, since Uncle’s friend is here, we won’t stay. Let’s go, York,” Winnie said, pulling York away. York walked slowly, struggling, probably because he couldn’t understand the situation—his uncle was sitting across from his ex, who hadn’t officially broken up with him yet. As York and Winnie sat down nearby, I lowered my head and tried to eat, but the food had lost all its taste. A wave of resentment and jealousy surged inside me. “Marry me,” Woodruff suddenly said. My mind was still reeling from the shock of seeing York, the man who had betrayed me and left me when I was sick. I stared at Woodruff for a moment and then answered, “Yes.” Woodruff’s excitement was palpable. “What? You said yes?” “Mm,” “Wait here,” Woodruff stood and walked toward the front desk, speaking briefly with the manager before returning to my side, grabbing my hand. The manager approached, pushing a cart with wine and flowers, followed by a violinist. Woodruff knelt beside me, pulling a ring from his pocket. As the violinist began to play, we became the center of attention. In front of everyone, Woodruff slipped the ring onto my finger. The room erupted in applause, offering us their blessings. But York, seated nearby, wore a shocked and worried expression. Less than a year after breaking up with York, I was marrying his uncle. Woodruff rushed to plan our wedding as if afraid I would disappear if we slowed down. We began writing invitations, and since Woodruff was York’s uncle, I knew he would come. I quickly wrote York’s name on the invitation, imagining how he would regret his actions when he saw me on my wedding day. Suddenly, my phone rang. It was York. I froze for a second, thinking, Could he already regret it? “Hello, what’s up?” There was a brief silence on the other end before he spoke. “Don’t marry my uncle.” Does he regret it already? “Don’t you want me to live long?” “No, you can hate me, but don’t marry my uncle. You have to trust me. We were together for five years. Have I ever lied to you?” His voice shook. “Did you lie to me? What about you and Winnie?” “It’s not what you think. We didn’t do anything,” he hurriedly explained. “I saw your phone.” I cut him off. There was silence on the other end. “No one stays a fool forever. I have to finish writing wedding invitations. Goodbye.” Before he could say more, I hung up. The more he suffered, the better I felt. It felt like all the pain from the past was finally being repaid. I deleted York’s contact information and blocked him. “You deserve it. This is the price of betrayal.” “Are you done?” Woodruff’s voice startled me. I hadn’t realized he was standing behind me. “Almost,” I quickly closed my phone. “Who was that?” Woodruff asked, noticing my unease. “Telemarketer,” I lied. Woodruff paused, “Let’s go to the marriage registration office today.” “I thought we were doing that after the wedding?” I asked, surprised. We had previously agreed to register after the ceremony. “Maybe I just want you so much. I’m afraid someone might steal you away,” “Okay, let’s go to the registration office this afternoon,” I replied.

In the afternoon, we left the civil affairs bureau and took a car back to Woodruff’s house. Along the way, Woodruff suddenly became much quieter than usua. To break the silence, I spoke first, “My condition is much more stable now.” Normally, if I mentioned my illness before, he would go into a detailed analysis, but today he only replied with a cold “mm.” Perhaps he was tired from juggling work and wedding preparations. I decided not to push for a conversation and let the silence linger. But then I noticed we weren’t heading to the hospital or his house; instead, we were going to a resort in the suburbs. “The house is a bit chaotic with the wedding preparations, so you’ll stay here for now,” Woodruff said. His thoughtfulness moved me, and for a moment, I thought I had found the right person. But once again, reality shattered my hopeful dreams … Soon, the wedding day arrived. We had decided to hold the ceremony in Woodruff’s small villa. To keep things simple and not tire me out, we only invited family and close friends. York and Winnie were also present. winnie approached me to congratulate me and gave me a gift. York didn’t speak to me; he went straight to Woodruff, and I caught a glimpse of their expressions. Woodruff wore his professional, fake smile, while York looked visibly displeased.”If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have left first.” Woodruff glanced over at me, and when he saw Winnie and I talking, he ignored York and came over to us. Winnie, upon seeing him, suddenly hugged me and whispered “York asked me to tell you not to sign any papers Woodruff gives you, and don’t let him know what I told you.” Before I could ask her what she meant, she quickly greeted Woodruff. “Uncle, congratulations.” Woodruff gave her a quick glance before turning to me, “Not tired, are you?” I nodded. Just then, Woodruff’s boss arrived, and he quickly took me away from Winnie to greet him. As the wedding party carried on, a frail, disheveled old woman, around 70 years old, burst into the room, grabbing Woodruff by the collar and shouting like a madwoman, “Give me back my daughter, you killed her…” Everyone was shocked, but only Winnie and York remained calm. At first, Woodruff was a bit stunned, but he quickly composed himself, silently instructing the servants to remove the woman. He adjusted his tie and glanced deeply at York, then ordered the servants to call the police. Was this York’s revenge? Sending an old woman to disrupt my most important moment? It was his betrayal that started this, and now he was trying to ruin my wedding. Five years of my life wasted. I stormed up to York and slapped him across the face. I hated this man in front of me with all my heart. Winnie gasped and immediately pushed me away. I then slapped her, the mistress in my relationship, leaving her stunned. She screamed, “Are you crazy?” Yes, I was crazy. These two had driven me mad. York didn’t try to explain himself; he just looked at me with sad eyes. “Please leave. You’re not welcome here,” As they were leaving, Winnie said, “Zenobia, all the suffering you’ll endure from now on, you deserve it.” All the pain I’ve suffered has come from these two people.

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My husband’s mistress deliberately burned my daughter to death. Fearing I’d make trouble, he sent me to a mental hospital. On Christmas Eve, Antonio Carlson’s secretary’s daughter, Miria Carlson, set off fireworks and intentionally burned my daughter, Amy Carlson, to death. I tried to call the police, but he smashed my phone. Then he scolded me, “Julia didn’t do it on purpose, why pick on a child?” Afraid I would cause trouble for Evelyn and Julia; Antonio forcefully sent me to the mental hospital. Later, when Julia fell seriously ill and was hospitalized, Antonio worried so much that he turned gray overnight. With no other choice, he finally let me out. “Amy is dead, don’t keep dwelling on the past. “You’re good at medicine, I trust your skill.” I didn’t speak, but a trace of hatred flickered in my eyes. His mistake was thinking he could reason with a mentally ill person. I didn’t like Julia. At such a young age, she lied all the time, was hypocritical and jealous, and often bullied Amy behind my back. Whenever I complained to Antonio, he would always lecture me in return. “You’re too shallow. You look down on Julia because she’s from a single-parent family. “Her mother may be my secretary, but everyone is equal. No one is more important than anyone else, so stop bullying her.” I was furious and frustrated, feeling helpless. Every time Julia bullied Amy, she would always be the first to play the victim. Before Amy even cried, Julia and Evelyn were already acting like they were wronged. This made Antonio feel so sorry for them. He’d even give anything to Evelyn and Julia. Even though Antonio believed Julia was innocent, I still tried to keep Amy away from her. But on Christmas Eve, when I came back from my shift at the hospital, Amy had an accident. Holding Amy’s burnt, disfigured body, I wanted to rip Julia apart. “Miria, Antonio, it wasn’t me. “I warned Amy about playing with fire, but she didn’t listen and even pushed me.” Julia hid behind Evelyn, looking innocent, showing us a scratch on her hand. Her tearful eyes almost broke Antonio’s heart. “Mrs. Carlson, Amy was your precious child, but Julia is my treasure too. “She has no father, she’s naturally timid, and she couldn’t have intentionally set fire to kill.” Evelyn kept Amy hidden behind her. Her shoulders trembled slightly, making it hard not to feel sorry for her. Something in her words must’ve been triggered, Antonio. He immediately grabbed the first-aid kit to treat Julia’s injury. And without missing a beat, he scolded me. “Don’t make baseless accusations. Didn’t you see that Julia was scared by you?” I slammed on the table in anger. I pulled up the footage from the security camera at the door. To prevent Julia from doing something like this again, I had secretly installed a tiny camera outside a few days ago. The footage showed Julia’s actions clearly. Antonio froze. Julia panicked, pinching her own thigh, tears streaming down her face. “It’s not my fault. Amy said her clothes looked better than mine and even called me a kid with no dad. I just wanted to burn her clothes, I never meant to kill her.” “Poor child, I believe you.” Antonio softened his expression, quickly picking her up and comforting her. But when Julia noticed Evelyn’s subtle glance, she understood and pushed him away. She smiled, pretending to be obedient and understanding. “Antonio, I won’t blame Miria. She’s only so heartbroken because of Amy’s death. “Miria, don’t be sad.” Suddenly, Julia turned and jogged over to hug me. A strange smile appeared on her youthful face as she whispered in my ear. “Too bad your surveillance can’t pick up sound. Amy cried so pitifully when she died. From now on, I’m going to take Amy’s place as Antonio’s daughter and enjoy everything she had, including the shares Antonio left for her.” “You wish! “I’ll call the police and have you arrested for your dirty tricks, brat!” Furious, I pushed her away and slapped her hard. “Julia!” Evelyn, holding Julia, screamed in agony. Her eyes burned with resentment as she glared at me. “Mrs. Carlson, I know you look down on us. You blame everything on Julia whenever something happens, but she’s still just a child. You can’t bully her just because we have no one to rely on. “Since Amy’s death, Julia has been feeling guilty and terrified. Didn’t you see how scared she was? Her heart disease almost came back.” I glanced coldly at Julia’s pale face. I sneered and took out my phone to call the police. The next second, Antonio knocked the phone from my hand. He looked at Julia with deep concern. His expression turned dark as he looked at me. “Enough. Amy is already dead. Holding Julia accountable, what’s the point? Will it bring her back? “Besides, Julia didn’t mean to do this. Let it go, show some mercy.”

“She did not mean it? So, Amy deserved to die? “Antonio, Amy was burned to death by her. How could you say such heartless words?” I had never hated him more than at that moment. Ignoring his objections, I picked up the phone and called the police. When the police arrived, I knew it wouldn’t matter. The officer in charge was one of Antonio’s friends. They didn’t give me a chance to speak. After a brief conversation with Antonio, the police left. I completely lost control and began punching and kicking him in frustration. “How could you? Amy is dead, and you’re protecting the real culprit. Amy is watching from heaven; how can you live with peace?” Antonio, knowing he was in the wrong, let me vent my anger. When I finally exhausted myself, he patted me on the shoulder and tried to comfort me. “The mortuary van is here. You should handle Amy’s funeral. Julia’s frightened, so I’ll take her to the hospital for a check-up.” He didn’t hesitate for a second. He walked past Amy’s body, holding Julia, stopping only briefly before walking away with long strides. I stared at his retreating figure in disbelief. Julia and Evelyn turned back to smirk at me. I gritted my teeth in hatred, wanting nothing more than to rush over and take them down with me. But right now, I had to make sure Amy was laid to rest properly. As for the rest, I would deal with them later! By the third day, Amy’s body was about to be cremated. Antonio hadn’t shown up at all, nor did he even call. I held back my anger and called him. “Sorry, babe, Julia’s heart condition is worsening, and Evelyn can’t handle it alone. You’ll have to take care of Amy’s arrangements on your own.” I hung up the phone immediately. I didn’t even have the energy to argue with him. After burying Amy’s ashes, I came home. I noticed Amy’s room had been rummaged through. My anger flared up, and I stormed into the living room, grabbing Julia and demanding loudly, “Did you go into Amy’s room? Did you take her necklace?” As I spoke, I noticed the gemstone bracelet on her wrist. A bad feeling immediately crept into my chest. “Miria, you scared me! Antonio, help!” Julia panicked and tried to cover the bracelet. But my grip on her wrist was firm, and all she could do was helplessly scream. Antonio and Evelyn rushed out of the study, still looking a bit disheveled. When they saw my dark expression, Antonio quickly pulled Julia behind him and started shouting at me. “Miria Carlson, that’s enough! You haven’t even figured out what’s going on, and you’re acting like a madwoman, accusing her. “Amy’s room isn’t even being used. What’s the big deal if Julia went in and played with some things? “You scared her! The fortune-teller said that would harm Amy’s luck, so I had a bracelet made for Julia using Amy’s necklace. It’s for Amy’s own good, to help her gather good fortune for her next life.” Antonio spoke as though it was the most reasonable thing in the world as if I was the one being unreasonable. “That’s nonsense! No one can take Amy’s things!” I snapped. I let my emotions take over, yanking the bracelet off Julia’s wrist in a frenzy. Her wrist turned bright red from my grip. “It hurts, Miria, please stop hitting me!” Julia’s acting was nowhere near as convincing as Evelyn’s. She cried and screamed for a long time, but no tears came. Evelyn, on the other hand, was much more skilled. In front of Antonio, she threw herself against the wall. “I can’t live like this. Mrs. Carlson, if you want someone to pay for Amy’s death, take my life instead.” “Evelyn, don’t do this!” Antonio’s eyes widened in shock. His face turned pale, and he rushed over to hold her. The house was filled with wailing, and all I could feel was my anger burning hotter. “Stop pretending! If you’re going to die, just do it already!” I grabbed a vase, ready to smash it at them. Evelyn and Julia huddled together, clearly terrified. Antonio was quicker than me. He snatched the vase from my hands and swung a wooden chair at my head. “You are crazy!” The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was Antonio’s furious face, his teeth gritted as he cursed at me. When I woke up, I found myself strapped to a bed in a psychiatric hospital. The gemstone bracelet was gone. He looked down at me, sighing in helpless resignation. “The only way to ensure Evelyn and Julia’s safety is to lock you up here. Don’t blame me.” I didn’t look at him again until his figure disappeared through the door. I smirked inwardly. I knew he would come back to beg me to get out.

During my time in the psychiatric hospital, I obediently followed all the rules. But secretly, I would spit out my medication. Not only did I avoid suffering, but I also ended up with some unexpected gains. Finally, by the second month, Antonio came. It had been a while since we last saw each other. His hair had turned completely gray, and his face was lined with fine wrinkles and exhaustion. For the first time, he lowered his usual proud stance in front of me, his voice carrying a tone of pleading. “Miria, Julia’s heart disease has worsened. The doctor says she needs open-heart surgery. The risks are extremely high, but you’re the only one who can perform it. “Saving her will bring good fortune. Please, let go of any personal grudges and think of it as helping Amy accumulate some blessings for her next life.” I stayed silent for a long time. Just as Antonio thought I wouldn’t agree and was about to try again, the nurse came in with the medication. This was the moment I had been waiting for. I immediately started trembling, pretending to be terrified and hid behind Antonio. “I agree. Please, tell them to leave. I don’t want to take the medication.” Antonio’s eyes flickered, and a satisfied smile spread across his face. He had no suspicions about me. That same day, he arranged for my discharge. When I got back home, Amy’s room had been redecorated. Everything in it was Julia’s. I suppressed the hatred in my heart, hesitating before speaking. “But I have a psychiatric record. I can’t do the operation right now.” “That’s easy. I’ll have someone get you a new ID. You can use that to operate on Julia. “Just send your personal details to this person, and they’ll handle it.” Seeing that I wasn’t causing a scene, Antonio confidently sent me the contact information for the person who would help me get the new ID. He didn’t know that this would become the biggest regret of his life. In the days leading up to the surgery, I noticed that Antonio had started openly appearing with Evelyn at work. Everyone could see it clearly now. Evelyn had already taken on the role of the company’s lady boss. She used to act like she didn’t, but now, she didn’t bother pretending anymore. Right in front of me, she whispered in Antonio’s ear. “Antonio, I’m still worried. Miria wants Julia dead. Do you really think she will do that for her?” Antonio looked at me thoughtfully when he heard this. On the day of the surgery, not only did he put on his surgical scrubs to watch the procedure, but he also hired several experts to supervise me. Their concerns weren’t unfounded. After all, I hated Julia and wouldn’t think twice about letting her die. But with my psychiatric record, I wasn’t afraid of anything, even if it went all the way to the police. So, I secretly hid a scalpel in my sleeve. When the surgery reached its most critical point, I stabbed Julia’s still-beating heart with all my might… Antonio and the experts froze in shock at my sudden move. But I only made a feint, then continued with the surgery as if nothing had happened. The surgery went smoothly after that. Antonio let out a sigh of relief and smiled at me gratefully. But when it came time to stitch up the wound, Julia died from a heart rupture. “Miria, you must have held a grudge and deliberately killed Julia! I’m calling the police!” As soon as we left the operating room, Evelyn lunged at me with a fierce expression. I quickly grabbed her, pointed to Antonio behind me, and smiled coldly. “It wasn’t me. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him. “I may have wanted Julia dead, but I never had the chance to actually do it, right?” Antonio held Julia’s lifeless body, tears falling from his eyes. He stared at me with a complicated look for a long time, but in the end, he called the police himself. The police set up a special investigation team. Although they found the scalpel in my sleeve, it had no blood on it. And Julia’s autopsy confirmed that the heart rupture wasn’t caused by the scalpel. In the end, I was released without charge. The moment I left the police station, I went straight to the crematorium. Evelyn was sitting alone on a stone bench. Her delicate makeup couldn’t hide the sorrow on her face. I slowly walked over to her and smiled. “Do you know that when Amy died, the anesthesia had just worn off? She even frowned before her heart ruptured. Tell me, how much pain do you think she was in?” “Is it really you?” Evelyn snapped back to reality, her eyes filled with rage and hatred as if they could pierce me. At the same time, Antonio rushed over in a panic. “Something’s wrong. Julia’s body is missing.” When he saw me, he froze for a moment. Then, he grabbed my throat, squeezing tightly. “Miria, it was you, wasn’t it?” “No, it wasn’t me.” I struggled to break free from his grip. Taking deep breaths, I smiled provocatively. “It wasn’t me, but if you don’t look for her, you won’t be able to keep her body anymore.” “What?” At my words, their faces went pale, their eyes widening in fear. Free Point

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My wife, Amelia Johnson, and I had been childless by choice for seven years. She decided to be a surrogate for her best friend, Michael Harris. I watched her sweetly smile as she talked on the phone. “The child will inherit all of Charlie’s fortune. We won’t even need to raise them.” Then she texted me: [Honey, surrogacy isn’t cheating. He’s gay! What are you worried about?] When I suggested terminating the pregnancy, she responded with divorce papers. Amelia told me not to have regrets, and her words cut deep. I crumpled up my kidney cancer diagnosis in my hand. Who would be the one with regrets now? After seven blissful years of marriage with Amelia, I was blindsided on our anniversary with the news that she’d agreed to be a surrogate for her male best friend. I had always desperately wanted a child of my own. Yet I’d gotten a vasectomy out of concern for her health. And now here she was, willingly enduring IVF treatments to have a baby for her best friend? What did that make me? “I know you don’t like kids. Once the baby’s born, I’ll hand it straight over to him. He’s gay and can’t have kids of his own. Isn’t that tragic enough?” Amelia stated with absolute conviction. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. As an orphan, I’d always dreamed of having my own family. How could she think I didn’t want children? Sure, I was married, but Amelia was having someone’s baby. How did that give me the family I longed for? Just then, a nurse interrupted our conversation. “Mr. Charlie Jones, the results from your wife’s specially ordered medical examination are ready.” “Go get the reports from the nurse,” Amelia quickly told me, pressing her thermos into my palm. “You rushed out this morning without breakfast, so I made some chicken soup. I was worried about your stomach.” The medical staff nearby made appreciative noises. Those little gestures that once felt so sweet now just made me uncomfortable and tense. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d accidentally overheard earlier when I arrived early at the entrance. “The child will inherit all of Charlie’s fortune. We won’t even need to raise them.” Those words kept echoing in my mind, each repetition like a bell tolling numbly against my heart. The nurse kept chattering in my ear. “Your wife really takes such good care of you, sir. Some of these specialist appointments have a six-month waiting list. Seven years of checkups. She’s really devoted to you.” “Is that so?” I forced a smile, though it felt more like a grimace. After collecting all the medical reports, I frowned deeply at the final page. I rushed to the obstetrics department, only to learn Amelia had already left. My phone buzzed with over a dozen messages from her, fussing about the cold weather and saying she’d asked my secretary to bring me a scarf. She wrote that I hadn’t been sleeping well lately, so she’d gone ahead to handle some company business for me. She mentioned she had a big surprise planned for our seventh anniversary. The messages kept coming, one after another, each seemingly showing how much she cared. Through the rearview mirror, the cab driver grinned and teased, “Must be your wife, huh? She can’t bear to be apart from you. Your phone’s blowing up with messages.” The radio volume in the car gradually increased as the female host read cheerfully, “Today marks the seventh anniversary of Mrs. Jones, wife of the Jones Group CEO. On this special day, she wants to tell him…” The driver clicked his tongue and remarked, “Now that’s what I call hitting the jackpot. A self-made man marries a rich wife! She even changed her company name for him, and she’s totally devoted. Wonder how he pulled that off.” I could only manage a bitter smile. As I pushed open the car door and entered the company, reaching my office floor, party poppers exploded in the air. The entire floor was decorated with baby-themed ornaments. The employees joyfully congratulated me on having a son. Candles and roses created a pathway, and at the end stood Amelia, smiling at me. My phone buzzed with a notification, and I hesitantly opened the video. Her so-called “best friend” was tangled intimately with her on our marriage bed. Did she ever truly love me?

I didn’t know if someone’s love could be a facade for seven years. The videos I saw and the conversations I overheard at the hospital, combined with all these baby decorations in front of me, made my stomach churn and my face turn pale. Amelia came over and affectionately took my hand. The swelling in her hands and feet and the backache from pregnancy were noticeable now. Just standing for a moment made cold sweat break out on her forehead and nose. My assistant Alex Wills whispered that Amelia had put up all these decorations herself, saying she didn’t want anyone else touching our seventh-anniversary preparations. Amelia pulled me into the office, where her male best friend had already prepared a cup of hot water for her. “Tonight’s family dinner. Dad finally agreed to let me bring you!” That was her surprise. “Don’t be mad that I announced at work that the baby is ours. How else could we fool Dad? It is perfect! We can use the little one to get his approval finally.” As a poor guy who married a rich man’s daughter, I’d gotten nothing but cold shoulders from her family for seven years. Amelia had been caught in the middle, and thinking about that made my heart soften a bit. Michael leaned in with a grin, arm around her shoulders. “Hey, you should be thanking your friendly sperm donor here. Charlie’s shooting blanks, after all.” My supposed infertility was just a lie we made up when Amelia was afraid of having kids, and I got a vasectomy to back up the story. Before I could object, Amelia glared at him and pointed her finger in his face, demanding he apologize to me. “How many times do I have to tell you not to touch me? I’m a germaphobe! Anyone but my husband makes my skin crawl!” Michael quickly threw up his hands in surrender. This act had been performed hundreds, thousands of times in front of me over the past seven years. I truly believed they were just best friends, never seeing anything wrong with it. Now, it just makes my eyes ache to think about it. I could finally hear the challenge hidden beneath his playful tone. Amelia excitedly told me, “I really took one for the team this time! You wanted that land in the south district, right? Well, he said he’d give it to us directly. And about that bidding process, you’ve been stressing over. I’ll sweet-talk him tonight. With this baby, my dad will definitely help you out.” Over these two weeks, she’d traveled across half of the country for me, compiling detailed market research, leaving nothing out. Michael made a snide comment about her taking care of herself, “Some people, hmph, they’re so eager to help their husband that they ignore their morning sickness. Wonder who was throwing up bile the other day?” I kept my eyes down, unsure how to react. “Get rid of it,” I suddenly said. “The infertility certificate was fake. On our wedding day, you cried and told me your mother died on the operating table during childbirth. So I got a vasectomy and made up that lie. Your body isn’t suited for pregnancy. Please terminate it.” Amelia clutched her stomach, shaking her head repeatedly. I started to pull out the medical report from my pocket. But then I heard her say sadly, “Michael has kidney cancer. It is his only chance to have a child. Honey, can’t we just help him out?”

I felt pretty helpless about the whole thing. Her love for me had seemed so passionate and intense, yet she was afraid of getting pregnant with me while wanting to give Michael an heir. She claimed to be a germaphobe, wincing whenever others touched her. Yet there she was, intimately entangled with her “best friend” in our marital bed. Michael saw me covering my face and sneered, “You better not claim you have cancer, too. She checked your electronic medical records right away. They were clean.” I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I did have a cancer report in my hand, but it wasn’t mine. Suddenly, the lights went dark, and a group of people emerged singing with a cake. Turns out this was another birthday surprise. “By the way, today is also Mr. Harris’ birthday. Perfect timing to celebrate together.” The employees thought it was quite a coincidence, but my smile became strained as my heart sank. Every year, Amelia made such a huge deal of this anniversary, even bringing Michael along. Now I could see clearly who the real celebration was for. The employees gathered around, chattering excitedly about how Amelia had made this three-tiered cake herself despite being pregnant and how she’d specifically chosen flavors she knew I liked. “Mr. Jones likes strawberries but not strawberry-flavored cake! Mrs. Jones really pays attention to every little detail about Mr. Jones.” Several younger employees squealed dramatically, “She’s so in love with Mr. Jones!” “They’re making us single people jealous again, doing this every year.” As I cut the cake surrounded by everyone, my feelings were a complicated mess. After the crowd dispersed and my emotions settled, I realized I didn’t dare to bring up our marriage issues just yet. I just wanted to give us both time to think things through. But as soon as I started to leave, Amelia came running after me in panic, hugging me so tightly that the cuts on her fingers began bleeding again. “I was too rushed making your chicken soup this morning,” she said. Her hands, once as smooth as pearl, were now covered in scars from seven years of cooking for me. My heart softened. She’d grown up pampered by her father, yet here she was, cooking meals for a poor guy like me. “I just need some time to clear my head.” I tried to reassure her. “Charlie!” she cried out, clutching my arm with tear-filled eyes. Her emotions were so intense that she doubled over, holding her belly and sobbing, “Charlie, it’s all my fault. Please don’t be angry.” Then she slowly sank to the ground and passed out. Following our family doctor’s advice, I took her home to rest. Suddenly, the nurse on the phone apologized to me. “We sent you the wrong electronic report today. I accidentally recorded the cancer diagnosis on your health check report. Please refer to the paper version instead and bring your wife in for an examination as soon as possible.” After hanging up, I received screenshots from the nurse on my phone. On the electronic report she sent today, it was written in black and white that I had terminal cancer. No wonder, no wonder they could ask so precisely whether I had cancer, too. No wonder they could produce a fake report so quickly. The cold wind from the balcony chilled me to the bone as I opened my other phone, which was connected to the listening device in the room. I heard Amelia, who was supposed to be unconscious, speaking softly to someone else. “Don’t you want to know what it feels like to be pregnant?” In the end, a bitter smile crept across my lips.

At that moment, I hated that I wasn’t a woman. I should’ve stormed in there screaming and scratching their faces like a madwoman. Instead, I had to hold back, worried about upsetting Amelia with her pregnancy and cancer diagnosis. Even as I stood there, a complete fool, my eye caught something in the trash. It was a takeout receipt. When I checked it, it was for chicken soup from this morning. Suddenly, everything clicked. With trembling hands, I searched through the delivery app, finding every single “loving lunch” I’d eaten over the years from that same restaurant. I quickly pulled up our work group photos, and in the corner of one, I spotted a cake decoration that led me straight to the bakery. So it was all fake. The cat’s pitiful yowl from atop the fridge snapped me out of my gloomy thoughts. It had gotten itself stuck up there. When I went to help it down, it thanked me with a vicious swipe, its claws raking my hand deep enough to tear the skin. I yelped in pain and chased after it, only to watch this cat. It was untameable after seven years, curling up in Michael’s arms like a pampered kitten, purring and nuzzling. Amelia’s face was flushed, her lips still glistening, her eyes darting around, but she hadn’t even noticed my injury. “I probably can’t make it to the family dinner tonight. I need to get this checked out at the hospital.” “No hospitals!” Her knee-jerk reaction stunned me. She still thought I had cancer, not knowing about the medical records mix-up. “Why waste time at the hospital? It’s bad luck. Besides, it’s just a house cat. It’s fine. Don’t you want my dad’s approval? You can’t skip the family dinner.” That knot in my chest just wouldn’t loosen. On the way to Amelia’s father, Andrew Johnson’s dinner party, I asked her if keeping the baby was necessary. “You’ve always been terrified of having kids. Now you’re willing to risk everything for his child? What does that make our marriage? The moment Michael chose to be with men, he should have given up this obsession with having children.” Amelia bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. I asked her one last time, “Did this baby really come from IVF?” SLAP! Her hand struck my cheek. Then she reached out with trembling fingers to touch my face, but I turned away. “Charlie, how could you doubt my love for you?” The rest of the ride was silent, and before I knew it, we arrived at her father, Andrew Johnson’s, villa. Andrew, who’d always looked down his nose at me, gave his daughter a quick hug and ushered her inside. I trailed behind them, silently carrying the gifts. Then I spotted Michael, who had already made himself entirely at home here. “Michael is my godson now. He’s living with us! Got a problem with that?” Andrew snapped when he caught me staring. What right did I have to object? Even though I’d saved the company from bankruptcy, I was still just a nobody from the wrong side of the tracks. What did it matter if I’d bought this villa? I still couldn’t set foot in it like I belonged. I’d been played like a fool by this father and daughter. My phone buzzed with another message. After the video Michael sent last time, now he’d sent me a property deed. The villa had been transferred to his name. I turned off my phone and took a deep breath. “If you love me, if you’re loyal to our marriage, then terminate this pregnancy.” The happy trio suddenly fell silent. I could see the contempt in Andrew and Michael’s eyes. My last shred of hope disappeared as she hesitated until there was nothing left. “Let’s get a divorce.” Free Point

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I was sold off for ten dollars by my parents and had a child at an early age. My husband had a strange temper and would beat me every day. I had three miscarriages, all because of the abuse. During the limited time I could see my son, I desperately tried to teach him, urging him to strive for a better life, to become a good person, and not to end up like his father. But when he reached the same age I was sold off, he brought home a girl who was already six months pregnant. I watched helplessly as the girl went through everything I had experienced—becoming a mother at an age when she barely understood anything, enduring abuse, and then being abandoned by my son. She, just like me, was locked away in a dark, windowless hut, suffering humiliation. At that time, I fully understood that my son was just like his father. They would never change. The only person I could ever hope for was myself. So, one bitterly cold night, while my husband and son were fast asleep, I quietly broke the door to their bedroom. I reached out my hand to the girl who always curled up in the corner, trembling. I said, “I’ll take you to live a better life. Will you come with me?”

I was sold off for ten dollars by my parents because my brother was about to marry, and they needed the money to pay for the wedding gift. It was hard to say how I felt at the time. I only remember the day before I left, my mother gave me a boiled egg, muttering as she handed it to me, “If you can do something for your brother, at least you won’t have come into this world in vain.” So, it was hard to tell if I should feel sad or, like she said, feel lucky to be the family’s benefactor. The place I married was far from home. It would take more than fifty hours on a train to get there. The only thing I took with me was a dress my mother had made for herself the year before. She said that since I was married, I should at least look decent. The train ticket was too expensive, and they were afraid I might run away, so my father had to accompany me. It just so happened that the new school year was starting, and a girl sat next to me on the train. Seeing that we were about the same age, she took the initiative to strike up a conversation. She asked, “Are you going to register for college? How lucky! Your father is even sending you off to school. “Actually, I think I’m quite fortunate too. Girls my age back home are all married. My parents may be poor, but they didn’t just pick any man for me to marry. I’m really thankful to them. We’re going to school now, and we’ll definitely see a bigger world in the future.” Her energy was infectious, but unfortunately, I wasn’t the kind of person she spoke about, someone who could go out and explore the world. I just gave a faint smile and didn’t respond. My father remained silent, staring out the window. I was just a pigeon that had been let out of a cage, and after a brief breath of freedom, I would soon be trapped in another dark cage. When the train stopped at a shared station, most of the passengers got off. I watched her grab her bag and stand up, and when she saw that I hadn’t moved, her expression turned puzzled. I couldn’t bring myself to say goodbye. After passing by each other, we were heading toward two entirely different worlds. I had merely exchanged a brief encounter with a future, capable woman. Yet, at that moment, I felt a glimmer of hope. I may have ended up like this, but I prayed that my child would be able to walk out into the world just like her. Maybe, one day, they could take me with them.

My husband was over ten years older than me, named John, and he was a man with a limp, unable to move easily. He didn’t talk much and often examined me with eyes that were hard to describe, making me feel an inexplicable sense of fear. It would be a lie to say I didn’t resent it, but I also accepted it. After all, for a woman like me, walking down this path was inevitable. It was just a matter of when my family would need me and which family could offer enough money to satisfy my parents. What troubled me most was that I didn’t even get the smallest bit of dignity from John, living like an animal. The day my father sent me to him was our wedding day. Many people came to his home, mostly single men from the village. After getting drunk, some of them boldly said to me, “John is really lucky. He actually managed to find such a beautiful wife. If I had spoken up earlier, maybe I’d be the one getting married today!” “Do you have any younger sisters? I’ll pay a bit more, and you can send her to me!” I pretended to be shy and didn’t respond, but I felt afraid of their inappropriate jokes and touches. John stood off to the side, smoking a cheap cigarette and blowing the smoke towards me, causing me to cough uncontrollably. I didn’t dare to look at him, but I could feel his gaze on me, even though he didn’t say a word. At the time, I didn’t understand that this was a sign of his anger, a prelude to the emotional storm that I couldn’t handle. That night, I was tortured by him, feeling as if I were dying. No one had ever taught me what was right or wrong. I just cried until exhaustion set in, numbly staring through the window at the moonlight. I couldn’t help but think of that girl, feeling a deep sense of envy. I envied her for not being treated this way by strange men. I envied her even more because she could sleep peacefully in a place where the future still seemed possible. One cannot be exposed to too many good things, or else longing and yearning arise. Then, when faced with the harsh reality, all that remains is unbearable pain. Before dawn, John slapped me awake, dragging me naked into the hut without saying a word. The early morning wind was chilly, seeping through the cracks in the walls, making me shiver uncontrollably. When the whip struck my skin, I screamed in pain, and the burning wounds became even more excruciating as the cold air touched them. I kept trying to pull away, unable to understand what I had done wrong. John, clearly enraged by my movements, grabbed my hair and slapped me again. Breathing heavily, he cursed, “Already trying to flirt with men? What’s the difference between you and an animal in heat? “I bought you! You’re just an object, and I can treat you however I want!” I didn’t dare to defend myself. If I raised my voice, he would just hit me harder, and tears flowed endlessly from my eyes. I saw the bloodshot gleam in his eyes, a twisted kind of excitement. The sound of the whip against my flesh mixed with the distant crowing of a rooster as if the soundtrack of my life had become this brutal moment, offering a glimpse into a future full of injuries.

After that day, I never saw anyone else. John locked me in the hut, where I ate and slept. I could only leave when he needed to release his desires. Perhaps because of his limp, John had never received fair treatment and had a particularly volatile temper. When he was in a bad mood, he would hit me to vent his frustration, usually after drinking, and then hold me, crying, “I’ve always been like this, but I don’t want to be like this! Why do they all laugh at me? Why don’t they respect me?” He longed for respect, but when faced with someone weaker than him, someone like me, he resorted to even more cruel methods. I was angry with him, but I didn’t dare to hate him. My mother had always said, “When you marry, you follow your husband.” And she also had been beaten by my father, so I thought this was normal. Luckily, I didn’t endure these beatings for long because I became pregnant. That was the first time I saw John smile at me and the first time I was able to sit at the table and eat. He became much more patient with me, asking me to sleep in the same bed and gently touching my belly, saying, “Make sure you give me a son!” Truth be told, I had always wanted a daughter. When I was younger, I imagined having a little girl and dressing her up like a little princess. But now, I didn’t mind having a son. If I had a daughter, she would suffer with me, and I wouldn’t be able to protect her. But if it was a son, I hoped he could protect me when John hit me. With this thought, I eagerly awaited his arrival. Whenever I sat outside in the sun and saw people walking by with bundles, I would quietly rub my belly and whisper, “Hurry up and grow, and one day, like them, you’ll take me away.”

I gave birth to Adam when I was still under twenty, and John was extremely happy. He even killed a chicken to take care of me and help me regain my strength. I thought that with Adam’s presence, I could have a normal married life with him. I didn’t ask for much from him. I only hoped that, for the sake of the son I had given him, he wouldn’t beat me anymore. I didn’t want to go back to that hut. It was dark and oppressive as if my whole life would be buried there. But my hope was in vain. When Adam turned one, John invited many people to our house. He wanted to show off his son but didn’t want me to be seen. However, a one-year-old child is very clingy, and when he couldn’t find me, he cried loudly. I couldn’t bear to hear him cry, and seeing that John had been relatively kinder to me recently, I couldn’t resist. I quickly came out and held the child to comfort him. But it was a huge mistake. And that mistake would ruin me forever. After soothing Adam to sleep in front of everyone, I thought it was over, but drunken John suddenly stormed in. He dragged me out of the bedroom, stripped me in front of everyone, and then picked up the whip that had been hanging on the wall for days, striking me with it fiercely. He laughed as he beat me, laughing wildly and provocatively at the people who had come. He said, “You all want to see her? She’s nothing more than a bitch to me! Today, if you want to see, you can look all you want!” I had never felt so hopeless. He truly treated me like a dog, crushing the last bit of dignity I had as a human. I was locked back in that room, running a high fever, delirious, and dreaming that I was once again on that train. But this time, when the train stopped, it was me who got off with a backpack.

The days I was pregnant felt like a dream. When I woke up, I had to return to the life that John had planned for me. Fortunately, John allowed me to see Adam every couple of days. Though my time with him was limited, as he grew older, he started to look more and more like his father, a painful truth I couldn’t change. It seemed like he was well cared for by John and had a gentle temperament, unlike his father. This gave me a glimmer of hope to keep going. But life always seemed to strike me down. I miscarried when Adam was six. This was the fourth child I had lost after Adam. The first two had been lost due to malnutrition, combined with years of beatings from John. I held a deep hope for this pregnancy. I prayed every day that this baby would grow safely and come into this world. But just because John kicked me, it was gone. It was the first time in all these years that I broke down completely. The blood-soaked straw mat beneath me, and John simply called a midwife from the village to take care of things. I heard Adam asking him from outside, “Mom’s bleeding. I saw Jack bleeding before, and his parents took him to the hospital. Aren’t we taking Mom to the hospital?” “Why bother? That dog out front had a leg so bad you could see the bone, and now it’s still hopping around. Your mom’s just like that dog!” “I get it. Women aren’t worth it, right? I heard Jack’s dad say that!” John laughed heartily. Both of them entered the room, and not a single person came to see me. The physical pain was nothing compared to the agony I felt at that moment. My son hadn’t come to protect me when I was desperate, and instead, he was learning things I didn’t want him to learn. He was quickly picking up all of his father’s bad habits.

Even so, I kept lying to myself. He was just a six-year-old child, after all. He didn’t understand anything, so I thought I should educate him well. Whenever I could see him, I usually just watched him play silently. But from that day forward, I became obsessed. Every day, I told him, “Adam, you have to study hard. You have to get out of this place.” At the time, I didn’t understand what the real problem was. I simply told him to leave. I naively believed that if he could just escape his father, if he could leave here, he would become the person I hoped for. I never told him that his mother was not like a dog. I deserved respect, just like any other human being. So he never learned to respect me, nor did he learn how to respect the thousands of women in this world. I thought my advice was working because I saw his grades improve. I often heard John say that his teachers praised him, and he would often share with me what he did in town. I was happy, thinking that this was his first step to getting out. But I never imagined that when he left, it wasn’t to escape. It was to hurt another unfortunate woman.

The first time I saw Sarah, she was already six months pregnant. When I asked her age, I almost couldn’t hold back my tears. She was younger than I was back then. She was even younger than I was… I lifted her clothes, and her body was covered in bruises. “Why are you here? Didn’t Adam say he went out to work?” The last shred of hope in my heart was collapsing, fearing the words she might say would tear me apart, but the truth was right there in front of me, ready to shred me to pieces. “I don’t know… Adam said he would bring me back to live a good life… I didn’t know…” The girl’s mental state was already disoriented. As she sensed my approach, she covered her ears and backed away, just like I did back then. This was the stress response from being tortured for too long. Adam walked in and saw me, and he smiled brightly, “Mom, she’s carrying your grandson. Can you help me take care of her?” Fear and despair spread throughout my body. Taking care of her? What good life could we have in this house? If he really wanted to take care of her, why would he torture her like this? “You tell me, what have you been doing outside? What did you do to this girl?” Tears filled my eyes, and Adam stood in front of me, his whole figure blurry to me. He just sneered and casually said, Free Point

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When the real daughter of my Alpha dad came back, I was furious. I’d been the shining pearl of this family as the adopted son, and now—suddenly—she’s back to steal my spotlight? But here’s the kicker: the real daughter… was the girl I’d been chasing for two years. And to make it worse, my parents—my parents—are arranging for her to sleep with me. Is this some twisted test? I wanted her to be my mate, not my sister! ChapterMy mother suddenly told me she had found the long-lost daughter we’d been separated from for years. My heart skipped a beat, and my eyes fixated on the photo she held out. I pointed toward the corner, my voice cold. “Then move my things out. ” She pushed my hand away gently. “Leo, what’s going through your head? Even if your sister is back, you’re still my little cub.” I bit back a growl. She’s just trying to hold me back. She wants to keep her perfect family together, even if it means putting me aside for that stranger. “Fine, but I want a new car. Otherwise, forget it.” Mom shot me a strange look but didn’t argue. “Do whatever you want,” she said, dismissively. What? She wouldn’t even give me that? She was so eager to embrace her biological daughter, but couldn’t spare a damn car for me? Dad had just gone to pick up my sister. She was downstairs, and I was about to make my entrance. I put on my most dazzling watch and headed down the stairs, determined to make her feel out of place. Mom and my brother were already waiting by the door. And there she was—my sister. I froze. The woman standing with Dad was elegant, graceful, her long hair cascading down her shoulders. Sunlight caught her, casting an ethereal glow around her, her presence calm but undeniable. She exuded an aura of quiet authority, as if the world had always bent to her will. That’s my sister? I could feel the wolf inside me clawing. I gripped my bag tightly, my smile twisting into something more bitter. But then she turned, and our eyes locked. For a split second, I saw surprise in her gaze, then a small, knowing smile played at the corners of her lips. She stepped forward, stopping right in front of me. “Leo,” she said, her voice smooth, almost teasing. “I hear you’re wearing my favorite watch?” I froze. Was she… mocking me? I swallowed the frustration that rose in my throat. “It’s just a watch,” She raised an eyebrow. “It’s not just any watch, is it? It’s your watch. A little too much, don’t you think?” I hated that she was so effortlessly in control. Mom watched from the side, a soft smile on her face, almost amused by the exchange. “You two really are alike,” she said with a chuckle. “So meticulous, so aware of every little detail. It’s like you’ve been born to clash with each other.” “Yeah,” I said, voice tight. “Guess we’ll have to get used to each other.” Chapter

My sister was brought into the house. I watched as Dad carried her luggage, and to my shock, he walked straight into my room. I rushed forward, blocking the doorway. “Why are you putting her things in my room when we have so many empty rooms?” Dad raised an eyebrow. “We’ve only had you as a son. Of course, you should share a room with your sister.” Mom nodded from behind him. “She’s been away for so long; she can’t stay in the guest room. You two are the best fit.” I stared at them, unable to find the words to argue. They seemed so sure, so… certain. Reluctantly, I stepped aside. “Fine. If you insist, I’ll just take the guest room.” But the thought gnawed at me. What if I couldn’t control myself? It felt too risky. Just as I was about to walk away, my sister spoke up, her voice soft but with a hint of a playful laugh. “If Leo doesn’t like it, I’ll take the guest room. After all, you’re the most important in the family.” Her voice was like silk, almost making me lose my mind. Watching her reach for the luggage, an impulse shot through me. I grabbed her wrist, my fingers tight. “It’s not that I don’t like it. Fine, we’ll share a room.” The sound of the water running in the bathroom made my heart race. Her eyes glinted with something I couldn’t quite grasp, and my face burned like fire. And then it hit me: everything had just become more complicated. The girl I’d been chasing for two years was now my sister—my name-only sister. No chance left to pursue her. Chapter

The bathroom door creaked open, and my sister stepped out, wrapped in a white towel. Her damp hair clung to her neck, droplets of water tracing down her face, her lashes glistening with tiny pearls of water. Every step she took felt like it echoed right into my heart. I couldn’t help but stare, my pulse racing, my eyes fixed on her as if I couldn’t look away. Amelia noticed my gaze and smiled. “Why are you staring at me? Is something wrong with me?” Of course, there was something wrong—my heart was racing for her. I snapped back to reality, my face flushing. “Nothing… nothing! It’s late, you should rest,” I stammered. She didn’t seem to notice my unease, giving a light laugh before heading to the bed. I forced myself to look away, but my wolf senses were on high alert, and my gaze kept drifting back to her. I had fallen for Amelia the moment I saw her. Two years ago, I saw her in the park, guitar in hand, sunlight glinting off her hair. The melody she played seemed to fill the air, and I couldn’t help but stop and listen. She caught my eye, her gaze clear, almost familiar. That moment… it felt like I had known her forever. “Do you like music? If you want, you can sit and listen.” I was too stunned to answer, my heart pounding in my chest. But I nodded, and in that moment, I felt like I had been drawn into her world. And that’s when I realized—her eyes, her smile—they weren’t just familiar. They felt like they belonged to someone I had known in another life, someone who had always been mine. She loves me. She must love me. So, I began my relentless pursuit. One day, I sat in a café, talking to my friend Sally, trying to sort through my chaotic emotions. I asked her, “If someone stood outside your door every day with a megaphone, singing and dancing like a clown, what would you do?” Sally raised an eyebrow, laughing bitterly. “I’d think they were insane.” I nodded seriously. “Exactly! I just haven’t been crazy enough. If I want to win her over, I need to do something that will make her notice me—something wild. Something she won’t forget.” Sally sighed, clearly not understanding my madness. Chapter

It was late at night, and I lay awake in bed, unable to sleep. A faint scent lingered in the air, as if it were drawing me in. Suddenly, my sister shifted and leaned closer. Her cheek brushed my shoulder, her warm breath sending a jolt through my body. “What’s wrong with you today? You’ve been so quiet,” . I froze, wanting to respond but unable to find the right words. She was so close that my breath became shallow, my pulse quickening. “I’m fine. Just can’t sleep,” I said quickly, trying to sound calm. Her eyes fluttered open slightly, and she smiled softly. “You’ve always been like this, saying nothing but somehow making everyone see it.” Her gaze lingered on me, searching. I clenched the blankets, my heart in chaos. Her hand gently rested on mine, . “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything. Just sleep.” Her words calmed me for a moment, but there was a storm brewing inside me. She closed her eyes, settling down into deep sleep, while I lay still, my body frozen, as if bound by an invisible force. The next morning, I couldn’t get up. She had stayed up with me all night, and by the time I finally fell asleep, the sun was rising. She, on the other hand, had gotten up early, looking refreshed as she went off to meet clients. I didn’t get out of bed until the afternoon. Mom, sipping her afternoon tea, looked up at me, eyes narrowing as she saw my disheveled state. “You need to take better care of yourself. Look at you.” I was confused. What had I done wrong? Had she finally grown tired of me after bringing her real daughter back? I realized then. “Buy me a car,” I said, my voice steady but sharp. “I’ll leave this house and never come back, if that’s what you want.” Mom pushed my hand away, her eyes soft but firm. “I’ve told you a thousand times, you’re my little treasure. Don’t say such hurtful things again.” I knew there was no money to be had from her. So, I turned to my alpha father. “Hey, big bro,” I said, my voice dripping with feigned innocence. “Now that your real daughter is back, shouldn’t you do something for me?” I needed him to give me money, so I could leave this place and get out of their lives. Alpha Steven, adjusting his glasses, smiled slightly. “Don’t worry, you’ll always be my little brat.” “But she’s been gone for so many years,” I pressed. “I’ve taken her place. Isn’t it wrong for me to stay here?” He furrowed his brow in confusion. “Why would you think that,Leo? Fate brought you into this family, and I will always take care of you.” Chapter

When my sister returned from work, Dad made a big announcement at the dinner table. “We’ll be holding a banquet next month to publicly announce Amelia as the Alpha’s daughter,” he declared. The food in my mouth suddenly lost its taste. “No way!” Everyone turned to look at me, and Dad asked, “Leo, do you have concerns? Don’t worry, even after we reveal Amelia’s identity, you’ll always be my little darling.” That made it worse. How could I possibly chase after my sister if everyone knew she was the Alpha’s daughter? “Fine, then this house can have her and not me!” I immediately regretted my words. Would my sister hate me for that? I stole a glance at Amelia, only to see her smile gently at me, then tilt her head when she caught me looking. I quickly averted my gaze, feeling embarrassed. Then, her voice, calm and soothing, reached my ears. “Dad, I’m grateful just to be acknowledged. But the banquet… I don’t like large crowds.” I felt an overwhelming wave of guilt. “No! The banquet must go on!” I insisted. “The Alpha’s daughter deserves to walk under the sun with pride!” Mom, clearly fed up, yanked off her slipper, ready to smack me. “Leo! Do you want to be beaten today or what? First you’re fine with it, then you’re not!” That night, lying in bed, my stomach started growling. Earlier, I’d avoided a beating by running off, but now I had to accept hunger. I heard Amelia get up, then she walked out. A short while later, she returned with a plate of pasta. “I knew you’d be hungry tonight,” she said, setting it down in front of me. I was so touched I almost cried. I stole another look at her, only for her to suddenly lean closer. My heart raced as I froze, holding my fork mid-air. At that moment, she tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, her laugh light and teasing. “Why do you look so dazed?” Just then, a man I couldn’t stand appeared—my rival, someone I deeply disliked. The Riverside Pack and our Pumpkin Pack were long-time allies, often visiting each other. Today, he had come as a representative of Riverside. The moment he saw Amelia on the couch, he froze. “Amelia? What are you doing here?” He looked at me, sensing the hostility in my gaze, and his eyes narrowed. “Leo tricked you into coming back home?” “Amelia, listen to me—Leo’s no good, don’t let him fool you, he—” “Stop! Just stop!” I quickly interrupted him, as he was about to drag up some embarrassing stories from my childhood. He fell silent, glaring at me. I couldn’t stand him. “Why don’t you just leave already?” Amelia, sensing my frustration, pulled me into her arms and glared coldly at Shran. “Shran, you’ve crossed a line. Leo is my brother, and that will never change.” I was floored. Did she just say I was her brother? Looking at Shran’s smug face, my heart shattered.

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I stared at the marriage certificate in front of me, as excited as if I’d struck gold. Not because I loved my new husband, but because if we stayed married for a year, he’d give me a million dollars! As soon as we left the registry office, I received a $200,000 deposit – more than I could earn in a year writing novels. Ryan walked quickly ahead of me, clearly wishing he could grow two extra legs to leave me far behind. I jogged to catch up and get in the car. As soon as the door closed, he started lecturing me: “Wear a mask in public from now on. Don’t let the paparazzi photograph you.” “Your clothes are too plain. Learn how to dress properly.” “Wear makeup every day. You look awful without it.” I clenched my fists, reminding myself not to jeopardize my million dollars. Ha! Some people market him as the “Ice King” actor, but he’s really just a jerk who can’t keep his mouth shut. “Anything else I need to improve? I’m all ears,” I said sarcastically. “Keep up that humble attitude.” … The car pulled into an underground garage. Ryan suddenly put on sunglasses and a mask, even pulling up his hoodie. Poor guy, having to bundle up like that in July. I was about to get out when he grabbed my arm, forcibly disguising me as well. “There’s a paparazzo behind that pillar. I don’t want to make headlines.” He walked ahead to draw attention, suddenly acting every bit the aloof celebrity with his hands in his pockets, strolling casually. I watched him get in the elevator. Sure enough, a figure crouching low scurried in that direction. Celebrities really do have a sixth sense for cameras! I waited until the coast was clear before opening the car door. But I was caught red-handed – a camera was suddenly shoved in my face, snapping away. Thinking quickly, I shoved the photographer aside and smashed the camera on the ground. Back home, I immediately told Ryan what happened. He actually asked if the camera was expensive. I snapped back, “Is that the point? You kept stressing how I need to be prepared when going out and not let my full face be seen. Now you’re worried about a camera?” The more I thought about it, the more suspicious I became. “Unless… you set this up?!” A chill ran down my spine. This guy was too crafty. Ryan gave me an approving look. “Your method wasn’t very smart, but you accidentally passed the test.” He went to the computer desk and opened a set of photos, gesturing for me to come look. Sure enough, there were the close-up shots from earlier. I tried to delete them, but he took the laptop away. Marrying him was like being a secret agent. I felt I more than earned this money – he could even pay me more.

Speaking of marriage, our arrangement was more dramatic than an online novel. At first I thought it would be the classic “arrogant celebrity falls for ordinary girl” plot. He took me to an upscale restaurant, even booking a private room. Then he slapped down a contract. “Sign this. The payment is one million dollars.” I was overjoyed. This kind of windfall finally happened to me! I asked why he chose me. He took off his sunglasses, revealing those soulful eyes that could melt any woman’s heart. But his words were far from romantic: “Because you’re my anti-fan. That way you won’t fall in love with me.” “I don’t want any messy emotional entanglements when we divorce.” His arrogant attitude quickly killed any fantasies I had. It was true – I was his infamous anti-fan, even trending on social media once for criticizing him. He’d have to be crazy to actually fall for me. At 10 PM, when I’d normally be watching soap operas, I was instead cramming information from a stack of documents, feeling overwhelmed. They were about my “assignment” – Ryan’s love interests. I wondered why he didn’t just pick a wife from the entertainment industry. There were plenty of beautiful, well-connected women to choose from. But what the young master wanted to do was none of my business. I was just here to do a job and get paid. He needed a wife who could keep up appearances in public. I needed a large sum of money urgently. We both got what we wanted and reached an agreement happily. I had just opened the refrigerator when suddenly a hand slammed it shut, pressing firmly. The billion-dollar box office star was being stingy at home. Not only did he not eat properly himself, he wouldn’t let others eat either. I tried to reason with him: “The contract didn’t say I can’t eat after 10 PM, did it?” “You need to maintain your figure. Eating like this, you’ll gain at least 4 pounds in a month.” “Do you want me to explain to people why I suddenly have a different wife in 6 months?” After a week of interaction, my impression of Ryan as a man of few words who kept people at arm’s length was completely shattered. In private, this man was insufferable. His cold, lofty image was all an act. He was afraid I’d sneak food in my room, so he dragged me to rehearse our script. One minute he’d pick me up and spin me around, the next he’d put me down and shake me. My brain felt scrambled. By the 10,086th time I cursed him in my mind, he finally put me down. Then he started quizzing me seriously. “Let me test you. Who is Olivia?” “The daughter of your mom’s classmate. She likes to call you ‘big brother’ on set to stir up rumors.” “She’ll be on set tomorrow. Be prepared.” … Before bed, I habitually scrolled through my phone and was shocked to find I was trending again – at #1 no less! The last time I trended was for criticizing Ryan. I had a bad feeling about this…

I clicked on the trending topic and saw it was full of people criticizing me. “She’s so calculating, riding coattails again.” “Wasn’t she his anti-fan before? Did Ryan get brainwashed or something?” “Acting so much, is she trying to use Ryan to break into showbiz?” “That face must have cost a pretty penny!” The internet moves so fast. Ryan and I just got our marriage certificate today and it’s already been exposed, with my face clearly visible. But we specifically chose a time when there would be few people around. How did we get photographed? I scrolled down and saw Ryan’s pinned Weibo post: “Let me introduce you all to my wife @FlowerFairy” Below was a photo of our marriage certificate with my ID photo clearly visible, no blurring. Damn it, backstabbed by my own teammate again. Ryan really can’t stand to see me have it too easy. I ran to pound on his bedroom door. After a few minutes he leisurely opened it, the picture of calm compared to my agitation. He even looked a bit smug. “Of course I had to announce my marriage. Otherwise wouldn’t I be deceiving my fans?” “I’m helping you. Didn’t you see you gained 100,000 followers?” I understood the logic, but did he realize how powerful his fanbase was? I’d be torn to shreds. I had been worried about how to face off against Olivia while keeping the marriage secret. Now I didn’t need to worry – I was already dead and buried. I tossed and turned all night. At breakfast I kept yawning, exhausted. This million dollars was really hard-earned. In contrast, Ryan looked refreshed and in a great mood. He even peeled an egg for me. I had to admit, there was a reason he had so many fangirls. Putting aside his acting skills, he was handsome with a great body. When he kept his mouth shut, he was quite pleasing to look at. As soon as we arrived at the filming location, I saw a group of fans waiting outside holding Ryan’s banners. I had to say, these fans had incredible mental fortitude. Just yesterday there was a huge uproar, but today they still came to support him. Maybe they only hated me, and were even more enamored with Ryan for being a “responsible man.” We reached Ryan’s rest area on set. I had just sat down when I saw someone walking towards me in the distance. An assistant carrying bags followed behind her. She had the aura of the main wife confronting the mistress. The female lead had finally arrived.

Olivia plopped down in the seat next to me and immediately launched into a tirade before I could say anything. “Ryan is just playing with you. He’ll come back to me eventually.” “He hasn’t introduced you to his parents yet, has he? His mom has always seen me as her daughter-in-law.” “If you want money, I can give it to you. Just leave him.” What an unoriginal opening. She really was a pampered young miss. I latched onto her last sentence, looking at her expectantly. “How much can you give me?” She was clearly taken aback, probably expecting me to nobly refuse and say love conquers all or some nonsense. The next moment she disdainfully tossed out a card. “There’s 500,000 on this.” I laughed. So even rich people could be stingy. I glanced to the side and saw Ryan, who should have been filming, standing not far away. He must have come to check on things during a break. I put on my brightest smile, went over to link arms with him, and called out loudly on purpose: “Honey, did you come looking for me after being apart for just a little while?” Ryan stared at me blankly, probably not expecting to have to act too. I directly dragged him in front of Olivia. “I’m so sorry, Miss Olivia. Our Ryan is quite clingy.” I looked up into his eyes. “Can you give me 500,000?” He handed me his phone. “Transfer however much you want yourself.” Olivia’s face turned pale after watching this scene. I handed her back the card on the table, patted her shoulder, and whispered in her ear: “Did you see? He’ll give me however much money I want.” “You want to be the other woman for love, but Ryan’s not interested in you.” Olivia stormed off, bumping into me resentfully as she left. First battle, victory! It wasn’t in vain that I’d watched so many idol dramas. Rich girls really do like to humiliate people with money. If she’d offered more, I might have accepted. After this incident, rumors spread that I had made Olivia cry. I successfully gained the label of “Ryan’s wife.”

After the marriage announcement, Ryan received many variety show invitations for married couples. He refused them all. I had ulterior motives – I wanted to use variety shows to improve my image, since in the public’s mind I was still his anti-fan. When we divorced in the future, wouldn’t I be cyberbullied by his fans? After he rejected the 8th olive branch, I carefully considered how to phrase it in a way he’d accept. “Actually, I think we could accept. You’ve never been on variety shows before – your first appearance would gain a lot of fans.” “People always see you in dramas. They must be curious what you’re like in private.” “Creating a loving husband image would increase your value even more.” After my coaxing, he signed a contract with a travel show. The show was called “A Different Journey” and featured 5 celebrity couples traveling together, with 24-hour footage of the guests’ lives. While promoting tourism, it also revealed how celebrity couples interacted. When the lineup was announced, it caused a stir online. I took this show very seriously – it was my chance for redemption. I watched many similar variety shows in advance to ensure I wouldn’t mess up. Ryan seemed much more relaxed. Although it was his variety show debut, he didn’t seem to care at all. After wrapping up his last drama, he spent every day at home eating and drinking as usual. On the day of filming, the show’s car came to pick us up at home. Apparently they wanted to start capturing footage from the moment we left. I got in the car and took a deep breath with my eyes closed. When I opened them, I found a plastic bag in front of me. I looked at Ryan’s outstretched hand in confusion. “Don’t you get carsick easily? Take this.” This guy had done his research. But I was too embarrassed to say it was just nerves, so I silently tucked the bag in my pocket.

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Ethan pressed me against the corner of the sofa, his eyes blazing red: “Emily, I’m asking you for the last time, do you want to be with me or not?” I opened my mouth but couldn’t speak, too many worries preventing me from answering. He slowly released me and stepped back, his reddened eyes full of disappointment. I quickly grabbed his hand to stop him from leaving, whispering: “Can you give me some more time to think about it?” “Emily, you’re really going to be the death of me.” I found him on a rainy day. He was soaked to the bone, hiding alone behind a pillar on the sidewalk, curled up in a ball and shivering uncontrollably. “Are you okay?” I asked. He looked up at me briefly, then quickly lowered his head again, turning away as if he didn’t want to talk. I went into a convenience store, bought some hot food and water, and sat by the window to eat it all at once. Hot food on a rainy day always brings comfort. When I came out, he was still in the same position, looking like he might be washed away by the heavy rain at any moment. Unable to bear it, I went back and bought another portion of food, placing it in his arms. “Eat this, it’s still hot.” After a few seconds of hesitation, he shakily took the food and stuffed it all into his mouth, finishing everything including the soup in just three minutes. After eating, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and softly said, “Thank you.” Seeing him like this, I thought he might be a runaway kid. I couldn’t do much more, so I left my umbrella and turned to leave. Just as I stepped into the rain, my sleeve was tugged. I turned to find the young man who had been crouching there following me. With hesitation but also a hint of desperate courage, he asked: “Can you take me home with you?” Out of selfishness, I agreed. After all, in my final days, I wanted someone to keep me company. Just having someone there would be enough.

Two months ago, when I received my leukemia diagnosis, I didn’t feel much sadness. If anything, I felt relieved that I could finally leave this miserable world with a legitimate reason. But in these last days, I wanted to be selfish for once and do all those things I had only ever written down in my notebook. I wanted to see the breathtaking sunrise over the mountains and the endless expanse of the ocean. Perhaps the heavens didn’t want me to be too lonely in my final days and sent me a companion. After entering my apartment, I told him to quickly take a shower. In this weather, catching a cold would be miserable. I gave him my largest T-shirt and pants, but they were still a bit short on him. It would have to do for now. I planned to take him shopping for suitable clothes tomorrow. After his shower, he looked damp and vulnerable, his doe-like eyes darting around, clearly wary of his surroundings. It stirred a strange protective instinct in me. I handed him a glass of warm water and brought out some instant noodles I had just prepared. “Eat this to warm up your stomach, you got pretty soaked in the rain earlier.” “By the way, I’m Emily. What’s your name?” “I’m Ethan, miss,” the young man replied, his voice low and somewhat muffled, as if speaking from inside a glass dome. After he finished eating, I took the bowl to clean up. When I came back, he had already fallen asleep on the table, his arms wrapped around his neck in an awkward position. Not wanting to wake him, I draped a blanket over his shoulders and turned up the temperature on the living room heater. … The next morning, I woke up with a nosebleed that wouldn’t stop. The medicine I took last night didn’t seem to have any effect. I finally managed to stop the bleeding, but my whole body felt boneless. I collapsed on the floor with a loud thud. There was frantic knocking at the door. “Emily? Are you okay?” It had been so long since anyone cared about me that I felt a bit uncomfortable. I didn’t want to open the door and let him see me in such a pale and haggard state. I suppressed the taste of blood in my throat and steadied my voice to tell him I was fine. “I just tripped and fell.” I applied some light makeup to look more lively. Ethan was sitting obediently in the living room waiting for me, still wearing the clothes from last night, looking a bit comical. I stared at him, the corners of my eyes lifting slightly as I smiled. Seeing me trying to hold back laughter, he looked down at his clothes and pouted in disappointment. “Mine aren’t dry yet, I can’t wear them.” “Alright, let’s go out and buy you some new ones now.” I took him to the mall to buy a few sets of clothes. I had to admit, the young man was very handsome with his pale skin, doe-like eyes, and a smile as bright as the stars. No wonder he was hard to refuse. We also went to the supermarket to buy some ingredients. I planned to make hot pot for dinner, something I had been craving for a long time but never had anyone to share it with. Now that I finally had the chance, I was determined to enjoy it to the fullest. During dinner, Ethan and I both had our mouths and throats burning from the spice. We kept drinking ice water to try to cool down, but the fire only seemed to spread to our ears, tormenting us to no end. He was drinking water but still managed to tease me. “Emily, you’re such a wimp.” “You’re not doing much better yourself,” I retorted. Looking at each other’s disheveled state, we couldn’t help but burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the room. It seemed that because of his arrival, my final days had gained a glimmer of hope.

Sometimes we would choose a classic movie and sprawl out on the sofa in all sorts of positions to watch it. Seeing the characters in a scenic location, I leaned on the sofa armrest and asked Ethan: “Should we go on a trip? We could see the unique culture and watch the sunrise over the mountains.” “Sure,” he agreed without hesitation. On the day of departure, the sky was clear, as if giving our journey a beautiful omen. We were seated next to a young couple who assumed Ethan and I were also on our honeymoon. They kept enthusiastically sharing their travel tips with us. “We’re not actually—” I started to explain, but was interrupted. Seeing their enthusiasm, I gave up trying to correct them. Let them think we were a couple, it didn’t matter. I turned to look at Ethan and saw the tips of his ears turning red as he pretended to look elsewhere. I decided to tease him a bit, moving closer and resting my head on his shoulder. He stiffened, his back going straight as he awkwardly asked, “Emily?” “Don’t move, boyfriend. I’m tired,” I said playfully. I had intended to just see his flustered reaction, but I actually fell asleep, missing the blush that spread across his face. When I woke up, I was still in the same position, but now there was a blanket draped over me. Ethan had his eyes closed, already asleep. The woman next to us noticed I was awake and whispered teasingly: “After you fell asleep, your boyfriend didn’t dare move an inch. He kept looking at you like he wanted to drink in the sight. He even asked the flight attendant for a blanket when he was worried you might be cold.” I was stunned for a moment, feeling a warmth spread through my chest. I hadn’t made a mistake in taking him in.

When we arrived at our destination, neither Ethan nor I experienced any altitude sickness. We moved our luggage to the guesthouse, but the front desk told us that due to an error, the two rooms we had booked were no longer available. They only had one room left and offered to refund us and pay a penalty fee. I thought about finding another hotel, but everywhere nearby was fully booked. We had no choice but to make do. Ethan said he could sleep on the floor. It was my first time sharing a room with a guy, and we both tactfully avoided mentioning it. After showering, I hid under the covers with only my eyes peeking out, blinking rapidly. Hearing the water running in the bathroom, my imagination started to wander. A young, fit body… something I had never experienced. I muttered to myself: “Emily, get it together. You can’t do something like that.” But another voice in my head chimed in: “Well, it’s not entirely out of the question…” In the end, I did nothing and just lay there obediently, but I couldn’t fall asleep. I decided to chat with him instead. “Ethan, are you asleep?” “No, can’t you sleep, Emily?” “I just want to talk for a bit.” Ethan told me that one day he had a big argument with his parents over something trivial. He was so angry that he stormed out and didn’t come home all night. His parents were worried and went out looking for him by car, but they encountered a drunk driver. The two cars collided, and tragedy struck. “If I hadn’t argued with them that day, if I hadn’t left, would everything be different? Would I still have a family?” It turned out that the day I found him was the seventh day after his parents’ passing. He had planned to end his life that day but unexpectedly met me instead. Muffled sobs came from under the bed, breaking my heart. I rolled to the edge of the bed and gently stroked his head, taking his hand in mine as I shared my own story with him. My dad and mom were only 18 when they had me, having just graduated from high school. When my mom was discovered to be pregnant, she was locked up at home. My grandmother brought over a dozen relatives to demand an explanation from my dad’s family. If they didn’t agree to marriage, they threatened to report my dad for rape. In the end, the two families decided to have the baby first and get married later. My parents only got their marriage certificate when I was four years old. Less than a year later, they were already at each other’s throats, insisting on divorce. Neither of them wanted to take me, seeing me as a burden. It was my grandmother who couldn’t bear to see this and took me back to the countryside, raising me to adulthood. By the time I finally made something of myself and earned some money, my grandmother was no longer around to enjoy it, having gone to a faraway place. Ethan squeezed my hand and said softly: “Everything will be alright.” “It definitely will be.” We were like two wounded animals licking each other’s wounds. Though they couldn’t be fully healed, at least they didn’t hurt as much anymore. Suddenly, I felt like I had a reason to keep living.

I always thought I slept quite gracefully, but I ended up embarrassing myself completely in front of Ethan. I woke up next to Ethan, opening my eyes to see his face up close, my hand resting on his firm waist, feeling the rise and fall of his breathing. Afraid of an awkward awakening, I tried to sneak back to my own bed, but as soon as I moved, he pulled me back into his arms. “Emily, let’s sleep a bit longer.” I felt a rush of heat to my face, my heart pounding. This kid really knew how to charm. “Are you awake?” I asked. There was no response. Ethan looked even more innocent when asleep, like a baby, making me want to kiss him. And I actually did. His lips were soft like jelly. I kept it brief, feeling guilty for stealing a kiss. But suddenly Ethan deepened the kiss, our breaths intertwining as we greedily savored each other’s taste. Throughout the whole process, he never opened his eyes. After the kiss, he rolled over to face the other way, as if he had fallen back asleep. If it weren’t for the redness spreading from his ears to his neck, I would have thought he was just dreaming. Cheeky brat, kissing me and then pretending to be asleep. I went to the bathroom feeling shy and annoyed, stomping my feet loudly to make sure he heard. In the time it took to brush my teeth, a metallic taste filled my mouth and my nose started bleeding profusely. I kept trying to wipe it away, staining my fingers red. Looking at myself in the mirror, I suddenly felt overwhelmed with sadness, almost losing myself in despair. I couldn’t let this ruin things for him. If only I could live… It seemed I wasn’t as unafraid of death as I thought. Once you have someone to care about, you become terrified of leaving. I flushed the bloodied tissues down the toilet and cleaned myself up. When I came out, Ethan was making the bed, neatly folding the pajamas I had tossed aside. I walked past him and poured myself a glass of warm water, swallowing a handful of pills in one go. Seeing me take medicine, he asked with concern: “Emily, what’s wrong?” “It’s nothing, just some vitamins. I’ll give you a few later too.” “Let’s go out after you’re done getting ready.” … After leaving the room, Ethan tried to bring up what happened that morning, but I kept brushing it off. He seemed annoyed but didn’t dare express it, not understanding why my attitude had suddenly changed so much. He tried to hold my hand several times but gave up disappointedly each time, like a Samoyed that hadn’t received its treat. I kept reminding myself not to soften, it would only hurt both of us. The sky here was truly blue, making me feel completely relaxed. We rented a vintage car and drove along the lake road towards a scenic town. Walking on this flower-lined street felt like it could heal everything. There were too many people coming and going, including children running around. “Emily, watch out!” Ethan suddenly pulled me into his arms, shielding me in his small space.

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On Christmas Eve, Jack asked me, Emily, who had just won a silver award in the city’s fashion design competition, to design a wedding dress in the most popular 90s style. I thought Jack wanted to give me a surprise on Christmas, perhaps to officially confirm our relationship. So from conceptualization to fabric selection to cutting and sewing, I put my heart and soul into every step. However, on Christmas Day, Jack announced in front of everyone that this dress was a special Christmas gift prepared for his dream girl, Olivia. Even the position I had worked so hard for at the fashion company, Jack took it upon himself to give it to Olivia, who had just returned to the city. I had accompanied Jack for eight years, giving up many opportunities for development, but I couldn’t even keep an official status or even my beloved job position. I decisively decided to respond to that invitation letter from another well-known fashion company that I had been keeping at the bottom of my drawer. [A week later, I reported to the new company.]

Three days later, I received a reply. Looking at the words on the letter that read “We warmly welcome talented designers like you to join us, and look forward to creating brilliance together!”, I couldn’t help but shed tears. I was finally no longer a woman who could only depend on others, I finally had a dream to fight for. Eight years ago, to repay Jack for saving me in an accident, even without a promise, I silently stayed by his side to support his career. Jack was a business elite, and our life together was harmonious and happy. I gave up my own design dreams for him, thinking we could walk through the long years together. But who knew, after Olivia appeared, everything changed. He not only didn’t give me a clear future, but even my position at the fashion company was easily handed over to Olivia who had just returned. Jack walked into the room with Lily, and I hurriedly hid the letter. “What are you looking at?” Jack asked, noticing my reddened eyes. I forced a smile, “It’s a greeting letter from a friend.” “Are you still angry about the job position?” Jack frowned slightly. Lily, though young, already knew how to read the room. Hearing Jack say this, she looked at me with dissatisfaction, “Mom, don’t be so petty, Dad is just thinking about work.” Six years ago, I had been weak after a serious illness. So Jack left Lily in the care of his parents, who weren’t very warm towards me and had been instilling some unfavorable ideas about me in Lily since she was young. So Lily became cold towards me like Jack, only showing warmth when facing Olivia. Jack sighed and gently patted my shoulder, “Lily, go out for a moment.” After Lily left, Jack continued, “Emily, I hope you can understand my decision. Olivia has been through a lot of difficulties outside, she needs this position more to start anew. I’ve known her for a long time, it’s only right to help her.” I lowered my head slightly, avoiding his gaze, “I understand.” My attitude was as calm as water, leaving no room for criticism. Jack looked at me, wanting to say something but holding back, and finally left the room. In the evening, Jack brought Olivia home for dinner. At the dinner table, Jack, who was usually serious, was chatting and laughing with Olivia, as if they were the real family. I silently ate my dinner, unable to blend into their joyful atmosphere, and not wanting to. I remembered Christmas Eve, when I was full of expectations that Jack would give me a special promise. I was so nervous that I couldn’t sleep all night, constantly imagining how I would look standing beside him in a beautiful dress. When Jack first gave me the dress design task, my heart was full of sweetness, and I even added my own carefully designed unique embroidery to the details of the dress. But when I saw Olivia wearing that dress, I was full of shock and anger. That day, Jack and Olivia looked like a perfect couple leaning on each other, and the imported pearl necklace Jack gave her shone softly under the lights, piercing my heart. Colleagues from the company gathered around them, whispering. “The manager really put his heart into it for Miss Olivia, they’re truly a perfect match.” “It seems the manager still can’t forget Miss Olivia, Emily is just a substitute when Miss Olivia wasn’t around.” “That’s right, if it wasn’t for Emily solving a lot of the manager’s life troubles, he would have ignored her long ago. How could she compare to Miss Olivia’s talent and charm!” Those harsh words reached my ears, and tears welled up in my eyes, but my daughter beside me didn’t notice my sadness at all. Suddenly, the spotlight focused on me and my daughter. Jack smiled and waved to Lily, “Come on, didn’t you prepare a gift for Aunt Olivia long ago? Go ahead!” Hearing this, I reached out to hold back Lily, who was eager to run over, “Lily, did you know all along that this dress Mom made was for Aunt Olivia? Did you also know that Dad gave Mom’s job to her?” “Yes!” Lily nodded without hesitation. My nails dug deep into my palm as I tried to stay calm, “Then why didn’t you tell Mom?” Jack kept urging, and Lily forcefully shook off my hand, running happily towards Olivia. I was taken aback by Lily’s action and almost fell. I smiled bitterly, regretting that only now did I see clearly my position in their hearts. At this moment, my only thought was that I no longer wanted this man or this daughter.

Three days later, I received a reply. Looking at the words on the letter that read “We warmly welcome talented designers like you to join us, and look forward to creating brilliance together!”, I couldn’t help but shed tears. I was finally no longer a woman who could only depend on others, I finally had a dream to fight for. Eight years ago, to repay Jack for saving me in an accident, even without a promise, I silently stayed by his side to support his career. Jack was a business elite, and our life together was harmonious and happy. I gave up my own design dreams for him, thinking we could walk through the long years together. But who knew, after Olivia appeared, everything changed. He not only didn’t give me a clear future, but even my position at the fashion company was easily handed over to Olivia who had just returned. Jack walked into the room with Lily, and I hurriedly hid the letter. “What are you looking at?” Jack asked, noticing my reddened eyes. I forced a smile, “It’s a greeting letter from a friend.” “Are you still angry about the job position?” Jack frowned slightly. Lily, though young, already knew how to read the room. Hearing Jack say this, she looked at me with dissatisfaction, “Mom, don’t be so petty, Dad is just thinking about work.” Six years ago, I had been weak after a serious illness. So Jack left Lily in the care of his parents, who weren’t very warm towards me and had been instilling some unfavorable ideas about me in Lily since she was young. So Lily became cold towards me like Jack, only showing warmth when facing Olivia. Jack sighed and gently patted my shoulder, “Lily, go out for a moment.” After Lily left, Jack continued, “Emily, I hope you can understand my decision. Olivia has been through a lot of difficulties outside, she needs this position more to start anew. I’ve known her for a long time, it’s only right to help her.” I lowered my head slightly, avoiding his gaze, “I understand.” My attitude was as calm as water, leaving no room for criticism. Jack looked at me, wanting to say something but holding back, and finally left the room. In the evening, Jack brought Olivia home for dinner. At the dinner table, Jack, who was usually serious, was chatting and laughing with Olivia, as if they were the real family. I silently ate my dinner, unable to blend into their joyful atmosphere, and not wanting to. I remembered Christmas Eve, when I was full of expectations that Jack would give me a special promise. I was so nervous that I couldn’t sleep all night, constantly imagining how I would look standing beside him in a beautiful dress. When Jack first gave me the dress design task, my heart was full of sweetness, and I even added my own carefully designed unique embroidery to the details of the dress. But when I saw Olivia wearing that dress, I was full of shock and anger. That day, Jack and Olivia looked like a perfect couple leaning on each other, and the imported pearl necklace Jack gave her shone softly under the lights, piercing my heart. Colleagues from the company gathered around them, whispering. “The manager really put his heart into it for Miss Olivia, they’re truly a perfect match.” “It seems the manager still can’t forget Miss Olivia, Emily is just a substitute when Miss Olivia wasn’t around.” “That’s right, if it wasn’t for Emily solving a lot of the manager’s life troubles, he would have ignored her long ago. How could she compare to Miss Olivia’s talent and charm!” Those harsh words reached my ears, and tears welled up in my eyes, but my daughter beside me didn’t notice my sadness at all. Suddenly, the spotlight focused on me and my daughter. Jack smiled and waved to Lily, “Come on, didn’t you prepare a gift for Aunt Olivia long ago? Go ahead!” Hearing this, I reached out to hold back Lily, who was eager to run over, “Lily, did you know all along that this dress Mom made was for Aunt Olivia? Did you also know that Dad gave Mom’s job to her?” “Yes!” Lily nodded without hesitation. My nails dug deep into my palm as I tried to stay calm, “Then why didn’t you tell Mom?” Jack kept urging, and Lily forcefully shook off my hand, running happily towards Olivia. I was taken aback by Lily’s action and almost fell. I smiled bitterly, regretting that only now did I see clearly my position in their hearts. At this moment, my only thought was that I no longer wanted this man or this daughter.

Seeing that I was particularly cold tonight, Olivia pretended to be pitiful, pouting and tears welling up in her eyes, “Emily, are you still blaming me for taking your job? I’ll tell the company right now to give the position back to you!” Hearing this, Jack immediately put on a stern face, “What nonsense are you talking about? This position is what I fought for you, how can you say you don’t want it just like that? Emily won’t blame you, it’s just a position. She’s been focusing on family these past few years, work isn’t that important to her.” I couldn’t help but mock myself in my heart, oh Jack, for whom I’ve sacrificed so much, what have you ever fought for me in these eight years? What makes you think I’m willing to be a housewife forever? Lily didn’t even look at me, “Aunt Olivia, my mom only knows how to clean the house, she can’t do anything else. Not like you, you’re so talented. I love the painting you taught me last time! You’re amazing!” Olivia’s cheeks flushed red from the praise of the father and daughter. After dinner, Jack turned to me and said coldly, “You’re a mother now, be sensible. Go clean up the kitchen and wash some fruit for Olivia to eat.” I silently got up and went to the kitchen, not missing the flash of smugness in Olivia’s eyes. Jack was a bit surprised by my compliance, he pursed his lips, but ultimately said nothing. I washed the dishes with ice-cold water in the kitchen, while occasional laughter from Olivia and Lily came from the living room. It doesn’t matter anymore, I’m leaving this place soon anyway. The next day, I got up early and went to the bus station to buy a ticket to Ocean City. Only when the ticket was in my bag did my heart finally settle down a bit. I don’t want to have any more entanglements with the people here, nor do I want to fall into a loveless life again. In this last month, I just want to live as usual, doing what I should do. On my way home, I met Mrs. Lee from downstairs. She looked at me with surprise, “Emily? Didn’t you go to Lily’s school for the parent-child activity? You should go quickly, Lily said this activity requires parents to participate, she must have forgotten to tell you.” I agreed and immediately changed course to Lily’s school. At the school, the children were performing their talents. Lily was also on stage showcasing her dance, I watched with my own eyes as she perfectly completed her performance. I smiled and prepared to go up to congratulate her, but found that she ran straight into Olivia’s arms. Jack stood beside them, putting his jacket on Lily. I don’t know what Lily whispered in Olivia’s ear, but Olivia kissed Lily’s forehead. Then, Olivia and Lily looked at Jack with pitiful eyes at the same time, and Jack bent down with a doting and helpless expression to kiss Lily’s cheek. Olivia and Lily’s smiles were dazzlingly bright. I suddenly felt ridiculous for rushing to school to participate in the activity, the three of them were the real family, and I was just an outsider in their happy life. Jack ruffled Lily’s hair, then ruffled Olivia’s, and inadvertently looked up to meet my gaze. He immediately took his hand off Olivia’s head, scratching his head awkwardly, wanting to say something but holding back. I heard Lily say, “Aunt Olivia, I invited you to participate in the activity without telling Mom, don’t let it slip.” “Shut up!” Jack scolded. At this moment, the three of them realized my arrival. Olivia stood up, about to speak. Lily’s teacher walked over, “Lily’s mom? Didn’t you say you couldn’t come today because you had something to do? It’s good that you’re here, by the way, Lily won a silver award in the school painting competition last time. Come with me to get her artwork and certificate.” I waved to the three of them casually, pretending to be relaxed, and followed the teacher to the office to get the certificate. “Your family is so happy!” the teacher exclaimed. Lily’s artwork depicted the Christmas gathering scene, with two adults and a child standing intimately under the lights, Olivia wearing a beautiful dress, Jack holding Olivia’s arm, looking so happy that it made people envious. I wiped away the tears from the corner of my eye, thanked the teacher, and went straight home. It doesn’t matter, I’ll give my place to Olivia. Three more days, and I’ll be free. Back home, I started packing my luggage. Clothes, daily necessities, the design sketches I drew in my spare time over these eight years…

When Jack brought Olivia home, I had just finished packing. Olivia had tears in her eyes, looking pitiful and saying, “Emily, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I rarely participate in such activities, so I begged Jack to take me. I’ll tell the company right now to give the position back to you!” Hearing Olivia say this, Lily quickly explained, “Mom, it’s not like that, it was me who wanted Aunt Olivia to accompany me, it’s all my fault, don’t be angry with Aunt Olivia.” This was the first time Lily had lowered her head and admitted her mistake in front of me, the first time she said so much to explain. Jack stepped forward, pulled me into the room, and hugged me tightly. “Emily, today’s incident is my fault, blame me if you want to blame someone.” How ridiculous, because Olivia participated in Lily’s activity, the three of them are vying to take responsibility, as if I’m an unreasonable person, as if they are the real family, and I’m just an outsider. I broke free from Jack’s embrace and looked straight into his eyes. Jack was still explaining, “Emily, Olivia has had a hard life, she’s been through a lot to get where she is now, she needs this position more to prove herself. I grew up with her, helping her is a matter of sentiment.” Jack was known for being calm and rational at the company, never saying a word more than necessary. But now, for Olivia’s sake, he was willing to explain to me so patiently. “Then why are so many of my design sketches missing?” I asked calmly. Jack was at a loss for words for a moment, then explained in a low voice, “I saw you had drawn a lot before, and that day when you weren’t around, Olivia came to the house and saw them, she really liked them, so I gave them to her for study and reference.” I understood in my heart, but couldn’t even muster any anger, “No wonder Olivia’s design works submitted when she joined the company looked familiar.” Jack suddenly looked ashamed, he hadn’t expected that I knew everything. Even when he belittled me in front of Olivia to protect her face, I knew. Jack stubbornly deceived himself, believing that Olivia’s success was entirely due to her own efforts and perseverance, not mentioning his help at all, and pretending not to know about plagiarizing my works. He only saw Olivia’s hardships, but was unwilling to mention the shortcuts she took. “Emily, I’ve always known you have talent, I hope you can be magnanimous about this incident, Olivia… really needs this opportunity.” There was a flash of struggle and pain in Jack’s eyes, but he was still speaking for Olivia. “Alright. As you wish, I’ll give it all to her.” The position, the works, you, our daughter, I’ll give it all to her.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295514”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring