Author: Momo Chan

The Covenant of the Scarlet Fang is absolute. At the Lunar Rite,the future Alpha must be chosen by the oracle to claim his Luna—bound by an eternal covenant. I loved Damien.We grew up together. For him,I poured every drop of my soul into my Moon-Bound Shard,praying for the bond to ignite. Seven years.Seven full moons. Every time,the Shard remained a cold,mocking void. Tonight was the eighth year. I stood in the shadows of the temple. A voice cut through the dark—low,urgent,unmistakably his mother’s. “Damien,you swore you’d marry Elara!” “Why did you use forbidden magic to mask her scent for seven years? You turned her Moon-Bound Shard into a lifeless stone! And you silently watched her weep—didn’t it break your heart?” The disappointment in her voice was impossible to miss. Damien let out a short,cold laugh. “Of course it hurts.But Lila is back from the Outlands.Her wolf-spirit is unstable. I promised to use my Alpha power to stabilize her for seven years. Besides,that fool won’t marry anyone else anyway. Next year,I’ll give her the grandest ceremony the pack has ever seen.” He tossed the stone into the cold brazier.It shattered. In the shadows,something in me quietly let go.Alaric,my grandfather,the High Elder,once told me:The Covenant only gives us eight chances. If the eighth oracle is destined to be blank…fine. I’ll just find another Alpha to marry. His voice floated back through the dark. “The sound of stone cracking is much more pleasant than your sobbing,don’t you think?” Damien was busy adjusting his silver-threaded cuffs,his eyes fixed on the temple doors. Outside,the moonlight was like liquid silver. The elite of the Scarlet Fang had gathered—a tide of low growls and proud silhouettes. The eighth Rite.My last chance. He brushed past me,heading straight for Lila. She stood in the middle of a cluster of high-ranking she-wolves. The moment she spotted Damien,she broke free and threw herself into his arms like a frightened fawn. “Damien!”Lila’s eyes were red.Her voice came out in a whimper. “They said I’m just a lowly Omega…they said I’m a sinner for standing between you and Lady Elara…” Damien furrowed his brow,his fierce Alpha presence sweeping the room before locking onto the whispering she-wolves.“Who dares question her?My will is the law of the Scarlet Fang—Lila is my honored guest.Anyone who causes her trouble will pay the price…with me.”He didn’t even spare me a glance.I waited for the familiar sting of tears.They never came. But I just watched him,my eyes as cold as the moon

A heavy silence swallowed the hall.The she-wolves’fur bristled with fear;their eyes pleaded as I emerged from the shadows. For seven years,I had been Damien’s rightful fiancée. I was the only noble-born she-wolf he ever tolerated by his side. Aside from the cursed Lunar Rite,he denied me nothing. They expected me to lash out at Lila,to leave marks of fury.At the very least,to shed tears.They thought I would cry and demand to know why he was protecting her—just like the last seven years. But this time,I simply brushed a speck of moon-dust from my gown. Taking a goblet of blood-red wine from a passing servant’s silver tray,I took a slow,deliberate sip. The icy liquid slid down my throat,extinguishing the last flicker of warmth I once held for him. “Lady Elara…are you just going to let this happen?” A wolf whispered tentatively. A smile touched my lips—cold as frost. “Let the future Alpha play the hero.Why would I get in the way?Besides,I’m far more curious whether the Moon Goddess has anything to say to me this year.” Damien went rigid. He snapped his head around to look at me,clearly blindsided. In the past,I would have already bared my fangs,sobbing and demanding Lila be banished from our lands. But tonight,I was as tranquil as a stranger passing through. A flash of irritation crossed his eyes. Releasing Lila,he closed the distance between us with long,aggressive strides. “Elara,what tantrum is this now?Lila’s got a fragile wolf spirit—she can’t handle any shock. You’re the heir to an ancient bloodline. So why not show some grace?”

I looked at the man I had loved for over a decade,and suddenly,he was nothing but a stranger. Seven years.Over two thousand five hundred days and nights. I hid my claws. I choked on ancient rules. All to be his perfect Luna. To ensure my Moon-Bound Shard would be chosen by the oracle,I had bribed the High Priest.I had groveled to his mother,the reigning Luna.I had bled myself dry. And for what? For him to tell me to show some grace. For my heart to lie shattered,nothing but ashes at the bottom of a cold brazier. “Damien.” I set my goblet down. The crystal clinked sharply against the stone table,the sound cutting through the heavy tension.”I’m not throwing a tantrum.I actually think you’re right.Miss Lila’s spirit is terribly delicate. She absolutely needs a powerful Alpha to stay by her side and heal her.” Damien froze. He stared intently into my eyes,searching desperately for a flicker of jealousy, a trace of wounded pride. But there was nothing.Only an endless frozen tundra. The realization that he was losing his grip on me sent a flicker of panic through his chest. He reached out to grab my wrist. “Fine.I’m glad you understand.Once tonight is over,next year—” “There is no next year.” I stepped back,easily dodging his grasp. My tone was as casual as if I were commenting on the moonlight. “The High Elder says the Covenant grants but eight chances. Tonight marks the eighth. If the oracle remains blank, our betrothal shall be void. Then,we are free to find our own paths.”

Damien scoffed as if he’d just heard a hilarious joke. “How many times are you going to play this same game,Elara?” “Three years ago,you said you’d go visit human cities—but you just stood at the border,howling and crying out for me.Two years ago,you demanded to break off our engagement. Then you stood outside all night in a blizzard,nearly freezing your wolf spirit. You really think you can leave me?” He was so sure of himself.So arrogant.He even looked at me with pity. To him,I was nothing more than a shadow.How could a shadow ever break away from the light? Beside him,Lila covered her mouth to hide a smirk.Her eyes mocked me. “Elara,I know you’re hurting.But Damien was only trying to help me—don’t say things like that just to get back at him.What if people take you seriously?What Alpha would ever come near you after that? Everyone in the North already knows you’d never settle for anyone but Damien.You’re already a laughingstock.” A laughingstock? She was right.For Damien,I had made myself a complete joke. I stared at Lila’s fake,innocent face. The words I had overheard at the temple door came back to me: “That fool won’t marry anyone else anyway.” To them,my devotion was sheer foolishness.My loyalty,nothing but weakness and worthlessness. “You worry too much,Miss Lila.” I tucked a strand of silver hair behind my ear.I smiled at her,gracious and unhurried. “My bloodline comes straight from the Moon Goddess. My family’s lands are vast and rich. Alphas who wanted to bond with me?They’d stretch from the Northern Peaks all the way to the Southern Coast.” “But you,Miss Lila…” My gaze dropped to her hands,still clinging weakly to Damien’s arm. “I heard you suffered in the Outlands for seven years. Is that why you’re still so frail?You can’t even stand without help? Should I call a Druid for you? Maybe we should drag you straight to the Cliff of Rest,just to check if your wolf spirit is dying?”

“You!”Lila’s face paled.Tears welled up in her eyes on cue,spilling down her cheeks. “Damien,look how she treats me…” Damien’s expression darkened. “Elara!You’ve crossed the line!Apologize to Lila!” “Apologize?” I raised an eyebrow. “For what?Because she’s the one you treasure above all else? Or because she’s a fragile Omega who needs everyone’s pity? Damien,did you forget?Tonight is my stage. Until the Moon Goddess’s blessing begins,I am still your official fiancée. What’s wrong with putting an outsider in her place?” Whispers broke out among the pack. The current Luna hurried over. Seeing the scene,she frowned deeply. “Stop this!Haven’t you embarrassed yourselves enough?” She shot Damien a sharp look,then turned to me with an unreadable look. “Elara,it’s almost time.Don’t let someone irrelevant cost you everything.” The Luna truly cared for me. She genuinely wanted me as her daughter-in-law to unite our powerful bloodlines. Too bad her precious son had destroyed it all with his own hands. Damien took a deep breath,suppressing his anger. He wrapped an arm around Lila’s shoulders and patted her comfortingly. Then he glared at me,his voice ice-cold. “Fine.If you want to play games,let’s begin. I can’t wait to see if you’re still this sharp-tongued when the oracle gives you nothing!” He turned and strode toward the high altar in the center of the temple. There sat the giant Moon Basin,filled with sacred spring water.My judgment stand. I watched him walk away.My gaze went cold. Damien,you think you control everything. You have no idea how swiftly the hunter becomes the hunted.

In the center of the temple,moonlight poured through the crystal dome. It cast a holy glow.Every wolf’s eyes locked onto the ancient Moon Basin. By tradition,the basin held hundreds of”Moon-Bound Shards”from eligible noble she-wolves.When the ritual began,the Alpha would reach into the basin,guided by the Moon Goddess to his destined mate’s shard. If chosen,they were fated mates,engaged on the spot. If not,their fate was delayed to the next year. For the past seven years,I had watched my shard drop into the basin with so much hope. And every time,Damien pulled out a dead stone. I had thought it was bad luck. I thought the Goddess was testing our love. Until today.Today I learned the truth. My shard was never in that basin. He had used forbidden magic to replace my shard with a dead stone— with his own hands. “Go on,Elara,”the Luna encouraged from below. “I had the High Priest read the stars.He said your destined mate will appear tonight. You will succeed.” Maybe.But those stars weren’t shining for Damien. I lifted my gown and walked up the steps. Damien stood by the basin.One hand in his pocket.Utterly arrogant. He looked at me like I was a pup throwing a tantrum. He leaned in,lowering his voice so only I could hear. “Elara,apologize to Lila now.If you do,I promise the Goddess will’choose’you next year. Actually,you won’t even have to wait that long.Be a good girl.Stop bullying Lila,and I might consider ending this boring game early.”

To him,my seven years of suffering meant nothing. My youth.My dignity.It was all just a game to him. A game he could pause whenever he felt like it. I stopped.I stood right in front of him. We were only inches apart,but a bottomless abyss lay between us. “Damien,”I said softly.”Do you really think you’re my only choice?” Damien froze for a second.Then,he laughed out loud. “Who else?” “What other Alpha could handle the terrible temper of your ancient bloodline? Besides the Crimson Fangs,what other pack is good enough to ally with your family? Accept your fate,Elara.You are destined to be my Luna.And mine alone.” He was so confident. He thought he held my weakness. He thought he could trample my boundaries forever. I dropped my gaze to hide my smirk. “Is that so?Then let’s see who really needs to accept their fate.” I took a deep breath.Slowly,I raised my right hand and plunged it into the freezing Moon Spring. My fingertips brushed against the icy Moon-Bound Shards.One.Two.Dozens. The temple was dead silent. Lila stood at the front of the pack.A winner’s smirk played on her lips. She knew my shard wasn’t in the basin. She was waiting for me to make a fool of myself. She wanted to watch me break down and cry in front of the entire pack. Damien casually looked away. He already knew the outcome.Or so he thought. I closed my eyes. Finally,my fingertips brushed against a stone. Its texture was unmistakably different. Before the ritual,during the crowd’s chaos,I had my loyal guard slip it in. It was my ultimate backup plan.My final way out. My eyes snapped open. With a flick of my wrist,I pulled the shard out of the water. “Alpha Heir,”I called out. I held the shard high.My voice rang clear and loud across the entire temple. “It seems your little guarantee has just expired.”

The smug indifference vanished from Damien’s face. His eyes darted to the shard in my hand. A flicker of confusion broke through his arrogant facade. Impossible.He had crushed my original Moon-Bound Shard with his own hands. He’d even used dark magic to mask my scent. To be absolutely sure,he had double-checked the sacred basin right before the ceremony began.There was no chance any stone in there would react to me. “What kind of stunt are you pulling with that fake rock,Elara?” He scoffed,reaching out to snatch the shard from my grip. “Stop making a scene.You’re embarrassing us in front of all the Northern packs.” “Whether it’s a fake or not,why don’t we let the Elder read the decree?” I stepped aside,dodging his hand. A fierce,untamed smile broke across my face—a smile he had never once seen in all seven years I had spent shrinking myself for him. “Since the Alpha Heir doesn’t believe me, I’ll ask a respected Elder to read the Goddess’s will.Alaric,would you do me the honor?Tell us which Alpha this rune points to.” Leaning on his bone staff,Alaric walked steadily onto the dais and took the shard. Under the moonlight,a complex crest began to glow on the stone’s surface. Alaric’s aged eyes widened. Suddenly,a booming,joyous laugh erupted from his chest. “Yes!Yes!The Moon Goddess has spoken!This is her true will!” Unease clawed at Damien’s chest. Forgetting all protocol,he lunged forward. “Elder,let me see that!” But Alaric snapped his hand shut over the stone. He turned to face the hundreds of elite wolves below. His ancient voice thundered across the sanctuary, “By the ancient pact and the guidance of the Moon Goddess, Elara has received her decree on her eighth blessing! She has found her fated mate!A destined match!”

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Six months after we broke up,my ex,Damian Blackwood,DM’d me a screenshot. It’s a photo I posted three minutes ago. A silhouette of me at a gallery opening,with the caption:[I miss you]. Before I could reply,my phone rang. It was him. I heard the muffled bass of a party in the background. Then came his voice—that damn lazy drawl,as controlling as ever. “So,you finally came to your senses? I hooked up with a model,so what? It’s not like I stopped loving you. This little tantrum of yours needs to end. Besides,compared to the girls around me,your quiet socialite type is honestly a little boring.” A text notification popped up—an address for a rooftop bar in Manhattan. His voice,slurring slightly,dropped to a command. “Thirty minutes.Get here,and we’ll pretend nothing ever happened.” I let out a soft,”Okay.” Then I hung up and blocked his number for good. Damian always forgot one thing. When a girl like me decided to move on… We actually moved on. We chose someone we could build a real life with. I honestly thought the call was another one of Damian’s late-night whims. But my best friend’s frantic call woke me up the next morning. She was hysterical about a limited-edition Aston Martin parked outside my building. I looked out my window. And there he was,leaning against the driver’s side door. That was when I fully woke up. He was serious. Six months apart,and he was standing there like nothing ever happened. A bag of croissants from the French patisserie I used to love was in his hand. He saw me,but didn’t ask why I’d ghosted him the night before. With a casual gesture,he opened the passenger door. It was a move straight out of our past. He motioned for me to get in,holding out the bag. “They’re still warm.” I did not take them. I just looked him straight in the eye. “Are you enjoying this,Damian?”

He paused,pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. Smoke drifted from his lips as he exhaled. “Aurora,this little act of yours is getting boring.A little jealousy is one thing.This is pathetic.” He’d said those exact words the day I broke up with him. We were at his estate in the Hamptons. A model sauntered past me,wearing nothing but his dress shirt. Her skin was covered in fresh love bites. Damian stood by the pool,casually fixing his collar. Then I saw it. A bright red scratch snaking up his neck. I felt my blood turn to ice. “Why?”My voice was a trembling whisper. He barely glanced up,his tone infuriatingly light. “Oh,her?A friend brought her over.She was fun,so I kept her around.” His casual dismissal… It was as if they’d spent the night discussing philosophy. He frowned when he saw my eyes glistening with tears. “In our circle,this is just how things are.Life’s too long to be tied to one woman,Aurora.It’s boring.Besides,you’re my girlfriend,you don’t own me.A little attitude is one thing.This is embarrassing.” I opened my mouth,ready to scream. But the accusations got stuck in my throat. All that came out was a shaky,”We’re over.”

He leaned against the bar,silent for a long moment. Then his voice dropped to a low warning. “What set you apart was that you were smart and classy.Don’t lose that now.” It hit me. In Damian Blackwood’s world,I was no different. I was just a diversion,a toy to pass the time. He’d shower me with affection when he was interested,and discard me the second he found someone new. After we broke up,he dived right back into the party scene. A new girl on his arm every other week. My leaving meant nothing to him. I was a wreck for months,lost in a spiral of self-doubt. It took everything I had to claw my way out of that darkness. I didn’t care what Damian wanted from me now. I just knew I wasn’t getting roped into his comeback tour. “Step aside,Damian.Or I’m calling the cops for harassment.” He crushed his cigarette and closed the distance between us. The faint scent of another woman’s perfume clung to him. I tried to step back,but his hand shot out and clamped around my wrist. “Harassment?That post yesterday was obviously bait for me.Now you’re playing the saint?Is this some new trick?” He always did this—ignoring my anger. He was convinced I was playing hard to get. “Look,I know you don’t have a new boyfriend,and I happen to be single.So why not get back together?” Oh. So he was bored again and decided to dig up his old favorite toy. His dark eyes locked onto mine. “This time,I’ll let you be my girlfriend again.And I promise,for the next three months,I won’t see anyone else.” The offer was delivered like some grand act of charity. In his mind,I was supposed to fall at his feet,grateful for the crumbs. His long fingers stroked my wrist. I ripped my hand away. My eyes met his. “Damian.I’m getting married.”

“Married?” Damian acted like I’d just told the funniest joke in the world. He bent down,his fingertips tracing a teasing line along my jaw. “It’s been a while.I thought you’d finally come around.Why kill the mood with all this boring marriage talk?Who are you marrying?Because I have no plans to propose.” Of course I knew that. He’d made that clear when he staged the scene to humiliate me. After five solid years,I thought we were finally ready. I was going to introduce him to my parents,to start planning our future. Instead,at our own anniversary party,I walked in on him with another woman. I ran from the Hamptons villa,stumbling onto the dark coastal road. My ankle twisted,a sharp pain shooting up my leg. As I waited for my friend to pick me up,I heard Damian talking to his business partners. “Damian,wasn’t that too cruel?”his partner asked. Damian just sounded casual,unbothered. “I overheard her on the phone with her sister.Said the‘time was right’to meet her parents.I’m not getting tied down.This was a way to get her to back off.I’m too young to be chained to one woman.” His friend snickered. “What if she’s for real this time?What if she actually leaves you?”

A confident smirk played on Damian’s lips. “She was with me for five years.She can’t leave me.Give her a month,tops.She’ll come crawling back,begging.Just watch.” That’s when it all clicked. He had heard my call. Instead of talking to me,he chose the cruelest way to cheat. All to avoid a conversation about our future.Or,god forbid,marriage. His phone rang,snapping me back to the present. Damian answered,and a sugary-sweet voice cooed from the other end. “Damian,you promised you’d make it up to me for our breakup.I’ve decided what I want.Can you come now?” Her voice caught in a fake,pathetic sob as she spoke. “We’re done.Don’t contact me again.” He probably didn’t even realize it,but his voice softened. I knew that tone. It was the same one he always used to calm me down. After hanging up,he deliberately flashed the phone in my direction. “See?I cut everyone off for you.” He shoved a cold croissant into my hands. “From now on,my world is just you.I’m giving up a lot to be here with you.” I dropped the pastry bag into the nearest trash can. I took out a wipe and scrubbed the spot on my wrist he had touched. “Who cares?Listen,we are not getting back together.” His face darkened.”Fine.You want to be ungrateful?” He immediately dialed the model back. “Address.I’m on my way.” His eyes stayed locked on my face,seeking a reaction. When he got nothing,he hung up and slid into his car. “Have it your way.You’re going to regret this.” Regret it? Never.

After he left,I took a cab to the office. I had to request my a from my boss. The wedding leave alone wasn’t enough for the honeymoon. He approved it right away. The next morning,the bridal boutique called about my final makeup trial. The moment I walked in,I ran straight into Damian. He froze for a second when he saw me. Then that lazy,arrogant smirk spread across his face. “Still chasing me,even after you said no?” I didn’t say a word. The bridal consultant beside me spoke up. “Mr.Blackwood,this client is here for her wedding day makeup trial.” The smirk on Damian’s face vanished. His hand almost twitched,as if to reach out. Then a sharp voice cut through the air from behind him. “Wow,interesting,Aurora.Heard Damian and I were here taking wedding photos,so you rushed over?And with such a pathetic excuse.” A model named Tiffany latched onto Damian’s arm,rolling her eyes at me. “I’ve never seen someone so desperate to marry rich.There isn’t even a ring on your finger,and you’re already here marking your territory?” A few of Damian’s rich friends snickered. “Oh,this is nothing.You have no idea what she’s capable of.” “She’s a total stage-five clinger.Impossible to shake off.Poor Damian was terrified.It took him forever to finally get away from her.” Another one chimed in,laughing. “Seriously.It’s been six months since the breakup.All Damian has to do is look at her,and she comes running back like a lapdog.” A sharp slap cracked through the hall.

I shook the sting from my hand,glaring at him. “Watch your mouth.Or I’ll do it for you.” He stared,stunned,before his face twisted in fury. “You bitch!How dare you?!” “You’re just Damian’s used-up toy!I could ruin you in this city with a single call!” “You pathetic piece of…” “Enough!” Damian’s voice sliced through the air. He grabbed his friend’s arm before he could swing at me. The guy tried to argue,”Damian,I…” But Damian ignored him,his eyes locked on me,his brow furrowed. “Did you really have to make a scene?” I had no time for his drama. I turned to the staff.”Can you show me to the dressing room,please?” My fiancéwas still in Europe finishing up business. I had a million wedding details to handle and couldn’t waste time on this circus. The consultant quickly led me away. My custom gown,flown in from Paris,was waiting. After the makeup trial,I slipped into the dress to see the final look. But when the curtain was pulled back,Damian was there. Sitting alone on the sofa. The moment he saw me,his dark eyes lit up. “You look…incredible in that dress.” I turned my back on him,focusing on my reflection in the mirror. A second later,I was pulled into a familiar embrace. Damian’s arms locked around my waist. “You know,I’m suddenly thinking…Marrying you might not be a bad idea.”

His touch was revolting. I felt physically sick. But Damian was oblivious. He kept talking. “I just looked it up.We can get it done in two days.A big wedding is too much to plan,but we can go straight to City Hall.” Everything I had ever wanted from him… He was now tossing it at me like it was nothing. The thought made my stomach turn. Tiffany walked in,her eyes flashing with jealousy. “Aww.Looks like your little puppy-dog routine actually worked.” The man I’d slapped chimed in,his voice dripping with venom. “See?No shame gets you everywhere.Damian really has her well-trained.” Damian raised an eyebrow. He laced his fingers through mine,forcing my hand into his. “For the next three months,she’s the only woman you’ll see on my arm.So show some respect.” He acted like he was defending me. In reality,he was just making me look pathetic. I cut him off,my voice ice. “I have a fiancé.I am not marrying you.Have some self-respect.” The air in the room froze. Damian let out a sharp,bitter laugh. “A fiancé?Aurora,are you kidding?Enough with the tantrum.Who else but me would ever marry you?” His friend snickered. “This is priceless.She’s sloppy seconds,playing hard to get because Damian looked her way.” Tiffany looked down her nose at me,like she was offering charity. “Aurora,a word of advice,woman to woman?Quit while you’re ahead.”

She mocked me with her eyes. As if I should be grateful for Damian’s pathetic”generosity.” But I didn’t want his scraps. “If you like picking up trash,be my guest.Just leave me out of it.” Tiffany’s face flushed a deep crimson. Ignoring the fury on Damian’s face,I tore myself from his grip. There was no reasoning with them. My makeup trial was over,so I headed to the fitting room to change. When I came out,the gorgeous gown was a pile of shredded fabric on the floor. Tiffany stood there,holding a pair of scissors with a taunting smile. “Oops.Guess this cheap thing just falls apart if you breathe on it.” I was shaking with pure rage,staring at the ruin she’d made. My fiancéhad a top designer work on that dress for three months. A custom gown for me. She had destroyed it. Damian met my furious glare,then stepped in front of Tiffany to shield her. “It’s just a dress.I’ll pay you back for it,alright?” He grabbed a cheap,off-the-rack dress from a nearby rack. Then he shoved it into my arms. “Two days.Wear this to City Hall.” I stood frozen,clutching the cheap fabric,as they all walked away. A staff member approached me cautiously. “Miss Hayes,are you OK…?” I took a deep breath and turned to her. “Can you please get me a copy of the security footage from here?” They thought they could get away with this? Not a chance. Later,after they left,one of Damian’s friends asked him. “Damian,after all that,you really think she’ll show up and marry you?” Damian laughed,full of confidence. “I know Aurora.She acts tough,but she’s all talk.She could never stay mad at me.” “I’ll go pick her up myself in two days.She’ll come quietly.” All Damian could picture was how stunning I looked in that wedding dress. He suddenly decided that spending his life with me wasn’t a bad idea.

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“I’m sorry,Ava,”Coach Grayson said.”The roster is final.The Silver Ridge Pack Athletic Council has stamped it.” I stood in front of the bulletin board and stared at that list for five minutes. My name was gone. Under the youth figure-skating scholarship,the place where Ava Stone should have been was now Nora Vale. At first,I thought it was a mistake.Later,I understood.Kaiden had done it. My fated mate had given my place to his new girl. I went to the parking lot to find him. He was leaning against his car,scrolling through his phone.When he saw me,he only lifted his eyes. “Nora’s Pack is barely holding on,”he said before I could speak.”If she doesn’t get this scholarship,she’s finished.” “You’re strong.Even without a wolf,you can still make it into the Regional Qualifier.” “That is a full spot at the North Ridge Olympic Training Center,”I said.”You know what that means.” “You’ll figure it out.” I looked at him.He looked away. He sighed,pulled out a black card,and held it out as if he were offering a tip. “I’ll pay.Coaches,ice time,equipment,Pack medical coverage,all of it.I bought the spot.” Rain began to fall,and the cold seeped into my clothes. I looked at the card,then at him. He once told me training would get me out of that rotten home,tear off the label of”wolfless trash,”and let me make my skating dream real. So I trained like my life depended on it,and worked at Silver Ridge Ice Center whenever I had time. But now,the person putting a price on my dream was him. I turned and walked away. His voice came through the rain,colder than the rain itself. “You grind your hands raw in that dump of a shop,spend your whole life chasing money,and now you’re pretending you’re above it?” “There’s more money on this card than you’ve ever seen in your life.” I stopped and looked back at him through the rain. I had thought promises did not rot,that a mate bond did not break.In that moment,it all rotted from the inside out. I smiled at him. “Of course,Kaiden.Think whatever you want.” When I got back to Silver Ridge Ice Center,my phone buzzed. It was Rina. “Ava.Tell me I saw it wrong.I saw Nora take your place.” “You didn’t see it wrong.” “It was Kaiden.It had to be Kaiden.Did you talk to him?” “I just came back from him.” I leaned against the back counter and looked at the row of skates waiting to be sharpened. “He said he’d pay for all my training.Said he bought my spot.” The other end of the call went silent for a long time. “That bastard,”Rina said.”Tell me you threw the card in his face.” “I left.” “Ava,that was your scholarship.Do you know how many nights you stayed up for it?And your dad-” “It won’t help.” “What?” “Kaiden and the Hawthorne Pack funded the scholarship and built the rink.If they can take me off once,they can do it again.” She went quiet. “I saw Nora’s Instagram.Kaiden booked a restaurant to celebrate for her.” “Good for her.” “Good for her?That’s it?” “I have to go.A customer just came in.” I hung up before she could say anything else.

The next day,I went to North Ridge Training Center to register.The air smelled of cedar and ice wax. I saw Kaiden with his arm around Nora. Nora saw me first.She shrank back at once and hid behind Kaiden. “Kaiden,I’m scared.” He stood in front of her like a wall. “Ava,don’t make a scene.” I tried to walk around him.He grabbed my wrist. “What is wrong with you?Nora didn’t do anything.Do you have to make it this ugly?” I yanked my hand free. “Let go of me.” People in the hallway turned to look. Nora’s tears came right on cue.She stepped out from behind Kaiden. “Ava,I’m sorry.If you want to blame someone,blame me.I never meant to hurt you…This is all my fault.” She took another step forward.Kaiden pulled her back into his arms. “Look at her.”Kaiden’s Alpha tone pressed down on me.”Look what you’ve done to her.Ava,I never thought you could be this cruel.” Whispers rose around us. “That’s her,right?The girl who works at Silver Ridge Ice Center.” “Wait,isn’t she the one who lost the scholarship?” “Yeah,she lost to Nora.Honestly,look at her.No wonder the Alpha heir got tired of her.” “Nora looks like an angel.I’d choose her as future Luna too.” I stared at Kaiden. “I said,let go of me.” He did not let go.Instead,he shoved me. I slammed into the lockers,my shoulder blade hitting metal with a dull thud. I looked up at him. He looked back.There was not a trace of hesitation on his face. We grew up together.When he was ten,he was sent here to learn the Hawthorne Pack’s ice business in the north. During his first week,before he knew how life on the icefields worked,a few young wolves cornered him behind the rink.I raised a sharpened skate blade and scared them off. From then on,he followed me everywhere. When someone bullied me,he would pin them to the ground,his eyes so black it looked as if he might tear out their throat. “Ava,I will always be here.” “We’ll leave this place together.North Ridge Training Center,the International Pack Ice League,the world beyond the Pack.I’ll be with you the whole way.” Now he was protecting another girl and shoving me against a wall with his own hands. Nora cried harder. “Kaiden,don’t…let’s go.This is all my fault.” Kaiden lowered his head and kissed her hair. “It’s not your fault.Not one bit.” He gave me a warning look,then left with his arm around her. I leaned against the lockers,struggling to breathe. The office was at the end of the hall.I passed the wall of outstanding athletes. Nora’s picture hung in the center,larger than everyone else’s. A rising star who overcame hardship.The brave story of a future Luna. I looked at it for one second and laughed. I remembered a late night after training,when I came back to the skate shop. My father was waiting in the parking lot.I could smell the sour rot on him from ten feet away. “Where’s the money?” I did not answer.I tried to get past him and unlock the door. He grabbed my hair and slammed my face into the outside wall. “I’m talking to you.Are both your ears deaf?” “I don’t have any money.” “The Hawthorne Pack’s Alpha heir is that rich,and you follow him around every day.You can’t get a few hundred dollars out of him?” He slapped me across the face. “You hiding it from me?Where is it?Huh?” He searched my pockets roughly.I pushed him away. That was a mistake. The next second,he kicked me in the stomach.I hit the asphalt and curled up in pain. “You ungrateful bitch.You’re just like your mother.Trash,both of you.” He turned to look for something heavier.A tire iron,maybe a metal pipe.I could not see clearly. That was when Kaiden’s car pulled into the parking lot. He was out before the engine shut off.With an Alpha’s strength,he had my father pinned down in two moves,then pulled me up from the asphalt. He checked my face,my arms,and my ribs again and again. “Where did he hit you,Ava?Tell me where you’re hurt.” I could not answer.He took off his coat and draped it over my shoulders. “It’s all right.I’m here.” That night,he did not go home.He stayed with me on the broken couch behind the shop until dawn. The next day,he went with me to the police station and watched my father get locked in a holding cell. He held me tight and said, “I’ll take care of you from now on.When I become Alpha of the Hawthorne Pack,you’ll be my Luna.” Back then,I actually believed him.

One week before the Regional Qualifier,the club held its final mock competition.Judges,scores,procedure,everything followed official competition rules. I came in first,nearly twelve points ahead of second place. Nora came in last. She tore down the score sheet,crumpled it up,and threw it into the trash. “Whatever.I already got the training scholarship.” Kaiden was waiting for her with two coffees. When she saw him,her eyes lit up at once,as if she were not the girl who had just fallen apart on the ice. “You were beautiful.” She rose onto her toe picks and kissed his cheek. I passed them on my way to the locker room. “Ava.” I did not stop. “Ava.Hey.” He moved in front of me and blocked my path. “Are you still angry about the training scholarship?” I did not answer. “Is that really necessary?I told you,she needed it more.You could go to the Regional Qualifier and win with your eyes closed.” He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “The black card is still yours.Coaches,training camp,Pack doctor.If you want it,I’ll cover all of it.” He thought money could glue broken things back together. “I don’t need it.” “There you go again.How much can you make in a month?What I’m offering you is more than you’ll earn in a lifetime.” Nora skated over from behind him and put her gloved hand on his arm. “Kaiden,don’t.She’s just not used to it yet.” She gave me a careful,sad,practiced smile. “Ava,I had nowhere else to go.My dad lost everything,my stepmother keeps tormenting me,and the Pack doesn’t want me anymore.”Tears welled in her eyes again. I had watched this performance for a year. In every conversation,she was the victim.In every look,I was the one who made her cry. “Kaiden and I will take care of you,”she said.”Whatever you need,just tell us.” I tugged at the corner of my mouth. Kaiden frowned.”What’s so funny?” “You two are perfect for each other.I hope she becomes your Luna soon.” His face changed. “Ava-” I walked past him and went into the locker room. “Ava,come back here.” I ignored him. That night,Rina sent me a screenshot from Nora’s Instagram. Nora was leaning against Kaiden’s leg.He was holding a bottle of wolfsbane beer. In the background,a group of friends lifted their glasses and shouted,”Congratulations,Nora!” Rina:Don’t let it hurt you.She doesn’t deserve to affect your mood. I tossed my phone aside. I picked up my training notes and started writing my program plan for the Regional Qualifier. As long as I kept training,I did not have to think about anything else.

The week before the Regional Qualifier,the club shortened training hours so everyone could adjust. Most of my teammates used the time to rest.I picked up extra shifts at the Silver Ridge Ice Center shop. On Wednesday afternoon,Kaiden’s car stopped outside. Kaiden got out and leaned against the door,his sunglasses pushed into his hair. “Ava,come here.” I kept working and pretended I had not heard him. “I’m talking to you.”He frowned and walked over. He reached as if to grab me,then saw the grime on my hands and pulled back. “Go wash up.You’re coming with us.” “Where?” “The mountain cabin.Nora needs to rest.You’re coming too.” “I’m not going.” He sighed.”Don’t start this again.Nora wants to make peace.Stop being difficult.” “There is nothing between her and me that needs making peace.” “Ava.” “I have to train.” He let out a short,ugly laugh. “You don’t even need to.Come on.Leave this dump for the weekend.Nora really wants to fix things.” “I’m not going.” His patience ran out.He laughed again,and this time there was no warmth in it. “Suit yourself.” He pulled out a stack of hundred-dollar bills and threw it at my feet. “Your wages for the month.I paid your boss for you.Take the money,keep your dignity,and stop showing up in front of me and Nora.” I did not move. “Not enough?”He threw down another stack.”How about now?” Coach Grayson came out of the back office.When he saw the cash on the floor,he hurried over. “Mr.Hawthorne.What is this?We don’t need this.” Kaiden did not even look at him.His eyes were fixed on me. “Pick it up.” I still did not move. Nora got out of the car and ran over with wide,innocent eyes. “Kaiden,please,don’t do this.You’re scaring her.”Nora crouched to pick up the money.”Ava,don’t be angry with him.He’s only doing this for me.He didn’t mean it that way.” She held the stack of cash out to me with both hands,her eyes wet. “Come with us.I don’t want to be the reason you two fight.” I looked at her,then at Kaiden. He felt no regret at all.He thought I should kneel and thank him. I walked past both of them,went into the back room of the shop,and shut the door. Through the wall,I heard him say, “See?You try to help her,and this is how she repays you.” The car started.Music faded down the street. A minute later,Coach Grayson put the money in front of me. “Take it,kid.” “No.” “Ava.”He pushed the money toward me.”Your father,your situation…you need this.” The bills smelled like Kaiden’s cedar,a scent that used to make me feel safe. I walked to the sink in the corner and turned the hot water all the way up. Soap,scrub,rinse.Again and again,until my skin turned red and hurt. That night,my father came again. He was drunker than before,and he saw the cash. He took the money and smashed up the shop. When the police arrived,he was swinging a hockey stick at the lights,with display cases knocked across the floor. It took two officers to cuff him.He spat bloody foam at me. “You called the cops on your own father.People like you should rot in hell.” I watched the police car drive out of the parking lot. So this was what it felt like to have no one at your back.

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1 In the seventh year of our relationship, I was ready to bring Lucas Whitman home to meet my mother. Before we left, my blood sugar dropped. I grabbed a clear candy at random and put it in my mouth. His childhood friend, Lila Grant, suddenly clapped and burst out laughing. “I told you she was greedy. Lucas, you lost.” “Transfer me the hundred grand.” My heart jolted. Then my breathing grew harder and harder. It was peanut candy. Over the years, Lucas had indulged Lila countless times as she used my peanut allergy as a bet. He transferred the money neatly before looking coldly at my face, already swollen beyond recognition. “I called the ambulance. We can meet your mom another time.” “Honestly, this is on you too. You should learn to control that greedy mouth.” When I woke up in the hospital, my phone was full of missed calls from my mother. I was about to call her back when a photo popped up. It was Lila. She was putting a candy into my mother’s mouth. The exact same kind I had eaten that morning. I ripped out the IV like I had gone mad and called Lucas again and again. He had always known my peanut allergy came from my mother. I didn’t even have time to put on shoes. I ran while calling nonstop. My mother’s phone would not connect. Lila kept hanging up. Then Lucas simply turned his phone off. Behind me, doctors and nurses shouted anxiously. “Stop her. Her allergic reaction is severe. She can’t go outside in this condition.” But I could not hear any of it. My mother’s allergy was far worse than mine. It could be fatal. When I was eight, she accidentally ate seasoning with a tiny trace of peanut in it and was sent straight into the ICU. The doctors issued three critical condition notices before pulling her back from death. Thinking of that, I was so terrified I could barely breathe. I kept trying to stop taxis, but no one pulled over. Finally, a kind female driver stopped in front of me. “Get in. Where are you going? I’ll take you.” Looking at the mirror inside the car, I finally understood why everyone had avoided me. My face was swollen so badly it no longer looked human. I couldn’t care about that. I gave the address in a rush. When I finally reached home and pushed open the door, I saw my mother sitting on the sofa. She was sitting upright, conscious, rosy-faced, and completely fine. The nerve stretched tight inside me suddenly snapped loose. My knees weakened, and I collapsed to the floor. When Mom saw me in such a miserable state, she immediately stood and rushed toward me. “Anna, weren’t you on a business trip? Why are you back so soon?” “What happened? Why is your face swollen like this? Why are your feet bleeding? What happened?” Her voice trembled. She touched my face carefully, afraid of hurting me. Then she seemed to think of something. “This is… peanut allergy?” I fell into her arms and nodded weakly. Mom looked at Lucas with resentment. “From the day I found out Anna was dating you, I reminded you again and again that she has a severe peanut allergy. You had to be careful.” Her voice choked. “You’ve been together so long. Don’t tell me you still haven’t remembered.” “How am I supposed to trust you with my daughter?” Guilt flashed through Lucas’s eyes. He was about to explain, but Lila spoke first. “Ma’am, your daughter was just greedy. She has no self-control.” “Lucas bought those candies for me, but she just had to snatch one and stuff it in her mouth.” “Now she’s allergic. That’s on her.” I looked at Lucas. Our eyes met. He said nothing. He silently allowed Lila to slander me. I had no time to defend myself. I grabbed my mother’s hand and checked her again and again. “Mom, the candy on the table. You really didn’t touch it, right?” “Did Lila feed you any just now?” My panic frightened my mother. “I ate one. It was strawberry flavor. What’s wrong, Anna?” Strawberry candy. I finally let out a breath. My back was already soaked with cold sweat. Thank God. Lucas still had some conscience. He knew peanuts were deadly for my mother and hadn’t let Lila do that. The stone in my heart had just landed when everything changed. My mother, who had been fine moments ago, suddenly stiffened. Without warning, she fell backward. The next second, her whole body began convulsing violently. Red rashes spread across her skin at a visible speed. Peanut allergy. “Mom!” 2 At that moment, I felt all the blood in my body rush backward. A massive terror swallowed me whole. “Lucas, hurry. Call an ambulance.” “What did you give my mom?” “There was clearly nothing with peanuts on the table. How could she be allergic?” Lucas finally realized the seriousness of the situation and hurriedly dialed emergency services. But Lila bent down beside my ear and spoke in a dark, smug whisper. “There really weren’t peanuts in her candy.” “But your mom was thirsty just now, so I poured her a cup of hot milk.” “A little peanut crumb accidentally fell into it.” With a boom, it was as if thunder had exploded above my head. I lost control completely. I lunged at Lila and clamped my hands around her throat. “You bitch. Do you know this could kill my mom?” Lila was nearly choked. When Lucas saw it, he immediately let go of my mother and slapped me hard across the face. Because my mother suddenly lost his support, her head hit the floor heavily. “Mom!” I had no time to wipe the blood from the corner of my mouth. I threw myself over and held her tightly. Something sticky touched my hand. When I looked down, blood had already stained the carpet. My heart hurt like it had been carved open. “Mom, wake up. Don’t sleep. The ambulance is coming.” My voice was hoarse beyond recognition. But Lucas was carefully checking Lila’s neck. When he saw the red mark there, he looked at me with furious eyes. “Anna, you’re insane.” “If you dare hurt Lila again, get out of this house.” My voice trembled from fear. “Lucas, she admitted it. She gave my mom milk with peanuts in it.” Guilt flickered through his eyes. But it disappeared in an instant. “It was just a little peanut crumb. It’s not like it’ll kill her.” “You and your mother are both so dramatic.” “You’ve had allergic reactions more than thirty times, and you’re still alive.” Then he glanced at me coldly. “The ambulance is almost here.” “I’ll take Lila to the hospital for a checkup first.” Seeing that they were about to leave, I endured the pain and blocked the door. “Lucas, my mom is in worse condition. Can you stay here with me?” “I’m weak all over. I’m afraid I’ll delay her treatment.” Seeing how wretched I looked, something in Lucas’s heart seemed to ache faintly. “Fine, I’ll…” Before he could finish, Lila suddenly clutched her neck. “Lucas, I feel like I can’t breathe.” “Am I going to die?” Seeing her like that, Lucas frowned. “Lila, stop making trouble. We’ll put Aunt Margaret in the ambulance first, then I’ll take you to get checked.” His tone was stiff because he was anxious. Unexpectedly, Lila crouched down and burst into tears. “Lucas, you yelled at me.” “Two years ago, what did you promise my parents?” “You said you’d take good care of me.” “But just now, your fiancée almost strangled me, and you’re still speaking for her.” Lucas stiffened. He crouched and pulled Lila into his arms. “All right. I’ll take you first.” Then he looked at me apologetically. “Anna, the paramedics will help you.” “Lila only has me.” “After all, her parents died saving me.” I stared hard into his slightly reddened eyes. “Lucas Whitman, if you walk out that door today, we are over.” 3 Lucas hesitated. Lila cried louder. The next second, he picked her up and left without looking back. “Anna, I’ll explain when I get back.” The ambulance arrived ten minutes later. The paramedics lifted my mother onto a stretcher. I followed immediately. My body was swollen from the allergic reaction, my strength was drained, and I was consumed by extreme fear. The moment I stepped into the ambulance, my vision went black. I lost consciousness completely. When I opened my eyes again, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose. I sat up abruptly, my heart pounding. “My mom. Where is my mom?” I staggered to my feet, ignoring the IV cannula still in my hand, and rushed out to find her. A passing nurse hurried forward to stop me. “Please calm down. You had a severe allergic reaction yourself. Your body hasn’t recovered. You can’t move around like this.” “Where is my mom? I need to find my mom.” I clutched the nurse’s sleeve, my eyes unfocused and full of panic. I could not even form a complete sentence. The nurse looked at me with a flash of pity. “Your mother had severe laryngeal edema and anaphylactic shock. Her condition is critical. She has already been sent into emergency resuscitation.” Emergency resuscitation. Those words smashed down on my heart like stones. Just then, a doctor from the emergency room hurried over. “You’re Margaret Moore’s family member, right?” “No one signed the surgery consent form. We called the emergency contact on your phone.” “A woman answered and said she didn’t know you.” “Fortunately, you woke up. Any later, and even God couldn’t save your mother.” “Sign it. Hurry.” My whole body trembled. I stared blankly at the thin sheet of paper. When I took the pen from the doctor, it felt impossibly heavy. The emergency room light turned on again. I collapsed onto the bench in the hallway. The doctor’s words kept echoing in my head. My emergency contact was Lucas. The woman who said she did not know me was undoubtedly Lila. My heart felt like it was being torn apart. With trembling hands, I dialed that number again. The call connected quickly. Lucas spoke first. “Anna, once you get your mother settled, come apologize to Lila.” “There’s such a deep red mark on her neck. She cares so much about her appearance. What if it scars? How can you be so vicious?” I thought I had misheard. “I apologize?” “Just now my mother was in critical condition and needed a signature. The hospital called you, and Lila actually said she didn’t know me.” My voice shook with tears. “If I had woken up a little later, my mom wouldn’t have been saved.” There was a long pause. Faintly, I heard Lila’s coquettish voice. “Lucas, Anna has always disliked me.” “But she can’t curse her own mother just because she’s jealous.” “I’ve never heard of someone dying from a tiny bit of peanut crumb.” Those few sentences seemed to wake Lucas up. He spoke impatiently. “Anna, stop it.” “In these years, you’ve had allergic reactions thirty-seven times. Which time was life-threatening?” “And my phone has been beside me the whole time. If you want to frame Lila, at least find a believable reason.” “Put away that jealous look. It only makes me more annoyed and more disgusted.” Before I could speak, he hung up. I turned off the phone and sat stiffly on the bench, staring at the emergency room doors. Finally, the red light went out. The doors slowly opened. The attending doctor removed his mask and gently shook his head at me. “I’m sorry. We did everything we could.” “The patient suffered anaphylactic shock combined with intracranial bleeding. The best rescue window was delayed, leading to organ failure. We were unable to save her. Please accept our condolences.” With a thud, I fell straight to my knees. My ears buzzed. I could no longer hear anything. My only remaining family in this world was gone. I wanted to scream. I wanted to beg them to save my mother again. But when I opened my mouth, no sound came out. The days that followed were like an endless nightmare. Dragging my broken body, I took my mother’s ashes back to our hometown and handled her funeral alone. During that time, Lucas never appeared once. I went to the funeral home alone. Handled the paperwork alone. Chose the cemetery alone. Set up the memorial hall alone. During the day, I forced myself to stay composed and deal with everything. At night, I curled up beside my mother’s grave and cried until I could barely breathe. Lila’s social media updated every day. Lucas took her to pay respects to her parents. Took her traveling abroad. Took her to meet business partners. Someone teased him and asked if he had a new sister-in-law. He only smiled faintly and did not deny it. Meanwhile, I slowly calmed down and began quietly collecting evidence. My mother’s death was not an accident. It was man-made. On the last day of sorting through her belongings, I found an old box under her bed. When I opened it, most of what lay inside were photos of my parents. Ever since Dad died unexpectedly five years ago, Mom had put away the photos because she was afraid they would make me sad. I crouched on the floor and looked through the old things one by one. My fingers brushed over the yellowed photographs, and my eyes reddened. At the very bottom was a handwritten letter and a USB drive. With trembling hands, I opened the letter. My mother’s familiar handwriting appeared before me. Only a few lines revealed a cruel truth. It turned out that two years ago, in that car accident, the person who saved Lucas was my father. Lucas and I had been dating in secret then. At the time, Dad did not know that the young man he saved was my boyfriend. Later, Mom saw the photos I posted of Lucas and felt it was fate. But she did not want to use a life-saving debt to pressure anyone, so she wrote this letter, planning to give it to me when we married, so Lucas would know the truth. Holding the letter, I was already sobbing so hard I could barely breathe. Lucas, you owed me far more than one life. Then my gaze landed on the few photos beside it. Through my tears, the face of the driver in the crash gradually became clear. When I recognized that person, dizziness hit me. My vision went dark, and I nearly fainted. How could it be him?

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1 I woke up as the fake heiress, the classic cuckoo in the nest. My mission? Bully the real daughter until she broke. The System issued its first directive: Grind her face into the mud. Make her taste absolute humiliation! I dragged her to a five-star wellness retreat for a premium botanical mud wrap. The next morning, she was glowing, outshining everyone. The System panicked: Force her into manual labor! Work her until she collapses! I bought her a VIP membership at an elite private gym. She squatted while shredded trainers fed her buttered lobster tails, sweating through designer gear. The System flashed red alerts: Wait, you call this bullying?! When I first arrived, Lily stood on the Kensington estate doorstep in pouring rain. Her faded denim jacket was soaked, cuffs dripping onto marble. Eleanor, the woman who raised me, sat on a velvet sofa with red eyes, frozen, terrified to scare her biological daughter away. Richard, the patriarch, looked her up and down with a dark expression. And me? Blair Kensington, the fake daughter pampered for eighteen years, draped in a cashmere throw, sipping Earl Grey in the dead center of the couch. The picture-perfect evil stepsister clocking in for duty. A mechanical voice echoed in my skull. [Villainess System binding complete.] [Host’s current identity: Blair Kensington, the fake heiress.] [Mission Objective: Follow the original plotline. Humiliate the true heiress, Lily, and accumulate Malice Points.] [Once Malice Points reach 100, Host will be rewarded with fifty million dollars and returned to the real world.] Fifty million. My fingers twitched against my teacup. In the real world, my mom was lying in a hospital bed waiting for her surgery fees. Before I transmigrated, I had just walked away from the billing department with a pit in my stomach. My bank account barely had enough for the next round of deposits, let alone the actual operation. To me, fifty million wasn’t just striking it rich. It was salvation. I hesitated for exactly three seconds. Then the System dropped my first assignment. [Novice Mission: Within ten minutes, shove the true heiress’s face roughly into the mud. Make her understand her lowly status.] I looked toward the grand entryway. Lily stood there with her head bowed. Rainwater dripped from the ends of her dark hair. According to the novel’s plot, she was switched at birth and sent to the Fletcher family. The Fletchers were deadbeats who favored boys and treated her like an unpaid maid. The System started its countdown. [Ten. Nine. Eight…] I set my tea down and stood up. Lily heard the movement and looked up at me. She looked exactly like a half-drowned stray cat. She was clearly terrified, yet she was trying so hard to hide her claws. I walked right up to her and let my voice drop into a cold drawl. “Come with me.” Eleanor jumped up. “Blair, where are you taking her?” The System buzzed with sick excitement. [Yes! Exactly like that! Drag her out! Show her who really owns this house!] I ignored my adoptive mother. I grabbed Lily by her wrist and pulled her back out the door. Her wrist was incredibly thin. I felt her flinch the second my fingers wrapped around her skin, but she didn’t fight back. She just asked in a breathless whisper, “What are you doing?” I shot her a nasty glare. “Putting you in your place.” Eleanor practically tripped over the rug. “Blair!” But Richard didn’t stop me. He just frowned and muttered, “Keep it out of the tabloids.” The System purred in my head. [Malice atmosphere aligns perfectly with the original plot. Please proceed, Host.] Lily lowered her eyes and followed me into the waiting Bentley. She sat rigidly beside me, her spine completely straight. I glanced at her soaking wet hair. I tried to ignore it, but I eventually snatched a pristine dry towel from the console and threw it at her. “Dry off. Don’t ruin my leather seats.” Lily blinked in surprise. “Thank you.” The System instantly went on high alert. [Host, you are exhibiting suspected care toward the target.] I kept my face perfectly blank. “She’s dripping everywhere. It’s bad for the luxury aesthetic.” The System paused. [Understood. Logic accepted.] Twenty minutes later, my driver pulled up to an exclusive, invite-only beauty sanctuary in the city center. Lily stared up at the gold-leaf lettering on the awning. Utter confusion washed over her face. I dragged her through the glass doors. The front desk manager recognized me instantly, slapping on a hundred-watt smile. “Miss Kensington! What treatment are we doing today?” I slammed my black Centurion card onto the marble counter. “Not for me. For her.” “Book her for the most expensive botanical mud wrap you have. Face, neck, shoulders, back. The whole nine yards. And make sure you slather that mud on thick.” The manager didn’t miss a beat. “Right away, Miss Kensington.” My host body had an unlimited credit limit, but the System strictly forbade converting this wealth into real-world cash. The only way to save my mom was to earn that fifty million dollar reward. Lily finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. She stared at me, totally bewildered. “Blair, what are you actually trying to do?” I crossed my arms and gave her my best mean-girl sneer. “Didn’t you hear me? I’m getting your face shoved in the mud.” She went completely pale. The System glitched in my brain. [Host. The mission requires humiliation, not a luxury spa purchase.] I replied mentally. Is there mud on her face? [Yes.] Did I force someone to push it onto her? [Yes.] Is her face physically in the mud? The System went dead silent. [Evaluating Novice Mission…] [Evaluation Successful.] [Malice Points +3.] Two hours later, Lily walked out of the treatment suite. Her previously dull, exhausted complexion now looked like polished porcelain. She was stunningly clean and radiant. The aesthetician couldn’t help but gush. “Your sister has an incredible base. With a little maintenance, she is going to be absolutely breathtaking.” Lily clearly wasn’t used to compliments. The tips of her ears flushed a deep, bright pink. She looked at her shoes. “Thank you.” The System pinged again. [New Mission: Tomorrow night is the Welcome Home Gala. Host must publicly humiliate the true heiress and turn her into the laughingstock of the entire party.] I looked at Lily’s gorgeous, glowing face. A slow smile spread across my lips. A laughingstock? Sure. Let’s give them a show they’ll never forget. The Kensington estate was decked out for the gala. The elite guests wore polite, plastic smiles, but the whispers traveling through the ballroom were sharp enough to draw blood. “I heard the real daughter grew up in some dead-end trailer park.” “The Kensingtons raised Blair for eighteen years, and now they just swap her out? God, how awkward.” “I’m just dying to see who Richard and Eleanor actually favor. Blood or bond?” The System was screaming in my head. [Please execute the mission immediately. Make the target suffer public humiliation.] I looked toward the grand staircase. Lily was walking down. She was wearing the mist-blue evening gown I had bullied the stylist into picking. The skirt wasn’t overly dramatic, but the cut cinched her waist perfectly, making her look elegant and ethereal. The entire ballroom went silent for a split second. Eleanor covered her mouth, her eyes welling up with tears. Even Richard’s stern face softened with complicated emotions. I picked up a flute of champagne and walked to the base of the stairs. When Lily saw me approaching, her shoulders visibly stiffened. Perfect. The villainess reputation was still doing the heavy lifting. This would make my performance so much easier. I stopped right in front of her. I kept my voice at the perfect volume, loud enough for the gossiping socialites nearby to hear. “Lily.” The music seemed to fade. Everyone was watching. The System was losing its digital mind. [Yes! Just like that! Tear her down!] I reached out, grabbed Lily’s wrist, and pulled her right into the center of the ballroom floor. Her fingers were freezing. She asked in a frantic whisper, “What are you doing?” I ignored her. I walked straight up to the live band and snatched the microphone from the emcee. Eleanor panicked. “Blair, knock it off right now.” The System was setting off virtual fireworks in my skull. [Emotional atmosphere matches the plot perfectly! Proceed, Host!] I held the mic up, swept my gaze over the glittering crowd, and smirked. “Ladies and gentlemen. I’m standing up here tonight because I want to treat you all to a massive joke.” The guests’ eyes lit up with predatory excitement. Lily’s face lost all its color. I turned to her and snapped. “Stand up straight.” She froze. I scowled. “I said, stand up straight. Did the Kensingtons bring you all the way back here just so you could cower like a kicked dog?” Lily’s eyelashes fluttered. Then, very slowly, she pulled her shoulders back and straightened her spine. I nodded in satisfaction. I turned back to the crowd of vultures. “The joke is on all of you. Because you wasted your time coming here tonight.” I paced a few steps. “You all showed up hoping for a catfight. You wanted to see the fake daughter tear apart the real one. You wanted to watch this family implode. Well, I hate to break it to you, but you’re out of luck.” The System stalled. [?] I shoved the microphone directly into Lily’s hands. “Speak.” Lily looked at me in sheer panic. I leaned in and whispered viciously. “If you squeak like a mouse, I’ll sign you up for twenty hours of public speaking boot camp tomorrow.” Lily’s lips parted. She tightened her grip on the mic, took a breath, and looked out at the sea of wealthy strangers. “My name is Lily.” Her voice trembled at first, then steadied. “I am not here to steal anyone’s life. And I am certainly not a punchline for your entertainment. I am simply taking the place that was always meant to be mine.” Eleanor burst into tears right there in the crowd. When the applause erupted, the System nearly shattered my eardrums. [Host! The mission was to make her the laughingstock of the party!] She is, isn’t she? [How is this a laughingstock?!] Are people smiling in the crowd? [Those are smiles of relief and admiration!] And is she holding the stock of the microphone? […] Smiling. Stock. Both conditions met, right? The System went quiet for three very long seconds. [Malice Points +2.] I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing out loud. The next morning, the System was back to its unhinged demands. [Main Storyline Mission: Punish the true heiress by making her scrub the entire mansion. She is absolutely not allowed to stop until she is dripping with sweat.] I had barely opened my eyes. I seriously considered sitting up and cursing the AI out. [Please execute immediately, or face a deduction in your Return Home Points.] The words Return Home Points sobered me up instantly. I could play games with the rules, but I had to get back. My mom was waiting. The doctors had told me that if we delayed the surgery any longer, she might not make it. Right before I crossed over, I had drained my account just to pay her hospital bed deposit, and my phone was blowing up with eviction threats from my landlord. I could walk away from the luxury of this world. But I refused to be trapped here while my mother died. Half an hour later, I summoned Lily to the living room. She looked a tiny bit more relaxed than yesterday, but the moment she saw me, that instinctual tension came right back. “W… what’s wrong?” I slapped a plastic card onto the glass coffee table. “Your punishment.” She looked down at it. It was a VIP Annual Pass to the Equinox Elite Training Center. I delivered my sentence with stone-cold severity. “Starting today, you’re going to scrub every single day.” Lily looked completely lost. “Scrub what?” “Scrub the fat,” I said with a straight face. “Full body high-intensity interval training. We call it fat-scrubbing. Making you mop the floors is too basic. If a Kensington daughter is going to scrub something, she’s scrubbing her body fat percentage.” The System: [?] Lily: “…” The gym was even more ridiculous than I imagined. A lineup of elite personal trainers stood at the entrance. Broad shoulders, narrow waists, blindingly bright smiles. It looked like a casting call for a billionaire romance movie. Just as we walked in, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Eleanor. [Come home tonight. We need to discuss the living arrangements for you and Lily.] I stared at the screen. My stomach dropped. Here it comes. According to the original plot, the day after the welcome gala, the Kensingtons hold a family meeting. On the surface, it’s a discussion about how to accommodate both girls. But in reality, it’s the moment they decide what to do with the fake daughter. In the book, my character has a complete meltdown. She cries, screams, and accuses Lily of ruining her perfect life. She forces Richard and Eleanor to make a choice. Her or me. That brutal argument is the exact catalyst for Lily’s villain origin story. It’s the first time Lily realizes that her mere existence brings pain to others. She internalizes the guilt. She starts backing down. She swallows every ounce of abuse to keep the peace. Until years later, when she is sold off in a business marriage, used as a pawn, and emotionally blackmailed into oblivion. That’s when she fully snaps, turns completely ruthless, and drags the entire Kensington empire down into the dirt. The System’s voice turned chillingly robotic. [Critical Plot Node Triggered.] [Host must falsely accuse the true heiress of stealing your life. Host must force the Kensington family to choose between you and her.] [Mission Success: Malice Points +20.] [Mission Failure: Deduction of 50% Return Home Points.] [Warning: Passive sabotage detected. Connecting to Mainframe Protocol. High-tier surveillance activated. If any bugs or loopholes are detected, the System will initiate a forced override of Host’s motor functions.] At seven o’clock that evening, the Kensington living room was dead quiet. Richard sat in the armchair, his face darker than a storm cloud. Eleanor sat next to him, dabbing her bloodshot eyes with a tissue. Lily stood slightly behind me. Her face was blank, but her fingers were nervously twisting the hem of her sleeve. Richard cleared his throat. “Blair, now that Lily is home, there are some logistical realities we need to get straight.” I sank into the sofa and crossed my legs. “Like what? Like the fact that I’ve been a parasite in your house for eighteen years? Or how you’re planning to dispose of the knock-off daughter?” Eleanor gasped. “Blair, that is not what your father means!” “Then what does he mean?” Eleanor opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words. Richard took over. “No one is kicking you out. But Lily is a Kensington by blood. The two of you can’t keep circling each other like this.” “Like what?” I gave a dry laugh. “Me bullying her?” Beside me, Lily’s face began to drain of color. The System chimed. [Current plot node accuracy verified. Please continue to escalate the conflict, Host.] I glanced at Lily. She was already looking at me. There was no anger in her eyes. Just a quiet, heartbreaking mix of confusion and fear. It was like she had just crawled out of the dark to stand in the sun, only to realize the light could burn her too. I looked away. I was ready to exploit the loophole. I had the perfect plan. The System wanted me to force them to choose. Fine. I would make them choose. I would make them choose Lily. And then I would pack my bags and leave. I could play the dramatic villain, scream that I couldn’t bear breathing the same air as the “peasant” daughter, and storm out. On paper, I fulfilled the quota of being an evil bitch. In reality, I would be handing the narrative power back to Lily, clearing the space she rightfully deserved in her own family. But the exact second I opened my mouth to speak, a deafening siren ripped through my brain. [Warning! Host exhibits malicious intent to bypass plot constraints.] My blood ran completely cold. The next second, my vision blacked out. [Critical Mission Forced Override Initiated.] [Host’s dialogue fails to meet Villainess parameters. System assuming temporary control of motor functions for 3:00 minutes.]

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1 The day Mom was wheeled into the ICU, Joanna lent me nothing. “My capital is for venture investments, not bottomless pits,” she said coldly. “I sent you some low-interest loan links. Figure it out.” I crouched in the stairwell, medical bills in hand, listening as she talked by the window. “That five million in seed funding hit your account,” she told Noah, her firm’s new trainee. “Even if the startup fails, I’ll cover it. Consider it practice.” My fingers tightened around the crumpled bills until my nails drew blood. Joanna turned and saw me. No tears, no tantrums, no begging. She nodded, satisfied. “Good. Stop acting like a child. Being independent means taking responsibility.” I gave her a hollow nod. She walked away without another glance. In that moment, my heart truly died. No tears, no screams, not even the energy to ask why. I pulled out the divorce papers I’d drafted weeks ago and signed my name, stroke by stroke. From now on, her life was hers, and mine was mine. Joanna didn’t get home until almost one in the morning. I was sitting at the kitchen island. Spread out in front of me were the hospital bills, the critical condition notices, and those signed divorce papers. She walked in, saw me, and just frowned. “Why are you still awake?” I looked up at her. “My mom is in the ICU.” She hung her tailored coat on the rack and walked over to the minibar to pour a glass of water. “I’m aware.” Her tone was as casual as if she were commenting on the rain outside. I stared at the glass in her hand. My mind drifted back to the hospital corridor that afternoon. I remembered exactly how pathetic I looked when I begged her for the cash. I had said, Joanna, just three hundred thousand. Please. It’s to save her life. And she had said, Cole, you need to learn to accept reality. Then she turned around and dropped five million on Noah without blinking. I thought I was entirely numb by now. But seeing her stand in our kitchen, acting like absolutely nothing had happened, still felt like taking a sledgehammer to the chest. Joanna finished her water and let her gaze drop to the kitchen island. “What is all this?” “Divorce papers.” Her hand froze. A few seconds passed. She let out a scoff, like she had just heard the most ridiculous joke of the year. “Cole, what kind of tantrum are you throwing now?” I pushed the papers across the marble counter. “I’ve already signed.” She didn’t pick them up. She just stared at my signature, the temperature in her eyes dropping by the second. “Is this because I wouldn’t lend you the money?” “No.” My voice was terribly quiet. “It’s because I finally realized today that it’s not that you don’t have the money. It’s not that you don’t know how to help people.” “You just don’t want to help me.” Joanna’s expression darkened. “Noah’s project is a corporate investment. It has nothing to do with personal feelings.” “I read the contract,” I said, meeting her cold stare. “The funds came from your personal account. You acted as the sole guarantor. If he goes under, you eat the losses.” “You call that a corporate investment?” A flicker of irritation crossed her eyes. “You went through my things?” I let out a dry, broken laugh. Her first instinct wasn’t to explain herself. It was to blame me for finding out. Joanna slammed her glass onto the counter. “You are completely out of control right now, Cole. I am not having this conversation with you.” “I get that you’re stressed about your mother, but you don’t get to use me as your emotional punching bag.” I looked right at her. “She is the woman you’ve called ‘Mom’ for the last six years.” Joanna broke eye contact. “I never said I wouldn’t care.” “I just don’t think it’s wise to sink money into a black hole with no guaranteed return.” She stopped, perhaps realizing how incredibly cruel that sounded, and quickly tacked on an amendment. “I can help you contact some top-tier specialists. I can make some calls.” “But the money? You need to figure that out on your own.” My stomach churned with violent nausea. I stood up, gathered the divorce papers, and slid them back into the manila envelope. “Tomorrow morning. Ten o’clock at the courthouse.” Joanna stared at me for a long, heavy minute. “Cole, if you leave me, how exactly are you going to pay for your mother’s treatment?” The moment those words hung in the air, my fingers curled into tight fists. She knew exactly what terrified me the most. She knew exactly how desperate I was. And she was using my dying mother as leverage to force me to my knees. I raised my eyes. “I’ll figure it out on my own.” Joanna’s face hardened, clearly stung by my absolute dismissal. “Then you’d better not come crawling back to me.” I didn’t waste another breath on her. I turned and walked into the guest bedroom. Right before the door clicked shut, I heard her phone ring in the living room. She answered it, her voice softening instantly. “Noah? Yeah, I reviewed the pitch deck.” “Don’t be nervous. I’ll be right there in the front row tomorrow.” I pressed my back against the closed door and slowly slid down to the floor. A dull, pulling ache settled deep in my lower abdomen. With the chaos of my mother’s hospitalization, I had completely missed my last prenatal appointment. My phone screen lit up with an automated text from the clinic. Mr. Cole, please remember to schedule your ultrasound checkup. I stared at that glowing line of text for a long time. Then, I turned the screen off. 2 Joanna didn’t show up at the courthouse. I waited for two hours. I called her three times. She never picked up. It wasn’t until eleven-thirty that a text finally came through. Noah’s pitch is today. I’m tied up. A second message popped up immediately after. If you really want this divorce, get a lawyer and sue me. I stood on the courthouse steps, clutching my queue ticket. The cold wind whipped off the pavement, stinging my eyes until they watered. I didn’t reply. I just turned around and took a cab straight to the hospital. The doctor’s face was grim. My mom’s vitals were crashing. Because I hadn’t topped up the deposit yesterday, they had to drop her back to the basic medication protocol. “You need to settle the balance as soon as possible,” the doctor warned softly. “Every hour we delay the targeted treatment, the risks multiply.” I kept my head down and mumbled an agreement. I immediately listed the small bachelor pad I bought before I got married for emergency sale. Then, I maxed out every single credit card to my name. The real estate agent was dead silent for a few seconds when he heard my asking price. “Cole, this price is insanely low.” “Can we close today?” “I mean, yes, it’ll fly off the market. But are you absolutely sure?” “I’m sure.” After hanging up, I squatted in the hospital stairwell, my palms slick with cold sweat. A notification popped up. Noah had posted a new update on Instagram. The photo showed him standing on a brightly lit stage in a sharp white suit. Joanna was sitting in the front row, looking up at him with a gentle, patient gaze I hadn’t seen directed at me in years. The caption read: Having someone catch you when you fall on your first startup attempt. So this is what it feels like to be chosen. Someone commented: The CEO totally spoils you. Noah replied: She just said she didn’t want to see me lose too badly. I stared at those words until the blood in my fingertips went ice cold. Joanna showed up at the hospital that afternoon. She stood in the sterile hallway, looking pristine in her designer suit, holding a crisp manila folder. “I had my assistant compile a list of reputable lending platforms,” she said. “A few of them offer high approval limits. You can use them to tide you over.” I stared at the folder but didn’t reach for it. She shoved it directly into my hands. “It’s your decision. You figure out the money.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked away. I looked down at the carefully printed loan documents. I ripped them into tiny pieces and dumped them into the biohazard bin. A few minutes later, a nurse sprinted out of the double doors. “Cole! Her blood pressure is tanking! The doctor needs your signature for resuscitation right now!” My legs gave out. I had to brace myself against the wall just to stay upright. My stomach cramped again. This time, the pain was significantly sharper than the night before. 3 They spent four hours keeping my mother alive. When the doctor finally came out, he didn’t even pull his mask down. “She’s stabilized for now. But you absolutely cannot let the payments lapse again.” I nodded, my throat so dry I couldn’t form words. The condo contract was signed that very night. Because the price was a steal, the buyer wired the deposit without a second thought. The second the funds cleared, I ran to the billing window. The clerk looked up from the screen. “Just you here?” I gave a short nod. “Where’s your wife?” I didn’t answer. At that moment, an overwhelming wave of humiliation washed over me. I was legally married, yet I felt like an orphan standing there with absolutely no one to lean on. I went back to the house that night to grab my personal identification documents. The moment I pushed the front door open, I heard a man’s bright laughter echoing from the living room. Noah was sitting on our expensive sofa. A massive, custom celebration cake rested on the coffee table. Joanna was leaning over, carefully slicing the cake for him. Noah jumped up the second he saw me. “Oh, Cole. You’re home.” He sounded so perfectly innocent. But I couldn’t take my eyes off his wrist. He was wearing a brand-new, diamond-encrusted watch. I recognized that watch. Last month, on my birthday, I had lingered a bit too long looking at it in a luxury boutique. Joanna had pulled me away, saying, The markup on that is ridiculous. It really doesn’t suit your vibe anyway. Now, it was gleaming on Noah’s wrist. Joanna frowned at me. “Why are you back?” I met her eyes. “This is my house.” Noah’s expression stiffened. Joanna set the cake knife down. “Noah’s pitch was a massive success today. I brought him back to grab some reference files and we’re just celebrating.” Just celebrating. My mother was hooked up to breathing tubes in the ICU. I had just sold my last safety net to buy her another day of life. And my wife was in our living room, throwing a party for another man. Noah lowered his head, his voice dripping with faux timidity. “Please don’t misunderstand, Cole. Joanna was just worried about my nerves since it’s my first funding round. She was just encouraging me.” He casually brushed his fingers over the watch on his wrist. “This is just a team bonus. It’s really not what you think.” I walked closer and glanced at the customized chocolate plaque on the cake box. To Noah’s first victory. The future is yours. The handwriting belonged to Joanna. This was the same woman who told me buying a birthday cake was a waste of money and that pointless rituals were for children. I didn’t cry. I didn’t scream. I just walked straight into the bedroom, pulled open my nightstand, and started shoving my passport and ID cards into my duffel bag. Joanna followed me in. “Who exactly are you throwing a fit for this time?” I zipped my marriage certificate into the side pocket. “Move.” She blocked the doorway. “You are becoming completely unreasonable, Cole. Noah is years younger than you, and he’s fighting tooth and nail to make it in this city all by himself.” “I’m his boss. What’s the crime in taking care of him?” I looked up from my bag. “My mother is fighting for her life alone in an ICU bed.” “Did you ever think to take care of her?” She choked on her words for a second before her face froze over. “Your mother’s situation is completely different.” “How is it different?” “Noah actually has a future.” The bedroom fell into a suffocating silence the moment those words left her mouth. Even Joanna seemed to realize she had crossed a line. But she didn’t apologize. She just looked away and muttered, “I just meant that investments require a return.” I stared at her. My chest felt like it had been carved open with a rusty blade. My mother had no future, so she wasn’t worth the money. I had no future, so I wasn’t worth her time. I grabbed my duffel bag and shoved past her. Out in the living room, Noah was happily eating his slice of cake. When he saw me marching toward the door, he put on a brave face and said softly, “You know, Cole, a man really needs to learn how to be independent. You can’t just expect other people to fix everything for you.” I stopped dead in my tracks. Joanna was standing right behind me. She didn’t say a single word to correct him. I looked at Noah and let out a dry, hollow laugh. “Did she teach you that line?” His face flushed bright red. I nodded slowly. “Commit it to memory. Because the day she decides you’re no longer yielding a return on her investment, you’ll be the one hearing it.” Noah’s smug little smile vanished. Joanna’s voice cracked like a whip. “That is enough, Cole.” I didn’t bother looking back. As I took the elevator down to the lobby, a severe, dragging pain ripped through my abdomen. I had to lean against the metal wall for several minutes just to remember how to breathe. My palms were drenched in cold sweat. My phone started ringing. It was the hospital. “Cole, your mother’s condition has severely deteriorated. You need to get here right now.” Black spots danced in my vision. I almost collapsed right there in the elevator car. 4 My mother crashed for the second time at exactly 9:17 PM. When the nurse ran out to find me, I was standing at the billing window, begging the clerk to give me just thirty more minutes. “Cole! Her pressure is bottoming out! The doctor needs your consent for the bypass right now!” The clerk slid my debit card back across the counter. Insufficient Funds. In that split second, all the strength drained from my legs. I clung to the counter ledge just to stay upright. I yanked out my phone and dialed Joanna’s number. First call. No answer. Second call. Still ringing. On the third try, she finally picked up. The background noise was incredibly loud. I was sobbing uncontrollably. “Joanna, my mom is back in the resuscitation room.” “The doctor said if I don’t clear the balance right now, they can’t administer the next round of meds. Please, just lend me thirty thousand. Just thirty thousand. I swear on my life I’ll pay you back.” The line went dead silent for two seconds. When she finally spoke, her voice was terrifyingly calm. “Cole, we have already had this conversation.” “You cannot blindly throw money at a problem without a solid plan.” I froze. “She is my mother.” “She is dying right now.” “I know that.” Her tone actually carried a trace of profound annoyance. “But you are an adult.” “Adults do not expect other people to act as their safety net every time something goes wrong. Your mother’s illness is a liability for your family, not an investment obligation for me.” I gripped the phone, my entire body shaking uncontrollably. “Joanna, you called her Mom for six years.” “That doesn’t mean I have to foot the bill for every uncontrollable variable.” She paused, her tone shifting into a condescending lecture. “Your biggest flaw, Cole, is your absolute refusal to grow up.” “The second a crisis hits, you cry, you beg, and you try to dump your stress onto someone else. I gave you the list of loan providers. I told you to sell your assets, get a line of credit, or apply for financial aid.” My throat felt like it was packed with wet cement. The red light above the emergency room door was still glaring. The doctors were in there fighting a losing battle for my mother’s life. And my wife was on the phone, giving me a lecture on independence. I squeezed my eyes shut. Tears splashed down onto the unpaid medical bills, blurring the ink. “And if it were Noah lying in that room today?” Silence stretched over the line. She didn’t answer. But I heard another man’s voice through the speaker. Soft, whining. “Joanna… my stomach still hurts a little…” Joanna immediately hushed him, her voice dropping into a tender murmur. “Don’t worry. I’m taking you to the hospital right now.” The blood in my veins turned entirely to ice. I gripped the phone, my voice so faint it was barely a whisper. “Joanna. You are taking him to the hospital?” She faltered for half a second before her voice went rigid again. “Noah felt sick after the pitch event. I’m just taking him in for a checkup.” “He’s a young kid with no family in this city. As his boss, it’s completely reasonable for me to look out for him.” I let out a broken laugh. “My mom doesn’t have anyone else either.” “I don’t have anyone else either.” She went quiet for several long seconds. “Cole, stop trying to emotionally blackmail me.” “It’s just a bout of acute gastroenteritis. Once he’s evaluated, I’ll head over to your side. Just handle things yourself for now.” Handle things yourself. When those four words dropped, the entire world went completely deaf. The nurse sprinted out of the double doors again. “Cole! Can you make the payment or not?! The doctor is waiting!” I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. Over the phone, Joanna was still talking. “Just calm down.” “Stop acting like the sky is falling every time something goes wrong. An adult needs problem-solving skills, not just the ability to beg.” I ended the call. I clutched the phone in my palm and slowly sank to the linoleum floor. Right then, an agonizing, violent tearing sensation ripped through my lower stomach. It felt like someone had plunged a jagged knife inside me and dragged it violently across my womb. I leaned heavily against the wall, trying to push myself up to call for a doctor. But the emergency room doors swung open first. The lead surgeon pulled his mask down. His face was heavy with exhaustion. “Cole.” “We did everything we could.” “The cardiac arrest lasted too long. Resuscitation was unsuccessful.” “I am so sorry for your loss.” Your loss. I stood frozen in place. The unpaid bills slowly slipped from my fingers and scattered across the floor. When they wheeled my mother out, a white sheet covered her face. I lunged forward. I tried to scream for her. But my throat felt like it was packed with shards of broken glass. Not a single syllable made it out. A nurse rushed forward to catch me. “Sir! Your color is terrible. Are you alright?” I tried to open my mouth to ask for help, but a blinding darkness swallowed my vision, and I collapsed hard onto the hospital tiles. When I was wheeled into the trauma bay, my phone started ringing again. Joanna’s name flashed across the cracked screen. I didn’t have the strength to answer it. A nurse held the phone up for me, looking deeply concerned. “Do you want us to notify your family?” I stared at the word ringing on the screen. Family. What an absolute joke. I weakly shook my head. “I don’t have any family.” “I’ll sign the consent forms myself.” The harsh surgical lights clicked on above me. Lying on the freezing operating table, I heard the obstetrician mutter under his breath. “Good thing we caught the hemorrhage in time. Another hour and he would have bled out completely…” I closed my eyes. That night, I lost my mother. And I lost the baby I never even got the chance to meet. Joanna didn’t arrive at the hospital until two hours later. Noah just had a mild stomach bug. After an IV drip, he was perfectly fine. She claimed she only remembered me after he fell asleep. So, she bought a cup of hot porridge and leisurely made her way to my ward. When she pushed open the doors to the emergency corridor, she happened to walk right past the nurses’ station during shift change. “The mother of that guy, Cole, didn’t make it. They transferred her to the morgue a couple of hours ago.” “God, that’s awful. And he just got out of emergency surgery for his miscarriage. He was completely alone the whole time. It breaks your heart.”

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1 When the condemned building collapsed, trapping Grandma inside, I called Jefferson twenty-nine times. Before the ceiling caved in, she’d managed to toss a knitted scarf through the rubble. “Avery, stop fighting with Jefferson over me,” she’d wheezed. “Give him this. Tell him I’m sorry for being an old fool, always causing trouble.” On the thirtieth try, he finally answered, voice dripping with impatience. “Avery, cut the dramatics. Stella’s real estate firm is facing a massive lawsuit. I’m drowning in her PR nightmare. Can your grandmother’s petty relocation dispute wait until tomorrow?” I stood before the mountain of concrete and twisted metal, icy rain slamming my face. “Jefferson. I don’t have a grandmother anymore.” A harsh scoff echoed through the receiver. “Here we go again. No shame, making up lies to force me home?” Right before he hung up, I heard Stella’s soft, trembling voice in the background. “Jefferson, they’re pressing charges. Will I go to prison? I’m so scared…” His tone shifted instantly, ice melting into pure, protective warmth. “Don’t panic. I’m the best corporate defense attorney in this city. I will never let anything happen to you.” The line went dead. I stood frozen in the rain, realizing our marriage was exactly like that hollowed-out building. The exterior looked intact, but the inside had collapsed long ago. … Jefferson finally came home. He was wearing a bespoke charcoal suit, his hair styled to perfection. He dropped his leather briefcase onto the sofa, radiating the arrogant aura of an untouchable elite lawyer. When he saw me shoving my clothes into a suitcase, his brows pulled together in a deep frown. “What exactly are you doing?” I folded a jacket and placed it neatly inside, not even bothering to look up at him. “Packing. We’re getting a divorce.” The room fell dead silent for two seconds. Jefferson strode over, snatched the jacket right out of my hands, and threw it hard onto the floor. “Are you done throwing this tantrum, Avery? Once I clear up Stella’s legal mess tomorrow, I will carve out some time next week to look into your grandmother’s housing dispute. Can you just be patient for five minutes?” I stared down at the black and white geometric rug beneath my feet. “There’s no need.” I unzipped the front pocket of my bag, pulled out the divorce papers I had already drafted, and handed them to him. Jefferson didn’t even read the cover page. He ripped the stack of papers in half, then into quarters, and threw them into the air. The shredded paper drifted to the hardwood floor like dirty snow. “Is this really necessary?” His voice spiked with anger. “First you lie about your grandmother dying, and now you’re throwing this childish fit. Can you just grow up? Look at Stella. Her entire family legacy is on the verge of collapse, but she isn’t screaming or making a scene. You can’t even compare to her. At least Stella doesn’t use her own family’s life as a cheap threat.” I opened my mouth to speak, but the exhaustion hit my bones. Defending myself felt utterly pointless. His phone buzzed. Jefferson glanced at the caller ID, and his entire demeanor softened. When he answered, his voice was pure velvet. “Stella, what’s wrong?” Stella’s tearful voice bled through the speaker, loud enough for me to hear from three feet away. “Jefferson, those rioters are back at the office. I’m terrified. They’re screaming that they want a life for a life. Can you please hurry?” “Don’t be scared. I’m on my way.” Jefferson ended the call. He grabbed his coat, turning back to glare at me one last time. “See? Stella is facing an actual crisis, but she just sheds a few tears, gathers herself, and stays strong. And speaking of her crisis, your grandmother’s little relocation dispute is exactly the same thing. It’s just a bunch of greedy squatters trying to extort more hush money. The people terrorizing Stella today are exactly like your grandmother. They get a free relocation apartment, decide it isn’t luxurious enough, and greedily demand more.” “It’s disgusting. Don’t bring your grandmother up to me again. Whenever I think of her, I just think of those extorting parasites.” The front door slammed shut. He was gone. I stood alone in the living room, staring blankly at the torn paper scattered across the rug. My grandmother’s issue had absolutely nothing to do with wanting more money. The developer had demolished her old neighborhood and promised her a brand-new unit with a clean title. But when the keys were handed over, what she got was a death trap. There was no property deed. The foundation was sinking, the load-bearing walls were spiderwebbed with massive cracks, and the entire high-rise didn’t even have a fire escape. It was a shoddy, illegal construction project. A literal house of cards. I had begged Jefferson to look at her case so many times. Every single time, he brushed me off, claiming he would “review the files later.” I had placed those legal documents on his mahogany desk at least ten times. He never opened them. Not once. But whenever Stella needed a favor, no matter how trivial, he dropped everything to play her knight in shining armor. I realized, with a numb sort of clarity, that I had made a terrible mistake marrying him. I printed a new copy of the divorce agreement. Just as I reached the bottom of the stairs at my newly rented apartment, my phone rang. “Avery, have you lost your mind?” Jefferson snarled through the receiver. “You actually showed up at my law firm to draft a divorce settlement? You did that on purpose, didn’t you? Trying to humiliate me, letting my entire partner board know my marriage is a joke. Your toxic behavior needs to stop!” I couldn’t be bothered to argue. I simply hung up. My new place was tiny. Just one bedroom and a small living area on the sixth floor of a walk-up building. But the windows faced south, and the afternoon sun poured in beautifully. I took the grey, crookedly stitched scarf my grandmother had thrown from the rubble and draped it over my headboard. It still smelled like her. Like lavender soap and old paper. It anchored my completely shattered heart. A few days later, I called the city’s disaster cleanup crew to ask when I could collect my grandmother’s recovered belongings. The clerk checked the system and replied, “Ms. Avery, we already shipped the box. It was sent to the residential address listed on your ID.” The address on my ID. The house I used to share with Jefferson. My stomach dropped. I tried calling Jefferson, but he immediately sent me to voicemail. Panic clawed at my throat. I flagged a cab and rushed back across town. When I unlocked the front door, the living room was empty. But I heard noise coming from the master bedroom. I walked down the hall and froze. Stella was standing in the middle of my bedroom. She was holding my grandmother’s antique wooden lockbox, casually turning it upside down over the floor. Everything spilled out in a chaotic clatter. My grandmother’s reading glasses. Her battered savings passbook. Faded polaroids from her youth. And an antique silver bangle she had treasured for decades, saving it to give to me on my wedding day. “What the hell are you doing?” My voice was tight, scraping against my throat. Stella turned around. When she saw me, a smug little smirk played on her lips. “Oh, you’re back? I’m just doing you a favor and clearing out some space. All this hoarding is really ruining the aesthetic of the room.” As she spoke, she picked the antique silver bangle up from the rug, tossing it carelessly in her palm. “What even is this junk? Cheap silver? You couldn’t pay a pawn shop to take this.” “Put it down.” “Why so aggressive?” Stella giggled, completely unbothered. “I’m literally throwing out your trash for you. You should be thanking me.” She casually tossed the bangle over her shoulder. It hit the drywall with a sharp, metallic crack, then bounced onto the hardwood floor, splitting cleanly into two jagged halves. “Stop it!” I lunged forward and shoved her hard by the shoulder. Stella stumbled backward, her hip bumping against the edge of the wardrobe. Instantly, her eyes filled with theatrical tears, and her voice pitched up into a fragile squeak. “Did you just hit me?” A second later, a stinging slap connected with my cheek. The force was brutal. My head snapped to the side, my ears ringing with a high-pitched whine. Jefferson was standing in the doorway. He pulled Stella into his chest, glaring at me with absolute fury. I held my burning cheek, pointing a shaking finger at the scattered mess on the floor. “She destroyed my grandmother’s belongings.” Jefferson glanced down at the broken pieces of silver. His expression didn’t even flicker. He bent down, picked up the broken halves, and dropped them into the trash can next to the dresser. “It’s a piece of junk. Are you really going to act like a lunatic over this?” Watching him throw the bangle into the garbage, something inside me completely snapped. My nose burned, and my vision blurred with hot tears. “Those were her dying possessions. They were the only pieces of her I had left. Why are you two so evil?” Jefferson’s frown deepened. “If your grandmother is actually dead, then why hasn’t it been on the news? A building collapse is a massive tragedy. You don’t think the media would cover it?” I furiously wiped my tears away. I dug into my purse, pulled out the official coroner’s death certificate, and shoved it at his chest. “Is this the proof you need, Jefferson?” “The story was obviously buried. If you actually bothered to look into it, you would know.” Stella leaned over his arm to glance at the paper. She let out a mocking laugh. “Jefferson, look at it. It’s obviously forged. Who carries a fake death certificate around in their purse? She pre-printed this just to manipulate you.” Jefferson took the certificate. He stared at it. Then he looked at it again. For a split second, I thought the reality had finally pierced his thick skull. Instead, he slapped the paper down onto the nightstand. “Avery, clean up this mess on the floor right now. If you keep using these psychotic, fabricated lies to get my attention, I will actually sign those divorce papers.” Stella leaned her head against his shoulder, her voice dropping into a pitiful whisper. “Jefferson, my hip really hurts where she pushed me. Can we just go? I don’t feel safe here.” Jefferson wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her out. Right before he crossed the threshold, he threw a final order over his shoulder. “Clean this up. The house looks like a dumpster.” My heart turned into an absolute wasteland. I knelt on the floor. One of the lenses on my grandmother’s reading glasses was shattered. I picked up her passbook. Her monthly pension was barely a few hundred dollars. She had saved every penny for six years, hoarding a little over five thousand dollars. She used to tell me she was saving that money to give as a red envelope to my future child. I picked up her photo. It was taken last Christmas. She was wearing her red winter coat, the wrinkles on her face deep and kind. I pressed the photograph against my cheek. I remembered how she raised me single-handedly, working her fingers to the bone to pay for my college tuition, never complaining a single time. I took a shaky breath. I made a vow. Even if it was the last time I ever spoke to Jefferson, I was going to use him to get justice for her. I went back to my new apartment and dug out the thick manila folder containing all of my grandmother’s evidence against the developer. Flipping to the corporate registry page, I stared at the name of the parent company. Summerset Development Corporation. Summerset. Stella Summerset. My finger stalled on the page. Then, I turned it over. I took the file straight to Jefferson’s office. His massive desk was buried under case files. When he saw me walk in, his brow furrowed out of pure habit. “Why are you here?” I dropped the heavy folder right onto his desk and looked him dead in the eye. “I am only going to ask you this one last time. Are you going to help me or not?” Jefferson opened his mouth, clearly ready to reject me. I could literally see the word “no” forming on his lips. But he glanced down at the folder. He pulled the documents out. When his eyes hit the page listing the developer’s details, he froze. Then, in a completely unprecedented move, he agreed. “Alright.” His tone was bizarrely gentle, almost coaxing. “I’ll handle this case for you. I know I haven’t been fair lately, ignoring her situation. Give me a few days, and I’ll go with you to visit your grandmother, okay? I’ll apologize to her face-to-face.” I stared at him, a sickening, twisted feeling rising in my throat. Even now, he genuinely believed she was still alive. Whatever. I didn’t have the energy to explain it to him anymore. As long as he used his legal weight to crush the developer and get justice for my grandmother, that was all that mattered. Once the lawsuit was filed, I would sign the divorce papers and vanish from his life. He could walk his golden path, and I would walk my ruined one. We would never cross paths again. I gave a curt nod. “Fine. I’m leaving it to you.” Jefferson smiled faintly, sliding the manila folder into his locked desk drawer. “Be a good girl and leave it to me.” But over the next three weeks, whenever I texted him for an update on the filing, he deflected. He kept stalling. I knew something was wrong. Jefferson was an apex predator in the legal world. He never took more than a week to transition a case from intake to a formal lawsuit. If he was stalling, it meant he had no intention of doing it at all. I decided to follow him. I sat in a parked rental car across the street from Stella’s luxury condo. I watched Jefferson walk out of her lobby, carrying the exact same manila folder I had given him. He got into the driver’s seat of his Mercedes. Stella slipped into the passenger side, laughing brightly. Jefferson must have forgotten something crucial. Months ago, after a string of break-ins in our old neighborhood, I had installed a hidden audio-monitoring dashcam in his car that synced directly to my phone. Now, I opened the app. Through the static, Stella’s excited voice rang out crystal clear. “Thank you so much, Jefferson. With this evidence shredded, I don’t have to be scared anymore.” I heard the sound of Jefferson gently ruffling her hair. “Yeah. You can sleep easy tonight.” My legs gave out. I collapsed against the steering wheel. Jefferson’s soft laughter filtered through the speaker. The afternoon sun was blinding, but I felt like I was drowning in ice water. So that was it. He never intended to help me. He just wanted to con me out of the original evidence so he could hand it directly to Stella. From the very beginning, his only priority was protecting her. I got out of my car and marched up to his Mercedes, rapping my knuckles hard against the tinted glass. Jefferson and Stella both jumped. Jefferson rolled the window down, his face tight with shock. “Avery? What are you doing here?” I ignored him, my eyes locked on the manila folder in Stella’s lap. “Give me my documents back.” Stella instinctively shoved the folder behind her back, her face morphing from shock into wide-eyed innocence. “Documents? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “My grandmother’s legal files. Hand them over.” Jefferson unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car, physically blocking my path to Stella. “Avery, drop it.” The pain in my chest was so sharp I could barely breathe. “You stole my grandmother’s evidence to give to her. What the hell is wrong with you?” Jefferson let out a heavy, patronizing sigh, talking to me like I was an irrational toddler. “Avery, you need to listen to me. This case is infinitely more complicated than you think. Stella’s corporation is in the middle of a massive restructuring. They cannot afford a fatal negligence scandal right now. I’ve already negotiated with her. She is going to write your grandmother a massive settlement check. It’s more money than you could spend in a lifetime.” “A settlement?” I stared at him, genuinely doubting my own sanity. “Jefferson, do you have any idea what kind of building they built? It was a condemned death trap! My grandmother died crushed under that concrete! And you want me to take hush money?!” “Calm down,” Jefferson snapped, his patience fraying. “Stop using such dramatic language. I’ve personally reviewed the blueprints for Stella’s project. The permits were legal, the quality passed inspection. If that specific building failed, it was a localized issue with the sub-contractors. It has absolutely no direct connection to Stella’s family.” “No direct connection? Their corporate seal is stamped on the contract! Are you insane?” Jefferson’s face hardened into pure disgust. “Avery, cut the crap. You just want a payout. I’ll get Stella to cut the check. What’s your price? Half a million? A million? Just name a number and walk away.” “I don’t want her dirty money. I’m calling the police.” I pulled my phone out and started dialing. Jefferson lunged forward and snatched the phone violently out of my hand. His voice was laced with venom. “Avery, don’t push your luck. Stella’s family finally has this PR nightmare under control. Are you really trying to bankrupt an innocent girl just because you’re bitter? Let me make this crystal clear: her company does not build shoddy structures. This is a targeted smear campaign against her. Your grandmother just had bad luck. The building just happened to collapse.” Just happened to. Bad luck. I stared at the man I had married. It felt like I was looking at a complete stranger. A heavy, absolute exhaustion washed over me. But strangely, the exhaustion brought clarity. I reached into my bag, pulled out the folded divorce agreement, and threw it directly at his chest. “Keep the settlement money. We are getting a divorce.” Jefferson caught the paper, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. “You carry this around with you just so you can use it to threaten me every time you don’t get your way?” He pulled a silver pen from his breast pocket, clicked it, and aggressively signed his name. “Fine. We’re done. Let’s see how long you survive out there.” I reached out to grab the signed document, but his hand shot out, his fingers locking around my wrist like a vice. “Avery, you better think this through. Without me, you have absolutely nothing. No job, no house, no savings. How exactly do you plan on feeding yourself?” “Let go of me.” “I am telling you, outside of this marriage, you are a nobody.” “I said, let go.” His grip tightened painfully, his knuckles turning white. I yanked my arm back with everything I had. He violently shoved me away. I stumbled backward in my heels. My lower back slammed brutally against the sharp metal corner of a city trash can. A blinding flash of agony ripped through my spine. The world tilted, and I crashed heavily onto the concrete pavement. Jefferson looked down at me. He didn’t even twitch to help me up. He just turned around, grabbed Stella’s hand, and sneered. “Let’s go. Leave her to her theatrics.” Stella glanced back at me through the window, a victorious little smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. The Mercedes roared to life and sped off, leaving me completely alone. I lay curled on the pavement. A violent, tearing cramp seized my lower abdomen. A thick, terrifying warmth began pooling down my thighs. I reached down with a trembling hand. My fingers came back coated in bright, sticky red. Right before the darkness swallowed me, only one thought echoed in my fading consciousness. Jefferson. Whatever love tied us together is dead. It died today, right alongside my grandmother and my unborn child. From this day until my last, you are nothing but a ghost to me.

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1 I’ve always had unusually high emotional intelligence. When I was little, a rich woman took a liking to my dad. I understood immediately and brought my young, handsome uncle over. “Girl, my dad’s prime is long gone. My uncle is hotter.” When a coworker lost a project to me and cried like the world was ending, I understood immediately and introduced her to two interns on our team who were both six-foot-two and eighteen. “Ms. Parker, you let me win this time. I’m not an ungrateful woman. These two cute boys are yours to get to know.” Thanks to this emotional intelligence, I moved through my social circles like a fish in water. Until one day, I transmigrated into an angst romance novel as the substitute heroine nobody even wanted. The white moonlight hated the original heroine for stealing the male lead. For the male lead, she framed and tortured the heroine again and again, until the heroine died miserably on the street. Looking at the male lead in front of me, his face cold as he warned me to treat his white moonlight well from now on, I nodded. Then I enthusiastically revealed the two male models standing behind me. “Sweetheart, it’s our first meeting, and I didn’t know what you liked. So I brought you two male models as a little gift.” As the saying goes, you don’t slap a smiling face. Grace Whitfield’s icy expression twitched, as if she had been shocked speechless. I pressed my advantage and bent slightly, grabbing her hand with both of mine. “Sweetie, you’ve been hanging from one tree too long. You don’t know how handsome, obedient, enthusiastic, and most importantly, clean the younger boys are these days.” That sentence seemed to carry an extra meaning. I paused. “Of course, I’m not saying Mr. Ford isn’t clean.” I patted Grace’s hand. “Sweetie, life is only a few tens of thousands of days. Women need to be good to themselves. Isn’t it a shame to waste your youth on an overcooked old vegetable?” I turned to the two men. “Boys, hurry and introduce yourselves to Miss Whitfield.” The two male models, both broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, handsome, and perfectly built, hurried to Grace’s side and greeted her in voices that were shy yet gentle. Grace instinctively backed up two steps, her face burning red. “This… this isn’t appropriate, is it?” Seeing this, Malcolm Ford roared at me in disbelief. “Ivy Lane, what are you doing? I told you to treat Grace well, and this is how you treat her?” I was confused. I scratched my head hesitantly. “What? Am I not treating her well enough?” “I still have the agency’s number. Should I call a few more?” “You… you… Ivy Lane, well done.” Malcolm angrily dragged Grace out from between the two male models and turned to leave with her. “You stay here and reflect on yourself.” I had no idea what I was supposed to reflect on. Was I wrong to save myself as an angst novel heroine? My dear vicious supporting female lead framed me again and again for this male lead, making me donate blood, kneel as punishment, and get locked in a freezer. When you got to the root of it, she did all that because of Malcolm Ford, this crooked little tree. Was I wrong to tell her the world was vast? After all, three-legged frogs are hard to find, but men with two legs are everywhere. With Grace’s family background, she could absolutely choose a partner who was more handsome, younger, and emotionally stable. Just like every romance novel plot, Malcolm left me where I stood and took Grace to a luxury store, then to a romantic dinner for two. As I packed my luggage, I happened to see a private message from Grace. 【You really are sinister. Malcolm told me everything. Those men were part of your plan to make me leave him. You found so many male models to tempt me and make Malcolm think I’m a fickle woman.】 【But I’m telling you now. I will always be his white moonlight. The person he loves most will always be me. You have no right to compete with me.】 The corner of my mouth twitched. At that moment, the sound of the front door opening came from downstairs. Malcolm walked in cold-faced and ordered me to make him hangover soup. My fingers flew across my phone screen. 【Sweetie, that isn’t love. If he really loved you, why would he find me as a substitute? From here to Europe is only a seven-hour flight. You were studying abroad, not leaving the biosphere. Did he really need a substitute?】 【To put it another way, even if you had left the biosphere, if he had even a shred of decency, he wouldn’t have found a substitute like me within a month.】 【Sweetie, you’re too innocent. You don’t understand. He just wants to have two women at once. The substitute thing is his excuse.】 【If you don’t believe me, go find a substitute too. See how he reacts.】 The other side was silent for a long time. I carried my suitcase downstairs. Malcolm was leaning on the sofa like some grand lord, staring at me coldly with the expression of a man who had seen through everything. “Ivy, don’t think you can make Grace leave me with little tricks.” “You’re only a substitute. You need to understand your place.” “Besides, Grace doesn’t care for the men you found.” Then he spoke as if granting me mercy. “Ivy, I know you don’t want to leave me. Don’t worry. After Grace and I get married, there will still be a place for you by my side.” I lifted my suitcase and shook my head at him. “Nice fantasy, but when Miss Whitfield gets married, there might not be a place for you beside her. You might not even qualify as the side piece.” Malcolm shot to his feet. “What do you mean?” I smiled at him, hesitating while staring at his face for a long time. Then I shook my head and sighed. “Nothing much. It’s just that Mr. Ford should find time for some facial maintenance.” Then I dragged my suitcase out into the endless night. I was done serving him. Anyway, the original heroine had been a substitute for three years. She must have saved quite a bit of money. I could live a good life from now on. Humming, I booked a hotel room. Then I opened the bank balance. Three hundred eighty-five dollars and seventy-nine cents. I fell silent. So the five thousand I spent hiring male models just now was my last savings. An angst novel heroine got tortured by the male lead for three years, and her wallet didn’t even have four digits? Even a nanny should have saved hundreds of thousands after three years. What exactly had she been chasing? Furious, I opened my messaging app and found Grace in my contacts. 【Sweetie, to create enough space for you to test Malcolm, I’ve already moved out of his place.】 【But this man really has terrible character. We agreed back then that he’d pay me one million a month, but now he’s withholding my wages. What exactly do you see in a man who doesn’t even honor his word?】 【Think about it, sweetie. Today he can kick me out of his house with no money and make me sleep on the street. Tomorrow he can make you leave with nothing. Marrying him is too risky. I truly advise you to reconsider.】 【If you’re willing, we can meet. I promise I’ll tell you everything.】 After I sent that whole string of provocation, Malcolm finally realized I had left the villa. 【What are you doing? Ivy, you’ve grown a temper. Now you’re running away from home?】 【Don’t forget, your mother’s medical fees are still waiting for me to pay. In a few days, you’ll crawl back and beg me.】 I was not the original Ivy, who only knew how to feel wronged and do nothing. As a woman experienced in worldly games, I cursed him, then skillfully deleted and blocked him in one smooth move. The next day, Grace asked to meet me. She chose a café. She wore a coffee-colored dress, with very little makeup. Her face was full of hesitation and conflict. “I think what you said makes sense, but I still think you’re doing this so I’ll give up Malcolm and you can take his side.” “I’ve seen plenty of women like you. I didn’t come today for advice. I’ll give you one million to leave Malcolm.” I already knew she would not trust me. But I grew even more enthusiastic. “Sweetie, that’s where you’re wrong. Do I look like I’m doing this for money?” “Forget everything else. With your face alone, you’re so beautiful. I only look thirty percent like you, and people call me a beauty. What about you? You’re the real top-tier beauty.” “After Mr. Ford has seen someone like you, how could he marry someone who only has thirty percent of your looks?” “And your family background is so good. I don’t know what Malcolm told you to make you this insecure.” “But look at your family. Look at your face. Why would you think I can compare with you? Even if you don’t want Malcolm, a man who once liked you wouldn’t look at me.” Grace looked a little embarrassed by my sincerity. I seized the chance. “I know you’re afraid Malcolm will be angry. But think about it. Since you came back, has he ever publicly confirmed your relationship?” “He’s stringing you along. So what’s wrong with you dating someone too?” “I guarantee that once you know what real dating feels like, you’ll understand how badly Malcolm treats you.” “If you’re really worried, we can keep it secret. You can pay me a little and hire me, and we can sign a confidentiality agreement. Everything will be your choice.” Grace wavered. “Does Malcolm really treat me badly? But he bought me many things and took me to a candlelit dinner.” I spread my hands. “But can’t you buy those things yourself? You’re the only daughter of the Whitfield family. People should be placing the best things in front of you.” “If you really can’t accept it, think of this as revenge for his three years of wavering. Finding a substitute is not something a decent person does. Are you willing to let that go without payback?” My words hit Grace right where it hurt. “Fine. We’ll sign a confidentiality agreement.” “Actually, when Malcolm told me he found a substitute because he missed me too much, I did feel uncomfortable. But there was always a voice in my ear saying he only did it because he cared about me.” “After hearing you say this today, I’m starting to doubt it.” I smiled at her. “Doubt is good. From now on, I will serve as your relationship consultant and help screen eligible men around you. If you like anyone, you can try getting to know him. I’ll also help you monitor Malcolm’s emotional state in real time.” Grace shook my hand. Just as I said. Grace was beautiful, from a good family, and highly educated. The men who wanted to pursue her could line up from one end of the city to the other. Before, she had only focused all her attention on Malcolm. Now that news spread that she was willing to go on dates, those who secretly liked her came rushing forward. Especially a handsome young man named Ryder Cole, who worked hard every day to create chance encounters. After learning I was Grace’s relationship consultant, he directly slapped a five-million-dollar check onto my desk. “Help me pursue Grace. Whether I succeed or not, the five million is yours.” Holding Ryder’s five million, I almost cried. The original heroine followed Malcolm for three years and only had a few hundred dollars. This young master gave five million in one move. I looked into Ryder’s background. The Cole family was old money. Clean background, good upbringing. His grandfather, father, and older brother had no mistresses or scandalous side families. He was not the eldest son, so he had no heavy pressure. His personality was lively, and he liked extreme sports, but he also kept himself clean. As for Grace, she had been restrained by her family since childhood, always proper and disciplined. The two of them were perfectly complementary, a natural pair. Of course, only if Malcolm did not get in the way. A few days after Grace and Ryder became ordinary friends, the four of us met at the same banquet. After not seeing Malcolm for more than ten days, he was still as annoying as ever. Beside him was a female companion with a great figure. The moment Grace saw him, she instinctively wanted to distance herself from Ryder. She walked toward Malcolm to explain. But what I did not expect was that Malcolm saw me first. He smiled with a self-important expression. “Ivy, you chased me all the way here?” “What? Have you finally thought it through? Being my lover is your best choice.” Faced with someone so confident, I truly did not know what to say. Before I could speak, he noticed Grace beside me. “Looks like you really thought it through. I’m satisfied seeing you two getting along like this.” “I told you Grace has always been generous. She won’t mind.” Grace froze and instinctively looked at Ryder. Ryder walked to her side and took her hand with perfect restraint. Only then did Malcolm finally notice him. He frowned. “But Grace, after you marry me, you can’t stand this close to other men anymore. As Mrs. Ford, your circle must be clean.” Grace looked sadly at the woman beside Malcolm. “But you also brought a female companion today.” Malcolm did not care at all. “So you’re jealous. Grace, you need to understand. I’m a man. I’m only networking.” “If I don’t make money, how will you be the glamorous Mrs. Ford?” Grace lowered her head. Her eyes reddened unconsciously. She wanted to ask what I, the substitute, counted as. But in the end, she did not speak. Her eyes were red as she lowered her head and held back tears. Just as I had said, in the three years she studied abroad, Malcolm found me as a substitute and had countless female companions. Even after marriage, he planned to keep me, the substitute, ambiguously by his side. Yet Grace only stood a little close to another man, and Malcolm became unhappy. So Malcolm did not fail to understand that this was wrong. He was simply a hypocrite. He simply believed both Grace and I could not leave him. Malcolm did not notice Grace’s unhappiness. He spoke to her from above, like bestowing a reward. “You can handle the wedding preparations yourself for now. I probably won’t have time to try on suits recently. Just call me when the wedding happens.” If there were not so many people present, I would have slapped him. Grace stood there stunned for a long while, covered her reddened eyes, turned, and left. Ryder hurried after her. The next day, Grace came to me. “You were right. Malcolm never treated me like an equal.” “So I’ve decided… I don’t want him anymore. There are plenty of flowers in the world.” From that day on, Grace and Ryder’s relationship advanced rapidly. When she had loved Malcolm, there was rarely a smile on her face. It had been filled with jealousy. Now her eyes seemed to hide stars, and every day she was in high spirits. When Malcolm was mentioned, she even looked regretful. “So this is what normal dating feels like. I gave up Malcolm too late.” After a few months, they met each other’s families and prepared to get engaged. Malcolm still did not know that the supporting female lead who had once been obsessed with him was about to marry someone else, and that his own heroine had been the matchmaker. He continued dreaming of having women on both sides. So when he received Grace and Ryder’s engagement invitation, he did not even look at it. “Grace really is a capable future wife. She handled this well. But why hasn’t she sent over the groom’s suit yet? Does she expect me to prepare it myself?” “Fine, I’ll prepare it myself.” As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and sighed helplessly. “Also send Ivy an invitation. Tell her that after Grace and I marry, our relationship will remain the same. She can secretly come watch, but she can’t disturb my wedding with Grace.” On the day of the wedding, Malcolm arrived in a gray suit. Then he saw Ryder in a white groom’s suit, standing arm in arm with Grace. He froze. When he turned back, he finally saw the sign by the entrance, where four bright red words were written. 【Congratulations on the marriage of Grace Whitfield and Ryder Cole】

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1 One week before the company went public, an all-staff announcement popped up in the internal office system. The moment I opened it, I saw that the newly hired graduate from a top university was listed on the equity incentive plan. I froze at my desk. My chest tightened, and for a long time, I could not say a word. From the company’s earliest startup days to its upcoming IPO, I had fought my way through every stage. I led the core gameplay design for three blockbuster online games. The underlying framework and key code of the game engine were all written by me. Whenever the team ran into the hardest problems, management always came to me first. Yet after all these years, I was still only an ordinary programmer. I had never received even half a share of equity. A newcomer had just joined and was already standing at the top of the bonus pool. I had stayed with the company through the hardest years, all the way to IPO, and received nothing. My heart went completely cold. I submitted my resignation on the spot. The CEO looked confused. “The project is at a critical stage. Why are you suddenly leaving?” I said flatly, “I’m tired. I want to lie flat.” Mr. Reeves sighed, his tone gentle. “I know you’ve been fighting with us since the startup days. You’ve stayed loyal all the way to IPO. You’ve always been dedicated.” “Promotions will naturally prioritize younger people, but you’re the stabilizing force of this company. I’ll apply for an extra two thousand in your year-end bonus. Everyone is treated the same.” “I know your skills are strong. You handle difficult problems well. You’ve carried many of the core modules. The projects can’t do without you. The company sees all of that.” “Mr. Reeves,” I interrupted him. “The live core systems are all watched by me. Every emergency failure at night, I’m the one on duty. But after all these years, the equity list has never included me. Have I ever had even one chance at promotion?” His expression stiffened instantly. Over the years, I had guarded the core business like my life depended on it. Whenever they called, I showed up. No excuses. No hesitation. As the main programmer, I carried the underlying architecture and emergency fixes. Even when I was exhausted to the point of collapse, I never dared slack off. What I got in return was a tiny base salary and an ordinary employee title. I had a stack of excellence awards, but when it came to equity or dividends, I was never considered. “The company has its rules.” He cleared his throat. “There are so many people in management. I can’t give equity to everyone. You’re capable. Don’t rush.” “I’ve waited this long and still don’t even have hope.” My voice was calm. “I trained several batches of new hires. Some have already entered management. Some got shares. Only I have stayed exactly where I started.” “The new graduate received equity dividends as soon as he joined, while I don’t even qualify for consideration.” Mr. Reeves sighed. “Try to understand. The number of slots is limited.” “I understand.” I stood. “So I won’t keep wasting myself here.” His face darkened. “That’s not the right attitude. The company trained you for so many years. You say you’ll leave, and you leave? That’s heartless.” “Heartless?” I laughed, my eyes cold. “For years, I didn’t take a full annual leave. Because of urgent projects, I stayed at the office for months. I missed three Spring Festivals with my family just to make sure there were no bugs.” “And all I got was verbal praise.” “Not even a decent bonus.” “On my wedding day, a major live bug appeared. I left the ceremony and came straight back to the office to fix it. My wife fought with me over it, and we almost divorced.” “Now I have nothing, and you want to talk to me about heart?” His expression hardened. “The company gave you a platform. It gave you growth and experience. You should be grateful.” I looked at him. The last bit of expectation in me went out completely. I had taken the lowest pay and done the most critical work. I had given everything, yet I was always excluded from the rewards. The so-called platform was nothing but cheap exploitation. “I understand.” “Thank you, Mr. Reeves.” I turned and left his office. Thank you for making me see everything clearly. There had never been a place for me here. And there never would be. 2 I went to the break room to get some air, trying to suppress the dull pressure in my chest. When I passed the CEO’s office, the door was slightly ajar. The new hire, Tyler Shaw, was speaking inside. “Mr. Reeves, don’t worry. I’ve tuned the new intelligent operations system. It can automatically repair most online issues. You even personally ran the stress test with me a few days ago.” “Good, Tyler. Young people like you have flexible thinking and learn technology fast.” Mr. Reeves’s voice carried obvious admiration. “Work hard. After the company goes public, I’ll reserve the deputy technical director position for you.” I wanted to leave quietly. I did not want to hear any more. “Thank you, Mr. Reeves,” Tyler immediately lowered his voice. “But I just saw Alex heading this way. His face looked scary. It seemed like he was coming to resign.” A faint laugh sounded from the office. My steps froze. The blood in my body seemed to congeal in an instant. “Him?” Mr. Reeves’s tone was light, full of certainty. “A nearly forty-year-old code grunt with elderly parents and kids to support. His whole family depends on his salary. Does he really dare leave?” That sentence pierced straight into the softest part of my heart. My peers from back then had all jumped to top companies. Some had entered senior management years ago. Some held equity. Their salaries had multiplied several times. Only I stayed at this unknown little company, taking a salary that barely covered expenses, enduring for six full years. I always thought that as long as I guarded the underlying architecture like a fortress and covered every crisis at the critical moment, Mr. Reeves would at least remember some old loyalty. It turned out everything was just my wishful thinking. I pressed myself against the cold wall and held my breath, listening to the conversation inside. “He’s just upset because he didn’t get dividends.” Mr. Reeves sounded disdainful. “At his age, where else can he find a job if he leaves? With AI now, his old skills are already useless. Let him cool off for a couple of days, and he’ll behave.” Tyler hurried to agree. “That makes sense. Alex definitely can’t leave.” Mr. Reeves hummed, then his tone warmed as he turned back to the newcomer. “You’re different. You have energy and understand cutting-edge technology. Your future is limitless.” “Follow me and work hard. In the future, this company will belong to young people like you. The resources will naturally tilt toward you.” Leaning against the wall, I felt coldness shoot from my feet to my head. Even my fingers felt frozen. So my six years of late-night problem-solving, countless emergency responses, and protecting the team from every crisis were nothing in their eyes. Because I had a family to support, they saw me as someone easy to control. Because I did not know how to package myself with flashy concepts or chase every shallow tech trend, I had become a burden that could be replaced at any time. Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. A familiar name appeared on the screen. Mr. Lang from the venture capital firm. He was the key investor leading the company’s IPO financing. I walked to a quiet corner and answered. His steady voice came through. “Alex, it’s Lang.” “The real reason I was willing to invest in your company and push for the IPO was the unreleased new project in your hands.” “I feel wronged on your behalf, seeing them treat you like this. Do you want to start your own company? I’ll fund it. I’ll connect the resources. You only need to be the technical leader.” Holding the phone, I heard the sincerity in his invitation and suddenly gave a low laugh. It was full of self-mockery and relief. I had endured six years here, begging for recognition and reward, yet never receiving either. But someone who truly understood my value gave me the best possible destination with one sentence. Memories surfaced one after another. The year I joined, my boss patted my shoulder and said, “Alex, let’s give the equity to the older staff first. You’re young. Next time, you’ll definitely be prioritized.” At the third-year celebration dinner, he publicly praised me as the backbone of the technical department, then turned around and said bonuses would go to operations first because I lacked seniority. By the fifth year, I still had no dividend eligibility. He held his coffee and advised me, “Don’t rush. Once we go public, I’ll immediately make it up to you.” I believed him again and again. Compromised again and again. Swallowed every grievance for the sake of stability. Until today, when I personally heard them belittle my value and calculate my difficulties. At last, I woke up completely. In his eyes, I had never been a comrade fighting beside him. I was only a useful, obedient tool who did not dare resist. But I had forgotten. I was also a person with flesh and blood, dignity, and choices. I took a deep breath and spoke into the phone, calm but firm. “Mr. Lang, thank you for trusting me. I’m willing.” 3 After I sent the message, Mr. Reeves tagged me in the company group chat. “@Alex Carter. The game server suddenly failed last night. Your response was slow, and you didn’t handle it properly. Your mind hasn’t been on work lately. Don’t bring personal matters into the company.” I stared at the screen, my finger hovering in midair. Over the past six years, I had heard this kind of criticism countless times. Every time, I immediately apologized and promised to do better next time. This time, I said nothing. I messaged Tyler privately. “You were on live night duty last night. Check the operations logs and send screenshots directly to Mr. Reeves.” The message went out. There was no reply. Soon, a private message from Mr. Reeves popped up. 【Come to my office now.】 I pushed the door open and went in. He pointed to the chair across from him. “Sit.” I did not move. “If you have something to say, say it directly.” “Alex,” he softened his tone, as if patiently advising me, “I know you’re upset. But as the company grows, I have my difficulties too. You have to understand the company’s position.” “You’re an old employee and the backbone of the technical department. When hasn’t the underlying framework of our main game relied on you?” “I know you feel wronged, but management has to consider the big picture. I see everything you’ve done. You can’t just focus on salary and equity as short-term benefits.” “Then what should I focus on?” I asked calmly. He paused, then said confidently, “Trust.” “Haven’t I valued you enough?” “Think about it. Our most critical core servers with the highest user traffic. If I didn’t trust you one hundred percent, would I place that entire burden on you?” “Look, now whenever a server alarm goes off, the whole company comes to you. Everyone listens to your instructions. Isn’t that enough value?” “Isn’t it obvious that we’re training you as the technical lead?” “All that trust, and you pay me thirteen thousand a month?” My voice remained steady. Mr. Reeves fell silent for a few seconds, then put on a generous expression. “How about this? I’ll talk to HR and max out your performance bonus. I’ll also make up the allowances for you.” His tone sounded like charity. “Don’t bring up resignation again. Let’s both take a step back.” “Mr. Reeves,” I looked into his eyes and said seriously, “Tyler, who I trained, received equity as soon as he joined. His base salary is twenty-eight thousand.” His face darkened, and impatience returned immediately. “You can’t compare salaries like that. He was recruited from a top university. His starting pay is naturally high. You’re an old employee. The platform and growth opportunities the company has given you, why don’t you count those hidden values?” “Hidden value.” I repeated the words and felt a chill in my heart. “The underlying framework I built, the hundreds of performance bugs I optimized, the technical department I trained, and the core servers I saved from collapse again and again. Do those count as value?” His face darkened completely. “You’re leaving just like that? The company absolutely cannot have problems before the IPO. You’re the strongest technician in the company, the only one who can stabilize the situation.” “If you walk away, who takes responsibility? Where’s your professional ethics?” I had already prepared. I took a file from my bag and handed it to him. “This is the handover document I organized.” “All server deployment documents, exception handling plans, and historical incident review experience from the past six years. I will organize everything clearly and hand it over.” Mr. Reeves flew into a rage. “The company gave you such a stable job. Instead of being grateful, you’re using resignation to threaten me. Do you really think the company can’t run without you?” “Stable job?” I could not help laughing. “I’m only an ordinary employee on a fixed salary, without even touching equity. What stability are you talking about?” His tone softened again. “Fine. I’ll make up last month’s performance pay and give you this year’s excellent employee award too. The total bonus will be three thousand.” “But you must take responsibility for the technical guarantee work before IPO. Let’s pretend this never happened.” Even the benefit he gritted his teeth to offer could not compare to a newcomer’s base salary. I laughed out loud. Even now, he still thought I was bargaining with him. I stood. “Fine, Mr. Reeves. I will take responsibility for the pre-IPO technical guarantee work to the end.” These three major online games were the key to the company’s IPO. The servers were built by me, and the code logic was so complex that no one dared change it lightly. One wrong touch could cause a collapse. At this critical IPO stage, the company could not afford an incident. If anything went wrong, investors would immediately withdraw. I wanted to see whether, after pushing out the loyal worker who carried everything, the AI department he placed all his hopes on could hold the line. 4 That night, Mr. Lang had the angel round investment agreement fully drafted. There would be sufficient startup funds. I would serve as technical co-founder and take full responsibility for product development. Once my resignation was complete, we could begin. Looking at the agreement in my hands, my emotions were complicated. From now on, I would no longer need to read anyone’s expression. I could finally fight for my own career. The next morning, all employees were urgently called into the conference room. Mr. Reeves sat at the head of the table with a dark expression. Representatives from the venture capital firm were also present, their faces unusually serious. The latest performance evaluation forms were on the table. Everyone was to step forward one by one, review them, and sign. “We are now entering the critical IPO stage. This evaluation will directly determine your year-end bonuses. Everyone must take it seriously.” His gaze swept across the room, his tone forceful. “Come confirm your evaluation results. If there are no issues, sign immediately.” “Those who perform well will be prioritized for awards, bonuses, and dividends later.” Scattered applause sounded. Coworkers stepped forward one by one. After reading their forms, they signed happily. “Alex Carter.” Mr. Reeves suddenly called my name, his voice frighteningly cold. He threw my evaluation form in front of me. It clearly stated: lowest evaluation level. Every metric had been maliciously lowered. Anyone could see it was deliberate retaliation. He looked at me coldly, his tone harsh. “Your evaluation result is unsatisfactory.” The whole room instantly went quiet. Everyone knew I had already submitted my resignation. Mr. Reeves tapped the form with his finger and pretended to be stern. “Your performance is this poor, yet you keep thinking about resignation. You have no sense of responsibility.” “The company trained you for six years, gave you a platform, gave you opportunities. This is how you repay us?” He forced the pen into my hand in front of everyone. “Sign it. Reflect on yourself. Even if you resign, you must do your work properly. The pre-IPO technical guarantee must still be handled by you.” He wanted to publicly suppress me. He bet I would not dare resist in front of everyone. As long as I signed, it would mean admitting I was incompetent and allowing him to control me however he pleased. Dozens of gazes fell on me. Some surprised, some sympathetic, more waiting to watch me make a fool of myself. I took the pen, my grip steady. “Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Reeves.” My tone was calm, without a ripple. “I am aware of this evaluation result.” Mr. Reeves immediately showed a smug smile. “Perfect,” I raised my head, my voice clear throughout the entire meeting room, “then I’ll take this opportunity to tell everyone something.” “Starting today, I officially resign. Mr. Lang has already invested in my new company. I will serve as technical founder and independently lead all core projects.” “The new company needs people. Anyone who wants to come with me can message me privately.” The moment I finished, the conference room door was suddenly shoved open. An assistant rushed in with a deathly pale face. “Something’s wrong. The game servers have fully collapsed. A major bug appeared. The AI department can’t fix it at all. All three main online games are down and unable to operate.” The meeting room exploded. Mr. Reeves’s face changed drastically. He froze on the spot. The venture capital representative shot to his feet, face ashen, his gaze cutting toward Mr. Reeves like a blade.

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1 My fiancé forced me through painful fertility treatments to bear him eight children, all for his first love who could never conceive. At the banquet for my eighth pregnancy, Ken stroked my belly, smiling. “The doctors say Sally needs a big family to cure her depression,” he murmured. “Deliver this last one, Sylvia, and I’ll give you the grand wedding you deserve.” His friends laughed and placed bets on how much I would ask for this child. Every previous pregnancy, I demanded half a million dollars. This time, I pushed his hand away. “Keep your wedding, Ken. We are done.” He gripped my chin, eyes full of mockery. “You sell your body for cash, so stop pretending. Is the price too low?” Stacks of bills hit my face, the edges cutting my skin. Everyone expected me to crawl for the money. Instead, I took off his ring and dropped it. He did not know my mother had lost her battle with cancer last night. I no longer needed his money or to be the mother for his precious Sally. “Looks like Ken didn’t write a big enough check, and now his girl is pulling a stunt,” someone snickered from the crowd. “Half a mil for the final brat isn’t enough? What, she wants a cool million now?” “Never seen a woman so utterly greedy. Only Ken would put up with her.” The sarcastic whispers buzzed in my ears like poisonous flies. Ken’s brow furrowed tightly. He grabbed another heavy brick of cash and threw it hard against my chest. “Throwing a tantrum again? Take this. A million in total. Is that enough to shut you up?” His freezing tone dragged me violently back to a rainy afternoon eight years ago. That was the day I first found out Ken was giving our baby to Sally. I had a complete mental breakdown, smashing every piece of glass in our penthouse. I even stood outside Sally’s corporate headquarters with a megaphone, screaming that she was a homewrecker stealing my child. In the end, Ken dragged me away and locked me in a private psychiatric facility. “Think about your dying mother in that hospital bed, Sylvia,” he had whispered coldly before walking out. “Stop throwing these childish fits.” He used to love me so deeply. When my mom first got sick, he canceled a multi-billion dollar international merger, took his private jet back overnight, and personally vetted every specialist in the state for her. But the very man who once promised to shield me from the world ended up using my mother’s life as a weapon against me. Seeing me stand completely still, he assumed I was holding out for more. A sneer twisted his handsome face. “I gave you too much credit, Sylvia. At the end of the day, you’re just a woman who put a price tag on seven of her own flesh and blood.” “Fine,” he sighed, adjusting his expensive cuffs. “I’ll tell the doctors to resume your mother’s experimental targeted therapy.” “You refused to apologize to Sally last week. I couldn’t bear to punish you, so I had to let your mother take the fall.” My entire body went rigid. The blood drained from my face. I stared at him, utterly horrified, as hot tears spilled down my cheeks. “Just because I wouldn’t get on my knees and beg Sally for forgiveness, you secretly cut off my mom’s life-saving medication?” “Do you even know she passed away last night?” My voice violently shook, escalating into a broken scream. A brief flicker of hesitation crossed his face, but it vanished in a split second, replaced by a cruel smirk. “There’s no need to use your mother to emotionally blackmail me, Sylvia. I visited her yesterday. She was perfectly fine.” “She even asked when we were getting married. I told her the wedding is on, right after you pop out this final baby.” A laugh clawed its way out of my throat, but it sounded worse than a sob. When the hospital called with the news, I couldn’t even make it in time to see her take her last breath. Her greatest regret was watching me waste eight years of my youth on Ken Sinclair, living as his dirty little secret without a ring or a marriage certificate. She died without ever seeing her daughter walk down the aisle. My eyes were bloodshot. The pure devastation radiating from me must have been too heavy to ignore. Ken’s expression softened, a flash of guilt finally breaking through his arrogant facade. He reached out, wanting to pull me into his arms. But Sally stepped delicately between us. “Sylvia, I know you hate me,” she said, her voice dripping with practiced fragility. “But you really shouldn’t lie about your poor mother dying just to get pity.” “Ken loves you so much. Why do you have to invent such cruel lies to break his heart?” The crowd erupted in sneers. The socialites began whispering, claiming the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. They mocked how my father had abandoned my mother, saying we were both pathetic women who used victimhood to trap men. The laughter made my skin crawl. It felt like needles piercing my lungs with every breath I took. Right then, the five-year-old boy in Sally’s arms raised his cup of fruit punch and hurled the red liquid directly at my white dress. “Wicked witch! You always make Daddy and Mommy Sally sad! Why don’t you just die!” This was the child I had carried for nine agonizing months. The ballroom fell dead silent for a heartbeat before erupting into roaring laughter. “Even her own biological son hates her guts. She really hit rock bottom.” “That’s karma for selling your kids to the highest bidder.” “A toxic woman left with nothing. Poetic justice.” The boy squirmed out of Sally’s arms, glaring at me. “You sold my brothers for money! Get out of here! I only want Mommy Sally!” My heart was brutally squeezed. How could a child so young speak words so venomous? Tears completely blurred my vision. Years ago, desperate to scrape together the astronomical fees for my mother’s surgeries, I signed a contract with Ken. Voluntarily carry the children. Hand them over to Sally’s custody. Receive half a million dollars per child. Ever since then, my oldest son, who was now seven, threw things at me whenever I visited. “Wicked witch! You didn’t want us! Stop acting like you care!” Even the youngest ones were carefully groomed by Sally to spit on my shoes and call me a monster. And Ken’s response was always a dismissive sigh. “They’re just kids, Sylvia. Don’t be so sensitive.” My hands shook violently as I pulled out a tissue, trying to wipe the sticky red juice off my dress. But the moment I moved, Ken instantly stepped in front of Sally and the boy, shielding them as if I were an armed threat. “Let’s get one thing straight, Sylvia,” he warned, his voice laced with venom. “Sally is gentle and kind. She would never teach a child to say those things. This is a result of your own toxic nature. Do not take your misplaced anger out on my son.” He looked at me like I was a feral dog. Watching my fiancé fiercely protect another woman and the children I birthed broke something fundamental inside me. The agony lodged in my throat, choking the air out of my lungs. I couldn’t stomach the sight of them for another second. I turned on my heel and walked out of the banquet hall. The mocking voices followed me out the door. “Doesn’t even care about her own kids. What trash.” “She’s just putting on a show. She’ll come crawling back when it’s time to cash in on the new baby.” I tightly clutched my slightly swollen stomach, feeling the faint, fragile fluttering inside. I promised this baby, right then and there. I will never leave you behind. Not long after leaving the hotel, I opened my phone and saw Sally’s latest post. It was a picture of her holding the boy, her other arm linked intimately with my fiancé. They looked like the perfect, happy family. From the very beginning, I was nothing but an incubator. An outsider. The tears I had been holding back crashed down like a heavy storm. I booked a flight for the next morning. I was going to pack my bags and disappear from their lives forever. But the moment I pushed open the door to my bedroom, my blood ran cold. The room was completely trashed. Drawers were pulled out, clothes shredded. My seven-year-old son, Oliver, stood in the center of the wreckage, staring at me with pure hatred. “Wicked witch! You made Mommy Sally cry at the party! This is your punishment!” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the only surviving photograph I had of my mother and me. Right in front of my eyes, he ripped it into tiny pieces and let them flutter to the floor. “You even lied about Grandma dying. You’re a liar! You should go die with her!” Uncontrollable tremors wrecked my body. I bit down on my lower lip so hard that the metallic tang of blood flooded my mouth. I remembered when Oliver was born. He was so sickly, so fragile. I stayed up for weeks nursing him, keeping him close to my chest. When Ken forced me to give him up, Oliver was just old enough to understand. He had gripped the hem of my shirt so tightly his knuckles turned white. He cried, begging me not to leave. He had even run miles in the dark, stumbling from Sally’s mansion all the way back to my small apartment. Back then, I foolishly believed that the bond of blood could survive anything. But it only took a few years for them to turn him into a stranger who hated the very ground I walked on. “Haha! The wicked witch is crying! Serves you right for abandoning me!” Oliver let out a cruel, triumphant laugh and reached for a glass vase on my vanity. Something inside me snapped. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I stepped forward and slapped him hard across the cheek. He froze in absolute shock. A second later, he let out an earsplitting wail. “The bad woman hit me!” The emergency alert on his smartwatch beeped. Seconds later, the heavy oak doors crashed open, and Ken stormed in. Without a word, he grabbed my shoulder and shoved me violently away. I lost my footing. My lower back slammed brutally against the sharp corner of the mahogany desk. “Sylvia! You embarrass Sally at the party, and now you come home to abuse a child?” “When exactly is this psychotic episode of yours going to end?” His eyes darted to the shredded photograph on the carpet. A flicker of hesitation crossed his features, but his tone remained sharp. “It’s just a piece of paper. We can print another one. No matter how angry you get, you do not lay your hands on my son.” Sally rushed into the room right behind him, sweeping the crying boy into her arms. She looked up at me with wide, tear-filled eyes. “Sylvia, I know you resent handing the kids over to me.” “But the children are innocent. You shouldn’t take your bitterness out on them.” “If you hate it so much, I’ll just give them back to you.” The five-year-old hiding behind Sally’s leg and the seven-year-old in her arms shouted in unison. “We don’t want the wicked witch! She only pretends to be sad! She’s mean to us!” I swallowed the bitter ash in my throat and let out a broken, hollow laugh. These were the children I had bled for. The children I spent years desperately trying to hold onto. I blinked away the last of my tears. My heart was utterly, irreversibly dead. Suddenly, Oliver pointed a trembling finger at my legs, screaming in horror. “The wicked witch is bleeding!” I looked down. A sickening wet heat soaked through my dress. Thick, bright red blood was trailing rapidly down my thighs, pooling on the floor. A tearing, agonizing pain ripped through my abdomen. My knees buckled. I looked up at Ken, completely breaking down. “My stomach. It hurts so much. Please. Take me to the hospital!” His face paled. He instinctively reached out to scoop me into his arms. But Sally instantly threw herself in front of his chest, her voice trembling, fragile, and terrified. “She’s just trying to scare us with fake blood because we yelled at her.” “You know I have severe trauma regarding the sight of blood, Sylvia. Why would you trigger me on purpose?” She clutched her head, her knees giving out as she swooned into Ken’s chest. Ken’s grip on me vanished. I collapsed heavily onto the hard floor. He wrapped his arms tightly around Sally, barking orders at the staff in the hallway. “Get the car! We’re taking Sally to the ER right now!” My vision darkened at the edges. I dragged myself toward his tailored shoes, my voice a ragged, desperate rasp. “Ken. I’m not faking. It hurts. The baby. Please…” He glared down at me, his eyes devoid of any warmth. “I know you have a vendetta against Sally. I already promised you I’d marry you after this baby is born. Why do you have to stoop to such disgusting tactics to terrorize her?” “You used to be so kind. When did you turn into such a monster?” He snatched my phone from my trembling hand and walked out the door. The sound of the deadbolt locking clicked ominously in the silent room. His final words drifted through the heavy wood. “I’m giving you twenty-four hours to lock yourself in there and reflect on your behavior.” “Don’t force me to get rough with you, Sylvia. You know I’ve always hated hurting you.” I bit entirely through my lower lip. The taste of copper flooded my tongue. The blood beneath me spread wider, a dark crimson puddle. Using every last ounce of my fading strength, I dragged myself to the door and pounded on it. Eventually, the darkness swallowed me whole, and I slumped lifelessly against the wood. Right before my consciousness faded completely, I heard the muffled, panicked screams of the estate butler from the hallway. When I finally forced my heavy eyelids open, I was staring at a sterile white ceiling. The smell of hospital antiseptic burned my nose. Ken was sitting at my bedside. Seeing me wake, a look of genuine heartache washed over his face. He scooped up a spoonful of white porridge, blew on it softly, and offered it to my lips. It took a long time before he finally spoke. “Sylvia. I’m sorry. I just checked with the doctors. I didn’t know your mother passed away.” “I’ve already arranged for a massive, dignified funeral. The best money can buy.” His voice was thick with guilt. I remembered when we first started dating. He had knelt beside my mother’s cramped hospital bed and sworn on his life that he would protect me from the world. He didn’t just break that promise. He was the one who killed her. Just a second of recalling that memory sent a fresh wave of silent tears down my cheeks. “This porridge is from that little bistro downtown you love. Eat something. Warm up your body.” I kept my mouth shut. I just stared at him with cold, dead eyes. Waking up in this hospital bed finally gave me absolute clarity. I was never going to swallow his toxic scraps of affection ever again. My hand instinctively moved down to my stomach. It was completely flat. My heart flatlined. Boiling tears slipped past my lashes as a ragged sob tore from my throat. “Ken… where is my baby?” “The baby is gone.” Those four casual words shattered whatever was left of my soul. I threw my head back and let out a guttural, agonizing scream, sobbing uncontrollably. Seeing my hysteria, he pulled a tissue and impatiently dabbed at my wet face. His tone was irritatingly calm. “Alright, enough. The kid is gone, but your health is what matters. As long as you’re okay, we’re fine.” He pushed the spoon against my lips again. I violently smacked his hand away. The ceramic bowl shattered, splashing hot porridge all over his expensive suit. “I gave you eight of my children, Ken Sinclair! What more do you want from me?” “Get out! I never want to see your face again as long as I live!” After my mother died, this unborn child was the only anchor keeping me tethered to this earth. Now, my very last sliver of hope was butchered. Watching my absolute meltdown, Ken’s brow knitted together in deep annoyance. “It’s just one lost pregnancy. We can easily have another one. Is there really a need to act like a lunatic?” “Your mother is dead. You’re a woman who has been pregnant eight times. If you leave me, who else is going to want you?” He reached out to touch my shoulder. I used every drop of strength in my battered body to shove him away. “I will never marry you!” The air in the room turned to ice. Ken’s eyes flared red. He raised his hand and slapped me brutally across the face. “We have been together for eight years, Sylvia! You think you can just walk away?” “If you dare leave this hospital, you will refund every single penny I ever spent on you!” He roughly grabbed the jade pendant resting on my collarbone and violently yanked. The chain snapped. This necklace was my mother’s only heirloom. Years ago, I pawned it to pay for her chemo. Ken found out, bought it back, and fastened it around my neck himself. He had held me so tenderly that night. “Don’t carry the weight of the world on your own, Sylvia. Learn to lean on me.” The jade shattered into jagged green pieces across the linoleum floor. I sat frozen on the hospital bed, staring blindly at the wreckage. Seeing the fight completely leave my body, his tone softened slightly, though the arrogant command remained. “I told you yesterday to reflect on your actions.” “If you’re dead set on leaving, I will have your mother’s casket dug up from the cemetery and tossed into a mass grave.” “You owe me your life. And you will pay me back.” My soul had already turned to ash. His threats meant absolutely nothing to me anymore. I gave a slow, mechanical nod. Seeing my submission, he coldly delivered his final orders. “Your little stunt yesterday triggered Sally’s PTSD. Her condition has worsened.” “Her therapist said she needs a public gesture of security. The wedding is tomorrow. You will attend, and you will stand at the altar and tell the press that you voluntarily surrendered the children to her.” “Once you do that, we’ll go get our marriage license next month.” I gave another mechanical nod. Satisfied with my absolute defeat, he adjusted his ruined suit. “Don’t overthink this. I’ll compensate you tenfold.” “Sally and I are just putting on a show for the media. Once this is over, the whole world will know you are the real Mrs. Sinclair.” He didn’t know I had already lost the will to breathe. The flight ticket on my phone had expired. And I no longer needed to run away. After he left, I stared at the chat history with my mom for a long, long time. I typed out one final message. [Mom. I’m coming to keep you company.] Dragging my hollow, bleeding body out of the sheets, I stumbled step by step toward the hospital window on the tenth floor. I pushed it open and closed my eyes against the biting wind. I opened Ken’s contact and sent one last text. [Ken Sinclair. Meeting you was the biggest regret of my life.]

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