Author: Momo Chan

After I Got Sick, He Cried His Eyes Red from Worry and Ran All over Town to Raise Money for Me, But I Still Broke His Heart I, Elodie Sterling, got sick while working at a club and drinking with guests. The doctor told me to raise money fast. I begged my mom, Nova Sterling, to lend me some. Nova shoved me aside and sneered, “Your mouth down there’s a mess. What was wrong with the one up here? Still works fine, doesn’t it?” I was so broke I didn’t even have pride left. I was scrambling for money anywhere I could. Then my boyfriend, Beckett Hastings, found me, eyes bloodshot. He kept shoving money into my account. “You need cash, right? I’ll give you whatever you want! A hundred grand, will that cover it? A million, just say the word!” I let out a cold laugh. “I’ve got a gynecological disease. You still wanna send me money?” Beckett pulled me into his arms, his voice shaking. “I’ll send it. I’ll send it all…” I clutched my stomach as I walked out of the hospital. The doctor told me I had a serious gynecological condition and needed money fast for treatment. This was all thanks to Nova. I didn’t even know when it started. At some point, my dad got addicted to gambling. Nova not only didn’t stop him, she made me pay off his debts. She said, “We raised you till you were eighteen. It’s time to pay us back.” Nova told me being a prostitute was the fastest way to make money. Then she hooked me up with a shady club, just like that. The money did come fast. But so did the filth. I was about to call Nova when she beat me to it. “Your dad lost money again. Send me five thousand dollars now. I heard you’ve been busy lately. You must’ve made a lot, right?” I hesitated, then spoke, “Mom… I’m sick. Didn’t I already give you all my money? Can you loan me just a little? I’ll pay you back once I get better.” Nova exploded, “Sick? Oh, cut the crap. You just don’t wanna pay, huh? You want me to tell the whole school what you’ve been doing behind closed doors?” I was choking on tears. “Mom, I’m not lying. I’m really sick. I can show you the diagnosis…” She interrupted me without mercy, “Quit the damn excuses. Send the money, or you’ll regret it.” She hung up on me with a loud snap. I needed thirty thousand dollars for surgery. I only had five hundred dollars left to my name. All the money I’d made at the club had gone straight into Nova’s pocket. I even picked up a part-time job at school to make ends meet. But I had no choice now. I had to ask him for help.

Just as I got to the school gates, Beckett stopped me. I’d met him while working part-time at the campus café. He took one look at my pale, weak face and pulled me into his arms. “What happened to you? You look terrible. Are you sick?” Hearing the concern in his voice made me break down and start sobbing. I couldn’t imagine how he’d react if he ever found out I was a prostitute. I tried my best to steady my voice. “It’s nothing, just a stomach issue. I just got back from the hospital. I’ll be fine after some rest. Don’t worry.” “How can I not worry?” he frowned. “You didn’t reply to my texts all morning. And didn’t you say you loved taro cake? Look, I got you some. Maybe if you eat it, your stomach will feel better.” He gave me a goofy grin, dangling the bag in his hand. Beckett was loaded. His clothes, pants, backpack, laptop, and any single item cost more than I could make in two months of entertaining clients. I thought, “Life was just unfair. Some people are born into wealth. Others can’t even afford a train ticket in their whole lifetime.” He was one of the sugar daddies I targeted at school. I hesitated for a long time, looking conflicted, before I finally spoke, “Beckett… can you lend me some money?” “Of course,” he said instantly. “How much do you need? I’ll transfer it right now.” He never said no to anything I asked. I couldn’t say it out loud. I just held up three fingers. “Transaction complete. Three thousand dollars.” I froze for a second at how fast he sent it. For a moment, I almost wanted to say yes to his confession, to throw it all away and just be with him. “I’ll pay you back,” I told him, looking into his eyes. He pouted playfully, pretending to be angry, “What, are we strangers now? If you keep being so formal, I’m gonna get mad.” But I knew I didn’t deserve him. I only approached him for one reason, his money.

The surgery money was still far from enough. Desperate, I went back to selling my body. Things were already awful. What was a little worse? While others went to class, I skipped school to sleep with clients. After a week of no attendance, my academic advisor noticed my week-long absence and called me in for a talk. “Can you explain why you’ve been skipping class for an entire week? Is something serious going on?” Just as I opened my mouth, a sharp pain twisted inside me, like a blender was tearing my insides into pulp. I broke out in a cold sweat. My vision blurred, and everything went black. I collapsed to the ground.

I woke up to the smell of antiseptic. Nova was outside talking to the doctor. The moment she saw I was awake, the doctor hurried over to check on me. Nova stood there, arms crossed, throwing me disgusted glances every few seconds. The doctor told her, “Her condition is serious. She needs to stay hospitalized for a few days and then schedule surgery. If we wait any longer, it might be irreversible.” Nova looked doubtful. “Surgery? For something like this? Can’t you just give her some meds? Young people heal fast. Look at her. She seems fine. And I don’t have money for surgery.” The doctor got visibly angry. “This isn’t some minor illness! Medication alone won’t help. She’s already in the late stage. As her guardian, you have a responsibility…” Nova snapped, “What kind of doctor are you? This isn’t about responsibility. If I had money, of course, I’d get her the damn surgery. Since you care so much, why don’t you pay for it?” Frustrated, the doctor stormed off. I stared blankly at the ceiling, desperate inside. For the first time, I thought, “Maybe dying wouldn’t be so bad. If I died, I wouldn’t have to sell myself any more. I wouldn’t have to be sick. I wouldn’t have to feel what it’s like for my mother to throw me away like trash.”

After the doctor left, Nova tossed two thousand dollars in cash onto my face. She could’ve sent it digitally, but she wanted to humiliate me. I didn’t even know if these two thousand dollars were my money or hers. It didn’t matter. Whoever earned it, it was all the same, equally dirty. Nova had a job. She also worked as a hostess at a nightclub. Back when I was still in high school, she came home around 3 a.m., reeking of booze and smoke. Her chest was barely covered, makeup smeared. Before she came home, I had to cook and leave dinner out for her. But every time, she’d complain that my cooking sucked and then throw the entire table of food onto the floor. She’d drag me out of my room, away from my homework, and force me to cook all over again. She’d rip up my finished assignments and scream, “Study? What good does it do?! Do you think studying puts food on the table?! Go find some man to support you already. Stop wasting my damn money!” She never used her earnings to pay off my dad’s debts. She blew it all on designer perfumes, Chanel bags, and luxury makeup. I once asked her, “Don’t you have money too? Why make me earn it to pay Dad’s debts?” She slapped me hard. “You think raising you was free? Now it’s your turn to pay us back. We’re not here to support you. You’re here to support us. Got it?” Nova said I was nothing more than a money-making tool. The cash was scattered across the floor. I lay motionless in bed, letting her spit poison at me. “What did I do to deserve such a useless child? Can’t do anything right. Maybe if you had a brain, you wouldn’t have gotten yourself sick. “You’re just dead weight. “You know what? You should just jump out the window right now and die. Save me the trouble of wasting more money on you.” I listened quietly as her words cut through me like knives. I didn’t say a word. Seeing me stay silent, she started shoving me and then hitting me in a frenzy. Covered in blood, I begged her to stop.

I always seemed to run into Beckett at my lowest. After Nova finally cooled off, I snuck out quietly. And, of course, I ran right into him. “What happened? Who hit you?” He grabbed my hand and gently brushed my cheek. I wanted nothing more than to throw myself into his arms and tell him everything that had just happened. But I couldn’t. If he found out I was sick, he’d turn and walk away in a heartbeat. Even if Beckett liked me, really liked me, it wouldn’t matter. On the first day of college, Nova had made it clear. I wasn’t here to study. I was here to bait a guy. That was the mission she gave me. She said her life was already hard enough, and she needed me to help her live a better one. At first, I refused. Then she threatened me with my nude photos. Eventually, I met Beckett. And once I found out he came from money, I set my sights on him. I’d link arms with him, call him sweetly, and Beckett would melt every time at my sound. Whenever Beckett made coffee, I’d lean in close, pretending to admire it. When he got scalded by hot water, I put his fingers in my mouth, pretending to soothe the pain, but really, I was flirting with him intentionally. I made cute little desserts for him. I would often prepare small, inexpensive surprises for him. And finally, one day, Beckett confessed his feelings. But I kept stringing him along because he wasn’t the only guy I selected.

I pushed Beckett’s hand away. But he followed behind me, voice low and pleading. “What’s wrong? Did I do something? Why won’t you talk to me? “Please… just say something. You’re scaring me right now.” The more Beckett cared, the more disgusted I felt with myself. I hated myself. I thought, “What did I ever do to deserve someone like him? Why was I using such a good guy? But did I really have another choice? If I could, I’d confess for real. I’d tell him I like him too.” I walked faster, his voice fading behind me. I didn’t want to let his kindness go to waste anymore. Back in my dorm, I sent him a long message on WhatsApp. Then I shut off my phone.

I was getting worse. If it went on like this, I really wouldn’t make it. I opened a loan app and withdrew ten thousand dollars. I could earn more money later. Right now, saving my life came first. I went to the hospital again. But as I stood at the entrance, someone called out from behind me. “Elodie? Wow, what a coincidence. What are you doing here?” I turned around. A blonde guy in a black tracksuit was pushing a bike, grinning at me with that sly, up-to-no-good look. He squinted those seductive eyes, staring me down. It was Ronan Carver, another rich guy I was stringing along. He walked right up, eyeing the names of the gynecological departments on the hospital sign. “Oh? Are you sick? Here to see a doctor?” I didn’t say anything. He kept going. “Well, well. Didn’t expect you to catch something like this. Just wait. Beckett’s gonna find out soon. Let’s see how he reacts then.”

ack at school, people kept turning to look at me as I walked by. I told myself I was just being paranoid and kept going. Then a guy ran past me, did a double-take, and shouted to his buddies, “It’s really her!” Free Point “Stay away from her, man. You don’t wanna catch something.” Exaggerated laughter followed from behind. I quickened my pace back towards my dorm. The campus utility poles were plastered with my photos. One of them showed me standing outside a gynecology clinic, and someone had scrawled words like whore and slut beside it. For a second, I didn’t even feel shocked because maybe I was a whore. I let out a bitter laugh and started tearing the pictures down. But then, garbage, eggs, and even ink started flying at me from all sides. I just stood there, silently letting them vent, mock, and humiliate me. I didn’t know how long I stood there until suddenly, someone picked me up. Beckett wrapped his jacket around me and stepped out of the crowd, carrying me in his arms. “Don’t be scared. I’m here now. I’ll protect you.” Beckett held my head to his chest and gently stroked my hair.

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My younger sister got pregnant unexpectedly, but my mother said the baby was innocent and begged her to keep it. The daughter of my father’s mistress wanted to go on a trip. My mother took the money meant to save my little brother’s life and used it to sign her up for that tour. To help someone else pay off their debts, she slipped something into my drink and sent me to some stranger’s bed. I never understood why she did all those things. It was only after I died that I found out she was the saintly heroine of some story, and we were just the setup before the real plot began. “Maya, I’m begging you. Please keep this baby. No matter what, the baby didn’t do anything wrong. Having a baby is easy.” A woman’s pleading voice cut through the air as I rushed home. “That’s crap,” I shouted. I burst into the living room, hearing her nonstop begging. I threw the bedroom door open, and the sight made my head spin with rage. My little sister, Maya Henderson, sat stiffly on the bed, looking lost. Next to her, my mom, Amelia Henderson, sat on the floor, tears streaking down her face as she pleaded. Amelia had a tight grip on Maya’s hand. With every word Amelia said, Maya’s face got paler. “Maya, don’t listen to her,” I said. Maya’s panicked face eased a little when she saw me. I stepped forward and stood in front of Maya, shielding her. “Are you out of your mind? Look at what she’s wearing. It’s her school uniform! Are you trying to force a high school student who hasn’t even graduated to have a baby?” I shouted, pointing right at Amelia. Amelia, looking a bit embarrassed by my outburst, stood up awkwardly. “Sienna, what are you doing here all of a sudden?” “If I hadn’t come back, you’d have ruined Maya’s life,” I retorted. How could she say all that nonsense about how having a baby was no big deal and how the baby was innocent? Saying stuff like that to a teenage girl, her daughter? I couldn’t understand it. “How can you talk to me like that, Sienna? When would I ever hurt Maya?” Amelia frowned, clearly annoyed. “She’s a mom now. She’s gotta take responsibility for the baby inside her.” At the mention of “mom” and “responsibility”, Maya behind me was afraid. My heart ached. I turned around and pulled her into my arms. “Maya, don’t be scared. Don’t listen to Mom’s crazy talk. As long as I’m here, no one’s gonna hurt you.” Maya’s hair was stuck to her face with tears. Under her baggy school uniform, her skinny body trembled slightly. “Sienna, there’s… there’s a baby in me. I… I’m gonna be a mom,” she whispered, her voice thick with fear and despair, her hand floating weakly over her belly. I said gently, “Maya, it’s just a tiny group of cells right now, not a baby. You’re still a kid yourself. You can’t be a mom. “Tomorrow, I’m taking you to a hospital. We’ll take care of this. I know you’ve been through a lot. Don’t be scared. I’ll chase away anyone who tries to hurt you.” I held her close, patting her back softly. At first, Maya was silent. Then, after a moment, she started crying loudly. This pregnancy was never her choice. How much psychological pressure did a teenage girl undergo when she was suddenly struck by such an accident and chose to go to a small clinic alone to undergo the operation? When Amelia suddenly showed up, was Maya scared or hoping for help? Was she scared of the truth coming out or hoping her family would step in? But in the end, whatever she’d felt, Maya was scared off by Amelia’s begging her to keep the baby. Amelia, standing there awkwardly for a while, was ready to say something, but one glare from me shut her right up.

After calming Maya down, I called Amelia into the living room. “How did Maya get pregnant?” I asked. Amelia looked a bit shifty-eyed at my question. “I don’t know. Maybe she got carried away with her classmate.” My anger flared up again at her words. “Your daughter had an unplanned pregnancy, and all you care about is making her keep the baby? You don’t give a hoot about her feelings or what actually happened? “Maya’s a senior in high school. Her life’s just starting. She has to have an abortion.” At first, Amelia just kept her mouth shut, frowning. But the second I mentioned an abortion, she shouted, “No matter what, the baby’s innocent! It’s a life! You can’t just get rid of it like that. Sienna, how could you be so heartless!” She scowled at me, looking at me like I was some cold-blooded killer. I took a deep breath, deciding not to argue with her anymore. “You’re staying out of this. I’ll take care of Maya. If you stick your nose in again, I’ll tell the landlord you’ve been keeping cats.” The landlord was allergic to cat hair, and the lease clearly said no pets. But Amelia still snuck stray cats into the house. “Sienna, those cats are living beings too! You’re using them to threaten me? I’m so disappointed in you,” Amelia said, looking truly heartbroken. She always made a big deal out of those cats. Seeing the determination in my eyes, she finally backed down. She grabbed the cat food from the corner and left. Hearing the click-clack of her high heels echoing, I wasn’t sure who she was trying to impress. I rolled my eyes, sneering. If not disappointing her meant giving up our lives, she’d never get what she wanted. In my previous life, I didn’t find out about Maya’s pregnancy until it was too late. By the time I got to the hospital, she’d already died on the bed from complications during childbirth. When I rushed there, Amelia didn’t even look at Maya under the white sheet. Instead, she wailed over the bloody mess in the trash can. Back then, I thought she’d just lost her mind from grief and didn’t think much of it. Then, my little brother, Albert Henderson, who’d been suffering from uremia for ages, finally got a kidney match, but Amelia disappeared with the money meant for his life-saving surgery. That same day, at the same hospital, I lost my second family member. After that, Amelia showed up, begging for my forgiveness. She sat on the ground, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Even passersby couldn’t stand it and tried to talk me into forgiving her. Struck by so many blows, I made the wrong choice again. I finished one drink, and then I woke up in a hotel bed. The chains on my wrists and the man’s brutal assault made me finally understand why Amelia had insisted I drink that cocktail. But I couldn’t figure it out. Amelia loved cats and even took care of a mistress’ kid. How could she be so cruel to her kids? With that question haunting me, I died in that hotel room. Then, I got the answer I’d been dying for. It turned out that our world was just a novel, and Amelia was the saintly female lead. Her first half of life was full of hardships, but she stayed kind-hearted, so fate rewarded her with a domineering male lead to ensure her happiness for the rest of her days. My siblings and I were just the backdrop of her hardships. The story truly began when we were all out of the picture. Maybe my resentment and bitterness were too strong, so fate gave me a second chance. This time, that saintly female lead should just go to hell.

The next morning, I took Maya to the hospital for a checkup. The doctor said she was too young and malnourished, and she needed plenty of rest after the procedure. Looking at her bony shoulders, I felt my heart ached. Since I started working, I’d been busy nonstop outside, barely making it home a few times a year. I thought my hard work would bring happiness to my family. But under Amelia’s “care”, my siblings had ended up in such a sorry state. On the way home, I tried everything to cheer Maya up while figuring out how to ask her about what had really happened. Before I could even come up with the right words, the other person involved in this mess showed up on his own. Downstairs in the hallway, Amelia was grinning like a Cheshire cat, chatting away. Right next to her, a guy sat slouched, puffing on a cigarette with an irritated look. When we appeared, both of them became excited. “Maya, look who’s here,” Amelia said, all excited, shoving the guy forward. I stepped in front, blocking their way. I sized up the guy from head to toe, and a guess formed in my mind. “Sienna, move out of the way. This is Henry Walker, the father of Maya’s baby,” Amelia said, grabbing Maya’s arm to pull her toward the guy. But I pushed her back roughly. I turned to look at Maya. Sure enough, she was trembling, tears streaming down her face. “Are you the one who took advantage of my sister?” I asked, holding back my anger. “Oh, come on. It’s none of your business. It’s just a couple’s thing,” Amelia said, giving me a coquettish shove. I ignored her and slipped my phone into Maya’s hand. Henry flicked his cigarette butt on the ground and sneered, “We were both into it. What’s ‘taking advantage’ got to do with it?” “Did you force her to have sex with you? Isn’t that taking advantage?” I pressed on. “If she wasn’t throwing herself at me after class, why would I even look at her? Now she’s playing the innocent virgin?” Henry shouted, looking like a total sleaze. Maya was shaking with rage. “I didn’t throw myself at you! I came to you after class because the teacher asked me to tutor you. I already told you that. “And the first time you harassed me, I said no. But then, during gym class, you…” By then, she was choking up, unable to get the words out. I quickly patted her back to calm her down. Amelia chimed in again, “Oh, Maya, this is partly your fault, too. You should know your limits when helping classmates. It’s easy to get misunderstood. Henry, don’t be mad. Maya’s just a little shy.” Henry nodded, looking pleased with Amelia’s flattery. “Okay, enough small talk. I came to see how my baby’s doing.” Seeing Amelia calm down a bit, I took a deep breath and shouted, “As a rapist, how dare you ask the victim such disgusting questions? “You’re a menace to society at such a young age. You’re a born piece of trash. You’re the heir to all the scum of the new era, huh?” Henry’s face turned red in anger. He swung his fist, ready to hit me. I stepped back, stuck out my foot, and sent him falling to the ground. “Do you think you can throw a punch? I’ve wanted to beat you since you opened your mouth.” How could someone like this even get raised? Just looking at him made me sick. “Sienna, what are you doing?” Amelia said, frowning at me. “Sure, Henry went too far. But doesn’t Maya share some blame? You can’t just…” “Shut up! Maya didn’t do a single thing wrong. How dare you say something so heartless?” I shouted. I stomped on Henry’s back, my eyes fixed on Amelia. “Your daughter got taken advantage of, and you’re siding with the rapist? Do you even have a conscience?” “I…” Amelia tried to say something. But I interrupted her, “I sent you so much money to take care of Maya, but the doctor says she’s been malnourished for ages. Where’s the money? Did it all go down the toilet? “You don’t care about your daughter, but you’re defending this scumbag? That’s not being kind-hearted. That’s being blind and stupid.” Then, I sneered and ground my right foot down hard. “Remember, you still owe me a beating. You’ll pay for it later.” Just then, police sirens wailed in the distance, getting closer. Two cops walked up, got a quick rundown, and cuffed Henry, shoving him into the squad car. This scumbag should just go rot in jail.

After cooperating with the police in the investigation, Henry was taken into custody. During that time, Amelia even tried to plead Henry’s case, earning herself some seriously perplexed looks from everyone at the station. “Maya, Henry’s the father of your baby! How could you send him to prison?” Inside the station, Amelia cried her eyes out, begging for Henry, her sincere act leaving everyone momentarily stunned. “Ma’am, are you sure you’ve got this right? Henry forced himself on your daughter against her will. He’s a rapist,” a female officer, thinking Amelia had lost her marbles, kindly said. At that, Amelia wailed even louder. “Officer, he’s just a kid! He took a wrong turn. We gotta give him a chance to turn his life around!” The sight of the victim’s mother begging the cops to spare her daughter’s attacker left everyone in the room speechless. “Ma’am, you should go comfort your child. We’ve got work to do here. We’ll contact you if we need your help later,” the female officer said coldly, shooting me a sympathetic glance. I nodded, took Maya, who was still shocked, by the hand, and left. I thought that was the end of it, but the day after Maya’s surgery, I got a frantic call from her. Using the phone’s location, I rushed over to a restaurant. I barged into the private room and saw Maya sandwiched between an elderly couple, looking anxious as hell. Across from them, Amelia sat, grinning, urging Maya to agree with them. “Let my sister go!” I lunged forward, yanking Maya out of their grip, and the other three jumped in surprise. Amelia’s face flashed with guilt. “Sienna, these are Henry’s parents.” Jaxon Walker, Henry’s father, stood up with a smile. “Sienna, I’m Henry’s father. We’re gonna be family now.” I almost laughed out of anger. “It seems Henry’s shamelessness runs in the family. Who the hell wants to be related to you?” How could they raise a rapist and then talk about family? They really had no shame. Jaxon was angry, but he held back his anger, thinking about what he came for. “Sienna, Henry messed up, but he’s just a kid. He’s our only son. If anything happens to him, we don’t know how we’ll go on.” Jaxon and his wife burst into tears, hugging each other. Amelia was moved to tears, too. “Sienna, look how pitiful they are. Let Henry go.” I shouted, “Shut up! Henry put himself there, and the law put him there, not me. They raised a monster, but they’re crying for their kid. What about you? Maya just had surgery, and you drag her here? Are you even worth being a mother?” Amelia went pale at my words. She turned to grab Maya but missed. I continued, “I’ve been disappointed in you for ages, but Maya wasn’t. But now, you’ve broken her heart for good. Stay out of Maya’s life from now on.” With that, I grabbed Maya and walked out of the room. After that, Amelia called me a million times, but I was too busy sorting out Maya’s transfer to a new school to pick her up. When she realized my attitude, she stopped trying to contact me. Then, one evening, after we’d been out of touch for a while, my grandmother, Penelope Henderson, called me. Thinking it might be Albert missing me, I answered happily. But the voice on the other end sent a chill down my spine. “Albert’s gone missing!” As soon as I heard Albert was missing, my gut told me Amelia had taken him. I booked a car ride on the spot and raced home through the night from the next town over, my anxiety boiling over like a pot of water on high heat.

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When my parents divorced, they fought over who got to keep my little sister. As for me, they couldn’t get rid of me fast enough. In the end, I was handed off to my dad. My mom, clutching my sister’s hand, stood by and sneered as she watched my father slap me across the face. “Hit her harder,” she said with a smirk. “Beat her to death and save yourself the trouble of raising her.” That was the day I moved into my father’s new home and met his new wife. She scooped me up the moment I walked through the door. “From now on, I’m your mother. Got it?” Years later, I bought her a villa and a luxury car. Meanwhile, the woman who gave birth to me was lying in a hospital bed, weeping as she begged me to save her. I smiled as I gently pried her fingers off my wrist. “Just die in peace, will you?” My parents had been divorced for less than six months when my father remarried. She was three years younger than him and divorced, too. On the day of the wedding, my father locked me in a storage room and warned me, “You cause any trouble, I’ll beat you to death.” When the guests had left and the house quieted down, I slipped into the kitchen. While making myself dinner, I accidentally knocked over the kettle. Boiling water splashed across my chest. I screamed. The next moment, the opposite door creaked open, and a woman rushed in. “What happened? Where did it burn?” She scooped me into her arms. She smelled nice, like something faint and floral. “You must be Yara, right?” I nodded, eyes darting to the dried fruits on her bed. My stomach growled, but I didn’t dare take any when she offered. “Please,” I whispered, “don’t tell my dad.” “Why not?” “The bottle broke… He’ll hit me.” She paused for a beat, then said, “I won’t tell him.” “I don’t believe you. Let’s pinky promise.” She held out her pinky. “Deal.” I devoured the food like a starved animal. She watched me for a while, then laughed softly. “You know who I am?” I shook my head. “Starting today, I’m your mom.” My hands froze. My mind instantly flashed through every fairy tale I’d ever read—Snow White and her evil stepmother, Cinderella and her scheming one. I was doomed. I stared at her like a deer in headlights. Then she frowned. “What’s on your pants?” Panic surged. I scrambled off the bed, only to see a dark stain soaking through the sheet. Mortified, I dashed for the bathroom. She caught me by the arm. “Why aren’t you using pads? You’re on your period.” My face went crimson. It felt like being slapped. “Don’t say that word!” “What word?” “That… that one.” She blinked. “You mean period? What’s wrong with saying it? Didn’t anyone teach you?” I said nothing. She studied my face, and something in her expression changed. The first time I got my period, I ruined my pants. One of my classmate’s moms told me it meant I was growing up. She said it was something to celebrate, that maybe my own mom would make me something special for dinner. I went home excited. Before I could speak, my mom slapped me so hard my ears rang. She kicked me to the floor and yelled loud enough for the neighbors to hear. “Whoring around all day with your ass on display, trying to get some man’s attention, huh? If you want it that bad, just forget school! Go dance at a club and see which idiot takes you in!” I clutched my pants, stammering some kind of explanation, but she cut me off with another slap. “Who’s going to wash that? Me? What do you think I am, your maid? You need to be disgusting every damn day, don’t you?” I was ten that year, and I spent the rest of that day kneeling on the bathroom floor. “Mom, I’m still bleeding…” “Bleed all you want. What do you want me to do about it? Get out of my sight, you filthy little thing.” I had never used pads. Whenever I had a period, it was a nightmare of humiliation. Every month, I shoved tissues in my underwear and hoped it would be enough. If I used too many, she called me selfish. If I bled through, the boys at school would whistle and jeer. My mother would sneer. “Acting like some tragic virgin princess? Please. You were born to be cheap.” Later, I found out she’d taken her anger out on me that day because my sister had a sore on her face, something that would mess up a shoot they’d scheduled. That night, my stepmother taught me how to use a pad for the first time. She said it wasn’t something to be ashamed of. Then she hugged me tight and looked me in the eye. “From now on, I’m your mom. Got it?”

My sister was beautiful, with big eyes and smooth skin. We were blood-related, but you’d never guess it. She started modeling when she was still in diapers, earning good money and soaking up everyone’s attention like a little sun goddess. I’d heard it more times than I could count. “If only Tracy had been born first… there’d be no need for Yara.” Even our names made it clear who mattered. When Tracy was born, my parents tore through baby name books, even consulted a fortune-teller to make sure she had the perfect name, one that promised her happiness, success, and good luck. Me? They just randomly named me Yara because I never mattered to them. During the divorce, they both clung to one of Tracy’s arms and nearly came to blows over her custody. “Tracy, honey, come with Mommy. I’ll buy you the prettiest princess dress and take you abroad!” “Don’t listen to your mother. Daddy loves you most. I already bought you a new house!” They bickered while the judge awkwardly took my hand and asked, “So… who wants custody of the elder daughter?” Both of them stepped back. One mumbled something about financial strain, the other claimed they weren’t nurturing enough. In the end, Tracy went with Mom. She nearly grinned from ear to ear. Dad, furious, slapped me across the face. “You cursed thing! I should’ve drowned you the day you were born!” Mom just stood there laughing. “Hit her harder! Kill her if you want, saves you the trouble of raising her.” So I curled up into a tight ball and kept my mouth shut. I learned early—no talking meant fewer beatings. But when my stepmother came into the picture, things started changing. She brushed my hair, made me breakfast, and walked me to school. She even bought me new clothes. For the first time in years, my fingers weren’t cracked and bleeding from winter frost. Mom’s side of the family didn’t take it well. “She’s just pretending,” Grandma sneered. “All stepmothers are gold-digging witches. Mark my words. She’s just after that man’s money.” Once, I defended Ella, my stepmom. Grandma grabbed her cane and whacked me across the legs. “Ungrateful little brat! That woman’s only been here a few days, and you’ve already forgotten your real mother? No wonder nobody wants you!” Another time, Ella took me shopping, and I wandered off. A car hit me. I had five stitches in my scalp. When I opened my eyes, the woman who hadn’t texted me all year was bawling beside my bed. “Oh, my poor daughter! It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry…” I shoved her away. She looked startled for a second, then turned on Ella. “You bitch! You dare hurt my child? Think you can just steal my family? You better explain yourself today, or I swear…” Her whole clan was with her, yelling and spitting, demanding answers. I stepped in front of Ella. “I tripped. It wasn’t her fault.” Mom wrapped her arms around me, twisting me toward the crowd. Her perfume clung to my skin like poison. “Look what she’s done! She’s traumatized the child so bad she’s lying for her!” I shook her off. “Are you done performing? What are you filming for this time?” Her expression froze. She glanced around in a panic and noticed that the photographer was long gone. It was all for show. Tracy had recently caught a talent scout’s eye, and Mom couldn’t risk the public seeing her as a neglectful parent. She wanted to use Ella as a scapegoat to boost her own image. Too bad I wasn’t playing along. “I’ve just been busy lately… You know I still care about you,” she mumbled. “Yeah? Then you can pay my hospital bill. It’s six hundred bucks.” She twisted her fingers, started crying about how hard it was raising Tracy alone and how heartless I was for asking. But sunlight caught the emerald bracelet on her wrist, glittering like it had its own spotlight. Ella had stayed quiet the whole time. Then she stood, took the bill, and smacked it against Mom’s face. “I paid it. Now get out.” Mom shut up real fast.

Ella wasn’t rich. If she were, she wouldn’t have married a loser like my dad. He controlled all the money in the house. Every time I needed to pay for class materials, he’d glare at me with those deep, spiteful eyes, yank a few crumpled bills from his wallet, and slap them onto my head. “School, school, school! All you do is ask for money! Raising you costs more than raising a damn pig! “Why the hell should I spend my money on you? Figure it out yourself next time. Can’t pay? Then get your ass to the factory and work!” While I stressed about every meal and every bill, Emilio Hanks found me. He tossed a few bills my way like breadcrumbs. “Hey. Wanna make a deal?” He was a year below me, a known troublemaker. He once punched a pregnant teacher so hard she lost her baby. His parents barely blinked; they just wrote a nearly million-dollar check and called it a day. Rich kids. They were untouchable. He had a thing for my sister Tracy. But they’d had a fight and hadn’t spoken for days. Now he wanted to use me to make her jealous. I glanced at the money; it looked like over a thousand. For me, it was a small fortune. When I crouched down to pick up the cash, he looked at me like I was a dog accepting scraps. “So? Easy money, right?” “What exactly do you want me to do?” He smirked. “Write some poetic apology letters. Then fold a thousand paper cranes with ‘Tracy, I love you’ written on them. Maybe grab lunch with me a few times.” “Not enough.” “What?” I slipped the bills into my pocket. “Letters, cranes, lunch… These are all separate charges. Negotiate properly.” He hesitated. I egged him on. “What? Don’t tell me you don’t really love Tracy.” His face flushed with pride and rage. “Screw it. Here!” He threw three grand at me. Sure enough, a few days later, Tracy couldn’t sit still anymore. When she saw us chatting, her lips trembled. She looked like she wanted to claw my face off. One afternoon, my dad blew up my phone, asking me to drop something off for Tracy. No one was in the classroom, so I shoved the bag into her desk and left. The next morning, she stormed into the teacher’s office, crying like the world was ending. “Yara,” she sobbed, “you can hate me all you want, but how could you steal that money?”

Tracy was a class officer. She’d lost three thousand bucks, money meant for the class book fees. I asked for the security footage. The teacher sighed. “Sorry, system’s down. Been under maintenance all week.” Tracy looked at me, eyes glistening. “It’s okay, Yara. If you just admit what you did, I can help pay it back. And… please don’t hang out with Emilio anymore. What if something scandalous happens…” The room fell silent. My biological mom burst in first. She didn’t even ask questions. She charged at me and kicked me square in the chest. “You filthy slut! It’s bad enough you’re throwing yourself at boys, and now you’re corrupting your sister too?” Tracy flinched back, looking perfectly innocent. “Did I say something wrong? But I really did see Yara and Emilio in the woods yesterday…” My mom shrieked, “Don’t be afraid, Tracy! She’s trash. Her dad doesn’t care, so today I will teach this bastard a lesson!” I stood up, laughing hysterically. “Yeah, I’m trash. I’m the bastard. I’ve got a mom who gave birth to me but didn’t raise me. Might as well be dead!” “What did you say? You cursed me, you little whore!” My mom lunged again just as the office door slammed open. Ella stepped inside and pulled me behind her like a lioness defending her cub. “I’m Yara’s legal guardian. You want to scream at someone, scream at me. What kind of grown-ass woman only knows how to beat up children? Not afraid of karma?” “Oh yeah? Let’s talk about karma then! What about the money Yara stole?” Ella crouched beside me and brushed a hand over my cheek. “Sweetheart, is it true?” I shook my head. My mom lost it again. “She’s lying! She’s just like her father, garbage in, garbage out!” “Where’s the proof?” Ella asked. “I saw it with my own eyes!” Tracy jumped in. Ella’s gaze pinned her to the wall. “Really? So whatever you say must be true? Then I could say you stole it. How would that feel? “You’re smart, Tracy. But too much scheming isn’t clever. Don’t assume everyone around you is stupid.” Then she turned to my mom. “And you. I could sue you for beating up my girl without any evidence! Besides, you teachers just stood there watching while a child was assaulted. What the hell are you even here for?” The homeroom teacher gave a fake smile, trying to defuse the situation. “Well, there’s no proof either way, so maybe we just… drop it?” “I have proof,” I said calmly. Free Point I released the video and watched my mother’s face cycle from pale to crimson, like a balloon filled too tight, just waiting to pop.

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After the Earthquake, My Boyfriend Refused to Save My Mom. He Wanted to Save His Childhood Friend’s Dog Instead After the earthquake, my boyfriend Dax Fairley asked me, Talia Winslet, to help lift a concrete slab to rescue a Pomeranian. Suddenly, a stream of comments flashed before my eyes. [Talia doesn’t know yet, but her own mom is trapped under the other end of that slab. Once she lifts it, her mom will be crushed to death.] At the same time, Dax kept urging me, “Hurry up! If anything happens to Maeve’s therapy dog, don’t even think about marrying me.” [Here it comes. Talia, the love-blinded fool, is about to sacrifice her mom.] [Dax didn’t know someone was under there. Later, out of guilt, he couldn’t face the heartbroken Talia and broke off the engagement. Guess that was his way of atoning.] [Thank God we have Maeve in the end. She and Dax healed each other. I love them together.] I stared blankly at the scrolling comments. I thought I was hallucinating. The collapsed area was Dax’s house. A massive concrete slab had fallen over it, with only one edge barely able to lift. Dax was clearing rubble on the right side, his engagement ring scratched and dulled. He was shouting impatiently at me, “Why are you zoning out?! Fluffy’s been whining under there for twenty minutes. Hurry up and help!” I heard it. A faint whimper of a little dog came from under the debris. I thought, “But what about my mom?” I stumbled to the other side and pressed my ear to the ground. I thought, “God, I hope those comments weren’t true. My mom was supposed to be in the neighboring province. There’s no way she’d be here.” But then, I heard a muffled knocking sound from beneath. It was faint, but it shook me to the core. “We can’t lift it,” I said, my voice trembling. My face turned pale as I looked at Dax in despair. “My mom is under this side!” [Wait, what? How did Talia know that?] [No, Maeve’s Pomeranian is a certified therapy dog! If it dies, she’ll spiral again! Don’t do this!] I thought Dax would immediately rush over to help. Surely, between saving a person or a dog, he’d know what to do. But Maeve’s face twisted. She clutched her bleeding arm, cut by the rubble, and said with teary eyes, “Talia, I know you don’t like me, and I get that Fluffy accidentally peed on your wedding dress… but that doesn’t mean you should make up such a lame excuse just to deliberately kill him, should you?” My chest tightened. I was so angry and panicked. I could hardly breathe. Maeve was Dax’s childhood friend and neighbor, a real manipulative piece of work. Last time, when Dax and I went to pick up my custom wedding dress, she saw it and clung to Dax’s arm, whining, “I wanna try it on too. Dax, can I? Just one photo?” My face immediately went cold. But she acted like she didn’t see it, pouting, “You used to say you’d marry me, remember? I just want to wear a matching dress for one photo. Just to fulfill a little dream.” Dax chuckled awkwardly and turned to me for permission. I bit my tongue and calmly said it was a custom dress. If Maeve wore it, it could get stretched or ruined. Maeve froze, then turned and ran off, eyes red. The next day, she came over with Fluffy. And, of course, the dog peed right on my pure white gown. Dax remembered that incident. So now, he assumed I was still holding a grudge that I was deliberately trying to stop him from saving the dog. He lowered his voice and said, irritated, “How can you be this cruel? Are you really throwing a tantrum at a time like this?” My head pounded. I couldn’t help but grab his wrist, trying to drag him toward the other side. “I’m not messing with you, okay? I don’t care what happened between you two. I just want to save my mom!” But before I could even take steps, he yanked his arm away and twisted mine so hard it felt like my bones would snap. “Talia, are you done throwing your little fit?” He grabbed my jaw and forced me to look at Maeve. “You know she has depression, right? And now you’re picking a fight? You want her to lose Fluffy, too?” Maeve stared at me like she wanted to say something, then bit her lip and said, “If this is about your anger, I promise, once Fluffy’s safe, I’ll stay far away from both you and Dax.” Then, she couldn’t hold back anymore and started crying, “Fluffy didn’t do anything wrong. Please, don’t hurt him too.” [Maeve, don’t cry! Stupid Talia, just save the dog and let your mom die already.] [She’s had that dog for five years. It’s the only thing that helps her cope with depression. And it got trapped trying to save her. I’d pick the dog too.] My mind was spinning. I thought, “What were they even saying? That’s my mom!” My voice cracked, choked with panic and fear. “Please… I’m begging you. Just believe me for once, okay?” I fell to my knees, nearly groveling, tears mixing with dust on my face. “Dax, my dad is gone. My mom raised me all by herself. I can’t lose her too!” My dad was a soldier. When I was little, he’d lift me up high and spin me around like I could fly. Later, during a flood, he lifted up so many others until he was too tired to swim and got swept away. My mom almost cried herself blind. If it wasn’t for me, she would have killed herself for my dad. She raised me alone, giving me double the love. She always said all she wanted was for me to grow up happy and healthy. I thought, “If something happened to her now, how could I possibly go on?” Dax grabbed me by the collar and yanked me to my feet. His eyes were filled with confusion. “So what, now you’re competing with Maeve over who’s suffered more?” My mind went blank. “What?” He suddenly pulled out his phone and showed me a folder of photos of Maeve growing up over the years. His voice dropped. “I didn’t want to say this, but Maeve saw her parents die in a car crash. That’s why she has depression. I promised I’d protect her. “But I chose you. That’s why you owe her… Fluffy’s all she has left.” I staggered back, suddenly realizing I didn’t recognize this man anymore. I thought, “So conflicted, so unable to prioritize anything… Why did he even pursue me? All his words were soaked in guilt for someone else. Was that why he proposed to me? So I could spend the rest of my life making up for Maeve, too, letting her walk all over me?” The comments exploded again. [Dax finally admitted it. Choosing to marry Talia makes him feel so guilty towards our Maeve.] [When Talia was trying on her wedding dress, were you thinking about your future life together? Or whether Maeve would be sad?] [Stupid Dax! Look at Maeve’s teary eyes. She clearly still loves you! You can spend your whole life with her!] The flood of words and literal dust were drowning me. I shouted, my voice raw and shaking, “So what?! Just because she’s had a rough life, I’m supposed to let my mom die for her dog?” Dax’s face twisted in frustration. “God, you’re impossible. Even a dog knows how to be considerate. You just can’t stand Maeve being happy, can you?” He didn’t believe a word I said. He dragged me to the right side and gave a final order. “We’ll save the dog first. We’ll talk about your mom later. I’m done with this tantrum.”

As Dax pried at the rubble, small pieces began to fall. I couldn’t bear the thought, “How much pain would my mom be in if that slab came down?” I lost it. I shoved Dax away with all my strength. Rubble scattered everywhere. He stumbled, caught only because Maeve rushed in to steady him. His eyes darkened instantly, veins bulging on his forehead. “Talia! Don’t push me…” Before he could finish, he stared in disbelief as I slammed my head hard against a rock. Blood poured from my forehead, covering half my face in red. I screamed, “You don’t believe my mom is under there? Then I’ll bet my life on it!” Pointing to the slab, tears and blood streaming together, I shouted, “Just listen! She’s knocking, begging for help! Why won’t you believe me?!” My vision went black from the blood loss. I collapsed, gasping for air. Dax rushed over, looking stunned, and pulled me up with a conflicted expression. A moment later… Maeve pouted, then sighed softly, “Well, since it’s come to this, Dax, you should go check.” She bit her lip and turned her head away. “Fluffy’s strong. He can wait.” Dax opened his mouth, then reached out to stroke her head gently. “You really are the kindest.” He gave me a cold, annoyed glance before reluctantly going to the other side. He crouched down and pressed his ear to the slab. I let out a deep breath, holding back my dizziness. I moved to help lift the slab with him, silently praying, “Please hang in there, Mom.” But the moment I reached his side, a force shoved me hard, slamming me face-first into the concrete. My arms and face were instantly shredded by exposed steel wires. From behind, Dax roared, “Listen for yourself! Do you hear anything?!” [Dax is so alpha. Can’t wait to see how he pushes Maeve onto the bed later. That’s gonna be hot.] [Talia’s mom must’ve passed out by now. Looks like she’s not making it.] [She’s just a side character anyway. Everything exists to serve Maeve and Dax’s happiness.] Panic surged inside me. My head throbbed so badly. I couldn’t hear a thing. There really was no sound anymore. On the other side, Maeve suddenly started whimpering, looking tearfully at Dax, “Dax… Fluffy’s crying is getting fainter. Is he dying? What do we do?!” Dax immediately started to walk towards her. “No!” I grabbed his hand. “My mom’s passed out. We can’t wait any longer. Please help me save her!” My voice was shaking so badly from fear that I could barely form words. Dax paused, then laughed in disbelief. “Talia, you’ll say anything just to fight with Maeve, huh? If your mom was really down there, she’d be screaming for help.” He slammed my head against the slab. Leaning close, his breath hot on my ear, he whispered, “Maybe your mom just can’t scream. Did the old hag lose her voice?” He stood up, checked his watch, and scoffed, “I’ve wasted ten minutes on you. If Fluffy dies because of you, you can forget about marrying me.” Then he stormed off to Maeve, gently wiping her tears. “Don’t worry, Fluffy’s gonna be okay.” Maeve nodded hard, looking up at him like he was her savior. “Don’t blame her, Dax. It’s my fault. I upset her and dragged Fluffy into this…” I stared numbly at the blood and tears on the concrete. My mom’s gentle face flashed in my mind. She once held my hand, so full of love. “Talia, you’re grown up now. Whoever you choose to marry, as long as you’re happy, that’s enough for me.” I thought, “No. Without her, I’m not happy at all. God, I regret everything. I regretted being so blind, only seeing their true colors now. I wish I could hold my mom.” “Mom… just hang on, please. I’ll get you out of there. Don’t leave me. I’m begging you.” I was out of my mind, blinking furiously through the tears. I dug with both hands, even when they were raw and bleeding. When Dax finally brought some villagers over, they saw me kneeling there, clawing at the rubble with my bare hands, carving a hole with nothing but sheer desperation. My fingernails were torn halfway off, barely hanging by a thread of dead skin. My hands were mangled beyond recognition.

A villager clicked his tongue and said, “Do you really have to go all out just to save a dog? The woman you engaged sure has a kind heart.” As he spoke, he waved for others to come help. Dax’s face darkened, and he stepped forward to block them. “Leave that lunatic alone. Maeve’s dog is trapped on the right side.” I heard the commotion and turned around to see a group of people approaching. With all their surprised eyes on me, I didn’t hesitate. I dropped to my knees and kowtowed, choking back sobs. “Please save my mom. She’s trapped underneath, but he won’t believe me. He insists on moving the slab on the other side!” “What’s going on here?” Dax took a deep breath, pinched the bridge of his nose hard, and interrupted me sharply, “So a dog’s life doesn’t count anymore? Even if you’re trying to get back at Maeve, is this the time and place to throw a tantrum?” He turned and raised his voice, commanding attention. “Everyone knows Maeve and I are close. But Talia? She’s just bitter. She can’t stand seeing Maeve happy and is using this as an excuse to try and kill her dog. “Maeve has depression. That dog is the only reason she’s still holding on. I can’t just stand by and do nothing.” His words stirred everyone up. After all, Dax was one of their own, born and raised in the village, so his version of things seemed more believable. Maeve staggered into Dax’s arms, sobbing like a poor, helpless soul, “It’s my fault. I must’ve been in Talia’s way. I’ll move out… Fluffy was the last hope my parents left me. Without her, I really can’t go on.” Everyone in the village knew Maeve’s parents had passed away. So, as soon as she said that, people believed her completely. “What a sin!” Linda Murphy, holding a shovel, spat in my direction. “Outsiders have no empathy. A dog’s life matters too! You think a few words can justify letting it die? If your mom knew, she’d die from rage!” Maeve let out a perfectly timed whimper. Dax pulled her close to comfort her. Surrounded by all those accusing glares, I couldn’t stop shaking. My vision darkened, and my limbs went numb. “You don’t believe me either…” I kept swallowing hard, fighting the nausea rising in my throat. [I know it’s the plot, but Talia really looks pitiful.] [Oh boy, we got a saint or something?] [Just accept it, Talia. Your mom’s already in her 60s. Saving her won’t give her many more years anyway.] But I didn’t want to give up. I carried my mother’s hopes. I held up my bloody hands. The pain was intense like my ten fingers were about to break off completely. My voice trembled as I cried out, “You think I’m evil, that I made all this up? Why the hell would I go this far just to lie about a dog?!” Dax scoffed, unimpressed, “Still acting, huh? What now, want us to get on our knees and beg you to be merciful?” He stepped closer and questioned me coldly, “You keep saying your mom’s under there? Then answer me. Your mom said just yesterday that she was in the next province. So how the hell is she at my house today, conveniently crushed under some slabs?” [Dax is making sense!] [Yeah, how did Talia know?] [I remember she didn’t react at first. Then, all of a sudden, she knew her mom was in trouble.] [Wait… could she see our comments or something?] I said nothing because he was right. If I said I figured it out from the comments, they’d all think I’d gone insane. Then, my mom would have no hope of being rescued. Seeing me freeze, Dax sneered coldly, “If you behave now, the wedding’s still on. But push me any further, and I will find someone else.” He thought that threat would scare me into submission. He walked up, grabbed my chin, and smirked, “A woman like you, already used by me? No one else would want you. Not like Maeve. She hasn’t even had her first kiss yet.” Still, I stayed silent because I just saw a comment scroll past. [Stupid Talia, go borrow someone’s phone and call your aunt Nola Granger. She’ll tell you your mom went to see you.] I immediately jerked free of Dax and ran toward a villager holding a phone. “Let me make a call.” Without waiting for a reply, I snatched the phone hastily. Thankfully, the phone didn’t have a passcode. My bloody, dusty fingers kept hitting the wrong keys. When the call finally connected, I put it on speaker and shouted, “Nola, is my mom home? Did she go to my place today?” Everyone turned to look. Dax looked annoyed as hell by my persistence. Just as he started storming toward me, Nola’s voice came through the speaker. “Huh? No, I think she went out to buy groceries. Wait. Are you at your boyfriend’s place? Just stay there and…” Before she could finish, Dax snatched the phone away, hung up, and handed it back to its owner. He stared down at me, fuming. Then he grabbed my hair and roared, “You heard that, didn’t you?! You really had to make a scene for everyone to laugh at?!” Free Point [Haha, Talia really can see the comments? Got tricked, didn’t you?] [Silly Talia, your mom really is trapped under the slab. Your mom asked Nola beforehand to tell you she was coming to give you a surprise. That’s why Nola helped lie to you.]

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Everyone believed that my husband, Felix Hastings, was as cold, distant, untouchable as a glacier. But he chased me for ten long years, like a dog on a leash. When I got shoved into a blazing inferno, he ditched his multi-million-dollar assets and jumped in after me without a second thought. Reborn, I was done being the cold-hearted woman who took him for granted. This time, I was going all in to love him. Only problem? He seemed to have come back from the dead, too. “Amelia, you still think you can boss me around like a mutt? Just like the old days?” He cornered me against the wall, hurling the divorce agreement into my chest and saying that he’d never, ever take me back. When I was eleven, someone snapped five of my fingers. From that day on, I swore I’d claw my way to the top, no matter how dirty the tricks got. I ended up doing some seriously messed-up stuff, and it came back to bite me. Then, I got shoved into a blazing inferno. As the fire closed in, my mind went blank. Then, a white figure rushed in and hugged me tightly. It was Felix, my husband, the one man who loved me deeply. He had no flaws, except that I was his only weakness. When we burned to ashes together, I vowed that if there was a next life, I’d give him my whole heart.

“This is the divorce agreement. “Sign it.” The dazzling lights made my head spin. Felix’s eyes dropped, hiding the arctic chill inside. “Felix. “Please don’t.” I reached for his hand, where his blue veins stood out prominently, but he yanked it back sharply. It’d been exactly one hour and forty-one minutes since I’d woken up in this new life. Suddenly, I felt relieved. Finally, he’d seen me for the con artist I was, using him for his money and his heart. He was done with me.

I sat in the bakery, peering through the thin glass at Felix and a girl inside the school across the street. He had no idea I was spying on him. The girl almost leaned against him while he was helping her work through a problem. This time around, he should figure out who was truly good-hearted and innocent. Still, I propped my chin in my hand and fired off a message to the girl. [Debra, why are you trying to seduce my husband?]

Debra Cooper was my younger sister. In truth, she was the family’s biological daughter while I was the adopted one. Her mother found me on a stormy night when I was twelve. Everyone called it a coincidence, but I knew better. To ensure Debra’s mother would take in the pitiful orphan me, I purposely broke my leg. I craved wealth, glory, and status, anything to never again feel that bone-deep shame of poverty. Debra was brought back by the Cooper family at sixteen. She’d always been kind, innocent, and pure. Everything I fought tooth and nail for was handed to her on a silver platter. So, I resented her. Why should she skate through life without ever feeling the sting of the gutter?

Indeed, I was evil. That was why I endured a living hell in my past life. Maybe Debra truly was the goddess-like girl everyone made her out to be. I must have provoked the gods. Now, in this second chance, the only man who ever warmed my cold world has turned his back on me. I was huddled on the sofa, fixated on the divorce agreement on the coffee table. [Felix, will you be back tonight?] Four hours had elapsed, and there was still no response. Felix had always been the epitome of aloofness. His friends constantly joked that he was as cold as ice. But in our previous life, I saw him differently. I treated him like my loyal dog. He’d come running at the mere scent of me, nuzzling up and always eager to hold my hand. Back then, instead of ignoring my messages, he’d respond with tenfold the words I sent. Now, everything had changed. A message popped up. I immediately checked it, assuming it was from Felix. To my disappointment, it was from Debra, accompanied by a picture. [Amelia, I have no intention of seducing Felix.] [I want to assist you in managing my father’s company, so he’s just introducing me to some people.] In the photo, she was beaming, standing beside Felix, and they looked every bit like a perfect match.

I must have called Felix over a dozen times. He didn’t answer any of them and eventually blocked my number. He was terrible at socializing, a pure academic at heart. In our last life, to grab some shares from Debra’s father’s company, I asked Felix to cozy up to people from pharmaceutical firms. He did it without a single word of complaint. I never once considered how he, a professor at a prestigious university who was always so lofty and proud, stooped to begging those people for help. I vividly remembered one incident from the past. I’d clinched a deal, got drunk, and called him to pick me up. The private room was filled with important figures. Lounging on the sofa, I watched the white figure shuffle towards me and called him over with a whistle, as if coaxing a dog. Felix, a highly respected medical professor who’d never bowed to anyone, was being mocked by me in public. I must have felt so smug back then. Everyone thought he’d storm out in anger. But what did Felix do? He approached me, gracefully squatted down, held my ankle, and put my dangling heels on me. Then, he glanced up at me, his handsome face like a work of art. “It’s getting cold at night. Don’t catch a chill. “Amy.”

Felix used to call me Amy. But since we were reborn, he hadn’t uttered that name once. ***** I was a light sleeper, so when Felix came home, I woke up. I lay still, curious to see what he would do when he found me seemingly asleep. But Felix did nothing. He walked past me, not even bothering to cover me with a blanket. I sat up and threw the divorce agreement at his back. He paused, his back muscles taut and his posture elegant. “Don’t damage it. “If I redraft it, you’ll get a lot less.” The moonlight filtered into the room. I spotted Felix’s calm expression and his deep, cold eyes. “I won’t sign.” I glared at him defiantly. He seemed to have expected this, nodding calmly. “Fine. We’ll settle this in court.” “Felix, you’re a damn jerk!” I lunged at him, but he overpowered me with ease. Under the crescent moon, he pinned me down onto the sofa and gripped my neck without tenderness. I bit the soft spot between his thumb and forefinger, but he remained unfazed, as if he couldn’t feel the pain. Then, he suddenly released me, his knuckles brushing gently across my cheek. [You can cry, huh?] With that cryptic, indifferent remark, Felix left me alone in the living room. I pressed my hands hard against my eyes, as if that could stop the tears from welling up. “Don’t leave me.” This was a plea I’d vowed never to say again since I was ten years old.

I refused to sign the divorce agreement. The very next day, Felix pulled out of every single collaboration that involved me. A huge chunk of the Hastings family fortune was tied up in the medical industry, and as a top-notch academic in that field, he had the power to make a big impact. To be honest, in my past life, I married him because I saw the advantages. I knew Felix was done with me, but when I found out he had handed over all those projects to Debra, it still broke my heart. At the same time, I couldn’t really blame him. In our previous life, he was aware that Debra was the innocent one, while I was the one who used underhanded tactics to get what I wanted. But his decision to cut ties with me was like a warning to everyone else in the business. Suddenly, I was left all alone, with no one to support me. ***** I decided to try and win Felix back. [Felix, are you at school?] [I made some lunch. Can I bring it to you?] Never expecting him to fall back in love with me, I just hoped he’d remember the good times we’d had and not be too harsh on me. Staring at my phone, waiting for a reply that didn’t come, I felt so embarrassed. Even after our huge argument the day before, when it came to my own interests, I was still willing to beg him for help. I planned to cook Felix a nice meal and take it to him myself. But then I realized that I had no idea what he liked to eat. He, on the other hand, probably knew every single one of my preferences by heart. After all, in our past life, one of his favorite things to do was spoil me with delicious food. I wasn’t really that picky, but I loved winding him up. “Felix, this spaghetti’s as tough as shoe leather. “Ugh, now it’s mush! No one will like it. “Felix, you know I don’t like spicy food. “Wait, since when did you start cooking such bland food?” Only once did I truly rile Felix up. He fixed me with a grave stare and asked icily, “Amy, do you really think I’ll always be here for you, no matter what?” I looked down at my nails and replied, “Then leave.” And he did. He stormed out into the freezing 32-degree Fahrenheit chill without so much as a coat, proof he was furious. Later that day, I texted: [Felix, I miss you.] The door flew open almost instantly. Felix hauled me into his arms, the bite of the outdoors still clinging to his skin. His face buried in my neck, he murmured, “Yes. I’ll always be here for you.” In my past life, wrapping Felix around my finger had been more effortless than training a dog. ***** After the third time I cut my hand and stared at the charred wreck in the pan, I came back to my senses. It dawned on me that cooking was a talent I’d never inherited. I ordered from Culinary Delights instead and then artfully arranged the food in a lunch box. Felix might not tell the difference between my “home-cooked” meal and takeout, anyway.

Sorry, Amelia. “I had no clue you were bringing Professor Hastings lunch, too. “He’s already digging into what I made…” Debra blocked my path, looking like a deer caught in headlights. “He’s my husband,” I said with a smirk, watching her hand ball into fists inside her sleeves. ***** “Felix.” I planted myself in front of him as he wolfed down his meal. When he ignored me, I snatched the fork from his hand and swapped out his lunch box for mine. He stared at the food for a beat and then at me. “Check it out.” I shoved my bandage-wrapped hand in his face. “Three cuts, all for you. “I spent a long time preparing the meal. At least give it a try?” I met Felix’s calm gaze. But he seemed heartbroken. He sighed, “Amelia, this looks exactly like the stuff from Culinary Delights. Did you copy their recipes?” I played dumb, shooting back, “Felix, just tell me if you’re gonna eat it or not!” I was so used to him caving whenever I got mad. But I’d forgotten that we weren’t the same people as before. Still, he bent his head and started spooning up the clam chowder, gobbling it down like he used to do whatever I asked. After finishing the meal, he watched me as I bent down to tidy up the lunch box for the first time. “Amelia,” he said, his voice as cold as ice water. “I’m allergic to seafood. “Two lifetimes, and you still can’t remember that.” I froze and glanced up at Felix in shock. He held out his wrist, where the blue veins stood out sharply, already covered in angry red rashes. “Will you be happy only when you’ve tortured me to death?” Felix had a life-threatening seafood allergy. Within minutes of his wrist first flushing red, coughing fits wracked him, quickly escalating to labored, gasping breaths.

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I developed aphasia due to childhood trauma. My parents, Eric Cox and Sharon Wilson, disliked me and made me marry my cousin Laura Cox’s vegetative fiancé, Roman White, on her behalf. After three years of my meticulous care, Roman miraculously woke up. But the first thing he did after waking up was to ask for a divorce from me. He mistook Laura for the one who had taken care of him during these three years and said that he would marry no one but her in his life. Later, I heard his good friend explain to him that it was I who had taken care of him during those three years. He smiled casually and said, “I already knew that, but my wife can’t be a mute.” I was completely disappointed and asked a hypnotist to erase my memories to treat my aphasia. When I woke up, I looked at the man in front of my hospital bed and asked in confusion, “Who are you?” The man in front of me panicked… Roman had been in a coma for three years, and when he woke up, the first person he saw was me, and he was quite disappointed. I didn’t notice the disappointment in his eyes. I happily helped him sit up and then told all our friends the good news. Soon, the hospital room was crowded with people. And I was pushed into the corner, and no one paid the slightest attention to me. Laura arrived late, wearing a beautiful blue evening dress, having just finished a party. Roman took Laura’s hand and said emotionally, “Honey, thank you for taking care of me these three years.” Everyone in the hospital room was stunned. I stood aside, nervously tugging at the corner of my clothes, but I couldn’t speak up to defend myself because I had aphasia. His friend awkwardly explained, “Roman, Megan is your wife.” Roman frowned and looked at me with cold eyes, as if I had ruined the relationship between him and Laura. I had always known that he loved Laura. They should have gotten married, but because of a car accident, he became a vegetable. My cousin didn’t want to take care of him, so she went to Eric and Sharon and cried. I agreed to their request and married Roman instead of Laura. However, I never expected that after taking care of him carefully for three years, this was the result I got. I immediately picked up my phone and started typing, trying to explain, but was stopped by Laura. She looked at me and said, “Megan, Roman has just woken up. He probably can’t accept so much information at once. You’d better go out first.” The others in the hospital room sensed that something was wrong and made excuses to leave one after another. When everyone had left, Laura cried and threw herself into Roman’s arms. She said, “Roman, you’ve finally woken up. I’ve been waiting for you for three years…” My heart ached, and my hand holding the doorknob trembled slightly. I had no idea how long it had passed. Laura opened the door of the hospital room, and there were still a few tears on her face. I walked into the room curiously. A glass cup was shattered at my feet. Roman said, “Megan, you went to great lengths to marry me! It’s disgusting that you used such a trick!” The flying glass shards scratched my calf, but my heart hurt even more. Roman grew up with me, and he had been the only one who didn’t dislike me for having aphasia and encouraged me to actively seek treatment. But after he met Laura, he was unconsciously attracted to her. The man who once said he would marry me gradually fell in love with her, and now he even regarded me as the villain who was ruining their relationship. I was anxious and made some sign language gestures, then remembered that he couldn’t understand them. I shakily picked up my phone to type and explain. Laura looked at me provocatively and knocked the phone out of my hand. The phone fell to the ground, and the screen went black. She said, “Megan, please let us be together!” I stood there in a daze. Besides sign language, the phone was the only tool I could use to communicate with others. And now I couldn’t even defend myself. I shook my head desperately, but the world was cruel, and it was even more cruel for someone like me who couldn’t speak.

Eric and Sharon rushed to the hospital when they heard the news. I saw hope again and stopped them, wanting them to help me explain. They could understand a little simple sign language. Sharon nodded slightly, but Eric pushed me aside and got into the room. They exchanged some pleasantries, and then Sharon hesitated and said, “Megan…” Laura realized what she was going to say and interrupted her, “Sharon, Megan just likes Roman too much. Don’t be angry.” I opened my eyes wide in disbelief, grabbed Laura, and gestured vigorously with my hands. “You’re lying! You’re lying!” She rubbed her wrist, snuggled up in Roman’s arms, and said pitifully, “I’m sorry, Megan. Don’t be angry. I won’t say anything.” I gestured desperately towards Sharon, almost in tears. I wanted to say, “Tell him it’s not like that!” She avoided my gaze. I felt powerless. During the three years I took care of Roman alone, I had never been more desperate than I was today. Eric said angrily, “It was you who forced Laura to leave Roman, and you even said that he wouldn’t know anyway.” If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I wouldn’t have thought that my father would slander me like this. These words made my heart ache. At first, it was Laura who disliked Roman for being in a vegetative state and didn’t want to marry him, so Eric and Sharon asked me to marry Roman. Roman sneered, “Megan, fortunately, I woke up. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known all these things.” I bit my lower lip tightly. I was so despicable in his eyes. Sharon pulled me out of the room and said guiltily, “Don’t blame Eric. We really owe Laura this.” Laura’s parents died to save my parents. Then, my parents took her home and doted on her. They thought they should do that, so I had to give in to her in everything. As long as I refused, Laura would cry and say that if her parents were still alive, things would be different. When I developed aphasia and needed company, she made my parents take her on a trip abroad. Three years ago, Laura taunted me, “A mute marrying a vegetative person is a perfect match!” Sharon continued, “Now that Roman is awake, he will divorce you sooner or later. Laura leaves a good impression on him in advance, and she will have a higher status in the future, won’t she?” With tears in my eyes, I pounded my chest hard, and only in this way could I relieve the pain in my heart. They felt guilty, but they made me bear all this humiliation. Roman decided to divorce me in the morning, and in the afternoon, he had already drawn up the divorce agreement. He was so afraid that I would cause trouble that he found a few bodyguards to watch me sign my name. I smiled bitterly and slowly wrote down my name. He once saved my life, and I took care of him for three years. From now on, we were even.

The autumn wind in the evening was cool. After my phone was fixed, I immediately sent a message to my doctor, Walter Reed: [I want to try the hypnotherapy you mentioned to me last time.] Walter quickly replied to me: [After hypnotherapy, you will lose some of your memories. And a family member needs to sign the consent form to ensure that someone will take care of you during the recovery period.] I looked at these words and smiled bitterly, not even being able to think of who could help me sign the consent form. I kept flipping through my contacts and saw a name, Quinn Hall, but I didn’t click on it for a long time. Unexpectedly, he sent me a message: [I’m coming back today. Will you have dinner with me?] I quickly replied to him and made an appointment with him for the place. I looked at the scenery outside and recalled the past. Quinn was the son of my sign language teacher. Because I always went to his home for classes, I gradually got to know him well. Three years ago, when he learned that I was going to marry a vegetative person, he angrily threw the birthday present he was going to give me and said that it was a waste for me to learn sign language. I retorted with sign language, and my words were mean. Later, he went abroad to study. I thought we would never meet again in this life, and didn’t expect that he would come back. We hadn’t seen each other for a few years, and he had become much more mature and didn’t seem very easy to get along with. I directly asked him, “Can you pretend to be my family member and help me sign the form?” He was a bit surprised. After learning the whole story, he clenched his fists tightly, as if he were very angry. He asked, “Have you decided?” I nodded. These memories meant nothing to me anymore. And after erasing the memories, I would be able to speak again. He agreed. It was already evening when I got home. My things were casually thrown in the corridor of the villa. Roman glanced at me and said, “Megan, you can move to the guest room from now on.” I nodded slightly. He didn’t expect me to be so calm and looked me up and down. I would forget him soon, and I didn’t care about these things anymore. Suddenly, a little dog ran out of the house. I was stunned and instinctively grabbed Roman’s arm. He frowned unhappily and shook off my hand violently, saying, “Megan, know your place.” His strength was so great. I didn’t react in time and fell to the ground, and my wrist hurt. I’d been afraid of dogs since I was a child, and the man who once said he would protect me for a lifetime had now let go of my hand. He seemed a bit annoyed and wanted to reach out and pull me up. I pretended not to see it and stood up while enduring the pain. Laura came out of the room, took Roman’s hand, and acted coquettishly, saying, “Tom doesn’t like to be restricted. Let’s find a bigger room for him.” Roman doted on her and ruffled her hair, saying, “Okay, then we’ll give the newly tidied guest room to Tom. Megan, you move to the basement.” It was ridiculous. In his eyes, I was even less important than the stray dog they adopted. When packing my things, I suddenly smelled a strange smell, and then I saw a large puddle of yellow liquid on my red coat. This coat was a birthday present from Roman. Since my birthday was on the same day as the memorial day of Laura’s parents, Eric and Sharon didn’t allow me to celebrate my birthday. Roman secretly gave me the coat and said to me seriously, “Megan, I will spend every birthday with you in the future.” Promises only counted when they were just made. I cherished this coat very much and never even wore it once. It seemed that I wouldn’t be able to wear it in the future either.

When Roman saw that coat, he was a bit moved and ordered the housekeeper, Lisa, to take it to the dry cleaner. But I directly threw the coat into the trash can. Along with it, I also threw away the photos of Roman and me taken over the years. I didn’t want to have any relationship with him anymore. He stared at me and said, “Laura is kind and adopted Tom. If you make her sad, I will not let you off.” It seemed that he had completely forgotten that I was afraid of dogs. Probably because Roman had told the servants, none of them helped me move my things. I endured the pain in my wrist and packed until the evening before I cleared away all the things related to Roman. This was the first time I had lived here in three years. After he became a vegetative person, I almost lived in the hospital. At first, there were still people visiting him, but later, the White family gave up on him. Most of the time, there were only he and I in the ward. I had just fallen asleep in a daze until dawn, when I was awakened by cold water. Roman looked down at me and said, “Megan, you’re getting lazier and lazier. You’re no longer my wife, but you still dare to sleep in.” Feeling a headache, I nodded slightly to show that I understood. I wiped the water stains off my face and got up to change my clothes. The servants in the villa were busy going about their business. Lisa glanced at me and ordered me to clean the piano. Then, I realized that today was Laura’s birthday. My fingers glided over the piano keys, and beautiful music sounded. Roman once said that my hands were born for playing the piano, but now they were used to cleaning it. I gave a self-deprecating smile, thinking that love words were only sincere at the moment they were spoken. After a while, I received a message from Walter: [Ten o’clock tomorrow morning.] I quickly replied to him and forwarded the message to Quinn. Just thinking that I would be able to speak in the future made me feel much better. I thought that this banquet had nothing to do with me, but I didn’t expect Roman to pull me into the dressing room. I was flattered and took the dress. He said impatiently, “Put it on. If you don’t attend the banquet, everyone will blame Laura.” It turned out that he was just afraid of others gossiping about Laura. I touched the large stains on the dress and had already become numb. I remembered the post she sent an hour ago: [It doesn’t matter if I get the dress dirty. Roman will prepare two dresses for me.] Laura stood beside the cake like an elegant princess, while I was like a clown for others to make fun of. I tried my best to lower my presence and sat down in the corner, but I still heard the whispers. “What’s on her clothes? It’s so disgusting!” “She’s shameless, stealing her cousin’s fiancé.” “I heard that she’s a mute.” The mocking voices kept coming. I clenched the hem of my dress tightly. Laura sat down beside the piano. The light focused on her, and everyone’s eyes were drawn to her. The sound of the piano stopped abruptly. She exclaimed, “It hurts! Why are there pieces of a dagger in the piano?” Lisa pointed at me in the corner and said, “Only Ms. Cox has touched the piano!” Roman glared at me furiously, roughly pulled me in front of the piano, and pressed my hands on the piano keys. The pain made me almost unable to breathe. “Megan, this is the price you pay for doing something wrong.” After he said that, ignoring my bleeding hands, he picked up Laura and walked towards the door. I saw Laura give me a triumphant smile. Later, the ambulance took me to the hospital. But all the doctors in the hospital were called to give Laura a consultation. Before I fainted from excessive blood loss, I heard a nurse shout angrily, “If her hands don’t receive timely treatment, she will be permanently disabled!” I shed tears and wished that I had never met Roman. The doctor thought Roman looked somewhat familiar and took the initiative to greet him, “How is your wife? She took care of you for three years, and now she’s finally getting something in return.” Free Point Roman frowned, wanting to figure out what the doctor meant. Laura pretended to shed tears and cried out in pain, “Roman, my hand hurts so much. Will I never be able to play the piano again?”

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Reborn and determined to escape the doomed marriage, I rejected Nathan Whitman, who got down on one knee to propose to me, signed the contract as a principal dancer, and spirited his mother, Jane Whitman, away without a second thought. In my previous life, Jane perished in a car crash during Nathan’s and my honeymoon abroad. Nathan held me responsible for his absence in her final moments and spiraled into a deep depression since then. To atone for a sin I didn’t commit, I quit my job and became his stay-at-home wife. However, all my doting care for Nathan ended up in him callously allowing his childhood sweetheart, Olivia Reed, to paralyze me, force me to miscarry, and even push me into the sea. As the icy water choked my lungs and numbed my veins, I died with bitter resentment. Then I woke up, only to find myself back at the proposal while Nathan, ring in hand, was gazing at me with adoration. “Aurora! Nathan spent three months planning this proposal. He even booked tickets to Elysiland, your dream destination. Are you humiliating him on purpose?” No sooner had I refused than Olivia emerged from the crowd to scold me. Her familiarity with Nathan was laughable. I’d always believed they were nothing more than close childhood friends, never imagining that Olivia had been harboring a long-standing crush on him. I ripped up the tickets and tossed them in her face. “Since you care about him so much, be with him!” “You!” Olivia gritted her teeth, a faint blush staining her cheeks. She bit her lip and glanced at Nathan. He shot up and shielded her, staring at me in disbelief. “Aurora, have you lost your mind? Nothing I do is good enough for you!” The sight of them made me sick to my stomach. I dashed to the restroom and threw up. Gazing at my made-up face in the mirror, I finally confirmed I’d been reborn.

In my previous life, Nathan took me to Elysiland for our honeymoon. Right after landing, we got the news that Jane had been in a car accident and was in the hospital. We caught the first flight back, but by the time we reached the hospital, she was gone. Olivia stood there, sniffling, and subtly blamed Nathan for going to Elysiland with me. “Nathan, what matters more to you, Aurora’s wishes or your mother’s life?!” Nathan stood there, looking defeated. After a long silence, he glanced up at me with bloodshot eyes. “Aurora, if it weren’t for you, Mom would still be alive!” The honeymoon, which was supposed to be a sweet surprise when he proposed, was now being twisted into my demand. I wanted to defend myself, but his hateful gaze silenced me. From that moment on, I was the villain in his story. Our wedding decorations were still up, but our wedding photo was replaced with Jane’s portrait. I was stuck in this nightmare, and Nathan, unwilling to go home, moved in with Olivia. She pretended to be helping us reconcile, but in reality, she’d started living with him the day after Jane died. Yet, I still transferred the money to her, imploring her to look after Nathan. To save our failing marriage, I turned down an offer from Reverie Dance Theatre the day my pregnancy test results came in. I saw our baby as the only hope and carefully put the test results in a pretty box. However, when I knocked on Olivia’s door, there she was, three months pregnant, leaning on Nathan. The answer to who the father was was clear as day. She spotted my belly and snorted, “Look, Nathan, the murderer of your mother is here. “Would you really keep a baby from her?” “Just get rid of it. It’s bad luck.” Nathan didn’t even spare me a glance before slamming the door shut. Heartbroken, I sent him a divorce agreement. He tore it up and sneered, “Aurora, you have no right to call it quits. “You’ll spend the rest of your life paying me back.” Therefore, he let Olivia force me to take abortion pills and watched as I, bleeding, tried to make it to the hospital but fell from the fourth floor. I lost the baby and became paralyzed. Yet, Olivia’s cruelty hadn’t run its course. She sent thugs to storm my home, strap me to a wheelchair, and hurl me into the churning sea. As I was drowning, she shouted with a smirk, “Nothing’s going to stop me and Nathan. You and Jane had it coming!” Only then did I realize Jane’s death was no accident—Olivia had been plotting it for years. Thankfully, I had a second life now.

Stepping out of the restroom, I found Nathan standing in the crowd, his face a picture of mortification. Everyone here was his acquaintance, and he was the kind who’d rather eat glass than lose face. Right now, his pride was in the gutter, and Olivia just kept pouring salt in the wound. “Nathan, did I mess up the arrangements and make Aurora misunderstand?” she cooed. “Shut it!” Nathan snapped. His scowl deepened, and I could tell he had no idea how his ever-compliant girlfriend could pull such a stunt. His frown didn’t ease until he saw me. “Aurora, I was out of line earlier,” he said, all honeyed tones. “I’ve been planning this proposal for ages, and Olivia helped me every step of the way. You’ve just got the wrong idea. “You’re the only one for me, always.” Nathan reached for my hand, ring at the ready, desperate to salvage the situation. I yanked my hand back. He furrowed his bros and whispered, “Aurora, enough with the dramatics.” I chuckled, “For five years, every gift you gave me? Olivia’s idea. I like mild flavors, but she sent you to take me for spicy food. I’m terrified of heights, yet she convinced you to drag me bungee jumping. I’m allergic to pollen, but she told you to deck the place with roses for the proposal. “Is she your mother? Why are you so obedient to her? “Or are you using me as some twisted flirting prop, trying to get me killed?” Nathan was displeased. “That’s not what this is.” Olivia batted teary eyes at him. “Nathan, I only want the best for you two.” I said icily, exposing her lie, “Really? But you slept with him.” “Aurora!” Nathan seethed. “I told you, we were drunk. There was only one bed left. Nothing happened.” Olivia clung to his sleeve. “Aurora, don’t tell me you’re still bitter about that, trying to humiliate us today?” The air crackled with tension as the gaze of the onlookers became more and more piercing. Nathan gave a humorless laugh. “Fine. If you don’t trust me, so be it.” He whirled around, dropping to one knee in front of Olivia with the ring. “Olivia, will you marry me?” This surprise came so suddenly that she covered her mouth with both hands, overwhelmed by excitement. “Are you serious?” “Of course.” Before she could say yes, he jammed the too-small ring onto her finger. The crowd winced at his rough handling. Olivia forced a smile and gritted her teeth, enduring the discomfort. Then, she hooked her arm around Nathan’s and showed off the big diamond ring with the other hand. “Aurora, you’ll regret letting this excellent man go.” “Congratulations! May you last forever.” I raised a glass of wine, toasting her new fiancé, the man I’d once tossed aside like trash. Nathan stormed off without a word, Olivia hot on his heels. The guests all gave me pitying looks. Nathan and I always seemed like the perfect couple. No one knew Olivia had been lurking in the shadows all along. Once the awkward goodbyes were done, I headed home and replied to the Imaginarium Dance Theatre’s offer to be principal dancer. This time around, I was going to follow my dreams. Lying in bed, I scrolled past Olivia’s Instagram post of her ring and smiled with disdain. After blocking and deleting her, I drifted off. The next morning, ninety-nine missed calls jolted me awake. Jane was frantic on the line. “Aurora, what on earth did you two quarrel about? How did that bastard Nathan upset you? I’ll teach him a lesson!” During the five years that I had been with Nathan, Jane had treated me like her daughter, always bragging that Nathan didn’t deserve me. The sound of Jane’s voice, which I hadn’t heard for a long time, made me lose my composure, and I almost burst into tears. “It’s okay, Jane.” She caught me crying and got even angrier. “I’ve always warned him to stay away from Olivia! Aurora, don’t worry. I only accept you as his wife. As long as I’m still alive, Olivia will never be able to marry into the Whitman family.” “Thanks, Jane, but it’s over between me and Nathan.” I’d sacrificed enough for him in my last life. No amount of Jane’s kindness could make me do it again. Jane sighed, “I should never have sponsored that maid’s daughter and let her go to school with Nathan. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had all the chances to cling to him…” Before she could finish, a loud crash suddenly erupted from her end. “Jane!” Olivia’s mocking laugh came through. “You meddling old hag! You’re the one stopping Nathan from marrying me, right? You started helping me, so why not finish the job? “No one in this world loves Nathan more than I do. It’s no use regretting now.” I heard Jane’s labored breathing and her faint cry for help. It dawned on me that she was in trouble. Before I could shout to stop Olivia, she noticed the call and cut it off. I grabbed my coat and bolted for the door, but the moment I swung it open, I crashed into Nathan. He stood there, blocking my way, with a dark face. “Who are you in such a hurry to meet?” Noticing that Nathan’s eyes sharpened with distrust, I thought he was being irrational. “Do you believe everyone shares your capacity for betrayal?”

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On the day of my wedding, the Lawson family’s fake heir, Nicholas Lawson, showed up to offer his blessings, covered in blood, kneeling in front of me, and begging for forgiveness. “Maxwell, I already promised you. I won’t fight over the inheritance. So why did you have to go so far and hire someone to kill me?!” Right then and there, my fiancée, Savannah Stanton, called off the engagement and ordered that I, Maxwell Lawson, be sent to the private Sapphire Isle to be punished. There, I was subjected to inhuman abuse and eventually transformed into a sea lion, a creature trained for others’ entertainment. Two years later, Savannah came with the whole family to bring me back. They were quite pleased with how blank and obedient I looked. At least, until I swallowed a whole fish in front of them, and Nicholas, the fake heir, threw up on the spot. Savannah flew into a rage. “I really thought you’d learned your lesson. But turns out you’re still the same disgusting mess. We just wanted you to come here and reflect on yourself. What’s with the disgusting performance?!”

Stepping off the plane was my fiancée, Savannah, followed closely by the rest of the Lawson family. A few of their men yanked me out of the shabby shack where I’d been kept, forcing me into a suit. The fabric scraped against my already rough, damaged skin, but I didn’t flinch. I felt nothing at all. Savannah strutted toward me in high heels. Her face twisted in disgust with a warning glint in her eyes. “From now on, stay away from Nicholas. The past is done and over. If you stir up trouble again, you’ll regret it.” My vacant gaze drifted across their faces, but I said nothing. Two years of relentless torment on Sapphire Isle had stripped away my humanity until I was no different from the sea lion they’d turned me into. Suddenly, as if reacting to a trainer’s cue, I clapped my palms together, a sharp smacking sound echoing in the air. Murmurs stirred around us. Savannah frowned and snapped, “What the hell are you doing now?” I couldn’t stop. It was like I was trapped in a loop I couldn’t break, clapping again and again no matter what they said, my eyes glassy and lifeless. When she saw how obedient I looked, Savannah’s expression softened with a smug smile. “That’s better, Maxwell. Keep acting like this, and our engagement will stay intact. As long as you don’t lay a finger on Nicholas, we can go back to being one big happy family. You know what will happen if you don’t behave.” She nodded with satisfaction, grabbed my arm, and started pulling me toward the helicopter. The moment her hand touched my skin, she froze. Her expression turned from annoyance to shock. “Why is your body so cold?” she asked, her voice suddenly shrill. I let her hold onto me, completely unbothered, moving mechanically with her like everything she said had nothing to do with me. My eyes stared straight ahead, unfocused. Nicholas wore a fake, nauseatingly concerned smile. “Maxwell, did something happen on the island? Did you get sick or something? “I should’ve spoken up for you sooner… This is my fault. “But don’t get the wrong idea. I honestly hope you recover. We’re still family, after all.” The sound of his voice made my head snap toward him. I stared straight into his eyes, then let out a high-pitched screech that didn’t sound human, more like a sea lion’s cry. Nicholas flinched hard, panic flashing across his face. He staggered back, nearly losing his balance. He clutched his chest like he thought I was about to attack him. “Maxwell, I get it, okay? You still hate me, but I didn’t mean any harm!” Savannah yanked my arm with force and yelled, “What kind of tantrum are you throwing now? Nicholas was being kind. You gonna attack him for that?” Nicholas sniffled pathetically, adding, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have brought up the past. I must’ve upset Maxwell.” Savannah immediately stood in front of Nicholas like a lioness protecting her cub. Her eyes blazed with fury, and she shrieked, “What do you want from us, Maxwell?! Nicholas has always treated you like a real brother. Why can’t you let it go? Two years on Sapphire Isle, and you still haven’t changed. Instead of becoming a better person, you’ve learned how to lash out?” My father, Connor Lawson, turned beet red and pointed a shaking finger at my face. “Look at yourself! Nicholas has shown you nothing but kindness, and this is how you repay him? You’ve always been petty, and now you’ve completely lost it. I can’t believe we raised someone as ungrateful as you!” My mother, Grace Lawson, dabbed at her eyes, sobbing quietly, “Why can’t you just get along with Nicholas? He never steals anything from you. He’s not even a real Lawson by blood. It’s hard enough for him. Can’t you just be the bigger person?” Their hatred surrounded me like an invisible net, wrapping tighter and tighter until I could barely breathe. My body moved on its own, desperate to escape, my feet carrying me toward the sea. I wanted nothing more than to dive into that cold, familiar water. Savannah’s eyes locked on me, and she lunged forward, grabbing my clothes. She yanked the suit jacket off my shoulders. And then she froze.

My skin was a mess of scars, not a single patch untouched, raw, layered, and horrifying. Some came from surgical tools, others from saltwater infections, and many were the aftermath of brutal, inhumane experiments. “What… What happened to you?” Savannah’s voice trembled as she clutched my shoulders, her grip frantic. Before I could respond, Nicholas’ eyes welled up with tears, and his voice choked. “This is all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have ended up here. I never meant for this to happen.” Grace wrapped her arms around him protectively, though her eyes flicked toward me, full of revulsion. “Don’t blame yourself, Nicholas. He may be my biological son, but that doesn’t excuse his cruelty. He’s always had a mean streak to you.” Connor let out a heavy sigh. “Look at him now. Who knows. Maybe he brought this on himself.” My sister, Isabella Lawson, sneered from the side, “Please. He’s clearly putting on a show to make us feel sorry for him. He brought everything that had happened before on himself. “I really thought Sapphire Isle would change you, but look at you, same old act, same old drama. You’re still trying to guilt-trip us. Haven’t you made us worry enough already? “You think showing up covered in scars is enough to make us forget everything you did? You’re pathetic!” A tidal wave of hunger crashed over me. Each wave was stronger than the last until it wiped out every other thought. Nearby, someone reeled in a dead fish. The stench hit my nose and triggered something primal inside me. I didn’t care who was watching. I charged forward like a starving animal, grabbed the fish, and shoved it straight into my mouth, swallowing it whole. The scales scratched my throat, and the raw stench filled my mouth, but I didn’t stop. I just wanted to swallow it as fast as I could. Nicholas turned pale. His eyes widened in horror as he clutched his stomach and doubled over, vomiting violently. His whole body trembled, his face twisted in pure disgust and fear. Connor stormed up and kicked me in the ribs. He roared, “What was that? What the hell is wrong with you?! You’ve disgraced our entire family! You’re nothing but an animal!” Grace shrieked, pointing a shaking finger at me, “You’re revolting, Maxwell! How could you become something like this? How did we give birth to something like you?!” Savannah’s face darkened with rage, her disappointment turning to fury. She marched up to me, teeth clenched. “I thought you’d changed. I really believed you’d learned your lesson, but you’re worse than ever. You think we’ll ever let someone like you back into this family?!” Tears welled in her eyes. “Don’t think you can guilt us into forgiving you! How could you treat yourself like this, swallowing raw fish like some kind of lunatic? Are you trying to gross everyone out, or have you actually lost your mind?” She panted, glaring at me like I was a monster, then pointed at the fish remains on the ground, her voice shaking. “Do you have any idea how many parasites live in that thing? Do you want to get even sicker just so we’ll feel sorry for you? Or have you just given up completely? “I am so done with this pathetic, self-destructive act of yours!” Nicholas, still pale, crept closer, his voice soft and guilty. “Maxwell, please don’t be mad at them… It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t been so immature and always competing with you, maybe you wouldn’t have been sent to Sapphire Isle. Maybe you wouldn’t be starving like this… It’s all on me. I ruined you…” Connor’s face turned red again. “Nicholas, none of this is on you. You’ve always been kind and respectful. He’s the one who’s never appreciated a damn thing. This is his own doing.” Grace rushed to Nicholas’ side and shielded him with her arms. “Exactly. Don’t blame yourself, sweetie. We know you’ve always been a good boy. Not like him, who never learns a damn thing.” Isabella stormed up to me, her face twisted with disgust. She jabbed a finger in my face. “What’s your deal? Playing the victim so people will hate Nicholas? You’re petty and selfish. You can’t stand to see him doing well, can you? You had a place in the Lawson family, but it was never enough. Now look at you, trying to milk sympathy from your own misery.” Savannah’s eyes were ice-cold, her face expressionless as she stared at me. “You like playing the victim?” she said flatly. “Fine. I’ll give you what you want.”

Savannah gave a twisted smile and turned to her men. “Lock him in the mirror room. Feed him nothing but rotting garbage. Let him take a good look at that pitiful face he loves to put on!” Soon, I was dragged roughly into a room lined wall-to-wall with mirrors. The harsh white lighting was blinding. In every direction, I saw myself with disheveled hair, soaked in the stench of raw fish, a mess beyond recognition. Not long after, someone brought in a tray of food, the stench enough to make someone faint. It was crawling with maggots. Savannah walked in holding a leather whip, slapping it lightly against her palm with a sharp crack. “Go ahead. Aren’t you hungry? Eat it. Let’s see how long you can keep up the act.” I stared at the tray, eyes fixed on the rotting meat and squirming insects, and let out a sharp, piercing cry, an unmistakable sea lion’s call that echoed off the small room. Then I lunged at the food on all fours, like a starving beast that had been caged too long. Savannah’s face went ghostly white. The whip slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor with a thud. She stumbled backward, crashing into the mirror behind her. Nicholas looked stunned. “Maxwell… have you actually lost your mind?!” I grabbed a handful of rotting flesh, juices running down my arm, and shoved it into my mouth without hesitation. My teeth crunched through decay and maggots, the sound grotesque. Each time I swallowed, I’d throw my head back and let out a series of excited sea lion cries, bits of meat stuck around my lips. Savannah, trembling, picked the whip back up, her voice rising in panic. “Stop! Maxwell, what the hell are you doing?!” But I didn’t hear her. Or maybe I just didn’t care. I was lost in the frenzy, answering her only with louder, sharper cries. The room reeked of rot and fear. The mirrors reflected every gruesome detail of my feeding. When I was first dumped on Sapphire Isle, I couldn’t even swallow this kind of filth. The first time I saw a plate covered in sour sludge and crawling bugs, I retched so hard I nearly vomited bile. But refusing to eat meant two days locked in a pitch-black, moldy cell, starving until I couldn’t see straight or stand. To survive, I had no choice. With shaking hands, I forced the slop into my mouth. Every bite was a nightmare. The stench invaded my mouth and nose, but hunger was a sharper pain. Day after day, year after year, I adapted. Somehow, I got used to the unbearable taste. Anyone who disobeyed on the island was dragged into the lab. They held me down and injected strange chemicals. Cold scalpels sliced into my skin, leaving a fire of pain behind. Little by little, they reshaped me into something barely human, into a sea lion. When they finally dumped me into the sea lion enclosure, I had to learn fast, mimic them, or get attacked. I mimicked their movements, how they tossed their heads, how they slapped the water with their fins. Slowly, I learned all the humiliating little tricks. The keepers would blow their whistles and toss out dried fish. I had to perform like a circus animal, balancing balls and jumping through hoops for a bite to eat to keep from starving. Now, faced with this tray of rotting meat, I devoured it like it was a feast, letting out low, contented grunts just like the sea lions. Savannah stared at me, watching me gorge myself. Her disgust twisted into something else, panic. Suddenly, she rushed forward and knocked the tray from my hands, screaming, “Maxwell, stop it! Just stop! Please!” Her voice trembled. The arrogance was gone. “That’s enough. That’s enough,” she choked out. Tears welled in her eyes. Her chest heaved with emotion. She looked at me like something had finally snapped inside her. “Why are you doing this? You hurt everyone, but more than that, you’re destroying yourself!” She locked eyes with me, stunned, confused, like she didn’t recognize me, like she was looking at a stranger. Nicholas cowered behind her, pale as death, lips trembling too hard to speak. Isabella slumped to the floor, her eyes vacant. “How did it come to this…” she muttered. I didn’t hear them. I couldn’t. My mind was somewhere else entirely as I bent down to gather the spilled food, still making those guttural sea lion sounds. Savannah’s eyes reddened. She reached out as if to stop me, but the moment her fingers brushed my skin, she recoiled like she’d been burned. Tears finally spilled down her cheeks. “What happened to you?” she whispered. “What the hell did they do to you…”

After they turned me into a sea lion, they often sent me to a dark, hidden underground chamber. There, the elite, those with twisted tastes and limitless power, looked at me like wolves, their eyes gleaming with sick delight. I crawled on all fours, dragging my injured body across the cold floor like a real sea lion. Every movement tore at wounds that had never healed, the pain so intense I almost blacked out, but I couldn’t stop. If I wanted to survive, I had to keep performing. I lifted my torso as high as I could, flapping my arms like flippers, letting out those sharp, high-pitched sea lion cries. The more I screamed, the more excited they became, laughing grotesquely. One of them, a fat woman with layers of makeup and perfume thick enough to choke on, stomped up to me, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and yanked my head up. I whimpered, pain burning through me, but I still forced myself to nuzzle her leg like a begging dog. She laughed, coarse and cruel. Her grip got even tighter. Her other hand roamed my body, nails scraping across my skin, leaving bleeding scratches behind. Others cracked a whip across my back, shouting obscene orders. I had no choice but to obey. I did every humiliating, sick move they demanded, choking down my shame. Over and over, I rolled across the ground, dragging my belly across the cold, hard floor, barking and cheering on cue, matching their laughter with my own false joy. Every action crushed a little more of whatever pride I had left. My head felt foggy. The memories of being forced to please them clung to me like rot. And now, instinct kicked in, I crawled toward Grace, head lowered. Because if I pleased them, I got to eat. I let out a muffled whimper and crawled to Grace’s feet on all fours. My hand trembled as I slowly reached for her skirt. My fingers were shaking from fear… and habit. Just as I was about to grab her leg, Grace jumped back like I’d burned her. “Maxwell, are you out of your mind?!” Her voice cracked with terror. Her eyes bulged like I was some kind of monster. Nicholas stood behind her, his expression flickering with something between glee and horror, and then he quickly covered his eyes, pretending to be scared. Isabella and Connor were frozen, faces pale with shock. Their mouths opened, but no sound came out. Grace’s reaction stunned me. I froze in place and let out a confused, helpless sea lion cry. My mind went blank. I didn’t even know what I’d done wrong, just that the way they looked at me made me scared. Savannah looked like she’d seen a ghost. Her eyes went wide, bulging with disbelief. She stormed over, yanking me to my feet and asking, “Maxwell, look at yourself! Do you even know what you’re doing? What the hell have you been through all these years?! “Do you even remember who you are? You’re a Lawson. You’re the heir to a legacy!” Her eyes were burning with fury and shame. “How could you stoop this low?! How could you crawl and grovel like this?! You’ve completely disgraced the Lawson family!” They locked me in a small, pitch-black iron cage, soaked in the stench of rotten seawater and blood. The so-called researchers wore white coats and emotionless masks and performed inhuman experiments on me as they carved into me like a specimen. They injected strange drugs into my body and cut and reshaped me with machines. The pain never stopped. Little by little, they turned me into a sea lion. Savannah had sent me here for Nicholas. She’d abandoned me to this hell without a second thought. But now? Now, she acted like she couldn’t bear the sight of what I’d become. A staff member turned to run. “You! Stop right there!” Savannah’s voice boomed. “I sent him here to reflect and reform, not to become this freak!” Free Point In a panic, one of the staff members started spewing nonsense in a desperate attempt to cover himself. “Ms. Stanton, he’s not as innocent as you think.

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On my son Lucas Williams’ seventh birthday, my husband, Asher Williams, stood us up again because of his adopted sister, Sofia Robinson. I tried to hold him back. “Just wait a bit. Lucas has been looking forward to your birthday present for a long time. You’ve never accompanied Lucas on his birthday. Please stay here this time.” Upon hearing this, Asher immediately turned stern. “Lillian Scott, can’t you stop being so unreasonable? “It’s not easy for Sofia to raise a child on her own. If I don’t go and take care of her, who will? What’s more, what does it matter if we celebrate the birthday or not? Just tell him to go to bed early.” He left me and Lucas behind once again for Sofia, and this time, my heart went completely cold. Once again, right in front of me and Lucas Williams, Asher Williams picked up his coat and walked out the door without looking back. I had lost count of how many times he had deserted our family for Sofia Robinson. “Don’t worry. I’ll come back as soon as I deal with things on Sofia’s end. I’ll try my best to be back in time to cut the cake with Lucas,” he said. I knew that once he left, he might be gone all night and might not even come back for several days. Lucas tugged at the hem of his coat and asked softly, “Daddy, will you come back later?” Without turning his head, Asher replied, “Of course. Even if I can’t make it back today, I’ll take you to the amusement park.” But for Lucas’ birthdays in the past six years, he had been absent every single time. I had married Asher right after graduating from college. Back then, he was gentle and charming, and he took meticulous care of me. Although our marriage was a business arrangement, we had dated for two years before our marriage. After getting married, we had a plain but happy life for a while, and I found out I was pregnant the following year. I could still remember how excited Asher was when he first learned he was going to be a father. His eyes were red with joy as he held me and promised to treat me well for the rest of his life. But ever since Sofia came back, Asher had changed. He became busier and busier, came home later and later, and showed less and less concern for me. Even on the day I gave birth, he left me because of a phone call from Sofia and didn’t show up again until Lucas and I were discharged from the hospital. In the eight years of our marriage, I had to juggle work, take care of the child, and manage everything at home. But Asher never seemed to notice how hard I was working and was completely devoted to his adopted sister. Now, the house was quiet again, and he missed even our child’s once-a-year birthday. Looking at Lucas, who was disappointed and trying hard to hold back his tears, I picked up my phone and dialed Asher’s number, my hands shaking. It was my last attempt to save this marriage. “Asher, can you come back now? Today is Lucas’ seventh birthday. He has been looking forward to your birthday present for a long time. “You’ve never celebrated Lucas’ birthday with him. Please come back and spend some time with him this time,” I pleaded. On the other end of the phone, Asher’s impatient voice sounded. Through the receiver, I could also hear the laughter of Sofia and her son, Carter Robinson. Asher shouted, “Lillian, I’ve told you many times. It’s not easy for Sofia to raise a child on her own. Lucas is young and doesn’t understand me. Don’t you understand me either? “What does it matter if we celebrate this stupid birthday or not? Just tell him to go to bed early and don’t call me again.” With that, Asher hung up the phone directly. My heart sank to the bottom. It wasn’t the first time that Asher had abandoned me and Lucas for Sofia. I had already gotten used to Asher’s absence from our home. I pulled myself together, coaxed Lucas to cut the cake, and accidentally saw Sofia’s Instagram. In the photo, Sofia was holding Carter, and Asher was standing behind them. The three of them were smiling happily. In Carter’s hand was the limited-edition model that Lucas had been longing for and that Asher had promised to give him a long time ago. Just yesterday, Lucas had secretly told me that Asher had promised him a surprise for his birthday. But now, that surprise was on someone else’s Instagram. When Lucas saw this Instagram post, the tears that he had just held back started flowing. He cried, “Mommy, does Daddy not like me? Why is he always not at home? Why did he give my birthday present to someone else?” Looking at Lucas’ red eyes from crying, I said in a hoarse voice, “Lucas, let’s forget about Daddy, okay?” Lucas nodded and threw himself into my arms. “Daddy always breaks his promises and makes Mommy unhappy. I don’t want such a daddy.” I hugged him and told the nanny, Emma Thomas, to help us pack our things. It was time for me and Asher to end this.

In the eight years of our marriage, I had been taking good care of the family wholeheartedly. At home, I prepared three meals a day for Asher, who was very picky about food, and helped him match the clothes for various occasions. At work, I was personally in charge of the cooperation projects with the Williams Group and tried my best to maintain the relationship between our two families. After Lucas was born, I learned carefully how to take care of a kid and spared time from my busy work to accompany him. But Asher was always absent when I and the child needed him. He always said that I should be understanding of Sofia, the single mother, but he never realized that over the years, I was more like a single mother than Sofia. After all, having a husband like him was no different from having none at all. In recent years, even Lucas didn’t ask me as often as before why his daddy wasn’t coming home. I knew that the decision to get a divorce this time was triggered by Sofia’s Instagram post, but what disappointed me most was Asher’s actions. I carried Lucas and the packed luggage, took a look back at the house where I had lived for eight years, and then resolutely turned around and closed the door. This time, we wouldn’t be waiting foolishly for Asher to come back anymore. The next day, I learned from Emma that Asher didn’t come back all night. So, I asked my assistant, Freya Taylor, to send the drafted divorce agreement to the Williams Group and have Asher sign it. I moved back to the villa where I had lived before marriage with Lucas. Without having to cook for Asher, I didn’t need to get up early. I just waited for the family chef to prepare breakfast. After having breakfast and sending Lucas to school, I went straight to my company. My company had recently won an important project, which was a great opportunity for me to shift my attention. Just as I was looking through the project materials and listening to the report from the project manager, Adam Bell, Asher stormed into my office with a gloomy face. He looked annoyed and was holding the divorce agreement that I had sent him in his hand. Asher shouted, “Lillian, just because I didn’t accompany Lucas on his birthday, you want to divorce me? “You’re using divorce to threaten me just because you can’t stand Sofia, right? I don’t understand. You’re also a woman. Why do you have to make things difficult for a single mother like her?” Adam left tactfully. I gave Asher a cold glance. I questioned, “Are you saying that me asking my husband to come back and accompany our child on his birthday is making things difficult for Sofia? “Over the past few years, everyone in our circle knows that you and Sofia seem more like a real couple than I am with you. Whether it’s for business or personal reasons, you’ve been embarrassing me and the Scott family. Why should I waste any more time on you?” Asher was taken aback for a moment. I didn’t know which words hit the mark, but a flash of guilt crossed his face. He said in a rare soft tone, “Lillian, what do you mean by a real couple? Sofia is just my sister. You’re always having wild thoughts. “Sofia called me last night because her son had a fever. As an uncle, I had to go and check on him. “It’s already so hard for her to raise a child as a single mother. If I don’t take care of her, what can she do?” Asher looked exhausted, and there was some stubble on his chin. He looked like he had taken care of his sick nephew all night. If I hadn’t seen Sofia’s Instagram post last night, I might have believed his lies. I sneered, “Asher, do you want me to make it even clearer? “Sofia is twenty-eight, not eight. If she’s sick, she can call a doctor. If her son has a fever, she can take him to the hospital. “Even if she needs help from family members, why does she always come to you instead of your parents?” After hearing this, Asher didn’t get angry. Instead, he smiled, “Come on! I know you’re angry because I didn’t accompany you and Lucas on his birthday last night. I promise I won’t do it again in the future. “Our wedding anniversary is next month. After I’m done with this busy period, I’ll make it up to you and Lucas.” I tapped the table impatiently and interrupted Asher, “You don’t need to talk so much. Just sign the papers, and then no one will care who you take care of in the future.” Then, I called Adam, who was waiting outside, back in. “Your idea is good. Just go with this direction and prepare a plan.” Being ignored by me, Asher was furious and tore up the divorce agreement. “Lillian, I won’t agree to the divorce. Take a few days to calm down. I’ll pick you and Lucas up when you’ve cooled off.” After saying that, he turned around and left. Looking at the shredded paper on the floor, I rubbed my forehead and called Freya, ordering, “Hire a few more private detectives and keep a close eye on Sofia and Asher.”

Asher’s concern for Sofia had long gone beyond what a brother should feel for his sister, and the way he doted on Sofia’s son was just plain creepy. If he didn’t like Sofia, why would he care more about Sofia and another man’s son than his son? I’d had my suspicions before. But with Lucas being so young, I didn’t dare to take that risk. I was afraid that because of my decision, Lucas would face a broken family before getting much fatherly love. But seeing Lucas disappointed time and time again when Asher stood him up, I knew I’d been dead wrong. Letting Lucas keep hoping for something from such an absent father was the real harm to him. With that thought, I clicked on the video the private detective had just sent. It had been taken in my company’s underground parking lot. Asher was leaning against his car, lighting a cigarette. Then, his phone rang. As soon as I heard that ringtone, I knew it was Sofia. He’d set a special ringtone for her so that he would never miss her calls. Asher said, “Sofia, don’t worry. Lillian won’t stay mad at me for long. Don’t feel bad. “Lucas is fine, too. I’ll buy him a gift later to make it up to him. Okay, I’m coming back right away.” At this moment, the pain of my nails digging into my palms couldn’t stop my anger. Who did Asher think he was? Did he believe he could make this divorce thing disappear by buying us some random gifts after ignoring me and Lucas for a few days? I told the private detective to speed up the investigation on Sofia, especially to dig into her life before she came back to the country. After sorting that out, I called my parents, Finley Scott and Matilda Scott, and told them I wanted a divorce from Asher. Matilda sighed, “Lillian, you finally see things clearly. What’s the Williams family’s stance on the divorce?” “Asher won’t agree. I’ve already sent people to look into him and Sofia.” I replied, “I’m planning to send Lucas to stay with you guys for a while. I might not be able to take care of him recently.” Matilda agreed right away, “Since you’ve made up your mind, go for it. No matter what you decide, we’ve got your back.” Hanging up, I felt a bit better. I knew that no matter what choice I made, Finley and Matilda would always support me. After sending Lucas away, I threw myself into sorting out the divorce settlement and the new project. One day, right after work, I got a call from Asher’s mother, Arabella Williams. She asked, “Lillian, why’d you move all your stuff out? I came to see Lucas, but he’s not here. Are you throwing a tantrum? “Did you and Asher fight? Can’t you two talk things out like adults? Why do you always have to threaten separation?” I didn’t feel like explaining but just said flatly, “Asher and I are getting a divorce. And whether I’m just throwing a tantrum or not, you, the Williams family, know well.” Free Point Arabella’s voice immediately turned shrill. “Divorce? How could you even think of it? Do you know how much the Williams family would lose if you go through with this?” Realizing her words were too harsh, she softened her tone. “What I mean is, our two families have been working together for years. A sudden divorce would tank our business. “I know Asher is busy at work and can not take care of you. But he’s just trying to give you and Lucas a better life. As his wife, you know how hard he is, right? “Have you ever thought about Lucas? He’s just a kid. What’ll happen to him if you two split?”

Arabella pretended to be reasonable, but every word was an accusation to me. I knew that in her eyes, I wasn’t even as good as her adopted daughter, Sofia. But over the years, the Williams Group had been going downhill. Without the support of the Scott family, it would’ve gone bankrupt ages ago. Asher’s parents knew perfectly well that Asher and Sofia were in the wrong, but they thought they had me cornered because of Lucas. As long as they had him, they thought they could keep milking the Scott family for benefits and taking advantage of us. So, even when I said I wanted a divorce, Arabella was so sure that just mentioning Lucas would make me back down. Arabella kept saying on the phone, “Alright, Lillian, I know you’re mad. I’ll scold Asher and make him take you and Lucas on a vacation.” Then, Asher’s father, Alfred Williams, took the phone and said in a solemn tone, “Lillian, you’re sensible, and the Williams family owes a lot to you. “But you should cut Asher some slack. You know he only likes you. He just looks after Sofia a bit more, but she’s his sister. “For my sake, drop this talk of divorce. You and Asher are married. What grudges can’t be settled overnight?” I knew their real goal was to protect the Williams family’s interests, which was why they were hitting me with such words. I said coldly, “I’ve made up my mind about the divorce. The Scott family and the Williams family won’t have any ties from now on. “Thanks to your son’s actions, Lucas and I are already used to life in a single-parent family. He might as well have been dead these past few years.” As soon as I finished speaking, both of them on the other end were stunned, not expecting me to be so firm and decisive. They’d always thought I’d keep swallowing my anger for Lucas’ sake and let them push me around. But this time, I’d prove them wrong. “Lillian, what do you mean? Asher treats you so well. How could you curse him? “He just looks after his sister a bit more. How dare you want a divorce? You’re being incredibly selfish!” shouted Arabella. She didn’t even bother to hide her true feelings anymore and lashed out at me. It was ridiculous how, even though Sofia and Asher had gone too far, I was always the one getting blamed in the end. It wasn’t the first time in the past few years that Asher and his parents had sided with Sofia and accused me, the only outsider, of being too petty to accept Sofia. Sofia had shown up when I was thirty-two weeks pregnant with Lucas. That was the first I’d heard of Asher having an adopted sister who’d married and moved abroad.

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On the day of our engagement, suddenly, a video popped up on the big screen. In it, my boyfriend’s secretary, Debby Clark, was being dragged into the toilet and was getting beaten and verbally abused. Debby, all bruised and battered, rushed towards me crying and pleaded, “Ms. Quincey, I’m so sorry. I won’t talk to Mr. Pierce anymore. Please tell my colleagues to stop bullying me.” My boyfriend, Caleb Pierce, was really pissed off. He announced right then and there to call off the ceremony and threw me into an illegal coal mine to dig coal, thinking it would make me more gentle and obedient. While he took Debby traveling all around the world to unwind. The men in that illegal coal mine were like a pack of beasts. As soon as they saw me, they were all drooling over me. I was chained up in a pitch-black cave and forced to get pregnant over and over again. Three years later, Caleb finally remembered me and asked, “Jessica Quincey, do you regret it?” I just numbly knelt down. Caleb was quite satisfied. But what he didn’t know was that my body had been completely ruined. I only had five days left to live.

When Caleb showed up with his bodyguards, it was just the end of the shift at the illegal coal mine. The men hid in the coal-cinder caves, watching the luxury car of the Pierce family pass by, whispering among themselves. Terry Morrison, the manager of this coal mine, bowed and scraped in front of Caleb. “Mr. Pierce, over these three years, we’ve disciplined Jessica exactly as you ordered. She’s really obedient now. She definitely won’t resist you anymore.” Caleb nodded in satisfaction. Then I was taken out of the coal cave. It was a sweltering summer evening, but I was still wearing the sweater I had when I first came to this illegal coal mine. I stood in front of Caleb in a sorry state. My cheeks were sunken, and I’d lost a lot of weight. Just a short while ago, several men had just left my bed. At the moment, my legs were extremely sore. Barely had I stepped out of the cave when my legs gave way uncontrollably, and I crashed to the ground. The sharp-edged gravel instantly cut my calf. I gasped in pain. But Caleb frowned instinctively. “I thought you’d realized your mistakes in these three years. Turns out you just can’t change your ways. All you can do is play the poor-me card. Debby was bullied and beaten by you before and got depression, but she wasn’t as fake as you.” Terry immediately smiled obsequiously and said, “Mr. Pierce, if you’re not satisfied with Jessica, why not leave her here for further discipline? I promise you, this time I’ll make her completely submissive.” Caleb fell silent, looking at me with a scrutinizing and contemplative gaze. He was actually considering whether to leave me here. I looked at him, and my already broken heart couldn’t help but ache again as if a sharp dagger had stabbed into my chest and was churning my flesh. Blinking my dry eyes, I struggled to get up and knelt down in a humble position, pleading, “Mr. Pierce, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me.” My forehead hit the ground, and the sharp gravel hurt my skin, but the pain was far less intense than the humiliation of having my pride broken and my dignity trampled underfoot. Caleb was a bit surprised. Apparently, he wasn’t used to my humble attitude. I was definitely not like this before. Caleb reached out to help me up, but I flinched and instinctively backed away. He got a bit irritated and pushed me away forcefully. “Jessica, don’t act like someone has abused you.” My body was already weak. With his strong push, I was pushed out and hit the ground heavily. My ankle made a cracking sound. I curled up in pain, unable to speak. The black coal cinders all over the ground covered me. My face and hair that I had specially washed to greet Caleb were covered with dust again, as dirty as a homeless madwoman. Caleb was stunned. He didn’t expect that a little push from him could cause me so much harm. He was about to explain something when a few coughs suddenly came from the car in the distance. Caleb frowned, and his guilt turned into displeasure. “Debby came to pick you up even though she’s sick. She’s so nice to you. How could you have done such beastly things to her? Get up now and go apologize to her.” I endured the pain and tremblingly got up. Three years ago, at my engagement ceremony, Debby accused me of being jealous. She said that just because she talked to Caleb a few more times, I instigated the company employees to bully her. Debby showed the scars on her body and cried her heart out at the engagement scene. Caleb was furious. He announced on the spot to cancel the engagement and threw me into the illegal coal mine, saying I should change my temper. But I had never done those things to hurt Debby. Swallowing the blood in my throat, I limped towards the car. My legs hurt so much that after just a few steps, I fell to the ground again. The loose sweater slipped off my skinny shoulders, revealing a large area of my skin. The men in the coal cave burst into lewd laughter. Caleb’s face turned gloomy, and he slapped me directly. “Jessica, have you no shame? You’re not even wearing underwear in public. Don’t act like a slut expecting to seduce men all the time.” I clutched my clothes tightly as desolation hit my heart. My underwear had been torn to pieces in the first month I was sent here. In the past three years, I hadn’t stepped out of the coal cave once, and there was no chance for me to buy new ones. My embarrassment was caused by these men, but at this moment, they all looked at me with disdainful eyes, as if I were a born slut. I bit my lips in humiliation, trying hard not to let the tears fall, and dragged my injured leg to the car. Just as I touched the car door, a woman’s voice came out. “Mr. Pierce, have you picked up Ms. Quincey?” The car door opened. Debby was wearing a high-end little cocktail dress, looking cute and pretty. But when she saw me, she shrank her neck like she was frightened, with a look of timidity on her face. I also trembled instinctively. Everyone said that Debby was fragile but kind. Even though she was almost driven to suicide by my “bullying” back then, she never took any revenge on me. Only I knew that it was her idea to throw me into the illegal coal mine. All the humiliation I suffered was instigated by her. I ended up like this all because of her. Forcibly suppressing the sarcasm and grievance in my heart, I knelt down numbly. I said, “Debby, please forgive me. It’s all my fault, every single mistake. “I was vain and vicious. I took advantage of my position and instigated the company employees to bully you. “I deserve it. I should die. I shouldn’t have bullied you.” “Ms. Quincey, what are you doing? Get up on your knees. I’m just a secretary. How could you kneel to me?” Debby was like a frightened little rabbit and quickly came to help me. But as soon as she touched my hand, she let out a scream and pulled her hand back abruptly. Caleb’s eyes turned cold. He kicked me away, then got into the car and quickly checked Debby’s body. “Jessica, you’re such a jinx. Look what you’ve done. Debby is allergic just to touching you. You’re so dirty. You’re not allowed to get in the car. Wrap yourself in a plastic bag and get into the trunk,” he said. My body was already at the limit. With his kick, my ribs seemed broken, too. But even though I was pale with pain, no one cared about me. The bodyguard stuffed me into a woven bag like an item and threw me into the trunk. In the darkness, Caleb’s gentle care for Debby became even clearer. I stared blankly at nowhere, and the tears I had held back for so long finally slid down silently. Before I left, the doctor who secretly treated me told me that I had a cervical infection and erosion as well as kidney failure. According to his diagnosis, I could live at most five days. In five days, I wouldn’t have to endure this humiliation anymore. Five days later, even if Caleb searched the whole of River City, he wouldn’t be able to find me because I would be dead by then.

It was already three hours later when we got back to Pierce Villa. I had been curled up in the small trunk for a long time. As soon as I put my feet on the ground, my legs were so numb that I almost fell. So I instinctively grabbed the small tree beside me and finally managed to steady myself. When Debby saw this, she was almost in tears. “Ms. Quincey, I know you don’t like me, but you can’t damage my wisteria. Mr. Pierce and I planted it with our own hands.” Her eyes turned red, and tears started streaming down. I was stunned and looked at the wisteria tree beside me. In my memory, there should have been a swing here that Caleb built with his own hands to make me happy back then. But now the swing was gone, and Caleb’s love was gone, too. The wisteria had just lost a few insignificant little flowers because I leaned on it for support. Without any warning, Caleb rushed over and yanked me away from the tree. He roared, “Jessica, I knew it. I knew you would bully Debby as soon as you got back. “I’m telling you, although I can’t cancel the engagement with you, you’ll never be the hostess of the Pierce family. “Get back to your room. Even looking at you makes me sick.” I was thrown aside by him, and my back hit the elaborately arranged rose flower wall. A section of the flowers and leaves collapsed because of that. Debby bit her lip and was crying so hard that she could barely breathe. Caleb hugged her as a comfort while giving me a cold, sidelong glance. “Debby has asthma. Are you happy making her cry like this? I think you’ve had it too good there, that’s why you’re so out of control. Today, no, you don’t need to come for meals until the day after tomorrow.” Upon hearing these words, my stomach twitched in pain instinctively. The work in the illegal coal mine was physically exhausting. Not providing food was the easiest way to control someone. After I was thrown into the illegal coal mine, Terry was quite respectful to me in the first few days. But when he found out that Caleb didn’t even call to ask about me, he was certain that I was a worthless stupid woman. I was locked deep in the coal cave and became a tool for those men to vent their lust. I tried to commit suicide countless times but failed, and what I got in return were beatings and “discipline” again and again. To make me surrender, Terry once didn’t give me food for ten consecutive days, only giving me a cup of water each day. I became skin and bones, and my stomach problems got worse. During the toughest times, it felt like my stomach acid was about to burn through my stomach and intestines, and I was rolling on the ground in pain. Caleb and I grew up together. He clearly knew that I would get a stomachache if I didn’t eat. Feeling my back, which was bleeding from being pricked by the rose thorns, I lowered my head numbly and obediently. “Yes, Mr. Pierce.” The utility room at the corner of the villa was where I would stay tonight. It was dark and cramped, filled with all the old junk of this house everywhere, and there was a single bed in the corner. The servant, Maggie Robinson, secretly told me that ever since I was driven away by Caleb three years ago, Debby had moved into Pierce Villa. Caleb claimed to compensate her for the evil deeds I had done to Debby. When Caleb’s grandfather, Charles Pierce, was still alive, he doted on me the most. Even though I didn’t come often, he still reserved the largest and best room in the Pierce Villa for me. But after Debby moved in, Caleb gave my room to her. I hurriedly asked Maggie what had happened to my old things. “They were all packed and thrown here by Mr. Pierce,” Maggie said. After Maggie left, I endured the pain in my body and started rummaging through the piles of old furniture. I first found a teddy bear. One of its eyes was missing, its pretty little dress was dirty, and its belly was torn open by someone, with cotton sticking out. I remembered the gentle look on Caleb’s face when he gave it to me. He said, “Jessica, you’re afraid of the dark. When I’m not around, let this teddy bear be by your side instead of me.” But later, he threw me into the illegal coal mine for three whole years. I struggled and cried hysterically in the darkness, but he never looked back at me again. Tears welled up, and I quickly wiped them away. Then I found a wrinkled school uniform jacket. I remembered that I suddenly got my period on the way home from school that year, and my pants were stained by the blood. The teenage boys on the road were all laughing at me. I lowered my head, feeling ashamed and furious. But then a jacket was suddenly wrapped around my waist. I looked up and saw the ferocity in young Caleb’s eyes. “Whoever laughed at you just now, I’ll go smash their mouths,” he said. Scenes from the past flashed through my mind, and in the end, all that was left for me was the darkness in the room. But it didn’t matter anymore. The current Jessica was already used to the darkness, and after days and days of humiliation, she had lost her sense of shame and sensitivity. Tears flowed even more fiercely, but I didn’t stop what I was doing. The pain from my broken ribs and sprained calf made my movements extremely slow. My body was severely exhausted. Every time I took a breath, I could taste the blood welling up in my throat. My forehead was burning hot, and my vision was gradually blurring. Just when I could barely hold on, I finally touched that thing. My USB drive. It had the evidence that I hadn’t had time to give to Caleb back then, proving that Debby had staged the bullying herself. After finding the USB drive, I could no longer hold on and passed out in pain on the bed. In a daze, the door of the utility room was suddenly pushed open. Someone strode in. Free Points

That man seemed to be Caleb. He was dressed in a sharp suit, his shirt was spotlessly white, and he held his chin slightly up, just like the proud Caleb in my memory. Suddenly, I recalled the first time I saw him when I was a kid. My grandfather, Frank Quincey, took me to Pierce Villa to visit Charles, his old friend in arms. Caleb was sitting in the pavilion and playing chess with Charles. At that time, he made a promise to me that he would treat me well forever. But later, when Debby framed me in front of so many people at the engagement ceremony, Caleb pushed me to the ground without hesitation. He said, “Jessica, Debby said before that you didn’t like her. I endured it. I thought it was just some petty squabbles between women. “But this time you’ve really gone too far. You actually instigated the company employees to bully her just out of jealousy. “You don’t really think that just because Mr. Quincey asked me to marry you before he died, you’ve been elevated from your original class, do you? You make me sick.” In less than a day, all the employees who had picked on Debby were fired, and before I could hand the evidence I found to Caleb, I was sent to the illegal coal mine. There, I was treated like an animal, and my health was completely ruined. “Jessica, don’t pretend to be asleep. I know you’re awake,” Caleb said with a cold face, carrying a tray of delicious-smelling food. “Debby had a nightmare because of you again. I should never have brought you back.” He kicked the teddy bear away irritably. “As long as you sincerely admit your mistake and crawl on your knees from here to Debby’s room to apologize to her, I’ll give you food. You’ve always wanted to marry into the Pierce family, right? After you apologize, I might even let you stay here for the rest of your life,” he said. I opened my mouth. My mind was drowsy from the high fever, and for the first time, I didn’t obey him. “I… don’t want to stay here. I want to go home. Grandpa, I haven’t seen him for three years…” Caleb looked very displeased. He wanted to drag me out but was disgusted by the dirty dust and sweat on me. “You’re ungrateful. Then don’t eat a single bite. Starve to death,” he roared. My lips trembled, and tears rolled down. “Fine.” In four more days, I’d be dead as he wished. Caleb really did what he said and never came to see me again. I curled up in bed and slept for a whole day and night with a lot of sweat. The wounds on my back and calf split open again because of my unconscious tossing and turning in my dreams. Blood and sweat soaked the quilt. During this time, a servant came to knock on my door and brought me a soft silk blanket. I was flattered, but the servant told me that Caleb had built a luxurious manor for Debby in the suburbs, lavished with all kinds of things. All of Debby’s things had been replaced with new ones, and this was what she didn’t want. I lowered my eyes and remained silent. On the third day, the wounds on my body not only didn’t heal but showed signs of rotting and suppurating. They were swollen and itchy. The worst thing was that the blanket stuck to the wounds, and it took me a long time to tear them apart with my teeth gritting. But this made the scabs break again. They were not serious wounds, but the blood just wouldn’t stop. I lay on the bed, icy all over, feeling like I was really going to die. But before death, I had to see Frank. Frank was in good health. Three years ago, when Debby caused a scene at my engagement party, it was Frank who stopped Caleb from hurting me with his cane. Frank had always demanded to check the surveillance to prove my innocence, but unfortunately, he had no power or influence and was nothing in front of the Pierce family after Charles passed away. Caleb sent me away behind Frank’s back. Frank didn’t know where I was. In the past three years, I hadn’t sent him a single message. He must have been crazy looking for me. On the fourth day, I didn’t even have the strength to move. Maggie saw how pitiful I was and secretly slipped in with medicine and bread. While I was wolfing down the food, she quickly took off my clothes to apply medicine for me. Maggie touched my bony body and couldn’t help crying. “How could Mr. Pierce be so cruel? What kind of suffering has he put you through all these years? Jess, if it’s really that bad, just run away.” With tears in her eyes, she said, “I’m on shift at midnight tonight. Everyone will be asleep then. I’ll open the back door for you. Just live your life from now on and never come back.” I forced myself to perk up and pleaded with her to find me a set of clean clothes and some makeup.

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