Author: Momo Chan

I thought I had found my light in the darkness, but it turned out to be just another illusion. On the day of my daughter’s one-month celebration, James’ adopted sister Amy set fire to the nursery. I rushed into the inferno, suffering severe burns all over my body, but my little Daisy still died from respiratory failure. My husband Zack wasn’t even sad. Instead, he helped Amy destroy all the evidence and locked me up at home. In my despair, Zack’s older brother James broke down the door to rescue me and held a grand funeral for my daughter. At Daisy’s graveside, James solemnly proposed to me. I accepted. For three years after our marriage, James took care of me in every way. No matter how busy he was, he always personally accompanied me to therapy sessions. Until one day, I woke up early from hypnosis and overheard his conversation with the therapist. “Sir, your wife’s memories of her daughter’s death are too deeply ingrained. If we continue with hypnosis, she might become confused and end up mentally impaired!” “I don’t care if Lily becomes an idiot. You just need to make her forget that Amy is the one who killed her daughter. That’s the only way Amy and my brother’s wedding can go perfectly.” “Once Lily loses her memory, I’ll give her another child to make up for it.” Tears silently rolled down my face. So all that attentive care I thought I was receiving was just his way of deceiving me. Making my daughter’s killer happy was his life’s goal. If that’s the case, I’ll just leave.

Outside the treatment room, James’ voice was unusually cold: “I don’t care what risks the new method has. You just need to make Lily completely forget that her daughter was burned to death.” “Otherwise, when she finds out Amy and Zack are getting married, she’ll definitely cause a scene at the wedding.” “What happened back then was our family’s fault, but I’ve already given myself to her as compensation. Making her lose a few memories is nothing.” The therapist still hesitated: “The technology for hypnotic amnesia is still immature. I’ve been trying for three years, but your wife’s memories of her daughter’s death are too deeply ingrained. If we forcibly use the new method, she’ll become confused and end up with dementia.” “You have other ways to keep this from her. You could take her abroad to avoid Miss Amy’s wedding.” James irritably interrupted: “No way. Amy wants her wedding to be perfect. Who else but me, her big brother, can walk her down the aisle and give her away?” “You’ve taken my money, so just do what I tell you. Don’t meddle in other affairs.” “At worst, after Amy’s wedding is over, I’ll give Lily another child to make up for it.” The therapist sighed: “Alright, but sir, I must warn you that the human brain is very delicate. I can’t guarantee your wife will never recover her memories.” “When she learns the truth, she’ll definitely hate you for the rest of her life!” “Let her hate me then. By that time, with a child, she’ll be obedient.” James sighed: “If she really wants to make a fuss, I’ll just take her and the child abroad.” “As long as Amy can be happy, even if I never come back to see her again, I’m willing.” My head was buzzing, tears falling silently. Footsteps approached outside. I quickly closed my eyes. “Lily? Lily? The treatment is over. Why are you crying?” In three years of marriage, James had accompanied me to countless therapy sessions. He’d come so many times that he even learned how to wake someone from hypnosis. Looking at James’ same gentle expression as always, I dug my nails into my palms: “I don’t know why, but I feel very sad, like I’ve lost something.” James immediately called the therapist over excitedly: “Come check quickly, has the treatment worked?” The therapist came forward to ask what I saw in my dreams. I touched the burn scars on my arm: “I kept dreaming I was surrounded by fire. When did that happen? How did I get this scar?” James hugged me sympathetically: “Lily, the fire was a long time ago. You almost lost your life then. After leaving the hospital, you had nightmares every night and couldn’t get over the psychological trauma.” “Now that the hypnotherapy has finally worked, you’ll get better and better. If you don’t like the scars on your body, we can go for scar removal surgery.” “If it can’t be treated domestically, we’ll go abroad. I’ll accompany you wherever we need to go for your recovery.” I nodded at James’ gentle smile. The therapist asked a few more detailed questions and gave James an affirmative look. James’ lips curled up, and he asked casually: “Lily, Amy is marrying Zack next week. They’ve invited us to the wedding.” “I know she used to give you a hard time because she liked Zack. She was spoiled, but I’ve scolded her for it. Are you willing to go with me?” “It’s fine. Even though it was an arranged marriage, it’s normal for Amy to be unhappy that I married the man she liked.” James hugged me emotionally: “Lily, I’m so lucky to have such an understanding wife.” I closed my eyes, suppressing the trembling of my body: “Let’s go home.” James quickly packed up my things and led me downstairs. Before James could open the passenger door, I spoke up first: “I’m a bit tired. I want to sleep in the back.” So James busied himself arranging pillows and blankets for me in the back seat. As the car started moving, I hid in the shadows, crying nonstop. So my initial approach that I saw as salvation was all an act James put on to help Amy clear obstacles. The attentive accompaniment to therapy sessions over the years was just to make me lose my memory so his dear sister could have a perfect wedding. I had always thought James was the only light I grasped in the darkness. If I hadn’t accidentally woken up this time and heard their plan, pretending to lose my memory… I probably would have forgotten everything about my daughter and become a puppet for them to manipulate. James has been too good an actor these years. So much so that I forgot he’s also part of the Potter family.

My marriage to Zack was arranged for business purposes, with no feelings between us. But because my mother-in-law kept pressuring us to have children, I got pregnant soon after the wedding. Having never felt much family warmth from my own parents, I was really looking forward to this child. After ten months of pregnancy, all the physical discomfort and pain of childbirth dissipated the moment I saw my daughter. Even Zack’s eyes held a hint of tenderness when he saw our tiny daughter. During that time, Zack and I were just like all new parents, clumsily but happily taking care of our daughter. I thought our days would continue peacefully like this. But on the night of our daughter’s one-month celebration, I got up to check on her. I found James’ adopted sister Amy standing in front of the nursery, which was engulfed in flames, smugly locking the door. I frantically rushed over to snatch the key from her hand, desperately rescuing my daughter from the fire despite the danger. Seeing Zack hurriedly running over with the servants, I finally collapsed in his arms, too weak from my injuries. When I woke up again, I heard from Zack that our daughter had died from respiratory failure after inhaling too much smoke. Unable to bear the devastating news, my burns worsened and I was rushed to surgery. But Zack, who had heard from me that Amy was the arsonist who burned our daughter to death, took advantage of my emergency surgery to clean up all the surveillance footage and fingerprints from that night. As soon as I regained consciousness after surgery, I immediately called the police to report Amy for deliberate arson and murder. The police searched the scene multiple times but regretfully informed me there was no substantial evidence, so my accusation couldn’t stand. Zack tied me to the bed with restraints, his tone full of threats: “Enough, Lily. The fire was just an accident, it had nothing to do with Amy. You can call the police a hundred times, it’s useless.” “Be a good girl. We can have more children in the future.” Zack confiscated all my means of communication and confined me at home. He even had my own parents come to persuade me to give in. That couple looked at me struggling desperately to the point of reopening my wounds, as coldly as if looking at a stranger: “We arranged for you to marry into the Potter family to maintain our company’s partnership with them.” “It was just a child who couldn’t even talk yet. Who told you to make such a big fuss?” “Zack has already promised to have another heir with you. You better know when to stop.” Seeing how the two of them looked down on me condescendingly, I completely broke down: “My daughter died for no reason! I want Amy to pay the price – how is that making a fuss?” “Zack clearly knows as well as I do that Amy set the fire, but he wants to cover for Amy and let my daughter die in vain!” My mom scoffed coldly: “So what if Zack saw Amy start the fire with his own eyes? My dear daughter, don’t be naive.” “He won’t allow a murder scandal in his family. If you were smart, you’d turn a blind eye to his and Amy’s affairs from now on.” My parents left, abandoning me to complete despair, betrayed by both my husband and parents. At that time, it was James, Zack’s older brother, who defied everyone’s opposition, Cut through the restraints and rescued me from the room full of surveillance cameras. With eyes full of sympathy, he took me to get treatment for my injuries. After I woke up, he offered several prime burial plots, letting me personally choose a feng shui treasure land for my daughter to rest. My daughter’s funeral, which had been suppressed by the Potter family, was held grandly with James’ help. Touching the words “Daisy, daughter of Lily Evans” engraved on the tombstone, I cried to the point of collapse. James supported me and took out divorce papers: “Lily, I’ve negotiated with Zack for you. Once you sign this, you’ll have no more connection to him.” “From now on, Daisy will be only your child.” It wasn’t until after the divorce cooling-off period that I learned Zack was willing to sign the divorce papers because James had given up half of his shares. On the day I received the divorce certificate, James gave me a large bouquet of bright sunflowers and knelt on one knee with a diamond ring: “Lily, your new life is beginning. Will you give me a chance to be your support?” Maybe it was because the sunlight that day was too beautiful, or James’ gaze was too sincere and passionate. I accepted his pursuit. After marrying James, I felt the warmth of home I had always dreamed of. Although I still couldn’t get over the grief of my daughter’s tragic death, With his companionship, I no longer resisted therapy and even started to actively engage in it. Even though it took a lot of effort to digest the psychological knowledge and work on self-healing. Even though each hypnosis session would make me dream of the nursery engulfed in flames that night. But now I’m told that James’ initial approach to me Was to help Amy get Zack, to remove me as an obstacle. He said he had already given himself to me as compensation, and would give me another child in the future. But James, I don’t need your cheap and hypocritical compensation.

After returning home, I maintained my usual demeanor, eating, washing up, and resting with James. Until I heard his breathing become steady, I gently pulled his hand off my waist. I got out of bed and went straight to the computer in his study. But after searching every corner of James’ computer, I couldn’t find any valuable information. I did see a folder labeled “Amy” though. Inside were photos and videos of Amy from childhood to adulthood. James had carefully labeled the time and place for each photo. In the three years of our marriage, he was still meticulously recording Amy’s every smile. Suppressing the nausea in my heart, I closed the folder and continued searching desperately. My mouse accidentally clicked on a foreign social media platform I didn’t recognize. James’ account was still logged in. After scrolling through all his chat logs and records, I finally found a clue in a transfer record from three years ago. The recipient was a hacker. James hired him to delete the online backup of the surveillance footage from the night Amy set the fire. Tears fell drop by drop. I urgently typed: “Can you recover the online backup you deleted three years ago?” The hacker quickly replied: “Didn’t you say to destroy it completely? I didn’t keep any traces on my end either.” Seeing this, my heart was already numb with pain. I brushed off the hacker, cleared the chat history, and shut down the computer. I picked up my phone and dialed a number: “Hello, I’d like to book a fake death service for seven days from now.” I didn’t sleep all night. The next morning, James saw my swollen eyes and looked very concerned: “Lily, did you cry again in your dreams?” “I must have. Did I used to do this often?” James wrapped an ice pack in a towel and held it to my eyes: “Yes, you often had nightmares. We have a family dinner today. When we have time, I’ll take you to see the therapist again.” Hearing the words “family dinner”, I took down the ice pack and looked up at James. He explained gently but firmly: “Amy is getting married next week. As her family, we should help out in some way, don’t you think?” I smiled: “Of course we should.” James got the answer he wanted and stood up with the ice pack: “Then I’ll go to the office first and pick you up in the evening.” As soon as James left, I went to the cemetery where my daughter was buried. Carefully wiping the dust off the tombstone, I apologized to my daughter in a low voice: “Baby, I’m sorry you’ve been sleeping in this place arranged by the Potters for so long.” “Mommy has figured out a way to take you away.”

When I got home, James followed me in shortly after. Seeing the mud from the cemetery on the soles of my shoes, he looked puzzled: “Lily, where did you go?” I calmly took off my shoes and handed them to the housekeeper: “I went out for a walk. It was crowded and I accidentally stepped in some landscaping.” James didn’t think much of it and urged me to change shoes so we could go to the family dinner. By the time James and I arrived, all the Potters were already there. Amy bounced over, rudely shoving me aside with a disgusted pout: “James! You finally came back, why did you bring her?” My waist slammed hard into the shoe cabinet, making me break out in a cold sweat from the pain. Amy looked at my exposed wrist with revulsion: “Her skin looks like it has bugs crawling on it. If I were her, I’d rather scrape off my skin than come out and disgust people.” James’ eyes were full of indulgence: “You’re still so childish even at this age. Lily, don’t take offense.” Childish? What kind of child tries to kill a baby less than a month old? I suppressed my hatred and smiled: “It’s fine. Let’s go in quickly.” James was very pleased with my docile demeanor. As soon as we sat down, my mother-in-law started mocking me coldly: “Bad luck charm, making us wait for you to eat when we invited you home for dinner!” My mother-in-law had always been very dissatisfied that James gave up shares to get my divorce agreement. Not to mention that James had a falling out with the family to marry me and hadn’t come back to see her in three years. Amy’s eyes flashed with glee: “Mom, my sister-in-law is the apple of James’ eye. You shouldn’t talk like that or he’ll be upset.” My mother-in-law’s expression grew even more unpleasant. James glanced at me, still staring intently at Amy as he spoke: “What do you mean ‘apple of my eye’? Don’t say such nonsense.” Seeing how nervous and concerned he was about Amy, My eyes couldn’t help but sting. Such an obvious thing, yet it took me three years to realize. Fortunately, I woke up in time that day and didn’t let his plan succeed. Just seven more days. Then I can leave completely, taking my Daisy with me. After dinner, the Potters gathered to discuss next week’s wedding details. I sat alone to the side, typing with lowered eyes: “One more thing, before the plan starts, help me go to the cemetery.” “Don’t let anyone find out.” I got up midway to use the restroom and ran into Amy on my way out. Disgust flashed across her face, but she grabbed my arm as I was about to move aside. “Sister-in-law, come help me see how the nursery I prepared looks.” With that, she dragged me upstairs. The room that had once been burned black was now completely renovated. It was filled with warm baby items. Amy smiled maliciously and smugly: “Sister-in-law, what do you think of this nursery?” I froze in place. Desperately telling myself to endure. If James found out the hypnosis didn’t work, I would be in an even more dangerous situation than when I was imprisoned and monitored back then. But Amy wouldn’t let me go. She pulled up my sleeve. Lightly tracing my scars with a fruit knife she had grabbed, “I heard from James that after seeing the therapist, sister-in-law doesn’t really remember how she got burned.” “If you ask me, sister-in-law’s mental illness is really scary. Back then, you tried to commit suicide by setting fire to this room in the middle of the night. You almost burned our whole family to death.” I looked at Amy in disbelief. I tried to commit suicide? How dare she turn things around like this? Seeing the anger in my eyes, Amy viciously cut off a piece of skin from my arm: “What are you glaring at? I finally got you to divorce Zack, but then you turned around and married my brother with this disgusting skin.” “You think my brother likes you that much? He told me that every night he sleeps next to you, he feels like vomiting.” I trembled in pain: “You psycho! Murderer!” Amy laughed coldly and cruelly, raising the knife for another cut: “You’re right to curse me. I’ve wanted to have someone kill you for a long time, just like I killed that little bastard you gave birth to.”

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I was deaf, and my husband never avoided discussing matters in front of me. But I never imagined that he wouldn’t even bother to hide when trying out new toys with someone else. On the day my hearing was restored, I happily pushed open the front door, only to hear his female assistant asking in a soft voice: “Ryan, is it me that excites you, or that deaf woman?” In the heat of passion, the man called out the assistant’s name deeply. “So when are you going to divorce her? I’m the one who loves you the most.” Ryan Collins hesitated for a moment before saying: “Give me some more time. She’s been with me for over a decade and lost her hearing because of me. Although I no longer have romantic feelings for her, I still can’t let her go just yet.” I sat in the cold wind for a long time before sending a message to my former mentor, who had expelled me from his tutelage. “I’m willing to abide by the rules and cut off all emotional ties. Please let me come back.” After sending the message, I thought they would finish. But when I returned home with my emotions in check, the two were still going at it. The room was filled with an indescribable odor, and I quickly opened the window to let in some fresh air. Ryan seemed to sense something was amiss. “Did someone just come in? Could it be Aria?” “What are you afraid of? She can’t hear anyway.” “If Aria’s been waiting outside for too long, she might get suspicious. We absolutely can’t let her find out about this. Besides, it’s so cold outside, and her health isn’t good…” Amber, dissatisfied with the man’s distraction, silenced him with a kiss. The sound of their lips smacking together could be heard. “But Ryan, don’t you find this exciting? No matter how wild we get, she can’t hear us. Just thinking about that deaf woman waiting outside gets me all worked up.” Ryan stopped talking, and the noises from the room grew louder. Until a few minutes later when they gradually subsided. The bedroom door opened briefly before slamming shut again. Ryan quickly emerged from the room, putting on a gentle smile as he used sign language to ask me: “Aria, why are you here? I was so focused on painting a crucial part that I didn’t hear you knock.” After I lost my hearing, many of my former friends chose to communicate with me through text messages. Only Ryan didn’t mind the trouble and immediately signed up for sign language classes. He said: “Texting would make Aria feel lonely. By using sign language, I can let her know my thoughts immediately. A little effort is nothing for Aria’s sake.” But now, what was once proof of our happiness had become a tool to deceive and hurt me. The man’s face was flushed with satisfaction, a mixture of musk and perfume wafting from him, clearly an attempt to cover something up. Memories suddenly flooded back. During the time I had lost my hearing, I had smelled this scent many times, but each time Ryan had brushed it off as the smell of paint from his studio. If I hadn’t accidentally regained my hearing, how much longer would Ryan have continued to deceive me? I maintained a calm expression, though my nails were nearly digging into my palms. “It’s nothing, I just wanted to come see you.” “Ryan, you were amazing. I’m already hungry again after that candlelit dinner. I’m craving those little dumplings from South Street.” Amber’s voice came from inside the room. Ryan’s expression softened for a moment before he turned to me and signed: “I’m hungry. Could you go to South Street and buy some dumplings? I can’t continue creating without eating those.” I nodded. As soon as I turned around, Ryan no longer held back, joking with the woman inside. “You really should eat up. How else will you keep up with me in the future?” Amber’s tone was contemptuous. “What’s there to be afraid of? Even if I pass out in bed, isn’t there someone to run errands and buy medicine? Would she dare refuse anything you ask?” At that moment, I could no longer hold back my sorrow and began to cry. Ryan didn’t notice, only watching as I disappeared down the hallway step by step. I bought some dumplings from a street vendor. Just as I was wondering what to do with the rest of my time, a phone call came in. “Aria, my girl, you’ve finally come to your senses?” A familiar and kindly voice came through the phone, and I could no longer hold back the bitterness and sorrow in my heart. “Master, I want to come home.” “Then do you understand that to study music composition under me, the rule is to cut off all romantic entanglements? Only by eliminating the distraction of love between men and women can you quiet your mind and truly comprehend the essence of music theory.” Looking at the steaming dumplings in my hand, I answered without hesitation. “I understand. I studied with you for so long, yet I left everything behind for a man. I was out of my mind then. Now, I want to restart my dream.” “Good. I’ll be waiting for you at the foot of the mountain in seven days. For three years, you are not to leave the mountain until you’ve completed all your studies.”

When I returned home, the room had already been tidied up by Ryan. Buying dumplings was just an excuse to get me out of the house. “Why did you take so long? It’s all my fault. I knew your ears weren’t good, yet I still sent you to buy dumplings. If you got hurt or sick, even ten of me couldn’t make up for it.” Ryan came up to me, looking slightly apologetic. A notification sound came from his phone, and he opened it without trying to hide anything from me. “I’m heading back now. I wouldn’t eat something so fattening while I’m trying to maintain my figure. Leave the dumplings for that scrawny cripple to eat.” The man turned around and sent back a voice message, his tone full of affection. “That’s right, you’ve got curves in all the right places. Keep it up, it’ll all be to my benefit in the end. Next time I’ll take you to that new Western restaurant that just opened.” This was the man I had loved for so many years. One moment he was showing concern for me, the next he was flirting shamelessly with another woman. Amber was a freelance model at Ryan’s studio. He once whispered in my ear with disdain: “If we weren’t short on models, I wouldn’t even look at such a loose woman.” But now that he had achieved fame and fortune, instead of replacing her, he had ended up in bed with the woman he once looked down upon. “Let’s split the dumplings, just like we used to.” Ryan gestured to me, turning to fetch two small bowls from the kitchen. He placed them on the table and began carefully spooning out the dumplings. His expression was focused, as if he were performing some sacred ritual. Meeting the man’s tender gaze, I felt a pang in my heart. When Ryan wasn’t famous yet, we often ate at this dumpling shop. When money was tight, we’d share a bowl. Although it was barely enough to satisfy our hunger, we were happy. The freshly made dumplings were soft and delicious, steaming hot. But now, the dumpling skins had gone soggy, the filling of fresh meat and shrimp had leaked out, and a layer of congealing oil floated on top of the soup. A wave of nausea suddenly hit me. “Aria, what’s wrong?” I pushed away the worried-looking Ryan and ran straight to the bathroom. As I vomited, a terrifying thought crossed my mind. While Ryan was having an affair with Amber, he hadn’t neglected his marital duties with me either. We both wanted a child, so we hadn’t used any protection. I took a pregnancy test, and sure enough, I was pregnant. The bathroom door was kicked open with a bang. “Aria, am I going to be a father? I’m going to be a father!” When Ryan saw what I was holding, the anxiety on his face turned to excitement. He gestured wildly: “When you pushed me away earlier, I suddenly felt so scared. Now I realize it was the baby giving us a sign!” I pressed my lips together, my heart filled with sorrow. Ryan carried me back to bed and tucked me in. “You’re a mother-to-be now, get some rest.” He then turned to answer his phone, which had been ringing non-stop. “What is it?” “Ryan, I’m pregnant! The baby survived even though you were so rough today. This must be a smart and healthy child!” “What did you say?!” “You didn’t use protection, doesn’t that mean you were hoping for this baby too? Let’s get married, okay?” Ryan looked back nervously, but seeing my calm expression, he breathed a sigh of relief. “I meant for you to take the morning-after pill. Never mind, keep the baby. I’ll provide for it, but don’t expect anything else.” “But this is my first time being a mother too. I’m so scared. Don’t be so harsh with me. Can you come over?” Seemingly realizing his tone had been too harsh, the man’s expression softened. “Alright, be a good girl and wait for me.” After hanging up, Ryan kissed me on the cheek and signed: “There’s a problem at the studio. I need to go out for a bit.” The model is pregnant, how is that not a studio problem? As the door slammed shut, I could no longer hide the disgust on my face. The two of them had just been writhing together on this bed. Even though it had been cleaned, there still seemed to be a lingering smell of musk. I got up and walked to the guest room. Did Ryan think he could have one wife at home and keep a mistress outside, enjoying the pleasures of multiple partners? He’s dreaming! I won’t keep the baby. And I don’t want him either.

To avoid suspicion, I went to the hospital for my routine check-up the next day as usual. Ryan arrived early, with Amber by his side. Noticing my gaze, he smiled and signed: “Amber is an employee at my studio, remember? She’s not feeling well, so I brought her along for a check-up today.” The woman wore a tight red dress that accentuated her curves, a stark contrast to my style. She gave me a somewhat challenging look. “The baby in my tummy isn’t feeling well, so hubby brought me for a check-up.” Ryan quickly warned her: “This is a hospital, behave yourself.” Amber giggled and stroked the man’s chest where others couldn’t see. “So does that mean I can misbehave at home? Ryan, let’s try the balcony tonight.” Ignoring the conversation between the two, I walked straight into the room and lay down on the examination bed as usual. Everything proceeded as normal until the doctor spoke up. “As per your instructions, I’ve been replacing the hearing recovery medication with vitamins. But Ms. Wells’ ears can’t be neglected for too long. If we don’t start the final treatment soon, I’m afraid she might never hear again.” Ryan frowned in thought, while Amber snapped at the doctor: “You’re just a doctor, why are you meddling? Just take the money we pay you and mind your own business!” Then she turned to Ryan and whined: “Ryan, can we wait a bit longer? It’s so much more fun and exciting when she can’t hear us.” “So what if she stays deaf? It’s not like it’ll kill her.” The doctor continued to persuade: “I can see that Ms. Wells really wants to recover quickly. During her previous treatments, she even told me that composing music was her lifelong dream. Mr. Collins, please consider…” The man’s expression was conflicted, but in the end, the scales tipped in Amber’s favor. “Let’s wait a while longer. Things are fine as they are now. I’ll take you to check on the baby first.” He then warned the doctor: “I don’t want to hear any more unnecessary comments from you next time. I’m paying you good money to be here. How and when to treat this condition is my decision. Know your place.” The doctor could only agree reluctantly. The two left the room. I lay on the examination bed, feeling as if I were in a cold hell, my whole body trembling uncontrollably. No wonder my hearing hadn’t improved despite it being just concussion-induced deafness. It turns out my ears could have been cured. But Ryan deliberately switched my medication to make it easier for him to carry on his affair with Amber! He didn’t know that my hearing had already recovered, and I had recorded all the evidence on my phone these past few days. Back then, I loved Ryan so much that I was willing to give up my dreams for him, even risking never hearing again to ensure his safety. But now, he doesn’t deserve any of it. I didn’t hesitate any longer and went straight to the gynecology department. “Doctor, please help me terminate the pregnancy.” With anesthesia, the process wasn’t painful. But it felt like a hole had been carved out of my heart, aching unbearably.

Ryan didn’t come home that night. Early the next morning, he woke me up, his face flushed, carrying a bag of breakfast. “Aria, I’m taking you out today. Eat something first to line your stomach.” Baguette, bacon, coffee – all things Amber loved to eat. I gave him a cold look. “I’m intolerant to coffee. It makes me dizzy when I drink it.” Ryan’s face showed a flash of embarrassment before he quickly covered it up. “These foods are healthier than the steamed buns you like. Eating more of this is good for the baby during pregnancy.” Good for the baby? Unfortunately, this child had already left this world forever. I nodded. There was no point in arguing with him anymore since I was about to leave anyway. Ryan took me to a wheat field. This was where we first met. I had snuck down from the mountain, disobeying my mentor to find inspiration for composing. Ryan had come here with his easel to sketch the scenery. The moment our eyes met, my heart began to race, and a thousand fireworks exploded in my mind. After we got together, nourished by love, I created many acclaimed musical pieces for a time. Ryan once said: “Aria, you’re my muse. Just looking at you fills my mind with endless inspiration.” It was so beautiful back then. But now, I hadn’t composed anything in six months. And Ryan had started to frequently mess around with Amber to get greater stimulation and inspiration. The wheat field was beautiful, but Amber was standing in it. She was dressed particularly formally, in a shimmering gold gown that complemented the golden wheat. “Amber is not only a model for my studio now, but also my personal assistant,” Ryan signed to me. We spent the whole day together, with Amber following us the entire time. Until it was completely dark. I heard Amber shouting: “Three, two, one!” In an instant, fireworks burst into the sky, illuminating the entire night, gradually forming four large words – MARRY ME. Ryan’s eyes were shining as he knelt before me on one knee, holding out a red velvet box with a ring inside. “Marry me. I’ll be good to you and our baby for the rest of my life.” I once told Ryan that instead of man-made fireworks, I wanted him to propose to me in a field of peach blossoms. Who really likes these showy fireworks? It must be Amber, who was squealing with delight behind us. “It’s so beautiful! I love it!” “Ryan, I do! I do want to marry you!” Ryan’s proposal vows didn’t specify a name, so the person he was proposing to could be me or Amber standing behind us. “I don’t,” I said softly, my voice quickly drowned out by Amber’s screams. Ryan suddenly stood up, his eyes red, and hugged me tightly, as if a wanderer had finally found a home to return to. But behind my ear came the sound of heavy breathing. It was Ryan kissing Amber. He was hugging me, but his heart was elsewhere. “Ryan, let’s do it in the wheat field tonight. I love it here so much.” “Don’t be silly, Aria is still here. What if she finds out?” The first thing Ryan thought of wasn’t guilt, but fear of me discovering them. “There’s a B&B next door. Just send her there. It’ll be so exciting to do it with the baby, out in the open! You enjoyed it yesterday too, didn’t you?” Ryan’s breathing became ragged, and he quickly agreed. After driving me to the B&B, he didn’t even notice anything wrong with my expression. He made up a quick excuse and left with Amber. With trembling hands, I opened the surveillance app on my phone and watched as the two of them clung to each other inseparably. It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that they finally stopped. When I got home, I left the engagement ring on the coffee table in the living room and turned to leave. Meanwhile, Ryan and Amber had rushed to the hospital because Amber had been bitten by an insect while sleeping on the wheat straw. “It’s just a minor injury. The insect wasn’t poisonous, and the fetus is stable,” the doctor said. Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, the doctor who had been treating me burst in, looking panicked. “Mr. Collins, according to the last examination results, Ms. Wells’ hearing has already recovered. She might have heard everything we said. And, and on that same day, Ms. Wells went to the gynecology department and terminated her pregnancy!”

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I was drugged at a business party. The next day, explicit videos of me spread like wildfire through our social circle. The whispers and stares around me were almost unbearable. My fiancé, Zack, held me gently, “Don’t worry, Aria. I’ll take care of those videos. I’ve even found the best hypnotherapist to help you forget all this.” As the hypnosis device was placed on my temples and his low voice guided me into darkness, I thought this was my salvation. But before I completely lost consciousness, I heard the hypnotherapist’s playful laugh: “Bro, just because she broke your stepmom’s bracelet at the engagement party, you let those thugs have their way with her? Are you fucking insane?” My heart sank. That bracelet was broken because Vanessa deliberately bumped into me! Then she played the victim, accusing me of looking down on her as a stepmother. “She intentionally humiliated Vanessa at the party,” Zack’s voice was ice-cold. “Vanessa cried all night, saying even her future daughter-in-law looks down on her. I had to teach her a lesson to ease my anger.” So, all this torment I’ve endured was just because he thought I upset Vanessa? Leo chuckled lewdly, “Since she’s already been played with and now I’m hypnotizing her, why don’t I… have some fun too?” My hair stood on end. In my heart, there was still a pathetically weak hope that Zack would retain some last shred of conscience. However, he casually uttered two words, as if throwing away trash: “Whatever.”

“Really? She is your fiancée after all.” Zack kicked the therapy bed carelessly, “Just rub against her outside, don’t go in. Get your kicks and be done with it.” He was meticulously cleaning a scalpel, suddenly pressing the blade against my neck. The coldness made me shiver. “That thug only touched her and filmed it. I didn’t let her actually get violated.” “You’re such a good guy!” Leo sneered, “You had us film it and send it to you, then called us to delete it. Who knows which idiot leaked it online? How could it possibly be completely erased?” Zack chuckled, “I told you to delete the video just to put on an act in front of her.” He cut open the ribbon on my collar with the scalpel, instantly exposing me. “When the jade bracelet broke, she should have understood that upsetting Vanessa was a sin. So I continued spreading the video online, to let her taste what it’s like to be gossiped about.” Three days ago, he had held my trembling body and sworn: “I’ve taken care of that thug and the videos online. Aria, I will never let another man see your body.” So it was all an act! But at the engagement party, I really didn’t mean to embarrass Vanessa. On the contrary, she suddenly let go of my hand, causing the jade to shatter into pieces on the floor. “Aria, it’s okay if you look down on me, but you shouldn’t have broken Auntie’s gift…” Her tearful expression caused an uproar among the guests. Zack gently defused the situation for me, “It’s fine, we can just buy a new one.” “Hurry up.” The click of Zack’s lighter and the camera shutter sound went off simultaneously, “I want to show Vanessa the live recording later.” Leo fumbled with his belt, panting as he gripped my waist, “I warned you to please Vanessa. Zack can’t stand to see her frown.” Yes, at the dinner before Zack took me to meet his family, a drunk Leo had cornered me in the club hallway, “You’re just a pretty face. Otherwise, a commoner like you would never be able to marry Zack, the prince of this city.” He looked me up and down lewdly, “But compared to his stepmom, your body is far inferior.” “Zack protects his stepmom like the apple of his eye. If Vanessa was ten years younger, you wouldn’t stand a chance.” How did I respond then? I said nonchalantly that Zack could distinguish between family love and romantic love, just like he could distinguish between champagne and red wine. In the midst of the pain from Leo’s disgusting touch, I vaguely recalled when we first started dating, Zack had used his suit jacket to cover my shoulder after a drunk man touched it. His eyes were red then, his voice shaking: “If anyone dares to touch you again, I’ll cut off their hands.” Through my lashes, I saw Zack leaning against the window smoking a cigar. Through the smoke, he smiled slightly as he dialed a number, “Vanessa, I’ll show you something good later to cheer you up.” The red recording light blinked on and off, just like the fireworks he set off for me on the night he proposed. That night he knelt on one knee and solemnly vowed: “I will always be your safe harbor. I’ll never let you suffer even the slightest grievance.” Tears gathered in my eyes. Now, the safe harbor had turned into a slaughterhouse.

When I opened my eyes, Zack’s fingers were tracing the bruises on my wrist. “Do you remember what happened last night?” His voice was as sweet as honey, but his eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses were scrutinizing me. I tried to get up, but my body, ravaged by both the date rape drug and hypnosis drug, wouldn’t move. Lowering my eyes in silence for a moment, I looked up and blinked in confusion, deliberately unfocusing my gaze. “I don’t remember… My head hurts so much… My body hurts too…” He patted my head, his face full of doting affection, “Silly girl, you don’t even remember falling and hurting yourself.” I shrank into the blanket, my nails digging hard into my palm. The pain kept me alert, and also reminded me how disgusting his fake tenderness was right now. After all, he had given me an unforgettable lesson. Vanessa arrived just in time for dinner. “Oh my, Aria has gotten so thin!” She casually tossed her silk shawl onto the sofa, revealing her alluring collarbone, causing Zack’s eyes to darken. “Those videos online…” Zack coughed lightly, “Vanessa, Aria hit her head and forgot some things. Let’s not bring up the past.” Vanessa’s face froze for a moment, then she smiled again and took the bird’s nest porridge from the maid to feed me, “Then we need to nourish you well.” The freshly cooked porridge was scalding hot. She saw the steam rising but still shoved it into my mouth. I was burned and knocked over her bowl, spilling the sticky porridge all over her skirt. The moment Zack frowned, I immediately trembled like a frightened rabbit: “I’m sorry… my hand shook…” His gaze lingered on my reddened lips for a moment, but he finally sighed and got up to help Vanessa wipe her skirt, his fingers caressing the back of her hand soothingly. That night, I was finally able to walk on my own. When I tried to escape through the front door, I found guards posted there. I overheard their contemptuous discussion, “The young master’s fiancée looks so pure and innocent, who knew she’d moan even more seductively than a nightclub girl in that video when she was unconscious.” I felt like I’d fallen into an ice pit. Just how many people had seen that private video of me? As I stumbled back to my room in a daze, I saw through a crack in the study door that Vanessa was placing a glass of milk on Zack’s desk. The strap of her silk nightgown was slipping off her elbow in a suggestive manner. Her well-maintained skin glowed like a young girl’s in the moonlight, looking nothing like a stepmother twelve years older than Zack. Vanessa deliberately leaned forward, her chest brushing against Zack’s right arm as he typed. I clearly saw his Adam’s apple bob. Zack restrained himself from touching her, but his gaze was fixed on her fallen strap. “Vanessa, it’s cold at night. Put on a robe.” Vanessa grasped his wrist as he held out a robe, caressing it as if touching a lover. An ambiguous atmosphere flowed between them. The sound of me stepping on my skirt startled them. Zack immediately stood up to open the door. When he saw me, the air froze for a moment.

After a moment of deadly silence, he broke the silence of our eye contact. “When did you come? Can you walk now? Why are you out here?” I lied in panic, looking up at him with moist eyes, “I just came. I felt anxious when I couldn’t see you, couldn’t sleep.” Zack seemed surprised and touched by my “dependence”. He came forward and picked me up in his arms, his movements as gentle as if I were made of porcelain. “Be good, I’ll tell you a story to help you sleep.” I looked up and saw Vanessa’s twisted face behind him, full of malice. It seemed that because I had ruined Vanessa’s plans, her hostility towards me became even more obvious. The next morning, she cornered me in the stairwell. “Aria looks so pale,” her fingers with wine-red nail polish dug into my shoulder, “You’re not pretending to be sick to get Zack’s attention, are you?” I winced in pain and tried to pull her forceful hand away, but she grabbed my wrist instead, squeezing so hard it felt like she would crush the bone. “Aria? Where are you?” Zack’s voice calling for me came from around the corner of the stairs. Just as I was about to call for help, Vanessa suddenly pressed my hand against her waist and threw herself down the stairs like a self-destructive snake. “Be careful!” I reached out as she fell, but only grasped thin air. When Zack rushed over, he saw her fall like a broken-winged butterfly down the long, high staircase. Blood seeped from her knees, arms, and forehead, blooming like red plum blossoms on the white marble. “It wasn’t me…” My trembling explanation was cut off by a slap. Zack pinned me against the wall by my throat, his pupils crawling with bloodshot: “How dare you?!” “She pushed me…” Vanessa pointed at me, shaking, tears falling, “She hates me…” Zack’s eyes turned completely cold. His fist fell. By the time I counted to the hundredth blow, I finally heard the crisp sound of three of my ribs breaking. The taste of blood rose in my mouth. Before my vision blurred, I saw Vanessa’s curled lip – it was a victor’s smile. In the darkness, I was thrown onto the cold floor. Opening my swollen eyes, I saw Zack gently wiping Vanessa’s tears with a silk handkerchief, his lips pressed against her earlobe as he whispered: “She really never learns. Vanessa, I’ll get revenge for you. This time, I’ll let you watch in person as a group of men ravish her.” Vanessa’s light laugh was like a poisonous snake’s hiss, “Can I choose the men myself?” “Of course, whatever makes you happy.” As the basement door lock clicked shut, I fumbled to break off my necklace. Cold tears mixed with blood splattered onto the screen of the mini communicator hidden in the necklace. As I pressed the SOS button, the screen’s cold light illuminated the black and blue handprints on my collarbone. “Brother, I lost the bet. Come save me…” Five years ago, I ignored my brother’s objections and went on a hunger strike to be with Zack, the notorious playboy prince of the city. My brother looked at me with disappointment, “I’ll agree for now, but you must hide your identity as the princess of the Jiang family in the capital. If you can last ten years together, I’ll give you all the Jiang family’s vast fortune as your dowry.” I smiled naively, “Brother, he’s already reformed and sworn to love me in this life, the next life, and for all eternity. You can put your mind at ease…” Hah, back then I was confident we would love each other for ten years, a hundred years… but in reality, we couldn’t even make it to five years.

The pain from my broken ribs made me convulse in my unconscious state. As Zack’s shoe tip ground into my tailbone, an extreme pain simultaneously shot through my abdomen. He dragged me up the stairs by my hair. The blood flowing from my lower body left a winding red trail on the steps, like a skinned snake. Vanessa sat primly on the leather sofa, her freshly done almond-colored nails tapping lightly on a wine glass. Six men stood in front of her. The shortest one had a snake tattoo on his arm – It was the same hand that had pressed down on the back of my neck in the video of the thugs violating me. “Zack…” I crawled over and grabbed his pant leg. Blood foam seeped from the corner of my mouth. “We’ve been together for five years. You said you would protect me forever…” His pupils behind the gold-rimmed glasses constricted slightly, but after Vanessa’s light laugh, he violently kicked me away. I crashed into the coffee table. Shards of glass pierced my palms, the pain making my vision go black. “Remember this lesson.” Zack sat down next to Vanessa. “Next time you dare disrespect Vanessa, I’ll have them take you out in public to humiliate you.” The men laughed lecherously as they surrounded me. Rough hands reeking of cigarettes tore open my collar. I looked at Zack. He was lowering his head to fix a strand of Vanessa’s hair, as if our five years of love had been nothing but an absurd dream. “Stop!” The sound of an explosion shattered the floor-to-ceiling windows. My brother burst in with a SWAT team just as I was being pinned to the blood-stained carpet. “Take them all away!” The police handcuffed Zack. He struggled to turn back and look at me in disbelief, his glasses askew revealing bloodshot eyes underneath: “When did you call the police?” My brother’s suit jacket wrapped around my shaking body. He pressed my head to his chest, not letting me look back: “Don’t look at him. He’s filth.” Three days later in a VIP hospital room in the capital, the news was reporting that Zack had paid an enormous bail and was released on bail pending trial. He stood on the steps of the detention center, his eyes sinister as he faced the media cameras. I flinched reflexively. My brother turned off the TV and pushed a sedative into my IV drip. “Aria, don’t be afraid,” he wiped away the cold tears from the corner of my eye. “No one can find you here.” When Zack kicked open the front door of his house, the lingering smell of my blood still hung in the foyer. He looked at the empty home, his hand pausing as he loosened his tie. Like a suddenly abandoned wolf dog, his nostrils flared as he tried to catch my last scent. The sound of Vanessa’s high heels approached from behind: “I told you so. She ran off with some man long ago…” “Shut up!” A crystal vase shattered against the wall. Three days ago, this was where he had pinned me by the throat, demanding to know how I dared hurt Vanessa. He frantically dialed his private investigator, shouting, “Find out who the man was that took Aria away!” Vanessa threw the framed wedding photo of me and Zack from the coffee table into the trash, venting her anger. “That man looked so intimate with Aria. Who knows how long she’s been cheating on you behind your back…” Zack suddenly flipped over the entire coffee table, startling Vanessa into silence. A week later, a haggard Zack began throwing money at accessing all the city’s traffic camera footage. He stared intently at the last image of me on the city’s surveillance – In the footage, I was wearing a mask, being carried into a black Maybach by a tall man. “Enhance the license plate!” When the license plate “A·88888” came into clear view, Vanessa’s coffee cup suddenly crashed to the floor beside him. This license plate belonged to someone extremely wealthy and powerful. Afterwards, Zack barged into my best friend Rachel’s bridal shop, demanding to know when I had seduced the Maybach’s owner. Rachel calmly trimmed a veil with scissors, “The princess of the Jiang Group doesn’t need to seduce anyone.” “All these years Aria pretended to be poor, and you actually believed it?” She chuckled lightly. “Your family’s assets aren’t even a tenth of the Jiang Group’s. Yet you thought she was after your money and status, how little you thought of her!” Rachel’s expression suddenly changed. She hurled the scissors at Zack’s face, cutting a bloody gash. “You even dared to have people violate her?! Prepare to die! Adrian won’t let you off!”

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Five years ago, when my face was disfigured by acid, Lucas held up a photo of his missing true love to convince me to have surgery. “I’ll make you more beautiful than before,” he promised. But when I accidentally stumbled upon an identical face in the VIP ward, I finally understood that I was just a replacement. Later, I discovered he was secretly using our daughter’s blood to keep their illegitimate son alive! I went mad trying to take my daughter away, but a cold scalpel was pressed against my throat. His breath hot on my ear, he whispered, “You’re just her substitute. It’s time to give the face back.” The next moment, I unexpectedly died on his operating table. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day I discovered his secret. The cold sensation of the scalpel gliding across my face still lingered. I jolted awake, instinctively touching my face. I was standing in the hallway of the VIP ward, holding a thermos of hot bone broth. The familiar number 606 was on the door of this ward. Through the frosted glass, I saw my husband, Lucas, the director of this private hospital. He was cradling someone who looked exactly like me. It was Vanessa, his true love who had been missing for six years. That’s when I realized I had been reborn. In my previous life, I had accidentally passed by this room and discovered the truth that I was just a replacement for Lucas’s true love. Trembling all over, I hadn’t confronted him for the sake of our daughter. But when I saw with my own eyes that he was using our daughter’s blood to keep their illegitimate son alive, I completely lost it. I burst into the ward, determined to take our daughter away. But a cold scalpel was pressed against my throat. Lucas’s breath was hot on my ear as he whispered, “You’re just her substitute. It’s time to give the face back.” The next moment, I was injected with anesthesia and laid on the cold operating table. He only wanted one person in the world to have this face. But I unexpectedly died on the operating table. He announced it as a medical accident and quickly covered it up. Given another chance at life, I found myself back at the moment I discovered this secret. I stared intently at the intertwined figures inside, my fingernails digging into my palms, filled with hatred. Suddenly, my phone began vibrating incessantly in my pocket. I pulled it out to see “Ms. Lee” displayed on the screen. I answered the call. “Hello?” “Oh, Candy’s mom? I’ve already dropped Candy off with Dr. Lin for her checkup. I’ll come pick her up when it’s done, okay?” My grip on the phone tightened. This was bad! In my previous life, today was when my daughter’s regular “checkups” began! I rushed downstairs, frantically asking the nurses about Dr. Lin’s whereabouts. The hospital staff, knowing I was the director’s wife, quickly informed me that Dr. Lin had gone to the blood draw lab on the third floor. I set down the thermos of broth and sprinted towards the third floor. My palms were sweating as I ran, my heart pounding, terrified of being a second too late. I saw my daughter’s silhouette in the distance and shouted, “Candy!” She turned, her face lighting up when she saw me, calling out in her sweet voice, “Mommy!” I dashed over and violently knocked away the needle that was about to pierce my daughter’s arm. Dr. Lin was startled by my action, frozen in place. “Mrs. Carter, what are you doing?” I didn’t answer her, carefully examining the bruises from needle marks on the inside of my daughter’s arm. Why were there needle marks when I had just stopped it? Could it be that Lucas had already been drawing Candy’s blood… “Dr. Lin, you’ve been drawing my daughter’s blood without parental consent? Don’t you know that’s illegal!” I shouted at her angrily. Dr. Lin awkwardly scratched her head. “Well… the director told us to do it…” The fury in my heart was instantly doused with a bucket of cold water. Lucas, how could you be so cruel! Suddenly, my daughter looked up at me innocently and said, “Mommy, Candy’s okay. Daddy said he’d buy me something yummy. Candy’s not afraid of pain!” My heart ached as I gently touched the bruises on her little hand, glaring at Dr. Lin. “Bring me Candy’s previous medical records.” She hesitated, saying, “Well… you’re not hospital staff, so it’s not appropriate to disclose…” “I can’t even see my own daughter’s records? Do I need to ask Lucas myself?” Finally, she produced all of Candy’s medical records since birth. I examined them carefully, only to find that Lucas had covered his tracks perfectly. Since she was 4 years old, there were regular 200cc blood donations, all signed off by Lucas. On the surface, it was for rare blood type research, but in reality, it was being transfused to the illegitimate son in VIP room 606! The paper crumpled in my grip as Dr. Lin watched me nervously. I threw the medical records in her face, warning her through gritted teeth, “I’m taking my daughter with me. If there’s a problem, tell him to come find me!”

I had someone take my daughter back to my parents’ house. Then I changed into a nurse’s uniform, put on a mask, and once again approached VIP room 606. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door. I called out in a low voice, “Director.” He was busy playing with the little boy in the bed and didn’t respond. Vanessa looked at the father and son pair with a gentle expression. It seemed no one had noticed me, assuming I was just a nurse doing rounds. I approached the bedside where there was a paternity test showing Tommy was Lucas’s biological child. Tommy, the child who was being kept alive with my daughter’s blood. I tried my best to control my emotions. As I neared the transfusion machine, Lucas noticed something was off. He frowned at me. “You came in to…” My heart leapt into my throat. Before he could finish speaking, his phone suddenly rang. It sounded like Dr. Lin’s call, and he had to hurry out of the room. I finally relaxed, picking up the transfusion record to examine it. The recipient was Tommy, but the donor was unspecified. I then accessed the computer to search the records, discovering that my daughter’s transfusion records had been encrypted as “Medical Waste.” My brow furrowed as I looked, and I took out my phone to take a picture. “…Nurse, what are you doing?” Damn, I had forgotten about Vanessa. I calmly took the photo and turned around, saying, “Oh, just routine record-keeping.” That’s when I got a clear look at her face. She had a small mole at the corner of her eye, making her whole face appear more alluring. No wonder Lucas couldn’t forget her, even wanting to remake me into her copy. But one person can never truly become another. She smiled and said, “Doesn’t the director’s wife look a lot like me?” “Yes… a bit similar.” “Do you ever get us confused? But my face is the real one, I think she had surgery to look like me.” She was treating me like a lowly nurse, indirectly stating that she was the original. I couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. “What’s your relationship with the director?” I asked. Seeing that I didn’t immediately compliment her and changed the subject, she showed slight impatience. “That’s none of your business, is it?” I feigned embarrassment. “Well, breaking up someone’s family doesn’t seem right…” “You!” Her face reddened. “Oh well, never mind, sister. I’ve got work to do.” I quickly left the room, a smile playing on my lips. Take that, you arrogant woman! Soon after, I received a call from Lucas. “Wasn’t it agreed that Candy’s checkups would start today? What are you making a fuss about now!” I let out a cold laugh. “Is it really just a checkup?” “Lucas, you’ve been taking our daughter’s blood for a year! And you lied to me saying it was for research!” He paused for a moment, showing no panic at being exposed, instead accusing me. “You’re being unreasonable! If it’s not research, then what is it? She’s my daughter too!” “You think it doesn’t pain me? I always thought you understood me, I’m very disappointed in you…” My heart turned cold. Even now, he was still lying. “I’m sorry, but I can’t understand this.” “I’m sending Candy back to my parents. Don’t think about taking her blood again. We’re getting a divorce!” There was a long silence on the other end. I hung up the phone. Then I sent the photos I had taken to someone. With a message attached: [Your clearance should allow you to view this encrypted record, right?] I quickly received a reply. I opened it to check. [Should be possible, I’ll take a look tomorrow.]

If I remembered correctly, Lucas was working late again today. I called a locksmith to open his long-locked study. After sending the locksmith away, I turned the doorknob of the study, ready to face the truth I might discover. But after turning the study upside down, I found nothing. Frustrated, I sat down, accidentally touching the family photo on the desk. There was a clicking sound. A bookcase behind me swung open. His study had a secret room! I approached the secret room to find it plastered with photos of Vanessa. There was also a family photo on the table. I picked it up and looked at it. It was a family photo of him with Vanessa and Tommy. I stared coldly at the three smiling faces in the photo and put it back in its original place. In a drawer, I found my plastic surgery plan from five years ago. Inside was an old photo of me, before I was disfigured, with a big X drawn across it. I almost dropped the file. Why did he have a photo of me from before? It all felt like an enormous trap set just for me… Panicking, I took out my phone and photographed this evidence. Just then, I heard the sound of the door opening. I hurriedly left the secret room, turning the family photo on the desk back to its original position. As soon as I left the study, I came face to face with Lucas. He looked at the open study behind me and quickly stepped in, glancing around. He turned back to me with a frown. “What were you doing in my study?” I calmly walked to the sofa and sat down. “What? I can’t go in? Is there something you don’t want me to see?” He closed the study door. “…No, just don’t go into my study when there’s nothing wrong.” I nodded, “After the divorce, I won’t be coming in anymore.” “You really want a divorce?” he asked. “Yes, and I’m taking custody of our daughter.” His expression changed. “That’s not possible.” I stood up angrily, pointing at his nose. “What? You still want to use our daughter for research? She’s just a child! Lucas, do you have any conscience!” He maintained a cold expression, not backing down. “I can divorce you, but our daughter must stay with me.” I laughed at his shamelessness. “Fine, we’ll see if you can take her from me.” After parting ways with Lucas on bad terms, I returned home. I asked my parents to look after Candy carefully. Then I went out and hired a private investigator to help me find the assistant who had helped Lucas perform my plastic surgery five years ago. She had disappeared without a trace after the surgery was completed, but I finally managed to track her down. At first, she was reluctant to meet me no matter what. “Whatever Lucas is paying you, I’ll double it.” With that, she agreed to meet.

I placed a voice recorder in my bag before heading to the agreed-upon café. “When do I get the money?” she asked immediately. “Isn’t it a bit too early to ask for money before we’ve even talked? Tell me, how much do you know about the inside story of my plastic surgery five years ago.” “…I only know that your disfigurement wasn’t an accident.” I calmly sipped my coffee. “I guessed as much. Who did it?” “I overheard a conversation between Dr. Carter and a woman, something about paying to get a job done. Dr. Carter gave her a box, and later, your surgery was scheduled ahead of all others.” I pressed my lips together, not saying a word. She urgently prompted, “Where’s the money!” I took out my phone and let her enter her account number, then transferred the money to her. After confirming the money had arrived, she looked at me with pity in her eyes. “You’re a pitiful woman too. I never thought Dr. Carter would do such a thing. Afterwards, he paid to keep me quiet. My family urgently needed money at the time, so I had no choice.” She hurriedly left after saying this. I sat there, my mind racing. The person who threw the acid five years ago had already been arrested. After discovering the secret room, I had my suspicions, but hearing it confirmed still made my heart skip a beat. I took out the voice recorder from my bag and pressed stop. My phone screen lit up with a message from Lucas. [The new hospital is opening this week. You must attend tomorrow’s banquet, or I’ll have someone bring Candy back.] If it hadn’t been for my family providing funds to Lucas, his hospital would have gone bankrupt long ago. Now he still needed my status to network with the upper class. I stared at the message for a long time before replying [Okay]. I dressed up for the banquet. I linked arms with Lucas, pretending to be a loving couple smiling at others. He was coaxed into giving a speech on stage, and I picked up a glass of wine, watching him impassively. Once upon a time, he had stood on stage like this, speaking eloquently. When he looked at me then, his eyes were full of love. But now I realized he had only been looking through me at someone else. I tilted my head back and drained my glass. Looking back at him, I noticed his gaze fixed on a spot in the crowd. Following his line of sight, I saw a woman wearing a mask standing among the people. The mole at the corner of her eye told me it was Vanessa. She had come too, and was even holding a little boy’s hand. She had actually brought the illegitimate son. I turned and walked towards the backstage, sending the photos on my phone to someone. Immediately, a photo appeared on the big screen on stage. It was the paternity test of Tommy and Lucas. People in the audience began to discuss after seeing the screen. “Who’s Tommy? I thought the director’s daughter was named Candy?” “I don’t know, does the director have another child?” “Is it a second child?” Lucas sensed something was wrong and turned to look at the big screen, his face instantly darkening. By this time, I had already approached the boy. I gave him a contemptuous smile, then shouted loudly, “Tommy!” All eyes in the room turned towards us.

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Every time my debt-ridden husband stayed overnight at his female assistant’s place, he would order a million-dollar coffee from my coffee shop. After three years of marriage, my bank account balance had reached 96 million. Until my husband bought my coffee for the 97th time, I received a screenshot of the order from his female assistant. “I want Miss Johnson to deliver it personally, and bring some condoms along.” I didn’t throw a fit. Instead, I personally delivered the coffee to the female assistant and thoughtfully included a couple’s pack of condoms. Seeing how understanding I was, my husband rewarded me by letting me accompany him to a high-end business dinner. But at the dinner, the female assistant caught the eye of a business partner. She smashed a bottle and held it to her neck, swearing she’d rather die than comply: “Jack, please don’t give me to someone else!” My usually serious husband suddenly panicked. With red eyes, he begged me to go entertain the business partner. “I promise it’s just drinks. I won’t let you suffer any grievances. After tonight, I’ll spend time with you properly.” Everyone in the private room was waiting for me to make a scene, but contrary to expectations, I agreed to go in her place. What the man didn’t know was that this was the 97th time he had hurt me. And I no longer wanted a future with him. I was just waiting to repay the ten billion debt I owed him. Then we would be even once and for all.

“Well, well! Coffee girl, your husband asked you to entertain, and you’re really going to do it!?” “And you say it’s not for the money. No normal person could accept their husband treating them like this!” After I agreed to entertain, those fair-weather friends who once begged to cooperate with the Thompson family circled around me, criticizing and mocking incessantly. “What else can she do? Isn’t her life just collateral? Did she really think getting married meant she could ride over Olivia?” “She’s just a leech sucking Jack’s blood. Being able to entertain for Olivia is worth the money Jack spent on her!” Amidst all this acidity and sarcasm, I watched as Jack held Olivia in his arms, his expression gentle as he constantly comforted her. Only occasionally would his gaze sweep over to me, taking everything in. He knew Olivia’s suicide attempt was just an act for attention, but he still indulged and comforted her gently: “If you don’t want to go, then don’t. I’ll always find a way to cover for you. But don’t be so impulsive in the future, it breaks my heart…” From beginning to end, all he cared about was Olivia’s well-being. He completely forgot that I was his wife. He also forgot that he went from having nothing to his current net worth of billions, all because of the resources I begged my father for on my knees back then. A moment later, Olivia calmed down from her panic under Jack’s comfort. I asked her which private room to go to, intending to fulfill the agreement, but Olivia hesitated and stammered. After Jack’s repeated promises, she finally grabbed my hand with tearful eyes, pretending to be reluctant: “Mr. Chen likes painting and wants me to be his nude model. I was wondering if you could take my place, sister-in-law, but I’m afraid you wouldn’t be willing…” Instantly, all eyes focused on me. But I only looked at Jack. I had already agreed to entertain, my dignity trampled under their feet. Was he really going to make me be some nude model for others to mock and play with their burning gazes? Seeing Olivia so carefully begging me, Jack’s eyes were full of distress. He looked at me intently: “Anna, Olivia isn’t feeling well. You’ve already agreed to entertain, it’s just being a model. You’ll agree, right?” My heart sank. I almost forgot that Jack always listened to Olivia. After all, she was Jack’s first love. If it weren’t for the Parker family’s obstruction, they would have been married long ago. Now that they were reunited, how could I, an empty shell occupying another’s nest, dare to hope for even a shred of pity from him? I struggled to control my trembling body and took a deep breath before asking him: “Can that count as one perfect score?” Perfect score? The people around laughed at my inexplicable words, but Jack frowned silently. He knew what I was talking about. He didn’t want to agree, but seeing Olivia about to kneel before me, he quickly made a decision: “It counts.” I smiled bitterly: “Alright, I agree.” Three years ago, when I was still a rich heiress, I was experiencing life by delivering coffee when I accidentally encountered Jack and fell in love with him. But when my family went bankrupt overnight and my parents died, I was crushed by a ten billion debt. It was Jack who came down from the heavens, proposing with a ten billion dowry to help me clear my debt. On our wedding night, after making love, I asked him how I could repay this kindness. He looked at me with tender eyes: “Then be my wife.” I was confused: “I’m already your wife now.” His kisses fell densely as he casually said: “Then… do 99 things that can earn my perfect score, or after I hurt you 99 times, this debt of gratitude will be written off.” For three years of marriage, he always treated me like a precious treasure, carefully and gently. Until two months ago, when Olivia returned from abroad, everything changed. Now it’s the 97th time. Just two more times, and I’ll have repaid my debt. Entering the business partner’s private room, it was filled with a hazy, ambiguous atmosphere. Men and women were intimately entangled, and the gazes directed at me were tinged with excitement. Jack suddenly hesitated and asked Olivia: “Is it really just modeling?” “What… what else could it be?” She hesitated for a moment. Jack wanted to say something more, but Olivia pulled him out of the room. Before leaving, he glanced at me, his eyes dark and unreadable. “Wait.” But before he could step out, the greasy man called out to the two of them, his voice tinged with displeasure. “Mr. Thompson! I asked for Miss Parker. You casually throwing someone else at me like this – have I offended you in some way?” The greasy man’s gaze swept over me and Jack, finally landing on Olivia, staring at her until she shivered. Olivia glanced at the shocked Jack, her expression righteous. “I heard Mr. Chen needed a nude model for painting. Miss Johnson has a nice figure, she’ll surely help you create a masterpiece.” “Mr. Chen, don’t you want to try?” As she finished speaking, she gave me a push. Suddenly, I was exposed to the greasy man’s leering gaze. That appraising look was slimy and sticky, making me shudder all over. It was only then that I realized the nude modeling Olivia spoke of actually meant letting me sleep with someone else. I felt like my throat was constricted, unable to breathe. I could only quickly look to Jack for help. Jack used to be very good to me, only changing after Olivia appeared, but at least I was still his wife now. Surely he wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing? But unexpectedly, Jack only showed a hint of anger before handing me a glass of wine: “Aren’t you going to toast Mr. Chen?” I struggled to control the violent heaving of my chest, but my feet were nailed to the spot. In a daze, Olivia turned and gave me an eerie smile. The next moment, my body moved uncontrollably towards the greasy man, spilling wine all over him. I fell onto the shattered glass shards, instantly cutting several bloody gashes on my arm. My face was also cut, oozing blood. The pain spread instantly, and I curled up on the ground, unable to hold back a cry of pain. Olivia screamed in shock: “Sister-in-law, if you didn’t want to toast, you could have just said so. You didn’t need to pretend to fall on purpose to anger Mr. Chen.” As soon as she finished speaking, the greasy man flew into a rage. But just as he was about to explode, he was intimidated by Jack’s icy face. He could only grit his teeth, wipe the wine off himself, and leave in a huff. Inside the private room, Jack’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot, while I breathed a sigh of relief, wanting to quickly escape. I hadn’t taken more than a few stumbling steps when he grabbed my arm. Jack completely ignored my injuries, his mind full of Olivia’s provocative words. He berated me angrily: “Anna Johnson, I’ve warned you to put aside your petty thoughts. Look at what you’ve done!” “When I tell you to entertain, can’t you just smile? Have these years of poverty made you forget the etiquette of a wealthy heiress? Have you also forgotten the rules of high society? Don’t you know that just toasting would have ended this?” I unconsciously clenched my fists and looked at Jack. Gritting my teeth, I said: “But I’m your wife, and this so-called Mr. Chen is just a small supplier relying on your goodwill.” My meaning was clear. If he had just been unwilling, or even pointed out my identity, That Mr. Chen wouldn’t have dared to do this. The reason he was unwilling to point it out was just to cater to Olivia’s little vanity. Jack’s eyes suddenly became evasive under my gaze. But before he could speak, Olivia started berating me first. “Anna Johnson! How dare you speak to Jack like that! Have you forgotten that Jack bought you? Without him, you couldn’t even survive! If he wasn’t supporting you, who knows where you’d be selling your body now!” “What’s this? Just a small matter and you dare to get angry at Jack!” Olivia’s words stabbed at my heart one by one. My eyes instantly reddened. Jack raised an eyebrow, unusually angry at Olivia. “Enough! This won’t happen again! Go wait for me in the car.” After Olivia left, his expression changed to one of apology as he explained to me. “That’s just how she is. All that talk about buying and supporting, don’t take it to heart.” Jack glanced at my injured face and frowned. “Your face is hurt. Go to the hospital yourself first. I’ll come back to keep you company after I finish my work tonight.” He didn’t let me speak, just turned and left. But he was right, I didn’t need to keep taking it to heart anymore. Just two more times, and I’ll have repaid my debt. In the future, I won’t need him to support me either.

After going to the hospital, I got home around midnight. He didn’t come back in the evening as he said he would, and I didn’t inquire as I usually did. The next day, his assistant brought me his compensation – two black cards. This was Jack’s default compensation after hurting me each time. He specifically emphasized that one card was an apology for making me entertain, and the other was compensation for forcing me to be a nude model. Expressionlessly, I labeled the two black cards with the numbers 96 and 97 and carelessly stuffed them into a drawer. Looking at the drawer full of black cards, I knew that I would soon be free. After packing up some personal belongings, I headed downstairs towards the stables. Jack had given me many things, but I didn’t want any of them. The only thing I wanted to take was the horse named Snowflake. It was a birthday gift from my parents when I turned 18, and after the bankruptcy, it was all I had left. But Jack hated animals, yet he still built a stable just for Snowflake, for my sake. Seeing me come to feed the horse, a servant smiled and said, “Madam, the master is already feeding the horse.” I was stunned. He was always so attentive to small things, making me think he had truly fallen in love with me. I went over expressionlessly, intending to get the last two perfect scores. But when I arrived at the stable and saw the situation clearly, my heart instantly chilled! Olivia was riding on Snowflake’s back, viciously whipping the horse’s head. Snowflake whinnied in pain repeatedly. And Jack stood by with interest, just watching. He clearly knew that Snowflake was my most beloved horse! Yet he still watched Olivia beat it. I rushed over, screaming frantically: “Stop! It’s my horse! Don’t hit it!” Seeing me run over in panic, Olivia landed two more vicious lashes before stopping: “Sister-in-law, so Snowflake belongs to you? Jack said he had a particularly unruly horse here, so he brought me to play with it.” “I really like this horse. Sister-in-law, could you sell it to me?” Jack also came forward, frowning as he looked at me: “What are you yelling for? Don’t you know Olivia’s mental state isn’t good? There are other more expensive horses in the stable. Just give Snowflake to Olivia and pick any of the others you want, isn’t that fine?” I looked at him in dismay: “Have you forgotten? This is the heirloom my parents left me.” Jack was stunned for a moment. Just when I thought he would tell Olivia to get down, He said: “Just this once. I’ll buy you a better one later, okay?” Olivia immediately threw down the whip, stroking Snowflake’s head with eyes full of reluctance and tears: “Jack, if sister-in-law is unwilling, then forget it. It’s me who’s trying to take what others love and making myself disliked. I’m so despicable, I don’t deserve such a good horse. Don’t force sister-in-law.” This made Jack even more distressed. He emphasized again that I should give Snowflake to Olivia. I looked at him in shock. Olivia clearly knew how important Snowflake was to me and was deliberately trying to upset me. But Jack just indulged her. I didn’t want to speak. I just went forward to lead Snowflake away. But Jack caught up and grabbed me. “It’s just an animal. If Olivia wants it, give it to her. You’re living off me, can’t I make decisions about your horse?” Even though I was willing to die rather than sign, he forcibly pressed my handprint onto the sales agreement. Olivia said haughtily: “Sister-in-law, your horse is mine now.” At that moment, Snowflake seemed to sense something and kept whinnying at me. The next second, Olivia viciously stabbed the whip into Snowflake’s eye. My heart sank sharply: “Snowflake!” Snowflake reared in pain and started galloping wildly. Olivia swayed chaotically on its back, screaming in terror: “Jack, save me!” Jack was scared out of his wits. He found a hunting rifle in the storage room and aimed at the horse’s head, ready to shoot. I frantically blocked the gun barrel, begging him: “Don’t shoot! I can calm Snowflake down, I can—” “Get out of the way!” Before I could finish, Jack had already roughly pushed me aside, aimed again, and pulled the trigger. With a bang, the bullet pierced through Snowflake’s skull. The horse fell to the ground. Snowflake was lifeless, and my heart felt like it had been stabbed through. I hugged the horse’s body and cried until I was numb. In my daze, I heard Jack and Olivia’s conversation: “Jack, sister-in-law…” “An animal died, so it died. As long as you’re okay, that’s what matters.” “It’s fine, I’ll count this as one perfect score for her. After all…” “There are still dozens more to go.” No, there weren’t. There was only one left. After cremating Snowflake, I returned home and took out my diary. Snowflake was the last memento my parents left me, but because of my powerlessness, it died. Perhaps Mom and Dad were telling me from heaven that everything should end, that nothing should bind me anymore. With tears in my eyes, I wrote the number 98 at the end of the dense list of numbers. But then a shadow fell across my desk. I quickly turned around and saw Jack’s tightly furrowed brows. He looked at my diary with a dark face, an uneasy feeling rising in his heart: “What does this 98 mean?”

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I gave up my identity as the heiress of a tech giant to spend ten years with Jack Simmons, struggling through the early days of our startup. Finally, we developed the world’s most advanced AI capable of predicting everything. But on our wedding day, Jack, now the world’s top AI engineer, fled the ceremony because NORA predicted I would betray him. The AI claimed only Rachel, his junior from college, was his lucky star who could help him achieve great success. As guests mocked and ridiculed me, Rachel sent intimate photos of her and Jack. “Jack said he never loved you. He only agreed to marry you because you were so clingy,” Rachel texted. I immediately blocked them both, broke up with Jack, and kicked him out of the company. Later, when he discovered my true identity as the world’s richest heiress, his eyes turned red with regret… He knelt before me, begging me not to leave him. “Lily Greene, so your husband ran away from the wedding to cuddle with another woman?” On the hillside dotted with luxury vacation villas, the guests who had received the news focused their attention on me like ultraviolet rays. My gaze, however, was fixed on a spot at the foot of the hill that no one else seemed to notice. There stood my groom, Jack Simmons, intimately embracing another woman. Just fifteen minutes ago, he had been standing beside me, holding my hand, ready to complete the ceremony. As the ring was about to be placed on my finger, a phone rang. Jack looked down at his phone amid the puzzled gazes of the guests. The next second, he ran down the hill. “Lily, Rachel says NORA has predicted the outcome of our marriage. NORA says…” “You will eventually betray me.” “And my destiny is Rachel. With her, I’ll become the world’s richest man.” Leaving me with these words, he turned and left, abandoning me to face all the ridicule alone. Within minutes, everyone received the news of Jack’s whereabouts. He had abandoned me, his new bride, and was now drinking with another woman in the hills. Jack held Rachel tightly in his arms, and in the heat of the moment, kissed her. In an instant, all the memories of the past and the sudden loss exploded in my mind, shattering and raging. Then, my gaze instantly dimmed, like a star fading after burning out. My expression was caught by the guests, who gasped and couldn’t help but show their disdain. “Isn’t that today’s groom? Why is he kissing another woman?” “It seems that even the rich and powerful Miss Greene, who carefully chose a genius developer, can’t escape being cheated on.” There was silence as someone hesitated, noticing my blank stare. “Should we go call him back?” “Forget it. He’d rather cuddle in front of the bride than come back to finish the ceremony. He clearly doesn’t love her.” “Let’s go. What’s there to see in a clown’s wedding?” The cool mountain breeze stirred by the departing crowd sucked away all the warmth from my body. My body was chilled, and so was my heart. I don’t know how long I sat in the empty wedding venue before I finally got up and walked to my car at the bottom of the hill. Just as I closed the car door and was about to start the engine, I heard footsteps. Jack had caught up, casually opened the passenger door, and sat down. Our eyes met, and he took my hand, putting on a coy act. “I’m sorry, Lily. I just went to verify the data with Rachel.” Verify the data? Did that require kissing an intern? And had he forgotten that before he was hailed as the world’s top AI engineer… At fourteen, I had graced the cover of Time magazine for my AI research. It was my fascination with his passion for AI that had attracted me and led me to start this company specifically for him. My heart was utterly exhausted, and I was too tired to expose his lies. Seeing my expression, Jack finally reacted: “You saw everything just now?” “Yes.” “Alright, why that expression? It’s not like Rachel just called me for a drink. No need to look like that. I’ll make it up to you with another wedding later.” Another wedding? “If the results are already out, why do you still want to have a wedding with me?” With no emotion in my voice, I slowly withdrew my hand from Jack’s. In the past, I would have argued hysterically, reminding him that I had developed the first half of NORA. I knew better than anyone whether NORA would make such a prediction. But now, I was tired. I didn’t want to argue anymore. I just wanted to end this relationship with Jack. “What do you mean you don’t need it? What are you upset about now? I’ll definitely do what I promised you!” Jack angrily retorted: “Yes, the prediction says you’ll definitely cheat on me.” “But who am I? The world’s top AI engineer. Do you think I’d believe that so easily? Besides…” Jack looked at me, a smile playing on his lips, his tone certain: “You can’t live without me, can you? So I had to come back.” A bitter taste spread on my tongue. I forced a smile: “Well, I should really thank you then.” He glanced at me, hesitated, then continued. “However, you need to apologize to Rachel for questioning the data and her earlier.” At that moment, anger surged in my heart. No wonder he, who always believed unquestioningly in AI data, said he wouldn’t easily believe it. I said coldly, “Jack Simmons, after doing such a dirty thing right in front of me, why should I apologize?” “And…!” I got up, opened the car door, and threw the keys at him. Then I said to him, word by word: “You know how I’ve treated you all these years. Don’t you understand at all why this baseless prediction came about?” Jack’s face flashed with discomfort, quickly replaced by anger. “Lily Greene! Can you stop making things up?!” “I’ve told you so many times that Rachel is just my junior. Are you so dirty-minded that you see everyone else as dirty?!” “NORA can’t be wrong! It’s never been wrong! If you don’t apologize, forget about this wedding! I won’t give you another chance!” “We’ll see if you regret it when I become the world’s richest man!” I coldly watched his angry outburst, feeling a weariness I had never experienced before. It seemed he had truly forgotten that when we got together, I had given him the newborn AI NORA and told him that AI shouldn’t be blindly trusted, as there was a risk of human intervention. And his talk about becoming the world’s richest man? Saying I shouldn’t regret it? Jack Simmons, my Greene family has long been the world’s richest. What you fantasize about was within my reach from birth. Laughing weakly, I threw my ring down the cliff. After meeting Jack’s shocked gaze, I turned and got into another car. As I started the engine, I heard him throwing a tantrum behind me. “Lily Greene, don’t you dare come back crying and begging me to marry you!” “I knew my NORA couldn’t be wrong. A woman like you is just fickle and bound to betray me!!” I stepped on the gas and drove away. Never again, Jack Simmons. I’ve done enough foolish things. This time, I’m truly exhausted.

Driving down the hill, I went to another villa of mine to change clothes. The next day, as soon as I entered the company, I met my assistant. “Draft a resignation letter for Jack Simmons…” Before I could finish, a figure walked towards me as if she had been waiting. It was Rachel Thompson, who had been intimate with Jack yesterday. As she approached, she spoke smugly, “Good morning, Lily. I’m so sorry, Jack kept me up all night, that’s why I’m late.” Even though I had let go, I still felt sick to my stomach. Jack and I met during our studies abroad, with vastly different family backgrounds. This man used to be focused solely on his work, never socializing. Initially, I was attracted by his intense focus when coding. Later, to protect Jack’s pride, I concealed my identity as the Greene heiress. I chose to squeeze into a 600-square-foot apartment with Jack instead of living in the sprawling mansion my mother bought for me. For ten years, I spent my youth accompanying him as he developed NORA, the AI whose first half I had written. He was good to me too. The usually cold and taciturn Jack would confidently promise to give me a perfect wedding in front of others. But everything changed after his junior, Rachel Thompson, appeared. He wouldn’t allow me near their development team, and our wedding was postponed again and again. After my persistent nagging, he finally agreed to hold the wedding. Just when I thought I had finally reached a happy ending… He made me the laughingstock of everyone because of some vague, untested AI prediction. Following his hurt came Rachel’s shameless provocation. Thinking of this, I looked up with a slight smile. “Rachel Thompson, your development team is just one project in my company. If you…” She didn’t hear the rest. I had never threatened her so coldly before. Caught off guard, she stammered a couple of retorts before leaving. After she left, my assistant fumed, “Rachel Thompson acts so recklessly now, relying on being Jack’s junior.” “Ms. Greene, were you just about to process Rachel’s resignation?” I shook my head, “No, process Jack’s resignation.” My voice wasn’t loud, but everyone present turned to look at me. My assistant reflexively blurted out, “What?” I lowered my head and chuckled. So all these years, it was common knowledge that I loved Jack so pathetically. That’s why he was so confident in running away on our wedding day. After all, who didn’t know that I was Jack Simmons’ devoted puppy? Willing to give up my identity as a billionaire’s daughter to personally accompany him in starting a business, even secretly investing billions in resources without letting him know. Iron-fisted and ruthless in the company, yet completely indulgent towards him. No matter how busy, I would still do his laundry and cook for him every day. But faced with this love, he once coldly snorted in front of everyone: “It’s her honor to be good to me, the world’s top AI engineer.” Back then, I was still complacent, feeling content just to be by his side. But now I realize how pathetic I’ve been for the past ten years. Thinking of this, I coldly continued to my assistant, “Sever all ties between Jack Simmons and our company.” “Investigate the cause of NORA’s malfunction. From now on, Jack Simmons has no connection to our company.” “He’s fired.” After dealing with Jack’s resignation, I went to the “home” Jack and I shared.

As a company shareholder, besides firing Jack, I also needed to settle the matter of leaving him with nothing. So I had to find Jack to sign the papers. But looking around, I didn’t see Jack anywhere. I could only go back to the bedroom and start packing my things. But before I had packed much, I heard the front door open. Then a series of indescribable sounds arose, followed by… My whole body trembled. I got up and walked to the bedroom door. The two were kissing passionately on the sofa. Jack had his back to me, completely unaware, while Rachel clung to his embrace, her eyes meeting mine. Her breathless moans grew louder, her cries both seductive and pitiful. “Jack, honey, is this okay? Lily is still your fiancée. Won’t she be angry if we do this in your home?” Jack seemed to hear a joke, his wandering hands growing bolder. “Fiancée? So what? She’s just a puppy! Does she dare to get angry?” “Besides, after being with the same face for ten years, I’m so tired of it!” “Angry? No way! I just need to crook my finger, and she’ll come running back, yapping!” I clenched my fists tightly, my stomach churning violently with nausea. Ten years of memories, from our first meeting to getting together, all our little moments together. At this moment, with his few words, they instantly shattered into millions of sharp blades. The mirror of beautiful memories was smashed, turning into piercing dust that stabbed every cell in my body. The pain was unbearable. In the end, it all turned into a dead numbness. I had imagined I would be heartbroken when we broke up, but I never thought that in Jack’s eyes, I was just this kind of existence. Forget it. The Jack Simmons I fell in love with ten years ago, that coding genius, is long dead. I made a sound, clearing my throat. Jack, who had his back to me, finally noticed. His whole body trembled. After hearing the noise, he whirled around. Seeing it was me, his face flashed with panic and terror before settling into barely concealed smugness. “Now you know to come back and apologize?” Seeing no reaction from me, he pushed Rachel out of his arms and looked around. His gaze finally landed on the suitcase, “Yesterday you drove off and talked about breaking up. Weren’t you acting tough? What happened to that spirit?” “Let me tell you, if you want my forgiveness, it’s not just about apologizing to Rachel anymore.” “You also need to promise that you’re ignorant and will never interfere with our development team’s affairs again. All the company’s funds need to be transferred to the development team!” He stuck out his neck, inadvertently revealing the red marks on it. I suppressed the nausea in my heart, too lazy to argue. “I won’t do it, and I have nothing more to say to you.” I threw on a coat and slapped the voluntary stock transfer agreement on the table onto his body. “Remember to read and sign it. Trust me, you have no other choice.” Jack didn’t look at it. I don’t know what he misunderstood, but his voice behind me grew more arrogant. “Weren’t you so brave, throwing away the ring? Now you know to come back and grovel?” “It won’t be so easy for me to forgive you now. Who told you to offend Rachel? How about this, pack a red envelope with 20 or 30 million dollars.” I was amused by his righteous attitude. If it were before, I would have definitely complied. Forget about a mere 20 or 30 million, I would have given him my life. But now, I didn’t stop walking. Pulling my suitcase, I opened the door and left. I thought I had expressed myself clearly enough. After all, besides leaving with my suitcase, there was also that stock transfer agreement on the table. But unexpectedly, he still misunderstood. Not looking at the stock transfer agreement, he thought I was still obedient to him like before. He believed taking away my suitcase was just to give him and Rachel some space. So the messages he sent became even more arrogant. [What, now you believe in AI’s predictions? Realizing I’ll become the richest man in the world, so you’re starting to suck up to me?] [Lily Greene, I know you have some money, but compared to my future, what does it amount to? Now that you’ve come to your senses, shouldn’t you think about how to properly apologize to me?!] I didn’t divorce Jack, I just sent him a dismissal notice. My assistant also told me that my father, who was abroad, would be coming to Shanghai in the next few days to discuss the company’s return to the Greene Group. By then, I would take NORA and preside over the Greene Group, finally revealing myself to the public as the world’s richest woman. But I still didn’t expect that two days later, Jack would barge into my CEO office, bringing Rachel along. Seeing the front desk security trying to stop them, Jack angrily shouted: “You dogs dare to stop us? Lily Greene is my lapdog, do you want to be fired?”

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After my wife was assaulted, she became emotionally unstable and lost her appetite. Even when I put aside work to focus entirely on her, she would only tell me to get lost. Until one drunken night, my wife sent another woman to my bed. “This way, neither of us can blame the other,” she said. I could only swallow my hurt feelings. Little did I know, beneath this incident lay another layer of truth I was unaware of… The hangover headache made me reach for my phone on the nightstand to check the time. Then a hand helped me grab the phone. Someone was standing by the bed, staring at me ominously with bloodshot eyes, like a predator spotting prey and waiting to strike. “Honey, you’re awake?” It was my wife. I rubbed my head. “Lily, what’s wrong with your eyes? Didn’t you sleep?” Lily didn’t answer. Instead, she picked up the phone and made a call. “Hello, I’d like to report a rape.” Lily’s words shocked me. Just a month ago, Lily herself had been assaulted. Although the perpetrator had been arrested, that night’s events had become a thorn in Lily’s heart. In the weeks since coming home, Lily had seen countless therapists. But any mention of keywords related to that night would instantly send her into a frenzy, smashing things and cursing. She’d accuse us of rubbing salt in her wounds, of not letting her move on. Eventually, Lily’s mental state became erratic and jumpy. If she saw me standing close to any other woman, she would immediately rush over and slap me hard. “I knew you were disgusted by me. I knew it. I’ve been watching you for a long time. You want to divorce me and be with her, don’t you?” “I’m telling you, if I hadn’t gone to bring you an umbrella, I never would have met him. None of this would have happened.” She was right. I bore some responsibility for what happened. That day, I had worked overtime at the office until 10 PM. When I went downstairs, I realized it was raining. I tried to get a ride, but the Uber queue was over 50 people long. I tried to buy an umbrella, but several stores said they were sold out and only had plastic bags left. I declined the bags. So I asked Lily to come pick me up. But before she arrived, I got a call from the police saying my wife had been dragged into an alley and assaulted. She was extremely distraught. In my rush, I ended up going to the police station with a black garbage bag over my head. So in this state, when Lily suddenly and uncharacteristically uttered the word “rape,” I naturally couldn’t understand. “Lily, what are you talking about?” Lily ignored me and continued, “Shisen Road, Linxue Garden, Building 2, Unit 304. The rapist…” Lily glanced at me. “Marcus Wilson.”

She said my name. My heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t understand why she was falsely accusing me. Until I heard faint breathing behind me. I turned around and realized there was another woman sleeping in the same bed. She was curled up by the edge, which is why I hadn’t noticed her before. At that moment, I finally understood what Lily meant by “rape.” “I didn’t do anything. I don’t even know her,” I said frantically, grabbing Lily’s arm to prove my innocence. Lily just gave me a look, then turned and locked the door, leaving me alone with the woman. I wanted to wake her up and ask what was going on, but she was completely naked. I didn’t dare look. I deliberately made some noise to wake her up. Thankfully it worked, and the woman finally stirred. But the confusion in her eyes matched my own. The unfamiliar environment and my presence made her shriek. “Who are you? Why am I here?” She grabbed a pillow and started hitting me with it, angrily demanding to know what I had done to her. I could only tell her to calm down and try to remember what happened last night. But this was the woman’s first time in this kind of situation. How could she possibly stay calm? After cursing me and my ancestors, she asked where I had hidden her clothes. I looked around and saw her clothes scattered everywhere. Just as I picked them up to toss to her, the door opened again. “We received a report of a crime in progress. Please come with us,” said the police officers who entered.

Sitting at the police station again, I felt like I was on pins and needles. Fortunately, all the evidence showed that nothing had actually happened between me and the strange woman. We were both innocent. As for why she ended up in my bed, it seems she really had just drunkenly wandered into the wrong place. After getting lectured by the police, on the way home I asked Lily why she had said those misleading things. Rape accusations could ruin my reputation for life. Plus, my company was in the middle of a restructuring. I had a good chance at a director position. If anyone at work found out about this, even if it was all made up, it would still become the subject of gossip. Lily glanced at me. There was a hint of some indescribable emotion in her eyes. Her next words shocked me even more. “Because I did it.” “That woman – I carried her to the bed.” My eyes widened in disbelief. I turned to look at Lily, about to ask why. Just then, our taxi rear-ended the car in front of us. The driver got out, cursing loudly as he went to argue with the other driver. I glanced outside. The car we hit was an Audi. Apparently the other driver had changed lanes abruptly, causing the collision. But that wasn’t important. What mattered was my wife, and why she would try to frame me as a rapist. “Why?” I asked. Deep down, I had an inkling. But I needed to hear it from her own mouth, to extinguish that last flicker of hope in my heart. “This way we’re even,” she said. “Neither of us owes the other anything.” What a thing to say – that we’re even now. “Did you think about the consequences of doing this?” I asked. Lily seemed completely unconcerned as she turned to watch the argument outside. “Of course I know the consequences.” “But if you love me, you shouldn’t blame me.” I stared at her. The dim light cast shadows across her face. The red taillights reflected in her eyes, making her words seem even more vicious. On the way home, I didn’t say another word to her. I knew she blamed me for causing her to lose her dignity, for the public humiliation that left her unable to show her face. But if I’m being honest, I had never once looked down on her since the incident. I never showed even a hint of impatience. In fact, worried she might overthink things, I kept my distance from all other women. I turned down any work events I could avoid, just to stay home with her. We even moved far away from where it happened. I promised her parents I would never divorce her. What happened was an accident. More than anger, I felt heartbroken for her. Lily was the woman I had pursued for years, the apple of my eye. Even if her temper had become erratic, I felt it was understandable. But last night, that one work event I couldn’t skip was crucial for my promotion. I had to go. Yet it was this one time that Lily decided to set such a trap.

When we got home, Lily started changing the bedsheets unprompted. Her phone kept buzzing, probably someone calling. I wasn’t in the mood to listen. I went to the bathroom to have a smoke and clear my head. I chain-smoked half a pack, but still couldn’t calm down. I kept thinking about how over the line Lily’s actions were. I considered her in everything I did, but she clearly didn’t think of me at all. This was a critical time for my promotion. I was the sole breadwinner. We’d been married two years, and both sets of parents were eager for grandkids. If I could land the director position, we could significantly improve our lifestyle and reduce a lot of stress. Then we could start thinking about having a baby. But now, it had all gone up in smoke. I regretted asking Lily to bring me an umbrella that night. But I was also angry that she would use such dirty tactics to drag me down with her. I loved Lily, but after this, I wasn’t sure I loved her quite so much anymore. I shook out the cigarette pack and found it empty. I had to leave the bathroom, only to find Lily standing ominously by the door, staring at me. “My parents are coming over tomorrow,” she said. I felt annoyed. This kind of thing didn’t need to involve the parents. Besides, it wasn’t my fault to begin with. But Lily just repeated: “If it weren’t for you, how would I have gotten assaulted? You owe me for all of this.” Her words left me feeling ice cold. Of course, if doing this made her feel better, I wouldn’t hold it against her. But I never imagined she was actually trying to destroy me! Both sets of parents berated me harshly. I couldn’t explain myself. When neighbors asked about the police visit, Lily casually said, “Oh that? It’s because he committed rape.” Let me put it this way – when the incident first happened, Lily appeared as the victim and naturally garnered sympathy. But in her retelling, I was the perpetrator, so of course people condemned me. Everyone advised Lily to divorce me, calling me scum who didn’t deserve to live or even be in the same neighborhood as them. Even my company put me on leave, with no return date in sight. I became a target for everyone’s anger. Meanwhile, Lily transformed into the good woman, saying I had just made a mistake, that she loved me and chose to forgive me. Our reputations were completely reversed. Even when I said it was all a misunderstanding and the police could prove it, people said there’s no smoke without fire. I had no way to defend myself. I asked Lily to explain, but she said this was nothing compared to what she went through. If I couldn’t handle even this much, was I even a man? I laughed bitterly. How were these situations the same at all? Our circumstances were completely different. I had never aired her trauma in public. I protected her, shielding her from harmful rumors. But her? She seemed afraid people wouldn’t hurt me enough. She kept stabbing me in the heart with sharp swords. I thought, surely this is enough? Surely we’ve reached the limit? I went to talk to Lily, telling her she had to publicly apologize to me. Otherwise, I would sue her for defamation. “You wouldn’t dare!” Lily glared at me coldly. Her expression was so detached, as if I were a stranger to her. “You planned this whole thing yourself. I’ve put up with you for a long time. If you’re not willing to apologize…” I paused. “Then let’s get divorced.”

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The Year I Died, He Was Marrying Someone Else I had been William’s mistress for four years. On the day I died, he was marrying someone else. “You didn’t come on my big day. What, you don’t want to see me marry another woman?” “Or do you think I’ll give in if you throw a tantrum?” “Olivia, I’ll say this one last time. If you don’t show up today, don’t ever think about coming back.” Later, he knelt before my grave and personally carved my epitaph. “My wife, Olivia. Born when the last pear blossom fell, died the year I loved her most.” That was the first time he admitted he loved me. But what did it matter? I was already dead. “Aren’t you happy now that I’m dead and you can marry her?” I floated beside William at the wedding venue. He couldn’t hear me, of course. He just frowned, having his assistant Sarah repeatedly dial my number. Two calls went unanswered. The third time, the phone was turned off. Ten minutes later, he lost his patience. He took out his phone and sent me a few text messages, full of mockery and threats: “You didn’t come on my big day. What, you don’t want to see me marry another woman?” “Or do you think I’ll give in if you throw a tantrum?” “Olivia, I’ll say this one last time. If you don’t show up today, don’t ever think about coming back.” When talking to me, he always had this air of absolute authority, as if he held the power of life and death. Unfortunately, no matter how angry he was now, he couldn’t take it out on me anymore. Because a few hours ago, I had died. “Mr. Song, the wedding is about to start. You should go change,” Sarah reminded him, holding a tablet, her posture upright and respectful. Hearing this, William’s hand paused on the screen, his sharp brows furrowing. After a few seconds, he tossed the phone to Sarah: “Keep calling until she picks up.”

For some reason, I couldn’t leave William’s side. Or rather, in my spirit form, I couldn’t move more than three steps away from him. I was forced to follow him onto the stage. The wedding venue was decorated with an ocean theme, with a huge blue whale suspended in the air, as beautiful as in a dream. Except the bride wasn’t me, it was Emma. A year ago, William had asked me to bring lunch to his company, specifically requesting salt-baked shrimp. I had spent from morning till noon preparing it, even cutting my hand while deveining the shrimp. But as soon as I entered the office, Sarah stopped me. She had just started working at the company then and wasn’t experienced in handling such situations. “Mr. Song is in a meeting. Please wait outside, Miss Yang.” It was a rather clumsy lie. Before she finished speaking, suspicious sounds leaked from the door crack. Sarah’s face turned red instantly, her eyes flickering, seemingly thinking of how to make me feel better. I smiled faintly and patted her shoulder to comfort her: “It’s okay, I’ll wait outside.” After it ended, William walked out with a petite girl in his arms. That was the first time I saw Emma. Fair skin, big eyes, her high ponytail a bit messy, but it didn’t diminish her youthful beauty. Although neither Emma nor I was the only flower in William’s garden, considering his past preferences, he had never gone for such an innocent college girl before. So when William told me he was going to marry Emma, I was a bit surprised. But I quickly composed myself and packed all my things that very night. Well, “packing” only involved one suitcase. Before I left, he sat on the balcony, his long fingers entwined with misty smoke, smiling somewhat mockingly. “Can’t take it anymore?” He approached me step by step, the heavy tobacco smell assaulting my senses, making me feel nauseous. “I’m sorry, Mr. Song, but I don’t sleep with married men.” If there had been a mirror, I’m sure my smile would have looked awful. William’s smile froze on his face as he lowered his head and gripped my chin. “Should I praise you for your professional ethics?” In his eyes, I was just a woman he had bought with money. Not sleeping with married men sounded like a laughable excuse. “Or are you still hoping to marry me?” I lowered my head. I had thought about it. But it was just… a thought. And even this, I didn’t dare to admit. Seeing my long silence, William patted my face with a hint of mockery, his cool tone piercing my heart. “Olivia, ask yourself, are you worthy?”

William wasn’t always like this. We were childhood sweethearts for ten years. When other girls complained that he wouldn’t teach them but only taught me, he would seriously say I wasn’t just anyone. He would also punch the face of the boy who mocked me when I stained my pants during my period. But now, I can’t remember what that William who protected me at every turn looked like anymore. For me, he only had endless hatred. “Olivia, why didn’t you die with your mother?” This was what he said to me most often later. In our senior year, there was a sudden power outage at school. William and I went home early, only to witness an unspeakable scene between my mother and his father. The gossip about a single widow seducing a married man quickly spread among the neighbors. William’s parents had a big fight. But on their way to the civil affairs bureau to get a divorce, a large truck suddenly overturned. They didn’t even make it to the ambulance, passing away on the spot. On the day of the funeral, I waited outside William’s house all night with red eyes. When he walked out of the dim dawn light, looking haggard, the first thing he said to me was: “Olivia, I don’t have parents anymore. Are you happy?” He hugged me, his long fingers leaving red marks on my arms. Tears occasionally fell on my shoulder. I endured the pain, stammering my lips, apologizing to him over and over again. But in the end, William just shook his head and left with a tear-filled “I hate you.” He disappeared completely from my life, and my mother also suffered a stroke and became paralyzed due to the shock. But what I didn’t expect was that seven years later, when I was worried about medical expenses, William would appear again, casually helping me pay the rest of the hospital bills. “Olivia, she needs to live to see how you suffer.” Perhaps from that moment on, our ending was destined to be a tragedy.

However, William’s methods of torturing me weren’t very sophisticated, nothing more than nitpicking. He would only drink coffee after it had been brewed eight times, and would throw a fit if the bath water was one degree too low. Once I showed any dissatisfaction, I couldn’t sleep at night. I already had sensitive skin, and even slight pressure would leave bruises. William never showed mercy because of this, often indulging as much as he pleased. Once when I was sick, I went to the hospital for IV drips for two days. On my way back, I happened to meet a senior from school. He walked me to my doorstep and chatted with me casually for a bit. It just so happened that William had returned from a business trip and saw this scene. “I still have a fever. Can you let me rest for a while?” I didn’t know why he suddenly got angry, I just hoped that he would spare me this once, considering our years of friendship. “You can still chat and laugh with others, so you probably don’t need rest.” “Besides, 39 degrees (Celsius), I haven’t tried it before. Want to give it a try?” Beast. I cursed at him, deliberately provoking him, but tears fell silently. William turned my face back to him, his thumb gently wiping the blood from my bitten lip. “Don’t act like you’ve suffered some great injustice. At worst, you can go splurge with my card tomorrow to vent.” “After all, exchanging your body for benefits is something your family has always been good at.” I glared at William. Hitting my sore spot made him unusually happy, the smile on his face carrying a hint of ferocious pleasure. “Otherwise, why do you think my dad took care of your family for no reason?” My strength suddenly drained away. Because on this point, I had no way to refute. The occasional candies, the cash gifts during holidays. They had already become things that made me feel guilty whenever I thought about them, without me even knowing. After it ended, I had a fever for three more days, taking care of myself alone in the guest room. William, separated by just a wall, only threw over a box of fever reducers on the first day. He said: “Olivia, don’t die in my house. It’s unlucky.”

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After losing my memory, I mistakenly thought my sworn enemy was my husband. I even moved into his house. On the day I regained my memory, I was tugging at his sleeve, asking for a kiss. As memories flooded back, I froze, about to run away. But he, usually cold and aloof, frowned and leaned down to kiss me, saying resignedly: “There, now will you stay put at home?” Before regaining my memory, I thought Liam Winters was the best husband in the world. I loved him to death. I’d cry if I couldn’t see him for even a second. At the breakfast table one morning, I was clinging tightly to Liam’s sleeve, refusing to let go. Tears welled up in my eyes. “Are you going to abandon me again?” “Aria, let go.” The man I was clutching looked at me coldly, tugging his arm. The buttons on his suit jacket made a dangerous creaking sound. I stubbornly hugged his arm, my tone plaintive: “You didn’t say that before, honey. You said you’d love me forever. I’ll die without you…” This kind of conversation happened every morning. On average, I’d throw a fit every two or three days. Only Liam could calm me down. Liam closed his eyes briefly, giving up the struggle. “I’m just going to a meeting. I’ll be back tonight.” “How late is ‘tonight’? I’m scared to sleep alone.” Seeing he didn’t respond, I started crying with my head down. A flash of exasperation crossed Liam’s face. Suppressing his temper, he asked quietly: “What do you want this time?” I turned my face, pointing at my cheek. “You haven’t kissed me goodbye yet.” My coquettish figure was reflected in the mirror. Liam’s tall frame sat beside me. We really were… a match made in heaven— Before I could finish that thought, my mind suddenly went blank. That handsome face gradually overlapped with the one in my memories. As my memories came flooding back, I froze in place. My loving gaze slowly turned to horror. Wait. What am I doing? I’m Aria Rose, CEO of Rose Corporation. Liam Winters and I have been locked in a cutthroat business war. And now I’ve lost my mind and called him my husband?! I tensed up, about to mock him. But then the usually cold Liam frowned and leaned down to kiss me on the cheek. That cool kiss was like an electric current. It instantly coursed through my whole body. Liam’s tone was resigned: “There, now will you stay put at home?”

Liam left. I stood there stunned, taking a full twenty minutes to recover. Did he just… kiss me? To describe my relationship with Liam Winters, we’d stab each other given half a chance. The last time we met, I cheerfully cursed him to “die young”. Liam gave me a cold glance and replied flatly: “If so, I’m afraid I’ll have to take Miss Rose down with me.” Who would have thought that in just two weeks, I’d experience a car accident, lose my memory, and fall in love with Liam at first sight. I even pestered him until he let me move into his private residence. What a mess… The mansion was eerily quiet. I sat in a chair, thinking calmly for a long time. I was certain of one thing: I absolutely could not admit that I had regained my memory. Liam would mock me for the rest of my life. I frantically searched the room for my suitcase, finally discovering my work phone in a hidden pocket. When my assistant answered my call, she nearly burst into tears: “Miss Rose, where have you been these past two weeks? Liam Winters has almost stolen all your business.” I gritted my teeth in anger. No wonder he’d been so unusually gentle with me these past two weeks. So he was secretly laughing at me while aggressively swallowing up my business? “The Yuzhou contract is being signed today, right?” My assistant was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan: “Yes, Yuzhou is planning to sign with Liam since you’ve been missing for over two weeks.” My heart sank. I immediately got dressed and headed out: “I’ll go stop Liam. Tell Hughes that if he can’t secure this deal, he’s fired!”

That day, I took the flight after Liam’s and landed in Yuzhou. William Hughes, the company’s VP, had been handling this project. My unfamiliar face was perfect for making a splash. The evening banquet hall was filled with the clinking of glasses. I examined my pale gold mermaid gown in the lobby’s glass reflection, satisfied. I had bought this using Liam’s card while I had amnesia. Including jewelry, I had spent nearly 10 million in total. Even this flight ticket was charged to his card. Liam must know I’m here. I stood at the entrance, scanning the crowd, but didn’t see Liam. Just as I was about to leave, I suddenly bumped into a solid body behind me. Liam’s familiar cold, elegant woody scent instantly enveloped me. His icy voice dripped with sarcasm in my ear. “Done pretending, Miss Rose?” I froze for a second, then spun around and threw myself into his arms. “Honey, I missed you so much!” The movement was too big, exposing a large expanse of my back. It attracted quite a few stares. “Who’s that?” “Looks like Mrs. Winters.” Liam stiffened, then covered me with his jacket and led me by the waist into a prep room. The cold table edge dug into my backside, making the dishes clatter. Liam’s eyes were dark. “Aria, what are you trying to do?” He only called me by my full name when I had amnesia. Looks like I fooled him again. I played with his tie, my eyes wandering. “Nothing, I just missed you…” “Tell me the truth.” The smile fell from my face as I instantly teared up. “They said… you have a mistress in Yuzhou… I came to see…” There wasn’t a hint of warmth in Liam’s eyes. “That’s not true.” “You’re lying!” I kicked him petulantly. “I just saw you talking to a woman. You don’t love me anymore…” “…” Liam frowned. “That was a business partner.” Of course I knew it was a business partner. The VP of Yuzhou Minghua Group. I turned my head away. “I don’t believe you! Unless you take me with you tonight.” Liam was at a loss dealing with me. “Fine.” That night, I hung on Liam’s arm like a happy butterfly. I chatted animatedly with the Minghua Group representatives. Liam’s business discussions were interrupted by me several times. In the end, he sat in a corner, his dark eyes silently watching me. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. As soon as the banquet ended, Liam took me back to our room. The door slammed shut. Darkness fell. Liam’s rough fingertips pressed against my neck, gently caressing: “Aria, I never realized you were such a social butterfly.” His voice was steady, made even more seductive by the darkness. I had a few drinks tonight and was feeling a bit tipsy. I clung to him and whined: “I just didn’t want you talking to other women…” I secretly shook off the goosebumps. Damn, how embarrassing… Was I really like this when I lost my memory? Liam chuckled for no reason. “No commitment, yet so possessive.” He set me down on the bed as his phone suddenly rang. The flashing light was a bit blinding in the dark night. He answered the call. His assistant’s words floated out of the speaker. “Mr. Winters, Miss Rose’s people snatched the Yuzhou contract.” “Who did you say?” “Her subordinate, William Hughes.” The room fell dead silent. The clock in the corner ticked in time with my heartbeat, striking my nerves. I nonchalantly hooked my foot around him while holding my breath, waiting for Liam’s reaction. The rustling of his suit pants was audible. He hung up the phone, a cold smile playing on his thin lips: “Aria, you knew I was signing the contract today, didn’t you?” I nestled in his arms, breathing in his deep, mellow scent, staying silent. He gripped my chin, lifting it to examine me for a moment before suddenly smiling: “Memory back?” My heart skipped a beat. If I admitted it now, I’d be dead meat tonight. I gave him a blank look and mumbled: “Honey, it’s hot…” He saw my face flushed from alcohol. Those deep eyes fixed on my face, unmoving. Liam hid the calculation in his eyes, his tone gentle. “Aria, you think I’m that easy to fool?” “I like you… how could I be fooling—” Liam’s smile faded as he leaned down to bite my lip. The kiss held a trace of unresolvable anger. He bit until the taste of blood spread between our lips. Only when I frowned in pain did Liam release me, coldly laughing as he stroked my messy hair: “Go on, what other nonsense haven’t you said yet? Hubby’s listening.” I caught my breath, my gaze sincere: “I love you—ah!” Accompanied by a sharp ripping sound, my dress was torn in half at the waist. Liam’s eyes were completely tinged with cruelty. “You really won’t learn until you see the coffin.” He forcefully pinned me in the corner, his fingers intertwining with mine. Chuckling softly: “I hope you can say that again the day you regain your memory.” “Otherwise, I don’t mind killing you with my own hands.” …

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I never expected to end up tangled in the sheets with Jack Carlisle, my family’s longtime friend and my unofficial guardian. The morning after our passionate night together, I did what I do best: I put on my ice queen face and pretended nothing had ever happened between us. But Jack? Oh, he’s not taking it well at all. He’s going absolutely crazy, trying to make me acknowledge what we shared. I heard that he never dates, never gives women a chance at a real relationship. And he certainly never touches the same woman twice. Yet somehow, we’ve been maintaining this secret affair for six whole months. Then one day, Mrs. Carlisle excitedly showed me a photo. “Jack picked his fiancée himself. Isn’t she beautiful?” I looked at the stunningly gorgeous woman in the picture and smiled, offering my congratulations. “She’s very pretty. They make a great couple. Congratulations to Jack.” Late that night, Jack suddenly appeared in my room. “Getting cocky, aren’t you, Aria? Calling me ‘daddy’ in bed and ‘Mr. Carlisle’ outside. Are you playing games with me?”

As I made my way downstairs, my body aching, I saw Jack sitting at the dining table. His tie was undone, his collar open, revealing the bite mark on his collarbone. I nearly stumbled, quickly grabbing the railing to steady myself. Jack glanced up at me, his tone as calm and indifferent as ever: “Be careful coming down.” “Mm, I will,” I replied. He said nothing more, lowering his gaze to continue eating. I watched his long fingers grip the knife and fork, cutting into the food on his plate. His knuckles were prominent, his hands clean and strong. My cheeks began to burn as I remembered how those hands, so skilled with surgical instruments, had explored uncharted territories of my body just last night. Again and again, they had brought me to the heights of pleasure.

I bypassed the dining room and headed for the kitchen. Grabbing an egg and a carton of milk, I prepared to leave. “Aria,” Jack suddenly called out to me. I instinctively stopped and turned around. He had already stood up, taking the jacket handed to him by the housekeeper. “I’ll give you a ride. We’re going the same way,” he said. “No need, I can take the subway…” I began to protest. Jack didn’t respond, just looked down at me from his imposing height. My gaze accidentally fell on the bite mark on his collarbone, and I quickly looked away, as if burned.

“No subway today,” Jack said, glancing at his watch. “Let’s go.” Afraid of annoying him, I didn’t insist further. Jack, being a surgeon, was always a neat freak. I didn’t dare eat anything in his car, so I stuffed the egg and milk into my backpack. As I got into the car earlier, I must have aggravated the tender area between my legs. Sitting in the car seat made me feel uncomfortably stiff. Jack seemed to notice. He closed his tablet and lowered the partition in the car. “We’ll stop by a pharmacy. You should apply some ointment,” he said. I kept my head down, my face burning hot. “Okay.” “If it still hurts after applying the medicine, come to the hospital. I’ll take care of it.” “Alright.” “I drank a bit too much last night. I lost control and hurt you.” “It’s okay, Mr. Carlisle,” I said softly. “I was drunk too. It wasn’t entirely your fault.” I understood Jack’s meaning clearly. In his view, last night was just drunken sex. But the truth was, I hadn’t been drunk at all. I had deliberately used alcohol as an excuse to let myself cross the line. “Don’t overthink it. Focus on your studies for now.” “Mm.” The car moved smoothly forward. I sat properly, occasionally brushing against his pants with my bare legs when the car bumped. He didn’t move away, but I discreetly shifted further from him.

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