Author: Momo Chan

On the third anniversary of our son’s death, Alexander Shaw didn’t come home. Instead, I saw his photo with that innocent-looking starlet, Rosalie Lee, on TV. This time, I truly didn’t want to fight anymore. The moment I returned from the cemetery, I sent him a message: “Alexander, let’s get a divorce!” I sent the message at 3 PM, and he came home at 9 PM. Alexander saw me sitting at our son’s old desk. His tone was cold, “Aria, what madness are you up to now?” Madness? Yes, I’ve been a wreck since our son died. At the funeral, I slapped him three times, demanding he bring back our child. He yelled at me with red eyes, “You lunatic! You’re the one who killed our son!” “Why didn’t you watch him properly?” At that moment, I remembered – it was me. I left Henry by the pool, and when I returned, only his lifeless body was floating on the surface. A video of me attacking Alexander at the funeral home went viral. From then on, the name “Mrs. Shaw” was followed by whispers of “that unstable woman.” Alexander found me embarrassing. He’s barely been home these past three years. If I wanted to see him, I could only catch glimpses in gossip columns. This situation was different, though. I stood up and handed him the divorce papers. “I’m not crazy. I’m just… done.” “Mom said if I can’t control you, I should let someone else do it. She’s ready to find a replacement for you.” Alexander scoffed, tearing up the divorce agreement in seconds. “Aria, forget it. Even if you die, you’ll die as part of the Shaw family.” I wasn’t surprised. I just reminded him, “Don’t be late for the visit to your parents’ house tomorrow.” Then I returned the chair to its original position and went to the bedroom. Since Henry passed, Alexander and I have slept in separate rooms. The bedsheets seemed to still hold our child’s scent. I inhaled deeply, sitting there motionless. Then I realized – the sheets had been changed. The baby powder smell was gone. When Alexander came in, he saw me like this and couldn’t help but mock me: “Remembering the past? What’s the point of fooling yourself?” “Today is our child’s death anniversary, Alexander. You commemorated it with tabloid gossip. How classy.” Hearing this, Alexander’s face immediately paled. We both knew how to hit each other’s weak spots. Clearly, this time, I had hurt him. He loosened his tie and surprisingly lay down beside me. I was about to push him away when Alexander muttered, “I didn’t forget. I just got held up.” “Rosalie’s son had a sudden heart attack. I had to go.” “That’s a life at stake too.” I didn’t respond. Rosalie Lee, the new innocent starlet launched by the entertainment company. She debuted with a pure image, but somehow ended up with a child. A single mother raising a kid, independent and strong – just the type to catch Alexander’s eye. Since then, whenever the child was sick, Alexander would contact specialists. If she had family issues, Alexander would smooth things over. When her career hit obstacles, of course, Alexander would be there to protect her. During these three years that I’ve been labeled “unstable,” Rosalie has apparently been poised to replace me as Mrs. Shaw. But now? Alexander doesn’t want a divorce. How ironic! I covered myself with the blanket without saying a word. Soon, Alexander’s phone rang. I could faintly hear Rosalie’s sobs. He immediately sprang up and stormed out, slamming the door. I heard the car start in the driveway. Not long after, I received a message from Rosalie: “Alexander won’t be coming back tonight, Mrs. Shaw. Please don’t call him. It’s too late and inconvenient.” The photo showed Alexander’s profile as he cradled a boy to sleep. His usually sharp features were softened by a rare tenderness, making my eyes sting. I took a deep breath and sent her the recording of him refusing the divorce. Rosalie quickly went silent. Why bother? I just want to leave. Alexander, you shouldn’t have stopped me. I really might go mad.

On the way to his parents’ house, I imagined a thousand ways his mother would scold and torment me. But I never expected Alexander to bring Rosalie along. As soon as the door opened, I saw Rosalie and her child gathered around Alexander’s mother. Alexander sat on the opposite sofa, a gentle smile in his eyes. They looked like a perfect family. My heart felt like it had been stabbed repeatedly. How could Alexander do this? “Mother-in-law,” I greeted. Hearing my voice, they all turned. Seeing me, his mother’s smile faded. “You’re here?” I nodded and sat down directly. “I didn’t know we had guests today.” Alexander and I weren’t divorced yet, so Rosalie was still an outsider. Hearing this, Rosalie smiled humbly: “I just got a ticket for a new play and wanted to invite you to see it together, Mother. It’s by Director Yin.” “And little Tommy missed his grandma, so we stopped by.” From Rosalie’s tone, it seemed this wasn’t her first visit. For her son to call Alexander’s mother “grandma,” it must have been with her approval. I just smiled faintly. “How thoughtful.” But Alexander’s mother looked at me. “She’s so busy with a child, yet still thinks of me. You, my daughter-in-law, can’t manage at home or outside. I really don’t know why Alexander married you. He should have replaced you long ago!” Hearing this, I caught a flash of joy in Rosalie’s eyes. I just called the maid to pour me a cup of tea, then said, “Wasn’t I chosen because I had no family and some money? Easy to control?” “Otherwise, given the Shaw family’s situation back then, you couldn’t have found another sucker, right?” His mother was suddenly speechless, never expecting me to be so bold as to speak to her like this. Alexander was displeased. “Aria!” I took a sip of hot tea to calm myself. “Am I wrong? Without my five million, could you have weathered that crisis?” “Now you want to kick away the ladder after you’ve climbed up?” “Alexander, I’ll tear down this bridge myself, but you need to return the wood I provided.” Bang! As soon as I finished speaking, his mother threw a teacup at me. I dodged, and the scalding tea splashed near my feet. But the shards cut Tommy’s foot. He burst into tears. “Tommy!” Rosalie quickly knelt to check on him. Alexander’s mother also looked extremely anxious. I hadn’t expected this and was about to go over when a great force knocked me down! Alexander pushed me aside to pick up Tommy, then turned to shout at me: “Aria, must you make such a scene? I’ll deal with you when we get home!” He carried the child out with Rosalie, while his mother stayed behind to throw one last barb: “Even so, you killed my grandson. The Shaw family doesn’t owe you anything. If you know what’s good for you, leave now!” Then she hurried after them. No one cared that I was hurt too. My hand stung fiercely. After rinsing it with cold water, I went to the hospital. Some wounds can’t be ignored. When I got home, Alexander was there, surprisingly. I ignored him. The doctor had prescribed me medication and advised me not to bottle things up. I considered today a fresh start, though it hadn’t gone well. “Aria, don’t you have anything to say to me?” Alexander’s eyes were dark and unreadable. I paused, looking at him on the sofa. Tilting my head, I asked, “About the divorce?” He laughed bitterly. “Fine! You want a divorce? Well, I won’t give you the satisfaction! You just want to take the money and start a new life. Dream on!” I frowned. Alexander strode over, gripping my neck as he tried to kiss me. Seeing his face so close, smelling the perfume on him, I instinctively slapped him!

A moment of silence, then Alexander forcefully kissed me, ignoring my resistance. Painful memories flooded back. I suddenly pushed him away, covering my stomach as I dry heaved. Three years ago, when Henry left us, Alexander tormented me relentlessly. It was during that time that I developed an intense aversion to him. Just touching him made me feel physically ill. Seeing me like this, his face darkened terribly. After a while, he laughed, “So looking at me makes you sick, huh?” He wiped his mouth. “Well, same here. So don’t think about leaving.” “We’ll just torture each other for the rest of our lives!” With that, he stormed out, leaving me alone in the vast mansion. I collapsed on the stairs, gasping for air. I stumbled to the bedroom, opened a drawer, and swallowed some pills. My hands were still shaking, my head spinning. That’s when he returned, saw the pills on my desk, and his pupils constricted. The next second, he slapped me hard! “You’re trying to kill yourself!” The blow left me dizzy. When I recovered, I stood up and slapped him back with all my might! “Alexander Shaw, I’m giving you three days. If you don’t sign, we’ll see each other in court!” “Then we’ll see if Rosalie and her son get dragged down too. After all, everyone says she’s the future Mrs. Shaw. I want to see if being a homewrecker really does bring bad karma!” Alexander was furious. “I have no relationship with her! Don’t project your dirty thoughts onto her!” “Even if you die, you’ll still be my wife!” Seeing his anger, I suddenly smiled. If he wanted mutual destruction and torture, then I’d cut off the source. Alexander took me to the hospital against my will, insisting I get my stomach pumped. When I showed the pill bottle to the doctor, he looked conflicted and told Alexander they were just stomach medication. No pumping needed. Alexander still didn’t believe it and made a scene. It only ended when I smashed a glass and held it to my wrist, threatening him. He slumped against the wall, taking a deep breath. “Aria, don’t think you can leave me and start over. Even if he comes back, it won’t happen!” This was the second time tonight he mentioned someone coming back. Confused, I asked, “Who?” “Who else? Kevin’s back. Isn’t that who you’ve been waiting for? I’m telling you, it’s not happening!” The familiar name flooded my memories. When I realized who he meant, I couldn’t help but laugh. Kevin Lin, my first love. Well, more like a one-sided crush. I chased him for a year, then he went abroad and we lost touch. Since then, I’d married, had a child, lost that child, and ended up here. Yet Alexander thought I wanted to leave for another man. Even if Kevin was back, we had no connection. But Alexander believed it and had been going crazy over it. I didn’t respond. If that’s what he thought, let him. He warned me, “Don’t think about trying to kill yourself again. Otherwise, I won’t return your family’s assets!” I found this funny. “Assets? Hasn’t the Shaw family already swallowed them all?” “Alexander, how does it feel to profit from someone’s death?” “Enough!” Exposed, he became angry and embarrassed. But I wouldn’t let up. “How is it enough? Why did Henry die? Was it really my fault?” “Alexander Shaw, that woman from Zhangcheng International – thanks to your support, she’s already out of poverty. Yet you’ve pushed me into hell. You’ve eaten the meal my family provided, and now you want to smash the pot too?” “We can stay married, fine. But let’s settle accounts. How much of my family’s assets did you swallow up using Henry’s death? You’re the one who climbed to the top on our son’s bones, you bastard!” Slap! An iron taste filled my mouth. My ear was ringing. I saw Alexander’s mouth moving, but before I could make out what he was saying, everything went black. This time, it can truly end.

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My mother, pitying my seven-year unrequited love, got our adopted brother drunk and locked him in my room. The next day, photos of Blake Sullivan and me in bed went viral. He proposed to me with a cold face. The wedding reception ended hastily, and he retreated to the mountains to meditate. He only agreed to return when our daughter turned five. Our daughter, eager to see her father, insisted on going up the mountain to meet him. Olivia Winters, lying in his arms, saw the daughter who was a spitting image of Blake. Heartbroken, she left but accidentally fell off the cliff. Blake held Olivia’s body and cried for three days and nights. Afterwards, he returned to the family, becoming a universally praised good husband and father. I thought I had finally weathered the storm, but on our daughter’s fifth birthday, she accidentally fell into the sea. Without hesitation, I jumped into the raging waves during the storm. He watched us coldly from the yacht, his eyes full of terrifying hatred. “You two have ruined everything! You’re the culprits who killed Olivia Winters! This is what you owe her, pay with your lives today!” He decisively cut the lifeline short and sailed the yacht away without looking back. It wasn’t until my daughter and I were swallowed by the cold sea that I realized how much Blake Sullivan hated us. I woke up, reborn to the night Blake was drugged. “Aria! Open the door! Let me in!” I desperately held the bedsheet against the door and dialed the number of his true love…

My heart was racing, and my ears were ringing. “Damn it! The drug’s working too fast!” I cursed under my breath, stumbling backward. On the security camera feed, Blake Sullivan was standing outside my bedroom door. He was tugging at his hair in frustration, his shirt collar wide open, revealing his muscular chest. Muffled sounds of distress escaped his throat. The drug was already beginning to erode his self-control. I inhaled sharply as memories of my past life’s nightmare flooded back. If tonight’s script were to repeat itself, photos of Blake and me in bed would once again make headlines tomorrow. The tidal wave of public opinion would force him to marry me. After the wedding, he’d use meditation as an excuse to abandon me, leaving me as Mrs. Sullivan in name only. Later, I’d discover he had already been hiding his true love in the mountains. He only agreed to come down to buy a wedding dress for Olivia. Ironically, Olivia accidentally saw our daughter’s face, which looked exactly like Blake’s, instantly shattering her fragile nerves. After an argument, she fell off a cliff. Blake then poured all his hatred onto me and our daughter. No, living this life again, I absolutely cannot repeat the same mistakes! With trembling hands, I fumbled for my phone. “If you want to marry Blake Sullivan, come to the yacht right now.” After sending the text, I felt my cheeks burning up, and my breathing became rapid. “Damn it! I’ve been drugged too!” My mother’s crazed face suddenly appeared in my mind. “Aria, darling, Blake is so outstanding. Only you are worthy of him!” “Mom… what are you trying to do?!” “Don’t worry, my dear daughter. I’ll make Blake willingly marry you.” I leaned weakly against the cold wall, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. “Mom… you’re really going to be the death of me…” In less than ten minutes, urgent knocking shook the door, and Olivia’s shrill voice pierced through. “Aria James! What the hell are you up to? Why is Blake here? What have you done to him?!” “Aria, have you no shame? You’d do anything to get him, you’re despicable!” I took a deep breath, suppressing the strange sensations in my body, and said hoarsely, “Olivia, I know you and Blake have been secretly together for a while now. Whether you want to lock him in a room alone or join him in there, it’s up to you. I’m handing Blake over to you now.” With that, I yanked open the door and shoved Olivia into the room. I pushed Blake in as well. Then, without hesitation, I closed the door. From inside, the sound of tearing fabric immediately followed… I covered my ears and stumbled away.

I felt like my body was about to burst into flames. My rationality was torn to shreds, and all I wanted at that moment was to find a man, as quickly as possible. I stumbled and pushed open a door. The room was dimly lit, with a man standing by the window, his back to me. My voice was hoarse and tinged with tears as I lunged towards him. “Help me…” I cried out hoarsely, clinging to him like a drowning person grasping at a floating log. I hugged his waist tightly, pressing my burning cheek against his cool shirt. The man turned around, his handsome face filled with surprise. I didn’t care about anything else. I grabbed his collar, driven by instinctive desire, and pressed my burning lips against his. My kiss was clumsy, even a bit rough. “Mmph…” The man tried to push me away, but I clung to him desperately. “Please help me…” I mumbled incoherently, frantically pulling a diamond necklace from my bag and stuffing it into his hand. “This is very expensive, consider it payment for your trouble…” “I’m begging you…” I kissed him again, fumbling to unbutton his shirt. The man’s body stiffened, then he let out a sigh and pinned me against the wall. He whispered in my ear, his voice low and husky, “Aria James… don’t regret this.”

When I woke up, my entire body ached as if I’d been hit by a truck. I picked up my torn clothes from the floor, wrapped them around myself, and slipped out of bed. Back home, I rushed into the bathroom and examined myself in the mirror. My neck was covered in red marks, layers of deep and light bruises overlapping. Just as I walked out of the bathroom, I heard the front door open. I pressed an ice pack to my neck, hiding the marks. Blake walked in and frowned when he saw me with the ice pack. “What’s wrong? Got a stiff neck? Icing it so early in the morning.” I avoided his gaze, my eyes darting around nervously. “Um… yeah, stiff neck. Just icing it a bit.” Blake stepped closer, his gaze sharp. “Aria, drop the act! You think I don’t know your mom deliberately got me drunk last night?” His voice was cold, filled with undisguised disgust, “She’s always trying to push you onto me. You two are so pathetic, always clinging to me.” “What, couldn’t get into my bed last night, so you went out desperately looking for some random guy?” “You think I’d worry about you? That I’d run around like a dog looking for you? Dream on! Your little games of playing hard to get only disgust me!” I was stunned. How could he say such hurtful things? I hadn’t come home all night, wasn’t it to give him and Olivia a chance to be together? What right did he have to accuse me so self-righteously? “As you wished, I was with Olivia last night, and we’ll be together from now on. Olivia will be my wife, never you! So I suggest you give up on this foolish idea and stop doing these ridiculous things!” Blake tilted his chin up, his tone arrogant and smug, the fresh red marks on his neck clearly visible. I looked at Blake standing before me, my heart aching. Once, this man had been my everything, a mix of love and hate, deeply etched into my soul. Now, it was all in the past. Could I really let go? When I wake up from dreams at midnight, will I still feel regret? Fighting back the pain in my heart, I forced a smile, “Don’t worry, I’ll let you two be happy.” My voice was soft, but loud enough for him to hear clearly. “I’ll tell my parents that I don’t like you anymore. I won’t bother you again.” Blake was clearly taken aback by my words. His frown deepened, as if he couldn’t believe I would give up so easily. I suppose in his eyes, I, Aria James, should always be chasing after him. After all, my entire family had gone mad trying to arrange our marriage. They’d made him a close family friend, given him company shares, and even promised to transfer all the family assets to his name if he agreed to marry me. How ridiculous! Thinking back to my previous life, how much I had sacrificed to marry him, how much pain I had endured. After our daughter was born, I thought I had finally found happiness, but in the end, it led to the destruction of my family and the tragic deaths of both mother and daughter! Living this life again, I absolutely will not repeat the same mistakes! Blake was about to say something more when my mother’s questioning voice suddenly came from the pool area. “Olivia?! What are you doing here?!” My heart skipped a beat. I ran to the balcony and saw my mother standing by the pool, pointing at Olivia, who had just climbed out of the water. Blake’s face changed. He immediately rushed over, shielding the dripping wet Olivia behind him. “I brought Olivia here. She said she didn’t sleep well on the yacht last night, so I let her come here to rest.” “Yacht? Olivia was on the yacht last night too? What was she doing there? Weren’t you supposed to be with Aria last night?!” My mother’s face turned extremely unpleasant as her gaze darted between the red marks on Blake and Olivia’s necks. She looked up at me standing on the balcony. Feeling guilty, I shrank back and quickly retreated to my room, closing the door. Whatever was about to happen next, I couldn’t be bothered to watch.

A little while later, my mom walked in with a smile plastered on her face, followed by Olivia and Blake. “Aria, look who’s here.” Olivia linked arms with my mom, “Auntie, you’re too kind. Last night, thanks to Aria, Blake and I were able to be together. We came to thank her.” I sat on the edge of the bed, watching them. “Aria, come out, we’re waiting for you.” I walked out of the room to find a barbecue grill set up in the living room. Blake was grilling meat while Olivia handed out drinks. They were chatting and laughing. “Aria, come sit with us. Blake has grilled lots of food,” Olivia called out to me, as if she were the hostess of this house. I sat down in a corner and picked up a skewer of grilled meat. Blake grilled a prawn and held it to Olivia’s lips, “Olivia, try this.” Olivia ate the prawn and exclaimed, “Delicious! Blake, you should have some too.” She picked up another skewer and tried to feed Blake. Blake dodged, and Olivia chased him with the skewer, insisting on feeding him. They were playfully chasing each other. “Blake, you’re only feeding Olivia. What about your sister? She wants to eat your grilled meat too,” my mom said from the side, her smile a bit forced. Blake glanced at me, “Aria can grill her own food. Olivia is my fiancée, so of course she gets the best treatment.” Olivia picked up a slice of watermelon and held it to Blake’s lips, “How about I feed you with my mouth?” “Okay.” They kissed in front of me, seemingly seemingly unable to part. They only stopped when their faces had turned red from lack of air. Olivia touched her lips lightly and gently tapped Blake’s waist, “Oh my, Blake, you’ve made my lips all swollen.” She looked at me, “Aria, Blake must be addicted to my lips.” “You’ve never been kissed by him, so you wouldn’t understand.” I looked up to see my mom sighing as she watched them. I watched Olivia’s mouth open and close, feeling irritated. I made an excuse to leave. “I’m going to get some water.” I returned to the living room where my dad was sitting. He was looking outside, seemingly aware of everything.

Dad slammed his hand on the table in a fit of rage, causing the teacup to jump. “Aria James! You’re killing me! Last night, your mom and I got Blake drunk and sent him to your bedroom door, and you didn’t even open it! Are you stupid? You wasted such a perfect opportunity!” “Mark my words, that vixen out there will be moving into Blake’s house in no time! The cooked duck has flown away! I’m telling you, there’s no chance left! Do you know how many favors I’ve done to get you married to Blake? And you, you dropped the ball at the crucial moment!” I looked at him, my voice calm, “Dad, I don’t like Blake anymore.” Dad looked as if he’d heard the most ridiculous thing in the world. His voice suddenly rose, “What did you say? You don’t like Blake anymore? Aria James, have you lost your mind? Wasn’t it you who insisted on marrying only Blake? Wasn’t it you who was ready to die for him? Now you say you don’t like him? Are you toying with me?” His chest heaved violently, clearly furious. I took a deep breath, trying to make my voice sound more determined. “Dad, I’m serious. I really don’t like Blake anymore. I was foolish before, but now I’ve come to my senses.” “Besides, I don’t want to have anything to do with Blake anymore. Didn’t you say Ethan Grant from the Grant family is a good match? Why don’t you arrange for us to meet?” Dad was stunned, his anger dissipating somewhat. He looked at me. “You… you’re serious? You’re not just throwing a tantrum?” I met his gaze, my eyes resolute, “Dad, I’m serious.” Dad was silent for a moment, his expression softening and his tone becoming gentler, “Ethan Grant… that boy from the Grant family is indeed a good catch. His character and family background are impeccable. If you really want to ally with the Grant family, we can consider it.” He paused, then added, “But, Aria, have you really thought this through? About Blake… have you really let go?” I nodded and took out my phone, “Dad, give me Ethan’s contact information.” “Good, good, good!” Dad repeated the word ‘good’ three times and took out his phone to search. As I added Ethan on SnapChat and looked at his profile picture on the screen, I felt lost. Was giving up on Blake really this easy? Could the obsession from my past life really vanish like a dream? A few days later, I was driving past Blake’s house. Olivia was leaning against a red sports car. When she saw my car, she raised her chin, her face smug. She dangled the car keys in her hand, smiling at me, “Oh my, isn’t this Aria? What a coincidence! Isn’t this new car beautiful? Blake gave it to me.” She raised her voice, pointing at Blake who was walking a dog not far away, “Blake is so good to me. He even walks the dog for me every day. Unlike some people who chased after Blake for so many years and ended up worse off than a dog!” Olivia laughed lightly, her eyes full of contempt. My heart ached. In my past life, our daughter Sweetie never received even a shred of fatherly love from Blake, he barely even looked at her. But now, he was so attentive to Olivia’s dog. I felt a lump in my chest. Not wanting to engage with her any further, I stepped on the gas, ready to leave. But just then, Olivia rushed in front of my car, banging on my window and screaming. “Aria James! Get out of the car! How dare you look at me like that! Are you jealous of me? Jealous that Blake loves me?” She yelled and cursed while forcefully pulling at my car door, her nails scratching the paint. Blake heard the commotion and walked over, his face dark. “Aria James! What are you up to now? What did you do to upset Olivia? Why are you bullying her?” He pulled Olivia behind him protectively, glaring at me angrily. Olivia hid behind Blake, looking at me, “Blake, I’m so scared… I just wanted to say hello to Aria, but she… she seems to hate me so much, she even tried to run me over with her car…” “Enough!” Blake interrupted Olivia, roaring, “Aria James! That’s enough! How many times have I warned you not to cling to me? Not to harass Olivia? Why won’t you listen?” “Look at yourself! I’m so disappointed in you!” He pointed at my nose, his tone full of disgust. Turning to Olivia, his expression softened, “Olivia, don’t be afraid. I’m here, I won’t let her hurt you. Let’s go, ignore this crazy woman!” Saying this, he put his arm around Olivia’s shoulders and turned to leave, leaving me sitting alone in my car. Olivia nestled in Blake’s arms, turning back to give me a smile. My heart sank to the bottom. Blake had never changed. It was the same in my past life, and it remained the same in this life. He could never see my true feelings, always siding with Olivia. And I, for such a man, had wasted half my life, sacrificing my own happiness and that of my daughter. Thinking of my daughter, tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. This time, I must let go completely and start anew. For myself, and for my daughter, I absolutely cannot repeat the same mistakes!

I didn’t expect to end up in the hospital the next day. The door to my room was pushed open, and Olivia walked in arm in arm with Blake. The diamond ring on her finger was dazzling. “Aria James, the timing of your car accident is quite interesting,” Olivia spoke, her tone acidic. “Right on the day Blake and I were taking our wedding photos… Blake, don’t you think Aria still has lingering feelings for you, that’s why she…” She snuggled into Blake’s arms, leaving her sentence unfinished, but her implication was clear. I laughed, looking at the red roses on the bedside table, freshly picked by Ethan that morning. I had only realized during our meeting that he was the man I had spent that passionate night with. “Olivia, you’re overthinking. I have no feelings left for Blake.” Blake’s face darkened. He walked to the side of the bed and looked at me, his tone hard. “Aria James, what are you up to now? Why did you have to have an accident on the day Olivia and I were taking our wedding photos? Don’t you know how long we’ve been preparing for today?” He was suppressing his anger, his chest heaving. “I’ve told you so many times, we’re impossible. Why won’t you listen? Do you have to resort to this kind of attention-seeking?” I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. “Blake, you’ve misunderstood. The car accident was just that – an accident. It has nothing to do with you.” “Is that so?” Blake didn’t believe me. Olivia’s eyes darted around, and she chimed in, “Blake, don’t say that about Aria. She might have just been careless. Besides, Aria doesn’t lack suitors. Maybe she’s already forgotten about you.” As she spoke, she adjusted Blake’s tie, giving me a triumphant look. Blake’s expression softened a bit, but his tone was still displeased, “Olivia and I are getting engaged. Aria, if you see me as a brother, you should be happy for us, not…” “I have a boyfriend now, and he treats me very well,” I interrupted Blake. Blake frowned, “Boyfriend? How come I don’t know about this? Who is he?” Olivia covered her mouth and laughed, walking to my bedside and shoving her diamond ring in my face, “Aria James, stop pretending. Even if you hired someone to act, Blake won’t believe it. He certainly won’t be jealous of your so-called fake boyfriend. His heart only belongs to me, and this diamond ring is proof. Are you envious?” Her smile was sweet, but her eyes were full of challenge. I turned my head away. Once, I too wanted Blake’s love, but that was in the past. Now, my heart belonged only to Ethan. “Even if you don’t have a boyfriend, it doesn’t matter. You’ll always be my sister,” Blake sighed, his tone patronizing, “I’ll take care of you, as long as you don’t harbor any delusions of marrying me.” I felt a wave of disgust. His so-called “care” was nothing short of a nightmare for me. “That’s right, Aria. You can consider us family. Blake and I will both take care of you,” Olivia chimed in, her smile fake. I knew that no matter how much I explained, they wouldn’t believe me. So I simply dismissed them. “I want to rest now,” I said flatly. Blake looked at me, his expression complex. He seemed about to say something, but Olivia pulled him away. After they left, I picked up my phone and played the voice message Ethan had sent proposing to me. “Aria, will you marry me?” His voice was gentle. Listening to his voice, the corners of my mouth turned up. It was while driving that I suddenly heard his proposal, causing me to get excited and crash into the roadside guardrail. It really had nothing to do with Blake.

During my hospital stay, Blake came to visit a few times, but I always turned him away, saying visiting hours were over. After being discharged, I moved in with Ethan, avoiding everything related to Blake. One evening, I returned home to get a bracelet. As I opened the door, I found myself staring into a pair of sinister eyes. Blake was sitting on the living room sofa, the wall light casting a long, thin shadow behind him. “Aria James, are you avoiding me?” His voice was low. My heart skipped a beat, but I suppressed my panic and forced a smile. “You’re overthinking.” “I hope so!” He stood up, his shadow looming over me. His brows furrowed, a storm brewing in his eyes. “My wedding with Olivia is imminent. I don’t want any more tricks!” “Then congratulations on your upcoming marriage.” I looked straight into his eyes, my tone calm. He stared at me, as if trying to see through me. Finally, his gaze fixed on my neck. “What’s wrong with your neck? Did you strain it again?” He reached out, gripping my chin and forcing me to lift my head. I panicked and raised my hand to cover the suggestive kiss marks on my neck. I stepped back, trying to create distance, but he grabbed my wrist, his grip so tight it felt like he might crush my bones. “It’s none of your business!” I shook off his hand, my tone icy. Blake’s face darkened to an extreme, his whole body radiating danger. A strong sense of unease rose in my heart. Not wanting to engage with him any further, I turned and fled back to my bedroom. From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a figure flashing behind the curtain on the second floor. Olivia was hiding behind the window, staring at me, her eyes filled with malice and distortion. The next afternoon, I dressed up carefully and went out to watch a movie with Ethan. Walking through the yard in my high heels, I saw that red sports car. Olivia was sitting in the driver’s seat, taking selfies with her phone. After the movie, I returned home. Just as I walked into the living room, a voice rang out. “Aria James! You vicious woman! Olivia almost died because of your perfume! Are you satisfied now?!” Blake rushed up to me, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me violently. I felt dizzy from his shaking. Frowning, I asked in confusion, “What perfume? What are you talking about?” “Still playing dumb?!” Blake roared, shoving me onto the couch. Then his body pressed down, pinning me to the sofa. At that moment, my phone rang, the screen flashing “Boyfriend”.

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Felix Edwards was on an overseas business trip when he found himself caught in a terrorist attack. The phone wouldn’t stop ringing. His parents, Ashley and Ryan Edwards, called from the embassy, anxiously waiting for me to negotiate Felix’s safety. To my surprise, my dad, Vincent Miller, who hadn’t bothered to call me in ten years, also reached out. He claimed he had connections at the embassy and could arrange to have Felix brought back home. Even my close friends, Felix’s buddies, colleagues, and neighbors were all reaching out and wanted to know what was going on. And here I was, lying in bed with a newborn, calmly hanging up one call after another. After all, when Felix saw on the news that his ex-girlfriend, a war correspondent, was caught in a terrorist situation, he didn’t hesitate to leave his family behind and fly there to check on her safety. At that time, with my water already broken, I turned to Felix and said, “Are you really going to ditch your family and fly to that war-ravaged country? If you do, Felix, I won’t clean up your mess.” Felix kept his mouth shut, but the urgent slamming of the door as he stormed off said it all. Well, if he was set on being a hothead and digging his own grave, why should I bail him out?

Felix always loved watching international news channels, and I used to find it puzzling. However, just the other day, a particular story caught my attention. A female war correspondent from our country had been kidnapped by terrorists while reporting in the field. In an instant, I recognized her, Megan Fox, the well-known anchor on that international channel. As I sat on the couch, my pregnant belly round and full, enjoying a slice of cantaloupe and feeling sorry for the journalist, Felix suddenly panicked, knocking over the fruit bowl. When he stood up, his knee collided hard with the corner of the coffee table. The thud was so loud that my belly tightened instinctively, but Felix seemed oblivious to the pain. He stiffly made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water but accidentally pressed the hot water button, scalding himself and smashing the cup in response. He rushed to rinse his mouth with cold water to cool down, then bolted back to the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him. An hour later, Felix abruptly emerged from his room. “I… I have to go on a business trip,” he stammered. I tightened my grip on the cantaloupe but remained calm as I stood up. “Felix, my due date is in a couple of days. It’s really not a good time for you to be traveling. What if I go into labor? “You know my mom passed away giving birth to my brother. I’m really scared of the whole process. “You’ve been so excited about our daughter’s arrival. Don’t you want her to see her dad as the first thing when she opens her eyes?” Felix’s expression faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. “This business trip is really important to me. I have to go, but don’t worry, I’ll be back before you give birth.” I offered him a smile, even as the contractions in my belly intensified, liquid beginning to trickle down my legs. “I’ll hold you to that, but listen, Felix. You have to take responsibility for whatever happens while you’re gone. I won’t be cleaning up your mess.” Maybe it was the seriousness in my tone, but Felix visibly trembled. “I promise I’ll be safe and return,” he vowed, as if sealing a pact. With that, he rushed back to his room, hurriedly grabbing a couple of items before putting on his shoes and heading for the door. As he was about to leave, I couldn’t help but call after him, my heart softening. “Wait, Felix.” He turned slightly, irritation flickering in his eyes. “Didn’t you just say I could go? Why are you stopping me now?” I clenched my fists, the pain in my belly growing sharper, but I managed to stay composed. “You forgot your passport.” I dragged myself to the bedroom, clutching my leaking water, and retrieved his passport, handing it over along with a bank card—the one that contained the salary he’d sent me throughout our seven years of marriage. Felix’s hand trembled as he took the passport and bank card, his eyes glistening with emotion. For a fleeting second, I thought he might stay. But he stuffed the passport and card into his bag and solemnly vowed again, “I will make it back before you give birth.” With that, he slammed the door behind him and hurried out. Listening to the sound of the door echoing in the empty house, I simply picked up my phone and dialed 119, contacting the maternity center. I mused, “How could a man too oblivious to even notice my water breaking think he could make such promises? It’s utterly ridiculous.”

I met Felix through a hiking club. At that time, the pressure from work was overwhelming; all I wanted was to pile up cash, slaving away at my job and relying on weekends spent hiking to recharge my energy. Felix joined the club in my second year. Initially, he was just another member, but as we consistently found ourselves reaching the summit first time after time, we started to grow closer. He was in finance, and I was in tech. He loved sports and the outdoors, and so did I. So, when we reached our hundredth peak together, he confessed his feelings. There was nothing romantic or original about it—just a simple, “Vivian, let’s date.” And to my surprise, I said yes. After all, my dad had his own flair for creativity; his courtship of my mother once caused half the city to light up with fireworks, and he even ended up in jail for it. But that didn’t stop him from wanting a son, which caused my mother to suffer through years of medicine, ultimately leading to her tragic death in childbirth. To me, romance wasn’t important; stability was. And Felix embodied that. He never showed up late for dates. His gifts were never flashy but always thoughtful. If it rained, he wouldn’t come by uninvited, but the moment I called, he’d be there without hesitation. So, three years into our relationship, we tied the knot. Life after the wedding felt almost identical to before. I cooked, and he washed the dishes. I handled the grocery shopping, while he came home early to prepare the staple food. Our calm and gentle days led me to believe that Felix was indeed the one for me. But everything changed three years ago at the wedding of one of Felix’s college friends. During the bachelor party, one of Felix’s buddies got drunk and broke down, holding Felix’s hand and crying. “Felix, seeing you like this—so lifeless—it really hurts. I’m stepping into a happy marriage, but looking at you like this? It’s tough. If Megan hadn’t gone abroad to be a war correspondent, you might not be so closed off and heartbroken.” At that, Felix instinctively glanced in my direction. “Don’t listen to him; he’s drunk.” I laughed, brushing it off. But once we got home, I pointedly said, “Felix, I have my flaws, but my one strength is the ability to cut ties quickly, especially when it comes to love.” He stood there in the shadows that night, his expression hidden in the darkness. After that, Megan vanished completely from our lives—until now.

I hadn’t answered the phone because I had just finished nursing my daughter at the maternity center when Felix’s mother, Ashley, burst into the room. “Vivian, why haven’t you been answering my calls? Ryan is losing his mind at the embassy! “You need to come home right now with Felix’s documents to go to the embassy.” Listening to Ashley, I calmly replied with six digits, “666313.” She paused, taken aback. Taking a moment to adjust my daughter’s blanket, I explained, “I’m not in a good position to go right now. That’s the code for our home; you can grab whatever you need there.” Ashley’s hand trembled slightly. “Vivian, how can you be so heartless? Felix is in a war zone, and we don’t even know if he’s alive! “Did you not see the distress message Felix sent to everyone? He said he got shot in the leg and is hiding in a stranger’s house. “I know you’re in the postpartum period, but this is an emergency. Can’t you just come to the embassy with me for a sec to check things out?” she insisted, her body shaking with urgency. I replied calmly, “I understand Felix’s situation. Before he sent that group message, he texted me several times for help, but I chose to ignore him.” Ashley stumbled backward, clearly shocked. Seeing her expression tugged at my heart. After seven years of marriage, she had always been good to me, filling the void left by my late mother. But now, everything felt shattered because of Felix. I calmly handed her the recording of my conversation with Felix from that night. “Ashley, don’t think of me as cruel. This is all Felix’s doing.” Trembling, Ashley accepted the recording, and once she finished watching, she crumpled to the ground. She struggled to find her voice. “Vivian, listen to me, Felix and Megan… they really don’t have anything going on.” I still felt a pang of sympathy. Even though my C-section recovery was painful, I got up and helped Ashley to her feet—much like how I had seen Felix leave home when my water broke, softly handing him his passport and bank card. “I know there’s nothing physical between Felix and Megan, but the fact that he’s willing to abandon his family to go find her shows he doesn’t value our little family. He’s okay with my daughter losing her father and me becoming a widow just to chase after her, so he needs to accept the consequences of that decision.” Ashley turned pale at my cold tone, and she fumbled with her words, struggling to find the right thing to say. Perhaps she couldn’t even bring herself to convince me. Ultimately, Ashley gave up, shivering as she stood. “Take care. I’ll leave you to your recovery.” With that, she seemed to age a decade as she rushed out the door. I felt a pang of guilt, but just as she was about to leave, I called after her, “Ashley, can you and Ryan find some time this week to move out of my apartment?” Ashley hesitated, turning back. “Can’t you just wait a little longer?” I shook my head. “Didn’t Felix leave without waiting to make sure I got to the hospital after my water broke? “I just want to sort out all our shared assets before he comes back.”

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On Valentine’s Day night, I discovered my ex-boyfriend lying naked and dead on my bed. Horrified, I called the police. The police investigation revealed that my ex had died from acute myocardial infarction after taking erectile dysfunction medication. Soon after, his current girlfriend started slapping me while recording a video. “I trusted you as a friend and felt safe living next door, but I never imagined you’d seduce my boyfriend and play him to death in bed!” She posted the video online, and quickly I was labeled a homewrecker and a slut. Overnight, not only were my social media accounts locked, but I also lost almost all my followers and faced millions in compensation from advertisers. Everyone was calling for me to die, and I eventually succumbed to the pressure and took my own life. Meanwhile, my ex-boyfriend’s current girlfriend rode the wave of sympathy to become a multi-million follower internet celebrity. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day before Valentine’s Day.

“Pay your rent for this month,” Mr. Davis, my landlord, grumbled with a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he urged me to pay up. The familiar words made me shudder. I quickly pulled out my phone to check the date, only to realize I had been reborn on the day before I was framed. I heard a noise behind Mr. Davis and peeked around him. Sure enough, I saw my ex-boyfriend Jack Evans moving in across from me with his new girlfriend, Mia Foster. Mia and I were both influencers in the same agency. I was the top influencer in our team, while in comparison, Mia’s business skills were really mediocre. Her advertising revenue couldn’t even break four figures. Our boss had scolded her multiple times in meetings, telling her to increase her followers or get out. I could understand her anxiety as a newcomer, but I never imagined she would not only hold a grudge against me but also try to climb up by stepping on me. Mia put on a fake smile and greeted me, “Hey Lily, what a coincidence that you live here too.” “Jack and I are together now. You don’t mind, right?” She deliberately hooked her arm through Jack’s, trying to get under my skin. I quickly took out my phone to transfer money to Mr. Davis, determined to move out. “I’ve sent the money. I’m moving out today, I won’t be renting anymore.” It wasn’t because I was upset about her being with my ex-boyfriend, but because I needed to save my life. Mr. Davis’s expression changed after receiving the money. He grabbed my hand to stop me from leaving, confronting me aggressively. “Young lady, you didn’t give me any notice about moving out. Where am I supposed to find a new tenant now?” I didn’t want to argue, I just wanted to leave quickly. I responded coldly, “I’ll transfer you another month’s rent, okay? A month should be enough time for you to find the next tenant.” Mia, still arm-in-arm with Jack, spoke with a sarcastic tone, “Lily, is this the extent of your open-mindedness? Your reaction makes me feel like you’re still hung up on my boyfriend!” I looked up at her angrily, suddenly noticing a small camera pinned to her chest. She was livestreaming! While transferring money to Mr. Davis, I quickly opened the streaming platform and sure enough, saw her livestream. The few followers in her stream were saying some ridiculous things. [Looks like the rumors about you bullying our baby at work every day are true, big sis.] [She just happened to move in near you, and you’re moving out with an attitude? Really?] [Yeah, do you think your ex-boyfriend should remember you forever and not have a new girlfriend? If you were such a catch, why did he break up with you?] [Our sweet Mia is so nice, it’s understandable that he likes her. Are you just jealous?] I let out a cold laugh, remembering how differently they spoke in my past life when Jack died in my bed. Back then, they said things like, [Her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend moved in across from her, and she pretended to be fine with it at first, but she was actually planning how to seduce him. This bitch played too hard though, she actually played him to death!] [Who in this world could stand seeing their ex-boyfriend every day? The fact that she stubbornly refused to move out proves she had ulterior motives!] [Poor Mia, being bullied by her at work and having her boyfriend seduced behind her back.] I didn’t care what they said. Staying far away from these two was the real truth. Just as I turned to go into my apartment to pack, my boss suddenly called me. “Lily, what the hell are you doing? Don’t you dare move out!”

The huge shout made me pull the phone away from my ear. My boss was yelling at me on the other end. “Do you know that rumors are spreading online about you bullying Mia?” “Take advantage of this coincidence to improve your relationship. This is a potential viral moment for us. Being coworkers and gradually becoming best friends with your ex’s new girlfriend will definitely help Mia gain a lot of followers…” I cut off my boss before he could finish, “I’m definitely moving out today!” Mia’s eyes lit up, and she pouted, saying, “Lily, I really didn’t expect it to be such a coincidence, and I didn’t think you’d mind so much. Actually, I can choose not to rent if you’re uncomfortable…” She sounded more and more aggrieved as she spoke, as if she had done something wrong. Her voice even had a hint of tears. This made her followers anxious, and they started cursing at me more vigorously. [This bitch is so disgusting, she’s almost made our Mia cry.] [Capitalists will be capitalists. Didn’t you hear how she just spoke to her boss? So arrogant, not taking him seriously at all.] [I bet she slept with the boss to get so many resources. That’s probably why her boyfriend dumped her!] [I think the comment above is right. Our sweet Mia is just too upright and kind-hearted, that’s why the boss doesn’t value her.] I stared at Mia with a cold smile, unable to hide the murderous look in my eyes. “No need. I’m moving out.” You should know, in my past life, I was sleeping soundly at home when I suddenly woke up to find a naked, dead Jack on my bed. It scared me half to death. The police forensic results showed that Jack had a pre-existing heart condition and died from acute myocardial infarction after taking erectile dysfunction medication. The fact that he was naked on my bed left me completely unable to explain myself. This gave Mia an opportunity to exploit. She cried her heart out to her followers, accusing me of seducing her boyfriend on Valentine’s Day night and playing him to death in bed. Suddenly, the whole world’s spit was directed at me alone. The platform believed I had violated regulations and laws, so they locked my account, leaving me with no way to explain myself. Advertisers clamored for contract termination. My boss didn’t hesitate to kick me out of the team, eager to distance himself from me. He even pursued millions in compensation from me, while turning to promote Mia, who had become a hot topic due to public sympathy and pity… They literally drove me to death. In this life, I definitely wouldn’t feel safe with my address exposed. Even if Mia moved away, there was still a possibility she could harm me, so I had to move to a far, far away place, a place no one knew about. I turned and went into my apartment, slamming the door shut before immediately searching for new housing and moving companies. In less than three hours, I had everything packed up. The movers helped me load my luggage and furniture onto the truck. Seeing the mattress where Jack had died in my past life, I almost threw up. Covering my mouth, I asked the movers to throw it far, far away. This time, let’s see how you’ll set me up! I moved to a place 15 kilometers away from my previous apartment. I even had the driver take a couple of extra turns. I paid them double the price to help me keep it confidential, ensuring they wouldn’t leak my address to Mia. The next day was Valentine’s Day. I had accepted several sponsorships and needed to livestream from home all day. To avoid exposing my address, I even put up a whole backdrop curtain, not letting my followers see even a hint of what my home looked like. And so, I temporarily forgot about Mia and started focusing on my work. On Valentine’s Day, I streamed for over ten hours straight. When I finished, I felt like my soul had been sucked out of my body. All I wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep. Just then, my mom called me, her voice full of concern. “Lily, dear, Mom just dropped off some bird’s nest soup for you. Drink it quickly before you go to sleep.” “You’re always busy with your livestreams, your health is going to suffer. You need to take care of yourself.”

I had only told my mom my new address. Today, she must have seen me livestreaming in my room and didn’t want to disturb me, so she just left the supplements and left. My heart immediately warmed up. My mom, despite sometimes favoring my brother, still loved me quite a bit at other times. But I was so exhausted now that I could barely move. I lazily sent a voice message back to my mom. “Thanks, Mom, but I’m so tired today! Can I drink it tomorrow instead?” These past couple of days, I had been busy worrying about how to avoid disaster after being reborn, constantly on guard against Mia and internet trolls, while also busy livestreaming and managing my account. It had really drained all my energy. Mom replied instantly, anxiously nagging me. “No, drink it now! Listen to your mother, this is definitely good for your health. Mom bought it especially for you, not even your brother got any!” Lying in bed, I happily held my phone to my chest, feeling my mother’s endless love. This was something Mom bought especially for me, not even my brother got any. Thinking about this, I suddenly felt full of energy. I sat up with a jerk and walked heavily to the kitchen to drink the bird’s nest soup. After drinking it, I crawled into bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. In my dream, I vaguely smelled a foul odor. It was exactly the same as the smell I had woken up to on Jack’s body in my past life. I frowned, terrified as I woke up from my dream. Opening my eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling, I actually felt relieved. I patted my chest urgently to calm myself down. “It’s okay, it’s okay… I’ve already moved, there’s nothing to be afraid of…” Just as I was about to roll over and go back to sleep, I noticed that the pillow on the other side of my bed had a large dent in it. I screamed and turned on the lamp on my bedside table. I saw Jack, his face pale and his lips purple, completely naked, dead…!!! I almost fainted, but I managed to hold on to my consciousness and called the police. It was the same as in my previous life. Jack had died from acute myocardial infarction after taking erectile dysfunction medication. And only his DNA and mine were found on his hand. Just thinking about Jack’s dead hand touching me made me feel sick to my stomach. Not long after, Mia burst through the door, once again recording a video with her phone while rushing over to slap me. “Lily, you slut! Didn’t you move? Why are you still seducing my boyfriend?” “It’s bad enough that you seduced him, but how could you let him take erectile dysfunction pills when you knew he had a heart condition? You act all pure and kind on the surface, but you’re so wild behind closed doors! You couldn’t just enjoy yourself, you had to kill him?” One slap after another hit my face so hard I felt like it was about to fall off, but I couldn’t figure out where things had gone wrong. Suddenly, I snapped to attention, grabbed Mia’s wrist, and said through gritted teeth. “Mia Foster, don’t try to frame me! I installed security cameras in this new apartment yesterday. I’m going to check the footage now, and I’ll soon prove my innocence!” “Jack must have been killed by you. You deliberately brought him to my bed!” “My security cameras must have caught you in the act!” Mia’s pupils shook, but she was still stubborn. “Fine, I want to see what your cameras actually caught me doing!” I laughed bitterly and immediately opened the app connected to my security cameras. But there was nothing in the video! I clearly remembered buying security cameras yesterday and making sure they were working properly. Mia shoved her camera in my face and said angrily, “Lily, it’s bad enough that you slept with my boyfriend and played him to death, but now you’re trying to pin your evil deeds on me!” “I never said anything about how you bullied me at work, but this time you’ve really gone too far!” Mia covered her mouth and started sobbing. My emotions were already on the edge of collapse. Why did Jack die in my bed when I had clearly moved and not told anyone my address? Why did I install cameras but they caught nothing? Why did Jack die in my bed… Why, why, why?!

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When I transferred to this school, Parker had already dated every pretty girl here. He joked with his buddies, “I’d rather date a dog than Zoe.” I am Zoe. But a month later, his best friend cornered me and confessed his feelings. Seeing the marks on my body, Parker suddenly went crazy: “Who gave you permission to touch her?” “Um… could you please give this to Parker?” I took the light pink love letter. This was the eleventh one this month. Everyone knew I was Parker’s childhood friend, and they also knew he would like anyone but me. So they felt safe asking me to deliver love letters. But as usual, when Parker received it, he would raise an eyebrow, thinking about who the girl was, and then sneer: “My standards are not that low.” He threw the letter back into my arms: “I can’t accept someone on your level.” His buddies all laughed. And Parker’s eyes were filled with mockery when he looked at me. Why? Because the first love letter Parker tore up was mine.

Parker and I were childhood sweethearts. Our parents were close friends, so they naturally assumed we got along well too. At first, we did. Until a certain… accident. It was a game of Truth or Dare. Parker got dared, and someone asked if he dared to kiss me. At that time, we were naive but extremely competitive. He asked me, “Do you mind?” But before I could react, he kissed me. “Tch, it’s nothing special.” From that moment on, I was no longer the untouchable flower or the top student in everyone’s eyes. Instead, I became one of Parker’s possessions.

Parker’s grades were not good. Because of this, his parents hoped I could study with him. But on the day we agreed to go to the library together, I stood alone at the bus stop waiting for him for nearly an hour, only to see his SnapChat story about winning ten games in a row at an internet cafe. I took a taxi to that shady internet cafe. Inside, it was smoky, and there was even a girl sitting on Parker’s lap. They were cheering for him. He suddenly turned his head and met my gaze. Returning a malicious smile.

“Zoe, are you fucking insane!” Parker got scolded by his parents and had all his pocket money taken away. He couldn’t go to the internet cafe anymore because I told on him. “You shouldn’t go to places like that,” I said word by word. At that time, hiding my feelings for him, I stubbornly and self-righteously tried to be good to him. But what I got in return was his increasing disgust. Parker grabbed my chin: “What right do you have to control me?” “You really think you’re my girlfriend just because of one kiss? What a joke!”

Parker had a very handsome face. Coupled with his rebellious personality, he quickly attracted a lot of attention at school. Many girls wanted to win him over. He welcomed them all, flirtatious and heartless. Just playing basketball casually, his excellent skills would make the whole court cheer. But Parker was merciless, throwing the basketball hard and without hesitation at me. “Sorry.” He said carelessly, watching me hug my arm in pain, and apologized lightly: “You won’t hold a grudge against me, right? My little childhood sweetheart.” So, everyone knew he hated me.

I gradually accepted this fact. I carefully put away the love letter I had once written for Parker, stroke by stroke, with a girl’s heart, and stopped paying attention to his affairs. But in front of our parents, we still needed to pretend to have a good relationship. “Parker’s grades have improved recently, it must be thanks to little Zoe. I’ve cut some fruit, you two eat.” Parker’s mother smiled. Parker seemed to be in a good mood too. He just gave me a warning look discreetly. Of course, his improved grades were not my credit. It was because he had recently started dating the school beauty with excellent grades. They often “tutored” after school. If only I hadn’t caught them kissing in an empty classroom that day.

I had originally removed Parker from my world. But we were in the same school, seeing each other all the time. As the top student in our grade for years, I had just won the outstanding student award for the city and needed to give a speech on stage the next day. So I stayed behind after school a day early to rehearse with the teacher. I passed by that empty classroom. The sounds inside were faint and ambiguous. I just turned my head slightly and caught Parker’s eye through the gap in the curtains. He was pressing a girl against the desk. But in the moment he looked up, he caught me. At that time, I knew he had marked me down in his heart again.

The school beauty, Parker’s girlfriend, was consistently second in our grade and also my classmate. But after dating Parker, her grades began to visibly decline. This quickly caught the attention of the teachers. They called me over: “Has she been acting strange lately? Or is she in contact with any bad influences?” I just shook my head: “I don’t know.” But the truth couldn’t be hidden for long. Somehow, the fact that I was questioned spread. Parker and the school beauty’s affair was exposed, his parents found out, and his father, who had a violent temper, took him home and beat him. That day, no one was at my house. Parker barged into my room forcefully. “I underestimated you.” He pushed me, and I lost my balance, hitting the desk. The drawer fell out, along with its contents. Parker’s hand holding my wrist froze. Because we both saw the light pink love letter on the ground. It had my name and Parker’s on it. And he was all too familiar with my handwriting.

“Oh, so it was jealousy?” Parker had a look of sudden realization. He tore up that love letter, then grabbed me. I struggled: “I didn’t tell on you.” He raised an eyebrow: “Now there’s something more important than that.” Parker took the scissors from the desk and cut off a lock of my hair: “Zoe, I’d rather date a dog than you.”

Parker used that lock of my hair to make amends with the school beauty. But this couldn’t change his father’s decision to transfer him to another school. On the day Parker left, the school beauty cried for a long time. I thought they would be together forever. But it didn’t take long for the school beauty to receive photos of Parker being intimate with other girls. And my lock of hair, along with the missing part of my sideburns, were all forgotten. The school beauty’s grades later plummeted. She begged me to help her arrange a meeting with Parker, just once, she wanted to see him. I couldn’t refuse successfully. But I didn’t expect that on the day I went, Parker was drunk in a bar. He recognized me and forcefully kept me there. “Zoe, isn’t this what you wanted to see the most?” He smiled in a frightening way. So the next day, what the school beauty received were photos of Parker forcefully kissing me against the private room door.

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At the party, I accidentally ingested a love potion and ended up spending a wild night with my sworn rival. The next day, when my friend Rachel asked me how it was, I tried to save face by lying, “It wasn’t anything special. I barely felt a thing, and then it was over.” Unfortunately, my rival overheard this comment. With a smirk, he forcefully dragged me back to the hotel where it all happened. Pinning me down, he slowly removed his hearing aid and mouthed the words: “Now that it’s off, I won’t stop.” “Don’t beg for mercy like you did that night.” “After all… I can’t hear you.” With a loud rip, I tore James’s designer shirt in half. Straddling him, my fingers clumsily roamed over his abs, eliciting heavy breaths from him. Just as I reached for his belt, he suddenly grabbed my hand, frantically signing: I managed to make out that he was trying to say no. “Damn it, James! Are you trying to kill me here?” “I’m already like this, and you won’t touch me? Are you impotent or something?!” “If you can’t do it, find me a real man who can.” I burst into tears. Who would have thought attending a party could lead to being drugged? And the effects were so strong, I was burning up and losing all reason. If I didn’t get a man soon, I feared I might actually die. James’s grip on me loosened for a moment. His sharp Adam’s apple bobbed a few times as he swallowed hard. He signed again: “Are you sure you won’t regret this?” I lost my patience and pushed myself up to kiss him fiercely. “If you’re a real man, just do it! Why so many questions?!”

The next morning, I woke up with an aching body and a parched throat. Supporting my sore waist, I was about to get up for some water when I caught sight of James resting beside me with his eyes closed. His hair was disheveled, and visible scratches and kiss marks adorned his neck, looking utterly debauched. Especially that large bite mark on his chest. My breath caught as my brain went into overdrive. Who am I? Where am I? What did I do? Who is this man next to me? Then I let out a high-pitched scream like a startled meerkat. Holy crap, I had spent an entire day and night rolling around with James, my sworn rival!! Forgetting all shame, I hurriedly put on my clothes and fled the room on shaky legs. When I got home, my parents, who had been unable to find me, looked me over several times. Seeing that I was unharmed, they finally relaxed. “Oh, Lily dear, have you seen my James?” a voice suddenly cut in, making me jump. It was James’s mother. I looked up and realized that James’s parents were also at my house, seemingly having been there for a while. James’s mother’s face was filled with worry: “That boy disappeared after the party last night.” “We checked the security footage and saw you two leaving together.” “How come only you came back?” Meeting James’s mother’s gaze, my heart suddenly tightened, and I couldn’t help but look away guiltily. Of course I knew where James was. We had been lying in bed together just hours ago, doing unspeakable things. If our parents found out we had slept together, they would definitely try to get us together. But James was my sworn rival. We could never be together. Besides, last night was just an accident.

Just as I was wracking my brain for how to respond, James’s mother’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she hurriedly walked past me: “James—” As soon as she spoke, an intense and piercing gaze fell silently on my back, like a sharp knife scraping against my flesh. I stiffly turned around to find James looking at me. He signed, indicating he was fine, then lifted his eyelids to look at me. He asked: “Why did you leave first?” His expression reminded me of last night when I was on top of him, and he kept signing to ask if the intensity was okay. As the chaotic memories flooded my mind, I hurriedly turned away and fled upstairs. Back in my room, I locked myself in the bathroom and dunked my head underwater, trying to shake off those indecent memories swirling in my brain. “Lily Evans, what kind of R-rated thoughts are you having?!” I scolded myself. I forced myself to stay calm, silently reassuring myself. So what if I slept with James? It’s not a big deal. James probably doesn’t care either. He might even be disgusted by it. We can just pretend nothing happened. Just like how he’s always kept his distance from me before.

James and I grew up together as childhood friends. Because our families lived close by, we played together all the time as kids and were practically inseparable. Back then, James’s hearing was still fine, and he didn’t need a hearing aid. Every day after school, the first thing I’d do was go find him, and he never tired of playing with me. Until that year when James was ten. He came down with a high fever, and due to delayed treatment, he was left with a disability. From then on, he had to wear a hearing aid to hear. It was from that day that the once gentle boy gradually became unpredictable in his moods. He grew quiet and withdrawn, often shutting himself in his room and refusing all treatment. I tried to cheer him up, but whenever he saw me, he would throw things, lose his temper, and angrily tell me to go away. Even at that young age, I could clearly sense that he didn’t want to see me and even resented my presence. But I’m not one to give up easily. The more James pushed me away, the more I appeared before him, deliberately opposing him in everything. As we grew older, he continued to distance himself from me. And so he became the rival I was determined to challenge at every turn.

I hid at home for three days. During that time, my best friend Rachel kept trying to get me to go out, but I made excuses and refused. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go out. My waist was still sore from James’s intense… activities. James was nearly 6’2″, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His muscular arms could easily lift my 130-pound frame with one hand. That night, he had me pinned against the wall with one arm as my body endured wave after wave of pleasure. And he still wasn’t satisfied, insisting on trying multiple locations. I began to suspect he might have an addiction to this kind of thing. It wasn’t until the fourth day, when my body had somewhat recovered, that I finally agreed to meet up with Rachel. As soon as we met, Rachel eagerly asked what had happened between James and me. “Spill it! What’s going on with you and James? He’s been asking me about you non-stop lately.” James asking about me? My first reaction was disbelief. After keeping me at arm’s length for so many years, shouldn’t he be avoiding me like the plague? But under Rachel’s persistent questioning, I ended up telling her about sleeping with James. “What? You slept with James—” Rachel looked utterly shocked, her voice rising to an alarming pitch. I quickly covered her mouth before we could attract attention in the cafe. “Damn, Lily, you’ve really done it now. You actually managed to bed James Potter.” “So, how was he? Was it mind-blowing?” Rachel nudged me with her elbow, a mischievous grin on her face. My face instantly turned red. Although I didn’t want to admit it, I had to say that James was pretty good in that department. The only issue was communication. Sometimes when things got intense, his hearing aid would fall off, and no matter how much I begged, he wouldn’t stop. In the end, I could only press against his ear, brokenly crying and pleading between gasps.

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The year I loved Jack Thompson the most was the year he died in a car accident. Everyone thought I would break down, but I didn’t cry or make a scene. Two years later, I ran into him at a private party. Jack was passionately kissing a young woman. His friends rushed to explain to me: “Jack was severely injured in the accident and fell into a coma. He’s just woken up and lost his memory… We didn’t tell you to spare you from constant worry.” Jack pushed the girl away and came to me, frowning as he said: “I heard you’re my fiancée? Although I don’t remember, I’ll honor our engagement since you’ve been pining for me.” I smiled slightly and replied, “They’re lying to you. We don’t know each other.” Jack didn’t know that on the day he faked his death, I had received a video. In the video, Jack was laughing as he told someone: “The thought of being with only Emily after marriage is unbearable. “I’ll fake my death and play around for a few more years. Comfort her often, don’t let her do anything stupid.” He also didn’t know that during the two years he was “dead,” I had been with other men.

The friends around us were stunned, then quickly tried to persuade me: “Emily, how can you say you don’t know Jack? We kept it from you, it’s not Jack’s fault.” “Yeah, Emily, we did it for your own good, afraid you’d always be worried. Now that Jack’s finally awake, don’t be petty with him.” The room was filled with accusations. Before I could speak, a scornful laugh rang out. Jack stood up from the couch, cigarette between his fingers, looking lazy and smug as he said, “If we don’t know each other, then forget it. Saves me the trouble of being responsible.” The young woman by his side clung to Jack’s arm, looking up at him shyly and nervously: “Jack… I know you. She doesn’t appreciate you, I… I’m willing to marry you, okay?” Jack didn’t respond. He glanced at me coldly, then wrapped his arm around the girl’s waist and kissed her deeply. Seeing this, the friends around us quickly blocked my view. They comforted me: “Emily, Jack lost his memory. You know he loved you the most before.” “Yeah, Em, you should take care of Jack and help him remember you. Don’t be upset.” I opened my mouth, about to say something to Jack’s friends, when a sudden pain shot through my stomach. My face paled involuntarily. I didn’t linger, turning to leave the room. I left so quickly that the people in the room didn’t react in time. After I disappeared completely, they sighed to Jack: “Jack, you went too far. Emily’s really jealous and angry now, her face went white. Don’t let her really leave you.” Jack smiled, sitting back on the couch. “Emily’s easy to coax. After two years apart, I don’t believe she doesn’t miss me. “Besides, I’ve lost my memory now. When I’m done playing around, I’ll tell her my memory’s back, say the past wasn’t my intention. I won’t even need to apologize, just beckon and she’ll come running back.”

After leaving the room, I could no longer hold back and crouched down. The pain in my stomach came in waves, leaving me without the strength to even go to the restroom. Until a shadow fell over me. A familiar voice said: “What, heartbroken? Want to rekindle the flame?” I looked up to see Alexander Hughes leaning against the doorframe not far away, arms crossed, looking at me impassively. He was dressed all in black, with a high bridge nose and eyes hidden in the dim light, emotions unreadable. In the light, his thin lips had beautiful, clean lines. In that moment, a feeling of being wrongly accused welled up in my heart. Tears fell uncontrollably. Alexander panicked, quickly dropping his arms and walking over to me. “Don’t cry, I won’t say that again.” He had a great physique, strong and powerful. He picked me up from the ground with one arm. The scent of cedar entered my nose, stirring my heartstrings. I wrapped my arms around his neck and said: “My stomach hurts…” Alexander paused slightly: “It’s early?” I nodded, my lips inadvertently brushing his jaw as I rested my head on his broad shoulder. Alexander carried me to the car, turned on the heat and said: “Wait in the car, I’ll go buy you some things.” After saying that, he closed the car door and left. The dim streetlight poured down from above, outlining his tall figure. Not long after, a video call came in. It was from Alexander. “Your usual brand is sold out. Do you see any you like among these?” I was about to choose when a familiar voice tinged with surprise came from the video. Jack walked into the store with his arm around the young woman’s waist. He looked Alexander up and down in surprise and said: “We invited you out for drinks tonight but you didn’t come. Turns out you’re here buying things for a woman! “Are you on a video call with her? Let me see who the amazing woman is that got our Mr. Hughes to open up!” Jack reached out to grab Alexander’s phone. I instinctively moved my face away from the camera. But Jack didn’t touch Alexander’s phone. Alexander just gave him a cold look, and Jack’s hand retracted. “Alright, alright, I see you’re protective of your treasure. Next time you must bring her out to meet us! “By the way, Alex, I ran into Emily. She walked into the wrong room and caught me kissing another woman. I was scared to death, but luckily the other guys were quick-witted and said I had amnesia. I’ll play around a bit more, then regain my memory. “Of course, you really helped me out too, bro. Back then when I wasn’t done playing, your idea of faking my death was brilliant!” The phone screen shook, and the next second my end showed the call had been disconnected.

Alexander came back ten minutes later. He didn’t dare look at me, just handed me what he bought and quickly got into the driver’s seat, locking the car doors. “I had someone send over some ginger tea with red dates. It’s at home. Do you… want to go back and drink it?” Alexander’s words carried a hint of caution. It made me laugh a little. Alexander was a well-known second generation rich kid in the city. He was also Jack’s best friend. In the past when I went out to eat with Jack, Alexander was always there. Back then he was very cold towards me, especially when people around us urged Jack and me to show affection, he wouldn’t even give us a glance. He even sneered and showed disgust. To the point where people in that circle all thought he hated me. Until later, on the day of Jack’s “fatal” car accident, I received a video. A video sent by Alexander. In the video Jack was laughing as he told someone: “The thought of being with only Emily after marriage is unbearable. “I’ll fake my death and play around for a few more years. Comfort her often, don’t let her do anything stupid.” But I never expected that this fake death was actually Alexander’s idea. This man was quite scheming.

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“Just sign it, Lily. My child can’t be illegitimate.” The night my sister was hospitalized after a car accident, her husband slapped the divorce papers against the ICU glass. Outside, he wrapped his arm around a female student’s waist, his fingers suggestively caressing her swollen belly. “She’s supported you for eight years. It’s time for her to step aside.” I stared at the girl’s face with a hint of amusement. Lily Evans: My high school classmate – the bully who drove someone to suicide eight years ago – now wrapped in a pure white cotton dress, timidly calling me “little sister Olivia.” Amidst the chaos, I clutched the paper in my pocket tightly. It was my brother-in-law’s medical report, showing a sperm survival rate of 0.03%. 0 “It’s okay, Lily. You know she can’t have a boy. A hen that can’t even lay eggs should be slaughtered.” Professor Thompson shielded Lily behind him, his crude language a far cry from his usual refined professorial image. On the other side of the glass, my sister’s oxygen mask was seeping blood. She remained oblivious to her husband’s betrayal. The smell of disinfectant stung my eyes as I looked through the glass at my sister’s body, riddled with tubes. Just three days ago, she had been adjusting Lily’s master’s degree gown tassel, smiling warmly: “Lily is like a second sister to me.” Because Lily wasn’t just anyone – she was the girl my sister had been supporting all these years. In her sophomore year of high school, Lily had been at the top of her class. Everyone in the village said she was destined for greatness, surely bound for Harvard. But her family couldn’t afford it. Her parents wanted her to marry the mayor’s son early, to help pay for her brother’s wedding. She wasn’t content with her fate and kept seeking sponsors. My sister, seeing her plight, immediately drove to her home to investigate. Not only did she give Lily’s parents a sum of money, but she also sponsored Lily through high school, college, and graduate school. Lily’s college entrance exam scores weren’t as stellar as expected. She didn’t make it into Harvard, barely scraping by with an undergraduate degree. Her subsequent master’s degree and upcoming PhD were all arranged by my sister. When Lily applied for her PhD, my sister placed her in Professor Thompson’s lab – the most prestigious lab in her field. Over these eight years, my sister not only arranged Lily’s education but also used her connections to find her jobs. As for Lily’s future marriage, my sister had been planning ahead, already scouting suitable young talents for her. Who would have thought that Lily didn’t fancy young, handsome men, but instead jumped into my brother-in-law’s bed? Professor Thompson sat with Lily for a while, then lost patience. He pulled out a document from his folder and handed it to me: “When your sister wakes up, have her sign this agreement.” His tone was indifferent, as if the person in the hospital room had nothing to do with him. I flipped through a page and felt my face flush with anger. How shameless! My sister was unconscious in the hospital, and here he was, bringing his mistress to force my sister to leave with nothing? 0

Seeing my silence, Lily looked up with a timid expression, her voice soft and hesitant. “I’m so sorry, Olivia. I’m grateful to Amelia, and to James too. I just want to fulfill their wish and give the Thompson family a son to carry on the family name.” “I’m not asking for any status. James and I are truly in love. I only want to repay their kindness.” Lily bit her lip, looking like a frightened deer. Professor Thompson held her closer, his eyes full of concern: “Don’t say that, Lily. I’m determined to get this divorce!” Suddenly, Lily stumbled and grabbed my father’s sleeve, her pregnant belly accidentally bumping against the emergency cart. She looked up with tears in her eyes: “James, why don’t we just leave? Amelia is in such a state…” “Leave? No way! My grandson must be born legitimate!” A shrill voice cut through the corridor. It was Mrs. Thompson, my sister’s mother-in-law, clutching her prayer beads as she rushed over. Her bony finger jabbed at my nose: “You little brat, how dare you glare at your sister Lily? She’s carrying our heir!” The prayer beads stung my face as they swung against it, reminiscent of the cigarette burns Lily had inflicted on a transfer student’s hand eight years ago, the sparks splattering onto my school uniform. I smiled, fingering the medical report: “You’re right, Auntie. The Thompson family’s precious grandson should be properly verified. But how do you know it’s a boy? Or even a Thompson at all?” I deliberately dragged out my words, watching Lily’s face turn ashen: “With today’s technology, prenatal paternity tests are quite safe.” I chuckled, feeling the other paper in my pocket – a document delivered by courier this morning, its cover stamped with “Sperm Bank Withdrawal Record Inquiry Result.” Suddenly, Lily clutched her belly and crumpled to the ground. Dark red blood flowers bloomed on her pure white cotton dress. Her voice was extremely weak: “Little sister Olivia, it’s understandable that you misunderstand me. You and Amelia are so close, but how could the baby not be James’…” She suddenly grasped the hem of my clothes, her eyes brimming with tears, her face as white as jade with a few spots of red: “Little sister Olivia, I’ll be honest with you. James was actually my first love.” Seeing the beauty in tears, Professor Thompson immediately slammed me against the wall. The back of my head rang from the impact. “You little bitch, just like your sister. Look at what state Lily is in, and you’re still upsetting her! Don’t I know if Lily was a virgin or not?” “If anything happens to Lily’s baby, I’ll make you and your sister pay with your lives.” Professor Thompson loosened his tie, glaring at me fiercely. The monitor was still screeching. I licked the blood from the corner of my mouth and looked at Lily. She was using the support as cover to flash me a familiar cold smirk. That smile was identical to the one on that rainy night when she had stomped on the transfer student’s head, burning her face with a cigarette! The transfer student’s pretty face was already blistered from the burns. Lily, ignoring her cries, yanked the latest model earrings right off her ears. “James, my stomach hurts so much.” Her trembling fingers clutched my brother-in-law’s tie, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. In a corner out of sight, she mouthed to me: You’ve already lost. 0

Ten years ago, on a night like this, my sister had burst into the dorm room, soaking wet, clutching James’ scholarship application form tightly to her chest. Back then, her eyes had sparkled: “Olivia, he said he’d buy me a diamond ring once he becomes a professor.” Yes, my sister had always been deeply in love with James. James’ current position was entirely due to my sister’s support. In high school, James had fallen for my sister at first sight – she was from a wealthy family and excelled academically. He’d said, “Amelia, I can’t give you much now, but I can give you my whole heart.” Under James’ gentle advances, my sister had gradually fallen for him. They finished high school together, did their master’s together, their PhDs together, and finally stayed on as faculty at the same university. When James couldn’t afford tuition, my sister paid for him. When James struggled with his research, my sister comforted him. When James was awkward at social events, my sister worked the room for his projects, putting on countless fake smiles. A young man from a rural area, who originally couldn’t afford tuition and was about to drop out. After meeting my sister, his life took an upward trajectory, eventually becoming a top professor. Amidst the shrill alarms of the monitors, I saw my sister’s fingers twitch through the glass. The prayer beads Mrs. Thompson had thrown at her were still wrapped around her pale wrist, the sandalwood beads gleaming a dark red under the cold fluorescent lights. Three months ago, when I’d burst into the Thompson house, these supposedly blessed beads had been grinding into my sister’s hand. Lily had leaned into James’ embrace, chuckling lightly: “Don’t upset yourself, Mrs. Thompson. Amelia just can’t have children, it’s not like she deliberately killed your grandson.” This was the home my sister had protected for ten years. Mrs. Thompson had always used my sister’s inability to have children as an excuse to treat her poorly. She would berate my sister daily, and my sister often cried secretly in her room, hating herself for not being able to bear a child. “Olivia, what are you standing there for?” Mrs. Thompson suddenly grabbed my collar, her prayer beads digging into my collarbone. “Hurry up and buy some brown sugar for your brother-in-law! Lily says her stomach hurts and she wants ginger tea!” I looked at this old woman who had once knelt in front of the Wells’ mansion begging for tuition money. Now she wore a jade bracelet my sister had given her, but used her gold-ringed finger to jab at my chest: “You jinx, all you Wells women are bad luck!” I had long known about my brother-in-law’s affair. That day in the lab, I’d seen James holding Lily. His suggestive fingers had slipped off her clothes, and I knew then that my seemingly upright brother-in-law had finally given in to temptation. Lily gently pushed James away with her small hand, as if reluctantly: “James, we shouldn’t be doing this.” I had run back to the Thompson house in a rage, intending to tell my sister about James’ infidelity. But I found my sister crouched in the Thompsons’ bathroom, scrubbing the toilet. Mrs. Thompson had thrown her blood-stained underwear on my sister’s head: “If you can’t have children, you should at least absorb some human energy.” After returning home, I checked all of James’ papers, only to discover that the first authorship that should have belonged to my sister had been changed to Lily! But this experimental data was clearly my sister’s! 0

It turned out that for all these years, James had been claiming my sister’s experimental data as his own to get promoted to full professor. My sister had kept quiet for the sake of her husband’s career. Years later, when she finally had the chance to become a full professor herself, it turned out her work had become the bully’s achievement. That day, I brooded alone for a long time. Had my sister and James’ childlessness all these years really been just my sister’s problem? I secretly doubted, and tricked James into participating in our company’s free comprehensive physical examination. Finally, I got the test report: sperm survival rate 0.03%. How could he possibly father a child? It had been him all along who couldn’t have children, yet James had pinned all the blame on my sister for all these years. I clenched my fists, slowly formulating a plan. I smiled and took Mrs. Thompson’s hand, looking at her with a hint of apology: “My sister’s inability to give the Thompson family a ‘biological grandson’ all these years is indeed her fault. I’ll go buy some brown sugar water for sister Lily right away. Don’t worry, as soon as my sister wakes up, I’ll make sure she signs this divorce agreement immediately.” Mrs. Thompson was surprised but nodded confidently, her wrinkled finger poking me lightly: “Little Olivia is so sensible, unlike that jinx of a sister. When our Thompson family has a grandson, you’ll have contributed too.” I suddenly grabbed her hand emotionally, tears welling up: “Oh, Auntie, you’re such a good person! All these years you’ve never held a grudge, and you’re even giving me credit. When Lily gives James a ‘biological son’, can I come see him? After all, Lily has given the Thompson family quite a ‘surprise’!” Seeing Mrs. Thompson hesitate, I continued: “It’s not that I want to cause trouble. It’s just that my parents feel guilty too. They think my sister has let the Thompson family down. They want to take this opportunity to properly apologize to the Thompson family and bring a big gift.” Hearing the words “big gift,” Mrs. Thompson’s eyes widened. She fingered her prayer beads and squinted. Then she nodded, grunting: “Fine then. Your Wells family is finally showing some sense. Having my son as an ex-son-in-law, a big professor, brings glory to your family name too.” I chuckled softly, wondering if James would be able to handle seeing his “biological son” later. I turned and went to buy brown sugar water for Lily, bringing it to her after it was ready: “Sister Lily, I’m sorry you’re not feeling well and had to come all this way. My sister’s fate is in heaven’s hands now, you don’t need to wish for her early death.” Lily shook her head repeatedly in denial: “Olivia, I only hope for Amelia’s speedy recovery.” “Well, thank you then. The brown sugar water is getting cold, drink up.” I was too lazy to argue with her, scooping up some brown sugar water and looking at her expectantly. “Sister Lily, I truly know I was wrong. There’s nothing wrong with the brown sugar water, I just bought it. You’ll feel better after drinking it.” Seeing her reluctance, I let a few tears drop, looking up at her pitifully. James inexplicably felt a twinge of softness and coaxed Lily: “Lily, drink some brown sugar water. It’ll make you feel better.” After a few seconds of standoff, Lily finally took a small sip. Then, she clutched her belly and screamed. Seeing this, Mrs. Thompson immediately threw her prayer beads at my face. James scooped Lily up in one motion, and the three of them hurried away. 0

I walked to the hospital bed and removed my sister’s oxygen mask, looking at her with concern: “Sis, do you see my brother-in-law’s true colors now?” My sister’s eyes were filled with tears, her voice choked with sobs: “Olivia, how could I have loved the wrong person?” I hugged her tightly, speaking softly: “It’s okay, sis. At least we still have a chance now. At least we can fight back.” After comforting my sister, I went to Lily’s hospital bed. James and Mrs. Thompson had gone out to buy food, so I locked the door behind me. Lily was peeling an apple. When she saw it was me, she dropped the fruit knife in terror. “Olivia, your sister isn’t dead yet and you’re already rushing to show your loyalty?” Lily shrank back, the jade pendant on her chest gleaming coldly – it was the family heirloom Mrs. Thompson had forcibly yanked from my sister’s neck. I sat down on her hospital bed, smiling as I tucked a stray hair behind her ear: “Sister Lily, why aren’t you calling me ‘little sister Olivia’ anymore? Why have you dropped the act?” “Olivia, I could cripple your sister, and dealing with you would be even simpler. Are you trying to threaten me?” Lily straightened up, a sinister smile playing on her red lips. “I’m well aware of Sister Lily’s methods. We saw them in high school, didn’t we?” “But today, let’s talk about something else.” I opened my phone and projected an image onto the stark white wall. The sperm bank records cast an eerie light, with Lily’s signature clearly visible next to the notation [Donor ID X-0742]. Seeing this, Lily’s eyes widened in disbelief: “How did you get this?” Ignoring her question, I looked at her with a hint of mockery: “So the child isn’t my brother-in-law’s after all! You couldn’t even wait for IVF, could you?” I swiped to the next image on the wall projection, my smile growing brighter: “Actually, I can understand your impatience. After all, the Thompson family struck gold with one professor. They’d need a legitimate grandson to inherit, wouldn’t they?” Lily’s face turned deathly pale. She bit her lip: “You little bitch, what do you want?” I smiled at her: “Why, to ask for your help, of course.” Seeing Lily’s hesitation, I tossed her James’ medical report showing his 0.03% sperm survival rate, then twisted the knife: “I could guess the child wasn’t my brother-in-law’s, but I never imagined it wasn’t William’s either!”

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I was working part-time at a high-end karaoke bar when I ran into my supposedly poor boyfriend. He was dressed in expensive clothes, wearing a luxury watch, and shouting, “I’m picking up the tab for everyone tonight!” I couldn’t believe my eyes. This was the same guy who insisted on splitting the bill when we shared a bowl of pasta. Then the girl in his arms called out his name. “Alex, you said you were pretending to be poor and dating that bitch to get revenge for me. How long are you planning to keep up this game?” Alexander pecked her lips. “Of course, until she loves me the most. Then I’ll reveal everything and humiliate her just like she humiliated you…” My nails dug into my palms. But I had never wronged him… Hearing Alexander’s words, the mask I wore made it hard to breathe. My hands trembled uncontrollably, making it difficult to pour drinks. My whole body felt cold. I was still in disbelief. At that moment, Alexander lit a cigarette. “You don’t know, that bitch is head over heels for me now. She brings me water, washes my feet every day, and willingly lies in bed to serve me. Even when I hit her, she still shamelessly tries to comfort me… She’s utterly despicable!” He waved his hand dismissively. “If it weren’t for wanting to get revenge for Scarlett, I’d lose my appetite just looking at her greasy face!” Someone chimed in, “Exactly! How dare such a lowlife hurt Scarlett and almost get her assaulted.” He turned to Scarlett and raised his glass. “We’ll all stand up for you!” I stood still, suppressing the chill that kept rising in my heart. It turns out that when you suddenly discover the truth, you can’t react immediately. Someone nearby shamelessly approached Alexander. “How about we all have some fun with that bitch too?” Alexander casually took out an intimate video he had tricked me into making. “Sure, take a look. Anyone interested? When the time comes, I’ll make up an excuse about needing money. She might even let you guys do whatever you want with her for my sake.” Hearing this, my hand shook violently. It felt like a huge hole had been torn in my heart, letting in a gust of cold wind. I did know Scarlett, but I truly had no idea when I had ever hurt her. And it turns out this rich young master had gone to great lengths to pretend to be poor, deceiving both my body and my heart. Some of the alcohol I was holding splashed onto Scarlett. She gave me a strange look, as if she had noticed something, and then started screaming. “Watch where you’re going, you blind idiot!” Alexander’s dangerous gaze turned towards me, his eyes darkening. “Oh, looks like someone’s upset Alexander’s precious darling,” the crowd jeered. Alexander twirled his wine glass, his gaze lingering on my face before he spoke coldly. “You’re so clueless, you can’t even be a good dog. As punishment, get down on all fours and bark like a dog,” he said, scattering money from his hand. “Crawl around this room five times on your knees!” “However much of this money you can catch in your mouth, you can keep!” The intense humiliation rushed to my head. If it weren’t for the mask covering my face, I’m sure I would have looked paler than the mask itself. Was this really the same gentle, kind-hearted man who would roll up his sleeves and say he’d stand up for me when I was treated unfairly? I stood there, motionless. Scarlett turned her head and clicked her tongue a couple of times. “Aren’t you desperate for money? Why pretend to have dignity now?” She draped herself over Alexander’s neck and said in a deliberately coy voice. “Speaking of needing money, I saw that bitch Olivia getting pretty close to some rich guy the other day. I bet she’s trying to climb the social ladder…” Others laughed, “Tsk tsk, even a lowlife like her is trying to move up in the world!” “Haha! If she knew that Alexander is the son of the richest family in the city, I wonder how much she’d regret it!” “We’re all looking forward to seeing the look on her face when she finds out the truth!”

I stood there rigidly, feeling like everyone’s gaze was piercing into my body like needles. That rich guy they mentioned was my childhood friend. After my family went bankrupt, he was the only one who didn’t look at me differently. I had gone to him to ask if he could help Alexander find an easier, more respectable job. “Hurry up and crawl! Bark like a dog!” Those spoiled rich kids were used to toying with people for fun. Seeing me frozen in place, Alexander viciously kicked my knee. I felt a sharp pain in my bones. My head hit the coffee table hard. Blood spilled everywhere. “How disgusting!” Alexander saw that I stubbornly refused to move and gave up his malicious gaze. Scarlett extended her high-heeled foot and ground it into my hand. The pain made me break out in a cold sweat, but I clenched my teeth to avoid making a sound. Alexander finally lost patience. He carelessly tossed a wad of cash into my shirt collar and had someone throw me out of the room. I quickly treated my wounds and stumbled home. Looking at the simple, familiar furnishings in my rented apartment, I felt dazed. Just this morning when Alexander left, he had kissed me and said he would love me forever. Now, coming back here, it felt like the beautiful world had shattered, revealing dark fangs. I started packing my things. Late into the night, the door opened and Alexander walked in. “Baby, I’m done with work. Look, I bought your favorite cake with my bonus.” I noticed the obvious signs that someone had tampered with the cake, and silently avoided his embrace. He kept rambling about how much he had sweated and been bullied by others just to buy this cake for me. I glanced at my phone and saw Scarlett’s new post on Instagram. The photo showed the same cake, but she had many pieces spread out on the floor. The caption read, [Craving cake… The one who loves me will always bring what I want right away… (heart emoji)] As I listened to Alexander’s words, I looked straight into his eyes. “Alex, do you really love me?” Alexander was taken aback for a moment, then quickly put on his trademark pitiful expression and tried to hug me. “I love Olivia, I’ll love Olivia forever.” I looked at him, remembering what he had said at the karaoke bar not long ago… “When the time comes, I’ll make up an excuse about needing money, and she might even let you all have your way with her!” “Just looking at her face makes me want to vomit!” I couldn’t help but tremble and stepped back, bumping into the table. The wad of cash he had stuffed into my shirt fell out. Alexander’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed dangerously, once again looking like the young master from earlier. “Well, well, Olivia! So you really have hooked up with some rich guy. How shameless can you be?” “How did I end up with such a slut!” Seeing his expression, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. He raised his hand as if to slap me. I flinched and stumbled into the bedroom. He followed me in and saw the luggage I had packed all over the floor. He paused for a moment, then folded his arms and blocked the door, his mouth curving into a deep sneer, his eyes sinister. “Planning to elope with someone else, are you? Do you look down on me that much? Is it just because I don’t have money?” I wanted to explain. He slammed the door shut. Alexander also cut off the power to the room. He knew full well that I had claustrophobia.

The darkness rushed towards me like a tidal wave. I felt like I was drowning, gasping for air but still suffocating. After what seemed like an eternity, I heard voices outside. “Alex, baby, aren’t you worried that poor bitch will get jealous if you bring me here?” I could hear the sound of passionate kissing. Alexander’s voice was full of suppressed desire. “Don’t worry, she can’t make trouble. She can’t get out. She’s probably just wailing in there right now.” So he knew about my suffering. At that moment, I could almost see him lifting Scarlett’s lingerie, just like he had at the karaoke bar. His low whisper hit me like a hammer, making my brain reel. “Besides, don’t you think her screams make it more exciting?” My throat was already hoarse from begging. It felt like I had swallowed a huge block of ice in my chest. I could barely move my body. In my hazy consciousness, images from the past floated before me. I first met Alexander on a sweltering summer day. I was wearing a heavy mascot costume, handing out flyers, when a group of kids started chasing and hitting me with sticks. My body swayed, and I nearly fainted. “You can’t bully people like that!” It was Alexander who stopped them and chased them away. Then he handed me a bottle of ice-cold water, saving me from heat stroke. He sat down beside me and said gently, “I’ve handed out flyers in the heat before too. I know how tough it is.” Then he told me that he came from a similar background as me. My heart pounded like a drum, and the world seemed to go silent except for the sound of my racing heartbeat. After that day, we naturally got together. We rented a small studio apartment together and slept on a narrow twin bed. But he was good to me, bringing me gifts every day after work. When I burned myself while cooking, he would kiss my fingers with tears in his eyes. “Olivia, thank you. You don’t know how much I love you.” Due to family troubles, I developed a sleepwalking problem. He would thoughtfully put foam padding on the corners of tables and cabinets, afraid I might bump into them. I thought he cared about me, but that day at the karaoke bar, I clearly heard him tell others, “That bitch even sleepwalks. It’s disgusting how she wanders around in the middle of the night!” I fell into a deep sleep. My last impression was of Alexander’s contemptuous and arrogant face at the karaoke bar that day. That scene pierced my heart like a sharp sword. I woke up gasping for air, to find Alexander staring at me intently. His eyes were deep, his thoughts unreadable. Seeing me lower my head submissively, he said, “Done throwing a tantrum? That’s better. I’ll take you out for our anniversary.” He dragged me to an upscale restaurant. Alexander lied without blinking an eye, “I saved up for a whole year to bring you here.” I sneered inwardly. One meal here probably cost less than what young master Alexander spent on drinks in a single night. Alexander expertly pulled out a chair for me and prepared the cutlery. “I’ll spend time with you properly today, to celebrate us making up.” “From now on, I’ll accompany you here for every anniversary. It’ll be our special secret.” He whispered in my ear. My heart fluttered slightly at these sweet words. Seeing his sincere and doting gaze, I felt a bit dazed. Was he just too good at acting, or had he started to believe his own act? Maybe he did have some genuine feelings… Just then, Alexander’s phone started ringing. Scarlett’s coquettish laugh came through. “Alex, baby, I need you for something.” Alexander didn’t hesitate for a second. “I’ll be right there.” I watched Alexander impassively. “I have to go.” The person across from me left without a second thought, completely forgetting his promise to spend our anniversary with me. Watching his cold retreating figure, the last flicker of emotion in my heart was completely extinguished. I saw Lucas and greeted him. Just as I was about to leave, Scarlett walked in through the door. “Well, well, I was wondering why this restaurant smelled so bad. Turns out it’s the stench of poverty from someone here!” She had brought a group of her friends. Before my family went bankrupt, these people used to flock around me. I straightened my back and stood up, not wanting to cause trouble. I tried to leave through the side. “Excuse me, I have somewhere to be.” But Scarlett had her friends block my way. “What could you possibly have to do? Go seduce some rich man?” “Or have you already picked your target and can’t wait to strip naked and throw yourself into his bed? So eager… Olivia, how can you be such a slut?” “Is this really the daughter of the Reed family, one of the richest in the city? What would your parents think if they saw you like this?” Scarlett covered her mouth dramatically and raised her eyebrows. Her friends laughed along on cue. “Don’t go too far!” I glared at her angrily, suppressing my fury. My family had always helped her, but for some reason she kept targeting me and my family.

Hearing my angry rebuke, Scarlett laughed even more arrogantly. “I’m going too far? I can go even further…” Scarlett yanked the tablecloth off, sending all the dishes crashing to the floor. “You must be really short on cash right now,” she signaled with her eyes, and two people came over to grab me. “If you eat all the food off the floor, this money is yours.” She took out a wad of cash and patted my cheek with it. “I won’t!” I struggled as they twisted my arms and pushed my head down into the spilled soup on the floor. The pain in my arms felt like they were being torn apart. The jeering laughter of those people exploded in my ears like an evil curse. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, a voice rang out. “What are you doing?” Alexander stood in the doorway, frowning as he looked at me. Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought I saw a hint of heartache in his eyes. I opened my mouth, wanting to speak. But Scarlett beat me to it, clenching her fists. “Alex, baby, your girlfriend was trying to seduce rich men. I was teaching her a lesson for you!” Alexander helped me up and handed me a napkin to wipe the soup off my face. I took a deep breath, looking at Scarlett’s coquettish smile. Anger surged within me. “Aren’t you the one seducing my boyfriend?” Whispers rippled through the crowd of onlookers in the restaurant. People had been speculating about my relationship with Scarlett. Scarlett’s face paled, and she threw herself into Alexander’s arms. “Alex, baby, why don’t we tell her the truth? She really thinks she’s your girlfriend…” She shot me a coy glance. But Alexander dodged her embrace and said in a low voice, “What truth?” I suddenly felt it all so pointless and turned to leave the restaurant. Alexander chased after me. “Scarlett means well. She’s just looking out for me. Who told you to smile at other rich men…” I was surprised. “So you knew?” Alexander nodded. “I went to find Scarlett and saw it on the security cameras.” “So you saw Scarlett ordering others to torment me? And you… you waited so long to come…” My lips curved into a bitter smirk. “You must have enjoyed seeing me in such a miserable state, right?” Alexander choked. “I…” I turned to leave, but Scarlett chased after us. “Olivia, to show how sorry I am, I’d like to invite you to a party. You won’t refuse, will you?” Looking at her malicious eyes, I felt like a cold snake was staring at me. I was about to refuse when Alexander answered for me, “She’ll be there.” I looked at Alexander in shock, my chest aching. My voice was already choked with tears. “Don’t you know how she humiliates me every time?” But Alexander was unmoved. “Scarlett means well. You must have done something to upset her.” “So you need to go and apologize…” Alexander forcibly dragged me to the party. The crowd was wildly dancing, champagne spraying everywhere. It was a celebration for a bunch of rich brats. When they saw me arrive, their eyes lit up with malicious glee. All eyes turned to Scarlett, as if waiting for something. Sure enough, Scarlett walked over with a thin piece of cloth in her hand. “Olivia, I heard you’re short on cash. If you put this on and do a striptease for us here, we’ll all give you some money.”

The crowd started jeering. I knocked the cloth out of her hand, my face rigid with shame and anger almost overwhelming me. But Scarlett leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I know it was you at the karaoke bar that day. Should I tell all your old friends to go take care of your ‘business’?” The color drained from my face, and a chill ran through my body. Before my family’s bankruptcy, they had treated me like a princess on a pedestal. Now, I’m sure they’d be more than willing to watch me fall and be humiliated. I instinctively wanted to escape. I looked around, seeking help. But Scarlett curved her lips into a smile. “Let’s play a game. If you can find someone willing to save you, we’ll let you off today.” My hands shook as I took out my phone, barely managing to dial Alexander’s number. Into the phone, I pleaded desperately, “Alexander, I know you’ve found out the truth about why you approached me, but I really never bullied Scarlett.” “For the sake of all I’ve given you these past three years, please save me! They want me to do a striptease… They’re really going to assault me!” I was on the verge of kneeling, looking completely broken. Those people watched me with amused expressions, as if enjoying a show. I touched my earlobe, making sure that object was still there. Thankfully, ever since the last humiliation, I had prepared something special for them, just in case. Before I could finish speaking, Alexander’s impatient voice came through, “Now that you know my identity, you’re trying to butter me up? Using our relationship to threaten me? I never had any real feelings for you!” “Just do whatever they tell you to do.” “I saw with my own eyes how badly Scarlett was hurt. Just as Scarlett said, you’re nothing but a liar! You owe Scarlett this much. She has a soft heart; if you apologize sincerely, she won’t make things difficult for you.” The blood vessels in my head throbbed, and I could barely make out what he said after that. Seeing Scarlett’s triumphant smile, I lowered my head. …No one was going to save me. Scarlett waved her hand and announced into a microphone, “Come on, strip her clothes off and let her give us a striptease show today!” “We’re all looking forward to the great Olivia Reed’s striptease performance!” I tried my best to dodge, but grabby hands came at me from all directions. Seeing that I wouldn’t comply, someone grabbed a fork and stabbed it into my hand. Blood sprayed everywhere. Someone else kicked me hard. I crawled on the ground, my mouth filled with the taste of blood. Suddenly, Scarlett came over and tried to rip open the buttons on my chest. I dodged to the side. I grabbed the microphone next to me and smashed it towards Scarlett’s head. A hush fell over the crowd. Following the crowd’s gaze, I saw Alexander standing in the doorway. He walked over to Scarlett with concern, checking her injuries. Her hand was only red from the impact. The blood on it was actually mine. “Alex, baby, I was just trying to help Olivia fix her clothes. Look what she did to me…” She pouted, looking wronged. Alexander looked at Scarlett’s hand covered in my blood, then glared at me angrily. “And here I was worried about you, coming to check on you.” “You really are the same as always, just betraying people’s trust.”

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I was kidnapped by abductors, while my husband spent a passionate night with his first love. In the end, I was brutally assaulted by the criminals and left to die in an unmarked grave. After death, my soul, weighed down by intense resentment, couldn’t ascend to heaven and remained stubbornly attached to my body. Only by finding the murderers could I quell my vengeful spirit. When I dragged my broken body home, my husband accused me of lying. On the seventh day after my death, my husband married his first love, while the video of my assault and dismemberment was leaked online. When the truth finally came to light, I felt a great burden lift from my shoulders as I slowly closed my eyes… “Sophia! I don’t care what you’re doing right now, I’m not coming to see you because I’m going to pick up Olivia!” Alexander’s voice came through the phone, crushing my last hope. As I heard this, my heart turned to ash, and my struggles against my captors gradually weakened. The criminals grinned lecherously, “So we can have our way with your wife then?” Alexander replied carelessly, “Do whatever you want!” “After all, she’s just a loose woman. Her chastity probably doesn’t mean much to her anyway!” With that, he hung up the phone. And I endured twelve hours of inhuman torture. The next day, I opened my eyes to see my own dismembered body. Last night, those men had brutally assaulted me before cutting me into pieces and dumping me in the wilderness. Am I dead… or not? Right now, only my soul was left wandering. So this is what people call the seven days after death when the body dies but the soul lingers. My body was wracked with searing pain, and there wasn’t an inch of unscathed skin left. The memories of last night’s horrors were still vivid. I still forced myself to stand up through the pain and started walking home. Back at the mansion, I knocked several times before someone came to the door. “Who are you?” Olivia appeared at the door with sleepy eyes, her legs barely hidden under Alexander’s shirt. “I’m…” I took a deep breath, “Alexander’s wife.” Olivia’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at me. Then she waved her hand in front of her face. “What’s that smell? It’s so foul!” But I couldn’t smell anything at all. Because I was already dead, my senses were slowly fading away. Seven days from now, I would completely disappear from this world. From last night until now, I had been dead for eight hours. My body was starting to emit an odor, and black spots were appearing on my arms. “Is it a beggar? Why don’t you just send her away?” Alexander came down from upstairs nonchalantly. Seeing me, he sneered. “See, I told you she was out having fun!” “What kidnapping? It was all a lie!” “She’s the best at lying, after all.” Hearing Alexander’s confident accusations, my heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. He hated me. He always thought it was because of me that he couldn’t be with his childhood sweetheart Olivia. Three years ago, Alexander had sex with me while drunk, mistaking me for Olivia, and then we got married. From that day on, Alexander never trusted me again. And I was only kept by his side as a substitute for Olivia. “Remember what I told you before?” Alexander approached me with a look of disgust, “Now that Olivia is back, you can leave.” My chest tightened, but I still pleaded, “Give me seven days, please?” Seven days later, if Alexander still didn’t realize I was dead, I would automatically disappear. But if he could find my body, I might have a slim chance of coming back to life. “Fine, it works out perfectly. In seven days, I’m moving abroad with Olivia anyway.” “If you don’t want to leave during these days, you can stay and cook for us!” With that, he went upstairs hand in hand with Olivia. Turning back, he said, “After you’ve been out messing around, clean yourself up.” “You’re filthy!”

I came out after taking a shower and saw Olivia cuddling in Alexander’s arms watching TV. The two of them looked more like a married couple than Alexander and I ever did. “Finished showering?” Alexander pointed to the kitchen nearby, “Go make dinner for my Olivia!” “Olivia doesn’t like spicy food, she prefers sweets. Keep that in mind.” I didn’t move, my fingers clutching tightly at the hem of my shirt. “What are you doing? Go now!” Alexander suddenly got angry, his enraged expression not seeming like an act. Olivia tugged at Alexander’s arm and said softly, “It’s okay if she doesn’t want to cook. I’m hungry too.” Hearing this, Alexander looked even more contemptuous, “Doesn’t want to? I told her long ago she could leave if she wanted. Since she’s still here, she might as well make herself useful!” Hearing Alexander threatening to kick me out, I immediately turned to go to the kitchen to cook for them. Behind me, I heard Alexander joking with Olivia, “What a desperate woman! She can’t live without a man!” “See, I told you she’d do anything for me.” With my back to them, I cooked while crying silently. The pain in my heart made my shoulders tremble slightly. “If you feel wronged, we can always eat out!” Alexander stood behind me, frowning as he smelled the odor coming from my body. “Why do you still smell so bad even after showering?” I paused briefly while chopping vegetables. The truth was, my body was slowly decaying. I had already died yesterday. Although I could appear “alive” in front of Alexander like this, My body would gradually decompose over time. I only had seven days left. Seven days later, if I couldn’t find the murderers, I would vanish into thin air and truly die. “It’ll be ready soon.” I forced a smile, trying not to let Alexander notice anything amiss. “You chose to stay here yourself.” Alexander reminded me again, “Now that Olivia is back, you should know your place as a substitute.” I knew he was trying to force me to leave. “Alexander, we’re not divorced yet.” I looked past his shoulder at Olivia on the couch, trying to remind him not to go too far. But he raised his hand and slapped me across the face, “You slut! Who are you to meddle in my affairs!” “Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because Grandma likes you!” I took a deep breath and looked up at him. His eyes held nothing but disgust for me. “But Grandma will find out if you brazenly bring her back to the mansion like this.” Alexander’s pupils constricted rapidly, and his hand on my shoulder gradually tightened. He whispered in my ear, “That’s why if Grandma finds out, you’re finished.” Alexander reached out and gently stroked my hair, “Is this what you’ve been dreaming of me doing?” Before I could nod, he suddenly yanked my hair hard. “Ah!” I gasped in pain. “But too bad… you don’t deserve it!” “Why didn’t those kidnappers just kill you yesterday!”

His vicious curse made me catch my breath, my lips trembling as I spoke shakily. “I won’t tell Grandma.” Alexander forced me to admit it, then let go of me with satisfaction. “That’s a good girl!” With that, he stepped back and left with Olivia to eat out. I looked at the table full of food I had prepared, feeling like a clown. Alexander never intended to eat the meal I cooked. It was just to mock me. He once told me, “A substitute is just a substitute. Sophia, you’ll never be worth even Olivia’s little finger.” In the end, I threw all the food I had made into the garbage. Since I was already dead, I couldn’t eat anything anyway. Even drinking water made me vomit. Gradually, I felt my whole body growing weaker. In the evening, I received a call from Alexander’s grandmother. On the phone, Grandma Rose sounded reproachful. “My dear, I haven’t seen you in so long. Why haven’t you come to visit me?” Last night, when those beasts were taking turns assaulting me, I didn’t shed a single tear. When I saw my own dismembered body dumped in the wilderness, I wasn’t afraid. But now, Grandma Rose’s words of concern brought tears streaming down my face. “Grandma…” I choked up, “I might not be able to come back for a while. My school has an assignment abroad, so I’ve been busy lately. When I have time, I’ll definitely… come see you!” Perhaps my tone sounded too pitiful, because Grandma Rose sensed something was wrong. “Is Alexander bullying you?” Remembering Alexander’s menacing look when he warned me this morning, I quickly denied it. “No, no, I’ve just been too busy lately.” I chatted briefly with Grandma Rose before hanging up. Late that night, Alexander hurried back home. He took Olivia and went straight to the bedroom. As I passed by their door, I heard passionate sounds coming from inside. I couldn’t help but pause. Through the half-open door, I saw two entwined bodies. Olivia was straddling Alexander, her head turned to look at me with blatant triumph in her eyes. I quietly closed the door for them. In the dead of night, violent knocking on my door startled me awake. As soon as I opened the door, I smelled alcohol. Alexander’s eyes were bloodshot. “You…” He pushed me roughly onto the bed. “You still went and tattled, didn’t you?” I shook my head, but it was too late. Alexander flipped me over. “Turn your head away, I don’t want to see your face!” I buried my face in the pillow. The pain of Alexander’s forceful entry made me dizzy several times. “Isn’t this what you wanted me to do to you?” Alexander’s tone held no warmth, only cruelty. “But you don’t deserve it!” He tormented me all night before finally seeming satisfied. He looked at me and said, “After all these years, you’re still like a dead fish. How could anyone be interested!” “Compared to Olivia, you’re not even close!” I lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as the room spun around me. Blood rushed to my head and tears that I could no longer hold back spilled from my eyes. But when Alexander saw me, he only thought I was pretending. Only six days left now. I had hoped to use these six days to say a final, dignified goodbye to Alexander. But now, it seemed there was no need for that anymore. “Alexander… let’s get divorced!”

“Gladly!” Alexander’s tone was full of excitement. “I couldn’t ask for anything better!” “How else could I marry Olivia if I don’t divorce you?” Mustering the last of my strength, I propped myself up on my elbow to sit up. Looking at Alexander, I asked a question I had always wanted to ask, “Alexander, did you ever love me?” Alexander jumped off the bed, about to leave. Hearing my question, he laughed. I laughed too. Because we both knew the answer to that question. “I hate you.” “If it weren’t for you, Olivia and I might have been together long ago. We would have studied art together, fulfilled her childhood dreams. It’s all because of you!” After Alexander left, I slowly closed my eyes. Everything he had just said – those were my wishes, the future I had once shared with Alexander. But he had forgotten it all. I was an orphan, raised in an orphanage from a young age. When I was nine, Grandma Rose took me in as her adopted granddaughter. “I felt a connection with this girl at first sight. I brought her home to grow up with Alexander so they’d have each other for company.” And so I came to live with the Jiang family. But to my surprise, when Grandma Rose introduced me to Alexander, all that awaited me was coldness. Before I was adopted by the Jiang family, I was never popular at the orphanage. Back then, I was small and skinny, completely unremarkable. Every summer, Grandma Rose would bring Alexander to spend the holidays at the orphanage. At that time, I was so afraid of crowds that I always hid in the attic of the orphanage. But each time, I would secretly peek at Alexander playing with the other girls. Among these girls, the most popular was Olivia. Becoming like Olivia was my dream throughout my entire childhood. Like me, Olivia was also an orphan. Unlike us, she always received preferential treatment. Because she was pretty and had blossomed into a lovely young lady at an early age. Every time Alexander came to visit, the orphanage director would dress Olivia in beautiful dresses. The director and teachers’ intentions were obvious – they wanted her to be adopted by the Jiang family. I secretly liked Alexander, but no one knew. I would trace his features over and over on paper. Many times, I wanted to go downstairs to play with him. But I was just too unremarkable. So much so that I never spoke to Alexander during my time at the orphanage. Everyone at the orphanage crowded around Alexander and Olivia. Everyone thought Grandma Rose would take Olivia home. But an accident happened… The summer I was eight years old, Alexander accidentally fell into the pond and nearly drowned. As usual, I was reading on the second floor of the orphanage when I heard cries for help. I looked out the window. Alexander’s body was bobbing up and down in the water, while Olivia was too scared to speak. I dropped my book and ran over, picking up a stick on the ground to reach out to Alexander. After Alexander got to shore, he fainted and lay there like he was dead. I was so scared I stood frozen, unable to speak. The children who came running when they heard the cries pointed at me and shouted, “Sophia! You pushed Alexander into the pond!” In the crowd, I saw Olivia. She stared with wide eyes but said nothing. “Sophia! Did you push Alexander in?” The orphanage teacher roughly shoved me to the side. “I… didn’t.” Usually too timid to speak up, I couldn’t help but defend myself in that moment. But Olivia stepped forward and pointed at me, “It was Sophia, I saw her!”

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