In the final stages of cancer, my only chance at life-saving chemotherapy was bought out by Frank and given to Rachel, who was in the early stages. I gave up on the doctor’s life-saving plan and swallowed strong pain-blocking medication. The price was organ failure and death in 3 days.
During these 3 days, I gave up everything.
When I handed over all my hard-earned assets to Rachel, my parents smiled with satisfaction.
When Frank presented the divorce papers and I signed without hesitation, he sighed and said I was very understanding.
When I pushed Lily to call Rachel “mom”, she excitedly said mom was the best.
Even when I gave all my properties and assets to Rachel, they didn’t notice anything wrong. They just looked at me with contentment and said, “Our sensible Chloe has finally come back.”
But I’m also curious, will they remember me after I die?
Under the doctor’s pitying gaze, I swallowed the pain-blocking medication. I had 3 days left to live.
After taking the medicine, I went to Rachel’s hospital room. Inside, Dad was peeling an orange for Rachel while Mom chatted with her. When they saw me enter, the smiles on my parents’ faces instantly turned cold.
“What, done pretending to be sick and here to pick on Rachel again? Chloe, I’m warning you, don’t you dare bully Rachel while we’re here!” Dad glared at me, his tone icy.
“Our Wilson family has always had strict discipline. I don’t know where you learned such bad behavior, being jealous of Rachel and even trying to steal her treatment opportunity,” Mom scolded, pointing at me. “If I had known, I never should have given birth to you!”
In a corner hidden from my parents’ view, Rachel smiled at me, her eyes full of provocation.
I lowered my gaze. I had heard these words from my parents countless times before. In the past, I would have argued with them and exposed Rachel’s true nature in front of everyone, even though my parents never believed a word I said. But now I was tired, too exhausted to fight anymore.
“Well, it’s good you’re here. I have something to discuss with you,” Dad spoke up.
I smiled faintly. “Dad, I have something to tell you too.”
“Doesn’t Rachel want my store business and company? I’ve thought it over – she can have it all!”
Dad was stunned for a moment. Mom also looked at me in surprise.
“How did you know I was going to talk to you about this today? You agree?”
I forced a smile. No wonder they were shocked and kept confirming. Rachel had wanted my hard-earned businesses for a long time. My parents had said all kinds of things, good and bad, trying to get me to hand over my life’s work to Rachel. But I had always refused. Now that I was dying anyway, these things meant nothing to me.
Seeing I looked serious, Mom finally smiled in relief and stepped forward to pat my head.
“You’ve finally come to your senses!”
“Rachel has always been more talented than you, even when you were in school. Although she’s sick now, her financial management skills are better than yours,” Mom said. “We’ll feel much more at ease if you let her take over your stores and company.”
I forced another smile and handed the transfer documents to Rachel. After seeing Rachel sign, my parents happily held my hands, calling me a good child over and over.
I felt a hint of bitter irony in my heart. How laughable – only when I gave in to Rachel would Mom smile at me. But I was also curious – if Mom discovered Rachel’s true nature after I died, would she and Dad regret it?
That evening, I returned home to find my husband Frank and daughter Lily cooking in the kitchen. Perhaps because of my late-stage cancer, I closed the door softly. The father-daughter pair seemed not to notice, laughing as they cooked together.
Frank turned around with a plate of food and saw me. His smile froze for a moment before returning to normal.
“Chloe, when did you get back? I didn’t hear you come in.”
I silently looked at the dish in Frank’s hands – stir-fried vegetables, Rachel’s favorite. The presentation rivaled that of a professional chef.
How ironic. I was about to die, and only now did I learn that Frank, my husband of 5 years, could cook. In the past, he always complained about my cooking. Under Frank’s influence, Lily gradually started criticizing me too.
I had worked so hard for this family, but in the end, I didn’t earn an ounce of respect. In the past, I might have started screaming hysterically by now. But now I just calmly walked past them and sat on the couch, sorting through the things in my bag.
Seeing my silence, Frank hesitated for a moment. He put the dish on the table and walked over.
“Chloe, there’s something I want to discuss with you today.”
Frank rubbed his nose awkwardly, hesitating before continuing:
“It’s about your sister Rachel.”
My heart sank. A bad feeling suddenly washed over me.
Frank’s next words left me stunned:
“After Rachel finishes her cancer treatment, she’s been feeling very depressed. So your parents suggested I marry Rachel to cheer her up.”
My ears were ringing. It took a long time before I found my voice again.
“So… you agreed?”
Frank sighed.
“Chloe, even though Rachel isn’t your biological sister, she’s still family after your parents adopted her. It’s just to cheer her up. Once Rachel is discharged, I’ll still be your husband and Lily’s father.”
Before I could speak, Lily chimed in:
“That’s right, Mom. Aunt Rachel has been so sad lately. You need to understand!”
I silently looked at the father and daughter in front of me.
This was the man I had loved for years.
This was the child I had raised with such difficulty.
I had never done anything wrong. I had given my all to my family, husband, and child. I could face them with a clear conscience.
In the end, this was how they repaid me – with betrayal.
But it didn’t matter now. If Rachel wanted everything, I would give it all to her. I didn’t want any of it anymore.
I raised my head to look at Frank. “Alright, I agree.”
Frank’s eyes flashed with surprise. “Really?”
He quickly took out divorce papers from a drawer and placed them on the table.
I smirked inwardly. Oh Frank, you can’t even bother to hide your impatience?
I picked up the pen and quickly signed my name.
After signing, Frank’s face was full of relief. His expression was solemn yet affectionate.
“Chloe, once Rachel is discharged, we’ll remarry. Don’t worry, I’ll never let you down!”
Frank finished speaking and signed the divorce papers as well. After signing, he looked at me and sighed.
“Chloe, you’ve become much more sensible than before. I’ve made mistakes in the past too. I was wrong. After Rachel gets better, I’ll never let you worry about anything again!”
“That’s right, Mom!” Lily chimed in like a little adult. “Mom is so good to Aunt Rachel. I’m proud of you!”
Looking at them, my heart turned to ashes.
Before this, I had held out one last shred of hope for Frank and Lily.
But now…
Forget it. I had no expectations left, except for death.
I stood up, intending to go back to my room to rest.
A wave of intense dizziness hit me. I couldn’t help but faint. In the last moment before everything went black, I saw Frank’s worried face.
I was jolted awake by a wave of cold. When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to find myself still lying on the floor. Frank and Lily were looking at me with disappointed expressions.
“Dad, I told you Mom was faking again!” Lily said.
“Mom, can you stop being so childish? You’re really holding us up from going to visit Aunt Rachel at the hospital!”
Faking?
Frank also spoke up with disappointment:
“Chloe, can you stop making a scene? I already told you, even though we’re divorced, you’re still the one I love. There’s no need to use such childish tricks to test me!”
After hearing Frank’s words, I finally understood.
The pain-blocking medication I had taken would suppress all symptoms for these 3 days. During this time, I would look like a normal, healthy person.
But the side effects were severe. After 3 days, I would die from organ failure.
It seemed the medication was working quite well.
I forced myself to stand up. “It’s probably just low blood sugar. I’m fine. I’ll go to the hospital with you. There are some transfer documents Rachel still needs to sign.”
Frank nodded. There was no surprise on his face. My parents must have told him in advance.
At the hospital, Rachel was watching TV in her room.
“Chloe, you’re here!” Rachel’s face was still very pale, but her spirits seemed much better. However, I didn’t miss the smugness and arrogance in her eyes.
“Chloe, thank you for trusting me to manage your businesses. Don’t worry, I won’t let you down!”
“That’s right, Chloe. With Rachel managing your stores and company, you can stay home and collect dividends every day. How nice!” Mom said with a smile.
I took out the remaining documents from my bag. “In that case, I’ll let her manage all my assets too. That way I won’t have to worry about anything in the future.”
Everyone in the room froze.
“Chloe, are you serious? You want to give Rachel all your assets?” Frank grabbed my arm, his eyes full of shock.
This time it was my turn to be confused.
In the past, they had always sided with Rachel. Whatever Rachel wanted, they gave her. If I refused, they would berate me endlessly.
How come now that I was giving Rachel everything, they suddenly didn’t understand?
Dad was the first to recover. His eyes were full of approval. “This child has finally come to her senses! Our efforts in raising you weren’t wasted!”
“Chloe, it’s good that you’ve learned to accept your sister now,” Mom added. “From now on, you two can live well together. Even when we’re old, we can rest easy!”
Rest easy?
Dad, Mom, you’ve been fooled by Rachel’s act for too many years. Do you really believe Rachel will manage everything well?
My head started spinning again. My nose felt itchy. When I touched it, I realized it was a nosebleed.
“Chloe, why are you getting a nosebleed? The weather isn’t even dry,” Mom asked.
I paused as I wiped the blood. In the end, I couldn’t help but look at them and speak:
“Dad, Mom, if I really died from illness one day, would you regret it?”
But Mom’s expression didn’t even change. She just smiled and glanced at me.
“Your face looks so healthy, how could you possibly die from illness? Don’t say such unlucky things!”
“Yes, Rachel is different. We need to make sure she gets proper nutrition once she recovers!” Dad said, looking at Rachel with concern.
“I agree!” Lily chimed in. “Mom looks so healthy. Aunt Rachel is the one we’re most worried about!”
The last glimmer of hope in my heart disappeared completely.
I had nothing left to look forward to…
I lowered my head to look at Lily and smiled as I spoke:
“Lily, didn’t you always want Rachel to be your real mom? I agree now. Rachel is your mom now. Why don’t you call her ‘Mom’?”
Lily’s eyes lit up with joy. “Really?!”
I smiled faintly.
“After you call her Mom, you can always eat the food she cooks and have her accompany you from now on! Isn’t that what you’ve always wished for? Are you happy?”
Lily jumped up excitedly. “Yay! Mom is the best! Thank you, Mom!”
With that, Lily let go of my hand and hugged Rachel. My parents and Frank watched the scene with satisfaction.
I turned to leave, taking one last look at them.
My parents were playing with Lily alongside Rachel. Frank was watching with a smile.
No one noticed me.
I closed the door to the hospital room and left.
With only one day left until my death, I had nowhere to go.
My life had been so busy and rushed. I had never taken the time to truly enjoy myself.
I booked a ticket to B City to see the ocean at night. I had wanted to go hiking too, but I couldn’t hold on any longer.
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My best friend Mia said I had a great voice and pressured me to quit my job to be her co-host on a relationship advice live stream.
On the first day, a girl called in and asked me to help her reconnect with her ex-boyfriend who was about to get engaged. When the guy agreed, the girl suddenly changed her tone: “Actually, I’m his current fiancée, and we’re getting engaged tomorrow. It’s over between us.”
I was bombarded with insults after that. People online accused me of helping a homewrecker.
Mia not only didn’t clear things up for me but went live to spread rumors that I’d been dating rich old men since college and would do anything for money.
This led to a stalker following and killing me.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the moment I answered that call on the live stream.
This time, I snapped: “A proper ex should be as good as dead to you. Aren’t you just trying to be the other woman here?”
The psycho dragged me into a dark alley, methodically breaking my bones with a hammer.
He sneered, “You’d go for 70-year-olds, but you won’t accept me? Is it just because I’m broke?”
“You bitch! Die!”
The next second I lost consciousness, I found myself back on the first day of the live stream.
On my phone, the girl who called in was pouring her heart out.
“My ex and I were in love for 8 years. We broke up 6 months ago due to a misunderstanding, and now he’s getting engaged to someone he met through an arranged date tomorrow. I can’t let him go.”
“I want to be brave one last time for this relationship.”
“Host, could you please call him for me?”
Viewers in the chat were moved by her story.
They kept sending messages urging me to agree to her request.
Living through this again, I knew these were all paid commenters hired by Mia.
“Don’t worry, Lily. I’ve received your contact info through a private message. I’ll call him right away to ask,” Mia said, sitting off-camera while scrolling through her phone, not forgetting to reply to the girl named Lily.
I was still reeling from the near-death experience, barely able to breathe.
But just before she could dial, I instinctively grabbed the phone and smashed it against the wall with all my strength.
Mia was dumbfounded.
Comments started flooding in at lightning speed.
“Whoa, why did the host suddenly go crazy?”
Lily’s voice sounded hurt: “If you didn’t want to help, you could’ve just said so…”
I cut her off and went on the offensive.
“Help with what? Do you know what an ex is? An ex is as good as dead. You knew you’ve been broken up for six months, what have you been doing all this time?”
“He’s about to get engaged and now you want to get back together? That’s like trying to breastfeed a dead baby. What, are you eager to be the other woman?”
“I despise people like you the most, using love as an excuse to manipulate others. Do you really think we’re all idiots?”
I was speaking with a double meaning.
I was scolding everyone in the live stream.
After my rant, I didn’t give Lily a chance to explain and kicked her off the call.
In my past life, after Lily stated her request,
I had the same thoughts initially.
But I knew everyone goes through relationship problems, and it’s normal to have a hard time letting go when you’re in the middle of it.
I didn’t want to judge her from a moral high ground.
I planned to politely decline and then slowly talk her through it.
But Mia dialed the guy’s number before I could speak.
Left with no choice, I reluctantly explained the situation to him.
The guy promptly replied that he was willing to get back together.
The live stream exploded with excitement over his response.
At that moment, I felt bad for his fiancée, but then Lily immediately spoke up, saying, “Actually, I’m not his ex. I’m his current fiancée. Thank you, host. I guess there’s no need for this engagement anymore.”
I felt a wave of relief wash over me, and I even felt glad that she had escaped from a bad situation.
It wasn’t until I died that I realized…
The girl who called in and the guy who answered the phone were all actors hired by Mia.
She had planned from the beginning to sacrifice me to boost her own career.
Mia panicked: “Everyone goes through breakups. She just wanted an answer. How could you attack a girl with such harsh words?”
I flipped the camera to face her.
“So what?” I challenged.
“Just because she’s heartbroken, the whole world has to coddle her? Don’t be ridiculous, sis. What answer? Didn’t she get her answer when they broke up? Now that he’s about to get engaged, she suddenly wants an answer?”
“I never realized your values were so messed up. Do you also think that it’s not cheating if you’re not the one being loved?”
My words were sharp and my tone was biting.
Mia was so taken aback by my verbal assault that she couldn’t even lift her head. She covered her face and actually started crying.
Jack burst in and ended the live stream.
Then he stood protectively in front of her, glaring at me with disappointment.
“Mia was kind enough to bring you into live streaming to make money, and you’re being so aggressive over this little thing? How can you be so ungrateful?”
I held my head high and replied firmly: “I’m sorry, but I can’t earn this kind of dirty money!”
In the past, I had a gentle personality and didn’t want to argue with them.
But my tolerance only led to them taking advantage of me more and more.
Jack still didn’t take me seriously.
He instinctively told me to apologize to Mia.
He furrowed his brow, his eyes full of disappointment: “We’re all friends here. You’ve really gone too far today.”
I walked up to them and held out my right hand.
“Make up with a handshake? What are you, in elementary school…” Mia started to say.
She hesitated, then reached out to shake my hand. Just as we were about to touch, I raised my hand high and slapped Jack hard across the face.
His condescending words were cut short.
He looked at me in utter disbelief.
“I’m curious, I’m supposed to be your girlfriend, so why do you always take her side?” I coldly questioned him. “Tell me, when did you two start hooking up?”
“You’ve misunderstood Jack and me. He came to see me last night because it’s your birthday soon, and he wanted to surprise you,” Mia explained, biting her lower lip. “We’ve been friends for 10 years. I would never betray you.”
I turned to Jack: “Is that true?”
Jack nodded, and I kicked him hard in the knee, making him fall to the ground.
Mia rushed to help him up, her face full of concern.
“I was just testing you, and you both confessed everything. Did I even mention anything about last night?” I said.
“No wonder you wanted to help that homewrecker earlier. So you’re that kind of person!”
“You don’t really think that only the one who’s not loved is the other woman, do you?”
Jack hissed in pain and scolded me through gritted teeth: “Enough! Can’t you reflect on yourself at this point? If you were really that great, why would I look at someone else?”
“Oh, great, now we’re blaming the victim, are we?” I retorted.
While they weren’t paying attention,
I flexed my wrists, grabbed both of their heads with my hands, and smashed them together hard.
The sound of their heads colliding was quite loud.
I felt like I was listening to heavenly music, and some of my anger dissipated.
Along with Jack’s sharp intake of breath, Mia burst into tears with a loud wail.
I felt even more satisfied.
“You cheating bastard, we’re done!”
“I hope you two snakes stay together forever, locked in misery!”
Mia and Jack held their heads, having lost all their strength and tactics.
I quickly made my escape.
But I didn’t leave right away. Instead, I stood outside the room, wanting to hear if they had any more schemes planned.
As soon as Mia recovered, she started badmouthing me.
“That bitch Aria must have taken the wrong meds today. How dare she get physical? Wasn’t she your lapdog? How come she’s not even listening to you anymore?”
“Who knows what’s wrong with her? She’s just a psycho!” Jack cursed, then started analyzing the situation rationally. “She must have found out about us. Otherwise, with her personality, there’s no way she would have been so aggressive today.”
“What should we do? I was counting on her to help me grow my following,” Mia said, unwilling to give up.
Jack reached out and pulled her into his arms.
He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent with pleasure.
“Baby, why are you panicking? Worst case scenario, we’ll just edit the livestream video and say Aria was the one who put us up to it. We’ll have that actress who called in today come out and accuse her too.”
“Nowadays, netizens believe whatever they hear first. No one will bother to investigate the truth.”
“Besides, you’re her best friend, and I’m her boyfriend. We have the closest relationships with her. In outsiders’ eyes, we have the least reason to hurt her.”
“The only downside is that we can’t go public with our relationship for a while. I’m sorry about that.”
Mia looked at him with sparkling eyes, full of admiration: “Jack, how are you so smart?”
Jack was very pleased with this kind of praise.
I had been squatting under the window until my legs went numb.
I originally planned to wait for them to leave, then go in to get my phone that I had left behind.
I never expected these two scumbags couldn’t wait even for a moment.
Things were heating up inside the room.
Suddenly, I realized that they were the ones who should feel guilty. Why was I hiding?
I’m just too moral of a person.
I kicked the door open with one foot.
The door slammed against the wall with a loud bang.
Mia screamed, and Jack immediately lost his excitement.
They both turned to look at me in horror.
I was very calm: “Sorry, I left something behind.”
Jack asked: “What did you leave?”
Is that really the point here?
I looked him up and down, my gaze lingering on a certain area. I made a gesture that Korean men hate the most.
Then I turned to Mia and said: “Tsk tsk tsk, just this… how could you possibly fall for him?”
Mia and Jack finally snapped back to reality and hurriedly looked for their clothes to put on.
I took advantage of this time
To quietly slip my phone into my pocket and leave.
In my past life, I had very low self-esteem.
So during the first livestream, I put my phone in a corner of the room to record the entire process, wanting to watch it later to see where I could improve.
In my previous life, Mia’s plan went smoothly, and I didn’t capture any evidence that could help me.
But now it’s different.
After I got home, I edited out the NSFW parts.
Then I uploaded the video online.
“Perhaps it’s because my boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend that he would use this method to hint at me to leave on my own.”
“I never thought something like this would happen to me. Although this whole thing was orchestrated by my best friend, I want to say that society is still too tolerant of such behavior.”
“I may not have much influence, but I absolutely refuse to go along with people who have no moral compass. I’ve cut ties with them and broken up!”
“Don’t worry, I’m not in the internet industry and never planned to make a living this way. The only reason I became a host was because Mia kept begging me.”
“I’m heartbroken. Logging off now.”
After experiencing so much in my past life,
I knew exactly what kind of content netizens like to see, and how to stir up public opinion.
After a night of fermentation, this video had over ten thousand shares, with impressive likes and comments.
My former colleague from work commented: “I knew being an internet celebrity couldn’t be that easy. It turns out it was all a scheme. The boss wants you to come back to work right away. She doesn’t blame you.”
I worked at a boutique perfume company and had been the top salesperson for three consecutive years.
When Mia first asked me to quit my job, I refused.
I thought she was being too unrealistic.
Later, she came up with a nasty trick. While I was at work, she deliberately caused trouble, making me lose quite a few clients.
After learning what had happened, my boss didn’t blame me and even gave me time to sort things out with Mia.
Mia flew into a rage, stormed into the boss’s office, and trashed the place, sending the boss to the hospital.
The boss wanted to press charges, but I, considering our years of friendship, begged her for half a month straight.
Perhaps I was too much of a saint.
In the end, the boss just sighed and said: “You’re not fit to stay in the company like this anymore. You should go.”
Thinking back on all this, I felt increasingly stupid.
I anxiously opened SnapChat.
When I saw the unread message from my boss, I almost teared up.
“You’ve grown. Now that you’ve sorted things out, come back if you want. I’m still waiting for you to make money for me.”
“You got it, Sophia!” I replied.
While Jack and Mia were drowning in a sea of online criticism, I was already standing in Sophia’s office.
Sophia lectured me for a good while in a tone of disappointment.
In the end, her eyes twinkled with amusement.
“You woke up, and not too late.”
I had joined this company right after graduation.
Back then, it was just a small workshop.
She focused on perfume research, while I handled sales.
This unknown little brand could barely sell one item a month.
At the worst of times, when we couldn’t even pay salaries, others left one by one. Only I stubbornly stayed.
I was waiting for her to declare bankruptcy, and she was waiting for me to quit voluntarily.
We stared at each other every day.
Somehow, we managed to hang on for a few more months.
Until we finally caught a break.
That small workshop has now grown into a sizable company.
“I knew you were a sentimental fool who clings to old relationships. If I didn’t let you see for yourself, you’d still be letting them suck you dry.”
“From now on, work hard and try to help me buy a Cullinan soon, got it?”
I looked at the car keys on the desk: “You want to buy another one? Why not try something else?”
She laughed: “These are for you.”
I was surprised: “For me?”
“Don’t you need a nice car for business meetings? I bought it for you a while ago, but when I heard you had a boyfriend, I was afraid he might be after your money, so I didn’t dare give it to you.”
Sophia picked up the car keys from the desk and tossed them to me. Seeing that I caught them, she smiled.
Me: “Now that I’m famous, do I still need to go out for business meetings?”
“Getting cocky, are we?”
Sophia gave me a light knock on the head.
It hurt so much my eyes welled up.
“I mean, we can take advantage of this opportunity to open up online sales channels.”
Sophia was surprised: “Didn’t you say in your statement that you won’t be involved in the internet industry?”
I did say that.
But I’m just riding the wave to grow our business, promoting the company’s products and managing operations without showing my face.
Sophia’s eyes were full of approval.
“I actually had similar plans.”
We hit it off immediately and chatted until nearly lunchtime. As we were heading to the cafeteria together, I got a call from my parents.
“Aria, we saw your video. Jack said it was all planned between you guys to grow the account. What’s really going on?”
“Jack and Mia are at our house now. They say they want to discuss the next steps with you. Come home quickly.”
Jack and I met through an arranged date.
We had been dating for so long, and he had always pretended to be very reliable. If I hadn’t lived through this once before, I never would have discovered his true nature.
Thinking about how much my parents approved of him,
I couldn’t help but worry. I excused myself to Sophia and rushed home.
Afraid that Jack, the freeloader, might cling to me, I didn’t dare drive the Cullinan yet.
Just as I reached the door and was about to take out my keys, it opened automatically.
Jack and I made eye contact.
He was the first to break into a smile: “Aria’s back. We can start eating now.”
He reached out naturally to take my bag.
I dodged to the side.
I changed into slippers and went inside.
Mia, wearing an apron, happened to be bringing a dish out from the kitchen.
My parents sat awkwardly at the table, visibly relieved when they saw me.
My gaze darkened.
In all the years I’ve known Mia, every time she came to my house as a guest, my parents would wait on her hand and foot.
When had they ever let her cook?
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. They must be up to something.
I glanced around, getting a sense of the situation.
“Aria, why are you just standing there? Come eat. I made your favorite sweet and sour ribs today. Try them and see how they taste,” Mia said.
My eyes fell on the dish in her hands. Without responding, I turned and walked into the kitchen.
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My husband’s first love was too scared to perform, so I switched places with her and became an overnight sensation.
But she deliberately sprained her ankle and falsely accused me of pushing her.
To avenge Olivia Reed, my husband Jack Thompson cut off my left leg.
When reattaching the leg, Jack specifically instructed the doctor to put my toes facing backward and my heel forward.
The doctor was incredulous, “Mr. Thompson, your wife is a dancer you’ve supported for years. She’s finally famous after persevering for a decade. How can she dance in the future with such a deformed leg?”
Jack said, “She hurt Olivia, so she must suffer a thousand times more. How can I not teach her a lesson?”
“When Olivia becomes a big star and is no longer bullied, I’ll make it up to her.”
Six months later, I received an invitation from the country’s largest talent agency.
When the contract termination and divorce papers were placed in front of Jack, his eyes turned red.
In my hazy consciousness, I saw the doctor approaching me nervously.
When I opened my eyes again, my left foot was facing backward, and the deformed leg made it impossible for me to lie flat on the bed.
I heard voices behind me as Olivia Reed and Jack Thompson walked up to me.
She abruptly pulled off my blanket and covered her mouth in shock.
Olivia shrank into Jack’s arms, wiping her tears. “Jack, I was just complaining a bit. I never meant for Aria to pay such a heavy price.”
“After all, I’m just a small-time performer. A sprained ankle isn’t a big deal.”
Jack stroked her head affectionately, “You’re just too kind-hearted. How can I not worry when you always put yourself last?”
Watching Olivia’s act of playing the victim, I felt nauseated.
A few days ago, the company sent Olivia and me to participate in a national live dance competition.
Just before the competition started, Olivia suddenly claimed she couldn’t remember the dance moves and hesitated to go on stage.
To prevent a broadcast mishap, the production team switched my performance order with Olivia’s.
I danced with all my might, and all the judges lit up their approval lights for me. The audience gave me the highest score in history.
Nationwide viewers voted for me, and I topped the rankings within minutes.
Returning backstage with an excited heart, I saw Olivia crying and holding her swollen foot.
“Aria, I know you were jealous that I dance better than you. I wasn’t going on stage anyway, so why did you have to push me down the stairs?”
Everyone backstage looked at me with contempt.
“What’s the use of dancing well if you have such a vicious heart? Using such despicable means!”
Someone had already taken out their phone to film me.
“You just wanted fame, right? Fine, I’ll make you famous right now!”
I’m not a naturally gifted performer. I had practiced hard for ten years for this day. Only I knew how much hardship I had endured. I couldn’t let it all be ruined like this.
“There are surveillance cameras backstage. You can check them!”
Olivia cried even more pitifully, “Don’t I know who pushed me? Do we need to check the cameras? Aria, even at this point, are you still trying to smear me?”
I was at a loss for words because no one would believe that a dance performer would roll down the stairs on her own before going on stage.
I grabbed Jack’s hand, begging him to change my leg back.
“Jack, I really didn’t push her. We’ve been together for ten years. Don’t you know what kind of person I am?”
A hint of reluctance flashed in Jack’s eyes, but he eventually pulled his hand away from mine.
“I know you. You’re kind-hearted. But in the face of fame and fortune, people change.”
“Do you want me to believe that Olivia, such an innocent girl, would roll down the stairs herself just to frame you?”
All the grievances exploded at that moment, and I became somewhat hysterical.
“You can check the surveillance footage! Why are you accusing me without caring about the truth?”
Olivia immediately shrank into Jack’s arms, trembling.
“Jack, Aria looked just like this when she pushed me down the stairs that day. I’m so scared. Don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me…”
Jack pulled Olivia into his arms to comfort her.
But when he looked at me, his eyes turned fierce.
“Aria Collins, I know you don’t like Olivia, but I never thought you could be so vicious! Are you trying to destroy Olivia?”
I bit my lip hard, not wanting to let the tears fall, but the next second, I broke down completely.
“Jack, do you really want to treat me like this…”
His eyes showed a hint of disgust.
“It seems you still don’t know where you went wrong. Do I need to reverse your other leg too?!”
At that moment, I suddenly realized that Jack’s heart had already drifted away. Now he would only believe Olivia’s tears.
Olivia trembled in Jack’s arms, her eyes full of grievance, “Sister also said that she had practiced hard for ten years just waiting for this opportunity. If I didn’t give it to her, she would stop her grandfather’s medical treatment and beat him to death to feed the dogs.”
Jack’s eyes turned blood-red. Without waiting for my explanation, he grabbed my shoulder and dragged me off the bed.
“Now kneel down and apologize to Olivia!”
Olivia was an orphan, with only a seriously ill grandfather as her only relative.
It was with this backstory that she had clung to Jack’s leg while begging on the street, asking him to take her in.
But the last time I went to see her grandfather, I caught her frantically slapping the old man’s face, saying, “You old bastard, I’m about to become a star, and I still have to take care of a dog like you!”
My right leg was forced to kneel, but my left knee couldn’t bend backward. As soon as force was applied, the already injured area broke again.
The wound hadn’t healed and reopened. My left leg fell straight down.
The doctor heard the commotion and rushed in, quickly going out to call for help.
Soon, a group of nurses and doctors rushed into my hospital room.
Jack was obviously panicked, “How did this happen…”
Olivia instructed from the side: “Jack, this is just her trick. She’s just trying to make her leg fall off to gain sympathy and get her leg changed back!”
Jack sneered, “Right, this is just another one of your tricks. Doctor, still follow my previous instructions. We’ll consider changing it back when she truly repents.”
The doctors and nurses looked at each other, but this hospital was funded by Jack, and no one dared to disobey his wishes.
Just as the doctor was about to give me anesthesia, Olivia said pitifully, “If only I had anesthesia when I fell down the stairs.”
With one order from Jack, no one dared to use anesthesia on me anymore.
After waves of excruciating pain, I passed out.
When I opened my eyes again, my leg was completely numb.
Olivia and Jack didn’t realize I had woken up and were embracing and kissing passionately next to my bed.
I used to think Jack only sympathized with Olivia and doted on her like a sister. I never imagined they would do such things in front of my hospital bed.
Jack’s hand had already slipped under Olivia’s shirt.
Olivia fell softly into Jack’s arms.
“Jack, whose body do you prefer, mine or Aria’s?”
“Yours, of course. You’re like boneless, while Aria is always as stiff as a board.”
As he spoke, Jack carefully caressed Olivia’s facial skin, his eyes full of tenderness.
Olivia faced me, a smile curling at the corner of her mouth.
This was all deliberately shown to me.
She pushed Jack away, pretending to be flustered, “Aria, you’re awake…”
Seeing my pale face, Jack finally felt a pang of conscience and asked Olivia to leave.
He stroked my face and poured me a glass of water.
“Aria, I just wanted you to apologize to Olivia. You have me and the company, but what does Olivia have? Nothing but a seriously ill grandfather.”
“She’s like our little sister. You should be coddling her.”
Little sister? Jack still thought I hadn’t seen their behavior just now, that I was still in the dark.
He had my leg turned into this state just to please Olivia.
Looking at the person I once wanted to spend my life with turning into this, I felt both pathetic and ridiculous.
Jack continued to comfort me, “Once Olivia becomes famous, I’ll change your leg back. We’ll go abroad together, and no one will be able to bother us anymore.”
The greatest sorrow is a dead heart.
When you’re completely disappointed in someone, you don’t even want to argue anymore.
I forced myself to sit up and calmly said, “Jack, let’s get a divorce.”
Jack frowned, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
I turned my head away, my mind made up.
He picked up a cup and smashed it on the floor. Olivia rushed in at the sound.
Jack pointed at me and roared, “Aria Collins, don’t forget who gave you everything you have today. Don’t say I’m only wasting one of your legs. Even if I wanted your life, you’d still be my ghost even if you died!”
“I’ll cancel all your schedules. You just stay here and recover. When the time is right, I’ll come to get you.”
With that, he put his arm around Olivia’s waist to leave. Olivia looked back at me and said, “It’s best to tie her up. If sister escapes, Jack will surely be heartbroken.”
Jack ordered people to tie me to the bed.
“Jack, let me go! This is imprisonment!”
But he didn’t even look back.
In the days that followed, I had to have someone bring a basin for me to use the toilet, like a person without dignity.
Half a year later, Jack appeared in the hospital room again.
This time, he had prepared a dance dress that exposed the legs for me.
“Aria, put this on today. You’ll perform on the same stage as Olivia.”
During the half year I was tied to the bed, I wasn’t completely ignorant of what was happening outside.
The nurses felt sorry for me and told me a lot.
During the half year I was confined to bed, the two of them would go traveling and having fun every few days.
Olivia was average-looking with mediocre dance skills and wasn’t hardworking. She couldn’t make any waves in the entertainment industry.
Recently, someone had started a trend hoping for my return.
Jack’s move was to let Olivia ride on my popularity.
“Aria, I promise this is the last time. Once Olivia becomes famous today, I’ll take you abroad tomorrow.”
Jack seemed to be discussing with me, but it was actually just coercion.
I was stripped naked and changed into the dance dress.
Then I was carried and put into the show’s business car.
I was thrown onto the stage, limping. Under everyone’s astonished gaze, Olivia completed a dance.
Everyone’s attention was drawn to me, and they didn’t pay much attention to Olivia.
At the same time, a video of Olivia accusing me of pushing her backstage six months ago went viral.
Suddenly, Olivia became an internet sensation.
“I heard no one was willing to perform with Aria the cripple this time, only Olivia agreed. And that’s her former enemy who tried to harm her!”
“Olivia is too kind-hearted. She deserves to be famous!”
“I heard Olivia’s foot injury was quite serious back then. Her dancing skills have fallen drastically. The top spot six months ago should have been Olivia’s.”
Backstage, Olivia stepped on my head in the toilet bowl, flushing repeatedly.
“You’re not still expecting Jack to fulfill his promise to take you abroad, are you? I’m already pregnant with Jack’s child. After the baby is born, do you think he’ll want a popular starlet or a crippled wife like you?”
When Olivia kicked me out the door, Jack, who was coming in, saw it.
He pulled Olivia back.
“Are you crazy? If someone sees you bullying her at this time, you’ll be ruined completely!”
Olivia instantly became teary-eyed and pitiful.
“So Jack is still worried about her. Then I’ll leave!”
Jack hugged her again.
“What am I going to do with you? I’m planning all this for you.”
Olivia cried like a tear-soaked person in Jack’s arms, “Then after our child is born, will you marry me?”
Jack paused, “Olivia, I’ve told you many times, I’ll give you everything I have, but I’ll only have one wife in this life, and that’s Aria.”
Olivia’s expression froze for a moment as she slowly slid down from Jack’s body.
She covered her belly, “Jack, my stomach was just hit by Aria. It hurts so much now.”
Jack’s eyes were filled with killing intent as he looked at me, kicking me against the wall.
“You really never learn! If anything happens to Olivia’s child today, I’ll break both your legs!”
He carried Olivia away, disappearing at the end of the corridor.
At this moment, a woman walked in from outside and handed me a business card.
She was the agent from Starlight, the largest talent agency in the country.
Most of the hottest stars in the country came from there.
She helped me into a wheelchair, carefully tidied my hair strand by strand, then crouched beside me, giving me the utmost respect.
“Miss Collins, we’ve always admired your talent. Our company has video footage of Olivia falling down the stairs herself, and we have the best medical conditions in the country to restore your leg.”
“If you’re willing to work with us, we can solve all your current problems.”
Looking at myself in the mirror, already tortured to barely resemble a human, I made up my mind to leave this place.
“Prepare the contract termination and divorce agreement for me. I’ll sign with you.”
One hour later, in Jack’s office, his assistant ran in from outside.
Jack was comforting Olivia while asking, “Have you brought Aria back? Has she admitted her mistake?”
The assistant didn’t dare to breathe loudly, stammering in response, “Mr. Thompson, when we arrived, your wife was already gone.”
———-This is the breakpoint———-
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In the seventh year of my marriage to Lily, her wealthy first love returned from abroad.
He had a face that was 70% similar to mine.
At the class reunion, he cornered me in the bathroom and taunted: “Tell me, who does she think of every night, you or me?”
I couldn’t help but throw a punch.
But Lily yelled at me for his sake: “Why don’t you just die?”
She didn’t know that I was indeed dying.
At the class reunion, Lily’s first love had returned from abroad.
Now successful and famous, he walked past old classmates amidst their flattery, stopping in front of Lily to say a simple “long time no see.”
With just those words, Lily’s eyes instantly turned red.
Classmates laughed and teased, “After all these years, Zack still only has eyes for Lily.”
“If Lily had married Zack back then, she’d be Mrs. Jack now, instead of running that small company.”
“I say it’s not too late for Lily to get a divorce now.”
“…”
Everyone was gossiping, with Zack and Lily at the center of attention.
And I, as Lily’s husband, sat to the side, more like a piece of background scenery.
I studied Zack.
He had a face that was 70% similar to mine.
In fact, I had always known that I was just a substitute Lily had found.
I once vowed to use the rest of my life to make Lily truly fall in love with me, but—
Now, I was dying.
Feeling suffocated, I went out for some air.
But at the bathroom door, I encountered Zack.
He smiled contemptuously, “Thank you for taking care of Lily all these years.”
“Now that I’m back, she doesn’t need you anymore.”
A lump formed in my throat, causing pain throughout my body.
I looked at him coldly, “The choice is Lily’s. At least for now, I’m her legal husband.”
Zack’s cold laughter rang out.
“Where does your confidence come from? Just that face that looks a bit like mine?”
“Tell me, when she’s lying next to you at night, who is she thinking of, you or me?”
Every word was particularly grating.
I couldn’t hold back anymore and punched him hard in the face.
However, a cry of surprise came from behind:
“Zack!”
Turning around, Lily had already run up.
She helped Zack up, glaring at me with red eyes. In seven years of marriage, she had never been this angry.
“Ethan Summers, are you crazy?”
“What right do you have to hit someone?”
Their classmates also came forward to help Zack, looking at me with hostility.
“Lily, your husband is really something. Even if he’s jealous, he can’t just hit people!”
“Yeah, he’s so lacking in self-awareness. If it were me, I’d pack up and leave as soon as the real deal came back.”
Amidst the chatter, Lily looked at me coldly, “You’ve really disappointed me.”
My chest seemed to hurt even more.
Suddenly, I tasted blood in my throat, but I managed to hold it back.
I turned and left.
On the steps outside the hotel, I slowly took out the medical report from my pocket.
Ethan Summers, male, late-stage stomach cancer.
The sunlight shining on that thin piece of paper was a bit dazzling.
I couldn’t hold it back anymore and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Seven years ago, Lily approached me, using the excuse of avoiding her family’s pressure to marry, saying she wanted to live together as partners.
At that time, it was my third year of secretly loving Lily.
So I agreed without hesitation.
For seven years after marriage, we lived together respectfully, and later even developed feelings.
I held that piece of ice in my palm for seven years, watching as the fortress she had firmly built slowly crumbled.
To the extent that, later on, I even believed she had fallen in love with me.
Now it seems.
I was just deluding myself.
Without realizing it, I fell asleep curled up on the sofa.
When I woke up, it was to the sound of the door closing.
When Lily came in, the wall clock was just pointing to 3 AM.
Seeing me awake, she paused, then took off her coat and hung it in the closet. That coat looked a bit familiar.
In the afternoon, it had been on Zack’s body.
Lily walked to the sofa, half-squatting to hold my hand, “Still angry?”
I didn’t say anything, just pulled my hand away and pushed the prepared divorce agreement in front of her.
“This is the divorce agreement. Take a look.”
Lily was stunned for two seconds, then her face showed the anger of having her intentions exposed.
“Ethan Summers, what do you mean by this?”
“Nothing happened between us, we just met up with old classmates today.”
“Can you stop being so unreasonable like a woman?”
She asked three questions in a row, getting more and more agitated.
The anger I had been suppressing all day finally burst out at this moment.
“What about you?”
“Lily, in these seven years of marriage, have I been a husband to you or just a substitute?”
“When you kiss me, are you thinking of me or Zack?”
I didn’t want to argue with her.
But the knife-like pain in my stomach made me unable to hold back this question.
Lily was instantly silenced.
After a while, she got up and walked towards the door.
“Ethan Summers, are you going to be this childish until you die?”
Throwing down these words, she slammed the door and left.
But I was stunned.
Yeah.
I’m about to die, and I’m still this childish.
Lily hasn’t been home for two days.
I called her three times, wanting to urge her about the divorce. The first two times she hung up, and the last time she simply turned off her phone.
I remembered that a few years ago, she had pulled me into her classmates’ Facebook group.
I opened the computer and logged into the account I hadn’t used in a long time.
It was still there.
Someone in the group had posted some photos of a private gathering of classmates. I saw Lily in the photos, as well as Zack.
She seemed to have been drinking and was passed out in his arms.
I looked at every photo, then calmly tagged Lily in the group.
“Come home, let’s sign the divorce papers.”
She responded to me quickly.
“What are you going crazy about now?”
Soon after, I received a message notification: “You have been removed from the group chat.”
Lily’s phone was still unreachable.
But someone rang the doorbell. I pressed on my aching abdomen and went to open the door.
“Mom? Why are you here?”
Outside the door, my mother-in-law was carrying bags full of things, smiling tiredly,
“You’ve been saying your stomach wasn’t feeling well lately, right? Mom got some herbal medicine from a traditional doctor. Remember to drink it.”
“I heard this traditional doctor is very good at treating stomach problems.”
Several bags were placed on the ground, filled with medicinal soup and dishes we liked.
My nose suddenly stung.
This old lady who had rushed over from dozens of miles away with bags and packages still didn’t know—
No matter how good the doctor was, they probably couldn’t cure my body now.
After some hesitation, I still brought up the matter of divorce with her.
“Mom, I’ve thought about it for a long time and decided to divorce Lily.”
With a dull thud, the teacup in her hand fell to the ground.
Shattered.
Hot water splashed everywhere.
I hurriedly went to help her up, but she grabbed me instead, “Ethan, did you two have a fight?”
“If she did something wrong, tell Mom, I…”
“No,” I interrupted her, “It’s my fault, we’re having some problems with our relationship.”
I didn’t intend to expose her daughter’s misdeeds in front of my mother-in-law.
For seven years of marriage, my in-laws had always treated me like their own son. Whatever Lily did wrong had nothing to do with them.
Suddenly, there was the sound of a key in the door outside.
Lily was back.
“Ethan Summers, isn’t it enough that you’re making a scene at home? Do you have to make it public too?”
Lily’s voice suddenly stopped when she saw her mother.
However, my mother-in-law had already seen Zack behind her.
Zack didn’t seem flustered, instead he took the initiative to come over, “Auntie, I don’t know if you remember me, I’m Zack Jack.”
“Before I went abroad, I even had a meal with you.”
My mother-in-law remained silent with a cold face.
The atmosphere was awkward.
Lily came forward to smooth things over, but was grabbed by her mother, “Lily, let me ask you, are you divorcing Ethan for him?”
Lily’s face cTomed, “Mom, don’t get involved in this.”
“Whether we divorce or not is between me and Ethan, we…”
“Slap—”
A slap interrupted Lily’s words.
“Foolish girl!”
My mother-in-law pointed at Zack, her hand shaking with anger,
“Do you think he truly loves you? If he loved you, he wouldn’t have left you to go abroad in the first place!”
Lily was also angered by that slap.
The mother and daughter argued fiercely.
Until I noticed my mother-in-law’s face didn’t look right.
“Stop arguing!”
I went forward to support her, “Mom, are you okay?”
“Mom…”
My mother-in-law was hospitalized for a heart attack, fortunately it wasn’t serious.
In the hospital room.
Lily and I sat by the bed, my mother-in-law tightly holding my hand, tears streaming down her face.
“Ethan, Lily is being foolish. This child has always been stubborn since she was little. Give her some more time, she’ll come to her senses.”
I didn’t say anything.
The old lady’s voice choked up as she gently patted the back of my hand, “All these years, we’ve always treated you like our own son. We only recognize you as our son-in-law.”
“Mom’s health won’t last for another two years. If you two divorce, Mom…”
“Mom won’t be able to close her eyes even on her deathbed.”
I felt a lump in my throat.
Unable to bear seeing the old lady crying and begging, I took a deep breath and said okay.
Only then did my mother-in-law feel at ease.
…
In the corridor.
I clutched my aching stomach and looked at Lily, “Find a day to get the divorce certificate.”
Lily was stunned, “Didn’t you just say…”
“I was lying to the old lady.”
The more my stomach hurt, the calmer my expression became, “I don’t want the old folks to worry about our affairs.”
“I’ll send you the divorce agreement when it’s ready.”
“I don’t agree!”
Lily frowned, “Ethan Summers, can you stop this nonsense? Zack and I are just classmates. He just came back, and our classmates have been organizing gatherings every day.”
“Besides, we agreed to live together as partners from the beginning. Whether Zack is back or not doesn’t affect our marriage.”
I found it laughable.
Just as I was about to speak, I saw Lily’s expression cTome.
Turning around.
I saw Zack walking over with gifts.
Lily, who had just been adamantly refusing divorce, suddenly fell silent.
The pain in my body was almost unbearable.
No longer having the strength to argue with them, I gave Lily a look, “I’ll send you the divorce agreement when it’s ready.”
With that, I turned and left.
And this time, Lily didn’t refuse.
Next to Zack, she chose to remain silent.
At midnight.
In the dark office.
Lily fumbled around in the dark, searching through the desk drawers, almost turning over every drawer.
While I sat quietly on the small sofa in the corner, watching her.
Recently, the company was participating in a very important bid.
And Zack, having just returned to the country and eager to establish business connections, was likely to have his eye on this bid.
Lily still came.
She came to steal our company’s bid documents for Zack.
Seven years of marriage, all affection, completely destroyed in this moment.
In the darkness, I held the bid documents and spoke softly—
“Are you looking for this?”
“Ah!”
Lily screamed, seemingly almost collapsing from fright.
When the lights came on, I saw her face clearly.
Her expression was terrified, her eyes darting around nervously.
“Ethan…”
She came to her senses, calling my name with obvious lack of confidence.
Soon.
Zack’s figure appeared at the office door.
Obviously, he had seen the lights come on in the office from downstairs.
“Lily,” I looked at her calmly, “If you hadn’t tried to steal these bid documents, I would have still tried to leave us both with some dignity.”
Lily bit her lower lip, “Zack just came back, this bid is very important to him…”
“Isn’t it important to my company too?”
Lily was at a loss for words.
She knew better than anyone that this bid was also very important for the company.
But she still chose to help Zack.
As the atmosphere grew tense, Zack shielded Lily behind him, “I asked her to get it, what’s wrong with that?”
“Half of this company belongs to Lily, why can’t she take it?”
Under the fluorescent lights, he looked me up and down, his laughter contemptuous.
“Ethan Summers, as long as I’m back in the country, this bid will definitely be mine.”
“So will Lily.”
Knowing he was trying to provoke me, but with the pent-up anger in my chest surging, I still threw a punch at him.
“Go to hell!”
Zack and I started fighting.
Lily cried out and tried to separate us.
“Ethan Summers, can’t you stop making trouble?”
“Slap—”
In the chaos, she raised her hand and slapped me.
It didn’t hurt, but it was loud.
Lily looked at me in shock, her hand still in the position from just now, trembling slightly.
“I didn’t mean to…”
My stomach was hurting badly.
I suddenly felt more exhausted than ever before.
Struggling to pick up the bid documents from the ground, as I stood up, I suddenly started coughing heavily.
I covered my mouth with my hand, only to find I had coughed up some blood.
But Lily didn’t notice my weakness.
She was still trying to persuade me, “Ethan Summers, this bid is really important to Zack. Please, I’m begging you, okay?”
I didn’t want to talk to her anymore.
I turned around with the bid documents and slowly walked out of the office.
I had given up on Lily.
But this bid, I couldn’t.
9
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As the heavy rain poured down, floodwater rushed into the underground parking garage. I dialed the number of the rescue team leader’s wife.
“Help me… Rachel, I’m trapped in the garage. The emergency exit is locked!”
Rachel’s impatient voice came through the phone: “Enough, Jack! Ethan’s cat is stuck up a tree and can’t get down. We’re busy right now!”
She hung up despite my pleas, taking all the nearby rescue personnel with her to save a cat, cutting off all my chances of survival.
…
The water in the garage rose quickly. With the emergency exit locked, I climbed onto the roof of a car. My phone battery was down to its last bar.
After Rachel hung up, my phone went dead. In despair, I shouted at the top of my lungs, “Help! Someone save me!”
Looking up at the security camera, I waved frantically, hoping to catch the attention of the monitoring staff.
But no one noticed.
The flood surged in, gradually submerging everything until it swallowed me whole.
As my chest filled with suffocation and pain, I looked at the necklace around my neck, yanked it off, and then lost consciousness.
When I opened my eyes again, I was floating near the ceiling of the garage. Outside, I heard shouts: “Is anyone there? Is anyone there?”
“Mr. Carter!”
The property manager and his team waded through the water and mud. When they saw the emergency exit, they froze.
“Who locked this?!”
“I don’t know! It’s always been open, and that’s not even our lock!”
Floating above, I watched the manager’s face turn ashen. My heart sank.
Someone wanted me dead.
“Quick, find him!”
“Jack!”
“Jack!”
They knew I was trapped in the garage?
Curious, I followed them as a spirit.
The community I lived in was a new development with diligent property management.
During the heavy rain, the property staff had warned me that water was entering the garage and asked me to move my car out.
I remembered last year when the garage had also flooded, damaging many cars.
My little car was newly bought this year. Hearing the news, I hurried down, only to find water already up to my calves when I entered.
I went to drive the car out, but suddenly a surge of water rushed in. I immediately turned to run.
But the emergency exit had somehow been closed by the wind.
I couldn’t open it no matter how hard I tried.
Now I realized someone had maliciously locked the door. Who could it be? Who wanted me dead?
My spirit followed them out, where I saw many rescue workers had already arrived.
Their bright orange uniforms stood out. I searched for Rachel among them.
She was the leader of the local rescue team, conveniently assigned to patrol nearby for emergencies.
But today, by such bad luck, she had taken all seven or eight team members away with her.
An ambulance had also arrived. Learning I was down there, they immediately started the rescue operation.
However, the underground garage was flooded with over three meters of water. The property manager and his team had to use boats to enter. The bottom was covered in silt that sucked in their feet with each step.
The rescue was difficult, and no one knew where my body was.
At this moment, Rachel finally arrived late with her team. Ethan followed behind her.
“Rachel, could he be in trouble? It’s all my fault for delaying the rescue.”
“It’s fine. He always bothers me over little things. They’ve issued a stay-at-home notice for the heavy rain. He wouldn’t be stupid enough to go out at this time!”
Rachel replied without a second thought, only to be confronted by her superior, Captain Chen.
Seeing her, Captain Chen’s face darkened. “You were the closest, yet you’re half an hour late. Where were you?!”
“Captain, it’s my fault. My cat ran out and got stuck up a tree. Rachel helped me find it,” Ethan explained innocently, carefully staying behind Rachel.
Captain Chen was even more furious. “Rachel! Do you realize someone has died?! No matter the reason, I will definitely discipline you this time!”
Rachel’s face turned extremely ugly. She hadn’t expected anyone to come out in this weather, let alone get trapped in the underground garage.
“Stop dawdling! Team Three, all members enter! The missing person is confirmed to be male, 24 years old, exact location unknown!”
At Captain Chen’s order, all rescue personnel entered the garage fully equipped.
At this point, Ethan held Rachel back. “Rachel, it’s dangerous inside. Let them go in.”
“How can I not go? I’m the team leader. Be good and wait for me out here.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Captain Chen pulled Ethan aside. “Civilians should not interfere with the rescue. Please stay behind the police line!”
Faced with the captain, Ethan stomped his foot but had no choice but to stand aside.
I laughed. Ethan, only a fool like Rachel would fall for your act. Anyone else wouldn’t give you the time of day.
I followed behind Rachel as she entered the garage.
By now the silt reached their thighs. Even the professional rescue workers had difficulty moving, let alone me when I was alive.
Unfortunately, they didn’t know my exact location.
I also learned that the garage’s security cameras had broken down.
The property manager and his team only knew I had come down because they saw my plea for help on SnapChat.
My car was parked in Area D, the innermost part of the garage.
A team member next to Rachel pulled out one leg, panting, “Rachel, doesn’t your husband also live in this community?”
“Could he have…”
“No way. Jack is always busy with work. He wouldn’t come out.”
“But didn’t he call saying he was trapped?”
Rachel pressed her lips tightly. “It can’t be. He probably just said that because he knew I was with Ethan.”
“He’s always such a bother!”
Hearing this, her team members remained silent. I smiled bitterly on the side.
Me, a bother?
In all my life, this was the first time I’d been called a bother.
Right, I’m not as good as Ethan at playing the victim, but I’ve always been independent.
The first time I asked her for help, after being rejected, I never bothered her again.
Until today, when I really couldn’t handle it myself, I called her. And she saw it as a bother.
Rachel, if you knew that hanging up on me caused my death, would you regret it?
With over forty rescue team members and property staff working together, after 10 hours, the property manager finally found me.
By then my body was swollen, with mud filling my nose and mouth.
He trembled as he pointed at the human-shaped object in the mud: “It’s… it’s him!”
I had been caught on a car emblem, which kept me from sinking completely, though my body was already covered in mud.
Hearing his voice, the rescue workers got excited. They trudged through the mud with a stretcher and pulled me out.
After placing me on the stretcher, everyone lowered their heads seeing my tragic state. Especially Captain Chen, who took a deep breath, observed a moment of silence, then waved his hand. Everyone lifted me out together.
By now Rachel’s team had also arrived, and they all helped carry me out.
Rachel shook her head. “Who would come to the underground garage at this time? Anyone with common sense wouldn’t come out now. What a pity.”
As they carried me out, a gust of wind blew by. Somehow, my hand suddenly drooped, and the necklace in my hand came into view.
Rachel happened to turn away at that moment. I smiled bitterly. Rachel, there’s really no chemistry between us.
If you had turned around, you would have seen that the dead person was me.
This necklace was the birthday gift you gave me. In our two years together, it was the only gift you ever gave me.
When I died, I was already completely disappointed in you. I didn’t want anything to bind me anymore, so I yanked it off. From now on, I won’t cling to you anymore.
Unfortunately, Rachel didn’t see it. But Ethan on the other side shuddered and quickly rushed over. “Rachel, you must be tired.”
He took out a tissue to wipe Rachel’s sweat. Rachel’s face was covered in mud.
“It’s not tiring. This is what we should do.”
Ethan continued, “I wonder what he was thinking, coming to the underground garage at a time like this.”
“You can’t talk sense into someone bent on dying. We did everything we could. It’s his own…”
Captain Chen overheard as he passed by and angrily interrupted, “Shut up! Rachel, watch your mouth! As a rescue worker, never say such things in front of the deceased. I shouldn’t have to remind you of this!”
“Also, you will definitely be disciplined this time. Go write a self-criticism report when we get back!”
“Why should she be disciplined?” Ethan was unhappy. “Rachel was late because she was helping me.”
“This is a matter of life and death. Rachel, we’ll settle accounts back at headquarters!” Captain Chen glared at Ethan. “I also hope Mr. White won’t waste public resources next time. If your cat got lost, that’s due to your negligence as its guardian. Don’t expect everyone to revolve around you for your cat!”
Captain Chen had never liked Ethan.
He also couldn’t stand how Ethan always called other people’s wives “sister”. So whenever he saw me being bullied, he would remind Rachel to scold her.
But after all, he wasn’t a relative, just the captain. After speaking up a few times and Rachel not listening, Captain Chen stopped saying much.
But this time Captain Chen really couldn’t hold back anymore.
Ethan got angry at being spoken to like this. “Rachel, how dare he talk to me like that?”
“Enough, Ethan. He’s the captain. Don’t say anymore here. I have to go back to the team, you should head home too!”
She patted Ethan, but he grabbed her hand. “Come to my place. I made some soup to help you recover. It’s also to thank you for saving Mimi.”
Mimi was his Ragdoll cat. Rachel thought for a moment and nodded, then turned to call me.
But my phone was dead and powered off.
A flash of displeasure crossed Rachel’s face. “Still playing these games with me. I’m telling you, if you don’t want to answer, then don’t ever answer again!”
I sighed, “Indeed, I’ll never answer again. Rachel, are you happy now?”
She angrily hung up and returned to her team. When she got to the office, Captain Chen immediately started scolding her.
Learning that she had delayed half an hour to save a cat, Captain Chen couldn’t hold back anymore. “Rachel, separate your public and private affairs! Don’t treat all the personnel as your personal property! If you had come half an hour earlier, that kid wouldn’t have died!”
“I’m going to report this. You wait for your disciplinary action!”
“Isn’t that too severe?!” Rachel was shocked. “I just had another task!”
“Who assigned you that task? Is there a record?”
Rachel was immediately speechless.
There was no record of Ethan calling her for help. It was just a phone call.
But for me, after the property management learned of my situation and contacted them, Rachel was half an hour late.
If she had been even five minutes earlier, I wouldn’t have died.
After being scolded by Captain Chen, Rachel hurried back to write her self-criticism report.
Four hours later, my body had been cleaned up. The property management confirmed my identity and sent over the relevant information.
When Captain Chen received the information, he was stunned. He quickly ran to the office.
He saw Rachel hurriedly leaving.
“Rachel! Where are you going? Jack…”
“Don’t mention it, Captain. Jack is throwing a tantrum. He lied about being trapped, then turned off his phone. I don’t know what he’s upset about!”
Before she finished speaking, Captain Chen handed over a document. “This is the deceased’s information. Take a look.”
“Why should I look at this? It’s not like he’s anyone to me…”
Rachel’s words trailed off as she froze. She looked at the text on the document, her hands shaking and eyes wide. After a long moment, she said, “No… it can’t be!”
“This isn’t him!”
“Whether it is or not, go see for yourself.”
4
My body had already been cleaned and sent to the funeral home’s morgue.
Rachel stumbled over, showed her ID, and when she saw me being pulled out, she immediately covered her mouth, tears in her eyes.
“Jack…”
She wanted to reach out and touch me, but in the end didn’t have the courage.
A staff member on the side took out a box. “These are the deceased’s belongings. Please take a look.”
She took it and saw the necklace, immediately bursting into tears.
Captain Chen had also followed. He patted her shoulder. “Rachel, I don’t want to say much about this, but you said he called you saying he was trapped, right? Where were you at that time?”
Rachel immediately crumpled in pain, wailing as she fell to her knees.
Captain Chen sighed heavily. “If I had known he called you, I should have beaten you to death when we were there!”
Captain Chen pointed at her nose and berated her, “Rachel, you’re not fit to be a rescue worker at all! Starting today, you’re suspended pending investigation. We’ll deal with this after the incident is handled!”
The staff then asked about my family. Captain Chen shook his head. “This kid was an orphan. He has no family. This is my number, contact me if anything comes up.”
Captain Chen left his phone number. After the staff member took it down, he looked at Rachel again. She said in a low voice, “I’ll stay here with him for a while.”
But regulations wouldn’t allow her to stay with a cold corpse. The staff pushed me back into the freezer.
Rachel rushed over wanting to grab me, but was held tightly by Captain Chen.
“Are you crazy? Calm down! Do you want to disturb him even in death?!”
“Jack is gone, dead! Rachel, get a hold of yourself!”
“No, he’s not dead. He’s just being a little dramatic. How could he possibly die? Captain, let me go. I have to ask him why!”
“Ask my ass!”
Captain Chen slapped her across the face!
“What did you say when he asked you for help? Now you’re putting on this act!”
Watching Rachel’s hysterical state from the side, I felt extremely satisfied. Well done, Captain!
If you’re going to hit her, hit her harder!
She clearly killed me, and now she’s playing innocent. She should be beaten to death!
I stood to the side grinning from ear to ear. Captain Chen’s slap seemed to wake her up. Rachel stumbled and fell to the ground. In the end, Captain Chen had to drag her away.
“Rachel, I’m telling you, you’re handling the funeral arrangements!”
Rachel was like a soulless zombie, not knowing how she got back. Until her phone lit up – it was Ethan calling.
“Rachel, why haven’t you come yet? The soup is ready. If you’re too busy to come over, how about I bring it to you?”
Hearing this, Rachel suddenly came to her senses and refused. “I have to work overtime tonight. Don’t bring it over. I’m not in the mood to drink it.”
“What’s wrong, Rachel? Did I do something wrong?”
“No, you did very well. I’m just not in the mood right now.”
She hung up immediately. Rachel ran her hands through her hair, finding it hard to believe I was really gone.
She hid in her office, looking at my death report over and over again.
Death by drowning. She knew that if she had come just a bit earlier, I wouldn’t have died.
Now Rachel was consumed by guilt. She raised her hand and slapped herself hard several times, leaving her face swollen and red.
5
Watching from the side, I shook my head. “Now you know you were wrong, but what’s the point? I’m already dead. This won’t bring me back. Just forget it!”
“But you’re in charge of my funeral arrangements. Please make me look handsome… Never mind, don’t let you handle it. Even though I have no family, I don’t want you to touch me again!”
I took a deep breath, wanting to leave, but found I couldn’t.
At this moment, Rachel suddenly thought of something.
🌟 Continue the story here
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When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day the Chen family came to propose marriage.
Mrs. Chen, the family matriarch, was being helped out of a luxurious car. The bodyguards in suits beside her made my father’s eyes widen in awe.
Behind her stood Ryan Chen, the youngest son of the Chen family. His handsome and refined features were quite eye-catching. He wore the latest Patek Philippe watch on his wrist, and his bespoke suit gave him an extraordinary aura.
The Chen Group was the richest family in Bay City and the leader in the national daily chemical industry. Their assets had long since reached tens of billions of dollars. This top-tier wealthy family that we usually only saw in magazines and on TV was now standing in front of us, wanting to arrange a marriage with our family.
My mom was overjoyed and quickly pushed my prettier sister Olivia forward.
But to her surprise, Olivia didn’t step out.
She put on a stern face and said righteously in front of everyone’s gaze:
“Mom, I don’t want to take shortcuts. I want to achieve success through my own efforts!”
“Marriage and happiness are not things that can be traded. But since I seem to be the only one who thinks this way, let Lily go then.”
Everyone was surprised.
My parents were particularly puzzled. Olivia had always been competitive, trying to outdo me in everything. How come she suddenly changed today and started being modest towards me?
But I knew what was really going on.
I packed my luggage expressionlessly, only carrying a travel bag, and got into the Chen family’s car.
My parents’ confusion wasn’t wrong.
In my previous life, Olivia had dressed herself up glamorously in order to marry into the Chen family. With the help of our parents, she had shown off in front of the Chen family.
Not only that, to prevent any unexpected issues, she even spread rumors outside, falsely claiming that I had a chaotic and improper private life. This made me the laughingstock of everyone, while she became a pure and elegant white lotus flower in comparison to me.
She thought that after marrying into a wealthy family, what awaited her would be a luxurious life and high social status. She expected to have a Cinderella-like fairy tale romance with a handsome rich young master like Ryan Chen.
But who knew that what awaited her was countless dirty and despicable things under the facade of a wealthy family.
The reason Mrs. Chen allowed a civilian girl like her to marry Ryan was because he was just an illegitimate son without any power or status. Olivia not only couldn’t get any money from the Chen family, but also had to endure daily torment and humiliation from the other young masters and misses.
“How dare a dirty and lowly rat like you enter our Chen family?”
“A bitch from the gutter and a bastard son who can’t see the light of day – what a perfect match!”
She couldn’t bear the torment, so she blamed it all on Ryan. She was not only harsh and abusive towards him, but even tried to seduce the other young masters of the Chen family.
But for a girl like her with no skills and only a pretty face, she could only end up as a plaything for rich young masters, to be kicked away after they got tired of her.
After Ethan Chen became the head of the family, both she and Ryan were kicked out.
She went to beg Ethan for mercy, wanting to exchange her body for wealth.
But what she got in return was even deeper humiliation from him.
“I’d feel dirty touching a greedy and lowly gold digger like you.”
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re plotting. I’m not as stupid as Ryan. Not all women are worthy of getting into my bed.”
Meanwhile, I endured that dark period, burying myself in studies at A University. I finally graduated with excellent grades, becoming the only student with a perfect GPA that year, and received offers from countless companies.
Later, I even caught Ethan’s attention at a presentation and he pursued me aggressively, giving me a grand wedding that shocked the whole country.
Olivia, who had nothing left, finally went crazy. She rushed onto the stage and pushed me off, falling down herself as well.
Living this life again, she decisively dumped Ryan and chose to walk the path I took in my previous life.
Although she would be unknown for the first few years, as long as she met Ethan Chen, she could soar and become a phoenix.
Watching my departing figure, a mocking and smug smile appeared on Olivia’s face.
“This life, you can enjoy all this undeserved fortune for me, dear sister.”
“While I will take back everything that should have been mine!”
I had long been prepared to be ostracized and tortured.
Therefore, when those young masters and misses of the Chen family poured scalding hot soup on me and made me kneel in the yard as punishment, I went without a word.
It had snowed heavily all night. I knelt on the ice-cold marble tiles in the yard. My knees gradually went from stinging pain to numbness, and finally lost all feeling.
“I’ve seen plenty of women like you who try every means to climb up the social ladder,” the second young miss of the Chen family said with her arms crossed, looking at me mockingly. “A pheasant is still a pheasant, even if it flies up a tree it can’t become a phoenix.”
I was starving, and even the servants in the house were watching me like a joke.
Emma Chen took a plate of leftovers and threw it in front of me disdainfully, as if feeding a dog: “Here, eat this. I’m gracing you with it.”
Laughter erupted around me, countless gazes filled with malice fell on me.
I looked at the cold food on the ground, without saying a word.
Someone shouted “Big brother is coming!”, and the group of young masters and misses scattered.
A pair of shiny black handmade leather shoes appeared in front of me.
I looked up to see a handsome and intense face.
Those eyes that were full of tenderness in my previous life were now as cold as the ice under my legs, looking at me without any emotion.
But it was just a glance, then he retracted his gaze as if looking at garbage.
Those spotless leather shoes mercilessly stepped on the food in front of me as he walked past.
My days in the Chen family were even worse than the servants. No wonder Olivia was so desperate not to marry Ryan this life.
But after all, I was still the nominal daughter-in-law of the Chen family. They had to keep up appearances to outsiders.
I followed the Chen family members into the auditorium. I watched them sit in the VIP seats under the guidance of the organizers, while I could only sit in the corner.
This college student innovation and entrepreneurship competition was jointly organized by several major companies in the city, with Chen Group holding the highest position. I sat in the last row, listening boredly. For a chemistry genius like me, the ideas coming from these students’ mouths were obviously too naive. I was getting drowsy.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.
“As people’s demand for nature and health grows, I believe that all-natural ingredients will become the mainstream trend in the cosmetics industry in the future.”
Olivia stood on the stage, talking eloquently. Her long black shiny hair was tied into a high ponytail, but she deliberately left a few strands by her ears to frame her face.
Her poised speech and brilliant content won unanimous praise from the audience.
I looked towards Ethan Chen sitting in the front row. His eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the young woman on stage, with an unusual light flickering in them.
“Miss Lu, is the honeysuckle extract you mentioned developed by yourself?” someone asked.
Olivia turned around and nodded shyly. The pure white skirt swayed with her movement, creating a beautiful arc. Her whole person looked as pure as a jasmine flower.
“Yes, this is what I spent a year researching.”
If it weren’t for the occasion, I would have laughed out loud.
The technology that made me famous overnight in my previous life was the result of countless professors and students at A University spending nearly 10 years researching. Even though it was finally successful in my hands, I didn’t dare to take all the credit and monopolize other people’s years of hard work.
Olivia actually dared to say she independently researched and produced results in just one year. Unless she was an unparalleled genius.
But I knew better than anyone that she wasn’t.
However, the people below didn’t know. The final result was a foregone conclusion – Olivia won first place in the competition and obtained an internship opportunity at Chen Group.
Ethan Chen lowered his eyes to look at the young woman in front of him, undisguised admiration in his gaze. The two huddled together, ignoring everyone else. When the conversation got exciting, Olivia covered her mouth and giggled, looking incredibly pure and beautiful.
Everyone present was an old hand, seeing through but not exposing each other, tacitly ignoring the desire belonging to a grown man on Ethan Chen’s face.
Olivia walked up to me, her hand deliberately brushing against Ethan’s suit jacket draped over her shoulders.
“Lily, how’s life in the wealthy family?”
She clearly saw that I was ostracized by everyone, after all, this was the treatment she had suffered in her previous life.
In my previous life, she had also walked up to me like this and said to me who had just finished a press conference and been hired by Chen Group for a huge salary: “No matter how arrogant you are, you’re just an employee. No matter how hard you try, you’ll never match my status as the Chen family’s daughter-in-law!”
But in this life, she said to me with an arrogant face: “I don’t want to be a parasitic flower that only relies on others. I want to achieve my dreams through my own abilities.”
She turned and left.
I raised an eyebrow. In my peripheral vision, I saw Ethan Chen’s face reveal an intriguing smile after hearing her words.
Olivia and Ethan Chen left one after another.
But I didn’t care at all where they went. Instead, I took out my business card and, based on my memories from my previous life, sought out those people who could help my career.
Everyone present was a big shot who knew my identity well, so not many people paid attention to me.
I wasn’t embarrassed or angry, nor did I care about the hateful gazes from the Chen family members that looked like they wanted to kill me.
After all, I was still a member of the Chen family. This humble appearance made them deeply ashamed.
Ryan wasn’t here, so I was just a village girl with the title of Chen family daughter-in-law. Naturally, those big shots wouldn’t give me any face. I was repeatedly rebuffed, but still introduced my ideas calmly and confidently.
In her previous life, Olivia only thought she could gain a foothold in the Chen family by relying on Ryan, so she focused all her energy on infighting, which only made the Chen family despise her and think she wasn’t presentable.
But I knew that to gain a firm foothold in such deep waters, the most important thing was strength.
It was the strength to prove that you were irreplaceable.
On the way home, Emma Chen deliberately brought up my networking efforts today.
“Looks like our sister-in-law has big ambitions. How many business cards did you hand out?”
I ignored the sarcasm in her tone and carefully counted the partners from my previous life. There were only a few college students participating in the competition. In this life, they were just inconspicuous startups that couldn’t catch the eye of big companies like Chen Group.
Sure enough, Emma Chen burst out laughing.
“Lily, lower class people will always be lower class. No matter how hard you struggle, we won’t accept you. We’ll just think you’re a laughable clown.”
Laughable?
I curved my lips slightly.
I didn’t care if they would accept me or not.
After all, I didn’t even take the Chen family seriously.
Although Ryan and I were married, we didn’t have a real husband-wife relationship.
In her previous life, Olivia always complained about her husband when she came home. All the memories about Ryan revolved around negative words like “useless”, “weak and selfish”, “idiot”, etc.
But I found that he wasn’t a bad person.
After knowing that I was forced into the Chen family by my parents, he readily accepted my proposal for a marriage of convenience. Although we lived under the same roof, we were more like friends than husband and wife.
Because of his illegitimate son status, he was ostracized in the Chen family, with no dignity or rights.
But he had money.
“My dad once gave my mom a black card. After my mom left, she gave it to me.”
“I know you’ve suffered a lot of grievances during the time I was away. I have no other way to make it up to you, I can only do it through money. You don’t mind, do you?”
How could I mind?
I was overjoyed!
Ryan’s expertise wasn’t in business management, but in computers.
But for the Chen family, this was equivalent to being useless.
So he could only go out and find a job on his own, leaving early and returning late every day. Even though he had the Chen family’s black card in hand, he was still afraid that this security would be taken away one day.
In her previous life, Olivia thought he was useless and cowardly, treating him harshly and even helping other Chen family members bully him.
But my heart ached.
“Okay,” I smiled and nodded, taking the card, “Thank you. If you ever need my help, I’ll definitely do my best!”
I invested some money into the startups of a few partners.
No one paid attention to this small company founded by a few young people. It was like a speck of dust in the huge waves stirred up by these big enterprises, so small and insignificant that everyone thought this ordinary seedling would die in its cradle before long.
This money was just a drop in the bucket for the Chen family, so they didn’t notice. But for us, it was crucial.
Because I wanted to recreate that technology that shocked the entire industry in my previous life.
I rented a lab. Even without that basic data, the experiments I had done countless times in my previous life were deeply etched into my bones. The days and nights spent in the library and lab, relying on the cheapest instant coffee powder to stay awake, allowed me to do those experiments flawlessly even with my eyes closed.
This was the reason why Olivia couldn’t replicate my path from my previous life.
I heard that Ethan Chen invited Olivia to dinner, but was rejected by her on the grounds that she had to attend evening self-study.
The next day, rumors spread throughout the school about the top wealthy family heir pursuing the genius school beauty.
Olivia hurriedly denied it, but the more she cared, the more it confirmed the truth of this matter.
I have to say, she was quite clever on this point.
Ethan Chen didn’t lack women, especially women who threw themselves at him.
The biggest reason he fell for me in my previous life was that I was different.
My aloofness, my innocence, my dedication to research and disdain for power aroused his interest and then his desire to conquer.
The Olivia in this life was the same.
Her playing hard to get successfully piqued Ethan Chen’s interest. Men always yearn for what they can’t obtain.
I lay on the memory foam mattress, feeling the relaxation of muscles brought by the massage mode. My hair was refreshing, smooth and shiny after just having a scalp treatment.
Olivia should be lying on the hard board bed in the Lu family’s humble home right now, plotting her next move to win over Ethan Chen.
I smiled.
She probably hadn’t thought about what unspeakable truth was hidden beneath the marriage she so desperately desired.
In my previous life, it wasn’t until much later that I figured it out – how could a man who had been fighting in the business world for years marry me just because of my “pure kindness”?
It wasn’t until after marriage when he confined me at home, not allowing me to go out to work, taking away all my research results, and wanting me to do research for him wholeheartedly, that I understood what he was really after.
After I refused, he finally showed his true colors, putting me under house arrest and taking away all my communication devices. I lost my freedom and could only stare blankly at the sun through the narrow window every day, facing four white walls.
Even when I developed mental issues later, he didn’t let me go. Instead, he chose to hold press conferences to gain sympathy, using my pain to squeeze out my last bit of value.
Perhaps his initial attraction was real, and that light-hearted affection was real too.
It’s just that his feelings were too impure, easily dissipating in the face of interests.
I wonder how Ethan Chen will treat Olivia after discovering the truth.
And whether Olivia can withstand his torment.
My “unruliness” made the Chen family members increasingly malicious towards me.
In the past, they would still have some reservations before acting, out of respect for Mrs. Chen.
But now, seemingly knowing that Ethan Chen also disliked me, they became more unscrupulous in bullying me.
Cutting up my clothes, making me embarrass myself at banquets;
Spitting in my food, pouring toilet water into it;
Even setting my hair on fire in public, laughing at me as I frantically tried to put it out…
They took it for granted that they had this privilege to punish me, this gold-digging bad woman, to teach me, this lowly woman trying to taint their noble bloodline, a lesson.
But I didn’t show any of the panic and fear they expected. Instead, I looked at them with disdain, as if watching children playing pranks.
I cut off my long hair in front of everyone. As the black strands fell to the ground, I saw Ethan Chen standing at the door.
His gaze was dark and unclear, with emotions I couldn’t decipher roiling inside.
As if curious to see how long I could persist for the Chen family’s money.
…
Actually, I wasn’t just putting on a brave face.
After being slandered in my previous life, the bullying I suffered was much worse than what I was enduring now.
In order to change my fate, I could only work part-time jobs while studying hard.
But in this life, I had the Chen family’s top resources. I didn’t have to worry about my parents secretly taking my next semester’s tuition fees for “investment”, nor did I have to worry about the school kicking me out of the research group because of those rumors.
This was already a huge help for me. Let them continue with those harmless pranks.
After all, they wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long.
As for Olivia.
I heard that she frequently skipped classes to attend banquets with Ethan Chen and go on dates with him.
Her repeated absences led to her final exams being a complete disaster, failing most of her courses.
Not to mention doing research. Throughout the entire semester, she hadn’t even touched a lab coat. The lab manager had hardly seen her.
Her advisor talked to her, saying she couldn’t neglect her studies just because she had an internship opportunity.
But she was dismissive, saying she was a well-known genius, and geniuses were supposed to achieve greater results with less time than ordinary people.
When told her grades were too poor to graduate, she didn’t care either, saying that in today’s society, connections and resources were more useful than grades and academic qualifications.
Over time, the teachers stopped caring about her too.
Even her parents believed that firmly grasping the future head of Chen Group was more important than academic qualifications.
Moreover, my nominal position as the Chen family’s daughter-in-law had already disappointed them enough.
After discovering they couldn’t gain any benefits from me, they directly cut off contact with me and wholeheartedly helped Olivia become the Chen Group’s mistress.
All these rumors only reached my ears later, because at this moment, I was busy with the final stage of the experiment.
The lights in the company’s somewhat shabby lab stayed on all night. The others also stayed up all night with me, and we finally produced a rough product.
We were so excited. After the celebratory dinner, it was already very late. The Chen family’s curfew had long passed, so I had no choice but to go back to the Lu family’s house for the night.
In the latest issue of the journal, my published research results caused a sensation in the entire scientific community.
Reporters swarmed towards that small company like sharks smelling blood. Countless industry giants extended olive branches to me.
Just like in my previous life, my name was pushed to the forefront. Everyone praised this technology as capable of revolutionizing the industry.
I didn’t want to go back to the Chen family to face those people’s sarcastic remarks, so I rented a small apartment next to the company to stay temporarily.
But unexpectedly, when I didn’t go looking for them, they came looking for me instead.
I looked at Ethan Chen standing in front of me with a dark face and Olivia standing behind him on the verge of tears, expressionlessly standing at the door with no intention of inviting them in.
“Lily, your unscrupulousness really makes me look at you with new eyes.”
“What do you mean?” I frowned.
Olivia opened her mouth pitifully.
“Sister, I know you’ve always been jealous of me, jealous that I’m prettier than you and study better than you.”
“But all of this is what I gained through my own efforts. Why do you have to take even these away?”
I was confused and wanted to laugh.
“Just spit it out if you have something to say. No need to beat around the bush until you’re out of breath.”
Olivia’s face instantly turned red.
Ethan Chen snorted coldly: “Plagiarizing other people’s research results, Lily, you’d better prepare to go to jail!”
I opened my phone and looked. Several bright red “Breaking News” headlines had somehow been pushed to the top trending spots.
#Lily Academic Fraud#
#Lily Plagiarism#
#Olivia Genius Girl#
At the press conference, several well-known newspapers and authoritative media, including the Chen family members, were present. Olivia presented her experimental data, with a timeline clearly earlier than my publication date.
“This is the result I worked so hard to research, but I never thought it would end up becoming someone else’s wedding dress in the end. Do we poor college students really have no justice at all, and can only be bullied by rich people at will?”
She was indignant, with crystal clear tears in her reddened eyes, looking so pitiful.
The crowd was in an uproar, criticizing me for using my power to bully others.
“I knew it, how could a village girl who didn’t even graduate from college research these things?”
“She must have relied on the Chen family’s influence to steal a college student’s research results. How shameless!”
“I must seek justice for us ordinary people. These capitalists deserve to die!”
Olivia wept pitifully, protected in Ethan Chen’s arms.
But the Chen family members stayed far away from me, afraid of being tainted by me and ruining their reputation.
Ryan wasn’t here. There was no one from the Chen family standing on my side. Their attitude was very clear – although there was no clear evidence proving my plagiarism yet, they seemed to have already determined my crime and wanted to cut ties with me.
The public naturally sympathizes with the underdog. Even though the current situation on the scene made me look more like the underdog, everyone had already made up their minds.
After all, a useless wealthy daughter-in-law stealing a genius college student’s research results for fame – this was the kind of plot the public loved to see.
“At home, Lily always liked to steal my things. I saw that she was young, so I just let her have her way. I didn’t expect to nurture a tiger that would bring calamity.”
“Sister, this is my hard work. I can’t let you have it this time!”
Tears fell from Olivia’s stubborn little face, making the audience and viewers watching the live broadcast indignant.
“I can’t believe they’re actually sisters. Stealing her own sister’s hard work, I’ve never seen such a shameless person!”
“How can a greedy woman like Lily enter the Chen family? If the Chen family doesn’t give an explanation, I’ll hate them for life!”
“That’s right! Kick this scheming woman out of the Chen family!”
I glanced at the rapidly scrolling barrage on the screen, feeling no ripples in my heart.
But my expression fell in their eyes as cold and provocative.
“Miss Lu, when you originally chose to marry into the Chen family, didn’t you also steal your sister’s opportunity?”
“You were originally a child from an ordinary family, but after marrying into a wealthy family, you started oppressing ordinary people. Is this your true nature, or the change brought about by the wealthy family?”
My gaze swept over the people below one by one, finally landing on Olivia’s pitiful face.
I slowly curved my lips, and my clear voice resounded throughout the entire venue through the microphone.
“You’re right, this is indeed a case of academic plagiarism.”
“She actually admitted it? What kind of tactic is this, trying to establish an honest image?”
“This isn’t just stealing anymore, it’s outright robbery!”
“Can wealthy families just treat ordinary people’s efforts as a joke? I really can’t stand her arrogant face!”
The sound of camera shutters erupted like thunder. A flash of bewilderment crossed Olivia’s face, followed by a smug smile.
She probably thought that I had no ability to clarify, so I simply gave up completely.
🌟 Continue the story here
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I never expected that when my grandfather asked me to choose one of the Johnson brothers for marriage, I would pick Ethan, Caleb’s older brother.
Everyone knew I had been Caleb’s shadow since childhood. I once made myself deathly ill, begging to marry him with my life.
I smiled bitterly, remembering my past life. On our wedding day, Caleb ran away with Lily, the girl my family had been supporting, declaring he would marry no one but her.
I stood there in the wedding dress I had dreamed of for so long, utterly humiliated. Only then did I realize he had agreed to marry me just to get revenge at the wedding.
After being reborn, I started avoiding him at every turn.
Later, when his brother Ethan held me in his arms and kissed me until my lips were swollen, Caleb, who had always looked down on me, suddenly lost control of his emotions.
After setting the wedding date, I started preparing things we’d need for the ceremony.
I didn’t expect to run into Caleb and his friends at the mall.
“Coming out to play and still keeping such a close eye on her. Caleb, you’re watching your woman way too tightly,” his friend teased, causing Caleb to frown in annoyance.
“She’s not my woman. Say that again and I’ll sew your mouth shut.”
Caleb spotted me from afar and walked over, clearly displeased.
“Aria, when will you give it a rest? Why do you have to follow me everywhere I go?”
“You forced the elders to tie us together. Now everyone knows you’re marrying into the Johnson family. Are you satisfied now?”
I stayed silent for a moment, my expression calm.
“I’m not trying to tie myself to you. You’ve misunderstood.”
His emotions suddenly flared up as he gripped my wrist tightly, causing pain.
“Then why are you here? Aren’t you just stalking me?”
I shook off his hand, instinctively rubbing my reddened wrist as I explained:
“I’m here to prepare things for the wedding. I didn’t expect to run into you.”
Seeing our unhappy expressions, his friends quickly gathered around.
“Preparing for the wedding? Caleb, marrying her sure is convenient – you don’t have to prepare anything yourself.”
Caleb glared at the speaker without responding.
“Aria, don’t think that just because our families arranged this marriage, you can use these tactics to get me.”
“Even if you get my body, you’ll never have my heart. I despise manipulative, vicious women like you the most.”
His eyes were cold, his voice suppressing anger.
But I felt nothing, only wanting to escape this troublesome situation.
I looked up and met his gaze calmly:
“Who wants your heart? Don’t flatter yourself. I won’t be marrying you either.”
Hearing this, Caleb’s face immediately fell.
“How can you still deny it at this point? You’ve always used every trick to force me to marry you. Now that you’ve finally succeeded, you’re saying you won’t marry me…”
His friend bumped his shoulder:
“Caleb, can’t you tell? The little lady is just mad at you. She’s saying that out of anger.”
“She’s personally out choosing things for the wedding. How can she be happy when you’re being so cold and sarcastic to her?”
Caleb’s expression finally softened a bit.
He stared at me with a complex look, finally forcing out a sentence after a long pause.
“I’ll show up for the wedding on time, but like I said, don’t expect me to ever like you.”
Suddenly there was a sound of something dropping behind us.
Caleb and I turned to see Lily standing there in shock, wearing a cute sundress.
She was the foster child my family had been supporting. With poor health, she was a frequent hospital patient.
My mother felt bad about her poor living conditions and took her in to live with us.
She was now dressed up like a delicate doll, with fluttering eyelashes over watery eyes.
Caleb immediately let go of me and rushed over to her.
“Lily, let me explain. It’s not what you think.”
Lily covered her face and ran off, not giving him a chance to explain.
Everyone dispersed unhappily after Lily left.
Before leaving, Caleb threatened me harshly.
“If Lily gets upset over this, I won’t let you off easy.”
I laughed mockingly, for a moment doubting if the childhood friend I grew up with had been possessed by someone else.
After that whole scene, I lost interest in continuing to shop and went home early.
It wasn’t until evening that Caleb brought Lily back.
He was carrying bags of things, with his driver following behind carrying several boxes.
The boxes were filled with expensive fruits and imported snacks.
It was clear Caleb had bought a lot to appease Lily.
When they came in, I was curled up on the couch watching TV.
I deliberately didn’t look Caleb’s way, but he came over on his own.
At first he didn’t speak, just pursing his lips as if waiting for my reaction.
But I kept my eyes fixed on the TV, not even glancing his way.
“Aria, you clearly saw me bring in all these things. Why didn’t you come help?”
I gave him an indifferent look:
“Why should I help you? The stuff wasn’t bought for me. What does it have to do with me?”
His expression darkened: “If you want something just say so. If word gets out that my fiancée is so desperate for a few trinkets, people will laugh at me.”
Caleb completely ignored what I’d said at the mall. I couldn’t be bothered to keep emphasizing to him that I wouldn’t marry him. He’d understand completely on the wedding day.
Caleb casually picked up a box of blueberries and tossed it next to me.
Due to the force, the box bounced off the couch and fell to the floor.
“A reward for you. Don’t say I mistreat you.”
I looked down at the box of blueberries, but had no desire to pick it up.
Because if I did, I’d be like a begging dog, eagerly accepting Caleb’s handouts.
I don’t need that kind of charity.
I curled my lips in a cold smile: “You’re quite at home in my house. Don’t you have any sense of being a guest? Don’t embarrass your family’s upbringing.”
We’d grown up together and were certainly familiar with each other’s homes. I’d never said such insulting words before.
Caleb’s face turned red with anger. He looked at me like he wanted to eat me alive.
My parents weren’t home yet, and the staff were busy with their own tasks.
Only Caleb, Lily and I were left in the living room.
Caleb acted like I didn’t exist, pressing Lily against the wall and giving her a quick kiss.
He murmured: “Lily, in the future if anything upsets you, just tell me directly. Don’t let it hurt your health.”
Lily’s coquettish voice reached my ears.
“I know. Caleb always treats me the best.”
As Lily responded to him, the two started kissing passionately, their intimate sounds making one blush.
I turned off the TV and walked around the couch, deliberately taking a path farther from them to reach the stairs, intending to return to my room.
When I was halfway up the stairs, Caleb suddenly opened his eyes, remembering there was another person present.
He instinctively pushed Lily away.
Lily didn’t notice his change, just reluctantly ending the kiss.
Finally Lily looked up at me, her eyes full of provocation and disdain, as if showing off her victory.
Back in my room, I received a message from Lily.
[Sister, even though Caleb promised you a wedding, the title of Mrs. Johnson will only ever be mine.]
[Aria, whatever outcome you got in your past life, you’ll get the same this life. You can’t beat me.]
Seeing this message, my heart suddenly skipped a beat.
So I wasn’t the only one who had been reborn.
In my past life, after Caleb accepted the engagement, I thought he had been moved by my sincerity.
After all, I had chased after him for over a decade. Even a rock should have been warmed up by now, right?
I never expected that he only accepted the marriage to thoroughly humiliate me at the wedding.
In front of all the guests, he tightly held Lily’s hand.
He announced to everyone that he could never marry me, that Lily was the only one he loved and would marry in this life.
I was utterly humiliated, standing alone in my wedding dress, trapped in awkward emotions.
Everyone in our social circle knew how much I liked him. I had even made myself deathly ill, just to get my parents to agree to an engagement with the Johnson family.
I had lowered myself so much, shaming myself and my parents, only to be repaid with Caleb’s revenge.
He resented me for using my family’s status to force an engagement, making him and Lily separate.
I also passed away from illness. I never want to experience that kind of suffering again.
So after being reborn, I gave up on Caleb and chose his brother Ethan instead.
But I never expected that this time, my marriage to Ethan would proceed so smoothly.
There were no obstacles. I just had to wait patiently for the wedding next month to arrive on schedule.
In my past life, Ethan had always worked abroad and never married.
Everyone thought he had some unspeakable issue. Even my grandfather asked me to confirm again when he heard I decided to marry Ethan.
Was I really sure I wanted to marry Ethan?
I nodded. Even if he had some physical problem, so what?
If I had to choose between them, a life of mutual respect was far better than one full of scars.
The next day, I went to the jeweler to pick up the wedding rings for Ethan and me.
But the staff informed me that the rings had already been taken by Mr. Caleb Johnson.
This jewelry store was under the Johnson Group. If Caleb wanted to take them, the staff couldn’t stop him.
Out of all the couples’ rings, he just had to take my wedding rings.
Anger suddenly flared up inside me, because those rings were my own design.
Since childhood, I’d had a dream of wearing rings I designed myself at my wedding to the man I loved.
In the past, I thought the man wearing the matching ring would be Caleb.
But now that the groom had changed, I’d torn up that old design and made a new one specially for Ethan.
Yet Caleb had snatched them away.
Just as I was about to call Caleb to demand an explanation, I suddenly saw Lily’s new post on social media.
[A one-of-a-kind ring from my beloved.]
The photo showed her and Caleb wearing the rings I had designed.
People flooded the comments with congratulations.
My eyes unconsciously welled up with tears.
Even if the arranged marriage had once troubled Caleb, I had already backed out in time and given him his freedom.
Why did he have to keep humiliating me, and even let Lily take my wedding rings?
I couldn’t wait another second. I didn’t want to argue with Caleb over the phone.
So I took a cab straight to Caleb’s office.
Caleb wasn’t in his office.
But Lily was there. When she saw me, her eyes showed no surprise.
As if she had expected I would come demand an explanation.
Lily kept fiddling with the ring on her finger, occasionally pouting.
“Sister, what do you think of the ring Caleb gave me?”
She shook her head as she spoke.
“I think it’s ugly as sin, but since Caleb gave it to me, I love it.”
“I love anything he gives me.”
Hearing her words, I couldn’t help but clench my fists.
“Sister, do you think if I wear this ring to your wedding, I’ll steal your spotlight?”
“After all, the diamond Caleb gave me is definitely bigger than whatever ring you’ll have.”
Something snapped in my mind. I rushed forward to grab the ring from her hand.
So Lily and I ended up in a tussle.
The moment I got the ring off her finger, I felt a sharp blow to my waist.
Someone kicked me hard, sending me sprawling on the ground in pain so intense I could barely breathe.
Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes as I stubbornly turned my head, gritting my teeth as I glared at the petite woman now cradled in Caleb’s arms.
“You crazy woman, how dare you lay hands on Lily? Don’t you know her health is fragile?”
The pain spreading up from my waist was nothing compared to the ache in my heart.
Caleb didn’t bother scolding me further, focused on comforting the distraught Lily.
“Caleb, I can’t believe it. If you hadn’t arrived in time, would my sister have beaten me to death?”
His gaze fell on Lily as he gently wiped away her tears, his movements tender and attentive.
Caleb’s brows were tightly furrowed, his eyes rimmed with red.
“Lily, don’t worry. I won’t let that crazy woman near you alone again.”
“I won’t allow anyone to hurt you. Even if it’s the Wilson family’s daughter, I’ll turn against them if they so much as touch a hair on your head.”
Caleb really went to extremes for Lily’s sake.
Many people at Johnson Group knew me, including his secretary.
The secretary helped me up, but Caleb angrily berated her.
“Who said you could help her? Go to accounting and get your final paycheck. Don’t come in tomorrow.”
The secretary stood there stunned before reluctantly leaving the office.
I clutched my waist, my face flushed red. Just thinking about this humiliating situation made me want to cry.
I laughed mockingly at myself. Each laugh blurred my vision a little more with unshed tears.
He fired his secretary who helped me without a second thought.
Did Caleb really hate me to this extent?
“Crazy woman, you still have the nerve to laugh?”
Caleb demanded: “I told you I would never like you. So why do you keep hurting the person I love?”
I stubbornly refused to back down: “Are you blind? She’s the one who stole my things!”
Caleb hesitated for a moment, but after glancing at Lily’s pitiful expression, he impatiently scolded me:
“It’s just a ring. It was meant for me anyway. What’s wrong with her having it since it was meant for me!”
I sneered: “You must not have a mirror, or even a puddle to look in. Check yourself – your ego is way too big!”
I almost blurted out that the ring was meant for Ethan.
But I suddenly remembered Ethan would be back tonight.
I would thoroughly humiliate Caleb at the family dinner.
I pressed a hand to my waist, each step difficult and painful.
His voice came from behind me: “Come to the family dinner on your own tonight. I don’t have time to pick you up.”
I left the office without looking back, a faint smile still on my lips.
Laughing at his conceit, and even more at my own pathetic state.
It’s fine. I don’t need him to pick me up.
He’ll understand soon enough that my life will have nothing to do with him from now on.
———-This is the breakpoint———-
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I lost my precious hands to save my husband Jack and son Tommy.
When I was about to surprise Tommy with a birthday cake, I accidentally overheard their conversation.
“Dad, Mom’s hands are so gross. When can we get a new mom? I feel sick when those hands feed me.”
“I like Aunt Olivia. At least she’s normal. I want her to be my new mom.”
Jack had his back to me, so I couldn’t see his expression. But his tone was unusually gentle.
“Be patient, Tommy. Daddy has wanted to replace Mommy for a long time…”
They shared a laugh while I collapsed silently by the door.
Just then, a robotic voice echoed in my mind:
[Host mission complete. Points available to redeem rewards.]
“I don’t want rewards. I just want my hands back.”
[Understood. Initiating exchange.]
Today is my son Tommy’s birthday. For the first time in years, I ventured outside, ignoring the stares, and carried a cake home in my mouth.
As I approached our house, I noticed the front door was slightly ajar. Curious about what they might be discussing in my absence, I paused to listen.
“Dad, where do you think Mom went?” Tommy’s small voice drifted out.
I thought he might be worried about me, so I kept listening.
“Your mom texted that she was getting your cake,” Jack explained gently.
Hearing this, Tommy immediately freaked out: “What? How can she get a cake without hands?!”
“It’ll have my name on it! Now everyone will know that freak is my mom!”
“It’s so embarrassing! Why does she have to humiliate our whole family?”
“Just thinking about her deformed hands touching my cake makes me want to throw up!”
I expected Jack to scold Tommy for speaking that way. Instead, he just stroked Tommy’s head and smiled. “You poor thing.”
Encouraged by Jack’s response, Tommy eagerly continued: “Dad, what do you think about Olivia?”
“It’s Mom’s fault for being useless. You can’t divorce her, so Olivia has to sneak around! She’s waited so long!”
Olivia? The name was both familiar and foreign.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of Olivia,” Jack assured him.
Tommy grew excited. “So can you marry Olivia? Let her be my new mom!”
My jaw clenched around the cake, teeth aching. I had begged Tommy’s favorite bakery to make this cake special, since they don’t normally do custom orders.
I’d been so happy bringing it home, never imagining my own son could despise me this much. All because of my twisted, disabled hands.
At least Tommy was just a child who didn’t understand. Surely Jack, as an adult, wouldn’t abandon me so callously.
I was immediately proven wrong.
“I’m sick of it too. Looking at those deformed hands makes me want to vomit every second. How can anyone’s hands be so hideous…”
“I’ve taken care of her for years. I’ll give her a big settlement – that should clear my conscience.”
“After your birthday tomorrow, I’ll ask for a divorce…”
As Jack finished speaking, he seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
Tommy’s excited cheers pierced through the doorway, shattering something in my mind. My whole body went cold, the cake falling from my mouth unnoticed.
Four years ago, I was an up-and-coming pianist envied by all.
While camping with Jack and Tommy, an out-of-control truck came barreling towards us.
In desperation, I lunged to push them out of the way, but I was a split second too late.
When I opened my eyes, the two most important men in my life lay in pools of blood.
The truck’s tires had crushed their legs beyond recognition. I knew that even if they survived, they would never walk again.
My proud husband Jack, a titan of industry, would be devastated to lose his ability to stand. And my son Tommy was only 3 – he had his whole future ahead of him, so many paths yet to walk.
They both needed their legs, while I was a pianist who could play sitting down.
In that moment, I made an instant decision. “System, can you transfer their injuries to me instead?”
“Host, the price for two pairs of legs is your hands. Do you still wish to proceed?”
“Without hands…I…my son is only 3, he can’t lose his legs so young, he just learned to walk…”
The system altered everyone’s memories.
They all believed I had pushed Jack and Tommy out of the way that day. My hands were crushed beyond recognition, twisted into grotesque, nauseating shapes.
But it was all voluntary – I willingly sacrificed my precious hands to keep them safe.
I thought we could stay together, supporting each other for life. Even though I lost my piano and my dreams, I still had my family and my love. My life would still be happy.
But reality struck a cruel blow, shattering my delusions.
Tommy’s excited voice continued: “Dad, you don’t know – every time I see Mom’s twisted hands I feel like she’s a monster. I have nightmares for days…Doesn’t Mom realize how disgusting she is? Why won’t she just leave on her own!”
“I was so worried you wouldn’t divorce Mom, but I’m glad I was wrong. I can’t wait to get a new mom!”
Jack’s laughter was ruthless, his tone mocking: “Of course Daddy finds it disgusting too. Daddy’s a normal person. And those deformed hands ooze pus and stink. I have to clean them every day – the smell is indescribable…”
“What normal woman smells like that…it kills any desire.”
“I’m tired of sharing a bed with her every night.”
I peeked through the door. Jack’s smug smile pierced my heart.
Rooted in place, waves of pain washed over me. I struggled to hold back tears of hurt and betrayal.
When your heart goes numb, does it stop hurting?
They went on to discuss Olivia, but I barely registered it. My ears were ringing, my mind blank.
Mechanically, I bent down to pick up the fallen cake in my mouth and pushed open the door.
The previously lively home fell silent at my entrance.
As I set down the cake, I didn’t miss Tommy’s look of revulsion.
He said with disgust: “Why bother with this stuff? I don’t want to celebrate my birthday!”
With that, he flipped the cake off the table.
Frosting and cake splattered across the floor, like the pieces of my shattered heart.
I wanted to grab a cloth to clean up, but remembered my useless hands hanging limply at my sides. I could only stand there staring at the mess.
Jack came over with a cold expression to clean up.
“If you can’t help, just stay out of the way. Don’t make more trouble.”
As he cleaned, he kept glancing at his phone, replying to messages with rare tenderness in his eyes.
I realized he must be chatting with that woman called Olivia.
Of course. Smartphones are useless to me now except for making calls.
She’s the one keeping him company through the night now, not me.
With mixed emotions, I watched Jack bent over cleaning.
“Who is this Olivia woman?”
Jack looked up, momentarily flustered before composing himself. He met my gaze steadily.
“You’re overstepping, Sophia.”
I gave a bitter smile. “I’m not trying to control you. I’m just asking…”
“It’s none of your business. Why don’t you worry about your own hands instead of being useless forever!”
His gaze deliberately fell on my deformed hands, eyes full of contempt.
I looked between him and Tommy.
The two men I loved most now looked at me with nothing but disgust and disdain.
But why? What right do they have?
“Let’s get a divorce.”
Only I have the right to end our relationship.
Jack and Tommy don’t deserve that power.
I gazed at Tommy, the child I carried for 9 months, with complicated emotions. I never imagined the flesh of my flesh would become the sharpest knife to pierce my heart.
“Tommy, Mommy has always known you don’t like her. That you find Mommy’s hands disgusting…that you want Olivia to be your new mom. Mommy knows everything.”
Tommy’s face showed no sadness, only anger at being exposed.
He was too young to hide his feelings or lie.
He could only yell back defiantly: “It’s your fault for being a freak! All my friends’ moms have normal pretty hands! Only your hands are gross and deformed! What’s wrong with wanting a normal mom? Since you know, just leave already!”
Even though I’d already heard those hurtful words, hearing them directly from my child still made my nose sting with unshed tears.
Jack made no move to stop Tommy’s cruel words.
Instead, he pulled out divorce papers from his desk drawer.
“Sophia, your hands became like this because of us. I’ll give you a settlement as compensation. Of course, for custody of Tommy…”
My heart turned to ash. “I don’t want custody.”
Jack looked surprised. Even Tommy, who had been yelling for me to leave, froze in disbelief.
They all thought Tommy was precious to me. But now I was giving him up.
“I wasn’t planning to give you custody anyway. Tommy doesn’t want to live with you. I’ll give you a house and $200,000 as compensation.”
I laughed. The CEO of a public company offering only $200k as compensation to his ex-wife.
$200k for 4 legs? How cheap.
I didn’t argue further, just nodded. “Whatever. Let’s finalize the divorce quickly.”
With that, I pressed my deformed fingers to the divorce papers as a signature and walked into the bedroom without looking back.
I collapsed to the floor behind the closed door.
The system’s voice rang out in my mind: [Detection complete. Host mission accomplished. Points available to redeem rewards.]
I laughed bitterly. “Divorce counts as completing the mission?”
[Living for yourself and loving yourself is the system’s mission. What reward would you like, Host?]
I looked at my twisted, deformed hands, remembering how I once stood proudly on stage.
I wasted so many years of youth and dreams on those two ungrateful beasts.
How laughable.
My expression instantly turned cold. I glanced towards the door with a sneer.
“System, I don’t want a reward…”
“I want their legs. I want my hands back.”
4
The system’s mechanical voice slowly responded: [Understood, Host. Initiating exchange.]
[Exchange will take effect over 3 months. Full exchange complete after 3 months.]
I’d endured for years. I could certainly wait 3 more months.
After I proposed divorce, Jack dropped all pretense. He immediately took Tommy and left our shared home.
Eager to escape the life we’d built together.
Before my son left, I couldn’t help asking: “Tommy, now that Mom and Dad are divorcing, will you miss me?”
He fiddled with his tablet, playing a shooting game without looking up. “Don’t ask stupid questions.”
“I can’t wait to get away from you. Why would I miss you? To have nightmares?”
I stiffened at his response.
Right. His disgust for me was written all over his face, etched into his bones. Every moment he saw his birth mother as revolting.
As a mother, I still couldn’t help advising: “Eat less junk food, play fewer games. Your grades lately…”
“Not this again! When will you stop nagging?” Tommy suddenly grabbed a nearby glass and threw it at me, his face twisted with impatience. “If you’re leaving then hurry up and go! We’re divorced so you’re not my mom anymore! Stop bothering me, you freak!”
I had no time to dodge, no hands to block it. The glass smashed into my forehead.
A sharp pain lanced through my skull. The world seemed to grow lighter.
Blood trickled down my face, along my eye sockets, like tears of blood.
This was the last chance I was giving our relationship.
I took a deep breath. I was done.
Done with this family, the man I’d loved for nearly 10 years, even my own flesh and blood.
I was letting it all go.
As they were leaving, a woman appeared at our door. She had a face similar to mine, but younger and more beautiful.
I recognized her – Olivia Wilson, the rising piano virtuoso.
My gaze drifted down to her long, slender hands. Normal hands.
“It’s an honor to meet you.” Olivia’s smile was dazzling as she deliberately extended her hand, then feigned embarrassment. “Oh, I forgot Ms. Lee is disabled. I wanted to shake hands!”
“Such a shame. I heard from Jack that you used to play piano beautifully. But now…”
Olivia’s eyes kept darting to the hands I tried to hide behind my back.
For the first time, I wanted to completely conceal my weakness. But there was nowhere to hide.
“The real homewrecker is the one who isn’t loved. Ms. Lee, you’ve overstayed your welcome as Mrs. Sullivan. Using guilt to cling to your position isn’t right. Oh, and don’t forget to come to Jack and I’s wedding!”
Olivia proudly displayed the heart-shaped diamond on her finger.
Seeing that ring on her slender hand, I froze for a moment. My heart skipped a beat.
When Jack and I were dating, he often cradled my hands, kissing each knuckle.
He promised that once he made it big, he’d buy me a huge heart-shaped diamond.
Now he’d achieved success and bought the ring – but not for me.
His love was so cheap, given to whoever he pleased.
I once treasured it like gold.
How foolish.
“Congratulations,” I said coolly to the woman before me.
She was so much like me. And yet not me at all.
I’d just escaped the prison of marriage. I could only congratulate this woman for eagerly jumping in.
“I heard from Tommy that you actually agreed to divorce Jack right away.” Olivia’s tone dripped with sarcasm. “Don’t think our compensation is too little. A useless cripple like you should be grateful Jack supported you at all. We’re being more than fair – anyone else wouldn’t give you a cent.”
“Thank you so much then.” I replied flatly, too tired to argue further.
I turned to leave. No rush.
After all, my lost hands were gradually being restored.
My new life was just beginning.
Jack and Tommy could enjoy their last taste of freedom while it lasted.
5
After they left, the whole house fell silent.
It felt empty, yet somehow safer.
I struggled to pack up the few remaining things of theirs, throwing it all away.
Even our old family photos went straight into the trash without a second glance.
🌟 Continue the story here
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I had been in a mutually torturous marriage with Blake Johnson for three years when I developed a mild illness. It wouldn’t kill me, but my memories would slowly fade away.
Then one day, after Blake had broken my heart once again, I looked up at him in confusion and asked, “I’m sorry, who are you again?”
Blake’s towering posture didn’t change, but his gaze toward me carried a hint of contempt and impatience:
“Zoe Lin, how many times are you going to play this game?”
I stared at him with bewildered eyes. “You know my name?”
Blake’s patience was exhausted. He coldly picked up his coat and headed for the door. “If your brain’s not working right, go to the hospital. How many times are you going to pretend to have amnesia? I have work at the company. You can eat dinner by yourself.”
I watched in confusion as the man stormed out, seemingly furious with me.
Unfortunately, I really had no memory of him in my mind.
I only remembered that yesterday I should have been working part-time at a bubble tea shop outside the university. How did I end up in this strange place today, with a strange man?
Thinking about it wouldn’t solve anything, so I found my phone and called my best friend.
The call was rejected twice before finally connecting on the third try.
I quickly spoke up: “Hello, Mia? Where are you? I think I’m lost. I’m in a completely unfamiliar place and there’s a strange man saying all sorts of nonsense. Most importantly! I think I might have been kidnapped!”
Instead of Mia’s anxious voice as I had hoped, the other end of the line was filled with cold mockery:
“Well, well, our Mrs. Johnson who married into a wealthy family still has time to call me? What a surprise.”
I was baffled: “Mia, what are you talking about? What Mrs. Johnson? What marrying into wealth? I don’t understand what you’re saying at all.”
Mia’s voice lost some of its earlier coldness, becoming hesitant: “Zoe Lin, I’m not that idiot husband of yours. Do you really need to act this convincingly with me?”
“Mia… what act? I really don’t know what’s going on.”
The other end of the line was silent for a long while before Mia’s voice sounded again:
“Don’t move. Just wait for me in that room.”
“Okay!”
After hanging up with Mia, I felt like I had found an anchor and calmed down enough to survey my surroundings.
The luxurious decor and furniture all suggested that the owner of this house seemed to be quite wealthy.
Thinking back to the man from earlier, and what Mia had said on the phone.
I covered my mouth in surprise, flashes of countless novel scenes running through my mind.
But I shook my head to dispel them.
The house was decorated very simply, though not to my taste. It must be someone else’s home.
This was too absurd.
Mia arrived quickly. When she knocked on the door, I was observing the fish tank in the living room.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw a more mature and bold version of Mia.
The familiar long hair I knew had become a sleek bob, and her lips were painted a fiery red.
I exclaimed in surprise: “Mia… you…”
Mia’s face was icy cold. She didn’t wait for me to finish before pulling me away.
At the hospital.
Mia frowned deeply, her expression displeased as she looked at the report in her hand: “So you’re saying she’s sick and has amnesia?”
The doctor explained using a bunch of terms I didn’t understand, then pointed at my brain CT scan and said with certainty:
“That’s right. Her condition has likely been ongoing for some time, and the symptoms of memory loss have probably been present for a while too. If not treated promptly, she may continue to forget more.”
I sat to the side listening to their conversation with a bewildered expression.
Amnesia?
Illness?
I just went to sleep, how did the world change so much?
After learning about my amnesia, Mia’s expression softened somewhat, though her brow remained tightly furrowed.
At least she no longer looked as cold as ice like when we first met.
Leaving the hospital, I tentatively grabbed Mia’s hand.
Seeing that she didn’t shake me off, I carefully opened my mouth:
“Mia, I just found out I’m sick too. I have no memory of losing my memories. If I upset you before, I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
As I said this, for some reason, I felt a sudden lightness in my heart.
Mia looked at me for a long time without speaking, but she also didn’t give me the cold shoulder anymore.
“So what are you planning to do next?” Mia suddenly asked.
I was caught off guard by her question.
Then I thought of the man who had spoken to me so strangely this morning.
Just thinking that man might be my husband gave me goosebumps all over.
“First, let’s deal with that man.”
Mia stared at me intently: “How do you plan to deal with him?”
Looking at Mia’s strangely determined face, I hesitantly spoke up: “D-divorce?”
“Let’s go. We’ll do it right now.”
“Eh… I…”
Before I could react, Mia was already pulling me along.
Again with this.
Mia seemed to have become quite decisive and efficient.
When we arrived at the company, Mia and I had just reached the entrance when we were stopped by the security guards.
“Mrs. Johnson, the CEO isn’t in the office right now. Please make an appointment and come back another time.”
Judging by how practiced this seemed, it probably wasn’t the first time they had stopped me.
A wife needing an appointment to see her husband. How interesting.
I turned to Mia awkwardly: “Looks like we won’t be able to see him today.”
It was my fault for making Mia come all this way for nothing.
Mia stood with her arms crossed, her expression blank as she looked at me: “You’re quite the pathetic rich man’s wife, aren’t you?”
I laughed sheepishly, using my amnesia as an excuse: “I forgot, okay?”
Mia let out a cold laugh: “Alright, let’s go.”
Just as she finished speaking and we were about to leave, a girl in a white dress with an extraordinary aura walked towards us.
Mia’s expression changed, her already expressionless face growing even colder.
I looked up in confusion to see the girl slowly approaching me.
“Zoe, what a coincidence to run into you here. Are you here to see Blake too? Why don’t we go in together?”
Although I didn’t know who this girl was, based on the current situation and what Mia had told me in the car earlier, I guessed she must be my husband’s beloved mistress.
But needing to go through the mistress for the wife to see her husband… that did seem quite pathetic.
“Fake sincerity.”
Mia directly blocked my way.
The girl seemed startled, tears quickly filling her eyes: “I-I’m sorry… I just… I just wanted to help Zoe…”
I was shocked by how quickly the girl’s expression changed: “Uh, please don’t cry…”
“Zoe Lin!”
Hearing someone call my name, I instinctively turned my head.
I saw the man I had met this afternoon, angrily striding towards me.
“Why are you bullying Lily again!”
He then shielded the girl from earlier behind him and started berating me.
This was my husband in name.
I instinctively said quietly: “I didn’t…”
“You didn’t? How could you not have? If you didn’t do anything, why is Lily crying!”
I was stunned for a moment, then seemed to come to my senses: “Why don’t you ask her? How would I know why she’s crying? I’m not a mind reader.”
“You! Twisting words!” Blake patiently comforted the girl, his face showing a gentleness completely different from how he had faced me earlier.
I didn’t understand why he harbored such hostility towards me.
Moreover, we were still married.
“Didn’t I tell you not to come to the company unless it’s important? What are you doing here?”
After consoling his girlfriend, Blake resumed his cold and disdainful demeanor when facing me.
Mia couldn’t stand it anymore: “Blake Johnson, what do you mean by this!”
Blake’s face was icy: “Don’t you know what I mean? No matter why you came here, making Lily cry is your fault. Apologize to her right now.”
Mia was about to step forward, but I stopped her.
Then I walked in front of her, looked at the tearful girl, and spoke softly:
“I’m sorry. Whatever the reason, it’s my fault for making you cry.”
The girl was stunned, surprise evident on her face.
“You…”
Blake also seemed surprised by how quickly I apologized, but he just frowned slightly.
“What trick are you trying to pull now?”
I looked at him: “No tricks. I just want to talk to you about getting a divorce.”
As soon as the word “divorce” came out.
Blake let out a sneer, looking at me with contempt in his eyes:
“Zoe Lin, how long are you going to play this divorce game?”
“It’s for real,” Mia suddenly spoke up for me from behind.
Blake turned to look at her, suddenly laughing: “And who are you to say anything?”
?
I suddenly bristled: “Excuse me, who do you think you are to be yelling like this? I’m really sorry to say this, but you’ve got some nerve. You keep a mistress and it gives you a superiority complex? I said divorce and you can’t understand? Why do you like sneaking around with a mistress so much? You just like the thrill of it?”
Blake and Lily were stunned by my outburst.
People were coming and going at the company entrance. Lily’s face turned bright red as she shook off Blake’s hand and ran away.
Blake’s expression wasn’t much better, but all he could do was rage impotently: “Zoe Lin!”
I smiled sweetly: “I’m right here. Tomorrow morning at 9, at the civil affairs bureau. Don’t stand me up.”
With that, I pulled Mia away and left.
After we had walked quite far, Mia calmly gave me a thumbs up: “I didn’t know you had it in you to tell someone off like that.”
I scratched my head and smiled: “Well, he was insulting you.”
Mia looked at me for a long time without speaking.
I fidgeted nervously with my fingers: “What’s wrong? Did I used to yell at you too?”
Mia said flatly: “No. Let’s go, we’ll head to my place first.”
After talking with Mia all night, I still found this marriage baffling.
Mia’s knowledge was limited too.
She didn’t know much about how I ended up marrying Blake, or why I hadn’t divorced him even after he openly took a mistress.
She only knew that I had inexplicably married into a wealthy family, and then gradually distanced myself from her at the family’s urging, until we had a falling out.
I was curious, but we both agreed that divorcing Blake was the most sensible option right now.
After a very comfortable night’s sleep at Mia’s place, she drove me back to the Johnson house the next day.
There was no other choice, as all my documents were still there.
Mia waited downstairs while I ransacked the Johnson house.
Luckily, I managed to find what I needed.
Just as I was getting up from the mess, I ran right into Blake’s eyes.
Blake’s face was mocking: “Stealing from your own home?”
Having lost my memories, I had no recollection or attachment to this house.
So I instinctively felt awkward and out of place.
And I had the misfortune of running into the man of the house.
I smiled nervously, waving the documents in my hand: “Civil affairs bureau. Don’t stand me up.”
Blake laughed a couple times, no longer paying me any attention.
But just as I was about to leave, he suddenly turned back to look at me.
“There’s a family gathering this weekend. My mom wants me to bring you along.”
I turned around, feeling confused: “What about the divorce?”
Blake no longer looked at me, turning to walk inside: “We’ll talk about it when there’s time. A few more days won’t kill you, right?”
“No,” I called out to stop him.
Blake’s footsteps halted.
“Give me a specific date for the divorce.”
He stood still, silent for a long while.
“Fine. Next Monday then, right after the family gathering.”
His voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
“Okay,” I heard myself say.
“I recorded that. Don’t go back on your word.”
With that, I strode out confidently.
I didn’t notice Blake turning to watch me for a long time as I left.
Mia was still waiting for me downstairs. When she saw me come out, she walked over.
“What took you so long?”
I pointed upstairs: “Ran into that jerk. Got held up a bit. He insists I go to some family gathering with him, but I didn’t lose out. I got a specific date for the divorce, so he can’t back out now.”
“We agreed that as soon as the family gathering is over, we’ll get divorced.”
I was talking excitedly, not noticing Mia’s increasingly furrowed brow.
“You can’t go.”
“Why not?”
“I’m worried his family will all treat you badly. I’m afraid you’ll get bullied if you go.”
I shook Mia’s hand: “It’s fine, it’s just for a little while. It’s not like I’ll lose anything. Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone bully me.”
“I’m afraid…”
“It’s okay,” I looked at Mia. “I have to face these things myself eventually.”
Mia nodded reluctantly.
“Alright then.”
The weekend arrived quickly.
Mia dropped me off at the Johnson house. Blake’s car was already waiting at the front gate.
I waved goodbye to Mia before getting into Blake’s car.
In the car, the two of us sat in awkward silence.
After a long while, Blake finally spoke first:
“When did you two… make up?”
Although I didn’t really want to talk to this jerk, I still answered him out of politeness.
“None of your business.”
Blake: …
The conversation ended, and the car returned to its previous silence.
After a while, Blake stretched his arms as if bored, surreptitiously glancing at me.
“Wonder what food they’ll have at home.”
I closed my eyes to rest, ignoring him completely.
Pretending I didn’t hear anything.
Until Blake “accidentally” bumped into me.
I opened my eyes impatiently: “How would I know? I’m not the family chef. Besides, what do you care what food there is? All you do is eat, eat, eat anyway.”
Blake got what he wanted and shut up.
This guy just needed to be told off.
The driver in front couldn’t help but laugh at our interaction.
———-Cut-off point———-
He couldn’t help but remark: “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the young master so flustered.”
Hmm.
Speechless.
The car fell blissfully silent after that. Blake didn’t say another word until we got out of the car.
I was happy for the peace and quiet.
The Johnson family’s main residence was huge. I couldn’t help but marvel again at the fact that I had really married into such wealth.
As soon as we entered, before I could get a good look around, many people came up to greet us.
Using my amnesia as an excuse since I didn’t recognize anyone, I just smiled politely at everyone.
It wasn’t until Blake called one woman “Mom” that I realized which one was my mother-in-law in name.
But when she turned around and I saw her face clearly, I was shocked.
How could it be her?
My breathing quickened.
Blake’s mother.
My current mother-in-law.
Was actually the wealthy lady who had been quietly supporting me all this time.
I was even more confused now, my head feeling like it might explode.
What exactly had happened?
Why had I become so entangled with her son?
Perhaps I had been lost in thought for too long, because Blake suddenly pulled me over.
“Mom, Zoe and I came back together.”
The woman immediately took my hand: “Zoe’s back too. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, you’ve gotten thinner. Come here and let Mom have a good look at you.”
I froze, barely able to maintain the smile on my face.
“I’m fine…”
But I didn’t have the courage to call her “Mom.”
Before this, during the darkest period of my life.
When I was being bullied and humiliated by the other kids at the orphanage, she had been the only one willing to support me, coming like a ray of light.
How I had longed to call her “Mom” back then.
But it shouldn’t have been in this role.
“How could that be? I’ve been taking such good care of her, she’s actually gained weight. If anything, look at your son – I’m the one who’s gotten thinner.”
Blake’s attitude towards me changed completely from his earlier coldness. He walked over familiarly, trying to take my hand.
“Isn’t that right, Zoe?”
There was something in his eyes that I couldn’t understand.
I didn’t know what he meant, and I didn’t want to play along with his act.
The moment his large hand was about to envelop mine, I instinctively pulled away.
Blake’s expression froze for an instant.
Mrs. Johnson acted as if she hadn’t noticed our little interaction, pulling me inside: “Never mind him, let’s go in.”
Once inside, we were faced with a large group of family members.
Perhaps the shock from Mrs. Johnson had been too great.
Looking at so many people, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
Before she could lead me to a seat, I frantically ran out.
“Excuse me for a moment, I need to use the restroom.”
The Johnson family’s courtyard was very large. As I ran to the front, a bamboo grove came into view, with a small river behind it.
I actually had no idea where the restroom was.
I just purely wanted to come out for some fresh air.
The air here was very good. I took deep breaths, trying to alleviate my earlier discomfort.
I desperately wanted to recover my lost memories.
No one wanted to know why I had married into the Johnson family more than I did right now.
“Zoe Lin.”
A familiar cold voice interrupted my thoughts.
I turned around, and sure enough, it was Blake.
Before he could speak, I was already impatient: “What, you again? You’re quite persistent, aren’t you?”
Blake’s words got stuck in his throat.
“I can’t even leave for a moment? What, your family can’t function without me around?”
“Besides, we’re about to get divorced. Your family will find out sooner or later anyway. Why bother putting on this fake ‘happy couple’ act? I hope today’s incident won’t happen again.”
I was referring to his attempt to hold my hand earlier.
Blake frowned, taking a while to react before laughing instead of getting angry: “Zoe Lin, wasn’t all this what you wanted? Now you’re acting all high and mighty!”
His expression was both annoyed and urgent, as if he needed to confirm something:
“I’ve told you many times, stop with all these ridiculous games. The person I love isn’t you – why can’t you understand that!”
I just found it baffling.
“Oh,” I said expressionlessly.
“Let me remind you again, we’re about to get divorced. You can love whoever you want, I don’t care.”
Blake met my emotionless gaze, froze for a few seconds, then suddenly said viciously:
“Zoe Lin, you’d better keep your word.”
With that, he walked away.
I rolled my eyes in exasperation.
“I’ll definitely do what I say. Whoever goes back on their word is a loser!”
I shouted at his retreating back.
Blake didn’t turn around, but his strides became even larger.
When I went back inside, I didn’t see Mrs. Johnson. A servant led me to the banquet hall.
Mrs. Johnson saw me come in and smiled, waving me over: “Zoe’s here, come sit by Mom.”
After I sat down next to her, she carefully inquired about my health.
“It’s nothing serious,” I nodded slightly at her. “I might have just gotten a bit carsick.”
“That’s good.”
Mrs. Johnson gently patted my hand.
I sat there uncomfortably until the banquet began.
Glancing around briefly, I noticed Blake was nowhere to be seen.
Mrs. Johnson had clearly noticed this issue too: “Where did Blake go?”
The people below all said they hadn’t seen him.
Mrs. Johnson slowly shifted her gaze to me.
I smiled, saying directly: “I don’t know either.”
Mrs. Johnson was clearly startled by my frankness, but quickly recovered:
“He might have gotten tied up with work and couldn’t get away. Let’s not wait for him then.”
I nodded.
The food the Johnson family had prepared was actually quite good. I was just about to dig in when I noticed Mrs. Johnson’s unpleasant expression out of the corner of my eye.
I politely inquired: “Is something wrong?”
Mrs. Johnson lowered her voice: “What was that about earlier? As Blake’s wife, how could you not cover for him and save face?”
I asked sincerely: “Then what should I have said?”
Mrs. Johnson couldn’t be bothered with me anymore, saying casually: “Just eat.”
Oh.
After the meal, there was still no sign of Blake.
I didn’t care. I was planning to go back to my room for a nap.
Led by a servant, I found the room the Johnson family had prepared for Blake and me to rest in.
Just as I was about to take a nice nap, a servant knocked on the door, saying Mrs. Johnson wanted to see me.
When I got to Mrs. Johnson’s room, I saw Blake, who had been missing for the entire banquet.
Holding back a yawn, I politely asked: “Did you need something?”
Mrs. Johnson’s expression was no longer as warm as when we first met, carrying a hint of sternness:
“Blake tells me you’ve been acting up again lately.”
The Mrs. Johnson in front of me was completely different from the Mrs. Johnson I knew.
I could only nod and speak frankly: “I want to divorce him.”
Blake turned his head to look at me deeply.
“Are you going to make a scene in front of my mother too? Don’t you feel ashamed, Zoe Lin?”
His voice was icy cold and harsh.
But it couldn’t hurt me at all.
Seeing that Mrs. Johnson wasn’t going to speak up for me, I had no choice but to face Blake directly.
“I’ve had a question since yesterday that I hope you can answer for me.”
Blake: “What?”
“Why exactly are you so confident? So confident that even when I’ve clearly said I don’t like you and want to divorce you, you still think I’m just making a fuss.”
Ignoring Mrs. Johnson and Blake’s unpleasant expressions, I continued:
“What do I need to do to prove it? What do I need to do for you to take me seriously when I’m trying to discuss this with you?”
“Is this the manners of the Johnson family’s eldest son? Not even having the most basic respect for another person.”
“Respect?”
Blake suddenly sneered.
“I think you’ve taken this amnesia act too far. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten how you used to beg me to love you? Respect? What right does someone as lowly as you have to talk to me about respect?”
“Zoe Lin, every inch of your body was paid for by our Johnson family. What gives you the right to talk to me about respect?”
Blake got more and more worked up as he spoke, as if he had regained the upper hand.
“That’s enough, Blake. Zoe is your wife after all. Why say such things?” Mrs. Johnson finally spoke up.
But her expression was indifferent. She seemed to be scolding Blake, but was actually warning me.
This was blatant humiliation.
I took a deep breath.
“How much?”
Blake frowned: “What?”
“How much? How much money have I cost you over the years?”
Although I didn’t believe I would become the kind of person who only cared about money.
But the fact that I had married Blake was true. If I had accidentally spent his money, it should be understandable.
“Make an itemized list. I’ll pay you back in full after the divorce.”
This time Blake was stunned.
“Fine, you’ve really outdone yourself Zoe Lin. I’ll make a detailed list for you. I’ll be waiting for you to pay me back.”
With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Mrs. Johnson let out a long sigh.
Before she could speak, I said first: “You too.”
Mrs. Johnson: “Hm?”
“You make an itemized list too. You’ve been supporting me since I was little. It’s time for me to repay you now.”
Mrs. Johnson was taken aback, unconsciously calling out to me: “Zoe, are you… are you trying to cut ties with me too?”
I lowered my head silently, holding back tears.
“It’s normal for men to make some mistakes outside. Why can’t you be more flexible, Zoe?”
Mrs. Johnson was still trying to persuade me.
“Go back for now. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything about a divorce.”
“No…”
I had barely gotten a word out when Mrs. Johnson shut me down.
“Zoe Lin, how many times are you going to make a fuss about divorce? The Johnson family has treated you so well, what more could you possibly be unsatisfied with? I supported you for so many years, and you think you can just pay me off with money? Let me tell you, what you owe me, you’ll never be able to repay in this lifetime!”
I stood there frozen.
These words felt so familiar.
Looking at Mrs. Johnson’s bitter and sarcastic face.
The gentle and kind image of Mrs. Johnson in my memories was crumbling bit by bit.
The person who had tenderly held my hand was gradually becoming blurry.
I don’t remember how I left the Johnson house.
By the time I came to my senses, I was already in the car with Blake heading home.
Before we left, Mrs. Johnson and Blake had whispered to each other outside the car.
I didn’t care at all.
After getting in the car, Blake’s expression wasn’t as unpleasant as before. He even took the initiative to talk to me.
“You acted pretty convincingly this time. But I still advise you not to waste your efforts. Lily is the only one in my heart. No matter what you do, it won’t change anything.”
Looking at Blake’s faintly smug face, I fell into deep thought.
Shouldn’t a man who has found true love harshly reject a clingy ex who won’t let go?
But why did he seem to be rejoicing that I was just acting?
The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt.
I simply closed my eyes to rest.
Yes.
I owed Mrs. Johnson too much.
More than I could ever repay.
So she took away my marriage.
And I couldn’t say anything.
Back at Blake’s villa.
I called Mia first to briefly report the situation to her.
Mia was furious on the other end of the phone: “No wonder you wouldn’t divorce him. So that was the root of it. If you ask me, you shouldn’t have such a strong moral compass. She’s emotionally blackmailing you, you might as well just be an ungrateful bitch.”
Now that everything was out in the open, Mia had reverted to her former chatty self.
I stayed silent.
Mrs. Johnson had always been different for me.
“It’s fine. Looking at it from another perspective, I’m rich and free now, and my husband doesn’t even come home. How blissful.”
Mia was quiet for a moment before asking: “How much does he give you each month?”
I opened my banking app, took a look, and told her a number that nearly made my jaw drop.
Mia: “Actually, I don’t think you absolutely have to get divorced.”
She made me laugh.
“Alright, you get some good rest today.”
After chatting for a long time, Mia and I reluctantly hung up.
Just as I was about to get some proper rest, I realized Blake was standing silently at my bedroom door.
Startled me.
“Need something?”
Blake shook his head, but walked straight in.
He casually opened the closet and started changing clothes.
?
How shameless.
Thinking this was his home, and I didn’t really have the right to make him leave, so I left first.
Blake spoke coldly behind me: “Where are you going?”
I turned back in a daze: “Aren’t you changing clothes? I’m giving you some space.”
“It’s not like you haven’t seen it before.”
But I haven’t seen it.
Unfortunately, Blake wouldn’t believe me even if I said so.
After this incident, I decided to choose a guest room with better lighting as my bedroom.
When Blake found out about this, he didn’t seem to have much of a reaction, so I took it as his tacit approval.
We continued like this peacefully for a week.
One evening at dinner time, Blake didn’t come home.
I didn’t wait for him either.
He was probably with his true love.
I guessed.
In the middle of the night, as I was sleeping hazily, I felt someone standing by my bed.
I opened my eyes and there really was someone there.
I blurted out a curse.
Turning on the light, I saw it was Blake.
Having been woken up in the middle of the night, I was deeply resentful:
“Are you sick? Standing by someone’s bed in the middle of the night?”
Blake stared at my face without speaking.
“Weirdo.”
I cursed once more before turning over to go back to sleep.
“Today, you didn’t send me a text message.”
?
What text message?
I was so tired I didn’t want to deal with him at all.
“If you’re sick, go to the hospital. If you’re lacking love, go find your mistress.”
With that, I fell asleep again, not caring if anyone was still there.
Hearing my faint snoring, Blake seemed to laugh.
“Mistress… looks like you still care after all.”
Early the next morning when I woke up, I wanted to confront Blake, but found he had left very early.
He got away quickly.
After breakfast, I continued my job search.
Ever since Blake had told me to pay him back, I had become wary.
But after applying to several companies in my field, they all rejected me as soon as they heard my name.
I knew Blake and his mother had probably warned them off.
They didn’t dare offend the Johnson family, so they wouldn’t hire me.
Perhaps this was why I hadn’t been able to find work all these years.
But I couldn’t give up.
I had to keep trying.
Sitting around passively would only make things worse.
After searching for a very long time, I finally found a company willing to let me come in for a trial.
I was overjoyed and excitedly told Mia about it.
“What did you say the company was called?”
“Starlight. Why, have you heard of it?”
Mia: “Have I heard of it? Starlight was founded single-handedly by the second young master of the Gu family. You forgot about the Gu family? They’re your Johnson family’s biggest rivals in Jianghai.”
I pondered for a while.
“No wonder they dared to hire me. But I think it’s more likely they want to see the Johnson family make fools of themselves.”
“You really plan to go?”
“Of course. It’s not easy to get an opportunity, I can’t miss it. Besides, the enemy of my enemy is my friend!”
The interview was scheduled for an afternoon a few days later.
I went over the professional knowledge in my mind again and again, and put on an outfit I thought was appropriate, before taking a taxi to the interview location.
There were far more people interviewing than I had expected.
Either bright-eyed college students, or experienced professionals in crisp suits.
Looking around, I seemed to be the most ordinary one here.
I sighed slightly, thinking I might really be wasting my time today.
Sitting outside waiting, I was still a bit nervous.
But when the impassive interviewer across from me fired question after question at me.
I calmly answered them all.
Afterwards, the interviewer nodded and told me to go home and wait for news.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
At least I had passed this round.
When I got home, Blake was sitting on the couch waiting for me.
Seeing his expression wasn’t great, I didn’t want to be bothered by him and just wanted to quickly get back to my room.
🌟 Continue the story here
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Emma Thompson and Lucas Graham had known each other since childhood, their families close for generations. When Lucas’s family went bankrupt, Emma’s parents stepped in to help, covering their debts and supporting them financially.
Emma stood by Lucas through college, helping him get into a top university and later paving the way for his career. Their marriage seemed inevitable, a natural progression of their relationship.
When Lucas expressed his desire for children, Emma put her thriving career on hold to focus on starting a family. But her world shattered when she stumbled upon a photo of Lucas embracing Lily Chen, her family’s former housekeeper’s daughter, on a luxurious vacation in Dubai. The image of their passionate kiss burned into her mind.
Confronting Lucas only led to Emma being locked in the basement. Helpless, she was forced to watch as Lucas and Lily sold off her family’s assets and orchestrated her parents’ deaths. While they lived happily as a family of four, Emma died alone, filled with hatred and regret.
But fate had other plans. Emma opened her eyes to find herself back in time, before it all began.
Emma and Lucas’s families had agreed they would marry when they were still children. The summer Emma graduated from middle school, Lucas’s family company went bankrupt due to his father’s mismanagement.
Unable to bear the massive debt, Lucas’s father took his own life. Emma’s parents, seeing Lucas and his mother in such a pitiful state, paid off their debts and took on all their expenses.
In other words, Emma’s family was supporting them entirely.
After graduating from university, Lucas started working at Emma’s family company, and they got married.
Emma’s parents had good intentions, but they had raised two ungrateful wolves.
Lucas and his mother resented Emma’s parents for not paying off their debts before Lucas’s father’s suicide.
They conspired with others to cause the deaths of Emma’s parents.
Lucas even caused Emma to become infertile, using her guilt to take control of her family’s company.
By the time Emma discovered all of this, Lucas and his mistress already had two children.
That day, after countless attempts at IVF, Emma finally succeeded in getting pregnant. Overjoyed, she rushed downstairs to share the news with her beloved husband.
It was also the day her family’s company declared bankruptcy.
Lucas, finally free from having to keep up appearances with Emma, brought his children to meet her.
Emma stood frozen at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the happy family of four. The two children looked just like Lucas; she couldn’t deny the truth even if she wanted to.
“Lucas, who are they?” Emma asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“My wife and sons,” Lucas replied coldly.
Lily Chen, heavily pregnant, walked over to Emma’s side, step by step.
She was the daughter of Emma’s former housekeeper.
“Well, well, little rich girl. Not so rich anymore, are you?” Lily sneered. “Your family’s fortune is mine now, and your man loves me.”
She snatched the medical report from Emma’s hand.
“Oh my! You’re pregnant?! After all those birth control pills, how did that happen?!”
Birth control pills? Emma had never taken any.
Suddenly, she remembered the vitamins Lucas had always prepared for her, constantly reminding her to take them.
Emma turned to confront Lucas, but Lily shoved her down the stairs.
Instinctively, Emma tried to protect her stomach, but it was futile.
As pain ripped through her abdomen, Emma struggled to ask Lucas to take her to the hospital.
She saw Lucas covering his sons’ eyes, looking at her as if she were trash.
“Please… help me…” Emma begged.
No one moved to assist her.
As she felt blood pooling between her legs, her body growing colder by the second, Emma heard Lucas’s voice.
“Finally dead. If only she had been in the car with those two old fools, we wouldn’t have had to deal with all this trouble.”
“Emma?”
“How dare you daydream during Mrs. Zhang’s class?”
Emma found herself sitting in her high school classroom, as if waking from a long dream.
She was back in her senior year of high school.
“Lily Chen.”
Hearing that name again, Emma’s hand clenched tightly around her pen.
Lily stood up confidently, her high ponytail swinging as she answered the teacher’s question.
Emma turned her head slightly, catching a glimpse of Lucas through Lily’s arms.
And the look of adoration in his eyes.
So Lucas had fallen for Lily even back then.
Lucas and Lily had consistently held the top two spots in their grade.
In her previous life, they had ended up at the same university.
Emma had thought Lucas fell for Lily during college, but it seemed to have started much earlier.
Actually, at the beginning of high school, Emma had been the top student.
She used to outperform the second-place student by dozens of points.
But Lucas would always tell her that constantly outscoring him made him anxious.
He said that with her family’s wealth, whether she went to university or not wouldn’t make much difference.
He claimed that his feelings for her wouldn’t change regardless of her grades, and encouraged her to enjoy life instead of studying so hard.
Gradually, influenced by him, Emma only managed to get into an average university for her college entrance exam.
Meanwhile, Lucas and Lily were admitted to the country’s top university.
After they married, Emma’s ordinary degree became a reason for Lucas’s mother to look down on her.
An average university graduate wasn’t good enough for her son from a top university.
Now, Emma couldn’t believe how foolish she had been.
Why had she pinned her entire future on a man? Especially one who relied on her family’s support.
During the break, Emma buried herself in her textbooks.
Although she hadn’t completely neglected her studies in her previous life, she hadn’t been as diligent as she had been in her first year of high school.
Given a second chance, she was determined to make up for lost time.
Her deskmate nudged her arm.
Lucas was approaching.
“Emma, this is for you,” he said, holding out a star-shaped bottle.
Just like in her previous life, Emma noticed the reluctance hidden in Lucas’s eyes.
“Thanks,” she replied flatly.
As if he had completed a task he’d rather avoid, Lucas turned and left without another word.
Emma carelessly placed the bottle on her desk and returned to her studies.
Her deskmate stared at the bottle for a moment before poking Emma again.
“Emma, about that star bottle…”
“What about it?”
“I think I’ve seen one just like it with Lily…”
Emma nodded, appearing to focus on her book while listening intently and keeping an eye on Lily from the corner of her vision.
She watched as Lily listened to Lucas explain a problem, her face flushed with shy adoration.
Emma also overheard Lucas’s friends talking.
“What’s up with Emma today? She’s so calm.”
“Yeah! Lucas gave her a gift, hand-delivered! Shouldn’t she be crying with joy?”
“You don’t think she knows it’s the one Lily didn’t want, do you?”
“As if! Lily’s leftovers are too good for her!”
Emma remembered how in her previous life, she had reacted exactly as Lucas’s friends expected.
She had been overjoyed, crying tears of happiness.
It had been one of the few gifts Lucas had ever given her.
That day, she had posted about it on all her social media accounts.
Back then, her deskmate had said the same thing, but Emma had furiously denied it.
Emma turned to her deskmate with a guilty look.
Her deskmate, still with baby fat on her cheeks, looked alarmed and crossed her arms. “I’m straight, just so you know!”
Way to ruin the moment.
Emma went back to her studies.
After school, Emma couldn’t wait to get home.
She missed her parents terribly.
She also wanted to tell them that she wanted to break off the engagement, that Lucas and his mother were ungrateful leeches.
Emma rushed into the house, but couldn’t find her parents anywhere.
She asked the housekeeper, “Where are Mom and Dad?”
“Miss, don’t you remember? Mr. and Mrs. Thompson went abroad. They won’t be back for another two weeks.”
Right, Emma had forgotten.
She also realized something else.
Her father had always valued loyalty and friendship. He and Lucas’s father had been best friends, which was why he had paid off their debts after Lucas’s father died.
🌟 Continue the story here
👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app
🔍 search for “296007”, and watch the full series ✨!
#NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #惊悚Thriller #魔幻Magic #后宫Harem
