Author: Momo Chan

Ten years ago, in a terrible car accident, I donated my corneas to save my brother, leaving me completely blind. Ethan knelt by my hospital bed, vowing to be my eyes forever, to protect me my entire life. But when he achieved success and married the heiress of a prominent family, he stood by and watched as his fiancée snapped my cane — my lifeline — and then threw me, dressed in only a thin shirt, into a blizzard with temperatures dropping to twenty below zero. “A blind girl like you is just bad luck. Die out there, and good riddance!” Later, I truly “died” in that blizzard. Yet, my brother went insane. He gouged out his own eyes and knelt before my tombstone, banging his head until it bled. But he never knew that I had long since changed my name, walking hand-in-hand with Lucas Thorne, the scion of the city’s most powerful family, watching Ethan coldly as he begged like a dog. The shattering sound of a champagne tower toppling was jarringly loud in the luxurious ballroom. A powerful force shoved me to the ground. My knees slammed hard against the marble floor, and shards of glass instantly pierced my dress, digging into my flesh. The excruciating pain made me gasp. Before I could even grope my way up, a sharp, aggrieved female voice exploded above me: “Elara! Are you insane? No matter how much you resent me, you can’t deliberately push me at my engagement party with Ethan!” It was Briar Stone, my brother Ethan’s fiancée, the heiress of the powerful Stone family. The previously noisy chatter in the room instantly died down. Countless contemptuous gazes seemed to solidify, pinning me, the blind girl, to the spot. “I didn’t…” I shook my head frantically, my hands fumbling on the glass-strewn floor. “Briar, I was just standing in the corner. You’re the one who suddenly walked into me…” “Are you implying I’d fake an accident in a multi-million dollar designer gown just to frame a blind person like you?” Briar sneered, her high heel grinding down hard on the back of my fumbling hand, pressing with all her weight. I cried out in pain, cold sweat instantly soaking my back. “Briar, what’s wrong?” A familiar, deep male voice cut through the crowd. Hearing that voice, I felt like I’d found a lifeline. Enduring the searing pain in my hand, I looked up towards the sound and called out, “Ethan! Ethan, I didn’t push Briar, I really didn’t…” Ethan’s footsteps stopped in front of me. The air was eerily silent. After a long while, I didn’t receive the embrace of the brother who used to shield me from all harm and malice. Instead, I only heard Ethan tenderly pulling Briar into his arms, his voice dripping with affection: “Briar, are you hurt anywhere?” “Ethan, my wrist hurts so much, and my dress is ruined,” Briar whimpered, feigning tears. “I know Elara doesn’t like me, that she feels I stole you away. But today is our engagement, how could she humiliate me in front of so many guests…” “Elara.” Ethan’s voice turned cold, carrying an unfamiliar disgust and distance. “Apologize to Briar.” My body stiffened, and I stared wide-eyed with my unfocused gaze, unable to believe it. “Ethan, you’d rather believe her than me?” My voice trembled. “I can’t see. I can’t even tell directions. How could I have pushed her?” “Enough!” Ethan cut me off sharply. “Haven’t you made enough of a scene? Briar comes from a distinguished family; if you hadn’t deliberately caused trouble, why would she fall? You’ve always been willful since childhood, have you forgotten even your basic manners now?” The word “manners” struck my heart like two sharp knives. Ten years ago, to drag him out of the mangled car, I missed the critical rescue time and lost my sight. Later, to save his eyes from festering, I secretly donated my corneas to him. The day he regained his sight, he held me, crying hysterically, swearing that even if he had to beg on the streets for food, he would treat me like a princess for the rest of his life. But now, this man, who was seeing the world through *my* eyes, was trampling my dignity underfoot, in front of everyone, all for another woman. “Ethan, let it go. After all, she’s disabled. People who don’t know might think I, a normal person, am bullying her.” Briar feigned generosity with a sigh, but her tone was full of condescension. “No, mistakes must be punished.” Ethan looked at me coldly. “Elara, kneel down and apologize to Briar. Otherwise, you won’t leave this door today.” Whispers of mockery spread among the guests. “That blind girl is so ungrateful. Mr. Hayes has supported her for so many years, and she still dares to cause trouble at the engagement party.” “Exactly, she’s just a dead weight, does she really think she’s the Hayes family heiress?” I knelt on the floor covered in glass shards. Blood flowed from my knees and the back of my hand, staining my cheap white dress. My eyes burned with a raw ache, but I bit my lip hard, refusing to let the tears fall. Because Ethan once told me he hated it when I cried, saying it was like I was using my disability to manipulate him. I fumbled, slowly bending down, pressing my forehead against the cold, biting marble floor. “I’m sorry, Briar. It was my fault.” Every word, laced with blood and tears, shattered my decade of sacrifice and illusion into a million pieces. I heard Briar’s triumphant chuckle. And Ethan, he just coldly dismissed me with a single line: “Someone, take her back to her room and lock her up. Don’t let her embarrass us again.” Two security guards roughly grabbed my arms, dragging me out of the ballroom like a sack of potatoes. The moment the doors closed, I heard the cheerful music resume inside, along with Ethan’s gentle toasting voice. The brother who used to hold me all night, singing to me when I had nightmares, was truly dead on this glamorous, perfumed night. The Ethan now was the high and mighty CEO of Hayes Industries, a rising star who needed the Stone family’s investment to solidify his position. And I was merely the ugliest blemish on his perfect life.

The next morning, I was woken by a furious argument. Even through the soundproof walls of the master bedroom, Briar’s sharp voice pierced through the door, stinging my eardrums. “Ethan! What do you mean by this? Yesterday at the engagement party, even though you made her kneel, look what the media is writing? They’re saying I, Briar Stone, am cruel and abusive, tormenting my disabled sister-in-law!” “Briar, don’t be angry, the media just loves to sensationalize…” Ethan’s voice was tired and placating. “I don’t care! Ethan, I’m telling you right now: this house isn’t big enough for both of us! It’s either her or me!” Briar’s voice suddenly rose, followed by the sound of something being violently smashed. “If you want to marry me, you have to get rid of that blind girl! Do you know, every time I see her vacant eyes, I feel sick, disgusted! My friends are all laughing behind my back, saying that if I marry into the Hayes family, I’ll also be signing up for a lifelong caretaker position!” “Briar, Elara is my sister…” “So what if she’s your sister? She’s blind! She’s a useless burden who might even make a mess when she goes to the bathroom! Are you seriously going to support her for life? Are you going to make me live with a disabled person forever?” “If you don’t get rid of her today, then tomorrow, I’ll tell my father to withdraw all investments from Hayes Industries! Then, with the company’s funding cut off, you can look forward to bankruptcy and going back to the slums!” The air fell into a deathly silence. I huddled in the cold covers, my hands clamped over my ears, trembling uncontrollably. So, my existence had become so unbearable for him? After an unknown amount of time, heavy footsteps sounded outside the door. With a click, my bedroom door opened. Ethan walked in, bringing with him a heavy scent of cigarette smoke. He never used to smoke, saying it bothered me. He sat on the edge of my bed, the mattress sinking slightly. I kept my eyes closed, pretending to sleep, but I felt his gaze, like a cold snake, crawling across my face. “Elara, are you awake?” I slowly opened my lifeless eyes, forcing a smile that was uglier than a cry. “Good morning, Ethan.” Ethan was silent for a long time, so long that the muscles in my face started to ache. “Elara, the company has encountered some serious difficulties recently, and we need the Stone family’s help.” His voice was dry, with a hint of undetectable guilt. “I’m too busy, and I really don’t have the energy to take care of you. There’s a new specialized care facility on the outskirts of the city. The environment there is good, and there are many people like you. You can make friends.” “I’ll help you pack a few things. This afternoon… you can move there for a while. Once I’m done with this busy period, I’ll come pick you up, okay?” My hands, hidden beneath the covers, clenched tightly, my nails digging deep into my flesh, yet I felt no pain. A specialized care facility. That was just a nicer way of putting it. I knew that place. It was an institution specifically for abandoned severely disabled individuals. I’d heard the caretakers there were abusive, and they didn’t even bother to turn on the heat in winter. He wasn’t sending me for care; he was abandoning me completely. “Okay.” I heard my voice, frighteningly calm. “As long as you’re well, Ethan, I’ll go anywhere.” Ethan seemed to sigh in relief. He reached out as if to pat my head, but his hand froze in mid-air, finally settling for a stiff pat on my shoulder. “Elara is the most understanding. Don’t worry, I’ll pay your fees on time.” He stood up and fled the room as if escaping. I sat in the darkness, tears finally silently overflowing. Ethan, you forgot. Ten years ago, when you lay in that hospital bed, despairing and attempting self-harm because of the possibility of blindness, it was I who held your hand and said, “Ethan, don’t be afraid. I’ll give you my eyes.” Then, you cried and said that if you ever scorned me, may lightning strike you down, and may you never find peace. Turns out, vows really do have an expiration date. When the stakes of profit are high enough, family bonds become thinner than paper.

In the afternoon, Ethan didn’t return. He sent a text message, saying he had an emergency company meeting and asked Briar to arrange a driver for me. Briar didn’t even call a driver. She walked into my room wearing a luxurious fur coat, pinching her nose in disgust. “Stop dawdling, grab your junk and get out! This air is already polluted by you!” I fumbled for the old canvas bag I had already packed, which contained only a few changes of clothes and a family photo of us. I picked up the cane leaning against the wall and walked out step by step. “Wait.” Briar suddenly stuck out her foot and tripped me hard. I stumbled and fell, my cane flying from my hand and sliding away. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you.” She smiled insincerely, then walked over and stepped on my cane. With a sharp crack, the cane that had accompanied me for years was forcibly snapped into two pieces by her. “A useless person like you, what do you need a cane for anyway? You’re just going to lie in a bed waiting to die in that kind of place.” Briar kicked the broken cane away, looking down at me from her superior height. “Elara, don’t blame me for being heartless. Blame yourself for being blind, for being a burden. Your brother was tired of you a long time ago; he just couldn’t bring himself to kick you out. I’m just doing him a favor.” I lay on the ground, fumbling to pick up the two broken pieces of my cane, hugging them tightly. “Briar, I’m leaving. I wish you both… a long and happy life together.” I gritted my teeth, struggling to stand. Without the guidance of my cane, I was like a headless chicken, my hands groping wildly in the air, stumbling out the villa’s front door. Outside, a historic blizzard raged. Gale-force winds whipped stinging ice shards, cutting at my face and body like blades. I was only wearing a thin, old sweater, one Ethan had bought me three years ago, its cuffs already frayed. Cold. Bone-chilling cold. The cold seeped up from my feet directly into my heart, as if my blood itself was about to freeze. I didn’t know where to go. The care facility was miles away, on the outskirts of the city. I had no money, no phone, no cane. I had been abandoned by the entire world. I walked aimlessly through the snow, falling, getting up, falling again. The wounds on my knees reopened, blood staining the snow, only to be quickly covered by ice. I don’t know how long I walked until the distant car horns faded, replaced by the howling wind and the sound of river water crashing against the banks. I had reached the edge of the bridge that spanned the river. My stomach was cramping in spasms, my energy completely depleted. I leaned against the icy bridge railing, slowly sliding down to sit in the snow. From a pocket close to my body, I pulled out a voice recorder. This was the gift I had planned to give Ethan on his wedding day, containing my thoughts from the past month. My frozen fingers fumbled to press the record button, and facing the howling wind and snow, I left my last message. “Ethan, it’s so cold out here.” “I can’t find the way to the specialized care facility. Briar broke my cane.” “You used to say that if I ever got lost, if I just stayed put, you would always come find me. But this time, I know you won’t.” “Ethan, getting the cornea transplant back then, it really hurt. But I didn’t cry, because I wanted you to see this beautiful world.” “Now, I’m tired. Your world is too crowded, there’s no room for me anymore.” “Keep these eyes. Use them to look at your new bride. I don’t want them anymore. I don’t want anything anymore.” I turned off the recorder, tucked it into my canvas bag, and then took off my worn sweater, covering the bag with it. Wearing only my thin shirt, I leaned on the railing and slowly stood up. The river wind was like a giant hand, pushing my swaying body. “Ethan, if there’s a next life, I never want to be your sister again.” I closed my eyes and jumped. The moment the sensation of falling hit me, I thought I would plunge into the icy river, finally ending this miserable life. However, just as my body dropped, a strong hand firmly gripped my wrist. “If you’re going to kill yourself, find somewhere that’s not in my way!” A cold, deep voice, tinged with a hint of violence, sounded above me. Immediately after, I was violently pulled back by a powerful force, landing hard against a broad, warm chest. The familiar scent of cedar and a faint hint of tobacco wafted towards me, but it wasn’t Ethan’s scent. I was shivering from the cold, and my consciousness began to blur. Before I completely fell into darkness, I only heard the man coldly ordering his bodyguard: “Get her in the car. And throw her stuff into the river. Make it look like a suicide jump.” “Yes, Mr. Thorne.”

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My fiancé and best friend drugged me with banned hallucinogens, planning to send me to Alpha Alaric of the Sunridge Pack in exchange for development rights to the entire Red Pine Forest. They stood outside the door, laughing arrogantly: “An orphan with no parents—she should be grateful Alpha Alaric even looked at her!” “Once we get the development rights, we’ll get married and let her spend her life as Alpha Alaric’s plaything!” What they didn’t know: the Alpha Alaric they were desperately trying to please is my father. I’m the precious daughter he’s been searching for these past three years. Tonight, they personally delivered their prey into the wolf king’s den. Tomorrow, every werewolf in North America will know the price of crossing me, Lyra Voss. 0The drug spread through my bloodstream to every limb, making my bones ache. Even my ability to shift was completely suppressed. I forced my eyes open, my vision landing on the silver moon and white wolf emblem carved into the headboard. Outside the door, my fiancé Caleb’s voice dripped with greed: “Lila, is the information reliable? Will Alpha Alaric really come to this suite tonight?” My omega best friend Lila’s voice was syrupy sweet with excitement: “I paid five thousand dollars for insider information—he’ll be here at eleven sharp. Think about it: his mate died years ago, and he’s remained faithful to her memory ever since. If he opens the door to find a woman who resembles his late wife…” She laughed coldly. “Why would he refuse meat delivered to his mouth? Once he’s pleased, those development rights for the northern Red Pine Forest will be ours!” Listening to their scheming whispers outside, I bit down hard on my tongue, barely suppressing the waves of dizziness. I’d spent three months developing proposals for Caleb’s failing pack project. I’d treated Lila as my only friend, even lending her the silver jewelry my mother left me. In return, they had sex in my rented apartment. And now they were using me as a bargaining chip, pricing me out to another Alpha’s bed. My stomach cramped. My nails dug deep into my palms, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the ice spreading through my heart. But they didn’t know—Alaric Voss is my father. His dead “white moonlight” was my mother. Three years ago, I mistakenly believed my mother’s death was connected to his affairs. In rage, I ran away from home and cut all contact. He never forced me to come back these three years, but someone kept secretly depositing money into my account. Even the apartment I rented belonged to Sunridge Pack. Caleb and Lila thought I was just an ordinary werewolf orphan living off a meager inheritance. That’s why they dared to be so reckless. But they forgot—Alaric Voss is famously protective. Years ago, when some noble family’s son publicly mocked me for having impure bloodlines, he was expelled from his pack the next day. His entire family ended up at the border. If Alaric sees his precious daughter drugged, stripped naked, and delivered to his bed as a gift by these scumbags… I could already envision their fate—unable to live, unable to die. “Oh!” Lila deliberately raised her voice. “Once we secure the forest project, we should finally have our wedding. Let’s get those silver wolf rings Lyra wanted but couldn’t afford as our wedding bands.” Caleb laughed indulgently. “Sure, we’ll use the money from selling her to buy you the best.” I stared at the silver moon carving on the headboard, my eyes cold as ice. The information was correct—my father would come tonight. Because today was his wedding anniversary with my mother. My mother died in this very hotel suite. Every year on this day, he spent the entire night here alone. Every year, ambitious packs sent women to his room. But this year’s “gift” was especially absurd. The next second, the door burst open. Caleb strode over, grabbed my hair, and yanked me up from the couch. My scalp screamed with tearing pain. “Lyra, don’t blame me. Blame yourself for having no background, no pack. You deserve to be a stepping stone. Even if you’re tortured to death tonight, you’d better keep Alpha Alaric happy!” No background? No pack? I looked at his smug face and smiled faintly. “Caleb, you’d better pray that after tonight, you can die with some dignity.” 0

“Still talking back!” Lila stepped forward and slapped me hard across the face. My ears rang instantly. “Get her changed! Alpha Alaric will be here any minute!” She smiled viciously as she tore off my jacket and forced me into a black nightgown with barely any fabric. “You really look like a cheap whore.” Lila patted my face with satisfaction. I lay against the cold marble surface, enduring the ultimate humiliation, but my fingers slowly clenched into fists. They’d stripped the Sunridge Pack Alpha’s own daughter naked and sent her to her father’s bed. I would settle this account with interest. Caleb and Lila dragged me out of the room toward the master bedroom at the end of the hall. A dozen black-suited guards lined both sides of the corridor—all Sunridge Pack enforcers. The man leading them strode forward, tall and broad with a faint scar on his face. I squinted and recognized him—Rowan. Three years ago, he was just an outer guard who needed advance clearance to enter my home. Now he’d become Sunridge Pack’s head of security in Chicago. Caleb and Lila’s arrogance instantly evaporated. They bent nearly double, faces full of flattering smiles: “Rowan, we’ve brought the girl for you.” Rowan glanced down at them with eyes like ice-dipped blades, finally settling coldly on me. “You know Alpha Alaric’s rules? Anyone sent here must be completely clean, no ulterior motives.” Caleb nodded frantically. “Yes, yes! Absolutely clean, absolutely obedient!” Rowan snorted coldly, looking me up and down: “Alpha Alaric is in a foul mood tonight. He needs something to take his mind off things. If you don’t serve him well, you two will share the consequences.” Caleb shuddered and shoved me forward. “Are you mute? Answer Rowan!” I steadied myself and laughed coldly. “You’re all really asking for death.” Caleb flew into a rage and raised his hand to slap me again. I dodged. His slap met air and he nearly lost his balance. Rowan watched this farce coldly, his gaze pausing on my face with a flash of confusion. He felt like he’d seen this face before but couldn’t remember where. “You’ve got nerve,” he said slowly. “Other women would be weak in the knees hearing about consequences.” He scanned me again, his tone playful: “Alpha Alaric’s temper is running hot tonight. He needs someone with a hard spine to grind down. Your fearless attitude might just be what he likes. If you can make Alpha Alaric happy, there’ll be rewards for you all.” Caleb’s eyes lit up at these words. Thinking my half-dead appearance had actually impressed them, he grew bolder, grabbing my hair and forcing my head back. “Look, Rowan! This face, this body—guaranteed to satisfy Alpha Alaric!” His eyes darted, and he lowered his voice to build connections: “Rowan, if I may ask—why is Alpha Alaric in a bad mood tonight? Give us a hint so we know what we’re dealing with.” Before he finished, Rowan’s eyes sharpened, looking at him like a corpse. “Alpha Alaric’s private affairs are something a minor branch character like you can ask about?” Caleb’s face turned liver-colored as he apologized repeatedly: “Yes, yes, it’s my fault! I talked too much!” To cover his fear, he took all his anger out on me, kicking me hard in the stomach. “Bitch! Get in there and serve him! Once you’re inside, even if you have to wag your tail like a dog, you’d better make Alpha Alaric comfortable!” The kick sent me stumbling forward, my abdomen churning with pain. I supported myself against the cold doorframe and slowly straightened. Caleb just asked why Alaric was in a bad mood? I laughed silently to myself. Probably because his dead wife’s anniversary was approaching and his only daughter had been missing for three years. Who wouldn’t be in a bad mood? And to cheer him up, they were sending in his own daughter as a gift. Alaric—I really want to see your expression when that door opens. 0

I pushed open the heavy wooden door. Crystal chandeliers hung overhead, a full North American gray wolf pelt carpeted the floor, and the air carried the scent of cedar—luxurious yet solemn. Caleb’s eyes went wide. “Fuck… how many land shares is that oil painting on the wall worth?” Lila’s eyes filled with greed. “Just one silver ornament would be enough to buy us half a small pack!” Caleb laughed lewdly: “Once this bitch serves Alpha Alaric well, maybe he’ll reward us with some hunting grounds to play with!” I leaned against the door, expressionless. My gaze swept over the giant oil painting on the center wall. The woman in it stood in a cedar forest, her eyes gentle—my mother. On the black ebony table beside it sat a family photo. The little girl in the picture rode on her father’s shoulders, smiling brilliantly. Seeing me stare at the painting, Rowan frowned and warned coldly: “Keep your inappropriate thoughts to yourself. Your type only gets through this door because you somewhat resemble Luna Lilwen.” When I showed no reaction to his mockery, he lost patience and grabbed my wrist, his eyes brazenly scanning the thin nightgown I wore. “If Alpha Alaric weren’t such a clean freak, I’d teach you the rules right now myself.” I smiled mockingly: “Is this how Sunridge Pack manages its subordinates? Looks like you really should be exiled to the northern border.” Rowan exploded with rage and raised his hand to strike. Just then, a sharp female voice rang out from behind: “Stop!” A woman in a red dress walked in on high heels, her makeup immaculate, her aura haughty. It was Serena, Sunridge Pack’s Beta. She’d made advances to Alaric multiple times, only to be coldly rejected, but she never gave up. Her gaze landed on my face, instantly filling with the poison of jealousy. “That face…” She walked over and gripped my chin with her fingertips, so hard it felt like she wanted to crush my bones. “A lowly plaything dares to have a face similar to Luna Lilwen’s? Kneel!” I yanked her hand away, my eyes cold as ice: “Take your filthy hands off me. What makes you think you can make me kneel? Before you touch me, you’d better think carefully whether Alaric will throw you to the wild wolves in the forest.” Serena laughed in fury, her face twisting. “Courting death!” She swung her hand to slap me hard. I jerked my head aside. Her slap met air and she stumbled awkwardly. “Who do you think you are?!” Serena shrieked hysterically. I smiled faintly. “What if I told you I’m the one person Alaric wants most in this life but can’t have? Would you believe me?” After all, he’d sent countless people to find me these past three years, and I never appeared once. So technically, I was indeed unattainable. As my words fell, the room went dead silent. Serena froze for a moment, then her malice exploded completely: “Let’s see—after I carve up your face, how you’ll keep up this act! Hold her down!” Caleb immediately lunged forward, pinning me to the cold floor. “Beta Serena, please calm down! This bitch just doesn’t know her place! She’s got cheap bones—do whatever you want with her. Even if you cripple her, it’s on me!” Lila quickly followed, stomping hard on my hand pressed against the floor. The pain shot through my fingers straight to my heart. Cold sweat instantly soaked my back. Serena smiled coldly as she picked up a silver letter opener from the table, slowly crouching down and using the cold blade to lift my chin. “‘Unattainable’—you’re just relying on that face to seduce.” The blade’s edge slid along my skin, bringing the tremor of death. A drop of crimson blood slid slowly down the silver blade and splattered on the gray wolf pelt carpet. “If I carve the word ‘whore’ into your face, do you think Alpha Alaric will even look at you?” Serena raised the letter opener high, about to stab down viciously. As extreme danger closed in, I jerked my head back and screamed that name with all my strength: “Alaric Voss! Get out here! If anything happens to me, you’ll never see me again for the rest of your life!” 0

My words were followed by eerie silence. Then Serena burst into shrill laughter: “What a lunatic! You dare call Alpha Alaric by his full name! You must be tired of living!” Her eyes grew more vicious, the blade’s tip pressing deeper into my face. Searing pain exploded like an electric current. “Hold her down! Hold her tight!” Caleb didn’t hesitate, increasing the pressure and grinding my entire face into the cold floor. My finger bones made a sickening crack. The pain made my vision go black. Cold sweat instantly soaked my back. The man I’d poured my heart into helping was now personally holding me on the chopping block, serving as the executioner’s most loyal accomplice. A burning line of blood spread from the corner of my eye to my temple. Blood instantly blurred my vision. Serena let out a sick laugh. “Once I ruin this face, let’s see what you have left to be arrogant about!” Caleb flattered her: “Beta Serena is right! If you’re still not satisfied, carve the word and take some nude photos. Let’s see how she shows her face in the werewolf community after this!” Lila mocked: “Just scarring her face is too easy on her. Why not strip her naked and throw her in the snow outside the hotel entrance? Let everyone see what happens when you offend Beta Serena!” I listened to their celebration, a coppery sweetness rising in my throat. Every wound they left on me would become an epitaph carved on their pack’s tombstone. My father’s methods would teach them what it means to be unable to live, unable to die. The next second, Caleb reached out toward the neckline of my nightgown. I struggled violently, the remnants of my wolf strength exploding in this moment. But his knee ground more viciously into my spine. My bones made a dull sound. “Stop struggling. You’re just a piece of rotten meat for the slaughter.” Ultimate humiliation swallowed me whole. Serena laughed even more cruelly, grabbing the last bit of fabric on me and yanking hard. Her other hand pulled out her phone, quickly opening a private werewolf forum, about to start a livestream. “Throwing her out isn’t enough. I want the entire werewolf community to see just how cheap this bitch really is!” At this critical moment! With an deafening crash, that hundred-pound solid wood door was kicked open from outside. A towering figure wrapped in monstrous rage walked in against the light. “Who gave you permission to run wild in my territory!” The madness on Serena’s face instantly transformed to delight. She held up her phone, her voice cloying: “Alpha Alaric! Perfect timing! I was just disciplining a new toy who doesn’t know her place!” Caleb quickly looked up, wagging his tail like a lap dog: “Alpha Alaric! We specifically found you a woman who looks exactly like Luna Lilwen, absolutely clean! We only ask that in recognition of our sincerity, you grant us development rights to the northern forest!” The man’s footsteps stopped abruptly. His gaze pierced through the crowd, landing hard on me lying in a pool of blood. Seeing my blood-covered face clearly. Seeing my torn clothing clearly. Seeing the defiance and mockery in my eyes clearly. His commanding Alpha presence crumbled instantly.

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I was born with stunning beauty. When I was born, doctors and nurses were instantly speechless. Every day, long lines formed outside the nursery, with people craning their necks to catch a glimpse. The media reported on it for three days straight, and I trended online for a month. In preschool, kids would fight over the spot next to me during naptime. My parents, frustrated, moved me from one school to another. Until I turned five, and my inner foodie awakened. In just a few years, I ate myself into a little ball. Looking at my chubby face, my parents smiled with relief. “A little chubby is fine, as long as Summer is happy.” From then on, my life was peaceful and calm. Until a class dinner after the SATs, when Scarlett Lane, the prettiest girl in class, chuckled: “They say every chubby person is a diamond in the rough. Summer Reed would probably be gorgeous if she lost weight.” One of the boys even chimed in: “If Summer loses weight and is half as pretty as Scarlett, I’ll ask her out!” “Oh, just losing weight won’t be enough, Summer would have to go under the knife…” Their words didn’t stir a single emotion in me. I just looked down, bothered by a message from my mom. [The doctor said being overweight isn’t good for your health, Summer. You have to start dieting today! Otherwise, Mom’s taking away all your dolls!] I sighed. For the sake of my precious dolls, this weight had to go.

Snickers kept ringing out in the restaurant. Everyone saw me with my head down, not speaking, and assumed I’d been hit where it hurt, too ashamed to utter a sound. A few classmates exchanged glances, a playful look flashing across their faces, and continued: “I heard Scarlett and Summer both got into NYU’s Fine Arts department, right? So you’ll be classmates in college too.” “NYU is lucky; it’s about to welcome a super beauty. Scarlett’s definitely going to be the school queen for the next four years.” “Summer, don’t you dare say you were high school classmates with Scarlett when college starts, you’ll embarrass her.” Scarlett was sitting across from me, a smug smirk on her lips, but she said humbly: “Oh, don’t say that, guys. NYU’s Fine Arts department is known for its beautiful students, and who knows, maybe Summer will be even prettier than me when she slims down.” As soon as she finished speaking, the table erupted in a chorus of snickers. Maya Green, my deskmate and friend, couldn’t take it anymore and nudged my arm under the table. I finally pulled my attention away from my phone, looking blankly at everyone. “Huh? What’s up?” Just then, the waiter pushed the door open. I sniffed, my eyes lighting up. “Steak! My favorite!” As soon as the dish was on the table, I couldn’t wait to grab a large piece and happily started munching. The dining table fell silent for a moment, then everyone burst into laughter. “Scarlett, you overestimated her. Summer? She’ll never lose weight in her life!” “And that whole ‘every chubby person is a diamond in the rough’ thing? It’s just a load of crap. An ugly duckling is just an ugly duckling, no matter how much weight they lose.” “Summer, maybe eat a little less. You might never find a boyfriend, you know.” Maya fumed, clenching her fists, about to retort on my behalf. I grabbed her hand and put a piece of rib in her bowl. “Maya, try this. It’s super delicious!” Seeing my calm face, completely unfazed by their words, a flicker of resentment flashed in Scarlett’s eyes. Her gaze landed on a certain face, and she smiled as if by accident. “Summer won’t be looking for a boyfriend, otherwise, Dylan will get mad.” I looked at her strangely. What does my dating life have to do with Dylan Hayes? But as soon as she said that, a few classmates instantly caught on and started cheering loudly: “Oh yeah, didn’t Dylan often discuss problems with Summer?” “Summer’s not good at math, and Dylan even tutored her.” “I heard they’re neighbors! Aren’t they practically childhood sweethearts!” “Hehe, is our class about to have a new couple?” Mocking glances fell on Dylan, who was seated diagonally from me. He lowered his head, his fair face turning a little red. Everyone kept cheering, asking if he was shy. I frowned slightly. After moving to this city in middle school, Dylan became our neighbor. Dylan’s parents were busy with work and no one cooked at home. So my parents would often invite him over for dinner. He was very grateful to us, and when he learned I wasn’t good at math, he offered to tutor me. But all that was just out of neighborly and classmate kindness. How did it sound so trashy coming out of their mouths? I was about to protest when Dylan suddenly slammed his fork down, his face flushing with furious embarrassment. “I just felt sorry for her! Who would ever like that pig, Summer!” As his words hung in the air, the entire private room fell into a dead silence. The words I was about to say to explain for him caught in my throat, and I silently swallowed them back down.

The silence lasted for about ten seconds. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Suddenly, someone snickered. “We were just kidding, Dylan. Don’t take it seriously.” They said it was a joke, but their faces showed a satisfied expression. “Yeah, our Dylan is so handsome, he can get any girlfriend he wants. Why would he ever be with Summer?” Someone even pretended to comfort me, patting my shoulder. “Don’t be sad, Summer.” Scarlett concealed the satisfaction in her eyes, feigning annoyance at Dylan for a few words. Then she picked up a piece of fried chicken and put it in my bowl. “Summer, don’t worry about it so much. Eat more.” But I put down my fork and started wiping my mouth. “I’m done. You guys carry on. I’m leaving.” Actually, I was only five-parts full. But due to my mother’s threat, I had to painfully give it up. As I walked towards the door, I passed Dylan’s seat. Brushing past him, I said flatly: “Dylan, you’re pretty spineless.” His face instantly went pale. He wanted to distance himself from me. I understood. After all, in this class, anyone who was friends with me would be maliciously targeted by Scarlett and her clique. But what truly angered me was that not long before college entrance exams, he had sworn to me. He hated Scarlett’s crew. He would firmly stand by me and would never do anything to hurt a classmate like them. But in that moment, I realized how much he hated being associated with me. Forget it. Just consider it seeing a friend’s true colors. As soon as I left the private room, my friend Maya Green ran after me. She hooked her arm through mine and said: “I don’t want to eat with them either. You didn’t get enough to eat, did you, Summer? Come on, let’s go to the food truck park!” “I heard some new food trucks opened, and their loaded fries are to die for!” I wiped away the drool that was about to escape, and reluctantly refused: “No more eating! I’m starting my diet.” Maya’s eyes widened. This was the first time I’d ever refused her food invitation. She thought of something and said anxiously: “Summer, don’t listen to them. I really always thought you were beautiful, you…” I smiled and cut her off, explaining that my mother had issued the threat. When she learned it was my own decision, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, patting my shoulder and saying: “Go for it! I’ll be supporting you from the sidelines!” I’m 5’7″, and my current weight is 170 pounds. According to international BMI, if I lose weight down to around 120-130 pounds, I’ll be in the healthy range. I spent a day creating a diet plan. Mom reviewed it and nodded in satisfaction. “Don’t worry, Summer. Mom will strictly follow the meal plan and make your diet food!” Dad, however, looked pained. “Just a few vegetable leaves, will that be enough to eat? Summer, maybe we shouldn’t lose weight after all…” Unfortunately, he didn’t finish before Mom pinched his arm. “Did you forget what the doctor said? Summer is already mildly obese. It’ll affect her health if this continues!” Dad, however, looked worried. “Did you forget about Summer when she was little? What if she really loses weight and then…” Mom recalled those days. She had to leave an hour early every day to pick me up from preschool. Otherwise, I might very well be taken home by other parents. Our phone was set to block unknown numbers. Otherwise, from morning till night, it would be ringing off the hook with strangers trying to get close to our family. But I was still too young back then to remember much. My parents exchanged glances, and finally, they both agreed to let me lose weight first. They say girls change a lot as they grow up. What if she grows up… not beautiful? They just hoped I could live a normal life. The next morning at five, I went for a run. An hour later, I reached a park and was about to stop and rest. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice, filled with disbelief. “Summer?”

Walking towards me was Scarlett, dressed in a workout outfit, her hair slightly damp, clearly having just finished a run herself. She looked me up and down, suspiciously asking, “You’re not on a diet, are you?” I ignored her. After resting for a few minutes, I started running again. She stared at my retreating back, a dark current swirling in her eyes. A few days later. Someone in the high school SnapChat group suddenly posted a video. In the clip, I was running by the river. Sweat drenched my top, and the fat on my body jiggled slightly with each stride. I was so tired my lips were pale, and my bangs stuck to my forehead, looking quite disheveled. Soon, someone turned the video into a GIF, and then someone else made it into a meme. [What is Summer doing?!] [Isn’t it obvious? Summer’s obviously dieting!] [OMG, I never saw her diet for three years in high school. Now that college entrance exams are over, she’s dieting? Did our words get to her?] [Summer, sorry! We really didn’t mean to say you were fat!] After sending that message, the person followed it with another meme of me, captioned, “I truly regret it.” Then, the screen was filled with “hahahahas.” Suddenly, someone posted: [What else could she be dieting for at this crucial moment? To find a boyfriend in college, duh.] [I thought Summer only cared about food! Turns out she actually listened to our advice!] I knew immediately that Scarlett had told everyone about my morning run. And then a bunch of bored guys came to stake me out. No wonder I felt like someone was watching me this morning. I was unaffected by their mockery. Instead, I felt a little grateful for the motivation they gave me to keep going. Although I didn’t know what I would look like when I lost weight. But based on what my parents occasionally said about my childhood, I thought I was… not ugly. For a while after that, whenever I passed that park during my morning runs, I would always see a few classmates. They would shout at me: “Go, Summer! Believe in yourself, you’re a diamond in the rough!” If you ignored the mockery in their eyes, you might actually think they were cheering me on. But their interest came and went quickly; they were soon distracted by other things and stopped appearing. After consistently doing this for a month, I successfully lost ten pounds. Although my face was still chubby, my features and contours looked much smoother than before. My body also felt lighter. Sometimes, my parents would stare at my face, a worried expression inexplicably appearing. I scratched my head. Were they worried I was taking diet pills? In mid-July, I got a gym membership. I would go there to work out for three hours every day. One day, as I left the house, I unexpectedly ran into Dylan, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time. He was just coming out to take out the trash, and he paused when he saw me, blurting out: “Summer, you’ve lost some weight.” I gave him a distant nod. And walked towards the bus stop. He hesitated, then followed me. “Summer, I’ve been wanting to apologize to you about that day. I’m sorry… I really wasn’t thinking.” I hummed in acknowledgment. His words hadn’t actually hurt me much. I had just used them to see someone’s true colors. He continued to follow me. “My school is right next to NYU. We can still hang out during college, right?” Seeing his face full of guilt and his sincere attitude, I suddenly remembered what my mom had told me. Dylan’s family situation wasn’t just that his parents were busy with work. His parents had divorced a long time ago, and neither of them really wanted to take care of him. He had an aloof personality and few friends; I was one of the few people he could talk to. I sighed and didn’t stop him from continuing to follow me. He followed me to the gym and watched me expertly turn on the treadmill, surprised. “Summer, it looks like you’re really determined.” Then he also turned on the treadmill next to mine and smiled. “I’ve been wanting to work out lately too. I’ll join you.” I didn’t refuse. He paid for his own membership, so it wasn’t my business. After that, he chatted with me intermittently. I occasionally responded with a few bland words. I had only been working out for a while when I heard several “click-click” sounds nearby. I turned my head and saw a few familiar faces – Scarlett’s crew.

Scarlett stood nearby, watching us with a sweet smile. The person taking photos teased: “Look what I caught! Dylan and Summer! Are you guys on a date?” Dylan fell silent. He got off the treadmill and walked towards the group. I thought he was going to grab their phones. But to my surprise, he walked straight up to Scarlett, saying helplessly yet dotingly: “Didn’t you tell me to get close to her first? Why are you here?” Scarlett wrapped her arms around his arm and smirked: “Because I was jealous! Who could stand seeing their boyfriend working out with another girl?” The others burst into laughter, seeing my stunned expression. “How did you get exposed so quickly? We wanted to watch the show for a bit longer.” “Yeah, don’t just shatter Summer’s beautiful fantasy like that! She probably just thought Dylan liked her.” Dylan looked at me coldly and said: “Summer, don’t misunderstand. The person I like is Scarlett. I hope you don’t harbor any unrealistic ideas about me.” My mouth twitched. I started to wonder if they were missing a few brain cells. Not wanting to deal with them, I decided to leave. Scarlett suddenly walked over and grabbed my hand, saying guiltily: “Summer, I’m so sorry! We didn’t mean to!” I pulled my hand away. The next second, she wailed and fell to the ground. Her eyes reddened as she said, “It hurts so much…” Dylan angrily rushed forward and pushed me away. “Summer, what are you doing?!” Everyone in the gym stopped, looking over in surprise. When they saw the pretty girl on the floor, seemingly pushed by me, a chorus of indignant voices rose: “Ugly people always cause trouble. She’s just jealous that Scarlett’s prettier than her.” “She’s trying to lose weight, but she won’t ever be half as pretty as Scarlett.” Scarlett was helped up, looking at me with a mocking smirk. I stared at her expressionlessly. “Scarlett, is this fun?” Scarlett leaned closer, whispering in my ear with a smile: “Oh, it’s a blast. You didn’t know? Being pretty means you can get away with anything.” “Too bad you’ll never get to experience it.” With that, she walked away triumphantly, surrounded by her adoring group. She had once led the class in isolating a freckled girl, even bullying her in the girls’ restroom. I had stopped her. After that girl transferred, Scarlett turned her animosity towards me. There were still over two months until school started. Scarlett would definitely find ways to cause me trouble. I was afraid I’d eventually lose my temper and actually get into a fight with her. I thought, maybe I should suggest to Mom that we go live at Grandma’s in the countryside. There was no gym there. But there were natural lakes that could be used as swimming pools. And all sorts of winding mountain paths for exercise. The food was fresh fruits and vegetables Grandma picked from the garden, with no additives. Nutritious and healthy. For the next two months, I began intensive training. The fat on my body shed at a visible rate. Almost every so often, Grandma and Grandpa would stare at my face in a daze. When I reached 140 pounds, Grandma held my hand, sounding a little panicked: “Summer, that’s enough. Any more and it’ll be dangerous.” But I was already enjoying it, smiling, “Don’t worry, Grandma, I won’t get too thin. My goal is 125 pounds!” Grandma sighed. She wasn’t worried about me being too thin. In a flash, it was enrollment day. Scarlett confidently walked through the school gates, pulling her suitcase and flipping her hair. As soon as she appeared, many upperclassmen eagerly rushed over to help her with her luggage. She handed all her bags to them, idly scrolling through her phone. Suddenly, a message popped up in the high school SnapChat group. [OMG! Is this even Summer anymore?!] Then someone posted a photo. The moment she saw the picture, Scarlett froze.

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Eight months pregnant, I went into premature labor. As they wheeled me into the delivery room, I frantically called my husband, Owen. The call connected, and I heard the loud, thumping music of a bar in the background. His new colleague, Eve, answered the phone. “Karen, Owen’s had too much to drink. I’m taking care of him, so don’t worry.” Before I could even speak, Owen’s voice drifted over, clearly unaware the call was connected. “Text my wife back. Tell her I’m working late on a project tonight and she shouldn’t wait up.” Eve chuckled, her hand over the phone. “Got it, Owen.” I spent an agonizing, heart-wrenching night alone in the delivery room. After our baby was born, Owen sent a message: “Project’s finally wrapped up. I’ll be back tomorrow to be with you.” I stared at the words for a long time. At 4 AM, I replied: “Owen, don’t bother coming.” “Stop looking at your phone. If he really wanted to come, he would’ve been here by now.” My mom, Brenda, sat by my hospital bed, her eyes red-rimmed from exhaustion. She held a cup of warm water, moistening my chapped lips with a cotton swab, bit by bit. The anesthesia was just wearing off, and sharp pains shot through my abdominal incision. I stared at the fluorescent light on the ceiling, my vision still a little blurry. A nurse pushed a medication cart in and checked the name tag above my bed. “The patient’s awake? How are you feeling?” I parted my lips slightly. “The baby?” The nurse took my blood pressure, her voice softening. “The baby was premature and underweight. We sent them straight to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit right after birth.” “They’re currently in an incubator for observation. You’re not strong enough to hold them yet.” Brenda turned her back, secretly wiping away tears. When she turned back around, her voice was still trembling. “You had a massive hemorrhage last night. When the doctors handed me the critical condition waiver, my hands were shaking so bad I could barely sign it.” “I called him over a dozen times, but he hung up every single one.” I didn’t speak, just slowly shifted my gaze to the phone on my pillow. The screen was lit, showing a few unread messages on Ins. All from Owen. “Still mad? Last night really was a client dinner for the project.” “The client added another round at the last minute, and I couldn’t say no. The whole team was depending on that deal.” “Eve said you called. Don’t get the wrong idea, she’s just a fresh grad who was kind enough to answer when I was too drunk.” “You’re pregnant, don’t be so paranoid. It’s not good for the baby.” I stared at that last sentence, a heavy feeling in my chest. Yesterday afternoon, at my prenatal check-up, the doctor said the baby’s heartbeat was abnormal and recommended immediate hospitalization. I called him, but he said he was in a meeting. That night, my stomach pains were so bad I couldn’t stand straight. My water broke right there on the living room floor. Brenda helped me wait for the ambulance, and I dialed his number with trembling hands. But it was Eve who answered. Her lighthearted voice mingled with the music from the private room. And then Owen’s casual words: “Use my phone, you know the password.” A nurse approached my bed with a stack of papers. “Karen, here are the baby’s admission forms and your visitor wristband. Please review the information and sign.” Brenda reached for them, but the nurse pointed to one line. “Here, the father’s information section is blank. No contact number either.” “If there’s any emergency with the baby, we need to be able to contact both parents immediately.”

Brenda froze, then turned to look at me. I braced myself on the bed rail, trying to sit up a little. The pulling pain from my incision made me gasp. “No need to fill in his name.” I took the pen and signed my name under ‘Mother.’ “Leave the father’s section blank. My mom is the only emergency contact.” The nurse looked at me hesitantly. “But hospital policy states that only immediate family members registered on the visitor list can enter the NICU. If the father isn’t registered, he won’t be allowed in.” “He doesn’t need to go in.” I handed the pen back to the nurse, my voice so calm it surprised even myself. “He won’t come anyway.” The nurse didn’t ask anything else, gathered the forms, and left. My phone vibrated again. A voice message from Owen popped up. “I have an investor meeting this morning, then I’m heading back to the office this afternoon.” “You stay home and rest, I’ll bring home those western desserts you love tonight.” “Don’t be mad anymore. Once the baby’s born, you’ll be too tired to cause trouble.” He didn’t even know I wasn’t home. He had no idea that the child he thought “still had two months to go” was currently lying in an incubator, hooked up to tubes. I didn’t reply, simply turned off the screen. Brenda tied the visitor wristband on my wrist. It read: “Karen’s Baby.” In my early pregnancy, when Owen first heard the baby’s heartbeat, his eyes were red-rimmed. He held my hand, pressing it against his face. He said, “Karen, from now on, you and our child are the most important people to me.” He even bought a thick “New Dad’s Guidebook” and solemnly wrote “Baby Countdown” on the cover. But now, the countdown had ended early. And the man who vowed to be the first to hold our child had given his private password and time to another woman. I closed my eyes, but no tears fell. I only had one instruction for the nurse. “Please set my room number to private. Don’t tell anyone.” “The baby can’t be held yet, Mama can only look for five minutes.” The nurse pushed my wheelchair, stopping me outside the NICU’s glass window. The corridor reeked of disinfectant, and the cold air seeped through my oversized hospital gown, chilling me to the bone. I gripped the armrests of the wheelchair, trying to straighten up and peer inside. In the incubator, a tiny body was curled up. Its skin was reddish-purple, and a thin IV was taped to its arm. So small, even breathing seemed incredibly strenuous. A transparent identification band was tied to its wrist. It clearly read in black marker: “Karen’s Baby”. The father’s section remained blank. I reached out through the glass, my fingertips pressed against the cold surface, as if I could feel its warmth. My phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket. I pulled my hand back and took out the phone. It was a voice message from Eve. “Karen, Owen’s got a bad headache today. He fell asleep in the office.” “I gave him a hangover pill. Don’t blame him, the client was really difficult last night.” “He’s just trying to earn money for your baby’s formula, you know.” In the background, Owen’s slightly hoarse mumble could be heard. “Eve, get me some water.” “Coming right up, Owen.” The voice message ended abruptly there. I stared at the green bar on the screen, feeling a wave of nausea. I had just fought my way back from the brink of death, and I couldn’t even turn over without Brenda’s help.

My baby was in an incubator, hooked up to tubes, too weak to even cry. And my husband was sleeping soundly, being cared for by another woman. He even tacitly allowed her to update me on his whereabouts, in the tone of a partial mistress. The nurse came over and handed me a sheet. “Karen, this is the bill for the baby’s first two days in the NICU.” “Premature babies in incubators are quite expensive. You’ll need to go to the cashier to pay an additional deposit.” I nodded and took the sheet. The amount on the bill was substantial. I opened my mobile banking app and efficiently transferred money from my account to the hospital’s. Before, during prenatal check-ups, Owen always insisted on paying. He accompanied me for the 4D ultrasound, staring intently at the baby’s fuzzy outline on the screen. “Look at his tiny hands, so strong.” “When he’s born, I’m going to buy him the best crib, use the best of everything.” Those words still echoed in my ears. But now, when it was time to truly bear responsibility, he was completely absent. No sooner had I paid than another message from Owen popped up. “Honey, I’m awake.” “Still a bit dizzy. I might be back late tonight.” “Eat dinner by yourself, don’t wait for me.” He was still calling me “honey.” The term now felt like a joke. He thought I was still at home, that I was just sulking because he hadn’t answered my call. He had no idea that I no longer planned to wait for him. I put my phone on silent and slipped it back into my pocket. “Nurse, please take me back to my room.” As the wheelchair turned around, the urgent beeping of instruments suddenly rang out from the NICU. A doctor in a sterile gown hurried out, holding a document. “Karen’s family present?” Brenda rushed forward. “Yes, I’m the patient’s mother.” The doctor’s expression was grave. “The baby just experienced a brief respiratory arrest and a drop in heart rate. We’re performing emergency interventions.” “This is the emergency treatment consent form. Family needs to sign immediately.” Brenda’s face went ashen, her hands shaking so much she couldn’t hold the pen. I struggled to lean forward from the wheelchair and snatched the pen. “I’ll sign it.” The pen scraped across the paper with an awful sound. I signed my name, putting all my strength into each stroke. Just as I handed the consent form to the doctor, my screen lit up. Owen had sent a photo. It was a cake with candles. The caption read: “It’s Eve’s birthday tonight, team dinner. I’ll be back late.” “Respiratory arrest is common in premature babies, but we can’t take any chances each time.” The doctor held the signed consent form, his tone serious. “The baby’s lungs are not fully developed yet. The next 24 hours are critical.” “The family should be prepared. Resuscitation might be needed again at any time.” I leaned back against the wheelchair, my nails digging deep into my palms. “I understand. Please do your best.” The red light on the emergency room door glowed, blindingly bright. The corridor was so quiet I could only hear the hum of the ventilation fan. Brenda sat on a nearby bench, hands clasped, muttering prayers. I looked down at my phone screen. Owen’s cake photo was still at the bottom of our chat. An exquisite fondant cake, with “Happy Birthday, Eve” written on it. I didn’t reply. A few minutes later, his call came through.

The screen showed “My Husband.” I pressed the answer button but didn’t speak immediately. Loud cheers and clinking glasses came from the other end. Owen’s voice held a hint of impatience. “Karen, how long are you going to keep this up?” “You don’t reply to my messages, and you won’t answer my calls.” “It’s Eve’s birthday, the whole project team is here. Is it appropriate for me not to show up?” He paused, his tone softening slightly, adopting his usual coaxing manner. “I know it was wrong of me not to answer your call last night.” “But you’re an adult. Don’t always act like a little girl, being passive-aggressive.” “How about this? Tomorrow, I’ll cancel my morning meeting and specifically go to your prenatal check-up with you, okay?” Listening to his matter-of-fact arrangements, I found it absurd. “Tomorrow, he’ll accompany me to my prenatal check-up.” He had no idea that the child he thought still needed prenatal check-ups was currently fighting for its life in the emergency room just through that wall. I looked at the closed emergency room door, my voice very soft. “Owen.” “What if something really happened to me last night?” The other end of the line went silent for a moment. The background noise seemed to fade a little; he must have stepped outside the private room. “What are you talking about?” His tone was clearly reproachful. “You’re pregnant, can you stop trying to scare me with talk like that?” “So I didn’t answer your call? Do you really have to bring yourself into it?” “The baby still has two months until birth, we have time to prepare everything.” “You’re being so sensitive and paranoid right now, it’s really giving me a headache.” Suddenly, I felt incredibly tired. I didn’t even have the energy to argue back. He attributed all his screw-ups and absences to my “pregnancy sensitivity.” He used his supposed logic to shut down my pleas for help completely. “Okay.” I responded calmly. “I’m not going to cause trouble anymore.” Owen seemed to let out a sigh of relief. “That’s right. You stay home and get some good rest.” “I’ll bring dessert back later.” The call disconnected. I tapped his profile picture and went into settings. I changed his contact name from “My Husband” to “Owen.” Then I opened the hospital app and, on the emergency contact page for the delivery room, I completely deleted his name. Brenda watched my actions, hesitant to speak. “Karen, are you really not going to tell him?” “He is the baby’s biological father, after all.” I looked at Eve’s latest SnapChat story. She had posted a photo of herself holding a cake, with Owen’s profile partially visible in the background. The caption read: “Thanks, Owen! Wish granted.” I closed SnapChat, opened my contacts, and dialed a number. “John, my lawyer, it’s me.” “Please draft a divorce settlement agreement for me.” “As quickly as possible.” “You’re pregnant, running off to the hospital without telling me?” Owen’s voice echoed down the outpatient clinic hallway. I was leaning against the wall, about to go to the front desk to pay the past two days’ hospital fees. The oversized hospital gown made me look pale and weak. I stopped and turned to the source of the voice. Owen, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, looked at me with a frown. His right arm was tightly linked with Eve’s. Eve was standing on one foot, leaning most of her weight against him. She was wearing a white dress today, the hem just reaching her knees, revealing a small red and swollen area on her ankle. “Karen, why are you at the hospital?”

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My boyfriend, Eduardo, suddenly changed direction halfway through our drive. We’d been together for five years. “We’re not seeing my parents today.” I looked at him, confused. We’d been planning this meeting for ages. He grabbed a beautifully wrapped teddy bear from the back seat and handed it to me. “It’s my son’s first birthday party later. As my girlfriend, it wouldn’t be right for you to show up empty-handed.” My mind went blank. “Your… son?” “Yeah, a mistake I made a year ago. His mom has a bad temper, and I couldn’t let my son grow up without a complete family.” He spoke as if discussing the weather. “You always wanted to move to this city, right? Now you’re here; it’s like your dream has come true.” I clutched the resignation letter I’d written for him, my nails digging into my palms. Yes, I was here. But it seemed like I was completely superfluous. Eduardo didn’t seem to notice my frozen posture. He simply started the car. He even smiled, ruffling my hair. “Ellis, I know you’re upset, but Susan is just a straight shooter; she doesn’t mean any harm.” “You know, it’s not easy for a single mom raising a child. I have to take responsibility.” “She and I are just co-parenting for Ronald. You’re the only one I truly love.” I looked at him, my throat feeling like it was stuffed with cotton. Susan, that was the name he’d saved as “Client S” on his phone. For the past year, that name always lit up his screen late at night. He always said it was a demanding client, and for our future, he had to tolerate them. I believed him. Only now did I realize it wasn’t a client. It was his other family. I looked at the teddy bear he’d given me, with cute cartoon characters printed on the wrapping paper. The irony hit me like a physical slap. “So, for this past year, while you were planning a future with me, you were also playing husband and father to another woman?” My voice trembled uncontrollably. He frowned, a hint of impatience in his tone. “What are you talking about? We’re not legally married.” “If she hadn’t threatened me with Ronald, I wouldn’t have bothered with her at all.” “Ellis, you’ve always been so sensible, and you understood the hardships of my startup. Don’t throw a tantrum over this.” “Our five years together, can it really be less significant than an accident?” I stared at him. Five years ago, we were crammed into a tiny rented apartment. He held my research manuscript, his eyes burning with excitement. “Ellis, believe me, this cardiac intervention repair technology will change the world!” “When the company goes public, the first thing I’ll do is marry you and make you the happiest woman in the world.” For that promise, I gave up the opportunity to study abroad. I invested all the inheritance my parents left me, along with myself, into him. I became his shadow, helping him overcome one technical challenge after another. And he, standing in the spotlight, became a successful young tech entrepreneur. Now, the company was finally on track, and our marital home was about to be ready. I had even written my resignation letter for him, preparing to completely become a stay-at-home partner. But he told me he had a son. I slowly crumpled the resignation letter into a ball. “Eduardo, we’re over.” He paused, then laughed as if he’d heard the funniest joke. “Had enough drama yet?” “You’ve been with me since you were twenty; you gave your best years to me. Who else would want you besides me?” “Ellis, you have no family name, no connections. The job you have was thanks to me. How would you survive without me?” He parked the car in front of a lavish hotel. “Go think about it carefully. Don’t be so childish.” “I’m going up first. Adjust your mood before you come up. Don’t embarrass me.” The car door closed, cutting off his retreating figure. I leaned on the steering wheel, a wave of nausea churning in my stomach. Eduardo was wrong. I wasn’t the one who couldn’t leave him. I gazed at the dazzling neon lights outside the window for a long time before picking up my phone. I dialed a number I hadn’t touched in five years.

I sat in the car for a long time until Eduardo impatiently called me. “Ellis, how long do you plan to make a scene? Everyone’s watching, hurry up and come in!” I pushed open the car door and walked into the banquet hall. The entire hall was decorated like a fairytale castle. On the large screen in the center, intimate family photos of the three of them scrolled by. Eduardo held an infant who shared some of his features, smiling tenderly. A pure-looking woman leaned against him, her face radiating happiness. That woman was Susan. Seeing me enter, Susan immediately clung to Eduardo’s arm, her eyes welling up instantly. “Eduardo, why is she here?” “Didn’t you say today was Ronald’s first birthday party, our family affair?” “I told you long ago, I don’t want a title, and I don’t want to ruin your relationship. But I can’t let my son be pointed at!” Eduardo quickly pulled her into his embrace, soothing her gently. “Don’t overthink it. Ellis is here to wish Ronald well.” He looked at me, his eyes carrying both command and warning. “Ellis, quickly give Ronald his gift, then apologize to Susan. This whole thing will be over.” My mind went blank. More potent than anger was the profound absurdity that chilled me to the bone. Five years ago, he held me and said, “Ellis, when we have our own home, I’ll give you the best of everything in the world.” But now, for the “family” he formed with another woman and child, he wanted me to bow my head and apologize. “Eduardo, why should I apologize?” His face darkened, and he lowered his voice. “Ellis, I don’t want to lose my temper today. Don’t push me.” “Susan has been worried about Ronald’s future because of you. Bringing you here today is to reassure her.” After a long standoff, I saw the blatant protectiveness and veiled threat in his eyes, and a bitter laugh escaped me. I spoke hoarsely, “Fine, I’ll apologize.” Eduardo’s expression softened, carrying a hint of “I knew you’d be sensible” smugness. He pulled me in front of Susan. “Ellis, hurry up.” Just as I was about to speak, Susan cut me off first. “Eduardo, I don’t need her apology.” She took the teddy bear from my hand and tossed it directly into a nearby trash can. “Something from a shameful other woman is bad luck. My Ronald can’t touch it.” She looked me up and down, her gaze scornful and cutting. “Ellis, right? Eduardo mentioned you. He said you were a loner, didn’t have many friends, and he was supporting you completely.” “Honestly, I pity you. At your age, with no family name, no qualifications, nothing but a man. Your life is such a failure.” “How about this, for Eduardo’s sake, I’ll have him arrange a cushy job for you cleaning toilets at the company. It’s better than clinging to him like this, barely scraping by, wouldn’t you say?” The surrounding guests erupted in laughter. Their mocking stares felt like needles, pricking me all over. I trembled with anger, a familiar dull ache spreading in my chest. “Eduardo, is that how you introduced me to her?” He avoided my gaze, his brows furrowed. “Alright, keep it down. Today is just about Ronald being happy.” He turned and picked up a glass of red wine from a waiter’s tray, offering it to me. “Ellis, Susan speaks her mind. Don’t take it to heart.” “Drink this glass, just for me.”

I stared at the crimson liquid, my hands and feet freezing cold. I had a congenital heart condition. Although it had stabilized after treatment, the doctor had strictly warned me against alcohol. Only Eduardo knew about this. Years ago, to celebrate the success of his first project, I took a drink for him and ended up having an attack, rushed to the ER. Eduardo waited outside, so terrified he almost knelt down. Since then, he had never let me touch a drop of alcohol. But now, he was handing me a drink himself. I looked at him, searching for even a hint of hesitation on his face. Nothing. Only impatience. As if my refusal would be an insult. I slowly raised my hand and took the wine glass. Eduardo sighed in relief, put his arm around Susan’s shoulders, and said dotingly, “See? I told you Ellis is the most understanding.” But Susan wasn’t satisfied. She gave him a playful shove, pouting. “What’s the point of just drinking? That’s not sincere enough.” She looked at me, her smile innocent yet malicious. “Miss Ellis, weren’t you the lead scientist for Eduardo’s company? I heard that cardiac repair technology, you were the one who spearheaded it?” “Why don’t you kneel down and wish Ronald a long life? Then I’ll believe you’re truly here to celebrate.” “After all, to have snagged such an amazing guy like Eduardo, you must be quite skilled at groveling, wouldn’t you say?” The entire room fell silent. Then, stifled laughter broke out. My fingers, gripping the wine glass, turned white from the force, and a sharp pain spread from my chest. “Eduardo!” I almost bit out his name. He finally frowned, seeming to think Susan’s words were a bit much. “Susan, stop messing around.” Susan immediately teared up, looking wronged. “Me, messing around? Eduardo, get this straight, she’s the shameless other woman!” “The moment she showed up, she stole all the attention from Ronald’s first birthday party! Everyone was pointing at me. What’s wrong with asking her to kneel for a second?” As she spoke, she actually started to cry, tears streaming down her face. “I knew it, you still have feelings for her! You never intended to give Ronald and me a complete family!” “What am I to you? Just a free surrogate? Used and then discarded?” Eduardo instantly panicked, clumsily wiping away her tears. “What nonsense are you talking about? You and Ronald are the only ones in my heart.” He turned to me, his face grim. “Ellis, apologize, then kneel.” “Susan’s still delicate; she can’t handle stress. If you upset her, what if it causes lasting damage to her health?” “Aren’t you a doctor? Don’t you understand something so basic?” It was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over me; I was chilled to the bone. Turns out, he hadn’t forgotten that I couldn’t drink; he simply didn’t care anymore. I futilely opened my mouth, but not a single word came out. The disappointment in his eyes grew deeper. “Ellis, you’re the one making this so ugly.” “I’m giving you one last chance.” He paused, his voice like ice. “Kneel, or get out and never show your face to me again.”

I laughed. Tears welled up uncontrollably, blurring my vision. I looked at this man, both familiar and strange, my heart gripped by an invisible hand, aching so much I couldn’t breathe. I drained the red wine in the glass. The harsh liquid burned my throat, scorching a path to my stomach, and the pain in my chest intensified. I stumbled, steadying myself on a nearby table. “Eduardo, to inject capital into your company, did you touch the money we saved for our marital home?” That money was the last inheritance my parents left me. Eduardo’s face instantly changed. He took a step forward, trying to grab me, but Susan held him back tightly. “What nonsense are you talking about! That money was clearly given voluntarily to support Eduardo’s career!” I ignored her, my gaze fixed on Eduardo. “Answer me.” His eyes darted away, his voice dry. “The company had some cash flow issues. I just temporarily borrowed it. It’ll be paid back soon.” “Temporarily borrowed?” I laughed, tears streaming down my face. “You used my money to bail out your mistress’s company. How ‘temporary’ of you.” Susan’s face cycled through shades of green and white, then she shrieked, “You’re slandering me! Eduardo loves me; everything he does is for me and Ronald!” “To make you completely give up, he already transferred that rundown old house of yours into my name!” “That’s the only thing I had left from my parents!” My vision swam, and I nearly lost my footing. That old house held all my memories of home. Eduardo had once sworn he would protect it with me. But now, he had given it to another woman. “Ellis, you forced my hand!” Eduardo finally exploded in anger, shaking off Susan’s hand and rushing towards me. “I told you long ago, if you just listened, everything would be fine!” “Why do you have to make such a scene? Why do you have to ruin today?” He grabbed my shoulders, shaking me hard. “It’s just a house! I can buy you ten, a hundred houses later!” “What are you even arguing about!” The searing pain in my chest nearly suffocated me. I grabbed his shirt, using every last bit of my strength. “Eduardo… my medication… I need my medication…” He paused, then seemed to understand something, a cynical, cold smile twisting his lips. “Playing this card again?” “Ellis, do you think I’ll believe you’re faking illness every time?” “I’m telling you, that trick won’t work anymore.” He pried my fingers away, one by one. “Since you love to act so much, you can do it alone here.” He steadied the wobbling Susan and walked towards the door without looking back. “Ronald’s tired. Let’s go home.” My body hit the cold floor with a heavy thud. I watched their embracing figures walk away, my vision gradually blurring. Before my consciousness faded into darkness, I thought I saw the hall doors burst open. A familiar, aged figure, raging with fury, rushed towards me. “Ellis!”

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The night before our wedding, I caught Dan Thompson cheating with a stranger. Proud as he was, for the first time, tears streamed down his face. He stammered, “I was drunk, I mistook her for you. It will never happen again.” The woman, blushing, admitted, “I’ve secretly loved Dan for years. I bribed the hotel staff to get a spare room key.” She knelt and apologized to me, swearing she’d stay far away from us. I chose to forgive Dan. After we got married, he truly seemed to love me. Until Dan’s thirtieth birthday. I specifically took time off work and flew eleven hours on an international flight to surprise him. On my way, I stopped at a convenience store for water. The woman next to me was on the phone. “You’re so clingy! It’s only been an hour, and my phone’s practically exploded with your calls. Just wait, I’m going to drain you dry in bed tonight.” The voice was hauntingly familiar. I turned around and froze. It was that woman—the one Dan had cheated with eight years ago. After so many years, she didn’t seem to recognize me. She turned towards the checkout. I couldn’t hear what the person on the other end said, but she playfully retorted, “I’m not cold, I’m wearing plenty, don’t believe me? You can check later.” “You can reach your hand in, slide it along my waist, all the way to…” On an impulse, I pulled out my phone and sent Dan a SnapChat. “Dan, are you off work yet?” No reply. The woman reached for the shelf and picked up two boxes of condoms. The same brand, scent, and size—the ones I knew, the ones Dan always used. Her voice was sickly sweet. “Since it’s your birthday, you get to decide how many times tonight.” I glanced down at my phone. Still nothing. After paying, I followed the woman out of the store. She purred into the phone, “Don’t rush me, I see your car.” The London rain hit my face, cold as ice. I pulled my jacket tighter, my hands trembling as I pressed the call button for Dan. A cold, robotic female voice replied, “The person you are calling is currently unavailable.” I understood. He had activated ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode. This year, he’d told me his overseas branch was incredibly busy, and he couldn’t answer calls once he was in the office. Not being able to reach him wasn’t new. A Bentley pulled up at a nearby street corner. “Dan!” The woman hurried forward, opening the passenger door. I turned my head slightly to look. One glance, and I was rooted to the spot. The car window was half-open. The man in the driver’s seat looked calm and distinguished. The woman swayed her hips and planted a soft kiss on his lips. He gave a helpless smile. “Still so demanding.” The streetlights were dim, but I saw his face clearly. The owner of that face had been with me for my entire thirty years of life. At three, we held hands and walked into kindergarten together. He secretly slipped me the candy the teacher gave him. “I’ll protect you, don’t cry.” At sixteen, he imitated a scene from a movie, hiding my portrait inside a book. When I found it, his ears turned crimson. “So what? I like you.” At nineteen, our first love, our first kiss—he was so thrilled he paid for the entire restaurant bill. “I can’t wait to tell everyone I’m the happiest man alive.” At twenty-two, when he proposed, he swore in front of both our families that he would only ever love me. Everything stopped the night before our wedding. When I opened the hotel room door, he was tangled naked with a stranger. That day was a blur of chaos. Everyone said he was just drunk and mistook her for me. As his childhood sweetheart, I should give him another chance. Even the girl knelt and apologized, claiming it was all her fault, that she’d bribed the staff for the room key, just to fulfill a long-held secret crush. Dan, who had always been so proud and strong since childhood, teared up for the first time. Seeing my silent tears, he picked up a fruit knife and pointed it at his own heart. “Ellie, it’s come to this. I’m sorry for what I did to you.” “If you don’t believe me, I’ll tear my heart out and show you! You’re truly the only one in there!” Tears blurred his face. His voice trembled. “Don’t leave me, Ellie, I’m begging you. You know I’ve loved you for so many years.” “If you leave me, I’ll die, I really will die…” Later, I sealed away that memory. After all these years intertwined, I thought we were inseparable, that we’d go from childhood sweethearts to growing old together. But in this moment. Our thirty years. Finally crumbled.

Dazed, I returned to his apartment. My mom texted me: “So, did Dan freak out when he heard you’re pregnant?” I took a deep breath, swallowed the bitterness in my throat, and calmly replied: “Not yet, I just got to his apartment, haven’t told him.” The apartment door opened from the outside. It was Dan, who had returned. Our eyes met. His expression faltered for a few seconds, then quickly regained composure. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would’ve picked you up at the airport.” My expression was flat. “Wanted to surprise you.” He smiled, walking over and gently rubbing my hair. “I would never let you do that.” “Flying must be exhausting, right? It’s just a birthday, you shouldn’t have to deal with jet lag.” Dan was about to say more, but his phone rang. As he looked down to reply, his eyes held the familiar tenderness and patience I knew so well. Then he looked apologetic. “Too bad I have a client meeting tonight. My darling will have to be lonely.” Before I could say anything, he pulled a piece of clothing from the closet. I instantly understood. He’d come back for the personal item the other woman had forgotten. This apartment, which he temporarily used for overseas business trips, was a place I had decorated for him little by little, whenever I had a spare moment. I’d taken a week off work for it, even losing a major client. But now, the vase I’d spent half an afternoon finding, and then personally brought from home, was gone. Even the photo of us stuck on the fridge had disappeared. A sharp, damp chill seeped into my core, just like the rain soaking my clothes. I abruptly stood up, dragging my suitcase towards the door. Dan followed me. “Are you mad?” He put his arm around my shoulder from behind. “The apartment isn’t cleaned up. I’ll book you a five-star hotel nearby.” “I promise, I’ll spend the entire day with you tomorrow, okay?” As usual, he leaned in to kiss me. A strange citrus scent, unfamiliar to me, filled my nostrils. It was her scent. I turned my face away. Dan didn’t seem to notice, and rushed off. By the elevator, a creep whistled at me, his gaze sticky. “How much? If he doesn’t want you, I’ll take you.” “He has a girlfriend, I’ve seen her. You’re so beautiful, why stoop so low?” “All the neighbors know them. He was so head-over-heels, he wouldn’t even let his girlfriend walk a step, often carrying her home from the parking garage sometimes. She always looked so happy.” He suddenly grabbed my waist, grinning, and leaned in to kiss me. By instinct, I stomped hard on his foot. While he cried out in pain, I pulled my suitcase and escaped through the emergency exit. Even when I stumbled and fell, I didn’t dare stop to check for scraped knees. I scrambled up and ran down the stairs. I headed straight to the airport, sitting numbly in the departure lounge. I couldn’t understand. Why was Dan cheating again? For the first two years of our marriage, I often had nightmares. In them, Dan was naked, embracing a stranger. I always woke up crying. He would hold me, soothing me over and over. “It’s all my fault, I made my darling sad.” He changed all his electronic device passwords to my birthday and introduced me as his wife at every public event. He always told me what he did and who he met every day. Even when he had to stay overnight for a business trip, he would leave FaceTime on all night, falling asleep to the sound of my breathing. We were both carefully rebuilding that trust. When did it all start to unravel? Vaguely remembering the woman’s name, I opened Ins and searched. It took only a minute to find her among the many accounts with the same name. Only because her profile picture was taken in Dan’s office back home.

The painting hanging behind her was one I’d custom-commissioned from a celebrated artist. Just because Dan had once said he liked it, I had made a special visit, standing outside the artist’s studio in high heels for an entire afternoon before finally persuading them. Serena was a somewhat well-known travel blogger with a decent following. I scrolled down. The posts related to Dan first appeared three years ago. Serena was holding hands with a man, the background our high school track. “With my high school crush, finally!” It was the same spot where, at eighteen, we had first held hands. The night breeze was cool, and Dan’s palms were sweaty from nervousness. “When we’re old and grey, let’s come back here together.” In mid-August two years ago, on our wedding anniversary, Dan claimed he had to miss it because of work. Yet his posts showed him eating street food with Serena. Last New Year’s Eve, I was hospitalized with a high fever from the flu. Dan appeared in Serena’s TikTok, meticulously disinfecting a cut on her fingertip. My hand, holding the phone, trembled. Dan’s face didn’t appear in any of the photos. But the familiar cufflink, the lines on his palm, made it impossible for me to keep lying to myself. Serena’s latest post refreshed. The lace maid outfit in the picture was so revealing it made me sick to look at it. “Bought it but forgot to pick it up. Good thing someone remembered. Tonight, I’m rewarding him.” So, that’s what Dan had gone back to the apartment to get. In the comments, a fan joked: “You’re living well! Your partner must adore you.” Serena replied: “I know, right? Today I asked him when he first fell for me.” “He said it was eight years ago, the day I first bravely confessed my feelings for him. He complimented my ‘startlingly bright’ eyes, said he could never forget them.” “Thinking he’d been thinking about me all these years just melts my heart.” Eight years ago was the day I caught them in bed. I pressed my lips together tightly. But the tears, disobedient, silently streamed down my face. Serena posted another video. The camera focused on a large bed strewn with rose petals. A woman’s voice giggled, “My fans want me to ask you, at thirty, do you have any new plans for our relationship?” A man’s low chuckle. “Plans?” “I do want a baby, will you have one for me?” The camera wobbled, and the sound of fabric violently rubbing together filled the air. My fingertips went numb. I dialed Dan’s number, pressing the wrong buttons several times. The phone rang three times before it finally connected. My voice trembling, I asked, “Dan, am I still in your future plans?” He was silent for a few seconds, then casually replied, “Of course, why wouldn’t you be?” “Oh, by the way, my parents mentioned you had some big news for me. They’ve asked me about it several times, what is it?” Serena’s soft urging came from his end. “Dan, if you don’t focus, I’ll have to punish you, you know.” If I hadn’t seen the video, I would have been foolish enough to believe it was his assistant. My gaze fell on the shredded pregnancy test report in the trash can. I whispered, “Nothing.” The surprise was gone. The past love, the future we’d envisioned together. All gone. Dan’s voice took on a hint of anger. “What’s with the attitude?” “I’ve turned down dozens of overseas collaboration opportunities for you, all because you’re always so suspicious!” “My meeting with a client tonight is also for our future. Can’t you let me breathe for a moment?” Tears streamed down again. I let out a soft laugh. “Dan, you’re right.” “I am being difficult.” “When you get back home, we’re getting a divorce.”

Dan hung up first. He scoffed, “Fine, throw your fit if you want.” The dial tone echoed like a drumbeat in my chest. For the twelve-hour return flight, I didn’t sleep a wink. Only when I lay on the operating table, and the anesthetic coursed through my veins, did I find release from the relentless pain. The day I found out I was pregnant, I was overjoyed. I thought this would be a new beginning for our little family, Dan’s and mine. Just a few more months, and the baby would have been born. Happiness was within reach. But now, everything was lost. After a day of rest, I received another SnapChat from Dan. “I’m back. Family dinner tonight, don’t give my parents attitude.” “Ellie Miller, you’re not a little girl anymore. There’s a time and a place for tantrums.” I replied, agreeing to attend. When I had composed myself and arrived at the Thompson family home, both our families were already there. Dan sat next to me. He looked at my averted face, his voice resigned. “Are you still mad?” He pulled out a necklace and placed it in my hand. “It’s my fault, okay?” “An apology gift for you. Smile for me, hmm?” My palm was icy cold. Just yesterday, before I went into surgery, Serena had posted an Ins update. On a messy bed, gifts were scattered everywhere. She unwrapped them one by one: a limited-edition alligator skin bag, custom-made luxury perfume, a diamond-encrusted bracelet… Only this gold necklace, she sniffed, wrinkling her nose, “It’s so dated, I don’t want it.” The person filming laughed dotingly, “It’s my birthday, and you’re receiving gifts, and you still complain? Should I just throw it away?” I loosened my grip, letting the necklace fall to the floor. Dan frowned. “What more do you want from me? Take it or leave it.” Mrs. Thompson smiled kindly, trying to ease the tension. “I heard you went all the way to London for Dan’s birthday, but he didn’t spend time with you because of work. That was wrong of him.” My mom chimed in, trying to smooth things over. “Ellie, you’re going to be a mother soon, you can’t be throwing tantrums, it’s not good for your health.” “Going to be… a mother?” Dan froze, turning to me in disbelief. “Ellie, you’re pregnant?!” He shot up, a smile he couldn’t control spreading across his face. “I’m going to be a dad, aren’t I?!” The coldness in his eyes melted, replaced by undeniable excitement. I didn’t avert my gaze, seeing every flicker of emotion clearly. But this time, was it real, or fake? I couldn’t tell anymore. And I didn’t care. Both sets of parents chuckled. “Look at this silly boy.” I spoke softly, “No.” “That baby, I aborted it.” The atmosphere froze. Dan’s excitement solidified on his face. His eyes darted around for a few seconds, then he forced a laugh. “Ellie, don’t joke around.” I didn’t reply. I pulled the pre-prepared divorce papers from my bag. Then I gave a faint smile. “Dan, I’ve seen Serena. If we don’t divorce, do you expect her to be a mistress forever?”

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It was our fifth year together. My mother had given me a strict ultimatum. Either marry him, or break up. And I had brought up marriage three times. The first time, Oliver said: “Sasha fell at home. I need to take her to the hospital for a checkup. We’ll talk about this when I get back.” The second time, he said: “The limited-edition collectibles Sasha wants are launching in stores today. I have to get in line early. Don’t rush me.” The third time, I looked him dead in the eye and asked him directly: is it marriage, or a breakup? He stared at me in silence for a long time. “Stop making a scene. We will get married, but not right now. I promised Sasha I wouldn’t get married until she finds a boyfriend.” Having finally received the answer I needed, I stopped arguing. I picked up my phone and called the jewelry store I had contacted weeks ago. “You can cancel the custom men’s wedding ring. I don’t need it anymore.” He had no idea that I had given him three chances to choose me. Now that those three chances were gone, I would never wait for him again. 1 After finalizing the cancellation with the jeweler, I called a secondhand appliance buyer. When the man arrived and saw the items I was selling, his jaw dropped, his booming voice echoing through the hallway. “Young lady, are you sure you don’t want your fridge, your TV, and your sofa? They all look practically brand new. Shouldn’t you discuss this with your partner first?” I shook my head. “There is no need. Just calculate the price. You can take everything today.” Seeing my determination, the man stopped asking questions and offered a fair price. Once we shook hands, a bright grin spread across his face. “These are massive items, miss. I can’t fit them all in my truck in one go. Do you mind if I haul them away in batches?” “That’s fine.” By the time Oliver came home from work, the movers were in the middle of carrying our television out the door. “What’s going on? Where are they taking the TV?” Oliver’s brow furrowed, his deep voice laced with confusion. “I sold it,” I replied simply, making no effort to hide the truth. “Sold it?” Oliver let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. “You sold the TV? What is Sasha supposed to watch when she comes over? You know how much she loves streaming her shows.” Before he could even finish his sentence, a thought seemed to strike him, and his tense brow relaxed slightly. “Actually, forget it. The old one was too small anyway, it was straining her eyes. Good riddance. I’ll buy a bigger one.” When I had first suggested buying a television, he had been entirely against the idea. We’re both busy with work, Gemma. Who has time to watch TV? It’ll just sit there collecting dust. But he had forgotten that I lacked any sense of security. Whenever he worked overtime, I was left entirely alone in this cold, empty apartment. The absolute silence terrified me. So, despite his protests, I had bought the television. I had hoped that whenever I felt lonely and afraid, the soft hum of the TV would act as a surrogate for Oliver’s presence. I never imagined that after buying it, the person who used it most wouldn’t be me, but his childhood friend, Sasha. I didn’t say a word. Oliver pulled out his phone and began browsing online. Once he placed the order, he looked up to offer a casual warning. “Make sure you don’t fight Sasha for the remote anymore. She’s still basically a child. Be the mature one and let her have her way.” That sentence. In the five years we had been together, I had heard it countless times. Whenever Sasha was around, nothing in this home belonged to me. I was always expected to yield. In the past, hearing those words would have triggered a massive argument. But now, I simply offered a quiet nod. “I know. I won’t fight her for it ever again.” Not just the remote. I won’t fight her for you, either. Hearing my compliance, a look of profound relief flashed in Oliver’s eyes. He let out a soft sigh. “Gemma, if only you had been this sensible in the past.” 2 In the past, the mere mention of Sasha’s name would send my emotions spiraling out of control. Like last year, when he took my birthday gift and gave it to Sasha. I had broken down, pointing a finger at him as I screamed: Sasha is the only person you care about! If you love her so much, why don’t you make her your girlfriend? That day, the look he gave me was colder than ice. In his eyes, I was nothing more than a hysterical, unreasonable madwoman. With deep disgust, he had muttered: Gemma, I view Sasha as a sister. Stop spewing garbage. Whenever I complained after that, he would simply say: A dirty mind sees dirt in everything. But he had no idea. I argued because I still cared. Now, my silence wasn’t because I had become “sensible.” It was because I had stopped loving him. “By the way, Sasha is attending a high school reunion tonight. Some of her old classmates always target her, and she can’t handle them alone. I need to go with her, so don’t wait up for dinner.” Without waiting for my reply, he walked straight into the bedroom to freshen up and change. My phone buzzed with a message from the appliance buyer. Miss Qiao, I’ve transferred the money for the TV. How about I transfer the payment for each item as we haul them away? I typed back a brief agreement. When Oliver emerged from the bedroom, fully dressed, I was busy packing the throw pillows, blankets, and plush toys from the sofa into a large trash bag. I looked at him. “These are all Sasha’s things. Should I put them in your room, or are you going to return them to her?” Every single one of these items had been bought by Oliver for her. She had once casually complained while watching a movie that the sofa felt too empty and barren. The very next day, Oliver had bought her favorite pink pillows and blankets, creating a cozy little corner dedicated entirely to her. Whenever I accidentally sat in her designated spot, his face would cloud over. The sofa is huge, Gemma. Can’t you sit somewhere else? Sasha has OCD, she hates seeing her things messed up. He would make me move, then meticulously fold the blanket and arrange the toys back in their exact positions. “Gemma, what are you throwing a fit about now? Those things were perfectly fine on the sofa. Why do you always have to look for trouble?” His voice carried a cold, suppressed irritation. “I sold the sofa. The movers are taking it tomorrow. You can do whatever you want with those things.” I set the bag down by his bedroom door, refusing to engage further. As I turned to go back to my room to get changed for dinner, Oliver’s dismissive scoff echoed behind me. “I told you that sofa was awful when you bought it. I’m glad you’re finally willing to sell it and get a new one.” “Don’t worry about buying the replacement. I’ll handle it. Sasha has a bad back, she can’t lie on a firm leather sofa. I’ll pick out something soft for her, otherwise she’ll be uncomfortable.” The only reason I had chosen a firm leather sofa was because he had told me it was better for the lumbar spine and neck. I had remembered every single word he had ever spoken. But he had never once kept my needs in his heart. I pressed my lips together, my voice barely a whisper. “Whatever you want.” It didn’t matter. I would be gone in a few days anyway. Whatever he bought had absolutely nothing to do with me. Shortly after Oliver left, I got changed and went out. I picked a restaurant that had rave reviews online. But when the hostess led me to my table, familiar laughter drifted from behind the decorative screen next to me. 3 “Sasha, you’re amazing! You actually bagged the golden boy of our high school. How long have you two been together?” “Yes! When is the wedding? Don’t forget to invite us to the celebration!” “I knew they would end up together! Back in school, Oliver was ice-cold to everyone, but he was always different with Sasha. It’s just like those romantic posts online, his eyes literally light up when he looks at her!” Hearing those two names, my feet froze. I instinctively glanced through the gaps in the screen. Oliver and Sasha had their backs to me. I couldn’t see their expressions, but I clearly saw Oliver carefully picking the bones out of a fish and placing the tender meat into her bowl. A collective gasp of envy erupted from the table. “Oh my gosh, Sasha, he is so attentive! I’m so jealous. If my husband had even half his sweetness, we wouldn’t be fighting every other day.” “Exactly! You are so lucky!” Basking in their admiration, Stella’s face glowed with pride, a smug smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “It’s nothing, really. Oliver just understands me perfectly. It’s no big deal.” Yes. Oliver understood her perfectly. A single glance from her was enough for him to know exactly what she wanted. If she wanted to watch a midnight movie, even if he was exhausted, he would instantly get dressed and drive her to the theater. If she wanted to hike a mountain, even though he had a severe fear of heights, he would swallow his panic to accompany her. Meanwhile, when I was burning with a high fever that eventually turned into pneumonia, begging him to take me to the clinic, he had shrugged me off. Sasha’s dog is missing, and she’s hysterical. I have to help her search. It’s just a mild fever, Gemma. You’re not going to die. Drive yourself. The memory brought back my mother’s words from earlier this year. Gilly, when your father and I started dating, he couldn’t wait to visit your grandmother’s house the very next day to ask for my hand. You and Oliver have been together for five years. Has he brought up marriage even once? If you keep wasting your youth on him, what are you going to do when you’re older and he decides to walk away? At the time, my thoughts had been incredibly naive. I had decided to give Oliver three chances. If he showed even a sliver of desire to build a future with me, I would have kept waiting. I had even contacted the jewelry store to pre-order our rings. But reality had delivered a stinging, humiliating slap to my face. When he told me he wouldn’t marry until Sasha found a boyfriend, I had asked him: What if she never finds anyone? After a long, heavy silence, he had replied: A marriage is just a piece of paper. As long as our relationship is stable, it doesn’t matter whether we have it or not. I understood his meaning perfectly. He was saying that as long as Sasha was single, he would remain single for her. In that single second, I realized how utterly pathetic our five years together had been. “Oh! Gemma? What are you doing here?” A familiar gasp cut through the air. I looked up to find Sasha standing right beside my table, staring at me in surprise. Hearing her voice, Oliver turned around. His eyes locked onto mine, his expression tightening instantly. He looked terrified that I might say something to ruin his performance. “Oliver, Sasha, do you know this beautiful lady?” one of their classmates asked. I looked at Oliver, curious to see what he would say. He slowly averted his gaze, his voice completely flat. “No. I don’t know her.” The words slammed into my chest, shattering the very last thread of affection I had left for him. I let out a soft, clear laugh. Looking at Sasha, I smiled. “Yes. I don’t know them. You must have mistaken me for someone else.” 4 Sasha playfully stuck out her tongue, quickly following our lead. “Ah, my bad. I got the wrong person.” She and her friends headed toward the restroom. Just then, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Oliver. I’m only here to help Sasha save face. Don’t overthink it. Once you’re done eating, wait for me there. We’ll head back together. The power is out at Sasha’s apartment complex, so she’s staying at our place tonight. It wasn’t a discussion. It was an explanation and an executive order, delivered with a twisted sense of charity. After all, whenever Sasha stayed over in the past, he had never once bothered to inform me beforehand. I didn’t reply to his message, nor did I wait for him. I booked a ticket for a movie that was about to start, bought a boba tea, and walked into the theater. Before long, Oliver sent another message asking where I was. I ignored it. When he called, I switched off my phone without a second thought. By the time I returned to the apartment after the movie, the living room was bathed in a warm glow. Oliver was patiently blow-drying Sasha’s hair while she sat in her silk pajamas. The scene was incredibly domestic and warm. It made me feel like an intruder who had accidentally stumbled into someone else’s happy home. “Gemma, you’re finally back! Where did you go?” Sasha was the first to notice me. She set Oliver’s phone down, blinking at me with forced innocence. “If you have the guts to ignore my calls and messages, you should have the guts to stay out,” Oliver said, not pausing his movements. He cast a sharp, mocking look in my direction. In the past, his biting words would have carved a painful wound in my chest. Now, I felt entirely indifferent, as if I were listening to a stranger’s empty chatter. Ignoring him, I walked toward the kitchen. The refrigerator was also mine, and I had already arranged to sell it. The moment I pulled the door open, the cool air hit my face. When I had checked the fridge this afternoon, it was practically bare. But now, it was stuffed to the brim with the specific milk and fruits that Sasha loved. Before I could even react, Oliver stepped up and slammed the fridge door shut. “Everything in there was bought for Sasha. She likes to have a stockpile. If you want something, go buy it yourself tomorrow.” “The fridge is mine,” I said, looking at him calmly. “If you want to keep it, I can sell it to you at a discount.” He let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “This apartment is mine. Are you sure you want to count pennies with me like this?” Seeing the absolute contempt in his eyes, a sudden wave of clarity washed over me. When I had first moved in, he had begged me on his knees. Gemma, I can’t bear to be apart from you. I miss you the second you’re out of my sight. As long as you’re willing to move in with me, my home is your home. I promise you, if we ever fight, I’ll be the one to pack up and leave. I will never make you feel like you don’t belong. I pressed my lips together, refusing to waste another breath. I went into my bedroom and calculated the exact cost of three years of rent. Once the math was done, I pulled out my suitcase, packed my clothes, and slipped the calculated cash into an envelope. I walked out, rolling my suitcase behind me, and set the heavy envelope on the table in front of Sasha. “This is the rent for the three years I’ve lived here, minus the cost of the refrigerator. You can count it.” Sasha looked panicked. “Gemma, what are you doing? Oliver didn’t mean to kick you out, he was just…” “Sasha, stop talking!” Oliver snarled, snatching the envelope and shoving it into her hands. “Just keep it as pocket money.” He turned to me, his teeth clenched, his eyes blazing with fury. “Gemma, if you want to leave, get the hell out. But don’t you dare regret this! I want to see exactly where you think you can go after walking out that door!” I ignored his venomous words, gripped the handle of my suitcase, and walked out. As the heavy front door clicked shut behind me, Sasha’s voice drifted through the gap. “Oliver, go after her! It’s the middle of the night, where is she supposed to go?” Oliver let out a cold, dismissive scoff. “Leave her. She’ll be back in two days. She always comes back.” He had no idea that I was never coming back. The moment I decided to let him go, he ceased to exist in my future.

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1 “Yesterday I deliberately spilled coffee all over her. She didn’t even dare make a sound, hahaha.” Laughter drifted out of the break room. They didn’t bother lowering their voices. I sat at my desk and heard every word clearly. “You bully her like this, aren’t you afraid she’ll complain about you in Vice President Hart’s bed tonight?” “I just think she’s dirty.” I lowered my head and continued processing a customer’s transaction. The teller window couldn’t be left unattended, so they deliberately refused to come switch shifts with me. And I said nothing. I sat in front of the computer for the entire day. Then, on the evaluation form, I drew a huge zero. They thought I was guilty. Please. The workload of a “bank mystery auditor” was very heavy these days. Who should I optimize first? … A month ago, I had been transferred to this bank branch. Before the previous employee had even handed over the work to me, Branch Manager Derek Shaw pushed me straight onto the teller counter. My job was to help customers handle transactions. I was thrown into the deep end. A customer wanted to transfer money to his son for medical treatment, so I asked Derek about the process. His answer was: “You’ll see the page when you open the computer.” There were so many systems on the computer. Which interface? Which button for authorization? Fortunately, I had been trained before, so I managed to figure it out myself. But because it took too long, the customer filed a complaint and I received a warning. Derek’s feedback remained lukewarm. “HR told me you’re highly educated. I thought you’d pick things up quickly.” I didn’t argue. I simply wrote on the evaluation form: Manager does not understand onboarding procedures. Serious dereliction of duty. Minus 20 points. After that, I learned. Since leadership couldn’t be relied on, I would ask my coworkers for help and familiarize myself with the work as quickly as possible. So at noon, I ordered fifteen cups of milk tea. [Treating everyone to milk tea!] Silence. No one responded. A woman from admin walked over with her lunch bowl, speaking through a mouthful of food, her contempt obvious. “Little girl, put your mind on work. Stop playing these weird social games.” I ignored her. For the entire afternoon, I watched the milk tea sitting on the small round table. My coworkers passed by again and again. Not one of them reached for a cup. Some even ordered their own milk tea later. When I saw the packaging, I noticed it was the exact same brand I had bought. … By eight that evening, all the cups had swollen. I threw them into the trash one by one. Fifteen cups of milk tea. Not a single one missing. So I wrote on the evaluation form again: Collective cold violence against a new employee. Minus 10 points. After everyone left, I compared the training files and carefully figured out the business process. I filled page after page of notes. The next morning, during the staff meeting, Derek called me out by name and scolded me. He said I had violated the employee handbook. “Tessa Lane, why did you stay at the teller counter until midnight yesterday?” “What if a customer’s money went missing? What if documents were lost? Could you take responsibility?” My tone was calm. “Customer documents are uploaded during processing. The electronic copies are permanently saved. There is no possibility of losing them.” “As for money, the armored truck collects large cash amounts every day. The cash left inside the branch never exceeds one hundred dollars.” “Manager Shaw, you should know that better than anyone, right?” Derek was left speechless. So he vented his anger on everyone else. “You’re right. Everyone should learn from Tessa. From now on, everyone will voluntarily extend overtime by two hours.” After the meeting, everyone returned to their stations. I was maliciously knocked to the ground by a male coworker. “You’re a damn curse.” “You just cost me two hours of my part-time job after work.” “Two hours, gone for nothing.” When the admin woman passed by, she deliberately stepped on my hand. “Oh! Didn’t see you there.” A coworker pushed her lightly. “Hurry up. Careful she tries to scam you.” The others chimed in. “Why are you still lying on the floor? Waiting for someone to help you up?” Only after they left did the pain in my body ease a little. I shook out the numbness in my arm. Then I wrote on the evaluation form: Manager abuses power for personal revenge, maliciously extends employee overtime without pay. Minus 30 points. Subordinate employees intentionally injure others. Severe misconduct. Minus 10 points. 2 After that, their hostility toward me grew even worse. At noon, everyone usually ate in shifts. That way, someone was always at the counter to serve customers. When it was my turn to eat, they tacitly refused to come relieve me. I didn’t argue. I simply kept doing the work in front of me. Just then, a father and son came in. Their old family home had recently been demolished, and they had received a compensation payment of six million dollars. From their conversation, I noticed the son kept reminding the elderly man not to transfer money casually to strangers. Based on my industry experience, I immediately explained some of the latest scams to the old man. His son sensed my good intentions and voluntarily told me how his father had almost been scammed before. I naturally recommended that they consider a fixed-term deposit. First, the money in a term deposit could not be withdrawn casually, which would protect the funds. Second, it could provide security for the future. The father and son nodded repeatedly. A six-million-dollar, three-year fixed deposit order was completed. I finished three months of performance targets in one day. Afterward, I reported the situation to Derek. I received no reply. The next day, however, the person who received the performance bonus was Derek. The branch president specifically tagged Derek in the group chat. [According to customer feedback, your service was thoughtful, and you recommended products from the customer’s perspective.] [Headquarters is awarding you a 10g gold pendant.] [@everyone] [All of you should learn from Manager Shaw. Especially new employees. Being complained about on your first day is usually an attitude problem.] The branch president did not name anyone. But everyone knew that in the past month, I was the only new employee who had received a complaint. Below the message came a flood of likes and celebration emojis. “Manager Shaw is amazing.” “Headquarters gave gold. That’s usually only for annual outstanding employees.” “We’ll all get bonuses this month by following Manager Shaw.” The monthly performance poster came out. Derek’s name was bold and enlarged. Of course, my name was on it too. Only in another column: pending dismissal. I took out the evaluation form. Superior steals employee credit. Minus 30 points. This time, I not only wrote down the reason, but also privately contacted the father and son and asked them to write a statement for me. I also pulled the surveillance footage from that day. To make sure no one could turn black into white. Soon, Derek called me into his office. “Tessa, you’ve been here… almost a month, right?” “Yes.” “You saw your name on the pending dismissal list, didn’t you?” “Yes.” “Leadership says you’re not putting in effort. Poor performance is one thing, but you got into conflict with a customer on your first day.” His face was cold, his tone full of contempt. “You’re firing me?” He shook his head and smiled. Then he took out a voluntary resignation form. “To be honest, there’s no such thing as a pending dismissal list. If your name is on it, you’re definitely being fired.” “Instead of leaving in disgrace later, you might as well sign now and walk away.” My tone stayed calm. “Then we’ll talk when headquarters officially fires me.” With that, I stood and left. Derek slammed the desk in anger. “Don’t reject kindness when it’s offered.” “If you leave now, I can still write you a recommendation letter. Otherwise, I can make sure you never work in this industry again.” I did not stop walking. I turned and returned to my station. Looking at the evaluation form, which was gradually being drained of points, I realized the task would be completed early this time. Ever since my name appeared on the pending dismissal list, my coworkers bullied me even more openly. As long as I sat at the teller counter, no one came to relieve me for a break. To withstand a full day of work, I ate three bowls of rice in the morning. If I got hungry, I drank meal replacement powder. All to keep myself full. After eating their lunches, my coworkers would come pick their teeth in front of me with smiles. “Tessa, don’t work so hard. Leave us older ladies a way to survive.” The others laughed along. “Wendy, what do you know?” “Young girls these days like dieting. They want to keep their figures.” Listening to their teasing, I still said nothing. While they were all out eating lunch, I quietly logged into the system backend. In the past, every time I logged in, a user code-named C would kick me out. Later, I discovered that everyone in the branch could enter. Everyone except me. Just like headquarters could never understand why every new employee here failed to last three months. Upper management had wanted to reshuffle this branch’s personnel. But every time they tried to transfer an employee away, this branch would erupt into chaos. Fortunately, I finally found some clues in the system. But just then, my account was forcibly logged out. Then I received a termination notice from HR. [Ms. Tessa Lane, after comprehensive evaluation, you have been deemed unqualified for your position. The company hereby terminates your employment.] 3 I shut the computer and went straight to HR. When HR Manager Linda Mason saw me, she didn’t seem surprised. “I sent you the handover form. Fill it out as required and you can leave.” My face was cold. “If you want to fire me, you should at least give me a reason.” “What standards are you using for this so-called comprehensive evaluation?” Linda smiled. “Have a seat.” She flipped through my file and looked increasingly confident. “You’ve been at the branch for a full month.” “That’s not a short time, but your performance is still zero.” I made a pause gesture. “Wrong. My performance is six million. Twenty times higher than the thirty-thousand target you set.” Linda sneered. “Six million? That was Derek Shaw’s performance.” “I have evidence.” I showed her the surveillance video from that day. Then I took out the handwritten statements from the father and son. She immediately stopped talking. “We’ll need to verify this.” “Besides, how do you explain being complained about by a customer on your very first day?” I calmly brought out the next piece of evidence. I played a video. “You’ll see the page when you open the computer.” The moment Derek’s voice came out, Linda’s expression changed. “You can see it clearly in the video. Throughout the process, he did not provide me with any help.” “Instead, after receiving no support, I proactively found a solution myself.” “The person who should leave isn’t me, is it?” For a moment, Linda was speechless. “Fine. If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to work.” Just as I walked out, she called me back. “Wait. At the end of the day, you just want money, don’t you?” “Our branch isn’t stingy. Submit a voluntary resignation today, and I’ll give you two months of compensation. How about that?” I smiled. Two months. No wonder there were so many strange losses in the monthly accounts. I tested her. “Not enough. I want six months.” Linda panicked. “You’re young and naive. You don’t know how hard society is. I advise you to take the money and leave.” “If you offend Manager Shaw, nothing good will come of it.” I couldn’t be bothered with her and turned to leave. Then I wrote on the evaluation form: HR ignores labor laws and mishandles bank property at will. Final score: zero. Very soon, Linda received a call. Headquarters had notified her of her dismissal. I heard the scolding on the other end was especially ugly. Linda cried in her office for a long time and couldn’t recover. I had just returned to my desk when Derek came over. “Quite a powerful background you have. A few words from you and Linda is gone.” “Tell me honestly. What’s your relationship with Vice President Hart?” I looked up. Everyone was secretly laughing while holding their phones. “Do you even need to ask? Vice President Hart has a wife and kids. What else could she be except his mistress?” “No wonder. I was wondering how an intern had so much money to buy us milk tea.” “Listen to me, girl. Work honestly. Don’t always think about taking shortcuts and using milk tea to suck up to people.” I immediately opened RedNote. Only then did I discover most of the posts were aimed at me. [I saw that mistress having dinner with Vice President Hart last time. The next day, she started working at their branch.] [More than dinner. She goes to Vice President Hart’s house every few days.] [Each time she stays two or three hours. Always at night. Anyone with eyes knows what they’re doing.] Spreading sexual rumors was one thing. Some of them had directly doxxed me. My schools, classes, from elementary school to university, had all been dug up. Even the address of my hometown had been exposed. People online even threatened to form a group to beat me. I was furious. I immediately called Vice President Hart. “You’d better contact the posters today, make them delete everything, and apologize to me. Otherwise, I’m leaving right now.” “Don’t, don’t… I’m busy…” Before he could finish, I hung up first. Derek whispered by my ear. “Well, well. Didn’t expect Vice President Hart to spoil you this much.” “Do you know what I just did? I sent the posts to his wife.” “She’s already on her way here.” Everyone was waiting to watch the show. They were waiting for Vice President Hart’s wife to tear me apart as the mistress. The happier they laughed now, the worse they would die later. A branch rating of zero meant direct closure. Headquarters had a department specifically created to inspect whether employees were treating customers sincerely. So auditors would disguise themselves as customers and conduct evaluations. Unfortunately, where there were policies, there were countermeasures. This branch was famously flooded with complaints. But every time our colleagues came to inspect, the branch always performed perfectly. Headquarters had no way to punish them. Even stranger, almost no new employee here lasted three months. So Vice President Hart asked me to step in. From pretending to be a customer to pretending to be an employee. He asked me to investigate what was really going on. And I was the “bank mystery auditor” they kept talking about. Now I didn’t need to struggle over who to fire first. Of course everyone could leave together.

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1 On the day the city was hit by the worst torrential rain in a decade, I called my wife, Candy, at least three times, begging her to pick up our son from school. After four straight hours of weather broadcasts, I got a call from my son’s teacher the second I finished. “John’s dad, I know you and your wife are incredibly busy, but you can’t just forget your child like this!” Mrs. Higgins said over the line. “John waited outside the school gates in the freezing rain for over an hour. He was completely soaked before another parent finally offered him a ride home.” Panic seizing my chest, I rushed home through the flooded streets. Pushing open John’s bedroom door, I found my little boy curled up under the blankets, his small frame shivering violently. He wasn’t crying, but his voice was thick with hurt. “Mom told me to wait at the gate, Dad. She said she was coming right back. But I waited so long… and then everyone else was gone.” I pressed my hand to his forehead, it was burning hot. Just as I pulled out my phone to call Candy, a text from her popped up: Jared and Milo got stranded on the flooded highway. I had to go rescue them. Is John home yet? For the past five years, Candy’s excuse was always the same: Jared was a single dad, and raising a kid alone was hard, so we had to help out. But now, she had abandoned her own flesh and blood in a historic storm just to hold an umbrella over another man. I stared at the screen, a cold realization settling into my bones. Every second I had wasted trying to make this marriage work was a betrayal of my son. I locked my phone, refusing to reply. Perhaps sensing she had gone too far, Candy actually came home early. She slammed the front door open, her face twisted in annoyance. “Didn’t you see my text? Why didn’t you let me know John made it back? I was worried sick, running red lights to get home, and you’re just sitting here giving me the silent treatment again!” When I didn’t answer, she let out an exasperated sigh and walked into John’s room. Kneeling by his bed, she softened her voice slightly. “Hey, John, sweetie, don’t be mad at Mom. I had a major emergency to take care of today. Tell you what, I’ll take you to the amusement park this weekend, okay?” In the past, John would have sat up instantly, his eyes shining as he made her pinky-promise. He would have written about it in his journal and planned his outfit days in advance. But ever since Jared divorced and moved back to the city with his son, Milo, Candy’s promises had become worthless. John’s school sign-in sheets only ever bore my signature. In his drawings and essays about family, the page marked ‘Mom’ was always left blank. John didn’t look at her. He simply pulled the blanket higher, burying his face deeper into his pillow, his back turned to his mother. My chest ached with a sharp, physical pain, and I dug my nails into my palms to force down the useless tears. Candy tried coaxing him for another minute, reaching out to ruffle his hair, when her phone rang. The screen lit up with Jared’s name. As soon as she answered, his panicked voice filled the quiet room. “Candy… Milo has a high fever. I’m so scared, I don’t know what to do…” This wasn’t his first time playing the helpless victim to lure her away. Right on cue, Candy’s face filled with intense anxiety. “Stay calm, Jared. I’m on my way.” She hung up and instantly began rummaging through our medicine cabinet. I stepped in front of her, blocking her path. “What are you looking for?” “Milo has a fever. Where’s the pediatric ibuprofen?” “John has a fever too. That’s the last bottle, and I need it for him.” Candy shoved my hand away, grabbing the bottle and slipping it into her coat. “It’s just one night, John will survive! Milo’s fever is dangerous, and Jared is having a panic attack! Jared’s father drowned saving my life when we were kids! I owe their family everything. Stop being so incredibly selfish!” Grabbing her car keys, she slammed the front door, leaving us in the dark. I stood alone in the quiet house, a hollow laugh escaping my lips. It took me five years to finally accept that, in her eyes, our son’s life would never be as important as Jared’s. I opened every delivery app on my phone, but due to the storm, every local pharmacy was sold out of fever reducers. John tossed and turned, whimpering in his sleep. “Mom… you promised… you lied…” Tears blurred my vision as I wiped his shivering body down with cool water, placing a damp cloth on his forehead. But his fever kept climbing. I called Candy over a dozen times before she finally picked up, her tone dripping with annoyance. “John’s fever is at 104. The roads are flooded and I can’t get medicine. You need to come back and help me get him to the ER.” “Nolan, stop being so dramatic,” she sighed. “I know you’re mad that I left, but using our son’s health to guilt-trip me is low.” I didn’t say another word. I simply hung up. I wrapped John in a dry blanket and carried him out into the rain. The streets were flooded up to my calves, making driving impossible. The nearest children’s clinic was nearly a mile away, and I trudged through the dark, icy water, shielding his head from the downpour. By the time we reached the clinic, John was semi-conscious. After the doctor administered an IV, he finally drifted into a peaceful sleep. Sitting by his bedside, I opened social media and saw Jared’s latest post: So thankful for the woman who always has my back. The attached photo showed Candy from behind, standing in Jared’s warm kitchen, stirring a pot of soup. The comments were filled with praise: Candy is such a loyal friend! You’re so lucky to have her, Jared. I stared at the words, a wave of pure nausea washing over me. John stirred, opening his heavy eyelids. “Dad… where’s Mom?” “She’s busy, buddy.” Six months ago, I had received a prestigious anchor offer from the Port City weather network. Candy had clung to me then, crying, “Honey, my firm is here in Bayport, and I’m always so swamped. What will I do if you leave?” I had believed her. I turned down the dream job to keep our family together. Now, I realized she wasn’t swamped, she was just busy playing house with another man. John didn’t ask any more questions, showing no disappointment. He just pressed his face into my shoulder. “It’s okay. I just need you.” I kissed his cool forehead, whispering softly, “From now on, John, it’s just you and me. We don’t need her anymore.” 2 John spent three days in the pediatric ward recovering. Candy never showed up once, and neither of us ever brought up her name. The day after we were discharged, John signed up for the state youth martial arts tournament. His coach called me personally, telling me John had a real shot at the gold medal if we prepared well. John practiced tirelessly every afternoon, his little toes covered in blisters, but he never complained once. The night before the tournament, Candy actually came home. John was practicing his forms in the living room when she walked in. He paused for a second, but instead of running to her like he used to, he simply turned away and continued his routine. Candy looked visibly uncomfortable. She pressed her lips together and said, “The big tournament is tomorrow, right?” John ignored her completely. Not wanting a scene, I gave a polite, distant reply. “Two o’clock tomorrow afternoon.” She nodded. “Milo is competing too. I promised Jared I’d be there to cheer him on.” I didn’t say anything. Candy had never attended a single one of John’s school plays or events, always citing an emergency with Jared’s family. Over time, John had stopped expecting her to show up. The next afternoon, I took half a day off from the station to accompany John to the arena. After changing into his uniform, he slipped on his sneakers and ran to the corner to stretch. A second later, he let out a sharp cry of pain. “Dad! Something’s in my shoe!” I rushed over and pulled off his shoe. His white sock was already soaked in bright red blood. When I shook the shoe out, several small, jagged shards of broken glass tumbled onto the floor. I looked up, scanning the arena. In the VIP waiting area, Candy was standing next to Jared, helping Milo tie his belt. When our eyes met, she instantly looked away, guilt written all over her face. I handed John to his coach, asking him to take my boy to the first-aid station, and marched over to Candy. I grabbed her arm and pulled her into an empty corridor. “You put glass in John’s shoes, didn’t you?” Her throat bobbed nervously, but she quickly became defensive. “Milo started training late, and the coach said John was guaranteed to beat him. Jared was so stressed out, he was terrified Milo’s confidence would be shattered. I just wanted to give Milo a fair shot at winning. John is naturally athletic, he can win any other tournament later.” “So you put broken glass in your own son’s shoes? Do you have any idea how badly he’s bleeding right now?” She rubbed her temples, looking annoyed. “John is a tough kid, Nolan. A couple of tiny scratches won’t kill him. It’s just a little pain to teach him resilience. Why do you always have to make such a big deal out of everything?” I stared at her, utterly horrified. “You deliberately hurt our son to spare another man’s kid some minor disappointment?” Exposed, her voice rose in anger. “Nolan, stop overreacting! John has you to pamper him. Jared and Milo have absolutely no one else in their corner!” Her warped logic made me physically sick. I had no desire to argue anymore. Trying to make a blind, heartless person see reason was a complete waste of breath. With John sidelined, Milo took home the gold medal. As he stood on the podium holding the trophy, Candy applauded proudly, her smile brighter than any I had ever seen on her face during our marriage. While John was changing in the locker room, his coach walked up to me, looking deeply troubled. “Nolan… I saw the security footage near the equipment cubbies. I know what she did. Do you want to call the police?” I shook my head quietly. “Thank you, Coach. I’ll handle it my own way.” What good would the police do? She was John’s mother, and the system would view it as a domestic issue, resulting in a slap on the wrist. But I was done letting her walk all over us. On the drive home, John pressed his forehead against the passenger window, whispering softly, “Dad… does Mom hate me?” Looking at his small, bandaged foot, my throat tightened. “Mom is just lost, John. But I promise you, I will never leave your side.” As soon as we got home, I emailed a family lawyer, attaching the security footage of Candy slipping the glass into John’s shoe. The response came back within an hour: This is excellent evidence of maternal endangerment. We can use this to secure full custody with no visitation rights. Just as I went to tuck John in, my phone buzzed. It was a photo from Jared. It showed Candy with her arms around him and Milo, smiling warmly. My two favorite boys did so well today! Milo got the gold, and someone surprised us with a custom cake! A second later, the message was unsent, followed by a text: Sorry, Nolan! Sent that to the wrong chat by accident. Please don’t be mad! I took a deep, steadying breath and booked two one-way tickets to Port City for the day after tomorrow. This hollow, toxic marriage was officially over. 3 On our final weekend before leaving, I took John to the local amusement park to ride the giant Ferris wheel. He had been begging to go for months. Candy had promised him a trip in the spring, then postponed it to summer, and then autumn, before finally forgetting entirely. John had stopped asking, but I refused to let him leave this city with unfulfilled dreams. Standing in the queue under the massive wheel, John gripped my hand, his face glowing with excitement. “Dad, when we reach the very top, I’m going to make a huge wish!” But in an instant, his smile froze. A few yards away, Candy was carrying Milo, feeding him a stick of cotton candy. Jared was walking beside them, adjusting a toy crown on Milo’s head. Milo wrapped his arms around Candy’s neck, giggling. “Mommy, I want to ride that one next!” Candy laughed and nodded, but as she turned her head, her eyes locked onto mine. Realizing she’d been caught, she quickly set Milo down and walked toward us. John had gone completely quiet the second she appeared. He gave my sleeve a gentle tug. “Dad, let’s just go home.” Jared walked up with a pleasant smile. “Hey, John! Milo wants to ride the carousel. Why don’t you join him?” Milo scoffed, clinging to Candy’s coat. “I don’t want to ride with him, Mommy. His clothes look so cheap and dirty.” Jared made a half-hearted attempt to correct him. “Milo, be nice.” But Candy didn’t say a word to reprimand the boy. She just stood there, looking like a proud mother protecting her own. Disgusted, I turned to lead John away. But Jared let out a theatrical gasp. “Nolan, you… you didn’t follow us here, did you?” Candy’s face immediately darkened. “Nolan, seriously? I finally get one day off to spend with them, and you have to drag John out here just to ruin it?” I swallowed the hot anger rising in my throat. “Is this park registered in your name? I don’t need your permission to take my son out.” Jared’s eyes immediately filled with tears, his voice trembling. “Candy, it’s fine. It’s probably just a coincidence. I’m sorry for making a big deal out of it. Nolan has every right to be here. Milo and I will just leave so we don’t cause trouble for your family.” Candy grabbed his arm, stopping him, before turning on me with pure fury. “Are you happy now? Why do you always have to bully Jared?” Before I could even speak, Milo suddenly let out a piercing shriek and burst into tears. He pointed an accusing finger at John. “He pushed me! He hurt me!” John stood completely still, his hands at his sides, staring at Milo in utter confusion. Candy’s face twisted in disgust. She grabbed my wrist in a tight grip. “Is this how you raise him? To be a violent bully?” “Candy, open your eyes! John didn’t touch him!” Before I could finish my sentence, her hand whipped across my face in a stinging slap. The force of the blow sent me stumbling back against the metal railing. My cheek burned with pain, and I felt the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. John let out a sob, throwing his small arms around my leg. “Dad! I don’t want a mom anymore! Please, when can we leave?” I knelt down, pulling him tightly against my chest. “Soon, buddy. We’re leaving the day after tomorrow.” 4 Just as I reached out to wipe the tears from his cheeks, a blood-curdling scream echoed through the park. People began sprinting past us in terror, shouting, “He’s got a knife! Run!” Looking over the panicked crowd, I saw a woman with wild, bloodshot eyes, brandishing a large, blood-stained kitchen knife, charging directly toward our section of the path. I scooped John up and ran with the screaming crowd toward the exit. But as we neared a large concrete planter, someone slammed violently into my back. My knees buckled, and I went flying forward. I tried to push myself up, but a sharp, agonizing pain shot through my right ankle. John’s head had struck the sharp edge of the planter, and bright red blood began streaming down his forehead. The frantic footsteps of the knife-wielding attacker were closing in, she was less than twenty yards away. Just then, I saw Candy running toward the exit from an adjacent path. Desperate, I screamed with everything I had. “Candy! Help John! Please!” She paused for a fraction of a second, looking at us. But then she grabbed Jared’s hand and hoisted Milo into her arms, sprinting away without a backward glance. “Just hide John somewhere! I have to get them to safety first! I’ll come back for you!” A cold, crushing weight settled on my chest. The attacker was upon us, a horrific grin on her face as she raised the blade, aiming straight for my son’s chest. Summoning every ounce of strength left in my body, I threw myself over John, shielding his small body completely with my own. The blade ripped through my left sleeve, tearing open a deep gash in my forearm. Hot blood splattered across my skin. As she raised the knife for a second strike, a park security officer tackled her from the side, pinning her to the ground with a heavy shield. Three more guards rushed over, disarming her. The adrenaline faded, leaving me gasping for air as I looked down at my arm. Blood was pouring from the wound, dripping past my wrist. John was staring up at me, his eyes wide with pure terror, blood dripping from his hairline. I gently cupped his uninjured cheek. “I’ve got you, buddy. You’re safe.” After getting our wounds stitched and bandaged at the emergency room, I ordered a ride-share. As I carried John out through the hospital lobby, we ran right into Candy. She was holding a bag of medication, with Jared and Milo hovering close behind. She froze, her eyes dropping to the thick white bandages wrapped around my arm and John’s forehead. “Nolan… what happened? You’re hurt!” I didn’t answer. I kept walking, but she chased after me, reaching out to grab my shoulder. Just then, Jared called out from behind her, his voice whining. “Candy, Milo says his head hurts from the excitement. Can you carry him to the car?” She hesitated for a split second, then turned back to them. I climbed into the waiting car with John, shutting the door behind us. That was your very last chance, Candy. You chose them. And now, you will never have to choose again.

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1 I transmigrated into a novel. My mission was to win over a villainous family: a cold, distant father, a maniacal mother, and a deeply broken brother. For twenty long years, I played the devoted daughter and loving sister. Finally, my system returned to active status. While waiting for it to calculate their favorability ratings, I leaned against my brand-new Porsche, lazily spinning the key ring on my finger, a playful smile on my face as I teased the man standing on the porch. “Hey, my birthday is in a few days. What are you getting me this year?” Brian was tall and lean, his handsome features permanently locked in a cool, indifferent expression. He glanced down at me, and I braced myself for him to ignore me, just like he always did. Instead, his dark eyes fixed on mine. “What do you want?” I froze, almost failing to process his words. I looked at him with deep suspicion. “Did the sun rise from the west today?” His gaze remained frigid. “It does not matter anyway. You will not be here next month. You are being married off to the Castillo family. Did you not know?” Suddenly, a crisp chime echoed in my mind. [Favorability calculation complete.] [Theo: 0. Ellie: 0. Brian: 0.] [Mission failed. Forced extraction from this world will commence in three days.] My fingers went limp. The Porsche keys slipped from my hand, hitting the gravel with a sharp, metallic clink. “What did you just say?” “The Castillos demanded a bride to secure the alliance,” Brian said. He bent down, retrieved the keys, and handed them back to me with slow, agonizing deliberation. “Hector Castillo is on his deathbed. They wanted a young bride from our bloodline to seal the merger before the old man passes. Our family needs this contract, and you are the perfect bargaining chip.” I stared at him, desperately searching his face for any sign of a joke. There was none. His face was exactly as it had been every single day for the past twenty years: cold, distant, entirely devoid of warmth. But how could their favorability be zero? How was that even possible? Even though my father was distant, he had always spoken to me with quiet patience, carefully choosing my birthday gifts every year. My mother, during her brief moments of sanity, would hold me so tightly as if she would never let go. And my brother, despite his icy demeanor, had ruthlessly ruined anyone who dared to bully me when we were children. When I was ten, I accidentally overheard my mother on a call with one of her associates. The person on the other end must have said something threatening, because she let out a cold laugh and said, “Naomi is my daughter. If anyone so much as touches a hair on her head, I will bury their entire family.” I had hidden around the corner of the staircase, covering my mouth to muffle my giggles, feeling incredibly safe. And just before my twentieth birthday, they had gifted me this luxury car. I vividly remembered Theo handing me the keys, his voice soft as he said, “My girl deserves only the best.” Was all of it a lie? The warmth, the pampering, the tender care, was it all just an elaborate performance? How pathetic of me. I had actually planned to stay in this world until the very end of their natural lives, even after completing the mission. I truly believed I had found genuine familial love. It turned out I was the only one playing the fool. In my previous missions, even a complete stranger would have more than zero favorability after a single encounter. But these three had absolutely no feelings for me. None at all. The cold wind whipped against my eyes, making them sting. “What is wrong with you?” Brian’s voice broke the silence, his brow furrowing slightly. “You look incredibly pale.” He looked at me with that faint crease between his brows. In the past, such a tiny sign of concern would have made my day, proof that my brother cared about me. Now, it just felt like a cruel joke. Twenty years of living under the same roof, twenty years of walking on eggshells, twenty years of pouring my heart out, and it was nothing but a one-sided delusion. “It is nothing,” I said, my voice shockingly calm. “I understand.” I turned toward the car. “Naomi,” he called out behind me, a strange, unreadable note in his voice. “Did you not want your birthday gift?” I did not look back. [Host, are you alright?] the system asked, its digital voice uncharacteristically gentle. “Never better,” I whispered. I slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and slammed my foot on the accelerator. The engine roared as the car tore down the driveway. In the rearview mirror, Brian remained standing on the steps, a motionless silhouette fading into the distance. 2 I had no destination. The Porsche flew along the winding mountain roads. I rolled down all the windows, letting the freezing wind blast my face, hoping the chill would clear the suffocating noise in my head. I had failed missions before. It was part of the job. But none of those failures had ever made my chest ache like this. I kept reciting my mental mantra, telling myself that my kindness to them was merely a calculated move to complete the mission and leave this world. I did not actually view them as my real family. I did not. Yet, my hands were trembling so violently I could barely hold the steering wheel. Memories of their soft smiles and warm words flashed behind my eyelids, completely out of my control. To drown out the thoughts, I floored the gas pedal. The sports car surged forward, the speedometer needle climbing frantically. Sharp curves, metal guardrails, and the dark abyss of the canyon blurred past in a deafening rush of wind. Suddenly, the steering wheel grew incredibly heavy, resisting my grip. I slammed on the brakes, but the pedal sank uselessly to the floor, soft and unresponsive. I twisted the wheel in a desperate attempt to stay on the road. The world spun violently. The airbag deployed with a deafening blast, slamming into my face, and darkness swallowed me whole. When I drifted back to consciousness, the sharp, sterile scent of bleach and rubbing alcohol filled my nose. My right leg was screaming in agony. I tried to shift my weight, but a blinding flash of pain shot up my spine, forcing a ragged gasp from my throat. “Told you not to go street racing,” a voice muttered nearby. It was Brian. He was leaning close to my bedside, and I could smell his familiar, crisp cedar cologne. I kept my eyes shut, pretending to still be asleep. What a hypocrite, I thought bitterly. If he had actually cared, he would have stopped me from driving off in the first place. “How is she?” Theo’s deep voice asked from across the room. “A fractured tibia, two cracked ribs, and a mild concussion,” Brian replied. “Good. She is alive,” Theo sighed, his voice dripping with relief. A bitter ache bloomed in my chest. If his favorability was truly at zero, why did he sound so relieved that I had survived? “I will go fetch the doctor,” Brian said. “Very well.” The sound of his footsteps faded, followed by the soft click of the door closing. I was debating whether to open my eyes when my father’s voice cut through the silence, sharp and laced with anger. “Ellie, what on earth possessed you to tamper with her car? Do you have any idea how important this marriage to the Castillos is? If she had died in that crash, how was I supposed to close the deal?” The blood in my veins turned to ice. What? My mother let out a soft, melodic chuckle. It was a sound I had heard countless times throughout my childhood, sweet and full of playful innocence. “I wanted her dead, Theo,” Ellie said, her tone light, as if she were discussing a trivial parlor game. “I wanted to ruin your precious little empire. You wanted to use her to climb into the Castillo dynasty? I would rather burn everything to the ground than let you succeed.” “Are you completely insane?” Theo hissed, his voice trembling with suppressed fury. “Do you have any concept of the scale of this merger? Do you know what the Castillo alliance would do for our family? All of this wasted because of your petty, miserable spite!” “Spite?” Ellie interrupted, her laughter turning sharp and venomous. “You swore to me when we married that I would be the only one you ever loved. Yet, after she was born, you ran around with half the women in the city. It is all because of that disgusting little parasite. I should have strangled her in her crib.” “Then you should have done it twenty years ago,” Theo snapped. “She has lived under my roof, eaten my food, and enjoyed my protection for two decades. It is time she paid her debt. She marries him next month, and after that, you can lose your mind all you want.” The room fell quiet. I swallowed hard, holding back a sob, and whispered in my mind, No wonder they are the villains. I was never a daughter to them. Just a business asset to my father, and a reminder of betrayal to my mother. I wished the crash had finished the job. 3 Soft footsteps neared the bed. I felt a cool, gentle hand rest on my forehead, stroking my hair with the same tenderness I had known my entire life. “Naomi,” my mother whispered, her voice thick with maternal warmth. “Mommy is here, darling. Do not be afraid.” I opened my eyes. Her face was mere inches from mine, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears, her expression a perfect portrait of motherly devotion. I stared at her for a long time. “Mom,” I rasped, my throat dry. “Oh, Naomi!” she cried out in joy, her hands cup-ping my face. “You terrified me, sweetie. You have no idea how much Mommy was worrying…” “Are you not tired?” I asked. She froze. I shifted my gaze to Theo, who was standing at the foot of the bed. His rigid posture locked up instantly, his face a mask of sudden tension. “What do you mean, darling?” Ellie forced a fragile smile. “Did you hit your head too hard? Let Mommy call the doctor…” “I said,” I interrupted, my voice flat and dead, “are you not tired of pretending to love me for twenty years?” The warmth in the room vanished. Slowly, the tender mask slid off Ellie’s face, revealing a cold, critical sneer. She straightened up, looking down at me with absolute detachment. “So, you heard.” “Every word.” I used my elbows to push myself up, but the movement sent a wave of agony through my cracked ribs. I gagged, dry-heaving from the sheer pain. Ellie’s eyes narrowed. She lunged forward, grabbing my wrist in a crushing grip. “Are you pregnant?” she demanded. “No!” I cried out, trying to pull away. She did not let go. Instead, her fingers dug deeper into my flesh, her nails biting into my skin. “Check her,” Theo ordered, his eyes cold. “If she is carrying another man’s child, the Castillos will ruin us.” Ellie let out an irritated click of her tongue. “This is too risky. I will contact the Castillo estate tonight and have her delivered early, before they can find out anything.” A cold dread washed over me. “I am not pregnant! I swear to you, I am not!” My mother turned back to me, a cruel, mocking smile playing on her lips. She raised her free hand, gently stroking my cheek before her fingers slid down to wrap tightly around my throat. “Do not raise your voice at me, sweetie,” she whispered. “Obedient girls do not have to suffer.” The door flew open, and Brian stepped into the room. He took in the scene, his brow furrowing slightly. “What is going on here?” Ellie released my throat instantly, her face shifting back to its warm, serene expression. “Nothing, dear. Naomi is awake, and we were just having a little chat.” Brian looked at me, then turned his gaze to Theo. “The Castillo representatives have arrived.” Theo nodded. “Tell them to wait. I will be down shortly.” He cast one final, icy look at me. “Recover quickly, and do not think of running. You cannot escape.” When the door clicked shut, only Brian remained by my bedside. “Do not blame them,” he said quietly. I stared at him in utter disbelief. “What did you say?” “In this family, everything comes with a price,” he replied, his face completely blank. I closed my mouth, unable to find any words. This was my brother. The boy I thought would protect me.

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