Author: Momo Chan

While fixing my bowtie before the engagement banquet, Michelle led in a broke junior. “Martin spilled something. Let him borrow your custom tux,” she said flatly. “You’re the star anyway; it doesn’t matter what you wear.” Beside the nervous boy in faded sneakers, my best friend James blocked them. “Are you kidding? Declan went to thirty tailors for that!” Michelle shot me the look. For five years, I caved every time. I pushed James aside, setting down my cufflinks. “Let him wear it.” She smiled, caressing my cheek. “I knew you were the bigger person. For our wedding, I’ll buy you the most expensive suit in the world.” Martin changed into my tux. Michelle smoothed his lapel, whispering, “You look so handsome, Ro.” I recognized the gesture. During our photoshoot, she’d refused to do the same for me, calling it cheesy. I slid the platinum engagement ring off my finger. This time, I was done being the bigger person. … “Who is this handsome young man? Look at how sharp he is dressed!” Michelle’s aunt was standing by the adjacent table, grabbing Martin’s hands and looking him up and down with obvious approval. Martin kept his head bowed, but a small, satisfied smile crept onto his lips. Before he could even respond, Michelle seamlessly jumped into the conversation. “He is a junior from my university. His family’s financial situation isn’t great, and his clothes got ruined. Declan felt so bad for him that he offered his own custom tux.” Her aunt nodded approvingly, then shot a highly critical glance in my direction. “Then why is Declan dressed like that? It is his engagement party. He looks incredibly plain.” “Oh, he doesn’t care about these superficial things.” Michelle answered for me without missing a beat, naturally reaching out to link her arm through mine. “Our Declan is incredibly generous.” As her hand reached out, I casually took a half-step to the side. Her hand grabbed empty air. “What is wrong?” she asked, her brow furrowing. I looked down at the carpet. “Nothing.” James grabbed me by the forearm and physically dragged me away, pulling me around the corner into a quiet hallway. “Are you seriously just going to let this happen?!” “What else am I supposed to do?” “You walk right back out there and announce to the entire room that he is wearing your clothes, and that kid is not her fiancé. You are!” I looked at his bloodshot, furious eyes. “James. You are angrier than I am.” “Of course I am angry!” James’s voice cracked. “Do you have any idea what the people at her table are whispering about?” He pulled out his phone and opened a video. It was filmed by one of Michelle’s college friends. In the frame, Martin was wearing my custom tuxedo, standing proudly on Michelle’s right side. Her hand was resting affectionately on his shoulder. Someone off-camera cheered, “The fiancé looks amazing!” Martin looked down, his cheeks flushing deep red. He didn’t deny it. Michelle didn’t deny it either. She just laughed brightly and waved her hand dismissively. There was a top comment under the video: Michelle’s fiancé is so sweet and innocent. It had over thirty likes. Not a single person corrected them. I swallowed the bitter taste in the back of my throat, closed the video, and handed the phone back to James. A fresh wave of loud laughter erupted from the banquet hall. People were dragging Martin around to toast the tables. He handled it perfectly, holding his champagne glass low and leaning in respectfully. I taught him that posture. Last month, he told me he was terrified of attending his first formal networking event. He asked me how to properly toast executives. I spent an entire afternoon practicing with him. “Call me an Uber, James.” “You are not going back in?” “There is nothing left to go back to.” I walked over to the welcome table near the entrance. I placed the platinum engagement ring right next to the leather guestbook. There was a thin layer of dust on the table. The heavy ring landed with a soft, hollow clink. My phone lit up. It was an Instagram post from Michelle. Thank you everyone for coming tonight. She attached three photos. One wide shot of the grand ballroom, one of her clinking glasses with her girlfriends, and the last one… Martin, wearing my tailored tuxedo, smiling radiantly at the camera. She tagged Martin. The caption read: Thank you, Ro, for helping me entertain the guests. You worked so hard tonight. There was not a single mention of me in the entire post. Not even my name. I locked my screen. When I crossed the street, the massive chandeliers in the banquet hall were still glowing brightly. Even from this far away, I could still hear the faint bass of the music and the muffled laughter. Right before I got into the Uber, I looked back one last time. Michelle was standing on the grand marble steps of the hotel, looking down at her phone. Martin walked up behind her and gently draped a suit jacket over her bare shoulders. She reached up and naturally pulled the collar tighter around herself. It looked completely effortless. “Declan, you left your ring on the welcome table.” At two in the morning, Michelle finally called. Her voice was totally relaxed, completely unbothered. “I know.” “Well, I put it in my purse for safekeeping. I will put it back on you tomorrow.” She paused, intentionally softening her tone. “I know you felt a little slighted today. But Martin ruining his clothes was a total accident. Everyone saw how generous you were to lend him your suit.” “Michelle. Let’s break up.” The line went completely dead for three full seconds. Then, she actually laughed. “Declan, I know you were annoyed today, but throwing a tantrum and bringing up a breakup? Really?” “I am completely serious.” “You do this every single time you throw a fit.” She lowered her voice, using the practiced, patient tone of someone talking to a toddler. “Alright, fine. When you are done pouting, call me, and I will come see you.” “Michelle…” “Declan, behave. Tomorrow I will take you to that omakase place you have been wanting to try.” I didn’t say anything else. After a few seconds of silence, her tone dropped, turning cold. “Declan, it has been five years. When have you ever actually had the guts to leave me?” She said it so quietly, but I didn’t have an answer. She genuinely did not believe it. She did not believe I could ever walk away. I hung up. James walked out of the kitchen with a glass of water and sat heavily across from me. “What did she say?” “She said she will come see me.” “Are you going to see her?” “No.” He looked like he wanted to scream at me, but checking my expression, he swallowed his words. I stared at the black screen of my phone. Her name was at the very top of my call log. The contact name was still the one I saved five years ago: “Michelle” with a little sun emoji next to it. We had just started dating. She waited for me outside my dorm building, clutching a warm water bottle against her chest. The November wind was brutal, and her cheeks were flushed a deep, beautiful pink. She told me my roommate mentioned my hands always cracked and bled in the winter, and that I just powered through it while drawing architectural drafts late at night. I told her not to bother, that guys didn’t use cute little water bottles. It was embarrassing. She just laughed, shoved the warm bottle into my hands, and wrapped her fingers over my freezing ones. When you are with me, you do not have to pretend to be tough. If you are cold or exhausted, you tell me. Her eyes were so bright back then. Just looking at her made me feel incredibly safe. James suddenly broke the silence. “Do you even remember when she started changing?” I thought about it for a long time. “I don’t remember.” Maybe it was the first time Martin showed up, crying that he couldn’t afford his tuition. Maybe it was the very first time she told me to “just be the bigger person.” The change was a slow poison. She took away just a tiny fraction of her love every single day. By the time I finally turned around to look, there was absolutely nothing left. James pulled a blanket off the couch and tossed it over me. “Do not go back to that apartment. Just crash here.” “Yeah.” At 3:00 AM, my phone lit up with another call from her. The screen glowed for three seconds before going dark. She didn’t try calling back. Because in her reality, my tantrums only lasted one night. Once the sun came up, I would quietly pack my pride and go back home. Just like I had every single time before. I manually swiped away the missed call notification. For the first time in five years. “James, get out of the way and let me in.” Late the next afternoon, Michelle was standing outside James’s front door, holding a white bakery bag. James stood dead center in the doorway, blocking her path. “He does not want to see you.” “I know he is throwing a fit.” She offered a casual, dismissive smile. “Just let me in so I can say two sentences to him, and then I will leave.” “Say what? Explain why you couldn’t even bother to put his name in your Instagram post?” Michelle’s smile vanished instantly. “James, this is between Declan and me.” “Don’t call him Declan like you own him. He is Mr. Wright to you.” I walked up to the door and put a hand on James’s arm, pressing it down. “James, let her in. I will talk to her face to face.” James stepped aside, glaring daggers at her, looking her up and down with absolute disgust. She slipped off her shoes, walked inside, and placed the white paper bag on the coffee table. It was a slice of cake. “Your favorite tiramisu. I didn’t get a chance to give it to you yesterday.” I didn’t even touch the box. She sat down on the armchair across from me. “Declan, what exactly do you want me to do?” “I already told you. We are done.” Her eyebrows pulled together in deep frustration. “You are breaking off an engagement over a rented tuxedo?” “It is not about the tuxedo.” “Then what is it about?” She crossed her legs and leaned forward, clasping her hands together. It was the exact same posture she took every time we argued. She was treating me like a patient, tolerating my outburst until I ran out of breath. “Last year on my birthday, I booked a reservation at a Michelin-star restaurant two months in advance. Right as we were leaving, Martin called. He said his stomach hurt. You drove straight to his apartment.” “He was completely alone. What if it was appendicitis?” “When you got there, you realized he just ate too much takeout. And then you sat on his couch and watched movies with him until midnight. I sat alone in that restaurant until they turned the lights off.” She hesitated for a split second. “Didn’t I apologize for that? I even bought you that designer watch to make up for it.” “You bought him the exact same watch, didn’t you?” “He was going through a really depressive episode at the time…” “He is always going through a depressive episode.” My voice dropped lower, steady and completely hollow. “When is he ever actually happy?” Michelle fell completely silent. “Last month, I had a massive business trip. You told me to take an Uber to the airport because you had to drive Martin to his campus orientation.” She opened her mouth defensively. “He had four massive suitcases…” “You gave him our winter quilt. The one my mother shipped to us from our hometown.” “That old thing was practically falling apart. I told you I would buy you a brand new silk one.” “That was mine! My mother wore her reading glasses and hand-stitched that quilt for an entire week. When she mailed it, she wrapped it in three layers of industrial plastic so the post office wouldn’t damage the threading!” The living room went dead silent. James was standing by the kitchen island, his knuckles completely white from gripping the marble counter. I didn’t say another word. In the past, I would have chased her with questions. I would have cried and asked her why she was doing this to me. And the second she said, “I am sorry,” I would have forgiven her instantly. But this time, I was just completely and utterly exhausted. “Declan,” Michelle said, her voice dropping into a tone of profound, subtle disappointment. “I always thought you were different from the rest of them.” “Them?” “People who hold grudges over petty, meaningless things.” She frowned, looking at me with dead seriousness. “I thought you understood me. Martin has absolutely no one in this world to rely on. You have me. You have a loving family. You have money. You don’t lack anything… So I took care of him a little bit. Is that really a crime?” She spoke with absolute sincerity. She genuinely believed every single word coming out of her mouth. “You have everything in the world. Can you not just show a little grace to someone who has absolutely nothing?” I stared at her. I stared at her for a very long time. There was actual anticipation in her eyes. She was waiting for me to nod and say, “You are right,” just like I always did. But of all the things I supposedly had in this world, one of them was supposed to be Michelle. She was systematically packing up every piece of her love and moving it into another man’s life, and then she had the nerve to ask me why I felt empty. “You are right, Michelle. I have everything.” She let out a visible sigh of relief. “Which means I do not need you either.” The relief vanished from her face instantly. “Declan.” “You never used to be this cruel.” I didn’t answer. She stood up abruptly, grabbed her purse, pulled the front door open, and marched out. My eyes drifted down to the white bakery box on the table. Tiramisu. She had already forgotten. I stopped eating tiramisu a year ago. [Billing Point] The tailored suit in the mirror looked flawless. My mother stood behind me, gently adjusting the bowtie. The wrinkles around her eyes deepened as she smiled warmly. “When is Michelle getting here? I haven’t seen that girl in half a year.” I glanced down at my phone screen. Michelle had texted me ten minutes ago. Martin lost the data for his graduation thesis. He is having a panic attack in his professor’s office. I have to go handle it. Just try the suit on yourself. Explain the situation to your mom. She always loved me; I know she will understand. I booked a reservation at her favorite seafood place tonight to make it up to her. My mother just had minimally invasive heart surgery last month. I hadn’t told her anything about what was happening with Michelle. I locked my screen and turned around, forcing a bright smile. “Mom, her firm called an emergency board meeting. She can’t make it.” My mother paused for a second, then patted my hand affectionately. “Her career comes first! It is a good thing for a young woman to be ambitious. You look incredibly handsome anyway. Come on, let Mom take a few pictures.” Click. In the photo, I was wearing a perfectly tailored suit, smiling for the camera, but there was absolutely no light left in my eyes. After I put my mother on the high-speed train back to our hometown, I drove straight to James’s apartment. Sitting on his couch, I dialed the wedding planner. “Hello. The reservation I made for the Crystal Lake Chapel. Cancel it.” The line went quiet for a moment. “Mr. Wright, that venue has an eight-month waiting list. The thirty-thousand-dollar deposit is strictly non-refundable. Are you absolutely certain?” “I am certain.” “But you drove out there over a dozen times. You checked every single detail. Our lead designer said she had never seen a groom put so much heart into…” “Just cancel it. Thank you.” I hung up the phone. James was sitting on the other end of the couch. “You are really doing this?” “Yeah.” That chapel was thirty miles outside the city limits. There was no subway access. You had to take two separate buses and hike for twenty minutes to get there. I chose it because it was built right on the edge of a massive, pristine lake. Five years ago, on our very first road trip, we found that lake. I spent an entire afternoon taking photos of her by the water. That day, she was the happiest I had ever seen her. She threw her arms around my neck and whispered that this lake was our secret sanctuary. I spent months fighting with the designers over the venue blueprints. I chose white magnolias for the centerpieces because her mother loved elegant, minimalist flowers. The string quartet was instructed to play the exact instrumental track that was playing in the coffee shop on our first date. I hand-drew the seating chart. I color-coded it. Pink ink for her guests, blue ink for mine. I purposefully placed her college roommate, who had a severe phobia of heights, at a window seat on the ground floor. Michelle never asked about a single one of these details. Not once. “Declan, if you need to cry, just cry. I am not going to judge you,” James said quietly. I shook my head. I ran out of tears a long time ago. … When Michelle finally called James, he was at his office grinding through architectural drafts. “Declan’s phone is turned off. Pass a message to him for me.” James slowly put his pen down. “What is it?” “Martin is taking his graduation photos next month. He wants a unique backdrop.” Her tone was incredibly casual, like she was asking him to pick up milk from the grocery store. “I suddenly remembered the chapel Declan booked. The lake view is gorgeous. Tell him to call the venue and let Martin borrow the grounds for the afternoon.” James gripped his phone, his knuckles turning stark white. “Michelle.” “That venue is already canceled.”

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1 The project in my hands wrapped up flawlessly. The General Manager handed me a $300,000 bonus check right there on the spot, the entire floor erupting into applause. Before the paper even had time to warm up in my hands, Valerie from my team sidled over. Her lips were stretched into a sickeningly sweet smile. “Congratulations, Aria!” She leaned in, her voice dripping with fake camaraderie. “But let’s be real, this project wouldn’t have crossed the finish line without everyone’s support. Remember when you were drowning in work last month? I was the one who pulled those data summaries together for you.” Her so-called ‘help’ consisted of dumping a spreadsheet riddled with errors onto my desk, forcing me to burn half a day redoing it all myself. I swallowed the urge to roll my eyes and forced a tight, polite smile. “Right. Thanks for that, Valerie.” I thought that would be the end of it. I was dead wrong. First thing the next morning, my phone started buzzing off the hook. The department Slack channel was blowing up. The message at the very top was from Valerie. “To celebrate our massive project success and to thank the team for all our hard work, Aria is treating us to dinner tonight at six! Let’s all go soak up some of that good luck!” I stared at the screen, letting out a dry, incredulous laugh. When did I ever agree to pay for a department dinner? Below her announcement, a cascade of kiss-ass replies had already piled up. “Thanks for organizing, Val! You’re the best!” “Valerie always takes care of us!” “I’ll be there! Aria is so generous! Sticking with Val always pays off!” Reading row after row of people thanking Valerie and praising my non-existent generosity, a hot knot of anger tightened in my chest. While I was sitting there in pure disbelief, another notification popped up. It was Marcus, one of the senior engineers who practically lived in Valerie’s shadow. “You seeing this, Aria? That’s what we call big picture thinking from Valerie. When you’re young and just making a name for yourself, you need to show some gratitude. You’ve got a lot to learn from her about office politics and networking. Don’t just bury your head in your screen.” His message acted like blood in the water, drawing out more sycophants. “Marcus hit the nail on the head! Valerie is a real role model.” “Aria, you should really ask Val to mentor you!” I slammed my phone face-down on the desk. Learn from her? Learn what? How to have the sheer audacity to spend someone else’s money and take all the credit for it? Unbelievable. Seeing that I hadn’t replied in the channel, Valerie sashayed over to my cubicle, her hips swaying with unearned confidence. “Aria, honey, I handled all the reservations for you. Booked the VIP room, the biggest one they have!” She leaned down, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Look, you just bagged a massive payout. If you don’t bleed a little cash to show your appreciation, the people under you are going to get bitter. I’m doing this for your own good. It builds team cohesion.” Looking at her smug, self-satisfied face, a wave of nausea washed over me. I opened my mouth to shut it down immediately. “Valerie, I…” “Oh, stop! Don’t be shy!” She cut me off instantly, her voice rising so the whole floor could hear. “Look at our Aria, guys! So modest, she’s actually blushing! It’s settled then!” That evening, we sat in the largest private dining room of a high-end seafood restaurant. After three rounds of drinks, the room was buzzing with a tipsy, loud energy. Valerie clearly felt the mood was ripe. She tapped her fork against her wine glass and stood up. The room gradually quieted down. “Aria definitely spearheaded this project, and corporate rewarding her with $300,000 is well deserved. We are all thrilled for her!” She offered a token compliment before seamlessly pivoting to her real agenda. “However, no project succeeds in a vacuum. It takes a village, and it takes the silent, grinding effort of every single person sitting at this table!” She paused for dramatic effect, her eyes locking onto mine with the practiced weight of a disappointed parent. “So, I have a proposal. How about you take a slice of that bonus and share it with your work family?” She didn’t even give me a second to process before laying out the math she had obviously been calculating all day. “Nothing crazy. Just carve out $200,000. There are fifteen of us in the department including you. That’s a clean $13,000 per person. You’re young, Aria. You have to look at the long game. There’s always more money to be made, but if a team loses its spirit, you can never get it back.” Her little clique of yes-men immediately started nodding and chiming in. “Valerie is so right! Wealth is better shared, Aria!” “Exactly! Do this, and we’ll bust our asses for you on the next one!” “Thirteen grand isn’t even that much to you now. Just treat it like you’re buying us a vacation!” I had never in my life witnessed a group of people dress up blatant extortion with such righteous vocabulary. Every eye in the room was fixed on me. Some looked greedy, some jealous, and a few held a trace of pity. I calmly set my fork down and picked up a linen napkin, dabbing the corners of my mouth. “Valerie, you make a fascinating point.” A triumphant, greedy light ignited in Valerie’s eyes, as if the cash was already resting in her bank account. “But tell me,” I kept my voice perfectly level. “What exactly did any of you do to help me on this project?” Her smile froze instantly. The temperature in the private room plummeted. I maintained my polite, even tone. “Valerie, during the initial phase, I needed raw market data. You told me you would coordinate with the vendors. I waited three days, only for you to tell me they ‘wouldn’t give you the time of day.’ I had to pull an all-nighter to scrape and rebuild that research from scratch.” She opened her mouth to argue, but I didn’t give her an inch. I shifted my gaze straight to Marcus. “Marcus. I hit a technical wall and came to you for advice. You patted my shoulder, said it was an easy fix, and promised to look at it later. That ‘later’ miraculously arrived the day after the deadline.” Marcus’s face turned a mottled red, his eyes darting away to stare at the tablecloth. I let my voice rise just a fraction, lacing it with ice and absolute disdain. “I carried this entire project on my back from day one. Where do you all find the nerve to stand here and demand an equal cut of my payout?” “Is it because you’re older? Because you have zero shame?” “Or is it just because you’re completely delusional?” 2 A sudden snort broke the silence. An intern sitting in the corner, who usually caught the worst of Valerie’s bullying, couldn’t hold back a laugh. Valerie’s hand shook violently as she pointed a manicured finger at me. It took her a full ten seconds to squeeze out a pathetic defense through gritted teeth. “Aria Kensington! How dare you slander me! When have I ever refused to help you!” “Whether it’s slander or the truth, you know exactly what you did.” I had zero interest in debating a liar. I grabbed my purse, stood up, and walked out the door. I assumed the storm had passed. But the next morning, the second I sat down at my cubicle, Valerie marched over and slammed a ridiculously long receipt down on my keyboard. “What the hell is your problem, Aria!” She planted her hands on her hips, her voice a screeching siren designed to turn every head in the office. “Fine, you’re too greedy to share the bonus! But you promised to pay for dinner, and you sneaked out like a rat! You humiliated all of us, and we had to split the check! Your character is absolute garbage!” I glanced down at the crumpled receipt. Unbelievable. Fifteen people managed to rack up an $8,000 bill. They had deliberately ordered the most expensive bottles of wine and premium seafood, fully intending to bleed me dry. I looked up at her, my expression blank. “When exactly did I ever say I was paying for that dinner?” Valerie blinked, clearly not expecting me to challenge the premise. She immediately doubled down on her twisted logic. “I posted it in the Slack channel! Everyone saw it! You didn’t object!” “So, you unilaterally make an announcement in a group chat, I ignore it, and that constitutes my legal consent?” I let out a short, mocking laugh. “By your flawless logic, if I post in the channel right now that Valerie is voluntarily donating her entire salary next year to the company retreat fund, you’ll just hand it over?” A few people in the neighboring cubicles let out muffled snickers. Valerie’s face flushed a deep, ugly crimson. She was losing her grip and she knew it. “You! Everyone went because we thought you were paying! You owe us this money! Who is ever going to trust you in this industry again if you don’t pay up!” I leaned back in my ergonomic chair, crossing my arms, completely unbothered. “Valerie, I didn’t take a single bite of food or sip of water the entire time I was there. Why on earth would I pay your tab?” I picked up my phone and unlocked the screen. “Do you want me to call the restaurant manager right now and pull the security footage? From the second I walked in to the second I left, I didn’t touch a single plate.” Her face went completely slack. She hadn’t anticipated I would go straight for the security cameras. “You… you’re talking crazy! How do we know you didn’t bribe the restaurant staff!” She was grasping at straws, her overbearing aura rapidly deflating. I looked at her like she was an absolute clown. “Bribe a high-end restaurant over an eight grand bill? You really think way too highly of yourself, and way too little of me.” “Whoever ordered the lobster, pays for the lobster.” I flicked the receipt right back at her chest. In the end, Valerie and her little clique of scavengers had to swallow that massive credit card charge themselves. During my lunch break, a friend from marketing sent me a direct message with a link. “Aria, your team is actually unhinged. Look at this.” I clicked the link. It took me straight to the company’s anonymous Blind forum. Sitting pretty at the top of the trending page was a thread titled: [EXPOSED: The New Girl in Operations Agreed to Treat the Team, Pulled a Runner, and Left Senior Staff with an $8,000 Bill!] The post was vicious. “A certain new hire named Aria got incredibly lucky and scored a massive project bonus. She offered to take the whole department out to celebrate. And what does she do? She sneaks out the back door when no one is looking!” “She left her mentors with an eight grand tab! The senior staff just had to bite the bullet and split it. Are all Gen Z hires this arrogant and selfish now? Does a toxic, anti-team player like this really belong in our corporate culture?” 3 Pinned right below the post was a cropped screenshot of the Slack chat. It showed Valerie’s message announcing I was paying, but conveniently cropped out the timestamp and the lack of my reply, making it look like an agreed-upon plan. The comment section was an absolute dumpster fire. “I know exactly who this is. Trash behavior!” “Lol, gets a little cash and thinks she’s better than the rest of us corporate slaves.” “HR needs to step in. People like this are a liability.” “Sending prayers to her team. Imagine dealing with a psycho like that daily.” The vitriol was pouring in by the second. I stared at the monitor, my face devoid of emotion, but a cold, sharp laugh echoed in my head. Valerie was hellbent on destroying my reputation. I placed my fingers on the keyboard, ready to nuke the thread with the truth, when a notification popped up. Greg, the department supervisor, wanted me in his office immediately. The second I closed the door, Greg frowned, skipping the pleasantries. “I saw the thread on Blind, Aria. I have to say, Valerie has been with this company for years. How could you humiliate her like that?” When I didn’t immediately apologize, he assumed I was intimidated. “Look, her execution might have been a bit flawed, but her intentions were good. She just wanted team harmony! You blowing it up like this and embarrassing everyone… how do you think that helps your career trajectory here?” I shot him a sideways glance, thoroughly unimpressed. “Greg, are you defending her so fiercely because she’s a valued senior employee? Or is it because… she’s your long-time mistress?” Greg’s face went deathly pale, then violently red. He slammed his hands on the desk and shot up from his chair, pointing a trembling finger at me. “Aria Kensington! What the hell is wrong with you! Watch your damn mouth!” “We both know I’m not lying.” If he wanted to play dirty, I was perfectly happy to rip off the bandaids. “If she wasn’t sleeping with you, do you really think someone with her abysmal metrics and zero talent would still be walking around this office acting like she owns the place?” “You… you lying bitch! I will fire you right now! Try me!” His chest was heaving. I had struck the exact nerve I aimed for. “Fire me?” I casually tapped my phone against the palm of my hand. “If corporate finds out about the little financial discrepancies you two have been cooking up, let’s see which one of us gets escorted out by security.” “You… you…” He choked on his words, completely paralyzed. He didn’t dare make a move. After all, I was the one who just secured a massive account for the company. Valerie watched me stroll out of the supervisor’s office completely unscathed. She practically ground her teeth into dust, glaring at me with pure, unfiltered venom. I ignored her and went straight back to my desk to finalize the project handover. The only thing left was to import the market data Valerie was responsible for, generate the final deck, and submit it to the client. I took a slow breath and walked over to her desk. “I need the market data for the final report. Send it over now. It has to be in the client’s inbox by six PM.” Valerie was leisurely applying luxury hand cream, not even bothering to look at me. “What’s the rush? This data is sensitive. I need to run it through another audit. If there’s a mistake, who’s going to take the fall?” I knew for a fact the data had been ready for days. She was just sitting on it. “How long is this audit going to take?” I asked, keeping my voice clipped. “Hard to say,” she purred, blowing softly on her manicured nails before flashing me a venomous fake smile. “Data is delicate work. You can’t rush perfection.” Looking at her smug, punchable face, I knew her game. She was going to drag this out to the absolute last second to make me sweat. I walked back to my desk and set a timer, asking her every single hour. “Still checking.” “Stop rushing me, it makes me prone to errors.” Right up until five PM, when people were already grabbing their coats to leave. I stood over her desk one last time. She looked up, feigning surprise. “Oh, look at my memory! Just finished it!” I forced down the urge to scream, grabbed the file, generated the report at lightning speed, and sprinted out the door to hand-deliver it to the client’s office. Despite practically flying through traffic, I was five minutes late. But, thankfully, it was done. Sitting in the back of my car on the way home, I dialed a private number straight to Corporate HQ. “Add Greg Dawson and Valerie to the termination list.” “Understood, Miss Kensington.” My father had warned me the culture at this branch was rotting from the inside out, which is why he sent me here undercover. Looks like I had just found the maggots. 4 The next morning, my driver, Cole, dropped me off in front of the office building. The moment my heels hit the pavement, Valerie and her little flock of followers swarmed out of nowhere, blocking the entrance. Valerie’s eyes were glued to the sleek black luxury sedan behind me, pure, unadulterated envy swimming in her gaze. She stepped aggressively into Cole’s line of sight, pointing a finger at me. “Hey, handsome! Don’t let this girl play you! She acts all innocent, but she is absolute poison!” Cole’s expression hardened into granite. I reached out and rested a hand on his forearm to keep him grounded. “Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “Do tell. How exactly am I poison?” My calm reaction only fueled her manic energy. She practically vibrated with malicious glee. “I saw it with my own two eyes yesterday! You screwed up your timeline and missed the deadline for the client. You were running around the lobby of their building looking like a panicked rat. But suddenly, your project gets approved anyway! You suck at your job, but you sure know how to use your other assets!” She paused, making sure a crowd of morning commuters had stopped to listen, before turning the volume up to ten. “She was out on the sidewalk, practically grinding up against some old suit who looked old enough to be her father! They were so close it was disgusting! Next thing you know, the old guy takes her file and struts right into the executive elevator! Tell me, unless she’s selling herself, why would a senior executive at the client’s firm bail her out?!” Her sycophants swarmed in, feeding off the drama like parasites. “No wonder she got that massive bonus. She was putting in overtime on her knees!” “She dresses like a professional, but she’s just a cheap escort behind closed doors. You really can’t judge a book by its cover!” “Dude, seriously,” one of the guys sneered at Cole. “Watch your back. Don’t let her use you as a stepping stone. You’re probably just one of her many sugar daddies.” It was the peak of the morning rush. Dozens of coworkers from different departments had stopped to stare, whispering and pointing at me. If I were just a regular new hire, this kind of aggressive, public character assassination would have shattered my mental health. Instead, I looked at her with mild amusement. “Is that right? Do you have a single shred of proof?” Seeing that Cole hadn’t flinched or stepped away from me, Valerie’s voice hit a shrill, hysterical pitch. “Of course I do! I’ve got the smoking gun right here!” She triumphantly shoved her phone into the air. On the screen was a crisp, zoomed-in photo of me and my father standing outside the client’s building. I had been stressed out of my mind about the five-minute delay, and he had coincidentally been arriving for a meeting with their CEO. I never imagined this psycho had actually followed me and photographed us. “Look at this! The old creep has his hand right on her shoulder! Look at how she’s smiling at him! She looks ready to drop to her knees right there on the sidewalk!” Hearing her spew such vile filth about my father, my hands curled into tight fists. My voice cracked like a whip. “You have absolutely no idea who that man is, and you stand here spewing garbage out of your mouth!” Being shouted down in front of a crowd sent Valerie over the edge. Her face twisted into a mask of pure hatred. “I don’t need to know who he is! I know exactly what you are! You’re a manipulative, social-climbing little slut who used her body to steal my bonus!” Before I could blink, she violently swung her arm forward, hurling the contents of her travel mug straight at my face. A splash of scalding liquid hit my chest. Cole gasped sharply. The entire courtyard went dead silent. Cole reacted instantly, pulling a pristine handkerchief from his inside pocket and frantically dabbing at the dark coffee stains ruining my silk blouse. Looking down at the ruined fabric, a slow, freezing smile spread across my face. Without breaking eye contact with Valerie, I pulled out my phone and hit a speed dial number. I put it on speaker for the entire crowd to hear. “Get the legal team down to the branch lobby right now. I need immediate evidence collection for public defamation, harassment, and physical assault.” I paused, letting my words hang in the crisp morning air. “And call the regional director. Tell him if he can’t manage the animals in his building, I’ll dissolve his entire branch by noon.” Valerie’s hand remained frozen in mid-air, the empty travel mug slipping from her grip and clattering onto the concrete. The absolute certainty in my voice sent a violent shockwave through the crowd. The coworkers who were just laughing and pointing at me were now choking on their own breath. A terrifying thought crashed into Valerie’s mind: What if she really is… someone from Corporate? A suffocating wave of panic seized her chest. Just then, the sound of frantic, heavy footsteps echoed across the pavement. Everyone turned to see Greg, the department supervisor, sprinting toward us. His face was a ghastly shade of gray. Valerie’s eyes lit up with desperate hope. Surely Greg was coming to back her up. But Greg didn’t even notice the bizarre, frozen tableau in the courtyard. He locked eyes with me and immediately started screaming at the top of his lungs. “Aria! What the hell was in that final data report you sent to Carmichael yesterday?! It’s completely corrupted! Mr. Carmichael just called me personally and ripped my head off! Do you have any idea how many millions we are going to lose because of this?! How could you be so utterly incompetent?!” My eyes widened in genuine shock. That was the data file Valerie had hoarded until the final five minutes! I never had time to audit her numbers! Before I could even formulate a defense, the terror vanished from Valerie’s face. Greg’s screaming was a shot of pure adrenaline straight to her heart. Her spine snapped straight, her arrogant smirk returning in full force. “Ha!” she sneered, her voice dripping with venom. “And here I thought you were some big shot undercover! Turns out you’re just a useless piece of trash who can’t even handle basic spreadsheet entry!” She spun around, playing to the crowd of nervous onlookers. “Look at her, everyone! This is the girl who just tried to threaten us with lawyers! She talks a big game, but her actual work is so garbage she just pissed off our biggest client! She almost tanked our entire department! Corporate needs to fire this liability immediately!” She masterfully redirected all the heat right back onto me. Greg was completely blinded by his own panic. He didn’t even register Cole standing next to me like a bodyguard. He only cared about finding a scapegoat to survive Carmichael’s wrath. “Aria, what the hell do you have to say for yourself?!” Greg roared, his eyes bulging with rage. I looked at the two of them—the corrupt manager and his malicious mistress—and whatever shred of professional courtesy I had left evaporated into thin air. “You didn’t even trace the source data, but you instantly blame me?” I asked, my voice deadly calm. “Valerie intentionally withheld that file until five minutes before the deadline, knowing I wouldn’t have time to verify her numbers. A mid-level associate doesn’t have the guts to pull a stunt like that alone. Tell me, Greg, did you two plan this together? Sabotage the account just to frame me?” Greg’s face twitched violently. “You paranoid bitch! Don’t drag us into your mess just because you’re incompetent!” Valerie didn’t give anyone time to process my accusation. She immediately lunged for the kill, her eyes burning with greed. “Stop wasting breath on her, Greg! The client is furious, we might lose the contract entirely! Someone who ruins an account doesn’t deserve a three-hundred-thousand-dollar bonus! That money needs to be seized and returned to the company to cover the damages!” It always came back to the money. To satisfy their own petty, pathetic greed, they were willing to nuke a multi-million dollar account and destroy months of work from the entire department. A white-hot rage ignited in my chest. I opened my mouth, ready to strip away the facade and annihilate them both with my real title. But suddenly, Valerie gasped dramatically. Her eyes bulged as she pointed a trembling finger at my chest. “Oh my god! Everyone, look! Look at her neck!” Instantly, fifty pairs of eyes snapped to my collarbone. Resting against my skin, partially hidden by the coffee-stained silk, was a delicate, blindingly brilliant diamond necklace. The morning sun caught the central stone, scattering fractures of intense light. “That… that’s a limited-edition piece from House of V! I saw it in Vogue last month!” a girl from marketing gasped, her voice thick with jealousy. “It’s a global exclusive! It costs at least three hundred thousand dollars!” That number hit the crowd like a bomb. “She has the audacity to wear a piece like that?!” “She just cost the company millions, and she’s parading around in a necklace worth a house?!” “Holy hell, where did she get the money? Don’t tell me she blew the entire project bonus on jewelry?!”

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My roommate was a preachy bleeding-heart. On our very first day of college, she snatched my electric bug zapper right out of my hand. “Mosquitoes are living creatures too. How can you be so cruel as to kill them?” That night, she threw all our dorm windows wide open, claiming she wanted to leave a door open for the lost little souls outside. I was bitten so badly that I developed a high fever from the allergic reaction. My eyelids swelled so much I could barely open them. But when I tried to hang a protective mosquito net over my bed, she tore it down, sobbing hysterically. “How can you be so selfish? You protect yourself in a little bubble, but what about them?” In my past life, that single sentence was the catalyst. It triggered a wave of public shaming on our campus forum, pulling my roommates, my classmates, and strangers alike into a self-righteous mob. They called me cold-blooded. They said she was just too pure and kind, and that I couldn’t even tolerate a few tiny insects. Ultimately, the severe allergic reaction sent me into anaphylactic shock, landing me in the ICU. Even as I fought for my life, she cried in front of her livestream camera, claiming my hostile attitude had simply provoked the poor mosquitoes. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on that very first day of college. She was holding down my bug zapper, her eyes rimmed with red. “You won’t hurt them, right?” Instead of arguing, I pulled out my phone, grabbed my documents, and walked straight to the housing director’s office. “Professor, I’m applying to live off-campus.” If anyone wanted to turn their dorm room into a wildlife sanctuary, they could do it without me. 1 Advisor Beth looked up from her desk, the orientation roster only half-turned. “Phoebe? You just checked in. Why are you already asking to commute?” I placed my admission letter, ID copy, hospital allergy certification, and off-campus housing application on her desk. “Professor, I have a medical history of severe, life-threatening allergic reactions to insect bites. Right now, my roommate, Lisa, is refusing to let us use any bug spray or zappers, and she won’t even let me hang a net.” The office fell dead silent. A student assistant sorting files in the corner couldn’t help but snort. “She won’t let you kill mosquitoes?” Beth frowned. “Phoebe, roommate conflicts should be resolved through communication first. Off-campus approval isn’t something we can process in a single day.” Just then, a soft, trembling voice echoed from the doorway. “That isn’t a conflict.” Lisa stood by the door, clutching my electric bug zapper to her chest like a shield. She was wearing a simple white cotton dress, her eyes swollen and red, looking as though she were the one who had been deeply wronged. “Professor, she wants to commit murder.” The smirk on the student assistant’s face instantly froze. Beth stared at the object in Lisa’s arms. “Why do you have her property?” Lisa held the zapper even tighter. “This thing is terrifying. I only took it to keep her from doing something awful. Every living thing has a soul, and they feel pain too.” Tears began to roll down her cheeks. “I know everyone thinks I’m strange, but I just wish this world wasn’t so cruel.” A few freshmen had gathered in the hallway, peeking through the open door. “She’s so sweet and empathetic,” one whispered. Others began to cast judgmental looks in my direction. The familiar, suffocating pressure returned to my chest. In my past life, it had played out exactly like this. The moment Lisa shed a tear, everyone automatically assumed she was the victim. When I said I had an allergy, they accused me of exaggerating. When I said she refused to let me close the window, they claimed it was normal to want fresh summer air. When I said she destroyed my net, they defended her, saying she was just acting out of pure, passionate emotion. And while I lay mute on an ICU bed, they were busy debating whether I was too cold-hearted. This time, I didn’t bother explaining. I simply looked at Beth. “Professor, I’m not here to judge her personal beliefs. I am simply requesting to be separated from her.” Lisa’s sobbing paused. She looked up, tears clinging to her eyelashes. “Do you really hate me that much?” “I am allergic to mosquitoes,” I replied flatly. As if deeply wounded by my coldness, she took a half-step back. “But they are only trying to survive.” I pulled up my sleeve, exposing my forearm. Several large, angry red welts had already blossomed across my skin, their edges inflamed and hot. “So am I.” The office fell silent. Beth looked over my medical document, her brow furrowing deeper. “An off-campus application requires parental consent, department approval, and a housing manager’s signature.” Lisa sniffled, wiping her nose. “Professor, there’s no need to make such a big deal out of this. I’ll work hard to help Phoebe understand how beautiful and precious all life is.” I looked at her. “I don’t need to understand mosquitoes. And I certainly don’t need your effort.” 3 The off-campus application couldn’t be approved on the spot. Beth explained that she needed to contact my parents and the housing department to verify the procedure. Hearing the words “contact parents,” Lisa wept even harder. “Please don’t call my mother. She’ll think I’m causing trouble for others again.” Some of the onlookers at the door softened. “Professor, maybe let them go back to the dorm and talk it out?” “Moving out on the very first day doesn’t look good for the department.” “They’re just girls, a quick chat will clear everything up.” Beth looked at me. Her expression wasn’t one of favoritism, but of sheer exhaustion. University bureaucracy moved slowly, but emotional drama escalated in seconds. Lisa knew exactly how to play the crowd. She clutched the bug zapper, her voice barely a whisper, yet loud enough for everyone in the hallway to hear. “Phoebe, I just want you to carry less hostility in your heart. Mosquitoes are so tiny, they can’t even fight back. If we don’t protect them, who will?” In my past life, this was the point where I had backed down. I had worried about ruining roommate relationships on day one, so I followed her back to the room. That night, she kept the windows wide open and turned off the fan, claiming the breeze would disorient the poor insects. I was bitten repeatedly until four in the morning, my throat swelling and closing. When I reached for my medicine, she cried that the chemical smell would harm them. Later, I was on my knees, clawing at the bed frame as my vision went black. This time, I placed my phone on the desk and pressed record. “Professor, I am happy to cooperate with the official process,” I said. “But until the off-campus approval is finalized, I will not sleep in that dorm. If the university cannot temporarily assign me another bed, I require a written statement from the office.” “A statement?” Beth asked. “Yes. Stating that I have submitted medical proof of a severe allergy, and that the university is aware a student in my assigned dorm is actively preventing basic health and safety measures.” Silence blanketed the office once more. Lisa’s tears dried up instantly. She stared at me, her eyes suddenly cold and unfamiliar. Beth remained quiet for a few seconds before picking up her desk phone and dialing the housing office. “We have an issue in Dorm Building Two, Room 503. Please send a supervisor up there immediately. A student is reporting that she cannot use preventative measures or nets due to a roommate’s interference.” After listening to the reply, Beth’s expression grew incredibly complicated. “Yes, I am serious. It’s not a joke.” Lisa suddenly lunged toward me. “Why do you have to blow everything out of proportion?” Her voice was sharp, yet she quickly softened it for the crowd outside. “We could have easily learned to understand each other.” Nearby, someone raised a phone to record us. I stepped back. “Don’t touch me.” Lisa bit her lip, fresh tears spilling over. “I didn’t touch you! Why are you acting like I’m a monster?” Suddenly, the bug zapper in her arms let out a loud zap. She must have accidentally pressed the power button. A bright flash of blue-purple electricity crackled in the air. With a shriek, she threw the zapper away. It flew across the room and slammed into a girl’s suitcase near the door, leaving a nasty white crack in the plastic shell. The girl’s face went white. “That’s my new suitcase!” Lisa scrambled to her feet, panicked. “I’m sorry! It was an accident!” The girl shook with anger. “Does an accident mean you don’t have to pay for it?” Lisa turned her watery eyes back to me. “Phoebe, you scared me. That’s why I dropped it.” Once again, all eyes turned to me. Looking at the cracked suitcase, I wanted to laugh. In my past life, it had been the exact same pattern. When she dumped my repellent down the drain, it was my fault for bringing “toxic weapons” into the room. When she tore my net, it was my fault for provoking her. When I collapsed from a fever, it was my own fragile health at fault, not her gentle heart. Beth spoke up, her voice tight. “Lisa, please write down your details for property damage compensation.” Lisa’s crying halted. “But Professor, I really didn’t mean to.” The girl with the ruined suitcase snapped. “I don’t care what you meant! Are you going to pay for it or not?” Beth closed her eyes. “Let’s go to the dorm.” 4 A small crowd had already gathered outside Dorm Building Two. The building supervisor, the security guard, and the maintenance staff were standing in a line, their faces incredibly grim. The moment the door to Room 503 was unlocked, a damp, sour odor wafted into the corridor. The windows were thrown wide open. On the sill sat a half-filled cup of honey-water, several pieces of rotting peaches, and an open trash bag. In the corner of the balcony, a basin of stagnant water sat undisturbed. Mosquitoes swarmed around the ceiling light, their collective buzzing creating a sickening hum in the small space. The supervisor’s face turned a violent shade of green. “Who did this?” Lisa stood in the center of the room, looking like a martyr. “They get hungry too. The fruit might be ruined for us, but those little lives can still eat it.” The maintenance worker took a deep breath to control his temper. “Miss, this is a student dormitory, not an insect breeding ground. Stagnant water breeds pests, and rotting fruit attracts roaches.” Lisa puckered her lips. “Sir, you’re being so mean. They’ll get scared if they hear you shouting.” A few students in the hallway snickered, while others defended her. “Maybe she’s just incredibly sensitive? We shouldn’t trigger her.” “Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to protect life.” A large mosquito landed on the supervisor’s arm. She slapped it instantly, leaving a smear of blood. Lisa let out a piercing shriek. “You killed it!” The entire floor fell silent. The supervisor stared at the blood on her palm, her face darkening. “You need to worry about yourself first.” Just then, our other two roommates, Tess and Hazel, walked up the stairs. Tess’s arms were covered in red welts, and she was carrying the torn remains of her mosquito net. “This was mine,” Tess said, her voice shaking. Hazel carried her washbasin, her expression sour. “She wouldn’t let us dump the stagnant water on the balcony. She claimed there might be precious eggs inside.” Seeing them, Lisa acted as if she had found her saviors. “Tess, Hazel, please tell them. You know I didn’t mean any harm.” Tess hesitated, looking away. Hazel glanced at me before lowering her voice. “Actually, Lisa is quite pitiful. She’s just too kind.” There it was again. She’s just too kind. Every single disaster in my past life had started with that exact phrase. Lisa choked up. “Phoebe, I really didn’t know your allergy was this bad.” I pulled up my sleeve, exposing my arm. The rash had spread from my wrist to my elbow, forming a dense, angry patch of red. Tess gasped. “You’re actually having a reaction?” Lisa sniffled. “I thought you were just being dramatic because you thought they were dirty.” The tension in the room thickened. I stared at her. “An allergy is not a matter of being dramatic.” She shrank back, tears pooling in her eyes. “I said the wrong thing. Please don’t raise your voice at me.” Hazel sighed. “Phoebe, she already apologized.” Before I could speak, a mosquito drifted down from the ceiling light, landing on Lisa’s neck. A security guard instinctively raised his hand to swat it, but Lisa bolted backward. “Don’t touch it!” She crashed straight into the shoe rack behind the door. Dozens of shoes clattered to the floor, and a pristine white sneaker landed face-down in the basin of stagnant water. The owner of the shoe let out a scream of pure frustration. “Lisa!” 5 In the end, the room couldn’t be cleared immediately. The maintenance staff insisted on chemical fumigation, but Lisa blocked the doorway, weeping and claiming that fumigation was nothing short of a mass genocide. The supervisor ordered her to throw away the rotting fruit and drain the basin. Lisa clung to the bag of rotting peaches as if she were protecting the last scrap of decency in the world. “But they’re still eating!” Some students offered her tissues, some recorded videos, and others posted updates to the campus forum. Soon, a thread began to trend. Compassionate freshman tries to protect innocent lives, driven to tears by cold-hearted roommate. In the attached photo, Lisa was weeping over her bag of peaches while I stood nearby, my rolled-up sleeve making it look as though I were pointing a finger at her in anger. The comment section exploded. “That roommate looks incredibly aggressive.” “Forbidding bug zappers is a bit much, but her heart is in the right place.” “Just because you have an allergy doesn’t mean you can lack basic empathy.” “It’s just a few mosquitoes. Why can’t she be more accommodating?” Tess handed me her phone, looking incredibly awkward. “Phoebe, do you want to post a statement to clarify?” Looking at the photo, my chest tightened. In my past life, I had tried to clarify. I had posted photos of my severe hives, my hospital records, and the stagnant water she kept on the balcony. But no one cared. They only remembered how beautifully Lisa wept. Beth arranged for me to spend the night in the department conference room. “It’s a temporary solution for tonight. I’ll push your off-campus application through first thing in the morning.” The conference room had no bed. I had to push two chairs together, the hard wood aching against my back. Outside the window, Lisa was still crying down by the dorm entrance. Hazel was wrapping a jacket around her shoulders, and Tess was holding a bottle of warm water for her. Before long, a voice shouted from below. “Phoebe!” I walked to the window. Lisa was looking up, her tears glistening under the streetlamp. “I’m willing to help you take care of them! Please don’t be mad at me anymore, okay?” The crowd below began to egg her on. “She’s offering peace, just accept it!” “She’s doing all this, and you’re still acting proud?” “Don’t be so heartless to your classmate!” I slammed the window shut. My phone buzzed continuously. In our class group chat, someone had shared a screenshot of the forum post. Beth posted a message asking everyone to stop sharing it, but a few sarcastic comments immediately followed. “Some people really know how to run to the advisor the second they get to campus.” “We have to see each other every day for the next four years.” “Is it a crime to respect life now?” I took screenshots of all the messages. At one in the morning, a soft knock sounded on the conference room door. Tess stood outside, her face pale. “Phoebe, Lisa says she can’t sleep because the mosquitoes are still buzzing around the room.” I stared at her. “And?” Tess bit her lip. “She says if you come back, we can all have a proper chat. Otherwise, she won’t be able to rest tonight.” “Whether she rests or not has absolutely nothing to do with me.” Tess stammered, “She… she just wants to make peace with you.” “I don’t accept.” Suddenly, Lisa came running down the hallway. In her hands, she held a glass jar filled with a pale yellow liquid. “Phoebe, please, just smell this.” The sticky, cloying scent of honey blasted me in the face. I instantly backed away. Lisa held up the jar, tears streaming down her face. “This is the food I prepared for them! If you would just smell it, you’d know how much they need us!” My throat began to itch and tighten. Tess panicked. “Lisa, get away from her!” But Lisa acted as if she were deaf, taking another step forward. The mouth of the jar was practically shoved against my chest. I violently slapped her hand away. The glass jar shattered on the floor. Sweet honey-water splashed all over the corridor. Lisa collapsed to the ground, her piercing scream echoing through the entire building. “She destroyed their food! She’s trying to kill me! Help! Murder!”

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My father accidentally added me to a group chat called “One Big Happy Family.” There were only three people in it: my father, my mother, and a stranger saved under the nickname “Princess.” They were in the middle of a flurry of messages, eagerly planning a lavish birthday party for her. Tomorrow was her birthday. And tomorrow was also my birthday, which they had consistently forgotten for ten consecutive years. My mother wrote: The venue has to be absolutely magical. We want her to feel like a real princess. My father sent a massive digital cash transfer: Money is no object. Just don’t let your sister find out. I don’t want her making a fuss and ruining the mood. I silently took screenshots of the chat, preparing to wait for the perfect moment to tear their happy little facade to pieces. Just then, my younger brother, Gary, a straight-A student and the pride of our family, sent me a private message. It was a screenshot of his own chat with our father. Dad, is Gilly’s surprise party all set up? You promised me, this is the last time we lie to her. 1 Staring at the screenshot Gary sent, a cold dread seeped into my bones. A surprise? The last time they would lie to me? Every single year on my birthday, they brushed me off with the exact same tired excuses. “Gilly, something urgent came up at the office.” “Gilly, your mother booked a spa day with her friends. Just order yourself some takeout, okay?” This year, they didn’t even bother with the excuses. They had simply replaced me with a brand-new daughter. I tossed my phone onto the bed, a suffocating weight pressing down on my chest. Gary’s name popped up on my screen again: Gilly, don’t overthink it. Mom and Dad… I cut him off with two words: I get it. Overthink? How could I possibly misinterpret this? The proof was laid out right in front of me. This lavish birthday party for “Princess” was the very “surprise” they were using to justify their lies. I, their flesh-and-blood daughter, was nothing more than a background prop, a shadow meant to highlight the dazzling happiness of another girl. From the living room, I heard my mother’s hushed, excited voice on the phone. “Yes, we want the pink balloons. The largest, glossiest ones you have.” “Stella loves pink. We must make sure everything is perfect for her.” Stella. So that was her name: Stella. I opened my social media app and searched for the name. It didn’t take long to find her. Her profile picture was a polished, professional portrait, and her feed was filled with glamorous photos of her travels all over the world. Her most recent post was a picture of her standing between two middle-aged people. The background was our living room. The two people were my parents. In the photo, they smiled with a warmth and tenderness I had never once seen on their faces. My mother was affectionately linking arms with Stella, while my father stood beside them, his eyes full of pure adoration. The caption read: Thank you to my wonderful Aunt and Uncle! I can’t wait for the party tomorrow! My mother had commented below: Silly girl, there’s no need to be formal with us. My father had left a heart emoji. What a beautiful “happy family.” I saved the photo to my private, encrypted vault alongside the group chat screenshots. These would be the “surprises” I presented to them tomorrow. At dinner, my mother ladled a bowl of hot chicken soup, setting it down in front of me with an eager smile. “Gilly, drink up. I simmered this soup for hours just for you.” Staring at the greasy broth, a wave of intense nausea hit the back of my throat. “Is this to build up my energy for Stella’s birthday party tomorrow?” I asked, my voice light and conversational. My mother’s smile instantly froze on her face. She darted a panicked look at my father, whose expression darkened immediately. “What nonsense are you talking about? Who on earth is Stella?” “Oh? Has your memory started to fail you, Dad?” I pulled out my phone and tapped open the saved photo. “This girl right here. Isn’t she your precious princess?” My father’s face turned a violent shade of grey. My mother scrambled to smooth things over. “Gilly, you’ve got it all wrong. She’s the daughter of an incredibly important client of your father’s. We’re just helping them organize her celebration.” “An important client’s daughter?” I let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “So important that you needed to create a private group chat, save her as ‘Princess,’ and send her massive cash transfers?” “So important that you can completely ignore your own daughter’s birthday?” In an instant, the dining room fell so quiet that only our breathing could be heard. Gary rushed out of his room, grabbing my arm. “Gilly, please, just stop talking!” I shook his hand off. “Why? Are you going to help them keep up the lie, too?” Gary’s face drained of color, his lips parting, but he couldn’t find a single word to say. 2 The next day, on my birthday, the house was entirely empty. On the kitchen counter lay a hundred-dollar bill and a scrap of paper in my mother’s elegant handwriting: Gilly, left some money for you on the counter. Buy yourself something nice to eat. Ten years of the exact same neglect, down to the very last dollar. I crumpled the bill into a tight ball and threw it into the trash can. After our argument last night, they didn’t even bother pretending anymore. Before they left, I had heard my mother gushing on the phone. “The venue is fully set up! It looks like an absolute fairytale!” My father was busy barking instructions on the balcony. “Make sure you pack that bottle of ’82 Lafite. We want to make sure Stella has the time of her life today.” And I was left behind, wandering through my own home like a ghost. Gary had left early as well. Before he walked out the door, he had looked at me with a complicated, aching expression. “Gilly, no matter what you see today, please trust me.” Trust him? Trust that he was simply a co-conspirator in this cruel game? I offered a cold, silent smirk, turning away. Around noon, a moving truck pulled up outside. Two delivery workers carried a massive, velvet-lined box up the steps, decorated with an obnoxious pink bow. Standing by the window, I realized that in their eyes, I was worth less than a parcel. My mother ran down the steps to sign for it, her face glowing with excitement. She directed the workers with frantic hand gestures, terrified they might scratch the contents. I recognized the gold emblem on the box. It was a limited-edition grand piano released just last month, carrying a price tag of six figures. Meanwhile, my own piano sat in the corner of my room, its keys yellowed with ten years of use, its tuning long gone. I had tried to gently drop hints to my mother about it before, but she had always brushed me off. It still plays fine, Gilly. We have too many expenses to worry about right now. It wasn’t that the expenses were too high. It was just that I wasn’t worth the cost. The very last ember of hope in my heart died. In the afternoon, I changed into a sharp, tailored black dress. I applied my makeup meticulously, concealing the exhaustion under my eyes. I refused to let them see me break down. I would draw the line between us with absolute pride. I had overheard the venue’s address during my mother’s phone call yesterday. They had rented out the most exclusive grand ballroom in the city. I called a cab. Along the way, the driver kept glancing at the road ahead, whistling. “Big day today, huh, kid? The entire avenue ahead is blocked off. Apparently, some wealthy family is throwing a massive birthday party for their daughter. The scale is incredible.” I curved my lips slightly, remaining silent. Yes, the scale was incredible. So grand that it required ten years of my quiet misery to serve as its prelude. A plush red carpet stretched out from the ballroom entrance, lined on both sides with towering arrangements of pink roses. The welcome sign at the entrance read: Happy Birthday to our precious Princess. And the signature at the bottom: With all our love, Mom and Dad. The words burned my eyes. I pulled out my phone and sent Gary a text: I’ve arrived to claim your surprise. Taking a deep breath, I adjusted my shoulders, stepped onto my heels, and walked into the ballroom. The room was filled with the clinking of crystal glasses and soft laughter. My parents were standing in the center of the crowd, looking radiant as they greeted their high-society guests. And right beside them stood a girl in a stunning, custom-made pink gown. Stella. She looked like a proud peacock, basking in the adoration and blessings of everyone in the room. My mother stepped forward, gently placing a delicate diamond tiara onto Stella’s head. “Our Stella is the most beautiful princess in the world today.” My father handed her a velvet jewelry box, revealing a sparkling diamond necklace. “Do you like it? I had it custom-designed just for you.” Stella smiled sweetly, her eyes shining. “Thank you, Uncle, Auntie. You treat me so wonderfully.” A chorus of admiring murmurs rippled through the guests. “Gavin, she might be your goddaughter, but you treat her better than a biological child!” “Honestly, we’re all put to shame by this level of generosity.” “If you treat your goddaughter this well, Gavin, your own daughter’s birthday party must be legendary. You’d probably pluck the stars from the sky for her!” My parents laughed warmly, waving their hands in polite dismissal. “Of course, of course, she deserves nothing less.” No one noticed me standing in the shadowed corner of the room. I raised my phone, recording every single second of their happy display. Then, I smoothed down the fabric of my black dress, picked up a glass of champagne, and walked slowly toward them. 3 The laughter and music around me seemed to fade into a dull hum. In my vision, there was only that picture-perfect family of three. My father raised his glass, projecting his voice over the microphone. “Thank you all for joining us today to celebrate our princess…” “Our princess?” I repeated, my voice cutting through the air like a knife. The smiles on my parents’ faces instantly froze. My mother reacted first, stepping forward to grab my hand, but I cleanly stepped out of her reach. “Gilly? What are you doing here?” Her voice carried a sharp tremor. “Come, let me introduce you. This is…” “This is Stella, your precious princess, correct?” I interrupted, my gaze locking onto the girl in the pink gown. The smile vanished from Stella’s face. She looked at me, bewildered, a flash of distress crossing her features as she turned to my parents for help. “Who is this?” a guest whispered in confusion. My father’s face turned a violent shade of red. He stepped forward, his voice a low, warning hiss. “Gillian! Stop making a scene! Go home immediately!” “Making a scene?” I let out a cold laugh. “Dad, have you forgotten what day it is?” “Today is also the birthday of your actual, biological daughter. My birthday.” I pronounced each word with absolute, freezing clarity. The room erupted into a flurry of whispers. The guests’ eyes darted back and forth between my parents and me, their expressions alive with shock. “So she’s the real daughter… then why is…” “Unbelievable. Ignoring your own daughter’s birthday to throw a massive party for an outsider?” “What is Gavin thinking? I don’t understand this at all.” The murmurs drifted into my parents’ ears, and their expressions grew frantic. My mother’s lips trembled violently. My father’s panic quickly twisted into sheer, defensive rage. “Enough!” He slammed his hand down on a nearby table, rattling the glasses. “Did you show up today just to ruin this?” “Ruin this?” I raised my phone, playing the video I had just recorded. “Dad, who is the one ruining things here? Who is the one pretending to prepare a surprise for me, while placing a tiara on another girl’s head?” On the screen, my mother’s gentle voice echoed clearly through the silent ballroom. Our Stella is the most beautiful princess in the world today. The words repeated over the speaker, sounding incredibly mocking in the dead silence. My mother’s face went completely pale. “And what about this?” I swiped to the family photo I had saved. “The daughter of an ‘important client’ who somehow became your precious princess?” I turned the screen toward the guests, letting everyone see the photo and my mother’s affectionate comments. The expressions in the crowd grew increasingly colorful. My father was shaking with rage, pointing a finger at me as he struggled to speak. “Gillian… you…” “What about me?” I met his gaze, my eyes burning with hot tears, though my voice remained steady and cold. “I just wanted to ask you face-to-face: does raising a brand-new daughter feel much better than raising your old one?” “I just want to know what I did so wrong that you had to humiliate and abandon me like this!” My voice rose, carrying the weight of ten years of neglected birthdays and silent tears. Stella’s face went completely pale. She clutched my mother’s sleeve, whispering, “Auntie, this…” My mother shook her off, staring at me, her eyes brimming with a sudden, desperate regret. “Gilly, it’s not what you think. It’s really not what you think!” “Then what is it?” I demanded, stepping closer. “Tell me!” Just then, the grand doors of the ballroom were flung open. Gary rushed in, his face ghostly pale as he took in the chaotic, screaming scene. He ran to me and grabbed my arms, his voice shaking violently. “Gilly, please, let me explain!” “Enough! I don’t want to hear another single lie from any of you!” I tried to wrench myself free. I had achieved my goal. I wanted everyone to see the true face of my perfect parents. I raised my phone, ready to project the screenshots onto the giant screen behind them. “Dad, Mom, it’s time for this play to end!” Just as my finger hovered over the button. Gary lunged forward, ripping the phone from my hand and clutching it tightly to his chest. “Gilly! I beg you! Just give me five minutes! Only five minutes!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “462261”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

“Ethan! You married such an ugly woman, made our entire family a laughingstock, and now you’re throwing your life away for her! How long are you going to keep this up?” The hospital room door wasn’t fully closed. My mother-in-law’s voice was sharp and piercing. My hand froze on the door handle. I heard a few seconds of silence inside, then his calm, emotionless voice. “Mom, you know what I want.” “I knew it. You’re still doing all this for Serena.” My mother-in-law’s voice trembled with rage. “No matter how much you love her, it’s useless. Using Elara Winters to provoke us won’t work either.” My whole body went cold. Three years. I thought he was the only one who didn’t find me ugly when everyone else did. I thought his life-risking rescue was love. Turns out I was just a pawn he used to defy his family. Turns out every time he looked at me, he was looking through me at another woman. I steadied myself against the wall and slowly backed away to my own hospital room. If that’s how it is, this marriage isn’t worth keeping.

Elara’s POV I’m known as the ugly woman in our circle. Thick bangs covering half my face. Black-framed glasses thicker than bottle bottoms. Face always caked with dark foundation. Lips blurred with deep-colored lipstick. Walking down the street, no one gives me a second glance. But no one knows I make myself ugly on purpose. All because of my mother. My mother was famously beautiful back in the day. My father pursued her for years before she finally married him. But less than three years into their marriage, he started cheating constantly. My mother went from heartbroken to desperate, eventually dying of depression. Before she died, my mother grabbed my ten-year-old hand and looked at my face, though young, already showing signs of stunning beauty. With her last bit of strength, she said, “Elara, remember what Mom tells you. Being too beautiful, men will deceive you. Nothing good comes of it. You must protect yourself. Hide that face.” I remembered. From then on, I started making myself ugly. My bangs got thicker, my glasses heavier, my clothes always the most unremarkable colors. My father arranged countless blind dates for me. Every single man ran away because of my ugliness. On my hundredth blind date, I sat in a café across from a man in a suit. The moment he saw me, his brow furrowed. “Miss Winters,” he began, voice dripping with undisguised disgust. “The matchmaker didn’t tell me… you looked like this.” I kept my head down, saying nothing. “Honestly, looking like that… how do you even dare go on blind dates?” The man sneered. “Who would want to marry you?” I gripped my coffee cup tighter. The man picked up his own cup and suddenly splashed it in my face. “Your makeup’s ruined. Suits you better.” The cold liquid ran down my cheeks, washing away the foundation and revealing the fair skin underneath. I looked up, about to stand. “Bang!” A long, slender hand reached over from the side and grabbed the man’s wrist, twisting hard. “Ah!” The man screamed. “Apologize.” A deep, cold voice spoke. I turned to see a man in a custom-tailored suit. He was tall with an upright posture, deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips pressed together. His whole presence radiated an air of cool elegance and nobility. Right now he was gripping that man’s wrist, his eyes cold as ice. “Who the hell are you?!” the man struggled. “Apologize.” He repeated, his voice not loud but carrying undeniable authority. The man was intimidated by his presence and stammered out “I’m sorry” to me before scrambling away. The man let go and pulled a handkerchief from his suit pocket, handing it to me. “Here.” I stared, taking the handkerchief in a daze. “Women shouldn’t have to put up with that kind of treatment.” He looked at me, his gaze calm. “Next time something like this happens, call the police.” With that, he turned and left. I stood there watching his tall figure disappear through the café door, my heart pounding. I remembered him. After returning home, I started investigating. His name was Ethan Sterling, the youngest heir to Sterling Enterprises. Twenty-six years old, he’d been running the family business for three years with decisive methods and outstanding ability. He was recognized in our circle as the perfect man. Even more rare, his private life was clean. No scandals whatsoever. I fell for him. But before I could figure out how to approach him, Ethan Sterling came to me first. “Miss Winters,” he sat in my family’s living room and got straight to the point. “I want to propose a marriage alliance with you.” I was stunned. “Why me?” I asked. “I’m not good-looking.” Ethan looked at me, his expression very calm. “Appearance doesn’t matter. I think you’re very suitable.” His words weren’t romantic, but coming from him, they made my heart race. Mom said being too beautiful meant getting deceived by men. But I made myself ugly, and he still wanted to marry me. I thought I’d met the right person. For three years of marriage, Ethan treated me well. He never minded my ugliness. In fact, when others gossiped about my appearance, he would gently take my hand and say, “Elara, you’re wonderful.” I loved design, so he invested in opening a studio for me. I had a sensitive stomach, so he remembered which foods I couldn’t eat. Whenever he came back from business dinners, he’d bring me oat milk. On my birthday, no matter how busy, he’d cancel work and spend the whole day with me. Once, I was in a car accident. The car flipped into a ditch and could explode any moment. Ethan rushed over without hesitation, pried open the deformed car door with his bare hands, and dragged me out. Not ten meters away, the car exploded. He shielded me with his body. The flames licked his back, leaving severe burns. When I woke up in the hospital, the first thing I asked the nurse was, “Where’s my husband?! How is he?” “Mr. Sterling’s back burns are serious, but he’s not in life-threatening danger,” the nurse said. “He’s in the room next door.” I immediately pulled out my IV and stumbled over to the next room. Just as I was about to push the door open, I heard Ethan’s mother’s voice inside. “Ethan! You married such an ugly woman, made our entire family a laughingstock, and now you’re throwing your life away for her! How long are you going to keep this up?!” My hand stopped on the door handle. A few seconds of silence inside, then Ethan’s calm, emotionless voice without any feeling. “Mom, you know what I want.” “I knew it! You’re still doing all this for Serena!” His mother’s voice shook with anger. “I’m telling you, you’re the best heir in our family. Serena can never enter our household! No matter how much you love her, it’s useless! Using Elara Winters to provoke us won’t work either!” I stood frozen, my whole body turning cold. What were they just saying? For Serena? Who’s Serena? Overwhelming panic and an ominous premonition swept over me like an icy tide, drowning me instantly. I steadied myself against the wall and slowly backed away, retreating to my hospital room. After several seconds, I pulled out my phone with trembling hands and sent a message to a private investigator. “Look into every connection between Ethan Sterling and Serena. The more detailed, the better.”

Elara’s POV Every minute, every second waiting for the reply felt like torture. My head was buzzing. His mother’s shrill voice and Ethan’s calm response echoed repeatedly in my mind like poisoned knives, cutting my barely warmed heart to bloody shreds. Finally, the information came through. I opened it with trembling hands. Inside was a thick stack of documents with many photos attached. Serena Hayes, heir to the Hayes family, Ethan Sterling’s first love. The two were perfectly matched, recognized in their circle as the ideal couple. Three years ago, they were preparing to marry, but during premarital health checks, they discovered Serena couldn’t have children. For a top-tier elite family like the Sterlings, heirs were of utmost importance, so the Sterling family firmly opposed the marriage. But Ethan loved Serena deeply and insisted on marrying her. The Sterling family began aggressively targeting the Hayes family business. Eventually, unable to withstand the pressure, Serena tearfully broke up with Ethan. After the breakup, Ethan started going on frequent blind dates, but he didn’t like any of the women. Until he met me, the famously ugly woman in the circle. From then on, everything connected. He didn’t marry me because I was special, much less because he saw my inner beauty. It was simply because among all the blind date candidates, I was the most unacceptable. The most embarrassing. The most shameful. The best tool to humiliate the Sterling family and force his parents to compromise. He deliberately married an ugly woman to defy his family, to make them give in and agree to let Serena marry him. I stared at the information on my phone and suddenly laughed. As I laughed, tears fell. Pain wrapped around me like a huge net, tightening and tightening until it nearly strangled me. Mom said being too beautiful would get me deceived, but even making myself ugly, I was still deceived. Deceived more thoroughly, more ridiculously, more pathetically! These three years, what I thought was happiness was just an elaborate performance. I was just a tool Ethan Sterling used to defy his family. Just a pawn to express his love for Serena. I thought I’d found light, not knowing that light was just someone else’s mirror reflecting somewhere else! I sat in the room and cried for a long time. Then I wiped my tears, took out my phone, and called Ethan’s mother. My voice was calm. “I want to divorce Ethan Sterling.” A few seconds of silence on the other end. “What did you say?!” She raised her voice in disbelief, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d heard. “Elara Winters, looking the way you do, you dare ask for a divorce? Do you know how many women in our circle are desperate to marry Ethan?” “How I look is none of your business,” I said. “I must divorce him. If you don’t agree, I’ll get a lawyer and go through legal channels. Making a scene won’t be good for anyone.” She was furious on the other end, but I could hear a hint of relief and eagerness in her tone. Of course. She had long been disgusted by me, this “ugly woman,” and wanted me gone to make room for a beautiful, suitable socialite. In her mind, Serena wasn’t good enough for Ethan, and I was even less worthy. “Fine!” She finally agreed. “I’ll handle the divorce. Wait a few days.” After hanging up, I took a deep breath, checked myself out of the hospital, and went home. The first thing I did when I got home was throw things away. I took out everything Ethan had given me over the years, necklaces, bracelets, rings, handbags, and threw them all in the trash. Just like throwing away three years of foolishness. A few days later, Ethan came home. His back burns hadn’t fully healed, slowing his movements, but he still wore an impeccable suit, his posture upright, his features handsome. “Why are you sitting here?” he asked, his tone habitually gentle. “The servants said you’ve barely eaten these past few days.” I looked up at him. Before, every time I saw this face, my heart would race and my face would flush. But now, looking at him, I only felt strange and cold. Ethan didn’t seem to notice the change in my expression. Or rather, he’d never truly paid attention to my expressions. He glanced at the calendar on the wall and casually took my hand. “Are you upset I haven’t been back to keep you company? Today’s your birthday. I had them prepare a party at the most luxurious Hilton hotel downtown. It’s still early. Let me take you to pick out a dress first, okay?” Before, hearing him remember my birthday and specially prepare a party would have made me ecstatic. But now, my heart felt only barren indifference. Still, I didn’t expose him. “Okay,” I said softly. Ethan drove me to a high-end boutique. As soon as we entered, his phone rang. “You pick first. I need to take this call,” he said, walking aside. I paid no attention and went upstairs to look at dresses. I liked a champagne-colored gown, simple and elegant. “This one. Wrap it up for me,” I told the saleswoman. “I want this dress.” A soft female voice suddenly spoke from behind me. I turned and saw the woman speaking. My blood instantly ran cold. Serena Hayes. The bright, radiant face from the photos, nestled beside Ethan, that face was now right in front of me. She wore a cream-colored suit with slightly curled long hair and exquisite makeup. Her eyes carried an innate sense of superiority as she stared at the champagne dress in my hands with a half-smile.

Elara’s POV “Sorry,” Serena walked forward, her voice soft but her tone anything but polite. “I also like this dress. Even though you were here first, but…” She looked me up and down, taking in my thick bangs and black-framed glasses. The corners of her mouth curved into a perfectly measured smile. “I think it suits me better. Why don’t you just let me have it?” I gripped the dress tighter. The fabric was soft, but right now it felt like thorns. “No.” I turned to the saleswoman. “Ring it up.” Serena’s smile faded a bit. She reached out and grabbed the other corner of the dress. “I really love it. Miss, looking the way you do… you’d look about the same in anything. Why not do me a favor? Just let me have it, can’t you?” We stood there in a standoff, the air thick with silent tension. “What’s going on?” Ethan’s deep voice came from the stairway. Having finished his call, he came up and saw this scene. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Serena saw him and her eyes lit up instantly, though her hand didn’t release the dress. “Ethan? You’re here too?” Her gaze moved between me and Ethan, then showed a look of realization. “I see, this must be your wife? If I’d known she was Mrs. Sterling, I wouldn’t have fought for it. This dress can go to Mrs. Sterling.” She let go as if her earlier insistence had been just a joke. But the next second, Ethan reached out and took the champagne dress directly from my hands, handing it to Serena. “No need to give it up.” He looked at Serena, his voice gentler than before. “This suits you. Go try it on.” A flash of triumph crossed Serena’s eyes. She took the dress, smiled at me, and walked into the fitting room. My hand froze in mid-air, my fingertips still holding the sensation of the fabric being taken away. I slowly lowered my hand, clenching it into a fist, nails digging into my palm. The slight pain couldn’t suppress the dull ache in my chest, like a knife slowly cutting through flesh. Only then did Ethan turn to me, as if he’d just finished handling some trivial matter. “Elara, that was Serena, a friend of mine. She’s rather straightforward, but she means no harm. It’s just a dress. We can pick another one.” I looked up at him through my thick lenses. “Why don’t you just tell the truth? You’re saying she suits it better because you think my face doesn’t deserve this dress, doesn’t deserve anything beautiful, right?” Ethan was clearly taken aback. He seemed surprised I would ask this, even more surprised I would directly pierce through this veneer of decency that no one had called out before. “That’s not what I meant.” He quickly adjusted his expression, his tone taking on a hint of helplessness. “If I thought you weren’t good enough, why would I have married you in the first place?” Why marry me? Those words were like a poisoned blade stabbing straight into my heart, the pain making my vision go dark. Yes, why? Because I was ugly in just the right way, the perfect tool, the ideal pawn to infuriate the Sterlings and force them to compromise! Growing up, hiding my appearance, I’d heard countless mockeries. Classmates’ whispers, blind dates’ cruel words, my father’s sighs. Those words were like needles. After being pricked long enough, I had grown numb. But Ethan was different. These three years, his gentle consolations, his casual protections, even his life-risking rescue, like warm water, they slowly softened my frozen heart, making me develop impossible fantasies and dependence. Then, he personally, in the calmest, most casual way, completely shattered that false warmth. This hurt worse than direct cruelty! I suppressed the sob in my throat and the surging pain, said nothing, and turned to another rack, randomly grabbing a plain black dress. Just then, the fitting room curtain opened. Serena walked out. The champagne dress perfectly outlined her figure, making her skin look like snow and her presence dazzling. She twirled, the hem creating an elegant arc. “Miss Hayes, this dress is perfect for you!” the saleswomen gushed. “It’s like it was custom-made for you!” Ethan’s gaze also fell on Serena. His eyes were deep, clearly reflecting Serena’s image. In those usually cold eyes, I now saw a tenderness I’d never seen directed at me. Though it was just a fleeting moment, I caught it. My heart felt like an invisible hand was squeezing it tight, the pain making it hard to breathe. “Ethan, does it look good?” Serena asked with a smile, her gaze casually sweeping over me nearby. “Yes, very good.” Ethan nodded, his tone affirmative. Serena’s smile grew brighter. She walked to Ethan’s side and naturally tucked her hair behind her ear. “By the way, I heard tonight is Mrs. Sterling’s birthday party? At the Hilton?” “Yes.” Ethan nodded. “I happen to be free tonight.” Serena looked at me with a proper smile. “Mrs. Sterling, you don’t mind if I come celebrate your birthday too, do you?” Before I could answer, Ethan already replied, “Of course not. You’re welcome to come.”

Elara’s POV The Hilton hotel’s top-floor ballroom was brilliantly lit. The birthday party Ethan prepared for me was massive, inviting nearly half of New York’s elite. I wore that unremarkable black dress, my thick bangs and glasses obscuring my face as always, standing beside Ethan like a mismatched shadow. I could feel gazes from all directions, curious, probing, and mostly undisguised contempt and snickering. “What was Mr. Sterling thinking, marrying someone like…” “She really is so ugly. Mr. Sterling is so outstanding. Why would he marry her?” “Who knows? Maybe… unique taste?” The scattered comments buzzed like mosquitoes, drilling into my ears. I kept my back straight, my expression blank, as if I heard nothing. Soon after the party began, Ethan publicly gave me a gift, an expensive diamond necklace. When the velvet box opened, gasps and envious sounds rippled through the crowd. “Thank you,” I accepted it, my voice flat. Serena arrived a bit later. The moment she appeared, she drew everyone’s attention. In her champagne dress with exquisite makeup and an elegant smile, she seemed like tonight’s true protagonist. “Sorry I’m late.” Serena walked up to me, her tone sincere. “I didn’t have time to prepare a gift. Don’t be upset, Mrs. Sterling. Let me play a piece to wish you happy birthday.” Then she smiled at Ethan. “Ethan, I remember you play piano beautifully too. How about we play a duet? Consider it entertainment for Mrs. Sterling’s birthday. What do you say?” The guests started cheering. “Yes!” “Miss Hayes and Mr. Sterling are such a perfect match!” “Exactly, they look like a real couple.” Ethan looked at Serena’s expectant eyes, glanced at silent me beside him, hesitated briefly, then actually walked over. A harmonious duet began, a four-hands version of “Für Elise.” The man cool and noble, the woman bright and moving, sitting together like a perfect painting. The surrounding comments grew louder, this time with less pretense of discretion. “Now that’s a perfect match…” “If only Mr. Sterling had married Miss Hayes.” “Such a shame…” “That Elara Winters is really… taking up space. Someone so ugly actually married New York’s most outstanding heir. What a waste.” Each comment was like a poisoned needle, densely piercing my heart. I stood there, feeling the air around me growing thinner, those gazes and words nearly drowning me. I turned and went to the balcony. The night breeze was cool, dispersing the suffocating warmth and noise from the ballroom. I leaned against the balcony railing, took a deep breath, then slowly released it. Light footsteps sounded behind me. Then a warm body pressed close, arms wrapping around my waist from behind. My body stiffened. “Why did you come out here alone?” Ethan’s deep voice spoke near my ear. “Don’t take those people’s words to heart. They’re just boring gossip.” I didn’t move or speak. Ethan seemed to think I was still upset. His chin gently rubbed the top of my head, his tone softening further with a coaxing quality. “Elara, I’ve told you, you’re wonderful. You don’t need to care what others think of you. As long as I like you, that’s enough.” Like? I almost laughed coldly. What did he like about me? Did he like using me as a tool to defy his family? Or like using me as a foil for his devotion to Serena? Ethan probably felt verbal comfort wasn’t enough. Seeing my continued silence, he suddenly turned his head and unexpectedly kissed my neck. The warm, soft sensation came. My whole body trembled, instinctively about to push him away. Just then. “Bang!” The glass balcony door was suddenly pushed open. Serena stood in the doorway, her face still wearing a smile she hadn’t had time to hide. Seeing us embracing, especially Ethan’s kiss on my neck, her smile instantly froze. Her face paled slightly, her eyes quickly misting over. “Sorry, I’m interrupting.” Her voice was somewhat choked. After speaking, she turned and ran off, her retreating figure looking somewhat disheveled. Ethan immediately let go of me, his expression clearly changing, his eyes following Serena’s disappearing direction with obvious worry and a hint of struggle.

Elara’s POV He quickly withdrew his gaze and looked at me, his tone returning to calm. “Don’t take what happened earlier to heart. As long as I like you, that’s what matters. I’m going to make a call.” He hurried after her. I stood there, looking at the empty doorway, tried to twist my lips into a self-mocking smile, but couldn’t even manage that. I couldn’t stay at this birthday party another moment. I turned to leave. Just as I reached the curb by the hotel entrance, a figure blocked my path. It was Serena. Her eyes were still a bit red, but her expression had already been adjusted, carrying a condescending scrutiny. “Mrs. Sterling, leaving already?” Serena looked at me, her tone soft but her words barbed. “The birthday girl leaving early isn’t very appropriate, is it? Or are you upset seeing Ethan chase after me?” I didn’t want to entangle with her and moved to walk around her. “Don’t go.” Serena reached out to stop me. “Let’s chat. About Ethan, about your ridiculous marriage. I think you need to know some things…” “Move.” My voice was cold. “What, feeling guilty? Knowing you’re occupying a position you shouldn’t?” Serena didn’t shut up. She even stepped forward and grabbed my wrist. “Let me tell you, Ethan doesn’t even…” “Let go!” I tried hard to shake her off. We struggled on the curb. Serena was wearing heels. Her foot seemed to slip. She screamed, her whole body falling backward, and she gripped my arm tightly. She pulled me off balance too. “Ah!” The sharp sound of brakes and impact came almost simultaneously! In the chaos, I only felt a huge force strike me. I was thrown, my forehead and cheek experiencing unbearable pain. Warm liquid instantly blurred my vision. Serena’s scream was right in my ear. Intense pain and dizziness consumed me. My consciousness blurred. I felt people gathering around, chaotic voices, the ambulance siren… In my haze, I seemed to see Ethan’s hurried figure. That usually calm, cool face showed clear panic for the first time. Then I heard fragments of conversation, as if from far away. “Mr. Sterling, both patients are severely injured and need surgery urgently, but there’s only one operating room available. Mrs. Sterling’s face is injured with a deep wound. Without immediate treatment, she may be disfigured. Miss Hayes injured her hand. Without immediate treatment, it may affect her piano playing.” Then I heard Ethan’s voice. “Save Serena first. She still needs to play piano.” “But Mrs. Sterling…” “Don’t worry about her. Appearance doesn’t matter to her anyway!” Doesn’t matter. Those words were like a knife, stabbing through my heart. Yes, because I’m ugly, it doesn’t matter… My vision went black. I completely passed out. When I woke up, I was in a hospital room. No one was beside me. I touched my face, wrapped in thick bandages. The door opened. Serena walked in with a group of friends. Her hand was also bandaged, but she wore a smile. “Elara Winters,” she walked to the bed, looking at me with contempt. “I heard you were badly hurt, your face all torn up. I thought you would definitely be disfigured this time. I didn’t expect the doctors the Sterling family found would be good enough to fix you.” “Though even fixed, it can’t hide your original ugliness. Those thick bandages match your bangs and glasses nicely, equally hideous.” The men and women behind her let out low laughs. I closed my eyes, not even bothering to look at them. “Get out.” Before Serena could speak, a girl next to her in a pink suit with curled hair shrieked first. “What’s your attitude? Serena came to visit you out of kindness, and you dare tell her to get out? Being ugly is bad enough, but your manners are terrible too. So disgusting.” I opened my eyes, my gaze coldly sweeping over that girl, then looking at Serena. “Take your dog and get out. You’re not welcome here.” “Who are you calling a dog?” The pink-dressed girl’s face flushed with anger. She rushed forward to hit me, raising her hand to slap my face. My face was injured and my movements hindered. Just as that slap was about to land. “Hey, Emma, it’s not good to hit a patient.” A man in a floral shirt stopped the pink-dressed girl. He looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with lecherous eyes. He looked me up and down on the hospital bed, a malicious smile on his lips. “So you’re Mrs. Sterling? Quite the temper. But I have a method that cures all kinds of disobedience.” He took two steps forward, approaching the bed, his gaze sticky and presumptuous. “I’ve seen plenty like you, not much to look at but full of attitude. Women like you just need to be put in their place by a man. No matter how proud you are, you’ll behave after being with enough men.” As he spoke, he actually reached out to pull back my blanket.

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Mom called me at my classified government position and asked me to come home. She said she’d arranged a marriage for me. The woman was supposedly perfect in every way. Not only beautiful, but also the CEO of one of New York’s most prominent corporations. Because of my special security clearance, I couldn’t fly commercial. My boss even lent me his personal vehicle to make a good impression. I arrived at my fiancée’s company right on schedule and was about to back into a parking spot when a red Ferrari came speeding toward me. I couldn’t brake in time and crashed right into it. The driver arrogantly rolled down his window and started cursing at me. “Are you fucking blind? Do you even know how to drive?” I suppressed my anger and shot back, “You’re the one who stole my parking spot. How is this my fault?” He looked at me with complete disdain. “Your parking spot?” “Listen up, you hick. I might as well tell you—in New York, there’s nothing the Johnson family can’t handle. Got it?” I froze for a few seconds, then pulled out my phone and called my fiancée. “I’m hearing from your company’s people that the Johnson family runs New York. Is that true?”

If it weren’t for my mom, I wouldn’t have even bothered making this call. Hitting my boss’s car wasn’t something money alone could fix. If my future girlfriend showed some remorse, I might be able to sweep this under the rug. “I’m busy. Make it quick.” Her voice on the phone was impatient. “Miss Molina, I think you should come down here yourself, or else—” Before I could finish, I heard the dial tone. She’d hung up on me. I stood there stunned. Were all rich people this rude? Seeing this, the guy who’d stolen my parking spot practically burst out laughing. “And here I thought you were somebody. Turns out you’re just full of shit.” “If I were you, I’d pay up now. Once Miss Molina finds out her car’s been hit, you probably won’t make it out of New York alive.” The guy saw I was barely in my twenties and driving an out-of-state plate. He didn’t take me seriously at all. “Sir, are you going to be reasonable about this or not?” “You’re the one who cut me off and stole my spot. I haven’t even gone after you yet, and now you’re trying to scam me?” I pointed at the security camera overhead. “There’s footage right there. If you keep lying, I’ll call the cops right now!” When I mentioned the police, he only got more aggressive. “Go ahead and call them, you hick. Even if the cops show up, you’ll just end up paying more.” The more he talked, the more excited he got. The air reeked of alcohol. I clenched my fists, my eyes narrowing. “You don’t want me calling the cops because you’ve been drinking, right?” As soon as the words left my mouth, he shoved me hard. “Whether I’ve been drinking is none of your damn business. Pay up!” “If you try to weasel out of this, I’ll make sure you never leave New York!” I’d spent years at my unit with almost no contact with civilians. I had no idea how to deal with thugs like this. Seeing his arrogance, my anger kept rising. “You’re the one who hit my car, and now you’re trying to pin it on me. What’s wrong with you?” The crowd around us gasped. “Holy shit, this Anthony guy’s got balls. Talking to Jacobs like that? Does he have a death wish?”

“Most people would run from Miss Molina’s car, and this guy actually crashed into it. He’s got guts, I’ll give him that.” “Just his bad luck. Of all people to piss off, it had to be Jacobs—Miss Molina’s right-hand man!” As the murmuring grew louder, Jacobs got even more smug. “You hick, you actually dared to curse at me? You must be tired of living!” His threats didn’t faze me. In fact, I almost wanted to laugh. “So you’re Jacobs, the assistant. I suggest you watch your mouth.” “If you really piss me off, even your boss won’t be able to handle the consequences.” “Fuck you!” After cursing at me a few more times and still not feeling satisfied, he rolled up his sleeves and charged at me. “What, New Yorkers throw punches when they can’t win an argument?” Jacobs swung at me several times but couldn’t even touch my sleeve. “Try dodging one more time, hick!” “You think I won’t call Miss Molina right now?” Despite Jacobs’s repeated provocations, I didn’t fight back. I just kept evading. Not because I was afraid of him, but because before I left my unit, my boss had warned me repeatedly: “Everything you do represents our organization. Don’t get into conflicts with civilians.” Besides, I don’t really “fight.” When I strike, it’s to kill. Seeing my silence, Jacobs thought I was scared and threw another punch at me. At that critical moment, a voice roared from behind. “Stop!” “Jacobs, you’re my personal assistant. How can you just brawl with people in the street?” Molina, surrounded by bodyguards, walked quickly up to me. “You’re Anthony?” I looked the woman over carefully. I had to admit, my mom had decent taste. A crimson dress hugged her perfect figure. If I had to find a flaw, it was that her eyes were ice-cold when she looked at me. “Miss Molina, nice to meet you. Allow me to introduce myself.” “My name is Anthony. I’m from—” “No need!” Before I could finish, Molina impatiently cut me off with a wave of her hand. “We’re not compatible. Go back where you came from.” For a moment, I thought I’d heard wrong. I’d driven from my unit to New York—over ten hours straight—without even stopping for water. And the first thing she says to me is to leave? Was she playing me for a fool? At that thought, my temper flared. “You must be the girlfriend my mom found for me. Molina, right?” “You won’t even let me finish talking before telling me to leave. That’s pretty rude, don’t you think?” After hearing me out, Molina’s expression changed immediately. “Rude?” “Anthony, why don’t you turn around and look at that building behind you. Do you really think you’re worthy of me?” She glanced at me from head to toe. “I don’t know what my father was thinking, trying to marry me off to a loser like you.” As soon as she said that, the crowd erupted again. “What? This Anthony guy is Miss Molina’s fiancé? That’s unbelievable!” “A clueless hick like him should take a good look in the mirror and see if he’s worthy.” “Miss Molina is every man’s dream in New York. I’m the first to object to this marriage.”

As the chatter grew louder, I was completely baffled. When did I ever say I wanted to marry her? Even if I did want to, I’d need approval from my superiors first. “Fine, fine, I’m a loser. Happy now?” “Since Miss Molina isn’t interested, can I at least get the dowry back?” “My mom specifically told me on the phone—if this doesn’t work out, make sure to get the gift money back.” Actually, my mom never said that. I just couldn’t stand Molina’s attitude. The moment I finished speaking, Jacobs jumped in. “You hick, who the hell do you think you’re looking down on?” “Miss Molina is New York’s youngest billionaire. You think she needs your pocket change?” Watching this scene unfold, I finally understood what a real lapdog looked like. “Jacobs, I just want my stuff back. What does that have to do with whether she’s a billionaire?” Molina’s face flushed red with anger. “It’s just eighty thousand dollars. Here, I’ll give it back.” She pulled out her phone and transferred the money on the spot. “I’m sending you a hundred thousand. Keep the extra for gas money.” I smirked and gave her a slight smile. “Well, thank you so much, Miss Molina.” Just as I turned to leave, Jacobs suddenly shouted. “Hey, hick! Stop right there!” I paused and slowly turned around. “What? Does Jacobs want to invite me to dinner?” Jacobs gave me a sinister smile, then whispered something in Molina’s ear. The next second, New York’s so-called youngest billionaire exploded in anger. “Anthony! You dared to crash my car?” From Jacobs’s expression, I could tell he’d been badmouthing me to Molina. He really had the art of manipulation down to a science. Based on how Molina had treated me earlier, I knew explaining wouldn’t help. I didn’t bother wasting my breath. “Just tell me how much you want. I’ll pay you.” Molina seemed surprised that I’d admit it so readily. Her eyes flickered with confusion. “Pay? Can you even afford it?” “This Ferrari was my eighteenth birthday present from my father. Only three exist in the world, and this is the only one in the country.” “A single scratch is worth more than your life. What are you going to pay with?” I raised an eyebrow, my lips curving into a faint smile. “Miss Molina, just name your price. Whether I can afford it is my problem.” “Ten million!” Before I could respond, Jacobs jumped in again. “The entire front end is caved in. We can’t fix it here—it’ll have to go back to Italy to the original factory.” The onlookers gasped. Even the car’s owner, Molina, looked surprised. “Jacobs, this car only cost just over ten million when I got it. Fixing a bumper doesn’t cost that much, does it?” Jacobs immediately waved his hand dismissively. “No, no, Miss Molina. You’re not seeing the full picture.” “This car was a birthday gift from your father. Its sentimental value is priceless, wouldn’t you say?” “Making him pay only ten million is us being generous.” After hearing Jacobs’s reasoning, Molina thought it made sense and lowered her head to consider. “Fine! Ten million it is. No problem!” I didn’t give her time to think. I agreed on the spot.

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At old Alpha Eldric’s hundredth birthday feast for the Silverpine Pack, my husband’s cousin Lola showed up cradling a newborn baby boy and slammed a genetic report right in my face. Her face was still pale from childbirth. In front of all the pack leaders and elders, she smiled with smug satisfaction. “Seren, my son with Eliot is the first legitimate heir of the Silverpine Pack.” “If you’re smart, you’ll step down as Luna on your own. I might even let you be the godmother.” The entire hall erupted in chaos. Everyone knew the iron law old Alpha Eldric had established: the first person in the family to produce offspring would inherit millions of acres of prime hunting territory. But Eliot and I had barely seen each other since our marriage. Three years in, and I still hadn’t gotten pregnant. In a werewolf pack where bloodline was everything, a Luna who couldn’t produce pups had no ground to stand on. Especially when that Luna was just an ordinary human without a drop of werewolf blood. Just when everyone present thought I was about to be kicked out of Silverpine Pack, I stared at the tiny, inconspicuous text on the last line of the report and suddenly smiled.

The genetic match report hit my face, papers scattering across the floor. The hall, which should have been full of celebration, fell deathly silent in an instant. Lola stood in the center of the hall wearing a blindingly white gauze dress, holding the newborn baby. Her smile stretched practically to her temples. She deliberately raised her voice high, as if afraid Alpha Eldric in the seat of honor wouldn’t hear. “Seren, don’t blame me. After all, my child is the only legitimate bloodline of Silverpine Pack. He has to come back and be recognized.” Eldric sat in his wheelchair, his clouded eyes opening slightly. He looked at the child in Lola’s arms, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. He said nothing. Every guest in the hall turned their gaze toward me. Each one waited to see how I, the human woman who’d held the Luna position for three years without getting pregnant, would be publicly humiliated and driven from the pack in disgrace. I bent down and picked up the report from the floor. My eyes scanned the nearly invisible line of text in the corner, and I suddenly smiled. I looked at the smug Lola and spoke calmly. “This child can never inherit any of Eldric’s assets.” Lola scoffed at my words, thinking I was just putting on a brave face. “Seren, don’t tell me being Silverpine Pack’s Luna has made you stupid.” “The genetic report says it clear as day. Eliot is this child’s biological father.” “According to Alpha Eldric’s iron law, the first offspring in the family inherits all of Silverpine Pack’s resources.” “If you request to leave Silverpine Pack now, I’ll even let the child recognize you as godmother.” Just as Lola finished speaking, Eliot’s mother Elara’s voice came from outside the door. “My dear Lola, I heard you brought my grandson. Let me see him.” The moment Elara saw the baby, she rushed over. “The resemblance! Incredible! Just like Eliot when he was little! This is definitely Silverpine Pack blood!” Afraid I would cause trouble, Elara immediately called two guards to stand in front of me. “This is the pack’s precious treasure. We must take good care of him.” Then she immediately switched to a loving expression and pulled Lola toward Alpha Eldric. “Lola, you’re a hero to our Pack. Sit down and rest, don’t tire yourself.” “I’ll call the council of elders right now to transfer the inheritance rights to you!” Then she turned and shot me a disgusted glance. “Unlike some people who can’t even lay an egg after three years.” “If I were you, I’d pack up and leave now to save myself the embarrassment of being thrown out of Silverpine Pack.” But I just stared fixedly at the baby in the nanny’s arms. “No need to call the elders, because she can’t get this inheritance at all.” Lola looked me up and down, speaking as if bestowing charity. “Seren, face reality. You’re just a lowly human without our noble wolf bloodline.” “Everyone knows what tricks you used to marry Eliot back then.” “But lowly is lowly. Only a pure-blooded wolf like me deserves to bear Silverpine Pack’s heir.” The whispered discussions in the hall grew louder. Everyone had different thoughts, their eyes darting between Lola and me. After all, this was the richest hunting territory and mineral veins in the North, spanning millions of acres. Countless packs were envious. Whoever could claim it would become the most powerful Luna in the North. “This is Eldric’s family feast. What are you all causing a scene for?” Eliot’s father Gideon pushed through the crowd. When he saw the child in Lola’s arms, his previously tense face instantly bloomed into a smile. “We’ve been waiting for you! Alpha Eldric has been hoping for an heir so long his eyes nearly wore out! The council of elders is already on their way. We’ll announce the inheritance publicly. No one can find fault with that!” Elara hurriedly scooped up some herbal medicine and brought it to Lola’s lips. “This is freshly brewed precious herbs. Drink up.” “You’re a great hero to our Silverpine Pack. You need to nourish your body properly.” I looked at the three people in front of me, acting like a harmonious family. The sight was painfully glaring. “Mom, Dad, setting aside that Eliot and I aren’t even divorced yet.” “Are you really so certain she can claim Alpha Eldric’s assets?” Hearing this, Lola nearly spat out the herbal medicine in her mouth. She pushed past Gideon and Elara, walked up to me holding the child, the viciousness in her eyes completely unconcealed. “So what if you’re not divorced? Silverpine Pack would never keep a barren slut!” “Who knows what you were doing coming home so late every night? You probably can’t get pregnant because you’ve been fooling around with other Alphas.” “When my son grows up, he’ll never marry a lowly human like you.” Elara helped Lola sit down, glanced at me and sneered. “Exactly! This child looks just like Eliot as a baby. If he’s not our Silverpine Pack blood, whose could he be?” “Some people’s bodies just can’t deliver, and they can’t stand to see others succeed!” Lola’s face filled with smugness again. “Seren, I know you’re upset that I gave birth to Eliot’s son.” “But genetic test results can’t be faked. Are you jealous that I produced a child?”

The murmurs spread like a tide. The words from the branch family members grew more and more cutting. “No wonder Eliot married her three years ago with no results. Turns out the human woman’s private life isn’t clean, so she can’t conceive pure blood!” “Thank goodness Lola came through and gave birth to a pure-blooded grandson, or Silverpine Pack’s legitimate bloodline would’ve been cut off by this human!” “I think she’s gone crazy with jealousy and is deliberately slandering them!” Hearing this, Lola’s eyes instantly reddened. She leaned into Elara’s arms, her sobbing voice carrying throughout the hall. “Please don’t say that, everyone. Seren is just feeling unbalanced right now. I don’t mind. As long as the child can be properly recognized, I can endure any amount of grievance.” As she spoke, she cast a timid glance at me, looking for all the world like I had mistreated her somehow. Elara’s face instantly twisted with distress, her voice rising so loud it hurt people’s ears. “Who dares make my precious grandson suffer even a little? I’ll tear their mouth off first!” “Look at these eyes, this nose! It’s like Eliot as a baby was carved from the same mold! Does it even need testing? If this isn’t our Silverpine Pack’s own grandson, whose could it be!” I looked at her vicious expression before me, feeling a bone-deep chill in my heart. She used to always smile kindly when she saw me, calling me “good child” constantly. I’d sincerely treated her like my own mother. But now, for the sake of a child of unknown origin, she looked at me like she wanted to devour me. Gideon’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot. He slammed his hand on the table and roared at the guards. “What are you standing there for! Drag this crazy woman out! Don’t let her ruin Alpha Eldric’s celebration!” I looked around, staring hard at Gideon and Elara. “You really think just because Lola gave birth to a son, she can claim Eldric’s inheritance?” “Even if the council of elders comes, she won’t get a single penny!” The air froze for an instant, so quiet you could only hear breathing. Gideon was so angry his cane pounded hard on the floor, his face turning the color of liver. “Outrageous! Outrageous! Drag her out! I don’t want to see this lunatic anymore!” Two guards immediately stepped forward to grab my arms. I suppressed my anger and shook them off hard. “Don’t touch me. I’m pregnant.” I pulled out my pregnancy test results from my bag and slapped them on the table with a “thwack.” The black text on white paper was crystal clear: twelve weeks pregnant, fetus developing normally. Gideon and Elara exchanged glances and laughed coldly. Lola reached out and snatched the pregnancy test results. After looking for a few seconds, she burst out laughing. “So what if you’re pregnant?” “My child is the first one born in the family.” “What right do you have to compete with me for the inheritance?” She turned toward Alpha Eldric, who had remained silent in the seat of honor. She stepped forward holding the child and dropped to her knees on the carpet with a thud, her voice choked with emotion. “Alpha Eldric, please grant justice for me and the child. I don’t ask for status. I only ask that you recognize this legitimate Silverpine Pack bloodline and don’t let him wander outside.” This act of kneeling completely ignited the emotions in the hall. Gideon immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Eldric. “Father, Lola has given birth to Silverpine Pack’s only legitimate heir. This is cause for great celebration. Please announce on the spot that you recognize this child and make Lola Eliot’s Luna to oversee the inheritance matters!” Elara also quickly knelt down. “Yes, Father! You’ve waited so many years for this day!” The branch family members also chimed in. “Please, Alpha Eldric, recognize the heir!” Everyone’s gaze focused on Eldric in the wheelchair. Alpha Eldric’s fingers continued tapping lightly on the armrest. His eyes slowly swept over Lola kneeling on the ground, the Gideon couple, and finally landed on me. He didn’t speak immediately. The entire banquet hall was utterly silent. Meeting his gaze, I spoke calmly. “Alpha Eldric, I object. This child has no right to inherit any of your assets or authority.” “You’re talking nonsense!” Lola screamed, raising her head. “The report says it plain as day. He’s Eliot’s biological son!” She moved to hand the test report up to him. “I’m not talking nonsense.” “If you don’t believe me, run the genetic test again.” Gideon flew into a rage, pointing at my nose and cursing. “Seren, don’t push your luck! Putting a newborn baby through testing, what are your intentions? I say he’s legitimate, so he’s legitimate!” “My intention is to protect the legitimate bloodline.” I stared back at him unflinchingly. “Does Gideon want to violate the iron law Alpha Eldric personally established for the sake of a child of unknown origin?” “You—” Gideon’s whole body shook with rage. He raised his hand to strike me. “Stop.”

An aged but extremely authoritative voice suddenly rang out. Eldric finally spoke. Gideon’s hand froze in mid-air, not daring to move an inch. Alpha Eldric slowly raised his head and looked at the elder standing to the side. “Go get Dr. Reed and bring a complete set of genetic sequencing equipment. Right here. Test on the spot.” His gaze fell on Lola’s pale face, his tone devoid of any emotion. “An iron law is an iron law. Whether or not he’s my biological grandson, the instruments will tell. If he is, I’ll recognize this grandson on the spot and all inheritance rights go to him. If not—” He paused, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp as knives. “Anyone who dares forge reports and deceive the pack will be dealt with according to pack law.” The entire hall erupted in chaos. Lola collapsed on the ground. The baby in her arms started wailing from fright. And I stood in place, looking into Alpha Eldric’s deep eyes, and breathed a soft sigh of relief. Half an hour later, Dr. Reed strode in with an anxious expression, two assistants following behind him. I stared fixedly at the child in Lola’s arms. “Full genetic testing. Check thoroughly!” Elara grabbed Dr. Reed’s hand worriedly. “Dr. Reed, will all this testing on such a small child cause problems?” Dr. Reed said nothing. He just took the child. His assistants set up the instruments and began a thorough examination. Soon, Dr. Reed removed his testing glasses. “The child is very healthy. You don’t need to worry.” Lola’s expression relaxed. “See? During pregnancy, I specially went deep into the mountains for a three-thousand-year-old wolf clan folk remedy. How could there be problems with the child?” Hearing this, Elara patted her chest and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Gideon’s eyes went round with fury. “Smack!” A slap sent my ears ringing. “Seren, I’ve treated you well for the sake of you being my daughter-in-law. Don’t be ungrateful!” “My grandson is perfectly healthy. If you curse him again, Silverpine Pack doesn’t take that lightly!” With that, he threw a mate dissolution agreement in front of me. “Sign it, then get lost back to your human world.” The slap on my face burned painfully. But the pain couldn’t match the coldness in my heart. “I won’t sign. I have to wait for the genetic test results.” At those words, Elara also flew into a rage. “Crazy woman! Eliot’s eyes, Eliot’s nose—can’t I recognize my own son’s features?” Lola’s eyes turned red. She rushed forward, her hands clamping down hard on my shoulders. “You think I forged the genetic identification report? You think everyone is as disgusting as you?!” “Fine! I’ll let you die understanding today!” She whipped her head around and barked at Dr. Reed. “Isn’t it just genetic identification? Do it now!” Then she glared at me viciously, like a demon from hell. “If the identification results confirm the child is Eliot’s.” “You, Seren, will abort the baby in your belly, sign the mate dissolution agreement, and leave Silverpine Pack completely!” Neither Gideon nor Elara objected. I clenched my fists tightly, unprecedented emotions surging through me. If I really backed down, Eliot would have his Luna switched without knowing, and gain a son who couldn’t inherit anything.

Before I could agree, Elara grabbed me with undisguised disgust and dragged me to the makeshift medical room. “I want to see what else you have to say!” Dr. Reed and his two assistants quickly set up the testing equipment. Everyone present stared fixedly at the operating platform. A young assistant in a white coat rushed in, carrying a sealed sample bag. “Dr. Reed, we’ve obtained Alpha Eliot’s hair sample.” My heart stirred slightly. I’d never seen this assistant before. The one who usually followed Dr. Reed was a different, older assistant. But before I could think further, Dr. Reed had already taken the sample and begun testing. During the wait for results, the room was deathly silent. All the elders and branch family of Silverpine Pack sat in a row, staring at me with dark expressions. As if I weren’t Silverpine Pack’s Luna, but some heinous criminal. Eldric in the seat of honor coughed lightly. No one dared speak. I looked at the hateful faces before me, unable to suppress the turmoil in my heart. One of Silverpine Pack’s elders sneered with narrowed eyes. “When the results come out, let’s see what you have to say.” After what felt like forever, the machine emitted a cold notification sound. One test report after another was printed out. A sharp beep sounded. The top clearly displayed: “Genetic testing confirms biological father-son relationship between male infant and Eliot.” “See that! This is my biological grandson!” Elara was the first to rush forward and snatch the report, her voice piercingly shrill. “Seren, what do you have to say now! You jealous woman!” Gideon let out a long breath, his face showing uncontrollable satisfaction. “Wonderful! Silverpine Pack finally has a legitimate heir!” Elara grabbed my wrist and dragged me toward the vehicle outside the door. “Go to the medical center right now and abort that bastard in your belly! Sign the dissolution agreement and get lost back to your human society!” “Wait! Let me go!” I struggled desperately, my nails digging deep into her arm. “This test report has problems!” “Still stubborn!” Lola kicked me hard from behind. I lost my balance and my forehead slammed hard into the metal table edge. My vision instantly blurred. Two guards held me and dragged me toward the car. In desperation, I used all my strength to shout at Dr. Reed. “Dr. Reed! Read the complete report! There’s additional testing below!” Lola’s expression changed. She shouted sharply. “Don’t listen to her nonsense! The paternity is already confirmed. What additional items are there to look at! Drag her away quickly!” Dr. Reed bent down and picked up the complete report scattered on the floor. The next second, his face suddenly turned deathly pale, his breathing instantly rapid. He rushed forward and blocked the vehicle that had already started, pounding hard on the windshield. “Wait! Stop! You can’t abort the child! There’s a problem with the report!” “Luna Seren’s child is Silverpine Pack’s last hope. You can’t abort it!” “No one can leave!” The vehicle stopped. Gideon looked impatient. “Dr. Reed, you did the identification yourself. What problem could there be!” “This male infant is Silverpine Pack’s pure-blooded heir!” Dr. Reed swallowed with difficulty and handed over the identification report in his hand. “You should look at this first before making a decision.” “Hmph! Let me see what tricks you’re playing!” Gideon impatiently took it. The next second, his eyes suddenly widened!

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My boyfriend Ethan Blake was always busy with work. He set a rule with me that our dates couldn’t exceed one hour. On our fifth anniversary, I went to the restroom during dinner. When I came back, he’d already paid the bill. He said impatiently, “This date has already gone three minutes overtime. I don’t have time to stay with you.” I looked at the unopened cake sitting nearby. Calmly, I said, “Then I’ll take a cab home myself. You don’t need to give me a ride.” But the next day, I saw a reminder on his phone. [Cancel everything. Wait for Madison’s call.] So he did have time. He just didn’t want to spend it on me. In that case, I wouldn’t waste my life on him anymore. Ethan grunted in acknowledgment and turned to leave. No extra explanation. He didn’t even look back at me once. The waitress approached. “Excuse me, Mr. Blake only paid for his portion.” She paused, pushing another bill in front of me. “This is yours.” I stared at the numbers on the bill, precise to the decimal point, my fingers slowly curling. Even our anniversary dinner, he wanted to split. I swiped my card calmly. Walking out of the mall, a torrential rain poured down. The icy rain hammered against me as I stood by the roadside, watching taxis with their “occupied” lights speed past. On my phone screen, the ride-share app’s queue number didn’t budge. I retreated back to the mall lobby and found a corner seat, sitting alone until it got dark. The rain gradually lessened, and I finally got a ride. Back at our apartment complex, even the short walk left me completely soaked. I opened the door in a sorry state. The living room lights were off, pitch black. Only a box of fresh lychees sat on the dining table. I found it strange. Ethan had never bought me fruit before and didn’t know I liked lychees. The study door suddenly opened. Ethan said coldly, “Why did you call me earlier?” “That was my scheduled work time. I told you not to disturb me.” I gripped my phone, the screen still showing the unanswered call from half an hour ago. The rain had been pouring then. I just wanted to ask if he could bring an umbrella and meet me at the complex entrance. Now, I only said, “It was nothing.” “Don’t do meaningless things like that again.” He dropped that line. His gaze moved to the table. “Peel the lychees and put them in the fridge.” I asked, “For whom?” A trace of impatience entered his voice. “A colleague. Why are you asking so many questions?” A colleague. Who else besides Madison? The study door closed again. The living room was dark once more. I picked up the box of lychees, peeled one, and put it in my own mouth.

I didn’t touch any more, left them as they were, and walked into the bathroom. When I came out after showering, Ethan was on the phone on the balcony. The door wasn’t fully closed. His deliberately lowered voice drifted through the gap, carrying a gentleness and patience I’d never heard before. “The day after tomorrow morning? I have plans… Yeah, I can cancel them.” “Your car is more important. I’ll wait for your call. Let me know when it’s fixed.” I leaned against the wall, staring blankly at the floor. The day after tomorrow morning was our long-scheduled visit to a traveling exhibition by a painter I really loved. The painter had visited three times. I’d missed every single one. This time I’d scheduled a month in advance to finally get time with Ethan. He said he hated unplanned events. But apparently, he only hated unplanned me. When Ethan finished his call and returned to the bedroom, he saw several of my clothes draped over the closet door. They weren’t hung neatly. The corners crossed the dividing line he’d set. He frowned. “Put them away properly. This is messy.” I hummed softly in acknowledgment. Then I pulled out all the black, white, and gray clothes that matched Ethan’s aesthetic and threw them in the trash. Ethan watched my actions, his face showing no ripples of emotion. He didn’t ask why. He didn’t say a word. He just turned over, his back to me, and went to sleep. The next day, I woke up burning with fever. Last night’s rain had caught up with me after all. Ethan was already fully dressed, standing by the bed. “It’s seven fifteen. You didn’t prepare breakfast according to plan and disrupted my morning schedule.” My head was splitting. I tried to sit up, but my vision kept going black. He unlocked his phone screen and tapped on his notes app a few times. “Your relationship behavior score, minus five points.” I walked out of the bedroom in a daze. On the dining table was his finished breakfast plate. Fried eggs, toast, milk. The same as his usual. But there was no plate for me. In the laundry basket, the shirt and dress pants he’d changed out of yesterday were gone. But my soaked dress still lay there quietly. He’d only washed his own clothes. I forced myself to take a cab to the nearest hospital. The emergency room was noisy and chaotic. I felt weak all over from the fever. The doctor prescribed medication and put me on an IV drip. After taking my temperature, she said, “102.5 degrees. We need a family member to stay with you and sign.” I gripped my phone, hesitating for a long time before finally calling Ethan. The phone rang for ages before someone picked up. “What is it?” My voice was hoarse. “I’m at the hospital. I have a fever. The doctor says they need a family member…” “You’ve seen my schedule. This morning is completely booked.” He cut me off. “It’ll only take a little of your time. Just to sign.” Silence on the other end for a few seconds. “I can spare forty minutes at most. Twenty minutes round trip from the office to the hospital. Twenty minutes for care.” I closed my eyes and said softly, “Okay.” “Could you buy me a hot water bottle from the hospital convenience store?” The call ended. A moment later, my phone buzzed. It was a link to a delivery app from Ethan. “You can order one for delivery.” Ten minutes later, Ethan appeared in the ward right on time. He signed the form, took out his laptop, and started working. The medication dripped into my body drop by drop. My arm was numb with cold. Looking at Ethan’s tightly pressed lips nearby, I didn’t speak. I ordered a hot water bottle. The nurse came to change the IV and saw my hand, frowning. “Why is it so swollen? Are you allergic?” Only then did I notice my hand was covered in a large red rash, itchy and painful.

Just then, Ethan’s phone alarm went off. He closed his laptop, didn’t even glance at me, stood up, and left. I instinctively called out, “Ethan, my hand…” He stopped and looked back at my swollen hand. “Time’s up. I have an important industry conference this afternoon.” Then he turned and walked away. The nurse, unable to watch anymore, pressed the call button for me. An elderly woman in the next bed handed me a hot water bottle. “Here, dear, use mine.” The doctor and nurses rushed over, changing my IV and treating the allergic reaction. I lay alone in the hospital bed, enduring the worst hours. By evening, the fever finally broke a little. I leaned against the headboard, mindlessly scrolling through my phone. On Instagram, Madison had posted several updates that afternoon. Every post showed Ethan playing with her golden retriever. In the photos, his face showed a smile, patient and focused. I looked at the swelling on my hand that still hadn’t gone down and the bruises left by the IV. Then I opened a secondhand trading platform. I listed the matching smartwatch Ethan had specially customized for me. That electronic shackle designed to accommodate all his schedules, reminding me every moment what I should be doing. I didn’t need it anymore. After leaving the hospital, I packed up everything I’d bought according to Ethan’s preferences, one by one. His preferences, the rules he’d set, his whole aesthetic—all went into boxes. The apartment was half empty, but I felt an indescribable lightness. At dawn, when Ethan got up, he didn’t find the glass of water at the perfect 113-degree temperature on his nightstand. Walking into the closet, there was no ironed shirt either. He habitually checked his watch. “Your slacking today has delayed my morning routine by eight minutes.” I sat at the dining table, eating the pancakes and coffee he’d never allowed me to touch. Steaming hot, it was a long-missed aroma of real food. I didn’t even look up. “That’s your own problem.” Ethan’s face darkened. He probably thought I was still throwing a tantrum about our anniversary. He said nothing more, got his own water and found his own clothes with a cold face, then slammed the door on his way out. That afternoon, the door lock clicked. Ethan had brought Madison home. He had a strong sense of territory and had set a hard rule against letting outsiders into the apartment. Once my best friend was going through a breakup and came to stay for just one night, and he sent her away on the spot with a cold face. But now, Madison was wearing my slippers, sitting on my couch as if she owned the place. She held a box of ice cream. Cream dripped onto the carpet, leaving large stains. Ethan saw it. He just walked over and gently handed her a wet wipe. “Be careful. Don’t get it on your hands.” Not a hint of reproach. But last time when I accidentally spilled a few drops of coffee, he threw away my entire coffee set. Along with the coffee beans I’d painstakingly collected from all over the country. I ignored them, continuing to pack my things, putting the last few books into a box. Madison stood up curiously and walked straight into my studio. “Wow, you’re so talented.” The paint I’d arranged by color system according to Ethan’s requirements was now a mess from her handling. She held a cup of coffee, walking with interest toward my easel. The next second, her hand tilted. An entire cup of coffee spilled onto the painting I’d spent six months on. That was my work. I’d prepared for half a year to enter it in a competition. Hearing the commotion, Ethan came in. Seeing the mess everywhere, he blamed me first.

“I told you to take proper protective measures.” Then he softly comforted Madison. “It’s just a worthless piece of paper with no commercial value. No big deal if it’s ruined.” Looking at the painting, completely disfigured by coffee stains, I felt not even a trace of heartache. I picked up the painting and stuffed it into the paper shredder in the corner. The machine roared to life. I looked at Ethan’s shocked face and smiled calmly. “You’re right. Just waste paper. Should’ve thrown it out long ago.” That evening, Ethan did something rare and apologized to me. “I didn’t mean your painting was garbage,” he explained. “I was just trying to comfort Madison.” “Make a list of whatever materials you need to repaint. I’ll have someone get them.” How rare. In the past five years, he’d never cared what I lacked or needed for painting. In fact, he didn’t even know what I was painting. This concern I’d waited so long for finally arrived, but I only found it annoying. I turned over and refused. “No need.” The next day, I had to pick up my grandmother’s belongings. Ethan had promised to take me, but with Madison around, I didn’t expect him to actually go with me. But Ethan kept reminding me from the moment he woke up. “We’re going to get your grandmother’s things later. Don’t be late.” He paused and added, “Even if you’re late, it’s fine. I’ve cleared my whole morning.” I looked at the inexplicable emotion in his eyes, not understanding what it was. Guilt? I’d lost more than just one painting over five years. Why bother? On the way to the watch shop, Ethan’s phone rang. It was Madison. With tears in her voice, she said the exhibition model she was responsible for had the wrong dimensions and the client was giving her hell on-site. She urgently needed Ethan to come support her. According to Ethan’s rule of never getting involved in other people’s basic mistakes, he should have refused. Just like he’d refused to bring me my admission ticket, causing me to miss the research institute exam. But I knew. The caller was Madison. Sure enough, without a moment’s hesitation, Ethan made an illegal U-turn right on the highway bridge. Sharp honking erupted behind us. I watched the route on the GPS instantly veer off course and reminded him, “The watch shop closes at five.” His voice was ice cold. “A broken watch won’t disappear if you pick it up late, but Madison’s project involves millions in company profits.” “Your emotional outbursts are seriously interfering with my efficiency. Can’t you tell which is more important?” The car stopped outside the exhibition hall. The sky had darkened at some point, and rain began to fall. Ethan unbuckled his seatbelt. “Wait in the car. I’ll be quick. I’ll take you to get the watch as soon as I’m done.” With that, he locked the car and walked toward Madison, who was waiting anxiously at the entrance. I watched the time on the dashboard tick by, second by second. Forty-five minutes passed. Two hours passed. The sky grew dark. Through the blurred rain, I could see Ethan on the second floor by the floor-to-ceiling windows, bent over, patiently helping Madison revise blueprints. On the table sat an elegant dessert box he’d specially ordered for Madison. But in the car, there wasn’t even a bottle of water. That alarm of his that always went off on time, reminding him which step of his schedule to proceed with— For Madison, he’d turned it off too. His phone was completely silenced. No one could disturb their time. Much less my calls. The sky turned completely dark. Seven whole hours. The watch shop owner sent a final message: [We’ve already closed. I’ll keep your things for now, but I’m leaving town tomorrow.]

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There is a viral trend online lately, using a fake account to test your boyfriend’s loyalty. “I have a girlfriend. I love her so much. Check my Ins. She is all over it.” That was Ethan Shaw’s reply when I tested him with my burner account. But when I clicked on his Ins, the pinned photo showed him with his arm around my best friend, Chloe Williams. For ten years, his posts were visible to me, but the rest of the world saw a completely different version. I hadn’t even started crying when I heard the door unlock. He walked in, covered in snow, and leaned down to kiss away the tears at the corner of my eyes. “Why are you crying? Did you fight with your family again?” I gripped my phone tighter and shook my head with a smile. But from that moment on, I started packing my bags. I booked a one-way ticket to Sweden for a month from now. Ethan Shaw, you had better never find out. I’m not planning to attend the wedding a month from now. Aria’s POV There is a viral trend online lately, using a fake account to test your boyfriend’s loyalty. Even though Ethan Shaw and I have been together for ten years, even though we are getting married in two months, I was still curious whether Ethan would stay true to his principles. After I added him on the fake account, Ethan’s attitude was cold. Once he figured out my intentions, he sent back a blunt reply. “I have a girlfriend. I love her so much. Check my Ins. She is all over it.” My heart felt so warm and sweet. But the moment I opened his Ins, I completely froze. The pinned photo wasn’t of me. It was of my best friend, Chloe Williams. The caption was intimate, clearly showing off his girlfriend. I opened my real account on another phone to compare, and that’s when I discovered Ethan had been lying to me all along! All the posts about me on his Ins were only visible to me and a few close friends. But the posts about Chloe, everyone could see those. I gripped my phone tightly. My blood ran cold. I could barely breathe. I didn’t want to cry, but hot tears blurred my vision anyway. My mind flashed back to when Ethan proposed to me. That mature, steady man showed nervousness for the first time. His whole body was trembling. So even the deepest love can’t survive the test of time? The man who said he would love me forever, his heart had already left me long ago. I was lost in thought when the front door clicked open. Ethan walked in, bringing the cold wind and snow with him. He saw my red eyes and frowned slightly, touching my face with concern. “Why are you crying? Did you fight with your family again?” Ten years. Ethan knew me better than anyone. I’d been by his side since he was broke, and it caused constant fights with my parents. But now he was the one hurting me the most. I looked up into his eyes. My heart churned with bitterness. I wanted so badly to cry and demand to know why he was doing this. We were so close to our happy ending. Why did he stop to hold someone else’s hand instead? But I held it in. Mississippi was full of Ethan’s connections. If I wanted to leave, I couldn’t let him know. Otherwise, stopping me would be the easiest thing in the world for him. I turned my head away. My voice was hoarse. “It’s nothing. I’m used to it.” Ethan nodded, but he didn’t comfort me gently like he used to. “Sorry, I was supposed to spend our anniversary at home with you today, but something came up at work. I need to go back to the office.” “Get some rest early.” He casually set down a gift, then grabbed the most formal coat from the closet and left in a hurry. I saw the gentle smile that unconsciously appeared on his face as he looked at his phone. His lies were so obvious. I could see right through them with just one glance. The door closed completely. I took out my phone and saw that Chloe had posted on Ins. The location was a famous upscale restaurant. She said her boyfriend was taking her to dinner. His face wasn’t visible, but I recognized the Rolex on his wrist immediately. It was Ethan’s. I scrolled through Chloe’s Ins. That’s when I realized that three years ago, when I introduced Ethan to Chloe, they had already gotten together. Behind my back, Chloe had been showering Ethan with care and attention. Maybe because he was on a business trip that year and felt lonely, or maybe because of the thrill of something new, he allowed Chloe to cross the line. And it had continued until now. There was also a conversation between the two of them. Chloe had messaged Ethan. “Did I leave my hair tie at your place?” Ethan’s reply made me sick to my stomach. “It fell in the master bedroom. Come get it next time. I’ll keep it safe for you.” No wonder Ethan had suddenly started locking his little box. It wasn’t just filled with our photo albums and our memories. It had his memories with someone else too. The thought of my fiancé and my best friend getting intimate in this bed made my heart twist in pain. A wave of nausea surged up my throat. I ran to the bathroom and threw up. I don’t know how long I cried or how long I was sick. I had no strength left. My heart went numb. I quickly packed my things and moved to the guest room. Then I walked to the balcony, letting the wind hit my face as I called my mom. My voice was thick with tears. “Mom, I’m sorry. I should have listened to you.” “I broke up with him. Didn’t you want to immigrate to Sweden? I’ll go with you.” My mother still loved her daughter in the end. She comforted me for a long time before hanging up. I calculated everything. I needed to liquidate all my assets. Getting the money would take at least a month. Then I bought three one-way tickets to Sweden for a month from now. That night, I didn’t go to bed early. Instead, I got up and cleaned the whole house until it was spotless. I threw away everything related to Ethan. Looking at the anniversary gift Ethan had given me, I pulled at the corner of my mouth and decisively threw the necklace into the trash. Ethan Shaw, I’ve been with you since I was fifteen. I’ve been by your side for ten whole years. You really have no heart.

Aria’s POV The next morning, I woke up to find myself back in the master bedroom. Ethan walked in wearing loungewear and set the breakfast he was holding on the nightstand. Like before, he reached out to hug me. “Why did you run off to the guest room? I spent forever looking for you.” I caught the scent of unfamiliar women’s perfume on him and noticed poorly concealed red marks on his neck. I closed my eyes, suppressing the stabbing pain in my heart, and calmly rolled out of his embrace. “I accidentally spilled water on the bed last night, so I switched rooms.” Ethan didn’t notice anything unusual about me. Or maybe he just didn’t care anymore. He hugged me from behind, resting his chin in the curve of my shoulder. His voice was deep and intoxicating. “Aria, I have good news.” “Chloe just got hired as my intern assistant. You’ve always said you were worried about her getting bullied at work, right? With me looking after her, she won’t be mistreated at the office.” I fell silent. I almost wanted to laugh. A prosecutor known for being efficient and extremely focused on competence. How could he allow a graduate with zero internship experience to be his assistant? At first, I had also asked Ethan about working at the prosecutor’s office so I could spend more time with him. It would have just taken one word from him. But he refused. He said it would be unethical, that it would damage his reputation. I believed him. But now, how much effort had he put in behind the scenes to get Chloe into the prosecutor’s office? I looked up at him. “Really? That’s good then.” I pushed Ethan away and got straight out of bed. Today I didn’t wait to go to work with Ethan. Instead, I called a cab and went to the law firm on my own. During lunch break, I was eating at a nearby restaurant. I sat in a corner booth and happened to run into Chloe walking in with her arm linked through Ethan’s. Ethan went to order food first. Chloe wanted to find a seat. The moment she looked up, our eyes met. Her gaze flickered, but she quickly recovered and walked over to sit across from me casually. “Aria, why didn’t you reply to my message yesterday? I was worried all night.” “Oh, by the way, Ethan left this at my place last time he came over. I can finally give it back to you.” Chloe pulled a worn-out plushie from her bag. My grip on my knife and fork suddenly tightened. This plushie, I had made it by hand for Ethan when we first got together. He cherished it so much. He kept it hanging on his briefcase and never took it off. Now it had become trash he could casually throw away. I smiled. “I have something for you too.” Looking at the familiar hair tie in my hand, Chloe stayed completely calm. She smiled, a hint of smugness flashing in her eyes. “So you finally know?” The pain of betrayal from my closest friend made my voice rough. “Why?” Chloe laughed coldly. “Don’t you know? You’ve always looked down on me because your family has money! Why do you get to be better than me at everything? Finally, I get to win against you for once!” I couldn’t believe Chloe had been seeing me this way all along. I’d always known her family was poor. Since we were kids, I’d let her have her way. I even picked out expensive gifts for her just to satisfy her vanity. If that’s how it was, I didn’t need to care about our past friendship anymore. “Chloe, do you really think Ethan is serious about you? If he truly loved you, he would have broken up with me and married you already. You’re nothing but a disposable toy in his life. You think you can win against me by relying on some man?” “As long as I’m around, you’ll always be nothing but a homewrecker who can’t show her face in public!” My words struck the nerve Chloe was most sensitive about. Her face turned red with anger and humiliation. Her voice became shrill. “What do you know! I’ll show you right now who Ethan really cares about!” She grabbed the pot of boiling hot water next to her and threw it directly at me! It felt like flames were burning from the inside, trying to tear through my skin and explode outward. The dense, needle-like burning pain made it hard to breathe. I gritted my teeth and shoved Chloe away hard, but before I could take a step, the pain made me bend over against the wall. Hearing the commotion, Ethan rushed over. When he saw my disheveled state, his heart jumped. He immediately came forward to carry me out. But a weak crying voice stopped him. “Ethan, my leg hurts so much…” He turned around and saw Chloe collapsed on the floor. Her swollen ankle had a huge gash, and blood was everywhere. Ethan pressed his lips together. His expression was conflicted. In the end, he turned around and went back. “Aria, Chloe has a blood clotting disorder. If we wait any longer, her life could be in danger. I’ll take her to the hospital first and then come back for you.” Suffering from the pain, Ethan’s voice seemed so distant. Just like the distance between our hearts. I used all my strength to lift my head, only to see his panicked retreating figure. From beginning to end, he never once looked back at me.

Aria’s POV When I woke up in the hospital, a nurse Ethan had hired was sitting beside me. The skin with extensive burns had already blistered. The moment I moved, the pain made me groan. The nurse helped me sit up and poured me a glass of water while telling me how lucky I was. “Your boyfriend really loves you. As soon as he found out you were hospitalized, he hired a nurse and bought a ton of supplements.” I looked at the gift boxes on the floor and said nothing. I figured Ethan was still with Chloe right now. Where the body is, that’s where the heart is. So did he really love me? After the nurse applied my medicine, I took out my phone and saw that Chloe had sent me a one-minute video. The thumbnail showed Ethan half-kneeling on the ground, carefully lifting her calf to apply medicine. “Ethan, are you going home to be with Aria tonight? Can you stay a little longer? Please stay with me a bit more.” After applying the medicine, Chloe leaned into his arms. Her voice was fragile. Ethan was silent for a moment. “Not tonight. I’ll stay with you when I have time.” Chloe looked up at him with her tearful eyes, looking pitiful. “Anytime? I bought tickets to Disneyland this Wednesday. Will you come with me?” “I don’t mind not having a title. As long as you can spare time to be with me, I’m satisfied.” Ethan ruffled her hair and replied softly. “Okay.” My fingers trembled. My phone fell onto the bed. Ethan knew perfectly well that this Wednesday, both families were supposed to have dinner together to discuss the wedding. Why did it have to be that day? He knew that choosing Chloe on such an important day was what would make her happy. Even though my heart felt dead, sadness, despair, and grievance, all these complex emotions surged and churned in my chest. My chest felt heavy and sore. My eyes stung. Tears poured down like rain. Ethan said he would come pick me up. I didn’t wait. I paid the bill myself and left the hospital. That evening, I received an invitation to a class reunion. The next day, I arrived at the private room only to find that Chloe and Ethan were there too. I acted like I didn’t see them and sat down in a corner. Everyone had a few drinks, and the atmosphere gradually heated up. Someone suggested playing games. The first round was truth or dare. Ethan drew a dare to kiss the person next to him for ten seconds. At first, no one dared to say anything. But seeing that I didn’t react, everyone got tipsy and started egging them on. Someone nearby got impatient and pushed Chloe. She cried out and fell toward Ethan. Her red lips barely touched his. Ethan instinctively wrapped his arm around her waist. His eyes darkened with heavy desire. The room erupted with cheers and jeers. When time was up, Chloe pulled away from Ethan’s embrace with a red face. The next second, I received a message from Ethan. “It was just to complete the game. I didn’t want to ruin the mood. Don’t overthink it.” I pulled at the corner of my mouth without replying and got up to go to the balcony for air. Right after, Ethan also received a call from his secretary and followed me out. The game continued. This time it was Chloe’s turn to draw truth. Everyone told her to reveal the most explosive secret she knew. Chloe thought for a moment and smiled. “Of course I have one.” “It’s about Aria Bennett. You don’t really think she’s some innocent good girl, do you? In private, she’s quite wild.” When I came back from getting air on the balcony, Ethan and Chloe were gone. Someone said Chloe had drunk too much and was having stomach spasms, so Ethan took her to the hospital. I didn’t want to think about whether it was true or not. I just nodded. But somehow, I felt like everyone was looking at me strangely. The next second, the private room door was locked from the inside. Alarm bells went off in my head. I stood up to leave, but a man next to me grabbed my wrist and pinned me down on the couch. “I thought you were some pure innocent woman. Turns out you like hooking up with guys on apps when your boyfriend’s out of town. And one guy isn’t even enough for you… Lucky for you, there are five of us here. Why don’t you stay and play with us?” Before I could react. The next second, a pair of hands started tearing off my clothes!

Aria’s POV I was so scared my heart nearly stopped. I struggled with all my strength, but I was no match for the man’s brute force. Feeling my clothes being stripped off one by one, I fell into complete despair. Tears streamed down my face. The man pressing down on me felt a surge of tenderness and leaned down to kiss my face. I seized the opportunity and bit down hard on his neck! A painful howl echoed through the room. I used all my strength to push him off and crashed through the door, running out. “You fucking bitch! If I catch you, you’re dead!” Several men charged out after me. The one I’d bitten spoke through gritted teeth, his voice vicious. I was terrified beyond belief. I ran while trembling, fumbling for my phone in my pocket. I opened my contacts to call the police but accidentally pressed the first number in my list. The moment the call connected, my voice was shaking. I instinctively cried for help. “Please… help me…” But what came from the other end was heavy, magnetic male breathing and Chloe’s seductive moans. “Ethan… slower… it’s too fast, I can’t take it…” My phone fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. It wasn’t until I ran out onto the street and saw a police officer walking toward me that I looked back. The group of men didn’t dare follow anymore. I knew I was safe. My body went weak. I collapsed right there on the ground. A sharp pain hit me. Looking down, I realized my elbow and shin had gotten scraped when I fell. Blood was slowly staining my white dress red. The joy of surviving and the lingering terror swallowed my heart. I covered my face and finally broke down crying. By the time Ethan got the news and rushed to the hospital, I was at the front desk window paying the bill while holding my wound. “Miss, your health insurance wasn’t paid last month. You need to pay the full amount out of pocket now. Remember to renew it if you need to.” I shook my head. “No need. I’ll be leaving here soon anyway.” “Aria, leaving? Where are you going? We’re about to get married.” I turned around and saw Ethan walking toward me. I lowered my head. My tone was flat. “Just a business trip in a little while.” Ethan nodded without thinking much of it. In the operating room, I got thirty stitches total. By the time I came out, my face was already pale as paper. It was late at night. The doctor said I should have family with me while getting my IV. The infusion area was eerily quiet. I closed my eyes tiredly. For the first time, I didn’t lean against Ethan. “Aria, those men have been arrested. They said it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. They’ve already confessed.” I opened my eyes and looked at him. My voice was calm. “Ethan, what if I told you that Chloe deliberately spoke badly about me and incited them to do this? Would you believe me?” Ethan frowned slightly. “Chloe isn’t that kind of person. I know you usually look down on her, but if you still consider her your friend at all, don’t make up rumors and ruin her reputation.” “I’ve been working with her at the prosecutor’s office these past few days. I know what kind of person she is.” I pulled at the corner of my mouth. My heart felt like it was being stabbed with needles. How long had he even known Chloe? Yet Ethan dared to defend her so confidently. But we’d been together for ten years. And in his heart, I had this kind of malicious image. I was too exhausted to even argue back. Ethan’s phone rang. It was a special ringtone. Ethan’s expression instantly became tense. He answered the call and lowered his voice. “What’s wrong?” I heard Chloe crying on the other end. “Ethan, I think someone broke into my house. I’m too scared to go in. Please come quickly. I’m so scared.” “I’m coming now.” After hanging up, Ethan’s expression returned to normal. “Something came up at work. I need to go work overtime. I’ll come check on you later.” Even after Ethan’s figure completely disappeared, I didn’t say a word. I suddenly felt like I’d been so stupid before. Ethan’s terrible acting had actually fooled me for three years. I’d seen what it looked like when he loved me. So now that he didn’t love me anymore, it was equally obvious. In the middle of the night, I dozed off. I didn’t even notice when the blood bag filled up halfway. It wasn’t until the nurse rushed over that I woke up. “Where’s your boyfriend? He was just here. How did so much blood flow back without him noticing?” I pulled at the corner of my mouth and smiled. “You got the wrong person. That’s not my boyfriend.”

Aria’s POV After Ethan said he was going back to work overtime that day, he didn’t come back for three or four days straight. The next time I saw him was on a screen. He was representing the prosecutor’s office at a press conference, giving a legal education presentation to the public. Except this time, Chloe was sitting beside him. A reporter even captured their little hand-holding interaction when they stepped off the stage. Everyone knew how formidable Prosecutor Shaw was. Every case that passed through his hands was won. But in all these years, he’d never been this intimate with any woman in public. The live stream comments were all praising them as a perfect match, congratulating Chloe on her good fortune for winning over this iceberg. I turned off the news. Since Ethan wasn’t home anyway, I had some peace and quiet. I spent the whole day handling the remaining cases at the law firm. By the time I finished work, it was evening. Suddenly Ethan’s secretary called me. “Aria, something’s wrong! Something happened to Mr. Shaw. Get here quickly!” I pressed my lips together. But in the end, I went. Not because I was worried about Ethan, but because I happened to have case files from the law firm that needed to be delivered to the prosecutor’s office. As soon as I arrived, I saw chaos in front of the prosecutor’s office. A criminal that Ethan had sent to prison had been released and came back for revenge. He was holding Chloe hostage at the entrance to threaten Ethan. “Ethan Shaw, you destroyed my marriage and family! Now I’m going to kill your woman right in front of you and make you suffer for the rest of your life!” The man was extremely agitated. A six-inch knife was pressed against Chloe’s throat. She was crying, her whole body trembling. Ethan stood in front of the crowd with an ashen face. The police would need at least ten more minutes to arrive. The man was emotionally unstable. Chloe’s life could be in danger at any second. He couldn’t stall that long. I stood in the middle of the crowd, calmly watching it all. I was just about to turn and leave when I made eye contact with Ethan. Watching him walk quickly toward me, my heart jumped. Before I could react, I was already pulled out. “Look carefully! This is my fiancée!” “I’m letting her be your hostage. Let my assistant go.” I stared at him in disbelief, eyes wide. “Ethan Shaw, are you insane? Let go of me! I don’t want to!” But Ethan’s eyes were bloodshot. He clearly wasn’t listening to anything. The man laughed coldly. “Ethan Shaw, do you think I’m an idiot? If she’s really your fiancée, would you be willing to push her out? This morning I saw you kissing and touching that slut backstage! I saw everything!” “Blame your bad luck for getting mixed up with Ethan Shaw. Pray you don’t meet him in your next life!” The man raised the knife to strike. Chloe screamed. The next second, Ethan shoved me hard from behind, making my whole body lunge toward Chloe. The knife plunged into my chest. The pain nearly made me pass out. Chloe immediately pushed me away and ran straight into Ethan’s arms. “Ethan, I was so scared…” “I’m here. Don’t be afraid. I’ll get you out of here first.” Hearing their conversation, my heart twisted violently with pain. The man’s eyes had turned red with killing intent. He pulled out the knife and stabbed me twice more in the abdomen. Just as the last knife was about to plunge into my throat, I was in too much pain to struggle anymore. I could only close my eyes in despair. Fortunately, the police arrived in time and successfully shot the assailant dead. I collapsed on the ground. From excessive blood loss, my vision started going dark and blurry. My life flashed before my eyes. But it was all just Ethan’s cold face. I couldn’t even remember anymore how gentle Ethan had been to me at the beginning. The moment my eyes closed completely, I had only one thought. If there really is a next life, I will never be with Ethan Shaw again.

Aria’s POV After three days and nights of emergency treatment, I finally came back from hell. I opened my eyes and saw Ethan sitting beside me with a complicated expression. “Aria, you’re finally awake. You slept for three days. I was so afraid something would happen to you.” My voice was hoarse. “I think you were afraid nothing would happen to me. Otherwise you wouldn’t have pushed me out there.” Ethan’s expression froze for a moment. “The situation was urgent. If Chloe had gotten injured with her blood clotting disorder, she definitely wouldn’t have survived.” “She’s your friend too. Could you really bear to watch her die? Besides, you were rushed to the hospital for treatment right away. The doctor said as long as you rest properly, you’ll be fine.” So one stab to the chest and two to the abdomen. In his mind, that was “fine.” All the injuries I suffered couldn’t compare to two tears from Chloe. There was a knock at the door. Chloe stood in the doorway holding a thermos, her eyes red. Ethan frowned slightly and immediately got up to drape his coat over her shoulders. “Didn’t the doctor tell you to rest at home? Why did you come out?” “Aria got hurt so badly because of me. If I didn’t come visit her, I’d feel too guilty.” “Go get her medicine for me. I’ll take care of her here.” Ethan nodded and left the room. As soon as he left, Chloe’s face changed completely. She looked at me with disgust. “You’re so lucky. You actually survived.” I looked at her calmly. “You don’t really think Ethan would marry you if I died, do you?” “Stop dreaming. You have been hooking up with rich guys since college. Look at all those men who claimed to love you. Which one of them actually married you in the end?” Chloe got angry. A vicious smile curved her lips. “Really? How do you know he won’t marry me if we don’t try?” She unscrewed the thermos. The smell of fish soup filled the hospital room. But as soon as I smelled it, I couldn’t help covering my mouth to keep from gagging. I’m allergic to fish. Seeing Chloe pick up the thermos to throw it at me, I couldn’t hold back anymore. I reached out and shoved her away, then slapped her hard across the face! “Don’t touch me! Get out!” Chloe fell down on cue. The scalding hot soup spilled all over the floor. “Aria Bennett!” Ethan came back just in time to see Chloe on the ground with red eyes and a bright red handprint on her face. Anger surged in his chest. He picked her up and shielded her behind him. His voice was cold and impatient. “Haven’t you had enough? Chloe came here out of kindness to take care of you, and this is how you treat her!” “Just because you got hurt and she didn’t, you’re taking all your resentment out on her? When did you become so vicious!” Looking at the disappointment in Ethan’s eyes, I laughed coldly. “I’m vicious? Ethan Shaw, who do you think is responsible for my injuries? Do you even remember whose fiancée you are?” “I just can’t stand you being so unreasonable!” “I will never marry such a vicious woman! Reflect on your behavior. I’m postponing the wedding. When you realize your mistake and apologize to Chloe, then we’ll have the wedding!” Watching Ethan leave angrily with Chloe in his arms, I didn’t try to stop him. I quietly packed my things and took a cab straight to the airport. Mom and Dad were already waiting for me at the entrance. I opened my phone and saw that Ethan had sent me several more messages. “Chloe has been blaming herself and crying for days because of what happened to you. If you really have any conscience, come apologize to her.” “Aria, stop being so unreasonable. I’m only postponing the wedding, not canceling it. After ten years together, no one can take your place.” I laughed. Then I blocked him on everything. Thank god fate gave me a second chance. Thank god I finally woke up. Without Ethan Shaw, I know I’ll have a better life ahead. I pulled my suitcase behind me and walked decisively into a spring without Ethan Shaw.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “416025”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

Ethan thinks I’m dirty because I drive for Uber. If my hands touch his shirt after touching the steering wheel, he has to disinfect it. For seven years of marriage, he constantly tells me I’m an embarrassment, that I’m just a poor driver who doesn’t deserve a university professor like him. That night, after dropping off my last passenger and preparing to clock out, the female passenger had a six-year-old boy with her. As soon as they got in, she called her husband saying she was coming home for their anniversary. The voice on the phone sounded exactly like my husband, Ethan. Clinging to one last shred of hope, I asked the boy his father’s name. He lifted his little face proudly and said: “My daddy’s name is Ethan Morrison. He’s a university professor! He even got his PhD just to marry my mom!” My hands gripping the steering wheel went ice cold. Throughout our seven-year marriage, he said he wanted to focus on his career and didn’t want kids. But I never imagined his illegitimate son was already six years old. When I got home, just as I was about to confront him, I heard him on the phone with his father: “Arrange a car accident for Anna to give her amnesia. Once she’s out of it, we’ll take her money and bring my wife and son home.” I didn’t argue or make a scene. I just opened my mom’s chat and sent one message: [Mom, I agree to the Lancaster arranged marriage. I want to take everything from the Morrison family.]

After my shower, Ethan placed a bowl of soup on the table. “You’re back so late today. Busy?” He was still playing the role of devoted husband, as if he wasn’t the one who’d been cheating for six years. Ethan rarely had time to cook. Usually I rushed home to make him dinner. The old me would have been so touched by this bowl of soup. But I didn’t touch it. I just sat down and looked at him quietly. He sensed something was off but still asked patiently. “What’s wrong? Bad day? Didn’t get many rides?” “Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. About having kids, there’s no rush.” I laughed bitterly inside. Right, your kid is already that big. What’s the rush? Throughout our marriage, Ethan had always used his rising career as an excuse to refuse having children. I thought he felt our life wasn’t stable enough, and I felt bad that his professor job was so demanding. So I worked myself to the bone taking rides, from 4 AM until midnight. Now it’s clear—he just didn’t want to have children with me. Thinking of our seven years together, I still held onto one last sliver of hope. “Ethan, is there something you’re hiding from me?” “If you tell me now, I can pretend nothing happened.” Ethan’s body stiffened. Clearly I’d hit a nerve. “What do you mean?” I was too tired to explain further. “I mean, who’s the person you’re cheating with?” Ethan’s expression changed. He set down his spoon and looked at me coldly. “Anna, you have nothing to do all day but sit here with these paranoid thoughts?” “Imagining your husband cheating with someone else—don’t you disgust yourself?” I clenched my fists. The last trace of affection vanished completely. “I disgust myself?” “When you had your dad plot to hurt your own wife, why didn’t you find yourself disgusting?” Ethan froze for a moment, then frowned in disgust. “You were eavesdropping on my phone call?” After a few seconds, he regained his composure and looked at me coldly. “Since you heard, I’ll be straight with you. Nina and I have been together for years. If she hadn’t gone abroad that year, and if you hadn’t saved me, why would I marry someone useless like you?” Just then, his phone screen lit up. Ethan saw something that made him smile broadly. I sneered inwardly. So that woman was also his first love, his white moonlight. My chest began to ache belatedly, and a dull pain spread from my ribs. That was the aftereffect from saving him back then. My breathing quickened. “Ethan, get my medicine… my rib injury is flaring up…” But Ethan didn’t even glance at me. He grabbed his coat and walked out the door. “Anna, playing the victim card works once, but not twice.” “You owe Nina so much. Apologize to her properly, and we can go back to how things were.” “I’m going to celebrate our anniversary with Nina. Think it over and come find me.” My heart went completely numb. In his eyes, everything I’d sacrificed for him was just playing the victim. The pain intensified. I struggled to move and find my medicine. Just after taking it, the housekeeper Lily called me. “Miss, the arranged marriage with the Lancaster family is set for three days from now. Please be ready.”

I packed my things to go home when a coworker texted me. [Anna, why are there bad reviews about you all over the Uber platform?] [The company fired you and locked your car.] I felt nothing inside. I didn’t need to guess—this was Ethan’s doing. He wanted to use this to force me to apologize, to force me to endure it. But that was fine. I was going to quit anyway. This saved me the trouble. But the next message truly made me freeze. [Oh right, Professor Morrison is actually our boss’s son!] Ethan was the son of Richard Morrison, owner of Morrison Group? My heart sank. No wonder my supervisor always deliberately made things difficult for me, gave me so few assignments. No wonder he could get his father to sabotage me. But from our wedding until now, he’d lied to me, saying his parents lived in a remote countryside and couldn’t come to the city. I’d never met his parents. They didn’t even attend our wedding. I didn’t care about his rich family background, but I couldn’t tolerate being deceived for seven years. From the very beginning, he never intended to accept me, and after all these years, still didn’t. Just as I was about to block all of Ethan’s contacts, an unfamiliar number called. “Is this Anna? I’m Ethan’s father. Do you have time to come to the house for dinner?” After thinking it over, I agreed. These seven years of feelings deserved some closure. When I arrived at the Morrison villa, it was opulent inside, with many of their relatives present. After dinner, out of politeness, I helped clear the table. That’s when I heard people talking about me. “Is this the person Ethan has never brought home? She’s pretty enough, but why does she look so shabby?” “Oh, she’s just an Uber driver who saved him once. How could she compare to Nina?” “Exactly. Nina may not work, but she comes from an excellent family background.” My expression didn’t change, but my heart ached again. Back then, for Ethan’s sake, I refused the family’s arranged marriage, fought terribly with my mom, and was kicked out of the house. I worked hard to give Ethan the best life I could. He despised me for being incompetent, but the woman he loved devotedly was just a trophy who did nothing. Love and lack of love—it really was obvious. Mr. Morrison scoffed: “What wife? The marriage certificate is fake.” “My son said she’s just a housekeeper he hired.” All the blood in my body seemed to freeze. I stood there rigidly. The marriage certificate was fake? I thought about the marriage certificate I’d prepared yesterday to file for divorce—so light, with so much of the color faded. I’d thought it was just old, but it turned out to be a fake document. The year we got married, Ethan and I walked out of the marriage registration office together. He held the marriage certificate and smiled at me for the first time. “Anna, I’ll treat you well.” I was so excited I couldn’t sleep all night. How moved I was then—that’s how ironic it is now. Mr. Morrison even pulled out photos of their family of three to show everyone. “This is my son’s real wife. The child looks just like his father, doesn’t he?” Just then, a news segment played on the TV. “The Morrison family heir has officially announced his longtime girlfriend, Miss Nina.” “According to the couple, they will hold the wedding of the century at the end of this month.” Watching the two of them on the TV screen, smiling and leaning sweetly against each other. I finally understood Mr. Morrison’s intentions. He called me here just to make me leave on my own, to establish in front of everyone. That I was the homewrecker who destroyed their family. After composing myself, I pushed open the door to leave, only to run straight into Ethan, who’d just returned. Behind him stood the child and Nina. Seeing me, Ethan’s expression turned icy. “Anna, you dare make a scene at my house?” “In front of all these people, what are you trying to pull?” After all these years, he still jumped to conclusions without asking, never caring about my feelings. I steadied my breathing. Perfect timing to make everything clear in front of everyone. “Ethan, I came to tell you that not everyone is like your kept mistress.” “I, Anna Hart, haven’t used a penny of your money or asked you for a single favor.” “From now on, you have nothing to do with me. Understand?”

Ethan’s normally arrogant face showed disbelief and panic. “What do you mean? You want a divorce?” I laughed coldly. “Divorce? The marriage certificate is fake. There’s no divorce to speak of.” “All these years with you, I was just a free housekeeper, wasn’t I?” The Morrison relatives seized the opportunity to join in. “Ethan, this woman just claimed to be your wife. What’s your relationship with her?” Ethan’s earlier panic vanished in a flash. He gripped Nina’s hand tightly. “Impossible. The one I’ve always loved is Nina.” “Would I, Ethan Morrison, ever fall for an Uber driver?” Then Nina smiled and wrapped her arm around his shoulder, looking me up and down. “Oh, so it’s you, that driver from the other day. Just as I thought—dirty car, dirty person.” I clenched my fists, holding back again and again. Forget it. Arguing with people like this is a waste of life. But just as I brushed past them, Nina lowered her voice and leaned close to my ear. “He hasn’t let you touch him in a long time, has he? Want to know why?” “Because he only has me in his heart. And you—dirty and weak, you can’t even hold onto your own man.” Hearing those words, I couldn’t suppress my anger anymore. Although I was already numb to Ethan’s cheating, I couldn’t tolerate the mistress’s constant provocations. But before I could speak, Nina suddenly let go and fell backward down the steps. She crashed hard at the villa entrance, blood seeping from the back of her head. The Morrison family members cried out in alarm. Ethan shoved me aside roughly and ran down to help Nina. “Nina, Nina are you okay… does it hurt…” Seeing his heartbroken expression, I just felt it was laughable. Once, to save him, I broke two ribs and used my body to pry open a crushed car door. Ethan turned his head, eyes red, and shouted at me. “Anna, have you lost your mind? To get me, you want to kill Nina?” This was the first time I’d seen him this furious. I said coldly: “She fell by herself. Are you blind?” Before I finished speaking, a sharp pain shot through my hand. It was Ethan’s illegitimate son. He was hitting my arm with a scalding hot water kettle. “Bad person! Don’t bully my mom!” I frowned and pushed the child away. Ethan suddenly rushed over and confronted me. “You crazy woman, now you want to hurt my son too?” “Anna, do you only know these dirty tricks?” Mr. Morrison picked up his phone and aimed it at me. He was livestreaming. “Everyone come look—the homewrecker making trouble at the real family’s home, trying to kill the man’s partner, and even attacking the child!” Watching this absurd scene unfold, I suddenly felt so tired. No matter how I explained, no one would believe me. They didn’t care about the truth. They just wanted to destroy my reputation. Ethan kept accusing me, his eyes full of hatred. “Anna, I must have been blind to ever show you mercy!” “You’ve occupied Nina’s place for so many years—how dare you lay a hand on him!” “Get on your knees and apologize to him right now!” I was so angry I laughed. “Why should I apologize for something I didn’t do?” “You chose to marry me, you chose to cheat. What do I owe Nina?” I looked at them one last time, coldly. “Ethan, you lied to me for seven years. You’re the one who owes me.” “I hope you never regret this for the rest of your life.” With that, I ignored everyone’s curses and walked straight out. I told Lily to pick me up and stood by the roadside waiting for the car. But the next second, a black car came barreling toward me. I couldn’t dodge in time and crashed straight into the hood.

When I woke up again, I was lying in the Hart family’s private hospital. My head was spinning badly, and my left leg hurt terribly. But compared to when I saved Ethan, this injury was nothing. My mom’s hoarse voice sounded: “You’re awake?” I turned my head to see her sitting by the bed, eyes red and swollen. “Mom.” Seven years. I’d finally seen my mom again. She gently held my hand, as if only then daring to confirm I was really awake. “How long was I asleep?” “Five days.” Five days. Only then did I learn that Ethan, to get revenge on me, had deliberately arranged for a car to hit me. Fortunately, Lily arrived in time and sent me to the best hospital for emergency treatment, which is why I woke up. Luckily there were no major injuries, just a mild concussion and external wounds. I braced my arms to sit up. A dull pain shot through my ribs. My mom said she’d already sent people to deal with the hit-and-run driver, but as for those two people, she’d leave them to me. I nodded without asking more. Of course I wouldn’t let them off easily, but not now. Then I remembered something else. “What about the Lancaster arranged marriage?” Lily hesitated: “Mr. Lancaster said he can wait a bit longer.” I frowned and immediately threw off the covers to get out of bed. “No more waiting. Let’s do it today.” “Making Adrian Lancaster wait so long—what would that look like?” My mom came over and patted my shoulder gently, saying nothing. Finally, I got in the car heading to the Lancaster house. On the way, I opened my phone. There was a message Ethan had just sent. I didn’t open it. I just deleted it. When I arrived at the Lancaster house, Adrian was already waiting for me. He wore a well-tailored dark suit. When he saw me get out of the car, he paused slightly. I walked over and extended my hand. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Lancaster.” He smiled and placed his hand in my palm. “Just call me Adrian.” At the Morrison villa, Ethan adjusted Nina’s collar. “Nina, today is the Lancaster family’s young heir’s wedding. I’m going to discuss a project.” “Many elites will be there. It’s a good chance for you to meet them.” He got in the car to the Lancaster house with Nina, opened his chat with Anna, still feeling uneasy. [Haven’t you had enough of your tantrum these past few days? When you’ve thought it through, come apologize to Nina.] [As long as you apologize sincerely, I won’t hold it against you. We can go back to how things were.] But she hadn’t replied to a single message these past few days. After thinking, he sent another one. [About the marriage certificate—that was my fault. Whatever compensation you want, I’ll give it to you.] After sending it, he entered the Lancaster venue with Nina. Inside, it was packed with business elites. Once everyone arrived, the Lancaster family announced they would present today’s newlyweds. Nina said enviously: “I just heard the woman marrying into the Lancaster family has an even better background. I wonder which heiress she is.” As soon as she finished speaking, I walked into the venue with a smile, holding Adrian’s hand. The guests below applauded in congratulation. After seeing my face clearly, Ethan froze in place. The wine glass in his hand nearly slipped.

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