Author: Momo Chan

I thought my fiancé and I, childhood sweethearts, had a true connection unlike other business marriages. Who knew that on the day we announced our engagement, the real heiress would be found. My fiancé, who once treasured me, now demanded I bow down to the real heiress at every turn. “You need to understand your place. If you hadn’t been occupying Emily’s position all this time, she would surely be more accomplished than you.” My excellence became their excuse to suppress me. They put the real heiress’s name on my work. Even my parents’ keepsakes were destroyed in the real heiress’s fit of anger. Since this family doesn’t like me, I’ll leave. But why is my fiancé, who always urged me to submit, now the first to bow his head? “This jewelry is my latest design. I hope everyone will like it,” Emily Anderson said on stage, elegantly bowing to thank the audience after explaining her design concept. The applause was thunderous, but I stared blankly at the piece on stage. This work was clearly something I had spent three months designing. I had even watched my fiancé accompany me to submit this piece. But why was it now Emily’s competition entry and concept? The murmurs around me felt like needles, each one piercing my heart. “So this is the Anderson heiress? She’s beautiful and talented. Looks like the Anderson family has a successor.” “Wasn’t the Anderson heiress different before?” “You’re behind on the news. The original Sophie Evans was switched at birth. This is the real heiress.” At this, several gazes fell on me, making me uncomfortable. “Come to think of it, Emily’s story is tragic. She was switched away for no reason. What Sophie’s parents did was criminal. It’s thanks to Emily’s kindness that this imposter is still allowed to stay in the family.” “This imposter has the nerve to keep staring at someone else’s work. Who knows what she’s thinking!” The voices were so loud that they caught the judges’ attention. “What’s all this commotion about?” I bit my lip and pointed at the work on stage: “That piece is mine.” Emily’s face changed slightly, and she immediately stepped forward to mediate. “Sister, this is my first public appearance. Do you have any issues with me?” She lowered her voice, her eyes reddening: “Sister, I know you resent me for coming back and taking your identity, but I am the Anderson daughter. I won’t yield to you in this matter.” “I spent months creating this piece. You can’t just claim it as your own for public recognition!” Emily cried, her tears barely held back, arousing sympathy from many. The most sympathetic was my fiancé, William Parker, who had just arrived. Seeing this scene, he blurted out: “Sophie, I’ve told you many times, Emily is the real Anderson heiress.” “Why can’t you just give in to Emily a bit and save me some worry?” I stared at my fiancé in disbelief. What did he mean by saying I couldn’t give in to Emily a bit? The piece on stage was something he had helped me create step by step. He knew best that I was innocent. Why did he accuse me without asking a single question? The disdainful gazes of the crowd around me felt like a tidal wave, drowning me. Bearing the pressure from everyone, I looked at William and said word by word: “This piece is mine.”

William’s face showed panic, and he instinctively glanced at the piece a few times. Emily said tearfully: “Sister, that’s clearly my work. You can’t steal my work just to become famous!” “I know you resent me for coming back to this family and taking what was yours, but have you ever thought that those things originally belonged to me?” Emily was beautiful, showing no signs of mistreatment. In fact, perhaps due to genetics, she looked more like an heiress than I did. She stood there, looking pitiful and delicate. Everyone present couldn’t help but side with her. The one who sided with her the most was my fiancé, William. His face looked troubled, and his eyes held a hint of suppressed pain when he looked at me. Even his voice trembled slightly: “Sophie, look at the mess you’ve caused.” He couldn’t help but pull me aside and said: “I know you want to be famous, but don’t you want to be with me?” “If you just let Emily have this championship, she’ll surely support our relationship in the future.” I was stunned, staring blankly at the man before me. So it was he who had given my work to Emily. No wonder my competition entry had ended up in Emily’s hands. After all, I had trusted him too much. After finishing the design, I was tired and asked him to submit the work for me. “Why? Why must I give the championship to Emily? You know this piece is my heart and soul.” “You stayed up late with me, watching this piece come to life under my hands. To me, it’s like my child. Now you’re asking me to give it to Emily. On what grounds?” As I spoke, I became agitated and even angry. But William’s reaction was even stronger. “Your parents deliberately switched Emily away, making her suffer for so many years.” “You lived in the Anderson mansion, enjoyed the best resources, lived a privileged life. Shouldn’t you feel guilty?” William looked at me with disappointment, as if I had committed some unforgivable sin. My hands trembled slightly. Why was he so sure my parents had switched Emily? When Emily found her way back to the Anderson family, my parents had already passed away. She looked so much like Mrs. Anderson that she didn’t even need a DNA test to confirm her identity. In her account, she had suffered greatly. My parents didn’t let her go to school, were cold to her, and made her do all kinds of chores. Whenever my parents were slightly displeased, they would beat her severely, and even thought about selling her for a bride price. After my parents died in a car accident, she accidentally found a letter explaining that she was a switched child. She used that letter to find her way to the Anderson family. Overnight, I went from being an heiress to the daughter of criminals. The Andersons felt sorry for this newly found daughter but were unwilling to let me leave. For a time, my situation in this family became awkward. When Emily was found, William was the only one who stood by my side. He knew I loved designing jewelry, so he stayed by my side as I created pieces. I knew the Anderson and Parker families were destined for an arranged marriage. I had occupied Emily’s position, and William’s marriage partner should have been her. So I never thought about competing with her. I just wanted to keep the man I loved by my side in my own way. I had even agreed with my adoptive parents that if I could win this competition’s championship, As long as I stayed with the Anderson family as a designer, they wouldn’t force Emily and William together. But now, my boyfriend was asking me to give the championship to Emily.

I grabbed William’s sleeve and said softly: “William, you know how much effort I put into this piece. My parents…” Before I could finish, William shook off my hand. His expression showed a hint of annoyance as he angrily said: “Enough, Sophie Evans! Do you know how much I’ve sacrificed to be with you?” “Now you just need to give in to Emily a bit, and we can be together soon. But you’re obsessing over your work. Do you really love me?” “What’s more important to you, your so-called work or me?” I stepped back, almost falling to the ground. William left me and returned to the front, apologizing to everyone. “I’m sorry, my girlfriend is still having trouble accepting a new sister. Today’s incident is all a misunderstanding.” Emily, like a sweet and understanding flower, leaned gently against William. They looked very compatible. The audience below whispered among themselves. Their voices were soft, yet seemed loud, each word piercing my heart, extremely harsh. “She occupied Emily’s identity for over a decade. Now that the real heiress is back, she’s unhappy about it.” “Everyone knows her birth parents deliberately switched the children just to give her a better life. She’s no good either. Children take after their parents, don’t they?” “The Parker heir is a good man. Even in this situation, he still wants to be with this imposter.” Every word seemed to prove my unworthiness. This was the second time I had experienced such treatment. The first time was when Emily had just returned, and my adoptive parents heard about their birth daughter’s suffering. They were very dissatisfied with me. That time, William stood behind me. But this time, I was alone and helpless. Even William, who had always helped me, was now standing on stage, looking down at me from above. I took a deep breath and loudly interrupted: “I’m not crazy. I’m just stating the facts.” “Since it’s your work, you must know it very well, right?” Emily confidently said: “Of course!” She then went on to explain in detail what I had originally told William. “Every detail on this piece was designed by my own hand. How could I not know the details of this work?” “This piece is called ‘True Love,’ hoping that all girls can find their true love.” “Even the cutting method and design concept of this jewelry are my original creations, which will be used in Anderson Jewelry in the future.” These were the words I had originally told William. He didn’t know much about jewelry, but to make me happy, he had always stayed by my side. Afraid he would be bored, I told him about my design concepts. “William, the cutting method and design concept of this jewelry are my original creations. When they’re used in Anderson Jewelry in the future, my parents will surely be very happy.” At that moment, my heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. So the words I had shared with William, he had already told Emily. What did our vows and the words he said to me mean then? Thinking of this, my voice was filled with a sense of lifelessness. “It’s not called ‘True Love,’ it’s called ‘Queen.’ The creative concept isn’t about every girl finding true love, but telling everyone that girls can be their own queens.” “In the designs I create, I usually leave my own mark. For example, this piece has a ‘Y’ engraved on the innermost part.”

Emily was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting this turn of events. She quickly composed herself and said: “The last letter of your name is ‘Y,’ and so is mine. You happened to know this and are deliberately trying to frame me!” “Judges, I request that this woman be expelled. She’s intentionally disrupting the competition.” No wonder she could pass off my work as her own. She could come up with such a rebuttal in such a short time, and it even sounded reasonable. “Every piece I’ve created before has this ‘Y’ in it. You can check them all.” “You can say I’m slandering Emily with this piece, but when I created those previous works, Emily hadn’t returned to the Anderson family yet. Surely I couldn’t have known her back then?” I had been in the jewelry industry for two or three years. Thanks to the Anderson family, I had many resources invested in me. I had created several pieces before, all well-received. Many people knew about my previous works, and some had even bought them at auctions as collectibles. But as soon as I finished speaking, William let out a cold laugh. Emily said gently: “Sophie, all your works have been collected by William. He knows there’s no such symbol in those pieces.” “I’ll overlook this incident for our parents’ sake. Please don’t make any more trouble in the future.” I was stunned for a moment and looked at William. In front of everyone, William shook his head. “There’s no such symbol on Sophie’s works.” My heart sank completely, and even my blood seemed to freeze. Security guards dragged me out of the competition. I had been driven here by the Anderson family’s chauffeur, but now he was gone. My phone had fallen in the venue during the scuffle, so I could only walk back. By the time I returned to the Anderson house, William and Emily had already arrived. They sat on the sofa, with Mr. and Mrs. Anderson warmly congratulating Emily on winning the championship. William gently stroked Emily’s hair. “Actually, it was Brother William who gave me a lot of inspiration!” Emily said happily, showing off her trophy to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. “William has always been a good boy. As for your marriage…” Seeing me return, the air suddenly became silent. William’s gentle smile faded as he stood up and walked towards me. “Sophie, you’re back. I have good news to tell you.” “Your parents have agreed to our relationship. We can get married soon.” William’s voice carried a hint of joy. How ridiculous. This man had stolen my work and given it to another woman, even standing against me. Despite all this, he still firmly believed I would be with him. In that moment, I didn’t want to pursue anything anymore. Losing one piece of work to recognize this scumbag was actually a good thing. I spoke calmly: “No need. Let’s cancel our marriage plans.” I raised my head and looked at William, my eyes showing a hint of reluctance that quickly faded. “Our engagement was originally between the Parker and Anderson families. Now that Emily is back, she’s your real fiancée. As for me, I should return to my original status.”

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Smoke billowed everywhere as flames engulfed the cockpit. I struggled desperately to escape, but the thick smoke stung my eyes, making it impossible to see. The feeling of suffocation grew stronger until my consciousness began to fade. In my final moments, I saw my fiancé, Jack Thompson, fleeing through the emergency exit with Mia Collins in his arms. I was trapped in the inferno, separated from them by just a wall. I reached out, trying to grab them, but my hand fell limply to my side. “Olivia, I’m sorry. I had no choice,” Jack’s voice was cold and hurried as his silhouette faded into the distance, leaving me to die in the sea of flames. I hated them! I hated Jack for his cruelty and Mia for her deceit! But most of all, I hated myself for my blind trust! If only I could turn back time, I would stay far away from that despicable couple! When I opened my eyes again, the plane hadn’t even taken off. I had been given a second chance. “Ahhh!!!” A scream pierced through the cockpit. The plane was taxiing down the runway, less than a kilometer away from takeoff. Mia, who had just been pushed aside, stared in horror at the flames in the cockpit and screamed uncontrollably. “Fire! Help!” Her cry sent the passengers, who had been quietly seated with their seatbelts fastened, into a panic. Everyone stood up, trying to see what was happening at the front of the plane. “Look! The cockpit’s on fire! We’re all going to die!” “I don’t want to die! Let me off!” Chaos ensued, and even the flight attendants were frozen in fear. Seeing that everyone was about to rush towards the cockpit, I quickly sprang into action. I shoved the troublesome Mia aside and dashed to the control panel at the front of the plane. “Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm! The fire has been extinguished, and we will be taking off shortly. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts!” After calming the passengers through the intercom, I turned to Mia and scolded her harshly, “What are you waiting for? Go check the passengers’ seatbelts! Why are you just standing there?” Mia flinched at my outburst and immediately scurried off towards the cabin, bowing her head submissively. “And tell the other flight attendants to return to their positions. No one is allowed near the cockpit!” The situation had been critical earlier, with passengers standing up to check what was happening. If someone had taken advantage of the chaos, it could have easily led to a stampede. Fortunately, everything turned out alright, and the plane took off smoothly.

“Mia, do you realize that your panic attack nearly cost everyone on this plane their lives?!” I reprimanded Mia sternly after the plane had reached cruising altitude. “Olivia, I-I’m so sorry. I was just so scared. I didn’t mean to…” Mia hung her head and sobbed quietly, looking utterly pitiful. If I hadn’t been given this second chance and known what happened in my previous life, I might have fallen for her act again. “Fear is no excuse! Our top priority should always be passenger safety. What you did was a serious violation of aviation safety laws. Do you understand that?!” “Olivia, I know I was wrong. Please give me another chance…” Mia looked at me with tear-filled eyes, appearing genuinely remorseful. “Go back to the rest area and stay there!” I couldn’t bear to look at her like this anymore, so I waved her away. Sending her back to the rest area served two purposes: first, to make her reflect on her actions, and second, to ensure the emergency exit remained unobstructed. After all, in my previous life, Mia had locked me in the cockpit to save herself! Mia obediently left, but instead of reflecting on her actions in the rest area, she felt somewhat resentful, thinking I was making a big deal out of nothing. She believed the plane wouldn’t have crashed and it was just a false alarm. So, when I wasn’t paying attention, she sneaked off to complain to my fiancé, Jack Thompson, with whom she had been having a secret affair. “Jack, I was so scared today. The plane almost crashed, and Olivia was so mean to me…” Mia’s sweet voice made Jack’s heart ache. He quickly comforted her. “It’s okay now, it’s okay. Don’t be afraid, Mia. Olivia was just worried about everyone’s safety, so she might have been a bit harsh. Don’t take it to heart.” “But Olivia has always been biased against me. I feel like she doesn’t like me…” Mia lowered her head, looking utterly wronged. Hearing this, Jack felt annoyed. He thought Olivia was being ungrateful, daring to be so harsh to his precious Mia. “Hmph, just wait until we land. I’ll teach her a lesson!” Jack snorted coldly. Seeing that he was genuinely angry, Mia felt secretly delighted and quickly added fuel to the fire. “Jack, please don’t blame Olivia. She was just worried about everyone. Don’t argue with her because of me…” “Mia, you’re just too kind-hearted. That’s why people bully you!” Jack held Mia’s hand tenderly. Ryan Walker, the co-pilot, witnessed this scene and couldn’t help but shake his head. How could Olivia have chosen a guy like Jack? She would have been better off with him. Twenty minutes later, the plane successfully made an emergency landing. I organized the passengers’ evacuation in an orderly manner, staying behind until the last moment. During the evacuation process, Ryan consistently helped me maintain order and protect the passengers’ safety. “Olivia, you go first. I’ll cover for you!” Ryan insisted that I leave first. I looked at his determined expression and nodded. As I reached the cabin door, I suddenly heard a cry of alarm from behind. “Watch out!” I instinctively ducked, and a piece of the wing flew over my head, crashing onto the runway. Ryan rushed over and shielded me with his body. After making sure I wasn’t hurt, he quickly pulled me away from the plane. After reaching a safe distance, I checked on all the passengers. Only when I confirmed that everyone had escaped safely did I finally feel relieved. Ryan, seeing my expression of relief, smiled slightly. “See? I told you, as long as you’re here, everyone would be safe.” I looked at Ryan’s trusting eyes, feeling a warmth spread through my heart.

After the plane successfully made an emergency landing, Jack rushed over to question me about why I had sent Mia away. “Olivia, what’s the meaning of this? Why did you send Mia to the rest area to reflect?” “You have the nerve to ask me that? You saw what happened in the cockpit. Mia lost her composure! If I hadn’t stepped in to fix the situation, everyone on this plane would have died today!” I was furious, wondering how I could have ever fallen for such an idiot in my previous life. “Olivia, stop making a mountain out of a molehill. Mia didn’t mean any harm. Besides, the plane is fine, isn’t it? Why are you being so aggressive?” Jack completely failed to grasp the severity of the situation and continued to defend Mia. “Yes, Olivia, I really didn’t mean to. Please forgive me just this once!” Mia stood nearby, crying her eyes out, acting every bit the innocent victim. “Olivia, look how understanding Mia is! Let’s just drop this matter. No one is to bring it up again!” Jack looked at Mia with eyes full of sympathy, but when he turned to me, his gaze was filled with hostility. Other crew members who didn’t know the full story also began to side with Jack and criticize me. “Olivia, you really went too far this time. Sure, Mia made a mistake, but it wasn’t that serious. You’re blowing this out of proportion.” “Yeah, we’re all colleagues here. There’s no need to make such a big deal out of it. Why don’t you just apologize to Mia and be done with it?” My colleagues chattered away, and suddenly I found myself the target of everyone’s criticism. “What do you all know?! Didn’t you see how dangerous the situation was earlier?!” “Mia’s mistake could have caused the plane to crash. What’s wrong with me asking her to reflect on her actions?!” I looked at everyone, feeling wronged and resentful. “Olivia, we know you meant well, but Mia is still new. She needs some time to adjust.” “That’s right, Olivia. Don’t hold it against her. Let’s just forget about this incident.” Although my colleagues seemed to understand my feelings, they still weren’t willing to stand up for me. “What are you all trying to say? That I shouldn’t punish her?” “What if she makes the same mistake next time? Who’s going to take responsibility then?” At this moment, Ryan, who had been silent all this time, stepped forward. “I agree with Olivia. The situation earlier was indeed very dangerous. Thanks to Olivia’s quick action, we avoided a potential disaster that could have cost us our lives.” Ryan’s words silenced everyone. I looked at him gratefully, finally understanding what it meant to have someone on your side when you needed it most.

It wasn’t long before the crew supervisor arrived at the scene. As soon as he arrived, he feigned concern about the incident. “Oh my, what on earth happened here? How did this situation suddenly occur?” “Sir, it was Mia in the cockpit…” I was about to reveal the truth when I saw the supervisor’s expression change. “That’s enough, I don’t need to hear anymore. I already know what happened. Mia is just a young girl, it’s natural for her to be scared in dangerous situations. Don’t make such a big deal out of it.” Making a big deal? I widened my eyes, unable to believe these words came from our supervisor’s mouth. “Sir, are you suggesting that Mia nearly killed everyone on this plane, and it’s somehow my fault?” “I didn’t say that, but as the head flight attendant, failing to respond promptly to an emergency situation is your negligence!” The supervisor was clearly favoring Mia, pushing the responsibility onto me. “Olivia, you’ve gone too far! Mia is still new, asking her to help in the cockpit is just setting her up for failure, isn’t it?” The supervisor started attacking me as soon as he arrived, his words clearly biased towards Mia. “How did I set her up? As a flight attendant, she lost her composure and screamed in front of the passengers, nearly causing the death of everyone on the plane. What’s wrong with me asking her to reflect on her actions in the rest area?” I defiantly argued back at the supervisor. I had saved everyone, so why should I take this kind of treatment? “Olivia, you dare to talk back! Mia has already admitted her mistake to me. Just apologize, and we’ll let this matter drop.” Seeing that I wasn’t backing down, the supervisor’s face darkened even more. “Apologize? What did I do wrong? Mia nearly killed everyone, so why should I apologize to her?” “Sir, you’re clearly favoring Mia. Is there some special relationship between you two?” I couldn’t hold back anymore and directly questioned the supervisor about his relationship with Mia. The supervisor’s face changed when I exposed him, and he became even more severe in his accusations. “Olivia, how dare you twist the facts?! Mia has already told me everything. She said you forced her to help in the cockpit, and when she didn’t want to go, you sent her away!” The supervisor glared at me, his tone full of disbelief.

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On our seventh wedding anniversary, Ethan publicly slapped me in front of everyone. “It’s Olivia’s birthday, how dare you come here and ruin it?” he sneered. Looking at the mockery in his eyes, I knew he had intentionally invited me here to humiliate me. In the lively karaoke room, I was treated like a servant, ordered to select songs and open bottles of wine, watching my husband passionately kiss Olivia right in front of me. After the party, a drunk Ethan waited for me downstairs. “Who told you to disappear for 7 days without my permission? This is your punishment. If it happens again, get out of the Evans family!” “Be careful, or you’ll end up serving me for 7 years without getting a penny!” The farewell words suddenly caught in my throat. I clutched the critical condition notice in my hand, thought for a moment, and ultimately decided not to show it to him. “Realizing you’re old and unattractive, couldn’t find a rich husband, so you came crawling back?” Ethan mocked from the passenger seat as we drove home. “Rachel Wilson! You abandoned me for money back then, and came back when I became successful. This day was bound to come!” I gripped the steering wheel tightly, laughing bitterly. “Yes, I deserve this.” In the seven years of marriage to Ethan Evans, he constantly brought various girls home, being intimate with them right in front of me, taking pleasure in tormenting me. But I didn’t understand. Besides being his bedmate, I also had to be his housekeeper, assistant, and driver. He never gave me a penny, and that once young and beautiful girl was worn down to nothing for him. Why wouldn’t he believe that I was never with him for his money? I tilted my head back slightly, holding back the tears in my eyes. Ethan’s lazy voice sounded again: “Tell me, where did you go for those 7 days that I couldn’t contact you?” “The hospital.” “Hospital? Huh, which doctor have you set your sights on? You think these highly educated people can be easily manipulated like I was back then?” He lifted my chin, his eyes full of playfulness and mockery: “You old woman, don’t think you can seduce anyone anymore!” I bit my lip hard, but tears still fell uncontrollably. My heart, already riddled with holes, was torn apart once again, the pain unbearable. Ethan finally showed a satisfied smile, casually tossing a necklace at me. “Here, your anniversary gift.” I, who had endured all kinds of insults without complaint, suddenly started trembling uncontrollably at the sight of this first gift he had given me in 7 years. “What does this mean? Are you afraid I’ll give up on you and leave, so you’re deliberately giving me a bit of hope so you can continue to torment me?” “Ethan Evans, it’s been 7 years, haven’t you had enough revenge?” I don’t know if it was because I was too emotional, but I thought I saw a flash of pain in his eyes. But it quickly disappeared, replaced by a cold smile. “You’re overthinking it.” “For someone like you who’s here for money and won’t leave no matter how badly I treat you, why would I need to give you any sweetness?” I couldn’t say another word. Ever since Ethan first brought a girl home and took her to the bedroom in front of me, all explanations became meaningless. I just wanted to endure it, repay my debt, and then be free. Back home, Ethan roughly pushed me onto the bed. “Ethan Evans, this is the last time,” I silently thought to myself as I closed my eyes. I let him press me down without any emotion, as if venting. Whispering Olivia’s name.

Olivia Davis was the most popular starlet under Ethan’s management. In the past 7 years, countless girls had come and gone from his side, but Olivia was the only one who had stayed for 3 months. He bought her a house, gave her the best resources, perhaps developing feelings for her in the process of taking revenge on me. Everyone thought Olivia was his official girlfriend. No one knew that I was Ethan Evans’ wife. “That driver, Mr. Evans wants you to go over,” someone suddenly called out to me as I was waiting in the car for Ethan. He had come to the set to accompany Olivia, and when I arrived, they were filming a scene where the female lead falls into water. The autumn water was bone-chillingly cold. Olivia nestled in Ethan’s arms, her tearful eyes full of pampered happiness: “Ethan, I’m not strong…” Ethan immediately grasped her hand: “Don’t worry, that’s why I found a stand-in for you, right?” His gaze fell on me, and the staff all turned to look at me as well. They all smirked silently. Only the director dared to speak up: “Mr. Evans, I know you care about Olivia, but this scene is very important and can’t be done carelessly. How can we use some random servant as a stand-in?” “We might as well use one of the middle-aged extras.” I looked down at my shabby clothes, feeling embarrassed. But Ethan was confident: “Just put some makeup on her.” When I came out of the makeup room, everyone was shocked. “How can they look so alike?” “Looks like Mr. Evans really likes Olivia, even choosing a driver who looks like her…” With the makeup covering my sickly complexion and wrinkles, I finally showed a bit of my youthful appearance. They all thought I looked like Olivia, but no one knew that I had known Ethan for much longer than Olivia had. “What are you standing there for? Jump in quickly, don’t keep Olivia waiting!” Ethan ordered impatiently, his arm around Olivia. I walked to the edge of the pool and saw how deep it was, giving off wisps of cold air. My body, already terminally ill and near death, instinctively rejected it. “I’m not feeling well, Mr. Evans. You should find a professional actor.” “What nonsense? Finding someone else would take at least half an hour, and Olivia is waiting to finish shooting so we can go eat.” His gaze shifted to me, the warmth he showed Olivia instantly turning cold: “Are you going to jump? Or do I need to have someone push you in?” I shuddered deeply. Just his words made me feel like I was in an ice cellar, unable to breathe. I had endured this kind of treatment for 7 years, what’s one last time? Clenching my fists, I looked up at Ethan: “With this jump, we’ll be even.” He frowned: “What do you mean?” “Remember when I married you, I borrowed $130,000 from you?” “For these 7 years, I’ve been your assistant, your housekeeper, your driver, barely resting a day. Three salaries combined, you should have paid me at least $1,000 a month.” “And every time you slept with me, it was your initiative! Even if you think I’m cheap, it shouldn’t be less than $500 each time.” I took out the small notebook I always carried, everything recorded clearly! “This jump is risking my life, charging you $3,000 isn’t too much. After this, the $130,000 is fully repaid. Ethan Evans, I don’t owe you anything anymore!” Without waiting for Ethan’s response, I dove deep into the pool. The icy water instantly engulfed me, eroding my consciousness and my already fading life. But I didn’t struggle, feeling only the relief of liberation, letting my body sink gradually. Just as I was about to drown, a familiar figure hugged me and brought me to the shore. “Rachel Wilson, are you crazy?” “Do you know you could have really died if the rescue wasn’t in time?!” Looking at Ethan’s panicked and angry face, I smiled. “You hate me so much, wouldn’t my death be exactly what you want?”

They didn’t understand why Ethan cared so much about me, a mere driver, giving me CPR and carrying me to the car. Olivia even seemed a bit jealous. She followed Ethan with red eyes: “Can’t you let someone else take her to the hospital? Ethan, you promised to have dinner with me.” Ethan, who usually gave in to her every demand, hesitated for a moment: “She’s my employee after all, I can’t let anything happen to her.” He held me tightly and quickened his pace. The warm, familiar chest suddenly took me back to 10 years ago. We had just graduated from college then, living in a damp basement apartment in the suburbs. The cold, damp environment made me sick all winter. Once I had a severe fever, becoming delirious. The snow on the road was knee-deep, and we couldn’t get a taxi. Ethan carried me like this, running from the suburbs to the hospital 7 kilometers away, without stopping once. He was exhausted to the point of collapse, his clothes soaked through with snow and sweat, but he still managed to buy me a baked sweet potato, watching over me with tearful eyes. “Don’t be afraid, Rachel, don’t be afraid, I’m here.” “Can you say something?” “Rachel, please don’t scare me…” He cried out in fear, looking like he couldn’t live without me. But later, I still left him. When he finally found me, regardless of the consequences, he discovered I was already with a rich young man. So is it because he loved too deeply that he now hates so fiercely? Hating to the point of tormenting me for 7 years and still not being satisfied. “You’re so afraid of me dying, do you want to torment me for a lifetime?” I laughed, with both relief and bitterness: “But you can’t have your way anymore. Ethan Evans, I have a terminal illness, with only 3 months left to live.” As I finished speaking, Ethan’s footsteps suddenly stopped. “Terminal illness?” He murmured hoarsely, then suddenly let go, letting me fall hard to the ground. The concern and pain in his eyes disappeared, leaving only pure coldness. He laughed sarcastically, as if he had seen through me: “How could you suddenly get a terminal illness? Is this the new trick you’ve come up with after 7 years of endurance?” “Finding that pretending to be obedient and caring about me didn’t work, so now you’re settling accounts with me, trying to make me feel sorry for you before bringing up the terminal illness, to trick me into giving you money?” “What a pity, Rachel Wilson! I was actually starting to soften towards you. If you had endured a bit longer, you might have succeeded. But you were too impatient!” He laughed louder and more wildly. He stared down at me, wanting to see defeat and regret on my face. But he saw nothing, only indifference and calmness after a heart has died. “Hmph, let’s see how long you can keep up this act!” He strode past me, putting on a smile to hold Olivia’s hand. The girl was confused by Ethan’s previous words, already suspecting the nature of our relationship. But before she could figure it out, Ethan had deeply kissed her lips. “Didn’t you say we were going to eat? What are you standing there for, get in the car.” Olivia’s eyes brightened again, and she obediently got in the car. I didn’t even have the energy to feel heartbroken anymore. My whole body felt like it had been shattered, and I could barely crawl to the back seat of the car, gritting my teeth. As I opened the car door to get in, Ethan roughly pushed me away. “What are you getting in for? Didn’t you hear I’m taking Olivia out?” “Take a taxi to the hospital yourself!” I stood there stunned, watching Ethan gently help another woman into the car in endless pain and despair, leaving me behind. An autumn wind blew by. The bone-chilling cold triggered my illness, every inch of flesh feeling like it was being torn apart. The pain made me cry. I waved at the disappearing car. “Goodbye, Ethan Evans.” “Never see you again.”

I didn’t go to the hospital. After taking some painkillers, I went home to pack my luggage. In the huge mansion, my belongings only filled one small suitcase. All the clothes inside were bought when I first came, not a single new piece added in 7 years, all faded and as pale as my sickly complexion. Ironically, there were 10 housekeepers in the mansion. Only I, the legal wife, had to work without a moment’s rest every day, worn to skin and bones. Just because Ethan didn’t want me to have any free time, didn’t want to see even a hint of happiness or relaxation on my face. “Phew~” I let out a long sigh, quickening my pace to leave with the broken suitcase. I was finally going to be free. “Where are you going?” “Found that playing pitiful didn’t work, so now you’re pulling the running away trick?” I slowed down, blocked by Ethan in the courtyard. The suffocating feeling came back, and I couldn’t be bothered to say another word, trying to walk around him. But he grabbed my arm. “Don’t touch me!” I violently shook off his hand, turning to glare at him: “I told you, I’ve paid back what I owed you. From now on, you’re not allowed to touch me again!” “Heh.” Ethan chuckled: “Rachel Wilson, I’ve seen this retreat to advance trick played out in the business world. You think I’m still that naive boy from back then? So easy to fool?” I had heard similar words countless times over these 7 years. But I still couldn’t become immune to them. My heart felt bitter, unable to say a word. “Alright, stop pretending. Considering you disappeared for 7 days and came back looking all sickly, and even deliberately jumped in the water trying to drown yourself, putting in so much effort, I’ll let you have your way just this once.” He took out a stack of bills from his bag, throwing them at my feet with a playful look, as if giving alms. “Pick it up and say ‘thank you, husband’, and I’ll give you a few more thousand.” Looking at the man I had shared a bed with for 7 years, his eyes not hiding their mockery at all, I thought I would feel pain, but I didn’t. At that moment, I truly understood what it meant for a heart to die. I met his gaze directly, finally able to calmly ask the question that had puzzled me for 7 years: “Ethan Evans, if money was all I cared about, if I married you just for your family fortune, why did I endure for 7 years without hope and not leave? Why didn’t I find other rich men while I was still young, instead of wasting away here with you?” “Whether you believe it or not, Ethan Evans, my feelings for you were always genuine.” But that was in the past. After saying this, the knot in my heart slowly dissipated. Not waiting for his response, I continued to leave with my suitcase. “Rachel Wilson! If it wasn’t for my money, what was it for?” “You left me when I was poorest, then came back when my company went public. How can you say your feelings were genuine?” Ethan’s angry shouts came from behind. I couldn’t be bothered to say more, quickening my pace. He suddenly chased after me, grabbing my hair and pulling me to the ground. “I’m asking you a question, why are you running? Answer me!” His eyes were red with anger, out of control. But I no longer had the energy to guess why he was angry. My already unstable condition was triggered again, and I curled up on the ground, shaking with pain, unable to control it even while gritting my teeth. “Get up, stop pretending!” “How could a fall hurt you this badly?” Seeing my face growing paler, my forehead covered in cold sweat, not seeming to be an act, Ethan finally panicked, crouching down to try and pick me up. “Get away!” I pushed him away with all my strength, crawling towards my suitcase with difficulty. Like a clumsy but determined snail, desperately trying to escape this place. “Alright, alright, I give up. Rachel, we can talk about anything you want, but let’s go to the hospital first, okay?” Ethan’s voice trembled slightly, his movements much gentler as he carefully tried to help me up. I would rather die than let him touch me again! In the struggle, the old suitcase accidentally tipped over, its fragile plastic shell shattering and revealing the medical diagnosis on top. Ethan saw it and immediately grabbed it. The world was silent for two seconds. Then his hoarse, trembling voice, full of fear, sounded again. “Rachel… you really have cancer?” “If it’s true, why didn’t you show me earlier?”

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I accidentally saw a “mistress registry” in the company group email. Next to my husband Ethan Parker’s name was his childhood sweetheart, the same age as him. In the evidence column, there was a screenshot of a chat. The childhood sweetheart asked him: “How long has it been since you touched that old lady?” He replied: “Don’t mention it. Now when I look at the company’s interns, I find them so youthful and vibrant.” “But when I go home and face her wrinkled face, I always feel there’s an elderly odor.” I’m already thirty-six, eight years older than him. But I don’t think I’m old yet. After coming to my senses, I decisively handed him divorce papers. Without me, his older sister figure, charging ahead, Ethan Parker lost his job and dignity, and reluctantly tried to keep me. I pinched my nose and said mockingly: “Why is there a smell of poverty here?” When I saw that “mistress registry”, Ethan Parker was playing games in the study. I placed the warmed milk beside him, reminding him to drink it soon. He impatiently said: “I know, you go rest first.” I casually scrolled on my phone, the page stopping right on his name. Olivia Quinn’s name was prefixed to his. And for several rows after, there was all kinds of substantial evidence of her being his mistress. My gaze focused on the words “elderly odor” for a long time, until my hand was almost numb. My heart ached, and my mind went blank. Until a game ended, Ethan Parker cursed softly and reached for the milk. But he accidentally spilled it. The milk spilled all over me. Ethan Parker finally had time to look up at me: “You haven’t left yet?” He frowned, his eyes showing a hint of disgust: “Tsk, what a strong smell. Go take a shower quickly.” The three words from the chat screenshot instantly became sharp arrows in reality. They pierced through the void, stabbing fiercely into my chest. In a daze, I suddenly realized a problem. Ethan Parker hadn’t touched me for a very long time.

When I closed the study door. The girl he was playing with maliciously asked: “She’s been waiting for you, does she want to… with you?” Ethan Parker instinctively looked back. Probably afraid I would hear. The door was left with a small gap, I stood where he couldn’t see me, and heard him say: “Can you stop disgusting me on purpose? Just thinking about that smell on her body makes me lose my appetite.” The girl’s mocking laughter was like sharp knives, cutting me to pieces. She continued to ask: “You’re not even thirty yet, why suffer with her? Just get a divorce.” “Forget it,” Ethan Parker hesitated. I thought he still couldn’t bear to part with me. Who knew he would say pityingly: “She’s almost forty, an old woman. Who would want her besides me?” My breathing became irregular, and my hands started trembling uncontrollably. I ran to the bathroom in a panic, looked up, and found my face had already turned pale. Ethan Parker didn’t notice anything unusual. But in the past, if I just sneezed once, he would make a fuss, take my temperature, and make chicken soup for me. Afraid I would be even slightly uncomfortable. When did he change? It was after I turned thirty-five. In this year and more, we rarely communicated. I always thought I was too busy with work and neglected him. I never imagined that his disgust had shown signs long ago. No longer turning on a lamp late at night, waiting for me to come home. No longer holding my waist intimately, calling me “babe” when things got passionate. No longer taking every little thing about me to heart, fearing to be negligent. It’s hard to imagine that this man, who now thinks I smell like an old person and is disgusted with me in every way, Once fought with his whole family, was kicked out of the house, to be with me, a woman eight years older than him, still firmly holding my hand, never giving up. At that time he said: “I don’t care what others think, you’re the best in my heart.” “Whether you’re twenty, thirty, or forty, fifty, in my heart, you’ll always be an eighteen-year-old girl.” “Even if the whole world disapproves of us, I still want to be with you.” “Let me take care of you for life, okay?” I raised my hand to smell myself. Because I was taking medicine to regulate my body, I could only smell a very faint scent of Chinese herbs. Like a string suddenly snapped, I took all the perfumes from the cabinet and sprayed them on myself. The perfume bottles fell to the ground, the broken pieces flew up, leaving a bright red wound on my leg. Blood flowed profusely. The entire bathroom was filled with a suffocating strong fragrance. Ethan Parker pushed open the door: “Rachel, what did you break?” He didn’t even notice that my leg was bleeding profusely, but just complained: “It’s so stuffy, clean it up quickly! It smells terrible!” But that was perfume. It doesn’t stink. At that moment, I suddenly realized. Ethan Parker just didn’t love me anymore. Why should I punish myself for his lack of love?

In the six years of marriage with Ethan Parker, I had always been known as a strong career woman to outsiders. And he rightfully enjoyed the “material” benefits that I, as the older one, contributed more to this relationship. I didn’t intend to let Ethan Parker take away a penny of the “marital property” I had worked hard to earn. Getting actual evidence of his affair became particularly important. To my surprise, Ethan Parker’s social circle was shockingly clean. The only one he was entangled with was his childhood friend he had known for many years. Olivia Quinn.

In the past, we had arguments because of Olivia Quinn. Although I was older than him and more mature, when it came to matters of the heart, I also had a jealous side. Olivia Quinn was young and beautiful, and had known Ethan Parker for many years. Their relationship was very deep. Sometimes, there would be actions that crossed the line. One particularly intense argument with Ethan Parker was because during a trip together, Olivia Quinn accidentally sprained her ankle. Ethan Parker carried her on his back without a second thought, leaving me, his girlfriend, far behind. Afterwards, Ethan Parker found it very hard to understand. He said: “Olivia is just like a sister to me.” “I carried my own sister when she was hurt, there was absolutely no other meaning to it.” Even Olivia came to apologize to me: “Rachel, don’t misunderstand. Ethan and I are just buddies. If we could be together, we would have been long ago, why wait until now?” In the end, it turned out that I was making a fuss over nothing. I stopped paying attention, and that argument became the longest cold war between Ethan Parker and me. In the end, he waited for me outside my company building for a day and a night. I worked overtime all night, and early the next morning, I met him at the entrance with his eyes red from staying up all night. He came up to me, gently tugging at the hem of my clothes, and pleaded in a low voice: “Don’t be angry anymore, babe.” “I promise, I’ll keep my distance from Olivia in the future.” “Okay?” After that, I rarely saw Olivia appear in front of me again. Little did I know, they had been keeping in touch privately all along. In fact, the girl he was playing games with last night. Was Olivia Quinn.

After staking out for half a month, I finally saw the latest chat records between Ethan Parker and Olivia Quinn on the iPad. They had arranged to meet at a hotel in the neighboring city. That day was Olivia Quinn’s birthday. I sat in a rented Volkswagen, watching Olivia Quinn link arms with Ethan Parker not far away. They were eating the same ice cream cone. Olivia Quinn’s face was full of arrogance: “Would the old lady eat the same ice cream cone with you?” Ethan Parker looked embarrassed: “Walking on the street, people think she’s my mom.” “Who eats the same ice cream cone with their mom at this age!” They entered the hotel together. The room number was 606. I travel frequently for work and have a gold membership on the hotel APP, with VIP discounts for accommodation. But my assistant always helped me book rooms, I rarely logged in myself. So Ethan Parker felt safe enough to use my account to book hotel rooms. It was only after calling customer service and asking them to restore the deleted booking records that I discovered Ethan Parker had booked rooms more than ten times in the past year and a half. Each time in his words was a so-called business trip. I sat in the Volkswagen for about twenty minutes, smoking two cigarettes. Estimating that enough time had passed, I finally dialed the police. Imitating the online procedures for catching cheaters, I calmly informed the person on the other end of the phone. “Hello, I want to report anonymously.” “There’s group prostitution happening in room 606 of XX Hotel.”

When I entered the room, Ethan Parker was shirtless, trying to explain. “I’m just playing games with my friend, what’s the problem?” The police officer sneered: “You play games without clothes on?” “Well, the informant is here. Please come with us to the police station to make a statement.” Ethan Parker hadn’t seen me yet, and was already furious: “Which psycho—” As I walked around the police officers. He met my eyes. At that moment, he completely panicked, his eyes full of disbelief: “You- why are you here?” I lit another cigarette, scanning him from head to toe. Fortunately, Ethan Parker was wearing shorts. But they must have been hastily put on when he was caught. After all, they were on backwards. The pockets were in the front. I couldn’t help but sneer. Ethan Parker fiddled with his drawstring, and after the initial panic, he quickly regained his composure. He quickly explained: “Rachel, today is Olivia’s birthday.” “We had arranged to meet some friends at the hotel to celebrate her birthday.” “We just arrived early, don’t misunderstand.” As he spoke, he deliberately took out his phone to show me the group he had created with his buddies. The group name was “Princess Olivia’s Birthday Party”. Six or seven men, but only Olivia was a woman. “I know you’ve never liked Olivia much, so I didn’t dare tell you. We even arranged it in the neighboring city.” I calmly finished my last drag of the cigarette, extinguished it, and said flatly: “Ethan Parker, do you remember what day it was yesterday?” His eyes first flashed with confusion. Then, he suddenly panicked. Of course he should panic. Because yesterday was my birthday.

It was when I got on the high-speed train to the neighboring city that I suddenly saw the date on the calendar and remembered. Yesterday was my birthday. It had already passed. I hadn’t remembered, and neither had Ethan Parker. Before I turned thirty-five, for every one of my birthdays, Ethan Parker would thoughtfully prepare gifts for me. From small things like a pen or a bouquet of flowers, to big things like a diamond ring or a wedding dress. At thirty-six, everything was gone. All that was left was the “elderly odor” that people found disgusting all over me. I smiled self-mockingly, suddenly realizing that when I thought of those three words again, I no longer felt so breathless with pain. This is probably the advantage of dating an older woman. All emotions are processed internally. But, you won’t get away with taking advantage of me. Love is just a game, I can play it, and I can lose it. “I’ve been so busy lately, I really forgot…” When Ethan Parker stepped forward urgently, trying to explain, I gently waved away his hand. I said in a contemptuous tone: “Ethan Parker, you’ve saved quite a bit of money using my VIP membership to book hotels over a dozen times, haven’t you?” “After the divorce, remember to transfer that money back to my card.”

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I developed mutism due to childhood trauma. My parents, ashamed of my condition, forced me to marry my sister Olivia’s comatose fiancé, Ethan, in her place. After three years of my devoted care, Ethan miraculously woke up. But the first thing he did upon waking was to demand a divorce. He mistook Olivia for the one who had cared for him these three years, declaring he would marry no one but her. Later, I overheard his best friend explaining to him that it was actually I who had cared for him all this time. He just smiled nonchalantly and said, “I already knew that, but my wife can’t be a mute.” Completely heartbroken, I sought hypnotherapy to suppress my memories and cure my mutism. When I woke up, I looked at the man by my hospital bed in confusion and asked, “Who are you?” The man before me suddenly panicked… Ethan had been in a coma for three years. When he woke up, the first person he saw was me, but his eyes were filled with disappointment. I didn’t notice the disappointment in his eyes. Overjoyed, I helped him sit up and shared the good news in our friends’ group chat. Soon, the hospital room was crowded with people. And I, the wife who had cared for Ethan for three years, was pushed to the corner, completely ignored. Olivia arrived late, wearing a beautiful blue evening gown, looking like she had just come from a party. Ethan grabbed Olivia’s hand, his eyes red-rimmed, “Honey, you’ve suffered so much these three years.” At these words, everyone in the room was stunned, as if the air had frozen. I stood to the side, fidgeting with my clothes, unable to speak up for myself. All because of my mutism. His friend awkwardly explained, “Ethan, Rachel is your wife.” Ethan’s brow instantly furrowed, his eyes turning cold as he looked at me, as if I had come between him and Olivia. I had always known he liked my cousin Olivia. They were supposed to get married, but a car accident left him in a vegetative state. My cousin didn’t want to marry a vegetable and cried to my parents. When I heard it was Ethan, I agreed to their request to marry him in my sister’s place. Little did I know that after three years of my devoted care, this would be the result. I immediately took out my phone and started typing, wanting to explain, but Olivia pressed down my phone. She looked at me with a fake smile, “Sister, Ethan just woke up. He probably can’t handle too much information right now. Why don’t you step out for a bit?” Sensing the awkward atmosphere, the others in the room made excuses to leave. As the door closed, Olivia burst into tears and threw herself into Ethan’s arms, as if she had suffered some great injustice. “Ethan, you’re finally awake. I’ve waited for you for three years…” My heart suddenly tightened, my hand trembling as I gripped the doorknob. After what seemed like an eternity, Olivia opened the door, her cheeks still wet with tears. I walked into the room suspiciously, only to have a glass shatter at my feet. “Rachel, you really went to great lengths to marry me!” “Using such underhanded tactics, aren’t you ashamed?” Flying glass shards cut my leg, but the pain was nothing compared to what I felt in my heart. Ethan was my childhood friend, the only one who didn’t look down on my mutism and encouraged me to seek treatment. But after meeting Olivia, he was unconsciously drawn to her. The boy who once said he would marry me gradually turned his heart towards her. Now he even saw me as the villain who came between their love. I frantically tried to use sign language, then remembered he couldn’t understand it. I shakily took out my phone to type an explanation. Olivia looked at me challengingly, knocking the phone out of my hand. It fell to the floor, the screen instantly going black. “Sister, please, let us be together!” I stood there, stunned. Apart from sign language, my phone was my only means of communication with others. And now I couldn’t even defend myself. I shook my head desperately, but the world can be cruel, especially for someone who can’t speak.

My parents somehow got wind of the news and rushed to the hospital. I intercepted them, using sign language to ask them to explain for me. They could understand a bit of simple sign language. Mom nodded slightly, while Dad just pushed me aside and pulled Mom into the room. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Mom hesitantly spoke up, “Rachel, she…” Olivia, sensing what Mom was about to say, interrupted, “Mom, my sister just likes Ethan too much. Don’t blame her.” I widened my eyes in disbelief, grabbing Olivia and frantically signing, [You’re lying! You’re lying!] She rubbed her wrist, nestling into Ethan’s arms, looking pitiful, “I’m sorry, sister. Don’t be angry, I won’t say anymore.” I desperately signed to Mom, my vision blurring with tears, [Tell him it’s not like that!] Mom avoided my gaze. A sense of helplessness spread through my body. In the three years I had cared for Ethan alone, not a single day had been more desperate than today. Dad’s face darkened, “Weren’t you the one who forced your sister to give up her place? You even said Ethan wouldn’t know anyway.” If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I never would have imagined my own father could twist the truth so much. These words felt like needles stabbing my heart. Originally, it was my sister who despised Ethan for becoming a vegetable and didn’t want to marry him. That’s why my parents had me marry him instead. Ethan let out a cold laugh, “Rachel, it’s a good thing I woke up. Otherwise, I would have died with my eyes closed.” I bit my lip hard, the taste of blood spreading in my mouth. So this was how he saw me. Mom pulled me out of the room, her face full of guilt, “Don’t blame your father. We owe Olivia this much.” Olivia’s parents had died saving my parents. My parents took Olivia in and treated her like their own. My parents felt indebted to her, so I always had to give in to her in everything. Whenever I refused, Olivia would cry and say, “If only my parents were still here.” When I developed mutism, just when I needed companionship the most, Olivia convinced my parents to take her traveling abroad. Three years ago, Olivia’s mocking words still rang in my ears, “A mute and a vegetable are a perfect match!” Mom continued, “Now that Ethan is awake, he’ll divorce you sooner or later.” “Leaving a good impression now will only elevate your sister’s status, won’t it?” Tears fell to the ground as I pounded my chest hard, the only way to alleviate the pain in my heart. But it was my parents who owed my uncle and aunt, why did I have to pay the debt? Ethan moved quickly. He decided on divorce in the morning and had the divorce agreement drawn up by the afternoon. Afraid I might cause trouble, he had several bodyguards watch me as I signed my name. I smiled bitterly and slowly wrote my name. Ethan had saved my life, and I had watched over him for three years. From now on, we owed each other nothing.

The autumn evening breeze carried a hint of chill. As soon as my phone was fixed, I sent a message to Dr. Song, [I’d like to try the hypnotherapy you mentioned before.] Dr. Song quickly replied, [After hypnosis, you will lose some memories.] [Also, a family member needs to sign a consent form to ensure someone will take care of you during your recovery period.] My gaze fell on the words “family member”, and I couldn’t help but smile bitterly, unable to think of anyone who could sign the consent form for me. I kept scrolling through my contacts, my finger hovering over one profile picture, hesitating to click on it. Unexpectedly, the profile picture suddenly shook, and a message popped up, [I’m back in the country today. Would you like to have dinner?] I quickly replied, agreeing on a place to meet. Looking out at the scenery, my thoughts drifted far away. Jason was the son of my sign language teacher. Because I often went to his house for lessons, we became quite familiar with each other. Three years ago, when he learned I was going to marry a man in a vegetative state, he angrily smashed the birthday gift he was going to give me, saying his mother teaching me sign language was a waste. I fought back using sign language, saying all sorts of nasty things. Later, he went abroad to study, and I thought we would never see each other again. I didn’t expect him to return to the country. After not seeing each other for several years, he had matured a lot, giving off an unapproachable aura when not smiling. I went straight to the point, using sign language to ask him, [Can you… pretend to be my family member and sign for me?] His expression froze. After learning the whole story, his hands clenched tightly, as if trying hard to suppress something. “Are you sure about this?” I nodded lightly. What use were these memories to me anyway? Besides, after the memories were suppressed, I would be able to speak again. “Alright.” When I returned to the Jiang family mansion, it was already evening. My things had been carelessly thrown in the hallway of the villa. Ethan glanced at me coldly, “Rachel, don’t say I’m not giving you face. From now on, you’ll live in the guest room.” I nodded lightly. He hadn’t expected me to be so calm and looked me up and down. I would forget about him soon anyway, so what did it matter where I lived? Suddenly, a small dog ran out of the house. I froze, instinctively grabbing Ethan’s arm. He frowned in displeasure and shook off my hand roughly. “Rachel, know your place.” His force was so strong that I hadn’t reacted in time and fell to the ground, pain shooting through my wrist. I had been afraid of dogs since childhood, and the boy who once said he would protect me for life had now let go of my hand. A flash of regret crossed his eyes, and he reached out to help me up. I pretended not to see it and struggled to my feet, ignoring the pain. Olivia came out of the room, clinging to Ethan’s arm and pouting. “Little Darling doesn’t like being confined. Can we give it a bigger room?” Ethan fondly ruffled her hair, “Alright, let’s give the newly cleaned guest room to Little Darling.” “Rachel, you’ll move to the basement.” How laughable. In his eyes, I was worth less than a stray dog they had adopted. While packing my things, I suddenly smelled something strange. Following the scent, I saw a large yellow stain on a red coat. This coat was a birthday gift from Ethan. Because my birthday was on the same day as my uncle and aunt’s death anniversary, my parents didn’t allow me to celebrate. Ethan had secretly given me the coat, earnestly telling me, “Rachel, I’ll be with you for every birthday from now on.” Apparently, promises only count when there’s love. I had cherished this coat so much that I never dared to wear it. It seems I’ll never get to wear it now.

When Ethan saw the coat, he felt a twinge of emotion and told the housekeeper to take it for dry cleaning. But I threw the coat directly into the trash bin, along with all the photos of Ethan and me from over the years. I didn’t want to have any connection with him in the future. Ethan stared at me and slowly said, “Olivia has a kind heart and adopted Little Darling. If you dare to make her unhappy, I definitely won’t let you off.” People really do laugh when they’re at their wit’s end. It seems Ethan had completely forgotten that I’m afraid of dogs. Probably on Ethan’s orders, not a single servant helped me. Ignoring the pain in my wrist, I packed until evening, finally clearing out everything related to Ethan. This was the first time I had stayed at home in three years. After Ethan became a vegetable, I had practically lived in the hospital. At first, there were visitors, but later everyone in the Jiang family gave up on him. Most of the time, it was just him and me in the hospital room. Just as I was falling into a light sleep at dawn, I was awakened by a bucket of cold water. Ethan looked down at me condescendingly, “Rachel, you’ve really become lazy.” “You’re no longer the mistress of the Jiang family. How dare you sleep in?” My head was a bit fuzzy, and I nodded lightly to show I understood. I wiped the water off my face and got up to change my clothes. The servants in the villa were bustling about. The housekeeper glanced at me and told me to go polish the piano. Only then did I realize today was Olivia’s birthday. My fingers glided over the piano keys, and beautiful music flowed from my fingertips. Ethan once said my hands were born to play the piano, but now these hands were used to polish the piano. I couldn’t help but smile bitterly at the irony. Sweet words are only sincere in the moment they’re spoken. Halfway through polishing, I received a message from Dr. Song, [Tomorrow morning at 10 AM.] I quickly replied “okay” and forwarded the message to Jason. Thinking about being able to speak again, my mood improved considerably. I thought this party had nothing to do with me, but unexpectedly, Ethan pulled me to the dressing room. I was flattered to receive a dress. But he was full of impatience, “Hurry up and put it on. How will people talk about Olivia if you don’t attend?” So it was only to avoid gossip about Olivia. I felt the large stains on the dress, my heart already numb. I remembered Olivia’s social media post an hour ago: [It doesn’t matter if I stained the dress, Ethan will prepare two for me.] Olivia stood by the cake like an elegant princess, while I was like a clown for people’s amusement. I tried to minimize my presence, sitting in a corner. But the gossip still reached my ears. “What’s that on her dress? It’s disgusting!” “She’s so shameless, stealing her sister’s fiancé.” “I heard she’s a mute.” The mocking voices were incessant. I clenched my dress tightly. Olivia sat down at the piano, the spotlight focused on her, attracting everyone’s attention. The music suddenly stopped, and she cried out, “Ouch! How are there razor blades in the piano!” The housekeeper pointed at me in the corner, “Only Miss Rachel touched the piano!” Ethan glared at me angrily, roughly pulling me to the piano and pressing my hands onto the keys. The pain in my fingers was so intense I could barely breathe. “Rachel, this is the price you pay for doing wrong.” After saying this, he carried Olivia out, ignoring my bloodied hands. I clearly saw Olivia flash a smug smile at me. Later, an ambulance took me to the hospital, but all the doctors in the hospital had been called to examine Olivia. Before I fainted from blood loss, I heard a nurse shout angrily, “If her hands don’t get immediate treatment, she’ll be permanently disabled!” Tears slid from the corners of my eyes. I really wished I had never met Ethan. Meanwhile, the doctor looking at Ethan seemed familiar and greeted him. “How’s your wife? She took care of you for three years. It’s finally her time to be happy.”

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Both Ethan Lewis and I were given a second chance at life. We were reincarnated on the day he was supposed to propose to me. This time, he let go of my hand and turned to embrace Olivia Taylor tightly. I suddenly remembered that in our previous life, on our way to file for divorce, we had a car accident. As he lay dying, the name he murmured wasn’t mine, but a regret. “If I could start over, I would definitely choose Olivia Taylor. Only with her do I feel truly alive…” If that’s the case, then I’ll fulfill his wish. But later, he knelt before me, begging for us to start over. February 14th, Valentine’s Day. Ethan Lewis had invited all our mutual friends and classmates. On the school’s field at night, he had arranged countless flowers and balloons to form a huge setting. Tonight, Ethan was going to propose to me. Ethan and I had been dating for four years, agreeing from the start to get married after graduating from college. So today, Valentine’s Day, was the day Ethan would propose to me. Of course, besides this reason, there was another person’s existence that prompted me to choose this day. Olivia Taylor. She was two years our senior, the lead singer of a band, and quite a popular figure on campus. She had fallen in love with Ethan at first sight during a school anniversary celebration and had been pursuing him passionately ever since. Countless gestures of goodwill, bringing him breakfast, writing love letters, making appearances on Valentine’s Day, Christmas, and even his birthday. Ethan would always coldly send her away. But this woman was relentless. Her unwavering devotion annoyed Ethan to no end. Finally, unable to bear her persistence any longer, Ethan hinted to me that he wanted to propose, hoping to completely dash Olivia’s hopes. In my previous life, when Ethan proposed to me, Olivia was standing in the crowd. She wore a white mini dress, a crown on her head, her gaze intense and sincere. “Ethan Lewis, I like you! If you don’t have a girlfriend, can you give me a chance?” “I promise I won’t be inferior to her!” How did Ethan respond back then? He smiled gently yet firmly, gazing deeply at me, one arm tightly around my waist. “I’m sorry, but I won’t let anyone else be my girlfriend.” “Rachel is my only girlfriend.” “Please don’t bother me anymore in the future.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough for the three of us to hear. Olivia was stunned, while I was deeply moved. But this time, the situation was completely reversed. Ethan held Olivia tightly, not even sparing me a glance, his tone calm and resolute. “I’m sorry, Rachel. I think our relationship was just a mistake.” “In the future, please don’t bother me anymore.” Almost the exact same words, just directed at a different person. My heart suddenly twisted in pain, but my face remained calm. I looked at Ethan, his cheeks slightly flushed with excitement, his eyes carrying a hint of guilt that was hard to notice. But he didn’t let go of Olivia’s waist. I nodded, turning to face the crowd. “Everyone, thank you for coming today.” “But I’m afraid the proposal has to be canceled.” “Ethan has just broken up with me. Although I don’t know when he changed his mind, since he’s said it, we should respect his wishes.” After saying this, I looked back at Ethan, my gaze lingering on Olivia for a moment before moving away. “Ethan, I respect your choice.” “From today, no, from this moment on, we are officially broken up, and we won’t have any relationship in the future.” “I wish you happiness.”

Ethan gave me a deep look, then turned and left with Olivia. They walked side by side, Olivia’s head slightly tilted, resting on Ethan’s shoulder, one hand tightly clasped with his, the other pointing in some direction. “Olivia, don’t you have a concert next month?” “Yes, you must be in the audience to hear me sing.” “Okay.” “And next March, let’s go to Provence together to see the lavender fields.” “Okay.” “In the future, wherever I want to go, you’ll accompany me, right?” “Yes.” Ethan smiled, looking at Olivia adoringly, as if she was a treasure he had lost and found again. Watching them walk away, I let out a soft sigh and turned to walk in the opposite direction. I called my roommates, asking them to meet me at our usual bar. “Don’t ask what happened, don’t try to comfort me, and don’t feel sad for me.” “I’m treating you to drinks. Tonight, we’re not leaving until we’re drunk.” After downing glass after glass, my roommates patted my shoulder, wanting to say something but holding back, finally just letting out a sigh. “Rachel, try to cheer up. Ethan isn’t worth this.” I shook my head and drained another glass. “You’re wrong. I’m actually very happy.” “I’m finally free of him.” Ethan and I were childhood sweethearts, from families of similar status. Our parents always thought we were a perfect match and that we would definitely marry in the future. We didn’t disappoint our parents’ expectations. Elementary school, middle school, high school, we were always in the same class until college when we finally separated. He was a year younger than me. As a child, he was quite proud but also very kind. In elementary school, when older students tried to steal my money, he rushed up to fight them, ending up pushed to the ground with a scraped arm. Back then, our agreement was to start dating after college graduation and get married after that. But after we actually got married, everything seemed to change. Every day was filled with mundane chores, struggling to make a living. Life gradually became dull, and Ethan started to feel that this kind of life was meaningless. Later, Olivia became a pop singer, performing at various small venues. She didn’t earn much, but it was enough to get by. Her vibrant and passionate image deeply attracted Ethan, and he began to actively approach Olivia. At first, Olivia maintained boundaries, but faced with the active pursuit of the boy she had liked for so many years, how could she refuse? So everything naturally fell into place. Once, I went on a business trip for a month. When I came back, I found out they had been intimate more than once. I was thunderstruck, but Ethan was nonchalant. “I married you because you wanted to get married. What more do you want?” “I’ve never been to a bar, never been to a concert, never watched a movie or had a candlelit dinner in my entire life.” “You never do these things with me, and now you won’t let others do them with me?” “From now on, let’s each do our own thing. Don’t interfere with me, and I won’t bother with you. But if you dare to hurt my Olivia, I won’t let you off easily!” I was already too tired to argue with him. After a while, I proposed divorce. Of course, Ethan didn’t agree. I insisted, and finally, he compromised. He sarcastically said, “The two and a half months I’ve been with Olivia have been happier than all the happiness in my previous half-life combined.” “Rachel White, you said you’d give me happiness, but you can’t.”

After drinking I don’t know how many glasses of wine, I felt a bit dizzy. I stood up unsteadily, intending to go to the bathroom. On the way, I passed by a private room with the door not fully closed. The voices coming from inside made me stop in my tracks. “…That Rachel White, I’m really sick of her. She’s as stiff and boring as a piece of wood.” “Olivia, you’re so much better. You’re beautiful, interesting, and know how to talk. You can give me the life I want.” “I only like you, Olivia.” “Ethan, I like you too.” I pushed open the half-open door. The people in the room instantly fell silent, all turning to look at me. Ethan saw me and froze for a moment, then frowned and said, “Rachel White, didn’t we already break up? Why are you still haunting me?” Olivia sat beside him, looking at me with a half-smile, then raised her head and kissed Ethan. “Did you see that?” “He’s my boyfriend now.” “If you dare to keep bothering Ethan, don’t blame me for being unkind.” I looked at the two of them expressionlessly. “Don’t worry, I won’t pick up trash again.” “Ethan Lewis, I hope you can always maintain today’s choice.” After saying this, I turned and walked out of the private room. I had only taken a few steps when I accidentally bumped into someone while turning around. “Ouch—” The man was wearing a burgundy open-collar shirt. His skin was fair, and under the colorful lights of the bar, he looked exceptionally handsome. He clutched his chest where I had bumped him, opening his phoenix eyes wide to look at me, seeming a bit surprised. “Rachel White?” “Did you really break up with Ethan Lewis?” Jason Chen, the young master of the Chen family from the north of the city, whom I had met once before. I nodded, “Yes, I’m single now.” Jason blinked, his expression seeming to become more lively. “Then… are you interested in dating now?” I stared at his handsome face for a moment, not answering his question, but instead turned to walk towards the bathroom. But before I had taken two steps, I heard a “thump” sound behind me. I turned to look and saw Jason almost fall to the ground. I quickly walked over and reached out to steady him. Jason waved his hand, “I’m fine…” Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly vomited. The strong smell of alcohol spread through the air. I sighed, resigned to supporting his arm and walking towards the bathroom. The warmth from Jason’s body transmitted through the thin layer of fabric to my skin. His skin was very fair, almost transparent under the lights. Up close, I could see faint freckles on his face, which added a touch of wild beauty. Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, but I suddenly felt my body grow hot. Jason leaned softly against me, lifting his head, his phoenix eyes hazy and confused. “Rachel White, you still haven’t answered my question.” “Do you want to date me?” “I like you, I want to be your boyfriend.” My gaze slid upwards, landing on his slightly parted lips. The next second, I raised my head and kissed him.

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When the apocalypse struck, the world changed drastically. My best friend Lily and I became rare female survivors among humans. After being captured, I was chosen by the Fire Zombie King, who had awakened fire abilities. Within a year, I gave birth to a gifted little Zombie Prince. As time passed, our territory expanded, and the Fire Zombie King became a powerful ruler. I became the most revered woman in the post-apocalyptic world. Lily, on the other hand, ended up with the Water Zombie King, who had awakened water abilities. It wasn’t long before other Zombie Kings killed him and seized his territory. She became a captive again, suffering greatly as she was passed between several zombie groups. In the end, I rescued her. But instead of being grateful, she became insanely jealous and pushed me off a high-rise building. I pulled her down with me as we fell to our deaths. When I was reborn, I found myself back on the day when the survivors were being divided as spoils of war. Lily eagerly threw herself at the Fire Zombie King, whose face was covered in flame-like tattoos. Seeing her malicious smile, I couldn’t help but grin as well. Finally, I could escape that hellhole, and there was even a fool jumping right into it! …

The sound of zombies growling filled my ears as I suddenly woke up, realizing I had been reborn to the day we were captured by the zombie horde. At that moment, Lily ran past me quickly, heading towards the tall Zombie King covered in flame-like tattoos from head to toe. “Choose me, Fire Zombie King! I can bear your children!” she exclaimed. I was stunned. She really dared to say that despite their height difference being nearly double! In my previous life, she was terrified of the Zombie King who was twice her height. When the Fire Zombie King looked our way, she didn’t hesitate to push me forward. This time, she wasn’t afraid of getting in bed with him? She even dared to throw herself at him! Meeting her malicious gaze, I suddenly realized that she must have been reborn too, just like me. Back then, after Lily went with the Water Zombie King, it wasn’t long before his group was devoured by other Zombie Kings. She was passed between several zombie groups, treated as a plaything by the Zombie Kings, and tortured until she was barely recognizable. In the end, I saved her. I never expected that she would become insanely jealous behind my back and push me off a high-rise building when I wasn’t paying attention. After being reborn, she wanted to seize the initiative, thinking that if she snagged the Fire Zombie King, she could become the most revered woman in the post-apocalyptic world. I laughed inwardly. Did she really think being a Zombie Queen was that easy? The Fire Zombie King seemed interested in her forwardness. He picked her up with one hand and placed her on his shoulder. “I’ll take this one,” he said. Lily used to be a dancer, so her figure and face were indeed attractive. I just wondered if her body could handle what was coming. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she looked at me with a smug expression. She mouthed, “This good life was meant to be mine all along. Now it’s time for me to take it back.” Leaving aside her confidence, I really had no intention of competing with her. She only saw the glamorous side of my life, not knowing how difficult it was behind the scenes. I smiled at her slightly. If she wanted to jump into the fire pit, I’d let her have this “good life”! We used to be best friends, and after the apocalypse hit, this airhead relied on me to survive until now. I never said anything, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t know about her little tricks behind my back. She would secretly skimp on my food and push me to the front when zombies attacked. Her excuse was that I knew martial arts and could protect myself better. In the post-apocalyptic world, we had lost all our relatives and only had each other, which is why I always tolerated her behavior. Under my protection, she enjoyed the benefits while secretly envying and scheming against me. Now she even wanted to steal my chance at survival and let me die in her place. She even gestured towards the Water Zombie King, saying, “I have a friend, Chloe. She’s healthy and can bear children. Water Zombie King, choose her!” Her eyes were filled with urgency, as if she couldn’t wait for me to experience all the suffering she had endured.

The moment she pushed me off that building in my previous life, any friendship between us ceased to exist. I rolled my eyes and, before the Water Zombie King could speak, I chose his second-in-command. “Can I go with your deputy?” I asked. The Water Zombie King was simple-minded and physically strong, not particularly attractive – more like a chunk of iron. But he valued brotherhood and wouldn’t compete with his subordinates for women. He just asked me innocently, “Oh? Why choose him over me?” Pretending to be scared, I carefully replied, “Because… your deputy’s size matches mine better.” Hearing this, the Water Zombie King burst into laughter. “Too big for you to handle, huh? Haha, alright then, you can go with my second-in-command!” Well, of course! Mismatched sizes would be torture – I knew that from experience! The deputy in the Water Zombie King’s group was a newly recruited wandering powerhouse who had made great contributions in the recent raid on another zombie group. His physique hadn’t expanded too much due to the zombie transformation. He was only slightly taller than a normal human, not quite two meters tall. His appearance was also close to human, except for the purple-gold patterns covering his face, which weren’t too frightening. The more human-like appearance a zombie had after transformation, the more humanity they retained, and the higher their intelligence. I had studied these elite zombies in the groups before. His abilities were no less than those of other Zombie Kings. If he hadn’t been schemed against and injured, pursued to death by other zombie groups, he would have had the chance to become a ruler in his own right. I’d had enough of the life of being a plaything and barely surviving. Men couldn’t be relied upon, and zombie men even less so. This time, I wanted to forge a new path for myself. Those zombies who retained part of their humanity understood and all chuckled softly. The deputy’s face darkened. After all, no man would feel proud about being chosen because he was smaller. He was rough with me, throwing me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. His sharp claws even tore the skin on my thigh. After smelling the blood, he perversely stuck out his tongue and licked it, the sensation ice-cold. I suppressed my nausea and tried to calm myself down. I had endured worse things before; this was nothing. Lily looked at me with contempt and mockery in her eyes, as if she was looking at a dead person. Well, from her perspective, the deputy I chose now wasn’t even as good as the Water Zombie King she had initially ended up with. She probably thought I couldn’t escape the fate of becoming a captive again and suffering the same tragic end as she had. Too bad, I wouldn’t be as stupid as her. With her walnut-sized brain, what could she think of besides relying on others to survive? This city originally had four Zombie Kings, but after today, only three remained. Now it was divided into three parts, occupied by three Zombie Kings. The remaining survivors were also divided into three groups, with men and women separated. The men became blood bags and food, while the women became playthings and tools for reproduction. After turning into zombies, their fertility rate greatly decreased, making surviving human women highly prized. It had been over a year since the apocalypse began, and there were very few women left among the survivors. The deputy was very displeased with me because of that twisted comment about his size. I didn’t know how he would deal with me. Their base was a former five-star hotel, now occupied by the Water Zombie King as his stronghold. I was thrown onto a soft bed. It had been so long since I’d slept on such a comfortable bed that I almost dozed off. The man – no, the male zombie – with purple tattoos on his face pressed down on me aggressively. “You said our sizes match, right? Let’s test that out and see just how well we match!”

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When I learned that my husband had gone to deliver a coat to his young assistant, ignoring me as I lay unconscious in the hospital, I proposed a divorce. Mark agreed instantly: “What’s there to worry about? She’s a woman who married far from home, she’ll comfort herself.” “She’ll change her mind in a couple of days. I’ll give her the cold shoulder for a while, then magnanimously forgive her. Let’s see if she dares to make a fuss again.” That same day, he posted a photo on social media of him and his young assistant holding hands across a dinner table. The caption read: Two people in one house, three meals for four seasons, for the rest of our lives, you and I are each other’s only one. As I looked at the final date on the calendar, I dialed my brother’s number. “James, can you buy me a ticket home?” “Really? That’s great! You’ve finally decided to give up on that jerk! Wait there, I’ll come pick you up myself!” The young man’s voice on the other end of the phone was filled with excitement. After hanging up, Mark came in from outside, reeking of strong perfume. The red marks on his neck stung my eyes. “Who was that on the phone?” Mark asked casually, his gaze still glued to his own phone, not even looking at me. “My brother.” The shrill ringtone of his phone completely drowned out my voice. Mark quickly answered the call, and a girl’s sweet voice came through: “Mark, thank you for bringing the clothes the other day. If it weren’t for you, I would have definitely embarrassed myself. I really don’t know what I would have done otherwise.” Seeming to feel it was inappropriate, Mark lowered the volume somewhat guiltily, got up and went into the study. I smiled sarcastically to myself. We were already in the divorce cooling-off period, what was I expecting? I silently made myself a bowl of noodles, ate it without a sound, and then went back to the bedroom to pack my luggage. It was an hour later when Mark finished his lovey-dovey phone call with the girl. As usual, he sat at the dining table with a magazine, waiting for me to serve him a hot breakfast. But this time, after waiting for a while without even a cup of hot milk appearing, he finally impatiently turned half his attention to me. “It’s not like I didn’t accompany you for a check-up, right? Insomnia isn’t a serious illness.” “Just take the medicine the doctor prescribed on time and you’ll be fine. Why are you being so dramatic?” “Besides, I’ve already agreed to the divorce, what more do you want? Why are you showing this sour face every day? Who’s it for?” I stopped what I was doing and looked impassively at this man who was once my intimate bedmate. That day after he left, I had fainted at the hospital. If it weren’t for the doctors’ timely rescue, I might have already been sent to the crematorium. After that, neither I nor the doctors could get through to Mark’s phone. When we finally got through, we heard a girl’s sweet laughter and Mark’s impatient rebuke: “It’s just some medical fees, can’t you figure it out yourself?” In the end, I had to borrow the money from a friend. When I was discharged yesterday, I found out that he had actually gone to deliver a coat to his young assistant who was wearing a mini skirt to a business dinner. Just because she said she was cold. I immediately proposed divorce to Mark. “Once we get the divorce certificate, you won’t have to see it even if you want to.” I thought Mark would be happy with my distant attitude, since he had been wanting me to stop meddling in his affairs. Unexpectedly, he seemed to have stepped on a hedgehog, slamming the magazine on the table and shouting: “You’d better not regret this!” With that, he stormed out, slamming the door. Bang! The loud noise didn’t cause the slightest ripple in my emotions. I couldn’t be bothered to ponder his behavior and emotions, I just went about my own business. After sending out the revised proposal that the client needed, I contentedly poured myself a cup of hot milk. Just as I was about to find a movie to watch while taking a bath to pass the time, a message popped up. It was from Mark. “Morning Star Club, drunk, come pick me up by car.” I was about to close the page when a second message popped up. “You’re still my wife in name, this is your duty.” I gripped my phone tightly, took several deep breaths, and finally prepared myself mentally before going out. All this was for a smooth divorce, I’ll endure it! When I found the private room at the club according to the information on my phone, I could hear Mark’s hearty laughter and Olivia’s coquettish giggles from inside. The sounds turned into swords, stabbing into my heart one by one. I gritted my teeth to steady my expression and pushed open the door of the private room. The laughter inside came to an abrupt halt.

When Mark saw me, his expression was bewildered, his brows furrowed tightly. “Are you stalking me?” Mark’s immediate accusation made the expressions of those present quite awkward. I opened the message page: “This is the address you gave me.” Olivia immediately hugged Mark’s arm, cooing softly: “Mr. Mark, I was worried about you going back alone, so I asked your wife to come pick you up. I hope I didn’t do the wrong thing with good intentions?” Mark’s expression softened. Looking at Olivia’s anxious expression, he smiled indulgently. Seeing Olivia’s challenging glance at me from a hidden angle, and Mark’s tacit approval, I felt no ripples at all, just nodded faintly, my attitude cold and distant. Perhaps accustomed to my previous hysterical shouting and arguing, this silence now made Mark uncomfortable. He rarely pulled his arm out of Olivia’s embrace, explaining in a gentle tone: “Rachel, we’re just entertaining. Everyone here is a client or employee.” I handed him the pure milk I had grabbed on my way out: “I know.” Perhaps my arrival had ruined the atmosphere, and everyone soon left in twos and threes. After carefully arranging for Olivia to take a taxi and giving her numerous instructions, Mark finally got into the car, sitting in the passenger seat. I silently started the car, while he dozed off in the passenger seat. Neither of us spoke. When I parked the car in the underground garage, I got out first and walked towards the elevator. As I reached the corner, Mark suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me into his arms. The next second, a car sped past me. For a moment, my heart raced. “Can’t you watch where you’re going? What if you got hurt?” Mark’s tone was urgent as he held my hand tightly, keeping me on the inside of the path. Scenes from our honeymoon phase suddenly flashed before my eyes. He used to hold me like this, protecting me. But at some point, such gestures had disappeared. I had even forgotten that I was once cherished like this. Fortunately, the elevator wasn’t far. As he pressed the floor button, I discreetly pulled my hand back. Mark glanced at me, seeming to want to say something, but ultimately made no further move. But the next morning, he surprisingly offered to drive me to work. “I’ll take you.” I yawned and agreed. I hadn’t slept well last night, drifting in and out of sleep, so it was a good chance to catch up on some rest. However, as soon as I opened the car door, I saw glittering decorations, cute stickers, and pink car ornaments and figurines. There was even a custom pillow on the passenger seat with a photo of Mark and Olivia making heart shapes together. This was a blatant declaration of ownership. “I never thought the car of a tough CEO would one day have such girly elements.” The sarcasm in my words made Mark’s face flash with embarrassment: “Olivia is just a young girl, let her be, don’t fuss over it too much.” I pointed at the pillow: “Is she a young girl who takes couple photos with you?” But what I really wanted to ask about was the photo of them holding hands over a candlelit dinner that Mark had posted on social media the day we applied for divorce. I still remembered the caption: Two people in one house, three meals for four seasons, for the rest of our lives, you and I are each other’s only one.

My words made Mark’s face flash with discomfort. I suddenly deflated. Whether it was out of revenge, showing off, or whatever other reason, Mark’s heart had strayed, and that was that. I gave up questioning and silently sat in the back seat, closing my eyes to avoid looking at all the girly decorations in the car. Perhaps feeling guilty and awkward about the atmosphere, Mark handed me a piece of bread. “Eat something.” My gaze fell on where he had taken the bread from. It was filled with various cookies and candies, and even spicy snacks with a strong smell. “How rare, your obsession with cleanliness seems to have improved?” I admit I was feeling jealous. I often had to carry bread or cookies with me due to my busy schedule and inability to eat regular meals. Once when I was so hungry that my stomach was cramping and my whole body was shaking with pain. I had just taken out my only piece of bread, enduring the discomfort, when Mark snatched it and threw it out the window. That day, Mark had sternly warned me that he wouldn’t allow me to eat anything in his car, not even drink water. I never thought that what he once forbade me to do, he now indulged another woman to do. The loved one can always be infinitely indulged. My sarcastic remark made Mark’s face turn ugly. But I didn’t care about him. I turned my head and closed my eyes, pretending to doze off. As soon as we arrived at the company, I hurriedly got out of the car. Taking advantage of the time he was parking, I rushed into the elevator first and returned to my workstation ahead of him. Countless emails were waiting to be processed, and I was so busy I didn’t even have a chance to lift my head. Of course, I didn’t want to stay in Mark’s company, but I’m the kind of person who always sees things through to the end, and there was still some work I hadn’t finished. If I was going to resign, I’d have to wait until I finished the current work. I was so busy that it was already 4 PM, and I didn’t even have time to order lunch. It wasn’t until my stomach started cramping that I suddenly realized I hadn’t eaten for a long time. I quickly went to get a cup of hot water, returned to my workstation to nibble on some bread, and continued working. Just then, the security guard came in carrying two large bags of snacks, milk tea, and small cakes. “These are afternoon snacks Mr. Mark ordered for everyone, come and share.” The security guard’s voice made everyone cheer, and a group of people immediately rushed over. “Mr. Mark is awesome! It’s my favorite pearl milk tea!” “Ah, there’s no mango…” “Tsk, be grateful for what you get. Don’t you know Olivia is allergic to mangoes?” The people around immediately made meaningful “oh” sounds, and those who loved gossip had already turned their gazes towards me. A new intern, quick to speak, said: “I heard Mr. Mark is getting divorced. Is he going to marry Olivia? He’s so doting!” Someone immediately pulled her: “Shut up, Rachel is still here.” The intern’s face immediately showed a trace of embarrassment. An old hand brought a milk tea and a piece of cake and placed them in front of me, saying awkwardly: “The kids are just joking, don’t mind them.” I looked at the durian cake on the table and pushed it away slightly: “Sorry, I’m allergic to durian. You can have this one.” The person’s face showed an awkward expression. Actually, everyone knew I was allergic to durian, because Mark had used such tactics on me before. Back then, to prove his love for me, he would order my favorite matcha cakes for the office every day, and wouldn’t allow anything durian-related in the office because of my allergy. He would even order meals delivered to everyone’s workstation when I was too busy to eat, and sit in front of me to make sure I finished eating. Now, it was just a different person. Because Olivia was allergic to mangoes, even anything mango-related was not allowed in the company. The grand gestures he could give me, he now gave to another woman. The office never lacked gossip. Just as many people used to ship Mark and me, now they shipped him and Olivia. I didn’t feel uncomfortable because of this. Work was too complicated, and I couldn’t spare any extra energy for irrelevant people.

The project in my hands was nearing its end, and communication with the client was becoming more frequent. The plan might need to be revised two or three times in an hour. I had been working overtime for almost a week, and today we finally reached the crucial point. As long as we got through this, the project would be completed. I stretched lazily, deciding to go out and treat myself to a good meal tonight. But as I stretched, I bumped into someone, scaring me so much that I let out a cry. When I looked back, it was Mark. When did he start standing behind me? “Still working overtime?” Mark didn’t seem to care about my pale face from the fright, and asked naturally. I didn’t know why he suddenly came to find me, so I could only try to calm down and say: “Mr. Mark, is there anything I can help you with?” A trace of displeasure flashed across Mark’s face. He wasn’t used to my distance. But he still patiently said: “Why don’t you hand over your clients and projects to Olivia? She needs the practice.” A chill crept into my heart. Even though I knew Mark was outrageous, I didn’t think he could be this outrageous. Seeing my silence, Mark stepped forward, placing both hands on my shoulders, and said: “There are always some rumors in the company. She’s just a young girl, how can she bear all this? With this project in hand, those who question her will shut up. You’re a senior, it’s right to help juniors.” I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly and roll my eyes. Mark knew very well how many nights I had stayed up for this project, even to the point of cardiac arrest and being rushed to the hospital for rescue. But as soon as I entered the hospital doors, he was taken away by a light phone call from Olivia. My life wasn’t even as important as Olivia’s coat. And now, this project that I had desperately worked on until the end, he casually wanted to give to Olivia with just a few words. He considered Olivia, strived to protect her reputation, but never considered whether all this was fair to me. “Fine, let her come to take over tomorrow.” It’s just right to submit my resignation letter as well. I’ve done my duty to this company. As for what happens afterwards, with Mark’s interference, I couldn’t control it even if I wanted to. It’s better to let go generously. It seemed that he hadn’t expected me to be so agreeable. Mark was stunned for a moment. But then he was overjoyed and hugged me: “I was wrong in the past. I always thought you were petty and stubborn. I didn’t expect you to be so understanding today. Let’s go to that revolving restaurant by the river for dinner. You’ve wanted to go there for a long time, right?” The revolving restaurant by the river? That three-star French restaurant? I once wanted to spend our wedding anniversary there, but now all of this is meaningless. Mark put his arm around my shoulders, his tone much gentler: “We’ve been married for many years, what obstacle can’t we overcome? Control your temper a bit. In a few days, we’ll withdraw the divorce application, and then I’ll accompany you back to your parents’ home. You haven’t been back for many years, right? This time, we’ll stay for a few days.” I listened to Mark painting this rosy picture for me, remaining silent. He seemed to think I had agreed to everything, and continued to talk enthusiastically. Even after I had saved my files and gotten into the car with him, he didn’t stop talking. Sitting in the back seat, I was scrolling through my social media feed when I saw a photo Olivia had posted. She was wearing an evening gown, sitting in a spacious open-air restaurant, elegantly eating a candlelit dinner. The date showed it was an hour ago. Looking at the river in the background, I couldn’t help but smile sarcastically. So she had already enjoyed it, and Mark was considerate enough to rush from one scene to arrange the next with me after finishing the previous one. He didn’t even bother to change the location.

We ended up not having this meal. When we were going downstairs, Mark received a call from Olivia. He looked at me with difficulty, and I pretended not to know it was Olivia, waving my hand generously: “I’m very tired, you go ahead with your business.” Mark couldn’t ask for more. He called a taxi for me, repeatedly instructing the driver, acting as if he was very concerned. But as soon as the car left, I saw in the rearview mirror that he immediately turned around and headed straight for the underground parking lot. When people are speechless, they really can’t help but laugh. As I laughed, I felt something cool on my face. As the wind blew, the chill was carried into my heart. Forget it, tomorrow is the last day. After tomorrow, once we get the divorce certificate, Mark and I will be complete strangers. I returned home, poured myself a glass of wine, and had a small drink to celebrate my freedom in advance. When I was slightly tipsy, I saw a shooting star streak across the sky. I couldn’t help but stand up, leaning on the railing and leaning forward. I wanted to chase that moment of brilliance. Maybe my movement was too fast, or maybe I appeared too unsteady. I only had time to hear an urgent “What are you doing?” before my body was forcefully pulled back. The next second, I fell into a fragrant embrace. “Don’t you know this is very dangerous!” Mark’s voice was full of concern, but the smell on him made me want to vomit. I pointed to the sky outside and said: “Shooting star…” Shooting star! On the day we fell in love, there was a meteor shower in the sky, beautiful and romantic. He had promised to accompany me to watch the meteor shower every year, no matter where it was or when. He said he would put down everything in his hands to accompany me. But year after year, he stood me up every time. What I cared about wasn’t the meteor shower, what I cared about was the future he had promised back then. Mark let out a long sigh and said irritably: “It’s just a shooting star, isn’t it? I’ll take you to see a meteor shower another day. Don’t joke with your safety again.” Just a shooting star… That wasn’t a shooting star, that was your promise, and you just brushed it off so lightly. “Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary, let’s spend it together. I’ll come pick you up.” Mark said to himself, he didn’t ask for my opinion, he was just informing me. I looked at his empty ring finger, the mark from the wedding ring was almost gone, showing it had been taken off for a long time. I didn’t know he had been so biased for so long. “Okay.” I didn’t object, just treating it as a proper end to this marriage. Maybe to make up for me, this time the restaurant was set at the same place as last time. When I arrived, I saw that the reserved seat at the restaurant was actually the same table where Olivia had sat before. I felt uncomfortable immediately and quickly asked the waiter to change to another table. However, from afternoon to evening, from evening to midnight, my phone was almost out of battery, and Mark still hadn’t come. I was so hungry that my stomach hurt, so I had to ask the restaurant to serve me a small cake first. With something to eat, the cramping in my stomach got a bit better. I called Mark, but no one answered. A surge of anger welled up in me. Mark was indeed still incorrigible, making promises casually and never keeping them. Only I fell for it every time, foolishly waiting again and again! What a waste of my time! I opened my contact list intending to urge him, but I saw that the group chat had exploded. Ten minutes ago, an anonymous email was sent to everyone in the company. It was full of scenes of Olivia and Mark going out together, many shots taken from angles that made it look like Olivia was seducing Mark, while he remained unmoved. The email title was even more explosive: Assistant seduces married man, uses body to get projects, despicable and shameful! After these ambiguous photos, there were scenes of me handing over the project to Olivia. I looked haggard, while Olivia was glowing. Every word seemed to be defending me. But every word also directed all the public opinion towards me. I had just put down my phone when Mark stormed in. He grabbed my wrist, aggressive and fierce, his face contorted as he said: “Rachel! If you didn’t want to give up that project, you should have just said so! I didn’t expect you to be so vicious, saying one thing to my face and doing another behind my back! I can’t believe you would stoop so low as to spread false rumors!” “You’re a woman too, don’t you feel guilty using such tactics?” “How disgusting can you be!”

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Before deciding to remarry, I had transferred the property rights of my house to my daughter as a guarantee for her future. Little did I know that when this news reached the ears of my future mother-in-law, she would lose control and make a scene, unreasonably forcing my daughter to return the property. Faced with this unreasonable entanglement, I helplessly dialed Mark’s number, thinking he would support me and help solve the problem. But to my surprise, he instead took their side and tried to persuade me. “Rachel, girls will eventually get married. If you give the house to her, isn’t it like handing it over to your future son-in-law? In my opinion, it’s better to take the house back.” Hearing this, I immediately decided to break off the engagement with him, while also feeling a surge of determination to teach them a lesson. “Rachel, don’t forget to invite us to your wedding!” During lunch break, my colleagues teased me as they ate. Amidst their laughter, a blush crept across my face, and I shyly covered my mouth. “Don’t worry, once the wedding date is set, I’ll definitely send invitations to everyone. You all must come!” I replied with a smile, feeling a wave of sweetness in my heart. As a woman who had been single for ten years, the longing for love had been quietly growing within me. Last year, through a mutual friend’s introduction, I met my current boyfriend, Mark. After spending some time together, we felt very compatible and started thinking about marriage. Just as I was immersed in these beautiful thoughts, my phone suddenly rang. “Mom, Mark’s mother has been yelling at me outside our door. I’m too scared to go out. Please come back quickly!” My daughter’s urgent voice made me jump out of my chair. “Lily, don’t be afraid. Mom will be right back. Just wait for me at home!” After hurriedly instructing my daughter, I put down my lunch box and rushed to hail a taxi to get home. The journey was smooth, and I arrived at my doorstep twenty minutes later. As my daughter had said, as soon as I reached the staircase, I heard a string of insults. Linda, Mark’s mother, was standing at my door, unreasonably berating my daughter. “What are you doing, Linda? Why are you suddenly here yelling at my daughter for no reason?” My appearance made Linda shut her mouth immediately. Hearing my voice, my daughter quickly opened the door and threw herself into my arms, crying about what had just happened. “Mom, you’re finally back. She’s been shouting at the door, and even when the neighbors tried to persuade her to leave, she wouldn’t listen…” I comforted my daughter while glaring at Linda.

I couldn’t help but gently stroke my daughter’s head, feeling sorry for her, while my good impression of Linda instantly vanished. However, before I could speak, Linda seemed to find new energy and angrily accused: “You little girl, how dare you tell such blatant lies? If it weren’t for you making me suffer, why would I, at my age, come here in this scorching sun to make a fool of myself?” Linda’s words made my mind a mess. She said she had suffered? But my daughter Lily had always been well-behaved and sensible. Even when I was hesitant about remarrying, she gave her full support with both hands. She had always been extremely respectful to Linda, truly loving the house and its crow. Therefore, I couldn’t believe Linda’s current claims no matter what. “You say you’ve suffered? What exactly have you suffered?” I questioned. “When has Lily ever not greeted you with a smile when she sees you?” After comforting my daughter and sending her to the bedroom, I turned to confront Linda. To my surprise, as soon as I finished speaking, she suddenly slapped her thigh and sat down on the ground with a thud. “This is outrageous!” Linda wailed, acting like a shrew. “Is this how you talk to your future mother-in-law? Does Mark know you’re treating me like this?” The Mark she mentioned is my fiancé, her son. Faced with her unreasonable behavior, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes internally. “Linda, what exactly do you want?” I asked calmly. “If you keep making a scene like this, you’ll only embarrass yourself.” Having experienced a failed marriage before, I was no longer the young girl who easily panicked. Seeing that I wasn’t moved, Linda gradually calmed down. She pushed herself up and stood again. “Fine, since you asked, I’ll tell you straight. “She said firmly, “Why did you suddenly transfer the house to your daughter? It must be because this little brat whispered in your ear, making you do this. At such a young age, she’s already so calculating. She’ll definitely not turn out well when she grows up.” “Slap!” Hearing Linda maliciously slandering my daughter, I could no longer tolerate it. I swung my hand and gave her a resounding slap. “This house is mine!” I shouted angrily. “It’s perfectly reasonable for me to transfer my house to my own daughter! You have no right to interfere!” I finally understood why her attitude towards my daughter had suddenly changed. It turned out that she had learned about me transferring the house to Lily. Although this matter didn’t need to be kept secret, there was no need to specifically announce it either. What I didn’t expect was that I had just completed the transfer yesterday, and she had already found out about it today.

“What do you mean your house? If you marry Mark, this house should rightfully belong to my grandson Tom. Now you’ve transferred the house to your daughter, what kind of behavior is this? Let me tell you, if you still want to enter our family, you’d better transfer the house back quickly.” Linda’s words made me feel utterly absurd. Although Tom is Mark’s son from his previous marriage, I’m not his birth mother. What does it have to do with them if I transfer my own house to my daughter? I patiently said to Linda, “Linda, I can’t reason with you. Since you’re being so persistent, let’s call Mark to deal with this matter.” Not wanting to waste any more words with her, I directly dialed Mark’s number: “Mark, your mother is making a scene at my place for no reason. Come over quickly and resolve this, so everyone can have some peace.” After receiving the call, Mark agreed to come over without hesitation. His voice was like a reassuring pill, instantly calming me down a bit. In fact, for someone like me who is nearly forty, Linda’s opinions and actions don’t really matter at all. If she supports my marriage to Mark, that would naturally be icing on the cake; if she doesn’t support it, it won’t affect me in any way. After all, it’s Mark and I who will be living our lives together. As long as he is reasonable and stands by my side, our relationship won’t change. In the year and more that I’ve been in a relationship with Mark, we’ve barely had any arguments, let alone any major conflicts. Our life together has been plain and warm, making me feel incredibly comfortable. Three months ago, when Mark proposed to me, I was both surprised and worried. On one hand, I longed to welcome new happiness; on the other hand, I was worried that my daughter might have a hard time accepting it. Teenagers are always particularly sensitive inside, and I was afraid that my decision would hurt her. However, while I was hesitating, my daughter took the initiative to tell me that she supported my remarriage and hoped I could find a happy home. Hearing her say this, I felt both moved and heartbroken. Because when she was very young, I had divorced her father, so she had always been more sensible than children her age. This made me feel like I owed her something.

Especially since my daughter was so understanding, it also made me want to make it up to her even more in the future. To reassure Lily and provide a guarantee for her future life, after much consideration, I decided to transfer the property under my name to my daughter before I remarried. This way, not only could I give my daughter enough security, but also let her know that even if I start a new family, she will always be the most important person in my heart. As I was thinking about this, suddenly an urgent voice came, The next second, Mark walked up to me, panting heavily. Seeing him drenched in sweat, my heart inevitably softened a bit. Yes, this matter was originally caused by Linda’s fuss, and it had nothing to do with Mark. Perhaps he knew nothing about this incident, and I shouldn’t lose my temper at him. Instead, I should have a good talk with him, so as not to hurt our relationship because of this incident. “Rachel, what’s wrong? What happened? Why did my mom suddenly come here to make a scene?” Mark looked at the somewhat messy floor, then at Linda’s fierce expression, and seemed at a loss for a moment. Seeing his appearance, I also confirmed my guess that Mark really didn’t know about this incident. Realizing this, my attitude also softened a bit. Just as I was about to explain the cause and effect of this incident to him, Linda, who was standing aside, spoke first. “Son, you’re finally here. You don’t know how much your mother has suffered here!” After seeing her son arrive, Linda seemed to have found her backbone. She grabbed Mark’s sleeve and started crying and complaining like a fountain. At this, I was naturally speechless. After all, when I was young, I had also fought with a nasty mother-in-law, so how could I not see through her tricks? However, since she wanted to play the victim first and make false accusations, I didn’t want to stop her. Justice is in people’s hearts. After she finished speaking, Mark would naturally understand who was right and who was wrong. At that time, I would just listen to his final decision. Linda went on complaining for more than ten minutes. When she said that I had slapped her for insulting Lily, Mark gave her a reproachful look and patted my shoulder as if to comfort me. Just when I thought Mark was a reasonable person who knew right from wrong, something unexpected happened again. I clearly saw that when Linda said she came to my house to make a scene because I had transferred the house to my daughter, Mark’s expression was stunned for a moment, and then turned into shock. “Rachel, is what my mom said true? Did you really transfer the house to your daughter?” Mark suddenly gripped my shoulders and started questioning me urgently.

Seeing Mark’s sudden change in attitude, while feeling suspicious in my heart, I also became more guarded towards him. “Yes, I transferred my house to my daughter. Is there a problem?” I took two steps back, distancing myself from Mark, and then questioned him, “Rachel Zhou, why didn’t you discuss such a big matter with me? Don’t you know that this house is not just your house!!” After hearing my answer, Mark went crazy, He grabbed his hair while looking at me angrily. “Yes, son, look at how scheming this woman is. If it weren’t for your second aunt seeing her at the property registration office, we probably wouldn’t have known how long this woman was planning to keep it from us!!” Linda, as if not wanting to miss out on the drama, started rambling again. “Mark, what do you mean? This house is something I worked hard to buy on my own. How could it have anything to do with anyone else?” I stared at Mark unyieldingly, stating the most objective fact. Seeing my attitude so firm, without any sign of being intimidated or wanting to back down, Mark suddenly changed his tune. “Rachel, that’s not what I meant. Please don’t misunderstand. I just think that after we get married, we’ll all be family. Why transfer the house out and make things so clear-cut?” If it were before, I might have thought there was no need to make things so clear-cut. But looking at the current situation, this matter probably wasn’t as simple as I thought. Mark didn’t seem to be as reliable as he had shown me. After all, I’m a woman who has been through a lot, I’m no longer a young girl in her early twenties who can be easily deceived. Judging from the attitude of this mother and son towards this house, I’m afraid they had ulterior motives towards me from the very beginning. “So what do you think I should do? Have I disappointed you by doing this?” I didn’t rush to expose Mark’s thoughts, but deliberately asked him back. Sure enough, after I said this, Mark seemed to have found a lifeline and nodded frantically. “Yes, Rachel, I just feel that your actions have really hurt me and made it difficult for me to accept.” Lowering my eyes as I listened to Mark’s words, I continued: “Then how can I make up for the hurt I’ve caused you?” Hearing me say this, Mark suddenly became energetic. I saw a flash of light in his eyes, and he deliberately pondered before slowly opening his mouth. “Rachel, I think you should transfer the house back. After all, Lily is your daughter, she won’t mind these things.” Listening to Mark’s words, I couldn’t help but laugh coldly in my heart. His true intentions were really showing on his face now. “After I transfer the house back, the next step would be to transfer it to Tom’s name, for him to use as a marital home when he gets married in the future, right?” I deliberately continued along with Mark’s words, essentially tearing off this window paper completely. “Yes, yes, Rachel. I didn’t expect that you, looking so plain, would actually be quite smart,” Halfway through his sentence, Mark suddenly realized something was wrong and covered his mouth. After a few seconds of silence, he started explaining urgently. “Rachel, it’s not what you think. Let me explain. I really didn’t mean it like that. Don’t let this ruin our relationship.”

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Every year, my sister-in-law’s family of three would expect a free ride back home for Christmas in my car. This year, when I asked her to chip in for gas, she turned around and posted about me online. “Help! My sister-in-law is demanding gas money, what should I do?” “Hey everyone, do you have to pay when riding in your brother’s car?” When some commenters called her a “freeloader”, she retaliated by reporting my car as “stolen property”. She nearly got me fired from my job. My in-laws said I was being petty and told me to apologize to my sister-in-law. I exploded and flipped over the Christmas dinner table. Did they really think I was such a pushover? Just after Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law Sophia sent a message asking for another free ride. “Hey Lily, we’ll be riding with you guys again this year. When are you leaving?” “Eric said you’re departing on the 23rd, I wanted to check if that works for you.” Seeing this message, I felt a wave of irritation. The thought of giving them another free ride this year made me wish the car would break down. I replied curtly: “Why don’t you just buy plane tickets? It only takes two hours.” Sophia sensed my reluctance and quickly tried to smooth things over: “It’s so hard to get tickets during the holidays. I’m really sorry to trouble you, sis.” I scoffed internally. Before Sophia got married, it wasn’t a big deal to bring her along. But after she got married, her family of three plus several large suitcases crowded the car so much that I barely had room for my own luggage. To make matters worse, her husband had no sense of social graces. He’d be glued to his phone the whole ride, only looking up to complain or ask for bathroom breaks. They treated us like free chauffeurs and their kid was a nightmare, leaving dirty footprints all over the back of the front seats. During rest stops, they’d shamelessly ask me to buy snacks and drinks for their child. And of course, they conveniently ignored all the gas and toll costs for the trip. I’m not totally against giving them rides, but once or twice is enough. Doing it every single year, and acting so entitled about it? My money doesn’t grow on trees, you know?

When my husband Eric got home from work, he cautiously asked: “Honey, did you have a fight with Sophia?” I glared at him, feeling even more annoyed. Although we didn’t live with his parents, having a tattletale sister-in-law was still frustrating. These siblings may each have their own families now, but they still couldn’t get their priorities straight. I sat on the couch with my arms crossed: “Every year we drive back for Christmas, and your sister’s family always expects a free ride. Can’t they just buy their own plane tickets?” Eric scratched his head and tried to placate me: “Honey, you know how hard it is to get tickets around the holidays!” “Be the bigger person, it’s not a big deal to bring them along.” Just then, my coworkers were sharing links in our work group chat to help each other score plane tickets. “Help a colleague out! My kid’s chances of getting home depend on you guys.” “Just need two more people, thanks everyone!” … I opened a private chat with a coworker heading to roughly the same destination as us: “Hey John, did you manage to get tickets back home?” John quickly replied: “Got them, Lily! Tickets were easy to get this year, they even added two new flight routes to my hometown.” “I’m so jealous you can drive back, Lily.” I opened the airline booking app and searched for tickets to my in-laws’ place. There were seven flight options, with three still having available seats. I immediately took screenshots and sent them to Sophia, telling her to buy tickets right away. “These flights still have seats available, you can buy tickets now.” “Three tickets together cost less than the gas for driving, and it’s safer too.” The last time we drove back, her son accidentally bumped his head on the car door and got a huge lump. It scared me to death. If anything serious had happened, selling my car wouldn’t have been enough to cover it. I’ve always suggested she take a plane with her child for convenience and safety, but she never listens. After some thought, I forwarded an article about child car safety awareness. The post emphasized that children must use car seats when riding in vehicles. I kindly reminded her: “Sophia, I don’t have a car seat. It’s fine for adults, but really dangerous for kids.” Sophia didn’t reply, and I wasn’t sure if she’d seen my message. Then I received a $50 transfer from her, labeled “gas money”. I replied with a “?” Sophia still didn’t respond, but she posted a screenshot of our chat in the family group. “Having to pay gas money to ride in my own brother’s car, I’ve really learned something new.” “Sis-in-law, don’t be so petty, I’ve paid for the gas.” “Calculating everything so precisely between family members, haha!” That “haha” stung my eyes. I was about to type a response when Eric came out of the shower. He wrapped his arms around me and started groping my waist: “What are you looking at, sweetie?” I angrily pushed him away and showed him what his dear sister had said. “Look at what your sister is saying. How am I being calculating?” “I’m just being considerate. If anything happened, your whole family would tear me apart.” “Besides, we’ve been married for five years and they’ve gotten free rides every single year without contributing a penny. Why should they?” The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I stood up and started counting off grievances on my fingers. But Eric just frowned and looked at me with disdain. “Why can’t you be more generous? Why are you always nitpicking about these little things?” “Are we really so hard up for a few bucks in gas money?” “How are we supposed to face my parents when we get back if you act like this?” Seeing his aggressive expression, I was stunned. So in the eyes of his whole family, I was just a petty shrew? It wasn’t enough that his sister’s family took advantage of me, I was supposed to bow and scrape to her, always at her beck and call? I reminded him: “This car was a wedding gift from my parents. It’s not your family’s public property.” As soon as I said that, he exploded. He angrily threw his towel at me, his face contorted with a rage I’d never seen before. I dodged the towel, but he lunged forward and grabbed my arm, snarling: “How long are you going to harp on about that stupid car? Do you look down on me?” I was just trying to remind him that the car belonged to our little family unit, and I had the right to decide who could use it. But he took offense again, thinking I was looking down on him. Having such an immature and sensitive husband was exhausting. When we were dating, I was attracted to his ambition and didn’t pay attention to his family background. My parents gave me enough confidence that I wouldn’t have to tiptoe around as a daughter-in-law. But after marriage, his true nature was gradually revealed. His paranoia and sensitivity left me constantly having to defend myself. Seeing his enraged expression, it seemed like he might hit me at any moment. I was frightened and quickly shook my head: “No, you’re overthinking it. I’m just stating facts.” Just then, a shrill phone ringtone broke the tension. He let go of me and answered the call: “Hello, Mom. We’re driving back on the 23rd.” “No, no, that was just a joke. How could we ask Sophia for gas money?” “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” After hanging up, he coldly looked at me: “Lily, behave yourself when we go back for Christmas. Don’t cause trouble.”

The next day at work, my boss called me into his office. “Lily, have you met with anyone unusual recently?” I was confused. As a low-level employee, who could I possibly meet? But I answered honestly: “Just a few clients to discuss next quarter’s collaboration.” My boss poured me a cup of water and gently reminded me: “Well… did they give you any gifts?” I suddenly realized what he was getting at. In our line of work, improper relationships with clients were strictly forbidden. Getting caught taking bribes would be career suicide. I immediately stood up to defend myself: “Boss, all my client meetings are on camera. I can prove my innocence!” Seeing how agitated I was, my boss quickly told me to sit down. That’s when I learned someone had anonymously reported me for taking bribes, even claiming my recent promotion involved some shady dealings. The whistleblower seemed very familiar with my financial situation, specifically mentioning my $40,000 Mercedes. “How could a low-level civil servant afford such an expensive car?” “I have evidence of her accepting bribes. I hope the leadership will thoroughly investigate this bad apple.” The evidence was a blurry video taken in a hotel. In the video, I was seen taking a delivery at a hotel room door. The packaging was from a luxury brand. The whistleblower zoomed in on the packaging. I watched the video a few times before remembering what had happened. I was on a business trip in my aunt’s city a while back. She was in a rush to catch a flight abroad, so she had someone deliver a gift to me. That scarf is still hanging in my closet. How did this turn into a bribery accusation? Although I had evidence to clear my name, my boss decided to put me on leave for a while due to the bad optics. “Why don’t you use up your annual leave? Come back when this blows over.” “Don’t overthink it. Just relax and maybe start trying for a baby.” My boss patted my shoulder, seeing how dejected I looked. It sounded nice, but it was basically a temporary suspension. If I got pregnant during this time, I might as well not come back. After working here for so long, I understood the office politics. I felt utterly disheartened, both about my family and my career. To make matters worse, Sophia was still stirring up trouble in the family group chat. She shared a video about a college student being asked to pay for gas when riding in his uncle’s car during the holidays. The comments section was full of freeloaders supporting the student: “I give my uncle a couple hundred when I ride with him, he won’t take more than that.” “My uncle leaves me $10 for a haircut after Christmas.” “Make sure to tell your mom about this.” “I can totally relate, my sister would kill me for this.” But there were a few comments calling out the poster as a “freeloader”. … Combined with the $50 she sent me earlier, it was clearly a dig at me as the “aunt” in this scenario. In the family group chat, my mother-in-law was the first to attack: “What’s this nonsense about paying to ride in your uncle’s car? Where’s the logic in that?” My husband’s aunt chimed in: “It’s just a car ride, why be so petty? What, does the car not use gas when they’re not in it?” Sophia played the innocent victim: “Maybe it’s because we ride with them too often and my sister-in-law is upset.” My mother-in-law immediately retorted: “Even if you rode with them every day, your sister-in-law has no right to complain. Are you not family anymore?” They didn’t mention me by name, but everyone knew they were talking about me. I was beyond frustrated and typed out: “So just because someone calls you ‘aunt’, they’re entitled to free rides?” “Freeloading and feeling righteous about it, what kind of upbringing is that?” “When parents lack social graces, children learn by example.” I don’t know the full context of that video, but judging by the poster’s reaction, they had probably never offered to pay before. In these situations, it’s usually about the relationship between the older generation, not the kids. The poster’s mom and uncle/aunt likely don’t have a great relationship. Otherwise, why would the aunt give her nephew such a hard time? From the aunt’s perspective, I could understand her frustration. Both the older and younger generations seemed to think she should be a free chauffeur, and asking for gas money made her the bad guy. The kids were unhappy, the adults were clueless, and everyone felt entitled. How many times can so-called family ties withstand this kind of strain? Seeing me push back so hard, Sophia replied sarcastically: “Oh, having a car makes you so great? Now you’re lecturing us on manners?” “It’s just a stolen car anyway, what are you so proud of?” My eyes caught the words “stolen car” and something clicked in my mind. I seized on her words and demanded: “What do you mean by that? What ‘stolen car’?” “My parents bought me this car as a wedding gift. Watch your mouth!” Provoked by me, Sophia didn’t hold back anymore and started ranting. “Your parents are just ordinary workers, where did they get that kind of money?” “You have an older brother, why would they buy you a car?” “That car was obviously a gift from someone else. You must have done a lot of ‘favors’ to get it!” Seeing her so brazenly admit to the accusations, I was furious. To become a civil servant, I had locked myself at home for three solid months studying, barely leaving the house. After getting the job, I worked diligently and cautiously, terrified of making any mistakes. To double-check accounts, I practically lived at the office. Among the new hires in my cohort, I worked the most overtime and was the only one without connections. After six months, my performance spoke for itself and I was promoted without question. All my financial transactions and personal interactions could withstand scrutiny. Now just because I didn’t want to be taken advantage of, she was trying to smear my reputation. With this accusation, my record would be tarnished and I’d never be promoted again. I was shaking with rage and lashed out: “My parents bought me a car because they love me. If your parents don’t love you, take it up with them!” “This year I’d rather wreck my car than give you freeloaders a ride.” “Get lost, moochers!”

When I got home, I was so angry I couldn’t sleep. I thought about driving the car back to my parents’ house and just taking a plane to my in-laws’. But when I got to the garage, it was empty. Eric hemmed and hawed, saying a good friend had borrowed the car to impress a date. “My buddy’s a great driver, nothing will happen.” “He’s just taking it out for dinner with a girl, it’ll be back soon.” I felt a stab of pain in my chest. How many times had this happened? Five years ago when Eric and I got married, my parents gave me a $40,000 Mercedes as a wedding gift. From then on, it seemed like the car became public property. Whenever Sophia’s family had even a minor issue, they’d come borrow the car. During holiday visits to the in-laws, any relative could order Eric to be their chauffeur. For weddings, funerals, or other big events, friends and family would ask to borrow our car. I didn’t want to make a fuss, so I kept quiet. But the car would always come back filthy. Traffic tickets, toll fees, gas – we had to pay for it all out of pocket. A few times, someone even threw up in the car. I’d gag while paying to have it cleaned. Halfway through cleaning once, the car wash guy found used condoms in the back seat. I checked the dashcam footage and nearly threw up. On the car mats I’d carefully chosen, Eric’s cousin was going at it with some strange woman. I lost it and cursed out his cousin in the family group chat. Eric’s aunt accused me of being petty, saying young couples need their romance and I was making a big deal out of nothing. I laughed coldly and posted screenshots from the video in the chat. “Auntie, look closely before you speak. That’s not your daughter-in-law in there.” “If you want to fool around, get a hotel room. Do you have to be so disgusting in my car?” In the end, the cousin and his wife nearly divorced over this, and Eric blamed me. “Look what you’ve done, making such a big deal out of nothing!” “Now my cousin’s family is falling apart. Are you happy?” That Christmas was a disaster, with relatives gossiping and laughing at us. What annoyed me most was that the cousin and his wife didn’t end up divorcing. His wife even passive-aggressively attacked me in the group chat: “Some people get a little money and look down on everyone else.” “Doing such awful things, it’s karma that you can’t have children.” I was about to fire back at her when Eric jumped in to defend me. “No one’s borrowing our car anymore, so don’t even ask.” “Every time you borrow it with a full tank and return it empty. We’re not suckers.” One time his cousin borrowed the car to go party and returned it with barely any gas left. I was in a rush to go out and didn’t notice the fuel gauge. I ran out of gas halfway and was stranded on the highway for hours. The car blocking traffic caused a huge jam, and I missed an important contract meeting. When I finally made it back to the office, my boss chewed me out. After that, I strictly forbade Eric from lending out the car behind my back. I even threatened divorce over it. But people treated it like background noise, still secretly borrowing the car. Now Sophia wanted another free ride, and all the old resentments came flooding back. I was firmly against it. As a result, she nearly got me fired. Not only that, she seemed determined to ruin my reputation and get me kicked out of the civil service altogether.

After I spoke up in the family group chat, Sophia quieted down for a while. I went ahead and bought two plane tickets, saying we wouldn’t be driving back this year and everyone should fly. My mother-in-law called me, hinting none too subtly about having children. In our five years of marriage, I’d been too focused on work to think about kids. Eric and I had agreed before marriage to wait until my career was stable before discussing children. The workplace is already challenging for women, and pregnancy is an unavoidable hurdle. Many capable women enter the workforce with the potential to climb the ladder into leadership or even higher decision-making roles. But because of childbirth, they’re forced to give up promotion opportunities. I didn’t want that. I wanted to reach the top, to make all my years of hard study worthwhile. With Sophia’s stunt, it felt like all my efforts had been reduced to a joke. My mother-in-law was very direct: “You’ve been married for five years now. If you don’t have a child soon, where will my son show his face?” “People in the neighborhood are calling him infertile. You may not care about face, but I do!” I couldn’t help but wonder if she and Sophia had planned this together. One tries to get me fired, then the other pushes for a baby. Back and forth until I’m a full-time homemaker preparing for pregnancy, completely removed from my career. Even my boss was tentatively asking if I was planning to have a child. I was at my wit’s end, wondering if I’d been cursed. What on earth had possessed me to marry into this family? I snapped and cursed at my mother-in-law: “Nag nag nag, is nagging all it takes to have a baby?” “If you’re such an expert, why don’t you go work at a fertility clinic? Apparently you can make babies just by talking!” It was the first time I’d ever talked back to her like that. She immediately burst into tears. She called her son right away, saying I was bullying her and had cursed her to die. She even claimed I looked down on their family for being poor and said they weren’t good enough for me. I listened to her twisting my words, feeling a surge of satisfaction. You didn’t expect this, did you? Your son was standing right next to me the whole time. What a brilliant performance! Eric’s face cycled through various shades as he placated his mom and hung up. I’m sure being called “infertile” by his own mother didn’t feel great. But he’s so obsessed with saving face that he refuses to get checked at the hospital, insisting the problem must be with me. I’m happy to play dumb. After all, I don’t want kids anyway.

On December 23rd, I was ready to leave with my suitcase when Eric just stood there not moving. I urged him: “Hurry up, we need to queue for security checks at the airport.” That’s when he finally told me he’d lost his ID. “Not sure when I lost it, but I can’t find it anywhere.” “Let’s just drive back instead.” I put down my suitcase and stared at him expressionlessly. He avoided my gaze, looking guilty. After sharing a bed for over five years, how could I not know what he was up to? But the flight was leaving in an hour, and it would take about 30 minutes to drive from our place to the airport. There definitely wasn’t time to get a temporary ID. And that’s not even counting traffic jams and queuing time. I said coldly: “You did this on purpose, didn’t you? You’re that desperate to drive back?” He gave up the act and sat down, dangling the car keys: “We have a car, why not use it? Everyone in the neighborhood envies my Mercedes. It’ll be convenient for visiting relatives during the holiday too.” I was about to explode when my phone rang. Sophia’s family was already waiting downstairs, urging us to hurry up and leave. Looking at my shameless husband, I felt utterly disappointed in this family. Eric grabbed the suitcase and pushed me towards the door: “Let’s go, we’ll hit traffic if we wait any longer.” Once in the car, Sophia apologized and voluntarily offered another $50 for gas. Seeing my sour expression, she even bought me an energy drink. “I’m really sorry, sis. We just couldn’t get tickets.” Her husband snorted and plopped down, immediately starting to scroll through TikTok. That’s when I realized that after our big fight, she’d found out all the tickets were sold out. She’d tried several scalpers but couldn’t score any. She even looked into rideshares, but when people heard it was a family of three with lots of luggage, they quoted her a private car price. She balked at the cost and crawled back to ask me for a ride. I was furious at how these siblings had manipulated me, just praying nothing else would go wrong on the trip. Next time this happens, I swear I’ll sell the car. Then no one can covet it. We soon got on the highway, and Sophia’s son started whining in the backseat. “Mommy, I need to pee! I need to pee!”

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