Author: Momo Chan

The billionaire announced through the media that he was seeking to find 100 children born from his sperm donations. When my best friend discovered she was one of them, she wanted to meet him. I advised her to wait, cautioning that the billionaire was seriously ill and might have ulterior motives. She listened and decided not to go. Later, the billionaire died, and those who recognized him as their father inherited his supposed billion-dollar fortune. My friend blamed me for ruining her chance at wealth and ended my life. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day she told me she was the billionaire’s child. I was shaken awake, my body trembling. When I opened my eyes again, my best friend, Luna, was excitedly waking me up by my bedside. “Luna, can you believe it! I’m actually the daughter of the richest man in City W!” I felt disoriented and instinctively recoiled from her. I touched my neck, recalling how in my past life, Luna had stabbed me there, making it hard to breathe. Just like before, Luna animatedly explained how her parents used a sperm donation because her father couldn’t have children. Yesterday, the richest man in City W announced his sperm donation details and expressed a desire to meet his biological children. Each recognized child would inherit his fortune. “My genetic information perfectly matches the billionaire’s! I am his daughter! Luna, do you think I should go meet him?” Luna looked at me, her eyes shining with joy. She always aimed high but never put in the effort. During college, she only wanted to snag a rich guy to enjoy a wealthy life. But, unfortunately, rich guys care about status, and they only played with her. So in my past life, when Luna found out she was the billionaire’s daughter, she wanted to meet him to fulfill her dream of becoming a rich heiress. I learned the billionaire was seriously ill and had over 100 children from sperm donations. Out of concern for her safety, I suggested she not rush into it. “I heard many rich people use sperm donations to create their own mobile blood banks and natural organ donors. Especially since he’s only seeking his children now when he’s seriously ill. Maybe you should wait a bit.” Luna dismissed my concerns at the time until she heard that several recognized children mysteriously disappeared. Then she held my hand fearfully and said, “Thank goodness you warned me, Luna! Otherwise, I’d be doomed! Luna, you’re the best!” But then, after her failed attempt to woo the campus heartthrob, Gideon, and hearing that the recognized children did inherit the fortune after the billionaire’s death, she blamed me for blocking her financial path. On my birthday, she stabbed me in the throat repeatedly in rage: “If it weren’t for you! If you hadn’t stopped me! I would have been a billion-dollar heiress by now! How could Gideon reject me, and how would I be living such a miserable life?” “Luna! It’s all your fault! Go to hell!” But what she didn’t know was, On the day she killed me in my past life, The police had just announced it was a scam. The billionaire’s sperm donation was real, but recognizing the children was a sham. All the recognized children were lab rats for medical experiments. The inheritance was real, but the billionaire’s illness and death were fake. He had already transferred all his assets, waiting for everything to be exposed and then disappear. He left not billions in fortune, but billions in debt. And all these truths, I never had the chance to tell Luna before I died by her hand. The vengeful satisfaction in Luna’s eyes in my memory overlapped with the fervent look of the Luna in front of me. This time, I didn’t advise her. I just smiled slightly: “Congratulations.” Good advice cannot save those who are doomed. I chose to respect others’ destinies.

Luna looked smug as if she could already see her life as a rich heiress: “I’m going to the testing agency the billionaire announced tomorrow for a blood test. When I become the billionaire’s daughter, I’ll move out.” She glanced around the house disdainfully and said, “I’ll have my dad get me a mansion. I won’t have to squeeze into this old, shabby place with you. The environment is bad, hygiene is poor, and the residents are low-class.” I laughed bitterly inside. Luna couldn’t find a job back then and had no income. She shamelessly asked to rent this place with me, and she was not like this then. Moreover, it was supposed to be shared rent, but Luna never paid even a month’s rent, just freeloaded. All the house chores, from sweeping the floor, washing dishes, hanging clothes to taking out the trash, she never lifted a finger. Every time, I had to plead with her to barely get her to do anything, and she called it “helping” me share the burden. Thinking about the past years, being such a pushover, I wanted to slap myself. Her moving out was just perfect, so if anything happened, she couldn’t blame it on me. I quickly nodded and said, “You’re right, this neighborhood isn’t up to your standards. Your rich dad surely wouldn’t want you to be stuck in this small place.” “Of course!” Luna was pleased with my flattery. “Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance to help me. Drive me to the testing agency tomorrow.” I raised an eyebrow and quickly refused: “My car went in for repairs a few days ago. Maybe you can ask your boyfriend to take you. Knowing your true identity, wouldn’t he be devoted to you?” My words hit the nail on the head. Recently, Luna snagged a rich second-generation guy and kept flaunting designer bags. But she knew he looked down on her for not having a background, just playing around. Luna’s unhappy expression immediately turned into a show-off face: “With your crappy hospital job, how much can you earn? You have no sense. Fine, he’s barely a match for me, let him take me, let him see.” She said smugly and went back to her room. In my past life, her rich boyfriend dumped her after playing enough, then married his family’s chosen match, kicking her to the curb. She went to his company to cause trouble, only to be dragged out by his fiancée in public, calling her a toad trying to be Cinderella. At the time, I foolishly consoled her. Little did I know Luna didn’t blame the jerk but blamed me for stopping her from recognizing the billionaire, leading to her abandonment. She believed I ruined her rich life, swearing to fight me to the end. This life, I wouldn’t get involved in this mess. Watching Luna close her door, I quickly messaged my boss to request leave and booked a moving company. While Luna went out the next day, I packed up all my personal belongings except the shared spaces and moved out. As for whether Luna stayed or left after the rental contract expired, It wasn’t my concern. Following the principle of avoiding negativity, when encountering rotten people, don’t get tangled up, just leave immediately!

After a busy morning, finally settling everything in my new place, I got a call from Luna: “Luna, I went for the test today, and they even gave me a pack of medicine, saying I had to finish it before recognizing the billionaire. Aren’t you a med student? Check if this medicine has any issues.” Listening to her commanding tone, I felt a chill in my heart. Luna was always like this, demanding me to help her family cut lines at the hospital and even expecting me to pay for their treatments. Every time I ran around for her family, Luna took it for granted, acting like she deserved it. “This is a job for the testing department, and this medicine is from your dad’s company, Longevity Pharmaceuticals. Detailed testing fees would be thousands.” Hearing this, Luna immediately panicked: “What testing? Aren’t you a doctor! Luna, I thought we were best friends, and you mention money!” I laughed bitterly inside. Luna clearly felt something was off, so she came to me for reassurance. If anything happened, she’d blame it on me. Where’s the fairness in that! On the other end, Luna continued ranting: “You won’t even help with this simple thing! You’ve become so heartless! If it weren’t for me saving you from that fire back then…” Hearing her mention it, I couldn’t help but retort: “Luna, did you really save me back then?” In eighth grade, there was a severe fire in my school building. I fell unconscious. When I woke up, only Luna was beside me. She swore she saved me, claiming I owed her my life, which led to years of being her doormat, repaying her life-saving grace. Until my last life, when I was dying, she told me: “Why should you have a better life than me? I locked you in the classroom on purpose, yet you didn’t die.” “The hospital arranged for us to share a ward. I wanted you to feel this debt for life.” There was silence on the other end. After a while, Luna stammered: “What do you mean, Luna? Who told you such nonsense? If it wasn’t me, who else could it be? I’m not going to argue with you, just help me check this medicine.” Hearing her denial, I couldn’t help but laugh coldly. In fact, in my previous life, Luna secretly went to the testing agency to verify her blood and, after getting the medicine, immediately asked me. “Just as the hospital conveniently placed us in the same room, I’ll make sure you feel what it’s like to owe me for a lifetime!” There was a sudden silence on the other end of the line. After a moment, Fiona stammered, “What are you talking about, Daphne? Who’s been feeding you this nonsense? If it’s not me, then who could it be? I’m not wasting any more time. Get this drug tested for me now.” Hearing her stubborn denial, I couldn’t help but scoff. In my previous life, Fiona had secretly gone for a blood test at a lab right after receiving the drug. Using my own money, I had it sent to the most reputable and fastest testing center. As expected, I discovered the drug had never undergone any human trials. In short, people like Fiona were being used as guinea pigs for experiments. This was Longevity Pharmaceuticals’ latest project, marketed under the pretense of “blood purification,” claiming to filter harmful substances from the blood. Elderly relatives were injected with blood from younger, genetically related family members, supposedly prolonging life and preventing aging. Many people who acknowledged kinship and took this “blood purification drug” suffered severe blood coagulation issues, leading to organ failure, and many died. Fiona, following my advice, didn’t take the drug and avoided disaster. Later, she believed it was a necessary process for the billionaire to select heirs, thinking those who died from the drug were unhealthy. She was convinced she would be the one to survive and inherit the wealth. Because I repeatedly stopped her, she believed I had ulterior motives and couldn’t bear to see her succeed, causing her to miss the chance to climb the social ladder. This time, I decided to play along with her: “If this drug is tested and the billionaire finds out, could it affect your eligibility for acknowledgment?” “Will it?” Fiona hesitated on the phone. I smiled, calmly preparing to give her another nudge. “After all, the billionaire is your biological father. He wouldn’t harm you, right?”

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This time, as usual, I went out to walk the dog. After returning, just as I was about to lie down in the bedroom to rest, I thought I heard my dog’s thoughts. “How odd, there seems to be a strange odor in the house.” “It smells bad, like the scent of a stranger.” I remembered the dismemberment case my husband had mentioned to me last night, and it sent shivers down my spine. I didn’t care if I was imagining things; staying safe was my top priority. Just as I reached for the leash to head out, there was a knock on the door, and I heard my husband’s voice. “Phoebe, open the door.” Recently, I’ve noticed something unusual about my little dog, Buddy. He keeps sniffing around the house, as if searching for something. But besides me and my husband, there’s no one else here. So, I didn’t think much of it, assuming Buddy might just be restless because he’s entering his mating season. Today, after our usual walk, I planned to grab some clothes and take a shower to wash off the sweat. Just as I loosened the leash and was about to open the bedroom door, I heard a very unfamiliar voice. “Why does it feel like there’s a strange smell in the house? It’s been here all along, so stinky! Mom, can you get rid of that bad guy?” I froze, looking around to find the source of the voice. But in my house, it’s just me and my boyfriend. That wasn’t my boyfriend’s voice, and he wasn’t even home from work yet. Who could it be? While I was hesitating, the voice spoke again. “Why isn’t Mom moving? Does Mom think there’s a strange smell too?” Mom? I looked at my little dog, Buddy, in disbelief. Could it be him talking? But how could a dog talk? I shook my head, wondering if work stress was causing me to hear things. Standing at the bedroom door, my hands on the doorknob, I hesitated for a long time. What if, just what if, it was true?

I decided to test whether I was just imagining things. I quietly took out Buddy’s favorite treat. Placed it in front of him. “Yummy, yummy. Why is Mom suddenly feeding me?” Buddy happily wagged his tail, munching away, and I heard his thoughts again. My heart sank. A dog’s sense of smell is far more acute than a human’s. If Buddy sensed something strange in the house, there had to be. I recalled the home invasion murder case my husband had mentioned a few days ago. What if, by sheer bad luck, I ran into the murderer? I couldn’t help but think of those gruesome home invasion cases. The victims died with open eyes, and some were even more tragic, with their intestines scattered everywhere. These cases hadn’t affected me much before. But coincidentally, our neighborhood hasn’t felt safe lately, with many people’s belongings going missing. Reporting to the police yielded nothing. Unresolved cases are like a sword hanging over my head, never allowing me to relax.

Of all the strategies, fleeing seemed the best. I nervously picked up the leash, planning to escape with Buddy. “Knock, knock, knock—” there was a knock on the door. Then I heard the sound of keys turning, and my boyfriend Kieran entered with a cheerful smile. This guy, still smiling. I considered telling Kieran about the possible intruder. But just as I was about to speak— Buddy spoke again. “Huh? Why does Dad also smell bad? Like that stranger’s smell.” This news felt like falling into an icy abyss. I felt waves of coldness sweeping over me. Could Kieran be connected to that stranger? But he’s my partner, the one I share my life with.

The story of Kieran and me is simple. Kieran is well-known at the academy, not just for his numerous part-time jobs, but also for his outstanding grades. Even though he wore patched clothes, the unyielding determination in his eyes deeply moved me. So I pursued him passionately. I was born into a well-educated family, the only daughter in a first-tier city, with intellectual parents, always living without financial worries. Initially, Kieran wasn’t interested in me. But I persisted, and a year later, our story found its ending. We became a couple. However, this led to a lot of gossip in the academy. They all said Kieran was a poor boy who managed to win over a wealthy, beautiful girl. I even argued with Kieran over this. But later, Kieran didn’t care about these rumors and treated me even better than before. After we graduated from college, we got married. Because he was Kieran, I chose to enter wedded bliss early. I believe our relationship hasn’t reached a point where he would want to harm me.

Out of caution, I held back my words. I treated Kieran with care and attention as usual when he came home. I didn’t want to arouse his suspicion. I also didn’t intend to judge if Kieran had such thoughts. Because I was really scared. I couldn’t risk my life. But how could I leave here without leaving a trace? I looked at the door and discovered something chilling. The door seemed to be double-locked. I couldn’t believe it, so I went over. Gently turned the doorknob. Sure enough, the door was double-locked. Why would Kieran lock the door? A series of questions burst in my head. I didn’t want to think about anything, nor did I dare to. “Phoebe, what are you doing?” Kieran’s voice came from behind me. I was startled but pretended to be calm, asking him in my usual tone. “Why did you lock the door?” I looked at him with genuine confusion. “Phoebe, do you know about the recent home invasion murder case?” Kieran looked at me, a peculiar smile on his face. His gaze made me shiver.

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At dawn, I came across a post online. “What should I do if I like my female tenant? I’ve never liked someone this much before.” Just when I thought it was some sweet story about a secret crush, the more I read, the stranger it felt. The photos this person posted looked like the hallway of my building. The description also matched me perfectly, but I’m not a tenant, I’m the landlord. There were people giving him advice in the comments. “Women are always reserved. Just go for a forceful kiss, and with a bit of push and pull, it’ll work out.” “A persistent man wins the heart of even the toughest woman. Plus, you’re so handsome, blogger. She definitely won’t be able to resist you.” “That’s how I got my wife. Once you sleep with her, she’ll do whatever you say.” The more I read, the stranger it felt. Isn’t this just sexual harassment? But the next second, my tenant John sent me a message. “Are you there? There seems to be a problem with the water pipes in my place. Can you come and take a look?” If I hadn’t seen that post, I might have gone. Because of years of renting out properties, I’m quite handy with things like changing light bulbs, fixing pipes, and unclogging toilets. Within my abilities, I always try to help tenants solve their problems. But now, I’m a bit afraid to go over. Not only is that post enough to give me the creeps, but also, my house was thoroughly checked just a few days ago. The water pressure, pipes, and electrical circuits were all fine. How could there be a problem as soon as he moved in? I looked at the pitch-black sky outside and felt a chill run down my spine. Even though it was summer, it felt like a cold wind had blown up my clothes. I’d better assume the worst about people. With this in mind, my fingers typed out a few words on my phone screen. “I’m not at home today, and I don’t really know how to fix pipes. How about my boyfriend goes to your place to check tomorrow? What time would be convenient for you?” The chat bubble for the apartment immediately showed “typing”, back and forth. The person on the other end seemed to be struggling with how to reply. I didn’t bother waiting and went to wash up. I don’t know if it was psychological, but I felt like there was a pair of eyes watching me from the darkness. I didn’t even take a shower, just rushed into the bedroom. I put a door stopper in the door crack, only then feeling a bit safer. I had just picked up my phone when I saw John’s message. “How about 8 PM then? I’ll be off work by then.” Seeing this, I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe it was just a coincidence. After all, the hallways in city apartment buildings all look similar, and there are countless girls with long black hair who are 1.68m tall like me. Moreover, that person said he liked his female tenant, which is different from my situation. Most importantly, John is quite ordinary looking, forgettable in a crowd. He’s not the handsome type like the poster. As the saying goes, one’s appearance reflects one’s heart. I never thought such a good-looking exterior could hide such a dirty heart. Because just now, I saw the poster liked the comment giving him advice, and replied “DM me”. He clearly has evil intentions. I, like others, bookmarked the post, wanting to see what he would do next. But what about the boyfriend for tomorrow? I’m not in a relationship. Thinking this, I called my good male friend, Ben. I asked him to come tomorrow and pretend to be my boyfriend. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Pretending to have a boyfriend can avoid some unnecessary trouble.

The next day, as I was tidying up and opening the door to go out, I ran into John face to face. The apartment I rented to him is on the floor above mine. The elevator isn’t broken, so he must have been waiting here on purpose. And when I just opened the door, I saw him make a backward movement, indicating he was almost pressed against my door. My heart skipped a beat, and I suddenly thought of the many news stories I had seen about single women being harmed while living alone. At that moment, I deeply regretted not asking Ben to come earlier. “Miss Sarah? Weren’t you not at home?” he said. As soon as he said this, cold sweat broke out on my back. He thought I wasn’t home, so why was he waiting at my door? What did he want to do? I suppressed my fear and said coldly, “I came back in the early morning. What are you doing at my door? My boyfriend is about to come back. If you don’t have anything urgent now, he can go to your place earlier.” John scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed, and said, “My cat ran out. I just heard cat meowing from your place. Did it hide in your apartment?” As he spoke, he tried to peek into my apartment, his eyes darting around. “I don’t have a cat. Go look elsewhere,” I said. But he not only didn’t listen to me, he took a step forward, wedging his foot in the doorframe. “I’ll just come in and look for a moment. I won’t disturb you. Just let me in.” I instinctively tried to close the door, but my strength was no match for a grown man, even if he was thin. “If you keep this up, I’m calling the police!” I said. Just then, my savior arrived. “Hey! What are you doing?” Ben shouted. With one hand, Ben lifted John up and threw him against the wall on the other side of the hallway. John’s body hit the wall with a thud, and he let out an “Ouch” as he sat on the ground. “Are you trying to break in and rob? I’m calling the police!” Ben said, taking out his phone, looking like he was really about to call. John, ignoring the pain in his body, quickly got up and apologized to Ben. “No, no, no, I was just trying to go in and find my kitten. She just closed the door suddenly, trapping my foot. That’s why I pushed the door. I wasn’t trying to rob anyone, don’t misunderstand.” “It’s not me you should be apologizing to!” Ben said. John then bowed and apologized to me, who was still in shock. I calmed down and wanted to confirm one more thing. “This is my boyfriend. Didn’t you say your water pipes were broken? Let’s go to your place and take a look.” Hearing this, John’s expression changed for a moment, then he said, “The pipes were fixed by myself yesterday. It’s all fine now. Sorry for troubling you.” He turned and left after saying this, not mentioning finding his cat anymore. I didn’t have the heart to go to work anymore. My mind was full of the image of John trying to break down the door. If Ben hadn’t arrived, I daren’t imagine what would have happened today. I sat on the sofa, and Ben brought me a glass of warm water. “Are you okay?” he asked. “I’m fine. How come you came so early?” Ben stuffed a bun into his mouth. “I was terrified when I got your message last night. I came straight here as soon as I got off the plane this morning. Good thing I did.” “How long is your contract with him? Just terminate it. Having someone like that living nearby is like a ticking time bomb.” So I sent John a message directly, saying I wouldn’t rent the apartment to him anymore. He didn’t reply for a long time. But I saw that the love-seeking post had been updated. “The female tenant has a boyfriend, tall, dark, and strong. But I think I still have a good chance. After all, young girls nowadays all like thin, pale boys like me.” “I went to her door today to look for my lost kitten. The girl chatted with me for a few words and even batted her eyelashes at me. Her boyfriend found out and punched me once.” “Now she says she doesn’t want to rent the apartment to me anymore. It must be her boyfriend’s instigation. Can someone tell me what to do?” Now I’m really certain that the poster is John. Even if it was a coincidence before, it couldn’t possibly be another coincidence today. The profile picture must be stolen then. At this point, some netizens in the comments section had also realized. “Homewreckers are despicable.” “Even if you’re handsome, it’s not okay to break up other people’s relationships.” But there were still people who held the principle that looks justify everything. “That girl also batted her eyelashes at him, right? It’s not just the little brother’s one-sided love.” “Oh my god, not only is the little brother good-looking, but he’s also an animal lover. I love him even more.” “I just love this kind of forbidden love.” “Keep pursuing! Maybe she’ll dump her boyfriend and be with you. The female tenant might directly become the landlady.” I forwarded the post to Ben. “Tall, dark, and strong? This is called a healthy tan. I specially went to get tanned, what does he know! Who would like his skinny dog type that gets knocked down with one punch? My lean muscle is what’s most popular now!” Ben’s finger swiped left, clicking into the poster’s profile. “Eh? Wait, this photo.”

“What about the photo?” Ben gloated, pointing at the profile photo. “This guy is our company CEO’s son. He’s usually arrogant and domineering. If he finds out his photo was stolen by John and such comments were posted online, what do you think he’ll do? “Or if the CEO learns that someone is smearing his son’s reputation online, what do you think he’ll do?” Ben chuckled and directly forwarded the post to the company CEO. “Big news, boss! Your son wants to be a homewrecker!” Then he recalled the message after two minutes and fifty seconds. I asked him if he wasn’t afraid of being held accountable by the higher-ups. He shook his head: “The boss isn’t that petty. He might even thank me for telling him about this, to prevent his son from making a bigger mistake.” I could only pray in my heart that the boy wouldn’t be beaten too badly. Sorry about that. John was still replying to comments. “Thank you all for your support. I won’t give up. Even if I have to be the other man, I’ll pursue my female tenant!” Ridiculous. He’s clearly the tenant, yet he pretends to be the landlord. How insecure is he about his identity? He also retorted to those comments calling him a homewrecker. “You don’t know anything. This is called pursuing love!” “I know you’re unhappy in life with no love. Don’t be jealous that I’m good-looking and have several houses collecting rent.” “I’m not blind. I can tell if the female tenant is batting her eyelashes at me or not. She wore a short skirt when she came to view the house. If that’s not seducing me, what is it?” Oh my god, wearing a short skirt is seducing him? Then aren’t all the girls on the street seducing him? Besides, it’s hot summer. If I don’t wear a short skirt, should I wear cotton pants? The more I read, the more disgusted I felt. How can there be such an ordinary yet confident and lying man? That familiar avatar came out to give advice again. The username was “Wild Heart”. “Don’t doubt it. When women wear short skirts, it’s deliberately to seduce men. That’s why I couldn’t resist when my wife wore a short skirt back then. She cried and made a fuss afterward, but after some coaxing, didn’t she end up marrying me? She went from being a country girl to a city woman in one go, now living a life of luxury. You’re still too gentle. When her boyfriend isn’t around, just force yourself on her. Don’t worry, she’ll give in.” Isn’t this instigating others to commit crimes? Do they really think there’s no legal responsibility for what they say online? I saved this person’s comments as evidence and consulted a lawyer, but the lawyer told me that without substantial events occurring, it would be difficult to file a case. Although I was angry, I was helpless. Women in this world really have to experience too many dangers and bear too much malice. Not only will wearing a short skirt be assumed as seduction, but even walking on the street will be “taken in” by someone. It’s really terrifying. Many criticizing comments flooded in under Wild Heart’s comment, but he didn’t care at all. He just blocked whoever scolded him. I clicked into that person’s profile and found that he was just a disgusting man, saying that women being trafficked isn’t a bad thing, it can provide labor for rural development. He also said that women not having children nowadays is because they’ve studied too much, and women studying too much is not conducive to national unity. So he called for shortening compulsory education to increase the birth rate. He’s simply a psychopath. That night, Ben stayed in my spare bedroom. He didn’t even go to work because he was afraid something might happen to me. After hearing about this, my mom also told me to move away quickly. These days, losing money is a small matter, but it’s scary to encounter some desperate people. It’s really unfortunate that I, a landlord, am being forced to move by a tenant. Just as I was packing my luggage, Ben, standing by the window, called out. “Our CEO’s son is coming up with five big guys, carrying baseball bats! His face looks a bit red, maybe he was beaten by the CEO. Now he’s coming to take revenge on John.” Ben and I hid in the stairwell, watching the young man kick John’s door. “Open up!” John didn’t open the door, so the young man directly instructed the people beside him to open the lock. “It was you who impersonated me online and smeared my reputation? Ugly people really do more mischief!”

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My daughter was taken from me. I was sure I had given birth to a girl, but when I woke up, there was a boy instead. My mother-in-law dismissed my concerns, saying I was imagining things because I wanted a daughter so badly. My husband also said I was just seeing things. I began to suspect that they had conspired to switch my child. Right after the delivery, the nurse wanted to take the baby to the incubator. I managed to stay conscious long enough to ask her to show me the baby. She was fair-skinned and chubby, with her eyes still closed, but her long eyelashes were striking. Her tiny face was rosy and cute, instantly lovable. Her right pinky toe was noticeably curved—a family trait. Finally, I relaxed. Soon after, I fell asleep. “How could this happen? My grandson is so unfortunate, suffering right after birth.” My mother-in-law woke me abruptly, her voice sharp: “Did you hide a family disease? The doctor said the baby has a congenital heart defect. With a mother like you, the child is cursed.” “You should sell the house your mother left you to pay for the child’s treatment. If that’s not enough, add the dowry money. No matter the cost, I must save my precious grandson.” Grandson? I know she’s eager for a grandson, but I definitely gave birth to a daughter! “Mom, maybe you misremembered. I had a girl.” My mother-in-law shouted loudly: “How could I be wrong? It’s clearly my precious grandson.” She unwrapped the baby from the blanket. One look, and I was stunned. The fair, chubby, adorable little face had turned wrinkled, dark, and thin. “This isn’t my child!” My mother-in-law glared at me fiercely. “Lydia, what nonsense are you spouting? The baby came from your belly. If it’s not yours, whose is it?” “Mom, I definitely had a girl. I saw her right after she was born. There’s no way I got it wrong.” My mother-in-law rolled her eyes at me: “The baby was taken to the incubator right after birth. You fainted afterward. What you saw was just a dream!” “The one I have here is your child. The doctor mentioned a congenital heart defect. Our family doesn’t have this genetic issue. It must be from your side.” No, no one in my family has heart disease. And I’m sure I had a girl. My mother-in-law was clearly lying earlier. Thinking back to how she and my husband didn’t let me verify the baby’s gender, maybe they planned to switch my baby. But why would they do that? My mother-in-law desperately wants a grandson. She wouldn’t raise someone else’s child. So whose child is she holding? Where did my baby go? Thinking of this, a chill ran down my spine. If my daughter was sold to traffickers, I would regret it my entire life, living in endless pain. The situation was urgent. I needed to buy time for my daughter. While my mother-in-law was distracted, I secretly texted the police. If they really switched the baby, my husband must know. From now on, I can’t trust anyone. “Waa~ waa~” The baby cried out in hunger. I glanced down; this baby was not at all what I expected. He didn’t resemble me at all. Seeing I had no intention of feeding him, my mother-in-law panicked and pointed at me, cursing. “Are you going to let the baby starve? I’ve never seen such a heartless mother. The baby is crying from hunger, yet you won’t feed him.” Knowing this child took my daughter’s place, and my daughter was missing, I didn’t feel any pity. Seeing I wasn’t moving, my mother-in-law came over to unbutton my shirt. Her grip was strong, leaving red marks on my chest. I was too weak, without any strength, watching as the buttons were being undone. I glanced at the table and saw a plastic cup. I grabbed it and threw it at her. My mother-in-law, outraged, raised her hand to hit me. Just then, someone pushed the door open.

My husband Zane came in with breakfast. Behind him was my sister-in-law Nora. They were laughing and chatting, looking very close. My mother-in-law immediately changed her expression. “Son, look at the kind of woman you married!” “She watches the baby starve and won’t feed him at all. Isn’t she trying to starve my grandson to death?” “Oh dear, how can such a heartless woman exist? I’ve never seen a mother like this in my whole life!” I have to admit, my mother-in-law’s acting skills could be taught in acting schools. Just now, she looked like she wanted to tear me apart. Now, in front of her son, she pretends to be pitiful and kind. Before Zane could speak, Nora jumped in: “Sister-in-law, do you despise the baby for having a heart defect and being a burden, so you refuse to feed him?” “You’re so selfish. What kind of mother does this?” Nora’s accusation came first, labeling me as selfish and self-centered. She has always been against me. When Zane and I got married, she insisted I wasn’t good enough for her brother and tried to block me from entering the family. Who her brother marries, and she needs to agree? At the wedding, Nora damaged my wedding dress, nearly embarrassing me in front of everyone. I’ve never understood why she targets me. Before she finished speaking, Zane tugged at her collar, signaling her to shut up. Their little gestures didn’t escape my notice. A terrifying suspicion crossed my mind. Could there be something improper between Nora and Zane? Zane came over to me, saying: “Lydia isn’t like that. You must be mistaken. Nora has been preparing for exams this year, so she’s a bit stressed. Honey, don’t mind her.” Zane placed the breakfast on my bedside. He was clearly siding with Nora. Speaking of exams, Nora had been renting a place to prepare for the civil service exam, especially in the past few months, she never showed up. Could it be that she wasn’t preparing for exams but for pregnancy? Nora was adopted by my mother-in-law from an orphanage. Could the baby’s congenital heart defect be inherited from her? Is Nora rejecting the baby because of the heart defect and switched the babies, making me raise hers? And my baby, who knows where they sent her. I can only hope they still have a conscience, and that my daughter is still alive.

“Honey, the baby may have a defect, but he’s still ours. If we care for him, I’m sure he’ll be fine.” “Why not sell the house your mom left you? It’s just sitting there. The child’s medical bills, drugs, and formula will be costly. I don’t want to lower your quality of life after having a baby.” I have to admit, this family has a well-calculated plan. Not only do they want me to raise Nora’s baby, but they also want me to fund their lifestyle. This greedy and malicious family wants to drain me dry! After knowing them for three years and being married for five, I decided to give Zane one last chance. “Zane, do you trust me?” He smiled and said, “Of course I trust you.” I looked him in the eye and said, word by word: “This is not my child. I gave birth to a daughter. Someone switched the babies.” Zane was stunned for a moment but quickly regained his smile, holding my hand: “Honey, you must be so tired that you’re seeing things. The baby was right there when he was brought out. You had a son.” Though he acted normally, I noticed he was lying. When he lies, his eyes shift to the left, and his left hand clenches. I’m now certain they conspired to switch the babies. I chuckled softly. “This child isn’t mine. I won’t feed him.” “I also won’t sell the house my parents left me to save a child who isn’t related to me.” I said this and provocatively glanced at Nora, who indeed panicked: “Lydia, you’re out of your mind. This is your child. We all saw the nurse take him out of the delivery room.” “You’re a vicious woman, cruel even to a newborn. You think only you have milk? Fine, I’ll just…” Before Nora finished, Zane interrupted: “What nonsense are you saying? I know you care about your nephew and want to make formula for him, but let Mom handle that. You focus on your exam preparation. Let’s aim for success this year.” Seeing Zane rush to explain, I sneered inwardly. Nora was probably about to say she could breastfeed herself. She can’t bear to let her own child go hungry. Zane, afraid Nora might slip up again, hurriedly pulled her away.

“Stop!” They both turned around. Nora rolled her eyes at me impatiently. Zane looked at me for a moment and then smiled knowingly. “Honey, you can’t stand being apart from me, right? I heard women get clingy after giving birth. Looks like it’s true!” “Or are you jealous? Don’t worry, I won’t let her sit in the passenger seat.” I’m disgusted. Enough, please. The police will be here soon, and I don’t want to waste time finding my daughter. To avoid alerting them, I put on a weak front. 4 “Stop right there!” Both of them turned around. Nora gave me an exasperated eye roll. Zane studied me for a moment, then smirked knowingly. “Honey, are you having trouble letting me go? I heard new moms get especially attached. Guess it’s true!” “Or maybe you’re jealous? Don’t worry, she won’t be in the front seat.” That’s nauseating. Spare me. The police will be here soon, and I don’t want to waste time. To keep things calm, I feigned weakness: “Sweetheart, I’m feeling so weak and can’t eat. Could you peel an apple for me? Let’s leave a bit later.” Zane agreed and sat beside me with a fruit knife, ready to feed me piece by piece. Meanwhile, Nora lay resting on another hospital bed, looking even more frail than me. My mother-in-law had just prepared baby formula and was feeding the baby. Soon enough, the police arrived.

A sharp-eyed middle-aged officer walked in. Seeing the police, all three of them panicked, especially my mother-in-law, whose shifty eyes all but screamed, “I’m guilty.” “We got a report. I’m Officer Quentin, handling this case. Who is Ms. Lydia?” I raised my hand and said, “Officer Quentin, I made the call.” “My child is missing. I suspect someone swapped my baby.” Officer Quentin glanced at the child in my mother-in-law’s arms and asked, “Isn’t this your child? Did you have twins?” I quickly explained, “This isn’t my child. I gave birth to a chubby girl. Her right pinky toe is slightly curved—it’s a family trait.” “When I woke up, I found this was not my child, but my husband, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law are trying to convince me that a boy with a congenital illness is my daughter.” “I suspect this boy’s real mother is my sister-in-law. She claimed she was studying all year but never showed up. I have reasons to believe she was pregnant. She swapped the child to make me sell my house for her child’s treatment.” “Nora has always liked Zane. They’re all in on it, and I suspect this child is Zane’s.” I laid out their misdeeds analytically and calmly. My mother-in-law erupted in rage, rushing over to pull my hair. “You’re falsely accusing us! My daughter is innocent. She focused on her studies and didn’t even have a boyfriend. Not everyone is as shameless as you!” Before she could touch me, Officer Quentin stepped in quickly to stop her. “Stop! Assaulting a new mother in front of an officer? Besides, she’s your daughter-in-law. Your behavior gives me reason to suspect you swapped the child!” My mother-in-law was terrified and immediately behaved. Zane hurried to explain, “Officer, my mom was just emotional. My wife can’t accept that the child has a congenital heart disease. Plus, women are emotionally unstable after childbirth. Don’t listen to her nonsense. This child is indeed hers.” The officer suddenly asked, “Your wife just had a baby, and you don’t seem concerned as a husband.” Zane looked embarrassed.

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When the apocalypse descended, my sister and I activated our latent powers. Lily, without hesitation, chose the flashy and powerful lightning ability. However, unable to endure hardship, she ultimately wasted her talent and barely survived in the base. I, on the other hand, relied on my seemingly useless healing ability to amass vast resources and became sought after by various base leaders. Out of kindness, I saved Lily, but she, consumed by jealousy, led me into a horde of zombies. Given a second chance, this time she snatched the healing ability first. “Now it’s my turn to coast through life and have everything. Emma, it’s your turn to suffer,” she smirked. Looking at the dazzling lightning ability now in my possession, I couldn’t help but smile. This was the power I had desperately wished for in my previous life. I awoke from darkness and searing heat. Lily’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she grinned, “Sister dear, now it’s my turn to relax and enjoy the good life.” Seeing the soft green glow in her hands, I finally snapped out of my daze and looked down at the weak electrical currents flickering in my own palms. Both Lily and I had been reborn. In our previous life, Lily had claimed she was too fragile and needed a powerful ability to protect herself. I had compromised and let her choose the lightning ability first. Little did I know she would refuse to fight zombies, unable to endure hardship, and ultimately waste her powerful gift. In the end, she could only perform simple tasks within the base, barely clinging to life. I, however, chose the seemingly useless healing ability, only to become a prized guest of various base leaders. During one encounter, I saved Lily from the brink of death at the hands of zombies. At that time, the down-on-her-luck Lily could only look up at me, protected by others. Blinded by jealousy, she chose to lead me into a horde of zombies, intending for us to perish together. Given this second chance, Lily rushed to claim the healing ability. Before I could react, chaos erupted around us. When the apocalypse first broke out, Lily and I had fortunately escaped to a large supermarket, where we successfully activated our abilities. Resources were plentiful, but people’s hearts were restless. “From now on, everyone must go out and kill zombies. Otherwise, you’ll be permanently expelled from the supermarket,” announced a young man with fair skin and a gentle voice, yet carrying an undeniable air of authority. His name was James, a man of both charisma and capability who had swiftly taken control of the supermarket and established strict rules. “Why should we?!” “This isn’t your property, you have no right to kick us out!” voices of dissent rose from the crowd. James smiled, his eyes crinkling, “Because of this.” He raised his hand, and a loud bang echoed through the air. Everyone froze, suddenly silent. Under the pressure of absolute superiority in combat, people slowly made their way out of the supermarket. Lily approached James delicately, speaking in a soft voice, “I’ve developed healing abilities. I can support your team.” James raised an eyebrow, his eyes gleaming, “Very well, you can join us.” After speaking, he shifted his gaze to me, standing silently to the side. Noticing this, Lily pointed at me with her dainty hand, “That’s my sister. She’s excellent at killing zombies. You should definitely put her on the front lines.” She looked at me, her eyes full of schadenfreude. I, however, responded with a radiant smile. What Lily didn’t know was that in my previous life, I had envied her. I had dreamed of possessing the lightning ability. Instead of relying on healing powers to become someone else’s caged bird.

Perhaps my smile angered Lily. I was assigned to be the first person to kill zombies. In our previous life, when Lily chose the lightning ability, she was also full of confidence. The reason she wasted her talent was that the ability needed to be upgraded. Initially, the lightning ability could only produce weak electrical sparks, at most causing zombies to pause for a second. She had fully believed she could dominate the battlefield with her ability, unstoppable and invincible. Yet during her first zombie encounter, she ended up in a miserable state. In her panic, she discharged electricity wildly, causing numerous casualties among James’ team, earning his resentment. Countless zombies began moving towards us, like beasts drawn by scent. My hand, gripping the knife, trembled slightly. In my previous life, I had been heavily protected and hadn’t directly confronted zombies for a long time. I stared intently at the nearest zombie, focusing all my attention. I activated my ability precisely, the weak electrical shock causing the zombie to pause for a moment. Seizing that second of opportunity, I plunged the knife deep into the zombie’s brain! Blood sprayed out as I quickly withdrew the blade, stabbing again and again. Before another zombie could approach, I finally finished it off. I swiftly discharged another electrical shock, repeating the process with the next zombie. By the end, my hands were too stiff to lift, my entire body covered in blood and gore. With my ability exhausted, I lay numbly on the ground. “You… you’re quite impressive,” James’ clear voice rang out, a smile in his tone. “You, a woman, single-handedly killed ten zombies.” I opened my tired eyes to see Lily’s face twisted with jealousy. She forced a smile, feigning concern, “Emma, you’re amazing, but with all that blood… you weren’t bitten, were you?” A cold glint flashed in my eyes. James’ smile faltered for a moment as he glanced at Lily, quickly resuming his pleasant expression. “You’re right, we should definitely check thoroughly. We absolutely cannot allow any internal threats to our group.” I lay indifferently on the ground. As long as James saw my value, he wouldn’t easily abandon me. But once he labeled me as “useless,” I’d truly be in trouble. Thinking of this, I turned to look at Lily with a knowing smile. “Shouldn’t you be treating the wounded? Why do you have time to chat here?” Anger flashed in Lily’s eyes, but mindful of James’ presence, she obediently went to tend to the injured. As I watched her walk away, my gaze grew increasingly cold. In our previous life, after Lily and I activated our abilities, she immediately abandoned me. So she didn’t know. Although the lightning ability needed upgrading, it could truly become an excellent weapon against zombies in the later stages. The healing ability, however, had a fatal flaw.

“What’s going on?!” “It hurts so much, damn it! Hurry up and heal me!” Lily stood among a group of bloodied and mangled survivors, her face as pale as a sheet of paper. She mumbled incoherently, “What’s happening? Why isn’t it working? I don’t know, I don’t know…” The relatives of the injured berated her, pushing and shoving her around. Finally, one enraged family member slapped her across the face. “To hell with you!” Lily suddenly exploded with emotion, screaming and looking towards me in the crowd. She shouted hysterically, as if possessed, “It’s you! It’s your fault, isn’t it? You did something to me!” She pushed through the layers of people surrounding her. “What’s really going on?! Isn’t this supposed to be a healing ability?!” Lily grabbed my shoulders tightly, shaking me frantically. “My dear sister, this is what you chose,” I said calmly. Her eyes were full of confusion and bewilderment, as if she couldn’t understand why the candy she had snatched was bitter. Because she had been sickly as a child, our family always told me to “let your sister have her way.” So no matter what, she always took the best things for herself, thinking it was her right. James approached to check on the situation, still wearing his gentle smile. “What’s the matter here?” Lily’s body shrank back slightly. She quickly adjusted her expression. Tucking her hair behind her ear, her eyes reddened, looking pitiful as she said, “I think it’s because I’ve only just activated my ability. I haven’t mastered the technique yet, so I can’t heal them.” James frowned in confusion, “Is that so? Well, I suppose that can’t be helped.” He patted Lily’s shoulder understandingly, speaking earnestly, “The injured can’t control their emotions, and their families are agitated with worry.” “If this happens again, I might not be able to protect you,” James said with a smile, though his words carried an inexplicable chill. I couldn’t help but take a deep breath, remembering the coldness in his eyes from my previous life, as if it could cut me into pieces. Lily’s face showed fear. After James left, I moved close to Lily, whispering in her ear like a demon, “You will never be able to heal others.” “This useless ability can only heal yourself.” I looked at Lily with interest, my tone malicious. “Not only that, it will become a target for everyone to fight over. If they can’t have it… they’ll destroy it!” Her face filled with disbelief, the light in her eyes shattering.

“Impossible! It can’t be!” Lily pushed me away frantically, muttering to herself. “You’re lying to me.” “You’re afraid I’ll become like you in your previous life, gaining the favor of all the strong ones. You’re afraid I’ll take the highest position and then take revenge on you!” Lily’s eyes were full of madness and desire, “If it can only heal oneself, how could you have been so sought after in your previous life?” She pointed at me with her bright red nails. “Emma, do you think I’m as stupid as I was in the last life?” “This time, you’re destined to be trampled under my feet.” The madness disappeared from Lily’s face, replaced by a confident smile. She turned away decisively, though her steps weren’t as steady as she’d like. She was probably half-believing, half-doubting. It didn’t matter; regardless of how much she denied it, facts were facts. In my previous life, after multiple attempts and discovering I could only heal myself, I was thunderstruck. The people who had once treated me kindly suddenly changed their attitudes. James pointed a gun at me, still smiling gently: “How will you compensate us for our losses?” “It seems you can only repay with your body.” That cold gaze and tone still haunt me to this day. No one came to save me then; I had to endure it all on my own. This time, it was Lily’s own choice. She only saw the glamorous surface of my position, ignoring the dirty scars behind the power. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. This time, I will never walk that path again. My gaze was clear, my steps determined. For the next few days, I continued to stand at the forefront, killing zombies. After each blood-soaked battle, I could feel my ability growing stronger within me. Lily’s gaze towards me grew increasingly dark and twisted. After one zombie-killing session, I returned to the supermarket. I was greeted by suspicious and disgusted looks from everyone. Lily’s triumphant expression was mixed in among them. James spoke with an apologetic tone, “Someone reported seeing you bitten by a zombie.” “You have two choices: One, be expelled from the supermarket; Two, strip and let everyone inspect you.” In an instant, it felt like that gun barrel was pointed at me again. Someone jeered, “We should all inspect together! Otherwise, I’ll be too scared.” The lewd joke drew many echoes of agreement. “Don’t kick her out, she might seek revenge on us later. Let’s just hold her down and strip her for inspection!” I lowered my eyes. This was the human nature in the apocalypse, unable to withstand even a bit of provocation. Lily’s eyes filled with tears as she cried out, “This is for everyone’s safety, Emma! It’s the apocalypse now, you can’t let your trivial sense of modesty endanger everyone’s lives!” The atmosphere reached a fever pitch. Everyone was shouting frantically, as if I was prey within their grasp. I quietly took a few steps back, only to find myself surrounded. I frowned deeply. This wasn’t good. My mind raced, thinking of ways to escape. I could run towards the stored gasoline and use my remaining ability to threaten them; or I could go all out, use lightning on those guarding the door, and seize the opportunity to escape… No matter what, I would never submit meekly again in this life. Having made up my mind, I raised my bright eyes. But then I heard a loud bang. Followed by the dull thud of a body hitting the ground. “Murder! Someone’s been killed!!!”

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On the day I turned eighteen, I was kidnapped. The kidnappers called Theo, demanding 60 million as ransom. “The notable second son of the Taylor family, surely you wouldn’t hesitate to spare 60 million for a young girlfriend? Such a pretty girl, it’d be a shame if she were to end up a mess!” I lay there with a dislocated shoulder, crying and begging Theo on the phone to save me. But he just asked the kidnappers with chilling indifference, “What makes her worth 60 million?” Enraged, the kidnappers broke three of my fingers. I could never play the piano I loved again. When I saw him again later, I addressed him politely and distantly as “Mr. Theo.” He cornered me in a room, gently caressed my face, and softly coaxed, “Sound, be good. Call me Third Brother like before, okay?” “Sound, we’re in Seaside City now.” As the plane landed with a slight jolt, the nightmare dragged me into an even darker abyss. Thankfully, my assistant woke me up just in time. I seemed to have dreamt about what happened six years ago again. That feeling of fear, helplessness, and despair brought tears to my eyes once more. Seaside City. A place of decadence, filled with schemes and devoid of warmth. If it weren’t for helping Asher secure resources for his new movie, I wouldn’t have returned here. After leaving the airport, the car my assistant arranged hadn’t arrived yet. Just as I was about to hail a taxi, I heard a hesitant voice behind me, “Miss Fiona?” I turned around, freezing in place. It was Uncle Nolan, Theo’s driver since he was fifteen. Behind him was a Phantom. I immediately noticed the familiar license plate: 1108, November 8th, Theo’s birthday. My heart gave a slight tremor. As the car window slowly lowered, that familiar face appeared before me. “Sound?” Theo sat inside, his shirt unbuttoned at the top, revealing a perfectly sculpted collarbone. He no longer had the sharp arrogance from six years ago but seemed more cool and reserved. Under his slanting brows were deep, captivating eyes. Six years had passed, yet he still looked like a delicate ink painting, sending chills through my body. I never expected to run into him on such an ordinary afternoon. “You’re back?” His expression was appropriate and natural, as if I had just been on a trip. He seemed to forget that six years ago, I was in that cold, damp, filthy room, my arms dislocated, crying and begging him to save me. He used the same indifferent tone to tell those kidnappers, “What makes her worth 60 million?” “Little girlfriend? You’re overthinking it. I, Theo, wouldn’t bother to spend 60 million on someone irrelevant. If you want it, ask the Lewis family.” He knew perfectly well how difficult my situation was with the Lewis family. I yelled into the phone, “Third Brother! Consider this 60 million a loan from you. I’ll pay it back! Please, don’t abandon me!” A few seconds later, I heard him sneer, “You’ve been calling me Third Brother for years, and you really think of yourself as part of the Taylor family? Know your place. Stop bothering me, do as you wish.” The last sentence was directed at the kidnappers. I stared blankly as the call ended. It was my only hope. Theo personally snuffed it out. Later, the furious kidnappers broke three of my finger bones. They even considered assaulting me and sending the video to Theo. Fortunately, the leader remembered Theo mentioning I was from the Lewis family. They hesitated, not daring to offend both the Taylor and Lewis families. In the end, it was Phoebe, whom I always looked down on, who, under Mr. Lewis’s orders, paid to have me released. She untied me, then slapped me hard. “Fiona! You’re such a curse!” In the past, I would’ve hit back. Theo would always stand behind me, calmly telling me to retaliate against anyone who bullied me. He was always my biggest support. But now, I owed the Lewis family 60 million. The person who once said he’d be my support for life didn’t even show up. Phoebe mocked me then, “Just an abandoned child the Lewis family doesn’t want, yet you dare to think you can have the Taylor family’s prince? Who gave you the face?!” I calmly retorted, “Just because I can call him Third Brother, and you can’t.” But Phoebe sneered, “You’re just a diversion in Theo’s boring life. Do you really think you’re that important?” She didn’t know that someone as proud as Theo once knelt on one knee to massage my sprained ankle. Thinking back, the confidence I had then only made me feel more ridiculous now.

“Where to? I’ll take you.” Theo’s cool voice pulled me back to the present. The cold, dull pain from my right hand’s three fingers returned. I hid my trembling hand in my pocket, stepping back to increase the distance from him. “Thank you, Mr. Theo, but there’s no need. I’ve called for a car.” He chuckled softly, his voice resonating like a cello. Theo spoke with some helpless reproach, “Been wild for a few years, and you don’t even call me Third Brother anymore?” My nose tingled. I couldn’t help but mock, “How could I dare to call you Third Brother? Mr. Theo, did you forget six years ago when you told me to know my place? I might not have many skills, but my memory is good. One lesson and I’ll never forget. I even have to thank Mr. Theo for such a vivid lesson. Truly benefited greatly.” I regretted it immediately after saying it. I’d held onto that for years, and he knew it as soon as he heard it. Theo looked up at me, a storm brewing in his eyes. After a while, as my palms began to sweat, he finally spoke softly, “…You sly girl, sharp-tongued.” Then he tapped on the car window, “Uncle Nolan, let’s go.” Watching the car drive away, I finally exhaled. Six years. Over two thousand days and nights, and when he appeared before me again, I was utterly defeated. My assistant cautiously watched my expression, hesitantly asking, “Fiona, I heard you call him Mr. Theo? In Seaside City, with the surname Taylor, could it be…?” Seeing me nod, the assistant’s eyes widened. “I heard that Theo’s investing in Asher’s new movie. Since you know Mr. Theo, why go through the trouble of meeting Nolan?” “I’ll never ask Theo for help!” I sharply interrupted the assistant. She shrank back, “I understand.” The car finally arrived. I composed myself, picking up my suitcase. “Call Mr. Nolan’s secretary and tell her we’ve arrived. Please arrange a meeting with Mr. Nolan.” After instructing the assistant, I leaned back in the car’s rear seat, closing my eyes to rest. Our first confrontation left me exhausted. And of course, someone had to add fuel to the fire. Zane’s call was relentless, like a haunting curse. I sighed, admitting defeat. “Hello? You better have a good reason for calling. I just sat through a four-hour flight and I’m very tired.” She laughed. “More tired than dealing with my Third Brother?” “Where are you hiding, watching the show?” Zane “tsk”ed several times, speaking mysteriously. “Today’s a high-level meeting at Quinn Enterprises. My uncle, father, second brother, and fourth brother are all present. It’s the most important meeting of the year for Third Brother, but he’s constantly checking his watch, distracted. As the head of the group, he was eager to leave halfway. Guess why?” I wouldn’t be naive enough to think it was because of me. “Zane, you know I’m not very curious. I have things to do, see you.” Zane shouted anxiously over the phone, “Hey! Sound! My Third Brother…” I decisively hung up the call. With Zane knowing I was back in Seaside City, there’d be no peace. I had a headache. Things needed to move quickly. If this negotiation went well, Asher could achieve significant career advancement with this movie. Although he always said he didn’t mind staying in the second tier, I felt indebted. Asher had helped me so much over the years. I just wanted to repay him. This time, I finally managed to get a chance to talk to Nolan from StarSource Productions. I had to seize this opportunity. In the end, my assistant and Mr. Nolan’s secretary arranged for us to meet for dinner the day after tomorrow. After placing my luggage at the hotel, I decided to visit the Lewis family. Nolan wasn’t someone easy to fool. To get resources from him, I needed something from the Lewis family to boost my worth.

My name is Fiona Lin. I’ve always known my “Lin” comes from the renowned prominent family in Seaside City. But they’ve never acknowledged me. Until I was ten. The Lewis family suddenly came to Oakridge to find Grandma and take me back. I held Grandma’s hand, crying and refusing to go. Grandma, tears flowing, held me tight with her frail hands. “Sound, go! The Lewis family can give you the best education and let you continue piano lessons. Grandma’s useless, can’t give you anything.” I was taken into the Lewis family’s car, my cries echoing against the window. In the back seat, an older man spoke calmly. “Doesn’t your Grandma have kidney disease and can’t afford dialysis? If you come back with me, I’ll ensure she gets it every week.” Later, I found out he was my grandfather, the head of the Lewis family, a man who thrived on manipulating people’s lives. And I was just a ten-year-old child. I returned with him to the Lewis household. As I stood in the grand hall, people around me pointed and mocked with disdain. “Did she pick that outfit from the trash? Goodness, it even has patches!” “Her shoes are filthy. I can smell the stench from here.” “Born from filth, what else would you expect from the likes of her?” The harshest words came from Phoebe’s mother. She despised me. My mother, a bar pianist, fell in love with my father at first sight, and soon after, I was born. But a family like the Lewis’s would never accept her. My father loved her deeply, so much that he renounced his status as a Lewis to be with her in Oakridge. If only the story ended there. But life is never that serene. Grandpa threatened my father with my mother’s safety, forcing him back to the Lewis family to marry Phoebe’s mother. My mother fell into a deep depression and died shortly after giving birth to me. When my father heard of her passing, he went to her grave in Oakridge and took his own life. At that time, Phoebe’s mother was six months pregnant. In his farewell note, he wrote that he had fulfilled his obligations to the Lewis family. That poor woman went mad, transforming from a graceful lady to a bitter, spiteful woman. She hated my father, hated my mother, and hated me. But they were gone, so she unleashed her hatred on me. Someone had to bear her torment and share her pain. Hatred needs an outlet. Otherwise, how could she combat the solitude that crept into her bones at night? But what was my fault? I was just an infant, my mother gone, my father choosing death over raising me. Where could I vent my grievances? Moreover, she knew full well that my father had my mother and me before her. She also knew my father didn’t love her, yet she followed her family’s arrangement to marry him for an alliance. Life is about choices. No one else is to blame. When Grandpa declared that I would stay with the Lewis family, she lost her last shred of dignity. “Dad! You promised me you’d never give this wretched child a single dime! And now you’re bringing her into our home, isn’t that a slap in the face?” Grandpa coughed heavily, “Declan is at a critical juncture. If it’s discovered that we abandoned our own flesh and blood, how would Declan continue his path?” That’s my Grandpa for you. Every step he takes is calculated and strategic. “Declan, Declan! He’s all you care about! I’ve been a widow in this house for almost ten years! Ten years!” Watching the hysterical woman before me, I quietly picked up my luggage and stood aside. I’m not foolish. Grandma’s dialysis costs depended on the Lewis family. Ten years of hardship taught me to be adaptable. What does it matter if I’m scolded or hated? Grandma’s illness is the most important. In Oakridge, each dialysis session costs five hundred. She needs at least two sessions a week. I don’t have the luxury to turn away from harsh words with flair. In this world, everything has a price. Including pride and dignity. And that’s when Theo entered my life.

Phoebe’s mom hurled the vilest insults at me, calling me a lowly tramp like my mom, saying I should have died with my parents, rotting in the mud. Grandpa couldn’t stop her. I pretended not to hear. Go on, curse all you want. I’m staying with the Lewis family anyway. The more you curse, the longer Grandma lives. Until someone chuckled from the corner of the sofa. Everyone’s eyes turned to him. He stood up lazily, straightening his wrinkled shirt. “Mr. Lewis, your house is quite lively today. I see you have a lot to handle, let’s reschedule our meeting about the land in East City.” Grandpa was startled, having forgotten there was an outsider in the mansion. “Theo, sorry for the oversight. You should head back today; I’ll invite you to the garden for tea another day.” He strode over to me. “Excuse me, your bag is in my way.” Oh, sorry. I obediently moved my luggage aside. He gave me a meaningful look, muttering softly, “Let’s see how long you can keep this up…” Then he turned to Grandpa with a smile, “I heard Declan is about to get promoted. Congratulations in advance. A scandal wouldn’t be good right now. Mr. Lewis, you should keep an eye on your backyard.” Grandpa’s face turned dark as he saw him out. Turning back, he slammed his tiger-head cane on the ground and pointed at Phoebe’s mom, scolding her. “You’re a disgrace! Embarrassing us in front of the Taylor family, get inside!” She wanted to retort but was silenced by Grandpa’s fierce glare, reluctantly taking Phoebe with her. “Wait,” Grandpa stopped her, rubbing his temples tiredly. “I know this is hard on you, but we can’t let anything jeopardize Declan. Haven’t you always wanted that Rongxi Jewelry under my name? I’ll transfer it to you the day after tomorrow.” Her expression softened. “Thank you, Dad.” I secretly rolled my eyes. See, in this world, everything has a price. With that jewelry store, Phoebe’s mom was appeased and would mostly ignore me. But Phoebe never knew when to quit. Even at a young age, she had a knack for making people’s lives difficult. She’d pour water on my bedding, dump my tests in the toilet, and let the Lewis family dog drink from my cup. Once, she tossed an expensive hairpin into my coat pocket and then told Grandpa it was stolen. When they found it in my coat, her face was smug and arrogant. Everyone could see her framing me, but no one would blame her. She told everyone I was a thief. People in their circle all hated me. Except Theo. When Phoebe tried to slander me, he’d laugh, “If I were her, I’d steal money instead of some worthless hairpin. That’d be brainless.” The Taylor and Lewis families had a long-standing relationship. He was very respected in their circle. Phoebe always clung to Theo, but he found her too young to hang out with. His defense of me fueled her resentment. Grandpa enrolled me in top-notch piano lessons, and the teacher was very strict about punctuality. If a student was late, they wouldn’t be accepted, no matter who vouched for them. So when Phoebe got my schedule, she deliberately sabotaged all the car tires at home when I had class. The Lewis mansion was over ten kilometers from the piano teacher’s studio in the city center. I bit my lip, ready to run the distance. Just then, Theo, finishing his business at the Lewis’s, saw me. He called out to me. “You’ll be late even if you run till your legs give out. My car’s by the riverside, I’ll take you.” I turned back, surprised. Phoebe cried, “Third Brother, why do you always help her?” Theo glanced at her, his tone cold, “Third Brother? Who said you could call me that?” She was startled, sobbing quietly. He walked over to me, frowning, “What are you waiting for? Let’s go.” His presence was intimidating; I shrank back, quickly following, thanking him as I went. “Thank you, Mr. Taylor.” “…Stop babbling.” He suddenly spoke from the back seat. “The softest fruit gets squeezed first. Do you want to be trampled forever?” I saw his disapproving eyes in the rearview mirror. Only then did I realize his annoyance was because I didn’t fight back. “Thank you, Mr. Theo.” “…Stop rambling.” Even though he’s only twenty, he’s already experienced in negotiations alongside his father. That’s why I address him as Mr. Theo. It seems like a respectful title, but he still looks displeased. Feeling defeated, I opened the passenger door and got in. From the back seat, he unexpectedly said, “The weakest get trampled on first. Do you want to be walked over your whole life?” I caught his frustrated expression in the rearview mirror. It dawned on me that his annoyance was because I hadn’t stood up for myself earlier.

Once I got involved with Theo, Cora began to dislike me even more. She would deliberately stop the staff from saving me dinner when I practiced piano and would secretly take or tear up my homework. At school, she teamed up with other wealthy kids to bully me, splashing dirty mop water on me and then strutting past with their noses in the air. I complained to Grandpa. But he just shrugged it off, saying, “It’s just Cora being playful. You’re older, you should let her.” He forgot that I’m only a year older. Besides, she has friends to share with, a mother to spoil her, and a grandpa to back her up. I have nothing here. I could only endure it and hope she’d tire of her pranks soon. But continually giving in only encourages a bully. At thirteen, I signed up for the Seaside City Piano Competition. The night before the contest, she shredded the dress I was supposed to wear and poured laxatives into my milk. I caught her in the act. For this competition, I’d practiced until 1 or 2 AM every night. The gold prize came with a reward of 30,000 yuan. I wanted to give it to Grandma. When I saw Cora showing no shame despite being caught, I lost my temper for the first time. I pushed her hard and scolded her, “The Lewis family has raised you with such poor manners!” She was shocked that I dared to retaliate and lunged at me, trying to pull my hair. I grabbed her hands, turned my back, and threw her over my shoulder, slamming her to the ground. In Oakridge, I used to carry dozens of pounds of waste, so dealing with a pampered girl was no challenge. “Cora, is bullying the weak your idea of pride? Do you think I won’t hit you back? I don’t punish you because I pity you for not having a father, just like me! Remember, I owe nothing to your mom or you! From today, I won’t tolerate you anymore. You better behave!” Cora noticed the cup of milk on the table. Milk splashed all over her head and face, leaving her in a mess. She froze for a moment, then covered her face and started crying. I turned to leave. When I looked back, Theo was watching me with interest. “Oh, the new little wildcat finally showed her claws? Pretty sharp ones too.” He’s known for being rebellious and unpredictable. Although he had hinted I should fight back, he’s known Cora for years. Surely, he wouldn’t hit me for her sake. I stiffened and walked past him without looking, trying to keep my face calm. I hoped my composure would intimidate him a bit. As I passed, he chuckled and called out, “Hey, your walk is off.” “…” He crossed his arms and said from behind, “Well done. That’s how you do it. Fight back if someone bullies you.” In the Lewis family, rare acts of kindness came from him. A fleeting sadness crossed his face, disappearing almost instantly. Later, I learned he had a similar childhood. With no one to protect him, he stumbled and grew into someone nobody dared to mess with. “You have to stand tall so everyone looks up to you rather than looking down.” Watching him walk away, it felt like something hit my chest. That night, a brand-new dress appeared in my room. The card read: [Good luck tomorrow, wildcat with the funny walk.] I pressed the card to my heart and had the sweetest sleep. The next day, after the competition, I stood on stage with the gold trophy, enviously watching other winners receive flowers and blessings from family and friends, feeling a sense of loneliness. As I exited the venue, Theo stood at the bottom of the long stairs, smiling and waving at me. “Fiona, come over here to your third brother.” His words left me dazed. Theo was third in the Taylor family. Everyone knew only those he approved of could call him “third brother.” The trunk of his car was filled with flowers. Among them was a small cake. On top, it read [TO: Fiona]. The cake was small, the words scrawled crookedly. Yet, my eyes welled up, and I hugged my trophy, sobbing.

Later, Theo told me back then, he was at a loss. The little wildcat’s sharp claws were intriguing, but when she hid them and showed vulnerability, it made his heart inexplicably nervous. When I received the prize money, Theo took me back to Oakridge. I placed the newspaper-wrapped 30,000 yuan in front of Grandma. She was shocked at the amount, then stuffed it back into my school bag. “Fiona, Grandma has money. You need it more at the Lewis family.” “Grandma, keep it! I’ll earn more in the future! Right, third brother?” Theo smiled warmly. “Yes, Grandma, it’s Fiona’s hard-earned reward from winning the piano competition.” On the way back, I was in high spirits. I hopped all the way from the Seaside City riverside to the Lewis family mansion because I realized I could earn money without relying on them. I’d really grown some skills. A whole 30,000 yuan! If I participated in more competitions, I could soon save enough for Grandma’s kidney transplant. After I taught Cora a lesson, she never troubled me again. She even awkwardly asked if I had piano lessons and if I needed dinner saved for me. The young girl entering puberty started showing some softness. The future held a bit of hope. Lost in my happy thoughts, I didn’t notice and missed a step. Theo caught me. His angelic face was only eight inches away from mine. My heart pounded wildly in my chest. The unfamiliar sensation scared me, and I pushed him away. But as soon as my foot hit the ground, a sharp pain shot through me. I fell. Theo frowned, lifted my ankle, and said, “How old are you? How can you sprain your foot on a road like this?” He knelt, scolding me while carefully removing my sock and gently massaging my ankle. “Bear with it, don’t cry, it will get better.” The skin on my ankle inexplicably heated. I stared blankly at the top of his head and his slightly red ears. A girl’s heart fluttered like cherry blossoms in March, disturbing the spring water. Before I could think, the confession slipped out. “Third brother, I like you.” He rolled his eyes. “Young girl, what do you know about liking?” Liking doesn’t have an age limit. I was certain of my feelings at that moment. I’m not a reserved girl. If I like someone, I’ll say it. At first, he treated it as a joke. Later, he looked at me helplessly. “Fiona, I’m eight years older than you. You’re young and don’t understand real liking.” Again with the age thing. I began to compete with him over this. That year on my birthday, Theo asked what I wished for. I lay on the table, grinning at him. “I wish the third brother would like me too.” He facepalmed speechlessly. Every birthday after that, I would ask him, “Third brother, I’m a year older now. Can you like me?” His silence grew longer each year, but his refusal remained unchanged. “Fiona, you’re still young.” I didn’t mind and blew out the candles, going about my business. I’d grow up someday. By the sixth year, I no longer needed to confess.

I still remember my 18th birthday was a perfectly clear day. Seaside City in June was unbearably hot. The cicadas’ cries marked the start of the SATs. Over the years, thanks to Theo’s special treatment, I slowly became accepted in their circle. His cousin Zane even became a good friend. Except for Cora. Our relationship, which had improved slightly, fractured again as Theo and I grew closer. I knew she had liked Theo since childhood. She scolded me for being so high-profile, saying I’d end up crying one day. I didn’t take it seriously, thinking it was just jealous talk from a girl unable to get what she wanted. But I forgot she’d been in this circle much longer than me. She saw the looming crisis more clearly. Theo had mentioned he’d give me an unforgettable birthday this year. I already had a vague idea of what he planned to do. I’ve known since childhood that she’s had a crush on Theo. She scolded me, saying that someone with my status shouldn’t make such a big deal out of a confession. “Fiona Lin, nobody in our circle dares to treat Theo like that. With your high-profile antics, you’re bound to end up crying one day!” I didn’t pay it any mind, thinking it was just jealousy from a girl who couldn’t have what she wanted. But I forgot that she’d been part of this world much longer than I had and could see the hidden dangers more clearly. Theo had already told me that this year, he was going to make my birthday unforgettable. I had a hunch about what he was planning. Last year, when I confessed, he turned me down with “You’re still young,” but now it had shifted to “Let’s talk when you’re older.” When people mentioned me in his presence, they’d tease him with, “Your Fiona.” He would just smile without further explanation. His behavior seemed to announce one thing: I was no longer just admiring him from afar. So, this year, I started looking forward to my birthday days in advance. On that day, I wore the brightest yellow sundress in my wardrobe, applied a bit of lipstick, and left home in high spirits. Theo had been busy with a deal for his company, Jing’an International, so I didn’t ask him to pick me up. Instead, the Lewis family driver took me to our meeting place. But as soon as the car got onto the Seaside City Bridge, two vans blocked us. The driver slammed on the brakes, nearly throwing me forward. Before I could grasp what was happening, five or six men rushed out of the vans, yanked open my car door, and dragged me out. They looked fierce and menacing, and fear gripped my heart. Then, a handkerchief with a strong medicinal smell covered my face. I heard one of them say, “Grab this girl’s phone and call Theo. See if he wants this gift.” My heart sank. I knew the acquisition he was working on was challenging, and the other party had even roped in some shady characters to deal with him. If my guess was right, they planned to use me to force Theo to abandon the acquisition. “Hey, Fiona—” I managed to call out “third brother” before I completely lost consciousness. When I woke up, it was pitch dark. Several unfamiliar faces were smirking at me. I struggled wildly, my wrists chafed painfully by the ropes. One of them cursed, walked over, pinned me to the ground, and twisted my shoulders harshly. My screams echoed in the dilapidated house. My dislocated arms hung limply, and I lost the strength to struggle. The kidnappers picked up my phone and called Theo again, demanding 60 million in ransom. If he chose to save me, the 60 million shortfall would force him to abandon the acquisition, affecting Jing’an’s future and his business empire. I was lost in thought when I heard a response on the other end of the line. Theo’s voice was distant and cold, “60 million?” Then there was a long, dead silence. My heart turned cold inch by inch. “Third brother…” I murmured. Did I overestimate my importance? Would he really exchange part of his business empire for me? The kidnappers lost patience. “I heard this girl is a piano prodigy? Heh, Mr. Theo, what do you say if a pianist loses her hands?” I saw him press down on my hand and raise a hammer high. It hurt so much. It really did. I curled up, convulsing in pain. The sound of bones breaking and flesh being crushed echoed in my ears. Cold sweat soaked my dress. I screamed in agony. The kidnapper laughed into the phone, “Mr. Theo, does it sound good? If you don’t speak, I’ll hit again!” I cried to Theo on the phone, “Third brother, I beg you to save me! They’ll really cripple my hands!” The kidnapper taunted, “Come on, the prominent second son of the Taylor family, won’t you even spare 60 million for your little girlfriend?” Theo laughed. “Little girlfriend? You’re thinking too much. Everyone knows that we Taylors always marry into the Carter family. If my fiancée hears this, I’ll be in trouble.”

The three kidnappers were stunned. “Boss, did we grab the wrong person?” The leader scowled, “Impossible! I saw the photo. It’s this girl!” “But didn’t Theo just say he’s marrying into the Carter family?” “The Taylors are masters at playing with people’s hearts. You believe him? Theo, if you don’t pay, this girl’s other fingers won’t be safe!” I lay on the ground, waves of excruciating pain washing over me. I couldn’t help but beg him again. “Third brother, consider this 60 million a loan from you. I’ll definitely pay you back! Please, don’t leave me!” Theo was silent for a few seconds, then chuckled. “You’ve been calling me third brother for years, and you really think you’re a Taylor? You don’t even know your place. You’re just a plaything I use to amuse myself when I’m bored, no different from a cat or a dog. 60 million? Are you worth it? Alright, everyone, I have things to do. Do as you please. If you want money, go to the Lewis family. Don’t bother me again.” Listening to the busy tone on the phone, I felt utterly hopeless. After hanging up, the enraged kidnappers broke two more of my finger bones. I curled up in agony, my dress bunched up to my waist. One of them leered, tossing aside the hammer and moving to undress me. “Since this girl isn’t Theo’s woman, I might as well have some fun!” The sound of ripping fabric was clear. His rough fingers trailed across my chest. I was completely desperate. I glared at the man in front of me. Even if I were to die, I would take one down with me! He buried his face in my neck, biting randomly. I turned my head and bit his ear hard. “Ah! You bitch! You want to die!” He punched my chest and stomach, making my vision go dark, but I kept my bite until his ear bled profusely. He finally broke free, then kicked my ribs hard. I heard a crisp crack. The man raised the hammer high, aiming at my head. I closed my eyes. The leader suddenly stopped him. “Wait! What did Theo just say? Go to the Lewis family for money? What does this girl have to do with the Lewis family? We caught her near the Seaside City Bridge, by the Lewis mansion! Girl, are you from the Lewis family?” I spat out blood, my voice faint, “Didn’t you… do any research before kidnapping someone? My grandfather is Mr. Lewis. Can you really afford to offend both the Taylors and the Lewis family?” The kidnapper leader stared at me darkly. After a while, he said, “Keep an eye on her. I’ll make a call.” I breathed a sigh of relief. At least my life was spared for now. I never imagined that, in Theo’s heart, I meant nothing. My hands, my life, he didn’t care at all. I had been in Seaside City for eight years, and he was the one who had given me the most warmth and protection. I trusted him too much. For many years after, I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if Theo had chosen to save me. I would have been eternally grateful to him. My simple affection would have turned into a god-like dependence and love. With the power of the Lewis and Taylor families, they could have found the best doctors in the world to heal my fingers. I would still be the dazzling Fiona Lin. But Theo abandoned me. Once, Phoebe told me I was just a surprise, an interlude in Theo’s otherwise monotonous life. Vibrant, lively, interesting. But that was all. I foolishly hoped he would love me. This was the punishment given by fate. Three broken fingers taught me a harsh truth.

Later, I didn’t know how the kidnappers contacted the Lewis family. When I woke up again, Phoebe had brought several bodyguards to rescue me. The kidnappers were nowhere to be seen. As soon as she saw me, she slapped me hard. “Fiona Lin! You’re such a disaster! Didn’t I warn you not to be so high-profile in this circle? Did you listen?!” She untied my ropes, her tears falling onto me. “I don’t want to be picking up your body next time!” I smiled at Phoebe from the back of a bodyguard. “I owe you my life, sister.” Blood is thicker than water, after all. However, when I returned to the Lewis family, Grandpa just gave me a cold glance and sent me back to Oakridge. “Fiona, everyone knows you’ve been kidnapped for three days. You’re a girl, you know what people will think. Your third uncle has already drawn enough attention because of this case, and it’s not good for the Lewis family. Our family is already in turmoil and can’t afford any more gossip.” Even Phoebe couldn’t stand it. “Grandpa! What gossip could be more important than family health and safety? Besides, sending her away now only confirms those nasty rumors!” “Fiona, everyone knows you were held captive for three days. As a young woman, you’re aware of the assumptions people will make.” “Your uncle has already been under intense scrutiny because of this incident. This is not beneficial for the Lewis family. Our family is already on shaky ground, and we cannot withstand any more rumors.” Phoebe finally couldn’t stay silent. “Grandpa! What rumors could be more important than the safety and well-being of our own family? Plus, sending her away now would only validate those terrible rumors!” His response was a stern reprimand. “What do you kids know? I have my own arrangements. Focus on your studies; that’s what truly matters!” He took a deep breath and turned to me. “Return to Oakridge. With your grandma looking after you, I’ll be more at ease.” I let out a bitter chuckle. I was well aware of Grandpa’s indifference. What I didn’t foresee was that he wouldn’t even bother to help treat my dislocated finger. My belongings were hastily packed and placed by the front gate. Grandpa arranged for two bodyguards to escort me back to Oakridge overnight. I didn’t go straight home. In this condition, I would frighten Grandma. I borrowed a phone from one of the bodyguards and called Asher. Even though he immediately took me to the best hospital in Oakridge, my finger was not treated in time due to the delay. Now, it shakes uncontrollably. It doesn’t significantly impact my daily activities, but it’s not as agile as before. I know that from now on, I can no longer play the piano.

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In those years when I had been constantly pursuing my uncle, Samuel Whitman, he tried his best to avoid me. It was not until shortly before my death that I learned he was an immortal being who could live for a thousand years. When I died in despair in the fire, he was holding a grand wedding with his beloved. After being reborn, I treated Samuel with great respect everywhere. I restrained my feelings and even took the initiative to match him with the person who was said to be his beloved. However, Samuel seemed possessed. This time, he became the one who pestered me relentlessly. He asked, “Why are you avoiding me?” When the fire completely engulfed me, I despairingly thought that if I had a chance to start over, I would never fall in love with Samuel Whitman again. Perhaps my obsession had been too deep. After my death, my soul hadn’t dissipated immediately. Instead, I had been reluctant to leave the mortal world, or rather, I hadn’t wanted to leave Samuel. Chasing after Samuel had been my habit for more than ten years. I coldly watched as Samuel married his long-time lover the day I died. When the two of them toasted hand in hand at the wedding, anyone who saw them would have praised them as a perfect match. But I was not one of them. I had thought I wouldn’t feel anything after death. But seeing Samuel and Janet Hall smiling and chatting merrily, my heart still ached. When Samuel was handling my funeral, I followed right behind him. Samuel had been an immortal who could live for a thousand years. More than ten years passed, and Samuel’s face remained the same as ever. However, when he looked at my tombstone indifferently, it was as if he was looking at a stranger. I finally realized that Samuel and I were destined to be strangers. Before my soul wholly dissipated, I made a wish that I would never meet Samuel again. However, things hadn’t gone as I wished. Unexpectedly, when I opened my eyes again, I was back at the time when the Scholastic Assessment Test had just ended. Looking around the familiar room, I covered my face and couldn’t stop crying. I had never thought that God really gave me a chance to start over. At this time, my relationship with Samuel hadn’t been too bad yet. It was not long after I confessed my love to Samuel that our relationship deteriorated utterly. But this time, I didn’t make the same mistake again. “Cynthia.” Samuel’s voice sounded, and I instinctively took two steps back. I asked, “What’s the matter, Uncle Samuel?” Samuel opened the door of my room, and there seemed to be complex emotions in his eyes that I couldn’t understand. “What’s the matter, Uncle Samuel?” I felt creepy being stared at by Samuel’s complicated eyes. Could he tell that I was reborn? No, that was impossible. Samuel seemed to wake up from a dream. He touched his nose a little awkwardly. “It’s time for dinner, Cynthia.” I replied, “Oh, I see. I will go right away.” The meal was eerily quiet. In my past life, I had always been worried about losing things. When Samuel first adopted me, I was afraid of being abandoned by him, so I always unconsciously tried to please him. Later, after I fell in love with Samuel, I wanted to stick to him and be by his side all the time. For this reason, I got a lot of disgust from Samuel. Keeping a distance from Samuel like that was the first time in both my past and present lives. Samuel said, “Cynthia.” My hand holding the fork tightened instinctively. “Uncle Samuel, you taught me that we shouldn’t talk while eating.” Samuel smiled, just like the first time I saw him in my past life. At that time, a handsome and elegant young man gently reached out his hand to me and asked if I would like to go home with him. “Cynthia, why are you so distant from me now?” There seemed to be a bit of pain in Samuel’s eyes. I almost thought I was hallucinating. In my past life, Samuel had hated it the most when I interfered in his life under the pretext of being family. Why was he showing this attitude now? I said, “I’m not.” Samuel reached out and touched my head. “Cynthia, no matter what, I will always be with you and always by your side.” I lowered my head, and tears fell uncontrollably. Samuel was such a big liar. I would never believe a word Samuel said again.

I keenly sensed that Samuel’s attitude towards me seemed to have changed. In my past life, Samuel always kept a distance from me and lectured me in the manner of an elder. But now, something was off about Samuel. However, before I could figure it out, an unexpected guest arrived at our house. I silently poured coffee for Janet, not wanting to get too involved with her. “Uncle Samuel is having a meeting in the study. Ms. Hall, please wait for a while.” Janet sized me up and down, and her gaze made me feel highly uncomfortable. She said, “Cynthia, the Scholastic Assessment Test is over, right? You’re an adult now. You should keep a distance from your uncle. By the way, which university are you planning to apply to?” “I’ll take care of such matters for Cynthia. It’s none of an outsider’s concern,” said Samuel with a sullen face and an unfriendly tone. Janet’s expression immediately turned unpleasant. She forced a smile and said, “Samuel, how could I be an outsider? Anyway, I’m her elder.” I stood aside, remaining silent. Logically speaking, Samuel shouldn’t have been so cold towards Janet. At this time in my past life, Samuel and Janet had even reached the stage of discussing the details of their wedding. I stole a glance at Samuel, only to meet his eyes directly. “Cynthia has only me as her elder,” Samuel said in a calm voice. “I’ll take care of her affairs for a lifetime.” Janet’s expression froze, and she gave me a fierce glare. “Of course.” I bit my lip, feeling awkward in this strange atmosphere. I said, “Uncle Samuel, Ms. Hall is right. I’m already an adult, but you still haven’t gotten married. Ms. Hall is very nice. You two…” My voice grew lower because the way Samuel was staring at me was as if he would devour me. I was very confused. Sensing that the atmosphere was weird, Janet left quickly, leaving only me and Samuel in the living room. I rubbed my fingers, trying to keep my tone calm. “Uncle Samuel, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to my room.” Samuel nodded. Then, as if he had thought of something, he asked, “Cynthia, do you really want me to get married?” I stopped in my tracks. Of course, I didn’t want Samuel to get married. But did my opinion matter? I said helplessly, “Of course. Uncle Samuel, you’ve taken care of me for so long. I want you to be happy.” The next second, Samuel’s breath came from above my head, instantly enveloping me. “Is this your true feeling?” Samuel grabbed my wrist and rubbed it, forcing me to look up and meet his gaze. “Cynthia, tell me. Is this your true feeling?” I looked away guiltily. “Uncle Samuel, you’re hurting me.” Samuel seemed to wake up from a dream and suddenly let go of my hand. “I’m sorry, Cynthia. But you never used to be so distant from me before.” Perhaps because the sense of desolation in Samuel’s tone was too obvious, I couldn’t help but look at him. In both my past and present lives, I had never seen such an expression on Samuel’s face, as if he had lost something dear to him and was heartbroken. I shivered. Could Samuel have known that I was reborn?

The mere thought of this possibility sent a chill through my body. If it were true, what was Samuel up to with this attitude? Didn’t he dislike me and was eager to get rid of me to be with Janet as soon as possible? Memories of my past life came crashing down on me like a tidal wave, and a sharp pain shot through my head. Just then, Samuel happened to bring me a glass of milk. Seeing my state, he rushed to my side in a panic. “What’s wrong, Cynthia?” I leaned weakly against Samuel. “Uncle Samuel, my head hurts…” Samuel looked extremely worried. “Are you okay? I’ll take you to the hospital.” A flood of memories was rampaging through my mind, and all I wanted to do was rest. “Don’t.” Perhaps the memories of my past life overlapped with the Samuel in front of me, and my tone was rather willful. “Samuel, I don’t want to go to the hospital.” Samuel seemed a bit taken aback. But then, he smiled, “Why aren’t you calling me Uncle Samuel anymore? Silly girl, if you don’t want to go to the hospital, we won’t go.” Samuel touched my forehead to check my temperature and then held my hand. The warmth of Samuel spread from his palm into my body. It was the warmth I had been longing for. I closed my eyes, and the pain was pressing down on my eyelids. “I’ll be fine after lying down for a while.” “Cynthia, were the words you said today sincere?” Samuel’s soft voice reached my ears, almost like a bewitchment. He continued, “Cynthia is so naughty. As soon as you become an adult, you can’t wait to push me away.” In a daze, I shook my head vigorously to deny it. I wanted to say, “I didn’t. Samuel, it was you who didn’t want me. From the beginning to the end, it was you who pushed me away.” Samuel said, “Cynthia, Janet isn’t a good person. Trust me. Don’t have too much contact with her. If you have anything, just tell me.” I seemed to be trapped in the nightmare of my past life. I could only hear Samuel’s voice but couldn’t make any response. The fire was licking every inch of my skin, filling me with despair. I shouted in my heart, “Samuel, save me! Save me!” “Cynthia? Are you listening to me? Cynthia?” Samuel’s anxious voice sounded. Like a drowning person, I suddenly opened my eyes and gasped for air. The next second, Samuel hugged me tightly, stroking my back as if confirming something precious. He said, “Cynthia, are you okay? Don’t scare me, Cynthia.” I stiffened all over under Samuel’s touch. His scorching warmth seemed to spread through every inch of my body from my back, awakening my longing for Samuel. I took a deep breath and pushed Samuel away. “I’m fine. Uncle Samuel, please behave yourself.” Samuel’s hand froze in mid-air. After a long time, he reached out and pulled me back into his arms. He said, “Cynthia, be good. Let me hold you a little longer. I don’t know why, but I feel like I haven’t seen you for a long time.” I was a bit stunned. The warmth belonging to Samuel seeped into my body bit by bit. Samuel smiled self-deprecatingly, “I never thought about it before, but I just want to hold you tight now.” Staring into my eyes, Samuel said, “Cynthia, did I ever tell you? I don’t like Janet.” I seemed to be bewitched by his intense eyes and slowly shook my head. Samuel continued, “Aren’t you going to ask me who I like? Cynthia…” I suddenly came to my senses. “Uncle Samuel, how would I know who you like?” Samuel gently stroked my hair, his voice low. “You.”

Even long after Samuel left, I still couldn’t snap out of it and stared blankly at the ceiling, tears streaming down my face. By now, I was almost certain that Samuel knew I had been reborn. The Samuel from my past life would never have been so affectionate towards me. But this time, I didn’t want to chase after Samuel anymore. In my past life, I had clung to Samuel, pestering him relentlessly. When I was in college, I often interned at Samuel’s company. It was both to see Samuel and to keep an eye on other women around him. The first time I saw Janet in Samuel’s office, I almost went crazy. I cornered Samuel in his office and tearfully demanded to know who Janet was. He just stared at me blankly and asked, “What does this have to do with you?” The tears in the corners of my eyes instantly turned into a joke, and I could still remember the feeling of humiliation I felt at that moment. I asked, “What do you mean? Samuel, don’t play dumb. I don’t believe you don’t know that I like you.” Like a madwoman, I pressed Samuel’s hand against my heart, letting him feel every beat for him. I said, “Samuel, my heart has belonged to you for a long time. You can’t treat me like this.” Samuel just pushed me away and said coldly, “I’m your uncle.” That day, I didn’t know how I stumbled out of the company in a daze. Later, news spread that Samuel and Janet were engaged, and I was the last one to find out. Looking at Janet’s Instagram, I was almost consumed by jealousy and even privately sought out Janet to threaten her. The flames of jealousy burned through my heart, blinding me to how Janet fell and how Samuel rushed her to the hospital. I could only remember the look of disgust and hatred Samuel gave me as he picked Janet up. He said, “Cynthia, you make me sick.” These words later became a recurring nightmare that haunted me in my dreams, tormenting me over and over again. I hugged myself, trying to control my trembling body. In a daze, I recalled that Samuel still couldn’t get rid of me. I became the fastest-promoted employee in his company. Even though everyone knew my relationship with Samuel, they couldn’t fault my performance. But later… Things got a bit blurry in my memory. Later, I stayed up for weeks on end and secured a big deal for the company. At the celebration party, I was almost drunk out of my mind. I took the contract and threw it at Samuel, saying, “Samuel, look! I’m not a child. I’m capable. Look at me. I’m no worse than Janet.” I stared at Samuel’s face, the man who had haunted my dreams for so many years. “Can’t you love me a little bit?” That day, everything fell apart. I bit Samuel’s lips fiercely as if trying to release all the grievances of these years. Samuel also lost control and kissed me back even more furiously, with a hint of punishment. That night, my love was shattered into pieces. But when I woke up the next day, I was happy and didn’t regret it. However, I never expected that Samuel still didn’t cancel his engagement to Janet. “Why?” I asked, my eyes filled with unwillingness. “Samuel, why?” Samuel sneered coldly and looked at me with a gaze that sent shivers down my spine. He said, “Cynthia, do you really think that I’ll marry you just because we slept together for one night? Using such despicable means only makes me loathe you even more.”

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On the day I planned to propose, my girlfriend, Evelyn Johnson, stood me up for the 99th time to hang out with Andrew Langley, her newly hired assistant. I didn’t make a scene. I just wanted an explanation when I found her. But I accidentally overheard their conversation. “Ms. Johnson, aren’t you worried Christopher might get jealous and leave you since we’ve been spending so much time together?” Evelyn sneered, “Christopher Clark? That loser has no money and no family connections! Even his job came from me. He couldn’t survive without me. Like I told you, he’s just a plaything. You didn’t actually think I was going to marry him, did you?” I smiled coolly, tossed the engagement ring I’d prepared into the trash, and posted on Instagram: [Feeling down. Does anyone want to hang out? Limited time offer.] Everyone thought I was just acting jealous and sulking. Little did they know that after being rejected 99 times, I could finally go back to being the carefree heir to my family fortune. When Evelyn called, I was lounging in a luxury suite at the high-end spa, the steam rising so thick I could barely keep my eyes open. I answered lazily, “What’s up?” “What’s the deal with that Instagram post you made this afternoon?” Through the phone, Evelyn’s voice was icy, maintaining her usual air of superiority. It was her typical tone when dealing with me. I always thought Evelyn was just that kind of person, serious and cold as an iceberg. So I acted like a lowly servant, carefully replying to her messages and taking care not to upset her. But then Andrew joined the company as Evelyn’s assistant, and every time he handed her documents, her eyes would soften, and she’d break into the warmest smile. That was when I realized that Evelyn wasn’t incapable of smiling. She just didn’t smile at me. Just then, I heard the sweet voice of the staff member, “Good afternoon, sir.” I answered with a smile, “Let’s begin. Don’t hold back, I can take it.” Evelyn noticed something off about the background noise and paused before saying disapprovingly, “Christopher, you never used to go to places like this.” My life used to revolve around three places—my home, the office, and Evelyn. Not only did I handle all the housework, but I also took care of Evelyn’s every need. Evelyn said she loved my cooking, so I’d whip up something different for her every night after work. She raved about the pastries from that bakery downtown, so I’d wake up at the crack of dawn and drive three hours round trip so that she could have them before work. One evening, after Evelyn came home from a work dinner, I excitedly presented her with a steaming bowl of oatmeal. “Have some. It’ll be good for your stomach,” I said. But she just scoffed. “You’re such a loser! Can you stop fussing around the kitchen all day? It’s embarrassing! And for God’s sake, get a life! Stop hovering around me like a fly. It’s annoying!” Remembering this, I let out a small laugh and said casually, “Work’s been tiring, thought I’d treat myself. What’s it to you?” Evelyn seemed taken aback by my response. She paused, then let out a snort. “You slack off at work all day. What’s so tiring about that?” She seemed to have forgotten that when the company was just starting, it was me who hustled at every social event, securing deals, even to the point of passing out at the table and ending up in the hospital. Back then, lying in the hospital bed, Evelyn held my hand and comforted me. “I’ll remember all the hard work you’ve put in,” she said. “Once the company takes off, I’ll give you a cushy job. You can kick back and do whatever you want!” And now, after just one day of me not showing up at work, she couldn’t stand it. Evelyn continued her lecture, “Christopher, you’re really out of line! Not only did you skip work for no reason, but you actually went to a hot spring during work hours! Why can’t you learn a thing or two from Andrew? He may be new to the company, but he’s eager to learn and make progress. He just recently closed a major deal that brought the company a five million dollar profit!” I scoffed, “Are you sure that it was Andrew who closed that deal?” The deal Evelyn was referring to was the one I had worked tirelessly on, formulating plans and pulling three all-nighters in a row to satisfy the investors. Just when we were about to sign the contract, Evelyn suddenly approached me. “Christopher, Andrew is new to the company and needs to establish himself. Do you think you could let him participate in this project and mentor him a bit?” I agreed. But then, Evelyn turned around and gave Andrew all the credit. Feeling indignant, I went to her, demanding an explanation. Evelyn was surprisingly righteous. “Andrew is new and needs this deal to gain a foothold while you are a veteran employee. You need to understand the spirit of sacrifice and dedication.” I was speechless. The difference between being loved and not being loved couldn’t be more obvious. Thinking of this, I chuckled, “Since you think Andrew is doing such a great job, then from now on, let him handle all the work.” “Christopher, what do you mean by that?” Even though we were on the phone, I could picture Evelyn’s icy expression. But now, I didn’t care anymore. “I mean, I quit.” After calmly stating that, I hung up the phone. I was tired. I didn’t want to play this game anymore. After a moment of hesitation, I hesitantly pressed the number that had been gathering dust for three years. The call quickly connected. “You punk, I thought you were going to ghost me for the rest of your life.” My eyes welled up when I heard the familiar voice. “Dad.” Three years ago, I nearly broke ties with Thomas just to be with Evelyn. I refused the arranged marriage my family had set up for me. Thomas warned me back then. He said Evelyn had a cold, detached look about her, that she wasn’t reliable. But I was convinced she was my true love. I even made a bet with Thomas. “If Evelyn rejects me 99 times, I’ll agree to the arranged marriage.” Back then, I was so sure of myself. Who could reject me 99 times? Looking back now, I was such a clown. “Dad, I agree to the arranged marriage.”

“So, the prodigal son finally comes to his senses?” Thomas said, surprised. “I used to think that with enough time and sincerity, I could melt even the coldest heart,” I replied with a sigh. “Guess I was just naive.” Thomas clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “I told you, Evelyn was never the right one for you. But did you listen? No, you had to hit rock bottom first. When have I ever steered you wrong?” I gave a wry smile and said nothing. The truth was, no one needed unsolicited advice—some lessons you just had to learn the hard way. After a moment, Thomas’ tone softened. “I’m glad you’ve finally come around. I’ll arrange for you to meet some suitable matches right away.” “And come home more often,” he added. “Your mother misses you terribly. She blames me, says I’ve been too hard on you.” “Okay,” I agreed. After a pause, Thomas said, “While you’re at it, why don’t you quit that job of yours? I’ll shut down those projects anyway.” “What projects?” I asked, confused. “You cocky little punk,” Thomas said with a laugh. “You really thought you were such a hotshot, closing all those big deals over a few drinks? Without me pulling strings behind the scenes, that tiny company of yours would’ve gone belly up ages ago.” I froze for a moment. Then it hit me. All these years, I’d thought everything I’d built was through my efforts, but it turned out he’d been helping me all along. That night, I never made it home. I had forgotten all about the endless housework, the trivial work tasks, and even Evelyn. I felt so light, and for once, I had a good night’s sleep, dreamless and deep. When I opened my eyes again, it was already eleven. I got dressed and leisurely made my way to the company. Right at the entrance, I bumped into Evelyn, who was waiting for the elevator. Evelyn frowned at me and scolded, “What are you doing here so late? Your bonus for this month is canceled!” I walked in nonchalantly. “Whatever, it’s peanuts anyway.” Evelyn mistook my indifference for acceptance. Her eyes glinted with mockery. “Weren’t you all high and mighty on the phone yesterday? Talking about quitting, staying out all night… and now you have the nerve to show up for work? Probably blew all your cash, huh?” Evelyn had that smug look on her face like she knew everything like I couldn’t survive without her. She held her head high, arrogant as a swan. I knew she was waiting for me to grovel and apologize. But I just smiled faintly and handed her the resignation letter I had prepared. “Ms. Johnson, I’m afraid you’re mistaken. I’m not here to work. I’m here to resign.” Evelyn was clearly caught off guard by my outburst. Her expression was a mixture of shock and disbelief. “Christopher, what the hell has gotten into you?” she asked, her voice sharp. I shrugged nonchalantly. “Ms. Johnson, you always tell us that the company doesn’t keep dead weight around. Since you seem to think I’m just skating by and not pulling my weight, I don’t have the nerve to stay here any longer.” “Besides,” I continued, my voice dripping with sarcasm, “you clearly think Andrew is way more capable than me. I should just quit now and let him take over, right?” As if on cue, Andrew appeared, clutching a stack of files to his chest. He’d obviously heard the whole exchange. His eyes welled up with tears. “Christopher,” he whimpered, “are you fighting with Ms. Johnson because you’re jealous of me?” “Everything I do is for the company,” he went on, his voice cracking with emotion. “I just want to help Ms. Johnson!” “It’s all my fault,” he sobbed. “I didn’t know my place. I’ve made you both misunderstand. Ms. Johnson, maybe you should just fire me!” His performance was so over-the-top, so blatantly fake, that anyone could see through it—anyone except Evelyn. Her eyes softened with sympathy. “Don’t blame yourself, Andrew,” she soothed. “You’re doing a great job.” She then turned her icy gaze back to me. “Look at Andrew,” she said, her voice filled with disdain. “He’s so mature and dedicated. And then there’s you, always jealous, always goofing off. You’re so immature.” I saw Andrew peek out from behind Evelyn and shoot me a smug look, like a dog marking his territory. In the past, this would have driven me crazy with jealousy. But now, I just watched the whole charade with detached amusement. They were like two clowns putting on a show for my entertainment. Andrew then pulled a contract from his pocket. “Ms. Johnson,” he said, “I need you to sign this. I’ve been working on it for three days straight.” “Of course,” Evelyn replied, taking the contract without a second thought. She was about to sign when I spoke up. “There’s something wrong with that contract,” I said, frowning. “You shouldn’t sign it.”

For old times’ sake, I pointed this out. I said, “I’ve reviewed this contract before. The collaborating party’s qualifications are highly questionable. They’re a walking red flag. If we rush into this and invest, we could very well lose everything.” I paused, a bit surprised. “Andrew’s in charge of this, right? Didn’t he do any due diligence?” Andrew’s eyes immediately welled up. “Christopher, if you have something against me, just say it to my face! You don’t have to slander me like this!” Evelyn’s heart shattered at the sight of Andrew on the verge of tears. “Oh, don’t cry! I believe you!” she exclaimed. Turning to me, she angrily demanded, “Andrew’s been burning the midnight oil over this contract for three days straight! I’ve seen it with my own eyes. He’s dedicated to this company. Why would he lie to me?” “But you,” she continued, her voice rising, “you keep giving Andrew a hard time! You’re using your seniority to bully a newcomer. How can you live with yourself? Apologize to Andrew right now!” At this, Andrew wiped a tear from his eye and tugged on Evelyn’s sleeve. “Ms. Johnson, please don’t blame Christopher. I’m sure he’s just anxious, that’s all. Don’t be mad. It’s okay. I can take it.” Evelyn immediately softened and comforted him. She not only signed the contract on the spot but also encouraged him with a promise. “After this project is finished,” she declared, “I’ll reward you with a car, so you don’t have to squeeze onto the bus every day.” I shook my head and walked away. Since Evelyn doted on Andrew so much, she would just have to deal with the consequences. Seeing no hint of an apology from me, Evelyn was taken aback. Before, I would have been groveling for her forgiveness. What had gotten into me? She gritted her teeth and yelled, “Fine! Get out! And don’t come back!” As I stepped into the elevator, I heard Andrew whisper, “Ms. Johnson, Christopher just acted on impulse. You should go after him and talk him down.” Evelyn’s voice was cold. “Talk him down? He has no skills and no family background. Which company would want him after he leaves me? He’ll be crawling back in a few days!” I smirked. Evelyn, the Christopher who only had eyes for you was gone forever. The next day, Charlie Watson, the head of the family branch company, asked to meet me at a downtown restaurant. I came prepared, having developed unique insights in many fields. After our conversation, Charlie was astonished. “Mr. Clark, with such talent, why would you be content to stay in a small company?” I gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Guess I had water in my brain back then. It’s all dried up now.” Charlie chuckled and wisely dropped the subject of my past. Instead, he pulled out a hefty stack of documents and handed them to me. “Sir Clark is planning to hold an investment conference at the branch office. The news has already been leaked, and you, young heir, will be in charge of the details.” I understood. It was my dad paving the way for me. “Alright, compile all the names and send them to me.” When Andrew and I emerged from the private room, we unexpectedly bumped into two familiar faces in the lobby. Evelyn and Andrew were sitting together, chatting and laughing, looking every bit like a happy couple. Evelyn noticed me, and her expression turned a bit awkward. Before I could say anything, she started explaining as if she had a guilty conscience. “Don’t get me wrong. We were just talking about the collaboration with the Clark Group next month.” I gave her a slight smile. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. It’s work, I understand.” Andrew seized the opportunity to chime in, “Ms. Johnson has been working day and night for this collaboration with the Clark Group. She’s practically exhausted herself. That’s why I booked this nourishing meal here, to help Ms. Johnson take care of her health.” Evelyn’s affection for Andrew grew even stronger upon hearing this. “Andrew, you’re so thoughtful, unlike some people who bail at crucial moments and break my heart.” Andrew leaned into Evelyn’s embrace. “Of course, didn’t I promise to be Ms. Johnson’s most obedient kitten? Meow!” Andrew even deliberately imitated a cat’s meow. His intentionally high-pitched voice made my skin crawl and even made me feel a little nauseous. But Evelyn ate it up, stroking Andrew’s hair indulgently. “Good boy, what a clingy kitten.”

Evelyn still thought I was here to beg her to take me back. Her eyes were full of scorn. “I thought you had more backbone than this. Coming crawling back so soon? Well, even if you get down on your knees and apologize, I won’t forgive you. You’ve disappointed me too much.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve got it all wrong. I’m here on business.” Evelyn frowned. “You? On business? Christopher, I know what you’re capable of. What decent company would hire you? You’re probably being scammed!” She looked Charlie up and down, then sneered, “Dressed up all fancy, but probably works for some fly-by-night operation.” Charlie was about to fire back on my behalf, but I stopped him. “It’s not worth getting riled up over someone like her. See you at the investment conference. Oh, and by the way, we’re officially over!” I smiled and waved at Evelyn, ignoring her sour expression, and turned to leave. With Charlie’s help, I quickly and smoothly took over the branch office. When I looked over the list of companies attending the investment promotion conference, I was surprised to see Evelyn’s company on it. “Boss, should we kick this company off the list?” Charlie still remembered what happened at the restaurant last time. I shook my head. “Let’s do things by the book.” I was curious to see what kind of proposal Evelyn and Andrew could come up with. The next day, the investment promotion conference went smoothly. When I arrived, the conference hall was already packed with people. Just as I was scanning the crowd for Charlie, Evelyn appeared in front of me with Andrew in tow. Andrew was decked out in a suit, looking like a preened canary. “Christopher?” Evelyn’s expression was a mixture of surprise and disdain when she saw me. “Your rinky-dink company is attending the investment promotion conference, too?” I didn’t say anything. I just smiled politely and pointed in a direction. “Those responsible for the investment proposals, please register over there.” My attitude brought a flicker of annoyance to Evelyn’s face. “Christopher, we’re all here for the conference. What are you trying to pull?” She paused, then frowned. “Also… why are all your things gone from the house?” “We broke up. Of course, I took my things.” Actually, I had thrown all that stuff away ages ago. Keeping it would have been bad luck. “You’re really breaking up with me?” Evelyn asked, her voice a mix of surprise and disbelief. Every time they fought in the past, I’d storm off for a few days before crawling back to her. But this time, my cold and resolute demeanor was utterly foreign to her. It was as if something precious was slipping through her fingers. For the first time, Evelyn’s tone softened. “Chris, don’t be like this. I know I’ve been distant lately, but it’s all because of work. Once I land this deal with the Clark Group, I’ll take you to travel. We’ll soak up the sun, just the two of us. Come home with me, okay?” I didn’t know why she was suddenly trying to appease me, but it didn’t matter anymore. There was no going back. “That’s not necessary. I can go there myself.” My icy tone clearly annoyed Evelyn. “Christopher, why are you being so harsh? I’ve already tried to make peace. What more do you want? With your attitude, who else besides me would even bother with you?” I sneered. Even now, she still acted all high and mighty. “Evelyn, it’s a shame, but today, your arrogance will have to bow down to me.” Evelyn scoffed, “Bow down to you? As if! Do you think you’re the head honcho of the Clark Group’s investor conference or something?” Right on cue, Charlie took the stage amidst a wave of anticipation. “I hereby announce the commencement of the Clark Group’s investor conference! Now, let’s welcome Mr. Christopher Clark, the head of the conference, to the stage!”

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A few days before the wedding, my half-brother had a depressive episode. To appease him, my fiancée cut up the wedding suit that my mother had handmade before she died, despite my pleas. She stared at me angrily and said, “Bryce has nothing left. Why did you provoke him with the wedding suit? Do you want to force him to die to be satisfied?” I looked at the mess all over the floor, my heart aching until it was numb. After packing everything up, I called my mentor, saying, “I would like to go to the three-year foreign exchange program you mentioned before.” After sending the wedding suit to the repair store, I returned home alone. However, standing in front of the door of the familiar villa, I couldn’t open it. I was stunned. Could it be that my fiancée, Nicole Phillips, changed the password? The next second, the door in front of me was pulled open. I looked up, but the person I saw was Bryce Kingsley. He looked like he had just gotten out of the shower, wearing a bathrobe with water dripping from his hair. He stood in the doorway, greeting me like he was the master of the house. “Elliott, you’re back. Come in.” Bryce walked over to me and took my shoulder affectionately. “Sorry, Elliott. I forgot to tell you about changing the password. “Nicole was worried that I wouldn’t be able to take care of myself on my own, so she brought me back for a few days. But I was too stupid to remember the original password, so she changed it to my birthday.” I paused as I pushed Bryce away, feeling like my heart had been gripped by a large hand, painful. Two years ago, when I had been kicked out of my home by my father, Vincent Kingsley, Nicole had bought the villa and set the password to the day I’d been with her. She said at the time, “Elliott, it will be your new home from now on, just for you and me.” But today, she had forgotten that. “You ran out without drying your hair. What if you catch a cold?” Nicole scolded. Her words interrupted my thoughts. I looked up to see Nicole walking over with a towel, gently wiping Bryce’s hair. “Nicole, Elliott is still watching. It’s not appropriate.” Bryce looked at me and scrunched his neck, panic showing on his face. Nicole stiffened slightly and frowned impatiently when she met my gaze. “What are you standing here for? Hurry up inside and cook us dinner.” I took a deep breath and indifferently responded, “If you want to eat, cook for yourself.” However, just as I walked inside, Nicole blocked my way. She said, “Why are you acting like this? If it weren’t for the fact that you irritated Bryce with the wedding suit and forced him to have a depressive episode, I wouldn’t have taken him over to take care of him. What’s wrong with you cooking for him?” At this moment, the words “wedding suit” stuck into my heart like a needle, and my eyes instantly turned red. I asked, “Didn’t he sneak into my room and look at it himself? You ruined my wedding suit for him, and you want me to serve him now. On what grounds?” “On the grounds that you’re his older brother.” Nicole looked at me coldly. “Besides, it’s just a wedding suit. I can pay you back for one.” “What did you say?” I looked at Nicole incredulously, gritting my teeth. She clearly knew the significance of this wedding suit. It was not only a memory my mother, Brenda Kingsley, left me with but also a blessing for me and her. Seemingly realizing that she had said the wrong thing, Nicole opened her mouth to say something. However, Bryce rushed between us. “Elliott, don’t fight with Nicole because of me, okay? It’s all my fault. Why don’t you hit me, Elliott? Do whatever you want to me as long as you’re happy.” Bryce got more and more agitated as he talked, tears falling from his eyes. He even grabbed my hand and slapped it in his face. I muffled a grunt as my hand, injured from grabbing the scissors with Nicole this afternoon, oozed blood once again from Bryce’s grip. I was about to pull my hand back, but Nicole had already yanked me away with one hand. The force of her unexpected move caused me to stumble, and my back hit a shelf on the side, hurting me so much that I took a deep breath. Bryce said, “Nicole, my face hurts.” Nicole immediately tensed and cupped Bryce’s face, finally finding a tiny red mark by the corner of his mouth. The pain in my back hadn’t even faded when a burning pain came from my palm. It was only then that I realized the gauze on my right hand was completely red with blood. However, Nicole just glared at me viciously and turned around, pulling Bryce to put on the medicine. I stared at their backs and mocked myself with a smile. Once upon a time, the person Nicole cared most about was me, and the slightest injury to me would cause her heartache. But after Bryce was taken home, she didn’t care about me anymore. I closed my sore eyes and headed to the guest bedroom with my exhausted body.

After briefly treating the wound, I was so tired that I fell straight to sleep. The next day, I left the house early and went to the school to submit the materials for the foreign exchange program. My mentor, William Roberts, looked at me appreciatively after scrutinizing them. “Elliott, you really are the most suitable person for this program. That competition before is closing soon, so you can leave as soon as you finish it. When do you plan to leave?” After thinking about it, I calmly said, “Seven days later.” Seven days from now happened to be the day before my wedding to Nicole. William opened his mouth in some surprise. After glancing at my injured hand, he sighed and nodded his head to respect my decision. When I got home, Nicole was the only one home. She was leaning back on the couch somewhat impatiently, a brand-new wedding suit by her side. Seeing me, she loosened her furrowed brow and waved me over to her. Nicole said, “I was impulsive yesterday when I cut up your wedding suit. But I won’t delay our wedding. I bought this from the world’s most luxurious wedding suit store. Do you like it?” I knew Nicole was apologizing to me for yesterday. However, as I looked at the most luxurious wedding suit in front of me, pain slowly appeared in my heart. By now, she still thought I cared that I would not be able to hold the wedding if the wedding suit was gone. Seeing that I didn’t say anything, Nicole probably acquiesced that I had accepted her kindness, showing a smugness in her eyes. She continued, “You know Bryce has been in poor health and has delayed a lot of his academic process. I’ve heard that you have a competition coming to an end. Why don’t you change your name to Bryce? He needs it more than you do. You have the same teacher, so it’s not hard to change your name.” I looked over at Nicole in shock, realizing that she had done all of this for Bryce. My lips trembled as I said, “No way. All of this is the result of my hard work. Why should I let anyone else have them?” Nicole’s face grew somber as she heard my refusal. She said, “Elliott, I’m not negotiating with you. The investor in this project is me. If you disagree, I’ll withdraw my investment right away.” I clenched my hands so tightly that my fingernails sank into my flesh. Nicole had invested in my project for no reason in the first place to pave the way for Bryce, right? The thought that I was so happy over this matter that I stayed up the whole night at that time made me feel that I was too stupid. But now, even if I was not willing, I could not resist because this project was not just my efforts alone. Images of countless nights in the past where William had led me and the others through sleepless nights waiting for the results of a piece of data came to my mind. I unclenched my fists. “Okay.” Hearing that, Nicole sneered, “You should have obeyed like that a long time ago. Why did you have to let me threaten you into making things awkward?” With that, she directly left. I looked at Nicole’s leaving back, standing up numbly and starting to pack up everything related to Nicole. We had been together for twenty-two years, and Nicole had given me a lot of things except for these two years after Bryce’s return. All of these were now stacked in the small attic. Inside were various birthday and holiday gifts Nicole had given me from the time I was one to the time I was twenty. Among them was a jar of wishing stars that Nicole had hand-folded for me as a confession gift when I turned eighteen, and each star had a moving love message on the back. I rummaged further in and found a heavy photo album. After Brenda died, Nicole had worried that I was too upset and had taken me on a trip around the world, taking group photos at every place we went. Nicole had promised me while stuffing the photos. “I’ll travel the world with you.” When I came back to my senses, I realized that my face was wet with tears and that it was dark. At that moment, my cell phone vibrated, and it was Bryce who sent me a video. On the screen, Nicole was holding Bryce’s hand, watching fondly as he wished on a meteor shower. Immediately afterward, he sent me a message: [Elliott, it would have been great if you could have come. It’s a shame you can’t see such a beautiful meteor shower.] I clicked on his Instagram and saw the photo he posted a minute ago, with the caption: [She said even if she can’t get close to me, she will always be with me. I wish all lovers in the world a happy ending.] I wiped the tears from my eyes, then calmly liked it and went to the garden to burn everything.

Nicole had never returned in the days that followed. However, through Bryce’s Instagram, I knew about all their itineraries. They had gone to the mountains to watch the sunrise, to the beach to collect shells, to a wild open-air barbecue… I knew it was all sent out by Bryce for me to see. But I wasn’t angry or upset at all, and I focused on packing my bags. I didn’t stop until after there was no more of my stuff in this house. I looked at the calendar, and there were still four days left. Finally, I decided to say goodbye to my friends. At the dinner table, they were shocked when I finished talking about the foreign exchange program I was going to participate in. Quentin Fisher, my best friend, froze for a long time before saying, “Aren’t you and Nicole getting married soon? Why did you suddenly…” “It just suddenly dawned on me that she and I weren’t a good fit.” I closed my eyes without explaining too much. Quentin, however, violently hugged me and said, “Did Nicole bully you? I felt something was wrong when I first saw Nicole’s concern for that bastard. But I knew what she meant to you, so I thought I was overthinking it. If I’d known she’d put you through the wringer, I’d have broken up the marriage between you two.” With that, he added, “But it’s not too late now. Don’t worry. We will support you in whatever decision you make.” Hearing Quentin’s words, the others chimed in, patting me on the shoulder to comfort and encourage me. Sourness welled up in my heart, and I reddened my eyes, feeling touched. Ever since Nicole changed, I hadn’t felt such warmth, always digesting my grievances by myself. Perhaps because it had been too long since we had gotten together, we drank a lot, but we also talked freely and cheerfully. After a while, I got up to go to the bathroom. I didn’t expect to meet Bryce, who happened to come out of the box, on my way back. Bryce’s exaggeratedly shocked voice rang out. “Elliott, I didn’t expect to run into you even when Nicole threw me a celebration party. It’s too coincidental. Since you’re here, why don’t you join us?” My brain was a little slow from drinking, and I was already pulled into the box by Bryce by the time I reacted. After I appeared, the originally lively atmosphere instantly fell silent. I saw Nicole and many familiar faces. Nicole looked at me with displeasure. “Elliott, I said I would marry you, and I won’t go back on my word. I just haven’t been home in a couple of days. Do you have to follow me?” I felt uncomfortable with the stares of the people around me. “You misunderstood. I just came out for dinner with my friends and just happened to run into you guys. Besides, it wasn’t me who wanted to come in. He had to drag me in.” Seeing me pointing at Bryce, Nicole frowned. “Bryce just wants to share the joy with you. Why do you look reluctant?” Was Bryce sharing the joy of stealing my credit? How could Nicole say that? Sensing the stagnant atmosphere, one of them smiled, “Ms. Phillips, don’t pay too much attention to him. He has no self-awareness. Today is a celebration for Bryce. Let’s not ruin the fun for someone else.” Hearing him say that, Nicole eased her expression, and the others gathered around Bryce and Nicole. One man said, “Yes, I’d like to thank Ms. Phillips. Without your support, we wouldn’t have had the success of this project.” A woman added, “I want to thank Bryce. If it weren’t for you working day and night on the experiments, there’s no way we could have gotten so much valuable data.” Hearing their words, I froze in place. I had done those experiments and data with my own hands, and they all knew about it. But now, they calmly ignored me and bragged about Bryce. Seeing me lost in thought, Bryce looked over at me triumphantly and said silently, “You’re a clown.” I took a deep breath and tried to step forward. Nicole sensed something and glanced at me coldly, her eyes full of warning. She took a step in front of me and ordered me condescendingly, “Now that you’re here, aren’t you going to congratulate Bryce?” I stared into Nicole’s eyes and felt as hard and painful as if I had something stuck in my throat. I didn’t understand why Nicole was pushing me so relentlessly. After a long pause, just as Nicole was getting impatient, I chuckled, “Okay.”

I picked up my glass and turned to Bryce. “Congratulations. You’ve only been in the program for three days, and you’ve never even been to the lab, yet you’ve managed to lead the group to an award. You are truly gifted. “Thank you for pulling in Ms. Phillips’ investment. As expected, projects with more funding have a higher chance of winning the award.” Although they were words of congratulations, the expressions on everyone’s faces in the room turned awful all of a sudden. I finished the wine in my glass in one go, then smiled at Nicole, “Ms. Phillips, are you satisfied?” Without waiting for her answer, I put my glass on the table and turned to leave. I had just stepped out of the box when my tears fell uncontrollably. I held onto the wall and relaxed for a long time before I could suppress the grief in my heart. Following that, I took out my cell phone and sent a message to Quentin and the others: [Sorry. I have something to do, so I’ll go back first. Let’s get together again sometime afterward.] I didn’t want them to see me like this, which would only add to their worries. I walked out of the front door in a state of disorientation and realized that it had started raining at some point, feeling piercing cold. I looked at the lone shadow on the ground, and all my emotions came flooding back to me. No longer having the strength to support my body, I crouched helplessly on the ground and wrapped my arms around myself, crying loudly. Bryce had not only robbed me of the home I had lived in for eighteen years, but he had also robbed me of the new home Nicole had promised me. For a moment, I actually didn’t know where to stay. Suddenly, a person appeared in front of me. Nicole held an umbrella to protect me from the rain and looked at me with mixed emotions in her eyes. Nicole looked down at my messy appearance. “Elliott, I told you a long time ago. Even if you sacrifice as much as you can for others, they will only betray you for profit without hesitation.” I looked up at Nicole, who looked indifferent, then stood up and slapped the umbrella out of her hand. I yelled at her hysterically, “Who are you to say these things? Isn’t this all thanks to you? Nicole, who the hell are you to do this to me?” As if angered by me, Nicole’s tone suddenly went cold. “You owe it to Bryce. If you hadn’t let people isolate him in college and found someone to bully him, there’s no way he would have suffered from depression.” Hearing this reply, I was a bit dazed, then realized. No wonder she had suddenly changed her attitude towards me. How ridiculous it was! The trust of twenty-two years of living together could not withstand the words of a first-time acquaintance. Nicole hadn’t even thought to ask me for confirmation. My nerves that had been tensed broke, and my consciousness gradually became blurred. As I stumbled unsteadily, Nicole yanked me roughly. “Elliott, it’s not too late for you to start making it up to Bryce. As soon as he gets better, I’ll start over with you.” I smiled bitterly as my tears slid down with the rain before I passed out ultimately. Nicole, we wouldn’t get a chance to start over. I woke up, and it was the next morning. There was steaming milk on the table. I walked over to see a note from Nicole: [I’m going on a business trip for a few days. But don’t worry. I’ll be back in time for the wedding day, and I definitely won’t miss it.] I looked at the trash can beside me and crumpled up the note, then threw it in, while walking to the kitchen to pour out the milk. Nicole had probably forgotten that I was lactose intolerant. The next few days were peaceful without Nicole and Bryce. Not only did I send the bags I had packed earlier overseas, but I also got someone to find out what had happened that year. I set up a timed e-mail, and all the evidence would be sent to Nicole’s mailbox at twelve on the day of the wedding. After I finished all this, it was already the day before the wedding. When I brought the flowers I bought and planned to visit Brenda at the cemetery, Nicole actually came home early. Seeing me going out, she frowned. “Where are you going?” I replied calmly, “I’m going to see my mom.” After freezing for a moment, Nicole didn’t say anything more and offered to go with me. I didn’t refuse in order to keep her from getting suspicious. However, Bryce called just as she pulled up to the entrance of the cemetery. Not knowing what Bryce had said, Nicole lost her intention to get out of the car. She refastened her seatbelt and said with a slight apology, “Remember to come home early and get ready for the wedding tomorrow. “I still have some things to do, so I won’t be back tonight. I’ll be waiting for you at the venue tomorrow.” The car left, and I mumbled in the direction Nicole left, “Nicole, I hope we never see each other again in this life.”

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At the final meeting before my company’s IPO, my wife, who was supposed to be the keynote speaker, failed to show up. I frantically called her over and over, but every call went unanswered. Because of her absence, we lost the bid, and my company became a laughingstock in the industry. Yet, at that very moment, her so-called “bromeo” posted an update: [I just caught a cold, and this little one is already so worried.] I clicked on it, only to see a photo of my wife, whom I hadn’t seen in days. She crouched down and was feeding him medicine with a look of concern. At that moment, all the love I had for her over the past five years vanished into thin air. “Mr. Harrison, the bidding meeting has already started, and yet the keynote speaker hasn’t shown up. Are you giving us the upper hand? You’re so nice!” The rival company’s CEO gave me a hard pat on the shoulder, his eyes brimming with mockery. I stood frozen, unable to say a word. Today was supposed to be the final bid meeting, and if successful, our company would go public. Dozens of employees were relying on this success for their bonuses, and this project was the culmination of two years of effort. But now, it had all fallen apart. At that moment, Daphne’s bromeo, Matt, posted an update: [I just had some coughs, and someone dropped everything to take care of me.] The accompanying photo showed Matt being fed medicine by my wife, her face full of concern. It hit me then that she had skipped the meeting to take care of Matt’s cold. Just a few coughs, and Daphne was willing to abandon the hopes of dozens of employees and the fruits of our two years of hard work to rush to him. She was always aloof toward me, yet she was so attentive and thoughtful when it came to Matt. Tears I couldn’t suppress began to fall, and I slammed the steering wheel several times in frustration. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a used condom tucked into the crevice of the car seat. Suddenly, it felt as if icy water had poured over me. I began trembling uncontrollably. The car had always been exclusively used by Daphne. It wasn’t hard to figure out what had happened. I shut my eyes in despair. I thought she might have been emotionally unfaithful. But now it was clear—she and Matt had already crossed the line. I thought back to a few weeks ago, when Daphne uncharacteristically cooked for me for the first time ever. She had been unusually gentle and had said it was to celebrate my birthday. I thought I had finally moved her heart and that things could improve between us. Now it was obvious that she had only done that out of guilt after her affair. I opened her social media feed and found post after post documenting every little moment she shared with Matt. Not one post was about me. Even her phone wallpaper was a random selfie Matt casually took. I had brought up my discomfort about this before, but every time, she lashed out at me instead, accusing me of being unreasonable. “We’re just friends. What’s the big deal about using his photo? “If there was anything between us, do you think you’d still be in the picture?” She would glare at me with reddened eyes, leaving me no choice but to swallow my frustration. I kept convincing myself that she had no feelings for Matt, just a lack of boundaries. But now, the last bit of hope I had was shattered. I said: [Daphne, let’s get a divorce.] After sending her the message, I immediately contacted a lawyer to draft a divorce agreement.

When I got home, I started packing my things, intending to move out immediately. As I was tidying up, I stumbled upon a prenatal check-up report tucked into the cabinet. We hadn’t had sex for three months, so there was no way her child could be mine. I thought I had become numb, but seeing that report made my chest ache all over again. It felt like someone was strangling me, leaving me lightheaded and suffocating. I quietly placed the report back where I found it, took a photo of it, and left. Daphne still didn’t respond to my divorce message, as if she had vanished from the world. It wasn’t until two days later, when I forwarded her the divorce agreement, that she finally replied with a single question mark. She texted me: [What do you mean? Just because I’ve been gone for a few days, you want a divorce?] When I didn’t reply, she seemed to grow angrier. [Are you serious? Think this through. If we divorce, you’ll never find someone as good as me.] I replied: [I’ve already sent you the divorce agreement. Do you really think I’m joking?] I let out a cold laugh and urged her. [Sign it, and we can go finalize the divorce. After that, we’ll have nothing to do with each other.] Then, I turned off my phone and headed straight to the office. Although some of my employees had grumbled about the situation, their trust in me kept them from leaving. I couldn’t let my personal problems affect them any further. Thankfully, we still had some funds to keep things running, so I gave everyone a 5000-dollar bonus. I said to them, “This failure isn’t the end. There’s another chance to go public in two months. Let’s give it our all.” The employees were excited and returned to work with renewed energy. I then called HR and instructed them to draft a termination letter for Daphne. “Are you sure about this, boss? Won’t there be… repercussions with Mrs. Harrison?” “Do it. Make sure she gets it today. Whatever happens with this company after, it has nothing to do with her.” I cut her off with a wave and went back to my office. This company had been founded by the two of us, but in reality, I was the one funding it and keeping it afloat. I had always been the one working tirelessly to understand customer needs and secure deals, and back then, I hadn’t thought much of it. But now, thinking it through, I had been shielding Daphne from the storm while she stayed cozy managing internal affairs. She had it too easy. Not long after, Daphne called me, her tone filled with fury. “How dare you fire me from the company? This is my hard work too! “I’ll pretend your talk of divorce never happened. But if you keep pushing, I won’t hold back!” I couldn’t help but laugh at her words. She still thought I was just bluffing to get her to come home. “When I say divorce, I mean it. You’ve done nothing for this company. You didn’t even show up at the most critical meeting. Be glad I’m not suing you for damages. “The divorce agreement is only valid until today. If you don’t sign and send it back by tonight, I’ll file a lawsuit tomorrow.” With that, the line went silent. Perhaps she felt humiliated after having her attempt to reconcile rejected. I didn’t bother guessing what was on her mind and hung up. After work, I returned home to find a table of steaming hot dishes laid out. In the kitchen, Daphne, whom I hadn’t seen in days, was busy cooking with an apron. I raised my eyebrows, wondering what new trick she was playing. After all, in all these years, I had been the one doing all the housework. “You’re back. Let’s eat,” she said as she approached me and took my hand. “I know I messed up. You’re right to be angry, but you don’t have to bring up divorce so lightly. I promise, I’ll never put Matt before you again. Please forgive me this one last time, okay?” Daphne’s pitiful expression and softened voice would have melted anyone’s heart. But I calmly pulled my hand away. “If apologies were enough, who’s going to make up for the company’s losses? You don’t need to try so hard to make it up. I’ve already made up my mind—there’s no going back.”

“Jerry Harrison! What do you mean by that? If you keep this up, I’m really going to get angry.” Having her first attempt at reconciliation rejected, Daphne’s face darkened. I had completely run out of patience and decided to lay everything on the table. “Do you think I don’t know what disgusting things you and Matt did in the car? I’ve been trying to leave you some dignity. Are you forcing me to spell it all out?” She was my first love, someone I had genuinely loved for five years. Even now, despite her infidelity, I wanted a peaceful breakup. But Daphne showed no remorse. Instead, she flew into a rage upon hearing my words, grabbing the freshly prepared dishes on the table and smashing them to the ground. “So, divorce, huh? Fine! Let’s get divorced! Just don’t come crying back to me later and beg for my forgiveness!” I calmly pulled her hand and said, “This house is mine. You may not care about it, but I do. Since you’ve made up your mind, sign the papers, take your things, and leave.” Daphne glared at me, panting with rage. After signing the divorce agreement, she immediately called Matt. “Come pick me up. I’m divorcing Jerry. He’s making me pack my things and leave.” Standing nearby, I couldn’t help but sneered. The way Daphne phrased it sounded as if I was the one betraying her. Thankfully, she signed the agreement in the end, and I was finally free. After five years together, this marriage had left me utterly drained. When Daphne finished packing and stood at the door, she realized that most of what she had taken was clothes—almost the entire house was filled with her belongings. Meanwhile, my belongings were sparse. One of my shirts, in fact, had been wearing for five or six years. For a moment, she lowered her head without saying a word, and a complicated look flashed across her eyes. “Daphie! I’m here! He didn’t hurt you, did he?” When Matt arrived in a rush, I was already seated on the couch eating takeout. Hearing the commotion outside, I put on my headphones. But Matt seemed intent on humiliating me. He raised his voice to ensure I could hear him. “If I’d known he was like this, I never would have stepped aside for him back then. “Come on, man. It’s just a house. You just kicked her out after the divorce? Are you even a man?” Hearing the noise, neighbors came out to watch and gossiped among themselves. I couldn’t hold back any longer. I walked out and punched Matt directly in the face. “When you were cheating with her, were you even a man? You got her pregnant and still have the audacity to judge me?” For a moment, Daphne stared at me in disbelief, her lips trembling uncontrollably. “What nonsense are you spouting? Matt, let’s go.” She hadn’t expected me to find out about her pregnancy, let alone expose it so bluntly in public. Her face turned pale, and all she could think about was fleeing the scene. I didn’t stop her but turned to the property manager to instruct them to remove Daphne’s facial recognition data. From now on, she would no longer be allowed to enter the building. “We can finalize the divorce next week at the Courthouse. After that, we’ll have nothing to do with each other.” I sent her this message before shutting off my phone and resuming my dinner. I thought that when the day came, I would feel a void in my heart. But to my surprise, I felt nothing but relief.

Over the next few days, I was busy with work. I ran around and finally secured an investor. “Mr. Harrison, let’s sign the contract,” the investor said. Just as we were about to finalize everything, his assistant rushed in with a grim expression, handing him something to look at. “I’m sorry, Mr. Harrison, but we’ll have to put this collaboration on hold for now,” the investor said after a glance before turning and walking away. I stood there, stunned, not understanding what had just happened. It wasn’t until I saw the trending video online that I realized I had been set up. The footage showed me angrily confronting Daphne and Matt, but it had been edited to look like I was the villain. Matt, being a content creator, had set up a camera in his car the day he came to pick Daphne up. He edited the footage, cutting it to make me look unhinged, and uploaded it with the caption: [Picking up my best friend after she was kicked out by her scumbag ex. That scumbag deserves the worst.] Matt’s usual persona online was that of a feminist ally, and the fabricated story quickly garnered tens of thousands of likes. Fuming, I called Daphne. “Defamation is a crime. How dare you slander me like this?” But Daphne remained indifferent. “Then go ahead and sue us. Let’s see if the police take your side. The public is on our side now. What are you going to do about it?”

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