Author: Momo Chan

At a swimming competition, someone put leeches in my daughter’s swimsuit. When I dragged her out of the swimming pool, her body was covered in bite marks, and the pool ran red with blood. The culprit, meanwhile, was grinning like it was all a joke. He and his daughter slapped me across the face ten times and forced us to get on our knees and apologize. “Some charity case thinks she can compete with the heiress of Kingston’s richest family? This is what you get. One word from me, and you’ll be kicked out of the city.” I raised an eyebrow. “I thought my daughter was the sole heiress of the Grant family. And since when did she become a charity case?” I wiped the blood off the corner of my mouth and dialed my wife’s number. “I heard the Grant family has an illegitimate child. Is that true?” A strange woman answered the call. “Who are you? Some tabloid reporter? Stop pestering Ms. Stone. Or Vista Holdings will sue you into the ground!” I froze for a second. “We’ve known each other for thirty years, and Julia Stone hasn’t even saved my number?” The woman on the phone kept ranting, but my eyes were locked on the emerald pendant resting against the man’s chest. I recognized my family heirloom instantly. And the girl beside him was wearing a pink diamond bracelet. It couldn’t have been more obvious. If I hadn’t come home early this time, I might never have discovered that Julia had been cheating on me. The most ridiculous part? That illegitimate child was the same age as my daughter. So, she’s bored with the comfort I provided. Then I’ll let her learn the cost of betraying me. I hung up without another word. Seeing this, the referee smirked. “What, figured out calling for help won’t work? This is Mr. Wilson Jones, husband of the CEO of Vista Holdings. Be smart, and pull your daughter out of the competition now.” Parents watching nearby chimed in. “He’s right. A kid on financial aid tries to steal the spotlight? Well, everyone knows Kelly Jones is the favorite to win.” “I don’t want my kid to swim in the same pool as Tessa Grant. What if she catches some diseases from her?” They looked at Tess with disgust. She trembled helplessly in my arms and clutched my hand, shaking her head in panic. “Dad, I didn’t do anything wrong. I heard the winner gets a hundred dollars. I just wanted to win so I could buy you a gift. And if I win, I can get into a school for athletes. They cover food and housing, so I won’t have to spend our family’s money anymore.” I stared at her pale face, feeling heartbroken. Three years ago, I went abroad for business. Before leaving, I had explicitly told Julia to give Tess 100 thousand dollars a month as an allowance. And three years later, my daughter was risking her life for a hundred bucks! Before she could finish speaking, a pair of goggles flew straight into her face. Kelly snarled, “Tessa Grant, you knew my mom already booked the most expensive hotel in Kingston for my celebration party, and you still dared to compete with me?” Tess curled up in pain. Wilson exchanged a look with Kelly, and a cruel smile played on his lips. “Since your daughter wants attention so badly. I’ll let her have it.” He signaled with his hand. The reporters behind him immediately raised their cameras and started to snap photos of Tess like crazy. One of them said excitedly, “An elementary school student uses leeches for performance enhancement in a desperate bid for attention. This will make tomorrow’s headlines.” My voice cut through the clicks of the cameras, cold as ice. “If any outlet publishes a single photo, I’ll make sure it disappears from Kingston for good.” Sensing my tone, the reporters froze. Tess was sobbing uncontrollably, desperately covering her private areas. “Daddy, it hurts so much…” Frantically, I pulled up her sleeve. The leeches had burrowed deeper, leaving bleeding holes all over her skin. I could only imagine how unbearable the pain must be in her most sensitive areas. My hands shaking, I made another call. “Madam Chase, Tess is injured. Bring Kingston’s best medical specialists to the aquatic center immediately. Also, freeze all of Julia’s access and bring her to me.” The sound of a car door unlocking came through the phone. “Understood. I’m on my way.”

Before I could put down my phone, Wilson knocked it out of my hand. He lifted his chin arrogantly, eyes full of contempt. “Calling for backup? You have no idea who you’re dealing with. Now get down on your knees and apologize to Kelly. Or you and your daughter aren’t going anywhere today.” I let out a cold laugh. “You hurt my kid, and now you want us to apologize?” Kelly crossed her arms, completely unapologetic. “Everyone at school knows that if you cross me, you’ll have to get on all fours and be my pony while everyone watches.” She turned to Tess and gave her an evil smile. “And your daughter was my favorite pony.” Haunted by the memory. Tess clutched her head, her face twisting in pain. I gently rubbed her back. “It’s okay, sweetie. Daddy’s here. Hang on a little longer. The doctors will be here soon.” Wilson sneered. “Doctors? Well, let me show you what I can do.” At his signal, every road leading to the aquatic center was sealed off. No vehicles could get through. Tess started to spike a fever. Every second we waited, the leeches burrowed deeper. Something inside me finally snapped. I stepped forward and slapped Wilson across the face hard. “You pathetic clown, don’t push your luck. Every major private medical institution in Kingston answers to the Grant family. What gives you the right to stop my daughter from getting help?” Dead silence. I looked around, my voice steady and clear. “I am Felix Grant, the one truly at the helm of Vista Holdings. If there is any medical professional here, please help my daughter. You’ll be rewarded handsomely.” But the crowd seemed glued to their seats. No one moved. Wilson finally snapped out of it, clutching his face and roaring in fury. “Don’t just stand there. Get this bastard!” A dozen burly bodyguards came forward, overpowering me in seconds. Wilson stared at me with pure hatred. “Make him kneel and bow his head.” Bang. Bang. Bang. My head was slammed against the marble floor again and again. Something warm and wet trickled into my eyes, blurring my vision. As he watched me being tormented, Wilson made a phone call. Hearing the panic in his voice, his assistant immediately transferred the call to Julia, who was in a meeting. Wilson said in a wounded tone, “Babe, someone’s picking on us. He said he is…” Before he could finish, Julia exploded. “I don’t care who he is! No one can push my husband around. Do whatever you want to him. I’ll be there to finish the job once my meeting’s over.” The parents watching nearby exchanged gleeful looks. “This Felix put on a good act, but Ms. Stone doesn’t even know who he is.” “He must’ve lost his mind, laying hands on Mr. Jones. Everyone knows Julia worships her husband. This is about to get ugly.” Tess scrambled on her hands and knees to Kelly. “I’m sorry. I’ll be your pony for as long as you want. But please, let my dad go…” Kelly kicked Tess to the ground. Her hard shoe heel ground against Tess’ face. “Begging now?” She sneered. “Too late.” Just then, a voice cut through the chaos. “Stop it!”

An elderly woman with silver hair slowly walked in. Madam Chase had served as the Grant family’s steward since my grandfather’s time. In Kingston, everyone showed her respect. The energy in the room shifted the moment she walked in. When Wilson recognized her, he instinctively stood up and spoke politely. “Madam Chase, what brings you here?” She didn’t even look at him and walked straight up to me. Her eyes were filled with guilt when she saw my injuries. “Mr. Grant, I failed you. I should have sent people to protect you.” Before she could finish, she noticed the bleeding holes on Tess’ arms. The usually composed elderly woman exploded. “Who did this?!” Wilson quietly took a step back. I grabbed Madam Chase’s arm. “Where’s the medical team? Why didn’t they come with you?” Madam Chase hesitated, looking frustrated. “They were held back by Ms. Stone.” She played a recording for me. Julia sounded indifferent. “Madam Chase, the teachers say Tess is doing fine at school. Just stay at the nursing home. We shouldn’t tie up medical staff when there’s no real emergency. I’ll come pick you up in a couple of days, once Felix is back.” Madam Chase is filled with remorse. “In the three years you were abroad, Ms. Stone sent me to a nursing home, using my poor health as an excuse. If I had discovered sooner what was happening to Tess…” My heart sank at her words. Julia hadn’t just kept a boy toy and had a child with him. While I was abroad, she had been undermining my authority in the company. Back then, to protect her pride, I had never revealed her humble beginnings. I stayed in the shadows and encouraged her to build her own career. But she bit the hand that fed her. Seeing my gloomy face, Madam Chase added, “Don’t worry, Mr. Grant. On my way here, I’ve notified the Grant family’s private guards.” That calmed my nerves a little. Anyone they deal with will either surrender, be broken, or die. Just then, a group of doctors came in. Madam Chase’s face lit up. “Looks like Ms. Stone cares about you, after all.” But to everyone’s surprise, the medical team walked straight past us and surrounded Wilson instead. “Mr. Jones, Ms. Stone heard you were injured and sent us here immediately.” Wilson froze for a moment. Then, after seeing the document a doctor handed him, his timidity vanished. He tossed the papers onto the floor in front of us. “Madam Chase, this is the board’s latest decision. You are terminated for calling in a medical team on your own authority.” Madam Chase’s eyes narrowed. She snorted. “You don’t have the authority to make that decision.” Wilson smirked and said with contempt, “Let’s be honest, you’re nothing more than a lapdog. Julia can let you go whenever she likes.” His eyes moved back and forth between Madam Chase and me, and then he started to smirk. “So that’s it,” he sneered. “I was wondering where Felix got his confidence from. Turns out you’re his sugar mommy.” Madam Chase shouted furiously, “Watch your mouth! How dare you spread lies about Mr. Grant!” Wilson let out a sharp laugh. “There’s nothing I can’t do. I can even kick you out of Kingston. No sweat.” The large screen behind him lit up, displaying a photo of Tess. “As long as I put Tessa on the dark net blacklist, her life is over.” I replied calmly, “Is that so? Then try me.”

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One day, a polite yet unsettling call came through from the hotel, alerting me to an outstanding charge. The fee for condoms used the previous night, they said, had already been added to my membership account. I was utterly dumbfounded. I’d worked late the night before and hadn’t set foot inside that hotel at all. Therefore, I confronted my husband, Rex Dillon, the only person who knew my card number, and demanded an explanation. But he only stared at me, his face a mask of confusion. “Honey, that hotel’s over ten thousand a night. I wouldn’t waste that kind of money. It’s got to be a system glitch on their end.” “Probably someone typed in the wrong membership number. I’ll call and complain tomorrow!” I didn’t waste another breath on him. The hotel’s investor was my best friend, Vivien Bowman, so I dialed her directly. “Hey, can you check who Rex brought to the hotel last night? I’m gonna catch them red-handed!” – My husband’s pathetic excuse was almost laughable. The day Vivien became the hotel’s investor, she called me and gifted me a lifetime free-stay VIP card for my birthday. The card was linked exclusively to my personal information, meaning no one else could use it. Yet the hotel had called, claiming I’d checked into the presidential suite the night before and used the condoms in the room. I asked three times to confirm, and the person on the line insisted it was Leila Ruth herself who’d checked in. I couldn’t swallow this humiliation. What made it worse was that once, when I’d mentioned using the card, Rex had looked utterly annoyed and snapped. “Is our home not good enough for you? Why would you rather sleep elsewhere? I’m so sick of your ridiculous spending habits!” I didn’t get it. Why was he so pissed off just because I wanted to use a free card? The angrier I grew, the faster I drove, heading straight for the hotel. The holiday season was approaching, and the lobby was packed with guests checking in. I had to wait nearly half an hour before the receptionist finally looked a little less swamped. “Hello, I’m Leila Ruth. You called me this morning.” I said, my anger simmering just beneath the surface. The receptionist looked up, her face clouding with confusion. “Ms. Ruth? I thought you just went back to your room. You made it clear that no housekeeping service was needed a moment ago.” My face darkened instantly. The receptionist went on. “Just ten minutes ago, Ms. Ruth called and activated the do-not-disturb service.” I was so furious that I trembled all over. That woman had the nerve to check in under my name! Gritting my teeth, I said, “But I am the real Leila Ruth!” The receptionist eyed me up and down impatiently. “Madam, if you don’t have a reservation, please leave. We have many guests today. Please don’t cause a scene here.” “Ms. Ruth arrived with her husband and used the VIP card. Although I’ve never met Ms. Ruth, Mr. Dillon is a regular here. No doubt about that.” It hit me like a bolt of lightning. My husband had become someone else’s husband? The irony was bitter enough to choke on. At that moment, the elevator dinged open. Tiffany Butler stepped out, clad in the latest Chanel suit of the season. The diamond necklace around her neck was the one I’d bought at auction for 1.8 million. As far as I knew, she was just my husband’s newly graduated junior. The receptionist’s face lit up as if she’d spotted a savior. She pointed straight at Tiffany and said to me. “This is the real Ms. Ruth. The rightful one. I suggest you leave immediately and stop making trouble.” Tiffany’s face blanched the second she saw me, but she recovered fast, forcing a sickly sweet smile. “What a coincidence! Are you staying here, too?” I coldly shook off her outstretched hand. “Tiffany, don’t you think you owe me an explanation? Why did you check in under my name? And why were the condoms you used charged to my account?” “Also, why are my shoes on your feet? And when did my husband become yours?” My voice cut through the lobby, and the previously noisy crowd fell dead silent. Every pair of eyes locked onto Tiffany. Tiffany glanced around nervously, then her eyes immediately welled with tears. “What are you talking about? My husband gave me this card because he felt bad about my frequent business trips. And he bought me these shoes as well.” “As for the condoms…” She feigned shyness and lowered her head. “What’s wrong with me using them with my husband?” Suddenly, she lifted her gaze towards me, her expression laced with pity. “Are you upset because your husband doesn’t treat you well? Need my help to get you a psychiatrist?” The moment the words left her mouth, the crowd erupted into murmurs. “Look at her haggard face. Her husband must not want to touch her.” “A card like that starts at 300,000 dollars. She doesn’t seem like someone who could afford it.” “Are they seriously letting in just anyone at such a high-end place?” I was only wearing casual clothes today, hardly the shabby mess they made me out to be. Tuning out their gossip, I turned to Tiffany with a cold, sharp smile. “I never realized you were so good with words.” Then I shifted my gaze to the receptionist. “Did you verify her identity when the co-called ‘Ms. Ruth’ checked in?” The receptionist hesitated, her face flushing. “She said she didn’t have her ID, but Mr. Dillon is a regular, so…” “So you just broke the rules?” I cut her off sharply. “Your hotel’s security is a joke.” The receptionist fell silent. Tiffany immediately slipped back into her sweet, innocent act. “She’s just a receptionist. Why are you picking on her? People stay at hotels they can afford. Don’t make a scene here.” Her words couldn’t have been clearer: I didn’t belong here. At that moment, her phone rang. The word “honey” blazed bright on the screen. “Answer it,” I sneered. “Put it on speaker. Let’s hear how Rex is going to spin this.”

Tiffany answered triumphantly. As she tapped the speaker button, she burst into fake, heaving sobs. “Honey, come to the hotel quick! There’s a crazy woman saying I’m not your wife and trying to kick me out…” She wailed dramatically, and Rex’s furious voice exploded from the phone at once. “A crazy woman? How dare she bully you? Don’t be scared. I’m on my way!” A crazy woman. So that was what I was to him now. The onlookers stared at me with open disdain, some even stepping forward to comfort Tiffany. “Don’t take it to heart. She’s insane.” Tiffany murmured her thanks, then turned to me with a look of feigned concern. “My husband will be here soon. He has a terrible temper. You better leave fast.” “He just gave me that $300,000 VIP card, you know? “ “Shows how much he spoils me. If he gets here… Who knows what he might do to you?” It sounded like a warning, but it was nothing but a slap in the face, a barefaced provocation. I trembled with rage, every fiber of me screaming to tear off her hypocritical mask right then and there. Rex arrived faster than I’d expected. He burst through the hotel doors. The second his eyes landed on me, they turned cold and vicious. He roughly shoved me aside, then pulled Tiffany into a tight, protective embrace. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.” The way he gently stroked Tiffany’s hair was so tender it hurt to watch. Pushed by him, I stumbled backward, my waist slamming hard into the sofa arm behind me. If not for the furniture, I would have crashed straight to the ground. Meanwhile, Tiffany stood on tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and the two locked in a long, wet, lingering kiss. “You’re so good to me, honey.” Tiffany panted, her voice thick with coquetry. “You need to set this woman straight. She won’t believe I’m your wife!” Only then did Rex turn his gaze to me. There was no flicker of guilt, only pure disgust. He released Tiffany and strode over, then slapped me hard across the face. “Tiffany! Have you no shame? “ ”Just because I turned you down when you tried to hint for a permanent position, you’ve held a grudge ever since.” “Now you dare to bully my wife in public?” I clapped a hand to my cheek, which flared red, swollen, and burning hot. I stared at him in disbelief. The man before me was a stranger, terrifyingly unfamiliar. Before I’d come to the hotel, he’d feigned ignorance on the phone, using his usual gentle patience to tell me not to overthink. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he could twist the truth without batting an eye and even hurt me. He’d always had two faces, it turned out. Now that I thought back, the signs had been there all along. He’d only lit up at the latest gaming console I’d bought him, but dismissed my painstakingly developed scientific research as nothing but scrap. His so-called concern had always circled back to my bank card. Maybe he’d never loved me. Maybe he’d never even tried to understand the real me.

A strange sense of calm rose from the depths of my chest, drowning out all the anger. I lowered my hand from my face and looked straight at him, my voice shockingly steady, even to myself. “Rex, repeat what you just said.” “Tell me, who am I? And who is she?” A flicker of panic crossed Rex’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by an even more self-righteous, aggressive tone. “You really are crazy! Wasn’t I clear enough? She is my lawfully wedded wife, Leila! And you? You’re just some intern who failed to climb the ladder, Tiffany!” He raked his eyes over me, his voice cold and cruel. “Look at yourself. You’re pushing forty, aren’t you? How could I possibly marry someone like you? Don’t embarrass yourself, okay?” The crowd erupted into more murmurs, sharp and judgmental. “Can’t get a man herself, so she’s jealous of others’ happiness.” “I told you she must be crazy. Didn’t think she’d start having delusions, too. That’s really scary.” “Poor couple. They’re so unlucky to run into a nutjob like this.” I stayed quiet, just watching their little show. Rex was clearly dead-set on protecting Tiffany, even if it meant grinding me into the dirt. But did he really think he could twist the truth with just a few lies? Slowly, I pulled my ID card and marriage certificate out of my bag. “These should be enough to prove who I am.” Rex and Tiffany’s faces froze at once. Tiffany’s eyes went wide with shock, and she tugged nervously at Rex’s sleeve. Rex lunged forward, snatched the ID and marriage certificate out of my hand, and without even glancing at them, hurled them straight out the hotel’s revolving glass door. “Will you just stop?” Veins bulged on his forehead, his act growing more convincing by the second. “Last time you waved a fake ID at me to disgust me, and now this new trick? Forging an ID and a marriage certificate?” “Tiffany, have some shame! Do you think I won’t call the cops and report you for harassment and forging official documents?” The onlookers’ stares shifted from disdain to outright revulsion, and they echoed in unison. “Call the police! Do it now!” His reflexes were impressive. I’d give him that. The second I laid out the proof, he’d branded me a fraud. At that moment, I almost wished the marriage certificate had been fake. Tiffany visibly relaxed at that. She snuggled back into Rex’s arms and spoke to me in a tone that sounded concerned but oozed malice, “You’ve been so abused by your husband that you’ve lost your mind. I can introduce you to a good psychiatrist.And a top divorce lawyer if you need.” She stressed the word “divorce” extra hard. After all, once I was gone, she could step right into the role of Mrs. Dillon. As a response, Rex kissed her forehead, then turned back to me, his eyes as cold as ice. “Get out of here now, or I’m calling the police immediately!” He snapped at the receptionist. “Call security to drive this crazy woman out. Who knows what else she might do? What if she hurts other guests?” The crowd roared, “Kick her out! Or we’ll complain about the hotel!” The receptionist didn’t dare hesitate. She grabbed her walkie-talkie and called for security at once. Two tall guards marched over, grabbed my arms from either side, and began dragging me roughly towards the exit.

I struggled desperately, my elbows throbbing from the rough tugging. Amid the chaos, Tiffany had somehow slipped close to me. Seizing the split second when everyone’s attention was elsewhere, she tripped me. Already off-balance, I crashed hard to the marble floor. “Oops!” Tiffany gasped in feigned innocence. “I just wanted to help you up, and you deliberately fell to blame me. Unbelievable!” My ankle swelled into a painful lump instantly, and a wide patch of skin was scraped raw on my knee, blood seeping out at once. My face paled with agony as I tried to stand, only to collapse back down. Rex stood there, watching coldly, as if I were a total stranger. My heart turned to ice at that moment. Any last shred of hope for him was snuffed out. With trembling hands, I fumbled in my pocket for my phone, desperate to call 911. But the second I unlocked it, Rex lunged forward and snatched it away. “What are you trying to do? Call the police?” he accused me falsely. “Let me tell you, everyone here saw clearly that you fell on purpose. Don’t even think about framing my wife and the hotel!” “I have a bleeding disorder. Call an ambulance, now!” I shouted through the pain. But Rex remained indifferent, instead hurling my phone forcefully across the lobby. The receptionist, fearing trouble, hesitated to act. Left alone, I endured the searing pain, using my uninjured leg to prop myself up and crawl towards my phone. Just then, a delicate high heel stomped down hard on my palm. Tiffany looked down at me condescendingly. “Sign a statement and admit everything today was your fault. Then I’ll call an ambulance for you. Otherwise…” She pressed down harder. The excruciating pain in my hand, mixed with the agony from my knee and ankle, nearly made me black out. I could barely speak, trembling violently from both pain and rage, my consciousness growing hazy. Just as I thought I would pass out, a series of rapid, sharp high-heel clicks echoed from the hotel entrance. My best friend, Vivien, was striding in. “Leila, I’ve found out. Rex really did cheat! “ ”He’s checked into this hotel more times than you have in the past few years.” “He even dared to use the exclusive membership card I gave you with that mistress. I won?t let him get away with this!” My best friend, also the hotel’s investor, had arrived with several hotel executives and security guards in tow. Her voice, however, cut off abruptly the moment she saw me kneeling on the ground in such a miserable state. The receptionist, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, now turned pale, her voice trembling as she timidly called out. “Dir… Director Bowman…”

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I was sleeping soundly under the blanket when suddenly I heard a snap. The light was turned on, and everything went blindingly bright. Startled, I jolted awake and saw a tall figure standing by the door, a cold expression on a handsome face behind silver-framed glasses. I blinked before realizing this was my husband, Norman Geller. His voice was steady, without a trace of emotion. “Why are you sleeping in the guest room?” I sat up wrapped in the blanket and gave a fake smile. “I just got my memory back. I’m not used to it yet.” “Let’s sleep separately for a while so I can adjust.” He nodded indifferently. “Suit yourself.” Then, as if casually, he asked, “You didn’t call me today.” I looked puzzled. “What? I didn’t have anything to talk to you about today. Why would I call you?” He frowned and said, “Before, if I came home after ten, you’d keep calling me.” Thinking of my past behavior made me feel really awkward. “Sorry, I won’t do that anymore.” Looking back at those memories was as embarrassing as public nudity. I was hypnotized into amnesia just because at midnight, I had called one of Norman’s patients. I cursed Celina Baker, called her a slut pretending to be depressed to seduce my husband, told her that if she was really sick, she should take medicine instead of stripping and climbing into a man’s bed. Celina cried hard from my scolding. Norman took the phone, his voice still calm, and told me he’d be back right away. I smugly thought I had chased off the mistress. But when Norman came back, he told me, “I’m taking Celina to live in the forest for three months, to get close to nature and do psychological healing.” Our son Henry raised his hand happily beside him. “I’m going too! I’m going too! Celina gave me candy last time. I also wanna go keep her company!” I couldn’t believe it. “Then what about our anniversary trip? I’ve been preparing for half a month. We agreed to go when Henry has his vacation.” “It’s off the table. Celina’s mental condition is serious. I have to accompany her for treatment.” “I wanna go to the forest, I don’t want to travel with Mom. It’s boring. I like Sis Celina more.” Of course I said no. We fought hysterically. He impatiently shoved me away, and Henry rammed me with his head. A burst of pain, and bright red blood surged from beneath me. I lost the child I had been carrying for half a year. And because he feared I would make more trouble, he forcibly used an immature experimental hypnosis on me, erased my memory, and left me in the hospital. I promised again and again that I would never casually call to harass him anymore. But Norman’s expression only grew darker. After a long while, he said coldly and firmly, “Jane, you’re sulking?” Then he turned and left another sentence behind. “Whatever. Just remember to tidy up my study.” I hesitated, then took out my phone, yawning as I searched for a suitable nanny. I thought to myself, “I can’t do this. I really can’t.” I didn’t know how I made it through. Every morning at six, I would get up to carefully prepare breakfast for my son who had countless allergies, then at seven prepare another breakfast for Norman with his fragile stomach. After hastily eating a little myself, I would start cleaning the entire house, because Norman had a cleanliness obsession and wouldn’t allow any mess, especially in the study, which had to be spotless. Today I tried to copy my past self and nearly fainted from exhaustion. While organizing the study files, I stuffed things randomly. Probably because of this Norman specially came to remind me. I fell asleep groggily. A few minutes later, loud banging on the door woke me up. “Why aren’t you up making breakfast? I’m gonna be late for school!” My son Henry shouted impatiently. It was time to make breakfast. Luckily, I had prepared in advance. “I ordered timed delivery. It’ll arrive soon.” After saying that, I fell back asleep, vaguely hearing Henry angrily kicking the door. “Dad shouldn’t have brought you back. Celina always makes me breakfast. You’re completely useless!” I woke again when Norman roughly dragged me out of bed. “What did you let Henry eat?” I looked completely confused. He dragged me in front of Henry, who was covered in red spots and struggling to breathe. “Even if you’re angry, you shouldn’t take it out on our son. He’s severely allergic. If I’d found this any later, he would’ve suffocated to death.” The ambulance quickly took our son to the hospital. I chased after them, explaining frantically. “I really don’t know why this happened. When I ordered the custom breakfast, I sent all his allergens and confirmed carefully. They promised to be meticulous. I truly didn’t expect Henry to have an allergic reaction.” Norman glanced at me irritably. “Drop your act. You previously chased away the two nutritionists I hired and forcibly controlled Henry’s diet. He was just uncomfortable and said a few words favoring Celina, so you deliberately punished him like this.” “No, that was because…” “Enough. Don’t make me regret restoring your memory.” My explanation was cut off coldly. I had always kept a strict watch of Henry’s diet just because he had a special constitution and he was allergic to so many foods. I couldn’t just let him eat randomly. As for those two nutritionists, they both quit voluntarily after less than a week because it was too troublesome. I just stopped explaining, because he wouldn’t even listen to me. Once the new nanny arrived, these things would no longer concern me.

The doctor said it was a honey allergy. He hadn’t eaten much, so it wasn’t serious. Just one IV drip would make him fine. I called the shop. The manager said it was an extra free gift, clearly marked as an allergen with a warning label. It seemed Henry had eaten it out of greed. He always liked sweets, but he was allergic to honey and chocolate. I Back then, I had kept a strict watch, so nothing ever happened. This time, since I wasn’t there, an accident occurred. “Jane!” Just as I was about to turn and speak to Norman, a soft, warm girl suddenly hugged my leg. “Bella? What are you doing at the hospital?” Surprise washed over me. I crouched down and pulled her into a hug, smiling. She had been my little companion during the time I lost my memory. During that time in the hospital, I was panicked and confused. My heart felt as if a huge hole had been dug out of it. All day I was muddle-headed and dazed, like duckweed battered by wind and rain, not knowing what I should do. I didn’t even understand many basic things. It was Bella who stayed by my side, patiently teaching me, guiding me, almost the way you would a kindergartener, so that in that cold hospital, I no longer felt quite so alone. “She was playing and fell off the swing, hit her head, so we came to the hospital to have it checked.” Bella’s uncle, Jack Thomas, spoke up. When he saw me, his eyes lit up, as if he were a little happy. “Oh dear, are you okay? Does it hurt?” I touched Bella’s little head in a hurry. She hugged me and rubbed her cheek against mine. “It doesn’t hurt. I really miss you, Jane.” “I miss you too.” Jack looked at us gently, and then he frowned. “Why are you in the hospital? What happened? Is it serious?” “I’m fine. My son is here because of an allergy.” He let out a breath and said, “That’s good. Oh, I didn’t mean that. I mean, is your son okay?” I laughed and said, “He’s fine. Just needs an IV drip.” He was about to say something else when Norman’s angry voice rang out. “Jane White!” I turned my head. Norman stopped looking at Jack and found I was actually smiling. Then he frowned and said, “Henry is crying.” I hurriedly turned to Henry. The swelling on his face had gone down by half. Maybe the allergy had been too uncomfortable, so his eyes were full of tears. As he cried, he pointed at Bella, angry and anxious. “Who is she?” “This is Bella. You can take her as your sister. She was the one who accompanied me in the hospital before.” “Don’t cry. Tears will make you more uncomfortable. And as her brother, you should behave and set an example for her.” As soon as I said this, Henry got kinda angry. He cried and shouted, “She’s not my sister! You go away! I don’t want you to take care of me!” He had never liked me, and this wasn’t the first. Seeing him so agitated that blood was flowing back into the IV tube, I hurried out. However, after I left, he cried even harder.

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During our first date after getting back together, my boyfriend, Jake Shaw, and I got caught in an escalator accident at a shopping center. As a firefighter, Jake immediately rushed to his friend Jessica Rane and led her away from the escalator. I, however, tripped over the escalator handrail and fell to the ground. After I was rescued, Jake calmly explained, “You had just stepped onto the escalator, so you had time to step back. I was closer to Jessica, so saving her was the best option…” He listed dozens of reasons for me, but in the end, he looked at me and said helplessly, “Stop sulking, Laura.” I tightened the bandage around my wound and said softly, “Why don’t you go check on Jessica? She’s just next door.” Jake smiled as if he were happy with my reply. He held my hand and said, as if giving a reward, “Didn’t you always want to go see the aurora lights, Laura? I’ll go with you once Jessica fully recovers.” That was a wish I made in front of Jake when we were both 18. But I only got a reply when we were 28. I raised my head and looked Jake in the eyes before nodding my head meaningfully. Seeing that I wasn’t as happy as he expected, Jake furrowed his brows, about to speak, but someone entered the room. He let go of my hand and rushed towards the person who just came into the ward. His voice was gentler than ever. “Shouldn’t you be resting in bed, Jessica? The doctor said that you need to rest for your legs to recover.” Jessica allowed Jake to pull her into his arms and said, “I was afraid that Laura’s going to be mad at you for what happened, so I came to explain things to her for you. Look at how thoughtful I am.” With that said, she turned to me and curved her lips. “Please don’t get the wrong idea, Laura. Jake and I are just good buddies. He chose to save me instead of you this time because he was closer to me. I hope you won’t mind.” I ignored her and unlocked my phone to book a one-way ticket to Iceland. Jake furrowed his brows as if he was unhappy with me remaining silent. “Don’t go too far, Laura.” Jessica clicked her tongue and chuckled. “Looks like Laura’s still mad. Women are so complicated. Looks like it’s better to be friends. Let go of me, Jake. I’ll kneel down and apologize to Laura.” Jake naturally wasn’t going to let Jessica get on her knees. He picked her up in his arms and turned to leave. Before he left, he said, “There should be a limit to your attitude. Looks like I’ve spoiled you for too long.” Jake slammed the door shut, and the sound echoed in the ward as if telling me how angry Jake was. Like countless times before, he pinned the blame on me before I even said anything. Later that day, I saw Jessica’s Twitter post. “Heading off to Iceland to see the aurora lights with my bro!” The post had a picture of a text confirming Jake and Jessica’s flight to Iceland in five days’ time. I liked the post, and it was immediately deleted. In their childhood friends group chat, someone asked, “Why did you delete the post, Jessica? I was just about to comment.” Jessica replied with a crying emoji and said, “I forgot to block a certain someone, and she saw it. She loves competing with others for attention. I’m afraid that she’ll throw another tantrum.” Jake’s friends in the group chat began commenting sarcastically. “Has Jake gotten back together with that drama queen again? Where are his standards? How is she better than Jessica?” “I’ve heard that she’s sulking because Jake saved Jessica first and not her during the escalator accident. It was a good thing that Jake chose to ignore her. It’s bros before hoes after all.” “Who knows? All men probably like women who act weak in front of them. Independent women like Jessica aren’t really the first choice for men.” Members of the group chat were all Jake’s childhood friends. In the past, I would’ve argued with them in the group chat or confronted Jake directly. But now, I just left the group chat and deleted everyone. A short while later, I received a message from Jake. He sent me a picture with a flight number circled. “We’re going to Iceland on this flight in three days’ time. You book your own ticket. Jessica and I have booked ours. I’m only taking you with us because Jessica asked me to. You should really reflect on your own actions, Laura.” I pursed my lips. He could see the messages in the group chat, but he didn’t say anything on my behalf.

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I’ve always had a built-in radar for pick-me girls who hide behind the “one of the guys” act. You could say I’m a walking detector for them. The day my fiancé, Peter Johnson, brought his so-called girl best friend, Abby Smith, home, I sighed. “Fine. You two are the real deal. I’ll sleep outside tonight. The bed is all yours.” Peter stared at me and said, “Are you crazy? Abby is just my bro. I don’t even see her as a girl.” After we went inside, I took out a small notebook and started writing. Peter leaned over curiously. “What are you writing?” “I’m pre-writing how your girl best friend is about to throw herself at you.” “Possibility one. Say she’s hot and strip in front of you.” “Possibility two. Accidentally spill water on your crotch and reach out to wipe it.” “Possibility three…” He swore up and down that his friend didn’t have a manipulative bone in her body and told me to stop assuming the worst. However, later, Abby suddenly screamed, splashed coffee onto his upper thigh, and reached for his pants. “Take them off, quick! We’ve been friends since childhood. Stop feeling awkward already. Let me see if it got burned. I can blow on it for you!” I calmly checked off “spill water on crotch” and shoved the notebook in front of Peter. “Congrats. Bullseye.” Remembering what I said, Peter awkwardly clamped his legs together. “Look at you, overreacting again. She just wanted to help me. There’s nothing between us. Put that notebook away. Don’t let her see it.” Abby still had her hand on Peter’s belt and was smiling. “Kelly, you’re not really mad, right?” “I’ve known Peter for over ten years. When we were kids, I even played with his little thing.” “That’s just how friends look out for each other.” I ignored her and lowered my head to write a new prediction. Peter fastened his belt and frowned at me. “Kelly, is this really necessary? It’s such a small thing. Do you have to make it such a big deal? We’re just friends. Can’t you be more generous?” Abby blinked at me with grievance. “Kelly, if you really mind, I won’t touch him again.” I ignored her and continued writing my new prediction. Seeing that I wasn’t speaking, Peter snatched my notebook and slammed it onto the sofa without even looking. “Stop writing! Who are you acting like this?” “Abby is staying tonight. The guest room isn’t ready. She’ll sleep in the master bedroom. We’ll take the second bedroom.” I picked up the notebook and looked at him calmly. “Okay. Wait a moment.” I checked off “taking the master bedroom.” Peter saw the checkmark. His face turned livid. “When did you write that?” I closed the notebook. “When you brought her through the door.” As soon as Abby heard that, her eyes reddened. She grabbed Peter’s sleeve and started crying. “Peter, I told you that she can’t tolerate me.” She pretended to leave, but she moved slowly. She was clearly waiting for Peter to stop her. Sure enough, Peter grabbed her and turned to yell at me. “Kelly! Do you really have to drive her away like that?” “Abby has a waist problem. She can’t sleep on a hard bed. The guest bedroom mattress is too hard. What’s wrong with you putting up with it for a few days?” I looked at the man I was about to marry. For another woman, he was righteously driving his fiancé out of the bridal bedroom. I didn’t argue. I didn’t get angry. I nodded and walked toward the second bedroom with my notebook. Behind me came Abby’s victorious laugh. “Peter, you’re so good to me. I love you!” “Come on. Enough. Go shower. I’ll come in later and scrub your back.” After closing the door to the guest bedroom, I took out my phone and turned on the hidden camera’s recording function. I had installed it before for theft prevention. I didn’t expect it to be used for this. Sitting on the rock-hard bed, I opened my notebook and wrote down tonight’s prediction.

Sure enough, at two in the morning, the guest bedroom door was slammed open. Abby rushed in crying, wearing only Peter’s oversized white shirt. “Peter! That room doesn’t smell like you. I can’t sleep.” She stepped straight past me and threw herself onto Peter, shrinking into his arms and trembling. Peter woke up groggily. He instinctively hugged her tighter and patted her back. “Don’t worry. I got you. Just sleep…” I snapped on the bedside lamp. Under the harsh light, the scene was painfully glaring. Abby was straddling Peter’s waist. Three buttons on her shirt were undone, exposing a large expanse of skin. One of Peter’s hands was on her completely bare thigh. When the light came on, Abby screamed and buried her head in Peter’s neck. “Kelly, I’m sorry. It was instinctive. This is how I used to sleep with Peter before. You won’t mind, right?” Peter was fully awake now. He didn’t push her away. Instead, he yanked the blanket up and wrapped her tightly, then stared at me defensively. “Kelly, what are you doing? You scared her!” I said nothing. With a blank expression, I pulled the notebook out from under my pillow. I checked off “pretends to be scared and crawls into Peter’s bed,” then held the notebook up in front of his face. “Congrats. Another hit.” Peter’s face turned dark red. The humiliation of being predicted made him snap. “Are you insane? Can you stop writing such stuff?” He shouted and hugged Abby in his arms even tighter. “We’re innocent! She’s just my bro! Stop being so jealous. Everything seems filthy to you!” Abby sobbed in his arms. She pretended to get up. The hem of her shirt lifted, and just as I expected, she was wearing nothing underneath. Peter reacted fast and pressed her back down. “Where are you going? It’s thundering outside! You’re sleeping here tonight!” I picked up my notebook and phone, threw off the blanket, and got out of bed. “Wish you a thunder-proof night. May you have kids early.” I closed the door and left. Lying on the living-room sofa, I opened my phone and saved the footage I had just recorded. Then I wrote tomorrow’s preset in my notebook.

I woke up early the next morning to laughter and teasing coming from the kitchen. Abby was wearing that loose shirt. She was pressed against Peter’s back and holding his hands as she taught him how to fry eggs. “Peter, you’re so stupid. Can’t even flip an egg?” “Stop moving around. That tickles.” They laughed and played around, just like newlyweds. I stood at the kitchen doorway, like an unnecessary intruder. When Abby saw me, she exaggeratedly exclaimed, “Kelly, you’re up! Come taste Peter’s loving fried egg.” Peter adjusted his pajamas. “Go wash up. Don’t just stand there.” “Abby specifically told me to make one for you. Don’t be ungrateful.” I walked into the bathroom and saw my toothbrush thrown into the trash can. There were two toothbrushes in the cup. One was Peter’s. The other was a brand-new pink one. The heads of the two toothbrushes leaned against each other, close and intimate. I carried the trash can out. “Explain.” Abby stuck out her tongue and looked innocent. “Oh, sorry, Kelly. I was half asleep this morning. I thought it was my old toothbrush and tossed it without thinking.” “That pink one is new. I bought it to match Peter’s. Pretty, right?” Peter walked over with a plate and frowned impatiently. “It’s just a lousy toothbrush. I’ll transfer some money to you later. Go buy one yourself. Can you not pick a fight so early in the morning?” I took a deep breath and pulled out my notebook. I checked off “throw away my things.” When Peter saw the notebook, he exploded. “Kelly! Are you done yet?” I held the notebook up for him to see. The next prediction was “feeding him personally.” Peter sneered. “No way. I have hands and feet. Why would I let her feed me?” As soon as he finished speaking, Abby picked up a piece of egg. She blew on it and naturally brought it to Peter’s mouth. “Peter, open up. This one’s a bit burnt. Help me taste it and see if it’s edible.” Peter subconsciously opened his mouth and ate it. He chewed twice and suddenly froze. The air went dead silent. I calmly checked off “feeding him personally.” “Good boy.” Peter’s face turned dark red. He couldn’t swallow the egg, and he couldn’t spit it out either. The humiliation of being predicted pushed him over the edge. “Kelly!” Abby seemed to react late. She dropped her chopsticks and burst into tears. “Kelly, why do you keep targeting me?” “I just fed Peter one bite of egg.” “When we were kids, we fed each other every day. Nothing happened.” “Why does it become a crime with you? Why do you have to target me?” She grabbed a fruit knife from the table and moved it toward her wrist. Peter was terrified. He snatched the knife away and pulled Abby tightly into his arms. When he turned to look at me, his eyes were full of disgust and hatred, as if I were some vicious woman beyond redemption. “Kelly, are you satisfied now?” “You really want to push her to death, don’t you?” I looked at Peter in hysterics, and at Abby in his arms, smiling at me in victory. I nodded. “Fine. I’ll go.” When I dragged my suitcase out, Abby was sitting on Peter’s lap and wiping sweat from his forehead. At the door, I stopped. I threw the notebook, packed full of notes, onto the coffee table. “Peter, this notebook is for you. Consider it a wedding gift.” “There’s one last prediction in it. You can see whether it’s accurate.” Peter picked it up with disdain and flipped to the last page. He snorted. “Crazy woman. Delusional!” He tossed the notebook into the trash and didn’t look at me again. He turned back to comfort Abby. I sat in the cafe downstairs and watched the surveillance footage on my phone. Because I knew my predictions about pick-me girls would not be wrong.

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I followed the mob boss, Hector Wayne, for ten years. One day, he told me to protect a girl, Caroline Parker. “You’re used to living and dying beside me,” he said. “Caroline isn’t. She’s… different. She’s innocent.” Then he added, without hesitation: “If you die, it doesn’t matter. I only need her to live.” He once saved my life. I couldn’t refuse his request. But later, when we were ambushed by our rivals, ten years of instinct took over. Without thinking, I stepped in front of him and took the fatal shot meant for his heart. The gunfire sent Caroline into a panic. She ran blindly—straight off a cliff. Her fate unknown. From that moment on, Hector hated me to the bone. When I was kidnapped by enemy forces again, he did something unprecedented. He didn’t come to save me. Instead, he had someone bring me a message. “Fiona, the thing I regret most in my life is saving you back then.” “You owe Caroline. Now you’re gonna pay it back with your life.” My heart completely died. I was tortured to death by the enemy and dumped in the wilderness. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Hector told me to protect that girl. This time, I refused without hesitation. “I can’t protect her. My family is waiting for me to go home and get married.” The life I owed him was repaid in my previous life. In this one, I chose a different path. I would marry someone else, and leave him to chase the regret he carried from before. At my words, a flicker of expression finally crossed Hector Wayne’s usually impassive face. He let out a cold, dismissive laugh. “Fiona Lester. You’ve been with me this long—your reputation’s already worn thin. Who else would want you?” “When I retire and marry Caroline, you can still stay by my side like you do now. Just don’t push it too far. That’s when it stops being fun.” His tone was certain I was bluffing. But he forgot that I have never lied. Years ago, my parents had already arranged everything overseas. They’d found me a suitable man and were simply waiting for me to finish playing at danger and come home to marry. Caroline, dressed in a white dress, walked up to me. Tears filled her eyes as she held my hand. “Fiona, I know you don’t like me. But you shouldn’t embarrass me in front of so many of Hector’s brothers. I heard you used to help Hector take care of many girls before.” She paused, then lifted her eyes. Her gaze turned sharp. “Taking care of me should be easy for you too, shouldn’t it?” There had always been women around Hector. And yes, I had handled more than my share of trouble for him. But they were not Caroline. He cherished her differently. Guarded her differently. I pulled my hand free and met Hector’s assessing stare. “You’re right,” I said evenly. “I’m not young anymore. I can’t keep playing house without a name or a future.” “We’re done.” As soon as the words fell, the entire room went silent. Hector frowned almost imperceptibly. Impatience filled his eyes. Most of the people present were brothers who had once fought impossible battles with Hector and me. The atmosphere grew tense. Someone gave an awkward laugh and tried to smooth things over. “Fiona, don’t mess with us. Boss can’t manage without you. We’ve shared so many years together. There’s no need to make things like this over an outsider.” “Yeah, Fiona. You’ve been with Hector for ten years. We brothers already set aside wedding money for you two. Leaving now really isn’t appropriate…” Before he could finish, Hector casually picked up an ashtray from the table and smashed it at the speaker. After a horrifying dull thud, the man’s head split open and blood poured out. The entire room fell silent. No one dared to speak another word for me. Hector pulled Caroline behind him. His expression was grave. “What do you mean I can’t manage without Fiona? You think you’re all being fed by her?” “The gang can run without anyone. From now on, Caroline will take over Fiona’s position as second-in-command. Don’t you say one more word about it. Let’s see whether my gun’s harder, or your skull is.” I gave a bitter smile. In ten years, Hector had never defended me like this in front of others. Even when the enemy humiliated me, he still didn’t care. To me, he always said one thing. “It’s not like you haven’t been seriously injured before. What’s a few insults? It’s not like you’ll lose a piece of flesh.” Thinking of this, I let out a self-mocking laugh and turned away without hesitation. Hector chased after me and gripped my wrist tightly. “Fiona, think it through. Once you walk out that door, don’t even think about coming back!” When he saw me staring at him without saying a word, he completely lost his temper. “Fine, Fiona. You’ve got guts!” He leaned down close, voice low and edged with fury, every word bitten off: “Since you wanna leave, then go as far away as possible.” His eyes darkened. “Don’t come back and get in my way like you did in the last life!”

I froze for a moment. So he had been reborn too. I hadn’t expected that even with a second life, his hatred for me would remain untouched. No, sharper than before. I stood there in silence, watching him wrap an arm around Caroline and walk out of my sight. Only after he left did his brothers dare to come over and comfort me. “Fiona, Boss just likes something new. You two go way back. There’s no way he’d actually marry some barely-grown girl.” “Yeah, Fiona. Just coax Boss a bit more. He listens to you the most. He can’t seriously let a young girl run the gang. That’s ridiculous.” I walked over to the window and lit a cigarette. Smoke curled around my fingers before the wind tore it apart. “The transition is already handled,” I said calmly. “This is the key to the confidential cabinet. Give it back to Hector when you see him.” I casually handed the key to Nick and turned to leave. “Fiona, so when will you come back?” he called after me. My steps paused. “I’m not coming back.” *** I went back to pack my things at a time when Hector wasn’t home. Ten years left me with very little. The Polaroid we bought together for the first time. The bracelet he bought me after earning his first fortune. The instrument he could never blow properly when he confessed to me. I put them all into a wooden box and burned everything to ashes. When Hector stormed in to find me, I was just stepping out with a pitifully small suitcase. The moment he saw me, he grabbed my neck with deadly force. In an instant, I felt the closeness of death. “Fiona, didn’t I warn you not to harm Caroline? Did you take my words as a joke?” “Who gave you the nerve to poison her?” “If anything happens to her because of you, I don’t mind killing you one more time!” I shook my head desperately and forced out half a sentence. “No, I didn’t…” His rough fingers scraped hard across the edge of my ear, leaving a long, bloody gash. “Fiona, this is the last chance I’m giving you. Get to the hospital, kneel down in front of Caroline, and apologize until she forgives you.” “Otherwise, I have a hundred ways to make your life worse than death.” As soon as he finished speaking, he seized my wrist and shoved me into the car. He drove at full speed all the way to the hospital. In the intensive care unit, I saw Caroline lying on the hospital bed. Her face was so pale it had no color at all. When she saw me come in, she instinctively shrank back. Panic filled her expression. “Fiona, I know I was wrong. Please don’t feed me pesticide again, okay? I’ll be obedient. I’ll stay far away from Hector…” “My life was saved by Hector. Even if you wanna kill me, at least let me see Hector one last time, okay?” I was stunned by the groundless accusation. Hector, however, walked over to Caroline, full of tenderness. He carefully pulled her into his arms and soothed her. “Caroline, don’t be afraid. I’m here. No one can harm you.” “If someone wants to bully you, I’ll bully them back twice as hard.” The next second, his tone turned sharp. He looked at me coldly. “Kneel.” I shook my head with tears in my eyes. “I said it already. I didn’t poison her. Why do you never believe me?” “Fiona, I only care about the result. Caroline almost lost her life because of you. You should atone for it.” He kicked the back of my knee and forced my head down. He smashed it hard against the tiled floor. Dizzy pain exploded through me, unbearable and overwhelming. Again. And again. Hector’s commanding voice came into my ears like a demon’s decree. “Apologize to Caroline. Don’t stop until she forgives you.” Warm tears slid down my cheeks and slammed onto the floor. “I was wrong. Please forgive me.” “I’ll never appear in front of you again. I promise I’ll disappear completely and never get in your way again.” When he heard me say I would disappear, Hector’s face darkened. I wiped the blood that had flowed into my eyes and stubbornly lifted my head. “Are you happy now?” Hector frowned and looked at me with a complicated expression. “There’s no need to pretend to be pitiful in front of me. I haven’t forgotten how you caused Caroline’s death in the last life. I already lost her once. I can’t lose her again.” “Since you’ve apologized, get lost now.” He flung me to the ground like a piece of trash. I looked at him one last time. I braced myself against the wall and struggled to stand. With the last of my strength, I pulled open the hospital room door. Then, before I lost consciousness, I completely disappeared from his sight.

While I lay unconscious, memories of my first life drifted back to when I first met Hector Wayne. Back then, I had been running from a marriage my family arranged for me and ended up trapped deep in the mountains. It was eighteen-year-old Hector who appeared like something out of a legend and pulled me out alive. He wore a black T-shirt faded from too many washes, a half-burned cigarette always caught between his fingers. When I insisted on following him, reckless and stubborn, he let out a soft laugh. “I’m just a street thug,” he said. “Some days I eat, some days I don’t. You’re too delicate. There’s no future with me.” I didn’t care. I threw myself into his arms and said, with absolute certainty, “I’m going anywhere you are.” He paused when he was about to push me away. In the end, he pulled me tightly into his embrace. That year, I walked away from the multimillion-dollar career and political marriage my family had prepared for me. Without regret, I moved into a damp basement apartment that cost five hundred a month and called it home with Hector. The place was so run-down that even a light rain would leak through the ceiling. In that air thick with humidity, we clung to each other night after night. Through countless dawns, he lifted me high enough to make the world disappear. And in the heat of it all, he once said he loved me. For ten years, I saw his hands soaked in blood. I also saw him cry late at night. I became an indispensable part of his life. Until the day he brought Caroline in front of me. Caroline looked a lot like me when I was younger. She was stubborn, resilient, pure, and beautiful. Her appearance shattered the fragile balance between Hector and me. When he calmly told me to protect her, my heart clenched with sudden pain. But he had saved my life. I had no reason to refuse him. Later, during the gunfight while we were escaping our enemies, I instinctively used my body to block a fatal shot for him. Caroline was startled by the gunfire. She panicked, lost her footing, and fell off a cliff. None of us knew if she survived. From that moment on, Hector hated me to the bone. So much so that before an enemy’s bullet pierced my forehead, he still had someone pass on a message to me. “Fiona, the thing I regret most in my life is saving you back then.” “What you owe Caroline, you’ll repay with your life.” *** I snapped awake as if from a dream. The moment I opened my eyes, I saw Caroline standing by my bed. She was playing with the metal wristwatch I had once given to Hector. Seeing that I was awake, she stopped pretending. “I heard this was some kind of family heirloom. Hector treasured it so much. What a pity. I only mentioned that Happie needed a collar accessory for his birthday, and he gave the watch to me.” She tilted her head, smiling. “Oh right, Happie is the golden retriever Hector and I are raising together. You should feel honored.” She leaned down with a smile and whispered into my ear. “Who he loves is already obvious, isn’t it? Why are you still shamelessly clinging to him?” “Was the lesson you got in your last life not enough?” I stared at her with widened eyes. “You were reborn too?” She laughed so hard and then looked at me with pity. “Fiona, you don’t really think I’m some naive little girl, do you?” “If I hadn’t faked my death once in the last life to make Hector see where his heart truly lay, do you think he would’ve had the resolve to finish you off?” “If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being too much of an eyesore.” I frowned at her. “But you already have what you wanted. I’ve decided to leave Hector and never come back. Why do you still…” Before I could finish, she cut me off. “That’s far from enough! As long as you’re alive, there will always be a corner of his heart reserved for you. I can never fully have him!” “So you must die!” She picked up the fruit knife from the table and pressed it against my face. The icy touch made every hair on my body stand on end. I looked at her in terror. Her smile only grew more unhinged. The next second, she turned the blade around and stabbed it straight into her own chest. The knife pierced her flesh. Blood soaked through her snow-white dress. She cried and said, “Fiona, I know you hate me. I really didn’t mean to harm you or something. I just wanted to come see you. How could you treat me like this…” I froze. Almost instantly, Hector pushed the door open while carrying a lunch box. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face. “Fiona, if anything happens to Caroline, I’ll take your life!” He didn’t hold back. The force split my lip and sent blood streaming from my nose. The dark muzzle of his gun pressed against my forehead. His eyes were bloodshot as he said, each word trembling with fury, “Caroline is the one I cherish most. You hurt her—you know the rules.” “This is on you.” The gunshot exploded through the room. A searing pain tore through my left leg. Blood poured out, soaking the floor as agony ripped through my body. I collapsed, stunned, watching as Hector carefully lifted Caroline into his arms and carried her out of my sight. Cradled against his chest, she mouthed two words at me. You lost. My nails dug into my palms until they hurt. I let out a hollow laugh at myself. At my own stupidity, and at how completely I had lost. I had already decided to leave, and yet, somewhere deep down, I had still gambled on one thing. That he might trust me. Even a little. I wiped the tears from the corner of my eyes and made up my mind. This would be the last time. That night, numb, I bandaged my wound. Then, without hesitation, I dialed the number of the man waiting for me across the ocean—the fiancé my family had chosen.

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My younger sister passed away suddenly. With trembling hands, I called my wife’s assistant. I wanted to withdraw an advance of eighty dollars from the family fund to buy my sister the simplest wooden coffin. On the other end of the line, the assistant let out a mocking laugh. “Mr. Lester, you again? The ten thousand you asked for was just approved last month, and now you’re asking for money again? Do you think Ms. Jackson’s money comes from a random printing press?” “My sister, she…” Before I could finish, my wife interrupted me. “Ross, even wasting money should have its limits. I’ve transferred three million to you in total. Was that still not enough to treat your sister?” My mind went blank. Three million? The funds her assistant approved were at most fifty dollars a month, and in my worst month, only four cents! My heart went completely cold, and I no longer wanted to explain. I numbly put down my phone and got into the Porsche that had been waiting for me outside my home for eight straight months. The woman in the Porsche gave me a faint smile. I gathered my courage and said, “You said that as long as I divorce her, you’ll give me a black card with no spending limit. Is that true?” She looked at me gently. “Of course it’s true, Ross.” She handed me a pitch-black card with no numbers on it. “The password is your birthday.” I took the card. Its icy touch gave my slightly trembling fingers a sense of reality. “I need to take care of my sister’s funeral first.” “I’ll go with you.” The woman gently held my hand, her tone firm. Twenty minutes later, I stood outside my wife Ruby’s office. Even the massive soundproof door couldn’t block the intimate moans echoing from inside. I didn’t hesitate. Taking a deep breath, I lifted my hand and knocked. “Come in.” Ruby’s voice carried a trace of irritation at being disturbed. I pushed the door open. Even though I had prepared myself mentally, the sight still stabbed my eyes. Her assistant, Nick Rogers, was scrambling to stand up from between her legs, pulling up his zipper while smoothing his wrinkled shirt. Ruby’s face was still flushed as she leisurely smoothed down her tight skirt. When she saw me, she frowned. In the past, I would throw a tantrum on every anniversary because she wouldn’t accompany me. This time, she probably thought the same. I steadied my emotions and handed over a document. “Sign it.” Ruby glanced at the cover and sneered, assuming it was another agreement asking for money. “How much do you want this time?” I didn’t speak or beg her to come home like before, so she unexpectedly added a few more words. “Today is our wedding anniversary. I forgot to prepare anything for you. Take this card and buy yourself something.” She tossed over a secondary card. I didn’t take it and simply repeated, “Sign it.” Impatience finally showed on her face. She picked up the document, flipped straight to the last page without reading a word, and signed her name, Ruby Jackson. It ended our ten-year marriage. Watching her finish, my heart felt hollow, yet at the same time, strangely relieved, as if a weight I had carried for years had finally been lifted. So she remembered that today was our anniversary. But she didn’t know that from today on, this date was no longer just our wedding anniversary. It was also the day when my sister Fiona died. Nick had assumed I came to ask for money again, and then he gave a contemptuous sneer. But when he caught the words “Divorce Agreement” on the document, that contempt instantly turned into uncontrollable joy.

I picked up the signed agreement and turned to leave. “I’ll see Ross out.” Nick quickly followed. Once outside the office, he dragged me into a corner of the hallway. His voice was full of flaunting and humiliation. “At least you know what’s good for you.” He pulled out a wad of crumpled bills from his pocket and slapped them hard into my face. “Take the money. Buy a coffin for your dead sister. Consider it my charity.” Dead sister… How dared he mention my sister? The anger I had been holding back finally exploded. I grabbed his collar and smashed my fist straight into his nose. “My sister was only two hundred dollars short of getting surgery!” “Two thousand! Your approvals dragged on for three months! Three whole months! Until she died, it was never approved!” “And in the end, only four cents hit the account! Did you hear that? Four cents!” I went mad, every punch thrown with all my strength. My sister was killed by him. Because the $200 never came through, I panicked and took on food delivery jobs to scrape together the surgery fee. It was him. He used the excuse that I was damaging Ruby’s image and had people lock me up. When I got out, all that awaited me was my sister’s cold corpse. The doctor said that before she died, she kept calling for her brother. She called and called, until her breathing slowly stopped. “Ah!” Nick let out a scream. Blood sprayed all over my faded leather jacket. Hearing the noise, the office door was violently pushed open. It was Ruby. Seeing us fighting against each other, she didn’t hesitate. She aimed straight at my lower back and kicked me hard. Because I had spent years testing medicine and equipment for her, I had a severe lumbar strain. She knew this better than anyone. The searing pain drained all my strength at once, and I collapsed into a curled heap on the floor. “Ross, what the hell are you doing?” Ruby didn’t even look at me. She rushed straight to Nick and wiped the blood from his face with deep concern. “Are you okay? Does it hurt?” I clutched my aching, weakened spine and laughed bitterly inside. The old Ruby would protect me even if I lost a single strand of hair. Now, for a man who wasn’t even scratched, she showed me no mercy. Seeing Nick’s miserable look, she turned around and raised her hand, delivering a loud slap straight across my face. She almost beat me into unconsciousness. My ears rang, and my mouth filled with the taste of blood. Her eyes were full of disappointment. “I gave you plenty of chances. You’re the one who didn’t cherish them.” “Nick, freeze all his funds and change every password to the villa.” “And Ross. Go to the ancestral hall and take thirty lashes of family punishment. Kneel for three days and three nights. When you’ve figured things out, come back and apologize to Nick.” After that, she supported the still-whimpering Nick and left without looking back. I lay on the icy floor and laughed out loud. Froze my funds? What funds did I even have left? The villa? In that villa, aside from a few old clothes she bought me in college, now washed to a pale white. I had nothing valuable. As for the ancestral hall… It was nothing more than a dark room used to punish me. All these years, stepping into her office without permission would earn me ten lashes. If I failed to book a dress that satisfied her, I’d get ten lashes. Even if I went to the hospital to see my critically ill sister, she would punish me with ten lashes, claiming she felt insecure when I stayed with other women… I clenched the warm black card in my pocket and used every ounce of strength to push myself up from the floor. With a leg that felt ready to give out, I hobbled step by step toward the Porsche waiting downstairs. I had money now. I would buy my sister the best coffin in the entire world.

The car door opened. Elsa saw the bruise on my face and the blood on my body, and her eyes immediately reddened. “No one will dare bully you again, not with me around.” Her voice was hoarse. I had once thought that no woman’s words could be trusted. But she took out from a storage box a watch I had lost in high school and a yellowed science notebook. “Do you remember? That girl who hid in the woods crying because she didn’t do well on the exams.” “It was you who comforted me and even gave me your notes, letting me regain confidence.” “This watch… I found it in the cafeteria. I wanted to return it to you, but you transferred to some other school. Then I never saw you again.” “Now, it’s back where it belongs.” Looking at the watch, my eyes suddenly burned. So there was still someone who really cared about me. I said, gripping her hand, “After I finish my sister’s funeral, we’ll get married.” The funeral for my sister was simple but solemn. I used the money Elsa had given me to choose the best grave and the finest shroud for her. Standing in front of the tombstone, I looked at her radiant smile in the photo, and my heart felt shattered. My phone vibrated. It was a screenshot sent by a former colleague who was still somewhat friendly. It was Ruby’s social media post. Beneath the Maldives sunset, Nick had his arm around her waist. Around his neck hung the anniversary necklace I had painstakingly saved for and given to Ruby last year. The caption, written by Nick, said, “Ms. Jackson has been too tired lately. I’ll take good care of her from now on.” In the photo album, there was also a picture of them shirtless, covered only by a thin sheet hiding their private parts. The background was a messy hotel bed. My heart had already shattered the moment my sister passed away. Now, even the last shred of feelings had been burned away. I opened Ruby’s chat with a blank expression, my fingers tapping on the screen. “Ruby, we’re done. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other.” After sending it, I blocked and deleted all her and Nick’s contact information. I want it to be all finished. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the Maldives, Ruby, flirting with Nick in the pool, suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest and an inexplicable panic. She impatiently pushed away Nick, who was trying to get close again, and picked up her phone, almost instinctively opening the chat with me. She wanted to type something but saw a glaring red exclamation mark pop up on the screen. Ruby froze. “Ross had deleted me?” She couldn’t believe it and immediately called my number. “The number you dialed is switched off.” Panic overtook her. She immediately opened all social media platforms, even something that I had long stopped using. Without exception, everything had been blocked. For the first time, I had completely disappeared from her world in such an absolute way. Ruby’s face instantly darkened to an extreme. But she quickly found a reason to convince herself. “Surely it’s because I didn’t accompany him on our anniversary. He’s just jealous.” She muttered to herself, her gaze regaining that high-and-mighty confidence. “Playing hard to get? Amateurish.” She sneered, then expertly opened a luxury goods app and ordered a bunch of things I had once mentioned wanting, but she had never cared about. She also ordered a limited edition supercar I had dreamed of for a long time. “Book the earliest flight back home.” She commanded Nick beside her, a hint of uncontrollable irritation in her tone. She wanted to return and see me kneeling before her, begging for mercy.

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Seven years ago, a patient died during an emergency rescue I led. They said I didn’t do enough to save him. The family protested outside the hospital with signs, demanding justice. They were there every single day, blocking the entrance and yelling that I should pay with my life. My own father thought I was guilty. When he passed away, he didn’t even let me attend his funeral. The hospital stripped me of everything, and I spent seven years in prison. When I got out, I went north to the forest. I became a ranger. I finally found peace. Then Adrian Cross showed up and ruined everything. He was my ex-husband, and he’d done pretty well for himself. He ran a big hospital by then, and everyone knew his name. His team rolled into the ranger station during a heavy snowstorm, and their vehicles cut through the silent white landscape. Someone’s voice rang out across the clearing. “Dr. Wells, Mr. Cross has been thinking about you this whole time! He’s still wearing his wedding ring!” I saw him standing there in the crowd, looking perfect as always. Just seeing him made me feel sick. Because this man, who supposedly never stopped thinking about me, was the same person who rewrote the medical records seven years ago. He protected his precious first love and made me take the fall for everything.

Snow kept hammering against the window. I opened the door, and Adrian was standing outside in his coat. There wasn’t a single snowflake on him. “Victoria?” He sounded surprised, like he couldn’t believe it was really me. I didn’t answer. My hand grabbed onto the doorframe, and a rough piece of wood jabbed into my palm. It hurt like hell. “Mr. Cross, I heard you were bringing your team out here for winter medical rounds, so I thought I’d stop by and say hello.” Connor, one of the other rangers, squeezed past me from behind. He was rubbing his hands together against the cold and grinning like an idiot. “I’ll just be here for a minute.” My heart jumped, and something twisted in my chest. I didn’t have a choice. I walked outside. The second I stepped through the door, a woman with glasses headed straight for me. I recognized her immediately. She used to work under Rachel Green. I had no idea what she was doing in Adrian’s team back then. “You’re Dr. Wells, aren’t you? Mr. Cross talks about you all the time.” She smiled at me, but there was something pointed in her tone. “He always sayid you were incredible in the ER back in the day. I never thought I’d actually run into you out here.” Adrian cleared his throat suddenly, but his face stayed completely blank. “Why don’t you all wait outside? I need to talk to her alone.” Everyone took the hint and filed out of the cabin. Once they were gone, Adrian finally spoke. “Victoria, am… I too late?” I bit down hard on my lip. When I spoke, my voice came out barely above a whisper. “I wouldn’t dare ask you to come find me, Mr. Cross.” This was the first time I’d ever talked to him like he was a stranger. Adrian frowned and looked me up and down, then moved toward me. “You look… terrible. How’d you end up like this?” Terrible? Was he seriously asking me that right now? I sneered and stepped back without thinking. “Director Cross, if there’s nothing else, you should probably head back. I’ve got patrol rounds to do later.” I shoved my hands into my pockets to hide the chilblains covering them. I didn’t want to give him anything to mock me with. But he just looked at me with that supposedly loving gaze and said, “Vic, does it really have to be like this between us? Actually, there’s something you didn’t know back then…” Just as Adrian was about to step closer, a voice interrupted him. “Ad, didn’t you promise you’d come with me to my prenatal appointment today? How did you forget again?” Rachel had one hand resting on her slightly rounded belly, and she was pouting at Adrian like a spoiled kid. Then she turned to me with this smug look on her face. “Dr. Wells, how nice to see you here. It’s been forever since we last met each other, hasn’t it? Ad and I had plans for laster, so I got so worried that I had to track him down when I couldn’t find him earlier. I hope I’m not interrupting your little reunion.” She looped her arm through Adrian’s like it was the most natural thing in the world. So they already had a baby on the way. Then what the hell was he even doing here? Had he driven all this way just so I could see how happy he was now? I shouldn’t have been surprised. Back when I was the department head, he made me work as Rachel’s assistant just to give her more opportunities. And when the medical accident happened, he threw me under the bus without a second thought. Love like that needed an audience. It always did. I forced a smile, and just as I was about to say something, Rachel’s lackey from earlier piped up again. “Oh Honey, you don’t have to come all the way here. It’s freezing out here. You really need to be careful in your condition. Honestly, you should just stay home and rest. Don’t worry, I’ve got everything under control here.” What a fucking kiss-ass. I didn’t want to deal with any of their bullshit, so I turned around and started closing the door.

My brother, Zachary Wells, called me out of nowhere. I hadn’t heard from him in years. “Listen, Victoria, I’m warning you. Stop bothering Adrian! He’s about to be a father, so quit embarrassing yourself!” I froze. Rachel must’ve complained to him about me. Before I could even process that, Zachary kept going. “You didn’t even show up to Dad’s funeral, and Mom’s health is terrible. Adrian’s been taking care of everything for us these past few years! Don’t you dare cause any more trouble!” I was about to ask him how Mom was doing, but he hung up on me. Right. I went to prison for seven years and the whole family thought I was a disgrace to the Wells name. Before Dad died, he made it clear I wasn’t allowed at his funeral. He didn’t even want my name on his tombstone. Even Zachary and Mom, the two people who used to love me most, treated me like strangers by then. Thinking about Mom made my eyes start to burn. I wondered what they’d all think if they knew the truth. That Adrian and Rachel were the ones who destroyed my life. Adrian’s hand shot out and stopped me from closing the door. “Don’t be too hard on Zach,” he said quietly. “He’s in a tough spot.” “Mom’s been sick ever since Dad passed. Zach’s been handling everything on his own and taking care of her. It’s not easy for him.” He pushed his glasses up his nose and sighed. “Look, I know I didn’t handle things well back then. I’ve been trying to make it up to you all these years.” “If you need anything… I mean, if there’s anything I can do…” I didn’t let him finish. I slammed the door shut. Voices drifted through the gap, loud enough to hear. “Who does she think she is? Does she seriously still think she’s still the ‘Doctor Miracle’?” “The director came here himself and she can’t even be grateful.” “Stop it. If she doesn’t want to see me right now, we’ll go.” That was Adrian’s voice, calm as ever. “We’ve got plenty of time.”

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Just before the New Year, I finally regained my sight after having been blinded in an accident. Overjoyed, I ran without thinking, eager to share the news with my boyfriend and my best friend. But on my way to find them, I paused in my tracks when I noticed several nurses in the lobby looking at a viral poll online. “My best friend lost her parents overnight and became blind.” “For her, I gave up my job abroad and returned home to care for her with her boyfriend for three years.” “But I’ve fallen helplessly in love with her boyfriend. Over these three years, we’ve cautiously shared every kind of intimacy.” “I know deep down this can’t go on—I can’t betray my best friend—so I must leave.” “If this post gets over 100,000 votes supporting my decision to leave, I’ll spend one last New Year with the one I love before flying abroad, never to return.” The moment I saw the poster’s profile picture, I froze—it was a photo I had taken of my best friend myself, before I lost my sight. And the number of votes urging her to stay surpassed those for leaving by a full 10,000. *** I strained my eyes, wishing I could pierce right through the nurse’s phone screen. The poll results were split into two camps—blue and red. Blue supported the poster in staying to pursue true love. Red supported her going abroad and leaving this twisted relationship behind. My breath grew shallow, my mind a muddled haze. In that moment, I almost wished I were still that little blind girl who couldn’t see a thing. I had waited three long years for fate to restore the sight I’d lost—a miracle that should have filled me with joy now left me chilled to the bone. Willow Barnes’s profile picture was a snapshot I’d taken of her back when we were eighteen, leaning against the classroom window. She had kissed me over and over, and used that photo as her profile picture everywhere. “Sweetie, this avatar you took for me—I’m going to use it till I’m eighty!” But now, wearing that same picture, she was breaking my heart in ways I couldn’t bear. Tears fell suddenly onto the phone screen. The nurses all looked my way, launching into an animated discussion. “You think their love triangle is just as messy and tragic, don’t you?” “If it were you, would you want the poster to be with her best friend’s boyfriend, or go abroad?” “We all think the guy should choose the poster. Who’d want to spend their whole life with a blind person? That kind of future would be unbearable. That’s why we voted blue.” My hands, hanging at my sides, trembled uncontrollably. It was true—I was blind, dependent, nothing but a burden to Drystan Ashton. So he had chosen to leave me for someone better. Even though my sight had returned, what right did I have to ask him to come back to me? I couldn’t be that selfish. Fighting back the ache in my nose, I forced a smile and told the nurses, “Yes, you’re right. A guy shouldn’t be tied down for life to a blind person.” “True love deserves to be celebrated—I vote blue too.” I would let them have their happiness. After stepping out of the lobby, I soon saw Willow and Drystan hurrying toward me. My gaze fixed on their tightly entwined figures. Three years had passed—Drystan’s shoulders looked broader, more capable of offering security. Willow was more beautiful than ever, radiant with happiness. The wind was bitter and cold. Drystan wrapped his coat around Willow, the two of them looking like a match made in heaven. As they drew near, Willow made to pull away from his embrace. But Drystan held her firmly, wearing a wounded expression as he leaned down to kiss the corner of her mouth. After a passionate response, Willow glared at him, breathless. It was a silent reminder: She’s right here. Be careful. Don’t slip up. If my sight hadn’t returned, I would never have known that all this time—the casual kisses, the embraces, and surely more—had been happening right in front of me, as if I weren’t even there. I pushed the sorrow down and smiled brightly, speaking first, “Drystan, Willow, is that you? You came to pick me up?”

Willow linked her arm with mine and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “We wouldn’t let you come alone. We were worried.” “My office was swamped today, and Drystan had a situation at the lab,” she explained. “I’m so sorry you had to handle the hospital check-up by yourself.” Drystan’s question was directed at me, but his gaze lingered softly on Willow. “What did the doctor say, Athena? Any progress with your eyes?” I squeezed the report in my hand before tucking it back into my coat. “No change. The doctor said… it might stay this way for years.” A flicker of something—relief?—passed through Drystan’s eyes, and it cut deeper than any blade. Deep down, he didn’t want my eyesight to recover. Of course. My blindness had been convenient for them. He reached out to stroke my hair, the gesture now feeling rehearsed. “Don’t worry, Athena. Willow and I are here. We’re not going anywhere.” “A day, a year, a decade—we’ll wait. We’ll always be with you.” Once, those words would have shattered me with gratitude. Now, I watched the man who had just kissed my best friend tenderly vow his constancy to me, and felt only a hollow, sickening cold. Willow’s fingers brushed my cheek, her concern instant and sharp. “Athena, you’re crying. What’s wrong?” “Did someone say something to you at the hospital? Point them out. I’ll handle it.” Her protectiveness was so real, so fierce, it made the ache in my chest tighten. I shook my head, forcing a smile. “Just the wind. It’s nothing. Really.” She shrugged off her jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. “It’s freezing. Wear this. Come on, let’s get what we need for dinner.” The fabric held no warmth. Drystan frowned, immediately shedding his own coat and draping it over Willow’s shoulders with practiced ease. She lifted her arms to accommodate him—a small, intimate dance they’d clearly perfected while I lived in the dark. Three days until New Year’s Eve. The supermarket was bustling. Willow kept my arm tucked in hers, her voice bright with plans for our eighteenth holiday together. “Make sure to pick up extra button mushrooms—they’re Athena’s absolute favorite.” “Drystan, did you remember the chicken thighs? I’m going to make her honey garlic chicken tonight!” He smiled at her, a look of pure fondness. “Already in the cart. She’s my girlfriend. I know what she likes.” The chill in my veins deepened. I had seen the cart before Willow spoke. It was already full—with Willow’s preferred cuts of meat, her favorite drinks and snacks. Her needs came first now. The man I’d loved for ten years was gone, his heart and attention wholly elsewhere. They chatted on, oblivious, mapping out the feast. Then, a wobble from a high shelf. Boxes teetered. Before my mind could process the danger, Drystan moved. As my hand instinctively reached for him, he was already there—but not for me. He wrapped his arms around Willow and pulled her to safety. “Willow, watch out!” My hand closed on empty air. The world tilted. A crushing weight slammed into my shoulder, and my head struck the sharp metal edge of the shelf. Pain, white and hot, erupted. Then, the warm, coppery trickle of blood down my temple, blurring the vision in one eye. Across the aisle, Drystan was cupping Willow’s face, his voice urgent. “Are you hurt? Did anything hit you?” Willow, breathless with shock, leaned into him. “I’m okay. You got me out just in time.” They had forgotten me. It was a store employee who helped me up, her voice alarmed. “Miss, your head—you’re bleeding badly. You need to go to the emergency room.” Only then did their heads turn. “Athena!” They rushed over, a united front of concern. “Why didn’t you move?” “Don’t be scared, we’ll take you to the hospital.” I shook my head, the movement making the world swim. “No hospital. Just… a clinic. Please. I don’t want to go back there.” I couldn’t let them find out. Not now. Reluctantly, they agreed. After a hurried trip to a local clinic for stitches and a bandage, they took me home. Now, I was not just the blind girl, but the scarred one too. A perfect picture of pitiful ruin.

The moment I stepped inside, a sharp pang pierced my chest. Beyond the ubiquitous corner guards and safety padding, the entire apartment was saturated with Willow’s presence. This was the tiny nest Drystan and I had scraped together to buy after graduation. But during my years of blindness, the walls had become a gallery of their intimate photographs. The balcony overflowed with hydrangeas—her favorite flower. All my own plants and flowers had long since withered and died. This wasn’t my home anymore. It felt more like I had stumbled into Drystan and Willow’s love nest. Drystan took my hand and led me to the sofa. “Athena, I couldn’t push you out of the way in time earlier, and you got hurt. Are you angry with me?” “I’m sorry. I failed to protect you.” I feigned a vacant stare ahead. “It’s okay, Drystan. I don’t blame you. The boxes weren’t secured properly.” He bent down and kissed the back of my hand, his relief palpable. “Good. Just sit tight. I’ll make us dinner.” I smiled and nodded. He and Willow went into the kitchen together. Their banter was playful, flirtatious, as they prepped the ingredients. Quietly, I pulled out my seldom-used phone and found Willow’s post. Right now, the votes supporting her staying with Drystan had reached 100,000. The likes supporting her going abroad stood at 90,000. I finished reading in silence, then booked a one-way ticket out of Riveraee. Only after switching off my phone did I notice the heated exchange coming from the kitchen. Drystan, sounding frantic, was pulling Willow toward the bedroom. Battling the turmoil inside, I quietly followed. Through the crack in the door, I saw Drystan shove his phone in front of Willow’s face. His voice trembled. “Willow, what is this post? You’re planning to leave me? Go abroad?” He had discovered her exit strategy. Willow’s eyes instantly welled up. She buried her face in her hands, sinking to the floor with a sob. “Athena’s eyes will recover eventually. How am I supposed to face her? How can I shamelessly tell her I’ve fallen in love with you?” “Drystan, you are Athena’s boyfriend. I’m just… the best friend who betrayed her, a secret she can’t ever know about.” “I can’t face her. Running away is my only choice. Please, don’t push me.” Drystan slowly knelt before her, gathering her into his arms. With a reverence that was tender, he kissed the tears from her cheeks. “Willow, don’t go. We’re in love. How can we just walk away?” “The doctor said it could be years before Athena’s sight returns. She’ll never know.” “And look—100,000 people online support us, support our love. Are you just going to ignore that?” The warmth drained from my fingertips. Maybe if I were still that blind girl, I could have lived in ignorance forever. I wouldn’t have had to lose my boyfriend and my best friend at the same time. But here I was, forced to watch them kiss, comfort each other, and plan a future—right in front of me. Willow clutched at Drystan’s shoulders, her voice choked with anguish. “Drystan, my conscience is eating me alive every second. Let fate decide. If, after the New Year, the votes for me leaving break 100,000… then I’m going. No matter what. Let me go. You belong to Athena, not to me.” Agony etched across Drystan’s face. He held her tighter, his own voice breaking. “Alright. I want you to be happy… even if the price is losing you.” The taste of salt filled my mouth. I covered it with my hand, turned, and silently walked away.

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While tidying up my son, Eden Gilbert’s room, I chanced upon his blood donation record, clearly listing his blood type as Type B. Yet both my husband, Carl Gilbert, and I, Eve Bronte, had Type O blood. How could we have a child with Type B blood? I took the record to Carl. He was usually polite, but this time he flew into a rage on the spot. “Eden is already in college! What else do you want? Are you being paranoid? Have you lost your mind?” I insisted on doing a paternity test. But he slapped me hard twice, stormed out, and locked the door from the outside. Listening to the sound of the lock turning, I suddenly laughed. Eighteen years of marriage, with all my heart and soul given, and it turned out to be all in vain. Calmly, I picked up my phone and called Carl’s competing company. “I agree to transfer the patent to you.” After hanging up the phone, a sense of desolation filled my heart. Over the years, so many leading companies had tried to woo me with attractive offers. Yet I had turned them all down for Carl and Eden, content to be the unsung person behind Gilbert Group. I had given Gilbert Group a patent worth tens of billions, yet I hadn’t received a single cent in dividends. Now, looking back, it seemed incredibly foolish. I sat on the sofa until three a.m. Carl didn’t come home until late at night. In the darkness, neither of us spoke. In those eighteen years, we had had good times. During his early entrepreneurial days, I stayed up with him to revise plans, dozing off on his shoulder when tired. He always said to me, “Eve, once the company grows, I’ll give you the best.” Later, the company did thrive. He became so busy that he was rarely seen at home, always collapsing into bed right after he got home. Whenever I complained about my loneliness, he said, “Don’t you have Eden with you?” When I wanted to attend a concert, he said, “Let the secretary accompany you. I really can’t spare the time.” Gradually, I stopped asking for anything. I thought this was how marriage worked. From passion to calmness, from love to something that felt more like family obligation. Now, thinking back, I suddenly realized this whole family thing seemed to only work for me. To him, our love had long turned into something else. When dawn broke, I went to the kitchen, only to meet Carl, who hadn’t cooked for a long time. “Morning.” He looked back at me with dark circles under his eyes. “I made breakfast.” On the dining table were milk, toasted bread, and slightly burnt fried eggs. He also sat down, and neither of us mentioned what had happened the day before. “Eden is coming back next week.” Holding the cup, my hand paused for a moment. “Mm.” His voice lowered. “Eve, don’t read too much into it, okay? I promise I’ll spend more time with you and Eden.” I looked up at him. I had seen this face for eighteen years, from youthful to mature. I used to be able to tell whether his smile was genuine or fake, whether he was happy or troubled. Now, I couldn’t see through it anymore. Without looking up, I responded softly, “When will we run the paternity test?” The tenderness on his face froze for a moment and slowly faded. “Do you really have to do this?” His knife and fork clattered onto the plate, making a crisp sound. I suddenly remembered when Eden was young, everyone said he looked like Carl, but no one ever said he looked like me. I stood on the balcony, watching his car drive out of the garage before going to the study. A divorce agreement and a property division agreement were on the table. I had a hundred percent interest in the patent that had supported Gilbert Group until now. But after so much time, Carl seemed to have already taken it as his own. My phone rang. It was my mother, Sera Bronte. “Eve, are you feeling better today?” Her voice was cheerful. “By the way, your sister is coming back next week. Carl knew you were not in a good mood, so he bought the ticket for Molly.” “He has arranged a director position for her in Gilbert Group. It’s been a long time since you two sisters have seen each other. Next week, let’s have a family dinner together.”

Molly Bronte. The name made my eyelids twitch. She was back, arranged by Carl. I had worked so hard for the company for years without even a title, yet she was given a director position as soon as she returned from abroad. Scattered memories suddenly flooded my mind. When had Carl and Molly become so close? I pursed my lips and kept my voice calm. “What time? I’ll cook.” “Oh, no, dear. We’ll bring the dishes. You just rest well,” my mother paused. “Eve, listen to me. Be affectionate towards Carl at night. You know men. They are just too proud.” I didn’t want to continue the conversation, so I mumbled a few words and hung up the phone. Then I booked an expedited service with a paternity testing center outside the state. After doing that, I went to Eden’s room to collect his hair. Once I sent the hair to the testing center, I messaged a private detective to investigate Carl’s financial transactions. Twelve hours later, the report from the testing center arrived in my email. I sat in the study for a long time before opening the file. I went straight to the last page. “Eve Bronte is excluded as the biological mother of Eden Gilbert based on DNA analysis.” Although I already knew the truth in my heart, my hands still trembled uncontrollably when I saw it in black and white. It had been eighteen years. I felt short of breath, and the world around me seemed to spin. I closed the file, stood up, and walked to the window. Outside the window was Merybridge in autumn, with the sycamore leaves beginning to turn yellow. In the distance, the Ferris wheel in the amusement park slowly rotated. I seemed to see the happy times when we were a family of three. Once, I thought they would be the two people I would protect with my whole life. My phone vibrated. It was the preliminary report from the detective. Several screenshots of bank statements and a few transfer records. A monthly remittance from Carl’s personal account to an overseas account, which had continued for at least ten years. And the account holder of that overseas account was Molly. The amount was no small sum, enough for a person to live a very comfortable life abroad. On the last page, the detective added a line. [Ms. Molly Bronte owns a property overseas, purchased nineteen years ago, paid in full.] The year I was found to be pregnant was the same year Molly went abroad. A sudden suspicion flashed through my mind. *** As expected, my parents arrived on the weekend, laden with bags of food. Molly followed behind them, dressed in a beige suit and carrying an exquisite gift box. “Eve,” she said with a smile, walking over to hug me. But I slightly sidestepped to avoid her. Her smile froze for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. “It’s been a long time. I’ve brought you a gift.” The dining table was filled with dishes. My mother bustled around, while my father, Oliver Bronte, and Carl chatted about company matters in the living room. Molly naturally took the seat next to Carl. I frowned but said nothing. During the meal, as Molly reached for a dish, a jade bracelet caught my eye on her wrist. I was transfixed. I had seen that bracelet two years ago at an auction. It exhibited exceptional translucency with a vivid, uniform emerald-green hue throughout. I really loved it, but I didn’t have the heart to buy it, considering the price. Carl had said at the time, “If you like it, bid for it. Money is not a problem.” I replied, “It’s too expensive. Forget it.” When I asked about it later, he said it had already been sold to someone else. Now, it was on Molly’s wrist. “Eve, what are you looking at?” Molly noticed my gaze and smiled, turning her wrist. “Isn’t this bracelet beautiful? Carl gave it to me. He said it suits me.” Carl, who was sipping soup, choked and looked up at me. “It’s a welcome gift for Molly’s new job.” “Right, right,” my mother quickly intervened, smoothing things over. “We’re all family. What’s the harm in giving a gift? Eve, you’re not that stingy, are you?” I didn’t speak, just focusing my gaze on Carl. He avoided my gaze. Molly smiled again, her voice gentle. “Eve, don’t misunderstand. I just think some things look better when worn by the right person. Like this bracelet, doesn’t it look more transparent on my hand than in the auction house?” As she spoke, her eyes were on Carl. I was all too familiar with that look. It was tinged with triumph, with the possessiveness a woman had when looking at her man. After the meal, Molly volunteered to wash the dishes. Carl got up to help, and the two of them went into the kitchen, one after the other. I sat in the living room, listening to the sound of water and whispers coming from the kitchen. I couldn’t make out the words, but Molly’s occasional laughter was so obvious. My mother sat beside me. “Eve, look how sensible Molly is, even offering to help. She’s come back this time to support Carl wholeheartedly. You should stop frowning all the time and talk to her more.” My father also spoke up. “It’s never easy for Carl to have built the company to this size. You should be glad that he has a family’s assistance. As Molly’s big sister, you should be more magnanimous.” I turned to look at my father. “Dad, Carl is your son-in-law, and Molly is your adopted daughter. Don’t you think they’re getting a bit too close?” My father’s face darkened. “What nonsense are you talking about? Molly grew up under our watchful eyes, just like you. What’s wrong with her helping her brother-in-law?” “Just like me?” I repeated softly. “What if I tell you that Eden might not be my biological child?” My parents were stunned. My mother recovered first, grabbing my hand fiercely. “Eve! You can’t just say things like that! How could Eden not be your child? Are you just overthinking again?” My father slapped the table. “Enough! You really are insane! Carl was right. You should see a doctor!” Their reactions extinguished the last flicker of hope in my heart. In their eyes, only people like Carl, who could bring them direct benefits, mattered. But they didn’t know that Carl had become who he was today only because of me. That evening, after everyone had left, I said to Carl. “Next week, I’m going to stay at the old house for a few days to sort out some old things.” He didn’t ask further and nodded. “Need a drive?” “Nope.”

The old house was where I lived before I got married. Over the years, my parents had moved to a new community, leaving this place vacant. I rummaged through the attic for old belongings. In an old leather trunk, I found things that Molly hadn’t taken with her back then. Several diaries, some photos, and a small iron box. I opened the box, revealing a stack of letters. The topmost envelope was already yellowed, addressed to “Dear Carl.” The handwriting was elegant, unmistakably Molly’s. I pulled out the letter and unfolded it. “Dear Carl, you came to see Eve again today. The way you smiled at her made my heart ache. I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but I really fancy you.” There was another letter below. “Dear Carl, I heard you’re getting married. Eve is so lucky and happy. If only I had met you first, would things be different?” My hands began to tremble as I continued to flip through the letters. The last item was not a letter but a photograph. In the photo, Molly stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Carl under a cherry blossom tree, her head slightly leaning on his shoulder, her hand resting on her stomach. On the back of the photo was a small line of text: [The unloved one is always the outsider.] I held the photo, my fingertips cold. So it had been that early, and I had been a fool, kept in the dark for so many years. Then where had my real child gone? I took out my phone, took a deep breath, and sent a message to the detective. [Help me check the birth records and surveillance from Merybridge Maternity Hospital on June 21st, eighteen years ago, 3:00 PM.] [Also, look into Molly’s records abroad eighteen years ago, focusing on whether she has any childbirth records.] At that moment, my phone vibrated. It was a notification from the home smart app. [Abnormal movement detected in the house security camera.] I furrowed my brow. At this hour, Carl should have been at the company, and the maid had taken the day off. I tapped on the app, and the live feed loaded. The living room camera was aimed at the sofa area, where Molly appeared. Carl was lounging on the sofa, his tie loosely hanging around his neck. Molly had changed into a somewhat sheer silk strapless dress that clung softly to her body. She sat on Carl’s lap, her fingers slowly unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt. Instead of pushing her away, Carl raised his hand, sliding it down her hair and finally resting it on her waist, giving it a gentle squeeze. Carl’s breathing had noticeably become heavier. The light fell on them, entwined so closely that they seemed inseparable. I watched the screen, feeling a chill in my stomach and a wave of nausea rising, clogging my throat. “Carl, dear,” her voice was so soft it seemed to drip with moisture, “do you realize how much it hurts every time Eden calls me ‘Aunt’? He should be calling me…” “Molly!” Carl interrupted her sharply, turning his face away to avoid her touch. But his hand, still gripping her wrist, did not let go. At that moment, it felt as if something inside me shattered completely. The subsequent scenes were too intimate to bear. The recording ended. I closed the app and tossed my phone aside. My stomach churned so violently that I had to rush to the bathroom sink and retched. But nothing came out, only a burning pain that spread from my chest throughout my body. My phone vibrated incessantly on the bed. It took me a while to compose myself before I went back to check. Messages from the detective kept pouring in. [Ms. Bronte, found it.] [Molly Bronte entered Gullspit in July eighteen years ago and gave birth to a full-term baby boy at a private hospital in Witchfen in August. The blood type was recorded as B.] [We’ve retrieved the records from the Merybridge Maternity Hospital on the day of your childbirth. Between three and five in the afternoon, two baby girls were born. The hospital has since closed down, and the records are lost.] [But when Molly went to Gullspit again in November of that year, she was accompanied by a baby girl about five months old.] [She currently works illegally in a local restaurant. According to the restaurant owner and neighbors, she lives in poverty, is very reclusive, and often has unexplained bruises on her body. Molly collects most of her wages through an intermediary every month.] Photos were attached at the end. One showed a back alley with a thin figure carrying an enormous garbage bag. Another showed a corner of the restaurant, where she was huddled on a stool, eating cold leftovers with a blank expression on her face. The most recent one was a close-up of her arm, covered in bruises. She was so far away, doing the hardest work and getting beaten, while the money she earned was handed over to the woman who had stolen everything from her. An overwhelming wave of hatred engulfed me in an instant. I stood up, and my vision went black for a few seconds. I steadied myself against the wall, digging my fingernails into my palm. The pain brought me back to my senses. I cried for a long time until my tears ran dry, leaving only a burning ache in my chest. I sent all the information, including the surveillance footage, to my lawyer and then called the rival company of Gilbert Group. “I’ll sign the patent authorization tomorrow, but I have one condition: Gilbert Group must go bankrupt.” There was a low chuckle from the other end, and a cool male voice came through, affirmative in tone. “No problem.” After hanging up, I looked at all the evidence on my phone. I thought, “Carl, I can raise you as high as I want, and I can bring you down just as hard!”

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