Author: Momo Chan

I poured all the freshly boiled herbal medicine into the toilet. With a whoosh, it was all gone. Mom rushed in, trembling with anger, and slapped me hard across the face. “Fiona! We bought the medicine with the money that your father earned from selling his blood! Are you crazy?” My face burned with pain. I clenched my teeth and didn’t cry. I had to act worse, so that when I died, they wouldn’t be too sad. This morning, I saw the ultrasound report. It was twins. How nice. Our family could only afford two kids, not three. I was the extra one. “The medicine is too bitter! I hate it! I hate you two!” I shouted, shoved Dad away, and crawled into bed. Under the blanket, I pressed my hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t make a sound. It hurt again. Something inside me was biting and chewing, and I couldn’t stop it. It was okay. Ferryman had already come once. In a few days, they would be able to raise those two little babies. “Good night, Dad, Mom. This is the last time I make you angry.” *** The bathroom was full of the smell of herbal medicine, bitter and astringent. The dark liquid ran down the white porcelain and was finally swept away by the water. Mom stood at the door, breathing heavily, still holding the empty bowl. “Fiona, do you know how much this bowl of medicine costs?” I lowered my head and looked at the hole in the toe of my shoe. I’d worn these shoes for three years. My big toe always poked through. “Two hundred.” Mom slammed the bowl to the ground. The bowl broke, and one piece cut across my calf. Blood seeped out, warm and sticky, but I barely noticed. Nothing could compare to the agony twisting inside my stomach. “Your father works at the construction site and even sells blood, all just to keep you alive!” Mom rushed over and grabbed my shoulders, shaking me. She was five months pregnant. Her belly bulged, trembling under that old sweater from anger. “I’m not drinking it!” I lifted my head and tried to make my eyes look fierce. “It tastes awful, like pee!” Mom slapped me again. This time she slapped me on the other side of my face. Both sides were swollen now, perfectly symmetrical. “You heartless ingrate!” The door was pushed open. Dad came back. He was wearing dusty work clothes, holding two steamed buns. When he saw the spilled medicine and broken pieces on the floor, he froze. His eyes were bloodshot. “Bella, what happened?” Dad’s voice was hoarse, completely drained. “She poured the medicine away.” Mom burst into tears and pointed at the toilet. “Freshly boiled, all poured away. She said it tasted awful.” Dad walked over. The smell of sweat and cement rushed into my nose. That smell reminded us of his fighting desperately for this family. He looked at me. His gaze went from fatigue, to disappointment, and finally to anger. “Fiona, I was drawn 400 cc today.” He rolled up his sleeve. There was a bandage in the crook of his arm, needle marks everywhere, bruised blue and purple. “In exchange for this batch of medicine.” He squatted down so his eyes were level with mine. “You poured it away?” I looked at his bruises, my heart twisting in pain. I wanted to ask him to stop selling blood, because the doctor said I was about to die soon, and no medicine could save me. I wanted to tell them that they had to save money for the two new babies. But I couldn’t say that. If I said it, they would go borrow money again, beg people again, sell their lives again. I had to be a bad, ungrateful child. “Yeah, I did.” I lifted my chin stubbornly. “I don’t wanna take the medicine bought with blood-selling money. TV says selling blood isn’t allowed.” Dad raised his hand. That hand was rough, full of calluses and dirt. I closed my eyes and waited. But the slap never came. Instead, he punched the wall beside me. Bang! A bloody mark was left on the wall. “Get lost.” He pointed at my room. “Get back to your room! Don’t let me see you.” I turned around and ran into the storage room that was less than five square meters. That was my bedroom. I closed the door and slid down against it. My stomach churned violently. I coughed up blood into my palm and quickly wiped it away with my sleeve. I couldn’t let them see. Outside the door came Mom’s sobbing and Dad’s heavy sigh. “This child is ruined. We can’t raise her right.” “We still got two babies on the way. Gotta educate them properly. Can’t raise another kid like her.” I curled up under the blanket, tears flowing into my mouth. It was salty. That was exactly what I wanted. I wanted them to hate me and despise me. And when I died, they wouldn’t be sorry. In the corner stood a tall uncle in a black suit, his face pale, holding a notebook. He was the Ferryman, guiding souls to the other side. Only I could see him. “Fiona, three days left.” “I know.” I pulled the blanket over my head. “Can you make it faster? I wanna leave tonight.” “No. The time hasn’t come yet.” Ferryman closed his notebook and disappeared into the corner of the wall. The pain gnawed at my stomach again. I bit the corner of my pillow and swallowed my sobs. Three days left. In these three days, I had to make them completely give up on me.

The next morning at breakfast, there were only two steamed buns on the table, a plate of pickles, and two bowls of steamed egg custard. I quickly finished the bowl in front of me and then stared at Mom’s bowl. “I want more!” Ever since my illness was diagnosed, all the family’s money had gone to buy medicine for me. Our food got worse and worse, and any good food was saved for me and my pregnant mom. Dad stopped eating and frowned at me. “Your mom is carrying your younger brother. She needs the nutrition.” “I want more!” I stood up and reached out to grab that bowl. “Fiona!” Dad shouted. I ignored him and stuck my hand straight into the bowl, grabbing a handful of egg and stuffing it into my mouth. It was hot, very hot. But I chewed desperately, smacking my lips, oil dripping all over my mouth. Then I deliberately tried to knock the bowl over. Mom reacted quickly and caught the bowl, but the soup spilled all over the table, and she burst into tears from anger. Dad stood up and grabbed me by the collar. “You think we won’t hit you?” “Hit me then!” I kicked my legs and spat the egg scraps in my mouth onto his face. “Beat me to death and you won’t have to spend money on my medicine! Perfect, you can raise those two little brats!” Dad’s hands were shaking. He threw me back onto the chair. The chair overturned. I fell to the ground, my tailbone aching terribly. But I quickly got up, dusted myself off, slung on my backpack, and ran out. “Fine! I’ll go buy snacks at school!” Dad shouted behind me, “Stop! Where did you get the money?” The moment the door closed, I heard the sound of bowls and plates shattering, and Dad’s desperate roar. “This must be punishment for something I did in the past. What kind of sin did I commit?” I actually had no money. In my pocket was only that crumpled photocopy of the diagnosis report. The last time at the hospital, I secretly took it from the doctor’s desk. It said late stage and already metastasized. I tore it up and threw it into the trash. Ferryman appeared again, floating beside me. “Why bother doing this? Making them hate you, you won’t feel at peace when you go.” “What’s the use of peace?” I kicked a small stone on the roadside. “If they love me, they’ll cry sadly when I die.” “If they hate me, when I die they’ll just curse me and then go on with their lives.” When I passed by a bun shop, I wanted to eat one, but I couldn’t. If I ate, I’d keep vomiting. I walked to the school gate but didn’t go in. I didn’t want to study anymore. I wouldn’t be able to take exams anyway. I sat on a park bench all day, watching other kids run around, watching other parents wipe their children’s sweat and feed them water. It seemed so nice. In the future, my younger brother and sister could live like that too. When I got home in the evening, there was a thick stack of money on the table. It was Dad’s wages for the day, and borrowed money. Dad said while smoking, “We’ll go to a big hospital tomorrow. Let’s get you checked again. Even if we have to sell the house, we’ll treat you.” Panic shot through me. I couldn’t go—if I did, the money would be wasted. That money should be used on my little brother and sister, for their milk, their survival. I walked to the table and grabbed the stack of money. “What are you doing?” Mom looked at me warily. “I want a new phone. Everyone in my class has one except me.” “Are you crazy?” Dad crushed out his cigarette and rushed over to grab the money. “This is life-saving money!” “I don’t want treatment! It won’t work anyway!” I hugged the money tightly and ran toward the door. “I just want a phone! I wanna play games!” “Fiona!” Dad caught up and kicked the back of my knee. I fell to the ground. My knee hit the floor hard. The money was scattered everywhere. Dad pinned me down and slapped me. This was the first time he’d ever hit me this hard. “I’ll beat the crap out of you, you ungrateful brat! I sell blood and risk my life, and you just wanna play games?” “Do you know your mother won’t even buy herself a new piece of clothing?” It hurt, but I laughed out loud. “Hahahaha! That’s because you’re useless!” “Why have children if you’re so poor? You give birth to us just to suffer!” Dad stopped. He looked at me, his voice trembling. “What did you say?” “I said you’re useless. You deserve to be poor!” Dad slowly straightened up—then, in that single moment, he seemed to age ten years. His back bent, his shoulders sagging under an invisible weight. “Fine. From today on, you’re not my daughter!” He bent down and picked up the money one bill at a time, wiping each one clean. Mom sat on the sofa, holding her belly, her eyes hollow. She didn’t even have the strength to curse me anymore. I struggled up, limped back to my room and then closed the door. I took out a hundred-dollar bill hidden in my sleeve. I’d secretly slipped it in during the chaos. I pressed it under my pillow. This was the meeting gift I left for my brother and sister. It wasn’t much, but I did my best. Ferryman stood at the bedside and looked at me. “Two days left.” “Alright.” I curled up and gently rubbed my knee. That kick really hurt. But I was okay with it. This way, you wouldn’t feel sorry for me two days later.

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Ten years ago, I caught my wife Emily Taylor making out with my adopted brother Jason Lewis. I completely lost control, slapped them both, and trashed the entire room. Faced with my breakdown, my wife didn’t explain anything. She just calmly watched me go crazy. That very night, she had me restrained and sent to prison. Before I was taken away, she prepared all my favorite dishes and spoke gently. “Thomas, Jason was frightened by you. I have to lock you up and you need to calm down. I’ll coax him first, and once he’s settled, I’ll come get you.” But I actually stayed in prison for ten years. Ten years later, when I was released, I went to a small town. I kept a low profile and worked as a server in a small restaurant. Until I saw my ex-wife Emily again. She was dressed head to toe in luxury brands, with exquisite makeup. When she saw me, she froze, then grabbed my hand with reddened eyes. “Thomas, you’re out! Why didn’t you tell me?” “It’s been so many years… How are you?” I gave a bitter smile and touched my head through my hat. I had no hair left. Ten years of torment had long given me cancer. Actually, I only had one month left to live. *** I didn’t answer her. I just tugged my padded jacket sleeve down, trying to hide the needle marks lining my arm. Emily was about to speak again when the boss shouted from over there. “Thomas, what are you doing? Go clear that table!” I responded briefly and hurried away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emily try to call out to me, but after opening her mouth, she never made a sound. I served her dishes. She only ordered a braised fish, a bowl of spicy lamb soup, and a pot of wine. I frowned. She was allergic to fish and hated the smell of lamb, yet these were exactly my two favorite dishes. Unfortunately, because of stomach cancer, I hadn’t eaten them for many years. With a blank expression, I set the dishes in front of her. “Ma’am, all your dishes are here. Please enjoy.” After saying that, I turned to leave, but Emily grabbed my sleeve. “Thomas, all of these are for you. Sit down and have a drink with me, okay?” I froze where I stood, remembering how, before sending me to prison, she had prepared my favorite dishes just like this, followed immediately by ten years of hell. When she saw me stay silent, she continued, “Please, let’s talk.” I sighed and finally sat down across from Emily. She poured me a glass of wine. “Thomas, when you were released, I was going to pick you up. But when I got there, I couldn’t find you.” “I asked around in the prison about you, but they all said that you were dead.” I didn’t touch the wine or the food. “Not dead. Sorry to disappoint you, Ms. Emily.” Unexpectedly, Emily suddenly became emotional and leaned in to grab my hand. “Thomas, I admit I wronged you back then. Come back with me, okay? I’ll make it up to you!” “In three days it’s your dad’s sixtieth birthday. Come back with me. I’ll explain everything for you.” Back then, just to make my adopted brother Jason happy, and also out of fear that I would expose the scandal, Emily fabricated evidence that I had taken bribes at the company, condemning me to ten unjust years in prison. And my parents, without bothering to find out the truth, cut off all ties with me on the spot and cursed me as a parasite of society. Hearing Emily’s words, the pain and despair of those years surged back once again. I forced myself to suppress the overwhelming agony, but my body still trembled uncontrollably. “Explain? How are you gonna do that?” “Tell them all those shameless things between you and Jason?” Because I was emotionally agitated, my voice rose a little. In an instant, the surrounding curious and gossiping gazes all turned toward us. I abruptly stood up and walked away.

I thought I would never see Emily again. After all, how much genuine remorse could there be from someone who personally sent me to hell? But early the next morning, just as I arrived at work, I saw her already waiting at the entrance. When she saw me, she hurried over and said, “Thomas, you used to be a top engineer. Now you’re stuck in a restaurant like this. Can you really accept this?” I sneered and said, “Wasn’t my life already destroyed by you? And now you say this? Don’t you find it disgusting?” After hearing my words, Emily choked for a moment, panic flashing across her face. Just as she was about to explain, I went inside. Emily didn’t leave. She ordered a plate of food and a pot of tea and stayed in the restaurant all day. I ignored her and stayed busy as usual. Near the end of my shift, my stomach suddenly twisted in pain, and I felt like throwing up. I forced myself to endure the pain, staggering back a step, and accidentally knocked over a glass of red wine on a customer’s table. The wine spilled all over him. The man froze for a moment. Before I could even apologize, he slapped me hard. “Damn it, are you blind? This outfit is a luxury brand. Can you afford to pay for it?” The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. Ignoring my apologies, he kicked me hard in the stomach, sending me crashing to the ground. Then he picked up the red wine from the table and poured it over my head. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. With a retch, I vomited blood. The bright red liquid mixed with the red wine, soaking me in a bloody mess. Still not satisfied, the man lifted his foot to kick me again, but someone shoved him aside. Emily, her eyes blazing red, stood firmly in front of me and roared. “Don’t you touch him again!” The man was about to curse, but when he saw the look in Emily’s bloodshot eyes, a trace of fear flashed across his face. After muttering a couple of more curses, he quickly fled the restaurant. Emily carefully helped me up, her face full of concern. “Thomas, all this blood…” I looked at the red stains covering my clothes and said in a flustered voice, “It’s just some red wine.” After saying that, I pushed Emily away and fled. The next day, I resigned from my job. I had only taken the job to earn money for chemotherapy and medicine. Now that I was going to die anyway, there was no need to keep working. What’s more, my greatest wish now was to stay as far away from Emily and the others as possible. At the very least, I wanted to die in peace. There were no formal procedures for resigning. I just needed to tell the boss, settle my wages, and I could leave. As soon as I walked out of the restaurant, I remembered that my last checkup report was still at the hospital. I decided to go get it and buy some painkillers. But just after I picked up the report at the hospital, I saw a familiar figure. It was my adopted brother, Jason. And standing beside him were Emily and my biological parents. Jason was the first to see me. He froze in place, and after a long moment, spoke in disbelief. “Thomas? You’re not dead?” I glanced at the medicine he was carrying. It was from the obstetrics building, and on the bag was written the pregnant woman’s name. It was Emily. Only then did I notice that, though not obvious, Emily’s lower abdomen was indeed slightly rounded. Even after ten years, seeing this with my own eyes still felt like a piece of my heart being torn out alive. I gave a self-mocking smile. “Still alive. Disappointed?”

At those words, I saw a flash of malice on Jason’s face, but he still put on a wronged expression as he spoke. “Thomas, I know you hate that I married Emily.” “But you already divorced her, and ten years ago you did something wrong and went to prison. You can’t expect her to wait for you forever, right?” Emily also spoke up. “Mom and Dad are both here. Just apologize. Tomorrow is Dad’s birthday. They’ll forgive you.” I sneered. It was clearly their fault. Why should I be the one apologizing? I said bluntly, “You all know very well what the truth was ten years ago. Why should I apologize?” At that moment, my parents finally noticed me. They looked much older. Not yet sixty, yet their hair was almost completely white, their backs already hunched. When they saw me, they froze as well. My mom reacted first, frowning as she spoke. “Why have you gotten so thin? Did you smoke or something?” “You did something wrong ten years ago. After getting out of prison you didn’t come look for us? Clearly you’re guilty!” I was stunned, and it took me a long moment to understand what she meant. How ridiculous. Ten years without seeing me, they didn’t ask how I’d been at all. Her first reaction was suspicion that I had caught bad habits. That was the image I had in their eyes! I laughed until tears came out. Seeing me laugh, my dad frowned too. “Your mom’s right. You’re abnormally thin.” As he spoke, without any explanation, he grabbed me and dragged me toward the hospital’s testing area. “Come with me for a urine test!” His voice was loud, instantly drawing a crowd. In the scuffle, my dad shoved me to the ground. My head hit the corner of a nearby table, blood streaming down my forehead. Because I was emotionally agitated, my stomach started hurting again. Cold sweat quickly soaked through my clothes. At that moment, Emily spoke again. Her tone was gentle, laced with worry. “Thomas, I didn’t notice yesterday. You’re really too thin now. I also think you should do the test.” “At worst, we’ll take you to rehab. It’s not too late.” Jason also put on a show of concern. “Thomas, I know you’re miserable, but you can’t keep making more mistakes!” They were still so condescending. Why? I hadn’t done anything wrong. Why did they always think I did something wrong? Why did I have to pay for their imagination? My dad reached out to grab me again. I pushed his hand away and struggled to get up from the ground. “No need. I’ll go myself.” With that, I limped into the urine testing room. Of course the results were normal. A trace of awkwardness flashed across my parents’ faces, but they didn’t apologize. They only glanced at me and spoke stiffly. “Forget it. Come home. Tomorrow is your dad’s sixtieth birthday. Remember to come.” I took a step back, widening the distance between us. “You were right back then. I’m not your son. We already cut ties long ago.” “I won’t be attending the sixtieth birthday. Happy birthday in advance, sir.” After saying that, I bowed to them. Ignoring their curses and attempts to stop me, I turned and left the hospital.

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My older brother, Carl Jackson, killed eight members of the Parker family in a car accident. The only survivor, Victor Parker, canceled his engagement to me that very day in revenge, drove my family’s company into bankruptcy within a week, and left us facing compensation claims totaling 900 million. My brother was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. Unable to withstand the pressure, my parents jumped from the company building and died instantly. Yet on the day of their funeral, Victor forcibly married my sister-in-law, Anna Smith. “You guys owe me this! You Jacksons will never be able to repay this—ever.” I was sold off to settle the debts. Over those six years, I was forced to undergo countless abortions. I was treated as less than human, summoned and discarded whenever they pleased. Six years later, after I finally paid off all the debts and came to the Parker residence, hoping Victor would show mercy and give Anna her freedom. At the office door, I overheard a phone call between Victor and his friend. “Back then, you tampered with Carl’s car and made him kill your entire family for you.” “You became the head of the Parker family, and married Anna you’d long dreamed of. You’ve gotten everything you wanted. Why won’t you let Iris go?” “You grew up together, after all. Do you really have to be this heartless?” Victor’s voice was cold as ice. “If it weren’t for her, Anna and I would’ve married long ago.” “She went to every possible length, using every dirty trick just to be with me. Everything she’s suffering now is nothing but the consequences of her own actions!” My breath caught, and I barely managed to pull back my hand from the door. Tears fell in heavy drops as I was about to turn and leave, when a sharp, wary voice called out from inside the room. “Who’s there?” The door flew open. Victor scanned the surroundings with a guarded gaze. Only after confirming no one was there did he slam the door shut. Crouched behind the wall, I covered my mouth, barely daring to breathe. Victor and I grew up together. Since childhood, he took care of me even more than my own brother did. I spent every birthday with him, and every birthday gift from him was exactly what I wanted most. If I hadn’t heard the truth with my own ears, I would never have believed that the gentle, considerate childhood friend in my memories was the mastermind behind that accident. It was all for revenge against me, all for the position of heir. So many lives were destroyed by him! And I endured all the humiliation just to stay alive and atone for this devil! My nails dug into my flesh. I held back my tears in case they heard me. Only by summoning all my strength did I manage to stay on my feet and leave. When I reached the company entrance, I was stopped by a familiar, gentle voice. “Iris? Is it you?” My sister-in-law, Anna, was dressed in elegant designer clothes. Years had passed, yet time had left no trace on her beautiful face. Her gaze was pure, but when she took my hand, a flash of disdain flickered past. “You finally come back. Why didn’t you even tell me? Victor said you were sick and recovering abroad all this time. Are you feeling better now?” Hearing that, my heart clenched painfully. For six years, I had been treated as a sex slave, living with no dignity at all. But he told Anna I was recovering from illness abroad? “These past years must have been hard for you, right?” “After what happened back then, Victor said he would only let the Jackson family go if I agreed to marry him. I really had no choice.” “You… still blame me?” Anna seemed pretty sincere. I wavered. She’s completely powerless. Even if she found out the truth, what could she do? I was just about to speak, to tell her I had indeed been recovering abroad. But from behind me came a voice, icy to the bone. “Who allowed you to come here?”

Victor stood in front of Anna protectively, his face full of vigilance. When he looked at me, his disgust was undisguised. “I’ll leave right away.” Fear overwhelmed the hatred in my heart. I didn’t even dare meet his eyes. Instinctively, I wanted to escape. “Stop.” “Why does Anna look so unwell? What did you just say to her?” Anna’s face had been rosy just moments ago, but now she frowned a little. She faked an uncomfortable look. Then she shook her head, as if to cover something up. “Victor, it has nothing to do with her. Seeing her just reminded me of those painful things from back then, and I feel the baby just kicked me.” I looked at her belly and was totally stunned. Victor shot me a vicious glare. “Iris! Your brother killed almost my entire family. If you had any sense, you’d stay far away. Why come here to provoke Anna?” “Don’t tell me you still wanna marry me. Let me tell you, it’s impossible in this lifetime!” Victor’s ferocious look and words stabbed into my heart like a long thorn. Fortunately, my heart was already numb with pain. “I didn’t.” I rushed to deny it. But he pressed closer step by step. “Then why are you here?” “I’m warning you. Don’t ever appear in front of Anna again. If anything happens to the child in her belly, I’ll make you pay with your life!” After saying that, Victor anxiously took Anna to the hospital for a checkup. I watched the man who once held me like I was fragile treasure now leave, Anna at his side, not so much as a backward glance. Suddenly, I felt like crying. If only I hadn’t clung so desperately back then, insisting on marrying Victor… If only I had realized sooner that he was just treating me as his sister, and that the one he truly loved was Anna… Perhaps none of this tragedy would have happened. I would still have parents who loved me, and a brother who cherished me. But no matter how much I regretted it, there was no chance to start over. Like a walking corpse, I returned to my tiny rented room. Blood from my nose soaked the crumpled, late-stage cancer diagnosis I was holding. Originally, this was meant to be my moral bargaining chip to save Anna. Now, it was no longer needed. Large tears rolled down. I was someone who had endured being violated by more than a dozen people on this bed without shedding a single tear. Now I was crying so hard that I could barely breathe. Believing I was about to die, I hurriedly wiped away the blood and tears, trembling fingers to call my brother in prison. After a series of transfers, I finally heard a beep. “Carl, I won’t be able to wait for the day you’re released.” “I saved up some money for you. It’s not much. After you get out, use it to rent a place, find a job, and live well.” “And, Mom and Dad’s deaths aren’t your fault. I’m so sorry.” I didn’t dare hear Carl’s voice. After finishing, I hurriedly hung up. In that instant, the phone slipped from my hand. I lost consciousness as soon as the phone hit the ground.

When I opened my eyes, I was already lying in a hospital ward. Hearing that I had woken up, the doctor hurried over and scolded me. “You’re not taking care of yourself at all! Refusing chemotherapy—and not even taking your medication?” “Life is so precious, yet you treat yourself like this? What about everyone who loves you—your family, your friends?” I forced a smile. But it looked worse than crying. “Doc…” Before I could say anything, my phone suddenly rang. It was from the prison. Seeing more than thirty missed calls, a strong sense of unease surged in my chest. “Iris Jackson, your brother Carl hanged himself with bedsheets in a blind spot of the surveillance camera in the cell restroom. Despite emergency medical treatment, he was pronounced dead at 10:03 a.m. today.” I didn’t hear the rest clearly. It felt as if I were being sunk into the deep sea, everything muffled and distant. Ignoring the doctor’s well-meaning advice, I dragged my unsteady body to the funeral home. I stared at the black-and-white photo made from a screenshot of my brother’s wedding picture taken years ago. I cried until I completely lost control. News of Carl’s death spread quickly, and some relatives who had long cut off contact also came to pay their respects. Anna came as well. She walked in holding a wreath, dressed in mourning clothes. The relatives all praised her for being affectionate and loyal, saying that even after so many years of divorce, she still came to see my brother. But I looked at her coldly, my eyes red. “Please leave.” Anna staggered back a few steps in disbelief. Then her tears poured out. “Iris! How dare you talk to Anna like that? You better apologize to her now!” My uncle Aaron Jackson slammed his cane hard against the floor. The others also looked at me angrily. “Yeah, Iris. How can you be so ungrateful? Your brother committed such a grave mistake back then, and Anna was the one who handled your parents’ funerals and all the mess alone!” “And you? You just disappeared back then. Now you come back pretending to be a good sister?” “I heard you took the money and ran off overseas to live it up. Why are you back at this moment? You wanna take advantage of Anna cuz she’s living a good life now?” “Absolutely outrageous!” “I think the one who should get out is you!” My heart hurt so much as if it had been stabbed. “That’s not true, I didn’t!” I was sold by Victor to creditors to pay off debts. For these past years, I repaid the company’s debts by serving them as a slave! I wasn’t ungrateful at all. “It was Victor! He lied to all of you!” “I never went abroad. I’m not like that!” Aunt Zara rolled her eyes at me. Just as she was about to scold me, Anna stopped her. “Please, uncles and aunts, don’t say any more. Iris is Carl’s sister. I did fail to take good care of her.” “She went abroad because she was sick. On a day like today, she must be heartbroken. So I totally understand why she doesn’t wanna see me.” Anna’s sensible, pitiful demeanor only made the surrounding relatives feel more indignant on her behalf. “Sick? I think that’s just an excuse she made up.” “Something happens to the family and she gets sick? How could there be such a coincidence?” “Anna, don’t speak up for this ungrateful wretch. Her parents and brother treated her so well when they were alive, but look at what she did. I still can’t believe she actually ran away at that time!” I laughed. When my family fell apart and my parents were scrambling everywhere to borrow money, they shut their doors and refused to see us. Now, each and every one of them had become deeply affectionate, righteous people. “Uncle Aaron, you don’t get to condemn me. When your factory ran into trouble, my parents paid the twenty million of breach-of-contract fees without hesitation. But when my family had problems, why wouldn’t you even lend us one million?” “And Aunt Zara, when you were sick, my mother stayed in the hospital to care for you. She lost ten pounds in one month. But when my father jumped from the building, you stood by making snide remarks, asking her to follow him in death! If it weren’t for you, my mother wouldn’t have jumped so resolutely!” “Who are the ungrateful wretches here? How dare you two lecture me?” A surge of anger rushed to my head, and blood immediately gushed from my nose. I pressed hard against it, but the blood kept pouring out uncontrollably. Anna walked toward me, reaching out anxiously to support me. I shoved her away with one push. My limbs were clearly weak, and I had almost no strength left. Yet Anna fell straight backward in front of me. “Ah!” Her eyes were filled with terror as her hand reached down toward her lower body. A pool of blood had already spread across the floor. “My baby… No! My baby!” Everyone panicked. Some rushed to call Victor, others hurried to call an ambulance. I leaned against the wall, feeling really dizzy. As I watched them send Anna into the ambulance, I completely lost consciousness as well.

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On Christmas Eve, several of my colleagues received flowers from their boyfriends. Mia, wanting to tease me, said, “Ella’s boyfriend has a PhD in Art. No wonder he knows how to do romance better than any of us!” Two years ago, Noah gave me a bouquet of 999 deep red roses that made everyone envious. Last year, he gave me a photo frame inlaid with countless tiny diamonds forming the words “I Love You.” When it came to gifting occasions, Noah had never let me down. But this year, my phone stayed silent all night. Worried that something might have happened to Noah, I took early annual leave and flew to Engisland to check on him. But when I braved the wind and snow and arrived at the lobby of his building, I saw him standing by a Christmas tree, kissing another girl. *** When I clearly saw that guy’s face and confirmed it was Noah, I completely froze. Noah gently lifted the girl into his arms, coaxing her as she wrote a wish on the ribbon. “Baby, tomorrow is Christmas.” “Santa Claus will grant all your wishes.” The girl’s eyes sparkled as she wrapped her arms around Noah’s neck and said, “Will he really grant all my wishes?” Noah blinked, his hand lightly patting the girl’s bottom. “Of course.” The gesture is intimate enough to hurt. Almost instinctively, I hid in a nearby corner, as if I was the third one between them. Tears spilled out uncontrollably. It was eight years of long-distance love, and this was the first time I had ever checked up on him. Her voice is soft as she gives Noah’s chest a playful tap. “Come on, put me down.” Noah supported her waist with one hand and pressed the back of her neck with the other, forcing her to bend down for a kiss. I collapsed as I unlocked my phone, taking several deep breaths to steady myself. As long as Noah didn’t lie, as long as he admitted the girl was just someone he was fooling around with, I could deceive myself and forgive him. I could pretend I knew nothing. “Noah, who are you with?” A familiar ringtone sounded not far away. The girl pouted and questioned Noah, “Your phone’s been ringing all night. Which lover of you is it?” She turned her head away in anger. Noah immediately raised three fingers. “Chloe, you’re the only one I love. There’s no one else, I swear. “For you, I even abandoned my fiancée and stayed with you here for six years.” I had been with Noah for eight years, yet he had been with another woman for six of them. I laughed at myself as I collapsed weakly onto the ground. Mia sent a message out of concern. “Ella, did you arrive safely in Engisland?” “Enjoy your time, but don’t forget to return early to take care of work matters.” Tears fell in large drops. My colleagues knew I was coming to see my boyfriend, so they prepared a date outfit for me and gave me a delicate couple’s bracelet as a gift. We all thought Noah would be overjoyed to see me. The voices behind me gradually faded away. I peeked out and saw the girl linking her arm with Noah’s, looking sweet, as they went upstairs. Suddenly, she leapt onto Noah’s back, light and lively like a little sparrow. “Come on. Practice carrying me into the wedding room in advance.” Wedding room? Had Noah even thought about marrying her? Then what about the eight passionate years between Noah and me? And the promise he personally made to marry me? I booked a hotel room facing Noah’s apartment. Whenever I draw the curtains, I can see him and his girlfriend going about their daily lives. After a simple investigation, I learned the girl’s name was Chloe Carter, Noah’s student. On campus, they maintained a distant teacher-student relationship. But no one knew that outside of school, they lived together and were deeply in love. The school might not intervene in a teacher-student relationship on paper, but Noah juggling two relationships, with Chloe knowingly becoming the other woman, would certainly face condemnation.

I stood by the window, torturing myself. I watched Noah gently peel her clothes away, watched him press soft kisses to her lips. Two shadows entwined on the wall, intimate and twisting, illuminated by the dim yellow light that flickered through the night. It felt as if my heart were being sliced apart. The pain was so intense I could barely breathe. It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that Noah finally replied to my message. “I was working overtime in the studio tonight to rush a client’s draft. So sorry, honey. I even forgot to say Merry Christmas to you.” He transferred the money to me, noting it as a voluntary gift. I stared at the glaring, cold numbers, my chest aching all over with a thousand tiny pains. In the past, whenever there was a holiday, no matter where he was in the world, Noah would fly back to my side. I used to laugh and tease him for not being able to live without me. And he would act spoiled, nuzzling into the hollow of my neck. “I’m your husband-to-be so of course I can’t live without you. When I finish my studies, I’ll come back to marry you.” “We’ll never be separate again.” Five years ago, Noah completed his PhD. When I asked about his return date, he said he was not sure. A friend had invited him to open an art studio there, and he couldn’t leave for the time being. Three years ago, I heard rumors that the studio had moved back and asked him when he would return to marry me. He hesitated and told me he had been hired as an instructor at an Art School in Engisland. The wedding date was postponed again and again, and I grew sensitive and anxious. I started to wonder if Noah was with someone else there. To ease my doubts, he would report in with a video call every week without fail. But now, when I scrolled through our chat history, his last reply was from half a month ago. After that came my long, one-sided monologue. I didn’t accept the transfer and started typing. “I’ll come find you tomorrow and spend Christmas together.” My phone said he was typing. But no reply came for a long time. It wasn’t until three hours later that he sent a cute emoji with a message. “I hate to see you worn out from the long trip, don’t come over—let’s video call instead.” Noah clearly could have confessed, yet he still said nothing about it. Perhaps, in his heart, I had long since stopped mattering. I gave Noah no time to think. At dawn, I knocked on his door. When he opened it, he seemed still very sleepy. He thought I was delivering newspapers and turned sideways, pointing at the coffee table. “Just put it there.” I followed the direction he pointed, and a girl’s pink lace nightgown lay casually on the sofa—rumpled and in utter disarray. Sour bile surged in my stomach, and my eyes burned with pain. “Noah…” When he heard my voice, his back stiffened instantly and his eyes snapped fully awake. He cried out in shock. “Ella?” “Yes, it’s me.” The bedroom door suddenly clicked open from the inside, and the girl came out wearing only her underwear, rubbing her sleepy eyes. “So noisy…” Noah’s face changed drastically. He hurriedly took off his coat and wrapped it around her, explaining guiltily. “Ella, she’s my student. She had a fight with her boyfriend yesterday and they were talking about breaking up.” “I was worried something might happen to her, so I let her stay for one night.” The girl’s face was pale as she bit her lower lip and looked at me timidly. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Ella…” I nodded, unable to force even the slightest smile. Noah personally cooked a big meal for me. After eight years, he had finally learned to wash clothes and cook for a woman. But that woman wasn’t me. After the meal, Chloe stood up, saying she needed to go to class. Noah picked up his car keys, preparing to drive her. Suppressing my grievance and anger, I smiled and took his arm. “Take me to the school as well. I’d like to have a look.”

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15 years ago, the body of a victim who had been tortured and murdered appeared in my room. My parents chose justice over family and accused me of murder. My twin brother, Calum West, cried as he tried to convince me to turn myself in. My wife, Wendy Fisher, who was a company CEO, immediately wanted to divorce me. I was sentenced to prison. The victim’s family members paid other inmates to make me lose my voice and break my limbs. The torture followed me through every one of those fifteen years. On the day of my release, my ex-wife and brother came to pick me up wearing wedding rings. Calum said emotionally, “Welcome back, James. Now that you’ve done your time, we’ll take care of you from now on.” The prison guard next to me said earnestly, “Look at how well your brother and his wife are treating you. This is your chance to turn over a new leaf.” I sneered. “But I’m not the murderer from 15 years ago. It was my twin brother, Calum West,” I said inwardly. *** The journalists who came with my brother, Calum West, surrounded me. Cameras of all sizes were aimed at me. “Mr. West, you murdered someone ruthlessly and also tortured the victim’s body, but were only sentenced to prison for 15 years. Is this because of your sister-in-law, Ms. Fisher’s wealth and power?” “What do you have to say about the victim’s family members saying that they want to kill you?” “Did you ever regret what you did during the past 15 years?” They got so close to me that their microphones were practically in my face. The journalists crowding around me immediately reminded me of the living hell that I had been through over the past 15 years in prison. I subconsciously put my hands on my head and started backing away. But my crippled leg caused me to trip and fall over. “Please… please don’t hit me…” Amid the commotion, my ex-wife, Wendy Fisher, pushed through the crowd and stood between those journalists and me. “What my husband’s brother committed was not intentional murder, and he’s done his time. There were no under-the-table dealings. If you keep on harassing James, then my lawyer will be in touch with every single one of you!” shouted Wendy. Only after hearing her threat did the journalist disperse. Only then did Calum rush forward. He reached out his hand with a concerned look on his face. “Are you alright, James? It was a good thing that I asked Wendy to come along. I’m really sorry. I didn’t know the journalists would be here as well.” Wendy wrapped her arms around Calum’s other hand and said softly, “It wasn’t your fault. There’s no need for you to feel sorry.” I swatted his hand away and struggled to climb off the ground. I tried my best to straighten my back, which had been curved by years of submission. “Drop the act already.” Calum was the only person that I didn’t want to show my weak side to. I dragged my cripple leg and walked stubbornly towards the car. Calum quickly got into the backseat as well. He deliberately showed me the wedding ring on his finger. He sounded apologetic, but he still couldn’t hide the proud look in his eyes. “James, Wendy and I got married 15 years ago. Back when you committed murder and were sentenced to prison, I had poor health. So in order to take care of me, she proposed to me.” With that said, he pretended to be surprised and gasped. Then he smiled apologetically. “Don’t worry, James. Wendy and I have already talked about it. You’ll still be living in the villa. After all, you’ve been behind bars for 15 years. Even if you are a talented person, it’ll still be quite hard for you to survive by yourself.” “Calum!” Wendy interrupted Calum’s nonstop ranting. She looked at me from the rearview mirror, and her voice softened. “James only just got out of prison. Let him get some rest.” Calum nodded sulkily. I turned and looked at the scenery that was speeding past outside the window. My thoughts seemed to have drifted to what happened 15 years ago. Back then, I was a top venture capitalist in the industry. Countless investors would line up outside my office, money in hand, all eager for a seat at my table. The money Wendy used to start her company, along with all the follow-up funding, was provided by me. She once grabbed my hand tightly with a grateful look in her eyes and promised me that she would protect me for as long as she lived. Neither would she let me suffer any grievance. But 15 years of imprisonment caused my talent to wither away. It just numbed me. The world I once belonged to no longer had a place for me. After the car came to a halt, I looked at the building in front of me in a little bit of a daze. The house that Calum was talking about just now was actually the house that Wendy and I lived in after we got married. Our parents walked over to greet us, but all their attention was on Calum. I stood at the side and watched as the three of them interacted warmly with each other. It was as if I were just an outsider. Wendy walked over with my luggage in her hand. “Mom, Dad. James’s back.” The smile on their faces disappeared. When they turned to look at me, both of them frowned almost at the same time. My father’s face became disgusted. “Wendy, I thought I already told you not to bring a freak who tortures other people’s bodies back home!” My mother nodded in agreement. “You’re dad’s right, Wendy. His presence is only making the air in the house foul.” My heart ached at those words. Ever since I was born, my parents had always favored my brother. I always thought that they loved me as well, but realization dawned on me 15 years ago. It seemed that everything had only been my imagination. Calum grabbed our parents and said, “Mom, Dad, James has been in prison for 15 years. Can’t you be nicer to him for my sake?” Our parents snorted and didn’t say any more. The dinner finished very quickly. I was arranged to stay in a storage room. I remained silent when I saw the so-called bed, which was only a plank of wood with no mattress. In the middle of the night, I lay on the plank of wood and didn’t feel sleepy at all. In prison, the other inmates took shifts keeping watch over me, making sure I never slept. The moment I closed my eyes, the beating started. Knock. Knock. Knock. The sudden knocking made me jump. It took me a while to realize that I was no longer in prison. Listening to the knocking of the door, I slowly got out of bed. I clenched my fists when I saw who was standing at the door. “What are you doing here?”

Wendy looked worried. “I came to check on you. After all, you only just got out of prison.” “Get lost! I don’t need you to pretend that you care about me!” I said in a cold voice. She looked at me helplessly. There was a flash of indulgence in her eyes. It was the exact same look from 16 years ago. Back then, I saw Calum lying on her bed naked. The sight almost drove me crazy. But all she did was pull Calum behind her and allowed me to vent my anger however I pleased. Only when I became tired did she speak up. “Calum and I were just drunk. Nothing happened between us. It’s not what you think.” That face in my memories slowly overlapped with the look on her face right now. She reached out, grabbed my wrist, and slowly rubbed my skin. Her touch gave me goosebumps. “Don’t touch me!” I struggled to break free but couldn’t. “James, you’re the one that I’ve always loved. The only reason I married Calum is help you take care of your family. Calum and I aren’t really a thing…” I sneered and interrupted. “What? Are you taking care of my family in bed? Calum did say before dinner that you had an abortion for him.” Wendy desperately wanted to pull me into her arms. “It’s not what you think, James! I’ve always been waiting for you over the past 15 years. I said I’ll always protect you.” I pushed her away forcefully and took a couple of steps back. “Don’t you find my current state disgusting? Are you planning on dating both Calum and me?” Wendy looked hurt. “James…” “What are you doing?” Calum’s sharp voice echoed in the corridor. He looked infuriated. Our parents stood by him and looked at me with eyes full of disgust. Wendy quickly walked over and wrapped her arms around his to comfort him. Calum suddenly walked up to me and slapped me hard across the face. “James, I’ve brought you home out of kindness. But you start flirting with Wendy as soon as you come back? She’s my wife now! Have you no shame?” I swallowed the blood in my mouth and snorted. “I didn’t do anything.” Seeing that he didn’t believe me, I curved my lips and said meaningfully, “Even if I did do something, I got that from you.” “Back when I first brought Wendy home, didn’t you sneak into her room wearing my pajamas?” Calum loved to take things that I liked ever since we were little. He even tried to flirt with Wendy openly back when I first brought her home. Back then, Wendy chose me and turned him down. Even when our parents were pretending nothing had happened, Wendy still stood firmly by my side. However, it was a pity that Wendy gradually began to favor Calum as well during the three years that we were married. My father slapped me hard across the face. “Why are you still talking about such nonsense? Even Wendy said that it was a misunderstanding. Why do you keep bringing it up?” My mother hugged Calum to comfort him. She then complained to Wendy, “He’s a murderer. Can’t you just give him some money and send him off? Why did you have to bring him home and cause all this chaos?” I covered my face and chuckled. My voice was hoarse. “Murderer? But I’m not the one who’s murdered someone.”

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It was the first year of Gabriel Anderson and Serena Lynch’s “business marriage.” Gabriel had jumped from a third-story balcony, breaking his leg just to prove a point. Clutching his parents’ hands, he’d hissed through the pain, “I will only ever love Chloe Shaw. No one else.” Meanwhile, Serena, my supposed best friend, spent the entire night crying with me. “Don’t worry, Chloe,” she whispered, never leaving my side. “Once we take control of our family companies, I’ll give him back to you. I’ll keep an eye on him for you—I won’t let him hurt you.” Everyone said I was the luckiest girl alive. I had a boyfriend who would die for me and a best friend who treated me like a sister. But that was five years ago. Now, in the fifth year of their engagement, I stood in our living room and handed Gabriel Serena’s positive pregnancy test. “We’re done,” I said. Gabriel didn’t flinch. He let out a dry, mocking laugh. “Serena is my fiancée, Chloe. Isn’t it normal for her to be pregnant?” Before I could react, he grabbed my hand and snapped my ring finger. I gasped in agony as he ripped the engagement ring off and tossed it into the trash. “Stop using these pathetic ‘breakup’ stunts to get my attention,” he sneered. “It’s getting old.” I looked down at my hand, trembling as I pulled it away from his grip. The pain was blinding, but I didn’t scream. For five years, I had screamed. I had cried until my throat was raw. Yet all my pain did was fuel the fire between him and Serena. Every tear I shed only drew them closer together. I looked up, my voice steadier than I expected. “Gabriel, you told me to wait. I waited five years for… this.” “I’m done wasting my life on you. It’s over.” He didn’t even look at me. He walked casually into the living room and saw my packed suitcases. Leaning back against the sofa, he gave me a look of pure derision. “Quite the performance. But let’s be real—everything in those bags was bought with my money. It’s a bit tacky to take them, don’t you think?” He tilted his head, his eyes cold. “Be honest, Chloe. Can you even survive a day without me?” He was certain I’d stay. He was used to me folding, used to me accepting his excuses. He always claimed he “owed” Serena. He acted as if keeping her in our lives was some great sacrifice on her part. And so, time after time, he lowered his bottom line for her. “Serena is only doing this ‘fake’ engagement so we can be together,” he used to say. “She’s giving up her best years for us. We can’t be cruel to her.” But that “kindness” turned into passionate hugs, then gentle kisses, and eventually, her in his bed. Whenever I found the photos—the ones that felt like a serrated knife to my chest—he would come crawling back. Once, he even knelt at my feet, pressing a blade to his own stomach until he bled. “I just wanted to show her what it felt like to be loved, Chloe. I was just compensating her. I swear, it’s the last time. Please, don’t think I’m dirty.” I believed him. I let his blood stain my dress and I forgave him. But then came the videos. Each one worse than the last. I had reached my limit. I had fought him, hit him, and even sent him to the hospital once in a fit of rage. I had said “it’s over” a thousand times. And over those five years, his reaction had shifted from desperate terror to cold indifference. I walked to the suitcase, opened it, and pulled out only my passport and legal documents. “Your things? You can keep them. I don’t want a single reminder of you.” I looked him dead in the eye. “And Gabriel? There isn’t a person on this earth I can’t live without. Especially not you.”

Gabriel’s smug grin vanished instantly. Just then, the front door swung open. Gabriel’s cold expression shifted in a heartbeat as he deliberately shoved past me, his shoulder slamming into mine. He rushed to the door to catch Serena Lynch. “Serena? What are you doing here?” His voice was thick with worry. “This place is a mess—be careful, you might get hurt.” Serena reached out, looking like she wanted to help me, but she stumbled. Gabriel caught her hand immediately. They stood there, fingers interlaced right in front of me, their matching engagement rings on full display. When Serena noticed me staring, she pulled her hand away with a practiced look of panic. “Today was my prenatal checkup… I’m so sorry, Chloe. Did I interrupt? I’ll tell Gabe to come see you after we’re finished today.” Gabriel grabbed her hand back and kissed her knuckles. “Why are you even explaining yourself to her? She’s like a rabid dog lately, biting anyone who gets close. I don’t even want to see her face. Let her rot here.” His gaze flicked to me out of the corner of his eye. Seeing no reaction from me, he slammed the door and walked away. My broken finger was still throbbing with a dull, rhythmic ache. I grabbed my documents and headed to the hospital. As soon as I stepped into the lobby, I saw them again. Gabriel—a man so obsessed with cleanliness he used to avoid public benches—was kneeling on the floor, gently massaging Serena’s calves. He looked like he was handling a priceless artifact. I had no desire to watch. I turned toward the orthopedic wing, but Serena was waiting for me in the hallway. When she saw me, a flicker of hesitation crossed her face, quickly replaced by a look of firm resolve. “Chloe,” she started, blocking my path. “I think it’s best if you don’t see Gabe while I’m pregnant. The baby needs his father’s full attention. You love Gabe so much. I’m sure you wouldn’t want anything to happen to his child, right?” Then, she pulled out a thick stack of cash. In front of the crowded hallway, she shoved the money into my arms. “Take this. Consider it… compensation.” She didn’t lower her voice. I felt the weight of a dozen judgmental stares. I even heard someone whisper “mistress” under their breath. Serena flinched at the murmurs, lowering her voice to a theatrical whisper. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean for them to hear.” She grabbed my hand, just like she used to in college when she wanted a favor. “Please… just stay away from Gabe for a while. The baby needs a father.” In the middle of the crowd’s insults, I raised my hand and slapped her across the face. “Serena, aren’t you tired of playing the victim? You stole him. Just enjoy the prize and shut up.” Heavy footsteps thundered behind me. Serena collapsed onto the floor, tears streaming down her face instantly. “Chloe, I’m sorry! I said the wrong thing!” Gabriel rushed over, hauling her up. When he looked at me, his eyes were filled with pure loathing. “Chloe Shaw, are you a literal animal? Putting your hands on a pregnant woman? Get on your knees and apologize to Serena right now. Or I promise you—this time, I won’t let you off easy.”

This was the thousandth time. The thousandth time Gabriel Anderson blindly took Serena’s side without a second thought. If this had been a year ago, I would have fought tooth and nail, arguing until I proved my innocence. But now? I just felt an all-consuming exhaustion. Serena knew me well. Before I could even speak, she reached out and timidly tugged on Gabriel’s sleeve. “Don’t talk to Chloe like that, Gabe. It was my fault… I just tripped.” Predictably, her “defense” only made Gabriel’s eyes turn colder. “You don’t need to cover for her, Serena. We both know exactly what kind of person she is.” He looked at me, his voice dropping to a threat. “Chloe, if you want to walk out of this hospital in one piece, you’d better apologize to Serena right now.” I was done with the drama. I pointed to the security camera on the wall. “The truth is right there. Watch the footage yourself.” I tried to step past him, but a hand suddenly clamped onto the back of my head. Gabriel yanked my hair back with such force that I was forced to look him in the eyes. “You think you can just hurt Serena and walk away?” he hissed. Serena’s tears started flowing instantly. “Gabe, stop! What are you doing? I told you, I fell! Let her go!” My scalp felt like it was being torn open. I winced, but Gabriel—the same man who used to panic if I so much as got a paper cut—looked at me with nothing but disgust. “Stop acting,” he mocked. “You aren’t a pampered princess like Serena. You expect me to believe this actually hurts?” I struggled to break his grip, but he moved faster, slamming his foot into the back of my knee. I hit the floor hard. “Apologize.” Looking up at his face, I felt a strange sense of vertigo. I remembered him at eighteen—wild, reckless, and in trouble. I had taken a literal knife for him back then. He had held me, his eyes bloodshot and his voice breaking, promising that he would never let anyone hurt me again. And now, every bit of pain I felt came directly from him. I closed my eyes and took a jagged breath. “I will not apologize for something I didn’t do.” “Gabe, please, just let it go…” Serena sobbed, trying to help me up, but Gabriel pulled her back behind him. Then came the slap. He didn’t hold back. The force of it sent my head snapping to the side. The hallway went silent. Serena stopped crying, her eyes wide with shock as she lunged forward to shield me. “Gabe! Stop it!” Gabriel ignored her struggle and pulled her into a protective embrace. He glanced at the red, swelling mark on my face without a shred of remorse. “I’m warning you for the last time,” he said. “We owe Serena for the mess this relationship has caused her. If you’re angry, take it out on me. But if you touch her again, I will make you pay for it a thousand times over.” I forced myself up from the floor, my legs shaking. Then, I hauled off and slapped him back—hard. “You already gave her your body and your soul as payment, Gabriel,” I spat. “What exactly do I still owe her?” He stumbled back, stunned. “Chloe Shaw!” I didn’t stay for the rest of his roar. I turned and walked away. That night, I checked into a hotel, staring at the ceiling until dawn. My phone buzzed in the dark. A message from Serena: “I’m so sorry, Chloe. I had no idea Gabe would get that worked up. I scolded him for it, so please don’t be mad, okay?” I didn’t reply. I just turned the phone off. The next morning, I took a taxi straight to the airport. I called a senior from my university days. “Evan Carlson, I’ve arrived at the airport. I’ll be back in Rivercliff soon.” After years of being Gabriel’s shadow, I was finally going back to the research project I had abandoned for him. I used to be the top of my class, a girl with a brilliant future—a future I had set on fire to keep Gabriel warm. But as I approached the boarding gate, three men in black suits blocked my path. They didn’t ask questions; they forced me into a car and drove me straight to the Anderson estate. Gabriel’s mother sat in the drawing room, looking down at me with practiced elegance. “Miss Shaw, I used to think you were a sensible girl,” she said coldly. “But I never imagined you’d have the audacity to lay a hand on Serena. When you do something wrong, you have to face the consequences.”

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Everyone in Suncrest Bay knows I have a wife that makes other men jealous. She’s not just an heiress to a wealthy family, she’s also the legal world’s infamous ice queen, the kind of woman everyone admires from a distance. But around me, she turns soft and sweet, like the perfect wife from a fairytale. I’d been planning to wait until our anniversary to tell her the truth. I wanted to reveal that I’m the Northhaven heir and take her home to meet my family. Then her birthday came, and I walked in on her new assistant forcing himself on her against a car. Pieces of torn clothing were scattered everywhere on the ground. I lost it. I went after him like a madman, and the assistant ended up in the ICU while I ended up in court. But here’s what I never saw coming. My own wife stood up in that courtroom as my defense attorney and turned on me. She accused me of malicious assault and never said a single word about that bastard trying to rape her. The judge gave me three years. I confronted her in the visitation room, demanding to know why. She just sat there looking calm as ever. “You’re my husband. Even if you go to prison, I’ll still love you. But Ryan’s different. He comes from nothing, and if he gets a rape conviction on his record, his whole life is over.” That’s when something inside me just died. Fine then. If she doesn’t want to be the lady of the Martinez family, I’ll take back everything I was going to give her. *** On the day I get out, Amanda Kane is standing outside the prison gates in a wedding dress. The second I see her, a wave of hatred hits me. If she hadn’t lied on the stand, I never would’ve rotted in that cell for three years. Three years, and she never once came to visit me. So what’s with this act now? “What are you doing here?” She smiles at me despite my cold stare and walks toward me, holding up the hem of her dress. “I’m here to pick you up, of course. My dear husband.” She stops right in front of me and reaches up to smooth out the wrinkles on my collar. “Today’s a special day, and I’m here to take you home so we can celebrate together.” I’m about to refuse, but she lifts her hand. Two bodyguards in black suits step out of the car and flank me on both sides. “Please, honey,” Amanda says with a sweet smile. I know I don’t have a choice. I take a deep breath and get in the car. During the drive, Amanda keeps her head down, glued to her phone, and doesn’t utter a single word to me. I’m fine with the silence though, and I spend the time figuring out how I’m going to divorce her. But when we pull up to the villa, I see the front lawn is covered in flowers and decorated with wedding arches. There’s a giant welcome photo by the entrance, and it shows Amanda and her assistant, Ryan Sanders. So this special day she mentioned is her wedding to Ryan? Rage explodes inside me, and I can’t hold it back anymore. I let the hatred take over. “Amanda, what the hell is this?” Amanda gives me a cold, mocking smile. The warmth on her face disappears and gets replaced by pure contempt. “Preston Martinez, you can’t seriously think a convict like you deserves to be the husband of a Suncrest Bay princess, can you?” The bodyguards drag me out of the car, and suddenly, everyone’s eyes are on me. “Oh wow, isn’t that the convict? They actually let him out?” “Ugh, seeing trash like that on such a nice day really kills the mood.” Ryan walks up to me in his sharp tailored suit with a smug look all over his face. “Well well, Preston, you’re being so generous. Fresh out of prison and already rushing over to attend my wedding with Amanda. That’s really considerate of you.” Staring at that vicious face, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I raised my fist and slammed it into him, knocking him flat to the ground. “Ryan!” Amanda screams and shoves me hard, then she drops down next to Ryan looking all concerned and helps him up. “Preston, listen to me. Ryan is my husband now, and if you lay another hand on him, don’t blame me for what happens next.” “Husband?” I sneered and shake my head. “Amanda, do I need to remind you? I spent three years in prison, but we’re still married. We never got divorced.” But when I say that, Amanda doesn’t look embarrassed at all. She actually smiles like she’s mocking me. She waves her hand and an assistant immediately walks over with two booklets. She throws both marriage licenses in my face. “Preston, open your damn eyes and look closely. This one’s fake, a piece of garbage.” Then she takes the marriage license Ryan’s holding out to her like it’s some precious treasure and waves it in front of my face. “Let me show you what a real one looks like, so you don’t get fooled by other women in the future.” “Think about it, Preston. I’m the top lawyer in Suncrest Bay and the Kane family heiress. Why would I ever marry a loser like you?” “Back then, I only married you because you had a pretty face. I wanted to play around with you for a while. But now that I get it. A puppy love is nothing compared to what a real man can give you.” She pressed herself against Ryan’s chest. Seeing them like that hurt to watch. Ryan wraps his arm around her bare shoulders. “Honestly, if it wasn’t for you, Mandy and I might never have ended up together. When you attacked me three years ago, that’s when she finally realized how she really felt about me.” He pulls out a business card and holds it up. “But hey, call me a generous guy. Since I’m taking your wife, let me set you up with someone. Paradise City has plenty of girls, and every one of them knows her shit. You’ll love it. Just choose one and I’ll hook you up.” Something inside me snaps. I punch him square in the face. “You two are disgusting…” The rage takes over completely. I lunge at them, ready to rip them both apart. But this is Kane family territory. Two bodyguards grab my arms and wrench them behind my back. My eyes are burning as I scream at Amanda, “He tried to rape you that night! I’m the one who saved you! Is this how you repay me?”

Amanda laughs softly. She leans in and kisses the blood at the corner of Ryan’s mouth, then turns to look at me while holding his hand. “Who said he was a rapist? What happened three years ago was completely consensual. You just happened to walk in on us. And then you had to go and attack him like an idiot. I couldn’t even pull you off.” My chest tightens. I can’t breathe. The memory of her face that night is burned into my brain—the pain, the fear in her eyes. “But you were begging me for help. You looked like you were in pain. You clearly didn’t want it.” She laughs harder, almost maniacally. “Preston, this is exactly why you’re such an idiot. Ever heard of roleplay?” All the strength leaves my body at once. My legs go limp, and without the table behind me, I would fall right there. But she’s not done twisting the knife. “You probably felt like some kind of hero that night, didn’t you? Protecting your wife, feeling all proud of yourself? I guess when you’re a total loser, you have to take your wins wherever you can get them.” “So now you understand, don’t you? I didn’t flip my testimony three years ago. Ryan was never the guilty one to begin with.” Classic move from my wife. She knows exactly where to twist the knife. I close my eyes and try to breathe, but in the end, I just grit my teeth and ask, “Amanda, are you really going through with this? You’re actually marrying Ryan?” She glances at Ryan, and they both burst out laughing at the same time. “What, you think I should marry you instead? A convict? Preston, you’re pathetic,” she sneers. “Fine.” My voice comes out flat. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I pull out the phone someone gave me three days ago and dial the only number saved in it. “Master Martinez, you’ve finally decided to call home.” “Tell Dad I’m ready to come back and take over the family business. But I have one condition.” The autumn wind cuts through my shirt as I lock eyes with Amanda and Ryan. “I want the Kane family empire destroyed before sunset.” The second those words leave my mouth, Amanda, Ryan, and every guest watching this train wreck explode into laughter. “Did he just say he wants the Kane family destroyed before sunset?” “Man, I don’t care how broke you are, drinking cheap booze will rot your brain. Listen to this guy.” Ryan grins wide. “Well, since today’s my wedding day with Mandy, I’m feeling generous. Let me treat you to all the drinks you want, buddy.” Before I can react, the bodyguards swarm me again and wrestle me down. They wrench my jaw open, and Ryan grabs a wine bottle from a server’s tray. He’s got a twisted smile on his face as he smashes the bottle against the table and pours the sharp alcohol mixed with broken glass straight down my throat. Dark red wine explodes out of my nose, but Ryan clamps his hand over my mouth and nose, cutting off my air. “Mandy picked this wine herself. You better not waste a drop, or you’re shitting all over her hard work.” The wine burns down my throat and floods into my lungs. My face turns purple and my vision starts going white around the edges. Just when I think this is it, Ryan finally lets go. He tosses the bottle aside and it shatters across the ground. Then he kicks me hard in the back. I stumble forward and crash down onto my knees right in the pile of broken glass. Amanda sits across from me, sipping red wine from a crystal glass. “Consider this payback for what you did three years ago. Ryan’s upset, so you deal with the consequences.” Then she notices blood on Ryan’s finger. She rushes over and kisses it. “Ryan, oh no, you’re hurt.” Her hand cracks across my face. The sting burns hot, but it’s nothing compared to what her next words do. “No wonder your mother’s dead, you piece of trash! How dare you hurt Ryan?”

People online are right. Never show anyone your scars. I never celebrated my birthday until Amanda threw me one. When she asked why I didn’t celebrate, I thought she loved me enough to trust with the truth. I told her about the wound I’d carried for over twenty years. “My mom died in childbirth. I’ve always felt like if it weren’t for me, she’d still be alive.” I never imagined she’d use those words as a weapon. My cheek still burns from her slap, but she doesn’t even glance at me. She’s already holding Ryan’s hand again, fawning over him. “Baby, be careful when you’re teaching him a lesson. Don’t hurt yourself. You’re going to make me worry to death.” They flirt behind me while hatred builds in my chest until I want to tear them both apart. Finally, Amanda sits back down in her chair. Ryan spits at me, crouches down in front of me, and grins. “You already drank the wine. Seems wrong not to let you taste how sweet our love is.” The crowd around us starts jeering. “There you go, Ryan!” Before I can react, the bodyguards grab me and hold me up. Ryan picks up a chair and slams it into my lower back. I fly forward like a dying dog being kicked aside. But he’s not done. He has them drag me back up and hits me again. And again. Until my back won’t straighten anymore. Amanda suddenly perks up like she just remembered something fun. She walks over looking excited. “Oh my god, I almost forgot.” “You used to say you’d love me forever, remember? And even though I don’t love you anymore, you still love me, don’t you?” I force out a harsh laugh through clenched teeth. I gave her too much freedom, too much affection. She’s so far up her own ass she actually believes this garbage. Someone needs to fix that. She waves her hand, and a servant hurries over carrying a pregnant dog. “I paid a fortune teller good money to pick today. You should feel lucky.” She smirks at me. “Ryan and I got this dog when we first started dating. Marrying into our family, even if it’s just to our dog, is better than you deserve.” She pulls out two rings and signals to her people. They grab my arms and pin me down. I realize what she’s planning, and I thrash against their grip, but there are too many of them. One of them wrenches my hand open while another forces a ring onto my finger. The servant holds the dog’s paw out, and Amanda slips the other ring around the dog’s leg like a bracelet. Amanda throws her head back and laughs. “There! Now this bitch is officially your wife. Make sure you take good care of her and those puppies in her belly.” My stomach turns. I can taste bile rising in my throat, and I double over and retch onto the ground. Amanda frowns at the bodyguard, and his fist crashes into my face. “How dare you act disgusted by my dog? You filthy convict.” Her voice drops to something cold and sharp. “Beat him. Don’t stop until Preston calls this dog his wife.” She knows exactly what she’s doing. I’ve always valued dignity above everything else. It’s how I was raised. She’s trying to break me completely. The blows rain down. At first, each impact brings sharp, blinding pain. I feel bones crack. But the longer it goes on, the less I feel. My body goes numb, mirroring a heart that already died. Ryan grabs a fistful of my hair and yanks my head up. “Well? You gonna say it or not?” I force my split lips into a grin. Maybe if the pain gets bad enough, I’ll feel something again. “Kill me now if you’ve got the balls. Otherwise, I swear I’ll make every single one of you suffer a thousand times worse than this.” Ryan’s smile twists into something vicious. “What was that? Did I hear you right?” He looks over at Amanda. “Mandy, your ex isn’t just broke and useless. He’s delusional too.” Amanda suddenly raises her hand. The beating stops. For one pathetic second, warmth floods through my chest. Does she still care about me, even a little?

The next second, I understand what’s really happening, and I hate myself for being stupid enough to hope. “Oh! How could I forget?” Amanda claps her hands together. “Every wedding needs a cake.” She and Ryan exchange a look. They’re both smiling now, satisfied. The bodyguards haul me up. I’m too beaten and bloody to fight back anymore. A massive wedding cake appears in front of me. I realize what they’re about to do right before they hurl me into it. Frosting swallows me whole. It’s sickeningly sweet, coating every inch of my skin in thick, sticky layers. The top tier crashes down. Everything goes dark as the cake buries me underneath. The thick frosting covers my nose and mouth. I can’t breathe. My lungs burn as the oxygen slowly runs out. I close my eyes, and for a second, I let myself give up. I shouldn’t have been so stubborn when I was younger. I shouldn’t have left my family and come to Suncrest Bay alone to prove myself. But my biggest regret is falling in love with Amanda. Maybe leaving home wasn’t the mistake. Maybe Amanda was always the mistake. She’s a monster, and I was stupid enough to think I could turn her into something good. My whole life flashes through my mind, and the memory that sticks is being a kid on the beach building sandcastles with my father. The regret hits me like a wave. I used to imagine taking Amanda home one day. Holding her hand and introducing her to my father, telling him she’s the one I love. I never imagined the woman I love would be the one to kill me. No. I can’t die yet. Not before I make these two pay for what they’ve done. The thought jolts me awake. I shift my left hand slowly and push the frosting off my face. Air rushes into my lungs, and my head clears instantly. The crowd’s laughter and insults pour into my ears. The sky’s getting darker. Almost there. Just hold on a little longer and I’ll win this. I already lost once. I’m not losing again. “Preston should look in a mirror. Like he ever had a chance with Amanda. Crazy.” “Don’t even talk about him being a convict now. Even three years ago, a worthless pretty face like him could never be worthy of someone like Amanda.” “Amanda and Ryan are perfect together. She was just messing around with Preston all those years. Who knew he’d actually take it seriously?” It’s almost funny how blind I was. She’s been sleeping with Ryan this whole time, and I never noticed. Ryan sees my head emerge from the cake and grabs my collar, ready to shove me back down. I catch his wrist. “Try it. We live in a civilized society, asshole. I die, and you go down too.” “Oh really?” Ryan looks at Amanda. She just shrugs with a smile on her face. “Oh? Mr. Martinez gets out of prison, can’t handle his ex getting married, and kills himself. What does that have to do with us?” She turns to the crowd. “Did anyone see Preston here today?” Everyone laughs and shakes their heads. “Preston? Who’s Preston?” “Nope, didn’t see anyone. We were at Amanda’s party after the wedding until sunrise. Never saw the guy.” Amanda smirks at me. “You see? Three years ago, I erased the garage surveillance footage, and three years later, I can erase the villa footage just as easily. You’re a convict. Nobody’s going to care if you’re dead.” The party keeps going around me like I’m not even there. At that moment, sirens split the air. Car doors slam in perfect unison. “Everyone freeze!”

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After a brief moment, I called the hospital again. “You’re certain the ultrasound is for Emma Clark? I’ll be there right away.” It took me a long while to regain my composure to see Emma’s name printed on the report. I didn’t confront Emma. Instead, I steadied my voice and said, “My wife thinks she left her ID here yesterday. May I also see the surveillance?” The doctor didn’t expect this but still called a guard to take me to the monitor room. On the screen, I clearly saw my wife, my wife of six years, walking arm in arm with a young man barely out of college. They were so sweet. He placed his hand on her belly, beaming. She looked at him with unmistakable tenderness. And after the checkup, they slipped into a quiet corner and kissed. My heart crumbled to ashes. So this was the warmth she never gave me in our whole marriage. The guard soon paused the video and turned to me. “You okay?” I swallowed the pain and shook my head, but my eyes couldn’t leave the boy’s wrist. A green gemstone watch. Emma’s initials. That’s a wedding gift from me, custom-made, one of a kind. A token of my love now worn by another man. My blood boiled, but I forced it down. I tipped the guard and asked for a copy of the footage, then left. When I got home, Emma wasn’t there. I sat on the couch for a long time, unable to accept that the woman who vowed to love me for life had already changed. Then I saw a booklet lying on the coffee table. That’s the roster of the graduate students she had just recruited. I felt a voice told me to flip through it. Then I stopped on one picture. Daniel Wright. The same boy from the video. I photographed the page and sent it, along with the footage, to a private investigator. “Check them,” I said. Then added, “And trace every expense from the past year.” Less than an hour later, he called back. “Mr. Collins, her finances are clear and easy to go through. I’ll send a full report tomorrow.” After a pause, he said, “But, be prepared.” I hung up as Emma’s call came in. I wasn’t ready to alert her before I made full preparation. I answered calmly. “Honey, something came up at school. I won’t be home tonight.” Her voice was sweet and considerate as usual, as if love had never disappeared. “And I’ll be back from work tomorrow. What do you want for dinner? Wontons?” Once, I would have believed that voice, now, it only made me sick. “Sure,” I said. “And tomorrow I also have a gift for you.”

By the next day, the investigator’s materials were already in my inbox. I opened the folder. One file immediately caught my attention. It held details about a private Instagram account belonging to Daniel Wright. His latest post was a photo taken late at night: a figure seen from behind, bent over a desk, rushing to finish a paper. But it wasn’t Daniel. I knew that silhouette far too well. It was Emma Clark. Caption: “Professor Em couldn’t bear to see me stay up late. Even while pregnant, she insisted on helping me revise my paper. I’m spoiled.” The date hit me like a blow. Three days ago. It was our wedding anniversary. That night, I had cooked an entire table of food, waiting for Emma. She said she had urgent work at school and never came home. I scrolled on. On Valentine’s Day, Daniel was already wearing the green gemstone watch, fingers tightly interlaced with Emma’s. Behind them was a mess of rumpled sheets. Caption: “Professor Em said I’m the boy she loves most. She’ll give me everything, even herself.” I recognized the place instantly. It was the apartment we lived in when we first got married. It was small, but it held years of memories. I thought I was prepared, but the image still stabbed straight through me. My mind went blank. I forced myself to keep scrolling, screenshotting every piece of their sweet moments as evidence. Just as I was about to close the page, another photo froze me in place. Daniel stood in a laboratory, smiling with confidence. On the board behind him were scattered data points. I recognized what they were. They were all from my anticancer drug research. My patent. Ten years of my life, my tears and blood. A dangerous idea began to take shape. I staggered to my feet to get Emma’s work computer. It was locked. Without thinking, I entered my birthday. She had once said every password she used—bank cards included—was my birthday. I had once smiled indulgently at how childish that was, but I also felt a warm joy for a long time, happy at the devotion behind her choice. Wrong. Her parents’ birthdays. Wrong. Our wedding anniversary. Wrong. Her own birthday. Still wrong. My hands shook as I entered Daniel Wright’s birthday, the one listed in the roster. Access granted. The screensaver pierced my eyes. A photo of the two of them lying in bed together. But I had no time to dwell on the pain. Inside her folders, my ten years of research sat neatly archived, authored under Daniel Wright’s name. She had once said she wanted to learn my research approach. I trusted her and sent everything without hesitation. I never imagined she would cut off my future just to clear his path. My body swayed. I bit down hard on my tongue until the taste of blood filled my mouth. Only then did I steady myself. I saved the evidence and shut down the computer. My heart still beat fiercely. Emma had once sworn she would love me for life. And she had said also nothing disgusted her more than academic misconduct and plagiarism. Turns out, her life of loving me was short. And betrayal meant leaving someone no way out. But she had forgotten one thing. The patent was never fully complete. There were still critical flaws that hadn’t been solved. Since you chose to betray me, then let those flaws become the blade that cuts through your lies and brings me a final piece of justice.

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It happened again. Suggestive sounds once more came from the neighboring hut. The incessant clatter of heavy objects falling proved how intense it was. Covering my ears, I curled up under the animal skin blanket. After what felt like forever, a warm body settled beside me. The moment I felt a touch on my head, I quickly burrowed deeper into the blanket to avoid the approaching hand. “Don’t touch me.” Kane stiffened. Pursing his lips, he said with a cold voice, “Iris, you’re giving me the cold shoulder again.” “It was just to have an heir. Why do you make such a fuss?” “You are still my only true woman.” Clutching the blanket tightly, I refused to answer. Kane’s expression instantly became sombre. He ran a hand through his hair in irritation. “Once Liana gives birth next spring, I will send her away.” “In this way, the tribe will be satisfied.” “Don’t be stubborn. We’ll raise the child together, and he will only call you mother.” With that, Kane rose and walked out. Not wanting to face my coldness, he went back to Liana. Such scenes repeated daily since he had brought Liana home. I touched the tear stains on my face and sat up. The bonfire still radiated residual warmth, yet my body felt utterly cold. I had lived three years in this unfamiliar world. Backward and cold, it was scarcely fit for habitation. Had I not met Kane, I would not have missed the full moon and stayed here. As the tribe’s most valiant warrior, Kane offered me his sincerest vow. Pulling off the tiger-tooth necklace around my neck, I had the impulse to cry. However, he broke his vow and betrayed me. I remembered the day I chose to stay, he handed me this necklace. “Iris, thank you.” “Whether you have a fertility mark or not, I will have only you in this lifetime.” “Even without children, I accept that.” Yet after just three years, he brought home his father’s woman. The tribe had a custom. Sons could inherit their fathers’ women, except their biological mother. Liana Reeves, Kane’s stepmother, rightfully became his possession. Kane had to care for her. And Liana had to bear him offspring in return. I once believed Kane had severed ties with those tribal customs for me. But it seemed he hadn’t changed at all. I snorted derisively and tossed the necklace into the bonfire. In the flickering glow, the tiger-tooth gradually turned to powder, merging with the dark ash on the ground. I no longer wanted his tainted love. Liana’s soft and seductive laughter drifted faintly from the next hut. I rubbed the bone ring on my right hand, and then looked at a corner of the stone wall. There were marks drawn in animal blood only I could understand. The next full moon was almost there.

Staring at the drowned seedlings in the fields, I trembled with rage. Beside me, Liana, still holding a wooden bucket, flinched in fright. With tears welling in her eyes, she looked pitiable. “Iris, I didn’t mean to.” “I just wanted to help you. I didn’t know that just a little extra water would kill them all…” She began to sob. Her uncovered neck was dotted with swollen red kiss marks. I averted my gaze, feeling sad and angry. When I was about to open my mouth, I didn’t know what to say. The seedlings were already drowned. What use were more words? Slowly unclenching my fists, I stepped forward to see if any seedlings could be saved. Suddenly, Liana’s expression changed. She swayed and collapsed to the ground. Before I could react, I was shoved. My knee struck a stone, and the pain sent a cold sweat in an instant. Looking up, I saw Kane in hunting attire. He seemed just returned to the tribe. His eyes were frighteningly red. Wrapping his arms around crying Liana, he looked at me with reproach. “Iris, can’t you accept Liana?” My lips trembled, then I offered him a disappointed smile. “Did you see me do anything to her?” “Or do your eyes only see what you choose to believe?” Kane froze. He looked up at the flooded field and fell silent. “They were just seedlings. Liana meant well. Don’t make this a big deal.” “Just seedlings.” The thought drew a sarcastic laugh from me. With this sentence, he dismissed all my efforts. Before I came, the tribe subsisted only on hunting. Eating the meat without proper preparation led them to suffer from diarrhea and sickness. Over time, children grew weak, and the mortality rate remained high. It was I who found vegetable seeds and taught them farming. Gradually, this situation changed. That was why Kane was acclaimed by the people as their chieftain. Yet just now he said they were just seedlings, constantly making excuses for Liana’s mistake. “Kane, my belly hurts a bit.” Liana whimpered and buried her head into his chest, clinging to him tightly. She pressed against him, her eyes red and swimming with tears—a delicate, clinging thing playing the victim. Kane was indeed drawn to this scene. Without a word, he gently placed his large hand on Liana’s belly and then softly rubbed. He moved with careful tenderness, like she might break. Kane was never an attentive man. He learned all these details bit by bit after we were together. Whenever I felt unwell, he stayed close to me and refused to leave. However, I was watching him giving his care to another woman. Suddenly, I felt a pang of sadness. A dull ache throbbed from my injured knee. Lowering my gaze, I dug my nails into the soil. Their intimate moment stretched on. Liana continued to whimper weakly about the pain. Hearing this, Kane scooped her into his arms. Then he turned to me with a complex expression. “Iris, I’m taking Liana to the medicine woman. You…” “I’m in pain too,” I told him. Kane paused. I stared at him stubbornly, and my hand pressing the wound trembled slightly. “I’m in pain too, Kane.” Silence hung in the air. Kane hesitated, his mouth opening then closing. He took a step toward me. The next moment, Liana wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. “Blood…” Fresh blood trickled down Liana’s thigh. Kane’s face changed instantly. Without further hesitation, he hurried towards the medicine woman’s hut with Liana in his arms. Watching their receding figures, the ghost of a smile tugged at my lips, leaving only a vast emptiness behind. My last feelings towards Kane vanished in this instant.

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The night before Thanksgiving, my wife, Alexia Victor, had promised to accompany our daughter and me back home for the holiday. Halfway through the drive, she suddenly received word that her father, gravely ill, longed to see his granddaughter. “Honey, I need to take Cora to see Dad. I’m sorry. We won’t be able to stay with you this time.” Our daughter, Cora, ever the model of obedience, offered me comforting words. Considering her father’s critical condition and his yearning for his grandchild, I swallowed my disappointment and did not object. Watching their retreating figures, I curled my lips into a cold smile. Thanksgiving turning into Halloween? Was my father-in-law, presumed dead for ten years, rising from the grave? I called my father—the man who had never failed to solve a problem. “Dad, Alexia has cheated on me. Bring Mom and our men. Let’s catch her in the act!” I followed the car’s GPS to the company. From the conference room came bursts of laughter. Through the window, I saw the company’s pretty-boy accountant, leaning on Alexia’s shoulder. He was about to blow out the candles. Cora stood beside him, leading the employees in a birthday song. When the song ended, Cora shouted excitedly, “Mom, give my dad a birthday kiss!” The other employees joined in the teasing. “Kiss! Kiss!” Amid the excited cries, Alexia pressed herself against Willie Watt and kissed him passionately, oblivious to everyone around them. Without a word, I pushed through the crowd. The next second, I slapped Alexia hard across the face. She looked up, about to retort, but her eyes turned frantic when she saw me. “Why did you get here?” Cora, bewildered, hid behind Alexia, silent. Only Willie remained unruffled, even flashing a charming smile. “Mr. Fanny, Ms. Victor is celebrating my birthday. Would you like a piece of cake?” As he spoke, he lifted an entire large cake towards me. In the next second, however, he slipped, and the cake smashed squarely into my face. Before I could react in anger, he looked contrite, his eyes red. “Mr. Fanny, I’m so sorry. You know how clumsy I am.” I said nothing, grabbed the lapel of his bespoke suit, and wiped the frosting from my face. Willie let out a scream, looking aggrieved at Alexia. “This is the birthday gift you gave me, worth hundreds of thousands.” My eyes turned cold. Was she using my money to support this man? Alexia snapped, “Claude, are you out of your mind? Can’t you wash your face in the restroom? Why ruin Willie’s clothes on purpose? How vicious! It was an accident!” “Weren’t you supposed to be with your dying father? Or is Willie your new dad?” A colleague, Dunn, interrupted me irritably before Alexia could respond. “Mr. Fanny, how dare you speak like that? Ms. Victor is just celebrating her husband’s birthday. What business is it of yours? You just slapped our boss and ruined Willie’s suit. Apologize now, or we’re calling the police!” I stared at Alexia with a sardonic smile. “Celebrating your husband’s birthday, are you? What a devoted wife.” Dunn snorted with envy. “Of course. Ms. Victor is infamous for doting on her husband. Everyone in the company knows. They just keep it low-key.” A chill ran through me. So these two had been carrying on an affair right under my nose, while I was kept in the dark. “Care to explain your little arrangement with this stray?” At my words, the room erupted in an uproar, all eyes swinging to Alexia and Willie in disbelief. Alexia’s lips went dry. She tried to explain, but couldn’t force out a sound. Willie, hearing more murmurs, put on a wounded look. “Mr. Fanny, I know you’ve always tried to climb the ladder by seducing Alexia, but her heart is mine alone. I beg you, stop hounding her. If you persist, I’ll have her fire you.” Alexia, startled by his audacity, stole a glance at me. I laughed instead of raging. “Willie, you’re the one who botched the client contract and cost the company tens of millions. Isn’t the dismissal process complete yet?”

The moment my words landed, the company’s HR guy, Logan, dumped a drink all over me. “You must’ve got cream on the brain. Let the wine wash it off! This is Ms. Victor’s company. Willie could lose a hundred deals and still keep his job. He’s her husband! As for you, dream on if you think a few big clients make you indispensable.” The others chimed in, “Apologize to Mr. Watt this instant!” The fat cleaner Susie leered at me. “Mr. Fanny, if you’re that desperate for a woman, marry me. Eighty-eight thousand for the dowry, I’m not greedy.” The room burst into laughter. Someone suggested I get engaged to Susie on the spot. “Even though Susie is fifty and has two kids, she’s more than good enough for you!” “Who knows why you’re still single at thirty? Maybe you’re impotent.” I wiped the wine from my face and said slowly, “Alexia, I suggest you tell the truth before you regret it.” Seeing me cornered, Alexia became more confident. “Willie is my husband! What do I have to regret? You brought this on yourself!” “Apologize to Willie!” Willie pulled Alexia into his arms, whispered, “Babe, forget it. I’m such a clumsy guy. I wouldn’t hold a grudge even if I were bullied.” “I’d never slap you in front of everyone and humiliate you the way Mr. Fanny did.” As expected, Alexia clung to Willie tighter, her eyes full of affection. I looked at Willie and curled my lips into a cold smile. “I almost forgot, I only slapped her, not you!” The next second, I yanked them apart and slapped Willie twice, hard! Willie roared in fury, “Are you insane? You dared to hit me!” Before I could continue, Alexia stepped forward and delivered a vicious kick to my groin. “Go to hell!” The force was immense, and I was unprepared. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead from the pain. But then, Willie swung a wine bottle and smashed it against my head. Blood mingled with the alcohol, streaming down my face. Seeing my icy glare, he hurried to explain, “Mr. Fanny, I was trying to help you, but I’m just clumsy and missed…” He then stared at Alexia with feigned innocence. “Honey, don’t blame me. I was just trying to prevent you from kicking him again and, well, you know, finishing him off.” Without sparing me a glance, Alexia buried herself deeper into Willie’s embrace, clinging tighter. “How could I blame you? You’re just too kind-hearted.” Our marriage lasted for over a decade. In that instant, it just crumbled into dust. I pressed my hand to the gash on my head and said in measured tones, “You may deny me, but my own flesh and blood can surely vouch for my identity!”

At my words, the employees’ gazes shifted towards Alexia, now tinged with suspicion. Some even began to whisper. “From what they just said, Mr. Fanny seems far more confident than Ms. Victor. Could it be that Willie really is the homewrecker?” “It’s possible. Ms. Victor’s daughter is already ten. She looks more like Mr. Fanny’s child. Willie is barely in his twenties. Could he really have a child that age?” “But would Ms. Victor really flaunt an affair so brazenly?” Cora, who had been hiding behind Alexia, suddenly stepped forward. “Stop judging my dad!” I had hoped to shield Cora from the adults’ mess. But now, I silently prayed she would speak up for me. “My dad is Willie Watt! He’s my mom’s legal husband! Claude Fanny is just crazy!” Her words felt like a plunge into an icy abyss. I was jolted back to the birthday song she had led. I looked at my daughter in disbelief, my voice hoarse. “Cora, don’t you remember how I signed you up for a European summer camp last summer, but Willie, being so ‘clumsy,’ sent you to Africa instead? Or last month, when he drove you to school and, in his confusion, lost your lunch, leaving you hungry? And…” “Stop it!” she interrupted furiously. “You don’t understand! Daddy didn’t mean it! He’s just a bit clumsy, but he’s incredibly kind-hearted, nothing like you! You wanted me to go to Europe just to force me to attend a German-language program! The so-called nutritious meals you made were all things I hated. Daddy is different. He says I don’t have to do homework and can buy snacks from street vendors. I love him! He’s my real daddy!” After a decade of toiling for this family, I felt utterly disheartened, drained of any strength to argue. Willie looked at me triumphantly. “Mr. Fanny, what else do you have to say? Kids don’t lie.” Susie, seeing that I was “indeed” the fake, stopped pretending and thrust herself into my arms, showing her true colors. “Claude, if you’re that horny, just say so. Why steal someone else’s wife? That’s just low.” Logan chuckled. “Susie, if you really want Mr. Fanny, why not just sleep with him? He won’t dare deny it then.” I stared at them in shock. The others joined in with taunts. “Susie, share the spoils. It’s not nice to hog him all to yourself. Claude is a bit older, but he’s still quite the catch.” I looked at Alexia. After ten years of marriage, even a stranger wouldn’t be so heartless. But she just waved her hand in disgust. “Take him to another office. Don’t ruin Willie’s birthday party.” Willie’s eyes gleamed. “We’d better film this. Otherwise, if he goes to the police…” Alexia nodded with a sly smile. “And you said you’re clumsy? I’d say you’re the smartest person here!” Rage flooded through me as I screamed, “Don’t you dare!” Willie slapped me hard twice. “What’s there to be afraid of? Once we drug you and film it, let’s see how defiant you can be!” As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of hands reached for me, trying to drag me to another room. I struggled desperately. Just then, a familiar voice came from outside the door. “My son, I’m here!”

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