On the night of our wedding anniversary, my husband left me alone in the hospital corridor while he rushed to comfort another woman.
The moment I pulled out my own IV and walked into the rain, I knew there was no reason to stay.
So I accepted an overseas offer, packed a single suitcase, and left without saying goodbye.
And from that moment on, he began searching for someone who no longer existed—the version of me who still loved him.
“Ms. Brown, our group welcomes your addition,” Sophia Garcia said joyfully after receiving my definite reply from across the ocean.
“When do you plan to start?”
I thought for a moment before answering, “I’ll be there in two weeks.”
After hanging up, I noticed Caleb Johnson standing behind me with a frown. “Where are you going?”
I glanced at him indifferently, “Abroad.”
Caleb scoffed coldly, “Don’t be so dramatic, just because it was our fifth wedding anniversary yesterday and I took Blaire with me?”
“Threatening to go abroad?”
I didn’t explain further. He didn’t know I understood the French conversation between him and Blaire at the French restaurant, where he freely vented his dissatisfaction with me over the past five years, calling me an utterly stupid idiot.
“Besides work, doing laundry and cooking, she and I have no common topics to discuss. When I talk about life’s joys, she just rambles about the company’s performance – she has no romance at all. Marrying her is no different than hiring a maid. I really regret marrying her back then.”
Blaire laughed in agreement, jokingly asking, “If I hadn’t gone abroad back then, would you have chosen me instead, Caleb?”
Caleb sincerely and firmly replied, “Definitely.”
In the past, I would have made a scene. But this time, I was surprisingly calm. After finishing the last bite of steak with the waiter’s pitying gaze, I stood up to leave. “You two enjoy your chat. I’ll head home first.”
Blaire pretended to stop me, “Sierra, Caleb and I were just discussing work. Don’t overthink it.”
I ignored her and kept walking out, only to hear Caleb’s enraged voice, “Don’t mind her, she’s just neurotic!”
The only person who caught up to me was the waiter from the restaurant. He looked at me, hesitating to speak, “Ma’am, I think there’s something I should tell you.”
I smiled at him, “Thank you, but I understood everything.”
I vaguely remember the kind waiter’s final pitying and mournful gaze towards me. It was quite tragic, so this marriage had to end.
After Caleb lectured me and saw I had little reaction, he lost steam and changed the subject.
“Blaire plans to join our company. I’m going to have her replace your position. After all, she was a highly regarded studyabroad graduate, more capable than you. If you still want to work, you can be Blaire’s secretary and assist her. Otherwise, just be a full-time housewife at home.”
He spoke while observing my expression. Originally planning to resign, I inwardly rejoiced at his words – a pillowcase was indeed offered while I pondered how to explain leaving.
Without hesitation, I agreed, “Okay, I’ll resign and let her be the CEO.”
Thinking I was speaking angrily in contradiction, Caleb casually reassured me, “Not letting you work is for your own good. How many women envy that lifestyle? I’ll take you on a trip soon to relax.”
I shook my head to decline, “If you really cared, you’d accompany me to the orphanage to see the director this week.”
Caleb agreed, “Okay, it’s been a while since I last saw the director too.”
Caleb and I grew up in the same orphanage. Girls mature faster than boys, so whenever anyone bullied him, I would shield him.
Back then, Caleb would blink his bright eyes at me and say, “When we grow up, I’ll protect you instead, Meimei. I’ll treat you well forever.”
Unfortunately, forever is too long, and casual promises are too light – Caleb didn’t keep his word.
In college, he changed. The dazzling city blinded him, and he fell for Blaire, the French department’s goddess. From the moment Caleb specifically chose French classes for her, I should have realized.
But Blaire, with her eye-catching presence, didn’t take a liking to Caleb at first and instead went abroad with a rich heir.
Until now, with Caleb’s success and fortune, my once brilliant rose has utterly wilted, highlighting Blaire’s noble beauty.
3
The next day, I went to the office to collect my things. Along the way, employees looked at me with various expressions.
Some long-time close colleagues approached me quietly, “Sierra, the CEO brought this woman to your office early and had people move your things out right away. What’s going on?”
I nodded to show I understood and patted her hand reassuringly.
Entering the office, I saw my belongings had been cleared out, with my wedding photo with Caleb in the trash.
Blaire gloated at me, “Sorry, Sierra. Caleb insisted I move in quickly, so people came to clean out first thing this morning.”
She lowered her head, feigning surprise at the photo in the trash, “Oh, who carelessly tossed your wedding photo with Caleb?”
She picked it up and handed it to me.
I took it, removed the photo from the frame, and ripped it to shreds. “No need to pick up soiled things.”
From behind came Caleb’s shocked cry, “Sierra, what are you doing? How could you tear up this photo!”
He rushed over to gather the torn pieces, trying to reassemble it. But broken things can never fully return to their original state, just like the feelings between Caleb and me.
I used to cherish that photo deeply. When we first married while Caleb’s business was just starting, we were poor after buying our wedding rings with no money left over.
I told him, “We don’t have to take wedding photos. We can make it up later.”
But Caleb said, “I don’t want you to feel shortchanged by marrying me.”
To afford that set of portraits, he pulled all-nighters for ten days doing odd jobs.
Thinking back, that photo set didn’t actually cost much, just over a thousand dollars – less than one of Caleb’s ties now.
Yet it was that photo set that made me marry him regardless, despite knowing about his brief change of heart.
But facts proved that once cracks appear, it’s best to let go early.
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I arrived at my daughter Lily’s elementary school expecting a quiet Family Day—only to stop cold at the entrance.
There stood my husband, Caleb.
He wasn’t alone.
He had a little boy resting easily on his hip… and his fingers were laced with Blaire’s, his “childhood friend.”
The three of them looked like a perfect family.
When Caleb spotted me and Lily, he froze—then slowly pulled his hand away, guilt flashing across his face.
I smiled, lifted my chin, and said softly:
“Relax, Caleb. I didn’t come to expose you—at least not today.”
Blairequickly took her son from Caleb, looking a bit flustered.
“Sierra, please don’t be upset. Caleb was just being nice. This kid has grown up without a dad, and today is his special day. Caleb was just helping him out.”
I stared at her with a half-smile.
“If that’s the case, now that Lily and I are here, shouldn’t you return Caleb to us? We’re the real family of three.”
Blaire looked shocked, but her son wasn’t having it.
“Dad, you promised to spend today with me and mom!”
The five-year-old shot me a fierce glare.
I raised an eyebrow. He’s already calling him dad?
Before I could respond, Caleb stepped in front of the mom and son, adopting a protective stance.
His tone was impatient.
“Sierra, you’re a parent too. Shouldn’t you have some empathy? Blaire and I grew up together. I’m just spending one day with them! Do you really have to make a scene?”
I laughed bitterly. Was Blaire’s situation my fault?
Just then, other parents began arriving with their kids for Family Day. One of them came over to greet us.
“Good morning, Leo’s mom and dad! You guys always come together. Not like my husband, who claims he’s too busy for our child.”
Blaire awkwardly responded while panic flashed across Caleb’s face.
I couldn’t help but confront him. “Caleb, is this what you call just one day?!”
He got angry and embarrassed, grabbing my arm.
“Sierra, there are a lot of people here. Don’t make a scene!”
Then he lowered his voice, glancing at our daughter.
“It won’t be good for Lily if this escalates, you know what I mean.”
Lily, hearing her name, looked around confused.
She didn’t understand what was happening. She just clung to my leg, her tiny hand now sweaty.
Feeling her anxiety, I crouched down to pat her little ponytail, speaking softly.
“Don’t worry about anything when mommy’s here.”
I watched as Caleb walked away with Blaire and Leo.
Soon, they were surrounded by a crowd.
People were smiling and complimenting Caleb on his success, praising him for becoming a CEO at just over 30.
He was full of himself, practically glowing with pride.
Blaire looked up at him with admiration, clearly pleased to be seen with him.
Leo, still in Caleb’s arms, turned back to me and made a mocking face.
I couldn’t help but feel a cold laugh inside. Caleb was certainly getting cocky.
Even though I had cut back on my time at the company due to pregnancy and childbirth, I still held 75% of Flying Group’s shares. I was the real boss.
He was just riding my coattails, and out of consideration for our marriage, I gave him a manager title.
I pulled out my phone and texted HR.
“John, remove Caleb from the manager position. Announce it internally next Monday.”
Then I messaged the legal team.
“Luke, draft a divorce agreement between Caleb and me.”
Oh Caleb, if you want to live off me, you better check if I allow it first.
Before long, the Family Day activities kicked off.
Families took their seats at prepared tables. Lily looked at Caleb sitting in front of us and asked sadly.
“Mommy, why isn’t daddy sitting with us?”
I pinched her chubby cheek. She was too young for this drama.
“Because mommy is a superhero. Daddy went to help other kids.”
Just then, the elementary school teacher announced the first activity – building with blocks. She smiled and said, “The prize for first place is a LEGO spaceship.”
Lily’s eyes lit up, and she pointed at the spaceship. “Mommy, I want it!”
“Okay, let’s do our best!”
As the sand timer ran low, Lily raised her hand and shouted excitedly.
“Teacher, we’re done!”
The teacher came over, ready to announce the winner when suddenly, a little boy from the front row dashed over.
Leo.
He knocked over the blocks we built and said arrogantly, “Now first place is mine!”
Lily’s eyes filled with tears as she stared at the mess. Angry, she picked up a large block and threw it at Leo.
Caleb rushed over, his first words being:
“Lily, how could you hit someone?! Apologize to Leo right now.”
Lily stood her ground.
“No! He pushed over my blocks first! He’s the bad guy!”
I firmly supported my daughter.
“Caleb, anyone can see who started this. Leo should apologize to Lily!”
Blaire joined in, tugging on Caleb’s arm.
“Caleb, let’s just drop it. We shouldn’t hold this against the kids.”
The elementary school teacher tried to smooth things over, but suddenly Lily burst into tears.
“Daddy, why aren’t you protecting me? Why are you scolding me?”
Her cry of “Daddy” stunned everyone. They glanced between me, Caleb, and Blaire.
Caleb turned red, while Blaire looked like she wanted to say something but held back.
At that moment, Leo put his hands on his hips and stood in front of Lily, snarling.
“Who’s your daddy? Don’t call him that! This is my dad!”
My daughter, frightened, started hiccupping. She cried out, her voice breaking.
“Daddy, say something!”
My heart ached. I glared fiercely at Caleb, my voice sharp.
“Caleb, aren’t you going to explain? Are you just going to let us be misunderstood?”
Caleb’s eyes widened. He picked up Leo.
“What’s there to explain? Today, I’m Leo’s dad!” He even patted Leo’s head.
Instantly, other parents began whispering and pointing at me and my daughter.
“Why is that child calling someone dad out of nowhere?!”
“I don’t think Lily’s family has ever attended Family Day before. This time only her mom came. Do you think she might be someone’s mistress?!”
“I heard this Caleb is a big CEO, super rich. Maybe Lily’s mom is trying to seduce him and got caught by her own daughter.”
While my daughter and I faced the gossip, Caleb stood by, comforting Leo. Blaire was off to the side, suppressing a smile as she glanced at me.
I hugged my daughter, who was sobbing uncontrollably, and gently patted her back.
I wanted to confront that scumbag and his mistress, but this wasn’t the right moment. I couldn’t let my daughter suffer more.
Just then, someone trying to flatter Caleb said, “The young master looks just like Mr. Brown. They’re clearly father and son!”
I looked up at Caleb. A flash of guilt crossed his face before he laughed it off, while Blaire looked absolutely thrilled.
I had seen this mother and son before. How had I not noticed their resemblance?
Meanwhile, Lily wouldn’t stop crying.
I had to ask the teacher to take us to the rest area so I could calm my daughter down first.
In the rest area, I comforted Lily until she gradually fell asleep. I needed to calm my daughter down first.
In the lounge area, I comforted Lily until she finally fell asleep.
Seeing her swollen eyelids from crying twisted my heart into knots.
I quietly stepped out and moved to the hallway corner to call HR and Legal.
“John, Luke, bring my marriage certificate and Caleb’s, plus the draft divorce agreement and the dismissal letter to Happy Baby elementary school right now. Hurry!”
While I was going over details with them, I suddenly heard a scream. It was my daughter’s voice!
My heart dropped instantly.
At the end of the hallway, by the bathroom door, Lily was on the ground, sobbing.
Leading the attack was Leo, his face twisted in anger:
“This is for calling my dad your dad. I’m going to beat you up today!”
With that, he kicked Lily in the stomach. Lily cried out in pain, trying to escape, but the boys behind him caught her.
“Kids of mistresses deserve a beating!”
“My mom said bastards like you should have never been born!”
Lily waved her little hands in defense, crying so hard she could hardly breathe:
“You’re lying! That’s my daddy! Daddy, Mommy, come save Lily!”
“It hurts so much!”
“Daddy, Mommy, where are you?!”
Seeing this sent a roar through my mind. My blood boiled, and every vein felt ready to burst.
When those boys noticed me, they exchanged glances, and seeing my fierce expression, they took off like scared animals.
I scooped Lily into my arms, feeling her tremble. I quickly called for an ambulance.
“Don’t be scared, sweetheart. Mommy’s here. Mommy’s here.”
When the ambulance arrived, other parents watched, curious about what happened.
I rushed toward the ambulance, holding my daughter tightly.
As I passed, I saw Caleb smiling and playing with blocks alongside Leo, while Blaire wiped sweat from Caleb’s forehead.
When he heard the chaos, he looked up, confused. As he started to come over and ask, “What’s going on? What happened to Lily?” Blaire grabbed his hand.
“Caleb, you promised to spend the whole day with Leo today. He was so excited when I told him last night!”
Caleb froze as I climbed into the ambulance with Lily.
Lily was unconscious. The doctors quickly began examining her inside the ambulance.
When a female doctor lifted Lily’s dress, her face twisted in shock:
“How could anyone be so cruel to such a small child?!”
I broke down in tears, panic overtaking me.
My baby’s soft skin was marred with blue and purple bruises, including a fist-sized bruise on her side.
Her body shook uncontrollably. The doctor’s voice turned urgent:
“Quick, get her hooked up to the machines!”
Two hours passed as we fought to save Lily. Those hours felt like an eternity.
Regret and anger swirled inside me, growing stronger by the minute.
My mother cried and scolded me:
“How could you let this happen to your child? Look at what she’s been through!”
Lily weakly opened her eyes in the hospital bed, IV drip attached. She looked at me, confused:
“Mommy, why do they all say Lily is a child that Daddy doesn’t want?”
“But Lily has a daddy!”
“Why doesn’t Daddy protect Lily anymore?”
I kissed her forehead gently and replied:
“Mommy will protect Lily forever. You are Mommy’s most precious treasure.”
“As for Daddy, we don’t want him anymore.”
When I returned to the elementary school, the Family Day activities were wrapping up.
Families were busy drawing pictures together.
Caleb was coloring patiently, Leo snuggled against him, while Blaire looked pleased taking pictures of them.
It was a perfect scene of family happiness.
But why was my daughter lying in a hospital while the wrongdoers enjoyed their day?!
I stormed over and without hesitation, slapped Blaire hard across the face.
The force made her stagger back, hitting the corner of the table with a loud bang.
Everyone froze in shock.
Caleb shouted:
“Sierra, what are you doing?!”
He rushed to Blaire, concern in his eyes: “Blaire, are you okay?”
Tears streamed down Blaire’s face as she shook her head, playing the victim:
“Sierra, did you misunderstand? I’m sorry!”
I laughed coldly: “A simple apology won’t cut it!”
Just as I raised my hand to slap her again, Caleb stepped in to stop me.
I redirected and slapped Caleb across the face instead, leaving a clear red mark.
He paused for a second, then exploded in anger:
“Sierra, have you lost it? You think I won’t fight back?!”
At that moment, the elementary school teacher rushed over, trying to mediate, asking what was going on.
I pointed at Leo, gritting my teeth:
“This little brat took advantage of my absence and teamed up with others to beat my daughter!”
As soon as I finished, Blaire piped up, panicked:
“That’s impossible. Leo is a good boy! Caleb, you have to believe me!”
I stepped closer: “Impossible? Then why do you think an ambulance just showed up?!”
Once again, Caleb stood protectively in front of Blaire and Leo.
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On my twenty-third birthday, wine loosened my tongue, and I confessed to my guardian.
He did not pull away from my kiss.
But next morning, he sent me abroad with a cold command:
“Erase that night.”
Years later, I walked back into his world, a baby resting against my shoulder.
He went rigid.
“Yours?” he asked, voice barely steady.
I nodded, a slow, deliberate smile spreading.
“Yes. We just finished her checkup.”
Sitting on the plane, I still felt dazed.
I never thought that after five years abroad, I would have the chance to come back.
After all, Damian had said that in this lifetime, I’d better never appear in front of him again.
But it was also he who personally bought me a ticket back home, inviting me to attend his and Seraphina’s wedding anniversary celebration.
After two layovers, I finally landed.
Uma had been sleeping peacefully on the plane, but once we got off, she started crying.
“Mommy, my feet hurt,” she whimpered softly.
Hearing Uma’s quiet sobs, I quickly picked her up and walked towards the exit.
At the arrival gate, I turned on my phone, ready to call a cab.
Just then, my phone rang.
Seeing the familiar number on the screen, I fell silent, unsure whether to answer or not.
In the end, I didn’t pick up.
But a second call came through almost immediately.
I sighed and finally answered.
Damian’s voice quickly came through.
After years without talking, his voice hadn’t changed.
“Are you out of the airport? I sent an assistant to pick you up,” Damian said in a businesslike manner, as if we were strangers.
I laughed bitterly, “I can get a cab myself.”
There was silence for a second; Damian probably didn’t expect me to say that.
After all, back then, I had been well taken care of by him. During my years by his side, all my needs were met – I never had to worry about transportation.
After a moment of silence, Damian spoke casually, “Let the assistant come anyway. I bought a gift for Seraphina on your behalf, it’s in the trunk. You can bring it directly when you come for dinner.”
Damian was still so thoughtful, considering even the gift situation perfectly.
Of course, when he spent millions on the venue and commissioned a limited edition diamond to create a unique wedding ring for Seraphina, it was clear how much he loved her.
“Alright,” I said, rubbing my forehead and responding softly.
Damian didn’t say anything more, but he didn’t hang up either.
After a while, Damian finally spoke: “Elara, after five years abroad, I hope you’ve really reflected on things. If you do anything to Seraphina, I won’t let you off easy.”
Hearing this, I was stunned.
The noise around me seemed to fade away.
Damian said he wouldn’t let me off easy.
Before I could respond, Damian had already hung up.
Actually, Damian could rest assured. I wouldn’t do anything to them.
I just wanted to take good care of Uma and find a job.
As I left the airport, I lowered my head.
The proud 22-year-old me probably couldn’t have imagined that my life would end up in such a miserable state.
I was sent abroad by Damian on my 22nd birthday.
That night, I got drunk for the first time in my life.
When I was young, my parents died in a cruise ship accident and never returned.
Damian naturally took over my care.
My relationship with him had always been harmonious.
Until I grew older and realized the feelings I had for him were no longer something a niece should have for her uncle.
I liked him.
But I also knew very clearly there was no future for us.
So I kept my emotions locked deep in my heart.
If I hadn’t gotten drunk that night, I probably could have kept pretending nothing was wrong.
But I confessed.
Everything I had hidden slipped out between slurred breaths.
Damian heard it all.
The usually gentlemanly and refined Damian wasn’t gentle anymore.
He grabbed my arm, his voice shaking with anger.
“How could you say something so disgusting? Don’t you know I’m your uncle! Blood relation or not—we are only family!”
I wanted to explain it was the alcohol, that I would forget it all tomorrow.
But at that moment, no explanation could fix anything.
All I could do was bow my head and apologize again and again.
Damian didn’t calm down.
The next day, he resigned from the job I had lined up, and under the pretext of ‘studying abroad,’ sent me to a remote university overseas.
He even hired bodyguards to monitor me, cutting off all contact with the outside world.
At first, I didn’t understand why he treated me this way.
Until a month later, news of Damian’s marriage went viral.
Only then did I realize he had always loved someone else.
I watched the wedding video repeatedly.
When Damian looked at Seraphina, his gaze was gentle and full of love.
He had never looked at me that way.
From that moment on, I knew the years he kept me by his side were only out of responsibility and sympathy.
His only love was Seraphina.
“Miss John, please get in the car,” the assistant’s voice pulled me back to reality.
I nodded and got into the car with the sleeping Uma.
When he saw Uma, the assistant’s face showed a hint of surprise: “Miss John, this is…?”
I made a shushing gesture, afraid our conversation would disturb Uma’s sleep.
After sitting in the back seat, I answered softly: “This is my daughter.”
The assistant nodded and fell silent.
When he drove to our destination, I was stunned.
This hotel was where Damian and Seraphina got married.
Five years of marriage, he held a wedding anniversary celebration every year, and personally selected gifts for Seraphina.
I thought, Damian really cherished Seraphina.
In previous years, he didn’t allow me to enter their world. Inviting me back this year was probably just to let me witness their happiness.
I numbly got out of the car and saw Seraphina smiling as she walked towards me.
Unlike my haggard appearance and simple clothes, Seraphina wore expensive jewelry and perfume, looking well-cared for by Damian.
Seraphina’s smile suddenly froze.
I knew she had seen Uma in my arms.
Sure enough, when she came to my side, Seraphina’s expression was very surprised: “Elara, how did you secretly have a child abroad without telling me? I’ve been married to your uncle for so long, you still treat me like an outsider.”
Before I could speak, Seraphina took Uma from my arms without asking.
Uma woke up and immediately started crying, struggling not to let Seraphina hold her.
I took Uma back from Seraphina and comforted her for a while.
Actually, Seraphina knew about my past crush on Damian.
Returning this time, I didn’t want to get too involved with Seraphina.
But Seraphina still stubbornly wanted to hold Uma.
When Seraphina and I arrived at the hotel’s private room, Uma was still crying and wanting me to hold her.
Seraphina forced a smile and handed Uma back to me: “Your uncle knows having children isn’t easy. We haven’t thought about having kids these past few years. Seeing you’ve had a daughter, I got too excited.”
There were already several people sitting in the room.
I wasn’t used to socializing, so I chose a corner seat, and Seraphina sat down next to me.
She enthusiastically linked arms with me, introducing me and Uma to the others.
The looks others gave me were visibly teasing and probing.
I couldn’t stand the strange atmosphere here and said I wanted to go to the restroom.
When I came back after washing my face, I heard Seraphina’s voice.
Someone asked Seraphina why she brought in an unlucky thing like me.
“What unlucky thing, Elara is Damian’s sister. Although she went down the wrong path and tried to seduce Damian before, now that she’s had a child, she definitely won’t make mistakes again.”
Hearing Seraphina say this, I just quietly stood at the door of the private room.
Yes, in others’ eyes, I was just a madwoman who tried to seduce her uncle, a shameless slut.
Uma tugged at my clothes uneasily, and I comforted her before entering the room.
Some things have to be faced eventually.
I don’t know how long passed, but suddenly everyone in the room stood up.
“Mr. John is here!”
“Hello, Mr. John!”
A group of people crowded around him, while I didn’t move, just sitting in my seat.
After a long time, I finally raised my head and looked at Damian.
He seemed to have lost some weight.
Damian wore a suit, with Seraphina leaning on him. When they looked at each other, their eyes were full of smiles.
Damian was surrounded by people and didn’t notice me in the corner.
All these years, he who should have been the center of attention still was, while the only one not doing well was me.
Suddenly, Seraphina seemed to remember something and pushed Damian with a smile: “Damian, Elara is here too. You uncle and niece haven’t seen each other for so many years, catch up a bit. Elara even brought back a surprise!”
Hearing the word “surprise”, Damian remained unmoved, first helping Seraphina sit down and ordering her a glass of milk before raising his eyes to look in my direction.
Uma shrank into a ball, looking very wary.
Damian obviously saw Uma too, his eyes widening suddenly.
“Elara, what is this?”
He was asking about Uma.
I hadn’t told them about Uma, so when they saw me with her, their expressions were all the same – either surprised or looking like they were watching a show.
Seraphina spoke for me: “Damian, this is Elara’s daughter. Isn’t she cute? She looks just like Elara and seems to be a few years old already.”
Damian’s gaze fell on Uma, then on me, examining me for a while.
Just when I thought Damian wouldn’t pay attention to me anymore, he asked hoarsely, pointing at Uma: “During these years abroad… you got married and had a child?”
I raised my head, looking directly at Damian, and nodded.
“I got married a while ago. Sorry I didn’t tell you.”
It was very quiet around, no one spoke.
Damian stared at me, as if trying to judge whether my words were true or false.
Seraphina seemed about to say something, but Damian had already come to stand in front of me: “Where’s your husband?”
I pursed my lips: “He’s busy recently, so he didn’t come.”
Whispers and snickers sounded around the room, though these guests seemed to restrain their laughter out of respect for Damian.
Damian’s face was aJohn, but in the end he didn’t say anything, just sat down next to Seraphina.
This meal, I ate without tasting anything.
Everyone else was praising how well-matched Damian and Seraphina were, while I just wanted to take Uma to rest early.
The rent here wasn’t too expensive, I could still afford it.
I didn’t want to go abroad again.
The meal ended quickly.
I wanted to leave, but Damian stopped me, saying he had something to tell me.
In the end, Damian and I stayed in the private room.
Seraphina was there too.
Damian looked at me coldly, his words as emotionless as his expression.
“Elara, since we all have our own families now, I hope you won’t come to bother me in the future.”
Seraphina covered the smile at the corner of her lips: “Damian, don’t say that to Elara. She’s a grown woman now, she knows what she shouldn’t do.”
The couple sang in harmony, looking particularly in sync.
And I was excluded from this synchronization.
They never believed the promises I made.
But I still nodded and bowed: “I won’t in the future.”
They didn’t say anything, and I had already turned to leave with Uma in my arms.
Damian called his assistant to send me off, but this time I refused.
After returning to the rental apartment with Uma, she suddenly asked me quietly if the uncle and aunt today disliked her.
They say children are perceptive and know everything.
I shook my head: “They don’t dislike Uma.”
They just dislike me.
Uma looked like she had many questions she wanted to ask me, but in the end she didn’t, just hugged me and said, mom, you’ve worked hard.
The tears I had held back all day seemed about to fall at this moment.
But I couldn’t cry in front of Uma.
So I tilted my head back, holding back the tears.
After putting Uma to sleep, I suddenly received a text message.
The sender was Seraphina.
“Elara, if you have time, let’s talk.”
I frowned and told her she could just text me directly.
But Seraphina didn’t send any more messages.
Just before bed, I received a call from Seraphina.
“I’m downstairs at your place. I just want to ask you one thing.”
“Do you have any thoughts of going abroad again recently? Damian and I actually both hope you’ll continue to stay abroad. And your husband is abroad too, right? It’s better for you to go abroad.”
I was a bit confused at first, but after realizing, I found it a bit funny.
The only thing that could make Seraphina contact me late at night was probably just this.
They both hated me to this extent.
They couldn’t even stand being in the same country as me.
I glanced at Uma sleeping beside me.
After going downstairs, I indeed saw Seraphina standing under a streetlight.
Standing in front of her, I took a deep breath before looking directly into her eyes: “I don’t plan to go abroad.”
Even if just for Uma’s sake, I won’t take her on such a tiring journey again.
Seraphina laughed lightly.
With no one else around, her gaze finally showed undisguised contempt.
“Elara, I know you’re very short on money now. What if I could give you a sum of money, would you be willing to go abroad?”
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The Stone family, one of the wealthiest in the city, had three sons who grew up with me since childhood.
Mr. Stone asked me to pick one of the three to be my husband. Matteus, the oldest, was the first to state his opinion.
“I’d rather stay single for life than marry her.”
Noah, the second brother, chimed in.
“Then I’d rather die than marry her.”
Caleb, the youngest, quipped with a sneer.
“If my brothers, Matteus and Noah, wouldn’t touch her with a ten-foot pole, why would I? I’m not some charity case for unwanted goods.”
But I wasn’t trash. I was Avery Hayes, the daughter of a New York billionaire, staying with them temporarily, and they were definitely not who I was marrying.
“Avery, I’m not marrying you. Get that idea out of your head, seriously.”
Matteus, the oldest, glared at me with his usual icy expression.
I knew he was saying this because of Chloe, the girl the Stone family adopted.
I was clutching a secret, desperate to tell him, but before I could even open my mouth, Noah, the second brother, chimed in.
“Don’t even *think* about marrying me. The thought of it makes me want to die. If you’re so desperate to get hitched, I’ll ask one of the security guards at our law firm to do you a favor.”
Noah was always the most verbally abusive of the Stones, especially when it came to me.
Caleb, the youngest, looked at me with pure disgust.
“You better tell my dad you’re not interested in marrying any of us yourself, or I’ll make sure your reputation is in tatters.”
Caleb hated me the most in the Stone family. He genuinely believed I’d stolen the affection that belonged to Chloe the moment I arrived.
Chloe was the adopted daughter of the Stones, practically groomed to marry one of the sons once she graduated college.
I’d been living with the Stone family since I was sixteen. At first, the three brothers were reasonably polite.
But after just a month, everyone but Matteus started treating me like I was a plague.
All because Chloe would constantly cry and whine to them, claiming I was trying to steal all three brothers for myself.
The truth was, I’d been engaged to a wealthy New York family since I was a kid.
My parents were going abroad for business and couldn’t take me with them, so my dad called up his best friend, Mr. Stone, to look after me.
Only Mr. Stone knew my true identity.
My dad was worried that if the Stones knew who I really was, they’d treat me like a princess and turn me into a spoiled brat.
So he asked Mr. Stone to keep it under wraps.
Seven years I’d lived there, and seven years I’d been despised by the Stone brothers. Thinking about it, a mischievous idea suddenly sparked in my mind.
“Whether I marry one of you or not is up to Mr. Stone and my dad. I don’t get a say.”
My dad never actually intended for me to marry into their family, but *I* had a crush on Matteus.
Mr. Stone, seeing through my crush, never let on. He just figured he’d let me pick one myself.
So, today, Mr. Stone decided it was time for me to make my choice.
“How about you choose one of my three sons to be your husband? I’ll handle your father.”
I was thrilled. My plan was to choose Matteus and then talk my dad into it.
With how outstanding Matteus was, I figured my dad wouldn’t object. But as soon as the three brothers heard the news, they absolutely erupted.
Seeing my refusal, the brothers all went beet red with fury. Suddenly, Martha, our housekeeper, came rushing in.
“Young masters, you have to go help Miss Chloe! She’s threatening to hurt herself!”
At that, their faces drained of color, and they sprinted toward Chloe’s room.
Chloe, having lost too much blood, was rushed to the hospital.
By the time I got to the hospital, Chloe was out of the woods.
But the moment she saw me, she tried to struggle up, as if to kneel at my feet.
“Avery, please don’t take Matteus and the others away from me! I’m just an adopted daughter of the Stones. If I can’t be *truly* one of them, how can I ever show my face in this family again?”
The three Stone brothers rushed to help her up.
Then Noah shot me a look of pure hatred. “Avery, listen up. If anything, *anything* happens to Chloe, I swear I’ll make you regret it for the rest of your life.”
I almost laughed. “Her wanting to hurt herself has nothing to do with me.”
Caleb was so furious he shoved me, making me stumble.
“You think you can just bully people because you’re *you*, huh? Let me tell you something, Chloe isn’t alone. She’ll always have us three brothers backing her up!”
“My background simply doesn’t compare to Miss Avery’s. I’ll just leave the Stone family, then.”
Chloe started crying again.
Caleb glared daggers at me, then rushed to comfort Chloe.
“Chloe, don’t you dare leave! If anyone’s going, it’s Avery. You’re our family, *you* belong here. Avery is nobody to us!”
Watching the three Stone brothers being played like puppets by Chloe, I couldn’t help but sneer,
“Looks like Chloe would have to be cloned three times just to go around for all of you, huh?”
Caleb heard that and instantly stood up, ready to lunge at me. Matteus quickly held him back, then walked towards me, his face absolutely frozen.
“Watch your mouth, Avery. I know what you’re trying to do. I’ll go beg Dad to let me marry you. I’ll sacrifice my freedom for their happiness, if that’s what it takes.”
Seeing the sheer disgust and reluctance plastered all over Matteus’s face, it would be a lie to say my heart didn’t ache.
For years, I’d chased after him, transforming from a clueless heiress into a dedicated researcher, eventually becoming his most trusted assistant at the institute.
I never explicitly told him I liked him, but even a blind man could see how I felt about him.
He was arguably the kindest of the three Stone brothers to me; he never let Chloe’s drama turn him against me.
When he found out I wanted to apply to the same university, he’d diligently tutor me.
And after I got into the research institute, he was always there to help.
I genuinely thought he might have feelings for me too, but this time, his attitude shattered any lingering hope I had.
The moment I left the hospital, my dad called.
“Sweetheart, I heard from Matteus that you want to marry him? Matteus’s a good guy, but I just don’t think he’s the right fit for you. Think about it carefully.”
I was fuming at Matteus’s audacity and quickly set the record straight.
“Dad, don’t listen to a word he says! I’m not marrying him. You and Mom already arranged my engagement, remember? I’ve thought about it, and I realize now that a union with the Hayes family is the only way to truly strengthen our family.”
Dad paused, then sounded relieved.
“It seems you’ve truly grown up, sweetheart. Your mom and I will be back in the country in a few days. We’ll set up your wedding right away.”
Hanging up, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
Finally, I could move out of the Stone household.
I’d wanted to since college, but Mr. Stone always refused, claiming it was for my safety.
The moment I stepped back into the Stone residence, I overheard Mr. and Mrs. Stone having a heated argument.
“Are you losing your mind? Even if Chloe is adopted, I treat her like my own flesh and blood! If anyone gets to choose, it should be Chloe first!”
“And my sons are all brilliant! Any one of them is *more* than good enough for Avery. If there’s any choosing to be done, it’s *them* picking *her*!”
Mrs. Stone’s attitude didn’t surprise me one bit. She’d never liked me, not since day one.
Mr. Stone, however, was still trying his best to defend me.
“What do *you* know? Avery isn’t bad at all. As long as Matteus agrees, I’ll arrange their wedding myself.”
“And I’ve already picked out a match for Chloe. She and Noah are about the same age, and he’s made it clear he wouldn’t marry anyone else. They’re a perfect fit.”
Seeing they were about to keep arguing, I quickly pushed the door open and stepped inside.
“Mr. Stone, Mrs. Stone, my parents will be back in the country soon. Let’s just hold off on discussing my marriage until they return.”
I swallowed the lump of resentment in my throat, forcing myself to stay calm.
Mr. Stone didn’t say anything further, just nodded. “Alright.”
Mrs. Stone, however, gave me a sideways glance, crossed her arms, and settled back into her chair, a smirk already forming.
“Surely your high-society parents couldn’t bear to marry you into a humble family like ours, could they, Miss Heiress? That would just be *perfect*.”
I didn’t want to engage, so I simply offered a polite greeting and headed to my room.
The day my parents were due back was fast approaching. I had my bags packed, ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
Sweaty and exhausted, I was just about to hop in the shower when Matteus suddenly pounded on my door.
“Avery, open up! I need to talk to you!”
I hesitated for a moment, but eventually, I opened the door. The second it was ajar, Matteus grabbed my wrist and yanked me out.
“What are you doing?! Where are you taking me?!”
Matteus’s grip was surprisingly strong. The more I struggled, the more my wrist screamed in pain.
But he said nothing, just shoved me into his car. As he started the engine, he finally spoke, his voice ice-cold. “You’ll see soon enough. It’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it?”
I sat there, utterly bewildered, as he drove. Ten minutes later, we pulled up to our destination. Only then did I realize he’d brought me to a church.
“Get out. We’re getting married. Your biggest wish was always to marry me, right? Well, this is all I can give you.”
He opened my door, roughly pulled me out, and without giving me a chance to speak, dragged me inside.
I couldn’t hold back the storm of emotions anymore. Tears streaming down my face, I screamed at him, “Matteus! I’m not doing this! I’m not marrying you! Let go of me!”
“Stop pretending, Avery. I’ve always known how you felt about me. You just wanted to choose me this time, didn’t you? You’re using your identity to fight Chloe for a husband. Fine, I’ll give you what you want. But this is *all* you’ll get from me. Don’t expect anything more.”
Realizing there was no reasoning with Matteus, I desperately looked around for help.
“Help! Somebody, please!”
Immediately, a kind couple rushed over and pulled Matteus off me.
“What is wrong with you, mister? You can’t just force someone to marry you!”
After being chastised by the well-meaning couple, Matteus glared at me, even more furious. “You’re the one who walked away, Avery. Don’t you dare regret this!”
With that, he stalked off, leaving me standing there.
After thanking the kind couple, I also decided to leave.
As I walked out of the courthouse, I decided, then and there, that I needed to move out of the Stone house immediately.
The next second, a sleek black sedan pulled up behind me.
When I saw who stepped out, a chill ran down my spine.
I tried to run, but before I could, a hand clamped over my mouth and nose, and I blacked out.
When I woke up, I was in an unfamiliar room. Noah and Caleb were sitting by the bed.
“Finally awake.”
“What do you want?!”
I scrambled off the bed, fear seizing me, and huddled into the corner.
Noah snuffed out his cigarette, then looked at me with a sneer.
“We brought you here to make one thing clear: stop fantasizing about marrying Matteus. We’ll never let him sacrifice his happiness for you.”
“Caleb chuckled darkly. ‘Noah, why waste words? She’s so desperate to get married, isn’t she? Let’s give her a wedding alright. Today’s the day she gets hitched.’”
Caleb’s sinister grin, coupled with his words, sent a fresh wave of terror through me.
I never imagined they could be this cruel.
But I had to keep a clear head, no matter what.
“I promise I won’t marry Matteus. Just let me go!”
“Oh, so you just decide you won’t marry him? Matteus already told your parents he’s going to! After today, how will you even *dare* show your face to him, let alone marry him?”
The words were barely out of his mouth when a knock echoed on the door.
My heart plummeted. I instinctively reached for my phone to call the police, only to find it wasn’t there.
My stomach twisted as the door opened, revealing a creepy-looking man in a mask. It was Jerry.
“She’s all yours. Be *gentle* now, won’t you?”
Noah chuckled, clapped Jerry on the shoulder, then turned to leave, pushing the door open.
I saw my chance, bolted past Jerry, pushing him hard, and tried to make a break for the door.
But Jerry grabbed a handful of my hair, yanking me back, and dragged me towards the bed.
“Sweetheart, once you’re with me, there’s no getting away.”
Jerry smirked, tossing me onto the mattress.
I watched, horrified, as the door clicked shut. Jerry loomed over me, pressing his weight down.
“Get off me!”
I thrashed and fought, but his grip was unyielding. I watched in utter despair as he tore at my clothes.
“Just stop fighting. You might as well enjoy yourself. You rich folks always know how to have a good time, right?”
Jerry leaned in, his foul breath hot on my face, trying to kiss me.
Just then, my hand brushed against something on the bedside table – an ashtray.
The moment Jerry reached for my underwear, I gripped the ashtray and swung it with all my might, smashing it into his head.
“Argh! You f***ing bitch! You dare hit me?!”
Jerry clutched his bleeding head, his eyes turning instantly venomous. In a flash, his hand was clamped around my throat, squeezing hard.
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Fake daughter Tiffany Reed sneered, offering me a pastry:
“Here, sis, try this. It’s specially for you.”
I swallowed it without a second thought.
That night, she was assaulted by the janitor, her reputation utterly shattered.
My brother, Jesiah, wanted to get revenge for his precious Tiffany and tried to push me down the stairs.
Instead, I grabbed him and jumped with him.
He ended up with two broken legs, condemned to a wheelchair for life.
Later, the fake heiress led her crew to bully me at school, brandishing a small knife at my arm.
I just gave a chilling smirk and, with a swift move, slashed my own arm.
“Elara, here, this pastry is specially for you. Go on, try it.”
I just smiled, looking at Tiffany’s face, plastered with fake concern, and the plate of delicate yet ‘enhanced’ cupcakes she held.
I was reborn. Back at the recognition party that sealed my tragic fate in my previous life.
In my last life, it was this very pastry that led to my defilement, exposed to her mocking onlookers, my reputation ruined.
That recognition party became my public trial, and I lived a miserable life with the Hayes, abused to death by her.
“Elara, why aren’t you eating? Do you… hate me or something?”
Seeing me just staring at the pastry, Tiffany’s eyes instantly welled up, her voice thick with a fake sob.
Her pitiful act immediately drew the attention of several guests nearby.
They whispered amongst themselves about how the recently acknowledged true heiress was obviously trashy.
I reached out, took it, a small smile playing on my lips.
“Tiffany, what are you talking about? How could I hate you?”
Under her expectant gaze, I opened my mouth and swallowed.
At the same time, I silently chanted in my mind:
“System, activate damage transfer. Target: Tiffany Reed.”
[Command confirmed. Damage transfer activated.]
Seeing me eat it, Tiffany’s face immediately bloomed with a vicious, satisfied smile.
She affectionately linked her arm through mine. “That’s more like it! We sisters must get along well from now on.”
I nodded compliantly, silently calculating the time.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, I feigned a sway, clutching my forehead.
“Tiffany, I feel a little dizzy.”
A flicker of wild glee crossed Tiffany’s eyes. She quickly steadied me, her voice laced with feigned concern. “Are you tired? The party’s too loud. Let me help you to a room upstairs to rest.”
I leaned weakly against her, allowing her to guide me out of the ballroom.
Just like in my previous life, following the exact same path.
She led me to the pre-arranged guest room on the second floor.
Tiffany helped me towards the bed, her voice sickly sweet. “Elara, you lie down for a bit. I’ll get you some water.”
But then, her words abruptly stopped.
Because she realized that I, who should have been collapsing into her arms, was now standing perfectly straight, looking at her with an icy, piercing gaze.
And she herself was suddenly hit with a wave of intense dizziness and a strange, burning heat.
“You… how can you be…”
She stumbled, then started uncontrollably tearing at the neckline of her elegant dress.
I walked up to her, a faint smile playing on my lips. “Tiffany, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Her voice trembled, full of terror. “What… what did you do?”
I leaned close to her ear and whispered, “I merely returned what you so thoughtfully prepared for me, Tiffany.”
Tiffany tried to say more, but the drug had already clouded her mind.
I watched her grotesque display with cold detachment, feeling only pure satisfaction.
Footsteps approached from outside. Tiffany’s arranged guest had arrived.
Without hesitation, I turned, closed the door, and locked it.
Inside the room, only Tiffany, writhing under the drug’s effects, and the newly entered janitor remained.
The show had only just begun.
Midway through the party, Mrs. Hayes frowned, glancing around. She grabbed my wrist.
“Have you seen Tiffany? She said she was going to get you a pastry, but she’s vanished in the blink of an eye.”
Mr. Hayes also looked over, a hint of displeasure on his face.
“With so many guests here tonight, why is she running off?”
I blinked, showing just the right amount of worry.
“Tiffany mentioned she wasn’t feeling well earlier, really dizzy. I think she went back to a room to rest.”
Mrs. Hayes instantly tensed. “Not feeling well? Why didn’t she say anything sooner?”
Mr. and Mrs. Hayes exchanged worried glances and headed straight for the second-floor rooms.
Watching their hurried retreat, I mimicked Tiffany’s actions from my past life, raising my voice, my tone overflowing with concern.
“Everyone, Tiffany isn’t feeling too well, and my parents are really worried. Should we all go up and check on her? The more people, the better to help out, right?”
My words immediately piqued the guests’ interest.
The true and fake heiress drama – and the real one is already unwell after just being recognized? Clearly, there’s a story brewing.
“Yes, yes, let’s all go see!”
“The Hayes sisters truly have a deep bond, don’t they?”
A large group of people followed them upstairs in a bustling procession.
Mr. and Mrs. Hayes were so focused on their precious adopted daughter that they paid no mind to the commotion behind them.
Mr. Hayes didn’t even think twice; he just twisted the doorknob to the bedroom.
3.
A heavy, cloying scent hit them first.
Then, scattered clothes on the floor and two figures entangled on the bed came into view.
Tiffany’s hair was disheveled, her face flushed crimson, as she lay intertwined with a man in a janitor’s uniform.
Mrs. Hayes’s face went chalk-white. Mr. Hayes roared, “Tiffany, what in the world are you doing?!”
Tiffany flinched, startled by his shout, and frantically pulled the covers around herself, while the surrounding guests’ phone cameras flashed incessantly.
“Oh my god, it’s actually Tiffany Reed!”
“She usually acts so refined. Who knew she was into this kind of wild stuff in private?”
“And with a janitor! The Hayes family is going to be a complete joke!”
Tiffany’s gaze pierced through the crowd, fixating on my face, her eyes burning with venom.
Mr. Hayes trembled with rage, forcing himself to suppress it as he tried to disperse the crowd.
“Stop filming! Everyone out! This is a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding!”
Mrs. Hayes rushed forward, desperate to close the door, but was blocked by several guests who just wanted to gawk, tears streaming down her face in frustration.
After finally managing to clear out the guests and close the door.
Mr. Hayes yanked Tiffany off the bed and raised his hand to strike her.
“Dad, it wasn’t me! It was Elara! She set me up!” Tiffany cried out, scrambling away, her clothes disheveled as she lunged towards my fiancé, Blake Harrison.
Blake instinctively caught her, his brow furrowed deeply.
Tiffany buried her face in his chest, sobbing, her face streaked with tears.
“Blake, you have to believe me! It was Elara! She hates me for taking her place for so many years, for Mom and Dad loving me, for stealing her fiancé – who was supposed to be hers! That’s why she deliberately framed me, she drugged my drink!”
Blake looked up at me, his eyes cold and accusing. “Elara, I know you hold a grudge, but using such vicious methods… that’s truly wicked.”
Mrs. Hayes also looked at me, her eyes red-rimmed, her voice utterly drenched in disappointment.
“Elara, we brought you home to make amends, to compensate you. How could you set up Tiffany like this? How can you be so malicious?”
Hah.
How familiar those words sounded.
In my previous life, when I lay there, my clothes torn, enduring everyone’s contemptuous stares, they had said the exact same thing.
They said I was indecent, that I’d seduced the janitor.
They asked why, if I was truly innocent, I hadn’t proven it by dying during the assault.
Now, with their precious adopted daughter, it’s suddenly *my* malicious heart?
I looked at them and suddenly laughed, my voice cutting through the silence.
“Tiffany, you say I framed you? I’ve been back with the Hayes family for less than three days. I haven’t even recognized all the staff yet. How could I possibly frame you?”
I took a step towards Tiffany, my gaze locked onto her. “You say I drugged you? Where’s the drug? How was it administered? Where’s the proof?”
Tiffany was speechless under my barrage of questions, only able to point at me frantically. “It was you! It had to be you! You’re just jealous of me!”
“Jealous of you?”
I stopped, pulling a tiny USB drive from a hidden pocket in my dress. “Fortunately, the house’s security cameras caught something… special.”
Mr. Hayes’s eyes narrowed. “What is it?”
I connected the USB drive to the smart TV in the living room.
Soon, the screen displayed a clear image.
It showed Tiffany, before the party began, sneaking into the kitchen and shaking a small packet of powder into that plate of pastries.
Immediately after, there was a crystal-clear audio recording of her whispering in my ear as she helped me upstairs:
“Let’s see how you’re going to compete with me for Mom, Dad, and Blake once you eat this and turn into a total mess.”
When the video finished, a deathly silence filled the living room.
Tiffany’s face was ashen. She shook her head frantically. “Fake! This is fake! She fabricated it!”
I lowered my head, my shoulders subtly trembling. “So, Tiffany, you really don’t want me here. If this home can’t make room for me, then I suppose I’ll leave.”
I turned, pretending to walk away.
Mr. Hayes stopped me, then turned and delivered a stinging slap across Tiffany’s face.
Tiffany clutched her cheek, her face a mask of disbelief. “Dad, you hit me… for this bitch?”
“Shut up! You still don’t see what you did wrong?!”
Mr. Hayes’s face was livid. He pulled out a black card and pressed it into my hand. “Elara, Tiffany was out of line. Take this card. Don’t talk about leaving again.”
Mrs. Hayes quickly clasped my hand. “Tiffany was just momentarily confused, playing a prank on you. You’re fine, aren’t you? Let’s not make a big deal of it, girls.”
I nodded obediently, tucking the card away. “Thank you, Dad. I’ll listen to both of you, Mom and Dad.”
I looked at the cold black card in my hand, a cold laugh bubbling up inside me.
“Fine?” “Not make a big deal of it?”
In my last life, I paid with my life.
I knew Mom and Dad still favored her.
But it didn’t matter.
The days were long.
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“The test results confirm late-stage stomach cancer. It’s terminal.”
My husband Mark didn’t even wait for me to process the news before he shoved me to the floor. “Why waste money on you? Chloe needs it for her business!”
I never imagined that on the day I received my terminal diagnosis, my husband would be transferring our life savings to another woman.
In desperation, I tried to sell my jewelry, only to learn every piece was fake.
“Of course I swapped them out,” Mark sneered. “Did you think I’d let you waste our future on a corpse?”
Just as I reached my lowest point, the hospital called. There’d been a system error in the lab.
“You’re perfectly healthy, Ms. Miller. The cancer is your husband’s.”
“Mark, my hospital admission is tomorrow. Is the money ready?”
My husband walked out of the kitchen eating fruit, ignoring me completely.
“What money? It’s gone.”
I stared, frozen. He’d never spoken to me like this in all our years of marriage. “What do you mean,gone?”
“I gave it to Chloe.”
He didn’t care about my reaction, already sitting down to continue his meal.
Hearing that name stunned me. That was my life savings, my medical fund! How could he do this? And for Chloe Davis! What the hell was happening?
Under my frantic questions, he lost his patience.
“To fund her business, obviously! It’s an investment! Don’t you know what that means?”
Days of psychological torment had left my nerves in shreds. That was the final straw. That broke me.
I lunged at him, hitting and kicking, even knocking over the fruit plate.
“Mark Thompson! That’s my life savings! How dare you!”
The next second, he pushed me hard to the floor, where I landed with a painful thud.
“You crazy woman! Chloe needs money for her shop! What’s wrong with me giving it to her?”
“You’re in late-stage stomach cancer, it’s incurable! What’s a dying woman fighting a living one for? You can’t expect Mom and me to lose everything, can you?”
I sat there, stunned on the floor, seeing my husband as a complete stranger for the first time.
Before this, Mark would never have treated me this way.
We met in college, navigated our student years together, and eventually walked down the aisle. He never cared that I was an orphan; he even sympathized with how hard I’d worked over the years.
Friends and classmates always praised him. How could he have changed so completely?
These past few years, he’d been nothing but attentive. We’d never even had such a fierce argument.
His drastic change started after our recent routine physical exam. The same exam that found my stomach cancer. Right after that, he gave our entire twenty-thousand-dollar savings to an outsider to start her business.
It made me wonder what kind of man I had truly married all these years, or if he was merely wearing a human facade.
Mark saw my dazed expression and softened his tone, continuing to explain his reasoning.
“We only have twenty thousand dollars saved up. It’s not enough to cure you anyway.”
“Better to invest the money in Chloe’s business. Once her capital returns, the money she makes can definitely save you. Sarah, just hold on a little longer. Would I really joke about your life savings?”
I scoffed, saying nothing.
It was all garbage. After years together, I knew exactly what Mark looked like when he was lying.
Mark and Chloe Davis had probably been having an affair for a while. Now that I was diagnosed with a terminal illness, he clearly couldn’t be bothered to keep up the charade of a loving husband anymore.
I felt a chill of disgust. Just then, Mrs. Thompson walked out from the back room, eyeing me disdainfully.
“My son works so hard to keep this family afloat! What have you done all these years?”
“And now you’ve got this money-pit disease! Dying is what you deserve!”
“What have I done?! Mom, you haven’t forgotten, have you? I paid half the down payment on this house!”
I stood up, looking at the two of them and laughing out loud, finding the whole situation utterly absurd.
“What have I done all these years? Why don’t you ask what you and your son have been doing!”
“And I won’t even start on his relationship with Chloe Davis!”
“Your son’s been jobless, all he does is some light cleaning! A grown man, and sometimes I even have to help him with that! Where exactly has he been ‘working hard’? Do I not have a job? My salary is barely enough to support all of us! So tell me, what have I done?!”
Mrs. Thompson’s face was a stormy mess, flickering between expressions, as if she wanted to say something but was silenced by Mark’s glare.
I gave a cold laugh and continued, “As for you, Mom, I always thought you were fair, that you’d side with me. But now, it’s clear you’re all cut from the same cloth! You’re the real family! And I guess I’m just…”
Before I could finish, Mark slapped me across the face.
My ears rang, and I clutched my cheek, glaring at him with fury.
Since Mark lost his job, our entire household had relied on my income. He merely tidied up a bit, and suddenly it was his hard work? Where did he even work hard?
And now he had the nerve to hit me?!
“By rights, half the money in that savings account belongs to me!”
They probably expected me to cry, but I stood my ground, protesting loudly, not a trace of fear in my eyes.
Are you kidding me? I’m already dying! What do I have to be afraid of?!
Hearing me say that, their faces were a sight to behold. They couldn’t refute it, as it was the truth, and couldn’t find an excuse to argue. I pressed on.
“You have to give me the money! Otherwise, we’ll go through legal channels. Even if I can’t be saved, I’d rather see the money incinerated than let Chloe Davis touch a single cent!”
“No way, Sarah. You can forget about it.”
“I won’t give you a single penny.”
Mark stared at me with chilling indifference. In his eyes, I couldn’t see a shred of affection for me.
“Go ahead and sue for divorce if you’re so brave. But I’m telling you, Sarah, even if you do, I won’t agree. It’s just a cooling-off period, right? I can afford to wait you out!”
“Since you’ve pushed it this far, I’ll just wait until you die! Then the money will still be mine!”
I fell silent, looking at him in disbelief. Mark thought I was backing down and decided to offer a false comfort.
“Sarah, why make such a fuss? Just be a good wife, and I’ll take care of you until the end.”
Listening to his absurd words, I only felt regret. How could I have ever fallen for such a man?
How could I have been so deluded as to use all my savings to buy a house and marry him?
I looked around. This home, once so full of warmth, now felt chillingly cold.
I stood in silence, clenching my fists so tightly that my fingernails almost dug into my palms.
Wait for death? No. I absolutely refused to accept such a fate, and I would never allow my money to simply go to Mark and Chloe.
I forced myself to calm down, then suddenly remembered I still had gold jewelry. That meant I still had a chance to turn things around.
For now, I had to pretend to back down. I claimed I’d been too emotional earlier, that I needed to calm down. The pressure was just too much. I’d even admit that maybe they had a point.
After some careful maneuvering, my feigned emotions seemed to sway them. They probably thought, as an orphan, I had no one else to rely on but them.
I sat on the bed in the bedroom, scanning the room, waiting quietly, searching for any possible opportunity. Sure enough, Mark had to leave in the afternoon.
The moment Mark stepped out of the house, I knew this was my only chance.
I quickly and stealthily searched the room, my heart pounding like a drum.
However, just as I found the gold jewelry, Mrs. Thompson’s figure abruptly appeared in the doorway, her eyes filled with suspicion and wariness.
“What are you doing in here?”
Her voice was sharp and grating, like a knife piercing my heart.
My mind raced. I quickly tossed the jewelry into the trash can in the corner of the room, then feigned composure, picking up a bag of garbage.
“Oh, nothing. Just saw the trash can was full, so I’m taking it out. Mom, didn’t you say Mark works hard? While I’m not feeling too sick, I thought I could help a little.”
“After all… I’ll still be relying on the family for my treatment.”
Mrs. Thompson stared at me, half-believing, half-doubting, but seemingly found no further evidence to challenge me. She turned and left.
I seized the opportunity to escape the room, with only one thought in my mind – to convert these jewels into cash, to at least buy myself a sliver of a chance at life.
I walked into the jewelry store full of hope and handed my jewelry to the clerk. The clerk’s verdict was a lightning bolt. My jewels were all fakes, just gold-plated silver with almost no value.
My heart plummeted, all hope vanishing in an instant.
But I had personally bought these pieces for our wedding! How could this be? The gold-plated silver looked exactly the same!
As I stood there, stunned and at a loss, Mrs. Thompson and my husband walked into the jewelry store, their faces alight with triumphant smiles.
Mrs. Thompson’s tone dripped with mockery. “I knew you were up to no good! Good thing we were clever enough to have Mark swap out all the jewelry.”
Mark, looking smug and calculating, stepped forward, grabbed my arm, and growled, “Good thing I was prepared, or you would have ruined this family! These jewels? I’ve already invested them with Chloe. She’ll make us even more money.”
“And these gold-plated trinkets? Consider them your final farewell gift. Our last ‘kindness’ to you. You’re welcome.”
His words were like sharp knives, slicing into my heart.
I struggled in a rage, trying to break free from his grip.
But my body, overcome by a sudden surge of anger, felt weak and powerless.
My vision blurred, my ears filled with their mocking laughter and sneers.
No! I can’t collapse here!
I tried to clench my fists, to gather my strength.
But overwhelmed by an indescribable hatred, I suddenly lost consciousness.
When I opened my eyes again, everything around me felt both familiar and strange.
I blinked, as if caught in a long dream, unable to discern the line between reality and illusion.
All the furnishings in the room remained the same, but I could no longer find the warmth and peace of yesteryear, only a chilling emptiness and endless heartache.
This so-called “home,” which I once believed was my safe haven, the final resting place after twenty years of turmoil, had now become the greatest torment of my life.
From the moment I was diagnosed with a terminal illness, the atmosphere at home had completely shifted. Laughter and joy were replaced by coldness and distance; I felt like an outsider in my own house.
Thinking about this, I let out a self-mocking laugh.
Now, in this house, even my collapse wasn’t worth the extra expense of sending me to the hospital.
My value, it seemed, had vanished along with that cruel diagnosis.
My husband’s voice drifted from the living room, tinged with mockery.
“Well, well, awake are we? I thought you’d sleep for days.”
His tone carried no trace of concern, only indifference and disdain. He couldn’t even bother to pour me a glass of water. In the past, he would have brought me warm water without a second thought.
I lay in bed, closing my eyes, unwilling to engage with his words.
Mrs. Thompson joined the emotionless conversation, her laughter harsh and shrill.
“You woke up just in time for dinner. You truly are a parasite, good for nothing but eating.”
The spicy aroma that had been assaulting my nose told me exactly what was for dinner tonight.
Sure enough, when I stepped out of the bedroom, I saw the dining table laden with various chili-loaded dishes. It was their silent taunt, their torment.
I took a deep breath, forcing down my discomfort, and approached the table.
On the table, red and green chilies intertwined, as if mocking my fate.
I gave a cold glance, said nothing. Whether it was psychological or something else, I simply felt nauseous. I turned and went back to my room, leaving their triumphant laughter echoing behind me.
In the living room, outside my door, my husband ate with gusto, making loud slurping and smacking sounds, which were particularly grating.
He seemed completely oblivious to his own crudeness, and even began to complain.
“Mom, next time don’t make the food so spicy. You’re so focused on tormenting your daughter-in-law, you forget about your own son. My stomach’s burning!”
Mrs. Thompson, though reluctant, grumbled an acknowledgment.
They’re openly saying they’re “tormenting” me now?! How badly do you want me dead!
I stood behind the door, listening to everything, my rage and despair intertwined.
I couldn’t stand this life anymore. I yelled, “I want a divorce!”
My husband’s voice immediately responded, laced with amusement.
“Go ahead. I’m not signing anything anyway. Just drag it out. Let’s see how long you can last.”
His tone was full of confidence and coldness, as if he had seen right through my intentions.
I froze, staring at the closed door, a swirl of emotions churning inside me.
I knew that this path-divorcing through legal means-was clearly blocked.
Mark’s message was clear. He would torment me like this, waiting for the sickness to sap the last of my strength.
But I refused to simply wait for death.
If one path was blocked, I would have to forge another.
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Jason’s mistress slid the stock transfer agreement across my desk.
“Sign it, Skylar.”
The irony wasn’t lost on me. Here I was, a top divorce attorney, personally handing my husband’s shares to his mistress.
Jason pulled her closer, his voice a condescending sneer.
“Be a good girl, and you’ll still be my wife.”
I just smiled.
He didn’t know that his mistress would return to me that night with the newly acquired shares.
“Skylar, our revenge plot just got one step closer to success.”
My gaze lingered on Jason’s signature, a flamboyant mark on the stock transfer agreement.
There was no doubt. He was truly in love with Maya Evans.
She was a living replica of the woman I once was. Every mannerism, every smile, was a perfect echo of my past self.
My six months of training her had paid off. In just one month, she’d gotten him to hand over 20% of his shares.
Over the years, every woman Jason had found always had something that reminded him of me.
When things were passionate, he’d shower them with jewelry and designer bags, as if money was no object.
But he’d always insist I approve them, sending them out under our names, as if from a loving couple.
I’d gone crazy, made scenes, demanded to know why.
He’d just shrug it off, always indifferent.
“Relax, I’m just having fun. You’re still the one I love most, why else would I find so many replacements?”
“After all, you’re so busy. So busy you didn’t even notice our son being abducted right under your nose. How could you possibly have time for me?”
He conveniently forgot that he was there too, the night Leo disappeared.
But that didn’t stop him from using these “replacements” to twist the knife, aiming for my heart.
For years, guilt made me endure his every abuse.
“Skylar, are you getting soft?”
Maya, seeing me lost in thought, stopped joking around, her voice cautious.
“How could I be? Next step is finding the solid evidence, then getting the divorce agreement signed, and finally, leaving him for good.”
“Skylar, I’ll take care of the agreement!”
Maya picked up the divorce papers I’d already signed, thumping her chest in assurance.
But I still worried Jason would lash out at Maya if he discovered we were working together.
She just shrugged, unconcerned.
“Unless he’s brave enough to kill me like he did my sister! Otherwise, I’m ready to take him down with me.”
I quickly grabbed some tissues, wiping her tears away.
“I bear some responsibility for what happened to your sister, Sierra…”
If it wasn’t for his twisted desire to get back at me, Jason wouldn’t have sought out Sierra, who bore such a striking resemblance to me.
And she wouldn’t have died so tragically, still carrying his child.
Jason’s story to the police was that she was unfaithful, pregnant with his baby, and seeing other guys-that’s why she ended up dead.
But Maya and I both knew that was a lie.
Because right before she died, she told Maya she loved Jason, which was why she’d stooped to being his mistress, a role she hated.
And in her final moments, she’d called me.
She said she had a secret to tell me, a secret to ensure her unborn child would be safe…
But by the time I arrived at the location she mentioned, all I found was a pool of blood.
After that, Jason’s womanizing only got worse, more blatant, more cruel.
At the mention of Sierra, Maya began to cry.
The sound woke Jason, who was getting water.
He pushed the door open with a bang.
Taking in Maya’s swollen, tear-streaked face, he stormed across the room and slapped me hard across the cheek.
“Skylar! You really have some nerve! Bullying Maya right under my damn nose?”
“Skylar!” he snarled. “You have some nerve! Bullying Maya right in front of me?”
I stared into his eyes, unable to hold back the rage churning in my chest. “These years, you truly found no trace of Leo?”
Jason bristled, a flicker of guilt so quick in his eyes, I almost missed it.
“What, you’re questioning me? You know how much I’ve suffered, how much it hurts not finding Leo, don’t you?”
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
His so-called suffering just meant him screwing around with different women.
At first, I believed him.
I thought he was hurting and blaming himself, just like me.
But he was also the first one to give up looking for our child.
Jason didn’t want to continue talking about Leo, so he turned and scooped Maya into his arms, kissing away her tears.
Maya, whose emotions hadn’t quite shifted yet, stiffened in his embrace.
To cover her unease, she bit down hard on his shoulder.
“Jason, honey, I’m so upset. I just came to tell Skylar that I’m not like those other women, I would never try to take her place as Mrs. Blackwood. But she cursed me…”
“She said she’d rather die than let any woman disrespect her.”
“She also said-”
Maya didn’t elaborate on the rest, but it was enough to make Jason’s eyes burn with an intensity that promised to tear me apart.
He looked at me coldly, a sneer twisting his lips.
“Skylar, all you have left is the title of Mrs. Blackwood. If you ever lay a hand on Maya again, I can’t guarantee you’ll even keep that!”
That threat, in the past, might have sent me into a furious frenzy.
But now, I merely scoffed in response.
“Oh really? Then let’s wait and see, shall we?”
Because of that comment, Jason went ballistic, showering Maya with every luxury he could think of.
One day a mansion, the next a diamond set, the day after a private yacht.
Each gift deliberately passed through my hands. He’d call it “proper” because “Mrs. Blackwood handled it.” It was just a twisted way to rub it in.
I knew he wanted to see me suffer, to watch me descend into hysterics.
I gave him what he wanted.
When he once again ordered me to deliver a ten-million-dollar diamond necklace to Maya, I snatched the jewelry box and smashed it to the floor.
Shards of diamonds glittered on the floor, a perfect mirror of our shattered marriage.
“Jason Blackwood, do you enjoy humiliating me this much?”
I glared at him, my eyes red, my acting Oscar-worthy.
He leaned back on the couch, legs casually crossed, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
“Already can’t take it? Skylar, think of Leo. What’s a little pain compared to that?”
He brought up Leo again.
He always did this, twisting Leo’s disappearance into a knife he’d plunge into me, again and again.
I grabbed the ashtray from the table and hurled it at him.
He dodged, and the ashtray shattered against our wedding photo behind him.
“You’re insane!”
He sneered, standing up to adjust his suit.
“I’ll have a new necklace sent. You will deliver it to Maya and apologize to her in person.”
“From now on, I’ll come home once a week. I can’t stand looking at your face every day.”
He walked out, genuinely looking disgusted to spend another second with me.
I stood there, trembling, until his footsteps faded down the stairs. Only then did the savage expression on my face slowly melt away.
Picking up my phone, I sent a message to Maya.
“Plan’s still on.”
The next day, I personally delivered the new diamond necklace to Maya’s villa.
Jason was there too, spoon-feeding her grapes.
Seeing me enter, Maya immediately flinched, burying herself deeper into Jason’s embrace.
“Jason, honey, I’m scared.”
Jason soothingly patted her back, then shot me a cold glare.
“Leave the necklace, apologize, and then you can go.”
I didn’t move, my gaze fixed on Maya’s face, so eerily similar to my younger self.
Suddenly, I snatched a fruit knife from the table and lunged at her!
“Skylar, don’t you dare!”
Jason’s face contorted, and he lunged to stop me.
I hadn’t intended to actually hurt her, but Maya, wanting to make it look real, deliberately extended her arm.
The knife sliced her forearm.
Blood welled up instantly, and Maya screamed, her cries like falling rain.
“Jason, honey! It hurts so much!”
Jason shoved me away, rushing to check her wound.
I stumbled back a few steps from his push, hitting the wall. A sharp pain shot through my lower back.
“Skylar!”
He turned to me, his eyes murderous. “You are truly beyond redemption!”
I steadied myself against the wall, laughing until tears streamed down my face.
“Yes, I’m crazy! You drove me crazy!”
He ignored me, sweeping Maya into his arms and heading for the door.
As he passed me, he paused, his voice like ice.
“Let’s get a divorce.”
I had finally heard the words I’d been waiting for.
Jason came home that night with the signed divorce papers.
The property settlement wasn’t what I had expected. I wasn’t walking away with nothing.
He called it his “benevolence” toward me.
It seemed he was truly fed up with this “crazy woman” and desperate to make room for his new love.
I picked up the pen and, without hesitation, signed the agreement.
Leo had been missing for three years. I could finally be free.
But the slight smile playing on my lips made Jason’s eyes blaze crimson.
He snatched the divorce papers and tore them to shreds.
“Skylar Vance, does leaving me make you that happy? You won’t get away from me that easily!”
He flung the shredded paper at my face, his jaw tight, as if *I* was the one who had betrayed *him*.
I sat on the bed, calmly watching him.
“Didn’t you want the divorce?”
His breathing was ragged, his chest heaving as he glared at me.
“I changed my mind.”
“Just letting you leave like this is too easy.”
“I want you to spend the rest of your life trapped in the empty shell of Mrs. Blackwood, watching me and Maya be happy until we’re old!”
With that, he stormed out, slamming the door.
Later that night, I received news that he had taken Maya to Switzerland.
It was where we had spent our honeymoon.
He’d promised me there that he would love and protect me forever.
Now he was back at those same places with another woman, constantly posting their intimate photos and videos on Instagram.
There he was, carrying Maya in his arms at the foot of snow-capped mountains. Then, sharing a romantic dinner on a hotel balcony. And most painfully, a video of him on one knee, sliding a ring back onto her finger.
Our friends cheered them on in the comments, envying Maya and laughing at my loss.
Mrs. Blackwood even showed up at my door, flaunting those pictures.
“Skylar, a woman like you should just disappear, go somewhere no one knows you and end it.”
“I know you don’t want a divorce because you’re hoping to cling to my Jason and bleed him dry for the rest of your life!”
“Here’s a blank check. Fill in any amount you want, as long as you leave my son.”
Compared to Jason, Mrs. Blackwood hated me more for losing her precious grandson.
But she never once considered that Leo was the son I carried for nine months – I felt his loss even more profoundly than she did!
Now, she actually thought I wouldn’t divorce Jason because I was clinging to the Blackwood family fortune.
She had no idea that if it weren’t for my secret help, how could Jason’s career have achieved its current brilliance?
I casually tore up the check, telling Mrs. Blackwood coldly,
“It’s not that *I* don’t want a divorce. It’s your son who wants to trap me in this marriage as ‘Mrs. Blackwood’ just to torment me!”
The next second, Jason sent me a SnapChat message.
“Skylar, look how sensible Maya is? If you cause any more trouble, I won’t tear up the divorce papers next time.”
Mrs. Blackwood saw the message and strutted out like a triumphant peacock, chin high.
I stared at Jason’s smiling face on the screen, remembering how he’d knelt before me ten years ago, crying and begging me to marry him, so full of passionate promises.
He thought Maya would be the love of his life, but he didn’t know that half a year ago, Maya had also knelt before me, pleading on her knees, desperate.
“Skylar, I’ll do anything, just let Jason Blackwood pay the price!”
Her acting skills had certainly improved.
I turned off my phone, not bothering to reply.
Jason thought I’d be devastated, that I’d call him in a furious rage.
But he was wrong.
During the days he was away with Maya, I contacted a private investigator.
“Focus on Jason Blackwood’s whereabouts over the past year.”
“Specifically, look into a six-year-old disabled beggar and Sierra Evans.”
After sending that message, I opened my phone’s encrypted photo album.
The first image was a chubby little boy in a blue dinosaur onesie, smiling widely for the camera.
I’d taken it on Leo’s third birthday.
He would be six now.
For three long years, I never stopped searching for my son. Not for a single day.
And Jason…
I closed my eyes, remembering the encrypted message I’d accidentally seen on his phone last month.
He’d deleted it instantly, but a few words were burned into my memory.
“Deal with the kid. Don’t let Skylar find out.”
Jason would never know.
The day before I discovered that message, he had mumbled something in a drunken stupor.
“Even if Leo was standing right in front of you, you wouldn’t recognize him. Just forget about him.”
At the time, I’d dismissed it as the drunken ramblings of a grieving father.
Now, it was full of red flags, every word a dagger to my soul.
With Jason out of the picture, the private investigator could dig into his past affairs without any obstacles.
Soon, he sent me two files.
After reading about Sierra’s true cause of death, my blood ran cold.
I never imagined Jason could be so heartless. After realizing Sierra knew his secret, he actually, despite her carrying his own flesh and blood, killed her-a double tragedy!
The detective told me that it all started because Sierra had tracked him and discovered him meeting a young beggar.
The beggar the detective mentioned, if my suspicions were correct, was my Leo.
I took several deep breaths before clicking on the video.
But when I saw that small and emaciated figure with missing limbs and a body caked in grime, my heart shattered.
The child in the photo had a face scarred beyond recognition. He was crawling on the ground, begging.
Though Leo was terribly changed, I still knew him. He was my son.
“Mr. Blackwood located him six months ago,” the investigator reported. “He said the boy was useless now. That bringing him home would be a burden.
I collapsed into my chair, my body turning to ice.
Even a wild animal wouldn’t do this to its own offspring.
Jason Blackwood, how could you be cruel enough to destroy two of your own children?
Outside, a sudden downpour began, thunder booming.
It was just like the day Leo disappeared, three years ago.
That day, the rain was pouring. Jason had come to my law office to pick me up, but then claimed an urgent matter and shoved a crying Leo into my arms.
He locked himself in a conference room for a meeting. Leo, thinking his dad was playing hide-and-seek, slipped out the door while I was on a call.
And then…
I closed my eyes, tears streaming down.
I picked up my phone and sent Maya a message detailing Sierra’s true cause of death.
It was time to close the net.
I leveraged all my connections, orchestrating a crisis for Jason’s company.
His core project approval was stalled, and his cash flow was on the verge of collapsing.
His sweet trip to Switzerland was cut short; he and Maya rushed back to the country.
In his office, he was frantic, smashing his third coffee mug.
“A bunch of incompetents! You can’t even handle this much!”
I pushed the door open, ignoring the mess, and went straight to the point.
“Perhaps, I can help you.”
He looked up at me, his eyes mocking.
“You? A crazy woman who only knows how to fight for attention?”
I wasn’t angry or flustered. I simply uttered a name.
“Mark Peterson. He’s in charge of the approval for this project.”
“His sister’s divorce case last month? I handled it.”
Jason narrowed his eyes, re-evaluating me.
“What do you want?”
“Ten percent of the shares. That’s not much for you.”
He was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and nodded.
“Fine.”
With that 10% of the shares, I would completely control Blackwood Industries.
I took Mark Peterson out for dinner, and the next day, the project approval went through.
Jason was extremely pleased, looking at me with less contempt.
“I never thought you’d be useful for this.”
I lowered my gaze, hiding the cold glint in my eyes.
From that day on, he continued to throw several other challenging projects my way.
I handled every single one flawlessly.
He gradually let down his guard, no longer scrutinizing documents when he signed them.
One day, he was rushing to take Maya out for her birthday. He hastily glanced at a contract and signed it.
I watched him disappear out the door, then reached for the very bottom of the folder.
That’s the divorce agreement.
Three days later, they were finalized.
The weight of the paperwork felt heavy and final in my hand.
Ten years of marriage had finally come to an end.
I sent a message to Maya.
“Tonight, see you at the airport.”
The next day, Jason was woken by the delivery driver.
He was hungover and irritable as he tore open the envelope.
When he saw the divorce certificate, he sobered up instantly.
His hands trembled as he flipped it open. The date was yesterday.
He froze for a few seconds, then erupted in a furious rage.
“Skylar Vance, you played me!”
My phone was ringing off the hook, but Maya and I were in a coastal town in the Southern Hemisphere.
The sun was warm, the ocean breeze gentle.
“Turn it off, Skylar.”
Maya handed me a glass of juice. “Let him go crazy.”
I nodded and complied.
Jason then started frantically calling Maya. I picked up and put the phone on speaker.
“Maya! Let’s go to City Hall now! I’ll make you Mrs. Blackwood!”
His voice was urgent and brimming with confidence.
As if he’d just offered her the greatest honor, Maya let out a soft laugh.
“Okay.”
The line went dead. We looked at each other and smiled.
Jason waited all day at City Hall.
A steady stream of happy couples flowed in and out of the hall. But Maya never came.
He called her again and again, his voice twisting from a gentle coax into raw, unfiltered rage.
“Maya Evans! What the hell is this? You don’t want to be Mrs. Blackwood anymore?”
On the other end, Maya stretched under the sun, a mocking smile curling her red lips.
“Is being ‘Mrs. Blackwood’ really such a prize?” She chuckled.
“Skylar didn’t want it. What makes you think I would?”
🌟 Continue the story here
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“She’s selling herself.”
My adoptive sister, Seraphina Hayes, publicly ripped open my clothes, revealing my body covered in hickeys.
“I saw her with my own eyes, on her knees, serving men in a nightclub.”
My adoptive brother, Julian Sterling, choked me, roaring, “You disgraceful slut!”
Three days later, he personally escorted me into a correctional center.
The moment the iron gate slammed shut, he pinched my chin and said, “Remember, even if you’re completely ruined, I’ll make you clean again.”
A year later, Julian came to pick me up.
With red-rimmed eyes, he opened his arms wide: “Cassie, come home with me.”
I smiled and told him:
“I’ve been doing great in there, I’ve learned so many rules!”
Oh yes, especially the rules of “serving” men…
Julian nodded with satisfaction, intending to pull me into his embrace.
I took a step back. He immediately frowned:
“Cassie, why are you avoiding me? Were you mistreated in there?”
He forcefully pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly.
“It’s okay now, it’s all over. I will take you home right away.”
His scent felt foreign and disgusted me.
Then, he stroked my back to comfort me, but through the thin uniform, his hand brushed against a scar.
His hand suddenly froze on my back, his voice filled with shock and uncertainty.
“What is this?”
My body stiffened at his touch.
I recalled the image of several female instructors pressing me onto the cold concrete floor, savagely whipping my back with a spiked cane.
Their curses still echoed in my ears, “That’s what you get for being disobedient. That’s what you get for talking back. That’s what you get for refusing to sing the repentance song.”
The raw, bloody pain seemed to seep out from the depths of that scar once more.
I pulled myself out of that dark memory, and in his arms, I suddenly let out a soft laugh.
“Julian, this is a ‘medal’ the instructors left me. Pretty, isn’t it?”
Julian’s body completely stiffened. I could feel the muscles in the back of his neck instantly tense.
“Besides, the instructors’ bodies were much better than yours. Their abs were hard, not soft like yours, Julian.”
“Do you have any idea what you’re saying?”
He pushed me away abruptly, his eyes bloodshot, grabbing my shoulders and roaring.
Faced with his roar, my shoulders involuntarily tensed.
That was the conditioned reflex left from every time the bell rang before an electroshock at the correctional center.
But after just a second, I immediately lifted my head and gave him a bright, yet eerie smile.
That smile choked back all his ready anger, leaving only shock and disbelief in his eyes.
He tried to use his old commanding tone to suppress me, to regain control.
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”
I blinked innocently, the smile fading from my face, my tone returning to its former obedience and meekness.
“Wait for me, I’ll go pack my things first.”
Finally, I carried a few worn-out clothes and got into the car with Julian.
In the car, he began to warn me again:
“When we get home, you need to be obedient, okay?”
“Okay.”
I agreed with my mouth, but in my heart, I thought, Axel always said, true rules are always made by oneself.
Back at the mansion, my adoptive sister, Seraphina, greeted me with feigned delight.
She ran up to me intimately, linking her arm through mine, her eyes full of apparent concern.
“Cassie, you’re finally back. I missed you so much.”
Her act was flawless, as if she wasn’t the one who had cried to Julian about me “earning money by escorting men and ruining the family’s reputation.”
She pulled out a gift box from behind her back and opened it in front of me.
Inside was a black slip dress with barely any fabric and a bottle of champagne.
She smiled, her voice sweet yet malicious: “Cassie, from now on, if you want to wear or drink something, just tell Julian directly. Please, don’t go to places like that to degrade yourself again.”
Even more sickeningly, as she spoke, she actually reached out to unbutton the gray uniform I was wearing.
She said with disgust, “Hurry and take off this filthy outfit, it looks dirty. Cassie, let me help you change into this new dress.”
Her sharp nails deliberately grazed a shallow scar on my collarbone.
Underneath that uniform, my body was covered in scars, some deep, some shallow.
Just as Seraphina’s hand was about to touch the second button.
I clamped down on her wrist, using a self-defense technique I’d learned in there, twisting it outwards.
“Ah—.”
Seraphina let out a piercing cry of pain, her face pale.
She stared at me in shock, her eyes filled with the horror of “how dare you,” utterly unable to believe that the pushover she used to bully would possess such startling strength and reaction.
I stepped back, flung her hand away, and created distance between us.
It was then that Julian spoke, his voice carrying clear displeasure and favoritism.
“Seraphina was only trying to help you, Cassie. Be good, go change your clothes now.”
He paused, his gaze falling on my uniform, and added a sentence.
“Don’t bring your dirt from outside into our home.”
Those words, “your dirt,” pierced my heart.
My mind immediately replayed the scene at the correctional center, where several female instructors held my head down, forcing me to scrub toilets full of filth and vomit with a toothbrush.
They hosed down my body while laughing wildly.
“Clean up. Wash all that depraved filth out of your bones.”
That revealing slip dress, Julian’s cold words, instantly triggered my most humiliating memories.
Flashes of being tied tightly to a chair because I refused to admit to those baseless “mistakes” crossed my mind.
Icy electrodes clamped onto my temples, powerful currents coursing through my body, the agonizing pain making me almost bite through my molars, convulsing uncontrollably.
And Julian’s assistant would appear at the visitation window every month.
He would ask me the same question, expressionless: “Miss Sterling, have you admitted your wrongs? As soon as you do, Mr. Sterling will take you out immediately.”
Just as I was punished with three days without food, my stomach cramping from hunger, cowering in a corner, almost fainting.
A man in an instructor’s uniform, during his patrol, found a blind spot in the surveillance and tossed me a piece of bread from his pocket.
His voice was cold, yet it was the only decent words I heard in that hell.
“Eat it, don’t let anyone see.”
“Cassie, why aren’t you happy? Don’t you like the dress I gave you?”
Seeing my prolonged silence, Seraphina rubbed her reddened wrist and provocatively waved the dress at me, trying to irritate me.
I didn’t break down or yell in anger as she expected.
I simply, slowly, picked up that expensive bottle of champagne from beside the gift box she had offered.
I forced a smile at her hypocritical face, then slowly raised it.
I didn’t splash the champagne on Seraphina.
I bypassed her and walked over to Julian.
Under Seraphina and Julian’s stunned gazes, I poured the champagne over his head.
“Oh, Miss Cassie, what are you doing?”
Mrs. Jenkins, the housekeeper, seeing this, was startled and rushed forward to stop me, her voice full of anxiety.
“Cassie, don’t do this, talk it out with your brother…”
Before she could finish, Julian, in a fit of rage, pushed her away.
“Get out. You have no business speaking here,” he roared at Mrs. Jenkins.
Mrs. Jenkins stumbled back a few steps, nearly falling to the ground.
I stepped forward and steadied her firmly.
“She watched us grow up. How dare you push her?”
In my eyes, there was only coldness and detachment.
The champagne dripped down his cheeks, wetting his shirt, making him look utterly disheveled.
But I smiled and asked him, “Julian, do you like this smell too?”
“It smells exactly like that rotten stench of ‘doing it for my own good’ you had a year ago when you sent me away.”
Julian exploded in rage, grabbing my wrist.
“Cassie. Are you out of your damn mind? Apologize to Seraphina now.”
Seraphina also seized the opportunity, screaming and pouncing on me, raising her hand, ready to slap me.
“Cassie, you lunatic! How dare you treat Julian like this?”
I easily sidestepped her slap, grabbing her wrist in return.
The force I used was so great that she cried out in pain.
This was what Axel taught me. He said, when faced with any form of attack, your first reaction should be to subdue the opponent, not to cry and beg for mercy.
Julian stared at me in shock, seemingly unable to believe I had such fighting skills.
I flung Seraphina away, making her grimace in pain, then turned to him with a cold smirk.
“Apologize? The first rule I learned in there was: anyone who makes my life hell, I’ll drag their name through the mud.”
“Julian, isn’t that what you care about most?”
After saying that, I didn’t spare them another glance and turned to walk toward the mansion’s front door.
Julian came to his senses, roaring as he chased after me, grabbing my arm at the door.
He furiously suppressed his anger.
“Cassie, do you think you can survive walking out that door?”
“I swear, with just one word, I can make sure you won’t even find a dishwashing job across the entire city.”
His threat struck me as utterly laughable.
My mind flashed back to the correctional center, fighting tooth and nail with two women much larger than me for half a piece of moldy bread, ending up with a bloodied head.
A dishwashing job? That would be paradise to me.
I forcefully shook off his hand, turned around, and facing his face distorted by rage, I deliberately ran my tongue suggestively over my chapped lips.
“Family? Julian, the instructors also said that family doesn’t push you into hell with their own hands.”
I winked at him, my smile both sweet and malicious.
“He even said he’d be my family.”
4.
The next morning, Julian surprisingly lowered his guard.
He placed the latest model of a smartphone and a black card in front of me.
His tone was still stiff, but carried a clumsy attempt to appease me: “Yesterday, I was too impulsive. Take these. Don’t ever let me lose track of you again.”
He tried to use material possessions to erase the deep, bone-deep chasm he had carved with his own hands.
Seeing me smile and obediently take the phone and black card, his expression relaxed slightly. He thought everything was water under the bridge.
However, before the curve of his lips could fully form.
The first thing I did after turning on the phone, right in front of him, was to type “Ironclad Boxing Club, West End” into the search bar.
As the search results popped up, I silently memorized the address.
Seraphina, in her pajamas, rushed downstairs crying, her hair disheveled, looking utterly pitiful.
She threw herself beside Julian, pointing at me, her voice choked and full of grievance.
“Julian. Cassie… she not only ruined the new dress I gave her with scissors, but she also stole the Patek Philippe watch I had in my drawer, the one I planned to give you for your birthday.”
Julian’s recently softened face turned ashen again.
Without a word, he stormed into my room.
He frantically searched through my things, throwing all the clothes from the wardrobe onto the floor, making the bed a complete mess.
When he found the watch under my pillow, he trembled with rage.
He had seen that watch at an auction a few months ago and only casually mentioned he liked it.
He looked at me with utter disappointment, the last warmth in his eyes completely extinguished.
“Cassie, I thought you would at least change. I thought you were just misguided.”
His voice was filled with anger. “Are you inherently so twisted? Do you enjoy being a thief?”
“Enjoy stealing things from your own home?”
I laughed.
At that moment, the thread of kinship in my heart snapped completely.
“Yes.”
I looked at his face, flushed with anger, and nodded, still smiling.
“Not only do I enjoy stealing things, but I also enjoy stealing people.”
I watched his stunned expression, then pulled out an old burner phone from my pocket.
I calmly pressed the play button.
“Julian, want to see the evidence?”
From the phone, Seraphina’s smug and malicious voice clearly played.
It was late one night. She thought I was asleep and secretly called her friend to brag.
“…Yeah, that idiot really got sent in… Julian doesn’t believe her at all, he only believes me…”
“…I just want to ruin her reputation so she can never recover. Stealing things is nothing, next time I’ll put a man in her bed and record it. Let’s see how she can even face living in this world after that…”
The recording finished. Seraphina’s face turned deathly pale, and she trembled all over.
She pounced, hugging Julian’s legs, and began to frantically defend herself.
“Julian. No, it’s not true. She forced me. Cassie forced me to say that.”
She pointed at me, screaming hysterically: “She somehow got photos of your business gatherings, and she threatened me with those photos. She said if I didn’t record that message as she demanded, she would send all your photos to the media and ruin your reputation and the entire Sterling Group. Julian. I was just trying to protect you!”
Hearing Seraphina’s convoluted explanation, Julian actually wavered.
He looked at me, seemingly still hoping I could give him an explanation.
I met his pathetic gaze, but my mind clearly flashed back to that afternoon a year ago.
He sat in the chair, his cold, resolute profile as he personally signed his name on that “Consent Form for Behavioral Correction.”
I smiled mockingly.
That smile completely shattered the last trace of his unrealistic fantasy.
Julian looked at the watch in his hand, then at Seraphina kneeling on the floor, and finally at me.
His worldview, at that moment, utterly collapsed.
I knelt on the marble floor before him.
I bowed my head deeply to him.
“Julian, the electroshocks, physical abuse, starvation, and humiliation of this past year – consider them my repayment for all the years the Sterling family raised me.”
“From today on, our sibling bond is broken. From now on, we are strangers, dead to each other, with no further connection.”
With that, I stood up from the floor and walked out the door without looking back.
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My father hired Ivy League twins to be assistants for me and my sister, Blair.
The younger twin, Leo, was everything. He was brilliant and a star athlete. He fell for the perfect Blair on sight.
And me? I was 220-pound Riley Sterling. I got Alex, the older twin, the one who had lost an arm in an accident.
Alex, to his credit, was always kind. He never made me feel ashamed of my body.
In the end, Blair got the family empire. I thought I got love.
But I was wrong.
When the building collapsed, Alex ran past me. He used his one arm to shield Blair.
“I’m sorry, Riley. I have to save Blair.”
It turned out Alex had always loved Blair.
I was buried beneath the rubble.
Then I opened my eyes. I was back. Back to the day it all began.
I stood frozen, trapped in the familiar scene.
Then Blair’s voice echoed from my past life.
“Let Alex be my assistant. Riley’s so quiet. She needs someone more outgoing like Leo.”
But Leo, the Harvard football star, wanted no part of it. He only had eyes for Blair, the cheer captain.
She was repeating her lines from our past life, word for word.
Back then, I believed she genuinely cared. Now I recognized her manipulation.
In my past life, when the building crumbled, both men rushed towards Blair, leaving me buried in the rubble.
Blair, pretending to be concerned, declared she wouldn’t leave without me, even as she willingly let them whisk her to safety.
Leo had already gotten her to the doorway, but she feigned fainting.
This prompted Alex to recklessly push himself out of his wheelchair, throwing caution to the wind.
And just like that, I was crushed beneath the debris, dead.
After that, Blair not only solidified her position as heir, but also had two handsome, capable men managing the company for her.
This time, I didn’t refuse Blair.
“Fine, then I choose Leo!”
With that, I looped my arm through his before anyone could object, ignoring the way he stiffened at my touch.
Blair’s smile wavered, a flicker of unease in her eyes.
“Riley, are you sure?”
“Absolutely!” I affirmed.
Just then, my stepmom chimed in.
“Blair, Alex is far more gentle and considerate. He’d suit you better.”
I glanced at Alex, leaning on his cane.
A cold smirk played on my lips. My stepmom would use any excuse to favor Blair.
“Besides,” my stepmother added, “Blair is the cheer captain. She and Leo simply…match.”
Just then, Alex rolled up his sleeve. Light glinted off the polished surface of his mechanical arm as he stared directly at her.
“Mrs. Sterling, I’ve actually had the most advanced prosthetic arm installed. I’ve also joined the football team.”
My attention had been so fixed on Leo that I’d completely overlooked Alex.
Unlike my previous life, he now had a mechanical arm!
He wasn’t slender anymore. His chest muscles now strained against his shirt fabric.
It hit me then.
Alex had been reborn too.
In our last life, he never married Blair, so this time, he’d prepared. He got a mechanical arm and sculpted himself into a formidable athlete!
I scoffed, a bitter curve to my lips.
In my past life, I’d sacrificed everything to boost his self-esteem, refusing parties and spending my youth in his lab, working on research projects.
I’d freely given him all my findings.
All so he wouldn’t feel inferior to Leo.
I even turned down proposals from many incredible men before marrying him.
Yet, even after all that, even after he was reborn, he still chose Blair.
My stepmom pressed Alex. “Are you truly willing to protect Blair for life?”
Alex’s voice was firm. “I am.”
A flicker of approval crossed my stepmother’s face.
Blair, too, seemed moved by Alex’s quiet determination.
Sure, Leo was the kind of athlete every girl dreamed of. But with that new arm, Alex looked undeniably compelling.
My stepmom nodded. “Alright, then Leo will be Riley’s assistant.”
But Leo quickly jumped in. “No! Riley and I would be a terrible match!”
My stepmom’s face hardened.
There was no way she didn’t see through Leo’s intentions.
But she remained silent, deep in thought.
Leo pleaded with her. “Mrs. Sterling, I’d rather work as a regular employee at a branch office.”
My stepmom looked down at him. “Are you really so unwilling to be Riley’s assistant?”
“Yes.”
Blair pressed him further.
“Leo, why are you so disgusted by Riley?”
Leo shot her a quick glance, his voice tinged with youthful frustration.
“Blair, don’t you know why I’m doing this?!”
Blair’s expression softened with feigned concern.
“How can I let you go to a branch office?”
I quietly watched the twin brothers openly declare their devotion to Blair, then spoke up.
“Blair, why don’t you just have both of them as your assistants?”
Blair looked at Leo with a hint of greed.
From their looks, their physique, to their intelligence, both brothers were undeniably impressive.
“This… I don’t know.”
My stepmom turned to me.
“You know they’re meant to support you two. Are you really not going to choose either?”
“No, I’m not choosing.”
My stepmom raised an eyebrow. “Don’t be impulsive. You might regret it.”
“I won’t regret it.”
My answer was so quick and definite that everyone in the room turned to stare at me, especially Alex.
From the moment I spoke, his gaze hadn’t left me.
His brows were tightly furrowed, as if trying to understand the drastic change in me.
My stepmom asked, “Didn’t you say you wanted to travel to Iceland? Don’t you need Alex to help you with translations?”
I slowly shook my head.
“I’m not going on a trip. I’m going to the gym.”
Last time, I believed my parents loved me, and Blair looked out for me.
I thought the inheritance rightly belonged to the more capable Blair.
So I devoted myself to our home, making Alex the center of my world.
This time, I wouldn’t make that mistake.
First, I designed a rigorous fitness plan for myself.
In my past life, Alex always said I was beautiful to him, no matter my weight.
But even after we married, we never truly shared intimacy.
I thought he was just naturally reserved, but in reality, he secretly found me repulsive.
After setting up my fitness plan, I called Grandpa Sterling.
The true controlling shareholder of our family’s corporation was Grandpa. Though elderly, his business acumen far surpassed my parents’.
My parents worried Blair and I lacked the ability to manage the company, which was why they selected these excellent assistants for us.
In my past life, after Grandpa died, Blair seized control of our family business.
Eventually, even my living expenses and Alex’s required Blair’s signature before the butler would release them.
But back then, my insecurity made me believe it was only right for her to manage the family business.
When I found Grandpa and expressed my desire to learn corporate management, he hugged me, tears in his eyes.
“Riley, I always knew you were smart, but who knew… ”
“Never mind, let’s forget the past. From now on, you’ll work hard with me.”
“Yes, Grandpa.”
Grandpa suggested I start as a manager, but I declined.
I chose an entry-level position, starting from the ground up.
Blair was busy preparing for a university talent show, with those handsome twin brothers constantly hovering around her.
Meanwhile, I closed my first project.
I was promoted from a regular employee to a team leader.
Grandpa was overjoyed, praising me to everyone he met.
One evening after work, Blair was waiting for me at the building entrance, blocking my way.
“Working for the company behind my back, Riley?”she said, her voice sharp.”You told me you weren’t interested in inheriting the Sterling Group. When did you become so deceitful? But don’t even think about it. Our family would never allow a fat, clumsy woman to become the heir!”
I hadn’t expected Blair to resort to body shaming.
I lowered my gaze, not wanting to engage with her.
But she sidestepped, blocking my way again.
“Riley, someone like you should just stay home and be pampered. Why bother going out and embarrassing our family?”
I met her eyes.
“Why I’m this heavy, have you forgotten?”
She froze, staring at me in shock.
When I was little, Grandpa adored me the most.
He’d tell anyone who’d listen how smart and level-headed I was, always saying the Sterling Holdings would be mine one day.
But one day, Blair claimed she heard a kitten crying in an old, abandoned well near the property line. She begged me to go with her to rescue it.
While trying to save the kitten, I fell in.
Blair promised to find help, but she never came.
My leg was broken in the well, and I screamed for help, covered in crawling insects.
It wasn’t until the next day that she finally returned with our parents to pull me out.
Blair said she’d gotten lost, which was why she was so late.
But the incident gave me severe PTSD. I woke up struggling to breathe every night. The trauma caused a hormone imbalance, and the medication made me gain weight.
“I told you,” Blair stammered, her voice trembling, “I was lost that day! That’s why it took me so long to find you! I was scared too! How can you blame me for that?”
Watching her grow pale, Alex frowned, his voice softening with concern. “Riley, what happened when we were kids was a long time ago. You can’t hold a grudge forever.”
At that moment, Blair tightly grasped his hand, gently telling Alex,
“It’s okay. What can I do? I’m Riley’s older sister. I won’t hold it against her.”
Then, Blair feigned distress again and turned to me.
“If you’re only trying to claim the inheritance because of what happened back then, I’ll just give it to you.”
Just then, Dad returned.
“What are you all talking about?”
Blair, afraid I’d reveal the truth of that day, quickly interjected.
“Riley’s still upset about falling into the well back then. Dad, I don’t want our family to have any discord. Why don’t we just let her- ”
Before Blair could finish, Dad cut her off.
“Riley, are you still blaming Blair, and even playing dirty tricks to seize power?”
My face burned with fury. I was about to explain, but Alex jumped in to defend Blair.
“It’s true that Riley started the trouble. She’s been holding a grudge about what happened all these years.”
I stared at Alex. I’d known him for two lifetimes, he should have known me best.
But to protect Blair, he would slander me.
I always thought that even if Alex didn’t love me, he’d at least be grateful for everything I’d done for him in my past life.
How utterly laughable, I sneered inwardly.
Slam!
I slapped Alex across the face.
My palm stung, bright red.
Alex stared at me, stunned.
My father also barked. “Riley! How dare you become so unreasonable!”
Then, he turned to two bodyguards.
“Take her to the basement and lock her up. She’ll stay there until she learns some manners.”
I trembled, looking at my father.
Since that incident in my childhood, I dreaded enclosed spaces more than anything.
But the bodyguards seized my shoulders, dragging me towards the basement.
As I passed Blair, I clearly saw a triumphant smirk on her face.
Alex, meanwhile, avoided my gaze.
That night, Blair came, with Alex in tow.
As soon as she entered, she switched off all the lights.
My body reacted to the terror faster than my mind could comprehend.
That childhood night’s experience had deeply scarred me.
My voice trembled uncontrollably.
“Turn on the lights.”
“Heh, so big, and you’re still scared of the dark, huh?”
“You were so tough just now, weren’t you?”
I instinctively reached for the bedside lamp, but Alex was faster.
He swept it to the floor and kicked it under the bed. Then he snatched my phone.
That suffocating feeling instantly enveloped me.
I struggled to open my mouth, but no sound came out.
I knew I was having another attack.
I frantically fumbled in my pocket for my medication.
But the next second, Blair snatched the pill bottle away.
“Want your meds? I’ll give them to you.”
With that, she emptied the contents of the pill bottle onto the floor.
I stumbled to the floor, instinctively fumbling around.
But Blair stepped on my hand.
“You want your medicine? Fine. Give me the project you just secured.”
I struggled to breathe, unable to speak, so I just patted the foot she had on my hand.
She shone her phone’s flashlight on my face.
“You agree?”
I nodded.
Throughout this, Alex watched me, his brows tightly furrowed.
Finally, when I agreed, he he left me with one parting shot.
“You shouldn’t compete with her, Riley. These things inherently belong to her.”
I never said word.
I had built that project from the ground up. Every detail was mine.
I wanted to see if Blair could actually handle this “easy win” that she stole from me.
Blair took over my project, and I moved out of the Sterling family mansion into my small apartment.
I started actively seeing a therapist.
Such things would never happen to me again.
I was going to slowly wean myself off the medication and conquer all my fears.
Meanwhile, the project Blair had stolen from me imploded a month later.
After a vengeful rant about how Blair had ruined her life, project manager Ms. Miller kidnapped her and started a dark web live stream, threatening to kill them both.
I scoffed. This was Blair’s own doing.
She’d spent all her energy on her appearance, a big star at school, but she knew nothing about business.
But I hadn’t expected Alex to show up at my apartment.
“That project was yours. You were the main lead. Only you can save her.”
Alex directly stated his purpose.
Bodyguards, who had been hidden in the shadows, swarmed forward, and I was bundled into a car.
My mind raced.
Alex, sitting beside me, calmly said,
“You were reborn too, weren’t you? Withdraw from the heir competition and go live in Europe. For the sake of our past life as husband and wife, I’ll ensure you a lifetime of wealth.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “You owe me so much from our past life. Why should I agree to that?”
Alex replied, “If you can rescue Blair today, I’ll be at your complete disposal from now on.”
Soon, we arrived at the warehouse.
I negotiated with Ms. Miller, promising that the company would compensate her for all her losses, reinstate her to her original position, and resume the project.
When Ms. Miller demanded a hostage, Alex didn’t hesitate to push me forward.
Before leaving, Alex said,
“I swear, I’ll come back for you after I take Blair home safely.”
I scoffed inwardly. I no longer trusted him.
Yet, his cold resolve still stung.
“Alex, does nothing I go through matter to you?”
He avoided my gaze.
“In this life, I’m not your husband. I’m Blair’s husband.”
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
He took two steps, then turned back to me.
“I’ll definitely come back. If anything happens to you, I’ll just pay with my life.”
I didn’t look at him.
Ms. Miller locked me in an enclosed room.
There were no windows; the only light source was the phone streaming live.
She dragged my almost-broken body in front of the camera.
“It’s been a day! Why hasn’t the company done anything?!”
“Do you think anyone’s watching this live? If I inflict some pain on her, will they work faster?”
With that, she faced the camera and started pulling out my fingernails.
In the dim room, blood slowly seeped out.
My screams went from loud to soft, until I couldn’t make a sound from the pain.
Just then, a comment appeared in the live chat:
“Hands $10k, legs $30k, other body parts negotiable. You just want money, right? No one’s going to ransom her. Might as well make some cash.”
I stared at the screen name of that comment, a cold laugh bubbling in my heart!
I sank into despair. In less than three days, I was already a broken mess.
On the third day, while Ms. Miller stepped out to buy more tools to torture me,
I tried to use the live-streaming phone to call 911, only to find it had no SIM card.
I returned to the live stream.
Pleading into the screen again and again.
“Alex, I know you’re watching. Please, save me.”
“For all the times I saved you in our past life, save me just once.”
“You said you’d definitely come back.”
“Alex… ” My voice grew hoarser.
Finally, I saw Alex’s reply in the public chat.
Alex: “He won’t kill you now. Blair takes over as CEO tomorrow. Just get through tomorrow, and I’ll come get you.”
Takes over tomorrow…
“My grandpa? Alex, what have you done to Grandpa?”
Alex: “Grandpa’s old. He can retire now.”
After that, no matter how much I called out to Alex, he never said another word.
Just then, Ms. Miller returned.
She kicked me in the head.
“Damn it, trying to play smart with me.”
A torrent of punches rained down on my body.
The chat was filled with cheers, but Alex remained silent.
The next second, Ms. Miller ended the live stream.
I lay on the ground, thinking of Alex’s attitude.
All my emotions morphed into pure hatred.
Ms. Miller quickly helped me up.
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. You played your part perfectly!” I patted Ms. Miller’s shoulder, a smile playing on my lips.
All the camera angles had been set up in advance; they wouldn’t see through the deception.
I pushed the door open and paused, casting one lingering look back at the building.
I wondered if Alex recognized this place. It was the same building that killed me in my past life.
Now, it was the stage I had chosen for this grand performance.
“Stick to the plan, Ms. Miller,” I instructed calmly. “When this is over, take the first flight to Europe. Do not return.”
The moment after I walked away, a deafening roar filled the air. The building collapsed.
Alex must have thought I was buried in the rubble, just like last time.
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Last life, he called out the wrong name at our wedding, and his first love tragically jumped from the building during the ceremony.
Her suicide note was exposed, branding me as the undeniable homewrecker.
I was fired, subjected to relentless online abuse, received death threats, and ultimately died tragically on the streets.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day his first love was threatening to jump.
This time, don’t be in such a rush to die.
I’ll personally drag you both to hell.
“Chloe! What are you spacing out for?! Explain your relationship with Daniel right now!”
A sharp, urgent female voice pierced the air.
I snapped back to reality, realizing I was standing on a rooftop.
Before me was Brittany, in a wedding dress, swaying precariously on the edge in the fierce wind, her eyes brimming with tears.
Everyone was staring at me, their faces etched with anxiety and confusion.
I suddenly realized I was back at the critical turning point of my life.
Any second now, Brittany would leap, using her own death to firmly place the monumental blame squarely on my shoulders.
She would falsely accuse me of being the mistress who drove her to her death.
“Chloe! What are you doing staying silent at a time like this! Are you deliberately trying to kill Brittany?!” Sarah, the bridesmaid, urged again.
“Chloe, please… save Brittany!” Daniel, the groom, pleaded, his voice trembling.
I said sharply, “Brittany, Daniel and I have had absolutely nothing to do with each other for a long time.”
“I have a boyfriend, and you know him too.” I pointed to the man, “Your brother, Julian!”
The four of them looked astonished, but Brittany quickly snapped back, screaming through her tears.
“You’re lying! You just got back from abroad, how could you know my brother! You’re just trying to fool me!”
“I knew you wouldn’t admit it!”
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, leaning out further!
In a flash, I spoke quickly, “Julian. Graduated from Berkeley College of Music, a traveling violinist, loves to fly all over the world. He owns two golden retrievers. He’s two years older than you, but he’s not your biological brother.”
“We’ve been together for two years. Believe it or not.”
“Really? Julian?”
Julian responded calmly, “It’s true. Come down, and I’ll explain everything to you.”
After a prolonged standoff.
Brittany finally jumped back into Daniel’s arms.
I sank to the ground, drenched in a cold sweat.
However, it wasn’t over yet. Julian, who had left and then returned, suddenly stood in front of me.
Silhouetted against the light, he asked in a deep voice, “Ms. Xu… I mean, Chloe, who are you? How do you know all these private details about me?”
Who am I?
I am Chloe, the woman those two dogs drove to a tragic death.
In my last life, Brittany’s leap from her own wedding shocked the entire society. News of the pregnant bride’s tragic death rocked society.
And in her suicide note, she turned all accusations squarely on me.
Overnight, I became the mistress who drove the original wife to her death, hated by everyone.
“Hope every homewrecker in the world rots in hell!”
Furious netizens ceaselessly cursed me on all my social media accounts.
I clarified, I called the police, I filed lawsuits.
But to little effect.
After all, who can win against a dead person?
Later, with the public release of Brittany’s secret Ins account, I spiraled into an irredeemable abyss.
Finally, on my way to therapy, a severe depressive episode hit, and I rushed into traffic, dying tragically on the streets.
Shaking off the painful memories.
I opened Brittany’s secret Ins account.
“He was completely out of it tonight… It turns out, she’s back.”
“I saw her. Why didn’t she just stay abroad? Why did she have to come back and mess up my peaceful life?”
“He called out her name in his sleep. I know he never truly got over her…”
“We promised to get married, but he hesitated. She must be meddling.”
“The night before my wedding, my fiancé actually messaged another woman, asking if there was still a chance between them… What should I do?? My heart is a mess.”
The latest post stopped at, “One last chance for him. I want to be his most beautiful bride…”
Heartfelt and dripping with sorrow, every word.
Between the lines, she painted herself as a humble, fragile woman, enduring for love.
But she never mentioned my clear boundaries or my deliberate efforts to avoid him in front of her.
Nor did she mention my firm “No” and blocking him after his “Is there even a tiny chance?” message.
With a cynical smirk, I posted my first thought on a newly registered Ins account.
“I didn’t want any involvement with them, but she still threatened to die if I didn’t show up on the rooftop. I really don’t want them to disturb me anymore. Can anyone save me?”
Standing in the cubicle, I listened to the whispers outside.
“Did you know? That day, Daniel called the bride’s name Chloe during his vows! Brittany freaked out right then and there, grabbing her dress and threatening to jump…”
“Oh my god, seriously? That’s so dramatic! I always thought Daniel’s gaze toward Chloe was weird…”
“It’s true, I was there. Those two had a thing back in college. Otherwise, why do you think Chloe suddenly came back to the country and joined our company?”
“That bride is really unlucky, getting her ‘one that got away’ coming back to interfere right before the wedding…”
“You just pray Chloe dares to come to the team-building event! Then we’ll have a real show.”
The next second, I pulled up my phone’s chat window and replied to HR.
“Available to attend.”
To clear my name, the first step is to shut down these gossipmongers!
On camping day, a dozen or so people sat around picnicking on the lawn.
I was the first to grab a drink, proposing a toast with my soda, “Let’s all toast to the happy couple!”
Amidst everyone’s congratulations, Daniel downed his drink in one gulp.
Brittany, clinging to Daniel, shot me a hostile glance before taking a tiny sip.
I looked directly at Brittany, “Brittany, you misunderstood me at the wedding that day. I’d like to use this opportunity to formally clarify: Daniel and I are completely innocent, and we are, and will only be, colleagues.”
“Some might bring up our three-month college romance,” I deliberately glanced at Sarah, “but that ended a long, long time ago.”
Perhaps not expecting me to tackle the rumors head-on, my colleagues’ faces were a mix of awkwardness and curiosity.
Just then, a voice cut in, “But I’m really curious, Chloe, why did you choose to join our company right after returning to the country?” Sarah paused suggestively, “Wasn’t it because of Daniel?”
“Because the general manager is an alumnus from our university. I joined the company at his invitation.”
She pressed on, “Then how come it’s such a coincidence that you happen to live right across the hall from Daniel and Brittany?”
I stared at this former college classmate, Brittany’s best friend, and the bridesmaid at the wedding.
In my last life, she was the one who made Brittany’s Ins account public.
I wondered how much of Brittany’s supposed ‘evidence’ of me seducing her husband was fabricated and spread by Sarah?
Sarah flinched under my gaze.
I said, word for word, “Listen closely. I bought my place shortly after graduation. When I returned this year, I discovered they were living across the hall.”
“So, you should ask Daniel and Brittany why they moved in.”
Amidst the quiet, the female lead, Brittany, finally spoke.
“Chloe, since you want to clear the air, let’s clear it all.”
“This past week, the ‘love porridge’ Daniel brought you–the one you posted on SnapChat – was it tasty?”
“I made it.”
Under everyone’s surprised glances, she looked at me with a sinister glare, her voice calm.
“You wear that niche Guerlain perfume, don’t you? Every day my husband comes home, he smells of it.”
She pulled out an earring, “And, you accidentally left an earring in Daniel’s car.”
“It’d be a shame for it to be unpaired, so here you go.”
The evidence was undeniable.
Everyone’s gaze shifted back to me.
I smiled, my tone light.
“Porridge? I bought it from the 7-Eleven downstairs from the office. I can post the receipt if you need it.”
“Perfume? My apologies, I have allergies, so I barely wear any.”
“As for the earring… Hmm, it looks familiar, but it’s definitely not my style.”
Her face instantly turned pale.
Suddenly, I had an ‘aha’ moment, “Ah, I remember. Isn’t this the earring Sarah asked about in the group chat?”
“The porridge and perfume… I think I saw them on Sarah’s desk too.”
Brittany’s head snapped towards her best friend.
Sarah, who had been enjoying the show a second ago, was instantly flustered, “Brittany, don’t believe her nonsense!”
“I didn’t drink any porridge, and the earring is mine, but I’ve been looking for it for days!”
“Even the perfume, someone just inexplicably left it on my desk, and it smelled nice, so I started using it…”
She explained frantically.
But she was interrupted by a recording from the bathroom, played loudly from my phone.
Watching her reddened face, filled with humiliation, I asked softly,
“Sarah, I originally didn’t understand why you were spreading baseless rumors behind my back, but just now, I had a wild guess…”
“We were classmates, now we’re colleagues. How come you’ve always been following Daniel so closely?”
“Are you the one who actually likes him?”
Facing Brittany’s dagger-like gaze, Sarah completely panicked, her words coming out in broken fragments.
I secretly chuckled, watching her struggle desperately to prove herself.
Last life, you were the executioner who pushed things along.
This life, I’ll make you pay first!
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