Author: Momo Chan

Five years ago, my family suddenly went bankrupt. My sister got cancer, and the entire family relied on me to survive. But when I returned to the villa we used to live in, I found the lights blazing inside. My parents and my sister, who was supposed to be gravely ill, were enjoying a lavish dinner in the living room, their mouths greasy with food. They were watching a video of me working three jobs a day, pointing and commenting. “No, she’s still not ruthless enough. She can’t even compare to us when we started from scratch.” My mother, Eleanor, said, eating premium Kobe steak. “She needs to suffer a bit more before she’s worthy of being our heir.” My sister, Chloe, casually tossed the birthday teddy bear I bought her into the trash. “Olivia still isn’t working hard enough.” I was utterly heartbroken. It turned out the bankruptcy was fake, the illness was fake, everything was a lie concocted by them to pressure and “educate” me. So, I partnered with my arch-rival and had all of my family’s assets seized. You said I wasn’t working hard enough, not ruthless enough? Well, now that I am ruthless, why are you crying and begging me?

It was four in the morning, and Northwood City’s sanitation trucks hadn’t arrived yet. As usual, I carried a woven bag bigger than myself and skillfully slipped into the greenbelt outside The Summit Estates. This was Northwood City’s wealthiest neighborhood. I felt a pang of guilt because my parents had repeatedly warned me not to come near here. “The debt collectors are waiting around there for us; whatever you do, don’t go near it.” But I often came secretly. After all, my face was so rough now that I barely recognized myself. And the rich people here were too lazy to even break down cardboard boxes they’d only used once. For a scavenger like me, it was more cost-effective. “Olivia, we’re still short five hundred for this week’s medicine. You need to find a way.” Last night, before I left, my mom grabbed my hand, her eyes swollen like golf balls from crying. My dad, Robert, lay sprawled on the bed in our leaky basement, clutching his chest, looking like he could kick the bucket at any moment. To save those five hundred bucks, I hadn’t eaten dinner for three days straight. My stomach was churning with hunger. I sped up my rummaging. Suddenly, a flash of pink appeared, and my hand froze. On top of a pile of freshly dumped kitchen waste, a pink teddy bear lay face down. Its belly was torn open, revealing the stuffing, and one eye was missing. It looked utterly pathetic. Just last night. I had scraped every penny together from my living expenses, then spent two agonizing hours at the toy store entrance haggling with the owner, almost begging him, just to buy this defective bear for fifty dollars. It was my adopted sister Chloe’s eighteenth birthday gift. Because I couldn’t afford wrapping paper, I had clumsily embroidered a few words on the bear’s paw: “Chloe, Happy Birthday.” Now, that line of text was stained with coffee. I frantically dug it out. My hands began to tremble violently. Just yesterday, when I presented this bear, my dad slapped me across the face and cursed, “Our family can’t even put food on the table, and you’re buying this garbage! Vain! A spendthrift!” My mom, Eleanor, cradled “sick” Chloe and said with a pained expression, “Olivia, you’ve disappointed us so much. Your sister can’t even afford her medicine, and you’re wasting money.” I knelt on the ground, admitting my mistake, swearing I would gather the medicine money by tomorrow. But still, this was a gift I had painstakingly saved up for my sister. *Vroom—* A black Maybach slowly drove out of the villa district, breaking my thoughts. The car windows were tinted, but I recognized the license plate—it read ‘ELITE8’. Wasn’t this the car of the mysterious billionaire who supposedly bought our foreclosed house? The driver had a crew cut, and that profile… it was clearly Mike, our old family driver! Dad had said that Mike had gone back to his hometown after we went bankrupt, hadn’t he? Driven by an inexplicable urge, I dropped my woven bag. And followed the car. I watched, mesmerized, as the car drove towards the villa we used to live in. The villa was brightly lit; it looked nothing like a seized property. I crouched behind the bushes and, through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, witnessed a scene I would never forget. My dad, Robert, who was supposedly paralyzed and unable to walk in the basement, was now energetically cutting a cigar, full of vigor. My mom, Eleanor, was wearing a face mask, directing the staff to carry boxes of luxury goods upstairs. And Chloe, who supposedly had a terminal illness, held an Hermès bag, pouting in distaste: “This color is so old-fashioned, Mom. Your taste is terrible.” Mom wasn’t angry; instead, she chuckled and coaxed her: “Alright, alright, we’ll go change it tomorrow, as long as our Chloe is happy.” “Oh, right,” Chloe suddenly remembered, “I accidentally lost the teddy bear Olivia gave me.” Dad blew out a smoke ring and sneered: “Good riddance. Just seeing that thing irritates me.” “Only suffered for half a year, and already can’t control her spending? Wasting money buying things? No sense of saving at all.” *Boom—* My world completely shattered at that moment. No bankruptcy. No terminal illness. No debt. For the past six months, I had been working day and night, washing dishes, doing manual labor, collecting trash, selling my blood. I lived in a moldy basement, eating their stale leftovers. I thought I was saving this family. Turns out, I was just a monkey for their after-dinner amusement.

What could I do if I rushed in now? Demand answers? Cry and lament? I bit my lip hard until I tasted blood. I quietly crept around to the back of the villa, where the staff quarters were. A window there was always left open; it was my secret passage for sneaking out to play when I was a child. I climbed in and hid in the secret compartment of the wardrobe in the second-floor study. The view here was the best, and I could hear everything happening in the living room. In the living room, a huge projector screen descended. “Alright, alright, today’s episode of our ‘Tough Love’ reality show is starting.” Dad excitedly rubbed his hands, beckoning Mom and Chloe. The screen lit up. The scene showed a day of heavy rain. I was riding that rickety old scooter I’d salvaged from a dump, delivering takeout. The rain was too heavy, and the road collapsed. I, along with my scooter, tumbled into a mud pit. The takeout food spilled everywhere. I ignored the bleeding cut on my leg, knelt in the muddy water, picking up each container, crying as I wiped them clean. Because if that order got a complaint, I would have to pay twenty dollars. Twenty dollars, enough to feed our family ramen for three days. “Oh my gosh, Olivia is so clumsy.” Chloe’s gasp echoed from the living room. She pointed at the disheveled, mud-covered figure on the screen, frowning. “Dad, I don’t think Olivia is suited for hardship?” “Crying like that for twenty bucks, she has no foresight.” Dad, however, looked serious. “Chloe, don’t talk nonsense if you don’t understand.” He pointed at me on the screen, using his cigar. “That look in her eyes is exactly right.” “People can only unleash their potential when they’re pushed to the brink.” “She used to spend ten dollars on books without batting an eye; now she’s kneeling for twenty dollars.” “What does this show? It shows her vanity has been crushed; she’s starting to understand the value of money.” “That’s exactly the effect we’re looking for.” Mom, Eleanor, walked over, holding a goblet of expensive champagne, taking an elegant sip. “We started from scratch, we know that building an empire is easy, but holding onto it is the real challenge.” “Olivia was too pampered before, too soft-hearted. If we don’t let her experience the hardships we went through, how will she take over the business in the future?” “Look how capable she’s been these past six months? Working three jobs a day, and she doesn’t complain about being tired.” “She’s a true heir of the Blackwood legacy.” Mom said, not noticing the resentment in Chloe’s eyes. The screen shifted, cutting to a different scene. It was me, standing outside a 24-hour convenience store, staring at the pastries inside, hesitating for nearly ten minutes. Finally, I turned and left, thinking two dollars each was too expensive. In the scene, I was forlornly nibbling on half a dry piece of bread I’d found. I rubbed my stomach, which was cramping from hunger, and reached for the beef they’d left on the table. As I ate, tears streamed down my face. Then, the scene shifted again. It was me washing dishes at a greasy diner. My old rival, with a group of rich kids, came to humiliate me. She splashed boiling hot oil from the fryer on my hand and threw two hundred dollars on the floor, telling me to pick it up. On the screen, I endured the searing pain, bent down, and picked up the two hundred dollars. Because back then, Dad was pretending to be sick in bed, saying his heart was hurting him to death. Seeing this, Dad nodded in satisfaction. “Excellent! She knows when to bend and when to stand tall!” “This is what it means to truly swallow your pride!” “She wasn’t picking up money; she was picking up her lost dignity. A qualified heir must learn to shed her pride.” Chloe pouted, a hint of jealousy in her voice: “Dad, how much longer are you going to test her?” “What if she finds out the truth and hates us?” “Hate?” Dad sneered. “She’s my blood, I’m her father.” “I’m doing this for her own good. This is the highest form of elite education.” “When she stands at the pinnacle of wealth in the future, she’ll kneel down and thank me.” My fingernails dug deeply into my flesh. So that’s how it was. My past six months of hellish living, in their eyes, was a meticulously planned reality show. They watched me bleed, watched me kneel, watched me beg for food like a dog. Not only did they feel no pity, but they were here, toasting and celebrating it.

I didn’t tip my hand. I returned to that moldy basement as if nothing had happened. For the next two days, I woke up early as usual, still rummaged through trash bins, but my eyes were no longer vacant. I began to discreetly observe this “poor” home. Before, I was too foolish, too desperate to save them, and I had overlooked so many obvious flaws. For example, Mom. Although she wore old clothes bought from a bargain store, her face had smooth, radiant skin. If you got close, you could still smell the subtle scent of a high-end moisturizer. How could a poor person have such a glowing complexion? Poor people, like me, have sallow complexions and chapped hands. Then there was Chloe. She was lying on the small bed, playing on her phone. Seeing me enter, she immediately hid the phone behind her back and weakly coughed twice: “Olivia… you’re back.” As she reached for a glass of water, I grabbed her wrist. It was a hand that had recently been meticulously cared for, nails perfectly rounded, even coated with clear nail polish, glowing with a soft pink sheen. “Chloe, your nails look great, like they’ve been treated at a top salon,” I said, a faint smile playing on my lips. Chloe’s face stiffened, and she recoiled her hand as if shocked: “This is… I just messed around with it myself.” I glanced at the pile of dirty clothes in the corner, which Mom had deliberately left for me to wash. I suddenly spoke, “Chloe, the bear I bought you…” “The bear… I’m sorry, Olivia, I accidentally lost it…” “But you’ll forgive me, right? After all, a bear like that, you can earn back by cleaning toilets for three days.” “But I…” “Enough!” Mom shoved me, shielding Chloe behind her, her eyes wide with fury: “Your sister isn’t well, and you’re still upsetting her! It’s just a silly bear, it’s lost, so what?” I staggered from the shove, my heart chilling to the core. But I wasn’t ready to give up completely. I wanted to give them, and myself, one last chance. That evening, Dad’s “condition” worsened. He coughed convulsively, as if his chest was tearing apart. He grabbed me, rehashing the usual drama: “Olivia… the doctor said the surgery would cost half a million… Dad doesn’t want to die…” Mom, beside him, dabbed her eyes, and then, her true intentions became clear: “Olivia, that crippled Mr. Wallace said that if you marry him, the dowry will be exactly half a million…” I took a deep breath, knelt by the bed, and stared intently into their eyes. “Dad, Mom. If I don’t marry Mr. Wallace, if our family really has to live in a basement and pick up trash for the rest of our lives, will you… still love me?” “Can’t we stop begging others? Just be together as a family, even if it’s a little hard, it’s okay?” The warmth in Dad’s eyes vanished, replaced by impatience. “Shut up! What’s ‘a little hardship is okay’? Without money, you’re worse than dirt! If you don’t want to save me, just say so. I raised you this long, and you won’t even make this small sacrifice? You ungrateful wretch!” Mom’s face also turned cold: “Olivia, don’t be so selfish. That’s your dad’s life! What’s wrong with you enduring a little hardship?” At that moment, I heard the sound of something in my heart completely shattering. They had money, yet they still wanted me to sell myself. They weren’t bankrupt, yet they pushed me to the brink. “Alright,” I lowered my head, hiding the tears and hatred welling up in my eyes. “I’ll raise the money. Even if I have to sell myself, I’ll get the money.” Dad lay back, satisfied, believing I had finally submitted. Late at night, when their snores were like thunder, I pulled out my burner phone from under the bed. The light from the screen illuminated my pale face. My fingers trembling, I transferred all the encrypted files to my cloud storage. After doing all that, I looked at my sleeping parents and softly said in my heart: Goodbye, Dad, Mom. This was the last lesson you taught me—push someone to the brink, and they will fight to survive.

When I walked out of the basement, the sky was just getting light. Chloe was standing at the top of the stairs, I don’t know when she got there. She held a cup of hot milk, not a hint of sickness on her face. She looked down at me from above, a malicious smile playing on her lips. “Olivia, are you going to marry that cripple?” “Actually, Mom and Dad are doing this for your own good. After all, you know, only those who truly enjoy the finer things can rise above. Anyway, even if we weren’t bankrupt now, Dad and Mom’s heir could only ever be me.” She took a step closer, leaning in to whisper in my ear. “So go on, be your crippled bride. I’ll enjoy the Blackwood family’s wealth and prestige for you.” She finished, covering her mouth with a triumphant giggle. I looked at her delicate face and nodded. “Chloe, you’re right.” “Some people are born to roll in the mud.” Only, that person might not be me. I didn’t look back, rushing straight into the curtain of rain. The cold raindrops stung my face, mixing with my tears. I didn’t hate the rain; the colder it was, the fiercer the fire in my heart burned. An hour later, I stood beneath the Titan Holdings building. This was Northwood City’s tallest building, and the only place that could truly overlook the Blackwood Group. Ethan Blackwood, Northwood City’s notorious business madman, was also my dad’s most feared arch-rival. I barged unimpeded into the top-floor office. Before the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, a man stood with his back to me. “Get out.” His voice was cold and sharp. I didn’t retreat. Instead, I walked forward step by step and firmly slapped the USB drive, still damp from the rain, onto his expensive office desk. “Mr. Blackwood, I have a business proposition I’d like to discuss with you.” Ethan Blackwood turned around. He looked at me, soaking wet, covered in mud, yet with eyes that burned with an alarming intensity, and his eyebrow slightly raised. “The eldest Miss Blackwood? What, here to plead for your father?” “No.” I lifted my head, meeting his eagle-sharp eyes, and a crooked smile played on my lips. “I’m here to take him down.” Ethan Blackwood picked up the USB drive, intrigued. “What’s in this?” “The very core of Blackwood Group’s operations.” My voice was hoarse, but every word was clear and strong. “Ledgers proving tax evasion, offshore money laundering schemes, and all the evidence of cut corners on the Bayview Towers project.” “Mr. Blackwood, my dad always said that a person needs to be wolf-like, to show no mercy, even to family.” “These past six months, he taught me a lot. Now, I’m here to show you what I’ve learned.” Ethan Blackwood scrutinized me for a long moment, then suddenly chuckled. “If you give this to me, the Blackwood family is finished. You’ll lose everything, and even bear the infamy.” “What do you want?” Thunder rumbled outside the window. I didn’t need money, nor did I need status. I stared at Ethan Blackwood, saying each word distinctly: “I want them utterly ruined.”

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The morning I got my university acceptance letter, I woke up early and made Mom some toast and coffee. She seemed surprised, then smiled, wrinkles crinkling at the corners of her eyes. “Your acceptance letter arrived, didn’t it? It’s much more stable to stay close to home. I heard it’s a big, wild world out there, easy for someone young like you to get led astray. Besides, wouldn’t it be better to stay close? You could still have my home-cooked meals every night.” “Oh, and I already canceled your plane tickets. It’s too dangerous for a bunch of young guys your age to travel alone. If you really want to go, Mom will take some time off and go with you later.” “What’s with that expression? Everything Mom does is for your own good.” She hadn’t even finished speaking, taking a few bites, when she suddenly frowned. “This coffee… it tastes a little off?” I looked at her, and for the first time in months, I truly smiled. “Yeah, I added some of that rat poison you bought yesterday.” Maybe it was my expression, but Mom froze, her gaze immediately shifting to the rat poison on the shoe cabinet, which had been opened at some point. She’d just bought it and hadn’t gotten around to opening it yet. “Just because Mom changed your major, you’re going to kill Mom?” I looked at the disbelief on her face, barely suppressing the chilling sense of impending release, and picked up the glass of milk next to me, taking a sip. The bitter taste of the rat poison shot through my throat, making me gag and want to throw up. Just like every day since I received that community college acceptance letter. “I’m kidding.” Mom paused, then breathed a sigh of relief, and continued her lecture. “Mom knows you wanted to study medicine, but everyone says being a medical student is incredibly tough, a real grind. It’s not like being a teacher, which is much more chill and you get long breaks. Plus, you have a good grasp of the humanities, you should become an English teacher.” “Worst case, you can just marry a doctor, right? That way you won’t have to study so hard, and you can spend more time at home with Mom. By the time you’re thirty, you’ll definitely thank Mom for changing your major.” My hands, hanging by my sides, clenched tightly and trembled slightly, but Mom didn’t notice a thing. Actually, the poison was in my cup. I drank the last mouthful. “Mom, remember, you killed me with your own hands.” … Everyone said my mom loved me very much. When I was five, she divorced my dad, citing incompatible values, without hesitation. Mom didn’t take a dime in child support. She worked nine-hour shifts during the day and then set up a stall at the night market in the evenings. While she stir-fried noodles for customers, she’d supervise my homework. Whenever customers saw this, they’d feel for her, praising her as the most responsible mother in the world. She worked tirelessly, raising me all by herself. In first grade, my essay, “My Mom,” won the city’s gold prize. The principal, a friend of my mother’s, presented the award to me. After handing me the certificate, she patted my shoulder meaningfully. “You’re a boy, you need to learn to be good to your mom. She’s had such a hard life, and you’re all she has.” I nodded hard and said loudly. “I’ll definitely be good to Mom!” Mom stood below the stage, tears streaming down her face, applauding for me. For my eighteenth birthday party, Mom spent half a month taking a class and personally made my favorite chocolate mousse cake. She smiled and asked what I wished for. From her expectant gaze, I could tell she hoped my wish involved her, something like a dutiful child wishing for her health or safety. But I didn’t say anything, blowing out the candles in one breath. My wish actually *was* about my mom. Except it was to hope my mom would die soon. Or that I would.

I never liked milk since I was little. Because I’m lactose intolerant, every time I drank milk, I’d throw up and have diarrhea. The doctor said you don’t necessarily need milk to get calcium. But Mom believed milk was the most natural and purest high-calcium food, and that kids absolutely had to drink it. She didn’t have much money to buy branded milk from the supermarket, so she worked for a dairy delivery service in our apartment complex, waking up at four every morning to deliver milk to nearly two hundred households. By the time she finished at seven in the morning, she’d bring a few leftover bottles from the station for me to drink. Every time I saw Mom’s face, drenched in sweat after working for half the day, I’d feel a pang of pity. “Mom, our teacher said mustard greens and spinach also have calcium. I’ll just eat more at school. Can you please stop delivering milk?” Mom smiled and waved her hand. “Mom’s not tired. Hurry up and drink it, then Mom will take you to school.” Under Mom’s expectant gaze, I could only endure the discomfort and drink an entire bottle of milk. The way to school included a muddy, bumpy dirt path. I sat on the back of Mom’s scooter, my stomach acid surging up my throat several times, which I forcefully swallowed back down. But as soon as we reached the school gate, while greeting the teacher on duty, I couldn’t hold it in anymore and threw up in front of everyone. There were a few classmates and their parents around. Feeling embarrassed and mortified, I burst into tears. “Mom, I don’t want to drink milk anymore! Every time I drink it, I want to throw up!” Mom’s eyes instantly reddened, and she declared loudly. “You’re the shortest boy in your class! I wake up early and go to bed late, only sleeping four hours a night. Isn’t it all to save money to help you grow? Otherwise, why would I work so hard delivering milk?” “If it weren’t for you, Mom wouldn’t have gotten divorced. I wouldn’t be working this hard!” She cried to everyone around her, recounting the difficulties of raising a child alone after her divorce. Because Mom came to school every day to bring me lunch and pick me up, many parents and teachers knew her. Everyone’s gaze towards me changed subtly. Finally, Mom swayed, looking like she might faint at any moment. The teacher immediately rushed over to support her. The teacher frowned at me. “Alex, your mom loves you, that’s why she sacrifices so much for you and wants you to grow up strong. You need to understand how hard it is for her. If you act like this with your mom, I’ll have to give you a serious warning. Now, come apologize to your mom.” I was somewhat dazed, not understanding why feeling sick from drinking milk meant I wasn’t being understanding towards Mom. But out of respect for the teacher and guilt towards my mom, I still timidly apologized. Mom wiped away the moisture from the corners of her eyes while stroking my head. I heard my classmates whispering nearby. “Alex made his mom get divorced! So mean. I definitely don’t want my parents to divorce.” “I love drinking milk! My mom won’t even buy it for me. I wish Alex’s mom was my mom.” “My mom said if you don’t listen to your parents, you’re an ungrateful brat.” “Alex is an ungrateful brat!” In elementary school, the concepts of bullying and emotional blackmail weren’t yet defined. I only knew that from that day on, classmates seemed to slowly stop playing with me. They’d whisper behind my back that I was an ungrateful brat, heartless, and even said I had bad breath. Actually, that was the smell of stomach acid coming up, and fermented milk. The teachers also always looked at me meaningfully when teaching lessons about family. “Only your mother in this world would never harm you.” “Mothers are the greatest people in the world. Children, you must always listen to your mothers, only bad children don’t listen to their mothers.” “Mothers are the greatest people in the world.” I held that thought in my heart and wrote it into my essay. Later, the essay won an award, and I once again became the “good child” the teachers talked about. The teacher specifically printed out my essay and posted it on the classroom wall, for classmates to study and learn from. The teacher asked me, “Alex, tell us, what kind of person is your mother to you?” I thought for a moment. “Mom is… the hardest working person in the world, and the person who loves me most in the world.” I gave the rote answer, and the teacher was very satisfied. She nodded, smiling as she looked behind me. I abruptly turned to look out the window. My mom, in her work uniform, was peering in through the window.

Ever since I started elementary school, Mom quit her decent editing job at the newspaper and became a cashier at a supermarket near the school. Editing required long hours, from eight to six, and was very demanding, making it hard to focus on anything else. As a cashier, she only had to work six-hour shifts, giving her more time to be around the school and “supervise” my studies. I wrote that essay for three whole days. When I first wrote it, Mom wasn’t happy. So she sat beside me, watching me rewrite it. Perhaps due to her background as an editor, the grammatical errors and inappropriate similes in my essay infuriated Mom. She snatched the pen from my hand, correcting it while scolding me in my ear. “Why are you so stupid, don’t you have a brain? Can’t you just make things easier for Mom and give her less to worry about?!” If I accidentally made a mistake, she would immediately hit the back of my hand hard. She never used any tools to hit me. Mom said it was her way of sharing the pain with me, so I would remember and correct my mistakes. If I made too many mistakes, Mom would suddenly hit her own face, slapping herself. “Don’t you feel bad for Mom? Otherwise, why aren’t you studying properly?!” “I do, I feel bad for Mom, Mom, please stop hitting yourself!” As soon as I cried, Mom would rush into the kitchen, grab a kitchen knife, hold it to her wrist, and yell at me. “Mom is trying so hard to teach you, even hitting herself like this, why do you still make mistakes? Are you not even trying to study? Are you trying to kill Mom?!” In the end, Mom practically wrote two-thirds of the essay herself. No one noticed how mature the vocabulary and sentence structure were, far beyond what a first grader could write. I wasn’t good at writing at all. The one who was good at writing was Mom, the former editor. To me. Mom was the woman holding a knife. … As the years passed, people gradually forgot about the milk incident. But because Mom was always at school, whenever I got close to a classmate and she saw it, she would immediately interrogate them about their family background and grades, insisting on chatting with us. During these chats, Mom couldn’t talk about anything but me. “Hey, don’t pat Alex’s shoulder, he has homework tonight. What if you hurt him?” “Did you just sneeze? Are you catching a cold? Don’t sneeze towards Alex, that’s intentionally trying to infect him. If Alex gets sick, I’ll have to talk to your parents tomorrow!” Seeing a classmate from a less privileged family with some dirt under their fingernails, Mom frowned and said in front of them. “Alex, be careful who you make friends with. Some people just carry that ‘poor’ vibe, and you need to keep your distance. Those people won’t amount to anything later, you’re different from them.” At ten years old, kids already have self-respect. The classmate’s face turned bright red, and they quietly tucked their hands into their sleeves. Then, they grabbed their backpack, hastily said, “Ma’am, I have to go,” and ran off without looking back. Throughout elementary school, I didn’t have many friends, but Mom was very happy, because then no one would lead her precious son astray. Whenever I watched classmates walking arm-in-arm with envy, Mom would pull me forward. She pursed her lips. “What kind of friendship do kids have? Once you move up a grade, you’ll never see them again. Your main goal right now is to study, not make friends.” “Besides, you can tell Mom anything, Mom is your best friend.” I looked at Mom, saying nothing, and wrote all my teenage worries in my diary, painstakingly getting through six years of elementary school. In junior high, during the second semester of eighth grade, a transfer student joined our class. Because our school had a special fast-track admission program for prestigious high schools before the state-wide middle school exams each year, good students could get into the gifted class. So, during this critical period before the exams, transfer students from other areas would often come, hoping for a better opportunity. The transfer student had excellent grades. When the teacher assigned seats based on grades, she specifically told her to sit next to me. “Hi there, I’m Sarah.” The girl smiled and pulled out the chair next to me. “Where did you go this summer? My parents and I went to Macau, their Portuguese tarts were especially delicious. Here, try one!” Sarah was friendly with everyone. She took out a box of tarts from her backpack and shared them with the classmates around her. I quietly read my book, and she didn’t disturb me, instead quietly placing the last tart on the corner of my desk. Even so, Mom, who was peering in to check on us, noticed it. There was no teacher in the classroom, so she rushed over to us and loudly told Sarah: “Hey, kid! My Alex has a sensitive stomach and can’t eat unsanitary food from outside. Don’t make him get diarrhea!” I hunched my head even lower. But to my surprise, Sarah showed no embarrassment or fear. Instead, she smiled at my mom and said. “Don’t worry, Ma’am, I washed my hands, they’re not dirty. Plus, these are from an old, famous shop in Macau! My mom and I waited in line for a long time to get them.” Mom froze, as if she hadn’t expected a child to respond to her harshness so gracefully. She was silent for a few seconds, then her voice grew shriller. “Your parents work hard to earn money and take you out to see the world, and all you know is to show off to your classmates. You don’t think about how to study hard to repay your parents’ kindness, you don’t understand their good intentions, you don’t appreciate how hard they work for money!” “I will absolutely not let my son sit next to a child like you. You’ll lead my son astray!”

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My boyfriend was a warehouse worker. The moment he got home, I forced him to go back out in the rain to buy me a $199 strawberry cake. His voice was tired. “I don’t have enough money. Rent’s due tomorrow. Can I just buy the strawberries for now?” I grabbed a throw pillow and hurled it at him. “Get out! You loser!” After I kicked him out, I sulked on the couch. Suddenly, floating comments popped up on the screen in front of me: [This villainess is scolding a billionaire heir! He was framed and lost his memory, which is why he’s a warehouse worker!] [The real female lead will be here soon, and the male lead is about to regain his memory! Then he’ll know what a liar this villainess is!] [This drama queen is already pregnant. She’ll use her pregnancy to throw tantrums, but she’ll be taken care of right after giving birth, and the child will be abused!] I touched my lower belly, completely stunned. Just then, the door opened. Johnson came back, soaked to the bone, holding a small piece of strawberry cake. He looked at me nervously, carefully saying, “I unloaded another truckload of goods. I bought you the cake. Please don’t kick me out again, okay?”

Johnson stood at the door, rain dripping down his pants, his eyes like a lost puppy. Those words from the comments were still floating in front of me. “Villainess,” “billionaire heir,” “liar,” “pregnant,” “taken care of,” “child abused.” My legs felt a little weak. Normally, I would have snatched the cake, cursed him a few more times for being a “good-for-nothing,” then devoured it all and made him sleep on the couch. But today, I didn’t dare. I took a deep breath, my voice a bit dry. “You… go change your wet clothes first.” Johnson clearly froze. He probably thought I’d keep yelling at him. He nervously held out the strawberry cake. “I didn’t mean not to comfort you earlier. I just wanted to unload more goods, earn enough money to buy you the cake…” The man was drenched, his old clothes clinging to his strong chest and abs. I looked at his hands, which were pale and wrinkled from the rain. A chill went down my spine. For the past year, I had constantly yelled at and berated him, and he had never talked back. “I said, go change your clothes first!” I turned my face away, my voice tight. Johnson lowered his eyes. “Okay, I’ll go right away.” He put down the cake and fumbled for dry clothes. While he was in the bathroom, I stared at the cake on the table, tears almost falling. The comments said I was pregnant, then I’d be clingy and refusing to let go, and finally, the original female lead would get rid of me, and my child would be abused. If I wasn’t pregnant, it would be fine, but what if I really was… [Is this villainess finally scared? Too late!] [Honestly, it’s too late for her to act nice now, the female lead is already on her way.] [Poor male lead, he’s been yelled at for so long.] I bit my lip, forcing the tears back. Johnson came out in dry clothes, saw me staring blankly at the cake, and cautiously said, “Want me to feed you?” I grabbed the cake. “Come on, let’s return it.” “Huh?” He was confused. “It’s too expensive. How many shifts would you have to work for this? Let’s return it.” I pulled him and started walking out. Johnson was dragged along, his face full of disbelief. “You… aren’t you the one who wanted strawberry cake the most?” “Not anymore.” I didn’t dare look at him. After returning the cake, I took the $199 and stuffed it into his pocket. “For rent.” Johnson stood there. The rain had slowed to a drizzle. He just looked at me, his eyes holding an indescribable light, a mix of surprise and heartache. “Simmons, are you… on your period?” he asked tentatively. “No!” I almost cursed again, but bit it back. “Let’s go home.” Our rental apartment only had one bed. That night, I curled up on the very edge, my back to him. Johnson got into bed after his shower. After a long silence, he suddenly said in a low voice, “I’m really tired today… can we not try anything fancy?” My body stiffened. “Try anything fancy” was his euphemism. Normally, if I was in a good mood, I’d make him work hard in bed. He never refused, even if he’d worked his butt off all day and his back was aching. But now, the comments said I was pregnant. I instinctively covered my lower belly, my mind a mess. “Uh… let’s just sleep.” My voice was muffled. It was quiet for a few seconds behind me. Johnson softly said, “Oh,” his tone tinged with disappointment and confusion. [Why is the male lead disappointed? We don’t approve!] [The male lead is only being good to the villainess because he was tricked. Once he regains his memory, he’ll know she lied to him.] [Female lead, Moore, hurry up!] I buried my face in the pillow.

I barely slept a wink all night. Johnson, on the other hand, was asleep, his breathing even, one arm still draped over my waist. Even though I’d rejected him, he still habitually protected me. As soon as dawn broke, he quietly got up. I pretended to be asleep, peeking at him through narrowed eyes. He tiptoed to the kitchen, cooked oatmeal, fried eggs and bacon. Johnson then quickly ate his portion, leaving mine warming in the pot. He walked to the door, then turned back, kissing my forehead very lightly. After the door closed, I waited a few minutes, then immediately got up. Ignoring breakfast, I put on a mask and went to the pharmacy to buy two different brands of pregnancy tests. Back home, I rushed into the bathroom, my hands shaking so much I almost couldn’t open the packaging. Those few minutes of waiting were the longest minutes of my life. Two lines. Both tests showed two lines. I sat on the toilet, my legs too weak to stand. I really was pregnant. Everything the comments said was true. [Told you, pregnancy confirmed!] [Female lead, Moore, is almost here!] [The villainess’s good days are over. Once the male lead regains his memory, she’ll be the first one he kicks out, for lying to him for so long.] I suddenly remembered the first time I met Johnson. He was in an accident at a construction site and was sent to the hospital, the back of his head covered in blood. But that face, that demeanor—you could tell he wasn’t an ordinary person. I was possessed, and when he woke up, I told him, “I covered your fifty thousand dollars in medical bills. I’m your lifesaver.” I thought he’d be eternally grateful and give me hundreds of thousands, or even millions, as a reward. Instead, he honestly said, “Thank you, but I’m just a construction worker… I’ll work hard to pay you back.” I was stunned then. But his face was so handsome, and he was so compliant with me. Before I knew it, we were together. Later, I quit my nurse job and let him support me. I hated that he was poor, so I cursed him every day, made him do this and that, and constantly told him to “get out.” He never said a single “no.” Thinking back now, how could he be so good to me when I treated him so terribly? I covered my face, unable to even cry aloud. [Now you know how to cry? What were you doing before?] [The villainess is also pitiful, vanity is fun for a while, but the crematorium is unavoidable.] I came out of the bathroom, washed my face, and looked at my swollen eyes in the mirror. No, I couldn’t just sit there and wait to die. The comments said I’d “use my pregnancy to throw tantrums, be clingy and refuse to let go.” So I wouldn’t throw tantrums, and I wouldn’t be clingy. I had to find a way to survive, and save my child. But… would Johnson still be good to me, who had lied to him, after he regained his memory? I sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought, suddenly remembering the things I used to yell at him. “You’re a loser,” “I must have been blind to get with you,” “You’ll never be able to afford a house in your life.” He just remained silent then, and worked even harder, doing construction and running food deliveries. I clutched my chest; it ached terribly. In the afternoon, I forced myself to go grocery shopping, wanting to learn how to cook. Before, Johnson always cooked when he came back. I never even stepped into the kitchen. After two hours of struggling, I made a plate of completely burnt pork chops. In the end, I ate two slices of bread for dinner. When Johnson came home that evening, he saw the tidied apartment, then the bread and two plates of “dark cuisine” on the table. He froze. “You… made these?” His voice was tight. I lowered my head. “Yeah, try some.” He picked up a fork, ate a bite of the black pork chop, and swallowed it without changing his expression. “It’s delicious.” My nose stung, and I almost cried. He put down his utensils, frowning as he looked at my hands. “Don’t do this anymore. I’ll cook when I get back.” I shook my head hard. “You can’t do everything… you’re already so tired from work.” Johnson was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly grabbed my hand. “What’s wrong with you?” [Male lead, don’t touch her!] [This villainess suddenly got smart, is she faking it now?] [Even if she does this, it won’t change the fact that she lied to the male lead. He’ll definitely settle scores with her when he regains his memory!] I was startled and pulled my hand back. “N-nothing’s wrong.” He looked at me, his eyes holding tenderness, confusion, and an emotion I couldn’t quite place. I was restless, terrified he’d see through me.

Over the next few days, I was like a different person. Instead of sleeping until noon, I woke up early to have breakfast with Johnson. After he left, I did the laundry, even though I ruined one of his work uniforms. I also tried to learn how to cook, though the results were still pretty terrible. Every time Johnson came back, he’d silently take over the chores from me, pushing me onto the couch. “Rest, I’ll do it.” [Why is she faking being so virtuous? Why didn’t she think about being good to him when she used to yell at and hit him?] [LOL, even begging won’t work, female lead Moore has already arrived.] [The villainess’s fate in the later stages will be miserable, just wait and see.] Every time I saw these comments, my heart felt like it was being squeezed. But the better I treated him, the higher my chances of survival later. Even if he regained his memory and didn’t want me, at least he’d remember these few days of me being good, right? Johnson also started acting strangely recently. He kept getting calls from unknown numbers in the evenings. Each time, he’d go out to the balcony or outside the door to answer, his voice very low. He’d come back looking serious. When I asked who it was, he’d say “the foreman from the warehouse.” I didn’t believe it. The comments said Moore had found him. One night, he went to the balcony again to take a call. I quietly followed, and through the crack in the door, I heard him say, “…I don’t remember anything from before. I have a girlfriend now. Please don’t come looking for me anymore.” Then he hung up and stood on the balcony for a long time. I retreated back to bed, my heart pounding. [The male lead is so devoted, so loyal even with amnesia.] [He’ll still choose Moore after regaining his memory. They’re from compatible backgrounds, you know.] [The villainess doesn’t deserve the male lead’s true feelings. Why didn’t she think about today when she was yelling at and hitting him?] After we lay down that night, Johnson turned over to face me. “Simmons,” he called me. “Hmm?” “I’m not too tired today. What kind of fancy stuff do you want to try? I’m open to anything.” I opened my mouth, unable to speak. Finally, I managed to blurt out, “I don’t want to.” He reached out and touched my face. “Did I do something wrong? Tell me, I’ll change it.” I took a deep breath, wanting to throw caution to the wind. “Johnson, I’m actually preg—” Before I could finish, his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the caller ID, his brows furrowing. He hesitated for a moment, then answered. “Hello?” I don’t know what the other side said, but his expression changed from confusion to shock, and finally to a seriousness I’d never seen before. “I understand.” He hung up and immediately sat up to get dressed. “What’s wrong?” I asked nervously. “Something urgent came up. You go to sleep first, don’t wait for me.” He quickly kissed my forehead, put on his shoes, and left. The moment the door closed, comments floated across my vision: [Moore has arrived with a neurosurgeon. They’re helping the male lead regain his memory tonight.] [The villainess’s good days end here.] [By this time tomorrow, Johnson will be a billionaire heir, with no connection to this rental apartment.] I sat alone in the darkness, feeling cold all over. Johnson didn’t come home all night.

At ten in the morning, there was a knock on the door. I thought Johnson was back and rushed to open it. Standing outside the door was a woman, dressed in a designer outfit, carrying a Hermès bag, her makeup flawless, down to every strand of hair. She stood at the entrance of our rental apartment, completely out of place amidst the shabby surroundings, like a valuable rose stuck in a pile of trash. She sized me up, her eyes filled with unconcealed disdain. “You’re Simmons?” [She’s here, she’s here! The original female lead, Moore!] [That aura, the villainess is completely outclassed.] [It’s over, it’s over, the villainess is done for.] Before I could speak, she walked straight into the apartment, glanced at the cramped living room, and pursed her lips slightly. “My name is Moore, Johnson’s fiancée.” She turned to look at me, her tone flat. “He had amnesia, which is why he was with you. Now he’s regaining his memory, and it’s time for him to come home.” I gripped the doorknob tightly. “What’s your proof?” She took out her phone and showed me a photo of Johnson with an old man, with a luxurious villa in the background. Johnson in the photo wore a custom suit, his demeanor completely different from now—distinguished, cold, like another person. “This is a photo of him with his grandfather, Stuart.” Moore put away her phone. “His true identity is the only son of the Alston family in New York, the sole heir to the Alston Group. Do you, a nurse, really think you’re good enough for him?” Every word was like a needle pricking my heart. Because this relationship, from the very beginning, was something I’d tricked him into with lies. But hearing her say it to my face still made me so miserable I wanted to cry. “He… regained his memory?” My voice trembled. “Yes.” Moore sneered. “Last night’s treatment went very smoothly. He’ll remember everything. Do you think he’d still want you after remembering who he is?” I bit my lip, saying nothing. Moore looked around the room again, scoffing, “You let him live in a place like this? And let him work hard to support you?” “Miss Simmons, not only are you not worthy of him, but you also made him suffer so much. If you had any conscience, you’d disappear on your own.” She offered me a plane ticket. “This afternoon’s flight. Go wherever you want, just don’t come back.” I didn’t take it. Moore placed the ticket on the table. “Miss Simmons, you’ve taken care of Johnson for half a year. The Alston family thanks you. But some dreams should end.” She leaned closer, lowering her voice. “Don’t harbor any false hope. After he regains his memory, the first thing he’ll investigate is that lie about the fifty thousand dollars. You know what you did.” My whole body stiffened. “Just leave. I’ll give you five hundred thousand dollars, enough for you to live on for a while.” I picked up my phone and called Johnson. No answer. I called again. Still no answer. I called seven or eight times, all unanswered. [The male lead regained his memory, he doesn’t want to answer her calls.] [He’s about to be in an arranged marriage, why would he care about her? The villainess brought this on herself.] [Honestly, five hundred thousand dollars isn’t bad. Take it and leave. It’s a better outcome than in the original story.] My last bit of fantasy shattered. I suddenly laughed, looking at Moore. “Do you think five hundred thousand dollars is enough to get rid of me?” “How much do you want?” Moore narrowed her eyes. My mind raced. Even if I had to leave, I needed to save enough money for the child. “Fifty million,” I said. “Are you insane?” “Then there’s nothing to discuss.” I turned, making a move to close the door. “I’ve been with Johnson for so long, I don’t believe he’d be so cruel as to abandon me. I’ll just cling to him and never let go, what can you do about it?” Moore’s face was ashen, veins bulging on the hand gripping her bag strap. After a long silence, she gritted her teeth. “Thirty million. That’s the most.” “Deal.” I answered quickly, though my heart was trembling. I’d never seen so much money. After the transfer was complete, Moore said coldly, “The plane is at three this afternoon. If you try to pull anything, I guarantee your life will be miserable.” She left. I stared at my phone screen. Johnson’s calls still weren’t going through, and tears splashed onto it. He must hate me now that he’d regained his memory. I sniffled, wiped away my tears, and started packing my luggage. I blocked all of Johnson’s contact information, then dragged my suitcase out of the rental apartment. As I passed the fruit store downstairs, the owner called out, “Simmons, your boyfriend ordered a strawberry cake yesterday, said he’d pick it up today. Want to take it?” I paused, then shook my head. “No, you can return it.” On the way to the airport in the taxi, I cried the whole time. The driver glanced at me several times in the rearview mirror, wanting to say something but holding back. At the airport, I checked in. I wiped my face and dragged my suitcase towards security. Just as I handed over my boarding pass and was about to go through the gate, the airport announcement suddenly blared: “Attention all passengers, all flights are temporarily grounded. Now broadcasting a search—”

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After a drunken one-night stand with my best friend’s brother, I became his secret girlfriend. Eight years into our secret relationship, my family forced me into an arranged marriage. “Dennis, my family gave me an ultimatum. I have to get married this year.” He paused, then lightly kissed my forehead, repeating his usual, “Just wait a little longer.” But then I scrolled through Anna, the intern’s, Instagram. The picture was her and Dennis’s marriage certificate. The caption: Got the CEO! Easy win! Eight years I spent chasing him with no results, and she got him in three months. Suppressing the bitterness in my heart, I liked the post. My comment: “Congrats! Wishing you everlasting happiness.” After that, I agreed to the wedding date my family had set. Suddenly, my phone rang. For the first time, Dennis’s voice was panicked: “Chloe, don’t misunderstand. I just lost a game with friends, that’s why Anna and I got married…” I cut him off: “Dennis, I’m getting married.” A two-second pause on the other end of the line. Dennis’s voice came through, laced with impatience, mixed with a girl’s soft laughter in the background. “Here we go again.” “Are you that desperate to get married? The company’s cash flow is tight; can you please stop making things worse?” I stood in the evening breeze, holding my phone, my voice flat, without a ripple of emotion. “I’m not making things worse. I really am getting married.” He scoffed, as if he’d heard the funniest joke. “You don’t even have a guy you’re casually dating. Are you marrying thin air?” I was about to say Nelson’s name. But he was already rushing to hang up: “Alright, I have another call. Getting married was just a dare I lost, don’t overthink it.” The dial tone buzzed. I stared at the disconnected screen, my fingertips cold and stiff. Eight years. He always said, “Don’t overthink it.” The next day, I walked into the office carrying a few boxes of donuts and my wedding invitations. The office was buzzing. Anna was surrounded by a crowd, her face flushed crimson. “Anna, you’re amazing! Mr. Dennis is such a cold person, and you got him in three months?” “You’re our boss’s wife now! Don’t forget about us!” Anna covered her face, giggling, her voice just loud enough to carry across the entire office. “It’s not what you think, really. We just lost a game and got the certificate. Please don’t spread rumors.” I sneered. She announced it to the world on Instagram; how is that not spreading rumors? Her sharp eyes caught sight of the donuts in my hand. She trotted over in her high heels, took my arm, and shook it. “Did Mr. Dennis ask you to prepare these little gifts for us? Thank you!” I was about to say no. She snatched the donuts, pushing them into colleagues’ hands. “Everyone, try some!” The crowd cheered their thanks, praising Mr. Dennis for being so romantic and thoughtful. Just then, Dennis stepped out of the elevator. Everyone cheered, shouting, “Thank you, Mr. Dennis, for the little gifts!” Anna shyly looked up at him. Dennis froze for a moment, then forced a smile, responding, “Glad you all like them.” “Those are mine.” The moment I spoke, the entire office fell silent. All eyes were fixed on me. Dennis’s face instantly darkened, a hint of panic in his eyes. “Chloe, this is the company, not a place for your tantrums.” “I’m not throwing a tantrum.” I met his gaze. “The donuts are my treat. I’m getting married next Saturday.” His face went dark, as if ink was dripping from it. He strode over to me, grinding out in a low voice: “Do you have to push my buttons like this?” Someone nearby snickered: “Chloe, we’ve never even seen you with a boyfriend. Who are you marrying? You’re not going crazy with jealousy because Anna married Mr. Dennis, are you?” Anna’s eyes instantly reddened. She bit her lip and chimed in. “Ms. Chloe, I know you used to like Mr. Dennis, but he’s just not interested in you.” “When rumors about you two started, Mr. Dennis privately clarified to us that you were just ordinary colleagues.” At her words, the way everyone looked at me changed instantly, like I was a failed gold-digger now lashing out in anger. I looked at Dennis. He turned his head away, his gaze fixed on the window, not even offering a single word in my defense. Eight years of a secret relationship. How many times had I endured client dinners for him, secured how many vital deals, how many times had he played dumb when people gossiped about me throwing myself at him? Now, he wouldn’t even grant me this small bit of dignity. Someone else joined in the taunting: “Ms. Chloe, Mr. Dennis and Anna are married now. If you keep bothering him, you’ll be a mistress. If that gets out, how will our company land any clients?” “Exactly. Trying to steal a junior colleague’s husband, how pathetic.” I looked at these colleagues I had personally trained and mentored, and suddenly felt a bitter laugh rise in my throat. I had originally planned to send them wedding invitations, but now, there was no need. My hand, hanging at my side, gripped my phone tightly. I swept my gaze over everyone. “Since that’s the case, I should introduce my fiancé.” I was about to open my photo album to show the picture of Nelson and me. Suddenly, my wrist was grabbed. Dennis snatched my phone, his face looking utterly terrible. “Everyone, get back to work!” He yelled at everyone, then dragged me by the arm toward his office. Behind us, I heard voices comforting Anna, and felt the contemptuous stares aimed at me. Inside the office, he slammed the door shut and irritably tugged at his tie. “I told you the marriage certificate was just a game! Do you have to make a scene and embarrass everyone?” “If it was just a game.” I looked up at him, my voice as cold as ice. “Why didn’t you clarify earlier? Why did you let them call me a mistress?” He choked for a moment, then spoke with a touch of self-righteousness. “Anna’s thin-skinned; I couldn’t possibly embarrass her in front of everyone, could I?” So my dignity could be trampled on. I reached out, pulled my phone from his hand, and turned to walk toward the door. My hand touched the doorknob, and I paused, not looking back. “My wedding is next Saturday. You and Anna are welcome to come.”

As I reached the underground parking garage, my phone rang. It was the HR recruiter who had contacted me before. “Ms. Chloe, about the Marketing Director position at that listed company we discussed, they’re willing to increase your salary by another twenty percent. Could you reconsider?” This salary was top-tier in the industry. “I accept,” my voice was steady. “Additionally, I’ll bring a multi-million-dollar deal with me. Please help me secure the corresponding commission.” The HR on the other end almost shrieked with excitement: “Don’t worry! We’ll make sure everything is perfectly arranged for you!” I hung up, got into my car, and my finger slid over Nelson’s name in my WhatsApp contacts. I sent him a message: “Hold off on signing the contract for now. Wait for my update.” Dennis said the company was struggling and told me not to make things worse. But in these eight years, which company crisis hadn’t I fought tooth and nail to overcome? This collaboration with the Nelson Group was something I had swallowed my pride and humbly begged Nelson for three times to get. It was a deal that could save Dennis’s company. The car exited the underground parking lot, and the scenery outside flashed past. Just like my eight years with Dennis, gone in the blink of an eye. I first saw Dennis outside my university dorm. He was my best friend Mansoor’s older brother, picking her up for summer break. He stood under a tree in a white shirt, a small mole at the corner of his eye when he smiled. I fell for him at first sight. Later, at our graduation party, we both drank too much and ended up sleeping together. I naturally joined his startup, starting as an entry-level intern. At first, he said we couldn’t go public because he was afraid people would say I got ahead through connections. I waited. After I used my own abilities to rise to the top position in the marketing department, he said he was afraid it would affect my friendship with Mansoor. I still waited. I always thought he would give me a title eventually. It wasn’t until I saw the marriage certificate on Anna’s Instagram that I finally woke up. He wasn’t unwilling to get married; he just wasn’t willing to marry me. I drove back to the apartment Dennis and I had shared for five years. Leaving the company would take a few days to process, so I decided to pack my things and move out first. I pulled out a suitcase and opened the closet; his clothes took up most of the space. I used to tell him his style was too dull and asked him to try bright hoodies. He’d say he was the boss and needed to be serious. But now, in the most prominent spot in the closet, hung several bright, trendy hoodies. It wasn’t that he wasn’t willing to change; he just wasn’t willing to change for me. I folded my clothes one by one into the suitcase when I suddenly heard the lock turn behind me. Dennis walked in. He saw my open suitcase and frowned. “Anna and I really have nothing going on. Can you please stop this?” He walked over, intending to take my hand. “Getting married was too rash of me. I’ll go to the city hall with her this afternoon to get divorced. Once the contract with the Nelson Group is signed and the company is stable, we’ll go public, okay?” I opened my mouth, about to say, “Let’s break up.” He suddenly interrupted me, glancing around the room: “Oh, right, where did you put the keys to the Flower Gardens apartment?” “In the bottom drawer of the nightstand,” I paused, then still asked, “Are you selling the apartment to cover the cash flow gap?” He paused, then smiled, his tone very casual. “Selling? No. It’s just sitting empty. Anna’s lease is up, so I told her she could move in there for now.” My heart felt like it was severely blocked by something, aching dully. The Flower Gardens apartment was the one he said he bought for us as our wedding home last year for my birthday. Now he was letting another woman live in it. He seemed not to notice my pale face and spoke again: “Oh, and the Nelson Group contract, once you’re done with it, just hand it over to Anna. Her probation period is almost up, and this deal will help her get permanent employment. Don’t worry, I’ll still give you the full commission.” Before I could speak, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, answered immediately, his voice impossibly soft. “Mmm, I’ll send you the address. Just have the moving company go straight there…” He walked out the door while talking on the phone, not even sparing me a glance. The door clicked shut. I stood in the empty living room and suddenly let out a laugh. Turns out, my eight years of youth meant less to him than an intern who had only been there for three months.

I pulled my suitcase out of the apartment without looking back. I went straight back to my parents’ house. Ever since I agreed to marry Nelson, my mom’s smile hadn’t left her face. She rushed to greet me as I came in, taking my suitcase. “I told you Nelson was reliable. We watched him grow up; we know him inside and out. Your father and I will absolutely be at ease if you marry him.” Nelson and I grew up together. My mom and his mom are best friends; they even joked about arranging our marriage when we were babies. If I hadn’t met Dennis in college, I probably would have married Nelson a long time ago. I knew he had always liked me. This time, when Dennis’s company’s cash flow was breaking, and he was at his wit’s end, it was I who swallowed my pride and went to Nelson, begging him to give Dennis a chance for a collaboration. He was silent for a long time, but finally nodded. Thinking about it now, I was incredibly stupid. After dinner, I hid in the study to organize my work handover documents. My phone vibrated. It was a WhatsApp message from Dennis: “Coming back late, don’t wait up for me.” I looked at the message and immediately deleted his chat. By the time I finished organizing, it was past ten. I showered, lay in bed, and casually opened Instagram. The first post was Anna’s update from half an hour ago. The photo’s background was the living room of the Flower Gardens apartment. Dennis and a few friends were arm in arm, playing a drinking game, with a pile of empty bottles on the table. The caption: He called me his darling in front of all his brothers. I’m so shy. The comments below were all teasing, saying Mr. Dennis was too doting. I stared at the screen for two seconds, then calmly pressed exit. No sadness, no anger. Eight years of affection had already burned out completely the moment he allowed my colleagues to call me a mistress. A new WhatsApp message popped up. It was from Nelson: “Are you free tomorrow? The bridal shop said the custom dress is altered. Want to go try it on?” I replied, “Okay.” The next day, Nelson came to pick me up early. My mom smiled as she saw me off, even packing two boxes of his favorite pastries. In the car, I felt a little embarrassed. I scratched my head and told him: “Could you please keep the Nelson Group contract on hold for me? I’m planning to switch to a new company and want to use it as a strong start.” He turned his head to look at me and smiled: “Why not just come work for my company?” “It’s better to keep business and personal separate,” I smiled back. At the bridal shop, the consultant immediately greeted us with a smile, holding a mermaid-style wedding dress. “Mr. Nelson specifically instructed us to alter it three times to your measurements. It’s sure to look beautiful on you.” I changed into the wedding dress and stood in front of the mirror, frozen for a long time. Before, when Dennis and I passed bridal shops, if I lingered a little too long, he would say he would design a one-of-a-kind dress for me later, so there was no need to rush now. I waited eight years and never got a dress designed by him. Instead, I wore one custom-made by Nelson. “Want to take a photo for Instagram?” Nelson stood behind me, his voice very gentle. I nodded and handed my phone to the consultant: “Could you please take a photo of us together?” He paused, then his eyes crinkled in a wide smile. He quickly walked to my side, gently and courteously placing his hand on my waist. The photo came out beautifully. I uploaded it to Instagram, editing the caption: Next Saturday, Cloudtop Chapel. Everyone is welcome to join Nelson and me at our wedding. One minute after I posted it, the comment section exploded. “OMG! Is that Mr. Nelson from the Nelson Group? Chloe, you kept that a secret!” “Who was saying she was throwing herself at Mr. Dennis before? Their faces must be so swollen right now!” “Mr. Nelson is a million times better than Mr. Dennis!” As I was scrolling through comments, my phone suddenly rang. It was Dennis. I answered, and from the other end came his drunken mockery, sharp and piercing. “Chloe, you’re something else! To force me to marry you, you actually got Nelson to put on an act with you? You’ll stop at nothing for a title.” I was about to speak when Nelson suddenly reached out, took my phone, and put it on speaker. His voice was calm, yet undeniably firm, echoing through the receiver. “Mr. Dennis, Chloe and I are really getting married.” “She waited for you for eight years; I waited for her for twelve.” “Thank you for not marrying her.” On the other end, there was a deathly silence. After several seconds, Dennis’s frantic roar came through: “Impossible! Chloe, say something!”

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The night before my engagement party, my fiancé’s childhood friend said she had a surprise for me. She tricked me into going to the hotel’s rooftop glass conservatory, locked the door, and turned on all the sprinklers. It was a stormy December night. Ice-cold water crashed down on my head, and the conservatory walls were all transparent glass. Downstairs, guests held up their phones, watching me shiver in misery. She smiled, innocent and malicious. “Aria Hayes is always so high and mighty, isn’t she? Let everyone see what she looks like begging for mercy when she’s frozen.” My fiancé, Ethan Vance, stood downstairs, watching me through the rain. His voice was cold. “Just don’t kill her.” “Someone from her small-town background needs to learn the hard way that the Vance family isn’t easily impressed.” Later, I smashed the glass and came down from the rooftop. Wiping the blood from my face, I called my lawyer. “Notify the board. Withdraw investments, freeze accounts, and halt all project payments for Vance Group first thing tomorrow morning.” “Also, send tonight’s video to the police.” “Unlawful imprisonment, intentional assault, invasion of privacy—don’t miss a single charge.”

The moment the icy water hit me, I could barely breathe. The glass conservatory door was locked from the outside. All four walls were transparent, and the lights were blindingly bright, illuminating my pathetic state with nowhere to hide. The terrace of the banquet hall downstairs was packed with people. They stood, champagne glasses in hand, as if watching a meticulously planned performance. Some laughed, some whistled. Others held up their phones, their cameras pointed at my rain-soaked face. “This show is intense!” “Mr. Vance really knows how to have fun, arranging this kind of surprise for his fiancée the night before their engagement.” “What surprise? Didn’t Tiffany Blackwood say? It’s a test.” “A test to see if she’s worthy of joining the Vance family!” One taunt after another, they pierced through the sound of the rain and into my ears. My fingers gripped the doorknob, but the door wouldn’t open. An electronic lock hung outside the glass conservatory, its screen glowing red. Tiffany stood outside, wearing a pristine, beautiful evening gown, her makeup flawless, like an untouched gardenia. She held a white umbrella, a wide smile on her face, and waved a remote control at me. “Aria, don’t look at me like that.” “Everyone just wants to see how much you truly love Ethan.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was just enough for those nearby to hear, and another burst of laughter erupted from the crowd. I raised a hand to wipe the water from my face, my voice trembling. “Tiffany, open the door.” She tilted her head, as if she’d heard something amusing. “But the game has just begun.” “We made a bet to see how long you can last without begging for mercy.” She took a step closer, looking at me through the glass. “Haven’t you always said you’re independent, strong, and capable?” “Well, prove it to us.” I looked at her innocent face, my heart growing colder by the inch. Tonight was the eve of my engagement party with Ethan. The Vance family had booked the entire mountaintop hotel. Tomorrow morning, all the media would be present. Ethan had said it was the proper recognition he owed me. He said I had stood by him through the Vance Group’s toughest three years, helped him rise from a marginalized illegitimate son on the board to his current position of power. He owed me a proper status. I had once felt truly happy. For this engagement party, I had canceled three important meetings, personally reviewed every guest list, and every financial transaction. But now, the man who was supposed to give me that recognition stood in the center of the terrace downstairs. He didn’t come up, nor did he tell anyone to open the door. The rain was blocked by the eaves. Ethan stood in the warm, bright light, wearing a black suit, watching me with cold eyes as I shivered under the icy water in the glass conservatory. I shouted at him through the glass. “Ethan! Tell her to open the door!” I thought he would at least frown, but he merely flicked his cigarette ash, unhurriedly. “Aria, Tiffany Blackwood just likes to play games.” “You’re older than her, and more sensible. Don’t hold it against her.”

At that moment, the icy water pierced into my very bones like knives. I stared at him, my eyes red-rimmed. “You know I’m afraid of this!” When I was eight, I was trapped in a collapsed old warehouse. Outside, the rain poured down relentlessly, water rising above my knees. It was dark, surrounded by broken wood. My mother, trying to save me, was crushed by a fallen beam. She pushed me out, but she never made it out herself. Since then, I’ve been afraid of confined spaces, of the continuous sound of water, of any night I can’t escape. All these years, I had never told anyone. Only Ethan knew. Because back then, when the Vance Group was cornered by debt collectors in the underground parking garage, he was also locked in his car for an entire night, protecting project documents. When I accompanied him for psychological counseling, he held my hand and said, “Aria, from now on, I’ll protect you from your fears.” Now, he stood downstairs, turning my fear into everyone’s amusement. Tiffany laughed, chiming in. “Ethan said it himself, I just like to have fun.” “Aria, don’t be so petty.” She turned to face the guests downstairs, her voice suddenly rising. “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight’s bet officially begins.” “If she cries and begs Ethan to save her within half an hour, I lose.” “If she endures without begging, I’ll transfer a hundred grand to each of you.” The crowd erupted. “Miss Blackwood is generous!” “Well, then we’re definitely betting she can’t hold out.” “A woman from a small town, does she really think a designer gown makes her fit for high society?” “Is Mr. Vance really going to marry her? I always thought it was just a fling.” My fingertips went numb. Rainwater streamed down my hair and into my eyes, stinging them open. I pounded on the door. “Ethan, I’m telling you one last time, tell someone to open the door!” Ethan finally looked up at me. His expression showed no guilt, only annoyance at being publicly challenged. “Aria, do you really have to make this scene so ugly?” “Tiffany has been spoiled by us since she was little. Why are you being so serious with her?” “Besides, aren’t you the best at solving crises? You can’t even handle this small matter?” I stood there, stunned, and then a smile, grim and cold, stretched across my face. So, in his eyes, my fear, trapped in a downpour, was just a small matter. All the crises I had shouldered for him these past three years had ultimately become his reasons to humiliate me. Tiffany’s face twitched when she saw me smile. She hated this look on me, hated that even at my most pathetic, I still refused to bow my head. She raised her hand and pressed the remote control. The next second, the water pressure from the conservatory’s sprinklers suddenly intensified. Colder water poured down, and my knees buckled, almost making me fall. A collective gasp rose from downstairs. It wasn’t worry; it was excitement. “She’s about to break!” “Quick, record it! This video is definitely going viral tomorrow!” “Mr. Vance’s fiancée is quite stubborn…” Tiffany leaned closer to the glass, lowering her voice so only I could hear. “Aria, stop pretending.” “I know you’re terrified of places like this.” “Ethan told me himself.”

My heart plummeted. Her smile grew sweeter. “You thought he kept your secrets?” “Sorry, he tells me everything when he’s tucking me into bed.” “He said you were trapped as a child, so you never sleep soundly when it rains.” “He said you seem tough, but deep down, you’re still that little girl afraid of darkness and water.” My ears buzzed. These words were colder than the storm itself. Ethan and I had been together for three years. I had shielded him from the board’s power grabs, secured overseas financing for him, and revised acquisition plans for him at four in the morning. The night he had a stomach hemorrhage, I stayed by his side in the hospital all night. When he was framed by Julian Vance for embezzling public funds, I found the accounting loopholes and pulled him out of the mess. He knelt before me and said, “Aria, without you, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” “When I reclaim the Vance Group, I’ll marry you.” I thought it was a promise, but it turned out, to him, I was just a useful tool. Someone who would work tirelessly for a little kindness. Tiffany tapped on the glass. “Aria, don’t blame me.” “I just want you to recognize your place.” She looked up at Ethan, her voice suddenly softening. “Ethan, you won’t blame me, will you?” Ethan stubbed out his cigarette. “Don’t go too far.” Tiffany immediately pouted, looking wronged. “How am I going too far? You clearly promised me I could have fun tonight.” “You even said the engagement was just a temporary arrangement.” ‘Temporary arrangement’ cut through my heart like a dull knife. I looked up at Ethan. “Is she telling the truth?” Ethan frowned. He seemed not to have expected Tiffany Blackwood to let it slip in public. But quickly, he regained his aloof composure. “Since you heard it, there’s no need for me to hide it.” I was drenched, standing in the icy water, looking at him. “So tomorrow’s engagement party is also a sham?” He said calmly, “It’s not a sham, it’s just an engagement, not a marriage.” “Aria, you should understand that a Vance family marriage can’t just be about love.” “Tiffany has the Blackwood family behind her. She’s the most suitable person to stand by my side.” My nails dug into my palms. “Then what am I?” A hint of impatience finally flickered in Ethan’s eyes. “Do you have to ask such unpleasant questions?” “I haven’t treated you badly these past three years.” “You wanted a position, I gave you Vice President.” “You wanted respect, who in Vance Group dared not call you Miss Hayes?” “As for marriage, I can’t give it to you, and there’s no need to deceive you for a lifetime.” He spoke calmly, as if my three years of dedication were only worth a Vice President title. Tiffany laughed, leaning close to him. “Aria, you should be grateful for what you have.” “Someone with no connections, no family name, no parents to back you up, to get as far as an engagement with Ethan, that’s already incredibly lucky for you.” Someone nearby echoed, “Exactly.” “If Mr. Vance really married her, where would the Vance family’s reputation be?” “What good is being capable? High society wives are all about pedigree.” “Aria should wake up. She’s at most a meritorious figure on Mr. Vance’s path to power. A loyal servant doesn’t become the queen.” I looked at those who had once nodded and deferred to me in meeting rooms. They called me Miss Hayes when they respected me. Now, seeing Ethan not protect me, they immediately changed their tune. A man in a grey suit, Mark, smiled and raised his phone. “Miss Hayes, would you like me to take a picture for remembrance?” “After all, starting tomorrow, Miss Blackwood will be standing by Mr. Vance’s side.” “This look tonight, it’s your last time as the leading lady.” I didn’t say anything more because the most intense wave of fear had passed. When a person hurts to the extreme, they often become clear-headed. I raised my hand to my right ear; my earring was still there. It wasn’t an ordinary earring. Three months ago, when I noticed irregularities in the Vance Group’s internal accounts, I had my security team create an emergency device for me. By pressing it three times consecutively, it would automatically pinpoint my location and send an alarm to my lawyer, assistant, and private security. Ethan didn’t know. He always thought I had entrusted all my trump cards to him. But he forgot that someone who had climbed out of a ruin would never truly surrender their life into anyone’s hands. I lowered my head, pretending to be choked by the rain, and raised my hand to cover my ear. Once, twice, thrice. The earring vibrated slightly. The signal was sent.

Tiffany thought I was about to break, and her eyes lit up. “Ethan, is she about to cry?” “I knew she couldn’t pretend for long.” She took out her phone and pointed it at me. “Come on, Aria, look at the camera and say you were wrong.” “Just admit you’re not worthy of Ethan, and I’ll open the door.” I looked up at her. “Tiffany, are you sure you want to continue?” She froze for a moment, then scoffed. “It’s come to this, and you’re still threatening me?” “Aria, you don’t really think you’re still Miss Hayes, the one everyone at Vance Group reveres, do you?” “Your position was given by Ethan. He can give it to you, and he can take it back.” I slowly straightened up. “Then ask him if the Vance Group can still take back my position now.” A dark flicker crossed Ethan’s eyes. “Aria, what do you mean?” I looked at him through the rain. “It means you’d better pray I’m okay tonight.” “Otherwise, tomorrow, the Vance Group won’t have an engagement party, only a liquidation meeting.” The crowd laughed again, thinking I was just bluffing. Tiffany Blackwood bent over laughing. “Liquidation meeting? Who are you going to liquidate? The Vance family?” “Aria, are you frozen stupid?” Ethan’s face darkened. “Enough.” He looked up at me, his voice lowered. “Aria, don’t overestimate your importance.” “The projects you’re working on are ultimately the Vance Group’s.” “Your connections were also made on the Vance Group platform.” “Without the Vance Group, you are nothing.” I looked at him, and the last shred of pain in my heart burned to ash at that moment. “Alright. Ethan, then we’ll see tomorrow.” “We’ll see who truly becomes nothing without whom.” Tiffany didn’t like that look in my eyes. She wanted to see me cry, wanted to see me beg, wanted to see me lose all dignity in front of everyone. But I didn’t, and the smile on her face gradually faded. “Aria, you’re really tough.” She handed her umbrella to someone nearby and walked to the electronic lock herself. “Since you won’t admit you’re wrong, let’s make it harder.” She pressed another button. The automatic blackout blinds around the conservatory suddenly dropped, thick black curtains slowly covering the transparent glass. Light was cut off, and my breathing instantly became ragged. Confinement, darkness, and the sound of water pressed down on me simultaneously. My vision blurred. Tiffany stood outside the door, watching me through the last remaining gap. “You said you wanted to liquidate them?” “Come on, walk out of here first, then talk.” The curtains completely fell, plunging the conservatory into a dim twilight. Only the white lights above flickered like a malfunction, on and off. The water kept falling, each drop like the rain leaking into that old warehouse. I heard my mother calling me, “Aria, crawl out. Don’t look back.” I bit down hard on my lower lip, the metallic taste of blood spreading in my mouth. I couldn’t collapse, at least not now. There were still people outside waiting to laugh at me. Ethan was still standing there, waiting for me to bow my head and surrender. I fumbled my way to a corner. There was a decorative iron flower stand in the conservatory. I used all my strength to lift the flower stand and slammed it hard against the glass door. The first strike only left a crack in the glass. The people outside were startled. Someone shouted, “Is she crazy?” “That’s bulletproof glass; she can’t break it.” “Aria, stop struggling. It’s better to just admit you’re wrong.” I didn’t stop. The second strike, the third. My wrists were numb from the impact, the web between my thumb and forefinger split open, and blood mixed with rainwater dripped onto the floor. The cracks in the glass grew denser. Tiffany finally panicked. She banged on the door, shouting, “Aria, don’t do anything reckless!” “If that glass breaks, you’ll get hurt!” I scoffed. “Now you’re afraid I’ll get hurt?” Tiffany’s face went pale. She looked back at Ethan. “Ethan, she’s really going to smash the door!” Ethan frowned deeply. “Aria, stop.” “You’re just making things worse.” I swung the flower stand again, smashing it down. With a loud crash, a corner of the glass door finally shattered. Cold wind rushed in. I kicked hard at that.

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We were watching the Northern Lights in Iceland when Ethan suddenly moved the camera from me, aiming it at a stranger standing nearby. “Let’s break up. The truth is, it was her who saved me on that snow mountain three years ago. I always thought it was you.” My lips were purple with cold, and I stared in disbelief at the boyfriend I’d dated for three years. He casually adjusted the girl’s scarf as he spoke. “I proposed to the wrong person back then. I saw you were pathetic and just played along, pretending to be your boyfriend for three years.” “Now that my true savior has appeared, I can’t possibly let her feel wronged.” “I promised her I’d propose ten seconds after seeing the Northern Lights.” “Ten, nine, eight… The countdown’s over. You can leave now. Don’t ruin our proposal video.” The aurora blazed brilliantly, but my heart felt colder than Iceland’s snow. He didn’t know. That girl three years ago just happened to pass by. The one who actually dug him out of that snow pit was me. But now, it didn’t matter anymore.

The sound of glacial water was grating in the cold wind. I didn’t turn back to watch Ethan Blackwood put a ring on Serena Davies. Behind me, I heard cheers and shouts from the people we came with. But in the vast, empty ice field, the sounds were quickly swept away by the wind. It was ten kilometers to the hotel. Ethan had driven me here in his SUV. Now, the car keys were in Ethan’s pocket. I pulled my thin windbreaker tighter, stepping through the snow, walking back one step at a time. I hadn’t gone far before my legs were already frozen numb, leaving me to move forward almost instinctively. Three years ago, on that snow mountain, it was just as cold. It was on an untouched mountain in Alaska. I was originally a jewelry designer looking for inspiration, but I got caught in a sudden avalanche. During my escape, I saw Ethan buried in a snow pit. The rescue team couldn’t get in at all. I used my bare hands to dig in the ice and snow for four hours until I finally pulled him out. His face was blue and purple from the cold. My fingers were frozen stuck to the snow then; I couldn’t pull them apart. Before he lost consciousness, he gripped my wrist tightly, feeling the scar there. He said he’d remember that scar, that he’d repay me. Later, when he confessed his feelings, I thought he’d finally remembered. Looking back now, I was incredibly naive. I walked the ten kilometers of snow for a full three and a half hours. The moment I pushed open the hotel doors and felt the warmth hit me, an uncontrollable shiver ran through me, and I collapsed onto the carpet, utterly drained. Next to the lobby sofa were two familiar suitcases. The receptionist explained that the gentleman I was with had checked me out of my room and had my luggage moved here. I propped myself up using the sofa, my fingers so stiff I couldn’t even pull a zipper. The hotel doors swung open again. Ethan walked in, arm around Serena, both laughing and chatting. Serena was wearing the matching white down jacket I’d bought for ten thousand dollars. I’d planned to wear it tonight to see the Northern Lights and had left it in the hotel closet. Seeing me standing helplessly by my luggage, Ethan immediately dropped his smile. “What are you still doing here?” He released Serena, walked up to me, and calmly scanned me. “Didn’t I tell you to get lost? Who are you trying to play the victim for, hanging around the lobby?” I lifted my face, red from the cold, and looked at the man I’d loved for three years. “Did you check me out of my room?” My voice was hoarse as if I’d swallowed sand. “Serena is delicate; she can’t stand the cold wind in a polar tent.” “Your room faces south, it’s warm, so what’s wrong with letting her have it?” Ethan pulled at his tie, his tone self-righteous. “You even slept in a tent on the snow mountain back then. The lobby sofa is good enough for you for one night.” Serena peeked out from behind him, looking at me timidly. “Scarlett, I’m so sorry.” “Ethan said you’re tough and can handle the cold, so he insisted on giving me your room.” “He also made me wear this down jacket, said you’re thick-skinned and don’t need such nice clothes.” She said “sorry,” but deliberately stroked the fur collar of the jacket. The huge diamond on her ring finger glittered blindingly under the lobby lights. Looking at that diamond, I didn’t cry, nor did I argue with him like I used to over a single word. Because when a person is truly heartbroken, even getting angry feels like a waste of energy.

I bent down, using my stiff fingers to open the combination lock on my suitcase. My hands trembled so much it took me three tries to get it open. Ethan frowned, pressing down on my suitcase. “Scarlett Hayes, what trick are you pulling now?” “Why are you opening your suitcase in the middle of the night? Trying to throw your clothes all over the floor to force me to give in?” He snorted. “I’m telling you, Serena is the one who truly saved me.” “You usurped her place for three years and enjoyed the benefits of being my fiancée for three years. Now, giving her a room is what you owe her.” I slapped his hand away. It wasn’t a strong blow, but Ethan quickly recoiled. I pulled my passport from the inner compartment of the suitcase, then stood up, took out my phone, and opened the calculator. “What are you doing?” Ethan watched my actions, his tone impatient. “Calculating.” I didn’t look up, my fingers rapidly tapping on the screen. “For three years, we lived in the downtown apartment. Rent was fifteen hundred a month, fifty-four thousand over three years. You never paid, I covered it all.” “You were hospitalized three times for stomach issues; medical bills totaled eighty-six hundred, which I paid upfront.” “Your car maintenance, and household utilities and property management fees, let’s say five thousand.” “And this trip to Iceland, the plane tickets and hotel were booked by me with my credit card half a year in advance, a total of ninety-two hundred.” I pressed the equal sign and held the screen up to Ethan. “Total: seventy-six thousand eight hundred.” I looked calmly into his eyes. “Transfer the money to me, and we’re even.” “Propose to whoever you want, let whoever you want wear my clothes.” Ethan froze. He stared at the numbers on the screen, taking ten seconds to react. “Scarlett Hayes, have you gone insane with greed?” Ethan pulled out his phone and opened his bank account. “Calculating with me? Don’t forget, you’ve been supported by me for three years. How dare you ask me for money?” “What did I ever take from you?” I met his gaze directly. “Besides giving me an empty title of girlfriend, did you ever pay a single penny?” He choked on his words, his face instantly turning ashen. Serena grabbed his arm. “Ethan, don’t be angry.” “Scarlett probably just can’t accept us being together and is trying to get your attention with money.” “Just give it to her, consider it charity for a beggar.” Ethan took a deep breath, his fingers flying across the screen. *Ding!* My phone received a deposit notification. One hundred thousand. “Take the money, grab your junk, and disappear from my sight immediately.” Ethan shoved his phone back into his pocket, avoiding my gaze. “Scarlett Hayes, the way you throw away your dignity for money is truly disgusting.” I looked at the balance in my account, didn’t argue, and simply put my phone away cleanly. “The extra twenty-three thousand two hundred is for you buying that second-hand down jacket.” I zipped up my suitcase, turned, and walked up the steps to the hotel entrance. The wind and snow were still heavy. I didn’t look back. Ethan stood rooted to the spot. He watched my unwavering back as I left, a frown creasing his brows. But he quickly turned, pulling Serena into his arms. “Don’t mind that crazy woman. Let’s go back to the room.” Dragging my two suitcases, I walked to the roadside in the dead of the Icelandic night. I was lucky; I happened to find a local taxi that had just dropped off passengers. I sat in the warm car, but I couldn’t stop shivering. At the airport waiting lounge, I curled up on the cold chair, and three years of memories flooded my mind. To care for Ethan’s delicate stomach, I gave up an opportunity to study in Paris, cooking different dishes for him every day. For Ethan’s career, I used my severely injured hand, staying up late to help him organize documents. I thought it was love. Turns out, in their eyes, that was “throwing away my dignity for money.” I touched the scar on my wrist and smiled.

The plane took off four hours later. I boarded the plane with a high fever, and slept for over a dozen hours in my seat. When I landed, it was already late at night. I took a taxi directly to the hospital. My high fever had turned into acute pneumonia. I lay in the hospital for three days. During these three days, Ethan didn’t call or text once. Of course. Ethan was busy being affectionate with Serena under the Northern Lights; why would he remember a greedy, insatiable liar like me? On the day I was discharged, I made a point to see an orthopedic specialist. My hands, frostbitten on that snow mountain years ago, had been aching more and more lately. Especially my right hand; sometimes I couldn’t even hold a water glass without it trembling. The old specialist examined my X-rays, frowning. “Ms. Hayes, the frostbite on your hand was too severe back then.” “Although nerve repair was done, have you not taken proper care of it these past few years? Did you often use cold water? And do heavy labor?” I stayed silent. Ethan was a picky eater; he’d only eat vegetables I’d washed and cut myself. He was a germaphobe; his clothes had to be hand-washed. “Now, nerve necrosis has worsened, and there’s severe cartilage damage due to overuse.” The doctor sighed, putting the X-rays back in the bag. “From now on, forget about drawing intricate designs; even lifting a heavier plastic bag will cause a tearing sensation.” “I recommend you arrange conservative treatment as soon as possible, or this hand will truly be useless.” I walked out of the hospital with the diagnosis in my hand. I turned back to the apartment I’d lived in for three years. Pushing open the door, a faint scent of the air freshener I’d used when cleaning before I left still lingered. I dragged out several large cardboard boxes from under the bedroom bed and started packing. Actually, I didn’t have many things. Most of the items in the house were Ethan’s clothes. And his favorite ornaments and the tea set he habitually used. My belongings consisted only of a few old clothes, plus a box of design sketches I hadn’t gotten around to throwing away. The lock suddenly clicked. Ethan walked in with Serena. Seeing me squatting on the floor, packing boxes, Ethan paused, then frowned. “Scarlett Hayes, what kind of drama are you stirring up now?” He loosened his tie, habitually tossing his jacket onto the sofa, and strode to the coffee table to pour water. “After all that hassle in Iceland, my stomach trouble flared up again. Go make me something to eat.” His tone was completely natural, as if we had never broken up, as if nothing had happened that night in Iceland. Ethan was convinced I’d taken the money and was just throwing a tantrum. He thought if he just asked, I’d obediently go to the kitchen and get to work. I stopped what I was doing, stood up, and looked at him. “There’s no hot water in the kettle, and no food in the kitchen.” My voice was flat. “Also, we’ve broken up. I have no obligation to wait on you anymore.” Ethan’s hand, pouring water, paused, and water spilled on the coffee table. He turned, his face dark. “Haven’t you made enough of a scene? I gave you the money, what more do you want? Threatening me by leaving?” Ethan pointed at the cardboard boxes on the floor. “Put your things away, and I’ll pretend none of this happened today.” “Serena is generous; she won’t hold it against you for impersonating her. You can just stay at the company and continue to be my assistant.” Serena looked around the room, then walked to the master bedroom door and peered inside. “Ethan, this apartment is so small.” She turned, smiling sweetly at me. “But since Scarlett is moving out, we can just knock down the wall of the guest room to turn it into my walk-in closet.” “Finally, my bags will have a place.” I looked at this couple, talking as if I wasn’t there, and my lips twitched. “The apartment is rented, and the lease expired yesterday. I’ve already terminated it with the landlord.” I sealed the last strip of tape on the cardboard box. “If you want to live here, you’ll have to sign a new contract yourselves.” “Though the landlord said the rent has increased to two thousand.” Ethan’s face darkened. “Scarlett Hayes, that’s enough!” He took a few steps towards me, kicking one of the cardboard boxes. “I admit it was my fault for not telling you Serena would be joining us in Iceland.” “But you already took a hundred thousand. What more drama are you causing?” “Do you really think the world revolves around you?” I looked at the gray shoe print on the box. “Ethan Blackwood, it’s been three years.” “You wouldn’t even bother to find out who I really am, or what truly happened on that snow mountain.” I picked up the tote bag next to me, which contained my usual sketchbook. “If you think I was after your money, then so be it.” I walked past Ethan towards the door. “Stop!” He grabbed my arm. Ethan’s gaze dropped to my black tote bag. The zipper on the tote bag wasn’t fully closed, revealing a corner of the black sketchbook inside. Serena suddenly shrieked. “Oh! That’s my design sketch!”

Serena snatched the bag from my hand, and the sketchbook slid out. I had drawn that three years ago when I was recovering from my injuries at the foot of the snow mountain. It contained all my inspirations, and there was even a page with a sketch of Ethan sleeping. “Give it back to me.” My face went cold, and I reached out my hand to her. Serena hugged the sketchbook, hiding behind Ethan, her eyes red-rimmed. “Ethan, those are my preliminary sketches for this jewelry competition. How could Scarlett steal my things?” Her voice trembled with feigned grievance. “I know she’s jealous that I’m with you, but she can’t steal my dream!” Ethan stood in front of Serena, looking at me with disappointment. “Scarlett Hayes, when did you become so malicious?” He accused. “First, you stole Serena’s identity as my savior for three years, and now you’re even trying to steal her design sketches?” I stared at the man in front of me. “Ethan Blackwood, do you even use your brain?” I pointed at the notebook. “Open it and see whose handwriting it is!” “What’s drawn on the first page? Do you dare to look?” The first page was a drawing of an old pocket watch. It was a family heirloom left to him by Ethan’s grandfather, which had been damaged by the cold three years ago on the snow mountain. It had taken me half a month to draw its entire structure. Ethan snatched the notebook and flipped it open. He didn’t look closely, just glanced at it and then threw the notebook on the floor. “If Serena says it’s hers, then it’s hers.” The man said coldly. “What kind of design sketch could a cripple like you, who can’t even hold a paintbrush steady, possibly draw?” Hearing that, my chest tightened. Why couldn’t I hold a paintbrush steady? Because of *him*. I took a deep breath, squatting down to pick up the notebook. Just as my fingers were about to touch the notebook, Serena stuck out her foot, her high-heeled shoe stepping on the sketchbook. “Scarlett, stealing is wrong.” “If you really want it, I can make you a copy.” She said, smiling. I didn’t say anything, pulling hard at the notebook with my left hand. Serena used the force of my pull, cried out, and fell backward. With a crash. She fell onto the living room coffee table, and the fragile glass instantly shattered. “Ah! It hurts so much!” Serena clutched her leg, crying loudly. Ethan’s eyes went red with fury. “Scarlett Hayes, you’re asking for trouble!” He spun around, lifted his foot, and kicked me hard in the shoulder. I was squatting on the floor, and unprepared, I tumbled backward. My right hand, which the doctor had just declared its nerves necrotic, pressed hard onto the scattered glass shards to brace myself. A piercing pain shot through my palm. Several glass fragments pierced my palm, and blood gushed out, staining the carpet. My whole arm trembled with pain, and cold sweat broke out. Ethan froze when he saw the blood on the floor. He instinctively took half a step forward, reaching out to me. “Ethan… my leg hurts so much. Is it broken? I’m so scared…” Serena behind him was still crying, clutching his pant leg. Ethan’s outstretched hand paused. He pulled his gaze away, bent down, and picked up Serena. As he walked past me, Ethan’s leather shoe stepped on the scattered sketchbook. The sole rolled over the sketch of him, leaving a muddy imprint. “Scarlett Hayes, since your hands enjoy stealing, they deserve to be useless.” He looked down at me. “If you dare to upset Serena again, I’ll make sure you can’t work in this entire industry!” The front door slammed shut. Silence fell over the apartment. I sat in a pool of my own blood, looking at the ruined sketchbook and my bloody, mangled right hand. Strangely, I didn’t shed a single tear. I used my uninjured left hand to pull out my phone and dialed that number I hadn’t called in three years. The call connected quickly, and a deep male voice answered. “Scarlett?” “Mr. Sullivan.” I looked at the bloodstains on the carpet, my voice eerily calm. “You said before that the Sullivan family needed a marriage alliance. I agree.”

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Caleb’s grip on my hand tightened sharply when the repairman pulled a piece of sensual lingerie from the washing machine’s drain. It wasn’t my size. The repairman looked a bit awkward. “You should probably handwash these kinds of things in the future. A washing machine doesn’t really get them clean, does it?” Caleb held my hand so tightly, as if he was terrified I’d lose it the next second and completely humiliate him in front of a stranger. But I didn’t react at all. I just smiled gently. “The repairman is right. I definitely won’t do it again.” After the repairman left, I picked up the lingerie from the floor. The wet, cold, clammy touch on my fingertips made me sick to my stomach. I examined it closely, trying to imagine what kind of woman would wear such a thing. And what kind of woman would steal away Caleb, the man who once said he’d die for me? “Caleb.” My voice was hoarse. “Do you have anything to say?” Truth be told, Caleb was never good at hiding things. He tried to be careful, but emotions are impossible to conceal. Just like when he used to love me. The peach scent he accidentally picked up, the adjusted passenger seat… Each detail pricked at my heart, not enough to kill me, but enough to hurt. The real moment I realized he might have strayed was during a shopping trip to the mall. He was a fitness fanatic, meticulous about his body fat percentage, never cared for things. But when we were ordering, he suggested: “Let’s get the peach iced coffee. It’s their new flavor.” I looked at him and said softly, “I’m allergic to peaches.” He froze, then hugged me, sounding guilty. “I’m so sorry… I’ll put it in my notes app right now, I promise I’ll never forget again…” At that moment, in his cedar-scented embrace, my heart refused to settle. More than trying to figure out who he’d had peach iced coffee with, what hurt me was that he needed a reminder just to remember my allergies. The young man who used to remember everything about me felt like a distant dream. But looking at Caleb, silent with his head bowed, all my questions got stuck in my throat, choked by his silence. What was the point of asking? What if… I pointed to the lingerie on the floor and said softly, “You can clean that up. I have plans tonight, so I won’t be back.” I’d take that chance… just one last opportunity, for the Caleb of our youth. Caleb let out a sigh of relief and began cleaning up. In the living room, my thoughts drifted. I have bipolar disorder. At my worst, my studies almost completely halted. My parents even gave up on me, leaving me to fend for myself, but Caleb caught the blade as I cut my wrist. Our blood mingled as he said hoarsely, “If you die, I’ll die with you. I won’t live alone. Please, just live. For me.” Later, my condition stabilized. I finished my studies and built my own career. Caleb was always there. The love of our youth, his companionship later on, became the reason my heart softened now. It made me willing to take that chance for him, until I saw it with my own eyes. My assistant, Maria, called. “Eleanor, that expense you asked me to look into? I found it. Caleb used the company account to buy clothes for that woman. The shipping address is on record. I’ll send it to you.”

I drove to the apartment complex and quietly watched the dark, gaping entrance. What kind of woman would be inside? The kind who could change Caleb, the man who once offered to die for me. The kind who could transform his countless pities for me into endless indulgence and tolerance for her? The roar of an engine shattered my thoughts. A familiar car pulled up to the apartment building. It was Scott, Caleb’s friend. The door opened, and Scott fist-bumped Caleb as he got out. “Told you you were lazy! You even need a ride from your buddy for a hookup? Am I your chauffeur? Come on, I’m coming up for a drink.” I gasped, my knuckles white as I gripped the steering wheel. If the car hadn’t stalled, I might have crashed right into Scott’s. Two weeks ago, when Caleb drove me to the office, the GPS directly showed this address. I asked him, curious: “Whose place is this?” He laughed then. “Scott’s place, that jerk. You wouldn’t believe it, he brought back a ton of stuff from his hometown, heavy and awkward to carry. He keeps asking me to help him move it.” Later, that address disappeared from the GPS. If I could still tell myself to take that chance earlier. But now, the truth was laid bare before me, stark and brutal. Even after being discovered, even though I was only staying home for one night, he was so eager to see her. I thought, the Caleb of our youth was dead. Now, it was a stranger wearing his skin. I called Caleb. “Caleb, where are you?” His end of the line was quiet, but then I heard the sound of two breaths intertwining, just like ours used to. “Eleanor, I’m working late at the office. I’m on my way now. Did you get home?” “Yeah… I’m home.” I hung up, let out a shaky breath, and as I opened the car door, my legs felt weak, and I stumbled. But I quickly steadied myself. I decided to go up and see for myself. I had to see how rotten this relationship had become, so I could finally let go of the reluctance in my heart. And never give him another chance. As I went upstairs, Scott’s voice drifted down. “Dude, honestly, I still don’t get what’s so attractive about this woman. Eleanor isn’t bad, after all. You two have been through so much over the years.” I hid downstairs, my heartbeat exploding in my ears. Right, why? The click of a lighter, then Caleb’s slightly hoarse voice. “You know Eleanor has bipolar disorder, right? I asked the doctor about her condition, it’s hereditary. If she has a child and it turns out like that, I don’t think I can handle it.” Scott voiced the question in my mind. “Holy crap, didn’t you two say you were DINKs? Why are you talking about kids now?” “I’m a man, after all. I need an heir.” I couldn’t listen anymore. I turned and left, hiding in my car, like a wounded animal licking its wounds. Before we got married, I asked him countless times, “But I have bipolar disorder, and if you marry me, I won’t have children.” He held me, promising solemnly, “I love you, the person. In sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, it’s you I love. Don’t listen to gossip. I’m a sugar baby, aren’t I?” Was the sincerity then real? Is the sincerity now real? I wiped away my tears and messaged my trusted attorney. “Please draft a divorce agreement for me.”

I sat in my car for a long time until my attorney sent the divorce agreement, adding a reminder: “Eleanor, based on your description, if you can get evidence of infidelity, there’s a strong possibility your husband will leave with nothing.” “Okay.” I went to the convenience store at the entrance, bought some cigarettes, and headed to the security office. “Excuse me, Frank. I’m so sorry, but I lost a gold bracelet in this complex yesterday. Would you mind pulling up the security footage for me?” Frank took the cigarettes and didn’t make things difficult for me, readily bringing up the surveillance footage. I watched segment after segment. It wasn’t just tonight; every time I worked late at the office, trying to contribute to our home, Caleb was indulging in his secret life here. Frank saw me staring blankly at Caleb’s figure and asked, “You know Caleb?” “Oh, let me tell you, Caleb is the model husband of our complex!” I turned my head blankly, repeating softly, “Model husband?” Frank got animated, pulling up more footage for me. “Look, this is when Caleb and his wife, Brittany, first moved in. Caleb handed out donuts and coffee to everyone. He said he was busy with work and asked us to keep an eye out for his wife! I thought, being apart so much, how hard that must be. But Caleb and his wife are just living in marital bliss. Caleb is a sweet-talker, and hardworking too. Look at this one, this is Caleb taking his wife for a walk. His little wife was fussy, complained about being tired after two steps, and Caleb carried her back. And this one, on Valentine’s Day, his wife said she wanted a wedding. Oh, still so lovey-dovey after a few years of marriage, but Caleb didn’t hesitate for a second! I still have some of their wedding candy, here, try some.” The girl in the footage, wearing a white wedding gown, was beaming with joy in Caleb’s arms, and Caleb was elated, just like he was on our wedding day. The candy was incredibly bitter, yet incredibly sweet, choking my throat so I couldn’t speak, only tears fell, drip, drip, drip. Frank saw my tears and fell silent, cautiously asking, “Who are you to Caleb?” I tried to force a smile. “I’m his wife.” Then, I grabbed my phone, which was recording the footage, and fled. I hid in my car, watching the surveillance footage I’d recorded, my thoughts drifting back to my wedding day with Caleb. He was just like that, holding me and spinning around, shouting to the crowd: “I married Eleanor! Eleanor is my wife now!” He had been the only order in my collapsing mental world, but now, that order had crumbled. I stood downstairs, looking up, and saw the lights on in their apartment. Two figures were silhouetted against the French windows. Caleb and Brittany embraced tightly, their lips met, and I felt my world slowly crumbling before my eyes. I felt like my breathing stopped for as long as they kissed, and only when they separated did I seem to breathe oxygen again. I gagged and threw up, leaned against the wall, and called him. The first call went unanswered, ringing for a long time before going to voicemail. The second call rang for a long time. Brittany pushed Caleb, and he reluctantly answered, “Hello, Eleanor, why are you calling?” He yawned, as if utterly exhausted. “Work at the office is so demanding. I’m so tired, I need the best wife in the world to give me a shoulder rub.” Brittany heard this and angrily turned away. Caleb, pleading with her and trying to appease her, looked like such an extra as I watched their two figures by the French windows. How could someone’s heart hold so many people? He asked me again, “Eleanor, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying anything?” I looked at him and asked softly, “Do you remember what you told me on our wedding day?”

The person by the window stiffened. He was silent for a long time, either too guilty to speak or having completely forgotten his vows. I said softly, “You said, ‘Favoring the new and disliking the old is human instinct.’ But love is humanity’s choice to overcome instinct, to defy its own nature. For you, I will spend my entire life defying my instincts, fighting my own nature, loving you boundlessly, forever and always. If you fail, then I shouldn’t hold back. Exact revenge on you as I would on my most hated enemy. Because that person is no longer you; the fearless you who would have died for me has been killed by him. You wanted me to avenge you.’ Do you still remember?” My voice was choked with emotion by the end, but inside the apartment, Brittany reached for Caleb’s hand and guided it under her clothes. Caleb’s voice was hoarse as he quickly mumbled to me, “Eleanor, I have an urgent task here. I need to take care of it, so I’m hanging up now?” He quickly hung up. He didn’t hear my last words. All that responded was the dial tone. I thought, there was no need to waste any more breath. I sent all the evidence to my attorney. That night, I sat blankly in a hotel, not going home. Because our memories were etched everywhere in that house. The scarf he knitted for me, the painting he drew for me, the matching couple mugs he bought… But now, they all felt like a mockery. I used to express my emotions whenever anything happened, but now, all my words were stuck in my throat, I couldn’t say anything. What could I say? Who could I talk to? I stayed up until dawn and went to the office the next day, running right into Caleb at the entrance. “Good morning, Mrs. Eleanor.” He winked at me. “Eleanor, isn’t it time to announce my promotion to director today?” I suddenly remembered: Caleb had been drifting after graduation, so I got him a job at my company to give him something to do. That day, I promised to promote him to director. I smiled at him. “There’s a surprise waiting for you later.” He beamed with joy, reaching for my hand. “You’re the best, Eleanor!” The morning meeting began. Caleb adjusted his tie. I had to admit, time had been kind to him. Nearing middle age, it had only added a touch of maturity to him, making a few young women in the office frequently glance his way. But his smugness quickly crumbled. I opened the large screen, and displayed there was exactly what he didn’t want to see. He stood up, looking at me frantically. “Eleanor…”

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The day of Ashley Reed’s wedding, my mom got a call from the police department. A dismembered female body had been pulled from the river. The killer was already arrested, and the head had been identified, but no one knew who the body belonged to. The media swarmed the police station, desperate to know whose body it was. “Do you want to know? She’s the daughter of your most brilliant forensic expert’s acquaintance.” The killer licked his lips, a chilling smile spreading across his face. “Someone paid me a million to kill her. She kept screaming ‘Mom’ and her fiancé’s name when she died, but too bad neither of them loved her.” The media laughed at the killer’s outrageous claim. Everyone knew Dr. Eleanor Vance’s daughter, Ashley Reed, had it all — love, family, everything. She’d never even cried, let alone died. Only my mom and Liam Hayes, standing behind the cameras, had a profound look in their eyes. They both thought of me, thrown out of the house two years ago. “Mom, could it be her?” Liam frowned, staring at the stitched-together female corpse. The head’s owner had already been claimed; it was a head cut from another body. That girl’s parents had cried hysterically, cursing the killer for not even sparing the dead. But this killer’s even more monstrous act was killing another girl, the owner of the body before them. It had been a week. Even the killer had been caught and brought to justice, but the body’s owner remained unclaimed. The death was extremely brutal. Every bone was shattered, all ten fingernails ripped out, exposing raw, bloody flesh. Moreover, a large amount of stimulants was found in the body. The victim had been killed while fully conscious. “Impossible. Chloe is such a coward; she’d rather hide than die. Even if everyone else in the world died, she wouldn’t.” Mom spoke calmly, a face flashing in her mind, filled with disgust. But she didn’t know I was standing right beside her. “Mom, if this body really is me, would you feel even a tiny bit of heartache?” Mom looked in my direction. I stiffened, lost in her gentle, loving gaze. “Mom… can you see me?” “Ashley, why are you here? You’re pregnant. You shouldn’t be in places like this. It’s not good for you or the baby.” Mom hurried over, walking right through me. In front of her, whether I was dead or alive, I was no different from air. “Mom, Liam, you’ve run into a tough case. You’re not even coming home for dinner tonight, so of course I had to come see you. I brought food.” Ashley smiled, holding up the food. Mom quickly took it. “Our Ashley is such a thoughtful girl.” “Ashley, once this case is over, I’ll make it up to you with another wedding. You’ll still be the most beautiful bride.” Liam looked apologetic, gently stroking Ashley’s hand. “We rushed off today. I didn’t get a chance to properly apologize.” “We’re a couple, why apologize?” Ashley smiled sweetly, patting her belly, her face filled with happiness. “For the baby’s sake, I’ll forgive you.” Liam and Mom laughed heartily. Their laughter, however, felt incredibly harsh to my eyes. I turned my head away, hearing Mom say, “Ashley, the vegetable cream soup you made today tastes different from before.” A flicker of nervousness crossed Ashley’s face as she chuckled. “Mom, maybe being pregnant has made me rusty in the kitchen. I’ll practice more.” “You’re pregnant. You should cook less. Let the housekeeper do it.” Mom said, smiling with concern. I stood by, a chill running down my spine. That vegetable cream soup was all made by me. Ashley had kept me locked in a hidden cell in the basement of the villa for two whole years.

The noise outside continued, the media crowding around the killer, Dennis Black. “Whose body is it really? Why did you kill her so cruelly? Did you have a vendetta against her?” “I told you, it’s that forensic expert’s daughter, your assistant’s fiancée. Someone paid me a million to kill her. For every bone I shattered, I got an extra ten thousand, so I shattered every single bone in her body.” Dennis licked his lips, smiling at the camera. I shivered. I’d never forget that face. Two years ago, he ruined me. Two years later, he killed me. “How did I do?” “Excellent.” I saw Ashley mouth those words, then cover her belly and walk towards the corpse. “Ashley, you’re easily scared. Maybe you shouldn’t look.” Liam pulled Ashley’s arm, looking worried. “I’m fine, Liam. You and Mom are both forensic experts. I’ve seen plenty since I was little. It won’t scare me.” After saying that, she walked closer to the corpse, examining it carefully. “All her bones shattered?” “Yes, a brutal death. I can’t imagine the hatred or grudge involved.” Liam sighed regretfully, shaking his head. “The victim is likely a young woman, aged between twenty-three and twenty-five. The body fluids found were Dennis Black’s. It’s been confirmed.” My stomach churned. Thinking of that night, I felt like I died all over again. Ashley chuckled softly. “The body probably hasn’t been claimed because it’s missing its head, right? I think we should post nude photos of the body online. Anyone who recognizes it will naturally come forward.” A chill ran down my spine. I shook my head. “No… no… Liam, Mom, I beg you, don’t do that.” I was already dead. I didn’t want to be humiliated any further. “Ashley, you’re so smart! You’re truly your mother’s daughter.” Mom suddenly understood, showering Ashley with compliments. I wanted to scream, to tell everyone that I was the one who died, to beg them not to strip away my last shred of dignity. But no one could hear me. My body was posted online, drawing mostly mockery. “Gotta say, that body is truly beautiful. I bet she had a pretty face too.” “I really wish I could see what the owner of this body looked like. Such a shame to die like this.” “Thinking about a corpse? You guys must be desperate.” Ashley admired the body for a while before leaving. Liam and Mom escorted her to the door. “Ashley, once this case is done, we’ll come home and spend time with you.” Ashley nodded with a smile, then got into the car. I heard her say quietly, full of sarcasm, “Chloe Vance, I put your body right in front of them like this, and they still won’t figure out where you went. Too bad you kept screaming their names that night. How laughable.” “Now, everything you had is mine. I won.” I trembled uncontrollably, feeling utterly disgusted. Ashley Reed was the orphan I had begged Mom to bring home from the orphanage. When I met her at age ten, she was much smaller and thinner than other kids her age, sitting silently under a tree. I saw her strangle a cat. I screamed, terrified, wanting to hide, but then I saw her looking at me with pitiful, deer-like eyes. “Does everyone fear me?” Hiding behind the tree, I hesitated, then walked up to her and said, “I’m not afraid of you, but you hurt the little cat.” “Its leg was broken, and other cats bullied it. I just put it out of its misery.” Ashley assessed me, then said ingratiatingly, “I saw you today. You’re Dr. Vance’s daughter. A lot of kids went to play with you when you came.” “Why didn’t you go?” “The director told me not to get close to you.” My heart softened, an indescribable feeling. That day, I begged Mom to adopt Ashley and brought her home. But that was the mistake of my life. I shouldn’t have wished to save someone whose heart was inherently dark.

“Tell us, who is the owner of that body?” Mom and Liam sat opposite Dennis Black, their eyes filled with intense disgust for the killer. “I’ve been a medical examiner for so many years, and I’ve never seen such a brutal method of killing. Who ordered you to do this?” Mom stared at Dennis’s hardened face. “I’ve told you several times! It’s your daughter, your assistant’s fiancée. When I was hammering her bones, she kept screaming ‘Mom’… ‘Mom’… ‘Liam’… ‘Liam’… Her voice was just delightful.” Dennis spoke, gesturing with his hands. Everyone present couldn’t bear to listen. “A lying bastard.” Liam’s eyes were filled with impatience. “If you curse my fiancée again, I’ll feed you to the wolves.” “Dr. Hayes, Dr. Vance, for all your sharp eyes, you’ve searched the entire city and couldn’t find whose body it was, yet you can’t even recognize the person once closest to you. I truly pity that unloved woman.” Dennis clicked his tongue a few times, looking at Liam and Mom’s faces with a smile. “Think about it, who is it?” I stood by, watching the scene, and heard Dennis’s next words. “Chloe Vance, remember her?” Mom and Liam’s eyes widened instantly. Someone hearing that name immediately stepped forward and slapped Dennis hard twice. “How dare you say such nonsense!” “Why would I lie? I won’t live to spend the money anyway.” Dennis’s lips were bleeding, but he smiled triumphantly. “She begged me for so long, begging me to spare her life and let her see her mom and fiancé one last time. I just poured hot water down her throat, so she couldn’t scream anymore.” Liam and Mom’s faces turned grim. “Shut up, now!” Someone punched Dennis twice and dragged him away. “Dr. Hayes, Dr. Vance, Chloe couldn’t have been harmed.” “What could possibly happen to her? Fifty thousand goes missing from her card every month. What could happen to such a selfish person?” Mom said directly, “I wish she’d die out there. I wish I’d never given birth to that daughter.” I felt like I’d been plunged into an ice cellar, chilled to the core. “I’ll never forgive what she did to Ashley back then. Selfish and utterly irresponsible.” Liam’s face was filled with disgust when he mentioned my name. “Ashley’s life is far more important than hers. If she thinks she can use this method to get our attention, she’s delusional. She’s not even worth a single strand of Ashley’s hair.” Every single word pierced my ears. I gave a bitter laugh, my heart aching with a dull pain. That kidnapping two years ago, everyone believed I was selfish and wicked. But I was a victim too. Liam and I were supposed to get married two years ago, but I was kidnapped on our wedding day. Ashley was beaten within an inch of her life, yet I was returned unharmed. Everyone concluded that I had pushed my stepsister forward to save myself, but I knew nothing of that night. Everyone naturally sided with the perceived victim, and I became the worst kind of criminal. Driven out of the house, I was then locked in the basement by Ashley for two years, and all because she was jealous of me. “Why do you get all the love while I have nothing? Chloe Vance, if you hate, then hate that you brought me home.” Liam and Mom returned home, both looking distressed. “Mom, Liam, what’s wrong?” Ashley sat beside them, asking with a worried expression. “Ashley, you won’t believe it, that killer was bribed by Chloe Vance. She faked her death to make us pity her. She’ll stop at nothing, even playing with human lives.”

Mom was disgusted whenever my name was mentioned. “How did I give birth to a daughter like that?” “Chloe always loves to draw attention. I even heard she went to a hotel with a man a few days ago, and private photos were posted online…” Ashley saw their grim faces and covered her mouth. “Mom, Liam, did I say something wrong?” “No, Ashley, she’s fallen so low. Even if that female corpse is her, I wouldn’t be surprised.” Mom cursed, then saw the private photos Ashley took out. My eyes widened. These photos were taken the night I was attacked. Ashley was using photos of my forced assault to slander me. Liam threw the photos to the floor. “Disgusting.” I turned my head away, my nose burning. “She should have died two years ago, not still be alive to sicken us.” Liam’s brows were tightly furrowed, and Mom’s face was pale. “If I had known she would be like this, I should have left her at the orphanage… Luckily, our family is fine, and she won’t bother us.” “Mom, do you smell something bloody in the house?” Liam suddenly asked. As forensic experts, they were always sensitive to the scent of blood. “I smell it too. Something needs to be cleaned up quickly, or it won’t be good for Ashley and the baby.” Mom looked worried and was about to stand up but was stopped by Ashley. “Mom, it’s just some pork I bought. I haven’t had a chance to clean it yet. Don’t worry about it. Just get some rest.” Mom’s wrist was held, and she paused, then smiled and said, “Okay, you rest early too.” After saying that, she went back to her room. Inside the room, Mom saw a photo tucked inside a book on the table. She gently pulled it out. It was a picture of me, smiling radiantly, at eighteen. On my eighteenth birthday, Mom had given me a stunning pink sapphire necklace. My name was engraved on that necklace. “Chloe.” She found it an eyesore and tore the photo to shreds, throwing it into the trash can. “Chloe Vance, you truly are heartless, not coming home for two years just because of one slap, and now trying to deceive me by faking your death.” “Mom…” I called out softly, but she couldn’t hear. “Mom, right now, I hope you won’t recognize that it’s me.” Late at night, there was a sudden, urgent knocking at the door. “Mom! Wake up!” Mom opened the door to see a distraught Liam. He rarely looked so anxious. “What’s wrong? Is something wrong with Ashley?” Mom’s heart leaped to her throat. “Not Ashley, it’s about Chloe Vance.” Liam hesitated before speaking. “The police just called. Dennis is sticking to his story that it’s Chloe Vance, and… and he even pulled out a necklace.” Liam showed his phone, and Mom saw the necklace on the screen. It was that pink sapphire necklace. Her mind went blank instantly. The name “Chloe” engraved on the necklace stung her eyes. Even more striking than the pink sapphire were the dried bloodstains on it. Mom stumbled backward. I instinctively wanted to reach out. Liam steadied Mom, his lips trembling. “Also, Dennis said he knows where the head is, but we need to go to the scene ourselves.”

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It was the fifth year of our secret marriage. At a get-together with old college friends, someone tried to set my wife, Sarah, up with another guy from our class, Jason. Sarah and I were secretly married, so everyone thought she was single. Sarah glanced at me, then said, “No.” I let out a sigh of relief. But the next moment, Jason abruptly leaned in and kissed her cheek. “But I really like you, Sarah. I’m serious about pursuing you.” Amidst a chorus of laughter, Jason, grinning, pulled her into his arms. I counted to three in my head. Sarah didn’t agree. Nor did she push him away. For the rest of the dinner, Jason practically waited on Sarah hand and foot. He kept putting food from his plate onto hers. He even put shrimp on her plate, the one thing she was allergic to. Sarah didn’t even blink, just ate the shrimp. “Tastes good, right?” Jason asked. “Mmm, it’s really good.” Everyone burst into laughter. “See, Sarah might have rejected Jason, but she’s clearly into him!” “When William spoke to her earlier, she completely ignored him.” “Everyone knows what’s up, right? Time to start thinking about wedding gifts!” Amidst the noisy room, I sat quietly in the corner, not saying a word. Sarah and I had been secretly married for five years. She was still in grad school and didn’t want her professors or classmates to know she was married. “If the professor knew I was married, they might think less of me, believe I wasn’t as academically diligent as other girls.” I’d agreed to her request to keep our relationship a secret. Even at this dinner, I deliberately sat at the furthest table from her. And now I was stuck watching her get cozy with someone else. “Everyone bring a plus-one to the wedding!” Jason laughed, then turned to me. “William, you should bring your wife too! In all these years, I’ve only seen you post one photo of her on Ins, and it was just her back.” His tone suddenly shifted, becoming oddly subtle. “Is she… not allowed to be seen?” “Or is your relationship… a secret?” The air froze for a second. A dozen pairs of eyes shot to me, but Sarah didn’t even lift her head. My heart suddenly ached. Thinking of the agreement in my bag, a spark of resentment flared. I asked Sarah, “Sarah, what do you say?”

Sarah froze, her face hardened. “What does that have to do with me?” “How would I know anything about you and your wife?” But her eyes still shot me a warning glance. “Right?” Jason chuckled, covering his mouth. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. These days, marriage is just a piece of paper, nowhere near as practical as a limited edition watch, right?” His words were clearly pointed, and everyone around us exchanged curious glances. Once, I’d accidentally run into Jason at a store. To avoid revealing my identity, I’d lied, saying my wife gave me the watch. I hadn’t expected him to remember. I gave a small smile. “Why would I be embarrassed if my wife bought me a watch?” I asked Jason, “So concerned about my wife, are you trying to poach her?” Jason’s smile vanished instantly. He almost instinctively looked at Sarah, and my heart plummeted. Did he know about Sarah and me? That was even more sickening than him being clueless. The room fell silent. His voice, when it came, was a fumbling mess. “William, I didn’t mean anything by it. I didn’t know you were so sensitive about this topic… Don’t be mad.” He suddenly grabbed Sarah’s small drink, downed it in one go, then started coughing, tears streaming down his face as he collapsed into Sarah’s arms. Sarah’s brow furrowed, and she turned to snap at me. “Do you even realize how nasty you sound? Do you think it makes you look superior to maliciously slander someone?” I stared at her, enunciating each word. “Who started the malicious slander first?” “He was just curious!” Sarah’s tone was icy. “Do you always have to be so aggressive?” She shielded Jason in her arms, confronting me across the round table. But *we* were supposed to be married. Someone tried to smooth things over. “William, don’t mind Jason, he’s young and speaks without thinking.” “Sarah’s clearly on his side now, William. Just drop it.” “Don’t fight, guys, it’s not worth it. We know you’re not like that.” Sarah’s lips pressed into a thin line. That was her tell, right before she exploded. For a guy like that. She used to stand in front of me, defending me when I was wronged. Now she was protecting Jason, who’d just slandered me. Fatigue washed over me, a relentless tide threatening to drag me under. I was truly fed up with this marriage. I took one last, long look at Sarah, then turned and left the hotel, leaving Jason sniffling behind me.

Once in the car, I pulled the divorce papers from my bag. A few days ago, I gave Sarah the rental agreement, and the divorce papers must have gotten mixed in by accident. She’d signed it without even looking. All I needed was my signature… A fountain pen suddenly rolled out of my bag. Just hours ago, Sarah’s ears had flushed as she kissed me softly in the passenger seat. She’d said she saw our classmate, Lena, buying one for her boyfriend, so she followed suit. I’d immediately clipped the pen to my shirt pocket, even though it was a dip pen, something I never used. That vague, lingering thought resurfaced. I knew I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t resist getting out of the car, lighting a cigarette at the street corner. “Maybe we should talk first,” I reasoned. “Then I’ll sign.” A whole pack later, the others started leaving. “Where did Sarah go, anyway?” I asked. No one answered, instead they started trying to convince me. “William, we know you like Sarah. But… you have a wife.” “William, have you considered your wife’s feelings? She even bought you that expensive watch.” “This is cheating, and emotional cheating is still cheating…” I took a deep breath and cut them off. “So where did Sarah go, anyway?” “Sarah took him upstairs to get a room,” someone said. “Jason was drunk and throwing a tantrum about not wanting to go back to the dorm.” I looked down at the pile of cigarette butts on the ground, feeling like a complete fool.

Sarah once told me I was fearless, that I’d even try to peek if the sky fell. But standing at that hotel room door, I felt a genuine tremor of fear. Once that door opened, there would be no turning back for us. My phone buzzed. It was Sarah. “Hello?” Her voice sounded breathless. “I’ll be home late tonight.” “Who is it?” Jason’s voice was groggy. “…Just a roommate.” I couldn’t help but laugh outside the door, but the laughter soon turned to tears. Ever since I could remember, I’d always known I would marry Sarah. Our dads had jokingly suggested we’d make a good pair when we were kids. No one took it seriously, except me. Because I loved her. So when Sarah’s family lost everything, I still married her without hesitation. I started from nothing to build us a life, paid off all her family’s debts. …And then I became her “roommate” while she was hooking up with someone else. Something inside me truly died. “Sorry,” I whispered, slowly wiping away my tears. “I can’t do that.” A cold laugh echoed from the phone. “Trying to lock me out again? How many times will you pull this stunt before you get tired of it?” “This time it’s different.” “You think I’ll believe that?” Her voice rose, cutting through the door and the phone’s static. I stared blankly at the door, then slowly raised my hand and pressed the doorbell. “Open the door.”

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The day my wife, Fiona Blanchett, found out she was pregnant, she booked a flight abroad. Her best friend saw the ticket and spoke in shock. “Are you really going to find Oren? But you already have Mason Warhol’s baby in your belly.” But Fiona’s voice was sweet as honey. “It’s exactly because I’m having his baby that I need to see Oren.” “Oren doesn’t like clean, boring young girls. He likes married women, especially pregnant ones.” “Now, I’ve finally become the type he likes best.” Fiona’s best friend was silent for a long time. “What about Mason? You guys have been married for years, and he treats you so well.” Fiona gave a soft laugh. “Mason will never know. I’m just letting loose for ten months.” “Once the baby is born, I’ll come back and be a good wife to him.” “The three of us will be a happy family.” I stood outside the door, my blood running cold. So Fiona was ecstatic, not because she was having a child with me. But because this child finally made her into what Oren liked. I didn’t push the door open. I just texted my lawyer. “Get the divorce papers ready.” “I don’t want her, and I don’t want the baby.” Fiona’s best friend still hesitated. “Fiona, aren’t you afraid Mason will find out?” Fiona laughed. “Mason loves me so much.” “Even if he finds out, a little coaxing and he’ll get over it.” I looked down at the baby shoes in my hand. The store clerk said this was the best-selling style this year, a popular pick for new dads. I had stood in front of the shelf for a long time, picking them out. But it turned out, Fiona had already figured out what to do with this baby long before I did. I didn’t push the door open. I just turned around, went downstairs, and threw the baby shoes into the trash. The shoebox made a very soft thud. Like something else falling and hitting rock bottom with it. By the time I returned to the living room, Fiona had come out of the study. Her hand still rested gently on her lower belly. Her expression was as soft as a mother truly looking forward to the birth of her child. If I hadn’t heard those words just now. I probably would have really felt happy in this moment. Fiona looked up at me, her eyes sparkling. “The doctor says the baby is very healthy.” “Mason, we’re finally having a baby.” “Are you happy?” My hands hanging at my sides stiffened for a long time. Finally, I gently placed one on her shoulder. “Happy.” Fiona smiled even sweeter. “I’m happy too.” “I’ve never been this happy.” These words fell into my ears like a fine needle. She really was happy. So happy she immediately booked a flight. So eager she couldn’t wait to go see another man while carrying my child. Fiona leaned into my arms and started excitedly talking about the nursery. “I want to buy an imported crib for safety.” “And a nanny, I’ll have my assistant screen a few candidates in advance.” She spoke so seriously. As if she were truly planning our future. But I suddenly remembered, she used to be just like this. Thoughtful, decent, flawless. For my birthday, she would book a restaurant a month in advance. Outsiders all said Fiona loved me very much. For an heiress like her to be willing to take care of a man to this extent was already rare.

I used to think so too. Until I accidentally saw the notes app on her phone. Oren only drinks hot lattes. Oren’s old injuries hurt every winter, remember to remind him to use pain patches. Listed one by one, crystal clear. And of course, she remembered my birthday too. It’s just that every year, her assistant would deliver the gift home in advance. She would post a photo of us on Instagram with the caption: “Happy birthday to my husband.” But on Oren’s birthday, she would bake a cake herself. Even after failing three times, she refused to let the nanny help. I stood at the kitchen door, watching the back of her hand get burned red by the baking pan. I asked her, “Who is it for?” Fiona paused for a moment, then quickly smiled and said, “An old friend.” I didn’t think much of it at the time, and even helped her whip the cream. Only later did I find out that old friend’s name was Oren. He was the one Fiona could never have in her youth. The one who got away, hiding in her heart for years. Fiona was still leaning against my arms, asking softly: “Mason, who do you think the baby will look like?” I suddenly felt how absurd this was. This child hadn’t even been born yet. And was already her excuse to run off to someone else. I said, “I don’t know.” Fiona looked up at me. Probably finally noticing my coldness, she frowned slightly. “What’s wrong with you?” “Is it too sudden? You haven’t processed it yet?” I looked into Fiona’s concerned eyes. In this moment, I couldn’t tell if she had even an ounce of sincerity. She seemed to treat me really well. But the person she loved was never me. She never took the initiative to hug me, never came close to me at night. Every time we were intimate, she was quiet to the point of indifference, never making a sound. I used to think that was just her personality. But in the study just now, when she mentioned Oren, her voice was as sweet as an eighteen-year-old’s. I finally understood, it wasn’t that Fiona wasn’t passionate. It was just that her passion never belonged to me. My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a reply from my lawyer. “Mr. Mason, the divorce agreement has been drafted.” “Since it involves a divorce during pregnancy and child custody, things might get a bit complicated later.” I looked at the lawyer’s message, my fingers hovering over the screen. Fiona leaned in and asked, “Who is it?” I locked my phone and spoke plainly. “Work stuff.” She didn’t suspect a thing. Or rather, she never thought I would actually leave her. She just looked down and stroked her belly, her voice very soft. “Mason, I have to go abroad for a business trip tomorrow.” I looked into Fiona’s eyes. There wasn’t a hint of guilt in them. Only the anticipation of going to see someone. I was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. “Yeah, go ahead.” Fiona smiled in satisfaction, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed my cheek. “You’re the best.” I used to fall for this every time. Whenever she called me that, all my anger would vanish. But now, that bit of warmth on my face just felt so dirty I wanted to wipe it off. That night, Fiona asked me to help her pack. With her hand resting on her belly, she ordered me around as if it were her right. “Pack those dresses too. And the perfume in the drawer.” “Oh, and take out that box in the very back of the closet.” I did as she said, packing everything into the suitcase one by one. Until I opened the box in the very back of the closet. Inside was a wine-red slip dress with very little fabric.

My fingertips paused. Fiona saw it, and instead of looking embarrassed, she smiled. “Just because a woman is pregnant doesn’t mean she can let herself go.” “If I meet a client, I at least need to look nice.” So she called Oren a client. I put the dress in the suitcase and saw the perfume she asked me to pack. It was a strong rose scent. But Fiona usually didn’t like perfume. She said the smell was too strong and gave her headaches. Once, I bought a bottle of woody fragrance and tentatively asked if she liked it. She just frowned and said: “Mason, don’t copy others with this flashy nonsense.” I never used it again after that. But now, she carefully placed that bottle of rose perfume in a shockproof bag. Like she was taking it to a very important date. Fiona reached out and grabbed a passport holder. There was a photo tucked inside. Fiona was looking up and smiling at Oren. It was a smile I had never seen before. Passionate, bright, and completely unreserved. I suddenly thought of our wedding day. Fiona walked toward me in her white veil, the look in her eyes so calm. When we exchanged rings, she even zoned out. I softly asked her what was wrong. She said, “Nothing, just suddenly thought of someone from the past.” I thought she was just nervous. Now I understand. At the moment she married me, the person she thought of was Oren. The next second, a men’s watch fell out from the lining of the suitcase. I completely froze. That watch was a gift I gave Fiona in our first year of marriage. She said at the time that the style was too masculine and didn’t suit her. I smiled and said: “Then let’s treat it as a token of our love.” “You don’t have to wear it, just keeping it is fine.” When Fiona saw the watch, her expression finally changed. But she quickly recovered and acted naturally. “Oren has always liked this brand.” “I figured I’d bring it to him.” I slowly looked up at her. “I gave that to you.” Fiona was taken aback. Probably not expecting me to speak in this tone. She frowned, her tone growing a bit impatient. “Mason, it’s just a watch.” “Why are you making such a big deal out of it?” “Oren is all alone abroad right now, with nothing around him.” “You have me, a home, and a baby. Why are you being so petty?” So my grievances could be pushed aside. My things could be given away. My marriage could be used as her fallback plan after a brief fling. I looked down at the watch and suddenly laughed. “Yeah, it’s just a watch.” Seeing that I didn’t press further, Fiona’s expression softened. She reached out to take the watch back. But I picked it up first and placed it in the outer compartment of the suitcase. “Put it here, it’s easier for you to grab.” She looked at me, seeming to feel something was off. “Mason, why are you acting so weird today?” I zipped up the suitcase, my voice very calm. “No.” “Just thinking that you’ll probably be really happy on this trip.” Fiona paused, then laughed. “Of course I’ll be happy.” She stroked her belly, a very gentle light appearing in her eyes. I watched her smile. The last bit of warmth in my heart completely froze over. She still didn’t know. As she was getting ready to fly to Oren’s side. My lawyer was already on his way. That night, Fiona did something rare and took the initiative to hug me before bed.

“Mason.” “When I get back, I promise I’ll be a good mom.” I closed my eyes and didn’t move. Fiona fell asleep quickly. Her breathing steady, the corners of her lips slightly tilted up. As if she were already seeing the person she wanted to see in her dreams. I sat up and picked up my phone. The lawyer sent the final version of the agreement. After reading it, I replied directly. “Deliver it tomorrow morning.” “I want her to sign it before she boards the plane.” The next morning, when the lawyer delivered the documents, Fiona only gave them a quick glance. “Buying a house? And I need to sign for that?” I didn’t answer. She seemed to have already assumed the answer. “Mason, I’m really in a hurry.” “Whatever house or car you want to buy, just buy it.” “You don’t need to specially bring these little things to me to sign in the future.” Fiona looked down and signed her name on the last page. After signing, she shoved the pen into my hand. “Happy now?” The lawyer stood to the side, his expression a bit subtle. I gently closed the document. “Yeah, we’re good.” Fiona seemed relieved and pulled her suitcase toward the door. Just before leaving, she turned around and kissed the side of my face. Like giving a little reward to an obedient pet. “I’ll bring you back a gift.” “Be a good boy at home.” At 3 PM, Fiona’s flight landed. She called me. I watched her name flashing on the screen, stayed silent for a few seconds, but answered anyway. “Mason, I’m here.” “The flight was smooth, and the baby was well-behaved, didn’t bother me at all.” Suddenly, Oren’s low laugh came through the phone. “I don’t know if the baby is well-behaved.” “But you’re much more obedient than before.” Fiona seemed to lightly swat him. “Oren, stop it.” “I’m letting Mason know I’m safe.” She told him to stop, but her voice was ridiculously soft. That shy tone was something I had never heard before. Oren leaned in closer, his voice almost coming through the receiver right against it. “Letting him know you’re safe?” “Do you want to tell him we’re in the same bed right now?” Fiona let out a sweet laugh. Like a teenage girl finally meeting the boy of her dreams. “Don’t be like this, he’ll hear you.” Oren’s voice got even lower. “Isn’t it more thrilling if he hears?” My hand gripping the phone slowly tightened. My knuckles turning white bit by bit. The next second, the sound of fabric rustling came from the other end. Along with Fiona’s suppressed, heavy breathing. She seemed to hurriedly cover the receiver. But some sounds only become clearer the more you try to hide them. “Oren… not here.” The call was hastily hung up. I sat on the couch, not moving for a long time. Actually, I had known all along she was going to see Oren. But to actually hear with my own ears how softly she laughed while beside another man. My chest still felt like it was being slowly squeezed by a hand, aching to the point of numbness. I had been married to Fiona for five years. To me, she was always decent, always thoughtful, always restrained. I used to think that was just the kind of person she was. But it turns out, no. She just saved all her loss of control, shyness, and passion for Oren. And what she gave me was the position of a husband. A home she could return to at any time after her ten-month fling. My phone suddenly vibrated. An unknown number sent a photo. Under the warm yellow light of the hotel room, Fiona’s cheeks were flushed, and the corners of her eyes were moist.

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