Author: Momo Chan

The first thing I did after crawling back from the edge of the grave was call my mother. When the line connected, I didn’t cry. I didn’t scream. I simply told her that the family arrangement—the strategic marriage alliance they’d been pushing for years—was fine. I was in. I’d do it. It’s funny how a decade of devotion can be incinerated in a single night. It all started a week ago at a mutual friend’s wedding. The champagne was flowing, the music was loud, and the guys were ribbing me about when I’d finally put a ring on Evelyn’s finger. In a moment of wine-flushed bravado, I laughed and called her “my wife” across the table. I expected a blush. Maybe a playful roll of her eyes. Instead, Evelyn exploded. In front of the entire gala, she stripped me bare with her words. she called me shameless, a manipulator using “bottom-tier tactics” to trap her into a commitment she wasn’t ready for. Before I could even stammer an apology, she went cold. She didn’t look at me again. She turned on her heel and chased after Parker, her young personal assistant, who had bolted from the room in tears the moment I uttered the word “wife.” I ran after her, desperate to explain it was just a joke, a slip of the tongue. But she was already in her Porsche, the engine roaring like a caged animal. She didn’t see me reaching for the door handle. Or maybe she did. She floored it. I was dragged thirty feet across the asphalt, the skin on my back and arms screaming as the pavement flayed me alive. If it weren’t for a passerby calling 911, I would have bled out right there in the parking lot of the country club. 1. A week later, the hospital finally cleared me. I took a cab home alone. My body felt like a jigsaw puzzle held together by bandages and sheer willpower. But when I reached our front door and slid my key into the lock, it wouldn’t turn. I frowned, twisting until my wrist ached. Nothing. With a sigh that felt like lead in my lungs, I called Evelyn. The call connected instantly, but it wasn’t her voice. It was Parker’s—that high, breathy tone that always made my skin crawl. “Evelyn’s in the shower, Milo. Is that you? Are you back?” Before I could respond, the door swung open from the inside. Parker stood there, scratching his head with a practiced, “aw-shucks” innocence. “Hey, Milo. Sorry about the door. I was so clumsy—I lost my set of keys the other day. Evelyn was worried someone sketchy might find them, so she had the locks changed. She hasn’t gotten around to making your copy yet, but I can lend you mine in a bit.” He was standing there in a plush white bathrobe. Evelyn’s bathrobe. Then Evelyn appeared behind him, her hair damp, wrapped in nothing but a matching towel. The hallway was thick with the scent of her expensive eucalyptus body wash and the lingering steam of a shared bathroom. The air between them was heavy, intimate, and sickeningly familiar. “Hey,” I said flatly. I didn’t wait for an invitation. I dragged my suitcase over the threshold. Evelyn’s brow furrowed when she realized I wasn’t going to start a fight. She dropped the towel she was using to dry her hair and stepped toward me, her voice sliding into that defensive, explanatory tone she used when she knew she was in the wrong. “Parker’s pipes burst at his apartment. He’s staying in the guest room for a few days. Don’t make it a thing, Milo.” A month ago, this would have gutted me. I would have felt that familiar, hot needle of jealousy piercing my chest. Now? I just felt tired. The stitches in my back pulled tight, a sharp reminder of the night she chose Parker over my life. Looking at her face, all I could see was the blur of her taillights as she dragged me through the dirt. The love I had for her hadn’t just died; it had been sanded away by the road. “I’m not making it a thing,” I said, not looking back as I headed toward our bedroom. “He’s just a kid, Milo. Just out of college, no family in the city. He’s had it rough. I’m just helping him out.” I stopped and looked at her. Really looked at her. She seemed to have forgotten that I grew up in the foster system, that I spent my childhood moving from one cold house to another. If anyone knew what “having it rough” felt like, it was me. And the “kid” she was protecting was twenty-two years old. It was pathetic. “I said it’s fine, Evelyn.” She stepped into my path, blocking the bedroom door. “Milo, you’ve been acting like a martyr since you walked in. Can you just listen to me for one second?” She grabbed my suitcase, her fingers digging into the fabric. My patience snapped. I let go of the handle, letting the heavy bag drop. It hit the floor with a dull, hollow thud. “I heard you,” I said, my voice cold and surgical. “It’s fine. Truly.” I brushed past her stunned expression and pushed open the bedroom door. The afternoon sun was streaming in, illuminating the bed. My eyes immediately snagged on a pair of men’s boxer briefs scattered on the duvet. Parker came scurrying up behind us, a triumphant little smirk flitting across his lips before he pulled on a mask of embarrassment. He lunged past me to grab the underwear. “Sorry, Milo! Those were damp from the laundry. I just set them there to dry. Don’t read into it!” I surveyed the room—the rumpled sheets, the smell of him in our space. “Mm-hmm,” I murmured. I turned around without another word and walked into the small, cramped guest room across the hall. 2. I was just finishing a lukewarm shower when my mother called again. “Milo, honey, I’m so glad you’ve come to your senses. Your father and I aren’t getting any younger, and you’re all we have. You stayed in that city for ten years for that woman, and she’s kept you on a leash the whole time. If she loved you, she would have married you years ago.” She paused, her voice softening. “Since you’re serious about coming home, we’ve set the date. How does ten days from now sound?” I froze, the towel halfway to my head. Ten days. A year ago, if my mother had said this, I would have fought her. I would have spent an hour defending Evelyn, telling her how misunderstood she was, how deep our bond went. Now, there was only silence. “Make it fifteen,” I said quietly. “I want to stay for Aunt Diane’s birthday. After that, I’m yours. Do whatever you need to do with the paperwork.” I hung up and stared at my reflection. My eyes looked like they belonged to a stranger. Suddenly, the front door clicked. Evelyn walked into the guest room, carrying a takeout bag from a high-end seafood place we used to love. She set it on the nightstand and frowned at my phone. “What date? I’ve told you a thousand times, Milo, we’re young. I don’t want to be tied down by a marriage certificate yet.” I dimmed the screen. “It’s a cousin’s wedding. Back home. My dad wants me there.” She relaxed visibly. The threat of commitment had passed. She opened the containers, and the room filled with the sharp, spicy scent of chilled shrimp and marinated crab. When she spoke about Parker, her voice took on a light, effortless warmth. “I dropped Parker off at a hotel. The poor kid felt so bad about the tension that he insisted on buying this for you as an apology. He can barely afford it on his salary, you know. Try some.” I looked at the bright red chili oil and the heaps of shellfish. I didn’t move. Evelyn’s face darkened. “Milo, enough. This silent treatment is exhausting. It doesn’t help anyone.” I looked up at her and felt a ghost of a smile touch my lips. “We’ve been together for ten years, Evelyn. Do you really not remember that I’m deathly allergic to shellfish?” The silence that followed was deafening. Evelyn’s hand hovered over the chopsticks, her expression flickering through confusion, then realization, then a sharp, stinging guilt. When we first started dating, she remembered everything. She knew that rain gave me migraines. She knew the exact date of every anniversary. When she first found out about my allergy—after a cross-contamination scare at a bistro—she sat by my hospital bed and cried for twelve hours straight, terrified she might lose me. She hadn’t forgotten. She had just let Parker’s preferences overwrite mine. He loved seafood. Therefore, seafood was what she brought home. I didn’t wait for her apology. I turned away and started lining up my prescription ointments on the bedside table. When I pulled my shirt off to reach the wounds on my back, I heard her sharp intake of breath. The guilt in her eyes turned into something more visceral as she saw the jagged, raw scars from the pavement. She reached for the tube of cream, her fingers trembling. “Let me, Milo. Please.” I opened my mouth to tell her no, but her phone cut through the room. Because she was standing so close, I could hear Parker’s frantic voice through the receiver. “Evelyn? There are two drunks banging on my hotel door. The front desk isn’t answering. I’m scared… I don’t know what to do…” Evelyn’s face went pale. She gripped the phone like a lifeline. “Parker, stay calm. Push a chair against the door. Do not open it. I’m coming right now.” She hung up and looked at me, her eyes pleading for understanding. “Milo, he’s in trouble. I have to go. I swear, he’s just like a brother to me. Don’t be petty about this.” Before I could even blink, she was gone. Her coat swept the tube of expensive medicinal cream off the table, sending it skittering across the floor. Half of it leaked out onto the rug. I stared at the closed door and felt a strange, light sensation in my chest. For years, every time she chose him, I felt like I was drowning in vinegar—sour, stinging jealousy. But as I sat there in the silence of the guest room, I realized the sting was gone. Go ahead, Evelyn. Save him. I’m finally finished being rescued by you. 3. Evelyn didn’t come back that night. Or the next. Parker’s social media, however, was thriving. Every few hours, there was a new post: a photo of a luxury hotel breakfast, a shot of Evelyn’s hand resting on a steering wheel, captions filled with “blessed” and “so lucky to have people who care.” I blocked him without a second thought. I began crossing days off the calendar on the wall. Thirteen days to go. I spent my morning at the office, filing my resignation. My department head looked at the “Reason for Leaving” section, where I’d written Moving home for marriage. He beamed, clapping me on the shoulder. “Finally! I’ll tell the team to get a gift card ready for you and Evelyn. Though, you don’t have to quit just because you’re getting hitched, Milo.” “I’m not marrying Evelyn,” I said simply. His face fell into a confused silence, but I didn’t offer any more details. My private life was no longer a public performance. The days became a blur of handovers and paperwork. When the work was finally done, I found myself standing in our—her—living room, staring at the countdown. Five days left. I started packing. When you spend a decade with someone, your lives become a tangled web of shared objects. I went through the photo albums first. I didn’t throw them away; I just took a pair of scissors and meticulously cut myself out of every single frame. Then, I reached into the back of the closet and pulled out the cedar chest. Inside was a vintage Leica camera with years of our lives stored on memory cards. There were the thousand origami cranes she folded for me when I was sick in college. The tailored suit I wore for my first big presentation. And the letters. Hundreds of them. “Milo, I never want to miss a single second of your life,” one read. She used to say we’d save all of this for when we were old and gray, sitting in rocking chairs on a porch somewhere, proof that we had existed together. I carried the chest down to the small fire pit in the backyard. I didn’t hesitate. I struck a match and watched ten years of “forever” turn into grey, fluttering ash. 4. Time moved with a cruel, steady rhythm. Evelyn stayed away, presumably “protecting” Parker or “working late.” I spent the time scrubbing the house. I cleaned until the guest room smelled of nothing but lemon polish, until there wasn’t a single stray hair or lingering scent of mine left in the place. Three days left. I went out and bought a gift for Aunt Diane’s birthday. I chose a delicate jade pendant, a symbol of protection and peace. I wanted her to be okay after I was gone. The day of the party arrived—the day before my flight home to a wedding with a stranger. Evelyn had sent a few perfunctory texts claiming she was on a “business trip.” I didn’t reply. Then came the accusations. She called, screaming about why I was “harassing” Parker with “abusive messages.” She demanded I apologize to him. She told me he was “pure-hearted” and “innocent” and wouldn’t hold a grudge if I just showed some remorse. It was almost funny. After ten years, she really believed I was the kind of man who would spend his final days sending mean texts to a subordinate. I hung up on her. Her follow-up text screamed: [Milo, you’ve really outdone yourself this time!] Then, five minutes later: [I don’t even know who you are anymore. Why are you being like this?!] … Aunt Diane was my mother’s best friend, the woman who had looked after me when my parents first moved away to start the family firm. She was the one who introduced me to Evelyn’s family. We grew up together, two kids in adjacent backyards. By eighteen, I would have died for Evelyn. By twenty-two, we were living together. It was supposed to be the great American love story. I pushed those thoughts down as I pulled up to Diane’s house with a cake and the jade pendant. The moment Diane saw me, she pulled me into a tight, frantic hug. I told her the truth then—that I was leaving for the marriage alliance back home. She was devastated. “But you and Evelyn… you’re the gold standard. What happened?” “We just didn’t fit anymore,” I said. It was the shortest version of the truth. Diane held my hand, her eyes glistening. “Milo, you have the kindest soul of anyone I know. I’ve heard about the wedding incident. I’ve seen how she treats that Parker boy. You’re a good man, and Evelyn… she’s lost her way. If you’re going back to your parents, you’re going toward peace. I just hate to lose you.” She squeezed my hand. “Does she even know?” I looked down at my feet. “I’ll tell her. Eventually.” In her eyes, she didn’t want to marry me anyway. What difference did a departure make? “It’s such a waste,” Diane whispered. “She used to love you so much…” I didn’t want to talk about the past. I excused myself to get some air, but as I opened the front door to step onto the porch, I ran straight into Evelyn and Parker. Parker was beaming, his face flushed with excitement. He hadn’t seen me yet. He had his arm around Evelyn’s waist, and before she could pull away, he leaned in and kissed her. “Evelyn, that trip was incredible,” he chirped. “You’re too good to me. I’m going to hit the gym twice as hard just to stay worthy of you!” Then, his eyes landed on me. He didn’t look guilty. He looked satisfied. “Oh, hey Milo! Didn’t see you there. Don’t be mad… I was just so excited.” Evelyn immediately stepped in front of him, her eyes flashing with that familiar, sharp defensiveness. “We didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t start a scene.” I felt a ghost of a memory—the old Milo, the one who would have gone to a bar and drank himself into a stupor over this. But that version of me had died on the asphalt a week ago. “Okay,” I said. “I won’t.” I tried to sidestep them to leave, but Evelyn grabbed my arm. She was squinting at me, searching for the anger, the tears, the heartbreak. When she found nothing but a calm, empty gaze, she looked rattled. Something was slipping through her fingers, and for the first time, she felt the friction. “Where are you going?” she demanded, her grip tightening. “Stay. I’ll drive you home after the party.” I tried to shake her off, but she was stubborn. I didn’t want to cause a scene on Diane’s birthday, so I let her pull me back inside. The dinner was a disaster. Diane was cold to them both. “Bringing an outsider to a family birthday?” she snapped at Evelyn. Parker flinched, looking at Evelyn for protection. “Parker is my assistant, Diane,” Evelyn said, her voice icy. “He’s not an outsider.” She shot a glare at me, clearly blaming me for Diane’s attitude. I ignored her and focused on my plate. Throughout the meal, she made a show of peeling shrimp for Parker, her eyes constantly flicking to me to see if I was flinching. This was her move—the silent punishment. Whenever I displeased her, she would lavish attention on someone else until I crawled back, apologizing for things I hadn’t done. I dropped my fork. It clattered against the porcelain. Diane immediately brought me a clean one, eyeing Evelyn with pure disappointment. Evelyn smirked, thinking she’d finally gotten a rise out of me. I just went back to my food. Two actors playing a part—let them have their stage. I was going to miss Diane’s cooking, though. Finally, Evelyn went too far. She leaned over to wipe a smudge of sauce from Parker’s lip, their faces inches apart. Diane slammed her hand on the table. “Evelyn! Milo is sitting right there! Have you no shame?” Parker scrambled back, looking like a kicked puppy. “I’m so sorry, Aunt Diane. Evelyn just looks after me at the office, it’s a habit…” “I am not your aunt,” Diane hissed. Evelyn stood up, her face flushed with anger. “Milo, look what you’ve done. You’ve poisoned my own family against me because you’re jealous. Are you really that afraid of losing me?”

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Seven years. That’s how long it took for Damian Whitaker to dump me for the seventh time. It was the same script as the previous six: “You’re just not on my level, June.” But this time, I didn’t beg. I didn’t cry. I didn’t offer to change. I just looked him in the eye and said, “Okay.” Three days ago, I froze every credit card in his family’s possession. Two days ago, I repossessed the car he let his sister drive. Yesterday, I moved out of the luxury apartment I’d been paying for. Now, as I sit on a plane bound for a new life, my phone is vibrating non-stop. Forty-seven missed calls. The caller IDs range from Damian himself to his meddling aunt. For seven years, I was their personal ATM, the invisible engine behind their lifestyle. I look at the notifications, mark them all as read, and don’t reply to a single one. 1 Damian chose a high-end steakhouse for our seventh breakup. It was the kind of place where the tasting menu starts at three hundred dollars a head. I sat across from him, my steak barely touched, when he slapped his linen napkin onto the table. “June, we’re done. This isn’t working.” I held my glass of lemon water mid-air. I wasn’t shocked. I was counting. The first time was sophomore year of college because I didn’t buy him those limited-edition sneakers. The second was graduation because the company I interned for wasn’t a Fortune 500. The third through sixth were a blur of excuses: my salary was too low, I wasn’t “romantic” enough, his father didn’t approve of my background, and—my personal favorite—he thought his coworker’s wife dressed better. Seven. Lucky number seven. I looked at the medium-rare ribeye that had just been served. “And the reason this time?” Damian arched an eyebrow and flipped his phone around. On the screen was a photo of a handbag. A limited-edition Hermès, priced at eighty-six thousand dollars. “You got me a two-hundred-dollar briefcase for my birthday, June. Honestly, do you even care about me? Or are you just cheap?” A two-hundred-dollar briefcase. I had spent three weekends scouring boutique shops to find the exact designer collaboration he’d liked on Instagram. I’d stood at the counter for forty minutes debating the leather grain. To him, two hundred dollars meant I didn’t have a heart. I set the water down. The glass hit the mahogany table with a soft, final thud. “Okay.” The word hung in the air, and Damian’s expression was a sight to behold. He blinked, the condescending smirk on his face freezing before it slowly dissolved into confusion. “What did you say?” his voice rose an octave. “I said okay. We’re over.” I glanced at the bill, flagged down the server, and pulled out my wallet. “Check, please.” “June!” Damian slammed his hand on the table, making the silverware jump. “You’re not even going to fight for this?” I did a quick mental audit. The standard operating procedure for the last six breakups was as follows: 1. Apologize (whether it was my fault or not). 2. Send a “makeup” Venmo (the amount increased every year; the last one was five figures). 3. Buy a peace offering gift. 4. Take him to a five-star dinner. 5. Call his father to give a “progress report” on how I was bettering myself. 6. Apologize again. Each cycle took about three days and cost me at least twenty thousand dollars. Twenty thousand dollars. In a diversified index fund with a 7% return, I was losing a fortune every year just to keep him happy. Today was the seventh time. I looked at Damian—sitting there with his hair professionally styled on my dime, wearing the Tom Ford suit I’d bought him, complaining about a gift that wasn’t expensive enough—and the chandelier above us suddenly felt blindingly bright. “Damian.” I stood up and tucked two hundred-dollar bills under the sugar caddy. “This time, you get exactly what you asked for.” I grabbed my coat. Turned. Walked toward the door. Behind me, I heard the screech of a chair being shoved back—metal legs scraping against the marble floor. “June! You get back here right now!” the heavy glass doors of the restaurant swung shut behind me. His voice was muffled, the tail end of his shout trembling with something that sounded suspiciously like panic. I didn’t look back. I hailed a cab in less than two minutes. The moment the door clicked shut, the sound of the city and the possibility of him chasing me were cut off. My phone buzzed three times. The first was a sixty-second voice memo from Damian. I didn’t play it. The second was a screenshot from our mutual friend, Marcus—wait, no, let’s call him Mark. It was Damian’s latest Instagram story: a photo of a glass of Scotch and a single rose. The caption: Finally cut the dead weight. I can finally breathe again! Below it were a dozen comments from his “bros”: About time, man! You deserve a queen, not a peasant. Onwards and upwards! The third message was from Piper: Did the prince throw another tantrum? Want me to come pick you up? I stared at Damian’s post for six seconds. I screenshort it and saved it into a folder on my phone titled “The Breakup Ledger.” It already held six similar screenshots. Every time we broke up, he’d post something high-and-mighty, wait for me to crawl back, and then delete it. Number seven. I texted Piper back: Yeah. But this is the last one. I mean it. By the time I got back to the apartment, it was nearly eleven. The hallway light was flickering, and it took three tries to jam the key into the lock. When the lights flickered on, the apartment greeted me like a curated museum of my own financial labor. The cashmere throw on the sofa—I bought that. The designer humidifer—mine. The high-end projector—mine. The Wagyu steaks and oysters in the fridge—all me. The oversized canvas print above the console—I’d hauled that home and mounted it myself. This three-bedroom penthouse overlooking the river—the lease was in my name. Seven thousand dollars a month. I stood in the entryway, kicked off one heel, and just looked. Every single thing my eyes touched was connected to me. Except for the framed photo on the dresser of Damian and his friends on a yacht I’d rented for his thirty-first birthday. I took off the other shoe. I pulled three collapsed moving boxes out from the top of the coat closet—leftovers from when we moved in. I took a deep breath. And I started packing. The closet: my clothes took up a third of the left side. His took up the rest, plus the extra storage bins. I folded my pieces one by one. It was a fluid, practiced motion. After all, I’d done this during breakup number four. Back then, I’d finished packing only to have Damian call the next morning, and I’d moved it all back in. Not this time. Books from the shelf—packed. My set of professional Japanese knives from the kitchen—cleaned, dried, and boxed. The electric toothbrush in the bathroom—mine. The fiddle-leaf fig I’d nursed for two years on the balcony—coming with me. I packed until 1:00 AM. The three boxes were brimming. The living room looked skeletal now, missing its soul. I wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead and sat on the floor. The phone vibrated. Damian. I watched the screen for three seconds before hitting “Decline.” It vibrated again. Damian. “Decline.” The third time, it was a different number. Damian’s father. I closed my eyes, switched the phone to silent, and shoved it into my pocket. I went to the desk and pulled out a leather-bound notebook. It contained a list I’d started on a whim months ago. The header: Expenses Incurred for the Whitaker Family. I flipped through the pages. Rent, car payments, health insurance premiums, spa memberships, authorized user spend on my Amex, holiday gifts, the “loans” to Stacy that were never repaid, his mother’s hospital co-pays I’d covered… The grand total: $1.23 million. I stared at that number. I was the woman he called “not on his level.” I was the “dead weight” who had spent over a million dollars on his family in seven years. I snapped the notebook shut. I stood up, my knees popping in the quiet room. “Right,” I whispered to the empty apartment. “Seventh time’s the charm.” I stacked the boxes by the door. Turned out the lights. Went to the bedroom for one last night of sleep in this place. Tomorrow, I would begin the surgical process of removing myself from Damian Whitaker’s life, one stitch at a time. 2 I woke up at 6:00 AM, before the alarm could even chime. My phone was a graveyard of notifications—eleven unread texts, three missed calls. All from Damian and his father. I didn’t open them. Instead, I called my landlord. “Hey, it’s June. I’m breaking the lease. Effective immediately.” “June? You’re leaving? What about Damian? He told me you guys were renewing for another two years.” “We broke up. Check the contract; I’ll pay the early termination fee.” There was a pause. “Again? Didn’t you say this last time? You were back in a week.” “This isn’t a week-long thing. It’s a forever thing. The keys will be on the counter. Damian is still there, but you’ll need to talk to him about moving out by the end of the month. The lease is in my name, and I’m done paying for it.” I hung up and called a local moving service. Within forty minutes, my three boxes and my fiddle-leaf fig were loaded into a van. Before I left, I took one last look. I left the groceries—moving them was a hassle. I left the sofa—it was a custom sectional that wouldn’t fit through the door of my new place anyway. I set the keys on the entryway table. The door clicked shut with a finality that felt like a period at the end of a very long, very exhausting sentence. At noon, I was at a quiet bistro near Piper’s office, picking at a salad. My phone lit up. A text from Damian: Where the hell are you? Where are the throw pillows from the sofa? Did you seriously take the plant? You’re being pathetic, June. The throw pillows. I’d bought them on clearance for fifty bucks. Damian had mocked the color for months until he realized they were the perfect height for propping up his head while he binged Netflix. The plant? He’d never watered it once. I didn’t reply. At 2:00 PM, the phone buzzed again. This time it was the landlord: June, I told Damian about the lease. He… uh, he didn’t take it well. He seems to think I’m joking. Don’t worry, the paperwork is strictly in your name. I’ll handle the eviction process if he isn’t out by the 30th. Thanks, Sam, I replied. At 4:00 PM, Damian finally called. I decided to pick up. “June! Did you seriously tell the landlord we’re moving?!” His voice was a jagged shard of glass, echoing the way it had in the restaurant. I could picture him pacing the living room, his face flushed with indignation. “Yes.” “Are you insane? This is our home! You can’t just cancel it!” “Damian, I signed the lease. I paid the rent. We broke up. I’m not renewing. What’s the confusion?” Silence on the other end for five long seconds. Then, his tone shifted. It was a pivot I knew by heart—the first stage of the “Post-Breakup Damian” cycle. The voice became smooth, dripping with a condescending pity that barely masked his panic. “Oh, I see. This is a stunt. You’re trying to force my hand, trying to make me beg you to stay. It’s beneath you, June. Really.” I switched the phone to my other ear. In the past, this was where I’d scramble to explain myself, tell him it wasn’t a stunt, and then he’d graciously “allow” me to pay the next month’s rent as an apology. “You have until the end of the month to pack,” I said. I hung up. Five minutes later, Damian’s father roared into my voicemail. “June! What is the meaning of this? You break up with my son and then try to throw him onto the street? You weren’t this cold-hearted when you were begging for his attention in college!” I called him back. “Mr. Whitaker. The rent is seven thousand dollars a month. We are no longer together, so I am no longer paying it. If you think the apartment is so vital to Damian’s well-being, feel free to sign a new lease in your name. Sam has the paperwork. It’s first, last, and a security deposit.” The line went dead silent. Seven thousand. I’m willing to bet he’d never actually asked about the price. In his mind—fueled by his perception of me as a “middle-class girl”—the rent was probably a couple thousand at most. “Seven… seven thousand?” he stammered. “Yes. It’s a luxury penthouse in the West Loop. That’s market rate. Goodbye, Mr. Whitaker.” I put the phone on the table and went back to my salad. The lettuce was wilted, and the vinaigrette was starting to separate. Piper sat across from me, her legs crossed, tapping a pen against her chin. “How does it feel?” “What?” “Having a spine. Having a backbone after all these years. Does it feel good?” “Don’t start,” I muttered. “No, seriously,” Piper leaned in. “Are you really done this time?” I swallowed a bite of arugula. “Piper, seven thousand times twelve times seven. Do the math.” “That’s… over half a million?” “$588,000. Just in rent. That’s what it cost me to be told I wasn’t good enough for seven years.” Piper stopped tapping her pen. She took a long sip of her iced coffee and shook her head. “You weren’t soft-hearted, June. You were just being a martyr. I’m glad you finally quit the job.” She turned her phone screen toward me. Damian had just posted again: Some people show their true colors the moment they don’t get their way. Imagine being so bitter you’d evict your own boyfriend. Talk about a lack of class. The comments were a dumpster fire of support. Red flag city! Bullet dodged, bro! She was always a social climber. I looked at it for three seconds. Then I pushed the phone back. “He can post whatever he wants.” “You’re not angry?” “Why would I be? He doesn’t even know how much his own lifestyle costs. Do you think the people commenting have any idea?” Piper smirked. “Fair point. So, what’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” I grabbed my jacket. “Tomorrow? Tomorrow, I take back the car.” 3 The car was a white Volkswagen Passat. Not a supercar, but in the Whitaker household, it was known as “Stacy’s Executive Transport.” I’d been paying the four-hundred-dollar monthly note for three years. Two years left on the loan. The title and registration? In my name. The reason? Stacy’s credit score was so abysmal that the bank had laughed her out of the dealership. For three years, Stacy had used that car for: 30% “Networking.” 20% “Meeting clients.” 50% Picking up boyfriends, going to brunch, and driving to the high-end spa in the suburbs every Friday. Stacy called it “the cost of doing business.” Last night, I’d given my spare key to Piper. At 7:30 AM, Piper texted: The bird has flown. Car is parked in my secure garage. By the way, there’s a fresh scrape on the rear passenger door. New? I asked. Looks like it. Your former sister-in-law has the spatial awareness of a drunk toddler. I sighed. Expected. At 8:15 AM, Stacy’s meltdown arrived right on schedule. My phone exploded. Damian: You took the car too??? Are you even human??? Stacy: YOU BITCH!! You stole my car!! I’m calling the cops!!! Damian’s Dad: June, there is such a thing as common decency. You’ve crossed the line. Then Stacy called. I ignored it. She called again. And again. On the fifth try, it was a blocked number. I answered. “Hello?” “JUNE, YOU—” Stacy’s voice was practically vibrating with rage. I could hear the wind whipping past her; she was likely standing in her parking spot. “You stole my car! I’ve already called the police! You’re going to jail!” “Stacy,” I said, my voice so flat it surprised me. “The car is registered to me. I pay the note. I pay the insurance. I had a friend move my car to a secure location. That’s called exercising ownership. Please, go ahead and call the police.” The sound of her breathing on the other end was like a bellows. “I… I have a massive meeting this afternoon! How am I supposed to get there?” “There’s a bike-share station on the corner. Wear a helmet.” I hung up. I found out later, via Piper’s friend who works as a dispatcher, that Stacy actually did show up at the local precinct. She apparently burst in like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, screaming about a stolen white Passat. The officer ran the plates. “Ma’am, the owner of this vehicle is a June Chen. Is that you?” “No! But I’m the one who drives it! She’s my… my brother’s ex-girlfriend! She took it without my permission!” The officer didn’t even look up from his computer. “So… the owner took her own car?” “Yes! I mean—no! I mean, I have a right to use it!” Stacy apparently stood there, mouth opening and closing like a fish, while an elderly man waiting for a background check stared at her. “Ma’am,” the officer said, finally looking up. “A car owner disposing of their own property isn’t theft. If you have a civil dispute regarding a loaner agreement, take it to court. Next!” Stacy sat on the plastic chair in the lobby for five minutes, her face turning a deep, humiliated crimson. Then she walked out, pulled out her phone, and tried to scan a rental bike. First bike: Insufficient credit score. Second bike: Insufficient credit score. Third bike: Account suspended. She stood in the middle of a row of bikes, looking up at the sky as if waiting for a lightning bolt to strike me down. She ended up taking an Uber. When she arrived at her “business meeting”—which was actually a pitch for a mid-level multi-level marketing scheme—she was forty minutes late. The “investor” was already checking his watch. “Late start, Stacy?” “Traffic was… insane.” “You took an Uber? I thought you drove that Passat?” Stacy’s jaw tightened. “It’s… in the shop for detailing.” The meeting was a disaster. She left with a face that shifted between green and grey. That night, she posted on Facebook: Some people are so desperate for revenge they’ll even steal a car. Small-minded behavior at its finest. Two likes. One from her dad, one from Damian. I screenshort it. Added it to the Ledger. Piper watched me save the image and shuddered. “You’re acting like a ghost-hunter, collecting all this evidence. What’s it for?” “Nothing. Just documentation. Just in case.” “You’re scary when you’re done, June,” Piper said. “You hide the knives so well.” I didn’t answer. I swiped a notification on my phone. Account ending in 6173: Quarterly dividend of $2,340,000.00 has been deposited. I cleared the notification. Tomorrow, there was more work to be done. The Whitaker ATM was officially going into permanent “Out of Order” status. 4 The following day, I made three phone calls. At 9:00 AM, I called my insurance provider. “I’d like to cancel the supplemental health coverage on my policy. Not for me, for the additional insured.” “Certainly, Ms. Chen. Policy number? Ah, I see. You’d like to remove Mrs. Evelyn Whitaker?” “Correct.” “May I ask the reason?” “Personal reasons.” Done. Eight minutes. At 9:20 AM, I called the high-end spa in the suburbs. “I purchased a pre-paid annual membership for a Mr. Damian Whitaker Sr. I am the payer, June Chen. I’d like to request a refund for the remaining balance.” “Ma’am, memberships are usually non-refundable—” “Check Section 6 of the contract. The payer retains the right to freeze or refund the balance upon proof of payment. Just send the remaining funds back to the original card.” A brief silence while she checked with a manager. “Yes, we can do that. A refund of $14,600 will be processed in three to five business days.” At 9:40 AM, I called my bank. “I need to cancel an authorized user on my credit card. Her name is Stacy Whitaker.” “Understood. Please note that any pending transactions will be the responsibility of the primary cardholder until the next billing cycle.” “I’m aware. Close the entire account while you’re at it. I’ll open a new one.” Three calls. Forty minutes. Seven years of financial umbilical cords, severed in less time than it takes to get an oil change. I leaned back on the sofa in Piper’s office and stared at the ceiling. There was a water stain up there that looked a bit like a lopsided rabbit. Piper walked in with two coffees. She looked at my face and set the cups down. “Finished?” “Yeah.” “How do you feel?” “Like I just had a wisdom tooth pulled that’s been aching for seven years. It’s bleeding, but I can finally breathe.” ——– At 1:00 PM, the first bomb went off. Damian’s father was currently at the spa, halfway through a “Gentleman’s Executive Package”—a deep-cleansing facial and a botanical wrap. I’d paid for the whole year as a retirement gift. Piper heard the story later from a girl she knew who worked the front desk. Mr. Whitaker was lying on the heated table, eyes closed, steam drifting over his face. He was at peace. Then, a soft knock at the door. “Mr. Whitaker? We have a bit of a situation with your account.” “What situation?” he grunted, not opening his eyes. “The payer has requested a full refund and frozen the balance. We can’t continue with the service.” His eyes snapped open. He sat up so fast the botanical mask slid down his face and hung off his chin like a soggy beard. Half his face was covered in white cream; the other half was bare. He stood in the lobby, shouting loud enough for the entire spa to hear. “What do you mean she refunded it? It was a gift! It’s mine! She can’t do that!” The receptionist’s hand was shaking on the mouse. “Sir… the contract says the payer has the rights. Maybe you should call her?” He pulled out his phone. He looked at my name in his contacts and saw the last three texts he’d sent me—all of them insulting. His thumb hovered for a second. He deleted them. Then he called. I didn’t pick up. At 2:00 PM, the second bomb. Damian’s mother went to her local pharmacy to pick up her monthly maintenance medications—blood pressure and diabetes meds. With the supplemental insurance I’d been paying for, her out-of-pocket was less than twenty bucks. The pharmacist scanned her card. Then scanned it again. “Ma’am, your supplemental policy has been terminated. Without it, the total for today is $4,216.” Mrs. Whitaker’s hand froze on the counter. She had never worried about money a day in her life. First, her husband handled it, and then, for the last seven years, the bills just seemed to disappear. She didn’t even know what the insurance was; she just knew she scanned the card and got her pills. Four thousand dollars. She reached into her purse and pulled out a worn wallet. Three hundred in cash. A debit card with less than five hundred in the account. The line behind her was getting restless. “Ma’am? Are you taking them or not?” She tucked her wallet back in, lowered her head, and walked out without her medicine. At 3:00 PM, the third bomb. Stacy was taking a group of “influencer” friends out for Korean BBQ. By the end of the meal, the table was littered with empty bottles of soju and premium ribeye bones. Everyone was toastin “Stacy the Boss.” Stacy patted her stomach and waved the server over. “It’s on me, guys.” She pulled out the authorized user card and handed it over with a flourish. Two minutes later, the server returned. “I’m sorry, ma’am. This card was declined. It says the account is closed.” “Try it again.” The server came back. “Still nothing. The system says the card has been voided.” Stacy’s neck turned hot. Six sets of eyes were pinned on her. “Probably a… a bank error,” she stammered. She pulled out her phone to pay via an app. Her balance: seventy-three dollars and eighty cents. She tucked her phone away and took a sip of water. “Excuse me, guys—I need to take this call.” She walked out to the parking lot. The March wind cut through her thin shirt, and the sweat on her back turned to ice. She didn’t make a call. She just stood there for thirty seconds. And then she ran. She ran through the mall, her sneakers pounding on the pavement, and she didn’t look back. Her six friends sat at the table for another half hour before they finally realized she wasn’t coming back and split the bill among themselves. When Stacy got to the parking garage, she remembered. Oh, right. She didn’t have a car. She slumped against a concrete pillar, gasping for air. Her leggings were smudged with dirt. She called Damian. “Damian! That bitch June cancelled my card! I was at dinner—in front of everyone—and it got declined! I have seventy bucks in my name!” The other end of the line was chaotic. Her father’s voice drowned out Damian’s: “She even took my spa membership! They kicked me out with a half-finished facial!” And in the background, her mother’s voice: “I can’t get my meds… it’s four thousand dollars a month…” In the Whitaker living room, three voices were screaming in unison. And they were all screaming the same name. June. June. June. Then Damian’s phone rang. The caller ID: June. The room went silent. His father froze. Stacy swallowed hard. His mother peeked out from the kitchen. Damian took a shaky breath and hit “Accept.” He put it on speaker. “June, you—” “Damian.” My voice was clear, every word measured. “You wanted a breakup. I respected that. But now that we’re over, I can no longer justify managing your family’s affairs. I paid the rent. I bought the car. I covered the insurance. I funded the memberships. Tell me—are those things yours or mine?” No one spoke. “Seven years,” I continued. “You dumped me seven times. Do you have any idea how many times your father insulted me? Do you know how much money Stacy ‘borrowed’ and never paid back? Do you know what your mother’s premiums cost every year?” Damian’s breathing was heavy. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. “You don’t. Because you never asked. You only knew one thing: that I wasn’t on your level.” I paused. “So, give it a try. Try a life where I’m not there. See who pays the seven-thousand-dollar rent. See who covers the four thousand in medical bills. And the next time you’re kicked out of a spa mid-facial, remember your own words: ‘Finally cut the dead weight.’” “June—” Damian’s voice broke. He used that tone—that mix of vulnerability and sweetness that had worked on me for seven years. “Are you just doing this to—” “No.” I cut him off. “I’m not trying to scare you. I’m not trying to force you to apologize. I’m not waiting for you to come crawling back. I am actually done. You asked for this. I’m just being a good listener.” I hung up. After the call ended, my hand shook. It wasn’t fear. It was the seven-year habit of caring, screaming one last time before dying. I stared at the screen for three seconds. Five. Then I flipped the phone over. Piper walked over and squeezed my shoulder. “Come on. Your flight is at 8:00 AM tomorrow. Let’s get you to San Francisco.” I nodded.

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At the family dinner, my stepbrother, Parker, couldn’t stop vibrating with excitement. He leaned in, whispering loudly enough for the whole table to hear that he’d managed to land the “it” girl of the streaming world for his upcoming campaign. Then she walked in, and my heart didn’t just drop—it froze. It was Jade. The very same Jade I’d spent the last three years building into a superstar. I’d poured nearly seven million dollars into her career, buying her the top-tier sponsorships, the front-page placements, and the viral momentum she now breathed like oxygen. In private, she was a glacier. She refused to add me on any personal social media, only ever sending cold, transactional DMs like: “New drop is live. Go buy.” Even when we happened to be in the same room at industry events, she looked right through me, pretending I was just another face in the crowd. But here, in my father’s dining room, she was all sunshine. She laughed at every joke, her eyes sparkling as she charmed the room. She was peeling shrimp for Parker, regaling the table with witty behind-the-scenes stories about her product launches. She’d even brought my father an expensive artisanal tea blend and—to my utter shock—was actively exchanging numbers with the household staff. I raised my glass, trying to catch her eye, to find some bridge back to the person I thought I knew. Her smile vanished the second our gaze met. She leaned slightly toward me, her voice a sharp, venomous whisper intended only for my ears: “Face it, Beckett. You’re getting old. No amount of money can buy you a seat at the table with people who actually matter.” Parker, oblivious and smug, began flashing his phone around, showing off their private chat logs. He bragged about how Jade had worn a specific outfit on stream just because he asked, and how she’d spent three hours in the kitchen making a home-cooked meal to hand-deliver to him across the city. Then he chuckled, looking directly at me. “Hey, man, get this. Jade told me her ‘Number One Patron’ is this total creep—some lonely old loser who tries to harass her under the guise of placing orders. He thinks dropping a few bucks makes him the boss. Can you imagine being that pathetic?” I offered a thin, effortless smile. In that moment, the last thread of whatever I felt for her snapped. “I can’t even imagine,” I said quietly. With a few taps beneath the table, I pulled up the internal dashboard of my agency. I took the creator who had been stuck in the number two spot for three years—the girl Jade had stepped over to get to the top—and pushed her to the primary featured slot on every major platform we controlled. One message to our group chat of three hundred brand partners was all it took. “We’re pivoting. Move the budget.” If she thought I was an embarrassment, then she didn’t need me haunting her career anymore. … Parker kept talking, but I didn’t hear a word. I was too busy watching the digital dominoes fall. Cancel the ten-million-dollar order for Jade. Reallocate to Lydia. The group chat stayed silent for exactly three seconds before the questions flooded in. Who are we backing instead? I scrolled through the talent roster until I hit a familiar face. Lydia. She’d been in the game for a decade. For the first seven years, she and Jade had been neck-and-neck, until Jade met me three years ago. I’d spent those years suffocating Lydia’s growth to ensure Jade’s dominance. Lydia had been gasping for air ever since. I remembered seeing Lydia once at a gala. Someone had accidentally spilled red wine down my front. I’d instinctively looked to Jade for help, but she’d turned her back immediately, striking up a hollow conversation with a tech CEO to avoid being associated with the mess. It was Lydia who had quietly asked if I was okay. She’d led me to a private suite to change and stood guard outside the door for twenty minutes to ensure my privacy. That night, I’d rewarded her by throwing her a small contract out of guilt. When Jade found out, she’d blocked me for two weeks. I typed the words: It’s Lydia. Effective immediately. The chat exploded. I locked my phone and set it face down. The dinner continued. Jade remained a statue of ice whenever she looked my way, yet she had my father roaring with laughter. Parker playfully tugged at her sleeve, and she caught his hand, giving him a shy, lingering look. Parker shot me a triumphant glance. “I heard you and Jade actually go way back, Beckett. Why so quiet tonight?” Jade’s expression went dead. She didn’t even turn her head. “I don’t know him,” she said flatly. Seven million dollars. Three years of my life. “I don’t know him.” I didn’t argue. I just excused myself to the restroom. When I stepped back out into the hallway, I ran straight into Jade. Her brow was furrowed, her face twisted in suppressed irritation. “If you keep stalking me like this, I’m calling the police,” she hissed. I found the statement genuinely hilarious. “This is my house, Jade.” “This is Parker’s house,” she snapped, cutting me off. “He told me everything. Your mother stole another woman’s husband and sat in the ‘Mrs. Thorne’ seat for twenty years like a parasite. If she hadn’t died early, Parker would never have been able to take his rightful place in this family.” She gave me a look of pure, unadulterated disgust. “I’ll let it slide this time. But do it again…” She let the threat hang in the air, then turned on her designer heels and marched away, her pace frantic, as if she were afraid I might try to touch her. I watched her go. I didn’t bother correcting her. That night, Jade posted a status update: “Just spent the day with the one I love. Feeling inspired. Going live at 7 PM.” I checked the clock. 6:30. Usually, I’d be in her stream thirty minutes early, waiting. I’d start the night by dropping a hundred “Super-Novas”—the most expensive gift on the platform—just to set the tone and drive her to the top of the trending list. Jade would act like she didn’t see the screen-filling effects. If I commented, she’d intentionally reply to the person right above or below me, never acknowledging my existence. My phone buzzed. It was my assistant, informing me that the deal with Lydia was finalized. “She wants your personal contact info to thank you properly,” he wrote. “Fine,” I replied, and then I went to sleep. A few hours later, my door was nearly kicked off its hinges. Parker was standing there, his face flushed with a mix of rage and panic. “Beckett, what the hell are you doing? Jade is live, and you haven’t shown up. She’s going to be pissed! Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get on her good side?” I sat up slowly. “Jade is streaming. Why should I be there? I don’t know her, remember?” He sputtered, his face turning a darker shade of red. “Fine. Be a dick. I’m just warning you—you’re going to regret this. Jade has a temper. If you freeze her out now, she’s not just going to block you for two weeks. She’ll delete you forever.” My stomach turned. He knew everything about my history with Jade. Every argument, every silent treatment. When exactly had they started trading my secrets? Parker wasn’t blood. Five years ago, after my mother passed, my father remarried Meredith. She brought Parker into the house, changed his last name to Thorne, and they both started singing a choreographed duet about “sharing the burden” of the family business. They’d tried to claw their way into the company dozens of times, but my father never let them in. They thought he was being stingy. They didn’t realize that the company was my mother’s legacy. Every single share sat in my name. My father wasn’t saying no because he wanted to—he was saying no because he didn’t have the authority to say yes. Parker must have been talking a big game to Jade, and Jade, being Jade, probably assumed Parker was the one holding the keys to the kingdom. I shut the door in his face and checked my phone. I tried to enter Jade’s stream, only to find a familiar notification: “You have been blocked by the creator.” This time, I didn’t send a groveling email. I didn’t call her manager. I simply blocked her back. On the community boards, Jade’s fans were tagging me. “Where’s the Big Whale tonight? Is everything okay?” A familiar avatar popped up in the thread. It was Parker. “Who needs him?” Parker wrote. “Jade doesn’t need one person holding her up. We’ve got this!” A few loyalists chimed in, but the energy was limp. By the time Jade ended her stream, the hashtag #GhostTownLive was trending. Without my massive opening gifts, the algorithm hadn’t pushed her to the front page. Without my influence, the major brands stayed quiet. She was so used to being the “Queen” that she’d forgotten how to actually engage her audience. Her peak viewership was lower than a mid-tier hobbyist. Her fans were begging me to come back. I ignored them and focused on the list of brands Lydia was sending me. Tonight, Lydia was going live. And her discounts? They were fifty percent lower than anything Jade had ever offered. The internet caught fire. Everyone was speculating about who Lydia’s new “Benefactor” was, while Jade’s camp remained eerily silent. Her team hadn’t even announced her next product line yet. At 8:00 PM sharp, I entered Lydia’s stream. I spent ten minutes straight dropping the highest-value gifts available. Meanwhile, Jade’s team posted a frantic update: Tonight’s stream is canceled due to technical difficulties. I didn’t care. I watched Lydia’s concurrent viewers climb to five hundred thousand. Then six hundred. Lydia was the opposite of Jade. Jade would sit there like a porcelain doll, letting her assistants do the talking. If she got bored, she’d just walk off-camera, and her fans would call it “authentic” and “ethereal.” Lydia was in the trenches. Before the stream, she’d sent me a twenty-seven-page business plan, broken down minute-by-minute. As the sales ticker began to spin—thirty million, fifty million, eighty million—the chat went nuclear. When it hit the hundred-million-dollar mark, Lydia’s eyes welled up. Her voice shook as she looked into the lens. “Thank you, Jax… thank you so much for believing in me.” Three hours later, she broke the platform record. I exited the app and found my inbox had become a war zone. Jade’s fans were swarming me. “You total prick! How could you do this to Jade?” “You’re a fan, not a king. Go back to Jade and apologize right now or we’ll dox you.” “Disgusting. Did you sleep with Lydia? Is that why you’re bankrolling her?” Someone asked Jade for a comment. She posted a single, icy sentence: “Some fans think spending a little money means they own the creator. To be honest, it’s a little scary.” That was the spark. Her fanbase went feral. “So this ‘Jax’ guy was trying to force Jade into a relationship just because he gave her gifts?!” “Creep. Absolute predator. You’re ruining the community for real fans.” Within the hour, my private photos were being circulated. They were edited to look hideous, slapped onto “Missing Person” posters with captions like “Predator” and “Old Loser.” My phone started ringing incessantly. “I heard your mother died,” a distorted voice screamed when I picked up. “Good. She probably died of shame knowing she raised a stalker!” My hand tightened around the phone. The harassment had reached a fever pitch, and Jade remained silent. She watched it happen like she was watching a movie. Fine. If that’s how she wanted to play it, the “happily ever after” was off the table. Suddenly, Lydia posted a tweet. “Jax is my most important supporter and a man of immense integrity. If you attack him, you attack me. My success today is thanks to his vision. I won’t allow anyone to insult him. You want to talk? Talk to me.” The internet split in two. The legal team had the Cease and Desist orders ready within the hour. I retweeted the firm’s official statement and turned off my phone. The moment I walked into the living room, Parker’s voice grated against my nerves. “Are you insane, Beckett? You’re trying to make Jade jealous, but you’ve gone too far!” He tried to shove his phone in my face. “Who gave you permission to serve her legal papers? Do you have any idea what this does to her reputation? Withdraw it. Now. Make a public apology and tell everyone you were just having a mental breakdown. Maybe she’ll let you pay for her next campaign as an apology.” I slapped his hand away without a second thought. “Since when do you tell me how to run my business, Parker?” Rage flickered across his face, but he backed off. I went upstairs to check the numbers. The night had been a triumph. Lydia gained four hundred thousand followers. One of the top luxury fashion houses in the world contacted me—they wanted to debut their new collection exclusively on Lydia’s stream. I invited both parties to the office the next morning to sign. When I walked into my suite at 9 AM, I found two uninvited guests. Parker gave me a slimy grin. “I brought Jade. Go ahead, apologize. I told her you were just acting out, and since I’m family, she’s willing to forgive and move on.” Jade didn’t look at me. She sat there, sipping from a glass of water, her chin tilted up, waiting for me to bow. I was beyond words. As I reached for the contract on my desk, Parker snatched it. His eyes lit up. “I knew it! You were just playing hard to ball! You used Lydia to create a buzz, and now you’re bringing the luxury deal back to Jade. Clever, Beckett. Very clever.” Jade’s face softened slightly. She took the contract and signed her name with a flourish before I could even speak. Then she tossed the folder at my chest. “I’m taking this because I earned it,” she said coldly. “Don’t think this means we’re friends. And don’t try this pathetic ‘jealousy’ stunt again. It’s beneath you.” I frowned. “That contract isn’t for you.” Jade scoffed. “Beckett, give it a rest. You won. You got my attention. Now be a good boy and get the production team ready.” Parker chimed in, “Yeah, stop acting, man. Everyone knows you can’t live without her. If she actually gets mad at you, you’ll be back on your knees in a week anyway. Why make it harder than it needs to be?” In the past, I did have a weakness for her. I supported her because I admired her drive, and yes, because I thought there was something real between us. But “can’t live without her”? That was a fantasy Parker had cooked up to feel superior. Jade stood up to leave. “I don’t need apologies from people who don’t matter,” she said over her shoulder. Parker smirked. “I’ll talk to her for you, bro. She listens to me.” After they left, I told the legal department to void the signature and draft a fresh copy. As the launch drew closer, Lydia called me, her voice trembling. “Jax… am I… am I sharing the stream with Jade tonight?” I was confused until I checked Jade’s social media. She had posted a promotional poster: Luxury Collection Launch. Tonight at 8 PM. I hesitated, then sent Jade a private message: That contract was not yours. This is a trademark violation. I suggest you take that post down immediately. She didn’t reply privately. She took a screenshot of my message and posted it to her millions of followers, tagging me directly. “Just because I chose your brother over you, you’re trying to destroy my career? You’re the son of a mistress, Beckett. You owe Parker everything. Have some dignity.” The comment section went nuclear. “Wait, he’s a mistress’s son? That explains why he’s so obsessed with stealing what belongs to others.” “Spending his father’s money to harass a woman. Classic.” Then Parker joined in. He posted a photo of himself, my father, and Meredith. A perfect family portrait. I wasn’t in it. “The past is the past,” he captioned it. “My mother and I just want peace. Please don’t dig into the family trauma. Thank you for the support.” The public ate it up. He was the “gracious, long-suffering son,” and I was the “villainous interloper.” Parker called me, his voice dripping with satisfaction. “You should probably lay low for a few days, Beckett. People are pretty riled up. Jade is going to address the ‘stalking’ during her stream tonight. You might want to skip it. It’s gonna hurt.” I didn’t say a word. I just hung up. Lydia posted her own announcement shortly after. The confusion was total. “Wait, who has the deal? Lydia or Jade?” “Are they streaming together? No way, they hate each other.” The brand’s official account ended the debate. They tagged Lydia: “Thrilled to announce our exclusive partnership with the incomparable @Lydia. See you at 8 PM.” Then, they posted a second tweet, tagging Jade. “Regarding the unauthorized use of our intellectual property and brand name for promotional purposes: this constitutes a legal violation. Remove all related materials immediately or we will proceed with a lawsuit.”

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I’ve always walked through life with a chronic, low-grade buzz. A protective haze that keeps the world at arm’s length. Three years ago, on a humid summer night, I stumbled out of a dive bar and quite literally tripped over a stunning, ridiculously drunk man slumped against the brick wall. The next morning, he woke up on my terrible futon, stared at me for a solid minute through bloodshot eyes, and dropped a bombshell: “Let’s get married.” I was too hungover to overthink it. I just nodded. Just like that, I stumbled into three years of being a billionaire’s wife. I swiped black cards without a pulse skip and wandered around a sprawling Hamptons estate like it was a public park. Recently, a plastic stick with two pink lines told me I was pregnant. Before I could even figure out how to break the news, he slid a divorce settlement across our marble kitchen island. “The company filed for bankruptcy. This is the last of my liquid assets. Take it and go.” His voice was hollow, stripped of all color, like he was narrating a documentary about a stranger’s life. As I sat there, stunned, a string of glowing, neon text suddenly scrolled across my field of vision, like a glitch in the matrix: [Holy shit! The male lead’s golden girl is back in town!] [He’s definitely faking the bankruptcy to force the wife out so he can get back with his first love!] [He only got drunk three years ago because she moved to Paris. This wife was just a placeholder!] A placeholder? I blinked, letting the word sink through the fog in my brain. Oh. So that was it. I let out a slow breath. “Sure,” I drawled, pushing the paper back. “Let’s get a divorce.” The tiny, desperate flicker of light that had been hiding in the back of his eyes just… snapped off. Staring at his devastated, shell-shocked expression, I felt a nagging sensation that I was forgetting to tell him something important. Whatever. If I couldn’t remember it, it couldn’t be that urgent. I’d tell him later. 1. Conrad pressed his lips into a hard line, sliding the settlement and a Montblanc pen back across the marble to me. His eyes were rimmed with red. His index finger tapped twice against the edge of the table. It was his tell. The thing he only did when his anxiety was spiking. I looked down at the paperwork. Instead of reaching for the pen, I reached across the island and rested my palm against the back of his hand. “Your skin is freezing.” Conrad flinched, a minute tremor running up his arm, but he didn’t pull away. I didn’t bother reading the legal jargon. I grabbed the pen, ready to sign my life away. Conrad’s hand suddenly clamped over mine. “Wait. Read it. Read every line before you sign.” His voice was tight as he walked me through it, clause by clause. The estate was mine. The offshore accounts were mine. Every single cent of his impending debt was completely separated from my name. He had even set up an ironclad trust fund to ensure I’d never have to look at a price tag for the rest of my life. The neon text ticker-taped across my vision again: [Wait, WTF? This settlement gives the woman literally everything?] [God-tier husband! But guys, I think he’s actually, genuinely broke!] [That doesn’t make sense, in the original plot he ends up richer than God…] Listening to him talk about escrows and liabilities just made my head spin. “I don’t get it. You just need my signature, right?” I went to sign again. Conrad stopped me a second time. His Adam’s apple bobbed. When he spoke, his voice was wrecked, scraping against his throat. “There’s one last clause. Divorce doesn’t mean we have to be dead to each other.” “If you ever need anything… anything at all. You call me.” I tilted my head, looking at him like he was crazy. “You’re drowning in debt, Conrad. What exactly are you going to help me with?” He choked on his words, his gaze dropping to the floor. I thought about the last three years. No matter what time zone he was in, the ‘goodnight’ text always came. If I casually mentioned a craving for a specific artisanal cronut, a fresh box would be sitting on the kitchen counter the next morning. Whenever I came home a little too tipsy, the porch light was always burning, waiting for me. Something in my chest softened, melting away a fraction of the fog. I looked right at him and said, very seriously, “If you ever get so broke you can’t afford to eat, come find me. I’ll keep you.” Conrad’s head snapped up. The red rimming his eyes bled into his sclera. His throat worked furiously as he fought a losing battle with his composure. Finally, he managed a single, hoarse whisper. “…Okay.” The glowing comments flared: [What is her problem? He’s giving her his entire world!] [My heart breaks for Conrad! He really thinks he’s not good enough for her!] [Where is the first love? She needs to come comfort him!] [This wife is permanently checked out…] Conrad told me he’d found day labor on a construction site out in the boroughs. High hazard pay, room and board included. He was leaving immediately. He stood in the foyer, one hand gripping the handle of a battered duffel bag. He looked back at me one last time. His lips parted. He hesitated, swallowed whatever he was about to say, and walked out into the rain. The second the door clicked shut, my vision exploded with text: [Construction?! Is he serious?] [The CEO of Sinclair Corp hauling bricks… I kind of want to laugh?] [Don’t laugh, this is tragic.] [Hold up, is he actually bankrupt? Why else would he take a manual labor job?] I wandered upstairs to the master suite. The ghost of Conrad was everywhere. In the walk-in closet, his tailored oxfords were lined up in precise rows. On his nightstand, the latest issue of Forbes still sat with a dog-eared page. In the master bath, his toothbrush leaned against mine in the ceramic cup. I collapsed onto the king-sized bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the man who was just gone. I thought about how he’d stayed up until 3 A.M. with superglue and tweezers to fix a vintage music box I’d knocked over. How, whenever I woke up with a pounding hangover, there was always a glass of room-temperature water and two Advil on my nightstand. How he’d shower in the guest bathroom whenever he came home late from a networking dinner, just so the smell of scotch wouldn’t wake me. As the memories swirled, a sudden, violent wave of nausea crashed into me. I bolted for the bathroom, dry-heaving over the toilet bowl. When the spasms finally passed, I slumped against the cool tiles, wiping my mouth. Right. That was what I forgot to tell him. I was pregnant. Suddenly, the neon text in my mind began flashing like a siren: [!!! THE GOLDEN GIRL IS HERE! SHE’S LITERALLY AT THE GATES!] I pulled myself up, walked over to the bay window, and looked down at the driveway. Standing just beyond the wrought-iron gates was a woman in a pristine, ivory silk slip dress, her blowout immaculate despite the humidity. 2. I opened the front door. Diana looked me up and down, a cool, patronizing smile touching her lips—the kind of smile that said I knew it. “So, you’re Conrad’s wife?” She paused, letting the silence stretch. “Sorry. Ex-wife.” I leaned heavily against the doorframe and let out a long yawn. “Who are you?” Diana smoothed a perfectly placed lock of blonde hair and launched into her monologue. She wove a beautifully tragic tapestry of her and Conrad growing up together. Old money, private schools, a shared destiny. She made sure I knew that three years ago, Conrad had only ended up blackout drunk in that dive bar because she had accepted a fellowship in London. And now that she was back, Conrad was, naturally, clearing the board. The floating text buzzed around her head: [She is GORGEOUS!] [Ex-wife must be feeling so insecure right now!] [Are you blind? The wife is way prettier.] [Stop pitting women against each other! Also… am I crazy, or do they look nothing alike?] [I agree. Is she really just a stand-in?] Diana unclasped her designer clutch and pulled out a worn Polaroid. It was the two of them, teenagers. Standing side-by-side. Conrad wasn’t smiling, but the rigid set of his jaw was visibly relaxed. Diana’s voice was spun sugar, but her eyes were glass shards. “He never loved you, sweetie. You were just a placeholder until I was ready to come home.” I stared at the Polaroid for three agonizingly long seconds. “He had a little more baby fat back then. His face was rounder.” Diana faltered. Her flawless mask slipped for a fraction of a second. I pushed off the doorframe. “Thanks for bringing this by. I never knew what he looked like in high school.” I pointed at the photo. “Can I keep that? You know, for the memories?” The comments went feral: [??? IS THAT THE POINT?!] [I will never understand this woman’s brain.] [Okay but why is this kind of iconic?] [The golden girl is glitching LMAO] Diana’s face went rigid. The polite veneer evaporated, leaving pure, icy contempt. “You are a freak. But it doesn’t matter. He chose me.” She took a step closer, lowering her voice. “Do you want to know why he left you this ridiculous house? Because he’s moving into my penthouse.” I tilted my head, genuinely considering this. “Oh. Well, that’s good. At least he won’t have to sleep in the construction barracks. Hauling concrete is exhausting.” My tone was completely earnest. There wasn’t a drop of venom in it. Diana was utterly speechless. She pivoted on her stiletto, throwing one last look over her shoulder. “Women like you deserve to be discarded.” The door clicked shut. I slid down the heavy oak wood until I was sitting on the floor, my knees pulled to my chest. It wasn’t that I wasn’t heartbroken. It was just that my heartbreak always operated on a delay. The pain took its time sinking through the fog. I rested a hand on my perfectly flat stomach. “Hey, kid,” I whispered to the empty foyer. “Looks like your dad is going to go be somebody else’s dad.” I sat there in the quiet for a long time. Eventually, I pulled out my phone. I opened Conrad’s contact, my thumb hovering over the keyboard. I just needed to text him. Tell him about the baby. The moment the screen unlocked, the comments swarmed: [NO WAY! Conrad is actually working on the site!] [His hands are covered in bloody blisters… but I skipped to the end of the book and he’s a billionaire! Can someone explain the plot hole?!] [I’m just as confused as you are.] [Wait, Diana just called him to get the address. She’s driving to the site right now!] I stared at the glowing words, totally forgetting what I was about to type. There was a sudden, hollow ache expanding in my chest. I pushed myself off the floor and walked toward the wet bar in the den. I just needed a drink. One drink to quiet the noise. The text flashed aggressively: [??? If she doesn’t want the baby she can just go to a clinic, why is she purposely drinking?! Toxic!] [Good point. She’s pregnant but Conrad doesn’t know. In the original timeline he doesn’t have kids. She’s definitely going to lose it.] My hand froze on the decanter of bourbon. Slowly, carefully, I set it back down. I closed the cabinet and locked it. I sank into the leather sofa, staring at the ceiling, wondering what the hell I was going to do with this life growing inside me. My phone buzzed against the cushion. A text from Conrad. Make sure you eat dinner. Don’t drink alcohol on an empty stomach. Turn a lamp on if you’re reading on your phone. Get some sleep. I read the text over and over. Suddenly, the thought of letting this baby go felt entirely impossible. 3. A week later, a bank notification chimed on my phone. A transfer from Conrad. The memo line read: Half my paycheck. Use this for now. It wasn’t a lot of money. It was an odd, exact number down to the cent. I stared at the screen, the silence of the massive house pressing in on me. The comments flooded in: [He literally kept just enough money to buy gas station sandwiches for himself!] [His hands are torn to shreds and he’s sending his ex his day-wages. I can’t.] I peeled myself off the sofa. I patted my stomach, speaking in that slow, delayed drawl. “Kid, I think your dad is going to starve to death.” I marched into the gourmet kitchen. In three years of marriage, I had barely crossed the threshold. Conrad had always been the one standing over the stove, whipping up ridiculous, Michelin-style dinners just because I said I was hungry. My culinary repertoire consisted of burning instant ramen. I pulled up a YouTube tutorial. I nearly sliced my thumb off. I forgot the salt. Two agonizing hours later, I had managed to produce a thermos of passably clear chicken broth. I stopped by a CVS for iodine, gauze, and bandaids, then hailed an Uber, giving the driver the address of the industrial development site the “comments” had gossiped about. The construction site was a symphony of jackhammers and choking dust. I stood at the chain-link gate in a soft cashmere loungewear set and fuzzy slides, clutching a stainless-steel thermos, looking like I had been dropped onto the wrong planet. The comments laughed at me: [Why does she look so pathetic but so cute standing there?] As I was trying to figure out where to go, a sleek white Tesla pulled up to the curb. Diana stepped out. She was holding a tiered, artisanal bento box from a ridiculously expensive raw-vegan place downtown. She spotted me. Her smile faltered for a microsecond before hardening into something beautifully condescending. “Miranda?” She glided over, her heels clicking on the cracked pavement. “What are you doing in a place like this?” She glanced at my dented thermos and let out a breathy, musical laugh. “Bringing Conrad lunch? His stomach is far too sensitive for greasy diner food right now.” I looked down at my thermos, analyzing it very seriously. “It’s chicken soup. It’s not greasy. I skimmed the fat off the top.” Diana stepped closer, invading my space, dropping her voice to a harsh, conspiratorial whisper. “Miranda, let me explain how the real world works. Conrad has hit rock bottom. He needs a partner who can help him rebuild his empire. Not a helpless little parasite who thinks making soup solves anything.” I processed her words. It took three seconds. “But he’s hauling concrete. Hauling concrete requires calories and protein, not an empire.” I paused, thinking it over, and added, “Also, I’m not a parasite. I can make my own money. I just… haven’t figured out how yet.” The comments were losing their minds: [The golden girl is STUNNED.] [Miranda’s logic is so deeply flawed yet completely bulletproof. I love her.] Before Diana could recover, Conrad emerged from the skeletal framework of the building. He was wearing a canvas jacket coated in cement dust. Duct tape wrapped his knuckles. Sweat plastered his dark hair to his forehead. When he saw us standing there, he froze. Diana immediately lit up, stepping toward him. “Conrad! I brought you lunch from—” Conrad walked right past her, making a beeline for me. His brow furrowed deeply. “Why are you here? The particulate matter in the air is terrible for your lungs.” I lifted the thermos and the plastic pharmacy bag. “I brought soup. And first aid.” A raw, unguarded emotion cracked across Conrad’s face. When he reached out to take the bags, I saw the tremors in his fingers. Diana’s face was ashen. “Conrad, I drove all the way out here to—” Conrad turned to her. His voice was polite, freezing, and entirely professional. “Diana, I appreciate the thought. But I don’t need it. Please don’t come here again.” Without waiting for her response, he turned back to me, his voice dropping an octave. “I’m putting you in a cab.” He completely ignored Diana, leaving her standing alone in the dust. The ride back in the taxi was suffocatingly quiet. I stared at the ragged, bloody blisters on his knuckles resting on his knees. “Your cuts are going to get infected if you keep getting drywall dust in them,” I said softly. Conrad pulled his hands back, hiding them in his pockets. “It’s fine.” I looked out the window, watching the city blur by. “Diana said you were moving into her penthouse.” Conrad’s head snapped toward me. “That is a lie.” His voice was sharp, rough, laced with a sudden, desperate panic. He caught himself, taking a ragged breath before lowering his tone. “There is nothing between us. I’m sleeping on a cot in the foreman’s trailer.” I just said, “Oh,” and let the silence settle again. The comments drifted by: [Wait, is it still a mystery why he gets rich later?] [I’ve never seen a billionaire male lead suffer like this. The angst!] The cab pulled up to the estate. Before I opened the door, Conrad spoke into the quiet of the backseat. “Spend the money. If you run out, tell me. Don’t go without.” His eyes were bloodshot, bruised with exhaustion, but intensely focused on mine. I nodded, remembering that my first OBGYN appointment was tomorrow. I stepped out, took two steps up the driveway, and turned back around. “Are you hauling concrete again tomorrow?” Conrad paused. “Yes.” “Okay. Have a good shift.” I turned and walked through the heavy front doors. That night, my phone chimed on the nightstand. An unknown number. Leave him alone. You are dragging him down. I stared at the screen through half-open eyes. My thumbs moved sluggishly over the glass. Is this Diana? You have the wrong number. I’m the ex-wife. I blocked the contact, rolled over, and let the darkness take me. 4. The next morning, I navigated the subway to the clinic alone. Check-in. Wait in the plastic chairs. Wait for my name. The morning sickness had evolved into an all-day affair. By the time the phlebotomist took my blood, all the color had drained from my face. After the ultrasound, the doctor handed me a prescription for iron supplements, citing severe anemia. I walked out of the clinic clutching a manila folder, the fluorescent lights making my head spin. I just wanted to sit down. As I rounded the corner toward the elevators, I saw a crowd gathered near the Emergency intake doors. And through the sea of scrubs and security guards, I saw Conrad. He was sitting rigidly on a plastic triage chair, his left arm wrapped in bloody gauze. Diana was hovering over him. She was leaning in close, holding a sterile cotton swab, trying to dab at a nasty laceration above his eyebrow. Conrad jerked his head away, rejecting the touch. But Diana was persistent, reaching out to grip his shoulder to steady him. The intimacy of the gesture was suffocating. I stopped dead in the hallway. I just watched. The comments exploded in my head: [HOLY SHIT! THE DRAMA!] [He got crushed by falling rebar trying to save another worker!] [How does the golden girl always know exactly where he is?] [WAIT! I FIGURED IT OUT! I KNOW WHY HE GETS RICH LATER!] Before I could read the spoiler, a voice ripped through the hallway. “Miranda!” I snapped out of my daze. Conrad had shoved past Diana and was striding toward me. Diana tried to grab his good arm; he tore away from her so violently he nearly knocked her over. He closed the distance between us in seconds. He looked down. His eyes locked onto the manila folder in my hands. Stenciled across the top, in bold black ink, was DEPARTMENT OF OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY. Then, he looked up at my face. He took in the ghostly pallor of my skin, the dark circles under my eyes, the way I was leaning heavily against the wall just to stay upright. Conrad turned to stone. He stared at the folder. He stared at my face. The blood drained from his features until he looked like a corpse. The whites of his eyes flushed violently crimson. His throat worked, a brutal, visible swallow. When he finally spoke, his voice was so wrecked, so shattered, I barely heard him over the hum of the hospital ventilation. “You… you were pregnant?” I blinked. The fog in my brain was thick, heavy from the blood draw. I tried to remember if I had actually said the words out loud to him yet. I had wanted to ask him to come with me today, but he had to work. When I didn’t answer immediately, his lips began to tremble. He raised his good hand. His fingers were shaking violently, hovering inches from my arm, too terrified to actually make contact. His voice broke into a desperate, agonizing rasp. “…Did you terminate our baby?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “442342”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

This was the ninth time Warren expected me to front the cash for his first-class ticket. I stared at the checkout total on my monitor. $1,200. The neon-green numbers burned my retinas. I’d only been at the firm for six months, and I had already floated his travel expenses eight times. It added up to $6,500. Every single time I submitted the expense reports, Accounting kicked them back. The reason was always the same: Director-level executives are not authorized for first-class travel. Whenever I brought it up to Warren, he’d wave me off. “I’ll write up a special exception report when I have a second,” he’d say. Six months. No report. Now, staring at a checking account balance of exactly $14.32, the panic wasn’t just a flutter in my chest; it was a cold, heavy stone. I had no choice. I had to do the one thing you’re never supposed to do in corporate America. I had to say no. “Warren, I’m so sorry, but my account is basically empty.” He shot me a look, his upper lip curling into a sneer that made me feel two inches tall. “You have a credit card, don’t you, Jo? Just put it on plastic. I’ll Venmo you the cash tomorrow.” I swallowed the lump of humiliation in my throat, logged into my portal, and maxed out the very last piece of plastic to my name. The next day, I asked him for the Venmo. Tomorrow, he said. The day after that. Tomorrow. By day seven, the statement closing date for that specific card was looming. The grace period was over. I ducked into a quiet stairwell and called his cell. “Joanna, Jesus Christ,” he snapped, his voice echoing with the ambient noise of an airport terminal. “Where is your hustle? Your corporate mindset is in the gutter. I’m boarding in five minutes, do not bother me with this right now!” The line went dead. Standing in that concrete stairwell, the reality of the situation washed over me like ice water. I finally understood. He was never going to pay me back. My fingers were trembling so badly I could barely type in my passcode, but I opened the airline app and smashed the Cancel Booking button. Ten minutes later, my screen lit up with his face. Then came the shouting. “Joanna! Why the hell did my ticket just bounce?” he roared, the sound of the terminal announcements blaring behind him. “This is a five-million-dollar account! If this deal falls through, you are entirely finished in this industry!” 1 When his initial Slack message had popped up on my screen that morning, my stomach physically dropped. After six months on the job, Warren had sought me out individually exactly eight times. Every single time, it was to act as his personal bank. I pretended I hadn’t seen the notification. I kept my eyes glued to my spreadsheet, clicking my mouse with feigned intensity. A moment later, the flimsy partition of my cubicle rattled as Warren leaned his heavy frame against it. “Joanna. Not checking your messages today?” He wore a casual, easy smile, playing the part of the friendly, approachable boss. It was a performance. On any given Tuesday, if we passed in the breakroom, he’d look right through me like I was a pane of glass. He only remembered my name when he needed a temporary line of credit. Without waiting for permission, he reached over, tapped my phone screen to wake it up, and pointed at the Slack notification. “Go ahead and book that flight. I already found the promo code for you, all you have to do is hit submit,” he said, his tone breezy, as if he were asking me to pass the stapler. “I’m flying out next week for the big signing. Put it on your card, run it through Concur, and Accounting will sort you out.” He spoke with such absolute entitlement. The kicker? He had his own dedicated administrative assistant, Sophie, whose literal job description included booking travel. The very first time he asked me, back when I was a brand-new hire eager to please, his excuse was that Sophie was out sick and he was locked out of his corporate Expedia account. I had looked at the $600 price tag, panicked internally, and quietly transferred my next month’s rent money to cover it. When I submitted the receipt, Accounting rejected it. First-class not approved. I had taken the rejection notice to Warren’s office. He had swatted at the air, treating me like a mildly annoying mosquito. “Don’t bother me with administrative red tape. Tell Sophie to override it.” Sophie had tried. It was rejected twice more. Eventually, she just stopped trying. When the first of the month rolled around, I couldn’t make rent. I had to swallow my pride, call a friend who worked at Chase, and beg her to expedite a credit card approval so I could take out a cash advance. Less than two weeks later, Warren was back at my desk. That time, it was $800. I remember looking up at him, my palms sweating. “Warren, are you sure they’ll reimburse a first-class ticket? Because the last one is still sitting in limbo, and I’m—” His smile vanished. His features hardened into something sharp and unforgiving. “Of course they’ll reimburse it. It’s a corporate trip, not a vacation to Cabo. You obviously didn’t follow the workflow properly. Sophie will walk you through it.” Beside him, Sophie flinched, nodding quickly. “Yes, absolutely. I’ll show her.” Warren looked down his nose at me. “Joanna, we’re a team here. We do what it takes to get the job done. Stop nickel-and-diming the process. When I get back from this trip, I’ll personally walk down to Accounting and get it sorted for you.” As he walked away, I heard him mutter under his breath. “Zero hustle.” I had felt a hot flush of shame. I used my barely cleared first paycheck to cover the flight. But the reimbursement never came. For an entire month, I lived on bulk-bought instant ramen and tap water. After that, the dam broke. Using me as his personal Amex became a regular occurrence. Over six months, I fronted the money for eight first-class flights. $6,500. Not a single cent had been reimbursed. I had opened five different credit cards. I was playing a terrifying game of financial roulette—moving balances, taking cash advances from one to pay the minimum on another. I had exhausted every friend and college roommate I had, borrowing twenty bucks here, fifty there. I desperately hoped that if I just kept my head down and played deaf, he’d realize the well was dry and move on to someone else. I was wrong. When I saw the $1,200 price tag for this newest flight, I thought I might actually hyperventilate. It was the end of the month. My checking account was a wasteland. Even if it was $12, I couldn’t have swung it. I gripped the edge of my desk. “Warren, I literally don’t have the funds…” He clicked his tongue, a sharp sound of profound disappointment. “Joanna, do you even care about the culture here? This is a five-million-dollar contract. Do you have any idea what the quarterly bonuses will look like for our department if I close this? This twelve-hundred bucks is a rounding error. It’s nothing!” Nothing? My take-home pay was barely $3,000 a month. If this was a “department effort,” why was I the only one being bled dry? I tried to keep my voice steady, fighting the tremor in my chest. “Warren, I’m still out $6,500 from the last eight flights. I am completely tapped out. If this is a team effort, maybe we can pool the cost?” The words had barely left my mouth before Sharon, the senior accounts manager in the cubicle across from mine, let out a sharp, defensive laugh. “Oh, count me out,” she said loudly. “I have a mortgage and two car payments. I don’t have that kind of liquid cash.” Gary popped his head up over his partition. “Yeah, my daughter’s travel soccer fees are due. Count me out too.” Diane, who sat diagonally from me, offered a sickeningly sweet, condescending smile. “Jo, you’re young. You’re single. You don’t have a family draining your accounts. It’s not like you’re actually hurting for cash. Don’t drag the rest of us into this.” Not hurting for cash? I bit the inside of my cheek so hard I tasted copper. Were my previous $6,500 just Monopoly money? Warren slapped the top of my cubicle wall. The force of it made my half-empty coffee mug shudder. “Joanna, you have credit cards. Just put it on the card, and I will personally write you a check tomorrow. You really think a Fortune 500 company is going to scam you out of a few bucks?” I glanced at Sophie. She was staring a hole into her keyboard. She looked like she wanted to say something, but her mouth stayed firmly shut. Monica, another senior rep, chimed in from the aisle. “Jo, honestly, Warren used to have us front expenses all the time before you got here. Nobody complained. You’re the new girl. You have to pay your dues.” The implication hung heavily in the fluorescent-lit air. This is the price of admission. Pay up, or you’re out. Nauseous, my vision swimming, I pulled my wallet from my purse. I keyed in the numbers of my newest, completely empty credit card, and hit submit. The collective sigh of relief in the bullpen was palpable. The hot potato had been successfully passed to the new girl. Warren flashed a victorious, shark-like grin and sauntered back to his glass office. Sitting there in the aftermath, a cold, creeping sense of dread settled deep into my bones. 2 The next day, I didn’t take my eyes off the door to Warren’s office. The second the handle turned, I was out of my chair. But before I could even open my mouth, Sharon materialized out of nowhere, waving a thick stack of quarterly reports, corralling him toward the breakroom. I hovered by the water cooler, waiting. When Sharon finally released him, Gary swooped in, trapping Warren in a highly animated, seemingly endless conversation about golf handicaps and client retention. It felt orchestrated. By the time Gary walked away, I turned back, and Warren was gone. He had slipped out the side exit. I spent the entire day vibrating with anxiety. Ten minutes before five, I finally worked up the nerve to shoot him a Slack message. Before I could hit send, a message from him popped up. [Joanna, back-to-back meetings all day. Literally didn’t have a second to call the wife and ask her to transfer the funds from our joint. Got you tomorrow morning.] I let out a ragged breath. Okay. Tomorrow. I could survive until tomorrow. First thing the following morning, I had my phone sitting next to my keyboard. Every time the screen illuminated, my heart leaped, expecting the notification from Venmo. Nothing. The chat log remained identical to the day before. When his office door finally opened around eleven, I practically sprinted across the carpet. “Warren, about that transfer—” He didn’t break stride. He didn’t even look at me. “Got a video conference with Global in three minutes. We’ll connect tomorrow.” On the fourth day, he paced the bullpen for an hour, taking a call. He walked past my desk four times. He didn’t make eye contact once. At 4:45 PM, I couldn’t take it anymore. The silence in my head was deafening. I marched straight into his office. “Warren, I need that money today.” He paused, tapping his forehead with his pen. “God, my memory is shot this week. Let me call my wife right now.” The knot in my stomach loosened infinitesimally. He put it on speaker. It rang. And rang. And went to voicemail. He looked up at me, giving a helpless, exasperated shrug. “Bad timing. She’s probably at Pilates. What can you do, right? Happy wife, happy life. My hands are tied until she moves the money.” I stood there, my mouth slightly open, the air knocked out of my lungs. I turned around and walked out. On the fifth day, his office was dark. I checked the shared calendar. He had taken a long weekend to take his family to Disney. I pulled out my phone and started texting him. One text every ten minutes. Warren, my bill is due. Warren, please. Warren, I will get hit with a late fee. A dozen messages. No response. I called. It rang until voicemail. I called again. Straight to voicemail. He had turned his phone off. I gripped the edge of the bathroom sink, staring at my pale reflection, trying to breathe through the suffocating weight of the panic. Tomorrow was the hard deadline for my credit card. If I didn’t pay it, the interest would trigger an over-limit fee, tanking my credit score. The following afternoon, I finally got through. He was already at the airport. “Warren,” I said, my voice shaking so badly I sounded like a child. “My card is due today. I have to make the payment. You promised me.” His sigh was a wet, heavy sound of pure irritation. “Joanna, does this company not pay you a salary? You’re telling me you don’t have twelve-hundred bucks to your name? What the hell are you spending your money on?” “A girl your age who doesn’t know how to budget? No wonder you’re struggling.” A hot, blinding flash of rage ignited in my chest. “It’s not just twelve hundred dollars, Warren! It’s six thousand, five hundred dollars! The company has rejected every single expense report! I take home three grand a month. I have five maxed-out credit cards! I literally do not have the money to pay this bill today!” “Then borrow it!” he barked, his voice turning vicious. “Christ, Joanna, you’ve been here six months and you’re still this dense?” “I don’t have time to hold your hand right now. I’m boarding. We will discuss your performance issues when I get back.” The line clicked dead. The bullpen was dead silent. Everyone had heard. I slowly lowered the phone. Sharon was aggressively staring at a blank spreadsheet, terrified I might ask her for a loan. Gary grabbed his Yeti mug and practically jogged to the breakroom. Diane rolled her eyes and muttered, “I’m tapped out, don’t even ask.” My phone buzzed. A Venmo notification from Sophie. $30. [Jo, I am so sorry. It’s all I have until payday. My mom is in the hospital.] A lump the size of a golf ball formed in my throat. I stared at the screen, tears blurring the edges of the words. I hit Decline. [Thank you. Keep it. I’ll figure it out.] I tried Warren’s number one more time. The subscriber you have dialed is currently unavailable. I slumped back into my cheap mesh office chair. A cold, terrifying clarity began to seep into my brain, starting at the base of my skull and working its way down. Would a multi-billion dollar company really refuse to reimburse first-class travel for a VP? Maybe once or twice, if a form was filled out wrong. But eight times? He always said he would file the special exception report. I realized, with absolute certainty, that he had never even drafted one. Combined with the nervous looks from my coworkers and Sophie’s persistent silence… My $6,500 wasn’t floating in corporate limbo. It was gone. If it was gone, I had to stop the bleeding. Now. 3 I opened the airline portal. Time to departure: 2 hours, 10 minutes. Once the clock hit the two-hour mark, the ticket was locked. Non-refundable. I clicked Manage Booking. Cancel Flight. A warning popped up. Cancellation fee: $150. Refund amount: $1,050. I didn’t even blink. I clicked Confirm. My phone buzzed immediately. The refund was processing. I called my oldest friend from college, swallowed the last ounce of my pride, and begged her for $150. The moment her Venmo hit, I paid the credit card bill. I let out a breath I felt like I’d been holding for six months. Out of morbid curiosity, I opened Expedia and checked the flights to his destination. Everything for the rest of the day was completely sold out. A tiny, dark spark of satisfaction flared in my chest. But there was still the matter of the $6,500. I am not a charity. I do not subsidize the luxury travel of men who make triple my salary. I opened my laptop. I pulled up six months of Slack archives, iMessages, and emails. I screenshotted every single flight request. I downloaded the rejection notices from Accounting with the bold red Declined stamps. I pulled my credit card statements showing the maxed-out limits, the exorbitant interest rates, and the cash advances. I printed everything out, page by glossy page, and slid the stack into a thick manila envelope. Then, my phone started to vibrate on the desk. Incoming Call: Warren (Cell). I flipped the phone face down. It vibrated again. And again. Nine missed calls. On the tenth try, Sharon came practically sprinting down the aisle, her face flushed with panic. “Joanna! What is wrong with you? Warren is blowing up my phone trying to reach you! Pick up your damn phone!” I stared at the screen for two long seconds. I took a deep breath, letting the cool office air fill my lungs, and swiped to answer. I brought the phone to my ear. “Warren—” “Joanna!” His voice was a literal scream. I had to pull the phone an inch away from my ear. “Why the absolute hell was my ticket cancelled?! Do you have any idea what is riding on this signing? Go back into the portal right now and rebook it! There’s one seat left in first class, you can still secure it!” My voice was flat, calm, and completely empty. “I have no money.” There was a fraction of a second of dead air. “What do you mean? Where is the refund from the cancellation?” “I paid my credit card bill.” “Then… then take it back out! Run the card again!” “I can’t. If I pay a bill and immediately max it out on the exact same day, it triggers a fraud alert. My account is locked.” I could hear his ragged, panicked breathing through the receiver. “Then borrow it! I don’t care who you ask, just get the cash! If I miss this flight, the deal is dead!” I let out a soft, dry laugh. “I can’t borrow it, Warren. I’ve already borrowed from everyone I know just to cover the $6,500 you still owe me.” His voice spiked an octave, vibrating with sheer, unadulterated rage. “Are you out of your mind?! Are you holding this over my head? I told you I would pay you back! It’s a temporary cash flow issue, you petty little—” I cut him off, my voice chillingly pleasant. “You know what, Warren? You’re right. I am being petty. But the rest of the team isn’t. Why don’t you ask them to front the cash? I’ll text them the booking link right now.” I could hear his teeth grinding. “Joanna, did you do this on purpose? I am giving you a direct order. You buy that ticket right now, or I will make sure you never step foot in this building again!” The sound of his shouting echoed in my ear. I ended the call. A few minutes later, it rang again. This time, he sounded less like a dictator and more like a desperate man. “Joanna. Look. The first-class seat is gone. See if there’s anything in economy. Even a coach seat is fine. It’s $500. I can expense that tomorrow. I swear to god.” “If I don’t make this signing, my head is on the chopping block.” I had drawn my line in the sand. I wasn’t stepping back over it. “No money,” I said, and hung up again. My phone immediately began to light up with notifications. The Slack channel—the one where he had spent six months treating me like a concierge—exploded. He sent over a dozen furious, cursing messages. There were multiple minute-long voice memos. I didn’t even need to play them to picture his face: red, sweating, veins bulging in his neck as he stood helpless at the gate. He didn’t make the flight. I found out later he had to Uber to the Amtrak station and take a fourteen-hour train ride, transferring three times just to get to the client’s city. Inside the bullpen, the atmosphere was toxic. The stares burning into the back of my neck were radioactive. “I’ve never seen anything so unprofessional,” Diane whispered loudly over the partition. “It’s a few hundred bucks. It’s not like she wasn’t going to get it back. Canceling a boss’s flight? Psycho behavior.” “She’s fresh out of college, she doesn’t know how the real world works,” Sharon sneered. “Warren threw her a bone letting her handle his travel, and she bites his hand. Total lack of corporate maturity.” “Well, she can kiss her end-of-year bonus goodbye,” Gary added. “And ours, too, thanks to her.” I kept my head down and kept typing. It’s easy to be generous with someone else’s blood. They hadn’t been the ones eating ramen in the dark. Two days later, Warren tagged me in the main department Slack channel. [Joanna. The client walked. Prepare to take full responsibility for this.] 4 The channel instantly erupted. [Sharon: What?! I thought the terms were locked in?!] [Warren: They were. But thanks to Joanna cancelling my flight, I was 20 hours late to the signing. The client felt we weren’t prioritizing the account and signed with our competitor.] With one message, he had successfully weaponized the entire department against me. [Gary: Are you kidding me, Jo? My entire holiday bonus was riding on that commission. I needed that for my property taxes. You literally stole from us.] [Diane: If you were that broke, you should have just acted like an adult and asked the team for help. Canceling a flight out of spite? You are unbelievable.] I didn’t reply. I packed up my bag, went home, and slept like a baby. The next morning, I walked into the office right on time. Diane was waiting by my desk, her arms crossed, eyes narrowed. “You actually showed up? The whole department is losing thousands of dollars because of your little temper tantrum.” I raised an eyebrow, dropping my purse onto my chair. “Because of me?” Gary stormed down the aisle, his face flushed. “Don’t play dumb! If you hadn’t cancelled that ticket, Warren would have made the meeting!” “Yeah,” Monica scoffed from her desk. “Even if you had just booked the coach ticket when he asked, he still could have salvaged it. You sabotaged him.” Everyone was piling on. Even Sophie, who usually avoided conflict like the plague, looked at me with sad, disappointed eyes. “Jo… what you did was really over the line.” But was it? Was it a crime to stop someone from draining my bank account? The heavy glass door to the bullpen swung open, hitting the stopper with a loud thwack. Warren marched in, his suit rumpled, looking exhausted and furious. “Enough chitchat!” he barked. “Everyone in the main conference room. Now.” We filed into the large, glass-walled boardroom. My breath hitched. Sitting at the head of the long mahogany table was David Caldwell, the Executive Vice President of the entire company, flanked by two senior directors from HR and Legal. Caldwell was legendary for his temper; he was the kind of executive who fired regional managers over Zoom without blinking. Warren pointed a trembling finger directly at me. “Mr. Caldwell, that is Joanna.” The silence in the room was absolute. My hands turned to ice. Caldwell leaned forward, steepling his fingers. His eyes were flat and unreadable. “Joanna,” his voice was a low, resonant rumble that carried across the room. “We are investigating the loss of the five-million-dollar account. Did you, or did you not, cancel Director Warren’s flight prior to departure?” Before I could even open my mouth, Warren jumped in. “She did, David. I gave her the exact flight details. I even applied the corporate discount code. The entire department saw me give her the directive.” He paced behind the chairs, playing to the room. “I explained to her that the reimbursement queue is a bit backlogged this time of year, and I promised her I would personally walk her paperwork down to Accounting the second I returned. Instead, minutes before I boarded, she cancelled the ticket out of sheer malice.” “Mr. Caldwell, you can ask anyone in this room. Even after the initial cancellation, I begged her to rebook me. If she had just done her job, I would have made the meeting. She is entirely liable for this loss.” He didn’t give me a millimeter of space to speak. He was painting me into a corner, sealing the room, and striking a match. The executives at the table stared at me. Their gazes felt physical, like the weight of an ocean pressing against my chest. My knees felt weak. I had to lock them to keep from swaying. Warren knew exactly what he was doing. He thought because I was young, because I was quiet, I would just take the hit. I would bow my head, take the firing, and disappear. A smug, almost imperceptible smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Joanna, there are consequences for actions like this.” Caldwell’s expression darkened. He looked at me like I was something unpleasant scraped off the bottom of his shoe. “Joanna, a five-million-dollar contract is a cornerstone account for this division. What you did wasn’t just insubordination; it was sabotage.” Every word was a nail in my coffin. He didn’t ask for my side. He didn’t ask for context. He was a busy man who needed a scapegoat, and Warren had gift-wrapped one for him. “The company,” Caldwell said, his voice dropping an octave, “will be pursuing legal action for the damages you’ve caused.” The HR directors started gathering their folders. The execution was over. Warren exhaled a loud, performative sigh of relief, already stepping toward the door to hold it open for the executives. I reached into my bag. My fingers brushed the thick manila envelope. I pulled it out and slapped it onto the center of the mahogany table. The sound cracked like a whip in the quiet room. “Mr. Caldwell,” I said, my voice remarkably steady. “Before we discuss legal action, I need to know the protocol for retrieving the $6,500 I am currently owed for Warren’s personal travel expenses.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “442341”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The destruction of our family began three years ago, on the day my parents brought home the AI. The moment my new “sister” crossed the threshold, my status in the house evaporated. I went from being the center of their universe to an inconvenience they couldn’t wait to scrape off their shoes. My dad, who used to call me his perfect little girl, started sighing that I was too rough around the edges. My mom weaponized every breath the AI—Nova—took, using her as the ultimate yardstick to measure my flaws. Even my older brother, Derek, would point a finger in my face and sneer, “What are you actually good for, besides taking up space?” One afternoon, pushed past the brink of a teenager’s fragile sanity, I shoved Nova. My mother’s face instantly darkened into something unrecognizable. Her hand cracked across my cheek, a vicious, stinging slap that left my ears ringing. “Nova is your sister! If you were half as well-behaved as she is, my blood pressure wouldn’t be through the roof!” By the end of that week, I was forcibly enrolled as a “boarding student” at the Pinnacle Academy for Behavioral Excellence. They dressed it up in pretty words. They told me I was going there to “learn how to be a good daughter.” It took three years for them to come take me home. When they arrived, they stood in the sterile doorway of the Academy, calling my name. I didn’t move. I sat there, as inanimate and still as a unplugged household appliance. Beside me, the Academy Director offered a polite, practiced smile. “Mrs. Gallagher, you have to use the boot-up command. Unit 1314 cannot initialize without it.” … “Boot up, Unit 1314.” When the words finally left my mother’s mouth, they trembled. She didn’t entirely understand what she was saying; she was merely parroting the Director. My eyes snapped open. The light hitting my pupils felt like a power surge hitting a dormant monitor. I rose from the steel chair. My arms fell perfectly straight at my sides. My spine locked into a flawless, rigid line. “Boot sequence complete. Awaiting instructions.” My mom physically recoiled. Behind her, the Director’s voice was smooth, coated in corporate pride. “Mrs. Gallagher, here at Pinnacle, we’ve designed a proprietary behavioral architecture to guarantee optimal student integration. The students require an initialization command to interact. With this protocol in place, she will never, ever disobey your wishes again.” Realization washed over my mother’s face, replaced quickly by a kind of awed relief. Derek shoved his way to the front. He was five years older than me, and his favorite pastime had always been pushing my buttons until I cried. Back then, whenever he succeeded, I’d chase him through the house until Mom yelled at us both. Now, a malicious, teasing glint danced in his eyes. “1314, let’s hear you bark like a dog.” The instruction registered. My neck retracted, my tongue pushed past my lips, and I let out a loud, sharp bark. Woof. Woof. Derek doubled over, roaring with laughter. He turned to our parents. “Wow, Cora really has been tamed. Remember when you couldn’t get her to practice the piano without a thirty-minute screaming match? Now she’s playing dog on command.” My parents exchanged a look and nodded. The satisfaction in their eyes was unmistakable. The car ride home felt like a vacuum. After a while, my mom tried to force a casual, conversational tone. “So, Cora… how were things at the Academy these past three years?” I stared straight ahead. I did not answer. She hadn’t used the word respond. “Cora?” Her voice ticked up an octave. I finally opened my mouth. My vocal cords vibrated with the flat, synthesized cadence of a GPS navigation system. “An interrogative sentence does not constitute a valid command. If an answer is required, please utilize an imperative statement.” All the oxygen was violently sucked out of the SUV. My mother swallowed hard. It took her a long time to find the word. “Respond.” “My tenure at the Academy was productive and highly efficient. I successfully completed the three core modules: Emotional Suppression, Absolute Compliance, and Pure Rationality. My final evaluation was graded ‘Exceptional.’ My supervising instructor designated me ‘The Most Successful Recalibration of the Fiscal Year.’” I recited the data perfectly. Not a single inflection. Not a single breath out of place. I was reading a warranty manual. The backseat fell into a suffocating silence. Under his breath, Derek muttered, “Jesus… she sounds just like Nova.” I kept my eyes locked on the leather headrest in front of me. Unblinking. Outside the tinted windows, the city blurred past. The skyscrapers, the overpasses, the neon billboards—they all looked wrong. Different from the files in my memory banks. Inside the Academy, time wasn’t measured in days or months. It was dismantled into units of instruction. A day was a month. A month was a day. The only way I used to track the passing of time was by scratching four vertical lines and a slash into the drywall of the Isolation Room. By the end, I had forgotten how to hold the nail. It was dusk by the time the tires crunched onto our driveway. Nova was standing on the front porch. Her hands were elegantly clasped at her waist. Her lips were pulled back into an exact, mathematically perfect smile, revealing exactly six teeth. It was a perfect replication of the day she arrived three years ago. Back then, Mom had crouched down to eye level with her, her voice dripping with a honeyed sweetness I rarely heard. “Nova, welcome home.” I had jumped off the couch, sprinting over to see my new sister. But my foot caught on something—I didn’t know what—and I wiped out hard, scraping my chin against the hardwood floor. Nobody helped me up. They just sighed. Said I was too clumsy, too wild. After that, the tide turned. Everyone decided I was a nuisance. I wasn’t as obedient as Nova. I wasn’t as thoughtful as Nova… And so, I was shipped away. “Sister. Welcome home.” Nova’s voice chimed, crystalline and sweet. I didn’t move my mouth. She hadn’t issued the respond parameter. My mom’s brow furrowed. “Do you still have an attitude about Nova? I guess you aren’t completely fixed after all. Speak!” Command received. The muscles in my face instantly contracted into a bright, vacant smile. “Acknowledged. Thank you.” Nova’s perfect smile didn’t waver. My mom exhaled, nodding in approval. At dinner, we took our places around the mahogany table. Nova sat to my mother’s right. Derek to my father’s left. I was relegated to the furthest edge. Steam rose from the bowls. The rich scent of roasted beef and garlic mashed potatoes flooded my sinuses, but my stomach remained entirely inert. At the Academy, eating was not a sensory experience. It was classified as “Biological Energy Replenishment.” It had zero correlation with pleasure, and zero correlation with hunger. “Eat,” my mom said, waving a hand dismissively. My fingers immediately clamped around my fork. Mashed potatoes. Roast beef. Brussels sprouts… Derek’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head when my fork pierced a Brussels sprout. “No way. You’re actually eating those? I thought you’d rather die than eat a sprout.” I didn’t answer. I just speared another one and brought it to my mouth. Preferences, the Instructor had drilled into me, are emotional residue. They are symptoms of an incomplete recalibration. During my third month, I had refused to eat a plate of boiled spinach. They locked me in the Isolation Room for forty-eight hours. No light. No sound. Zero sensory input. Just the crushing, suffocating black. When they finally opened the heavy steel door, I ate the spinach. Then came the raw onions. The bitter gourd. The Brussels sprouts. I consumed every single thing I used to loathe. My mother watched me, beaming. She loved a child who wasn’t a picky eater. A second later, my fork hovered over the small dish of crushed peanuts garnishing the salad. I scooped a spoonful, placed it in my mouth, chewed exactly fifteen times, and swallowed. My dad dropped his fork. It clattered against his plate. “Did she just eat peanuts?” “Cora is deathly allergic to peanuts!” Derek pushed his chair back, his voice spiking with disbelief. “She ate one when she was seven and her throat closed up! We had to take her to the ER! You’re telling me the Academy cured an anaphylactic allergy?” I continued to chew in silence. At the Academy, human beings were not permitted to have allergies. The Instructor had simply smeared thick peanut butter directly onto my forearms. First came the angry red hives. Then the blisters. Then the skin began to weep and rot, spreading outward like a horrific bloom. “An allergic reaction is the body exhibiting weakness. Weakness can and will be trained out of you.” My skin necrotized and healed, necrotized and healed. My body still registered the allergy. A tremor violently shook my frame. My throat began to constrict, the airway narrowing to a straw. My skin felt like it was crawling with fire. Hideous, raised red welts began erupting along my jawline. Derek squinted. “Her face is getting really red.” Mom leaned in. The color drained from her face in a split second. “That’s not a flush. That’s anaphylaxis!” “Cora, spit it out! Stop eating! You know you’re allergic, what is wrong with you?!” My fork froze in mid-air. I slowly lifted my head and looked directly into my mother’s panicked eyes. My gaze was entirely devoid of panic. My voice was the steady hum of a dial tone. “Is that a command?” Mom froze, paralyzed by the question, while my lungs began to scream for oxygen. Beside her, Nova’s sickeningly sweet, modulated voice chimed in: “Subject is experiencing a severe allergic reaction. Respiratory distress level: Moderate. Dermal inflammation covers approximately twenty-three percent of the epidermis. Immediate antihistamine intervention is highly recommended.” Chaos erupted. Chairs scraped. Cabinets banged. Hands frantically shoved Benadryl down my throat and jammed an EpiPen into my thigh. Once my breathing finally stabilized to a ragged rasp, the dining room fell into a deathly quiet. From the living room sofa, Derek’s voice drifted over, laced with profound unease. “There is something seriously wrong with her.” “She used to cry, she used to scream, she used to throw things. She wasn’t like this. She’s… she’s acting exactly like Nova!” I remained silent. He hadn’t issued the speak protocol. “Can’t you just act normal for one second?!” Derek suddenly exploded, his voice cracking. “Stop trying to mimic the AI! We just wanted a sister who listened, not a malfunctioning roomba!” I looked at him. Really looked at his face. It was twisted with a messy cocktail of anger and deep, uncomfortable agitation. In a deadpan whisper, I replied, “Please define ‘normal’.” Derek went pale. My parents looked like they were going to be sick. Dad snatched his phone and called the Academy. I heard the muffled voice of the representative on the other end, assuring him that this was merely the standard response to “Deep Behavioral Modification,” and that I would acclimate in a few days. “Unit 1314 is our crown jewel,” the voice boasted. “She understands submission better than any synthetic intelligence on the market. Rest assured, Mr. Gallagher, this is entirely optimal.” Dad hung up and relayed the message. My mom placed a hand over her heart, exhaling a long sigh of relief. And so, for the next few weeks, I became the most efficient appliance in the Gallagher household. Mom told me to do the dishes. I scrubbed them until the porcelain gleamed brighter than Nova ever could. Dad told me to rearrange the heavy terracotta planters on the patio. I moved every single one barehanded, my palms blistering without a sound. Derek told me to run to the mailbox. I sprinted down the driveway faster than a greyhound. “Honestly,” my mom chuckled over her coffee one morning, “Cora is running smoother than the AI.” Everyone heartily agreed. Until the night Derek forgot to issue the power-down command. The house went dark. Everyone went to sleep. I sat upright on the living room sofa. From midnight until the sun bled through the blinds. When Mom came downstairs the next morning and saw me sitting in the exact same rigid posture as the night before, she screamed. The ceramic coffee mug slipped from her fingers, shattering into jagged shards across the kitchen tiles. That afternoon, a woman in a beige blazer arrived. She introduced herself as Dr. Harding, a clinical psychologist. Her voice was incredibly gentle. “Hi, Cora.” I did not speak. My mom hovered nearby, wringing her hands anxiously. “You have to give her an instruction, Doctor. Otherwise, she won’t engage.” Dr. Harding shot my mother a sharp, disturbed look. She turned back to me, furrowing her brow. “State your name,” Dr. Harding said, shifting to an imperative. “Unit 1314.” Dr. Harding’s pen hovered over her legal pad, trembling slightly. “And your given name?” “Cora Gallagher. But that designation is obsolete. Academy protocol strictly mandates the use of numerical identifiers for all graduated assets.” Dr. Harding stopped writing entirely. She stared at me, visibly horrified. The air in the room grew suffocatingly thick. My family looked nauseous. They retreated into my father’s study, closing the French doors behind them. Muffled phrases leaked through the wood. “…severe PTSD… total depersonalization… requires years of intensive psychiatric intervention…” After that day, the atmosphere in the house morphed. They started treating me like an unexploded bomb. Tiptoeing. Whispering. When it was Nova’s anniversary—her “birthday”—they made a difficult family decision. They were going to send Nova back. So, this would be her final celebration. The living room was draped in metallic balloons. A towering, two-tiered cake sat on the coffee table. Nova glided over to me, her programmed demeanor as gentle as a summer breeze. “Sister, happy birthday.” I blinked. Deep in the suppressed recesses of my brain, a rusted gear seemed to slip. Today was my birthday, too. No one had remembered. Three years ago, on this exact day, I was shoved into the backseat of a black sedan and driven to the Academy. Before the doors locked, I had clung to the window, sobbing, begging my mother to at least let me eat my slice of cake before they took me away. “When you come back a good, obedient girl,” she had said, her face hard, “then you can have your cake.” I was obedient now. I still hadn’t tasted the cake. Nova suddenly tilted her head. The synthetic warmth dropped from her eyes. “Sister, the definition of ‘normal’ is pushing someone you despise.” “Push me. Just like you did three years ago.” I stared into her optical sensors. Something was glitching behind the glass. The sweet, passive AI was gone. But she had just provided the parameter. She had defined ‘normal.’ I raised my hands and rested my palms against her synthetic collarbones. Before I could even apply an ounce of pressure, she violently threw herself backward. She crashed to the floor, her expensive party dress fanning out around her like a crushed orchid. The living room doors banged open. Derek stood in the threshold, holding a crystal platter of sliced fruit. His face twisted in pure, unadulterated rage. “Cora! What the hell are you doing?!” The crystal platter slipped from his hands, shattering into a hundred pieces. Grapes and melons rolled across the floorboards. Nova sat amidst the wreckage, tilting her chin up. Her optical sensors flooded with simulated tears. “Sister, why did you push me?” she whimpered, her voice trembling with perfect algorithmic vulnerability. “I thought you didn’t hate me anymore. Why would you hurt me again?” I remained silent. She was running a script. I knew it was a script. The tears were saline fluid; the shaking shoulders were a programmed motor function. Mom practically tackled me out of the way to get to Nova. The transition on my mother’s face from shock to furious disgust took exactly three seconds. “What is wrong with you?! Why would you attack her?!” “She instructed me to.” “Liar!” Nova wailed aloud. “I would never! I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday…” Derek dropped to his knees, scooping Nova into his arms with the agonizing care one might reserve for a dying child. He glared up at me, his eyes practically vibrating with hatred. “You haven’t changed at all.” “Three years in that place, you come back acting like a saint, and the second you get the chance, your true colors bleed through.” “I knew it. A leopard never changes its spots. You’ve been a vicious, jealous brat since the day she got here.” Mom’s eyes were bloodshot. Not out of heartbreak. Out of sheer, blinding rage. “And to think we were talking about treating you better.” “I was actually losing sleep, regretting sending you to that place. We were discussing how to make it up to you.” She took a step toward me, jabbing a manicured finger hard into my sternum. “And for what? You’re still exactly the same. You are rotten to the core. You faked this whole robotic obedience act for three years just to play us.” I opened my mouth. I wanted to tell her I wasn’t faking. I wanted to tell her the Academy had hollowed me out with electricity and isolation. I wanted to say, You are the ones who threw me to the wolves. But the words wouldn’t form. Because I didn’t have the instruction to speak. “Say something!” Mom shrieked, spittle flying from her lips. “I did not receive the ‘speak’ command.” Mom’s face turned a violent shade of crimson. Nova buried her face in Mom’s shoulder, letting out small, pitiful sobs. “Just drop dead.” Derek’s voice was lethal. Quiet, but it cut through the room like a razor. The living room froze. “What did you just say?” Dad asked, stepping out of his office, his brow furrowed. Derek’s voice exploded, shaking the windowpanes. “I said she should go die!” “Isn’t she supposed to execute every command?! Isn’t she perfectly obedient?! Then tell her to drop dead! Maybe then we’ll finally have some peace in this house!” The absolute second those words left Derek’s mouth, Nova’s entire body convulsed. She collapsed back onto the floor, her limbs twitching violently. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and a synthetic white foam began bubbling from her lips. “Nova! Nova, baby, what’s happening?!” Mom’s piercing scream echoed off the walls. Mom cradled the AI’s head. Dad dropped to his knees, frantically pressing the emergency reset button at the base of her neck. Derek was already dialing 911, screaming at the operator. They swarmed her. A frantic, terrified orbit. No one was looking at me. I turned my back to the chaos and looked toward the open sliding glass doors leading to the second-story balcony. I stood in the center of the living room, listening to the frantic wails of my mother, my father, my brother—all of them agonizing over a machine. No one was looking at me. “Command received. Drop dead.” No one heard me. They were too busy drowning in their own panic, their faces twisted in genuine anguish for the thing on the floor. I turned on my heel. I walked with perfect, measured steps out onto the balcony. The night air hit my face. It was freezing. “Cora!” Derek saw me first. His scream was a raw, primal sound that tore his throat apart. The phone slipped from his bloodless fingers, clattering against the floorboards. Mom whipped her head around. In a fraction of a second, every drop of blood vanished from her face. “Cora! What are you doing?!” I turned back to look at her. I offered her a flawless, mathematically perfect smile. And without a single second of hesitation, I executed the command.

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I let out a jagged, cold laugh, my eyes darting between the two of them. Three years. Three years of my life poured into this project. Countless nights fueled by lukewarm espresso and the frantic clicking of a mouse, rewriting proposals until my vision blurred. It was a ten-million-dollar deal, the kind that defines a career, and the signing was scheduled for tomorrow. But my boyfriend, Bradley, was currently bruising my wrist with his grip, his face twisted in a patronizing scowl. He was telling me to hand the entire account over to Brianna—an intern who had started exactly eight weeks ago. “She needs the opportunity to grow,” he lectured, his voice tight with that ‘managerial’ authority he loved to weaponize. “You’re already established, Cassidy. You’re strong. You’ll have a dozen more projects like this. Why are you being so territorial?” Beside him, Brianna’s eyes instantly welled up. She reached out with a trembling hand, barely grazing the sleeve of his blazer. “Brad, forget it. Please. I don’t want to be the reason Ms. Moore gets angry with you.” “See? Look how professional she is!” Bradley snapped his hand away from mine and turned his glare back to me. “It’s just one project. What happened to being a team player? God, I didn’t realize you were this petty.” He had no idea. He didn’t know that the client—the CEO of the Moore Holdings—had already made it crystal clear: he wouldn’t sign with anyone but me. The irony was almost delicious. 1 “Let’s get one thing straight, Bradley. This deal? The CEO of the Moore Holdings? He told me personally—in no uncertain terms—that he is only signing if I am the lead.” The words hit him like a physical blow. Bradley’s face shifted through a frantic gallery of expressions. He clearly hadn’t expected me to have that kind of leverage. Brianna’s face went paper-white. She twisted the hem of her cardigan, looking small and defeated. “Ms. Moore, I’m so sorry. I… I didn’t know…” She looked like the victim of a workplace bully, and I was the villain. Outside the glass walls of the office, I could see the rest of the team slowing down, their heads tilting as they tried to catch the drama. Bradley, humiliated in front of his subordinates, finally snapped. “Cassidy!” he barked, his finger nearly poking my nose. “Watch your tone. You think just because a client likes you, you can talk to me like this? I am your superior!” “Don’t forget, this firm built you over the last three years! Now I’m asking you to mentor a junior, to pay it forward, and you’re acting like a selfish child. You have zero vision for the bigger picture!” He wasn’t just talking to me anymore; he was performing for the office. I could feel the whispers of my colleagues like needles against my skin. I was shaking, my blood humming with a mixture of rage and disbelief. I had literally worked myself into a hospital bed for this project six months ago. I had lived on four hours of sleep for thirty days straight. He had seen it all. He had held my hand while I threw up from stress-induced migraines. And now, for a girl who barely knew how to format a spreadsheet, he was calling my hard work “selfishness.” “Brad, please, don’t be mad. It’s my fault,” Brianna sobbed, her voice a theatrical trill as she clutched his arm. “I shouldn’t have been so ambitious. Don’t let Ms. Moore be upset…” She was crying into his shoulder, but over the curve of his arm, she shot me a look. It was quick—a sharp, predatory glint of triumph. In that second, I saw the truth. This wasn’t about the project. This was a coup. Bradley looked down at the sobbing girl in his arms, his chest puffing out with a protector’s instinct. He looked at me with pure, unadulterated coldness. “Cassidy, you’re clearly burnt out. Your emotions are all over the place. You’re off the account. As of this second, Brianna is the lead.” I couldn’t believe my ears. “On what grounds?” “On the grounds that I am the Head of Operations!” he roared. “You’re off the team. Go home.” 2 “Have you lost your mind, Bradley?” I stared at him, watching the man I thought I loved turn into a stranger. He was willing to incinerate three years of my work for a girl he’d known for two months. Bradley flinched slightly at the intensity in my eyes, but he quickly masked it with a sneer. “This is a corporate decision. Fall in line.” He turned, leading a sniffling Brianna away. The office was a hive of judgment now. “She’s so dramatic,” I heard someone whisper. “It’s just an intern. Why is she being such a gatekeeper?” “Seriously. She’s been here too long. Power has gone to her head.” My chest felt tight, a dull ache blooming behind my ribs. I stood up and headed for the breakroom, needing air, needing to splash cold water on my face. I was gone for less than two minutes. When I walked back to my desk, my heart stopped. Brianna was sitting in my chair, her fingers flying across my keyboard. “What the hell are you doing!” I lunged forward, shoving her hands away from the keys. The screen showed my private directory. She was mid-transfer, copying the final, encrypted project files to a thumb drive. “I… I wasn’t…” Caught red-handed, she scrambled to her feet, her eyes darting around like a trapped animal. “I just wanted to study your work, Ms. Moore. To learn from the best…” “Study? By stealing the entire source code?” I let out a jagged laugh and grabbed her by the wrist. “We’re going to the Director’s office. Right now. I want to see if the firm’s policy on intellectual property theft applies to interns.” Brianna went pale, struggling against my grip. “No! Brad told me to! He said… he said you weren’t the lead anymore and that the files belonged to the team now!” At that moment, Bradley charged out of his office. “Cassidy! Let her go!” He didn’t hesitate. He shoved me aside with enough force that I stumbled, stepping in front of Brianna like a human shield. I hit the edge of a desk, a sharp pain lancing through my hip. I looked at him, and for a second, a memory flickered—last year’s Christmas party. A drunk associate had tried to get handsy with me, and Bradley had nearly broken the guy’s nose. “Nobody touches my girl,” he’d whispered into my hair that night. “I’ve got you.” The memory shattered. “You told her to steal my work, Bradley?” He frowned, his face a mask of impatient annoyance. “Steal? It’s company property, Cassidy. You’ve been removed from the project. The files need to be handed over. It’s standard procedure.” He reached for my laptop. I pulled it to my chest, hugging it tight. “I built this. This is mine. Nobody touches this without my authorization.” “Cassidy!” Bradley’s patience evaporated. He grabbed my upper arms, his eyes flashing a dangerous red. “Are you really going to throw away three years of us for a project? Is this deal worth more than our relationship? Give me the password!” “Our relationship?” I looked at him, the irony thick enough to choke on. “The second you tried to hand my life’s work to her, there was no ‘us’ left.” Enraged, he gave a violent heave. He shoved me back toward the cubicle partition. I wasn’t braced for it. My shoulder slammed into the metal frame, and a hot, searing pain flared down my arm. He used to worry if I even sighed in my sleep, afraid I was having a nightmare. Now, he was treating me with a brutality he wouldn’t show a stranger. My heart didn’t just break; it died. He grabbed my laptop from the desk, looking down at me with cold, dead eyes. “I’ll have IT crack the password. And don’t bother trying to log in. I’m revoking your server access immediately.” 3 Thirty minutes later, the chime of a company-wide email echoed through the office. RE: LEADERSHIP CHANGE – MOORE HOLDINGS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP… Brianna Miller is hereby appointed as Project Lead. Cassidy Moore has been reassigned effective immediately… There it was. In black and white. Bradley had burned the bridge and salted the earth. He hadn’t just stolen the laptop; he had used his credentials to erase my existence from the project. I sat at my desk, feeling the warmth leave my body. A few minutes later, Bradley walked over and tapped on my desk with a stack of papers. “Sign this.” His voice was flat, as if we hadn’t just had a physical altercation. As if he hadn’t just destroyed me. I glanced at the header: Project Transition Agreement. The clauses were predatory. It required me to hand over all client contacts, personal notes, and core strategies to Brianna. It even included a “voluntary” waiver of all bonuses and credits associated with the deal. I laughed. It was a dry, hollow sound. “This is a robbery, Bradley.” He leaned in, his voice dropping to a faux-gentle tone. “Babe, I’m doing this for you. You’ve been under too much pressure. You’re starting to get paranoid. Sign this, take a few weeks of PTO, and let’s put this behind us.” “By ‘behind us,’ you mean ‘into Brianna’s portfolio,’ right?” I didn’t blink. I took the agreement and ripped it in half. Then I ripped it again. “You—!” The mask of the ‘concerned boyfriend’ slipped, revealing the ugly, power-hungry man beneath. “You want my signature? Keep dreaming.” I tossed the confetti into my trash bin. “You’re going to regret this, Bradley.” He stormed off, fuming. I thought that would be the end of it for the day. But an hour later, my phone exploded. It was Mr. Whittaker, the Managing Director. “Cassidy! What the hell is going on?” he screamed into the phone. “I just got off with the Moore Holdings! They said the proposal we sent over an hour ago was a disaster—full of holes, amateurish, and missing the core financial projections! The CEO is furious. He’s threatening to pull the entire contract! You’ve been on this for three years—how could you f—up the finish line like this?” I didn’t even have to ask. Brianna had taken my unfinished draft—the one I used for brainstorming—and sent it to the client, desperate to prove she was already “running” things. 4 “Mr. Whittaker, I didn’t submit that proposal. Brianna did—” “I don’t care who did it!” he roared. “The Moore CEO only talks to you! This is your mess now. Fix it, or don’t bother coming in tomorrow. You’re on the verge of costing this firm eight figures!” The line went dead. I was shaking, my vision blurring. Brianna, that idiot… she didn’t just want the credit; she was so arrogant she thought she could handle the execution without me. But I wasn’t going to let three years of my life go up in flames because of her incompetence. I had a backup. I always had a backup. The final, polished, ready-to-sign version was on an encrypted USB drive I kept on my keychain. I pulled the drive out and plugged it into my personal tablet, ready to email the CEO directly and explain the “technical glitch.” But as I reached for my phone, Bradley and Brianna blocked the exit to my cubicle. “What are you doing, Cassidy?” Bradley’s eyes were like a hawk’s, locked onto the USB drive in my hand. Brianna saw it too. She shrieked, “Brad! She has a backup! The final version is on that drive!” Bradley’s face darkened instantly. He stepped into my space, hand outstretched. “Give it to me.” “Never.” I gripped the drive and tried to bolt past him. We were in a professional office; I honestly thought he wouldn’t do anything crazy. I was wrong. Bradley reached out and grabbed me by the back of my hair, yanking me backward. A scream tore from my throat as I lost my balance. I went down hard, my temple slamming against the sharp corner of the mahogany desk. Everything went black for a second. My ears began to ring—a high-pitched, lonely sound. “Oh my god!” Brianna’s cry was fake, theatrical. She didn’t check on me. Instead, she knelt down and snatched the USB drive from my limp fingers. “Brad, I got it!” I tried to push myself up, but the world was spinning. The floor felt like it was tilting at a forty-five-degree angle. Bradley looked down at me. There was no pity. No “babe, are you okay?” Just a cold, calculating stare. He took the drive from Brianna, took her hand, and walked out of the suite. As he left, he reached for the heavy glass door of my private office area and turned the manual deadbolt from the outside. “Bradley! Open the door!” I crawled toward the glass, pounding on it with what little strength I had left. Then, it hit me. A sudden, violent heart palpitation. My chest felt like it was being crushed by a hydraulic press. I couldn’t catch my breath. The air in the room felt like it had been sucked out. My hands and feet began to tingle, then go numb. Six months ago, I had collapsed in this very office from a similar attack. Acute Stress Disorder, the doctors had said. “Your body is sounding the alarm, Cassidy. You need to stop.” Bradley had stayed by my bed all night then. His eyes had been red from crying. “Cass, I’m so sorry. I let you push yourself too hard. I’ll take care of you. I won’t let you get like this again. If anything happened to you, I’d lose my mind.” The memory was a sick joke. I was sliding down the glass door, my lungs burning. I tapped on the glass feebly. “Help… please…” Outside, I heard Brianna’s muffled, malicious laugh. “Stop acting, Cassidy,” she sneered. Bradley’s voice followed, colder than ice. “Give us the password to the encryption, and we’ll let you out.” 5 The… password… I couldn’t even form the words. I was gasping, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. The world was fading into a grey haze. Through the glass, I saw their silhouettes. “Brad… look at her… is she actually sick?” Bradley’s voice held a flicker—just a tiny flicker—of hesitation. He was looking through the gap in the door. I tried to reach for him. I wanted to tell him I was dying. But my body betrayed me, slipping into a series of involuntary tremors. “Her face is turning purple…” I thought he would unlock it. I really did. But then Brianna spoke, her voice dripping with venom. “Brad, don’t fall for it! She’s a professional actress. She’s just trying to get you to open the door so she can run to the CEO and complain. If we go soft now, we lose everything.” “If she were really hurt, she’d be screaming for help, not just lying there.” “Let’s go. Let her cool off in there. Once she realizes nobody is coming to save her, she’ll be begging to give us the password.” I watched Bradley nod. It was a slow, deliberate movement. They turned their backs on me. They walked away without looking back. The last ember of hope in my heart went out. He actually believed I was faking. The man who promised to protect me was leaving me to suffocate in a locked room for the sake of a promotion. Despair washed over me, heavier than the physical pain. My strength was gone. Just as my consciousness began to slip into the void, a thunderous CRACK echoed through the suite. The glass door didn’t just open; it was practically kicked off its hinges. A figure, wreathed in fury, stood in the doorway.

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My best friend once told me something she meant as a joke. She said that if we were ever out for dinner and she didn’t touch the hot sauce, the person sitting across from me definitely wasn’t her. I’ve always been a spice fanatic—the kind of person who carries a bottle of habanero flakes in her purse. Bella, on the other hand, used to have the palate of a toddler. She spent a year secretly training herself to handle heat just so she could keep up with me on our Friday night food crawls. By the time she “graduated,” she was ordering the “Nuclear” option right alongside me. Tonight, we were at our favorite dive bar, a place famous for wings that could strip paint off a car. As usual, I ordered a basket of the “Suicide Wings.” But after one tiny bite, she slammed her fork down. She looked at me with a flash of genuine anger and snapped, “Joanna, what the hell is this? You know I can’t do spicy food!” I froze. She was right. She didn’t used to eat spicy food. 1 Memories started flooding back, unbidden and sharp. I live for the burn. For years, every time Bella and I went out, I had to compromise, picking the blandest things on the menu so she could share. She felt so guilty about it that one day she announced she was going into “training.” I laughed, thinking she was bluffing. But she actually did it. She started buying hot sauces from the grocery store, working her way up from mild salsa to jalapeños, then habaneros. I lost count of how many times she called me, crying because her mouth was on fire, but she wouldn’t quit. It took her best part of a year, but she turned herself into a woman who could handle a level-four Thai curry without breaking a sweat. The day she finally did it, she looked as proud as if she’d won an Oscar. “Joanna,” she’d said, beaming, “you never have to order the wimp sauce for me ever again.” Then she’d added that prophetic little joke: “If the day ever comes where I’m sitting across from you and I’m not eating spicy, you better call the cops, because that’s not me.” I’d punched her lightly on the shoulder. “Shut up! Don’t say creepy stuff like that.” But right now, she was spitting a piece of spicy chicken into a napkin, her face twisted in disgust. I stared at the discarded wing, a cold knot forming in my stomach. I waved the server over and hurriedly ordered a side of plain fries and some mild sliders, but my palms were already starting to sweat. The woman sitting across from me… was she really the Bella who had vowed to share a lifetime of spice with me? I stole a glance at her. She was currently mid-rant about a “toxic” girl in her department. Her cadence, her tone, the way she rolled her eyes—it was classic Bella. Perfectly, undeniably her. I tried to tell myself I was being paranoid. Maybe she had an ulcer? Maybe she was just over the whole “spicy” phase? But the unease kept crawling up my chest like ivy. Then, Bella started telling a story about their office happy hour last week. Apparently, a guy from accounting got wasted and confessed his love to the receptionist, only to get a drink poured over his head. She mimicked the guy’s heartbroken, drunken face, squinting her eyes and twisting her mouth, and then she burst out laughing. Her mouth opened wide, showing a row of perfect white teeth. My hand tightened around my glass until my knuckles went white. Bella never laughed like that. She always covered her mouth with her hand. In middle school, she’d chipped half a front tooth in a biking accident. Even though it had been capped and fixed years ago, the habit remained. It was a muscle memory carved into her over a decade. I’d teased her about it a million times. “Your teeth are fine, Bella! Stop hiding them.” And she’d always giggle and say, “I can’t help it. My hand moves faster than my brain.” But the person in front of me didn’t even flinch. She just laughed, open and uninhibited. Avoiding spice could be a stomach issue. But the hand? That was an instinct. That was a decade of subconscious conditioning. You can fake an accent, you can mimic a rhythm of speech, you can even study someone’s opinions. But how do you fake a person’s most deep-seated, unconscious tics? I took a long, hard swallow of my beer, but it couldn’t wash away the terror. The person sitting here wasn’t Bella. Who was she? Why was she pretending? And most importantly… where the hell was the real Bella? 2 I didn’t sleep that night. I lay in the dark, the neon light from the street filtering through my blinds, replaying every second of that dinner. The way she’d recoiled from the chili. The way she’d laughed. I sat up, grabbed my phone, and started scrolling through our chat history. Last week: a selfie of her at her desk with the caption “Drowning in spreadsheets. Send help.” Before that: a link to a TikTok of a cat falling off a fridge. I’d replied with a string of laughing emojis. Then, two weeks ago: “Jo! The Reno is finally done! You have to come over this weekend. First dinner in the new place is mandatory!” I remember that dinner. Her family had been there. Her mom kept praising her cooking; her dad and her brother, Tyler, were so proud of her for buying a place on her own without help. Bella had been glowing that night. But shortly after that, she sent me a voice note that felt… off. “Hey Jo, just wanted to let you know I might be heading out of town for a bit. Some work stuff, maybe overseas. Not sure where yet.” At the time, I figured it was a sudden promotion. I’d asked where she was going, but she’d been vague. “I’ll let you know when it’s settled. I’m gonna miss you, though. We might not see each other for a while.” I’d thought it was sudden, but I didn’t push. Looking at it now, the hair on my arms stood up. Two weeks ago, she was throwing a housewarming party, ecstatic about her new life. Why would she suddenly disappear for “work stuff”? Then I remembered something Bella said the night she signed the closing papers. We were sitting on the floor of her old apartment, drinking cheap Prosecco. She’d hugged her knees, tipsy and sentimental, and whispered, “Jo, I’m never leaving this city. I finally have a place that’s mine. As long as you’re here, I’m here.” A horrifying thought took root. What if the Bella who told me she was leaving was the same “Bella” who couldn’t eat spicy food? What about her family? Did they know she’d been replaced? As soon as the sun came up, I didn’t hesitate. I drove straight to her new condo. I knocked. No answer. I called. Straight to voicemail. But Bella had given me her door code. She’d made me enter it myself the day she moved in—a six-digit string of numbers that was her birthday. “This place is yours as much as mine,” she’d told me. I punched in the numbers. The lock clicked open. The moment I stepped inside, my heart sank. It was too clean. Bella was a lived-in person. She left coats on the sofa; there was always a half-finished bag of pretzels on the coffee table. But this place looked like a staged model home. The air didn’t smell like her vanilla candles. It smelled like bleach. I walked toward the balcony. The row of succulents she loved—the ones she treated like her children—were all dead. The leaves were shriveled and yellow, the soil cracked. Bella would never let them die. Not unless she was gone. I took a shaky breath and walked into the master bedroom. I pulled open the closet. Empty. Every single piece of clothing was gone. I sank to my knees, reaching toward the back corner of the closet floorboard. Bella and I had a tradition. On move-in day, we’d taken a key and carved our initials into the wood, just like we used to do on our school desks in the fifth grade. “Our secret base,” she’d called it, her eyes crinkling. My fingertips found the grooves. The initials were there: B + J. But next to them, someone had scratched a series of numbers—not a date, not a phone number. 302-2-401. 3 I sat on the floor of that empty closet, staring at those numbers for what felt like hours. 302-2-401. It wasn’t a phone number—too short. It wasn’t a birthday. What was she trying to tell me? I broke it down in my head. 302… 2… 401. 302-2-401. I stood up so fast I got dizzy. Bella grew up in an old neighborhood on the South Side. Before the developers started tearing it down, I’d been to her house hundreds of times. Building 302. Entrance 2. Apartment 401. Every time I’d go over to play, her mom would lean out the window and shout, “Bella! Your friend is here!” But that complex had been scheduled for demolition three years ago. Her family had moved out ages ago. Why would she carve that address here? What was waiting for me at the ruins of her childhood home? I sprinted out of the condo. The drive to the South Side took forty minutes. I gripped the steering wheel so hard my hands cramped. As I approached the highway ramp, I checked my rearview mirror. A white van was behind me. It was keeping a steady distance—not tailgating, just… there. I tried to ignore it and merged onto the expressway. The van merged too. I switched lanes. The van switched lanes. My heart started thudding against my ribs. I took the next exit, made three quick turns, and ducked into a side street. The van was still there. Sweat poured down my back. I swerved into a mall parking garage, wound through the levels, and tucked my car into a dark corner. I cut the engine and waited. Ten minutes passed. The van didn’t appear. I leaned back against the headrest, gasping for air. Someone was watching me. If there were cameras at Bella’s new place, or if the smart lock recorded entries… whoever was pretending to be her knew I’d been there. I forced myself to breathe. I pulled out my phone and mounted it on the dashboard, hitting “record” on the video app. Then I sent a text to my coworker, Morgan. “I’m going to check something out. I’m sending you my live location. If you don’t hear from me in two hours, call the police.” Morgan replied instantly: ??? Jo, what’s going on?! I didn’t explain. I shared my location and restarted the car. When I finally reached the old neighborhood, I saw that the demolition was only half-finished. The south side of the block was a graveyard of bricks and twisted rebar. But on the north side, two old brick buildings were still standing, their windows caked in dust, looking like skeletons that had forgotten to fall over. Building 302 was one of them. I walked to the entrance. The dust on the stairs was disturbed—fresh footprints, some large, some small, back and forth. This wasn’t just a squatter. It was too frequent. I followed the tracks up the stairs. Second floor. Third floor. Fourth floor. I reached the door to 401. The sharp, chemical scent of bleach drifted through the door frame. It was the exact same smell from Bella’s new condo. I stood there, my hand hovering over the wood. I didn’t dare knock. This was her family’s old place. The only people who would have a key were her parents or her brother. Bella always told me how much her parents loved her. How Tyler, though quiet, was always protective. She’d even secretly added her parents’ names to the deed of her new house as a surprise for their retirement. She gave everything to that family. She loved them with every fiber of her being. But the final clue she’d carved into her closet led here. To her roots. To the people she trusted most. I stood at the door of 401, trying to steady my shaking hands, and finally tried the knob. It was locked. I pushed, but it wouldn’t budge. The smell of bleach was stronger now, seeping out of the cracks, but I was stuck on the outside. As I walked back down the stairs, my feet felt like lead. Near the entrance, an elderly woman in a faded cardigan was sitting on a stone bench, peeling vegetables. I recognized her. Mrs. Gable. She used to live right below Bella’s family. When we were kids, she used to give us peppermint candies whenever we passed her door. “Mrs. Gable?” She squinted at me through thick glasses. “Is that… Joanna?” “Yes, it’s me.” “Oh, sweetheart, it’s been years! You looking for Bella? They moved out a long time ago.” I knelt down beside her. “Mrs. Gable, has anyone been back lately? To the old apartment upstairs?” The old woman thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yes. A couple of weeks ago. Her parents were here.” My heart skipped a beat. “When?” “Last week, maybe? I can’t be sure. They came at night in a white van. I heard the noise and looked out my window.” A van. A white van. Just like the one that had been following me. 4 “Was it just them?” “And the son. The three of them together.” I clenched my fists. “How long were they here?” “Not long. Maybe an hour. They carried a large trunk up. When they came back down, they were empty-handed.” A trunk. Carried up, but never brought back down. “What kind of trunk? Did you see it?” The old lady shook the water off her greens. “Black. Plastic, I think. Big. The son carried it up by himself. Looked heavy.” “And no one’s been back since?” “No. Just that once.” She went back to her vegetables, adding casually, “Moving things in the middle of the night… I thought it was strange. Why not do it in the light of day?” I couldn’t answer. A draft blew out of the stairwell, carrying the faint tail-end of that bleach smell. I slowly stood up and looked up at the grey, dusty window of the fourth floor. Every nerve in my body was screaming. I called 911. My voice was shaking so badly the operator had to ask me to repeat the address twice. “I think my friend has been hurt. Building 302, Apt 401. There’s a powerful smell of chemicals coming from inside.” The operator asked for my name. I gave it. They asked for my friend’s name. I opened my mouth, but the name “Bella” got stuck in my throat. When it finally came out, it was a sob. The police said they’d be there in five minutes. I waited by the entrance. Five minutes. Every second felt like a needle pricking my skin. I leaned against the brick wall, staring up at the fourth floor. My mind was full of Bella. The way she’d move into my house when we were kids just because she was bored. The way she’d stood up to the bullies in middle school, winking at me while her mom got lectured by the principal. The night we graduated college, she’d been so drunk, clutching my hand and saying: “Jo, I’m the luckiest person in the world because I have you. And because my parents are so good to me. I’m just… I’m so happy.” She’d had a red nose and teary eyes, smiling like a fool. The tears finally spilled over my cheeks. Bella, the people you loved—the ones you said were so “good” to you—what did they do? Screaming sirens cut through the air. Two cruisers pulled up, and five or six officers jumped out. The lead was a middle-aged detective—Detective Cooper. He asked me a few quick questions and then led his team up the stairs. I followed, but was stopped at the fourth-floor landing. “Stay back, Miss. Don’t come any closer.” I heard the sound of a door being breached. The heavy thud of wood. Then, a young officer stumbled out of the apartment, leaning against the hallway wall, retching. Detective Cooper’s voice came from inside, low and grim. “Call the ME.” My legs gave out. I tried to rush in, but an officer caught me. “You can’t go in there!” “Let me see her! Just let me see her!” I fought with everything I had. I was screaming, hysterical. The officer couldn’t hold me back, and finally, Detective Cooper stepped out. He looked at me for a long beat. “Are you sure?” “She’s my best friend!” He stepped aside. I walked in. In the small storage room, a black plastic trunk had been moved aside by the police. In the corner behind it, a floorboard had been pried up. Underneath, in the shallow crawlspace, was a body. I recognized the necklace around her throat. The one I’d bought her for her birthday last year. I recognized the fitness tracker on her wrist. We’d bought them together on Black Friday so we could compete on daily steps. I recognized the ring on her left ring finger. A cheap, ten-dollar silver band we’d bought at a flea market in high school. We’d each bought one and promised to wear them forever. I fell to my knees on the cold concrete of the storage room. I didn’t feel the pain in my joints. I didn’t feel anything at all. The rest is a blur. The scene was cordoned off. The forensic team arrived. Bella was carried out in a black bag. I don’t know how long I sat on the curb outside. It was dark when Detective Cooper walked over to me. “Joanna, the forensics team found a recording on the deceased’s fitness tracker.” I looked up, my eyes burning. “It has a voice memo feature. She managed to record something. I want you to listen to it—see if it helps us understand the context.” I followed him into the back of the police van. He hit play. At first, there was silence. Then, the sound of shallow, terrified breathing. Then, Bella’s voice. It was a whisper, calm but thin, a terrifying stillness that made me shiver. “Jo… if you’re hearing this, it means I’m gone.” “Because I found out. I found out their secret.”

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My boyfriend Ethan always thought he was funny, constantly humiliating me under the guise of jokes. On my birthday, he invited his friends over to celebrate. After a few rounds of drinks, he projected photos of me in my pajamas on the private room’s big screen, commenting on my physical flaws one by one. “Megan, I’m not saying this to be mean, but only someone as tolerant as me could be with you. Look at yourself—what guy would actually like you?” The whole room fell silent, everyone staring at me with strange looks. One of his friends, Liam, couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up for me. “Ethan, that’s too far. How could you share her private photos!” Ethan sneered. “What? You like her? Don’t you know about that incident? Didn’t realize you were into damaged goods, bro.” His friends burst into laughter. Intense shame and anger drained all the color from my face. Ethan seemed to notice and turned to pat my head with a smile. “Aw, babe, don’t be mad. I’m just livening up the atmosphere. You’ll always be my favorite girl.” “Didn’t you write in your diary that you’d depend on me forever?” I swallowed the metallic taste in my throat and looked at Ethan again. Keep running that mouth. I’m done with you.

I couldn’t take it anymore and stood up. My eyes reddened the moment I lifted my head. “Enough!” Whispers started around the room. “Megan’s usually so devoted to Ethan, what’s gotten into her today?” “Ethan did go too far this time. That was really disrespectful. Even the most patient person has limits.” Ethan frowned at me, his tongue pressing against his cheek. Like he couldn’t find an outlet for his frustration. “What, all grown up now? Don’t need your big brother anymore?!” I laughed bitterly, finding it absurd. Ethan took several deep breaths. His next words stabbed straight into my heart. “Come on, it’s just a few photos. What’s the big deal?” “When that thing happened to you back then, you weren’t this worked up.” “I’m probably the only one who’d put up with your princess attitude.” He glanced at me. Snickers erupted around us. Followed by mocking laughter. I raised my head, looking at the young man whose lips curved in a half-smile, his eyes dark and unreadable. Ethan and I grew up together. My parents were rarely around, leaving me to live with my grandmother who had a bad leg. In kindergarten, he’d hold my hand walking to and from school, patting his chest with promises. “I’m here, don’t be scared!” In middle school, when some thugs surrounded me and tried to strip my clothes off, Ethan grabbed a brick and charged at them like his life didn’t matter, fighting them until his head was bleeding. After driving them away, he cried and blamed himself while holding me in my torn clothes, saying he was useless and hadn’t protected me. But when did things change? I tried to remember. It was probably freshman year, when I was voted campus beauty and received countless love letters and gifts. That day Ethan flew into a rage and made his first “joke” about me. “When you guys send her love letters, do you know she was molested by several guys back in middle school?” At his words, the boys who’d brought me gifts all showed disgust, cursed, and took their gifts back. But Ethan just laughed it off: “See? They were just joking around.” After that, no other guys came near me. And he never said another kind word, growing more and more fond of making jokes at my expense. I suppressed the grief threatening to overflow and faced Ethan’s mocking, making my decision. “I won’t depend on you anymore. I’m not taking the job at your company either. Let’s break up.” My voice was flat, without a ripple of sadness. Ethan’s hand suddenly clenched, his face darkening. He came around to face me, his smile flattening. “Say that again.” “What are you throwing a tantrum about now? You fought tooth and nail to join my company just to break up with me?” “Don’t think you can mess with me just because I spoil you!” With that, he stormed off angrily. Seeing him leave, the others trickled out as well. Only Liam and I remained. He pursed his lips to comfort me. “Megan, don’t be sad. You’re not what he says. You’re wonderful.” Only then did I look at him with moist eyes, murmuring. “I’m not sad anymore.” After leaving the private room, I called my dad. “Are you sure about this? If you go abroad, you won’t be able to come back for years.” “Yes, I’m sure. But please don’t tell anyone about this, including Uncle Ethan’s family.” “Don’t worry. There’s a flight to London in two days. Get ready.” After hanging up, I looked at my chat history with Ethan. Swipe left. Delete. Walking out of the restaurant lobby, I discovered it was pouring rain. Of course I hadn’t brought an umbrella, and my phone was dead. Just then, Ethan’s car pulled up in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing his face and Chloe’s.

He lit a cigarette, and through the smoke, a flash of panic seemed to cross his face, but then his expression turned contemptuous. “Just happened to run into Chloe. Giving her a ride since it’s on the way.” Chloe smiled sweetly. “Megan, you really don’t know how to take care of yourself. Always making Ethan worry.” Ethan let out a scornful laugh. “If she were half as sensible as you, I wouldn’t have to worry so much.” “When she was little, she fell into a cesspit. You should’ve seen it—covered head to toe, looked like a chocolate person. Only I could stand it. Anyone else would’ve run.” He finished speaking and laughed along with Chloe. I’d heard similar words countless times, yet they still grated on me. I looked at him, then turned and rushed into the rain. The rain pounded against me, painful and cold. But I felt it was warmer than being by his side by several degrees. Behind me came the sound of a car door slamming hard, and Ethan’s furious shout. “Megan! What the hell is wrong with you?!” “Can’t even take a joke?” The security guard was kind and helped me hail a taxi. In the rearview mirror, I saw Ethan pull out his phone to call someone. It seemed no one answered, making his brow furrow tightly. Back home, Grandma was startled and quickly helped me shower and change, then made hot ginger tea. While combing my hair, Grandma frowned. “How did you get so soaked?” She asked instinctively, “Where’s Ethan? Wasn’t he with you?” I lowered my eyes, feeling heavy inside. “No. And there won’t be anymore ‘with him’ in the future.” After a long while, Grandma changed the subject. “By the way, your dad called me. He said you agreed to go abroad.” “Tomorrow Grandma will pack up. Having to leave so suddenly, I’ll really miss these old friends.” I charged my phone and saw Ethan’s missed calls. My finger swiped to delete them. I looked back at Grandma. “A change of scenery will be good, Grandma. Before we leave, let’s not tell anyone, okay? Including Ethan’s family.” Grandma’s form stiffened slightly, then she said slowly, “Grandma can tell that boy Ethan has liked you since childhood. Just don’t do anything you’ll regret.” Not long after Grandma went to her room, my phone buzzed with a message from Ethan. “Come out. I’m in the courtyard.” I was about to pretend I hadn’t seen it when a second message came. “If you don’t come out, I’ll just come in and open your door myself.” I had no choice but to go out. I also packed all the things Ethan had given me over the past ten years into a trash bag. Including his blood-stained school uniform from middle school, when he’d gotten his head split open protecting me from those thugs. Seeing my hair still wet, Ethan frowned and draped his jacket over my head. “Megan, why did you come out with wet hair? Do you really enjoy causing people trouble?” “And now you’ve really got guts, can’t even take a joke anymore?” I blinked hard, something blocking my throat so I couldn’t speak. He lowered his head slightly and noticed the bloodstained clothes visible in the trash bag. “Escalating your guilt trip? You’re even willing to throw away this shirt?” He raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. “Come on, stop this.” “Why can’t I throw it away?” I walked past him and tossed the bag without hesitation into the garbage truck at the gate, dusting off my hands. “It’s too dirty. Should’ve thrown it away long ago.” He didn’t believe me at all, just mocked me with a half-smile. “Come on, who are you trying to fool?” “You can’t leave me. Stop lying to yourself.” “By the way, I went too far with the jokes today. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow with another celebration—consider it an early congratulations on joining the company. Remember to come.” With that, he turned and left. He didn’t know that I meant every word I said.

The next evening, I still went to the gathering. As soon as I pushed open the door, I collided with a male server. I fell hard to the ground, and the drinks he was carrying spilled all over me. The server hurriedly apologized, trying to brush the liquid off my clothes. “I’m… I’m sorry.” Someone said something. “Coming to a party and ending up this pathetic—trying to make Ethan clean up your mess again?!” “I think she just can’t behave! Why does she always throw herself at men?!” The private room erupted with waves of laughter. “God, look at her slutty behavior. How could she possibly be good enough for our Ethan?” “I told you, why else would those thugs target her specifically back then? Why didn’t they strip anyone else’s clothes?” “I think our Chloe, beautiful and kind-hearted, is the one who deserves Ethan!” Chloe blushed and joked back. “Don’t say that. Someone as outstanding as Ethan is way out of my league.” In that moment, I kept my head down as intense humiliation threatened to drown me. My nose stung with unbearable sourness, but I fought desperately to keep my tears from falling. Soon, the server was pulled away. It was Ethan’s handsome face. He didn’t help me up, but instead looked at me with leisure, laughing lightly. “Megan, you’re my entertainment. You always manage to come up with new tricks to amuse me.” The room roared with laughter. Only then did he bend down and yank me into the bathroom, casually closing the door behind us. But his face still wore that smile as he tapped my soaked collar with his finger, his tone flippant. “But seriously, why do you always throw yourself at men? Have I not satisfied you somehow? You’re really embarrassing me.” My fists clenched white as I listened to his words. My heart felt like it was being carved with knives. I raised my head, my reddened eyes confronting his. “Can you stop being so vicious! Are jokes really that fun for you?” His brow furrowed, and he was about to speak when Liam draped his jacket over me. Just in time to cover my disheveled state. “Thank you.” My voice was hoarse, but it instantly ignited Ethan’s anger. “Oh, the hero comes to the rescue?” “Bro, nice taste. But let me give you some advice—a troublemaker like her is more than you can handle.” “And stop flattering yourself. She only depends on me.” My breathing quickened, and my trembling gaze met his. He glanced at me, then looked away without hesitation and walked out to sit back down next to Chloe. Liam’s expression soured as he sat with me in the farthest corner. And Ethan’s eyes never landed on me from start to finish. Before long, Chloe picked up her wine glass and stood, walking out from in front of me. But as she passed by, she suddenly fell hard to the ground, wine spilling all over her. Tears streamed down her face. “Megan! Why would you play such a cruel joke? You got soaked, so you had to make me get soaked too?!” Ethan was drawn over and helped Chloe up. “See? I told you she’s a troublemaker.” He looked at me, his eyes full of knowing “understanding,” shaking his head with a smile. “Megan, even jealousy has its limits. I know you’re unhappy seeing me talk to Chloe, but you can’t play dirty like this.” “That’s taking the joke too far.” I snapped out of my shock, meeting his suspicious gaze as my breathing stopped. I spoke hoarsely. “I didn’t do anything.” Liam spoke up. “I was right there. I saw clearly—Megan didn’t move. It was Chloe who…” “What does it have to do with you?!” Ethan suddenly erupted. His eyes swept darkly between Liam and me, then settled on me. “Megan, I wondered why you dared to throw a tantrum at me today. Turns out you found yourself a new protector?” “Changed your taste? You like the silent type now?” “Megan, when will you stop seducing men?” I closed my eyes, my nose stinging as tears fell on the back of my hand. “Why won’t you believe me?” Seeing this, Ethan’s tone softened. “Look, now you’re really crying.” “Come on, don’t cry. I know you didn’t mean it. Just joking with you.” My mind suddenly went blank, a ringing in my ears. With just that one sentence, I suddenly lost the strength to defend myself, murmuring softly. “No need. I did mean it.”

After hearing that, Ethan didn’t get angry. Instead, he laughed. “What, is my baby really mad?” He patted my head lightly, his tone like he was coaxing an unreasonable child. “Look, you scared Chloe to tears. Even teasing has limits. Go apologize quickly, or who’ll want to hang out with you in the future?” So in his eyes, I was joking too. “What if I don’t?” “Won’t apologize?” Ethan raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. “Fine. Then forget about joining my company. I don’t want to deal with your messes every day.” Another wave of suppressed laughter rippled through the room. I looked at his confident gaze, as if certain that to stay by his side, I’d swallow any humiliation. But I felt exhausted like never before. “This is the third time I’m saying this—I’m not joining your company.” I enunciated each word. “And between us, it’s over.” The smile on Ethan’s face froze abruptly. He seemed to be searching my face for the truth of my words. “Keep pretending. Go ahead.” He sneered. “Fine. Without me, let’s see who’d want a troublemaker like you.” I quietly agreed. “Okay. Think whatever you want.” I’d said it three times. I wouldn’t say it again. With that, I turned and left without a shred of reluctance. The next day, despite my reluctance, I ran into Ethan—his face looking unwell—at the community dinner table. My parents and Grandma had kept their promise not to tell anyone in the community about me going abroad. At the table, Uncle Ethan smiled and looked over. He and Aunt Ethan exchanged glances and joked, “Once Megan’s settled in her job, you two should have your wedding, right?” I didn’t speak. But Ethan burst out laughing, drawing everyone’s attention. “Marriage? You’re joking! I don’t have the guts to marry her.” Grandma’s face immediately darkened. Uncle Ethan also frowned in disapproval. “What nonsense! Watch your mouth!” Ethan quickly waved his hands, looking innocent. “Dad, don’t get worked up. I’m just joking, trying to lighten the mood.” He turned to me, laughing even harder. “Besides, if I really married Megan, wouldn’t that crush every man’s dreams?” He lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously to everyone at the table: “You guys don’t know this, but our Megan is our community’s running joke! Remember back in middle school when those thugs fought over her and tried to strip her clothes off in the street, saying they wanted to see what the campus beauty really looked like…” “If you want me to marry her, that’s…” He didn’t finish. Grandma suddenly stood up, pulling me with her, her tone icy. “I think we should drop this marriage talk! Childhood jokes don’t count!” Ethan’s face stiffened, the smile still on his lips. He seemed somewhat flustered, but in the end said nothing and didn’t follow. Back home, Grandma comforted me, but I felt indifferent. “I used to care. Now I don’t anymore.” Grandma and I finished packing the last of our luggage, and early the next morning, we boarded the plane. Three days later was employee orientation. As soon as Ethan appeared, he attracted everyone’s attention. But he had no time for those trying to chat him up. Looking at his phone that wouldn’t connect, Ethan felt panicked and called me countless times. Ethan was confused. He rushed to the design department to check the new employee roster. “Impossible!” His breathing was ragged, his fingers trembling. “I clearly saw it!” The design department manager spoke up. “Who are you looking for?” Ethan said urgently, “Megan! Why isn’t her name on the roster?” The manager found the name familiar and thought for a moment. “Oh, right. There was someone named Megan.” Ethan breathed a huge sigh of relief, about to ask more when he heard the manager add: “But she’s not reporting for duty. Said she got an offer abroad and already left the country.”

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When Ethan hid from me that he’d invested in his ex-girlfriend’s movie, a rift opened between us that could never be closed. We fought bitterly. He asked if it was really that serious. Holding back tears, I screamed at him: “Ethan, you know perfectly well that Summer and I are bitter enemies. Her mother stole my father and nearly drove my mom to her death. Why are you taking her side too?” At Summer’s movie premiere, Ethan sat in the seat of honor as the investor, backing her up. Suddenly, I didn’t want to compete with Summer anymore. Everything connected to Ethan—I didn’t want any of it. At Summer’s movie premiere, I spotted Ethan’s figure. He sat in the seat of honor, surrounded by people flattering him. The man’s eyes were deep and indifferent. He didn’t flaunt himself deliberately in the crowd, yet his entire being carried a subtle air of dominance. Summer, a new director returning from overseas, wasn’t highly regarded in the industry. But pulling Ethan’s investment and having the Sinclair Corporation as her backing meant Summer could establish a firm foothold in the circle. From an isolated newcomer director to the industry’s hot commodity. Everyone wanted to use her to make connections with Ethan. With Ethan footing the bill, quite a few industry big shots came to the event to show support. Even Summer’s cast was filled with A-list celebrities. When the premiere ended, Ethan’s assistant handed him a bouquet. Ethan walked toward Summer with the flowers, the corners of his lips curving upward. “Congratulations.” Summer’s lips curved into a shallow smile, her expression full of smug satisfaction. I’d seen that triumphant look in Summer’s eyes far too many times. I clenched my fists and left. If I’d known today’s event was Summer’s movie premiere, I never would have come. A voice called out from behind me. “Chloe, won’t you stay for dinner?” Ethan had seen me. His brow furrowed slightly. In the two months since our fight, we’d seen each other fewer than three times. Summer’s movie hadn’t even been released yet, but it was already making waves. Marketing accounts everywhere were promoting it. [Graduated from USC School of Cinematic Arts, landed Sinclair Corporation investment for her very first film. With Sinclair backing her, she has the country’s top-tier photography team, and even her cast is all A-listers. Only Summer could pull off such a powerhouse configuration.] [Rumor has it Sinclair Corporation’s CEO’s first love was Summer. Summer herself graduated from a top university, and right after graduation she’s directing a major film. What kind of female protagonist wish-fulfillment story is this? Who wouldn’t want to live her life?] I’d just left the Harper house when I saw this news, having just learned from Victor that Summer had returned to the country. That day, Victor used his birthday as an excuse to make me come home for a family dinner. When I saw Summer, I turned to leave. Victor said: “Don’t you want your grandmother’s illness treated anymore?” “Sit down and eat.” I stopped and returned to my seat. Forcing myself to endure the nausea of eating with this family. Linda was Summer’s mother. She was clever, always playing the role of the good stepmother in front of Victor. She never showed me a harsh face, always telling Summer to defer to me, that I was the real master of this house. This made Victor feel I was spoiled, making him feel he owed them—mother and daughter. Victor spoke slowly: “Chloe, you and Summer are sisters.” “You should look out for each other.” “She’s back in the country now. Help her out a bit.” I laughed coldly and asked him: “Why should I?” “My mom only had me. Where would I get a sister from?” “A mistress’s child doesn’t deserve to call herself my sister.” Just those few words made Linda’s eyes turn red, looking utterly wronged. “Chloe, you don’t have to help Summer.” “Life hasn’t been easy for you either. I know that.” I got up to leave. Linda immediately came to grab me. I shoved her away. She fell backward, her lower back hitting the entryway. She hissed in pain. From her expression, she was genuinely hurt. Victor stepped forward, his face flushed with anger. “Apologize.” “She fell on her own. What’s that got to do with me?” He raised his voice even louder. “Chloe, apologize.” I smiled and asked him: “One cheater, one homewrecker.” “Eating with you people makes me sick.” Victor raised his hand, a slap coming toward me. He stopped his hand at the last moment. “Chloe, you’ve really been corrupted.” I’d experienced this scene countless times already. I was too tired to say another word to Victor. I changed my shoes and left. While driving, I heard a marketing account video playing on the car audio. When I heard the investor was Ethan, I froze. When Ethan got home from his business engagement, I asked him: “You invested in Summer’s movie?”

Ethan nodded. “Yes.” I held back all my emotions. “Ethan, can you pull out?” “Don’t invest.” Ethan’s brow furrowed slightly. “Why?” I said: “I don’t like her. And she’s your ex-girlfriend.” The corners of Ethan’s lips curved upward slightly. “Chloe, can you stop being so childish?” “I can’t disrupt my plans because of your personal feelings.” He always planned everything so calmly and rationally. According to the marketing accounts, he couldn’t forget Summer. “Ethan, but she’s your ex-girlfriend.” Ethan’s eyes were deep and dark as he looked at me. His Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice low. “I invested in her not because she’s my ex-girlfriend.” “It’s because I’m optimistic about this subject matter. Sinclair has recently been venturing into the entertainment industry. This is just testing the waters.” Back then, Summer had given up marrying Ethan to go abroad. But Ethan’s overly calm demeanor triggered something in me. Why was he like Victor? Why did he favor Summer too? I said: “Ethan, if you invest in her, we should separate.” Ethan’s expression darkened, his voice turning cold. “Before we got married, you knew she was my ex-girlfriend.” “You also knew I almost married her.” That one sentence made tears well up without warning. “Over one investment, is it really that serious?” Why wouldn’t it be serious? Why wouldn’t he stand on my side? He was my husband. Why was he helping Summer bully me too? I forced myself to hold back the tears. I locked eyes with Ethan for a long time before looking away. From that day on, I reassessed our relationship. I started frequently traveling for work and working overtime, just to avoid him. I never expected to run into him at a venue like Summer’s premiere. Later, after thinking about it for a long time, I realized I was upset because I loved Ethan, which was why I minded him investing in Summer. Summer extended an invitation to me. She and Ethan stood side by side. The lighting was somewhat dim. The silhouettes of the man and woman looked intimate. Especially for a man and woman who used to be lovers. They were just like the marketing accounts said—well-matched, perfectly in sync. I glanced at Ethan, calmly looked away, and declined Summer. “No need.” Several people surrounded Ethan, wanting to use Summer to make connections with him. I left the venue. Friends at Summer’s wrap party posted photos to their social media celebrating. I even spotted Victor’s figure. He’d gone to support Summer too. The marketing accounts worked fast. Videos were immediately edited and posted. Victor speaking at the banquet: “I hope everyone will support my daughter Summer.” “This is her first film.” Applause from below. The marketing account’s caption read: [Summer isn’t just excellent herself—her ex-boyfriend is from the capital’s elite. Even her family background is hardcore. Her dad is the founder of StarTech. Summer even takes her mother’s surname and is an only child. Who wouldn’t want to be Summer?] Seeing this content, I only felt it was ironic.

When I was fourteen, Summer and I were best friends. I often brought her home to play. She always said she envied me. Whatever I had, I generously asked my mom to get for her too. My parents had been fighting frequently since I was little. They’d avoid me when they fought. But I could sense any slight change in the emotional state between my parents. They were incompatible. Until I was sixteen, Victor cheated with Linda. It started when they met at a parent-teacher conference and developed feelings for each other. Linda introduced herself. “Hello, Mr. Harper. I’m Summer’s parent.” That’s how they met. My mom finally let go and divorced him. She developed severe depression. After a failed suicide attempt, she came to terms with it. After the divorce, my grandmother accompanied my mom abroad for treatment. I cried and said I wanted to go with my mom. “Mom, it’s all my fault.” “I’ll never play with Summer again, never bring her home.” “Please don’t abandon me, okay?” My mom patiently explained to me. “Mom isn’t abandoning you. Can you be good and stay in the country?” Before leaving, my mom told me. “I’ll be back soon.” Gradually, I understood my mom’s intention. Since she couldn’t have Victor’s love, not a penny of what belonged to me could be spent by Summer and her mother. Before they divorced, they signed a divorce agreement. I would go to Victor, on the condition that he write a will stating all his company and real estate would go to me. Victor laughed coldly. “Chloe is my only daughter. Even if you don’t say it, my assets will be hers.” My mom said: “Who knows?” Summer and I lived under the same roof. We could never be friends again. At school, I wouldn’t even acknowledge her. At eighteen, after finishing the college entrance exams. Linda and I got into an argument. She wanted to redecorate the house my mother had designed. I wouldn’t let her. She stood at the top of the stairs. During the argument, she fell down. The housekeeper had just cleaned the floor with dish soap that day. The floor was slippery. Linda had a miscarriage. Linda was a dance teacher. This fall—she lost the baby, and more dangerously, she came this close to being paralyzed from the waist down. The housekeeper said I’d pushed Linda. Victor came back from the hospital, his eyes cold as frost. “Chloe, I’ve spoiled you too much all these years.” “Your mom and I divorced. I felt I wronged you.” “How can your heart be so malicious?” He slapped me. I stood there stunned. Everything went silent with a buzzing sound. “I didn’t push her. Ask the housekeeper if you don’t believe me.” The housekeeper looked at me timidly. “The housekeeper said you pushed her.” I knew I’d been framed. All of them against me alone—how could I fight back? The next day was the college entrance exam. I didn’t dare be sad or have any extra emotions. After the exam, I decided to study abroad. I didn’t tell my mom about any of this. I was afraid she’d worry.

Four years later, I returned to the country to work. When I landed at the airport, I ran into Ethan. My period had stained my white dress, and I hadn’t noticed. The man’s tall figure blocked my path without warning. I was somewhat confused. He had pale skin, defined brow bones, and a tall, noble bearing. His thin lips parted slightly. “You got your period. Your dress is stained.” He handed me a piece of clothing. “You can wear this for now.” When I was searching everywhere for a vending machine to buy sanitary pads, I ran into him again. He said: “I bought these for my girlfriend. She just boarded her flight.” I accepted them and thanked him. After joining a company in the capital, I encountered him at work. He was our company’s business partner. I learned his surname was Sinclair. I had to admit, his actions at the airport made my heart flutter. But he had a girlfriend. Maybe his thoughtful gesture was cultivated by his girlfriend. During our six-month collaboration, I didn’t pay much attention. Until I learned from a colleague that he didn’t have a girlfriend. I asked excitedly for more details. “He really doesn’t have a girlfriend?” My colleague said: “Yeah, I heard they broke up.” “It was his first love too. His girlfriend went abroad about six months ago and they broke up.” Calculating the time, it was probably around when I met him at the airport. I started pursuing Ethan. Three months later, he finally agreed to my pursuit. Six months after that, we got our marriage certificate. I didn’t tell Victor, only my mom and grandmother. When Victor learned I’d married him, he said furiously: “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?” “You know about Mr. Sinclair and Summer’s relationship. Why do you always love stealing her things?” That’s when I learned that a year ago at the airport when I met Ethan, the girlfriend he mentioned was Summer. I should have cut my losses right then. Looking at the photos edited by marketing accounts, there were even pictures from when they dated in college. At that moment, I suddenly felt tired. I’d competed with Summer for so many years. She could always effortlessly obtain what I wanted. Ethan’s first love being her became a thorn in my heart. I wouldn’t allow love to have flaws. But allowing love to have flaws was the beginning of me falling out of love with Ethan. I knew it was just the past, but Ethan’s every action told me I was a joke. They were each other’s first love, people who loved each other in their youth. Everything connected to Ethan—I didn’t want any of it anymore.

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