Author: Momo Chan

At my 25th birthday gala, while I had my eyes closed making a wish, my best friend slapped me hard across the face. Three times. I stood frozen in shock, clutching my burning, red cheek. Brooke raised her phone, filming me with a teasing laugh. “They say if you slap your best friend three times, you get ten thousand dollars. Would you do it? I didn’t hesitate for a single second!” “So, when is my ten grand hitting my account?” My boyfriend, Tyler, let out a soft laugh. He pulled out his phone and Venmoed her on the spot. “You actually believed that silly TikTok challenge?” “Well, since today is Chloe’s birthday, I’ll make your wish come true.” After receiving the money, Brooke wrapped her arm around mine and smiled sweetly. “Chloe, babe, it was just a joke.” “You’re not actually mad, right?” A chill ran down my spine. I grabbed Brooke by her jaw, wound up my hand, and slapped her back. Twelve times in a row. Then I turned to my stunned boyfriend, smiling sweetly. “That’ll be forty thousand dollars, please!” 1 Tyler finally snapped out of it, looking at me like I was a monster. “Chloe Henderson! She’s your best friend! How could you hit her that hard?” He immediately turned to Brooke, cupping her face to inspect the swelling. Brooke held her cheeks, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. “Chloe, we are done! I am never speaking to you again!” With that, she ran out of the banquet hall, sobbing. Tyler shot me a furious glare before chasing after her. His look said it all. He was blaming me for ruining Brooke’s mood. Today was my 25th birthday gala. Aside from my parents, who were currently in London on business, I had invited all my relatives. If things hadn’t gone sideways, we were supposed to announce my engagement to Tyler right about now. But now, the groom-to-be was gone. My relatives sat in awkward silence, none of them daring to make eye contact with me. I took a deep breath and forced a polite smile. “Everyone, thank you for coming.” “Initially, I wanted to use this party to announce my engagement to Tyler Vance.” “But that’s no longer happening. The engagement is off.” “Please don’t feel awkward. Eat, drink, and have fun. Today is still my birthday. Let’s celebrate!” The room fell dead silent for a second, followed by quiet whispers. But I didn’t care. I sat back down at the head table, completely composed. Aunt Sarah was the first to speak up, smiling warmly. “Well, Tyler clearly can’t tell a diamond from a piece of glass. He was never good enough for you anyway.” Uncle Frank chimed in immediately. “Exactly! Chloe is the crown jewel of the Henderson family. Who does Tyler think he is?” “Your uncle will find you someone ten times better!” The guests laughed, and the tense atmosphere slowly warmed up. Near the end of the party, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a Snapchat message from Tyler: “I managed to calm Brooke down. Come home, give her a proper apology, and we’ll put this behind us.” Expressionless, I locked my phone screen. Memories of our past flashed through my mind. I had always cherished my friendship with Brooke. I truly treated her like chosen family. But in the past, whenever we had a disagreement, she would give me the silent treatment until I bowed my head and apologized first. Over time, she got spoiled. She thought she could treat me however she wanted and make any offensive joke she pleased. If I didn’t cater to her every whim, I was the bad guy. And after I started dating Tyler, things got even worse. At first, Tyler used to complain about Brooke, calling her a spoiled, dramatic brat. But later on, whenever Brooke and I argued, he stopped caring about who was right. He would always run to comfort Brooke first. Then he’d turn around and lecture me: “Brooke is just sensitive. You have a better temper, so just let her have her way.” I let her have her way, over and over again. I endured it for so long that I almost forgot who I really was. I am not a pushover. After the party ended, I went down to the parking garage alone to get my car. From a distance, I saw my sports car’s headlights were on. Tyler was in the driver’s seat. Brooke was lounging comfortably in the passenger seat, her bare legs stretched out on the dashboard, looking incredibly cozy. The two of them were leaning close, laughing and chatting. I walked up and tapped on the window. Hearing the sound, Brooke’s smile instantly vanished. She pretended not to see me, staring straight ahead with her chin up, putting on quite the show. Tyler rolled down the window and frowned, signaling me with his eyes. “Chloe, apologize to Brooke right now. You were completely in the wrong today.” I crossed my arms and stayed silent. I wasn’t the one who initiated the violence. Why should I be the one to apologize? 2 Brooke lifted her chin even higher, her tone arrogant and dismissive. “Like I’d even care about her apology.” My face remained blank. “I’m not apologizing.” Brooke froze, clearly shocked that the usually submissive me would talk back. She immediately turned to Tyler, whining poutily, “Let’s go! She’s being impossible! You can’t even reason with her!” Tyler got out of the car, grabbed my arm, and dragged me to the side, his face full of impatience. “What is wrong with you today? It’s just a simple apology! Do you have any idea how soft-hearted Brooke is? She insisted on staying here to wait for you so we could go home together. She’s giving you an easy way out!” I violently yanked my hand back and said coldly, “I don’t need her charity.” Hearing this, Brooke scoffed from inside the car and urged, “Tyler, stop wasting your breath on her! Let’s just leave!” I didn’t want to waste another second arguing. I marched over and threw open the passenger door. “Get out.” Brooke gasped, staring at me in disbelief. I looked down at her coldly. “This is my car. If you two want to leave, figure it out yourselves.” Brooke ended up crying as she scrambled out of the car. “Brooke!” Tyler tried to grab her hand, but she shook him off. He turned around to glare at me. But I didn’t give him the chance. I slammed the door, stepped on the gas, and my sports car roared out of the parking garage, leaving them in the dust. In the rearview mirror, Tyler’s face was a blank slate of shock. I didn’t go straight home. I went to my family’s office first. Today, I was supposed to sign and hand over a stock transfer agreement to Tyler right after the engagement announcement. It was a 10% share of the Henderson Group—a pre-nuptial gift my parents had prepared for me. The money wasn’t a big deal to my family. My parents, who were often abroad, just wanted to make sure Tyler would treat me well for the rest of my life. In my office drawer, the brand-new agreement was lying quietly. I took out a pen, crossed out every single clause, and signed my name to void it. Generosity is only valuable when given to someone who appreciates it. This heavy wedding gift had now turned into a useless piece of scrap paper. After handling the paperwork, I drove back to our shared apartment. I walked up to the front door and entered the passcode I knew by heart. The screen flashed: *Incorrect passcode.* I paused, tried twice more, but the result was the same. The passcode had been changed. I pulled out my phone and called Tyler. The next second, a familiar ringtone echoed from inside the apartment. It rang for barely a second before being hastily declined. Then, the smart doorbell screen lit up. Tyler’s cold face appeared on the screen. But in the corner of the camera feed, I caught a glimpse of a white silk robe. I knew that robe too well. It was Brooke’s signature loungewear. A cold smirk played on my lips. “Open the door.” “Do I need to remind you whose name is on the deed?” “Chloe, both of our names are on this property. I am a co-owner.” I didn’t argue. I just watched him play his pathetic game. This apartment was bought by Tyler’s parents to make our commute easier, and they intended it to be our wedding home. Both of our names were registered on the title. After a tense silence, Tyler’s tone softened slightly. “Chloe, stop throwing a temper tantrum like a child.” “Apologize to Brooke, and I’ll let you in.” “You really disappointed her today.” 3 I looked at the white silk hem fluttering in the corner of the screen and suddenly laughed out loud. Tyler frowned. “This is the second time Brooke has tried to make peace with you. Don’t be ungrateful and keep acting crazy.” I raised my phone to the camera and smiled mockingly. “Oh, I can act much crazier than this.” “For instance, I could call your dad right now and cry to him.” “In fact, he just texted me wishing me a happy birthday.” Tyler’s face instantly went pale. “Don’t call him!” The man who had been refusing to let me in just a second ago threw the door open in a panic. I brushed past him and walked straight inside. Hearing the door open, Brooke flinched. She didn’t even dare to look me in the eye. Clutching her slippers, she bolted into the guest bedroom, slamming and locking the door behind her. Standing in the middle of the living room, staring at the locked door, a memory from a year ago flashed through my mind. Back then, we had just graduated from grad school. Brooke had no family in the city and couldn’t find a decent place to live. When she was at her lowest, she showed up at my doorstep with her suitcase, crying her eyes out. She begged me to rent her my spare bedroom. My heart softened, and I agreed immediately. I charged her a symbolic rent of $500 a month. To protect her, we even signed a formal lease agreement. But for the past six months, she hadn’t paid a single dime. Knowing her financial situation was tight, I never brought it up. Tyler finished his call and quickly stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “Enough! Brooke got slapped so many times today. She cried all afternoon. She has suffered enough. Don’t go in there to provoke her and hurt her more!” I slowly looked up at him. At this moment, I had to admit my taste in men was utterly garbage. Otherwise, how could I have ended up with such a pathetic boyfriend and a toxic best friend? Ignoring Tyler, I went straight into the master bedroom to pack my things. Seeing me pull out my suitcase, Tyler began to panic. “What are you doing? Why are you packing?” “I only asked you to apologize! I’m not kicking you out!” I folded my shirts and packed them into the suitcase one by one. “Tyler, don’t you get it?” “I’m dumping you.” Tyler froze, his pupils shrinking in disbelief. He stood there for a few seconds before letting out a nervous laugh, his eyes filled with arrogance. “Chloe, stop playing games.” “Over a small argument? You’re breaking up with me over this?” He stepped forward, trying to grab my wrist. “I’ve been patient enough with you. You were the one who resorted to violence today, and I didn’t even hold it against you.” Without looking up, I said calmly: “A small argument?” “Tyler, on my 25th birthday, in front of my entire family.” “Brooke slapped me in the face for some cheap cash, and you happily Venmoed her to cheer her on.” “And to you, that’s just a small argument?” Tyler choked on his words, his face turning red and white. “Brooke… she’s just immature. She loves playing around. She didn’t mean any harm.” “Why do you have to be so stubborn?” I finally stopped packing and looked him dead in the eye. “She’s immature, and what about you?” “When I was publicly humiliated, you didn’t protect me.” “But the moment she sheds a few tears, your heart bleeds for her.” “Tyler, whose boyfriend are you anyway?” Without a second of hesitation, Tyler replied, “Of course I’m your boyfriend!” “But didn’t you tell me to look out for Brooke in the first place?” 4 I didn’t answer him right away. While packing, I suddenly noticed that my designer mink coat—the one at the very back of the closet—was missing. My mom had bought it for me at a luxury auction in Paris last year. Because I rarely wore it, I kept it tucked away in the back. If you weren’t looking for it, you wouldn’t even know it was there. But now, after clearing out my clothes, that spot was completely empty. I spun around to face Tyler. “Where is my mink coat?” A flash of extreme guilt and panic crossed Tyler’s face. But he quickly recovered, pretending to be nonchalant. “Isn’t it in the closet? Are you sure you didn’t misplace it somewhere else?” He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around me from behind. “If it’s lost, let it go. Don’t be mad. I’ll buy you the exact same one.” “Just stop talking about leaving and breaking up, okay?” My body went completely rigid. A faint but familiar scent of gardenia perfume drifted into my nose. It was the perfume Brooke wore year-round. The scent was stuck to him, making my stomach churn with disgust. I pushed him away with all my might. “Did Brooke take my coat?” Tyler immediately frowned and defended her. “No way! Stop making wild accusations.” “Whether it’s a wild accusation or not, I’m going to check.” I marched out of the master bedroom. As soon as I stepped out, I heard a sharp, panicked rustle of a door closing from Brooke’s room. Clearly, she had been eavesdropping the entire time. I stood in front of her door, my tone flat, giving her one last chance to be civil. “Open the door.” After a few seconds of silence, the door cracked open slightly. Brooke peeked out with one teary eye, looking extremely guilty. “Did you borrow my mink coat?” I asked directly. Brooke instinctively looked at Tyler behind me. Tyler immediately softened his voice, trying to reassure her. “It’s okay, Brooke. If you took it, just bring it out. No one’s going to get mad.” With Tyler backing her up, Brooke suddenly found her courage. She turned and walked back into her room. I pushed the door fully open. The next second, my heart stopped. My $150,000 custom-made designer mink coat was casually laid out on the floor right in front of her bathroom door, being used as a bath mat. The top-tier fur, which was supposed to be glossy and luxurious, was now grey, matted, and ruined. Several patches of fur had been rubbed completely bald, making it utterly unsalvageable. Brooke pinched the corner of the dirty coat with two fingers, looking disgusted, and tossed it toward me. “Here’s your coat. Take it.” I didn’t touch it. Instead, I pulled out my phone, opened the camera, and recorded a clear video of the ruined coat on the floor. I needed to preserve every bit of evidence. Seeing this, Tyler rushed forward to block my camera, shielding Brooke behind him. His tone was full of accusation: “Chloe, what are you doing? It’s just a coat! Why do you have to make such a big scene?” I laughed out of sheer anger. “Tyler, do you have any idea how much this coat costs?” Brooke poked her head out from behind him, her chin tilted up defensively. “Why are you being so stingy? It’s just an old coat! You never even wear it. It was just sitting in your closet gathering dust. I thought you didn’t want it anymore. What’s wrong with using it as a mat?” I raised an eyebrow, locking my cold gaze on her. “You certainly have an eye for luxury.” “Out of dozens of coats in my closet, you managed to pick the most expensive one. A $150,000 designer piece, used as a bath mat.” The moment the words “$150,000” left my mouth, all the color drained from Brooke’s face. She turned pale as a ghost. She clutched Tyler’s sleeve, her voice trembling. “Tyler… what do I do? I didn’t know it was that expensive…” Tyler patted her back gently to comfort her. “Don’t worry, I’m here.” I watched their pathetic display in silence. Tyler pulled out a blank checkbook from his suit pocket and thrust a check in front of me. “Chloe, it’s just money. Write down whatever number you want.” “I’ll pay for Brooke. Let’s end this here, and stop making things hard for her.” I looked down at the blank check, finding it incredibly hilarious. I asked him: “She ruined it. Why are you the one paying?” Tyler furrowed his brows. “What’s the difference?” “My money, her money, it’s all the same. Do you really have to be this petty over such a small thing?” At that moment, I checked out completely. I took the check from his hand. Under their stunned gazes, I ripped it into shreds and let the pieces flutter to the floor. Before they could react, I dialed 91″Hi, I’d like to report a crime.” “Someone has intentionally destroyed my personal property worth $150,000.”

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On my very first day moving in, my neighbor across the hall tagged me in the building’s Snapchat group. She demanded $1,500 in emotional distress damages. And the source of this entire drama? A tiny, palm-sized cardboard shipping box sitting near my door. Holding this innocent little box, I marched over, knocked on her door, and tearfully recited its “Ten Deadly Sins.” The moment my performance ended, I instantly switched back to my cold, calm self. “Hello, neighbor from Unit 1701. To ensure your mental and physical health as a pregnant woman, I have personally directed and performed this masterpiece for you: The Ten Deadly Sins.” “Now, please pay my fees. I’ll need compensation for directing, scriptwriting, labor, props, acting, and most importantly—mental strain.” “That brings your total to $6,000. Deducting the $1,500 you claimed for ’emotional distress,’ you still owe me $4,500. How would you like to pay?” I had just moved into my new apartment, only to find out my new neighbor was an entitled, psychotic pregnant woman. On day one, I saw her tagging me in the building’s Snapchat group. Unit 1703, you deliberately left your trash by your door during your move last night. It caused me to trip and get hurt. This has seriously impacted my daily life. I am pregnant. You need to pay for my Uber to the hospital, my medical bills, local anesthesia, and a tetanus shot. Oh, and emotional distress damages. The total is $1,500. Venmo me now if you want to settle this. I read the three messages from Unit 1701 five times to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. I even scanned the Venmo QR code she attached to make sure it was a real payment link, not some weird, friendly welcome joke from a neighbor. Wow. Brenda from Unit 1701 wasn’t joking. She was actually trying to scam me! I quickly ran to my front door, opened it, and stared at the tiny cardboard box sitting in the corner. “You? You don’t even have sharp corners. How did you give a pregnant woman tetanus?” “You? A little box that can be crushed with one light step, and you caused her enough ‘mental trauma’ to demand $1,500?” I picked up the box, put on my best dramatic face, and knocked on Brenda’s door. The door opened, revealing the pregnant woman I had briefly seen during my move a couple of days ago. She looked about four months pregnant, barely showing. Seeing it was me, a smug smile spread across her face. One of her hands gently caressed her belly, while the other pulled out her phone. “Ah, Unit 1703. Are you here to apologize? I don’t need your cheap words. “ “If apologies worked, we wouldn’t need the police! Come on, scan the code. Let’s get this over with. $1,500, not a single penny less!” Staring at the Venmo code on her screen, my face instantly fell into an expression of deep, tragic grief. “This cardboard box is truly evil! It has committed unforgivable crimes!” “Sin number one: A shipping box should be in the recycling bin, not outside Unit 1703!” “Sin number two: This box took up one percent of the hallway, a blatant waste of public space!” “Sin number nine: Leaving a box outside caused our neighbor immense eye strain, inflicting a critical hit to her mental health and leaving her state of mind in absolute tatters!” “And finally, the tenth and most severe sin: This box caused Brenda from Unit 1701 such ‘severe injuries’ that if I hadn’t rushed over to apologize right now, her invisible wounds would have already healed!” My speech started with a mock-serious “analysis of the crime scene” and ended with pure, dripping sarcasm. Brenda’s face grew uglier by the second. With the list of sins completed, it was time to wrap up the show. The dramatic grief vanished from my face. I instantly flashed her a warm, professional smile. “Hello, Brenda. To ensure your mental and physical health as a pregnant woman, I have personally directed and performed this masterpiece for you: The Ten Deadly Sins.” “Now, please pay my fees. I’ll need compensation for directing, scriptwriting, labor, props, acting, and most importantly—mental strain.” Without missing a beat, I pulled out my phone, opened my PayPal, and tapped her screen right under her shocked gaze. I typed in “$5,000” on the payment request screen. “That brings your total to $6,000. Deducting the $1,500 you claimed for ’emotional distress,’ you still owe me $4,500. How would you like to pay?”

“This is fraud! This is extortion! I’m calling the cops on you!” Brenda shrieked, spit flying from her mouth. She looked ready to throw me in jail himself. I quickly took two steps back to avoid her flying saliva. Then, blinking innocently, I pulled my professional credentials out of my pocket. “I’ve been a professional director and writer for eighteen years. I’ve worked on multiple hit TV shows. My rates are industry-standard and completely transparent.” “Or are you saying, Grandma, that you watched my show but don’t want to pay? That’s not very nice. It’s only $4,500. Why make life hard for a poor creative? Just pay up!” The moment I called her “Grandma,” her face turned bright red with rage. “Who are you calling Grandma?! You little bitch! How dare you disrespect me! You better pay my medical bills and emotional distress fees right now, or I will make your life a living hell!” “Oh, Grandma, I know I’m pretty, but you don’t need to keep complimenting me. I’m already very satisfied with my looks!” “You shameless whore! Do you have any idea who my husband is?! How dare you speak to me like that! Now, even if you give me $1,500, it won’t be enough. The price just went up. I want $10,000!” This crazy woman was truly something else. Ten thousand dollars? Did she think her brain was made of solid gold? Before I could even retort, Brenda suddenly gasped, clutched her stomach, and slid down to sit on the floor. She started wailing at the top of her lungs, holding up her phone to record my face. She immediately began uploading videos to the building’s Snapchat group, screaming that I was abusing a pregnant woman. Without hesitating, I copied her. I dropped my butt right onto the floor and started crying even louder than she was. Brenda froze, looking at me in utter disbelief. “What the hell are you doing? Are you insane?!” I wailed at the top of my lungs, my voice dripping with exaggerated agony. “It’s my first day in my new home, and my neighbor is maliciously framing and extorting me!” “I am not! Get up! Stop lying!” “Sob… my life is so hard! On my very first day, my delusional neighbor claims my innocent cardboard box came to life, and now she’s extorting me for $10,000 over a scratch that’s already healed! I’m so miserable!” “You’re lying! You left stuff in the hallway and hurt me!” I stopped crying in a split second and looked at her coldly. I pulled out my phone and opened the camera app. Thank God I was a paranoid person. The very first thing I did when I moved in was install a smart peephole camera on my door. Brenda’s eyes darted around nervously. She began to stutter. “H-how do I know that video isn’t Photoshopped?!” “Doesn’t matter. I already called the cops anyway. Let’s just wait for them to get here!” “Ugh, why bother the police over something so minor? I… I probably got it wrong. Maybe it wasn’t your box. Maybe it was Unit 1702’s. Yeah, 1702. Forget it, whatever.” With a loud SLAM, Brenda’s door shut in my face. I looked down at the fake 911 call screen on my phone, dusted off my pants, and hummed a little tune as I went back inside. To deal with a shameless parasite, you have to be even more shameless than they are!

Once inside, I saw a message from the former tenant of my apartment, Ashley. Hey babe, I saw the video Brenda posted in the Snapchat group. She’s the exact reason I moved out of that place. Be careful, try to avoid her. I heard her family has some serious connections! I thanked Ashley for her sweet warning, but in my mind, I was plotting. Connections? Perfect. I loved exposing people with “connections.” If things went south and I had to report them, maybe I’d even get a civic medal! A week later, most of my furniture was unpacked, so I brought my kitten to the new place. Just as I let the cat out of her carrier, my phone rang—it was a delivery guy. I left the door slightly ajar and ran downstairs to grab my package. But when I returned less than thirty minutes later, my kitten was breathing heavily. Suddenly, she started foaming at the mouth and collapsed on the floor! By the time I rushed her to the vet, she had already stopped breathing. The vet said she might have ingested grapes, causing acute kidney failure. But I knew for a fact there were no grapes in my apartment. And during the move, she had been right by my side the entire time. There was no way she could have eaten anything bad! The only gap in time was the five minutes I went downstairs to grab my package. After laying my sweet kitten to rest, I rushed home and checked my security camera footage. Unsurprisingly, it was that brainless, vengeful pregnant woman from Unit 1701! The moment I stepped into the elevator, she had sneaked over, holding two grapes, and slipped into my apartment. A few seconds later, she crept back out, carefully pulling my door shut to make it look untouched. Because she lost our first little battle, she decided to sneak in and murder my cat! That kitten was a graduation gift from my mom. I had cherished her for two years, loving her like family. And this monster killed an innocent soul just to get back at me! BANG! BANG! BANG! I slammed on her door violently. It took a long time before Brenda finally opened it, wrapping her robe around herself with a smug, self-satisfied look on her face. “What the hell are you screaming about now—” Before she could finish her sentence, I threw a bucket of foul, stinking black blood right over her head. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Brenda shrieked like a banshee. “You psycho! What did you do?! Ahhhh! My face! My hair! Gag…”

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I always thought I was the happiest kid in the world. When I had a high fever in the middle of the night, Dad would carry me in his arms, walking a whole hour to the hospital. When I said I wanted cake, they would spend their last fifty dollars just to make my wish come true. But everything changed after my baby brother was born. Mom started suspecting me, always thinking I would hurt him. She stopped showing me love. She even made me eat and sleep with the dog, claiming it was to “build my character.” Then came my brother’s first birthday. I accidentally touched his birthday cake. Mom was so furious that she slapped me hard across the face, grabbed me by my hair, and threw me into the dog crate. I cried and begged her: “Mom, please don’t lock Lily up! Lily is scared of the dark!” “I’ll never do it again, Mom! I’m sorry… I’ll be good, please don’t lock Lily up…” All I got in response was the loud, metallic slam of the dog crate door. Along with Mom’s screeching voice: “You did that on purpose! You just want to ruin your brother’s day, don’t you? Since you love this dog so much, you can stay in there and think about what you’ve done!” “So young and yet so vicious! I should have strangled you when you were born!” “Why don’t you just die!” So… Mom hated me that much. Okay, Mom. Lily will be good and die. Just please don’t be mad anymore.

“Mom! Don’t leave Lily here alone!” “Dad, please! Tell Mom I didn’t mean to, please…” But neither of them looked back at me. The dog crate was pitch black, with only a tiny air vent. Bella curled up quietly in the corner. She didn’t understand why I was so sad, but she crept over and licked the tears off my face. I cried and cried, praying they would soften their hearts and let me out. Back then, I didn’t know what claustrophobia was. I just knew I was terrified of dark, enclosed spaces. I kept banging on the metal door, panic completely overwhelming me. Mom seemed to grow tired of the noise. She marched over and kicked the crate hard, making the metal bars rattle violently. “It’s just for one night! What are you crying for? Shut up, you’re ruining the mood!” “Cry again and I’ll lock you in here for three days! And no dinner for you!” I didn’t dare make another sound. I was terrified of starving. Ever since my baby brother was born, I hadn’t had a full meal in a very long time. Mom said I needed to be skinny so “they” would like me and send gifts. I asked her who “they” were. Mom said they were the viewers on our TikTok live. Oh! So when Mom made me strip naked, crawl on the floor, and eat like a dog, she was doing it for a livestream. Mom also said the livestreams made money. Once we had enough, we could buy a big house for my brother and a princess dress for me. So, I thought livestreaming was a good thing. It was just very cold in the winter. Fortunately, Bella was there to keep me company. Her body was always so warm. My body trembled. I clenched my teeth, trying my best to fight the fear. I wrapped my arms tightly around Bella, seeking a little comfort. But my breathing was slowly getting harder. It felt like a giant hand was squeezing my throat, and my head grew dizzier. Don’t fall asleep! I told myself. I just had to hold on until dinner. When Mom brought me food, I would beg her again. Maybe she would soften her heart and let me out. I counted the seconds in my head. Finally, I felt like it was dinner time. The room outside the crate had gone completely dark, and not a single speck of light came through the vent. I stared at the door, full of hope. Suddenly, I heard Mom and Dad talking outside. “Honey, let’s have dinner at my mom’s place tonight. She said she misses Leo.” “Well… shouldn’t we feed Lily first? She’s still so young. A little punishment is enough.” Yay! I quickly scrambled to the front of the crate, waiting. But in the next second, Mom’s voice turned screeching and sharp: “You’re actually defending that little brat?! Can’t you see she tried to hurt your son?!” “Skipping one meal won’t kill her! If you don’t come with me, I’m taking Leo and moving back to my parents’ house for good!” Dad sighed in defeat. He walked over, knelt down in front of the dog crate, and said: “Lily, you’re a good girl. Just bear with it for today, okay?” “Dad will buy you pizza tomorrow. From your favorite place.” I swallowed hard, almost smelling the delicious scent of pizza. But Dad, Lily is already so hungry right now. I don’t think I can make it until tomorrow. Didn’t you say that as long as Lily stopped crying, I could have dinner? Why do grownups break their promises? I decided to be mad at them. Before I could say anything, Mom impatiently dragged Dad out of the house. I crawled back to the corner and hugged Bella again. My eyelids felt heavier and heavier, my stomach kept rumbling, and the suffocating feeling grew stronger. I felt like I had a very long dream. In my dream, my baby brother hadn’t been born yet, and Mom and Dad still treated me like their one and only treasure. When I opened my eyes again, I realized I was out of the dog crate! I wanted to pinch myself to see if I was still dreaming, but my little hand passed right through my arm. I froze. Suddenly hearing Bella’s anxious whimpers, I rushed to the air vent and looked inside. A tiny, frail body was curled up inside. Even though she was five years old, she looked no bigger than a toddler, her bones sticking out sharply under her skin. Wait, is that me? Am I having an out-of-body experience, just like in the movies? Suddenly, there was a noise at the door. Mom and Dad were back!

I happily ran over to them, wanting to hug Mom. But my little hands passed straight through her body. Oh, right. I forgot I was having an out-of-body experience. What a pity. It had been so long since I last hugged Mom. I pouted. Just then, I noticed Mom glancing over at the dog crate. I felt so happy! Mom still loved Lily! But she only looked for a second before carrying Leo into the bedroom, ordering Dad to follow her. I sighed. Whenever it came to my brother, Mom always got so tense. It seemed Mom was really, really angry this time. Before, the worst she would do was hit me, yell at me, or starve me, but she had never ignored me completely like this. I started to panic and followed them into the bedroom. I lay at Mom’s feet. “Mom, please don’t be mad at Lily anymore, okay?” “Lily was a good girl and died like you wanted! Can you forgive me now?” But they couldn’t hear a word I said. I paced around in circles, tears welling up in my eyes. If Mom couldn’t hear me, how was I supposed to apologize? Dad couldn’t seem to bear it anymore. He wrapped an arm around Mom’s shoulders and coaxed gently, “Lily’s been locked up all afternoon. Let her out, okay?” Mom’s face remained dark as she clutched Leo tightly in her arms. “That brat hasn’t made a single sound since we got back! She’s throwing a tantrum to spite me!” “If I don’t break her spirit this time, I’m not her mother! Let’s see if she ever dares to hurt Leo again.” No, Mom, you’ve got it wrong! Lily didn’t want to hurt Leo. I wanted to make a sound, and I wanted to hug you both, but I can’t speak anymore. My heart broke again at the thought. Dad’s lips trembled, but in the end, he said nothing. In the middle of the night, I saw Dad quietly get out of bed and walk over to the air vent. He was holding a donut, trying to push it through the small opening. “Lily, eat this donut first to fill your stomach. Dad will buy you your favorite pizza tomorrow.” “Mom is sick. You’re a big girl now, so let’s not be upset with her, okay?” Seeing that I wasn’t taking the donut, Dad assumed I was still angry. He waited for a moment, sighed, and walked back to bed. My eyes were glued to the donut, and I swallowed hard. Even though I couldn’t feel hunger anymore, the memory of that extreme, agonizing starvation before I died was deeply engraved in my mind. But my hands couldn’t touch the donut, and my mouth couldn’t eat it. I could only follow close behind Dad, hoping to catch a sniff of the scent to ease my hunger. The next morning, Mom got up to make breakfast in the kitchen. To get there, she had to pass the dog crate in the living room. I wondered when Mom would notice that Lily was dead. Once she knew, she could finally be happy. Hearing Mom’s footsteps, Bella let out a low whimper from inside the crate. Mom’s face instantly darkened. She ignored the crate completely and walked straight into the kitchen. Not long after, Dad woke up too. He walked into the living room, suddenly stopped, and asked Mom uncertainty, “Honey, do you smell something weird?” Oh no! Lily’s body was starting to rot and smell bad. Panicking, I scrambled on all fours to Dad’s feet, trying to stop him from going over. If Mom found out, she would hate me even more! Sweat poured down my ghostly face as I waved my arms frantically to block him. But it was useless. He strode right past me toward the crate. The closer he got, the stronger the smell became. It was the sickening, rotting stench of decaying flesh. If you looked closely, some yellowish fluids were oozing out from the cracks. Even Mom was drawn over by the smell! Dad frowned, sensing something was wrong. He reached out to open the crate door. But before his hand could touch the latch, Mom slapped it away.

“That little bitch actually peed and pooped inside! She’s out of her mind!” “Is she trying to provoke me?! Huh?!” Holding a spatula, Mom’s face was flushed red with rage, her chest heaving violently. “I lock her up for just one night, and she pulls a disgusting stunt like this! Imagine what she’ll do when she grows up!” Mom, Lily didn’t do that! I know you don’t like dirty kids. Lily would never do that. I felt so wronged. When I was first forced to live with Bella, I was covered in dirt. I could only copy Bella and try to lick myself clean, but I could never get the dirt off. Mom had grabbed me and thrown me out into the snow. “You’re filthy! Go wash yourself in the snow! If you can’t get clean, don’t bother coming back inside!” Then, she slammed the door shut with a loud bang. The snow was so, so cold. The moment I touched it, tears and snot poured down my face. But I didn’t dare waste time. Shivering violently, I rubbed the snow all over my body to scrub the dirt off, until my skin turned raw red and then deep purple. I didn’t want Mom to kick me out. I loved her so much. Even though… Mom didn’t seem to love me anymore. But that was okay. As long as I loved Mom, it was enough. Ever since that day, I always made sure to keep myself very clean! I anxiously tried to explain to Mom: “Mom, Lily didn’t make a mess! Lily is very clean.” “Please don’t hate Lily…” But my voice faded into nothingness, just like before. Now, Dad’s face darkened too. “Lily, you’ve really gone too far this time. Stop making your mother angry. Come out and apologize right now!” Dad, you both got it wrong. I really didn’t… And Lily has already apologized so many times. But you can’t hear me. I don’t know what to do. I felt so sad. Mom threw her spatula aside and stormed onto the balcony, grabbing my favorite stuffed rabbit. She took a pair of scissors and violently shredded it to pieces. “This is what you get for being disobedient! Disobedient!” “You hate us for making you crawl on all fours for the livestreams, don’t you?! You ungrateful brat! If we just work hard for a few years, we’ll have more money than we can ever spend!” Mom cried as she hacked away with the big scissors. Mom, please don’t! That’s Lily’s favorite toy. And… my only toy. Seeing Mom so sad made my heart break into tiny pieces, just like my stuffed rabbit. I wanted to wipe the tears from Mom’s face, but my hands just kept passing through her body, over and over again. If shredding my toy could make Mom feel better… Then okay. Lily can’t play with toys anymore anyway. Please don’t cry, Mom. Dad wrapped his arms around Mom, comforting her. “Lily is still young. She’s just throwing a tantrum. She’ll understand in a few days. Everything we do is for our children.” “The doctor said you shouldn’t get too emotional. Why don’t we take Leo out to get some fresh air?” At the mention of my brother’s name, Mom wiped her tears away and finally managed a smile. “Honey, let’s take Leo to the zoo. He loves animals.” The zoo! My eyes lit up. I had begged Mom to take me there so many times, but she had always said no. I pouted slightly. But then I realized—I could go with them now! I became happy again. The zoo was so, so big. Luckily, I was a ghost now, so no one could see me. Otherwise, crawling on all fours like I always did would have made everyone point and whisper. I hated that feeling. But Mom had always said that was how we got “views.” I didn’t understand what “views” meant, but I knew it made Mom happy. But now, it was fine! No one would laugh at Lily anymore. Following them around, I saw so many animals I had only seen on TV. Mom and Dad really loved my brother. Even though he could already walk, they kept carrying him in their arms. I couldn’t help but try to remember what it felt like to be held by Mom. But it had been so long. I couldn’t remember it at all. I let out a heavy, grown-up sigh. Sigh… Feeling a bit grumpy, I made a silly face at my brother. Leo looked back at me with his big, innocent eyes and babbled happily, “S-Sister…” Whoa! My brother could see me! I started dancing with joy, making funny faces to keep him entertained. But Mom instantly slapped her hand over Leo’s mouth. “Don’t call that ungrateful brat your sister! Come on, Mom is taking you to that new restaurant down the street.” Hearing Mom’s promise of food, Leo immediately forgot about me and happily toddled after her. I didn’t know how long we stayed out, but it was late when they finally returned. The moment we reached our apartment, a shocking scene was waiting for us at the door!

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My wife, Chloe, had a “one that got away.” During my chemotherapy cycle, I was standing in the hospital lobby, opening my mobile banking app to pay my deductible. That was when I realized my savings account, which was supposed to have over $150,000, had a balance of exactly $0.25. My hands shook as I called Chloe. I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Chloe, where did all the money in the account go?” Her background was incredibly noisy. I could hear the thumping bass of a rock band playing somewhere. “I let Julian borrow it for his art exhibition,” Chloe said casually. “Once he gets famous, I’ll make sure he pays you back.” Before I could even reply, the line went dead. My thumb accidentally swiped over to Julian’s Instagram, and his latest post popped up: “Shoutout to my bestie, Chloe, for the financial backing. Finally putting on my solo art exhibition! ” A cold, dead silence washed over my heart. The last lingering spark of love I had for Chloe vanished into thin air. But by the time my heart had completely turned to stone, Chloe came crawling back, crying and begging me to love her again.

Marrying Chloe was a dream I never thought would come true. Everyone in our social circle knew I had been crazy about her for years, willing to do absolutely anything for her. But Chloe’s world revolved entirely around Julian. To the outside world, she only ever defined herself as his “best friend.” The day Julian announced he was in a relationship, Chloe got completely wasted at a bar. A friend called me, and I rushed over in a panic. I still remember how her pale cheeks were flushed that night. Her eyes, which usually looked right through me, were locked onto mine. “Leo, let’s get married. What do you say?” I knew she was just acting out of spite. But my years of unrequited love blinded me, and I agreed anyway. That very day, she dragged me to the courthouse for a quick marriage license, snapped a messy selfie to post on her Snapchat to announce the wedding, and then completely went off the grid. I went crazy looking for her. Finally, a mutual friend took pity on me and told me the truth: Chloe had taken our marriage certificate and barged into Julian’s apartment, telling him that if he broke up with his new girlfriend, she would get a divorce from me immediately. The friend gave me a sympathetic look. A bitter taste filled my mouth. Once again, I had become the joke in their little drama. Chloe never took our marriage seriously. She spent every day hovering around Julian. Even as Julian’s girlfriends changed one after another, she kept acting like she owned him, marking her territory. After that, Chloe barely even looked at me. She only called me when she was drunk and needed a ride. I handled all the chores and cooking. She treated our house like a hotel, spending her days working herself to the bone for Julian, while I was just her on-call, 24/7 butler. I lived in this dead-end, lonely marriage for three years.

Julian was an artist, but he had been struggling in the art scene for years without any real recognition. To boost his career, Chloe actively became his personal manager, taking full charge of his networking and expenses. According to her, Julian was an unrecognized genius. Nobody understood his art, yet he insisted on having the absolute best of everything. When she first came to my office crying and begging for money, I couldn’t bear to see her tears, so I handed her my debit card. She was so happy that she kissed my cheek for the very first time. Back then, I was happy as an idiot, thinking our relationship was finally moving forward. At first, she just borrowed money. Later, she started dangling our “happy future” in front of me like a carrot, forcing me to fund Julian’s lavish lifestyle. “Leo, this is the last time. Help Julian out just this once, and we’ll settle down and live a quiet life, okay?” Every time she promised this, a small spark of hope would ignite in me, wishing she would finally give up on Julian and choose me. But it was all just a delusion. I worked myself to the bone to build a future for us, while she took my hard-earned cash to support Julian. Even when I collapsed and needed chemo, she still chose to stand by his side. And now, knowing damn well that this money was saved for my cancer treatment, she still took it to fund Julian’s art gallery. Strangely, my heart didn’t even hurt anymore. I just felt incredibly, deeply tired.

The person standing behind me in line cleared their throat impatiently. “Are you going to use the machine or what? I’m in a rush.” I quickly took my card out, stepped aside, and bowed my head. “I’m sorry.” The man looked like he wanted to snap at me, but when he saw how pale and sick I looked, he stopped himself. “Hey, it’s fine. Take care of yourself, man. You don’t look so good.” That one sentence of kindness broke my defenses. For the first time, my absolute devotion to Chloe began to shatter. I had given Chloe everything over the years. But when had I ever taken care of myself? Did I really need a love like this? Sitting in the back of an Uber, I scrolled through my chat history with Chloe. The screen was filled with my long, nagging messages and bank transfer receipts. She barely ever texted me unless she was asking for money. At this moment, it felt like two souls were fighting inside my body—one wanting to keep sinking, and the other clearly seeing that she never loved me. As logic fought with emotion, my chest didn’t ache with that familiar, suffocating pain anymore. My heart was telling me the truth: I really didn’t love Chloe anymore. Still, it was hard to let go of so many years of feelings. But then I got home and heard the conversation coming from inside the apartment. “Chloe, how did you train a guy like Leo to be so perfect? Honestly, we’re all so jealous.” I stood silently at the door. Chloe’s dismissive voice drifted out. “My heart only belongs to Julian. If any of you actually want Leo, you can have him. I wouldn’t even blink.” Hearing the exact answer I expected, a mocking smile crept onto my face. I instinctively covered my chest. There was no pain, just a steady, calm heartbeat. Thank God. I really didn’t love her anymore. A strange, peaceful calm settled over me. Right then, the door swung open. It was Chloe’s best friend, Harper. Harper gasped the second she saw me. “Leo!”

My eyes automatically drifted to Chloe. Her beautiful face still wore that familiar expression of arrogance and disdain—a look I had endured for six years. But this time, I caught a brief flash of panic in her eyes. But she quickly recovered, looking at me with a cold glare and raising her chin. “What are you staring at? Am I wrong?” For the first time in my life, I didn’t argue. I walked straight into the bedroom. I didn’t have much money left, so I decided to put this house on the market. It was time to finally start loving myself. I was on the phone with a real estate agent, sorting out the details, when someone pounded loudly on the door. “Leo, get out here!” My hands paused for a second before I went back to packing, completely ignoring her. “Leo, it was just a little bit of money! I’ll pay you back later! Why are you giving me this silent treatment?” She said it so casually, as if she didn’t know that money was literally keeping me alive. Seeing that I wasn’t responding, Chloe spat out, “Leo, don’t you dare regret this.” The heavy front door slammed shut, leaving the apartment dead silent. I let out a long, slow sigh. The real estate agent was a really nice guy. The house was in a great location, so it sold quickly. Seeing that I was in a rush to move, he even helped me find a small rental near the hospital and set me up with a moving company. Once everything was packed, the movers came. I had decorated every inch of this home myself. I used to fantasize about our married life here—maybe we’d have a kid, maybe we’d laugh and cook together. But none of my dreams ever came true. My phone buzzed repeatedly on the counter. I looked down and saw “Wife” flashing on the screen. I picked up, and Chloe’s slurred, drunken voice blasted through the receiver. “Leo, come to the club and pick me up right now. Hurry up!” Before I could say a word, she hung up, just like she always did. I sighed. Maybe because I had strained myself packing, my bones were aching with a sharp, deep pain. I took a deep breath. I wanted to lay everything out clearly before checking into the hospital, so I pushed through the pain and drove to the club she pinned.

The flashing lights and deafening music in the club made my head pound. I walked up to the VIP lounge. I pushed the door open and saw Chloe draped intimately over Julian. She had a soft, sensual look on her face that I had never once seen at home. As I stood there, pale and exhausted, a guy next to them smirked and yelled, “Man, Chloe really has this guy whipped! One call and he runs right over. Unbelievable!” Julian looked at me with a mocking grin. “Chloe, your husband is so sweet. He’s here to take you home. You should probably go with him.” Chloe frowned and glared at me with pure annoyance. “It was just a game of Truth or Dare, and I lost. Why did you rush over here like an idiot? Get lost.” She sat up, didn’t even spare me a glance, and leaned back onto Julian’s shoulder. Julian wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his chest while giving me a provocative smirk. I took a deep breath. For the first time, I felt genuinely disgusted by their little game. “If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.” I turned around to leave without a shred of regret. But before I could close the door, a sharp sting hit my shoulder blade. I turned back. Chloe was standing under the dim lights, looking incredibly hurt. A shattered glass rolled on the floor. Why did she look so hurt? She had gotten exactly what she wanted. “Leo, you’re an asshole!” My body froze, but I was just too tired. I didn’t have the energy to play these mind games with her anymore. “Chloe, I’m done playing your games.” With that, I walked away. I had already left the signed divorce papers in our old house. I didn’t touch her things. If she saw them, she would sign. I was the one paying the mortgage on that house anyway; she just treated it like a free rental. I had even thought about adding her name to the deed once. What did she say back then? “Leo, I don’t want your cheap suburban house. Our marriage was just an impulsive mistake anyway. I’m not that superficial. “ “I don’t care about this place. Once Julian becomes a famous artist, I’ll be living in a mansion.” Back then, those words felt like a bucket of ice water poured over my burning heart. But now, I was actually glad. At least I had a house to sell, or I’d literally be waiting to die. It was almost funny. I made over $100,000 a year, yet I had to sell my house just to pay for my cancer treatment. But at least I woke up in time to save myself. The agent was efficient, and the new rental was perfect. That night, as soon as I lay down, my phone started buzzing insanely. I answered, and Chloe screamed into the phone, sounding completely hysterical. “Leo! Why did you leave tonight? Why didn’t you take me with you?” Her angry demands made me want to laugh. How was she the one playing the victim here? “Chloe, I’m a human being, not your dog.” “I’m tired, Chloe. So tired.” The line went quiet, with only her faint breathing on the other end. Looking out at the streetlights, I let out a weary sigh. “Let’s just end this. Let’s get a divorce.”

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Five years ago, the day my water broke. The sharp, agonizing contractions rippled through my entire body. Shaking violently, I clutched my phone and called Adrian Vance, begging for help. “Adrian, the doctor says the baby is losing oxygen. Please, can you come to the hospital?” On the other end of the line, Adrian’s voice was filled with nothing but cold impatience. “Having babies is what women are built for, Claire. You aren’t going to die. Stop using these cheap tricks to get my attention.” “Chloe is terrified of thunderstorms. I have to be with her.” The line went dead. I was wheeled into the operating room all alone. I bled out, and my baby suffocated to death. At that exact second, in the city’s most expensive penthouse suite, He was in bed with his precious first love, Chloe Miller, wrapped in a passionate embrace. While I, completely alone, signed my own child’s death certificate. Utterly devastated, I vanished from his world completely. Five years later, Adrian showed up at my doorstep, holding a massive diamond ring. “Claire, let’s get remarried. Let’s start over, okay?” I didn’t even spare him a glance. His eyes locked onto the little boy standing next to me—a boy who looked strikingly like me—and his voice began to tremble. “Since when… did you have a child?”

“This is our child from five years ago, isn’t it?” Adrian recovered quickly, a confident smirk playing on his lips. “They all told me you had a miscarriage and the baby didn’t survive. I didn’t expect you to secretly raise my child.” “Claire, you really… are still hopelessly in love with me.” He was dressed in a tailored bespoke suit, holding a massive bouquet of white roses in one hand and a velvet ring box in the other. This scene looked exactly like the day he proposed to me five years ago. Adrian took a step forward and popped the ring box open. The massive diamond flashed blindingly under the hallway light. “I had this ring custom-made just for you.” I stared at the diamond. Five years ago, Adrian had dropped to one knee with a giant pink diamond ring. Back then, I thought I was the luckiest woman in the world. Only later did I find out that the pink diamond was never meant for me. It was the ring he had prepared to propose to Chloe with. But Chloe had thrown a tantrum back then and fled the country in a fit of rage. To spite Chloe, Adrian found me and slipped that ring onto my finger. I thought I had found true love, but in reality, I was just a pathetic substitute. When I signed the divorce papers and left the Vance estate, I left that ring on the master bedroom nightstand. I didn’t take a single thing he ever bought me. Just like Adrian himself, I had long since thrown him out like trash. Seeing that I remained silent, Adrian frowned. “What? Still throwing a tantrum?” His tone carried a patronizing touch of indulgence. “It’s been five years, Claire. You’ve had your fun. A woman can’t live in her feelings forever.” I almost laughed out loud from pure rage. Five years had passed, and he hadn’t changed a bit. Always looking down on everyone, always assuming I couldn’t live without him. Sensing the tense atmosphere, the little boy in my arms wrapped his arms tighter around my neck and whispered, “Mommy, who is he?” My little boy was beautiful, with thick eyelashes and soft, chubby cheeks. Especially his eyes—dark, bright, and intelligent. They looked exactly like mine did when I was a child. My heart softened, and I gently stroked his cheek. “Nobody, sweetie. Just an annoying stranger.” Adrian’s face darkened instantly. “Claire, I know you’re still bitter. But think about it realistically. You’re a divorced woman with a kid. You aren’t getting any younger.” “Who else but me would ever want you?”

Adrian seemed incredibly pleased with his own logic, his voice dripping with pity. “Besides, you don’t even have a real career. You must have had a rough time these past few years after leaving me. Just come back with me now, and I’ll let you be Mrs. Vance again.” As he spoke, his eyes swept over my outfit. Today, I was just wearing a simple beige knit dress with no designer logos. So, he naturally assumed I was living in poverty. I looked at him, suddenly tempted to ask where on earth he got this delusion. But I couldn’t be bothered to waste my breath. “Actually, I’m doing great,” I said calmly. “And this child is not yours.” The smugness on Adrian’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a dark scowl. “Not mine?” He scoffed as if he had just heard the funniest joke. “Claire, how long has it been since you left me?” “If the kid isn’t mine, whose could he possibly be?” He stepped closer, his burning gaze locking onto me. “Are you really making up a lie this ridiculous just to hurt me?” Before I could speak, a soft, delicate female voice echoed from the hallway stairs. “Claire, Adrian truly loves you. How can you break his heart like this?” I looked up. Chloe Miller was standing at the end of the hallway. She was wearing a flowing white dress, her long hair curled perfectly, her makeup flawless. Just like five years ago, she looked like a fragile little white flower that would shatter at the slightest breeze. And Adrian, of course, always fell for it. The moment I saw her, my stomach churned with pure disgust. Memories of that night five years ago flooded my mind, completely out of my control. I was lying in the hospital bed, fresh out of emergency surgery. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the pen when the nurse handed me my baby’s death certificate. At that exact moment, Chloe had sent me a Snapchat video. In the dimly lit hotel suite, the sound of her soft moans filled the audio. Adrian was pressing her into the mattress, kissing her over and over. Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling mockingly at the camera. “Adrian, isn’t your wife giving birth right now?” Adrian let out a low chuckle. “Don’t bring her up.” “She’s a buzzkill.” The video ended with the two of them tangled together. And I was left alone in a cold hospital bed, signing my baby’s death certificate. Thinking about it now still made my fingers go numb with cold fury. Yet, here was Chloe, still playing the innocent angel. “Claire, Adrian has missed you so much over the years.” “He really loves you.” “Please, stop throwing tantrums and just make up with him, okay?” I looked at her coldly. “Are you done?” Chloe froze, clearly not expecting this reaction. Her eyes welled with tears instantly. “Claire… are you still blaming me?” “What happened back then… I really didn’t mean for it to happen…” I didn’t want to hear another word. Today was Leo’s vaccination appointment, and I wasn’t going to waste my time. I turned around, holding my son close, and walked away. Adrian immediately chased after me. “Wait!” He reached out, trying to grab Leo. “Give me my son!” But Leo quickly hid his face in my neck, looking at him with deep suspicion. “I don’t know you! Go away!” Adrian froze. He had probably never been rejected like this in his entire life. Suppressing his irritation, he tried to coo softly, “Hey buddy, I’m your daddy.” But Leo’s eyes widened in anger. “No, you’re not!” “My daddy is super handsome!” “Not a weird uncle like you!”

Adrian’s face turned completely black. Chloe chimed in with her sweet, whiny voice, “Claire, how can you teach the child to talk like that?” “Even if you and Adrian are divorced, he is still Adrian’s son.” I finally lost my patience. “I said,” “This child is not his.” With that, I carried Leo straight down the stairs. A taxi happened to be parked by the curb. I pulled the door open and climbed in. “The Children’s Hospital, please,” I told the driver. The car slowly pulled away. Through the rearview mirror, I could see Adrian standing on the pavement, his expression incredibly dark. Chloe stood beside him, gently wrapping her arm around his. I looked away, feeling nothing but exhaustion. Leo snuggled into my chest and asked softly, “Mommy, why did that uncle say he’s my daddy?” I patted his head. “Because he got the wrong person, sweetie.” “Oh.” The little guy was quickly distracted by the view outside the window. “Mommy, look! A giant yellow duck!” I looked in the direction he was pointing. Suddenly, the deafening screech of brakes echoed through the air! Crash! A violent impact slammed into us, throwing me hard against the front seat. The world spun wildly, and the air was filled with terrified screams. By the time I realized what had happened, the taxi had flipped onto its side. Shattered glass littered the road, and the thick, metallic smell of blood filled the air. My head was spinning painfully, but my survival instinct screamed one thing: find my son. “Leo!” “Leo!” My little boy was pinned near the seat, his face deadly pale, his forehead covered in blood. “Mommy…” His voice was so weak I could barely hear it. My blood ran cold. “Help!” “Please, someone save my son!” Half an hour later. Outside the emergency room, I stood drenched in blood, my hands trembling uncontrollably. I could still feel Leo’s tiny hand clutching mine before he was wheeled in. He had whispered, “Mommy… it hurts…” My heart felt like it was being ripped out. Just then, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. Adrian and Chloe had actually followed us to the hospital. Chloe looked pale, her face twisted into a mask of deep concern. “Claire! How is the baby? Is he going to be okay?” I stared at her, my mind flashing back to the truck that had suddenly lost control and rammed into us. It was too coincidental. So coincidental that it was impossible not to suspect her. I stepped toward her, one agonizing step at a time. “Chloe, did you arrange this?” Chloe stiffened. “What?” My eyes were bloodshot, my voice shaking with rage. “The car crash. Did you plan this?!”

Chloe’s face went completely white. In the next second, she collapsed to her knees with a loud thud. “No! It wasn’t me!” “Claire, how could you think I would hurt a child? I would never!” She sobbed hysterically, tears streaming down her face. To anyone else, it looked like I was mercilessly bullying her. Adrian immediately frowned and pulled her up from the floor. “Claire, calm down.” “You have no proof. How dare you accuse Chloe like this?” I looked at the way he shielded Chloe. It was incredibly ironic. Five years ago, it was like this. Five years later, it was still the same. As long as Chloe shed a single tear, Adrian would always take her side. My voice shook. “My son is lying in there, fighting for his life!” “Besides her, I can’t think of anyone else who could be this evil!” Chloe cried even harder. “Claire, I really didn’t do it…” “I know you hate me, but you can’t accuse me of this…” “What happened back then… it was my fault. I was jealous of you! I was wrong! I apologize! But I swear this crash had nothing to do with me! Please believe me!” Her fragile, helpless act easily triggered any man’s protective instincts. Adrian wrapped his arm around her protectively and turned to me, his tone harsh. “That’s enough! Chloe already apologized. What more do you want?” “Claire, when did you become so hysterical?” “Chloe has always been fragile. She wouldn’t even step on an ant. How could you accuse her of attempted murder?” “Your mental state is extremely unstable right now. Calm down!” Looking at the two of them—one a hypocrite, the other blind—I felt utterly disgusted. I stared straight at him. “Adrian, do you want to know something?” “The thing I find most disgusting about you isn’t your infidelity.” “It’s your sheer stupidity.” His face twisted in anger. “What did you say?” I stepped closer to Chloe, my voice ice-cold. “If this was you…” “Chloe, I swear to God, I will kill you myself!” Terrified by the look in my eyes, Chloe shrank back. Adrian immediately blocked her. “Claire! What kind of madness is this?!” Before the tension could boil over, the emergency room doors swung open. The doctor rushed out. “Who are the child’s guardians?” I ran forward. “I am!” Adrian was right behind me. “I am too! I’m his father!” The doctor pulled off his mask, his expression grave. “The patient has lost a lot of blood and needs an immediate transfusion. However, he has O-negative blood, and our blood bank is critically low right now.” My heart plummeted. “I… I’m type O…” The doctor glanced at me. “Mother’s blood type alone isn’t enough; we need to screen for compatibility quickly. Is the father here? We need him to do a blood match immediately!”

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I was the top sales representative at our company for three years straight. The moment I handed in my transfer request to move to the Admin Department, the entire sales team cheered. The director signed off on it immediately. Only my best friend Chloe, the intern who called herself the “Manifestation Queen,” broke down in tears. “Nancy, even though your sales were just lucky coincidences, I really hoped you’d stay and keep making miracles for the company!” I smiled, pried her hands off my arm, and packed my things. I remembered my past life. Relying on her “lucky girl” persona, she always “predicted” our competitors’ bids and stole my clients right out from under me. The pitch decks I stayed up all night making? She’d suddenly have a “spark of intuition” and pitch my exact ideas to the boss before I could. The boss treated me like useless dead weight and saw her as the company’s lucky charm. Eventually, I was laid off. Depressed and exhausted, I jumped off the city bridge. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day she started claiming her “manifestation luck.” In this life, I’m done fighting for the top sales spot. I’m going to set the stage and watch her ruin herself.

“Nancy! Congrats, your transfer got approved!” Sarah patted my shoulder, her smile wider than ever. I looked up and scanned the office. Every single fake, familiar face was exactly as I remembered. Three days ago, I was reborn. In my past life, I was the East Coast division’s top sales champ for three years straight, single-handedly carrying forty percent of the company’s annual revenue. But nobody remembered that. All they remembered was Chloe Vance. She was my college roommate. I was the one who referred her for the internship here. Before her probation period was even over, she branded herself as the “Lucky Manifestation Girl.” The first time she caught everyone’s attention was right before a major quarterly bidding meeting. I had pulled three all-nighters to prep the pitch—forty slides of data, strategy, and deep client analysis. On the morning of the meeting, I arrived early to do a final check. Chloe sat next to my desk, holding a Starbucks cup, smiling at me. “Nancy, I had a dream last night. I dreamed the competitor’s bid was exactly three percent lower than ours.” I didn’t take her seriously. But at the meeting, the competitor’s bid was indeed exactly three percent lower. We lost the contract. While our boss’s face was turning purple with anger, Chloe pulled him aside after the meeting and whispered something. The next day, rumors spread like wildfire. They said Chloe had a “sixth sense” and could manifest the competitors’ cards. At first, no one believed it. But the second time, the third time, the fourth time—she always “dreamed” of key information right before the pitch. Soon, the entire office treated her like a goddess. Clients asked for her by name, and the boss gave her a private office. Meanwhile, all my hard work—the sleepless nights, the endless client dinners that gave me stomach ulcers—was written off as “blessings from Chloe’s luck.” “Nancy, you only closed that deal because Chloe’s energy has been boosting the department!” “Seriously! Since Chloe joined, our numbers have doubled!” I wanted to scream, but no one listened. Chloe would always play the sweet girl, “defending” me with a smile: “Don’t say that, guys. Nancy works really hard too.” But I saw the smug triumph gleaming in her eyes. I refused to accept it. I worked myself to the bone to prove my worth. Yet, every time I was about to close a client, she would magically “dream” of their budget a day early and undercut me. When layoffs came, I was the first to go. The reason? “Failing to meet targets and poor teamwork.” The day I walked out of the building carrying a cardboard box, Chloe posted a selfie on Instagram with the caption: “So blessed! Manifested another huge contract for the team today! ✨🙏” I went home to an empty apartment, choked by the weight of everything she had stolen from me. That night, I jumped off the bridge. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to today. Chloe was only in her third month of her internship. She had just secured her footing, and I hadn’t been ruined yet. “Nancy? You there?” Sarah called out again. I snapped back to reality and smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine. The transfer is done. I’m heading to Admin to report.” I stood up and grabbed my badge. Right then, Chloe burst in. Her eyes were red, and she grabbed my sleeve. “Nancy, how can you transfer to Admin? Even if your sales were just luck, you’re still my mentor! The company needs you!” The surrounding colleagues immediately began to whisper. “Chloe is so sweet and emotional.” “I know. She’s actually crying because Nancy is leaving.” I looked at Chloe’s tear-stained, innocent face. I felt absolutely nothing. In my past life, she had put on the exact same show when I transferred. But the moment my back was turned, she told the boss I only left because my sales were tanking and I wanted to save face. I gently but firmly pried her fingers off my sleeve. “Admin is great, Chloe. No traveling, no client dinners. It suits me.” “But Nancy, you’re our top seller!” Chloe cried out, getting desperate. “Top seller?” I laughed softly. “Didn’t you say my sales were just luck? You can’t be a champion on luck alone.” Chloe froze. I didn’t give her another look. I grabbed my box and walked out. Behind me, the whispers faded into the hallway. “What’s wrong with Nancy lately?” “Who knows? Maybe the pressure got to her.” “Aw, Chloe, don’t cry. Let her go. We have you now, the department’s numbers will be fine anyway!” I kept walking, my footsteps light. In this life, I’m not fighting her. I want to see how her “luck” holds up when there’s no one pulling all-nighters, no one doing the research, and no one fighting on the front lines for her.

My first day in Admin, I clocked in on time, sat at my desk, and opened my laptop. The pace here was a million times slower than the sales department. No frantic calls, no midnight emails, no clients changing their minds at the last second. Honestly, it felt a bit weird. “Nancy, you used to be in Sales, right?” Lily, the girl at the next desk, peeked over. “Yeah.” “Why did you move to Admin? Sales pays way better.” “I got tired. I wanted a break.” Lily nodded, not fully understanding, but she let it go. I logged into the internal system and checked the sales leaderboard. Chloe was at the top. The comment section under the post was filled with “Our Manifestation Queen!” and “Praise Chloe!” I closed the window and started filing receipts. At lunch, I ran into some old colleagues in the cafeteria. “Nancy, how’s Admin?” “It’s good. Peaceful.” “Hey, did you hear? Chloe ‘dreamed’ about a massive client again. She’s heading out to pitch them this afternoon.” The colleague leaned in, her eyes wide with excitement. “Do you think she actually has psychic powers? It’s insane!” I poked at my salad. “Insane indeed.” Seeing my lack of interest, she awkwardly changed the subject and left. In the afternoon, while I was organizing expenses, my phone buzzed. It was a Snapchat message from Chloe: “Nancy, are you okay? Everyone misses you.” I didn’t reply. Another snap: “Nancy, are you mad at me? I didn’t mean those things the other day. Please don’t take it to heart.” I still didn’t reply. Five minutes later, she snapped again: “Nancy, I just landed a meeting with a massive client. The boss said he’s going to make me a permanent employee early. I feel like your good luck rubbed off on me. Thank you!” I looked at the message and smiled. In my past life, she did this constantly—stepping on me while playing the saint. Every time she stole my clients, she would “thank” me, calling it “divine alignment.” I typed back two words: “Congrats then.” Then I locked my phone and went back to my spreadsheets. When 5:00 PM hit, I walked out of the building. The evening sun hit my face, warm and golden. In my past life, I hadn’t seen a sunset in years. I was always working overtime or stuck in traffic on my way to a client dinner. My phone buzzed again. It was the boss. “Nancy, come up to my office.” “Mr. Harrison, I’ve already clocked out.” “I know, but this is urgent. Get up here.” When I walked into his office, three people were waiting—Mr. Harrison, Marcus, and Chloe. Chloe’s eyes were red, and she looked like she had been crying for an hour. Mr. Harrison didn’t beat around the bush. “Nancy, the deal Chloe pitched this afternoon? We lost it.” I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” “The client told us our quote was eight percent higher than our competitor’s,” Mr. Harrison said, his face dark. “Chloe ‘sensed’ that the competitor’s bid would be five percent higher than ours. We priced based on her intuition, and we were completely wrong.” Chloe sobbed. “Nancy, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. My intuition has never failed me before. Today was just… weird…” I looked at her, seeing right through the act. Before, her “intuition” was based on my strategies and my competitor analysis. She stole my brain. Of course it worked. But now that I wasn’t doing the work, what was she supposed to sense? “So?” I asked. Mr. Harrison rubbed his hands together. “Nancy, you’ve been in Sales for years. You have the experience. Can you come back and help Chloe salvage this account? It’s a huge deal. We can’t lose it.” I smiled. “Mr. Harrison, I’m in Admin now.” “We can transfer you back today. I’ll sign the papers.” “No, thank you.” I stood up. “I like Admin.” Chloe panicked and grabbed my hand. “Nancy, please don’t go! It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have taken the spotlight. But this client is so important. Please help me!” I looked down at her hand, then up at her face. “Chloe, you said you could manifest the competitor’s bids. Do you even know why you lost this time?” Chloe froze. “Because the competitor changed their entire market strategy,” I said, shaking her hand off. “Your luck ran out.” With that, I turned and walked out. Behind me, Chloe burst into fresh tears, and Mr. Harrison let out a heavy sigh. My steps were light. This was only the beginning.

By the next day, the news of Chloe’s massive failure had spread through the office. “Did you hear? Chloe screwed up a five-million-dollar deal.” “I thought she was psychic? How did she get it so wrong?” “Who knows? Maybe her luck is running dry.” “Luck? Honestly, I always thought it was sketchy. Nobody just ‘dreams’ of accurate financial bids.” “Shh, keep it down. She’s still the boss’s favorite.” I walked past them with my mug, pretending not to hear a thing. Back at my desk, I opened my laptop. My phone buzzed. Chloe on Snapchat: “Nancy, did you spread rumors about me?” I didn’t reply. Chloe: “I know you’re mad that I took your clients, but I did it for the company. You can’t destroy me just because you’re jealous!” I replied: “You’re overthinking.” She snapped back instantly: “Then why didn’t you help me last night? If you had helped me analyze the data, we wouldn’t have lost the client!” I typed: “I don’t work in Sales anymore.” Then I muted her. Over the next week, Chloe’s “luck” failed repeatedly. On Monday, she “manifested” a meeting with a major client, but they stood her up. On Wednesday, she “dreamed” of a competitor’s pricing. We pitched accordingly, and the client blocked our number. On Friday, a client she had been trying to close for three months sent an email saying they were going with another agency. The atmosphere in the sales department turned incredibly tense. The colleagues who used to worship Chloe started whispering behind her back. “Is she actually useless?” “Seriously, that’s three major accounts lost in a week.” “Were her past successes just lucky guesses?” Chloe panicked. She started posting manifestation crystals and tarot cards on Snapchat, claiming she was “clearing her aura.” She even went to a famous psychic in the city. But none of it worked. At the Monday morning meeting, Marcus called her out in front of everyone. “Chloe, what is going on with you? You’re at the bottom of the leaderboard for three weeks straight. I think we need to stop talking about your ‘luck’.” Chloe’s face turned bright red. “Marcus, I’ve just been having off-days. I’ll fix it.” “Fix it?” Marcus scoffed. “We all know how you got those early deals. Now that Nancy is gone, you can’t close a single thing?” Chloe looked like she had been slapped. I heard about the meeting while eating my lunch in Admin. Lily asked me, “Nancy, you used to be close with Chloe. Does she actually have some kind of power?” I smiled. “Do you believe in that?” Lily thought about it. “Not really. But she was so accurate before.” “That’s because,” I paused, “someone else was making her ‘luck’ for her.” “Who?” I didn’t answer and went back to my lunch. In the afternoon, Chloe stormed into Admin. She stood in front of my desk, her eyes red, her voice shaking. “Nancy, tell me the truth. Are you doing this to punish me?” I looked up. “Punish you for what?” “You transferred, you refused to help me—you’re doing this because I took your clients!” she screamed, attracting the attention of the entire room. “But I did what was best for the company! You’re being selfish!” Everyone in Admin stopped working and stared. I laid down my pen and stood up. “Chloe, I transferred because I wanted to. It has nothing to do with you. I didn’t help you because I don’t work in Sales. That also has nothing to do with you. You lost those clients because of your own incompetence.” “You’re lying!” Chloe’s tears spilled over. “You’re just jealous of me! You want to see me fail!” I chuckled. “Jealous of you? You’re at the bottom of the leaderboard. What is there to be jealous of?” Chloe gasped, completely speechless. A few chuckles broke out from the surrounding desks. Her face flushed crimson. In a fit of rage, she swept her hand across my desk, knocking my water mug right over. Water splashed everywhere, completely soaking my files. The Admin Director rushed over. “Chloe! What do you think you’re doing?!” Chloe gasped, realizing what she had done. “I’m sorry! It was an accident…” “Get out,” the Director said, his voice cold. Chloe bit her lip, glared at me, and ran out. The Director helped me wipe down my desk, whispering, “Do you have history with her?” “Not really,” I smiled. “She just thinks I’m blocking her manifestations.” At the end of the day, as I walked out of the building, I saw Chloe waiting by the sidewalk. She marched over and hissed in a low voice, “Nancy, don’t think you’ve won. My luck will come back. When I’m back on top, I’ll make sure you pay.” I looked at her calmly. “Chloe, your luck never existed. Not then, and definitely not now.” Her face paled. “What do you mean?” “You know exactly what I mean.” I walked right past her. Behind me, she screamed, “You’ll regret this!” I didn’t look back. Regret? TThe only thing I regretted was referring her to this company in my past life. This time, I was going to let her dig her own grave.

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Our company was preparing for the annual Kids’ Charity Art Gala when my colleague, Sarah, approached me with red, puffy eyes. “My daughter Lily has leukemia,” she choked out, clutching my sleeve. “Can we please put her painting right in the center of the exhibition hall? Just to give her one last beautiful memory. I’m begging you.” My heart softened back then. I swapped her painting into the prime spot. I had no idea the painting was plagiarized straight from the internet. The original artist showed up at our office to sue us. When the scandal broke, Sarah immediately threw me under the bus in front of everyone. “It was Chloe who insisted on putting it there! I tried to stop her!” Without even investigating, the CEO fired me on the spot. Just as I was packing up my things to leave, a massive chandelier fell from the ceiling and crushed me to death. When I opened my eyes again, Sarah was clutching my hand once more, sobbing. “This is my baby’s last wish…” I pushed her away immediately and handed her a document. “Sign this disclaimer. It states that your daughter’s artwork is 100% original. If there’s any plagiarism, you take full legal and financial responsibility.”

“Chloe, what is the meaning of this?” Her voice trembled. “My daughter Lily is only seven. She stayed up all night painting this. How could she possibly plagiarize?” I didn’t say a word. I just pushed the paper closer to her. “You are insulting my child!” Her voice went up an octave. “She’s just a little girl! Whose work could she even copy?” Looking at her hysterical face, I felt absolutely nothing. “This is standard company procedure.” Sarah bit her lip, and tears began to pool in her eyes. “I just wanted to make my dying child happy. Her chemotherapy is so painful…” She gasped for air, sobbing dramatically. “Do you really have to push me this far?” In my past life, I was completely fooled by this act. I thought I was doing a good deed, but it ended up costing me my life. I pulled the paper back. “If you don’t want to sign, that’s fine. We’ll just display her painting according to the original submission queue.” She froze. “What did you say?” “Company policy states that all exhibited works must have a signed originality waiver,” I said coldly. “If you don’t sign, your painting goes to the back of the line.” Sarah’s face completely darkened. She wiped her tears, her voice rising even louder. “Chloe, do you have a single drop of empathy in you?” I didn’t answer. “My child has leukemia! As an adult, how can you be so heartless?” She pointed a finger right at my nose. “Are you even human?” “It’s the policy.” “Policy?” She let out a harsh laugh. “Even the law has room for humanity! Is our company policy stricter than the actual law?” Just as I was about to speak, I heard footsteps behind me. “What’s going on here?” Victoria, the Director of the Art Gala, walked over holding a cup of Starbucks. “I could hear you guys screaming from down the hall.” Sarah’s eyes turned red instantly. She threw herself toward Victoria and grabbed her hand. “Victoria, you have to help me!” Her voice cracked with fresh tears. “My little girl has leukemia. She just wanted a good spot for her painting to have one last moment of joy. But Chloe is forcing me to sign some legal waiver, claiming she’s worried about plagiarism… My baby is only seven! Who could she possibly copy?” Victoria frowned and looked at me. “Chloe, this is really poor form on your part.” “Victoria, that’s not what—” “The child is sick. Just give her a break,” Victoria interrupted me, waving her hand dismissively. “We host this gala as an employee benefit anyway. Why are you being such a stickler?” Sarah nodded vigorously on the side, her eyes watery and pitiful. I took a deep breath. “Victoria, did you already forget what happened to Mark from Sales last week? He helped someone bypass the check and display a painting. It turned out to be plagiarized. The company had to pay a $15,000 fine, and Mark was fired on the spot.” Victoria’s hand froze over her coffee cup. “I was there,” I continued, looking coldly at Sarah. “The employee blamed Mark entirely to save her own skin. So now, no unsigned artwork goes in the center spot. Period. Unless they sign the liability waiver.” Sarah’s face went pale for a second, then flushed red with anger. “My Lily absolutely did not copy!” she shrieked. “She painted our family cat! It is 100% original!” “Then why is it so hard to sign the paper?” “Why should I?” she glared at me. “You just don’t trust me! You don’t trust a mother of a dying child!” Victoria looked at me, clearly thinking I was being cold-hearted. Sarah’s tears spilled over again as she choked out, “I just want people to see her art. What if… what if she isn’t here tomorrow…” She covered her face, her shoulders shaking violently. Victoria sighed. “Chloe, it’s a minor thing. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?” “Victoria, I’m just following the rules,” I said, cutting her off. “No signature, no center spot. That rule came directly from the CEO.” Sarah snapped her head up. Her face was covered in tears, but her eyes were filled with pure venom. “Chloe, you’re just jealous of me, aren’t you?”

I blinked. “Jealous of you?” “Jealous that I have a daughter!” She spat the words at me. “You’re in your thirties, single, with no boyfriend, and absolutely miserable. You hate seeing other people happy!” Victoria’s gaze shifted, looking at me with sudden suspicion. Sarah got even bolder. “I’ve seen people like you before. You pretend to care about the rules, but deep down, you’re just bitter! You don’t understand the sacred bond of motherhood, so you try to ruin it for the rest of us.” She wiped her tears and sneered. “And you’re jealous of my work performance too. I ranked higher than you in the last quarterly review, didn’t I? You’ve been bitter about it ever since! Is that why you’re taking it out on my kid’s painting?” She got more and more self-righteous as she spoke. “I’ll say it right here, right now: my daughter’s painting is 100% original! If you don’t believe me, it’s only because your mind is twisted and dark!” I looked at her, slowly folding the document and putting it back in my pocket. “Fine.” Sarah’s eyes lit up, thinking I had backed down. I patted my pocket. “No signature, no center spot. I’ll find another painting for the main display. Yours will go at the very end of the line, based on submission time.” Sarah’s face turned completely black. Victoria slammed her coffee cup onto the desk. “Chloe! That is enough!” I turned to look at her. Victoria’s face was stern, her tone much harsher than before. “The rules are dead, but people are alive. A sick child’s last wish, and you’re really going to block it over a piece of paper?” I remained unfazed. “I’m doing this for the company to avoid unnecessary legal risks.” She pointed a finger at me. “The kid has leukemia! Even if she did copy a little, so what? Who would have the heart to sue a dying child?” Sarah nodded like a bobblehead, her tears flowing right on cue. Victoria looked at me with pure disappointment. “Go put Sarah’s daughter’s painting in the center spot right now. If anything happens, I’ll take full responsibility.” Hearing the Director’s words, I still stood my ground. “What?” she frowned. “My words mean nothing to you now?” “Victoria, I won’t hang that painting.” “I am the Director of this project. If I say we hang it, we hang it!” Her voice turned icy. “Are you going to do it or not?” Sarah crossed her arms, a smug smirk playing on the corner of her lips. I took a deep breath. “No.” Victoria’s face completely darkened. “Fine, Chloe. You think you’re so irreplaceable?” She sneered. “You think this gala can’t run without you?” She turned to Sarah. “Come on, Sarah. I’ll hang it for you myself.” Sarah’s eyes gleamed. She quickly followed Victoria. After taking a few steps, she turned back to give me a smug, mocking look that clearly said: “Who do you think you are?” I pulled out my phone and took a quick picture of their retreating backs. When they were physically hanging the painting, I took another one. By 5:00 PM, the exhibition setup was complete. I took a walk around the hall. Right in the center hung Lily’s painting. It was a cartoon kitten. The brushstrokes were so smooth and professional that there was no way a seven-year-old could have painted it. I took a photo of it. Then, I took a photo of the final setup approval form—the one Victoria had personally signed.

The next morning, the Kids’ Charity Art Gala officially opened. A large crowd quickly gathered around the painting in the center. “Oh my god, did a seven-year-old really paint this?” “This is incredible. The composition, the colors…” “This kid is a prodigy!” Sarah stood nearby, smiling from ear to ear, though she pretended to be humble. “Oh, it’s nothing, really. She was just playing around.” A colleague walked over to me. “Chloe, did you select this painting? You have an amazing eye.” I smiled faintly. “No, I didn’t select it. Director Victoria personally approved it.” The colleague looked at me in surprise but didn’t ask further. At 4:00 PM, it was time for the awards ceremony. The host held the microphone, his voice filled with excitement. “And the winner of the Best Artwork Award goes to—Lily Zhang for her piece, “My Little Kitten”!” Lily was Sarah’s daughter. The crowd erupted into applause. Sarah walked onto the stage under everyone’s envious gazes, her eyes glistening with tears. The host handed her the trophy. “Sarah, would you like to say a few words?” Sarah took the mic, her voice cracking. “Thank you to the company, thank you to Victoria, and thank you to everyone who loves my daughter’s art. My daughter has leukemia. She… she couldn’t make it here today. I am accepting this award on her behalf.” The crowd went dead silent for a second, and then the applause grew even louder. The Vice President, Richard, personally walked up to the stage. He handed her a giant prize check and the latest digital drawing iPad. “Sarah, we are so moved by your daughter’s strength. The company has decided to grant an extra medical fund for her treatment,” Richard said, shaking her hand. “Work hard, and know that the company always has your back.” Sarah sobbed openly. “Thank you so much… thank you…” The photographer snapped several pictures of them. Richard turned to the crowd. “Our company has always been a family. We help those in need. This is our social responsibility as an enterprise.” Cheering and applause filled the room. “The company is so wholesome.” “Sarah is amazing. A single mom working so hard.” “That manager Chloe tried to block her painting earlier. So heartless.” I watched them with a cold expression. “Laugh all you want now. The harder you laugh today, the harder you’ll cry when the original artist shows up.” The day after the gala ended, Victoria and I went to Richard’s office to report on the event. Richard leaned back in his chair, praising her. “The gala went great. Especially that story about the sick child. It brought excellent PR for the company.” Victoria smiled and waved her hand. “Oh, it’s what anyone would do. I just felt so bad for the kid.” Then, her tone shifted as she glanced at me. “Unlike some people who have absolutely no empathy! She fought me tooth and nail to keep that kid’s painting out of the center spot. I had to push through a lot of pressure to approve it.” Richard’s eyes fell on me. “Chloe, what’s this about?” “Company policy requires all participants to sign an originality waiver,” I explained calmly. “Sarah refused to sign, so I refused to give her the prime spot.” “Rules are rules, but we must make exceptions for special cases,” Victoria sneered. “The kid is dying, and you’re gatekeeping a charity event? If the public found out, we’d look terrible!” I looked at Richard. “Do you remember what happened to Mark last week? The company lost $15,000 because of plagiarism. I was just doing my job to protect the company from legal liabilities.” Victoria scoffed. “The gala is already over. What liability? If it weren’t for me, the company would be labeled as heartless by now!” Richard nodded, looking displeased with me. “Chloe, you need to be flexible. Don’t be so rigid.” I didn’t argue back. Richard waved his hand. “Victoria handled this beautifully. Expect a bonus next month. Chloe, you need to learn from her.” I nodded with a fake smile. Victoria beamed. As we walked out of the office, she purposely bumped her shoulder against mine. “See that?” she whispered. “You need a brain to play in the big leagues.”

Sarah cornered me in the breakroom. She was holding a mug of coffee, leaning against the doorframe, looking me up and down. “Well, well. Manager Chloe, drinking coffee all by yourself?” I ignored her and kept filling my cup. She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “I looked up that iPad last night. It’s worth over two grand. Plus the cash prize, I walked away with three thousand dollars. So, thanks. If you hadn’t tried to stop me, Victoria probably wouldn’t have pushed so hard to give me the award.” I screwed the cap onto my bottle. “It has nothing to do with me.” She laughed mockingly. “The more you tried to stop it, the more Victoria wanted to help me. Aren’t you just an idiot? You tried to fight me, and look what happened.” I looked at her like she was a clown. “Are you done?” She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Do you know why your life is such a mess? You’re in your thirties, single, with no boyfriend, and absolutely miserable. You’re rigid at work and lonely in life. You’re just jealous. Jealous that I have a genius daughter, and jealous that my review scores were better than yours.” I let out a cold laugh. “Sarah, your daughter has leukemia, and you’re using her illness to scam money out of the company. You don’t deserve to be a mother.” Her face twisted, her smug expression vanishing instantly. “What did you say?” “I said, you traded your kid’s illness for cash, and you’re actually proud of it. If you really cared about your daughter, you wouldn’t be showing off a stolen painting.” Her face went bright red, her lips trembling. “How dare you say it’s stolen! Do you have proof?” I grabbed my cup and walked past her. “Watch your back.” She chased after me, screaming, “Chloe! Stop right there!” I kept walking. She began to scream at the top of her lungs in the middle of the hallway. “Everyone, come look at this! Chloe is so jealous of my daughter’s talent that she tried to block her painting, and now she’s accusing me of plagiarism! She even demanded I give her half of the prize money! When I said no, she threatened me!” The colleagues in the hallway stopped and turned. Sarah’s eyes welled with tears instantly. “Do you know how hard it is to be a single mom? My baby is going through chemo, and she actually demanded a cut of the money, saying ‘everyone gets a share’…” Whispers broke out. “Oh my god, is Chloe really like that?” “I heard she tried to block the painting earlier…” “Maybe being single for too long made her mental.” I turned around and looked at her. Sarah was crying hysterically now. “Chloe, I know you’re single and childless, and your life is bitter! But you can’t bully us like this! My daughter’s painting is the only thing keeping me going… and you say she copied it… are you trying to drive me to suicide?” The surrounding stares felt like daggers—filled with pity for her, disgust for me, and excitement for the drama. I watched her finish her performance, then said calmly, “Since I’m such a horrible person, I’ll just resign.” Sarah froze. She didn’t expect me to say that. The onlookers shook their heads, enjoying the show. I walked away with my cup. The next morning, I had just finished typing up my resignation letter when someone came looking for me. Five minutes later, a young woman with a ponytail walked into my office. She wore a backpack and held an iPad, her expression grim. “Hi, I’m Emma.” She pushed her iPad screen in front of my face. “This painting, displayed under the name of Lily Zhang, is my artwork from three years ago.” I stood up and smiled. Without a second of hesitation, I said, “Let me take you to the CEO.” We walked to Mr. Carter’s office. The door was half-open. Inside, Richard’s laughter drifted out: “We should give Victoria the Manager of the Year award for this gala…” I knocked on the door. “Come in.” I pushed the door open and let Emma in first. “Mr. Carter, this is the original artist of the painting “My Little Kitten”. She’s here to claim copyright infringement.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “466460”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

During the single minute the elevator plunged out of control, my mind was entirely filled with Julian, who was supposedly waiting in his hospital bed for the money that would save his life. I had called him twenty-eight times, desperate to tell him that I had finally scraped together enough cash for his surgery, so he wouldn’t have to worry. But he never picked up. When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on a stretcher, being wheeled toward an ambulance. From the crowding onlookers, a girly, high-pitched voice piped up with amusement, “Look at her, babe. She looks like a suffocating dog.” Hearing this, the man beside her cast a careless glance in my direction. In that instant, my eyes locked with Julian’s—the very man who was supposed to be dying in a hospital bed. The man who had been terminally ill yesterday was now standing right in front of me, looking perfectly healthy. In his hand, he held a luxury designer handbag that I could never afford in a lifetime. He froze for a second, then looked away coldly. “She does. Just some nobody. Don’t waste your breath on her.” “Aren’t we supposed to go look at wedding dresses today?” Lying on the stretcher, I watched their intimate, retreating figures. It turned out that the five years I had spent sacrificing my life for our relationship was nothing but a sickening joke.

The paramedic pressed an oxygen mask to my face, and the agonizing chest tightness of my asthma attack finally eased a little. “You need to rest for a few days. Look at all these old injuries on your body,” the nurse said, frowning at my chart. “Severe malnutrition, asthma, low blood sugar… If you keep pushing yourself like this, how is your baby supposed to survive?” “Where is your husband? Call him to come and take care of you.” I forced a bitter smile. “…He’s not coming.” My body had broken down solely because I was working myself to death to save him. My entire life had revolved around making money. I thought if I could just make a few thousand more dollars, he could have his life-saving surgery. Yet today, he stood before me, glowing with health, without a single trace of illness. I touched my flat stomach, tears spilling over. I hadn’t even given my baby enough nutrients, all because I was running myself ragged for his lies. How could I have been so incredibly stupid? My phone buzzed. It was a message from Julian. “I’ll explain everything tonight.” “Make sure you clean the apartment first. Nobody’s lived there for a week, and it’s filthy.” My fingers trembled as I slowly typed back, “Did you not see that I was hospitalized?” After a long pause, his reply came. “Whatever.” “If the place is dirty, I’m not coming home.” Suddenly, I found it hilarious. He was a neat freak. To make him comfortable in our crummy studio apartment, I used to clean the entire place top to bottom every single day. Even when my period cramps were so bad I was on the verge of fainting, I would still wash the bedsheets until they were spotless. He used to wrap his arms around me, laughing softly in my ear. “It feels so good to be with you. I really want to spend the rest of my life like this.” Back then, I was so blinded by his sweet words. So, even when his business failed and left him in debt, and even when he claimed he had stomach cancer and needed constant, expensive treatments, I never gave up on him. Aside from my day job as a graphic designer, I took on deliveries and worked at a street food cart. I kept telling myself that if I just worked a little harder, took on a few more shifts, we would eventually have a happy life. I stayed on the IV drip until dusk before dragging myself back to the apartment. The place was small and empty, with a thin layer of dust coating the furniture. Usually, I would have grabbed a rag and scrubbed the place three times over by now. But now, I just sat there in the dark. I had previously created a burner Instagram account pretending to be a local snack vendor to follow Julian’s private account. The moment I clicked on his profile, my screen was flooded with updates. Photos of him shopping with a girl, silly selfies at the zoo, and shots of them holding hands on the beach. Suddenly, a photo at an amusement park pierced my eyes. In the picture, he was buying a doughnut for the girl. The caption read: “Hope you stay sweet forever.” And the person selling the doughnut was me, wearing a hot, heavy mascot suit, working myself to death to earn money for him. I was doing silly dances in that costume, making treats, and handing them to the girl he loved. In that photo, neither of us had recognized the other. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. Julian had sent a message to my burner Instagram account. “Hi, my girlfriend loves cake. How much for a custom one?” I never liked cake. This was for her. Staring at the screen, I typed in a standard two-digit price. The next second, he sent me $500 via PayPal. “Keep the change as a tip. Please make it as fast as possible. Thanks.” I had been skipping $15 meals just to save money for his medical bills. Yet, he threw around $500 like it was pocket change, just to get his girl a cake a little faster. Seeing that I hadn’t replied immediately, he sent another $500. “I’ll pay extra. Can you deliver it within two hours?” I accepted the money and asked for the address. It was a five-star luxury hotel downtown.

By the time I arrived at the suite door with the cake, an hour and a half had passed. When Julian opened the door half-naked, I saw the marks on his skin clearly. Fresh, red scratch marks, lined all over his chest and shoulders. Looking at him as he froze in shock, I let out a mocking laugh. “Julian Vance. Is this the explanation you promised me?” A flash of panic crossed his eyes, but he quickly covered it up, snapping angrily, “Are you tracking me now? Do you really have nothing better to do with your life?” The sheer audacity of this man. Before I could speak, a sweet, whining voice drifted from the bedroom. “Babe, you promised to carry me to the shower. Hurry up!” He gave me a rushed, dismissive look, then walked back inside, tenderly picking the girl up and carrying her into the bathroom. I stood there, staring blankly at the empty hallway. I remembered when I had playfully asked him for a princess carry once. He had only stepped back with disgust. “How old are you, Amber? Stop being so childish.” The only time he had ever shown me genuine warmth was the day his business supposedly failed and he “fell ill.” I had cried by his hospital bed, promising him that I would stick by him, start over, and take care of him. His eyes, usually so cold, had softened then, and he had held me tight. “Thank God I have you.” “I promise I’ll love you forever and give you the best life.” But later, as I worked day and night, his warmth slowly faded into indifference. Now I realized he hadn’t changed. He just didn’t care about me. The heavy, intimate scent from the room drifted into my nose. A sudden wave of nausea hit me, and I gagged, covering my mouth. I had never once suspected Julian of cheating. He had always put on a cold front around other women. I had even teased him about his type once. “Whatever you look like, that’s my type,” he had said. He was a man of few words, but every word back then made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Even when the terror of the plunging elevator nearly made me faint, my only thought had been his safety. I laughed at myself. Just as I turned to leave, the girl, wrapped in a plush hotel towel, walked out and gasped. “Oh my god, babe! Isn’t she the girl on the stretcher from this morning?” “Wow, working right after getting out of the hospital? That’s so pathetic.” “Babe, we should give her a bigger tip.” Julian wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. “I’ll Venmo her later. Go back to sleep, sweetie. We have our wedding photoshoot tomorrow.” He shut the door, giving me one last, cold look. “Wait for me downstairs.” Clutching my phone, I walked down to the lobby in a daze and sat down. The sofa in the luxury hotel was incredibly soft, like the bed of my dreams. Suddenly, I felt tired. So tired that every bone in my body ached. This feeling of utter exhaustion had appeared so many times in my life. Scraps of food from the orphanage, plastic bottles from trash cans, underpaid manual labor… Things that normal people wouldn’t even look at, I had to fight tooth and nail just to get. When a shady boss had once broken my leg and thrown me into a dark alleyway by a dumpster, I had almost given up on life. I felt like living was just too painful. But then, a pair of warm hands had pulled me up. “Don’t fall asleep. Stay awake. I’m taking you to a doctor.” The man had sharp, handsome features, but his eyes were filled with warmth. That was the first time I met Julian. After that, he constantly showed up in my bleak life. He would help me carry heavy boxes without a word, stand in front of me when my boss yelled at me, and even learned how to bargain for me. A man who wore tailored suits would argue with a vendor for two hours just to save me a few dollars. I had dragged myself through college with sheer will, and on the night of my graduation, he confessed to me. “Be with me, Amber. I won’t let you suffer anymore.” I had nodded frantically, grasping onto a dream I never dared to hope for. “Wake up! Stop sleeping!” My body was violently shaken, shattering my dream. The sharp features of the man in my dream appeared before me. It was the same man, but his expression was entirely different. He looked cold and detached, as if he had finally ripped off a mask he had worn for years. “Actually, I was never bankrupt. And I was never sick.”

He sat down beside me and lit a cigarette. “I’m the sole heir of Vance Enterprises. We were never in the same league.” “Meeting you was just a penalty for losing a bet with my friends.” “Chloe is my fiancée. We were always going to end up together.” I stared at him, my mind blank, unable to utter a single word. He smirked. “I lied about the bankruptcy and the cancer just to get rid of you.” “But you just had to be the martyr and insist on suffering with me.” “What was the point of your sacrifice? My family would never accept a girl like you anyway.” I sat frozen on the sofa. After what felt like an eternity, I choked out, “…Then why didn’t you just tell me the truth?!” “We signed our marriage certificate! And now you’re having a wedding with someone else? What am I to you?” He fell silent, watching the cigarette burn down before speaking slowly. “I didn’t tell you because you’re pathetic.” “You always looked at me with those sad, puppy eyes, like you’d die on the spot if we broke up. How was I supposed to say it?” “Plus, you’re stupid.” “Stupid enough to not even realize that marriage certificate was fake.” It felt like a physical blow to my head. I couldn’t breathe. The cigarette burned out. He stubbed it in the ashtray, then patted my head dismissively. “You’re so dumb, I almost feel bad throwing you out.” “Just stay with me. As my mistress. Chloe already agreed to it.” “I can set up a generous allowance for you…” Before he could finish, I slapped him across the face. “You disgusting, shameless bastard. I was blind to ever love you.” For once, he actually looked stunned. My entire body was shaking with rage. I raised my hand and slapped him again, even harder. “Five years! I gave you five years of my life! I worked myself into the ground for you!” “And you? You treated me like a clown! You were sleeping with another woman behind my back!” “How pathetic did you think I was to let you trample on me like this?!” His face darkened. “I admit it was my fault for not making things clear earlier, so I’ll let your little tantrum slide.” “But you’re a friendless orphan, Amber. Without me, where else do you have to go?” He reached his hand out to me, just like he had done years ago in that alleyway. “Be good. As long as you listen to me, I promise I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of.” I didn’t care about a single word he said. I ripped off the cheap bracelet on my wrist and hurled it directly at his face. The cheap bracelet was bought from a street vendor—the only thing Julian had ever given me. “Go to hell! I would rather eat out of trash cans than spend another second near you!” Ignoring his furious expression, I turned and stormed out of the hotel. The next morning when I went to work, I was called into the HR office and told I was fired. “Someone high up called our CEO. They said we couldn’t keep you. I’m sorry, Amber,” the HR manager whispered, looking sympathetic. “Who on earth did you offend?” I could only offer a bitter laugh. Because of Julian’s anger, I had lost my only steady source of income. For the next week, every single job application I sent out was instantly rejected. While waiting for my twentieth interview, I scrolled through Instagram and saw a post that made my stomach turn. Chloe had posted: “My husband has this pathetic, ugly, broke stalker who thinks she’s his mistress. How should I deal with her?” The comments were vile. Some suggested doxxing me, others suggested printing out flyers, and some even suggested beating me up. Finally, Chloe had replied to a comment: “Honestly, she’s so low-class that dealing with her feels beneath me. Luckily, my husband is smart. He didn’t give her a single dime, and even faked stomach cancer to trick her out of tens of thousands of dollars.”

So, Chloe had known about my miserable existence all along. She just found me too pathetic to even bother with. Since I couldn’t get a design job, I had no choice but to go back to making deliveries. I had to pay rent, and I had to feed the baby growing inside me. This baby was the only thing left of those five years of devotion. A brand-new, innocent life. I would do whatever it took to make sure my child wouldn’t have to suffer the way I did. At eleven o’clock one night, I collapsed onto my bed, exhausted, when my door was suddenly kicked open. “Well, well. So this is where the trash lives.” Chloe walked in, a cruel smirk on her face. “I only found out a few days ago that my husband’s little toy lived in a dump like this. How embarrassing.” I forced my voice to remain cold. “This is my apartment. Get out.” She laughed as if she had just heard the funniest joke, turning to the open door. “Babe, look how stupid she is! She doesn’t even know this is your property!” “This entire block of apartments is owned by Vance Enterprises.” I clenched my fists, a wave of humiliation washing over me. “Oh, by the way, when my husband pretended to be sick, he stayed at one of his family’s private clinics,” Chloe sneered, stepping closer. “All that money you practically starved yourself to pay the hospital? It went straight into our joint bank account. I used it to buy my new Chanel bags.” I stared past her at the man standing in the doorway. All my hard work, my hope, my sacrifices… they were all just a joke to them. When the doctor had first told me Julian was terminally ill, I hadn’t hesitated. I believed he was my only family, my soulmate. I was willing to throw away every ounce of my dignity to save him. I had literally fallen to my knees, begging the surgeon with tears streaming down my face. I thought that was the most humiliating moment of my life. But I was wrong. In front of Julian and Chloe, my love and sacrifices were branded as the desperate acts of a pathetic side piece. “This” was true, endless humiliation. I grit my teeth, projecting every ounce of strength I had left. “Get out of my life. I never want to see either of you again.” The moment the words left my mouth, one of Chloe’s bodyguards kicked me hard in the stomach. A sharp, stabbing pain shot through my abdomen, and cold sweat immediately broke out on my forehead. Chloe walked over with a malicious grin and slapped me hard across the face. “I haven’t even started on you, and you’re already throwing a tantrum? Who do you think you are?” She signaled the bodyguards to hold me down while she slapped me repeatedly. My vision went blurry, and metallic-tasting blood filled my mouth. She leaned down, whispering in my ear, “I wonder if that little bastard in your womb can survive this?” “No! Please! I was wrong! I’ll leave! I’ll disappear from your lives forever!” I looked at Julian, begging him with my eyes, tears streaming down my face. “Julian, please… please save my baby…” But the man I had loved for five years only cast a fleeting, indifferent glance at me before looking away. “Why should we keep a bastard anyway?” he said coldly. My heart shattered into a million pieces. Panic consumed me, and I began to struggle wildly. “No, please… please don’t do this…” Chloe laughed hysterically and kicked me hard in the stomach with her pointed heel. “As long as I’m around, your bastard doesn’t get to live!” The sharp heel dug into my abdomen again and again. The agonizing pain made me scream. I curled into a ball on the floor, my vision fading. Through the haze of my tears, I saw Julian walk toward me. His familiar scent filled my nose, and he bent down. But he didn’t touch me. He gently picked Chloe up in his arms. “Why do you have to do the dirty work yourself? Doesn’t your foot hurt?” His voice was incredibly gentle. “We have our wedding rehearsal tomorrow. Let’s go home, and I’ll give you a massage.” By the time Julian finished the wedding rehearsal with Chloe, it was almost ten at night. He bought a bouquet of fresh roses and drove back to my apartment, intending to throw me a bone. He had purposely ignored me these past few weeks to secure the merger with Chloe’s family. He figured he might have been a bit too harsh with his words, and that I was probably crying in the apartment, waiting for him. But when he pushed the door open, the place was completely empty. Everything was gone. Only a torn-up, fake marriage certificate lay scattered across the dusty floor.

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I brought my software engineer boyfriend of five years home to meet my parents. At the dinner table, my mother, Helen, couldn’t stop grinning after hearing he made $150,000 a year. She even uncorked a bottle of red wine she had been saving for three years. The atmosphere was perfect. I smiled and asked, “Mom, so when should we set our wedding date?” Helen’s hand poured the wine, then froze. She didn’t look at me. Instead, she turned her head hesitantly, her eyes falling on Chloe, who was quietly eating beside her. “Your sister isn’t as successful as you, Jo.” “Her job is mediocre, and her social circle is small. Why don’t you let her have this one? You can always find someone else.” I froze. The smile on my face hardened. For a long time, my brain couldn’t process her words. My own mother was actually asking me to give up my boyfriend of five years to my sister. My hands trembled with sheer rage. “Mom, love isn’t a charity. You don’t just ‘hand over’ a partner.” I turned, grabbed Caleb’s hand, and got up to leave. But Caleb stood frozen, looking at me with a conflicted expression. “Jo, actually… I think your mom has a point.”

I gasped, my mind going completely blank. I stared blankly at Caleb’s face. I desperately searched that familiar face, hoping to find a hint of a joke. But there was none. He was dead serious. “What do you mean?” My voice squeezed out of my tight throat. “My mother is being insane, and you’re going along with it?” Caleb didn’t budge. He shot me a fleeting glance. “It’s not insane.” “I just thought about it seriously.” “Thought about what?!” I practically screamed. “Your mother is right.” Caleb shifted his gaze from me to Chloe, who was sitting quietly on the sofa. “My mother also prefers girls like Chloe. She’s the type you marry and settle down with.” Suddenly, I felt like a massive joke. Five years together. We had moved from a cramped studio to a two-bedroom apartment. Because of his demanding tech job, he was always busy. I had learned to cook all his favorite meals. Every single day, I managed my own job while essentially playing his live-in maid. And now he was telling me I wasn’t the “settling down” type. I looked over at Chloe. She sat there, looking docile, harmless, and innocent. It was the same act she had pulled since childhood. She was always the one who needed protection, the one favored by everyone. But I never expected that this time, she would want my boyfriend. “Chloe, say something,” I demanded, looking at her. “Do you honestly think this is reasonable?” Chloe looked up, her eyes instantly brimming with tears. Then, she spoke. “Jo, you’re so smart. You have everything.” Her voice was soft and weak, as if she were the victim here. “You have a great career, you’re gorgeous… you can find a better man whenever you want.” “But I’m different. I’ve been useless since I was a kid. I don’t know how to do anything, and my social circle is so small. If I lose Caleb, I might never meet anyone this good again.” Tears rolled down her cheeks, splashing onto her knees. “Just let me have Caleb. That way, Mom won’t have to worry about me anymore.” “Jo, you love me the most, right?” Right. Since childhood, I had given up everything for her. If she liked my new dress, I gave it to her. If she wanted the pen our dad bought me as a reward for getting straight A’s, I gave it to her. Because of her weak health, I wrote her essays, did her chores, and took the blame for her mistakes. I gave her everything. But this was a human being. This was my boyfriend of five years. “Chloe, do you even hear yourself?” I stared at her fake tears. “He is your sister’s boyfriend. We are about to get engaged. You can’t just—” “That’s enough!” Helen slammed her wine glass onto the table, splashing red wine everywhere. “Joanna! Your sister is literally begging you. What more do you want?” Helen stood up, glaring at me aggressively. “Caleb already agreed. The man has no objections, so why are you making a scene? Stop acting like you’re the victim here.” “He is MY boyfriend!”

My tears finally spilled over. “Mom, who is your actual daughter here? You’re telling me to give my boyfriend to my sister? What kind of mother does that?!” “What’s wrong with me wanting the best for Chloe?” Helen’s face didn’t even twitch with guilt. “You’ve always been the independent one. You know Chloe is fragile. It’s easy for you to find a guy, but what about her?” “Look at the losers she works with. Can any of them match Caleb?” “You always claimed you loved your sister. Well, now is the time to prove it.” My mouth flew open, but no words came out. With tears blurring my vision, I whipped my head around to face Caleb. “Caleb.” I took a sharp breath, harshly wiping the tears from my face. “I am asking you one last time. What is your decision?” Three seconds of agonizing silence. He finally looked up. “Then I’ll be direct.” He cleared his throat. “I fell out of love with you a long time ago.” My heart violently seized. I heard myself ask, “Since when?” “A while now.” He didn’t avoid my gaze. “Remember two months ago when your phone died and you asked me to back up your data?” I froze, my mind frantically searching my memories. “I saw your sister’s photos in your camera roll.” “Later, while using your phone, I secretly saved her Snapchat.” My blood ran ice-cold. “So, you two have been texting this whole time?” My voice sounded dead, dry, and hollow. “You’ve been hooking up behind my back?” Caleb didn’t deny it. Chloe lowered her head on the sofa, her ears flushing red. Suddenly, everything clicked. No wonder Chloe had been visiting our apartment constantly lately, bringing food under the guise of “visiting me.” She was there for Caleb. No wonder I had caught them chatting on the couch several times when I came home from work, only for them to awkwardly shut up the second I walked in. No wonder Caleb had been “working late” so much recently. Every time I asked about his projects, he brushed me off. It wasn’t overtime. He was sleeping with my sister in the apartment we rented together. I suddenly burst out laughing. It was hilarious. Even trashy reality TV shows wouldn’t write a plot this ridiculous. Yet, it was happening to me. “Fine.” I let go of Caleb’s hand and took a step back. “Perfect.” I nodded, my voice cold. “Be together then. I hope you deserve each other.”

Caleb’s brows furrowed slightly. He hadn’t expected me to fold this easily. Knowing me, he probably expected a screaming match. He expected me to throw things, smash his laptop, and kick him out. For the past five years, that was how we fought. I would explode with emotion, only to slowly break down in the face of his cold silence. But this time was different. Only Caleb didn’t know why. Chloe had a secret medical condition. She couldn’t get pregnant. It was diagnosed when she was eighteen. Helen had dragged her to every specialist in the country, but the diagnosis was final. She could never have children. Helen kept this under wraps. Chloe knew, I knew, but absolutely no one else did. Caleb’s mother, Martha, only had one son. Every time she saw me, she nagged about wanting grandkids as soon as possible. I had planned to slowly ease Martha into the idea after the wedding, even preparing myself for a childfree marriage since Caleb used to say he didn’t care about kids. But now? I didn’t have to worry about that anymore. Let Chloe bear the brunt of Martha’s grandkid obsession. Let Martha nag Chloe for the next ten years until their marriage crumbled into dust. It had absolutely nothing to do with me. Furthermore, Caleb had no idea that Chloe couldn’t do a single household chore. Since childhood, Helen had spoiled her rotten, never letting her lift a finger. Caleb wanted a docile, domestic wife, right? I couldn’t wait for him to experience exactly how “domestic” his precious Chloe really was. As for me? I’d treat the last five years of playing maid to Caleb as charity work. Did he think our clean apartment and home-cooked meals just magically appeared? When his mother was hospitalized last year, I was the one who took two weeks off work to nurse her. Meanwhile, he excused himself because he was “too busy with a launch.” “That’s my girl,” Helen said, her smile returning as she poured Caleb another glass of wine. “We’re family, after all. Caleb, don’t feel guilty. Our Chloe is sweet. She’ll definitely be more obedient than some people.” I didn’t reply. I just stood by the foyer, watching this absurd circus. My mother was pouring wine for my ex, my sister was blushing, and Caleb maintained his usual smug, emotionless face. “Since it’s settled, let’s get things moving,” Helen declared authoritatively. “Tomorrow is a good day. Let’s get the engagement announced.” “And we can schedule the wedding for next week!” “Mom!” Chloe protested cutely, her face turning redder. “Don’t be shy. We have to strike while the iron is hot.” Helen rolled her eyes playfully at Chloe, then turned to Caleb. “Caleb, what do you think?” Caleb nodded. “Whatever you arrange, Helen.” “Still calling me Helen?” My mother laughed, ecstatic. “Time to change that.” “Mom,” Caleb called out, incredibly natural.

I stood at the door like an absolute clown. This was my home. My mother was planning a wedding for someone else, and my sister was acting shy over my boyfriend. “Great. I wish you a smooth engagement tomorrow, and a very quick marriage.” Helen glanced at me, probably thinking I sounded sarcastic, but she was in too good of a mood to care. “I knew you’d be sensible,” she waved me off. “Anyway, if you don’t want to stay here tonight, find a hotel. Just make sure you’re back tomorrow for the engagement party. You can’t miss your sister’s big day.” I didn’t answer. I pulled open the door. As I stepped out, I heard my mother’s voice fade behind me: “Come on, Chloe, sit next to Caleb. Let me take a picture of you two!” Followed by Chloe’s giggles—sharp and triumphant. Since we were kids, Helen had always favored Chloe. Chloe was born premature, weighing barely three pounds, and spent over a month in an incubator. She was weak, constantly sick, and Helen shielded her from every hardship. But me? I was the older sister. I had to be mature. I had to give in. When I was eighteen, I got into a prestigious university. But Helen claimed we couldn’t afford tuition for both of us. She forced me to forfeit my spot so she could pay for Chloe’s expensive private college. When I suggested taking out student loans, Helen slapped me in front of all our relatives, calling me ungrateful. I cried through the entire summer in a damp rented room, thinking my life was over. But I refused to give up. I worked during the day and studied at night, taking three years to earn my degree online. By the time I graduated, I was twenty-four. My peers were already finishing grad school, and I was just starting. Fortunately, I was a fighter. I joined my current company as an entry-level clerk. I worked overtime, traveled constantly, took on the toughest clients, and did the work nobody else wanted. In three years, I made project manager, leading a team of eight. My salary wasn’t astronomical, but it allowed me to live a comfortable, dignified life. Then, I met Caleb. He was the tech lead at a partner company. Once we got together, I thought the universe was finally being fair to me. I thought I found a stable partner. I invested all my hopes for the future into this relationship. And the result? He chose Chloe. Chloe never had to do anything. She just had to stand there, shed a couple of tears, and she could easily steal everything I worked for. My mother’s love, my family’s care, and now, my man. How ironic. The elevator hit the lobby. I checked my phone. Almost 10 PM. I hailed an Uber. “Where to?” the driver asked. “The nearest Marriott, please,” I said. At the hotel, I checked in, shut the door to my room, and collapsed onto the soft bed. Five years with Caleb. He had started coming home late recently. I genuinely believed he was busy. I never checked his phone or snooped through his messages. I knew all his passwords, but I respected his privacy because I trusted him. Yet, he used my trust to steal my sister’s contact info from my phone. They had been fooling around while I was busy planning our wedding. I closed my eyes, burying my face in the pillow. Mother, sister, boyfriend. None of them were reliable. Only I could save myself.

I eventually drifted off to sleep. The next morning, my phone blared loudly, waking me up. I groggily grabbed it. My mother’s caller ID was flashing on the screen. I swiped to answer. “Joanna! Do you know what time it is?!” Helen’s screeching voice blasted through the speaker. “Your sister is getting engaged today! All the relatives are here. How dare you, as her sister, be absent!” I checked the time. 9:30 AM. “Hurry up! Your dad booked the restaurant downtown. Get an Uber now!” She hung up before I could reply. I tossed the phone onto the bed and rubbed my temples. My purse was still at my parents’ house. My ID, credit cards, work phone, keys, and company badge were all in there. But most importantly, the original signed client contract from last week was in that purse. I needed to submit it to the office first thing Monday morning. The hotel was about a twenty-minute drive from my parents’ place. On the way in the Uber, Helen called again. “Where are you? We’re literally waiting on you!” “Almost there,” I muttered and hung up. The city streets flew past the window. I leaned against the glass, looking at the city I had lived in for eight years, suddenly feeling like an outsider. I got off at the restaurant. Inside the private banquet hall, three large tables were packed with relatives, including distant cousins I barely knew. Chloe sat at the head of the main table, with Caleb right beside her. My entrance caused a brief hush in the noisy room. Then, the chatter resumed. No one cared about my feelings. “Jo is here!” My aunt was the first to notice, waving warmly. “Come, sit! We were just waiting for you. Look at your sister, she’s so lucky to find such a great guy!” “I know, right? A tech lead making six figures! So promising!” The relatives gossiped, their words piercing my ears. Helen marched through the crowd, grabbed my arm, and dragged me forward with a fake smile. “Finally. Dragging your feet on your sister’s big day.” I was shoved right in front of the main table, facing Caleb and Chloe. Caleb looked up, his eyes as cold as if I were a stranger. Chloe lowered her head, playing the shy bride, though her fingers were tightly wrapped around Caleb’s hand. Helen smirked, nudging me toward Caleb. “Jo, aren’t you going to congratulate your sister?” Every eye in the room was on me. I looked around at their faces. It was so absurd it was comical. “Actually, I do have something to say.” I stared at Caleb, pronouncing every word clearly: “Congratulations on finding a ‘domestic, settling-down’ woman.” Then, I turned to Chloe, a cold smirk playing on my lips. “Stealing my boyfriend… does it feel good?”

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Just seconds before the car crash, my best friend threw herself over me. When she woke up, she had amnesia. She mistook my fiancé as her own boyfriend. To help her recover, our group of five friends decided to play along with the lie. The first month, the pre-wedding trip that was supposed to be mine was given to her. She held Ethan Sterling’s hand, kissing him to the cheers of our friends, leaving me behind to carry all four of their bags. The second month, my best friend moved into the house Ethan and I had bought for our marriage. My name was erased from the deed and replaced with hers. My sister, Clara, comforted me. “Chloe, Natalie only lost her memory because she saved your life. We are just playing along to help her recover. It’s temporary.” I believed her. I forced a smile and played my part in their endless, ridiculous drama, scene after scene. Until the ninth month. I finished my bridal makeup and rushed to the wedding venue. Only to find Natalie Davis already wearing my wedding dress, smiling brightly as she leaned on Ethan’s arm to greet the guests. Clara patted my shoulder and tried to soothe me. “Natalie accidentally found your dress last night. We couldn’t bear to break her heart and tell her the truth, so we decided to let her have this wedding first.” Ethan’s best friend, Tyler, chimed in with a grin. “Yeah, Chloe. You’ve stepped back eight times already. What’s one more?” My heart ached, and my engagement ring suddenly felt suffocatingly tight on my finger. I looked up and saw Natalie wearing my backup wedding band. It fit her finger perfectly. That’s when I realized that the wedding dress—the one that had felt a size too small on me— fit her like a glove. All the guests knew the truth, yet they still cheered and loudly called her “Mrs. Sterling.” It turned out that the only one who actually took this “temporary lie” seriously… was me. I let out a bitter laugh and slipped off the tight wedding ring. If that’s how they wanted it. Then I would let them have their ninth and final piece of theater.

The wedding ring clinked loudly as I threw it into the trash can. The two in front of me froze in shock. Clara frowned, opening her mouth to speak, but Natalie’s squeal of joy cut her off. “Chloe! You’re finally here! Look at me, don’t I look absolutely gorgeous today?” She twirled in front of me, holding up the skirt of her gown, chatting away as if nothing was wrong. “I passed by the bridal shop a while ago and casually told Ethan how beautiful this dress was. I can’t believe he remembered!” “And this ring! It’s exactly my style.” “Ethan told me everything. Thank you so much for helping him plan the wedding these past few months, Chloe. I’m so lucky to have a best friend like you.” I stood frozen. No wonder the dress I spent months choosing was suddenly swapped by Ethan at the last minute. No wonder the backup ring had a diamond twice the size of my original one. The wedding I had painstakingly planned… was never meant for me in the first place. I let out a mocking laugh at myself. Clara panicked, quickly cutting in before I could say a word. “Of course you’re beautiful, Natalie! You are the most stunning bride ever. We have to capture this moment!” Tyler caught on quickly and raised his camera. “Yeah, exactly! Everyone, let’s get together for a group photo!” Hearing this, the guests gathered around, holding party poppers. Clara and Tyler quickly squeezed in next to Ethan and Natalie. The four of them stood in the front row. It was a perfect, complete picture. Tyler shoved the camera into my hands. “Chloe, you’re the best photographer here. Take some good shots for us.” The spotlight fell on them. Natalie leaned her head against Ethan’s shoulder, her white gown glowing. Ethan looked down at her, his eyes filled with pure tenderness. Everyone crowded around them, congratulating the perfect couple. It was exactly the wedding I had dreamed of for years. Someone in the crowd started chanting. “Kiss her! Kiss her!” Ethan’s ears flushed red. He hesitated for a second. But Natalie was already on her tiptoes, pressing her lips against his. My mind went completely blank as cheers erupted around me. Tyler raised his voice, urging me. “Chloe, what are you doing? Snap the picture! Capture the most important moment of their lives!” I raised the camera mechanically. *Bang!* A party popper went off. Amidst the falling confetti, I pressed the shutter. One shot, two shots, a dozen shots. Amid the rising cheers and screams, Ethan held Natalie, switching poses for one kiss after another. Everyone was laughing and smiling. I was the only one with tears stinging my eyes. After what felt like an eternity, a timid voice spoke beside me. “Excuse me, miss. The reception has started. Do you need me to add a seat for you?” I snapped back to reality and realized the lobby was empty. Everyone had already taken their seats in the grand hall. All three hundred seats were filled. And, as fate would have it, there was no seat for me. A bitter smile played on my lips. “No, thank you.” Since there was no room for me, I didn’t want it anymore. This five-person friendship… I was officially done with it.

Leaving the reception, I submitted my resignation letter to the company. The HR manager replied instantly. “Are you sure about this, Chloe? Do you need us to inform Mr. Sterling?” “No need to tell him.” The HR manager didn’t push further. “Alright. It’s late. Please come to the office tomorrow morning to hand in your official paperwork.” After confirming, I went home to pack. My phone buzzed. On Snapchat, in the group chat named “Natalie’s Recovery Project,” Clara tagged me. “Chloe, did you throw a tantrum and leave again?” “Natalie was so looking forward to this wedding with Ethan. We couldn’t bear to let her down, so we planned a mock wedding for her.” “We were worried you’d be upset, so we didn’t tell you the truth.” Tyler chimed in with his usual mocking tone. “Yeah, Chloe. Natalie lost her memory saving your life. Don’t be so petty all the time.” Ethan sent only a few short words. “Be good. I’ll throw you an even bigger wedding next time.” Promises like this… I had heard them a thousand times. On the day of the pre-wedding trip, Ethan said he would take me somewhere farther next time. On the day I gave up the house, Ethan said he would buy me a more expensive one next time. I waited and waited, only to receive broken promises time and time again. This time, I was done waiting. With a swipe of my finger, I left the group chat. Then, I turned back to my packing. Under my pillow, I found a journal. It was the love diary Ethan had written for me. The day Natalie moved into our house, worried she would feel uncomfortable, the three of them threw away our couple photos and our customized couple ornaments. They erased every single trace of my history with Ethan. Only this journal had been secretly hidden by me. It had been my only comfort through countless sleepless nights, helping me survive the pain. But from now on, I didn’t need it anymore. I tossed the journal into the trash. I turned around, only to notice that the roses I had planted on the balcony had been replaced with sunflowers—Natalie’s favorite. The once-minimalist walls were now covered in her cute stickers. Without me realizing it, Natalie had slowly filled every corner of my home, erasing me piece by piece. After packing for hours, I realized my belongings couldn’t even fill half a suitcase. I laughed bitterly. Before I could zip my suitcase, the front door swung open. The four of them walked in. Natalie was barefoot, clinging to Ethan’s back. Clara carried her shoes, while Tyler held the train of her wedding gown. Seeing me, their laughter froze instantly. Ethan gently put Natalie down, instinctively trying to explain. “Chloe, Natalie had too much to drink because she was happy. I had to carry her back.” A drunken Natalie looked up, her tone annoyed. “Hey! Ethan, I’m your wife! Why are you so worried about what she thinks?” With that, she reached up to pinch his ear. But her legs gave out, and she fell right back into his arms. Ethan let out a helpless chuckle. “Alright, alright, my little drunkard. You’re right, okay?” Natalie huffed, pointing a finger at me. “Chloe, you’ve been living in our house for months. Now that Ethan and I are married, it’s not convenient. You should move out.” How hilarious. Ethan and I had bought this house three years ago. I had personally chosen every single piece of furniture. And yet, after living here for just a few months, she acted like she owned the place. Seeing my cold expression, Clara quickly tried to smooth things over. “Natalie, finding an apartment is hard right now. Chloe is great at keeping things tidy. Just think of her as a live-in housekeeper.” Tyler nodded in agreement. “Exactly. You newlyweds will be busy. It’s perfect to have her do the chores, right, Chloe?” Ethan shot me a warning look. He was telling me not to say anything I shouldn’t. Everyone stared at me, waiting for me to force a smile and agree, just like I always did. But this time, I only let out a soft chuckle. “No need to go to all that trouble. I’m leaving right now.” With that, I grabbed my suitcase and walked toward the door. The three of them froze in shock. Ethan instinctively reached out to grab my arm. Behind him, Natalie suddenly gagged. Ethan panicked, turning around to rush her to the bathroom. Clara and Tyler hurried after them. One patted her back, one handed her tissues, and the other started making a hangover soup. Once again, I was left standing there—the invisible fifth wheel. I smiled bitterly, picked up my suitcase, and walked out without looking back.

I found a random hotel to stay for the night. After drafting my resignation letter, I made a call. “I accept the job offer you extended earlier. I will fly out to London tomorrow.” The person on the other end responded with joy. After booking my flight, four hours had passed. My phone lit up with a call from Ethan. After a brief hesitation, I answered it. Ethan’s voice sounded exhausted. “Chloe, did you leave the group chat?” “Stop throwing tantrums. I’ve talked to Natalie, and she said you can move back in.” “But you’ll have to handle the cooking and cleaning.” I let out a cynical laugh. “Ethan, do you guys really think of me as your maid?” Ethan sighed defensively. “Don’t be ridiculous. You know Natalie’s condition.” “Just be good. Natalie wants to host a dinner party tomorrow and made a list. Make sure you buy the groceries and come home on time.” A long shopping list popped up in my messages. Coke chicken wings for Natalie, braised pork for Ethan. Fresh juice for Clara, potato chips for Tyler. Dozens of items, meticulously listed. Not a single thing was for me. Once again, I was completely excluded from their world. My heart went entirely cold. I didn’t want to waste my breath arguing. I hung up the phone and blocked his number. The next day, carrying my resignation letter, I hadn’t even stepped through the office doors when Natalie rushed toward me, followed by an aggressive crowd of reporters. Before I could react, Natalie slapped me hard across the face. A notebook was thrown to the ground, splaying open before me. It was the love diary Ethan had written for me—the one I had thrown in the trash yesterday. “Chloe Miller! I was wondering why you refused to leave my husband’s house!” “It turns out you’ve been fantasizing about my husband in this diary every single day! We’re supposed to be best friends, how could you do something so disgusting?!” My head spun from the slap. Before I could catch my breath, the reporters swarmed me, shoving microphones and cameras into my face. “Miss Miller, is it true that you stayed as Mr. Sterling’s secretary for six years, even turning down high-paying executive offers from other companies, just to climb into his bed?” “Have you been staying at Miss Davis’s home these past few months just to steal her husband?” The blinding camera flashes made it impossible to open my eyes. Passersby stopped to watch, and a wave of insults washed over me. My head spun, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I screamed out the truth: “I didn’t write those diaries! Ethan wrote them for me!” “You’re the one with amnesia! You mistook Ethan as your boyfriend!” “The person Ethan was supposed to marry was me!”

The crowd fell silent for a second. In the next moment, Clara pushed through the crowd and rushed at me. *Slap!* Another hard blow landed on the other side of my face. With tearful eyes, Clara turned to the cameras and apologized. “I’m so sorry everyone. My sister has been obsessing over Mr. Sterling for years.” “But I never imagined she would write something so disgusting, let alone slander Mr. Sterling like this.” Holding my burning cheeks, I stared at her in utter disbelief. Tyler and Ethan pushed through the crowd and stepped forward. Tyler sneered at me. “Chloe, you’re trying to steal Natalie’s husband? Are you really that desperate for a man?” Ethan suppressed the guilt in his eyes and spoke with cold composure. “Miss Miller and I are just ordinary colleagues. We have never crossed any boundaries.” “My only wife is, and always will be, Natalie.” The very last spark of hope in my heart was brutally extinguished. The crowd jeered mockingly. “I knew it. How could Mr. Sterling ever want to marry someone like her? She must have fabricated the whole diary.” “Fantasizing about her best friend’s husband and then turning around to frame them? What a pathetic bitch.” The harsh words pierced my ears like needles. In the chaos, someone shoved me hard from behind. I lost my balance and fell painfully onto the hard pavement. Ethan’s eyes contracted. He instinctively stepped forward to help me. But Natalie grabbed him, clutching her head in pain. “Ethan, my head hurts so much.” The three of them panicked instantly, rushing to help her away. I looked down. A pool of blood was slowly soaking through my pants. Seeing the blood, the crowd gasped in horror. The reporters and onlookers finally began to scatter in panic. Right before I blacked out from the excruciating pain, my phone buzzed with a message from Ethan. “Natalie’s condition will worsen if she finds out the truth.” “I’ve called an ambulance for you. Consider today a lesson.” “Don’t ever say things like that again.” Ethan, you got your wish. There will never be a next time. When I opened my eyes again, the doctor handed me a medical report, his eyes filled with pity. “I’m sorry, Miss Miller. We couldn’t save the baby.” My mind went completely blank. I stared numbly at the miscarriage report. It turned out I had been pregnant for two months. I had lost my child before I even knew she existed. A sharp, agonizing pain ripped through my chest. My phone buzzed. Natalie had sent me a photo of her own pregnancy test. My entire body went rigid. Her messages kept coming. “Chloe, let’s be honest. My amnesia actually cured six months ago.” “But I fell in love with Ethan, so I decided to keep pretending to play along.” “I saw your medical checkup report. I knew you were pregnant. Today was entirely intentional. I am the only one allowed to give Ethan a child.” “Look around you. Everyone is celebrating my baby’s arrival. In our world of five, you are nothing but trash.” She forwarded a screenshot of a group chat. The group name was: “The Core Four.” I wasn’t in it. I scrolled through the messages, one by one. The four of them were chatting excitedly. In just three hours, they had sent thousands of messages. They talked about who would be the godparents, and how to decorate the nursery. They discussed baby names and wondered if the child would look more like Ethan or Natalie. My heart froze over completely. I took the miscarriage report and signed it. Then, I handed it to the doctor along with my resignation letter. “Doctor, please deliver these to Ethan Sterling for me.” Since I was nothing but trash in their world of five, then for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t leave any room for them either. … On the other side of town, Natalie was gently rubbing her belly, surrounded by the adoration of Clara and Tyler. Watching this scene, Ethan felt a nagging headache. That night, he had drunk too much. In his drunken stupor, he had mistaken Natalie for Chloe. He didn’t expect her to get pregnant from just that one night. Ethan sighed heavily, trying to reassure himself. It was fine. Chloe would understand. He would make it up to her later. Just like he had done countless times before. Yet, for some reason, an indescribable sense of dread washed over him. Making an excuse to get some fresh air, Ethan stepped out of the ward and dialed Chloe’s number. The call wouldn’t go through. He had been blocked. He tried sending a message on Snapchat. Blocked there, too. The dread in his chest intensified. A moment later, a doctor rushed over with a grave expression. “Mr. Sterling, we have reviewed the medical files. Miss Davis’s amnesia was fully cured six months ago.” Ethan instinctively denied it. “That’s impossible!” The doctor gave him a complex look. “Also, Miss Miller had some documents for me to deliver to you.” Ethan frowned as he took the papers. When he saw the resignation letter, his heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, he flipped to the next page. The document underneath made him freeze as if doused in ice water.

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