Author: Momo Chan

1 “Hand the account over to her? Why? Just because she’s your little protégé?” I pushed the heavy glass door of the director’s office wide open. Richard slammed his palm against the mahogany desk. “Riley, watch your tone. I decide who gets what around here. Play nice and we all win. Otherwise, I have a dozen ways to make your life a living hell.” “I’ve been working this deal for six months. We are literally days away from signing.” I stared him down. “Company resources belong to the company. It doesn’t matter whose name is on the paperwork.” He leaned back in his leather chair, relaxing his posture. “Look at the bigger picture. It’s for the good of the firm.” I watched his smug, entitled expression for a long moment. Then, I nodded. A sharp laugh escaped my lips. “You know what? You’re absolutely right. I really should start thinking about what is best for this company.” Walking out of his office, the smile vanished from my face. As I sat back at my cubicle, a loud, exaggerated gasp echoed across the floor. “Oh my gosh, I feel so guilty about this!” Lexi strutted to the center of the bullpen. She was wearing a designer skirt that was two sizes too small, hugging a stack of file folders to her chest. She deliberately raised her voice so the entire floor could hear. “Riley! I heard you transferred that massive account over to me?” “That’s a ten million dollar deal.” “Thank you so much for doing all the grunt work. I promise I’ll cherish it.” “I definitely won’t let your blood, sweat, and tears go to waste.” Her eyes sparkled with blatant provocation. The corner of her mouth twitched upward. The clacking of keyboards stopped. A few coworkers threw sympathetic glances my way before quickly burying their faces back in their monitors. I kept organizing the paperwork on my desk, not even bothering to look up. “Don’t thank me. Richard said our new hires need some encouragement. Whether you can actually close the deal is entirely up to you.” Lexi’s fake smile froze. Richard walked out of his glass office, clapping his hands. “Alright everyone, wrap up what you’re doing. Quick huddle.” His eyes swept across the room before landing squarely on me. “I have an announcement. To finish the year strong and optimize our resources, we are focusing on developing our junior talent.” “Riley has voluntarily handed the Apex Corporation project over to Lexi.” “I want all of you to learn from Riley. This is the kind of team-player mentality our veteran staff should have!” “Let’s get a round of applause!” A scattering of hesitant, pathetic claps filled the room. I raised my hands and clapped twice. After the meeting, Lexi dropped an iced caramel macchiato on my desk. The condensation immediately started pooling on my notes. “Drink up, Riley. Richard told me to come get the Apex files from you.” “I need everything. Victoria’s personal preferences, her pet peeves, and all your notes from the previous negotiation rounds.” She held out her perfectly manicured hand. I watched the puddle of water soak into the edge of my paper. “The official documents are all in the shared cloud drive. Download them yourself.” “Come on, Riley. The cloud drive just has the boring legal stuff.” Lexi leaned in, dropping her voice to a vicious whisper. “My godfather said that if this deal falls through, he’s holding you personally responsible. You wouldn’t want him thinking you’re hiding the good stuff from me, right?” I let out a cold chuckle. I created a new digital folder, zipped up a specific set of files I had prepared, and hit send. “It’s in your inbox. Read it carefully. It would be a shame if you couldn’t even figure out what kind of coffee Victoria likes.” Lexi smirked, hugged her laptop, and pranced away. Right before clocking out, Richard cornered me in the breakroom. He kicked the door shut, his face turning grim. “Riley, I know you’re pissed.” “When this deal closes, you’ll still get a small cut of the bonus pool. But if you dare pull any petty stunts behind my back or try to sabotage Lexi…” “I will personally make sure you never work in this industry again.” He jabbed his finger an inch from my face. I offered him a slight, submissive bow. “You’re overthinking this, Richard. I wouldn’t dare. I have rent to pay. I’ll cooperate with Lexi one hundred percent.” Richard snorted and waved me off. “Good. Get out of here. Glad you know your place.” Stepping out of the corporate tower, the biting winter wind whipped across my face. I pulled out my phone and opened the chat with a contact saved simply as “The Queen.” “Mom, we need to talk.” A reply popped up almost instantly. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” I typed out a quick response, locked my screen, and smiled against the cold. 2 For the next few days, the office was a circus. Lexi sat at her desk, staring at the files with a deep scowl. The usually quiet department group chat was constantly blowing up with her notifications. “@Riley, what does this ‘exclusivity clause’ mean in section four?” “Victoria’s legal team is asking if we can strike it. What do I say?” “@Riley, how does the sliding scale commission work on this spreadsheet? The system keeps giving me an error!” “@Riley, help! Victoria’s assistant is asking for Plan B from the last proposal. Where is it?” I stared at my screen, deliberately waiting until Richard chimed in to scold me before taking my sweet time to type back. “The exclusivity clause is standard industry practice. Tell legal to hold their ground.” “The sliding scale uses the formula at the bottom. Plug the numbers in yourself.” “Plan B is in the archived folder. Keep looking.” Lexi followed my advice and tried to play hardball with the client. She got shut down immediately. That afternoon, the tension in the office was suffocating. Lexi slammed her mouse onto her desk, her eyes red, and stormed into Richard’s office. Less than five minutes later, Richard’s roar bled through the frosted glass. “Riley! Get in here right now!” I picked up my thermos and casually strolled in. Richard was pounding his fist on the desk. “Are you trying to get fired, Riley?” “Lexi said she called Victoria over a dozen times today and got sent straight to voicemail. Did you give her a fake number?” “Are you trying to sabotage a ten million dollar contract?!” Lexi sat in the corner chair, pointing a manicured finger at me. “She’s doing this on purpose, Richard! She must have talked trash about me to Victoria. Why else would the client ignore my calls?” “You can’t play games with the company’s money, Riley!” I blinked, looking completely innocent. “I’m deeply offended you’d think that, Richard. The number is right there in the directory. Why would I fake it?” “Victoria runs a massive corporation. Maybe she’s just busy and hasn’t checked her phone.” “Bullshit!” Richard threw a binder across the room. It crashed to the floor. “Busy enough to ignore my lead manager all day? You’re going to call her right now. On speaker.” “If she doesn’t pick up, you can pack your desk.” I pulled my phone from my pocket. “Sure. Let’s try.” I dialed the number and hit the speaker button. It rang twice. Then, a sharp click. An icy, authoritative woman’s voice filled the room. “Hello?” Lexi froze. Richard stopped breathing. I cleared my throat, keeping my tone perfectly professional and warm. “Hi Victoria, it’s Riley. I am so sorry to interrupt your afternoon. Our new manager, Lexi, mentioned she couldn’t get ahold of you.” “We just wanted to make sure the signing schedule was still on track…” Silence hung heavy on the other end. Then, a cold, mocking scoff. “Lexi? Who the hell is Lexi? I don’t know a Lexi. Some girl kept sending me unprofessional emojis and begging for a meeting all morning. I blocked the number.” “Riley, I have made myself very clear. I only do business with you.” “If your firm keeps sending random nobodies to waste my time, we can take our ten million elsewhere.” Lexi’s face flushed a violent crimson. She stared at the carpet. Richard’s face drained of all color. I quickly jumped in to smooth things over. “Please don’t be angry, Victoria. She’s new and still learning the ropes. We will make sure she gets better training.” “Regarding the signing ceremony…” “Whatever. I’ll let it slide because it’s you, Riley. We’ll handle the details when I see you.” The line went dead. The silence in the office was deafening. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and looked at Richard. “Well, the number works. Maybe Lexi just came on a bit too strong. Victoria hates that kind of unprofessional energy.” Richard glared at Lexi. “You are useless! You can’t even read a client’s basic vibe? Go back to your desk and figure it out!” He turned back to me, massaging his temples. “Since she actually answers your calls, you’ll handle the communication logistics from now on. But Lexi is still the lead on paper, and she signs the contract. That is non negotiable.” I nodded obediently. “Of course. Whatever you say.” Despite her humiliation, Lexi’s ego bounced back the next day. She posted a team photo on her social media, cropped me out completely, and added a shiny filter to her face. The caption read: “Burning the midnight oil for this ten million dollar deal. The grind never stops!” Dozens of people from the company liked it. 3 Lexi’s power trip escalated throughout the week. “Riley, go print this contract. Double sided. Full color.” “Riley, book the executive boardroom for tomorrow. The biggest one. Make sure there are fresh flowers and sparkling water.” “Riley, run down to the corner cafe and get me an artisan pour over. Black.” I swallowed every demand without a single complaint. Lexi lounged in her ergonomic chair, drunk on her own authority. The day before the signing, the sales floor was chaotic. Richard threw a thick binder onto my keyboard. “Riley, this is the minute by minute schedule for tomorrow’s ceremony. I need a full script by five o’clock. Who stands where, who says what. You aren’t leaving until it’s flawless.” I flipped open the binder. “Shouldn’t Lexi be writing this? She’s the lead manager.” Richard gave me a dirty look. “Lexi is busy memorizing the contract clauses. She doesn’t have time for admin work. Just do it. Consider it a privilege that I’m letting you be involved at all.” Lexi sat at the next desk, casually painting her nails. “Yeah Riley, be a team player. If tomorrow falls apart, it’s the company’s reputation on the line.” I took the binder. “Fine. I’ll get it done.” During the lunch hour, Richard pulled me to the far end of the hallway. Cigarette smoke swirled around his face as he gave me a calculating look. “Listen closely. Tomorrow during the ceremony… I want you to stay out of the boardroom.” I raised an eyebrow. “I wrote the script. I managed the client relationship for six months. Now I’m banned from the room?” Richard flicked his ashes onto the carpet. “Know your place, Riley. Lexi has better presentation skills. She looks the part. If you’re standing in there, you’ll just distract from her moment.” “Look at the way you dress. What if you offend Victoria with your cheap suits?” “Your job is to stand out by the elevators and handle the catering. Once the ink is dry, I’ll let you come to the after party.” I looked at his greasy, arrogant face and suddenly smiled. “Are you absolutely sure you don’t need me in the room to manage the client? Victoria has a notorious temper. If something unexpected happens…” “Shut up.” Richard cut me off. “What could possibly happen? Just stay out of sight. Learn to have some class, understand?” I nodded slowly. “Class. Got it. I’ll be waiting by the door.” When I walked back to my desk, Lexi was holding a dress against her body. It was a tacky white cocktail dress with a ridiculous lace train. “How does it look, Riley? This is my power outfit for tomorrow.” She twirled around. I glanced at it. “Stunning. You look exactly like a desperate bridesmaid.” Lexi’s smile turned into a snarl. “What do you know about fashion? You’re pathetic.” People from other departments were walking by, whispering and pointing. Richard caught wind of the drama and sent a warning message in the group chat to keep things professional. I ignored the noise and pulled out my phone, texting my mother again. “Mom. Wear the custom black suit tomorrow. Look as terrifying as possible.” Near the end of the day, I got up to grab a glass of water. A steaming cup of coffee came flying right at me. I dodged the worst of it, but dark brown liquid splashed across the cuff of my blouse. “Oh my gosh!” Lexi stood there holding an empty mug, a vicious smirk playing on her lips. “My hand slipped. I am so clumsy today. Sorry about that, Riley.” “But hey, you aren’t allowed to see the client tomorrow anyway, right? It’s fine if your clothes are ruined. You really need a wardrobe upgrade.” I pulled a tissue from the box and dabbed at the stain. Lexi took a step back, suddenly looking nervous at my silence. “What are you staring at? I said I was sorry.” I tossed the stained tissue into the trash can. “It’s totally fine.” I flashed her a bright, blinding smile. “Out with the old, in with the new. Let’s just hope that beautiful white dress of yours can handle the pressure tomorrow.”

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When my wife finally hit a million dollar salary, she stood on the stage of an industry summit and projected my life onto the screen as her ultimate badge of shame. She displayed photos of me wearing a stained apron over a frying pan and kneeling on the bathroom floor scrubbing the toilet. Above them were glaring, bold words: “A Negative Asset Incapable of Growth!” “A Stumbling Block to Progress!” “An Obstacle That Must Be Eliminated on the Road to Success!” In an instant, I became the laughingstock of the entire conference hall. But what she didn’t know was that I was once an algorithm prodigy in the tech world. I simply chose to hide my brilliance and return to the kitchen, all for her sake. Now, I am done playing the devoted husband. I don’t want this family anymore! 1 Victoria was delivering her “My Decade” keynote at the pinnacle of the industry forum. The presentation reached the “Gratitude” slide. Remembering how she told me last night that she would specially thank me today, I secretly wondered if she would show a sweet photo of us together. Instead, the first photo appeared. It was a picture of me wearing an apron, frying fish. Grease splatters stained the fabric, making me look utterly pathetic and unkempt. A wave of snickers rippled from the back rows. Immediately, the second photo popped up. It was a shot of my back as I knelt on one knee, scrubbing the toilet bowl. The angle was viciously chosen, making me look incredibly subservient, like a servant worshipping a porcelain throne. Laughter erupted across the entire hall. And I was sitting right there in the audience, attending as the invited “family representative”. The camera panned over my instantly ashen face. I could clearly hear the whispers of the executives sitting next to me. “Is that Victoria’s deadbeat husband?” “No wonder she’s so successful. She dumped the baggage and traveled light.” “You have to feel for her, dragging a leech like that around while climbing to the top.” Their voices were loud, deliberately floating into my ears. I froze in my seat, feeling every gaze in the room burning into my face like a spotlight. On stage, Victoria was radiant and full of arrogant confidence, her voice rising and falling with perfect cadence. “During our upward climb in the corporate world, we must learn the art of subtraction. We must immediately identify and purge the burdens that drag down our momentum…” She spent ten agonizing minutes deconstructing my cooking, cleaning, and childcare into corporate case studies. Sunk costs. Opportunity costs. Negative return on assets. Every single corporate buzzword felt like a jagged knife plunging repeatedly into my heart. When her speech ended, the applause was thunderous. Victoria smiled and bowed on stage. Bathed in the spotlight, she practically glowed. Meanwhile, I hunched my shoulders and walked out of the venue, step by agonizing step. Back home, I sat on the living room sofa. I didn’t turn on the lights. I just stared blindly at the dark silhouettes of our furniture. From our wedding day to now, five full years had passed. Victoria said she wanted to sprint toward her career goals. I said okay, I will manage the home. She said she hated doing chores. I said okay, I will do them. She said having a baby would derail her professional timeline. I said okay, I will raise Sophie myself. I thought this was mutual support. I thought this was a partnership. I thought this was what a family was supposed to look like. It wasn’t until today that I finally understood. In her eyes, I was nothing but dead weight. A “negative asset” dragging her down. The sound of the front door unlocking broke the silence. Victoria stumbled inside. She smelled of expensive wine, her cheeks flushed, but her eyes still sparkled with the adrenaline of her success. Flicking on the lights, she frowned the moment she saw me. “Nolan, why are you just sitting there staring into space? Don’t you know I need a glass of honey water to sober up?” I didn’t move an inch. I just stared at her. “Victoria, what exactly am I to you?” She pushed past me with an impatient sigh. “Nolan, what is wrong with you now?” “That presentation today. Those photos. Those words.” I demanded, emphasizing every single syllable. “In your heart, I am nothing but a burden to you, aren’t I?” Victoria turned and leaned against the hallway wall, crossing her arms. I knew that posture intimately. It was the exact stance she took at the negotiation table when dealing with a difficult opponent. “Nolan, today is the biggest day of my career. I am not going to argue with you. Those were just case studies for theatrical effect.” I let out a bitter laugh. “Case studies? You used pictures of your husband scrubbing a toilet for theatrical effect?” “Then what did you expect me to do?!” Victoria raised her voice, her tone sharp. “Put up a sweet selfie of us? And tell a room full of titans that I succeeded because I have a nice stay-at-home husband? Who would buy that garbage?” She walked closer, the smell of alcohol hitting my face. “Nolan, today is the absolute highlight of my professional life. Can you please not ruin my mood?” I looked at her, suddenly feeling like I was staring at a total stranger. This woman, who had shared my bed for five years… I realized I never truly knew her. “So, to you, I am just a negative asset that needs to be purged from your road to success. Is that right?” Victoria fell silent for a few seconds. “So what if you are? What does it matter? Nolan, grow up, will you?” She turned on her heel and walked toward the master bedroom. “I am exhausted. I have a major meeting with investors tomorrow.” The bedroom door clicked shut. I stood up and walked into my dusty study. At the very bottom of the bookshelf sat a cardboard box covered in years of dust. I pulled it out and opened it. Inside were relics of a past life. College programming competition gold medals, yellowed team photos, and an old, bulky black smartphone. Plugging in the charging cable, the screen flickered to life. A text message from five years ago popped up on the display. “Nolan, are you seriously not going to consider coming with us? Name your price. Anything.” Sender: Felix. The current billionaire founder of the tech empire, Abyss Innovations. 2 Five years ago, Felix’s company consisted of exactly five people working out of a cramped residential apartment. He told me we were going to change the world. We were going to build something disruptive. I told him I was getting married. Victoria needed me. Felix pleaded with me. “Nolan, think about this carefully. Opportunities like this only come around once in a lifetime.” I replied without a second of hesitation. “Family only comes around once in a lifetime, too.” He stayed silent for a long time before replying. “Alright. I will always keep a seat warm for you. Whenever you want to come back, the door is open.” Today, his company, Abyss Innovations, was an untouchable industry giant. And I had become the pathetic back scrubbing a toilet on a projector screen. After a brief moment of hesitation, I pressed the call button. It rang exactly once before it was picked up. “Hello?” Felix’s voice came through the speaker, carrying a hint of exhaustion from being interrupted. “It is me. Nolan.” The line went dead silent. A few seconds later, Felix’s voice practically exploded through the receiver, vibrating with sheer, unbelievable excitement. “Nolan? Is that really you?!” “It’s me.” “Bro, you finally woke up!” Felix’s voice fired off like a string of firecrackers. “I kept your equity shares perfectly intact all these years. Where are you right now? Tomorrow, no, tonight, I am sending a car to pick you up. The team is currently hard-stuck on a massive vulnerability in our core security protocol. You called at the absolute perfect time…” He spoke at lightning speed, his familiar, burning passion rushing over me. My eyes grew slightly hot. “Felix, I can’t come over just yet.” I interrupted his rant, my voice slightly hoarse. “Why not?” Felix’s excitement ground to a halt, replaced by deep confusion. “Let me handle some personal matters at home first. But that vulnerability you mentioned, you can send the files over. I will take a look.” “Done!” Felix didn’t pry any further, always a man of decisive action. “Nolan, if you are stepping in, this problem is already half solved!” A few minutes later, the encrypted data transfer was complete. Staring at the dense walls of data and complex architecture diagrams, everything felt completely foreign, yet intimately familiar. Over the next three days, my life appeared exactly the same. I dropped Sophie off at kindergarten, went grocery shopping, cooked dinner, and cleaned the floors. Victoria continued to leave early and return late, entirely consumed by her corporate ambitions. We barely spoke a word to each other. The atmosphere in our home was colder than living with a stranger. The only difference was that every night after my daughter fell asleep, and every spare second between chores, my brain was operating at maximum velocity. Late on the third night, I sent a complete security patch and a meticulously detailed analysis report directly to Felix. Minutes later, my phone lit up. Felix’s voice was pitching upwards in pure hysteria. “Holy shit! Nolan! You are a literal god! Not only did you patch the hole, but you optimized the entire defensive logic loop! The engineering team is practically worshipping your code right now!” Listening to his incoherent, ecstatic praise, the corners of my mouth twitched into a faint smile. Yet, my heart remained strangely calm, as if I had just completed the most basic, trivial task in the world. “Send me your bank details. I am wiring your consulting fee right now.” I hesitated for a moment, but I didn’t refuse. I genuinely needed money right now. Not to prove a point, but to buy back the life I had surrendered. Shortly after, my mobile banking app chimed with a deposit notification: $5,000,000. I froze staring at the screen and immediately called him back. “Felix, this is way too much for a simple vulnerability patch.” “Too much?” Felix yelled into the phone. “Nolan, do you have any idea how many millions we would bleed daily if our competitors exploited that backdoor? Double this amount wouldn’t even cover your true value. I actually feel like I am underpaying you. You have to take this money, or I am going to be seriously pissed off!” Hanging up the phone, I stared at that long string of zeros. For the first time, I truly grasped how pathetic and laughable my so-called “sacrifice” and “support” over the past five years had been. It took Victoria five grueling years of climbing the corporate ladder to secure her million dollar salary. It took me exactly three days, working entirely in the margins of diaper changes and dishwashing, to earn five times her annual income. With the money secured, I began my transformation. First, I walked into the most exclusive boutique in the city and ordered several bespoke, tailored suits. I stepped back into a high-end gym, hired a private trainer, and resurrected the physique I had neglected for years. I also bought a watch. A subtle, understated piece that only people with true wealth and taste could recognize. When I walked into the living room completely reinvented, Victoria visibly froze. She looked me up and down, her gaze lingering on the metal around my wrist before her lips curled into a mocking sneer. “Nolan, since when did you learn to play dress-up? Wearing a fake designer watch out in public, aren’t you afraid of humiliating yourself? What is this, a midlife crisis? Is this how you desperately search for validation?” Her words were like icy needles, but they could no longer pierce the psychological armor I had built. However, the final, fatal stab came without warning. That evening, I had taken Sophie to the playground and stayed out a bit late. As we walked back to our apartment building, I spotted a sleek Mercedes Maybach idling near the entrance. Victoria stepped out of the passenger side. A distinguished, middle-aged man stepped out from the driver’s side. The man casually reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Victoria’s ear. Then, the two of them embraced. It was a fluid, deeply intimate motion that was absolutely not their first time. The man got back into the luxury car and drove off. Victoria turned around, a lingering, sweet smile painted on her face, until she saw me standing quietly in the shadows a few yards away. A flash of panic crossed her features, but it was instantly buried under a mask of arrogant justification. “My company is fighting for a massive contract. The total value is over a billion dollars. That was Preston, the executive holding the keys to the final bidding process. In the business world, you sometimes have to put on a show and play the game.” I didn’t say a single word to her. I just stared at the empty road where the Maybach had disappeared. In that exact moment, the final, lingering shred of hesitation in my heart was permanently extinguished. Since that is how you want to play it, Victoria, I will use my true power to show you exactly what it is you abandoned and trampled on. The man you saw as a “negative asset” scrubbing your toilets is going to become the one insurmountable mountain standing between you and your precious billionaire contract. 3 I pulled out my phone and sent Felix a text. “Pull up everything you have on NovaTech Solutions. I need the details of their biggest upcoming bidding project and the exact technical bottlenecks they are currently facing.” NovaTech was Victoria’s employer, a publicly traded electronics manufacturing heavyweight. Two hours later, Felix sent over a meticulously detailed dossier. The report revealed that despite its glossy exterior, NovaTech was suffocating. As a legacy electronics manufacturer, their revenue and net profits had taken a severe nosedive over the past year, and their stock price was bleeding out. They desperately needed a massive adrenaline shot to restore market confidence and stabilize the board of directors. And the billion dollar smart IoT terminal project from Omni Group was the absolute perfect lifeline. It wasn’t just about the massive profit margins. NovaTech wanted to use this project to lock down a permanent, long-term partnership with a corporate titan like Omni Group. The core requirement of the bid was to design an intelligent systems management protocol that could deeply integrate with Omni Group’s complex standards while maintaining flawless quality control. NovaTech’s engineering teams had been working around the clock, churning out several mature proposals, but they continually failed to perfectly resolve the integration issues. However, there was another player aggressively eyeing the Omni Group contract. Vanguard Tech. They were a slightly smaller firm, but they were notorious for their ruthless innovation. Yet, the technical hurdles that NovaTech couldn’t solve were proving to be an absolute brick wall for Vanguard Tech as well. Closing the dossier, I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. Since NovaTech and Victoria were pushing all their chips onto the table for this project, I was going to strike them at their most vulnerable technical artery. With a clear plan in mind, I contacted Felix again and asked him to set up a meeting with Allan, the CEO of Vanguard Tech. Felix’s efficiency was terrifying. By the very next afternoon, I was sitting in a highly secure private booth at an exclusive club, staring directly at Allan. I bypassed the pleasantries entirely. I slid a heavily encrypted tablet across the table, displaying a custom technical blueprint specifically designed for the Omni Group project. Allan was an engineer at his core. He instantly recognized the sheer magnitude of what he was looking at. As he read, his initial skepticism melted into rigid focus, and finally, his eyes practically exploded with shock. “Mr. Nolan, this… using this architecture, we wouldn’t just solve the compatibility nightmare. We would increase their total operational efficiency by twenty percent! How on earth did you draft this in such a short window?” I looked at him with a deadpan expression. “How I drafted it is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is whether this blueprint will win you the Omni Group contract.” “It will! Absolutely!” Allan blurted out, staring at me with burning intensity. “Mr. Nolan, I am officially begging you to join Vanguard. The Chief Technology Officer position is yours. Ten million dollar base salary, plus aggressive stock options!” Faced with an offer that would make anyone else drop to their knees, I simply shook my head. “I appreciate the generous offer, Allan. But I have no intention of joining your executive board. However, I am willing to serve as a special technical consultant for this specific project. I will personally guide your engineering team to execute this blueprint.” “I only have one non-negotiable condition. My identity must remain absolutely classified until the dust settles on the bidding floor.” Allan nodded vigorously. “Done! I will draft the NDA myself. Having you in our corner is the greatest stroke of luck Vanguard has ever had.” The day of the bidding conference arrived. I walked into the grand auditorium and took a seat in an inconspicuous corner in the back row. Victoria, acting as the lead presenter for NovaTech, walked on stage wearing a razor-sharp white blazer. Her makeup was flawless, and her aura was suffocatingly confident. Standing at the podium, she clicked through a beautifully polished presentation, explaining NovaTech’s solution. Her delivery was liquid smooth, backed by dense statistics and an incredibly persuasive tone. She successfully earned subtle, approving nods from several judges and the Omni Group executives. Everything seemed to be perfectly aligning with her grand ambitions. Until the Q&A segment began. Allan, representing Vanguard Tech, raised his hand. He took the microphone, skipped the corporate kissing up, and aimed a laser-focused question directly at a technical detail in Victoria’s proposal. “Victoria, regarding your high-concurrency data flow model. While it theoretically patches the compatibility flaw, it introduces a severe latency risk that could drastically compromise the product yield on Omni Group’s assembly lines.” The question was viciously professional and lethal. The color instantly drained from Victoria’s face, but she quickly masked her panic with a bright, professional smile. Adjusting her earpiece, she answered smoothly. “Thank you for your concern, Allan. Our engineering team actually anticipated this exact risk variable. We integrated a three-tier dynamic failsafe mechanism to mitigate it. Based on current industry limitations, this is unequivocally the most optimal solution available.” Victoria’s reaction time was incredibly fast, instantly wrestling the narrative back in her favor. But Allan just smiled. A cold, predatory smile. “The optimal solution? I highly doubt that. Ladies and gentlemen of the board, Vanguard Tech has conducted an exhaustive analysis of your infrastructure. We have developed a revolutionary architecture that not only perfectly eliminates the compatibility bottleneck, but elevates the system’s total energy efficiency by over twenty percent.” “As for the exact mechanics, I would like to invite our special technical consultant to the stage to demonstrate it for you live.” A wave of hushed whispers swept through the auditorium. Victoria’s brow furrowed. A flicker of anxiety flashed in her eyes, but it was mostly buried by sheer arrogance. She didn’t believe for a second that Vanguard could produce a flawless solution. And she definitely didn’t believe some random “technical consultant” could explain such a mind-bendingly complex issue live on stage. Under the glare of the spotlights, I slowly stood up. I casually adjusted the lapels of my tailored suit, and walked down the center aisle toward the stage, feeling the weight of hundreds of shocked and curious stares burning into my back.

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Three days after my death, William received the call to identify my body. He casually tightened his arm around the woman sitting in his lap and spoke into the phone. “If she is dead, she is dead. Cremate her and call me when it is done.” My body was pushed into the roaring incinerator. Once I was reduced to nothing but bone and ash, the crematorium staff called him again. He clicked his tongue in deep annoyance. “I got it. I am on my way.” 1 By the time William Schmidt finally arrived, two hours had already passed. His dress shirt was wrinkled, and a glaring red lipstick stain marked his collar. It was incredibly obvious that he had just rolled out of someone else’s bed. He found the staff member and sneered. “Where are Nora’s ashes? Didn’t you call me here to pick them up?” Once the worker confirmed his identity, he carefully handed over the wooden urn containing my remains. William took it with careless hands, his eyes swirling with pure mockery. “Are these really Nora’s ashes? You didn’t just sweep up some random roadkill to mess with me, did you?” The worker looked horrified. “Mr. Schmidt, these are absolutely the young lady’s remains. We have the official logs. Would you like to see the paperwork?” William let out a dark chuckle. “No need. I believe you.” I breathed a sigh of relief. I had no idea why my body was dead, yet my soul was still lingering around. I had thought about it endlessly, figuring it was simply because my remains hadn’t been properly laid to rest. Now that William believed I was actually dead, I figured he would at least toss me in a grave somewhere. Even if he hated my guts, surely he would do it just for the sake of our past history. But my relief was violently cut short. A second later, William let out a fake, exaggerated gasp. The urn slipped directly through his fingers. My ashes spilled across the dirty tile floor. A cruel, twisted smile stretched across his face. “Oops. My hand slipped.” Saying that, he extended his foot, grinding the expensive leather sole of his shoe directly into my ashes. My phantom breath hitched in my throat. I stared into his mocking, dead eyes. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. It wasn’t until my ashes were completely ground into the cracks of the floor, mixed with the everyday dirt and grime, that William finally pulled his foot back with a satisfied look. Leaving the crematorium worker in absolute shock, William laughed. “Make sure you pass a message on to Nora for me. Tell her this new little trick of hers is creative, but it is a massive failure.” “My mother’s death anniversary is in a few days. She better drag herself to the cemetery and beg for forgiveness. Otherwise, even if she really is dead, I have no problem digging up her corpse and whipping it to pieces.” His final words dripped with a freezing venom that would make anyone’s blood run cold. And I knew he was entirely capable of doing exactly that. Suddenly, I felt a wave of twisted gratitude that my body had already been burned. If it hadn’t, the scene at the graveyard would have been utterly gruesome. Before the worker could even argue with him, William’s phone rang. The strange thing was, my soul was forced to follow him. Trapped by some invisible tether, I sat in the passenger seat of his luxury car, listening to him chat with the woman on the other end of the line. I knew that voice perfectly. It was Ivy Schmidt, the adopted daughter of the Schmidt family. Back when William and I were still madly in love, she had come to me privately, demanding that I leave him. When I refused, she made it her mission to destroy me. She spread vile rumors at my workplace and even hired thugs to corner me in alleys. When William found out, he ripped into her. He threatened to kick her out of the family completely if she ever laid a finger on me again. That was the only reason she had finally backed off. Now, just hearing my name made William’s expression turn ice cold. “Why are we talking about her?” he snapped into the phone. “It ruins my mood. It’s not like she is actually dead anyway.” “But what if she really is dead, William? What would you do?” Ivy’s probing voice filtered through the speakers. My phantom heart clenched. I instinctively turned my head to look at him. If this had been the old William, he would have been sick with worry if I even got a papercut. He used to tell me I was his greatest treasure, promising to hold me in the palm of his hand for the rest of his life. But now, William just let out a cold, sharp laugh. “Then I would throw a massive three day party and light up the entire city with fireworks to celebrate.” 2 I stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. It was only in this exact moment that I realized just how deeply William Schmidt hated me. He hated me so much that my death was literally a cause for celebration. But William, I really am dead. You just refuse to believe it. The car pulled up in front of an elite bridal boutique. William stepped out, striding toward the entrance with purpose. He looked so eager. It reminded me of the day we had secretly gotten our marriage license, right before he dragged me to a boutique just like this one. Back then, he couldn’t wait to see me in a wedding dress. He had held me so tight, whispering that I was the most beautiful bride in the world. Now, he was looking at Ivy with that exact same tender, loving gaze. She was standing on the pedestal, wrapped in a stunning white gown. He gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his voice softer than velvet. “You look beautiful.” Ivy lowered her head with a shy smile. When she looked back up, her eyes were shimmering with happy tears. “William, I have waited so long for you.” I watched in absolute horror as Ivy leaned forward and pressed her lips to his cheek. Every instinct in my soul screamed to stop them. I lunged forward, but my hands passed right through William’s solid chest. I could only stand there, entirely helpless, as he slid a massive diamond ring onto her finger. How could he do this? Why Ivy, out of all people? She was the one who murdered his mother! William! I screamed his name, my phantom throat raw and burning with absolute despair. I watched the rest of the fitting in a state of total numbness. Ivy stared at herself in the mirror, practically glowing with excitement. Suddenly, she turned to him. “By the way, William. Is she okay?” We both knew exactly who she was talking about. William’s face went completely blank, laced with a heavy dose of disgust. “What could possibly be wrong with her? It is just another one of her pathetic little games.” “Should we send her an invitation to our wedding?” William lowered his eyelashes, hiding the dark emotions swirling in his eyes. A twisted, malicious smirk slowly crept onto his lips. “Of course we will invite her. She is our guest of honor.” The realization hit me like a freight train. William wanted to force me to watch him get married. After all, a proper wedding was the one thing I had always dreamed of. Because his mother had never approved of me, we only ever signed the legal papers. We never had a ceremony. Over the years, having a real wedding had become my ultimate, unattainable fantasy. And then, his mother died. A massive heart attack that the doctors could not fix. On the night she died, her very last phone call was to me. Because of that, William naturally assumed that I had said something to trigger the attack. He fully believed I had killed her. On the day of her funeral, he dragged me to the cemetery and physically forced me to kneel in front of her gravestone for an entire day and night. The rain was pouring down in sheets. We stared at each other through the freezing downpour. His eyes were dead, filled with an apocalyptic level of hatred. He told me, “From now on, Nora, I will make you wish you were dead.” From that day forward, I went from being the love of his life to his sworn, mortal enemy. He hated me. He humiliated me. But he flat out refused to let me leave him. He even started bringing different women home to spend the night. Whenever he saw my red, tear stained eyes, he would just laugh, lightly slapping my cheek to mock me. “Does it hurt, Nora? You brought every bit of this upon yourself. Who else can you blame?” I tried so hard to explain the truth, but it only made him worse. He never once doubted his own conclusion, because he knew exactly how much his mother despised me. She had sworn up and down that she would never let me officially enter the Schmidt family. William had fought with her constantly over it, nearly severing his ties with his own family just to be with me. But how could a man accept that the woman he loved had murdered the woman who gave birth to him? He couldn’t. After putting Ivy in a cab, William seemed to suddenly remember I existed. He generously pulled my number out of his blocked list. Tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, he dialed my phone. A long minute passed. I watched his relaxed eyebrows slowly pull together into a furious scowl. He slammed his fist against the steering wheel, screaming into the empty car. “You are asking for a death wish, Nora. How dare you ignore my calls!” But he had no idea. It wasn’t that I was ignoring him. It was that I could never pick up a phone again. 3 Half a month later, William finally returned to the house we used to share. He violently kicked the front door open, his voice echoing through the empty halls. “Nora! Get your ass out here right now!” He kicked open door after door, but he never found my shadow. His already grim expression turned pitch black. He barked orders at his security team to track me down, his voice dripping with lethal intent. “If she wants to run, she better run to the ends of the earth. Because the second I catch her, I am breaking both of her legs.” Yet, the woman whose legs he wanted to break was floating right in front of his face. A few minutes later, his subordinates sent him a GPS pin. William’s face morphed into something truly terrifying. I glanced over at his phone screen and realized the pin was locked onto Frank’s house. “Boss, the Madam’s last phone call was to Mr. Frank. But Mr. Frank claims he hasn’t seen her. We suspect he is hiding her.” William’s voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “Wait for me.” He drove like a maniac, speeding all the way to Frank’s front door. With a dark, murderous glare, he started kicking the heavy oak door. One kick. Two kicks. On the third kick, the door swung open. Frank stood there looking completely dead inside. Deep, dark bags hung heavily beneath his eyes. “Can I help you?” William sneered. “You are hiding my wife in your house, and you have the nerve to ask if you can help me?” Frank’s face remained entirely blank, like a man who had lost his final reason to live. “I am not hiding her. She is dead. Didn’t the crematorium call you to come pick up her ashes?” “She actually got you to play along with this pathetic script? Wow. It seems she is really desperate to hide from me this time.” William still didn’t believe I was dead. He stubbornly clung to the idea that this was just another elaborate game. He tilted his head back, screaming into the depths of the house. “Nora! Do not think for a second that Frank can protect you from my mother’s death anniversary! I am counting to three. If you do not walk out here right now, I will tear this place apart.” Three. Two. One. The second the countdown finished, William brutally kicked Frank in the stomach and ordered his men to tear the house apart. Frank fell hard against the floor. A flicker of raw rage finally broke through his dead expression. “William! She is dead! You went to the crematorium and claimed her ashes yourself! Did you already forget?!” “She is dead. She has been dead for weeks!” Frank grabbed William by the collar of his expensive shirt, slamming him hard against the wall. William’s expression turned vicious. He mocked him without mercy. “Still trying to hide her, even now? You really are pathetically in love with her, Frank. It is a damn shame she is already used goods. I have ruined her. Maybe whenever I finally get bored of her, I will toss her your way.” “But not today. Today, she has to go bleed in front of my mother’s grave. She doesn’t have time to play house with you.” Frank’s face flushed a violent red from his neck to his forehead. His hands tightened like a vice around William’s collar. “You piece of trash.” He threw a brutal punch straight into William’s jaw. William let out a muffled groan of pain. In a matter of seconds, the two men were engaged in a violent, bloody fistfight on the hardwood floor. The old superstitions always said that ghosts couldn’t feel anything. But floating there in the living room, my chest felt so tight I thought it was going to explode. Frank was in good shape, but William was professionally trained in combat. It didn’t take long for William to pin him entirely to the floor, leaving Frank’s face bruised and bleeding. I was pacing in frantic circles, completely powerless to stop it. “Look at how pathetic you are, Frank,” William spat, panting heavily. “Getting beaten half to death over Nora. And where is she? Hiding in the back, happily letting you take the hits.” “Is a woman like that really worth all this?” Frank let out a sharp, bloody laugh, his eyes filled with absolute disgust. “You are the pathetic one, William. A man who can’t even recognize his own mother’s murderer. A man who tortures the only woman who ever actually loved him. You are living a life worse than a stray dog.” “What the hell did you just say?” William pulled his fist back, ready to cave Frank’s face in. Right then, a panicked voice shouted from the doorway. “Boss! We pulled the traffic cam footage of her accident. And… we got a copy of her autopsy report.” 4 William froze in absolute shock. Taking advantage of the distraction, Frank threw a vicious uppercut right into William’s jaw. Frank pushed himself off the floor, looking down at William’s bewildered face with pure icy contempt. “Now get your men and get the hell out of my house.” But William totally ignored him. He scrambled off the floor and sprinted straight into Frank’s home office. The heavy mahogany desk was covered in photographs. Every single photo was of me. My face was a ruin of blood, the features so mangled and destroyed that it was almost impossible to recognize me. I only took one look before I had to turn my phantom head away. I knew exactly how horrifying my corpse looked. One of my eyeballs had been dislodged, and the left side of my skull was sickeningly caved in. When the medical examiner was trying to identify my body, it had taken them hours of forensic work. Yet, Frank had printed these nightmare inducing photos out and left them scattered all over his desk. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was terrified of having nightmares. Now, William had those exact photos in his trembling hands. He was staring at them with a terrifying intensity, as if he was searching for a hidden zipper or a mask, refusing to miss a single detail. His grip was so tight that the glossy paper began to crumple. As his subordinate kept talking, William’s eyes slowly dragged up to the bright computer monitor. The screen was looping the security footage of my accident. Two cars colliding head on at massive speeds. My car practically launched into the air upon impact. The visual was absolutely gut wrenching. William’s eyes instantly flooded with a violent, bloody red. His hand shook uncontrollably over the computer mouse, yet he obsessively replayed the gruesome crash over and over again. “How did you know she was in a crash?” William’s voice was completely destroyed, sounding like grinding sandpaper. He must have been losing his mind wondering how Frank knew something he didn’t. Frank crossed his arms, his voice dripping with venom. “You already know the answer. Her very last phone call was to me.” “She barely had the strength to breathe, but she used the very last ounce of her life to tell me a secret.” “What secret?” William asked, his voice cracking with desperation. But Frank was in no rush. He stood there, soaking in William’s panic and agony like a fine wine. “I asked you what the secret was!” William screamed, his eyes practically bulging out of his skull. Finally, Frank dropped his mocking smile. His face turned to stone. “She said that the person who murdered your mother… was Ivy.” “Bullshit.” William rejected the truth instantly. He shook his head frantically, taking a step back. “It couldn’t be Ivy. My mother treated her like gold.” “You are lying to me, Frank.” “This is a trap you and Nora set up, isn’t it? You are just trying to help her escape me.” “Well you can forget it! You tell Nora that even if she really is dead, she belongs to me forever.” I lowered my eyes, forcing down the phantom ache rising in my chest. It didn’t matter anymore. I was already dead. Whether William believed the truth or not meant absolutely nothing to me now. He could never hurt me again. Forced by the invisible tether, I followed William out of Frank’s house. Just as I floated through the doorway, I felt an intense, burning gaze on my back. I turned around to find Frank staring directly at me. His eyes were totally red, and his lips trembled as he formed a silent word. Nora. I stood there paralyzed for a few seconds, my eyes burning with phantom tears. When he silently mouthed my name a second time, I finally knew for sure. Frank could actually see me. My nose stung. I wanted to run up and hug him, but the invisible tether yanked me backward, pulling me further and further away toward William’s car. Sitting in the passenger seat, drowning in the suffocating silence of William’s panic, my hands shook with overwhelming emotion. Frank was my childhood best friend. We grew up together, sharing every single secret we ever had. In college, when I first met William and started dating him, I had literally sprinted to Frank to share the news. When Frank heard I was in a relationship, his first reaction wasn’t happiness. He had just stared at me with a deeply complex, painful look. “Do you really love him? It isn’t just a fling?” I had answered without hesitation. “I love him. I want to spend the rest of my life with him.” That day, the usually loud and annoying Frank went completely silent. Shortly after, he applied to study abroad. William and I were fighting a massive war against his family’s disapproval. Between the stress and the distance, Frank and I slowly stopped talking. It wasn’t until William’s mother died, and William’s love turned into pure, abusive hatred, that Frank finally flew back home. He asked me to run away with him. His eyes were so desperate, so full of determination. But I couldn’t bring myself to abandon William when he was spiraling in grief. I rejected Frank’s offer. Furious at my stubborn blindness, Frank packed his bags and left the country again. He was gone for two years. And in those two years, William’s endless abuse finally killed every last drop of love I had for him. I was finally ready to leave. The second Frank heard the news, he booked a flight home without a single second of hesitation. But before I could leave, I had gone to the cemetery to light one final stick of incense for Mrs. Schmidt. And while I was there, I overheard Ivy screaming curses at her grave. That was how I found out the truth. On the night Mrs. Schmidt died, Ivy had gone to the house, demanding the old woman approve of her marrying William. When Mrs. Schmidt realized her adopted daughter’s sick obsession, it triggered a massive heart attack. Ivy literally snatched her emergency medication out of her hands and watched her die.

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1 On my wedding morning, my fiancé’s young secretary shared an Instagram post. “Today’s my boss’s wedding. I hoped to attend, but I spent the night sick and tossing restlessly in agony.” As soon as Ryan saw it, he dropped the bridal bouquet on the red carpet and prepared to leave. I clutched his sleeve anxiously. “Don’t leave me stranded. At least stay till the ceremony ends.” Ryan’s expression turned icy, yanking his arm free. “You’re selfish, Clair. Didn’t you read her post? She once saved me, and I vowed lifelong care for her. I can’t celebrate while she’s unwell.” “Humiliated to stand alone? Find any stranger to fill in as your groom; it’s none of my concern.” Within thirty minutes, news of his wedding abandonment blew up online. He raced to the waterfront, where Lila waited in a white gown. They held an impromptu public wedding aboard a lavish yacht. Netizens gushed over their romance yet mocked me in tagged comments. “She’s the town’s laughingstock, unable to hold her groom; the secretary won completely.” “Will she tie a bow tie to a golden retriever and wed a dog to finish the ceremony?” Remaining composed, I pulled out my phone and dialed: “Enjoyed the show? Come quickly and marry me now that you’re done watching.” The moment the words left my mouth, the entire grand ballroom fell dead silent for a split second before completely exploding into chaotic whispers. A young woman holding a live-streaming tripod practically shoved her camera right into my face. “Look at this! This bride has zero shame!” “Her groom literally ran away thirty minutes ago to host a fake wedding with another woman, and she is standing up there acting like she is calling the shots?” “Listen to that arrogant tone. If you didn’t know the truth, you would actually believe she had a billionaire backup groom waiting in the wings!” I calmly ended the call. A sharp, mocking laugh echoed from the front row. “Cut the act. She is just humiliated that she got dumped at the altar, so she is pretending someone is coming to save her.” “Everyone knows Clair wasted her entire youth throwing herself at Ryan. She brought him umbrellas in the pouring rain, delivered homemade breakfasts to his office, and totally degraded herself just to chase a man. There is absolutely no way she has a backup plan.” I stood there in silence, listening to the venomous, biting whispers swirling around the room. I looked down at my expensive shoes and quietly laughed at my own stupidity. For so many years, I had treated Ryan as my ultimate destiny. I truly believed that walking down the aisle with him was written in the stars. But life always throws a curveball. His little secretary, Lila, was that curveball. He had abandoned me at elite charity galas just because Lila texted him that her kitchen sink was leaking. And today, just because of two words complaining about being “sick”, he abandoned our wedding. He left me standing entirely alone in front of hundreds of guests, completely exposed to the awkward stares and relentless interrogations of our relatives. Right at that moment, a massive gasp rippled through the crowd. “Look at your phones! Ryan running away is the number one trending topic!” “The views are skyrocketing by the second.” “Ryan is so insanely romantic. Just because his secretary said she wanted to experience a wedding, he blew fifty million dollars to rent a mega-yacht and throw her a dream ceremony…” A few people in the crowd found it completely absurd and scoffed out loud. “You call that romantic? That is toxic trash.” “He was literally in the middle of his actual wedding, and he just bolted to play dress-up with a secretary. Is that supposed to be a reliable man?” My mother sat in the front row, her face turning a sickly shade of gray, her eyes brimming with red tears. She tried to stand up, but my father gently held her down by the shoulder. “Let’s just wait a few more minutes. If there is no miracle, it won’t be too late to walk out of this hotel with our heads held high.” My father’s face was completely dark. He wanted to flip the tables and tear the room apart more than anyone else, but he was terrified of making me look even worse. “Clair, sweetheart… should we just head home?” My bridesmaid, Brooke, leaned in close, her voice an anxious whisper. “We can’t just stand here looking like fools.” “Ryan is out there kissing someone else on a yacht. He is definitely not coming back…” “Give me your phone.” I held out my hand. Brooke hesitated for a second before unlocking her screen and passing it over. A breaking news notification popped up immediately. [PRESCOTT ENTERPRISES CEO THROWS $50 MILLION DOLLAR MOCK WEDDING TO COMFORT SECRETARY. ROMANTIC KISS BY THE HARBOR.] In the attached photo, Ryan looked flawless in his tailored tuxedo. He was holding Lila, who was draped in an extravagant white gown, tightly against his chest. The background was the sparkling river, illuminated by golden string lights and falling rose petals. Lila was leaning into his embrace, her eyes perfectly red and teary, looking like the ultimate damsel in distress. The comment section broke a thousand replies in a matter of seconds. “Oh my god, what kind of epic romance is this? The billionaire CEO literally threw away his own wedding to save his secretary?” “I thought this was just a spicy office romance, but the actual bride ended up being the villainous cannon fodder.” “Feeling bad for the bride for exactly one second, but all my love goes to the secretary. Finding a man who would do this for you is the ultimate dream.” “Honestly, the bride is pitiful, but she should blame herself for not being the CEO’s lifesaver.” I scrolled through the comments, my face as perfectly blank as if I were reading an article about a total stranger. It was true. Lila had saved Ryan’s life. 2 Three years ago, Ryan was involved in a catastrophic multi-car pileup during a business trip. According to the hospital, Lila had donated a massive amount of blood to save him. She supposedly gave so much blood that the nurses had to catch her as she passed out on the clinic floor. When Ryan finally woke up and heard the story, his eyes had filled with emotional tears. He swore to repay the debt. He even stood in front of the entire corporate board and publicly declared that for the rest of his life, whatever Lila asked for, she would get. His words were etched into stone. So today, when she whined about feeling “sick”, he threw our entire future in the trash and sprinted out the door. “Miss Clair.” The wedding planner ran up to the stage, wiping thick drops of sweat from his forehead. “What should we do? Should we postpone the reception? The photography team is asking if they should pack up their gear.” “No need to postpone.” “Then what exactly are you planning to…” I glanced down at my phone screen. That phone call I had made earlier lasted exactly eleven seconds. That was more than enough. He said he would definitely come. Brooke was practically stomping her heels into the floor with anxiety. “Clair, who the hell did you just call? Who is coming? You need to tell me!” I slowly turned my gaze toward the heavy oak doors at the back of the banquet hall. The doors were sealed shut. But I knew, with absolute certainty, that he would be walking through them very soon. “Ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated and enjoy your drinks. The ceremony has been delayed by exactly twenty minutes. We will resume shortly.” I kept a flawless, polite smile on my face as I made the announcement to the room. But instead of respect, I was met with a tidal wave of cruel laughter and mocking whispers. “Has she completely lost her mind? Her husband ran off to play house with his secretary. What difference does twenty minutes make? How is she still smiling?” “It has to be trauma. Her brain just completely snapped from the humiliation.” “This is hilarious. Twenty minutes? Is she planning to order a stunt double off the internet to play the groom?” Through the chorus of laughter, a sleazy, fifty-year-old businessman walked up to the edge of the stage, holding out a glass of champagne. “Miss Clair, don’t be so heartbroken. Since your groom bailed on you, how about I step in and be your husband for the night?” I didn’t take the glass. He let out a greasy chuckle, forcefully shoving the glass into my hand and casually patting my bare skin. “Don’t be so shy, sweetheart. Your man literally tossed you in the garbage. You are in no position to play hard to get.” Because of his rough movement, the golden champagne splashed over the rim, staining the pristine white lace of my wedding dress. I set the glass down on a nearby cocktail table. “Thank you, but I don’t drink.” “Wow, still acting like a snob.” The man sneered, turning back to his wealthy friends. “Dumped at the altar and still acting like a saint. She really has no idea how pathetic she looks right now.” “I did her a massive favor by offering to be her groom, and she actually has the nerve to give me an attitude!” Before the words even settled, he took a step forward, reaching out to grab my waist. A group of equally repulsive men behind him started cheering and hollering. “I want to be the groom too!” “Count me in!” My parents’ faces contorted with absolute fury. They were just about to rush the stage to protect me, when a loud ringing echoed through the speakers. Earlier, I had told the DJ to mirror my phone screen to the massive LED displays behind the altar, just so the guests could see exactly what I was looking at. Someone in the sound booth must have accidentally clicked accept. A second later, Ryan’s face filled the giant screens spanning the entire width of the banquet hall. It was a live video call. 3 “Clair, why are you still shamelessly standing there at the venue?” “I made myself perfectly clear. The wedding today is officially canceled.” “If you don’t pack up and leave, do not blame me when you become the laughingstock of the city. You are bringing this humiliation entirely upon yourself.” Suddenly, Lila leaned into the frame, pressing her cheek against Ryan’s shoulder. “Clair, I am so, so sorry.” “I just made a tiny little comment about wishing I knew what a wedding felt like, and Mr. Prescott immediately threw me this gorgeous mock ceremony. And look!” Lila took two steps back, making sure the camera captured her entire body, and did a triumphant, theatrical twirl. She was showing off a bridal gown that was infinitely more extravagant than mine. “Mr. Prescott actually had a helicopter fly this custom, one-of-a-kind piece in from Paris. The train is literally hand-stitched with real diamonds. It is probably a hundred times more expensive than the dress you are wearing. Oh my gosh, Clair, I hope me saying that doesn’t make you angry…” Standing under the crushing weight of hundreds of mocking stares and stifled laughs, I spoke with terrifying calm. “Of course not.” Ryan let out a dark, arrogant scoff. “Clair, I had no idea you were so incredibly generous. You are actually willing to hand your own husband over to someone else.” “Since you are taking it so well, I guess I don’t need to worry about you having a mental breakdown or doing something stupid just because I left.” “It looks like you are doing perfectly fine.” “Oh, by the way. If you are bored and have nothing better to do, you can come down to the waterfront and join our mock wedding. It might be fake, but it is still a beautiful experience.” Ryan looked down at Lila, his eyes melting with absolute adoration as he stroked her hair. “Lila said her only regret today is that you aren’t here. If you show up, it would make her so incredibly happy.” “I can’t make it. I still have a wedding to finish.” I took the initiative. “If there is nothing else, I am hanging up.” Without waiting for his response, I cut the feed. I picked up the heavy skirts of my ruined dress and walked straight down the center aisle, heading toward the back of the room to see if my call had been answered. The red carpet stretched perfectly straight. When we originally booked the venue, the hotel manager proudly told me this aisle was exactly one hundred feet long. A perfect number to symbolize a long, flawless marriage. It was the ultimate display of luxury. Now, every single step I took down those one hundred feet was accompanied by the sound of cruel laughter. The whispers grew even more vicious as I walked. “Where is she going? Is she actually going to the waterfront to beg her husband to come back?” “Let her go. It’s just going to be pure humiliation. The little secretary is wrapped in the CEO’s arms right now.” “I heard the CEO rented an entire fleet of yachts just to make the secretary smile. Fifty million dollars. Unreal.” “Tsk, tsk. Look at the bride. She looks so cheap and pathetic in comparison…” I was halfway down the red carpet. Suddenly, the massive, heavy oak doors at the end of the hall were pushed open from the outside. I froze, lifting my head. A blinding beam of golden sunlight poured into the dimly lit room. Framed perfectly in the light was a tall, broad-shouldered silhouette. He was wearing a razor-sharp, immaculate suit. He walked forward with slow, powerful, unhurried steps. He walked right up to me, stopped, and spoke in a voice that was incredibly deep and gentle. “My apologies for the delay. Traffic was an absolute nightmare.” I stared blankly at his handsome face, suddenly feeling a sharp burning sensation in the back of my nose. This man had waited for me for seven long years. And I had blindly chosen Ryan instead. Three years ago, he looked at me and said, “I truly hope Ryan makes you happy. But if he ever fails to give you the world, remember to call me. I will always be your safety net.” I had smiled and said okay. But I had brushed it off as a sweet, nostalgic joke, and turned the page on our chapter. He moved abroad, and for three entire years, I never heard a single word from him. I assumed he had moved on and forgotten about me. Until an hour ago. When I stood in my wedding dress on an empty stage, watching Ryan throw the bouquet on the floor and sprint out the door without a single ounce of hesitation to save his secretary. In that moment of absolute clarity, I remembered. I pulled out my phone and dialed the number that had sat untouched in my contacts for three years. “Have you had enough fun watching the drama?” “If you are done watching, hurry up and get over here to marry me.” And now, he was actually here. He reached out and gently took my hand. His palm was grounding and intensely warm. He tilted his head slightly, his sharp, predatory gaze sweeping over the hundreds of shocked, paralyzed faces in the banquet hall, before finally resting back on me. “Let the ceremony continue.” He paused, the corner of his lips curling into a dangerously charming smile. “The bride’s husband has finally arrived.” 4 The entire crowd of guests sat frozen like statues. The girl holding the live-streaming tripod was the first to snap out of her trance. She violently whipped her camera around to focus on the door. “Oh my god, oh my god! Who the hell is that?!” When the crowd finally got a good look at Gideon’s face, they doubled down on their mockery. “Clair, you really are pathetic. Do you honestly think dragging some random gigolo off the street is going to save your pride?” “You have got to be kidding me. You are so desperate to save face that you are willing to marry a piece of trash right off the sidewalk…” I turned to look at Gideon, a light smirk playing on my lips. “They are calling you a piece of trash off the sidewalk. What are your thoughts on that?” Gideon let out a low, vibrating chuckle, stepping even closer to me. “They are absolute nobodies. Why would I care what dirt thinks?” He was exactly the same Gideon I remembered. Arrogant, untouchable, and fiercely loyal. I squeezed his hand tightly, standing shoulder to shoulder with him as we began walking back up the red carpet toward the altar. “Clair! Stop right there!” It was my mother. She practically sprinted down the aisle, grabbing my arm with trembling hands. Her eyes were bloodshot. “Who is this man?! Do you have any idea what you are doing? Every single guest in this room belongs to our family or Ryan’s family. Dragging a total stranger in here is pure insanity!” I gently patted her shaking hand. “Mom, I just refuse to marry a man who abandons his own wedding.” My mother’s tears finally spilled over. “I know Ryan broke your heart. I know you are in pain, but no matter how hurt you are…” She shot a terrified, skeptical glare at Gideon. “Who is he? You know absolutely nothing about his background, and you are just going to marry him on a whim?!” My father stormed over, his face completely dark with anger. “Your mother is right, Clair. Even if you never get married for the rest of your life, we will always take care of you. But a daughter of our family does not degrade herself by marrying a random stranger just to prove a point!” But the second my parents actually turned to look closely at Gideon’s face, they both froze entirely. Their jaws literally dropped open in pure shock. They recognized that face. They had seen it on the covers of elite financial magazines and in exclusive prime-time business interviews. He was the wealthiest man in New York, the absolute ruler of the Mercer Group. Gideon Mercer. A man worth hundreds of billions, known for being incredibly low-profile and rarely appearing in public. The financial world described him with only one phrase: Unfathomably dangerous. “Are you… Gideon Mercer?” Gideon offered a polite, respectful smile. “Yes, sir. It is me.” “Please rest assured, I am not a random stranger pulled off the street. I have been waiting for this exact day for seven years.” “I promise you, I will fulfill my duties as a husband far better than the man who ran away.” The second those words echoed through the room, the entire banquet hall dropped into a suffocating, terrifying silence. Ryan’s relatives, who had been laughing the loudest just seconds ago, now looked so horrified they wanted to dig a hole through the floor and bury themselves. Gideon smoothly took control, offering a flawless solution. “Your mother made an excellent point.” “The majority of the people in this room are related to the Prescott family. Hosting our ceremony in front of them is highly inappropriate.” “If you would please direct your guests to the grand ballroom in the adjacent tower, I have already arranged for a complete, fully catered wedding setup.” Faced with that level of power and preparation, my parents couldn’t utter a single word of protest. They simply nodded in a daze and began ushering our side of the family out the doors. In the midst of the chaotic migration, the very people who had been relentlessly mocking me were now paralyzed with disbelief. “How the hell did Clair pull this off? She actually managed to sink her claws into the heir of the Mercer empire?” “This has to be a scripted PR stunt!” The live-streaming girl was practically crawling over chairs to follow us, her camera locked dead onto Gideon’s face. “L-ladies and gentlemen! We have the most insane plot twist in history!” “The bride, Clair, was just rescued from the altar by another man! And this man is heavily suspected to be… Gideon Mercer! Yes, the CEO of the Mercer Group!” On her screen, the live chat was scrolling by so fast it was a blur of pure hysteria. Meanwhile, down by the waterfront at the mock wedding, Ryan’s assistant ran onto the yacht, his face as pale as a ghost. “Mr. Prescott! You told me to keep an eye on Miss Clair’s venue. Something massive just happened!” “Miss Clair is getting married to another man! They are probably exchanging rings right now…”

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I once took a private job pretending to date someone online on another person’s behalf. My employer was a spoiled rich girl. She said the guy was an iceberg no amount of warmth could melt. “If he replies to you even once, I’ll pay you ten thousand dollars. Deal?” During the darkest, most suffocating period of my life, I held a spare phone and chatted about everything under the sun with a stranger I had never met. Until one day, the girl rushed over and hugged me excitedly. “Oh my God! You’re amazing! Bobby actually agreed to be my boyfriend!” In that instant, it felt as if all the air had been sucked from my lungs. Oh. What a coincidence. So it was Bobby. The boy I had secretly loved for ten whole years, yet had never dared to say even “hello” to. 1 The stack of cash in my hand suddenly became unbearably hot, burning my palm until it hurt. I stood there in a daze for a long time. So it was him. But when I thought about it, it made sense. Other than him, who else would be worth Lisa offering such an absurdly high price? “Ruby, I didn’t mean to hide it from you.” Lisa was wearing a pink Miu Miu slip dress, her smooth blond hair falling over her shoulders. She clasped her hands together and looked at me apologetically. “But I hired several so-called dating experts before, and he ignored all of them…” She let out a long breath. “Thank God you helped. If Bobby really got snatched up by some girl from another circle, I’d absolutely lose my mind.” I nodded numbly. Right. If I had known the person on the other side of the screen was Bobby, I would have refused without the slightest hesitation. First, because there were far too many girls trying to get close to him. Second, because I liked him far too much. So much that whenever our eyes met, I would flee in panic. Bobby was impossibly striking. Pale skin, a sharp jawline, grades that kept him firmly at the top of the year, and a family background so deep no one could see the bottom of it. In freshman year, he had already secured a spot at Oxford’s geek summer camp. His whole being carried a cold, distant air that kept strangers away. He was untouchable, like a cold moon suspended in the night sky. But who could have imagined? The person who listened to me whisper voice messages complaining about our awful calculus teacher, who helped me agonize over whether to have pizza or a burrito for dinner, who even laughed “haha” at the ridiculous memes I sent him every day on the other side of the screen… Was also him. 2 When Lisa transferred the money to me on her phone, the girls around her were sizing me up with critical eyes. Their gazes carried undisguised disappointment. “Oh, so it’s her. She looks way too ordinary.” “Lisa, are you sure someone like Bobby, that unreachable flower on a mountaintop, was chatting with her every day for three months?” Lisa shook her head and smiled sweetly at me. “Give me your phone.” My palm was covered in cold sweat, sticky and damp. At this point, what else could I say? Lisa took the spare phone, opened the chat, and casually scrolled up and down. “You didn’t talk about anything special.” She frowned slightly, troubled. “So how exactly did Bobby fall for me?” A girl beside her burst out laughing and nudged her with an elbow. “Please, Lisa. You’re the school beauty of Westwood High, okay? Last time in the art building, I personally saw him leaning by the window drawing you. Thirteen pages of sketches. Be a little more confident in that face of yours, would you?” California sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell across Lisa’s face, making her cheeks look rosy and vivid. Not far away, a few boys playing basketball had already started whistling at her. My heart clenched. I suddenly remembered a joke Bobby once made in our chat. [You’re so pretty. Are you really afraid no one will chase you?] Oh. So he had probably liked Lisa for a long time already. Then I truly had nothing to feel unwilling about. Even if I had approached him using my real identity, he might not have spared me a second glance. People are always drawn toward light and beauty. Even I was no exception. Who could be blamed for that? I handed Lisa every detail I had learned about Bobby over the past three months without holding anything back. He liked sour cherry gelato. He liked playing chess online. He had an uncle who was a professional race-car driver. We started talking because of a litter of stray cats behind the gym, and later became closer because of AP Calculus competition problems. And today, this online dating game officially came to an end. In total, there had been fifty-six meaningful exchanges. That was everything between him and me over these three months. Lisa carefully recorded those details in her notes app and nodded at me. “Thanks, Ruby. Five hundred and sixty thousand dollars. You made a fortune.” They walked away laughing and chatting. Only after a long time did I hear my own dry voice drifting into the air. “You’re welcome.” I clenched the heavy black card tightly in my palm, its edge digging painfully into my bones. This meant I no longer had to face the desperate choice of dropping out and waiting tables. My family’s mess of debt was finally cleared. But so what? I had taken someone else’s money and personally helped someone else win the boy I had loved in secret for ten years. 3 The whole thing shattered me. For an entire evening study session, I stared at my test paper and couldn’t write a single word. It wasn’t until I returned after school to that cramped rental apartment that I suddenly realized— Bobby’s obsidian bracelet was still in the pocket of my jacket. I had picked it up in the hallway yesterday after class. Bobby’s classroom was right next to mine, less than ten meters away in a straight line. He hadn’t been in the room then, and I could have simply slipped the bracelet into his desk. But just as I was about to reach his desk, I turned around as if possessed. At that moment, a secret little joy had even risen in my heart. I knew Bobby’s private alternate account. He had given it to me himself before, to send over some competition materials. That string of numbers was already engraved in my memory. Just last night, I had been so excited by that tiny point of connection that I couldn’t sleep at all. I hid under the blanket, holding my phone, the glow of the screen lighting up my burning face. I spent hours writing, deleting, and rewriting drafts. When should I message him? What tone should I use? Would just saying, “Hi, your bracelet is with me,” sound too stiff? When he replied, would he say thank you to me? I hesitated for ages, unable to press send on the message I had written. But now, everything had become one giant joke. I buried myself in my pillow and broke down crying. After I cried until my throat went hoarse, I started laughing at myself for being a complete fool. Bobby’s “thank you” was something I had heard before. On that online dating account full of lies, he had once sent voice messages, his low, sexy voice carrying a smile, gently saying “thank you” to me thirty-six times. Unfortunately. He thought all that tenderness had been given to a beautiful, dazzling school beauty. And only today did I finally see reality clearly. 4 Early the next morning, while there were still few people in the hallway, I took the obsidian bracelet to the neighboring class. But my luck was truly terrible. I ran straight into Bobby. He had arrived unusually early today, wearing a plain black distressed T-shirt. His cold white skin looked especially striking in the morning light. He was leaning lazily against the back doorframe. When he saw me standing beside his desk, Bobby frowned slightly. “Something wrong?” This was the first time he and I had faced each other directly in real life. The opening line I had rehearsed countless times in my heart collapsed the instant it touched his indifferent gaze. After several seconds, I finally managed to find my voice. “I found your bracelet. I’m just returning it.” The boys gathered around him immediately started making noise, their tones teasing. “Yo, that bracelet isn’t cheap. Bobby was looking for it all day.” “Girl, you two are so fated. Bobby, aren’t you going to add her on Snapchat and thank her properly?” Their voices were loud, and soon plenty of students in the hallway were peeking over to watch the show. For years, I had been used to grinding through calculus problems that made people lose hair, but I had no idea how to handle boys teasing me like this. Worse, facing Bobby made me instinctively feel guilty. But in the next second, amid everyone’s jeering, Bobby calmly looked away. “That’s not mine.” The air went quiet at once. At that moment, a boy with light chestnut hair squeezed out from the crowd. He looked at me, frozen in place, scratched his head, and helped smooth things over apologetically. “Hey, thanks. You probably got the wrong desk. I lost this yesterday. Let me add you and send you a reward.” I lowered my eyes and stared hard at my washed-out canvas shoes. After a long time, I nodded lightly. “Okay.” That boy added my Venmo and swiftly sent me three hundred dollars. The farce ended there. Bobby turned sideways and looked out at the sports field. From beginning to end, he never looked at me again. But I knew better than anyone. That was his bracelet. He was lying. 5 I tried desperately to control my emotions and pretend nothing had happened. I had secretly loved him for so long. I understood too well how his circle judged people. I didn’t want to be labeled as a scheming girl. I didn’t want others to think I had deliberately stolen his thing just to create an opportunity to talk to him. My deskmate stood up for me beside me. “Ruby, if we’d known, you shouldn’t have gone to return it. I was so excited for you just now, and in the end that young master couldn’t even be bothered to acknowledge you.” A girl in the front row turned around and lightly laughed. “Please, that’s Bobby. His head is probably full of Ivy League early admissions right now. Where would he find the time to bother with nobodies like us?” True. I was distracted when the spare phone in my pocket suddenly vibrated. It was a one-second voice message. When I tapped it open, a man’s low, helpless voice exploded beside my ear. [Babe, are you still mad at me?] It was Bobby. Only then did I remember. Lisa had left in such a hurry yesterday that she hadn’t taken away the phone used specifically for the online relationship. Immediately after, he sent two more messages to explain. [I don’t know those people from earlier.] [If you don’t like it, I promise I won’t say half a word to any other girl at school from now on. Okay?] There was a trace of helplessness in his tone, but even more than that, there was unreserved indulgence. I froze in place, feeling as if my heart had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand. I took a deep breath and messaged Lisa, asking how I should reply. She was probably practicing ballet in the dance studio. It took her a while to type back, her tone carrying a bit of pride and teasing. “Aww, isn’t chatting with him what you’re best at? Just tell him that if he brings me one of those viral handmade croissants tomorrow morning, I’ll forgive him!” I replied, “Okay.” After pausing, I couldn’t help reminding her, “You should take this phone back as soon as possible.” I didn’t know whether she took it to heart. But the second I sent the croissant request, Bobby replied instantly. It was a silly cute sticker of a puppy saluting. [Yes, ma’am!] [How about adding a vanilla latte too? I’ll brew it myself.] Powerless, I lay across my desk, my cheek pressed against the cool surface. My gaze drifted out the window unintentionally, and I happened to see Bobby at the end of the corridor, head lowered as he sent a voice message on his phone. The California breeze brushed through the loose strands of hair on his forehead. In his usually cold, sharp eyes, there was now a tender smile so full he didn’t even seem to notice it himself. Only belatedly did I understand. No wonder he denied the bracelet in front of everyone that morning. He refused to claim it. He didn’t want to have anything to do with me in public… It turned out it was because he had made Lisa a promise. 6 At Westwood High, gossip about Bobby always spread faster than a virus. Within days, the explosive news that Bobby and Lisa were dating was known throughout the entire school. Quite a few girls gossiped sourly in the restroom. “Oh my God, I’m so curious what Bobby is like when he’s in love.” At the time, Lisa was touching up her makeup at the sink, and I was standing beside her washing my hands. She pressed her bright red lips together in front of the mirror and said with feigned distress, “Him? He’s just your standard iceberg. He’s never proactive, and sometimes his EQ is ridiculously low. He’s always making me angry.” No. I silently refuted her in my heart. Every time he made you angry, he would apologize humbly from the other side of the screen. Those restrained yet burning words of love, he would send to you again and again late at night, tender and lingering. The spare phone that belonged to the two of them had been lying lifelessly in the depths of my drawer. Lisa seemed to have completely forgotten it. Or rather, she was enjoying those high-profile, sweet dates with Bobby in real life every day, and no longer cared about this former virtual connection at all. Until one day, my deskmate excitedly tugged on my sleeve and told me she had personally seen Bobby and Lisa secretly kissing under the gym bleachers. From that day onward, I never replied to any messages on Lisa’s behalf again. Most of the time, I turned the phone off and threw it into the deepest part of my drawer. I forced myself to become even busier. Practice problems, calculus competition preparation, part-time shifts at a cafe downtown. That five hundred thousand dollars had indeed pulled me out of the mire of debt, but the road of life still had to be walked by me, step by step. Sometimes fate is strange. Instead, I gradually became familiar with the boy who had added my Venmo: Nolan. We often ran into each other in the library and hallways, occasionally stopping to chat for a few minutes. Only after we had gotten close did he confess to me over coffee one day. “Ruby, I’m really sorry about that thing before. That day, Bobby used me as a shield. I didn’t mean to make you unable to step down in front of everyone. The three hundred dollars was also transferred to me by him, for me to transfer to you. Just accept it. Treat it as hush money.” I shook my head and said it wasn’t necessary. He leaned back against the bench, tilted his head, and looked at me with a smile, his peach-blossom eyes sparkling. “Seriously, my family is strict. You’re the first girl I’ve added on my phone.” 7 Nolan had an easygoing personality. Bit by bit, he pulled me into that circle that had once seemed unreachable. He and Bobby were both rich second-generation kids whose families spent heavily on private tutors. There were certain secret prediction papers for AP exams that couldn’t be bought anywhere on the market. But every day, Nolan would casually slip me a photocopied set. Sometimes when he was too busy and forgot, he would ask Bobby to bring them to me on the way. After enough back and forth, when Bobby and I met again, we could just barely nod at each other as a greeting. Whenever Nolan went to other schools for debate tournaments, he would bring me onto the team too. Thanks to him, my resume looked much better, and I even received two sizable scholarships. One time, when I was looking everywhere for a weekend part-time job, Bobby unexpectedly took the initiative to speak. “I have a cousin in sixth grade who’s looking for a math tutor. The hourly pay is high. Do you want to try?” The pay he offered was indeed absurdly high, enough for me to quit my other three exhausting part-time jobs. The fingers holding my pen stiffened slightly, but in the end, I said softly, “Sure.” As I packed my bag and turned to leave, Nolan was leaning against the hallway lockers, nudging Bobby with his elbow and teasing him. “Hey, why did you take my phone just now? Didn’t you already know Ruby’s social account?” Bobby’s voice paused for half a second, his tone still mild. “Nothing. I just thought… that sticker she posted in the group earlier looked familiar.” Hearing that, I didn’t dare keep listening. I quickened my pace and fled the hallway, my heartbeat so fast it felt like it was about to burst from my chest. But Bobby never became suspicious in the end. His preference for Lisa was obvious to the entire school, almost to an outrageous degree. Last week, for Lisa’s birthday, Bobby directly had someone bring back a six-figure diamond necklace from a Paris auction. At the very bottom of the velvet gift box, there also lay a shell shimmering with iridescent color. Lisa could tell at one glance that the necklace was priceless. As for the shell, she muttered in disgust, “What kind of junk is this?” and tossed it into the trash. “I never said I liked worthless stuff like this,” she complained to her friends. She indeed had never said that. But I had. On that spare phone, I had once told Bobby that when my father passed away, the only thing he left me was an iridescent shell. But when I moved, I accidentally lost it. I said I had read in a book that this rare pearl shell could only be found on certain specific coasts. But I never imagined Bobby would remember that offhand remark, or even specially search one out for her. After school that day, I searched alone through the classroom trash can for a very, very long time before finally finding the discarded shell. I wiped it clean carefully and said, very softly in my heart: “Thank you.” 8 In early April, California was hit by an extremely rare rainstorm. The low-lying areas of the school were deeply flooded. I suddenly thought of the litter of newborn stray kittens behind the gym and hurriedly took out my phone to message Lisa. “Are you free right now? The back door of the gym is flooding.” Bobby had been feeding that litter for a long time, and he happened to be out in the city for a competition today. If anything happened to the cats, he would definitely be devastated. Lisa was at a nail salon with her friends, getting sparkly pink French tips done. She quickly replied with a voice message. “I hate cats the most. They shed everywhere, and if they scratch me I’d have to get a rabies shot. Ruby, just help me out and deal with it, okay?” I didn’t have time to think. I pulled on a raincoat and rushed into the downpour. The kittens were frightened by the thunder and darted around wildly. The muddy water on the ground was slippery. I fell hard three or four times, my knees throbbing from the impact, before finally protecting all those wet little things in my arms. When I looked up— I unexpectedly crashed into Bobby’s deep eyes. He was holding a black umbrella, his brows tightly furrowed as he looked at my disheveled state. Just as my mind went blank and I had no idea how to explain why I was there, Lisa suddenly ran over from behind me, panting. She took the kittens from my arms in one swift motion. “Ruby, why did you come too?” she said with a worried expression. “Aren’t you severely allergic to cat fur? Leave this to me. Thanks for helping.” Bobby’s tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed. He tilted the umbrella handle toward Lisa, leaving most of his own body in the rain, then walked over and held both her and the kittens tightly in his arms. “Thank you, Lisa.” He lowered his head and kissed her hair. “I really didn’t expect you to come personally.” I stood in the heavy rain, like a complete outsider. In the end, I turned and left without saying a word. Back in the classroom, Nolan saw me drenched and my knee still bleeding. His face immediately darkened. “Where did you go to end up like this?” I shook my head, my voice a little weak. “It’s nothing. I’m a little cold. I want to lie down and sleep for a while.” Without a word, he bent down and pulled me onto his back. “Sleep later. I’ll take you to the infirmary first.” The school nurse was treating my scrapes with iodine when someone knocked on the infirmary door. It was Bobby. He had probably seen that I was hurt and came over out of politeness to say thank you. But just as he approached the bed, his gaze unintentionally moved downward and swept over my half-open backpack— At the iridescent shell I had carefully wrapped in a handkerchief. The last trace of warmth in his eyes instantly froze into thick ice. At that moment, his expression was filled with undisguised disgust and wariness. Facing his gaze, cold as a blade, my throat tightened. I couldn’t explain a single word. In the end, I could only squeeze out two dry words. “I’m sorry.” He nodded expressionlessly, said nothing, and turned to stride out of the infirmary. I knew that not exposing me on the spot was already the last bit of dignity his upbringing allowed him to give me. But when I dragged my exhausted body home and turned on the spare phone that was almost out of battery, a message from Bobby suddenly appeared on the screen. [Babe, from now on… you should stay away from that girl named Ruby. She’s too scheming.] In that instant. I truly felt very, very sad. 9 After that incident, I tried my best to avoid any contact with Bobby. Wherever he was, I took a detour whenever I could. After all, I had sincerely loved him in secret once. I didn’t want to become a stalker or a scheming girl in his mind. As for tutoring his cousin, I casually made up an excuse and quit. Bobby’s mother was very regretful. She held my hand and tried several times to persuade me to stay. “Ruby, is your family having some trouble? Tell me, Auntie can raise your hourly pay.” At the time, Bobby was sitting on the sofa in the living room. He didn’t even lift his eyelids, flipping through an original-language book with an extremely cold tone. “Mom, can’t we just get someone else? There are plenty of people in California who know a little calculus. I don’t see what’s so great about her teaching.” His mother sighed helplessly, handed me the final check, then instructed Bobby, “It’s late. Drive Ruby home.” The boy picked up his car keys and walked out. He rolled down the window of the SUV and coldly threw out two words. “Get in.” He seemed irritated to the extreme. While waiting at a long red light, he picked up his phone and impatiently dialed a number. The next second. A muffled ringtone suddenly sounded from inside my backpack. Bobby whipped his head around. At the same time, my heart stopped. Only then did I remember. I had planned to return the spare phone to Lisa today, so I had brought it with me. The screech of brakes rang out. Under the force of the sharp turn, my head nearly slammed hard against the car window. All color drained from Bobby’s lips. His handsome brows knotted tightly as he stared at me. “You…” I forced down the heartbeat that was about to leap out of my throat and tried to squeeze out an apologetic smile. Bracing myself, I took my own old phone from my bag, pretended to press answer, and held it to my ear. “Hello, Dad? Yeah, I’m doing fine.” “School is good. My classmates take care of me too. I’ve made a few new friends. Don’t worry about me.” As those lies flowed naturally from my mouth, I suddenly discovered, sadly, that I was far calmer at lying than I had imagined. Actually, ever since I was little, I had understood one thing. There were many things in this world that never belonged to me from the very beginning, and I had no right to covet them. For example, the expensive violin in the music shop window. For example, Bobby. Bobby lowered his eyes and glanced at his own screen, still in the middle of dialing. The fleeting astonishment and complexity in his eyes finally faded little by little. By the time I hung up that nonexistent call, Bobby’s expression had returned to its usual calm indifference. “We’re here.” He stepped on the brake. I unbuckled my seat belt and nodded. “Thank you.” The veins on the back of his hand stood out slightly as he gripped the steering wheel. His gaze lingered on me for one second. In the end, he only gave a faint “Mm.” I knew I had just missed the best chance to tell him everything. But so what? I pushed open the car door and sighed so quietly it was almost inaudible. Actually, if Bobby had put just a little effort into looking up my file, he would have discovered that in my panic, I had told a lie full of holes. My father had passed away ten years ago. 10 The next day, I finally returned that troublesome spare phone to Lisa. She unlocked the screen and naturally saw the message Bobby had sent warning her to stay away from me. Lisa’s expression instantly became a little awkward. She bit her lower lip and said softly, “I’m sorry, Ruby. It’s all because I’m usually too careless… I didn’t expect him to have such a deep prejudice against you.” I gave a low “Mm.” “I didn’t expect it either.” The hallway was a little noisy, and she didn’t hear clearly. “What did you say?” I forced a smile and turned my face toward the window. “Nothing.” Just like that, my relationship with Bobby dropped completely to freezing point. Once, in the photocopied AP Physics notes Nolan lent me, I found several pages of Bobby’s handwritten problem-solving ideas tucked inside. That afternoon, I picked those pages out and walked to Nolan’s seat to hand them to him. Nolan was lying on the desk catching up on sleep. Hearing movement, he lazily raised his head. “Oh, I probably mixed them in when I was checking answers with him the day before yesterday.” He yawned. “But his handwriting is neater than mine, and his logic is clear. Keep them and use them. They’ll help with your exam.” I waved my hands abruptly as if I had touched something scalding. “No need.” “I… I’m more used to reading your notes. Your steps are more detailed.” Nolan’s pretty peach-blossom eyes instantly curved into crescent moons. He reached out and lightly flicked my forehead, laughing as he scolded me. “Fine. I’ll take that as you complimenting me in a roundabout way.” Bobby, sitting diagonally behind us, stopped spinning his pen. He lifted his eyelids slightly and glanced faintly toward us, some dark, unreadable emotion surging in his black eyes. I slapped the papers onto Nolan’s desk and walked away quickly without looking back. Behind me, Nolan hissed softly, picked up the notes, and muttered: “Hey, Bobby, why has this girl been avoiding you lately like you’re the plague? Did you bully her behind my back?” Bobby was silent for a long time. He moved his gaze coldly toward the window, his voice without the slightest fluctuation. “Who knows.”

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My fiancé, Ethan, was everyone’s idea of a flawless saint. We had been together for seven years, yet he had postponed our wedding nineteen times. Each delay came with a noble excuse: saving a drowning child, chasing a robber, or rescuing a stray cat. He would return with red eyes, pleading, “Anna, wait for me one more time.” Surrounded by the pity or schadenfreude of our guests, I always agreed. Tonight, drunk in our home, he shattered the illusion. Dressed in my twentieth custom wedding gown, I stood outside the half-closed door. He whispered to the empty air, his voice thick with longing. “Vivian, I didn’t dare hold your hand back then. But this time, I’m ready.” My nails dug into my palms as I listened to his desperate vow. “Steal me from the wedding,” he choked out. “Appear on the day, and I’ll take you anywhere.” Tears fell as he repeated the promise, oblivious to my presence. “Three days from now, we leave this place forever.” Blood from my clenched fists dripped onto the pure white silk. The crimson stain bloomed, forcing me to recall his first postponement. His guilt-ridden plea for another chance had been a lie. His selflessness was merely a mask for his favoritism. I took off my engagement ring and placed it on the entrance cabinet. Tomorrow, I will return this dress. I am done waiting. 1 Ethan was curled up at the edge of the sofa. The strong smell of alcohol mixed with the sour stench of vomit rushed toward me. I instinctively covered my nose and mouth and looked at him. He was barefoot, and the collar of his expensive shirt had been tugged completely out of shape. “Ethan?” I called him softly, my voice trembling so badly it sounded strange even to me. He didn’t respond. He only clutched a cushion tightly and muttered to himself, fragile as broken porcelain. I had never seen him like this before. For the past seven years, he had always been cold, elegant, and restrained. Even if he was only ten minutes late for a date, he would message me in advance to apologize. But now, he was so drunk he couldn’t even lift his head. His Adam’s apple moved with difficulty, and he was still stubbornly murmuring that name. “Vivian. I’m so cold.” He suddenly curled up even tighter, as if trying to squeeze himself into the cracks of the sofa. My heart clenched. Instinctively, I crouched down to help him. But the moment my fingertips touched his shoulder, he suddenly grabbed my wrist with a violent backhand. “Don’t go!” His eyes were closed as he roared hoarsely, “This time, I won’t let you leave. We’ll elope!” My tears broke free instantly. Who did he think I was? “Ethan, open your eyes and look clearly. I’m Anna.” I clenched my teeth and desperately tried to pull my hand back. He froze for half a second, then opened his drunken eyes in a haze. In those unfocused pupils, my wretched face was reflected. The next second, as if burned by fire, he violently flung my hand away, turned over, and retched against the carpet. I froze in place, watching his back as he struggled in pain. Suddenly, the last bit of tenderness left in my heart seemed laughably pathetic. I got up and went into the bathroom to wring out a hot towel. When I came back out, he was trying to climb onto the sofa, only to slide weakly back down onto the carpet. I crouched and silently wiped the cold sweat from his face. His skin was burning hot, his brows tightly furrowed. Even trapped in nightmares, he kept muttering. “Cake. She loves red velvet the most.” My hand stopped abruptly. The warm yellow light from the bathroom slanted beneath the coffee table, illuminating a hidden kraft paper envelope. As if possessed, I reached out and pulled it out. Inside was a neatly bound file. On the cover was printed a line: Vivian’s Lifestyle Preferences. I opened the first page, and my breathing stopped. “Vivian hates rainy days. Remember to keep an umbrella by the door of her studio.” “Her stomach is weak. She absolutely cannot eat spicy food. Next date should be at that upscale French restaurant.” “On the anniversary of her mother’s death, make sure to bring white roses and accompany her to the cemetery.” The edges of the paper had already grown fuzzy, clearly worn from being touched over and over again. My fingertips trembled as I turned the pages. Every page was densely packed with records of another woman’s trivial daily life. The origin of the coffee beans she loved. The indie music she played on loop while painting. Even an insignificant childhood memory she had once mentioned in passing. On the last page, there was a photo tucked inside. It was a candid profile shot Ethan had taken of Vivian. Sunlight danced across her lashes, gentle enough to inspire despair. I sank onto the cold floor and flipped through the pages one by one. Memories I had deliberately suppressed surged into my mind like floodwater bursting through a dam. Seven years ago, when my fever had reached 102 degrees, he had been busy with a merger and acquisition case. He only hurriedly left a box of fever medicine at my apartment door. He didn’t even spare the time to pour me a glass of warm water. Five years ago, when I was hospitalized after a car accident, he came every day on schedule to bring food. But whenever his phone rang with a certain ringtone, he would leave in a rush. Just last month, on my birthday, he was three full hours late. In the end, he appeared at the restaurant soaked from head to toe, only casually explaining, “I saved a drowning child on the way.” At the time, his eyes had been filled with relief and righteousness, yet he hadn’t noticed that I had stood in the cold wind all night, my stomach hurting so badly I couldn’t even straighten my back. So it turned out he wasn’t naturally unromantic. He wasn’t careless. He had simply given all his tenderness and thoughtfulness to someone else without holding anything back. I gently placed the file back where it had been, turned, went into the bedroom, and took off the heavy wedding dress. The phone in my pocket vibrated. It was the company’s final confirmation email for my overseas transfer. The destination was faraway London. The departure date was exactly three days from now. I looked one last time at the man sleeping on the floor. There was even a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. Perhaps in his dreams, he was running away with Vivian. I took a deep breath and pressed send. [Transfer accepted. Departing in three days.] This time, it was my turn to break the appointment. 2 At seven the next morning, my phone vibrated wildly on the bedside table. I was lying awake, staring blankly at the ceiling. A sleepless night had left my eyes so dry it felt as if they were covered in rough sand. “Hello?” I answered, my voice so hoarse I barely recognized it. “Anna.” Ethan’s voice carried the exhaustion of a hangover. In the background, I could hear the sound of cars rushing past. “I probably can’t make it to the final wedding dress fitting today.” My fingers tightened slightly around the phone. A faint taste of blood rose in my throat. “Mm. Okay.” “I won’t be back for dinner tonight either.” He paused, deliberately making his tone sound relaxed. “There’s an urgent project I need to catch up on.” My voice was flat. “Okay.” The other end of the line fell briefly silent. He seemed not to have expected me to be so calm. Then he switched into that tone he used to soothe a small animal. “I’ll only be busy these next few days. Don’t overthink things. I promise you, on the wedding day, I’ll be there on time. I won’t be late.” He laughed softly. Through the signal, that laugh sounded impossibly false and distant. “Stop being petty. Be good.” I closed my eyes and let tears slide silently down, disappearing into the hair near my temples. “Okay.” After hanging up, the room was swallowed by dead silence again. I opened Instagram. The private account Ethan had hidden at the very bottom of my following list suddenly showed a new update. He rarely shared private life on social media. His main account was full of industry news and official reports about charity events, cold and perfect like a fake person. But this post was completely different. [Chasing the light!] The picture showed a mountain summit at dawn, a pair of rugged hiking boots, and beside them a slender wrist wearing a baseball cap, reaching toward the camera. That wrist had delicate bones. There was a light brown mole near the joint of the pinky finger. I recognized that mole. It was Vivian. My heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand. Even breathing came with a dull ache. I scrolled down. The comments were lively. Ryan: Ethan finally made a move! She’s definitely going to be moved to tears now! Owen: You should’ve done this ages ago, bro! Congrats! Don’t forget to invite us for wedding drinks! Caleb: Finally got your girl? Hahaha, congrats! Every one of those names was painfully familiar to me. When Ryan’s father had heart surgery, I was the one who ran around using my connections to contact a top surgeon. When Owen’s startup failed and he faced bankruptcy, I privately asked a headhunter friend to help him find a respectable job. When Caleb didn’t have enough for the down payment on his wedding home, I secretly used my own savings to fill the gap. They all knew. Every single one of them had known from the beginning. An absurd laugh rose in my throat, but in the end, what escaped my mouth was only a desperate sob. I numbly put down my phone and went through the motions like a programmed machine: wash up, change clothes, go to work. When I got off work, the Chicago sky was gloomy, as if it might collapse at any moment. I pushed open the apartment door. Silence followed me like a shadow. I collapsed onto the sofa and, as if possessed, opened his private account again. He had posted five updates today. 9 a.m.: [The wind at the summit was stronger than expected, but everything was worth it.] The picture showed two hands with fingers interlaced, holding a cup of hot coffee together. 10 a.m.: [She said the sea of clouds in the distance looked like spilled milk.] The picture showed Vivian from behind, her golden hair lifted by the wind. 11 a.m.: [So the sound of a heart moving is real.] The picture showed blurred sunset light and his own elongated shadow. 12 p.m.: [From now on, every year on this day, we’ll come here together.] The picture showed two pairs of shoes side by side on dew-covered grass. 1 p.m.: [Before I met you, I never looked forward to the future.] The picture showed Vivian’s delicate profile. In every photo, his eyes were shining. That kind of unreserved, scorching, passionate love was a luxury I had never possessed in these seven years. I opened my photo album and typed “Ethan” into the search bar. Only a few photos came up. Most were group photos. He was always turned sideways or wearing a stiff expression, as if every press of the shutter were an annoying KPI he had to complete. Once, during a vacation, I acted spoiled and begged him to take more photos with me. He only frowned impatiently and said, “What’s there to take? It’s too much trouble.” So it turned out he didn’t dislike taking photos. He just disliked taking photos with me. I swiped through the photos one by one. At graduation, his lips were tightly pressed together while I held a bouquet and smiled cautiously. At a birthday party, his eyes wandered. The hand he used to hold mine while cutting the cake was stiff as wood. Even the only photo in the album where he had an arm around me had been taken after I begged repeatedly. He had perfunctorily placed his hand on my shoulder, but his body instinctively kept a distance from mine. And today, he had taken an entire nine-photo grid for Vivian. Every angle and every beam of light carried the fervor of wanting to preserve her smile forever. My phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from his main account. [The project is finally finished. A little tired. I’ll go with you tomorrow to confirm the final makeup and styling.] I stared fixedly at that line of text. An exhaustion I had never felt before swept through my entire body. Seven years of youth. Hundreds of compromises and waits. Thousands upon thousands of self-deceptions. At that moment, everything collapsed with a crash and turned to ash. I locked the screen and did not reply. 3 The next day, when the doorbell rang, I was kneeling on the carpet, packing my suitcase. Through the peephole, I saw Ethan crouching outside the door with no trace of his usual dignity. I hesitated for exactly three seconds, then opened the door. When he heard movement, he abruptly raised his head. His handsome face still carried the exhaustion of a sleepless night, but the moment he saw me, he immediately pulled out a perfect smile. Out of habit, he lifted his hand as if to ruffle my hair. But it stopped awkwardly in midair. He changed the motion into scratching the back of his head to cover it up. “Did I wake you?” “No.” I stepped aside to let him in. My gaze swept over his wrinkled shirt and the obvious mud stains on the cuffs of his trousers. He walked into the living room. His eyes fell on my open suitcase. He paused slightly but didn’t ask. He sat down by the sofa, his long legs folded in a deliberately pitiful way, his whole body radiating a carefully performed weariness. “The project wrapped up too late last night, so I slept in the office.” He lowered his voice, his tone gentle. “I was afraid you were still asleep, so I didn’t dare ring the bell. I just sat outside for a while.” My heart felt as if something had bumped against it, neither too lightly nor too heavily. If this kind of subtle thoughtfulness had happened a month ago, it would absolutely have moved me so much I couldn’t sleep all night. But now, I only found it absurd. He could cross half the city in a rainstorm to accompany Vivian to an art exhibition. He could drive hundreds of miles late at night to climb a mountain with her and watch the sunrise. Yet he didn’t even have the time to call me and say, “I won’t be home tonight.” In a daze, distant memories suddenly surged up like tidewater. At fifteen, as a transfer student who had just moved to Chicago, I sat awkwardly in the last row of the classroom and watched him run freely across the basketball court. Sunlight fell on the sweat-damp ends of his hair, coating his entire body in a dazzling golden edge. He was everyone’s sun. Bright, passionate, selflessly lighting up everyone around him. And I was only the most insignificant speck of dust in the corner. Small and dim, needing all my courage just to look up at him. So when, on the day of our high school graduation, he suddenly stuffed a note into my hand and said seriously, “I think you’re special,” I was completely stunned. That sudden, enormous happiness left me flustered. I even thought it was a dream I might wake from at any moment. To hold tightly onto that beam of light, I desperately learned to be sensible. I learned tolerance. I learned to chew up every grievance and swallow it. When he was late for dates, I smiled and said Chicago traffic was indeed awful. When he forgot our anniversary, I took the blame and said I should have reminded him earlier. When he missed the eve of our wedding again and again, I kept brainwashing myself, telling myself it was proof of his noble character. In the process, I slowly became a people-pleaser so unfamiliar that even I found myself strange. “Anna?” Ethan’s voice pulled me back to reality. He moved closer and waved his hand in front of my eyes. His deep eyes were filled with genuine worry. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” I looked at him quietly. This face. I had looked at it for seven years and loved it for seven years. At this moment, the concern in his eyes was so real that I almost wanted to suspect everything I had seen last night had only been a nightmare. He reached out and took my hand. His palm was still warm and dry. “I promise you.” He spoke word by word, his eyes sincere like a believer confessing before a priest. “Tomorrow, I will appear on time. You should be happy and become the most beautiful bride in the world.” My eyes suddenly warmed. But my chest felt as if a huge hole had been torn open. Cold wind howled through it, and there was no echo left inside. I gently withdrew my hand and pulled out a perfect smile. “Mm. I know.” He seemed about to say something else, but the phone on the coffee table suddenly lit up. He glanced at the screen quickly and almost reflexively pressed mute, then placed the phone face down on the table. The movement was extremely fast, but I still clearly caught the notification on the lock screen. [Vivian: See you tomorrow!] He raised his head and looked at me. The smile at the corner of his mouth had already become somewhat stiff. After hesitating, he opened his arms and pulled me into his embrace, holding me tightly. My body remained rigid, like a puppet, allowing him to hold me. Outside the window, the sunlight was still bright. Golden light spilled over us, yet brought not even the slightest warmth. So when a moth decides to stop flying into the flame, that light loses all meaning to it. 4 That day, Ethan acted like the perfect, flawless fiancé. He accompanied me to try on my wedding dress, standing behind the huge floor-length mirror and giving alteration suggestions with utmost seriousness. He remembered that I was allergic to cilantro, and when ordering at the French restaurant, he naturally reminded the waiter to pay attention to the details. While walking down the street, he even took my hand first. Everything seemed exactly like the early days when we were madly in love. I quietly cooperated with the performance and did not tear through his gorgeous disguise. Only occasionally, when I met his probing gaze, I would politely smile back. At dusk, he drove me back to my apartment. Outside the car window, city lights were just beginning to glow, neon shifting and flowing. Inside the car, an old jazz song was playing, the very one that had played on the radio during our first date. Then, as the car approached a dim intersection, I saw a familiar figure standing by the road. Vivian was wearing a thin white dress, hugging her arms as she shivered in the early autumn wind. Ethan slammed on the brakes. The tires made a piercing screech against the asphalt. He abruptly turned to look at me. His eyes were filled with an extreme tension and panic I had never seen before. “Anna.” His voice was terribly tight. “That’s Vivian. A friend of mine. She’s timid and in poor health. It’s so late, and she’s standing there alone. I really can’t feel at ease…” Before he could finish, I had already calmly unbuckled my seat belt. “Go take her home.” He was visibly stunned, then urgently promised, “I’ll come back for you as soon as I take her home. It’ll be quick. Wait for me here.” I nodded and pushed open the car door. The suburban night wind was bone-chilling. I stood alone under the streetlamp, watching his black Porsche merge into traffic without the slightest hesitation. Its red taillights soon disappeared around the corner. Everything around me was deathly quiet. The dim yellow streetlamp stretched my shadow long and thin. I took out my phone and opened Uber, but the screen kept showing: No available cars nearby. Cold wind poured in through the collar of my coat, and I couldn’t help shivering. By two in the morning, he still had not returned. My phone screen suddenly lit up. It was a multimedia message from an unknown number. The moment I opened the photo, all the blood in my body froze. The background was the large bed of a luxury hotel. Ethan and Vivian were asleep in each other’s arms. She nestled against his chest like a delicate bird, her fair fingers intimately hooked around the buttons of his shirt. His eyes were closed, and at the corner of his mouth was a satisfied, relaxed smile I had never seen in these seven years. Immediately after, a second text popped up. [Thanks for stepping aside, big sister! Have a wonderful wedding tomorrow!] Expressionlessly, I locked the screen. The next morning, the car arranged by the company stopped downstairs from my apartment on time. One hour later, the Boeing 777 cut through the sky and soared into the clouds. Ten thousand meters above the ground, I quietly gazed at the churning sea of white clouds outside the window. My phone already had a new British SIM card in it. As for the old card, before the plane took off, I had thrown it mercilessly into a trash can at Chicago airport. Goodbye, Ethan. … At the same time, in the banquet hall of a top hotel in downtown Chicago. Ethan stood before the mirror in an exquisitely tailored handmade suit, a fleeting trace of guilt passing through his heart. But the moment he recalled how Vivian had woken in his arms that morning, looking so dependent and fragile, as if she could not survive without him, that tiny bit of guilt instantly transformed into peace of mind. Vivian was so fragile. She needed protection too much. Anna had always been generous and strong. She would definitely understand him. The melodious and romantic wedding march echoed throughout the hall. The host, using a passionate tone, invited the most beautiful bride of the day to enter. However, the music played on loop again and again. At the end of the red carpet, the carved double doors remained tightly closed. No one appeared. The guests began to stir and whisper. The perfect smile on Ethan’s face began to crack. He hid to one side, lowered his voice, and frantically called that familiar number, only to hear the cold notification that the phone was turned off. “Go find her in the dressing room!” He grabbed the best man by the collar and roared, finally unable to hide the panic in his voice. Just then, the side door of the banquet hall was shoved open. The makeup artist stumbled out, her face pale as paper. “Mr. Ethan… Miss Anna, she isn’t in the room at all!” Ethan stood frozen as if struck by lightning. All that remained in his ears was a sharp buzzing sound.

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I scored a vintage iPod on Depop. Plugging in my cheap wired earbuds, I expected to hear some nostalgic Lana Del Rey. Instead, a low, husky male voice filled my ears: “Avery forgot her umbrella today. So stupid.” I flipped through the photo gallery. It was entirely filled with candid shots of me from high school. Turning my head, I saw the top trending topic on Twitter: #JudeSinclairPolice #AssistantTheft. Two minutes later, the Depop seller sent me a private message: [That belongs to me. Fifteen grand. Give it back.] I sneered and let my fingers fly across the keyboard: [Meet me in person, or I’m turning this over to the cops.] The next afternoon at a coffee shop, I stared at the fully disguised Jude Sinclair sitting across from me and hit the send button right in front of his face. “Ding.” The crisp notification sound erupted from his pocket. 1 Opening that package was a heart-stopping experience. Here is what happened. I had recently gotten into the retro aesthetic and spent thirty bucks on Depop for a vintage iPod Classic. The seller’s description read: “Battle-scarred condition. Powers on. No returns.” I figured thirty bucks for a piece of nostalgia was a steal. The second I got it, I plugged it into the charger and shoved in my two-dollar bargain bin wired earbuds. The screen lit up, lagging for three seconds before loading the main menu. There was no Coldplay. No Taylor Swift. There was only a single hidden folder named “A”. Curious, I clicked on it. It contained a few abrupt audio files and dozens of blurry photos. I casually tapped the first audio track. A crackling static noise hissed through the earbuds, followed instantly by a deeply low, slightly youthful male voice. “Avery wore her hair in a ponytail today. Kinda want to tug it.” My scalp tingled. I nearly dropped the iPod on the floor. What the hell? I swallowed hard and with a trembling finger, tapped the second track. “Avery got a C on her Calculus mid-term. Idiot. I explained that exact equation to her three times.” “It is pouring. Avery forgot her umbrella again. Dummy.” Fuck. I would recognize that voice anywhere. I hastily backed out to the main menu and opened the photo folder. A grid of photos flooded the screen. The pixel quality was laughably bad, but the subject of every single picture was me. There was a side profile of me drooling on my desk during study hall. A shot of my back as I sprinted across the track field in an oversized hoodie. There was even a candid of me hiding in the stairwell, secretly stuffing a breakfast burrito into my mouth. It was a total creepy-secret-admirer POV. My coworker Zoe walked by with her coffee, caught a glimpse of my screen from the corner of her eye, and immediately leaned in. “Whoa, Avery, who took these crusty photos? From high school? The quality looks deep-fried.” My brain was buzzing. I brushed her off with a random excuse. “No idea. Probably just bought some creep’s secondhand junk.” Zoe did not pay much attention. She pulled out her phone to slack off, but a second later, she slapped my thigh hard. “Oh my god! Huge drama!” “Look at the number one trending topic!” I gasped from the stinging slap and leaned over to look at her screen. The top hashtag had a dark red “Trending” icon next to it. #JudeSinclairPolice #AssistantTheft The timeline was in absolute chaos. “Holy shit, Jude actually snapped! Called the cops on his own assistant?” “Word is the assistant listed a super personal, beat-up item he has carried for years on a secondhand app. Jude literally smashed a glass on set!” “What kind of item is that precious? Bypassing PR to call the cops directly? That assistant is dancing on a minefield.” Zoe scrolled through the comments, clicking her tongue in amazement. “Assistants these days are wild. Jude is famous for being an untouchable, arrogant ice king. He never even has dating rumors. For him to blow up like this is insane. Avery, what do you think he lost? A love token from his secret girlfriend?” I said nothing. Because my phone just buzzed. A new notification popped up from Depop. It was a message from the seller who sold me the iPod. [That belongs to me.] [I did not sell it willingly.] [Fifteen grand. Give it back.] I stared at the words on the screen, a massive question mark forming in my head. Fifteen grand? I paid thirty bucks for a piece of junk, and it costs fifteen grand to ransom it back? Are scammers getting this brazen nowadays? I scoffed, my fingers flying across the screen. [Nice scam. I am the Queen of England. Send cash.] He replied instantly: [I am not joking. That item is extremely important to me.] [As long as you return it, name your price.] I raised an eyebrow. Judging by his tone, the guy was anxious enough to crawl through the internet connection. I wanted to see exactly what kind of trick this scammer was trying to pull. [Fine. Meet in person. Tomorrow at 3 PM, Starbucks on the third floor of the Galleria mall.] [If you do not show up, I am calling the cops and handing this over as stolen property.] After sending that, I closed the app and locked the burning-hot iPod in the bottom drawer of my desk. His reply came quickly. Just one brief word. [Okay.] Right after lunch, my department manager Valerie stormed into the office, her heels clicking aggressively against the floor. “Everyone, drop what you are doing!” “We just landed the promotional campaign for Jude Sinclair’s new album. His team will be downstairs in ten minutes. Avery, print three copies of this brief and come with me to Meeting Room One!” I was mid-sip of my water and nearly choked to death on my keyboard. “Cough… Valerie, me? Am I not just the administrative assistant?” “I told you to go, so go! Stop whining, look sharp, and do not embarrass the company!” I reluctantly gathered the stack of documents and followed Valerie toward the meeting room. Truth be told, Jude Sinclair and I were not complete strangers. We had shared a homeroom for two years in high school. The Jude Sinclair back then was a completely different person from the dazzling superstar on today’s billboards. He was dirt poor. His father was a deadbeat gambler. Jude always wore a washed-out, oversized hoodie, kept to himself, and had the gloomy aura of a lone wolf ready to bite anyone who got too close. Nobody in class dared to mess with him, and nobody wanted to talk to him either. I was the class president. The thankless job of collecting homework always fell on me. Every time I stood at his desk, tapping on the wood to ask for his assignment, he would not even lift his eyes. He would just spit out two cold words: “Didn’t do it.” How did we end up getting familiar? It was probably that one day after school. I was cutting through the alley behind the gym and saw him cornered by a group of loan sharks. He was bleeding from his lip, yet he did not make a sound, fiercely protecting a broken Walkman in his arms. My brain short-circuited. I screamed “Cops are here!” and grabbed his wrist, dragging him away as fast as I could run. Since then, I would occasionally find a strawberry Starburst sitting in my desk drawer. And I made a habit of conveniently leaving an extra umbrella on his desk on rainy days. But right after our senior year started, he abruptly cut all ties with me. With a frozen expression, he threw the umbrella back into my arms and told me to mind my own business. A few days later, he vanished from school completely. He did not even show up for graduation. The next time I heard his name was years later. He exploded in popularity after an indie film and became the globally adored Jude Sinclair. A click of the meeting room door snapped me out of my memories. I followed Valerie inside and immediately spotted the man sitting at the head of the table. Jude wore a minimalist black windbreaker and a baseball cap. The brim was pulled low, but it still could not hide his immaculate bone structure. He leaned back in his chair, radiating a chilling, do-not-approach aura. His manager was pacing beside him, aggressively barking into his phone. “Find it! You know how many years he has carried that thing? If that leaks, you and I are both finished!” My footsteps faltered, and I guiltily tightened my grip on the folders. “Mr. Sinclair, it is a pleasure.” Valerie instantly plastered on a bright smile and approached. “I am the director for this campaign. Here is the preliminary proposal we prepared.” She turned and shot me a look. I quickly took two steps forward and offered the documents. “Mr. Sinclair, your files.” Jude had been looking down, twisting a plain silver ring on his thumb. Hearing my voice, his movements abruptly stopped. He slowly looked up. Our eyes met. The air in the room seemed to freeze for a split second. His dark pupils shrank sharply. A flash of extreme shock and poorly concealed panic crossed his eyes. But in the span of a breath, he forced it down, replacing it with a perfectly calm, unreadable facade. “Thank you,” he said, without looking at me. His voice was freezing cold. I cursed his arrogance in my head. Pretending we do not know each other? Fine. “You are welcome, Mr. Superstar.” I deliberately emphasized the last two words. Jude’s back noticeably stiffened. As he reached out to take the files, his fingertips accidentally brushed against the back of my hand. They were freezing. And they were trembling slightly. With my sharp eyes, I noticed the tips of his pale ears turning a violent shade of red right in front of me. The meeting lasted thirty minutes. Jude barely spoke the entire time, leaving his manager to do all the talking. His gaze seemed locked on the projector screen, but I constantly felt a heavy stare sweeping over the top of my head. When the meeting ended, I escorted them downstairs. Reaching the lobby, I realized a torrential downpour had started. Sheets of rain crashed against the glass doors with a deafening rattle. I did not have an umbrella. The manager’s car was already waiting at the entrance. Jude put on his black mask and prepared to step out into the storm. Suddenly, he stopped, turned around, and cast a deep look at me. It was such an intense look I almost thought he was going to say something. But ultimately, he stayed silent and ducked into the SUV. I stood by the lobby doors, sighing, preparing to wait out the rain before making a run for the subway. Two minutes later, the building’s security guard walked over with a massive black golf umbrella, handing me a brand-new clear umbrella. “Miss, the gentleman who just left asked me to give this to you,” the guard said with a warm chuckle. “He also told me to remind you not to stand around looking dumb when it rains.” I gripped the handle of the clear umbrella, slightly stunned. The handle still held a faint trace of body heat. That bastard. So much for playing it cool. That evening, I went to a high school reunion. Mr. Harrison, our old homeroom teacher, was retiring this year, and everyone got together for a farewell dinner. The private room was loud and smoky. After a few rounds of drinks, the conversation inevitably drifted to the most successful person from our class: Jude Sinclair. “Who would have thought the poorest, quietest kid in our class would end up as an A-list celebrity?” The old sports captain yelled, letting out a drunken burp. “Yeah, remember when he got publicly shamed at assembly because he could not pay his tuition?” A girl sitting nearby lowered her voice, looking secretive. “Do you guys remember why he actually dropped out senior year?” I paused with my fork halfway to my mouth, listening closely. “I heard his deadbeat dad borrowed from a loan shark and ran off. The debt collectors came and trashed his apartment. His grandma already had a bad heart, and the shock killed her that very night.” “Holy shit, that is awful.” “Right? He could not even afford a proper burial. He went to work at a construction site hauling cement for half a month straight just to survive. How could he possibly take his final exams?” The atmosphere in the room suddenly grew heavy. Mr. Harrison sighed, lifting his glass for a small sip. “That kid had a hard life. He was bright. It was a damn shame.” Sitting in the corner, my throat felt like it was blocked by wet cotton. I could not swallow, and I could not speak. The sports captain turned to look at me, slurring his words. “Avery, you did not know? The night before he dropped out, it was pouring rain. I saw him standing outside your apartment building for half the night with my own eyes. He was soaked like a drowned rat, just staring up at your window.” “I asked him why he did not just go up and knock. His eyes were red, and he told me his life was pure garbage now, and he could not drag you down into the mud with him.” With a loud clatter, my glass hit the table. Water spilled everywhere. My brain was buzzing. So, his sudden coldness back then. Throwing the umbrella back at me. Telling me to mind my own business… It was all an act? He thought he was not good enough for me, so he chose to shoulder his ruined life alone and quietly roll out of my world? I bit my lower lip hard, taking a deep breath to force myself to calm down. Jude Sinclair, you self-righteous bastard. The next day, at 2:50 PM. I arrived exactly on time at the Starbucks on the third floor of the Galleria mall. The weekend crowd was massive, and the coffee shop was nearly packed. I ordered an iced Americano and found a secluded booth near the window. My mind was still replaying the words I heard at the reunion last night. A fire was burning in my chest. Just then, from the corner of my eye, I spotted someone strange. Sitting in the furthest booth of the cafe was a man in a black hoodie. Not only did he have the hood pulled up over his head, but he was also wearing oversized thick-rimmed glasses and a black medical mask. He was bundled up tightly, only his eyes visible, looking around nervously. Dressed like that in the middle of the summer, he was either a celebrity or an armed robber. And that posture. That build. I would recognize him anywhere. I squeezed my iced coffee cup tightly, condensation dripping through my fingers. Taking a deep breath, I stood up and marched straight toward that corner. The man seemed to sense someone approaching. His body tensed, and he instinctively pulled the brim of his hood lower. I stopped at his table, pulled out the chair opposite him, and sat down without hesitation. He jumped, his head snapping up. Through his glasses, I locked eyes with those familiar, deep pupils. “Excuse me, miss, this seat is taken,” he said, deliberately lowering his voice, trying to play it off. I ignored him. Expressionless, I pulled out my phone, opened the Depop app, and navigated to the chat with the seller who thought he could scam me. I typed. [I am here.] [Where are you?] [Look up.] Staring dead into the man’s eyes, I pressed my thumb down hard on the send button. “Ding.” The extremely crisp system notification sound erupted from the phone sitting on the table in front of him. The noisy chatter of the coffee shop seemed to fade away completely in that instant. The man’s pupils violently trembled. Those eyes that were always so calm and unbothered finally revealed a stark, unmistakable panic.

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Noah and I grew up absolutely unable to stand each other. He always said I was a firecracker, bursting into flames at the slightest spark. I told him he had a venomous tongue, never knowing when to let things go. We bickered like that for over a decade. That was until our senior year of high school, when the new transfer student, Kitty, confessed her feelings to him. He cast a careless glance my way, a lazy smirk playing on his lips. “Sorry about that. You just aren’t my type.” The crowd around us immediately started hooting and hollering. “Don’t tell me you’re actually into a girl like Scarlett?” Noah let out a soft chuckle, his tone dripping with a relaxed drawl. “Yeah, I like a girl who gives it to me straight. Got a problem with that?” Later on, we went to college together, got married, had kids, and spent a lifetime loudly arguing our way through love. Right before he passed away from his illness, he held my hand, his eyes crinkling with a peaceful smile. “Look at you. Your temper is so awful, and you always put too much salt in the food. In my next life, I am definitely finding someone gentle and sweet.” My eyes stung with tears as I lightly punched his shoulder. “Fine. You go find someone gentle, and I will find a guy who doesn’t argue with me every single day.” When I opened my eyes again, I was standing right back in the middle of our senior year. Right on the very day Kitty confessed to him. 1 “Noah, I really like you. Could you give me a chance?” Noah lifted his gaze, sweeping his eyes over me for a split second before looking away. The corner of his mouth tipped up into a relaxed, easy smile. “Sure, let’s give it a shot.” Kitty’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief, the edges of them turning a soft, teary pink as she stared at him. “Are… are you serious?” Noah hummed in agreement. “You have a really sweet personality, and you look nice and clean. I appreciate that.” I dug my nails into my palms, my fingertips trembling slightly. The sound of mocking laughter erupted from the students surrounding us. “Wow, Noah, so you actually go for girls like Kitty! We all thought you were secretly pining after Scarlett.” Noah lazily lifted his heavy eyelids, that careless smirk still resting on his face. “Who would ever like her? Her temper is a nightmare. She throws hands over nothing. A grown bull couldn’t survive one of her punches.” The classroom exploded into louder laughter. “I mean, Scarlett is gorgeous, but she goes off like a landmine. Who could deal with that?” “Exactly. Guys just want a girl who is gentle and actually knows how to behave.” I stood frozen in the middle of the room, an icy chill seeping into my bones. At this exact moment in our past life, Noah had rejected Kitty without a second thought. He had stood in front of everyone and declared that he liked girls who were straightforward. My heart had beaten so fast that day I thought it might leap right out of my throat. I had spent that entire night tossing and turning in bed, completely unable to sleep. The next morning, I had stumbled downstairs with massive dark circles under my eyes, only to find Noah leaning against the porch railing, waiting for me. He had looked me up and down, clicking his tongue in amusement. “Scarlett, were you out robbing banks last night?” I had snapped at him, but he just laughed. After graduation, he finally asked me out. He told me that even though I had a terrible temper, he was pretty crazy about me, and he wanted to know if I would be his girl. I remembered lightly punching his arm, telling him no one in their right mind would want to be his girlfriend. He had just grabbed his shoulder and laughed, teasing me for acting tough when I clearly felt the same. He said I had been using that same stubborn defense mechanism since we were kids. Then came college. We were just like any other ordinary couple. We took walks in the pouring rain and kissed under golden sunsets. We got married right out of school and had a son and a daughter. Through all those years, we bickered constantly, but we never truly crossed a line. The worst fight we ever had resulted in a month-long cold war where we flat-out refused to speak to each other. People around us started whispering, assuming we were finally heading for a divorce. But whenever someone brought it up, Noah would just glare at them. He would tell them to mind their own business, claiming that fighting was just how he and his wife showed affection. Then he would turn right around, flash me a cheeky grin, and start sweet-talking me into forgiving him. He kept bickering with me right up until his dying breath. He told me he was going to find a sweet, gentle woman in his next life. I thought he was just trying to rile me up one last time. I never expected him to actually mean it. I pulled myself out of my chaotic memories, forcing my gaze up to meet Noah’s. I steadied my voice the best I could. “You say that like anyone actually wants you. Your mouth is pure poison. Just listening to you speak is exhausting.” Then I shot a glare at the boys who were laughing the loudest. “You guys have a lot of nerve judging other people. Have you ever considered looking in a mirror?” Without waiting for a response, I spun on my heel and stormed out of the classroom. If I stayed in there for even one more second, I knew I was going to cry in front of everyone. Once I reached the restroom, I aggressively splashed freezing water onto my face. Drops of water slid down my chin, soaking the collar of my shirt and resting cold against my collarbone. I stared at the eighteen-year-old face looking back at me in the mirror. My eyes were bloodshot. This was not a dream. Both Noah and I had come back to the year we turned eighteen. Only this time around, he had no intention of choosing me. 2 When I walked back into the classroom, Kitty was sitting in my seat. My voice came out like ice. “Get up.” She bit her bottom lip, looking up at me with wide, innocent eyes. “Noah told me I could sit here.” Right on cue, Noah strolled into the room holding a thermos filled with hot water. “I told her to sit there. She is my girlfriend now, so naturally, she should sit next to me.” He casually pointed toward the empty desk where Kitty used to sit. “You can take her spot.” When the teacher had assigned seats at the beginning of the year, Noah had begged and pleaded until they let him sit next to me. He had joked that my temper was so bad I would definitely bully anyone else, so he had to sacrifice himself for the greater good. I didn’t say a single word. I walked straight to Kitty’s old desk, grabbed my backpack, and hoisted it over my shoulder. Under the shocked stares of the entire class, I walked all the way to the very last row in the back corner. “What is she doing? Is she really going to sit next to Rowan?” “She can try, but there is no way Rowan will let her.” Even Noah furrowed his brows, shooting a displeased look in my direction. I knocked my knuckles against the desk in the back row. The boy sleeping with his head buried in his arms slowly lifted his face. His eyes were cold and distant, laced with heavy irritation at being woken up. “Can I sit here?” He stared at me for a long moment, completely silent, before closing his eyes and dropping his head back down onto his arms. I pulled out the chair and sat down. Whispers erupted all around us. The chatter didn’t die down until the bell finally rang for class to start. I pulled out my textbook, but my mind was a total mess. My eyes kept drifting toward the front of the room, drawn to Noah against my will. He had his chin propped on his left hand, his gaze fixed entirely on the side of Kitty’s face. The corner of his mouth was curved up into a soft, genuine smile, and his features were completely relaxed. He used to stare at me exactly like that during class. He used to tell me that I looked the most beautiful when I was intensely focused on a lecture. When we finally started dating, he kept doing it. He would whisper that I looked so pretty he just wanted to lean over and kiss me. Even after we got married, nothing changed. He would look at me with that same soft expression and promise that he wanted to be with me in this life, the next life, and every life after that. A small pack of tissues suddenly landed on my desk. I looked down, realizing for the first time that a dark, wet patch had spread across the pages of my textbook. Rowan had already pulled his hand back. He was leaning casually against his chair, deliberately looking away from me. His voice was a low, raspy drawl. “People are going to think I’m the one making you cry.” If you added my two lifetimes together, I was almost a hundred years old. Yet here I was, crying in front of an eighteen-year-old boy. The sadness instantly vanished, replaced by an overwhelming wave of embarrassment. I genuinely wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. When the final bell rang that afternoon, Noah walked over, carrying Kitty’s backpack in one hand. His tone was completely flat. “Walk home by yourself today. I am taking Kitty home.” He took two steps away before pausing and looking back over his shoulder. “And don’t tell my parents I have a girlfriend.” With that, he looked down at Kitty. The bright smile on his face was impossible to hide. “I am taking you to this amazing food truck. They have the best spicy street tacos in the city.” Noah loved those tacos more than anything. In our past life, he dragged me there every single day after school. But now, he had someone else to share them with. I had spent the entire afternoon wallowing in misery, but I had finally made up my mind. Even if he had treated me like a queen in our past life, that was all in the past. I needed to let it go. I needed to move forward. I turned my head to look at the brooding, untouchable boy sitting next to me. “Do you want to go get some ghost pepper wings? I know a dive bar that makes them perfectly.” Rowan gave me a weird look, grabbed his bag, and walked right past me. He dropped a single, freezing sentence as he left. “Are we supposed to be friends or something?” 3 After being ruthlessly rejected, I walked out of the school gates all by myself. It felt incredibly strange. Ever since kindergarten, Noah and I had walked home together every single day. In college, he always walked me to the door of my dorm before heading to his own. When we were married, he would wait outside my office building so we could commute back to our house together. How could a man who loved me that deeply change so fast? The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I swung my foot and violently kicked a loose rock on the sidewalk. “Two-timing bastard!” The rock flew through the air and hit the guy walking in front of me directly in the back of the head. He stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned around. My heart dropped straight into my stomach. Rowan stared at me, his eyes as cold as absolute zero. “Who did you just call a bastard?” I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, my brain scrambling for an excuse. I pointed a stiff finger at a stray dog loitering near the alleyway. “Him.” The large yellow dog rested its chin on its paws, giving me a deeply innocent look while lightly wagging its tail. A smirk tugged at the corner of Rowan’s mouth, though the amusement didn’t reach his eyes. “You curse at dogs by throwing rocks at them?” “My foot just slipped.” He took a few slow steps toward me until he was standing right in my personal space. He was a full head taller than me, forcing him to tilt his head down to meet my eyes. His voice dropped to a low, dangerous whisper. “Scarlett, are you sure you weren’t talking about me?” I waved my hands frantically. “No, no, I swear! I was cursing out Noah.” He stayed silent for a few seconds, his gaze turning thoughtful and slightly amused. “What were you calling him?” “A… two-timing bastard.” Rowan raised a single eyebrow. “Let me get this straight.” “Noah dumped you, you called him a bastard, and somehow the rock ended up hitting my head?” I completely choked on my words. From an outsider’s perspective, I suppose it did look exactly like I had been dumped. The moment I realized I had been reborn, I had wanted to jump for joy. I thought I had been given a miracle. A chance to see Noah again and spend another lifetime loving him. Who could have predicted this? The love of my life was currently feeding street tacos to his sweet, gentle new girlfriend! I took a deep breath to steady myself. “I was not dumped. We were never even dating. Besides, he is a fickle, promise-breaking, backstabbing jerk who ruined our friendship. I wouldn’t like a guy like that if he were the last man on earth!” Rowan let out a soft, breathy laugh. “Right. Well, you still owe me an apology.” I dropped my head in defeat. “I am really sorry. I genuinely didn’t mean to hit you. Do you need to go to the nurse or a clinic?” “No.” He turned around and started walking away. Without thinking, my feet moved on their own, trailing right behind him. “How about I buy you dinner to make up for it? Those ghost pepper wings I mentioned earlier are seriously amazing.” He stopped walking. He didn’t turn around, but two icy words floated back to me. “Lead the way.” We destroyed a massive platter of insanely spicy wings, followed by fries and shakes. The heavy, suffocating anger that Noah had planted in my chest finally began to melt away under the sheer comfort of junk food. When I finally turned onto my street, I spotted Noah immediately. He was sitting on the stone bench near my driveway. A white takeout bag from the taco truck was resting next to him. The moment he saw me, he stood up. His face was thunderous. “Scarlett, did you forget how to walk home? Why the hell did it take you so long?” I rolled my eyes, stepping around him to head toward my front door. I kept my voice incredibly casual as I brushed past him. “I went out to eat with Rowan. It took a little longer than expected.” A hand clamped down hard on the strap of my backpack. Noah’s explosive voice rang out behind me. “What did you just say? You went out with Rowan?” He forcefully spun me around. His face was a mask of pure disbelief. “You don’t even know the guy! Why the hell are you eating dinner with him?” I yanked my strap out of his grip, my voice dripping with ice. “Is that any of your business?” “My business?” Noah let out a bitter, mocking laugh. “Wow, Scarlett, you are really feeling yourself today, aren’t you?” “When have I ever not made your life my business? When we were kids and you were still hungry, I gave you half my lunch! When you lost that fight in the first grade, I was the one who went back and beat the kid up for you!” He was practically shouting, venting all his chaotic frustration. I watched him lose his temper, and for a second, I found it almost funny. “Who I eat with is my choice. You are just my neighbor, Noah. You are overstepping.” “If you have this much free time, you should be on the phone with your sweet, gentle girlfriend.” Noah ground his teeth together. “You are just being stubborn, Scarlett.” “I only agreed to date Kitty because…” “…I know. Because she is sweet and gentle.” I cut him off before he could finish. “I only went out with Rowan because he is gorgeous, and it looks good having a guy like that walking next to me.” “Oh, and he has broad shoulders and an amazing waist. Not like you. You’re built like a beanpole.” Noah’s face turned so dark he looked like he might actually spontaneously combust. I ignored him, turning my back and walking straight up to my house. I only made it two steps before the familiar burning sensation returned to my eyes. Moving on was obviously going to be a lot harder than I thought. 4 The next morning, I walked into the classroom to find an iced latte and a toasted bagel sitting on my desk. They were exactly how I liked them. Kitty was standing next to my desk, flashing me a soft, timid smile. She spoke with an apologetic sweetness. “Scarlett, Noah accidentally bought too much breakfast this morning. You can have this one.” Before I could even open my mouth, Noah’s voice drifted over from the row behind us. “Kitty, don’t waste your breath on her. Just leave it there. If she starves, she starves.” He walked over, grabbed a second iced latte, popped the straw in, and held it right up to Kitty’s lips. His eyes were overflowing with affection. “Drink this one. I added extra syrup. It’s as sweet as you are.” Kitty blushed violently and took a sip. The rest of the class immediately started catcalling them. “Damn, Noah, you got moves!” “Since when were you the romantic boyfriend type?” Noah raised a brow, his gaze flicking toward me for a fraction of a second. A smirk played on his lips. “Depends on the girl.” I reached out, grabbed the latte and the bagel, and dropped them straight into the trash can. The smug smile on Noah’s face completely shattered. When lunchtime rolled around, I grabbed my tray and sat down at an empty table. Almost instantly, two people sat down directly across from me. Kitty pressed her shoulder right up against Noah’s. He was picking the best pieces of chicken from his plate and placing them gently onto hers. His voice was disgustingly tender. “You are way too skinny. Eat more.” Kitty shook her head, her cheeks flushed pink. “It’s too much. I can’t finish all of this.” Noah just laughed. “If you can’t finish it, I will eat it for you. It’s not like I haven’t eaten your leftovers before.” That sentence caught the attention of the surrounding tables. “Noah, you guys are moving way too fast!” “Seriously, get a room. We’re trying to eat here.” My grip on my fork tightened until my knuckles turned stark white. In our past life, Noah was always the one eating my leftovers. I was an incredibly picky eater, and he constantly lectured me about wasting food. He would complain endlessly while reaching over, taking my plate, and finishing every last bite. I dropped my head, shoveling food into my mouth as fast as I could. I stuffed my cheeks full, swallowing hard to force down the bitter lump rising in my throat. Noah suddenly looked up at me, a mocking edge to his voice. “Why are you eating all by yourself, Scarlett? Where is your broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted desk mate? Why isn’t he keeping you company?” “None of your damn business.” I didn’t even look up. “Wow, still got that terrible temper, I see.” He chuckled, turning his attention back to Kitty. “See? I told you she was vicious. She doesn’t have half your manners.” The second the words left his mouth, a tray slammed down onto the table. Rowan slid into the seat right next to me. Mutters and whispers broke out across the cafeteria. “Since when does Scarlett hang out with Rowan?” “I have no idea. Didn’t they just become desk mates yesterday?” Rowan acted like the whispers didn’t exist. He calmly picked up his fork, took a bite of his food, and chewed at an agonizingly slow pace. His broad frame completely blocked my view of Noah. I had no idea what expression my former husband was making. All I heard was the loud, violent clatter of silverware hitting a plastic tray. “I lost my appetite.” Noah grabbed his tray, turned around, and stormed off. Kitty scrambled out of her seat in a panic, chasing after him as fast as her legs could carry her. Half the cafeteria was staring at our table. I kept my face completely blank, finished the rest of my meal, and finally looked at Rowan to say thank you. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, his voice as aloof as ever. “You owe me a meal.” “Didn’t I just buy you wings yesterday?” “One favor equals one meal.” I stared at him in sheer disbelief. Who the hell kept score like that? But honestly, he had just saved me from a deeply humiliating situation. “Fine. I will buy you food some other time.” He stood up, grabbing his tray. “Don’t go back on your word.” When school let out, I bumped into Noah at the main gates. He was leaning against the brick wall holding a bottle of water. The moment he saw me, he stood up straight. “Scarlett.” I didn’t break my stride. I kept walking. He caught up to me in three long strides, stepping right into my path to block my way. “What do you want?” He looked down at me, his lips parting and closing a few times before he finally squeezed out a sentence. “Why aren’t you taking the bus today?” “I am walking. I need the cardio.” “Then I am walking with you.” “I don’t need you to. Shouldn’t you be walking your little girlfriend home?” He choked on his words, averting his eyes. “She had something to do today. She left early.” I didn’t reply. I just stepped around him and kept walking. He followed right behind me. It took less than three seconds for him to start running his mouth. “When did you and Rowan get so close? You have sat next to him for exactly two days, and he is already sitting with you at lunch?” “Scarlett, don’t tell me you actually have a crush on him.” His tone was starting to sound incredibly frantic. “Guys like him are a nightmare to deal with. He walks around with that freezing look on his face like the whole world owes him money.” I stopped so abruptly that he almost crashed right into my back. “Noah, what exactly are you trying to say?” He stood there in the fading twilight, looking deeply uncomfortable. It took him a long time to finally mutter his next words. “Stay away from him.”

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Before she turned four, my daughter was a total daddy’s girl. Every evening when he walked through the front door from work, she would launch herself at him like a little torpedo, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck and refusing to let go. But I have no idea when it started. My daughter completely changed. She stopped letting him hold her. She refused to hold his hand. Eventually, if he even walked near her, she would scream and hide behind my legs. I brushed it off as a difficult developmental phase. That was until I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. As I passed my daughter’s room, I heard my husband trying to coax her to sleep. His voice was incredibly soft. Almost like a whisper. Like he was terrified of being overheard. I pressed my ear against the crack in the door and held my breath. Finally, I caught the words. In that exact moment, the blood in my veins turned to absolute ice. 1 Mark’s voice was as light as a feather, but every word was dripping with venom. “Go to sleep, Sophie. Be a good girl.” “Your mommy doesn’t want us anymore. She is going to bring a new baby brother home soon, and then she will never hold you again.” “So you have to listen to daddy. Daddy is the only one in the whole world who truly loves you.” I grabbed the freezing plaster of the hallway wall just to keep my knees from buckling. My stomach violently turned over on itself. So this was it. This was the reason Sophie had suddenly grown terrified of Mark while simultaneously acting aggressively hostile toward me. She was just a toddler. She had no concept of lies or manipulation. All she knew was that the father she trusted most in the world was sitting in the dark, whispering this horrific nightmare into her ear over and over again. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug painful crescents into my palms. I pushed the door open. Mark was sitting on the edge of Sophie’s bed with his back facing me. Hearing the click of the door, he turned around. His face instantly settled into his usual, gentle smile. “Sarah. Why are you out of bed? Did we wake you up?” He stood up and walked toward me, reaching out to take my hand. I instinctively took a step back, dodging his touch. His hand froze in midair. The warm smile on his face dimmed just a fraction. “What is wrong?” I stared at him. I had slept in the same bed as this man for five years, yet standing here right now, he looked like a total stranger. There was not a single ounce of panic in his eyes. Just the perfect, calculated amount of husbandly concern and confusion. He was a phenomenal actor. If I hadn’t heard those words with my own two ears, he could have kept me in the dark for the rest of my life. “What were you just saying to Sophie?” My voice was trembling. Mark blinked in surprise before letting out a soft chuckle. “I was just putting her to sleep. What else would I be saying? I told her a story about a little bunny.” He looked at me with total confidence. His eyes were wide, innocent, and completely sincere. “Sarah, have you been too stressed out at work lately? You are acting a bit paranoid. Sophie is just going through a clingy phase. She will grow out of it.” He stepped forward, gently rubbing my back as if he were soothing an unreasonable child. “Alright, let’s get you back to bed. I will be right there as soon as she falls asleep.” My entire body was stiff as a board as I let him guide me out of the room. He softly pulled the door shut behind us. Back in the master bedroom, I lay flat on my back, staring blindly at the ceiling. In the dead silence of the dark, the only thing I could hear was the heavy, thudding rhythm of my own heartbeat. It didn’t take long for Mark to come back. He slid into bed and wrapped his arms around me from behind, just like he always did. His warm breath brushed against the back of my neck. “Goodnight, beautiful.” I closed my eyes and forced my breathing to slow down, pretending to be asleep. But my body felt like a block of solid ice. I finally understood the truth. I was married to a monster. A monster who knew exactly how to use the softest, sweetest tone to deliver the most psychological damage imaginable. And I needed to fight back. For Sophie’s sake, and for my own. I opened my eyes in the dark. There were no tears left to cry. My vision was clouded with nothing but absolute, freezing resolve. I could not let this house operate like this for another day. I quietly slipped my phone out from under my pillow, opened a shopping app, and typed in a single search term. Hidden voice recorder. 2 The next morning, I got out of bed and made breakfast just like any other day. Mark was sitting at the dining table scrolling through the news on his phone. Sophie was strapped into her high chair, keeping her head down as she poked at her oatmeal with a plastic spoon. “Eat up, sweetie. We don’t want to be late for daycare,” I said, keeping my voice light and soothing. Sophie peeked up at me, didn’t say a word, and buried her chin closer to her chest. Mark put his phone face down on the table and frowned at me. “Sarah, could you try having a little patience with her? If she doesn’t want to eat, stop forcing it down her throat.” As he spoke, he reached over to affectionately pat Sophie on the head. Sophie flinched like a startled deer, violently dodging his hand. Her high chair rattled against the floor. “Don’t touch me!” she shrieked. The color instantly drained from Mark’s face, leaving behind a dark, ugly scowl. I quickly walked over and unbuckled Sophie, pulling her tightly into my chest. “Okay, okay. You don’t have to eat it. Mommy will take you to school now.” Sophie squirmed in my arms for a second, but she didn’t push me away. I grabbed my keys and walked out the front door. Mark didn’t follow us. As I pulled out of the driveway, I checked the rearview mirror. He was standing in the doorway, glaring at our car with a deeply unsettling expression. After dropping Sophie off, I didn’t drive to the office. I drove straight to an electronics store across town and bought the exact audio recorder I had looked up the night before. It was tiny. It looked just like a black shirt button. You could hide it absolutely anywhere without drawing attention. When Mark came home from work that evening, he was holding a massive stuffed bear. “Look what daddy brought you, Sophie!” Sophie’s eyes lit up the second she saw the bear. But she stayed glued to the back of my legs, refusing to step out into the open. The light in Mark’s eyes died. He tossed the bear onto the living room sofa and let out a heavy, dramatic sigh. “Sarah, we need to talk.” He grabbed my elbow and pulled me out onto the back patio. “I think we need to put Sophie in child therapy. Something is seriously wrong with her head lately.” I let out a cold, mental laugh. “You think so? I agree that someone in this house needs a psychiatrist, but it certainly isn’t Sophie.” Mark’s face shifted. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?” “Nothing.” I turned around, brushing past his shoulder. “I am exhausted. I am going to take a shower.” Before stepping into the bathroom, I walked into Sophie’s room and pressed the tiny, adhesive-backed microphone to the underside of her nightstand. When I walked out of the bathroom with my hair wrapped in a towel, the living room was empty. I tiptoed toward Sophie’s room. The door was cracked open just an inch. Mark’s hushed, secretive voice drifted out into the hallway. “You ignored daddy again today. You broke daddy’s heart.” “Do you think just because mommy bought you new toys, you don’t need me anymore?” “Let me tell you a secret, sweetie. Mommy sneaked out of the house today to buy baby clothes for the new little boy. She is getting ready to throw us away.” I could hear the muffled, broken sound of Sophie starting to cry. “Daddy… I’m scared.” “Don’t be scared. Daddy is right here. As long as you listen to me and stay far away from mommy, I will protect you forever.” I stood frozen in the hallway, my blood running cold. But I didn’t kick the door open. I just stood there in the absolute silence, waiting until his whispering finally stopped. I knew that after tonight, the rules of the game were completely different. I finally had a weapon. It was just one tiny piece of plastic, but it was the start of a war. I went back to my bedroom, got under the covers, and stared at the dark ceiling until the sun came up. The next morning, while Mark was in the shower, I slipped into Sophie’s room and retrieved the microphone. I put my earbuds in and hit play. The audio was crystal clear. It was a complete, undeniable recording of a conversation that would drag him straight to hell. I saved the file three times. One copy on my phone, one on my laptop, and one uploaded to a secure cloud drive. Once it was done, I walked into the kitchen and started making pancakes. The morning sunlight poured through the window, but inside my chest, there was nothing but a cold, pitch-black void. The war had officially begun. 3 Over the weekend, my mother-in-law, Barbara, and my sister-in-law, Jessica, came over for a visit. The second Barbara walked through the door, she grabbed Sophie and looked her up and down with intense scrutiny. “Oh, look at my poor granddaughter. Why are you so skinny? Is your mother starving you?” Sophie hid behind my legs, looking completely terrified of the loud woman. Barbara’s face darkened. She shot a nasty glare in my direction. “Sarah, how on earth are you raising this child? She acts like a stray dog!” Before I could even open my mouth, Jessica chimed in with her usual sarcastic drawl. “Mom, didn’t you hear? Mark told me Sarah has been a total nightmare lately. Throwing tantrums and taking her stress out on Sophie.” Mark stepped forward, playing the role of the perfect peacemaker. “Mom, Jessica, drop it. Sarah is just tired from work.” “Tired? Who isn’t tired? She acts like she is royalty!” Barbara dropped her heavy frame onto my sofa, crossing her arms. “My son breaks his back providing for this family, and she stays home to ruin the kid!” In the past, whenever they verbally abused me, I would just swallow my pride, walk into the kitchen, and cook them a massive dinner to keep the peace. But today, I was entirely out of patience. I pulled a dining chair out and sat down directly across from them. “Barbara. Jessica. Have a seat. I have a few things I need to clear up.” The dead, emotionless tone of my voice made both of them freeze. I pulled out my phone and opened my notes app. “Barbara, when you were hospitalized last month for gastroenteritis, the medical bills came out to seven thousand eight hundred dollars. I paid that out of my pocket.” “Jessica, that designer handbag you bought two months ago? Twelve thousand dollars. I was the one who transferred you the money.” “As for this house. The mortgage is six thousand a month. Utilities and groceries are another thousand. Sophie’s daycare is three thousand, and her gymnastics classes are two thousand. To keep this family alive, excluding my personal expenses, it costs at least twenty thousand dollars every single month.” I looked up from my screen, staring dead into their eyes. “My take-home pay after taxes is fifteen thousand. Mark makes more than I do, but every month he gives you three thousand, Barbara. He gives Jessica two thousand. He claims the rest of his salary goes into his private investment accounts. That means I am the one single-handedly funding the daily survival of this entire household.” “So, considering I work a full-time job, raise a child, and pay for almost everything you people touch, I would love to know exactly what makes me such a terrible wife.” The living room fell into a deathly silence. Barbara’s face cycled rapidly between bright red and stark white. Jessica opened her mouth, but not a single sound came out. Mark looked the worst out of all of them. He clearly never expected me to air out his financial secrets in front of his family. “Sarah, what the hell is wrong with you? We are family. Why are you counting pennies like this?” he snapped, his voice sharp with panic. “Nothing is wrong with me.” I stood up, keeping my posture completely relaxed. “I just realized that since I am so incredibly spoiled and terrible at raising a child, I should let you guys take over the heavy lifting.” “Starting today, I am taking full control of Sophie. As for the household expenses, we are splitting them fifty-fifty. Mark, you cover the mortgage and her school tuition. I will handle the rest. And as for you, Barbara, and Jessica. The next time you want a handout, ask Mark.” Without giving them a second glance, I walked straight to Sophie’s room. “Come on, sweetie. Mommy is taking you to the park.” I grabbed her tiny hand and walked right past the three of them. Sophie glanced over her shoulder, her eyes wide with fear, but she gripped my fingers as tight as she could. I could hear Barbara start screeching the second the front door clicked shut, followed by Mark shouting in frustration. But I didn’t look back. I knew the second I sat down in that chair, this family was broken beyond repair. And honestly? Good. If a house is rotting from the inside out, the only way to fix it is to tear it down to the foundation. Stepping out of the apartment building, the bright afternoon sun hit my face. I took a deep breath, feeling a wave of absolute, unadulterated relief wash over me. This was my very first counterattack. I was finally laying down the law. It was a small victory, but it was the start of something beautiful. It was the death of the weak, compliant Sarah they loved to walk all over. 4 That night, Mark and I got into the most explosive screaming match of our entire marriage. “What the hell was that today, Sarah? Humiliating me in front of my own mother and sister?” He slammed the bedroom door so violently the picture frames on the wall rattled. I was sitting at my vanity, wiping my makeup off with a cotton pad. I looked at him through the reflection of the mirror. His face was contorted with pure rage. His eyes looked like they were literally on fire. “I just recited the facts. Is the truth humiliating?” I replied, my voice completely flat. “Facts? Families don’t keep score like that! Talking about money destroys relationships, do you understand that?” “If you don’t want to talk about money, let’s talk about relationships.” I spun my chair around to face him directly. “Why don’t you explain the kind of relationship that makes a father whisper those things into his daughter’s ear every night?” Mark’s furious expression instantly froze. The raging fire in his eyes was completely extinguished, replaced by the sheer, naked panic of a man who had just been caught. But he recovered quickly. “I have no idea what you are talking about,” he said, shifting his gaze away from mine. “You don’t?” I let out a dry, mocking laugh, pulled out my phone, and tapped play on the audio file. “Go to sleep, Sophie. Be a good girl. Your mommy doesn’t want us anymore…” Mark’s crisp, gentle voice echoed clearly through the quiet bedroom. Every single word hit the walls like a sledgehammer, completely shattering his pathetic facade. All the color drained from his face. He stared at me in total disbelief, his lips trembling so badly he couldn’t form a coherent sentence. “You… you recorded me?” “What did you expect?” I locked my phone screen, stood up, and walked right up to him. “Did you really think I was stupid enough to keep falling for your terrible lies?” “Tell me, Mark. Why? She is your own flesh and blood. How could you systematically destroy a toddler’s mental health?” I backed him up until his shoulders hit the wall. He had nowhere left to run. “I… I didn’t mean to hurt her,” he stammered. “I just… I was just terrified you were going to leave me.” “Terrified I was going to leave you?” I laughed out loud like I had just heard the funniest joke on earth. “So your grand solution was to brainwash our child so she would hate me and depend entirely on you?” “No… it is just because I love you so much, Sarah.” He desperately reached out, trying to grab my wrists. His eyes were wide and pleading. “I messed up. I know I messed up. Just forgive me this one time. I swear on my life I will never do it again.” “It’s too late, Mark.” I slapped his hands away in disgust. “The second you poisoned her mind, we were done.” I opened the top drawer of my nightstand, pulled out a stack of printed papers, and threw them onto the bed right in front of him. “These are divorce papers. I don’t want a single dime of your money. I just want full custody of Sophie. Sign them.” He stared at the bold letters spelling out Divorce Settlement Agreement. His eyes immediately went bloodshot. “No. Absolutely not. I will never agree to a divorce!” he roared, snatching the papers off the bed and ripping them to shreds. “Let me make this perfectly clear, Sarah. Sophie is my daughter, and you will never, ever take her away from me!” “Is that right?” I watched his unhinged meltdown with absolute, freezing calm. “Then I guess I will see you in court. I cannot wait to see a judge’s face when I play that recording. Let’s see who gets custody then.” The mention of the audio file instantly killed his momentum. He glared at me, his eyes practically vibrating with toxic, venomous hatred. “You think one little recording makes you bulletproof?” he sneered. “Sarah, you are so incredibly naive.” He took a slow, deep breath, smoothing out the wrinkles in his dress shirt to regain his composure. “Fine. You win this round. I won’t go into her room at night anymore, and I won’t say those things to her.” He stepped closer, lowering his voice into a dangerous, raspy whisper. “But do not think for one second you are getting an easy divorce. The game has just begun.” With that, he yanked the bedroom door open and walked out. I looked down at the shredded pieces of paper scattered across the hardwood floor. I knew he wasn’t going to go down without a brutal fight. But I wasn’t backing down either. This was a war, and I was going to win.

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During the most flamboyant years of our youth, Karl paraded around holding his first love’s hand for everyone to see. But when he finally got together with me, we kept our relationship a total secret. I genuinely thought he had just matured. Until the night of his birthday party. I overheard him talking on the phone to his first love. “Lily, if you don’t come back right now, I am going to marry someone else.” There was a heavy pause on the other end of the line. “Pick me up at the airport tomorrow afternoon.” The entire room erupted into cheers and whistling. I quietly tucked the engagement ring and my positive pregnancy test back into my bag and pushed the door open. The cheering instantly died down. I looked at Karl and offered a bright smile. “Congratulations.” The room slowly returned to its lively atmosphere, but Karl’s face had darkened completely. 1 Karl drank an insane amount of alcohol that night. When we finally got home, he kept me awake until the early hours of the morning. At the absolute peak of it all, he covered my mouth with his hand to keep me quiet, bit down hard on my earlobe, and viciously whispered, “Congratulations.” It was as if those two words had deeply offended him. The next morning, he made breakfast acting like absolutely nothing had happened. He slid a porcelain plate across the counter toward me and casually asked if I had any plans for the afternoon. “I have a check-up at the hospital. Do you want to come with me?” He stared straight into my eyes, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. “I have to pick someone up at the airport. Didn’t you hear me say that last night?” I nodded, instantly losing all interest in continuing the conversation. He changed his clothes and walked toward the door. Just before he left, he turned back to look at me. “Wait for me at the hospital. I will come pick you up after I leave the airport.” The morning sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting a soft glow across the side of his face. His long eyelashes cast shadows over his light brown eyes. Every single feature on his face looked as if he were God’s absolute favorite creation. I suppose being hopelessly blinded by a face like that was a somewhat acceptable excuse. I was just trying to justify my own stupidity. But I had finally hit a brick wall. It was time to turn around. “Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? Twins are incredibly rare. I highly recommend discussing this with the father first. We are going to need his signature on the paperwork anyway.” The doctor looked at my ultrasound results, her voice heavy with deep regret. I stood in the hallway outside the clinic, my hand resting softly against my lower abdomen. After zoning out for a long time, I finally dialed Karl’s number. “Hello…” The second the call connected, there was a loud rustling noise, like someone was fighting for the phone. “Hey! Why are you answering a call from an unsaved number? Are you trying to dodge my question? Listen here, whoever is on the phone! Karl’s entire afternoon belongs to me. Nobody is taking him away!” Lily’s sweet, playful voice echoed clearly through the speaker. “Stop messing around!” Karl’s voice sounded helpless, but there was an unmistakable layer of indulgence in his tone. After another burst of rustling noises, the call disconnected. I stared at the black screen of my phone for a very long time. I stared until my eyes physically burned, but the screen never lit up again. I let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh, wiped away my tears, and stopped hesitating. I booked the surgical abortion and formally submitted my application for the company’s long-term deployment to South America. The sharp, sterile smell of the hospital was giving me a massive headache. I called an Uber, went straight home, pulled the covers over my head, and slept. 2 I woke up in a haze to the sound of my ringtone blaring. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. I had dozens of missed calls. Every single one was from Karl. Suddenly, my bedroom door violently slammed open. I jumped out of my skin. Karl was standing in the doorway, his face stark white, chest heaving as he gasped for air. He instantly started screaming at me. “Why didn’t you answer your phone?! Why didn’t you wait for me?! I was about to call the police!” Karl had the kind of face that naturally looked a bit intimidating, but he almost never lost his temper. This was the first time I had ever seen him lose control and shout like this. I pressed my lips together. “I fell asleep. Did you pick up your person?” He didn’t answer. He braced both hands against the edge of the mattress, taking a few deep breaths to steady himself. “Why didn’t you wait for me?” I could smell a faint, unfamiliar perfume clinging to his clothes. A heavy ache settled in my chest. “I didn’t want to wait anymore.” Karl didn’t move an inch. His dark eyes remained locked onto me, demanding an explanation. He could completely ignore my questions. But he expected me to answer his with absolute transparency. A sudden, overwhelming wave of exhaustion and grievance washed over me. The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. “I don’t want to do this anymore. Let’s break up.” Karl let out a dismissive scoff, reaching out to lightly pinch my cheek. “Are you still sleep-drunk?” He straightened his back, shrugged off his jacket, casually tossed it onto the bed next to me, and walked out toward the kitchen. Karl played basketball regularly. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist. I leaned against the doorframe, watching his back as he moved around the kitchen. My mind involuntarily drifted back to what he looked like when we were teenagers. My parents used to work crazy hours and were never home, so I would constantly go over to his house to steal food. One day, his parents weren’t home either. He had been in the middle of opening a cup of instant ramen. When he saw me practically drooling, he let out a dramatic sigh of defeat, opened the fridge, and pulled out tomatoes and eggs. He had been tall and lean back then. His movements in the kitchen had been clumsy. He dropped pieces of eggshell into the pan and carefully tried to fish them out with the tip of his chopsticks. Even back then, Karl had been incredibly popular at school. He received love letters on a daily basis. Watching the boy that every girl in school obsessed over cooking a meal just for me… A secret, foolish sense of vanity had bloomed in my chest. I couldn’t help but wish he would only ever cook for me for the rest of his life. The very next day, the rumors of his relationship with Lily spread like wildfire. He held her hand and walked through the crowded hallways, entirely unfazed by the countless eyes staring at them. The image of their intertwined fingers still made my eyes sting, even just as a memory. That was a level of public devotion I had never experienced. Karl made my absolute favorite dish—spicy garlic shredded pork. I took one bite and immediately started dry heaving. Karl furrowed his brow. “Sarah, did you get your period this month?” “Yeah.” I answered instantly, without a single second of hesitation. Watching his brow relax, I couldn’t resist testing the waters one last time. “Would you ever marry someone just because they got pregnant?” The corner of his mouth curled upward. “No.” He reached over and ruffled my hair. “Don’t go getting any crazy ideas. A baby doesn’t trap a man.” My hand trembled. Half the soup in my spoon spilled back into the bowl. Karl took the spoon from my hand and served me a fresh bowl. “Why did you say you wanted to break up earlier?” I kept my head down, sipping the soup to hide my red eyes. “I regret doing this.” “It’s good timing anyway. Lily is back, and nobody knew about us in the first place.” The second I mentioned Lily’s name, his eyes darkened. “Let’s just end it here, Karl.” I hadn’t called him simply by his first name like that in years. Not since the day I realized I was hopelessly in love with him. It was the first time he had heard me say it like that. He froze for a long time before reaching out to lightly flick my forehead. “Think you’re a grown woman now? You used to call me ‘Karl baby.’” His thin lips curved into a lazy, intoxicating smile. My heart automatically beat a little faster. I rubbed my forehead. It didn’t hurt, but my skin felt a little numb. “You regret getting together with me?” I nodded, absolutely refusing to look him in the eyes. He let out a long, heavy exhale. “Fine!” He stood up, grabbed his jacket, and turned back to look at me one last time. “Sarah, never use a breakup as a threat against a man.” The front door clicked shut. A tear fell silently into my soup. I genuinely did regret it. I never should have dated him. If we hadn’t crossed that line, I could have used our childhood history to remain the girl next door he always looked out for. When I got sick, he would cancel his plans to take me to the doctor. When he went on trips, he would wait in massive lines just to buy me limited-edition gifts. When we eventually started our own families, we would have naturally drifted apart, turning into old friends who only saw each other during the holidays. We would have laughed about our childhood memories and lived happily ever after. Instead of living like this. Hiding a secret relationship in the dark. Forcing ourselves to act like totally normal friends whenever we were in public, no matter how awkward it felt. Could I truly stand by and watch him marry someone else and start a family while acting like nothing happened? I didn’t think I could. Just the thought of it made it physically difficult to breathe. A notification popped up in my inbox. My deployment application had been approved. Five years. That would be enough time. 3 After that day, Karl and I never saw each other again. We completely stopped talking. Karl wasn’t the kind of guy who would ever lower his pride to coax a woman. He was used to women revolving around his orbit. He had poured every last drop of his passionate, burning love into his infamous first relationship. Everything he had left over was cold, rational, and detached. Every now and then, a post from Lily would pop up on my social media feed. Things change, but I am so glad you are still here. The photos attached always featured a subtle glimpse of someone’s sleeve or a masculine arm. I stopped looking at my feed. I drowned myself in my work, finishing up my final projects and handing over my accounts as I prepared to leave the country. That was until Lily created a massive group chat, saying she wanted to get the old high school crew back together for a reunion dinner. Everyone in the chat started tagging Karl, spamming the group with wedding ring emojis. My best friend, Chloe, joined in on the joke. I didn’t want to look like the bitter outcast, so I sent a laughing emoji too. Karl, who hadn’t said a single word in the chat, immediately replied with a question mark. Chloe texted me privately: Karl is being so dramatic! He is probably grinning like an idiot right now! Come on, let’s go watch this tragic romance finally get its happy ending. When we arrived at the restaurant, Karl was standing right next to Lily, greeting everyone as they walked in. One of our classmates had brought her little girl along. The kid instantly took a liking to Karl and threw herself into his arms. He held the little girl with one arm while using his free hand to pull Lily out of the way of a passing waiter. They looked like the absolute picture-perfect family. Even random strangers in the restaurant were turning their heads to look at them. Chloe tugged on my sleeve and whispered, “They are so perfect for each other!” I lowered my eyes and forced a smile onto my face. They had always been perfect for each other. Back in the day, if you checked the high school message boards, the most popular couple in the entire school had always been Karl and Lily. At the dinner table, Karl patiently spoon-fed the little girl sitting on his lap. “Karl looks like a natural dad! Stop wasting time, you two! Just get back together, get married, and have one of your own!” The entire table turned to look at Lily. Her face immediately flushed a deep shade of crimson. A sharp, heavy ache suddenly pulled at my lower abdomen. I set a fake alarm on my phone and practically sprinted out of the room. The night air on the outdoor terrace was freezing. I leaned against the railing, letting out a long, shaky breath. Suddenly, a warm body pressed against my back. I spun around. Karl trapped me against the railing, his arms wrapping tightly around me. I shoved against his chest, but he didn’t budge an inch. “Karl!” I could feel his chest vibrate against my palms as he let out a low chuckle. “Not calling me ‘Karl baby’ anymore?” Before I could say anything else, he grabbed my chin, tilted my head up, and kissed me hard. The bitter, burning taste of alcohol flooded my mouth. He had always known exactly how to manipulate people. And I had shown him my entire hand on day one. “Sarah, let’s have a baby.” He was just saying things on a drunken whim, but my heart skipped three beats anyway. The question slipped out before I could stop it. “Are we going to make our relationship public?” The smirk on his lips grew wider. “Of course. But not today. Lily’s family is going through some drama right now. Once that blows over, we…” “I don’t want to wait anymore, Karl.” Even now. Even when we were talking about our own future and a potential child, we still had to step aside and make room for Lily’s feelings. The bitter taste of the alcohol on my tongue seeped straight into my heart. If I could never win against her, then I didn’t want to compete anymore. I pushed him away and started walking back inside. “Sarah!” Karl’s voice was laced with anger. He reached out to grab my arm, but I dodged his hand. This time, I didn’t look back. 4 When I got back to the table, people started teasing me, asking if I had run away to avoid taking shots. They poured me a penalty drink. After a few glasses of wine, the fake smile on my face finally felt natural. Across the table, Lily raised her glass toward me, flashing a deeply meaningful smile. By the end of the night, almost everyone was completely wasted. I was still mostly sober, though my legs felt a little unsteady. Lily wasn’t doing much better than me. I sat in the back of an Uber, watching Karl support Lily’s staggering weight as he walked her up to her apartment building. Right under the streetlamp, Lily suddenly stopped walking. Karl looked down at her. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him dead on the lips. The scene looked as beautiful as a shot from a romantic movie. An indescribable, agonizing pain pierced my chest. My vision began to blur. I felt like I had been transported back to senior year study hall. I had sneaked out to the courtyard to get some fresh air, only to find Karl and Lily making out against a wall covered in blooming roses. The aggressive, possessive way Karl had kissed her made me realize for the very first time that he wasn’t just a boy anymore. All those selfish, reliant, and vain thoughts I had harbored for him suddenly melted away into a quiet, heavy rain inside my heart. It took me entirely too long to realize that what I was feeling was love. After that day, I kept having the exact same dream. I was standing under a trellis of roses, kissing a man. The man’s face slowly came into focus. It was Karl. The dream felt so shameful I couldn’t even bring myself to tell Chloe about it. Meanwhile, Karl and Lily’s relationship was iconic. They were both incredibly smart and ridiculously attractive. The entire student body gossiped about them, and even the teachers looked the other way. He created a dedicated photo album for her on his social media. He wrote long posts cataloging her favorite things. They wore matching outfits to school… I started actively avoiding Karl. I felt like a thief who had fallen into a trap, trapped inside a dream I had no right to be in. Eventually, Lily went overseas for college, and they broke up. At a party years later, Karl got incredibly drunk and refused to let go of my hand. “Sarah, do you have feelings for me?” The secret I had buried deep in my heart for years was casually ripped open by a drunk man. For the very first time, I gathered all my courage and nodded. “Do you want to date me?” Getting exactly what you have always wanted is the greatest temptation on earth. I nodded almost immediately. The drunk man leaned in and kissed me. It turned out that my first kiss tasted incredibly bitter. The car door suddenly ripped open. A blast of freezing wind rushed into the backseat, snapping me back to reality. Karl leaned in and kissed the corner of my mouth. A wave of intense nausea hit my stomach. I pushed the door open and violently threw up onto the pavement. Karl patted my back, his voice completely flat. “You saw that? Lily was just drunk. Don’t make a big deal out of it. Honestly, I…” Don’t make a big deal out of it. Wait until later. Those were the phrases I had heard the most during our entire relationship. Whenever someone brought up his history with Lily, I wasn’t allowed to make a big deal out of it. We couldn’t hold hands, hug, or kiss in public. Whenever we went out with friends, people would constantly try to set him up with other girls. He would play along out of “politeness,” occasionally throwing me a reassuring glance from across the room. The tears wouldn’t stop falling. I violently slapped his hand away from my back. “Stop talking. I don’t want to hear it. We are already broken up, Karl. Just let me go.” Karl’s face blurred in the shadows of the streetlamp until my entire world faded to black. Before I lost consciousness, I thought I heard a freezing, detached “Fine.” 5 The handover for my domestic projects was almost complete. I was still trying to figure out how to break the news of my relocation to my parents. My mom called me, her voice practically bubbling with joy. She said Aunt Mary had invited us over for dinner because Karl was finally bringing his girlfriend home to meet the families. “Sarah, you knew about this already, didn’t you? I heard it’s that same girl he used to date back in high school. You young people are so dramatic…” The glass in my hand slipped, shattering into pieces on the kitchen floor. It was a custom souvenir from my dad’s company. There had been two in the set. One for me, and one for Karl. It felt like a sign. A reminder that it was time to cut ties with the past. I told my mom I had an emergency at work and couldn’t make it to the dinner. The truth was, it was time for my surgical appointment. The idea of going into the operating room alone terrified me, so I called Chloe to come with me. She didn’t ask a single question. She ditched work immediately. The second she saw me, she grabbed my shoulders and started screaming in a panic. “Sarah, have you lost your damn mind?! You are making massive life decisions in total silence! Who the hell is the guy?! Is he just refusing to take any responsibility?!” “He doesn’t know. I never planned on telling him.” Chloe spent the next ten minutes screaming at me for being a brain-dead romantic while walking me through the pre-op bloodwork. But as we walked into the main lobby, we ran into two very familiar faces. Lily had a bandage wrapped around her forehead. Karl had his arm tightly wrapped around her waist, supporting her weight. The second he saw us, he froze. His brow furrowed deeply as his eyes swept over me from head to toe. “What are you doing here?” Chloe immediately threw her head onto my shoulder, acting incredibly weak and exhausted. “It’s a women’s health issue. Mind your own business.” Karl whispered something to Lily, then suddenly took massive strides toward me. He reached out, aggressively trying to snatch the medical chart out of my hands. Chloe slammed her hand down on his wrist, physically blocking him. “What the hell are you doing, Karl?! This is my private medical information! Back off!” As they were struggling over the paperwork, Lily let out a sharp gasp of “Karl!” and collapsed onto the tile floor. Karl shot me one last look, let go of the chart, and turned around. He scooped Lily up into his arms and sprinted toward the emergency wing. The massive spike of adrenaline in my chest slowly faded, leaving my legs feeling like jelly. In that exact moment, I honestly couldn’t tell if I felt more heartbroken or relieved.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “459944”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel