Author: Momo Chan

I raised a wolfman. Because he talked back to me to defend my illegitimate half-sister, I coldly whipped his body 88 times. The live comments floating in my vision exploded to 99+. [Oh my god! Is this toxic bitch crazy with jealousy! She’s actually trying to beat him to death!] [What’s the difference between this and treating the male lead like a dog! This is fucking abuse! No wonder he chose to save the illegitimate sister over you!] [If it weren’t for her heavy-handed threats and manipulation, the male lead would have stopped wanting to stay by her side a long time ago!] Me? Threaten? Threaten a disloyal dog? I remained silent for a long time. Then, I let out a sneer and ordered my staff to throw all his belongings out. I turned around and immediately went to the underground beast arena to pick out a new young wolf. Half a month later, he got the news. He rushed over in the pouring rain from my half-sister’s place, gripped my arm tightly, his eyes red as he asked with a trembling voice: “Did you really get a new beastman?” 01 I carried that blood-soaked young wolf into the mansion. The villa was dead silent. No one expected that just a day after I laid down the law, I would actually bring a new beastman home. The butler, catching a vase he almost dropped from his trembling hands, braced himself and asked where to put him. I shot him a sideways glance and retorted, “Where do you think?” A beastman needs to be personally trained, so his room had to be right next to mine. He hesitantly asked, “Then what about the things in that room…” I spoke coldly: “Throw them away.” Now, everyone knows. The beastman I raised for ten years talked back to me for the sake of an illegitimate daughter. When we both fell into the water, he didn’t hesitate to swim in her direction instead of mine. Last night, suppressing my fury, I whipped him eighty-eight times. But even when the whip was soaked in blood, he kept his jaw clenched and didn’t make a sound. I was drenched, my palms burning from the exertion. It wasn’t until the final, brutal lash fell that he spat out a mouthful of blood. I scolded him sharply: “Speak!” He finally looked up, his eyes devoid of emotion: “Say what? What does the Heiress want to hear?” Knowing I was furious, he deliberately used rhetorical questions to further provoke me: “My life was bought by you, my bones were shattered and reset by you, and my rules were carved into my flesh by you. What? Now that the wolfman you trained with your own hands isn’t listening to you, do you feel like you’ve lost face?” I found it ridiculous. He knew I trained him, yet when we fell into the water, he chose to save that innocent little flower who was fighting me for the family inheritance. The boundless night in the distance was as thick as ink. He twitched the corner of his mouth: “Anyway, the Heiress has plenty of people who care about her. You won’t miss just one me.” “Won’t miss you?” I felt like I had just heard a joke. “Six, don’t forget why I kept you.” His gaze was mocking, his posture proud and cold: “I can’t guess the Heiress’s thoughts.” “I only know that the Heiress sits high and mighty, surrounded by admirers. When you were in the water, countless hands reached out to you from the shore, but her back was completely empty.” “Maybe the Heiress has never experienced the feeling of grasping at straws when you’re about to drown—but I have. In that scenario, only I noticed her.” The chill of the evening wind seeped into my bones. I curled my lips in a sarcastic smile: “And so?” His gaze was freezing, his words crisp and clear: “She only has me.” Only you??? The absurdity expanded in my eyes. In a staring contest that lasted a full thirty seconds, he didn’t retreat a single inch. I sneered and ground my teeth. “You want to be her dog?” “If I must.” “I’ll deliver you myself.” A wolfman’s blood and pride would never allow such an insult as being called a dog. But I was going to humiliate him exactly like this. I drove through the night and dropped him off at Chloe Evans’s rental apartment. When I kicked him out of the car, he only frowned slightly. Then, enduring the bleeding wounds on his back, he slowly stood up and limped toward the lit villa. His back was proud, isolated, and cold—absolutely refusing to bow his head. 02 They say once bitten, twice shy. No one thought I would raise another young wolf. At first, the boss of the underground beast arena recommended a large batch of different types of beastmen to me. But after looking around again and again, none of them caught my eye. Feeling annoyed, I prepared to leave. Just as I turned the corner, about to step out of the corridor. A bloodstained hand reached out from a cage in the corner and grabbed my boot. I turned my head and looked down. I had seen too many beasts on the verge of death. Most would be hysterical, numb and crazy, or humbly begging for mercy. But unexpectedly. In the filthy blood and cold shadows. I saw a pair of stubborn, bright, dark eyes. He said he was willing to be my dog. As long as I gave him a bite to eat. I glanced at the tag on the cage—Defective Product. The boss, who had been chattering away next to me, saw this and immediately broke out in a cold sweat. I raised my wrist, blocking the boss’s attempt to intervene. I took off my black leather glove and slowly squatted down. In the underground fight club, perpetually smelling of rust and rot. A single beam of light happened to hit my fingertips. I lifted his chin, examining him closely. If he had witnessed my entire selection process just now, he should know how strict my requirements were. And he was barely clinging to life, lingering on the edge of death. The heartbeat in his chest became exceptionally anxious at this moment. He could hear his own breathing. The three minutes of scrutiny felt as long as a century. Yet he didn’t see any emotion on my cold face. Just as his dark eyes gradually began to dim. I suddenly raised an eyebrow: “Willing to come with me?” His drooping wolf ears instantly perked up. He wagged his wolf tail desperately like a dog, his pupils burning hot like a lit flame. He rubbed against my wrist, eagerly repeating over and over—willing. Willing to come with me, willing to be my dog, willing to be loyal to me for a lifetime, never betraying me. Good. That’s what I like to hear. I looked at the terrified boss next to me and said flatly: “I’ll take him.” 03 I didn’t actually plan to keep this little wolf. After all, he was just a defective product. It was unlikely he could withstand my long and grueling training regimen. When his injuries were mostly healed. I told him, “You can leave now.” He was stunned for a long while before asking, “Why?” Emotions seemed to surge in his wet, dark eyes as he stared at me unblinking. I casually flipped the page of my newspaper: “No reason. Just consider it my good deed for the day.” The butler stepped forward to pull him away, lowering his voice: “Sigh, our Heiress only wants the strongest and most loyal beastmen. Just give it up. Your predecessor was sent away overnight for disloyalty. He followed our Heiress for ten years, and she didn’t even flinch…” The butler was still rambling when the space beside him suddenly became empty. The young beastman had returned. With a slightly hoarse voice, still carrying lingering pants, he asked: “Can I have a chance to do better than him?” I rarely lifted my eyelids: “In what aspect?” He clenched his fingers, saying word by word, earnestly: “In every aspect.” Whether it was strength or loyalty. He would do better than the predecessor the butler mentioned. I put down the newspaper and observed him with interest. In the spacious and bright living room. He waited nervously and anxiously for my verdict. When I brought him home that day, I didn’t pay much attention to his appearance. Now that he was washed clean, I realized every part of him looked highly aggressive. High brow bone, sharp eyes. But this ferocity was weakened by his currently wet eyelashes. The stubborn and bright dark eyes were exactly the same as that day. —This was also the reason I brought him back. After a long stare-down, I finally spoke: “You may.” “As long as you can endure it.” 04 My training has always been known for its cruelty. The previously adopted Zero One, Two, Three, Four, and Five all failed to survive this period. And he is the seventh. Names have always been just codenames to me. Aside from bearing my last name, the name Sterling Seven had nothing special about it. But he still nodded very seriously. I didn’t intend to ramp up the intensity so quickly. But his potential far exceeded my expectations. In just one week, he completed all the basic training and proactively asked to increase the difficulty. It even made me doubt if the “defective product” tag was a mistake. At sunset, he had just completed a 200-pound weighted mountain run. The muscles in his calves were twitching uncontrollably. He could only press his hands against his knees for support, forcing his body not to collapse. Sixty miles, six hours, maintaining shooting accuracy while his muscles were tearing. He achieved it on his third try. I rested one hand on the window of the SUV, speaking absentmindedly on the phone, while my eyes stayed fixed on his back. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he turned around. Our eyes met from a distance. Against the light of the setting sun, he ran down the hillside towards me. The damp black hair on his forehead was blown by the mountain wind. The distance closed until I could see his flushed neck, and the beads of sweat threatening to fall from his throat. The phone call was from my father, telling me to attend a banquet. He said that as long as I bowed my head, he would let bygones be bygones regarding my actions against his illegitimate daughter. Hilarious. A man so ruthless in his youth actually playing the family card in his old age. I replied lazily and hung up. “Young Lady.” He tried hard to calm his breathing, coming to a stop in front of me. Looking at his violently heaving chest, I suddenly realized that every evening, he would run to me panting like this. Even today, when his body was pushed to the absolute limit. I scolded him lightly, neither warmly nor coldly: “Why run so fast?” “I was afraid you’d get bored waiting too long.” My hand, which was inserting the key, paused. I glanced at him and said flatly: “Get in.” “I came specifically to pick you up, what’s there to be bored about.” After buckling his seatbelt. He turned his head, his Adam’s apple bobbing gently, and finally spat out the sentence he had been brewing for a long time: “It only took six hours today.” “Hmm.” “And I didn’t miss any shots.” “Hmm.” He didn’t need to report to me personally. These data points had already been recorded by specialists. Whether in physical fitness or reaction speed, he was indeed at the very top. You should know, the best record of Six back then was seven hours and three minutes. And he completely broke it in just one week. The live comments were arguing fiercely at this moment— [No way, could a beastman be stronger than the protagonist group??!! Who is this? Did he bump into our wolfman male lead’s character design?? Can someone control this!!] [Why the rush? Did everyone forget this is an NP (reverse harem) novel? It’s normal for stronger beastmen to appear! What’s there to be shocked about? Anyway, they will all eventually bow down to our precious female lead’s skirt.] [Exactly, who wouldn’t like our gentle, healing, sweet little cupcake female lead! When the little wolf finds out the true colors of the toxic bitch, he will definitely throw himself into our female lead’s arms.] [Ugh, I really hope this scene is with our female lead. The little wolf obviously wants to be praised!! Working so hard, finally mustering the courage to ask for praise, and only getting a few cold ‘hmms’! My heart aches for him!!] I have now learned to turn a blind eye to these brain-dead comments. Only the last sentence that floated by made me think for a rare moment. Asking for praise? 05 The car entered the city, and the evening glow covered the congested traffic on the overpass. I couldn’t help but glance at the person in the passenger seat from the corner of my eye. His ears seemed to droop a bit, and his lips were pursed. He lowered his eyelids, staring at the bloodstains on his body, lost in thought. I rehearsed a few times in my head before finally calling out to him. The young beastman looked up, his thick eyelashes trembling slightly, half of his body drowned in the setting sun, unexpectedly softening the murderous aura around him. Damn it, the words were on the tip of my tongue, but I still couldn’t say them. I hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping. “Take tomorrow off,” I gripped the steering wheel and finally spoke flatly. Although I didn’t praise him, at least I showed some care. He shouldn’t be disappointed anymore, right? But after a brief moment of surprise, he told me: “I’m fine, I can continue training.” I turned my head, my gaze shifting to his bloodstained calves. Doesn’t need to rest? I frowned slightly. The comments answered my confusion— [He thinks he didn’t do well enough today, didn’t meet his master’s expectations. Poor little wolf, female lead, please appear! The evil villain is tormenting him to the point of losing his confidence!] [Sigh, because he’s afraid of being abandoned for not being good enough, he desperately wants to prove himself. Unfortunately, he met a ruthless evil villain. If it were the female lead, she would have started showering him with praises long ago.] [To the person above, I think we should look at this objectively. Our precious female lead has a lot of love, so she can share it with others. But for an unloved child like the villainess, it’s very hard for her to learn how to love someone else when she grows up. I think I can understand her.] [Speaking up for a toxic bitch like this?? I don’t think so. Her twisted personality is her own problem, what did our little wolf do to deserve this?] The arguments in the comments became more intense. I ignored them, my gaze fixed on Seven’s face. The afterglow of the sunset fell on half of his face, making the bloodstains on his neck look bewitching. The evening glow in the sky spread inch by inch, like splashed colored ink, so gorgeous it almost made one lose themselves in it. The prolonged stare made every knuckle of his curl and tighten, and the heartbeat in his chest grew more violent with each beat. He couldn’t withstand such a scrutinizing gaze. His earlobes became scalding hot, and his eyes involuntarily lowered. Just as he awkwardly tried to turn around to completely avoid my gaze. I suddenly spoke: “You did great today.” He froze as he turned around. I added an explanation: “So, you can take tomorrow off as a reward.” The congested traffic on the overpass finally started to move. It’s not that people who haven’t been loved don’t know how to love people, but I don’t mind learning a little more. Especially towards this young wolf pup that I am personally raising. 06 The banquet a week later. I arrived as promised. This was the day my father officially introduced and acknowledged his illegitimate daughter. The girl, wearing a cumbersome and expensive gown, stood timidly under the brilliant spotlights, receiving everyone’s attention. And Six, with a haughty expression, stood behind her in the posture of a protector. Our eyes met from a distance. His eyes were cold. I looked away and met the innocent yet subtly provocative gaze next to him. Her eyes seemed to say: Look, the wolfman, my father, everyone is standing by my side. The comments were cheering— [Sure enough, after escaping that toxic bitch, his whole mental state is different. If it weren’t for our gentle, healing female lead, I can’t even imagine how pitiful the male lead would be!] [The toxic bitch must be furious, right?? Long live the new couple! No one is allowed to tear them apart!] [Look at her expression, she’s probably on the verge of turning completely evil hahaha.] I let out a scoff. Thank you, but I went rogue a long time ago—to the point where everyone fears me. Especially my father. In his eyes, I am ruthless, cold-blooded, the kind of bad seed who would probably scatter his ashes to the wind. Even more fatal is that I discovered the existence of Chloe and his other illegitimate children long before he did. This is the key evidence of his infidelity. Seeing his “devoted husband” persona on the verge of collapse, he had to do emergency PR, bringing back the most naive and obedient Chloe. Claiming it was a mistake of his youth, that he felt guilty and wanted to make amends. Conveniently, this shifted the pressure onto me. If I showed obvious hostility towards Chloe in public, I would be criticized as “narrow-minded,” “inconsiderate of my father’s feelings,” and “unreasonable.” He thought I was too proud and arrogant, that after he provoked me over the phone, I definitely wouldn’t attend this banquet. But now, not only did I come. I could calmly stand in front of him and smile at the illegitimate daughter, calling her, “Sister.” Many guests below the stage were whispering. “Didn’t they say Richard Sterling loved his wife more than his life? For decades, it was just this one precious daughter. Where did this illegitimate daughter pop up from?” “Hmph, which rich man doesn’t have a few mistresses? Who knows how many are out there.” “Looks like the Sterling family’s eldest daughter is having a hard time. Giving up a beastman she raised for over ten years to an illegitimate daughter—she must be suffocating from anger.” An unfaithful dog, what is there to be suffocating about? I navigated the guests with ease, greeting, complimenting, and toasting. That silent, burning gaze crossed the crowd, following my every move. I ignored it completely. Not long after, a fierce storm suddenly whipped up outside. The gloomy sky was torn apart by lightning, thunder roaring. I turned back and happened to see the wolfman pull Chloe into his arms, gently and dutifully covering her ears: “Don’t be afraid.” Another clap of thunder sounded. I couldn’t help but think of the young wolf pup at home. His condition after training today was a bit off. He seemed… exceptionally agitated. After noticing my frown, Chloe finally pretended to notice me, and said cautiously: “Y-you were originally my sister’s beastman, you should go protect her.” The wolfman’s face was cold: “She doesn’t need me.” “But…” she mumbled, “Sister looks unhappy right now. It was my fault that caused her to abandon you. How about you go apologize to her now, and I’ll go apologize too? I really don’t want the two of you to…” He cut her off harshly: “It’s not your fault.” Two pairs of eyes simultaneously fell on me. I waited for their next sentence. The wolfman’s gaze was direct, mocking: “Anyway, the Heiress is high and mighty, whatever she does has her own reasoning. Since it’s her own choice, what else is there to say.” “It’s my fault. Six, it really looks like Sister is mad now, you should…” The two of them were putting on a whole act over there. The butler suddenly ran in, panting. A bad premonition rose in my heart: “What’s wrong?” “Seven has gone into heat! The doctor says he’s allergic to the suppressants. If he doesn’t get comforted, he might die! Young Lady, please come back quickly!” My face darkened instantly, and I turned to follow the butler out. Suddenly, my arm was grabbed hard. My footsteps were forced to a halt. I turned back coldly. The wolfman’s red-rimmed eyes stared fixedly at me, his voice trembling as he confirmed: “You got a new beastman?” Chloe stared at us nervously. I sneered and slapped him hard across the face: “Get back to your master!” That slap was light. His hand gripping my arm tightened, his nails almost digging into my flesh. “Avery Sterling, you clearly said you only wanted me as your beastman. Why?” His eyes were sore, staring at me almost stubbornly. “What gives you the right? How can you just casually find a new beastman!” I found it ironic: “Six, aren’t you the one doing this?” Who went looking for someone else first? He choked back a sob: “That night… you were the one who threw me away.” I suddenly smiled, articulating clearly word by word: “Did I not give you a choice?” After kicking him out that night, I waited on the spot for a minute. A sixty-second countdown. I gave him one last chance to admit his mistake. But his back was proud, absolutely refusing to look back. Even limping, he walked firmly toward Chloe’s rental apartment. My knuckles gripping the steering wheel turned white. After a long silence, I let out a sneer. Ten years of training, only to raise an obedient dog for someone else. It was utterly absurd. In the last three seconds. I coldly withdrew my gaze. The roar of the engine sounded in the night. In that split second when he slightly turned his head. I had already turned the steering wheel and sped away.

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The System held up an unlimited black card, pointing at the miserable second male lead who was currently getting drenched in the pouring rain. “The male and female leads are already together. All that’s left is the second male lead, who couldn’t get the girl. He’s fallen into the mud, and nobody cares about him.” “Your mission is to use this money to help him make a comeback. You are his light in the darkness.” The System spat everywhere as it enthusiastically explained the plot. I knew the story. After the second male lead struck it rich, he would resent me. He would feel that my money had humiliated him during his lowest point, and he would take extreme revenge on me. Only after I died would he suddenly come to his senses and realize he had been in love with me all along. He would become an alcoholic. He would kneel before my fresh grave, weeping every night to express his grief. Hearing this pitch-black script, I was so moved that tears welled up in my eyes. With lightning speed, I snatched the black card right out of the System’s hands. I slammed on the gas pedal, my car speeding past the depressed second male lead by the curb, splashing a massive puddle of dirty rainwater all over his clothes. Then, I headed straight for the nearest luxury mall. I swiped the card for thirteen designer bags and eight chunky gold bracelets. Clinking and clanking under the weight of the jewelry, I stuffed the trunk full. “I’ve been dirt-poor for twenty-four years, and I suddenly transmigrated into a billionaire.” “I need the salvation of this black card way more than he does.” 01 The trunk of the car was packed to the brim. I wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead and slammed the trunk shut with a satisfying thud. The System was panicking, shouting in my head: “Host! You were brought to this world to redeem the second male lead! If you don’t complete the mission, you will be punished!” I agilely dropped to the ground and slid right under the car tire. “The punishment is being wiped out of existence, right?” “Stop nagging. Hack the car and run me over right now!” The System roared with imposing fury: “It’s a fate worse than death! If you don’t complete the mission, you will be trapped in this world forever!” The air froze for a split second. I quickly propped myself up and scrambled out from under the tire. The heavy stack of gold bracelets on my arm clinked musically against each other. My voice trembled with sheer excitement: “Are you saying… the penalty for failing the mission is that I get to stay in this world forever as the daughter of the city’s richest tycoon? I wake up every day with endless money? I’m the top VIP at every luxury boutique? I can buy as many bags as I want?” The System was speechless. Then, it tried a softer, more persuasive tone: “Host, think about your parents. If you don’t go back, how will they survive?” I boldly patted my chest. “Don’t worry about them. I’m the one who turned on the gas valve and flicked the lighter. I sent the whole family packing together.” “Before I transmigrated, they tried to sell me to a fifty-year-old creep for a fifty-thousand-dollar bride price. I got into a massive brawl with the whole family, and finally, I turned on the gas to take us all down together.” The System made one last, desperate struggle: “Before you transmigrated, what was your name?” “Penny. Because that’s all I was worth to them.” Silence fell. Smug and satisfied, I drove my haul of luxury goods home. Passing by the same intersection, I once again saw the miserable second male lead, Caleb Vance. He looked impatient and anxious. He was standing miserably under an awning to dodge the rain, holding his phone, stubbornly dialing a number over and over again. I cast a sideways glance at my phone sitting on the passenger seat, set to silent. The screen had lit up and gone dark countless times. Finally, the last call automatically hung up, and the screen stayed frozen on Instagram. Underneath a long block of text and a received money transfer notification, was the last message Caleb had sent me earlier that day: [Stop using your money to trample on my dignity. Every time you do this, it just makes me feel sick.] 02 I never felt that having money thrown at me was a humiliation. Before I transmigrated, I got accepted into a state college. But my biased parents pointed right at my nose and cursed at me: “What does a girl need college for? Go find a job at the local factory to help support the family. When you’re old enough, get married and bring in a dowry. Then we won’t have wasted all this money raising you.” Carrying a cheap duffel bag, I left those two hideous faces behind and took the train to college alone. Student loans paid for my tuition, but I didn’t have a single penny to my name. Luckily, I shared a dorm with a hot-tempered rich girl. The rhinestones glued to her acrylic nails alone were worth a month of my living expenses. I became her personal runner. Every day, I eagerly fetched her water, picked up her Amazon packages, and bought her food. I even happily accepted the expensive makeup and clothes she casually tossed out. Everyone criticized me for having no spine. They called me a lapdog, saying I’d throw away my dignity for a few bucks. But I had done the math very clearly. Buying her lunch earned me a solid twenty-dollar tip. Running downstairs for a package or coffee was at least ten. The out-of-season clothes she tossed me were all designer brands. The soft, tailored feeling of those clothes on my skin was something the frayed, cheap rags in my closet could never compare to. When a starving person is handed a bowl of white rice, their first reaction should be gratitude as they wolf it down. Not staring at the grains, screaming that the rice isn’t organic. Thanks to her, I smoothly finished my four years of college and even saved up a few thousand dollars. But Caleb Vance was different. Every time I transferred him money, he silently and swiftly accepted it. Then, he would bristle like a porcupine, screaming about his grievances to protect his fragile, crumbling ego. He couldn’t bear to part with the money, but he wanted people to kneel when they handed it to him. He was a gold digger playing the martyr. The heavy rain poured relentlessly, washing away the summer heat. I drove back to the mansion and struggled to drag the shopping bags inside. A mountain of subtly luxurious boxes sat in the middle of the living room, taking up half the space. Stepping closer, I could smell the elegant, rich leather of the bags. The smell of money. It was truly a mood-booster. Seeing me hopelessly intoxicated by the bags, the System couldn’t help but speak up: “Host, have some pity on the second male lead and redeem him. Because of his unrequited love, he’s actually developed depression.” I practically crawled on the floor with dark energy: “I was poor for twenty-four years! My depression is way worse than his!” “If you nag me one more time, my depression is going to turn into bipolar disorder tonight!” The System smartly shut up. Martha, the housekeeper, walked out of the kitchen. She glanced behind me, and seeing no sign of Caleb, her face darkened with displeasure. “Miss Aurelia, didn’t you drive out to pick up Mr. Vance?” “It’s pouring out there. You came back all by yourself. What is Mr. Vance supposed to do?” 03 I raised my cold eyes to look at her. Martha’s resentment was plain as day, as if Mr. Vance was the actual master of this mansion. And I was just a temporary guest. Caleb Vance was the famous brooding campus heartthrob. With his dark, handsome face and his faded plaid shirts, standing in the dappled sunlight beneath the trees, he had completely mesmerized the original owner of this body. In college, the gap between their social classes wasn’t so obvious. But once they entered the real world, they both returned to their respective tiers. Without a background, he hit wall after wall, his career going absolutely nowhere. To make matters worse, his secret crush, the female lead, was passionately involved with the male lead. It left Caleb completely disheartened, walking around like a zombie. I had brought him into the mansion, cleaning out the best guest room on the second floor for him to live in. By now, Caleb had been living here for over a year. In that year, he was gentle and kind to absolutely everyone in the house. Martha once shattered an incredibly expensive porcelain vase. Following the contract, I suggested deducting the damages from her salary. Caleb stood to the side and said coldly: “Have some mercy. It’s just a few porcelain bowls. Do you really need to be this ruthless?” “When are you going to drop this habit of using money to humiliate people?” Those words nailed me to a pillar of shame, making me look like some unforgivably wicked, spoiled heiress. He gave his gentleness to everyone else, leaving only distance and coldness for me. The System was truly ridiculous. It wanted me to redeem a man who had just tripped over his own feet in the game of love. Compared to him, the one who needed redemption was my own battered, traumatized soul. Wasn’t it? “Mr. Vance?” I let out a cold laugh. “Since when did this house get a ‘Mister’? Martha, who exactly signs your paychecks? Have you forgotten?” Martha froze, opening her mouth to argue. The front door clicked open. Dripping wet, Caleb scanned his fingerprint and stepped inside. And hiding behind him was a frail, pale-faced girl. The female lead. 04 He actually brought the female lead back to my house. The System helpfully explained: “The male and female leads had a fight. The devoted second male lead thought his chance had finally come, so he couldn’t wait to bring her back here.” On campus, the main couple’s romance had been explosive, teased by everyone as the ultimate fairytale between a CEO-in-training and a poor, innocent flower. But in the real world, the script turned into an ambitious girl accused of gold-digging, and a pragmatic heir who needed a strategically useful wife. Their love couldn’t withstand the slightest storm. The one at the top wouldn’t bend down to compromise. The one at the bottom demanded equal standing. After a massive blowout, the female lead stormed off and went looking for her backup plan: the second male lead. Overjoyed, Caleb thought his years of devoted pining had finally paid off. He rushed out into the pouring rain, desperate to bring her home. And because I was supposed to be worried about him, I was expected to humbly drive out and welcome the return of him and his true love. Caleb frowned at me: “Aurelia, why didn’t you answer your phone?” “Do you know I waited for half the day for you to pick us up? Chloe almost caught a cold because of you.” Ah, right. My new name was Aurelia Sterling. Golden, treasured, shining. A hundred times better than Penny. I had chewed on that name countless times in my mouth. I loved it. Martha, full of concern, quickly rushed over with two dry towels. She turned and joined the scolding: “Exactly, Miss Aurelia. How could you just come back alone? And look at all this useless stuff you bought.” Caleb looked at the designer bags scattered across the floor. His face turned incredibly dark. “Aurelia, you have to stop throwing these rich-girl tantrums. You think you’re so great just because you have money? Who are you destroying all this cash to impress?” “Why can’t you fix these disgusting habits of yours?” Every time I spent money, Caleb would scowl and reprimand me. As if. As if I was spending money from his bank account. To get closer to him, and to protect his fragile, easily-shattered ego, the original Aurelia hadn’t bought new clothes or eaten at high-end restaurants in ages. Even so, Caleb constantly had a black look on his face, dissatisfied with how freely she spent. I frowned back at him. “I’m spending my own money. What does it have to do with you?” “Or have you lived here so long, acting like a parasite, that you genuinely think everything here belongs to you?” 05 All the color drained from Caleb’s face. The words were brutally sharp, carving out his precarious ego and throwing it on the floor to be stomped on. In the past, I would have catered to his pride. I would rehearse every single sentence in my head before speaking, terrified of upsetting him. His self-esteem was sensitive and fragile. It required careful pampering, and massive amounts of cash to water it. Martha tried to speak up to defend Caleb, but I waved my hand, cutting her off: “Martha, you’re fired. Pack your things and get out right now.” “Also, the cost of that porcelain vase you broke will be deducted from your final paycheck this month.” Martha shrieked: “Miss Aurelia, you can’t fire me! I didn’t even do anything wrong!” Caleb rubbed his temples, expressing his deep disappointment in me. “Aurelia, you have never been poor, so you have no idea that this look of yours—using your money to pressure people—is truly, deeply ugly!” He was wrong. I had been poor. To the absolute bone. So poor I couldn’t afford a single pen or a single meal. So poor I dug through trash cans for food. I scavenged stale bread that others threw away and stuffed it desperately into my mouth just to survive high school. So poor that when my rich college roommate tossed me that first twenty-dollar bill, I clutched the green paper and tossed and turned, so excited I didn’t sleep all night. But I knew that poor people weren’t like him. They didn’t take someone’s money and then turn around, bite the hand that fed them, and insult their benefactor. “Fine then.” I looked him dead in the eyes. “Martha can stay. From now on, Mr. Vance will pay her salary.” Whatever words Caleb had left instantly choked in his throat. He pressed his lips together and didn’t make a sound. He couldn’t bear to part with his own money. Even though I had transferred him so much, aside from buying suits to keep up appearances, he spent it all on gifts for the female lead. He had never given me so much as a cheap trinket to show any gratitude. As the estate manager dragged a crying, pleading Martha away, Chloe bit her lip. She first cast a deeply envious glance at the floor covered in luxury bags. Then, she reached out and tugged on Caleb’s sleeve, looking innocent and uneasy: “Caleb, Aurelia is just jealous that you brought me back.” “Maybe… maybe I should just leave.” 06 She hunched her shoulders, looking utterly lost, and turned to go. Caleb grabbed her wrist. “It’s too late, and it’s still pouring outside. Where are you going to go? What if you run a fever?” “Just stay here tonight. I’ll take you up to my room so you can take a hot shower.” Saying that, he actually tried to step around me, intending to lead Chloe to the second floor. Caleb lived in the largest, south-facing guest suite on the second floor. It had a walk-in closet, an en-suite bathroom, and maids cleaning it daily. I immediately spoke up: “Hold it right there!” Caleb looked back, incredibly annoyed: “Aurelia, I’m warning you to stop right now. I don’t have time to waste arguing with you.” “The person I love has always been Chloe. As for you, I’ve only ever seen you as an older sister.” I was exactly one month older than him. Technically an older sister. The System chimed in at exactly the wrong moment: “Host, why don’t you just treat him like your real younger brother? Just redeem him a little bit, so I can finish my mission.” “Right, what did your real younger brother say to you the most in your past life?” What did he say? I suddenly visualized my brother, Hunter, violently grabbing my hair, his chubby face magnified in my vision. I mimicked his tone and spoke aloud: “Other guys’ sisters get married off so the family can use the dowry to pay for the brother! Why won’t you get married?!” “If you don’t get married, where am I going to get the money to buy a house and a car?!” “I’ll beat you to death today!” The System fell silent again. My eyes were bloodshot. Caleb’s face slowly began to merge with Hunter’s. Hatred flooded my entire body. I grabbed the nearest heavy crystal vase and hurled it viciously right at him! My aim was slightly off. Along with Chloe’s piercing scream, the vase shattered at his feet, sending shards of crystal flying everywhere. Caleb stumbled backward in shock. Recovering a second later, he immediately shielded Chloe behind him, his face contorting in rage: “Are you crazy?!” “Apologize to Chloe right now, or I’m moving out of your house tonight!” 07 I laughed, a bright, manic sound. I pointed at the wide-open front doors: “Great. Then get the hell out. And remember to pay back the year’s worth of rent, plus every single cent I’ve ever transferred you.” The storm raged outside. Caleb’s face flickered in the flashes of lightning, his hands clenched tightly into fists. He didn’t hide the hatred on his face at all. What did he hate me for? Hated that I gave him money? Hated that I helped him start a business? Hated that I used my own network to pave his way? After a long pause, I heard Caleb squeeze out through gritted teeth: “Aurelia Sterling, think this through carefully. If I walk out those doors today, I will absolutely never come back!” “Playing hard to get has never worked on me.” I spoke slowly and methodically: “Why would I want a parasite like you to come back?” The color drained from his face entirely. Before today, I had never spoken to him so harshly. Chloe couldn’t help but speak up for him: “Aurelia, how can you use your money to insult someone like this?” “Caleb is going to be successful! He’s just as good as anyone else!” Of course Caleb was going to be successful. In the book, I exhausted all my resources to help him build his company, and cashed in every favor my family had to clear his path. On a road paved that smoothly, of course he walked without hurdles, easily amassing a billion-dollar net worth. But right now, he didn’t have my help. Caleb was dead broke. All he had left was his unyielding, stubborn pride. Was a girl like Chloe, who dreamed of marrying into high society, really going to stick around a backup plan like him? Caleb grabbed Chloe’s hand and walked out of the mansion. They walked agonizingly slowly. As if waiting for someone to lower themselves and beg them to stay. It wasn’t until they were standing outside, and the heavy iron gates slammed shut behind them with a massive clang. Caleb, still trapped in the delusion that I would regret this, was violently struck by reality. Shock washed over his face as he stood in the rain, completely at a loss. Inside the mansion, the System carefully watched my blood-red eyes, tentatively trying to negotiate: “How about… you hire a psychiatrist to take a look?” “Right now, compared to the devoted second male lead, you look like the paranoid villain…”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “408345”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

At 11:00 AM, as my husband slowly suffocated in the bathtub, I was chatting with the other moms by the apartment complex’s playground slide. The slide was directly below our bathroom window, barely twenty feet away in a straight line. Normally, I would have gone home at 11:00 AM as usual, which would have given me enough time to save his life. But as fate would have it, Lily’s mom had just bought a new dress and enthusiastically invited us over to her place to admire it. When my daughter and I finally returned home at 11:10 AM, my husband was already dead. At the funeral, I was inconsolable, fainting several times from grief. Everyone sighed in sympathy. My mother-in-law, Martha, a tough elementary school principal who had traveled all the way from a remote town in the Midwest, walked right up to me in front of everyone. With a steely expression, she enunciated every single word: “You are the murderer who killed my son!” 01 It was an ordinary Saturday in late summer. Because he had pulled an all-nighter for work the day before, Arthur woke up a bit late, only sitting down at the dining table for breakfast around 10:00 AM. At 10:05 AM, our daughter, Mia, rushed me to go downstairs for the eighth time. As I was crouching by the door tying Mia’s shoelaces, she shook her head and made a funny face at her dad. “Daddy is a lazybones, the sun is already high in the sky and you just woke up. Shame on you, Daddy.” Arthur let out a muffled chuckle and made a funny face right back at her. “Mia is a little troublemaker, always needing Mommy to go downstairs and play with her. Shame on you too, Mia.” I was clumsily grabbing the water bottle and tissues. As I opened the door, I remembered something and turned around to remind him: “Honey, Mia is definitely going to work up a sweat today. Remember to start drawing the bathwater early so she can wash up as soon as she gets back.” Our bathtub filled slowly; it always took over 20 minutes to fill completely. Arthur held a bagel in one hand and gave a two-finger salute from his temple with the other. “Don’t worry, wifey, mission guaranteed to be accomplished!” I rolled my eyes at him. “Let’s go!” The slide was right below our apartment, the liveliest spot in the whole complex. Kids were running around everywhere, and parents were gathered in groups chatting. After sitting down with a few moms I knew well, I patted my pockets and realized in my rush, I had forgotten my phone. I turned to ask Lily’s mom next to me. “What time is it now? I left my phone at home.” Lily’s mom pulled out her newest foldable smartphone like she was showing it off and said loudly: “10:40.” Just as she finished speaking, our second-floor bathroom window opened. Arthur poked his head out, smiling and shouting down to me: “Honey, I’m starting the water! Come up when you’re done playing!” I turned to look at Mia, who was sweating profusely from playing, and gave him an “OK” sign. “Got it!” Arthur politely waved to the other moms before closing the window. The moms started gushing. “Your husband is just perfect. He’s handsome and has a great personality. I heard he made partner this year? He must be making a couple hundred thousand a year now, right?” “A couple hundred thousand? Try more than that! A lawyer at Mr. Sterling’s level easily makes over a million a year! Mia’s mom, you can just sit back and relax as a stay-at-home mom!” “He’s so capable, yet he comes home on time every day, helps with chores and cooking on the weekends, is always smiling, and doesn’t have any bad habits. Compared to my husband… tsk tsk, it’s like night and day.” “I’m not jealous of anything else, I’m just jealous of how much you two love each other. Take that car accident, for example. He really risked his own life for you!” The moms all nodded in agreement, sighing with envy. Half a year ago, while Arthur and I were driving to buy some plants, our car was rear-ended by a large truck and flipped over. The front of the car burst into flames almost instantly. His side, the driver’s side, was facing up, and he was quickly pulled out by bystanders. But I was pinned underneath, unable to move. Seeing the fire growing larger, everyone started backing away. Only Arthur pulled and tugged like a madman, his hands sliced open and bleeding profusely, screaming hoarsely, “Save my wife, please, someone save her!” Just five seconds after he finally managed to drag me out with his own strength, the car exploded with a massive roar. The accident was recorded and posted online, generating a massive amount of attention for a while. Netizens said I must have saved the galaxy in my past life to find a husband who loved me this much. Thinking of the scene from that day, my eyes reddened slightly. Arthur usually looked like a gentle scholar, but I never expected him to be so brave and fearless in a critical moment. Later, because he injured the tendons and bones in two fingers of his right hand and couldn’t do fine motor tasks anymore, my heart ached so much I couldn’t stop crying. He patted my head and smiled comfortingly: “It’s okay. I make my living with my brain anyway. Losing two more fingers wouldn’t stop me from taking care of you!” Right now. Amidst the moms’ sighs of admiration, I nodded honestly. “Yeah, he really is a perfect husband.” 02 “My husband isn’t bad either, you know!” Lily’s mom chimed in, raising her voice. “My husband went to Paris this time and brought me back several designer dresses. They’re absolutely gorgeous. Come on, let’s go to my place and I’ll show you!” Lily’s mom had a significant age gap with her husband and was constantly trying to show off how much he loved her, proving she married for love and not just for money. I smiled and shook my head. “I’ll pass. I have to take Mia up for her bath. You guys go ahead.” Lily’s mom loved comparing herself to me the most, and immediately expressed her dissatisfaction. “Didn’t your husband just say to come up in a little bit? Going to my place won’t take that long. You can’t even give me this little bit of face!” At 11:00 AM, I came out of Lily’s mom’s house. At 11:05 AM, I caught Mia, who was running wild by the slide, and pulled her along, telling her it was time to go home. She refused at first. She begged for “five more minutes,” “Mommy, just five more minutes, please?” I flatly refused, using the excuse that “the bathwater is getting cold.” She aggrievedly said goodbye to her little friends one by one. The parents sitting in a circle nearby watched with amusement, exchanging knowing smiles with me. At 11:08 AM, Mia and I got to the second floor and bumped into our single neighbor across the hall, Sam, who was coming out to throw away his trash. He greeted us, his face slightly flushed. Mia held his hand and sweetly asked when he would help her build her Lego set again. Meanwhile, I took out my keys and unlocked the door. At 11:09 AM, while Mia was saying goodbye to Sam in the hallway, I walked into the bathroom because Arthur didn’t answer when I called out “Honey.” At 11:10 AM, I let out a piercing scream. Arthur’s pale face was submerged under the water, his eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. He was already dead. 03 A lot of people came to the funeral. There were Arthur’s colleagues and friends, neighbors from our apartment complex, and even representatives from charitable organizations holding funeral wreaths. It was only then that everyone found out Arthur had been donating to rural children through charities for the past few years—$20,000 a year, totaling over $100,000. People sighed and lamented. “What a good man. Heaven is blind; why did this kind of accident have to happen to him! The good die young, while the wicked live for a thousand years!” “Arthur did a lot of pro bono legal aid over the years. He just made partner this year. He even said he was going to work hard for his wife and kid from now on, who would have thought…” “They were so in love. How is Mia’s mom going to bear this! She’s fainted several times over the past few days. Thank goodness the people from the HOA are keeping an eye on her.” “Mia’s mom doesn’t have an income, and they still have a mortgage. If Arthur had lived, they would have paid it off in a year or two. Things are going to be really tough for her from now on.” “This accident was truly a freak occurrence. I heard he slipped, hit his head, and knocked himself out, and the water ran for 20 minutes before slowly covering his nose and mouth. If he had woken up during that time, or if Mia’s mom had come home, he could have been saved at any moment. Sigh, you can only say it was fate!” Amidst the hushed whispers, I sat to the side, deathly pale, staring blankly at Arthur’s photo. Over the past few days, I had been completely consumed by extreme grief, crying until I was heartbroken, fainting multiple times. Anyone who saw me couldn’t help but sigh in sympathy. An HOA worker sat beside me, occasionally offering a few words of comfort. Lily’s mom walked over, looking guilty, and said: “Mia’s mom, I’m so sorry. If I hadn’t made you go to my place and waste time that day, maybe… maybe Arthur wouldn’t have died!” By the end of her sentence, she covered her mouth and sobbed. I shook my head mournfully. “No, it has nothing to do with you. It’s my fault. I was the one who told him to start the water early. I was the one who forgot my phone, forcing him to open the window to call me, which caused him to slip. I was the one who said I’d be home at 11 but dawdled and was ten minutes late. It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault, I killed him…” The HOA worker quickly interjected to comfort me. “Mia’s mom, you absolutely cannot think like that. It was just a tragic series of coincidences that no one could control. Besides, the police also said it was an accident—a freak accident with an incredibly low probability.” That day, when I screamed, Sam was the first to rush in. Realizing what had happened, he immediately blocked Mia outside and helped me call 911. After investigating the scene and conducting interviews, the police roughly deduced the sequence of events leading to the accident: 10:40 AM: Arthur turned on the faucet to fill the bathtub while simultaneously opening the window to talk to me. Because the window was on the same side as the bathtub and opened inward, he had to lean his body diagonally to stick his head out. However, while closing the window, he accidentally lost his balance, fell into the bathtub, and was knocked unconscious. 10:40 AM – 11:00 AM: The water slowly rose until it submerged his head. 11:00 AM – 11:05 AM: After being submerged for 5 minutes, Arthur died of asphyxiation. He never regained consciousness during the entire process, as there were no signs of struggle or water splashed outside the tub. 11:10 AM: I came home and discovered the accident scene. During this time, from when Arthur showed his face at the window to when I returned home, no outsiders entered or exited the hallway, and there were no suspicious traces at the scene. It was ruled an accident. Someone shook their head and sighed. “It really proves the saying, ‘When your time is up, there’s no escaping it.’ …Wait, who is that at the door? Why is she wearing such thick clothes on such a hot day?” “Yeah, isn’t she hot?” I kept my head down like a walking corpse, completely numb to everything around me. “She’s walking towards Mia’s mom.” “She’s not here to ask the grieving family for money, is she? That would be way out of line. This is a funeral, not a wedding.” A pair of worn, gray women’s sneakers came into my field of vision. The shoes were an old style, with small, matching-color patches, and covered in a fine layer of dust, as if narrating how far they had traveled. “Mia’s mom, do you recognize me?” A slightly weathered voice sounded. The voice was very close, right by my ear. I slowly raised my head. Before me was the face of an elderly woman. Her skin was dry and wrinkled, her temples graying, but her gaze was piercing beneath her drooping eyelids. On this hot summer day, she wore an inappropriately thick, light-wool coat, a worn black tote bag over one arm, and an old, chipped thermos in her other hand. “I am Martha, the mother-in-law you’ve never met.” I stared at her blankly, my exhausted neural pathways beginning to stretch, connect, bridge… My eyes suddenly flew wide open: “Mom?” Martha slowly nodded. “It’s good that you recognize me.” The crowd gathered around. “So it’s Arthur’s mother. Sigh, the white-haired burying the black-haired. My deepest condolences.” “It’s good that you’re here. With family to support each other, Mia’s mom and her daughter won’t be so miserable.” Someone kindly offered to help Martha with her bag and thermos. She slowly shook her head in refusal, turned to look at Arthur’s memorial photo, and then stared straight at me. “From the day I learned of my son’s death, I left the Midwest and traveled here non-stop, just to tell the police one sentence.” She stared at me, her expression resolute, enunciating every word. “You are the murderer who killed my son.” 04 After Martha dropped that bombshell, she turned and left, and no one could stop her. She appeared suddenly. And disappeared just as abruptly. As if she had come solely to deliver that one sentence. After looking at each other in bewilderment, everyone came over to comfort me. “Mia’s mom, the old lady might just be confused from grief. Don’t take it to heart. At a time like this, it’s easy for grief to mess with your head.” “Yeah, an old lady from a rural area who doesn’t know the situation probably heard some baseless rumors and believed them. Just sit down and have a good talk with her later.” “We’ve never seen Arthur’s mom before. Showing up right when he dies, could she be here to fight for custody or the inheritance?” “Never even heard of her, let alone seen her! Mia’s mom, that old lady just said she’s never met you. Are you sure that’s really Arthur’s mom?” I didn’t speak; I felt so weak I could barely hold myself up. An HOA worker handed me a cup of hot tea. “Alright, alright, stop asking questions. Right now, the most important thing is to finish the funeral properly and let Mia’s mom get some rest. Everything else will sort itself out.” I lowered my head and took a few sips of the hot tea, my mind slowly clearing a bit. Yes. Martha was indeed Arthur’s biological mother. Eight years ago, when Arthur and I got married, I saw this mother-in-law for the first time on a video call. She divorced Arthur’s father when Arthur was fifteen, abandoned everything, and went to teach in a remote town in the Midwest. Since then, mother and son were separated and lost contact for years. After Arthur’s father died, Arthur, who now had some financial stability, finally managed to track her down after several years and wanted to bring her to the city to live out her retirement. She refused, saying that when she decided to go to the mountains, she swore an oath never to leave that land. Over the past few years, Arthur traveled to the Midwest alone twice to visit her, while I only briefly video-chatted with her once a year on Mia’s birthday. At this very moment, I was plunged into deep confusion and bewilderment. I couldn’t understand why this woman, who swore never to leave the Midwest, had suddenly traveled all this way? Why did she suddenly say such a thing to me? Through my grief, I pondered endlessly… After the funeral, Martha didn’t leave the city. She stayed. Naturally, she didn’t stay in my apartment, but rather in a cheap motel near the train station. Late at night, the bright moon hung high in the sky, looking down on the joys and sorrows of the world below. I sat alone, wiping away tears as I looked at Arthur’s photo, and made a decision in my heart. No matter why she came. Whether for the child. Or the money. Or if there was some misunderstanding. She was, after all, my husband’s mother, my child’s grandmother. I couldn’t completely ignore her. 05 The next day, after packing some daily necessities, bedding, and a comforter, I knocked on the door of my neighbor across the hall, Sam. When he saw me, his gaze flickered. He hurriedly smoothed his hair and straightened his clothes. I tactfully expressed that I needed his help and asked if he was free and if it was convenient for him to give me a ride. “Of course.” “I’m free anytime,” he said, looking at me. Sam drove Mia and me to the cheap motel near the train station. The motel was dilapidated and dimly lit, with a sign out front reading: [Rooms – $30/night] “Mommy, does Grandma live here? It’s so rundown. Let’s have Grandma live at our house, okay?” Mia’s childish voice piped up. I sighed. “Grandma is a bit stubborn. She probably won’t agree.” Sam walked over, carrying several bags. “Mia’s mom, there’s a lot of stuff here. Let me help you bring it up.” I hesitated. “Maybe not. It’s too much trouble for you. You can just wait for us here.” A hint of worry crossed Sam’s face, and he said gently: “The old lady said those things to you the other day. If you two are alone and get into an argument, I can keep an eye on things. Mostly, I just don’t want Mia to get scared.” I smiled bitterly and nodded. “Thanks for your help, then.” When I saw Martha again. She was sitting in the spartan room, fiddling with her phone. Seeing me standing in the doorway, she froze for a moment, then stood up, her gaze calm. I took a deep breath and slowly began. “Mom, I know you probably don’t want to come stay at the house, so I brought you some things. No matter what misunderstanding you have against me, I hope you’ll accept this small gesture for Arthur’s and Mia’s sake.” I turned and gave Sam a look. He carried the things inside, set them down, and silently retreated back into the hallway. Martha stood there without saying a word. Neither accepting nor refusing, she just watched with an unreadable expression. Mia timidly stepped forward and spoke softly. “Grandma, why won’t you come live with us? Mommy says Daddy went on a really long business trip and won’t be back for a long time. Can you stay at our house and wait for Daddy with us?” Martha’s eyes instantly softened. Her rough, calloused palm gently stroked Mia’s head, and the wrinkled edges of her eyes grew red. “Be a good girl, Mia. Grandma has something very important to do. For now, I can’t go home with you.” “Grandma, I miss Daddy. Do you miss Daddy too?” “Yes, Grandma… misses him very much too.” She looked calm and composed on the surface, but her trembling voice betrayed the emotions she was trying so hard to hide. I turned my head and whispered something to Sam. He immediately walked in and coaxed Mia to go downstairs with him first. Only Martha and I were left in the room. This cheap motel, wedged between towering skyscrapers, only had a sliver of daylight filtering through its broken window. The chaotic noise outside contrasted sharply with the silence in this cramped corner. “I’ve already filed a police report.” Martha watched me calmly and suddenly spoke. I was stunned for a moment, then let out a soft sigh by the dim doorway. “Regarding my status as a suspect, the police have already finished their investigation. I had no time to commit the crime, no method, and absolutely no motive. Arthur’s death brings me nothing but harm; why would I hurt him? Mom, I truly don’t understand why you’re so stubbornly convinced that I wanted my husband dead…” “So this is the reason you came today?” Martha’s voice was steady. “You’re curious how I, thousands of miles away, knew that you were the real murderer who killed Arthur, so you came to test the waters?” A sense of tragic powerlessness rose in my heart. I wanted to say something, but felt that whatever I said would be meaningless. “Since you’re so stubbornly convinced I’m the killer, let’s wait for the police to reach their conclusion.” I said desolately, turning to leave. As I took a few steps down the hallway, Martha’s heavy voice sounded behind me. “Actually, I wasn’t entirely certain at first.” “But you coming here today, bringing that young man with you. You’re trying to mislead me into thinking you two are having an affair, aren’t you? You want me to push the police to investigate in that direction so they end up hitting a dead end…” “Now, I am certain you are the murderer.” As the last word fell, the hallway plunged into sudden silence. I slowly turned around… In the cramped, dark hallway. I met her silent gaze. 06 I was called down to the police station for questioning. This was my first time inside a precinct. I was anxious and felt a bit helpless. When I took the water the officer handed me, my hand went limp, spilling half the cup onto his sleeve. “There’s no need to be so nervous. The victim’s mother filed a report, so we’re just conducting an investigation following standard procedure.” Two officers sat across from me, trying to calm me down. “We already have a good grasp of your basic movements that day. Now, we just have a few questions we need to confirm with you. Please answer truthfully.” I nodded silently. “First question: whose idea was it to start filling the bathtub early?” “Mine.” “Why?” After pausing for a few seconds, I spoke slowly. “Mia is a very active child, and she always works up a sweat when she plays. That bathtub fills slowly, taking over twenty minutes to even get half full. I was worried she might catch a cold, so I told Arthur to start the water early so she could take a bath right when we got home.” “Mhm. Second question: why didn’t you take your phone that day?” I murmured: “I don’t know what came over me that day. I usually never forget my phone, but that day I just forgot it on the shoe cabinet. I just forgot.” The two officers exchanged a glance and continued: “Over the summer, you almost always took your child downstairs around 10:00 AM, played at the slide for an hour, and went home at 11:00 AM. But that day, why were you ten minutes late?” My eyes grew red, my voice thick with emotion. “I went to a neighbor’s house. Honestly, I didn’t want to go, but I’m too polite. When someone insists, I feel bad saying no…” “Your husband died in his own bathroom. Why was your neighbor across the hall, Sam, also present at the primary crime scene?” “Sam?” I stared blankly, trying to recall for a long moment. “When I opened the door, Mia was still in the hallway talking to Sam. When I called for my husband and got no response, I went into the bathroom… The bathroom is directly across from the front door. I collapsed at the doorway and screamed. Sam immediately rushed in—” The older officer suddenly let out a cold laugh, sharply interrupting me: “Mrs. Sterling, from the last time Arthur was seen alive to the discovery of the scene of death, you have a perfect alibi for every single step. Don’t you think that’s a bit too coincidental?” I looked at him in shock, then lowered my head, burying my face tightly in my hands, sobs escaping through my fingers. “Yes, it’s all my fault! For those 20-plus minutes, my husband was slowly dying in lonely desperation, while I, taking my sweet time, wasted time at Lily’s mom’s house, wasted time coaxing Mia to go home, wasted time talking to neighbors in the hallway.” “I killed him!” “I am the murderer who killed my husband!” I shouted these sentences, my voice trembling. Grief, pain, panic, self-blame—a cocktail of intense emotions surged wildly through my already exhausted body like a tidal wave. I finally couldn’t hold on any longer. And fainted. … When I woke up, I found myself lying in a small infirmary. The wind had picked up outside at some point. The wind blew the window open, carrying faint, low whispers from the hallway into the room. “Do you think she’s hiding something?” “Hard to say. Her alibi is full of coincidences, but every step is also a completely logical event in her daily life. We asked around during the previous investigation. Lily’s mom confirmed that inviting her over was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and running into the neighbor was just a chance encounter while he was taking out the trash. Moreover…” “Moreover what?” “When others are suspected, they try their hardest to clear their names. But she’s doing the exact opposite, pulling all the blame onto herself. Even things that could be explained clearly, she leaves ambiguous. This kind of behavior means she’s either truly lost her mind from the trauma, or she’s a criminal mastermind with an exceptional psychological profile.” “An ordinary housewife, who was so nervous she couldn’t even hold a cup of water steady when she walked in, who loses control of her emotions with just a little push… could she be?” “I don’t know. But even if she is, there’s a key element we can’t explain.” “What key element?” “The method.” “Yeah. Even if she’s a one-in-a-million criminal mastermind who meticulously planned every detail, how could she guarantee Arthur would definitely slip when opening the window? And even if he slipped, how could she guarantee he’d conveniently be knocked unconscious—” “Excuse me, sorry to interrupt. My daughter is home alone. May I leave now?” The two officers whipped their heads around, looking in surprise at me standing behind them. I kept my eyes lowered, my face pale, so weak I could barely stand. The older officer coughed. “If you’re feeling okay, the questioning is concluded for today.” “Thank you.” I murmured my thanks and left. After taking two steps, I turned back and looked at the two men, speaking slowly. “Officers, I don’t know what my mother-in-law did to make you reopen the investigation. But for the sake of my child and I being able to live in peace, I think I should make things clear.” “I don’t understand the ‘alibis’ or ‘methods’ you were just talking about. But I know that to do something, you need a motive. I had absolutely no reason to murder my husband. I’m sure you’ve investigated that thoroughly.” “Thank you for your hard work regarding my husband’s case.” I bowed to them, turned, and left. As I slowly walked out of the precinct courtyard, the two men stood smoking in the hallway. “What did you just say? You said we intentionally let her overhear our conversation, which was psychological pressure. That the perpetrator, seeing the police confused by their own actions, would subconsciously show their true reaction when alone. Then we would show the footage of her to a micro-expression expert… But just now, she, well, proactively walked over. So what does that mean?” The older officer silently took a drag of his cigarette and spat. “It means we wasted our time!” 07 I went to the police station in the morning, and by the time I got home, it was already dark. Dragging my exhausted, weak body, I knocked on Sam’s door. He’s a freelance illustrator who usually stays at home. I had left Mia with him today. When Mia came home carrying an armful of toys, he suddenly whispered, “Mia’s grandmother started a livestream.” I narrowed my eyes. “What?” “The day before yesterday, when I was waiting downstairs at the motel with Mia for you, I heard a hotel worker complaining that a rural old lady was driving her crazy asking how to start a livestream. I kept an eye out and searched online these past two days. Sure enough, I found it. Look, this is the stream. Even though there aren’t many viewers, she’s been streaming all day.” After turning on the TV for Mia and seeing she was completely engrossed in cartoons, I silently went into my room. Leaning against the headboard, I closed my eyes and meditated for a moment. Then I took out my phone and found the livestream titled “The Truth Will Never Be Buried.” Martha sat formally in front of the camera. She was still wearing that somewhat dated light-wool coat, with the motel’s peeling white walls behind her. There were a few sparse comments in the chat. [Is she using the ‘old person’ filter? Looks pretty good.] [This is real! This old lady’s son died, she suspects her daughter-in-law killed him, and she’s looking for help online!] [I get it. Another case of a kid dying, and they immediately go online to stir up public opinion for sympathy without knowing the facts. At the end of the day, if it’s for clout, it’s just for money!] Martha’s eyes, etched with the marks of time, shifted slightly, and she suddenly spoke. “I don’t want money. I’m an elementary school teacher, making $2,280 a month.” [Yeah, yeah, you don’t want money. If you don’t want money, go to the police. What truth are you looking for online?] [Let me break it down: I live in the complex where it happened. This was actually just a tragic accident. The son and daughter-in-law had a great relationship. They’re the same couple who got into that car crash and explosion near the Outer Ring Bridge six months ago.] [Ah, I know that one! That news was huge at the time. Everyone was moved by their ’till death do us part’ love story. I even cried!] [I remember too! The husband didn’t even care about his own life to save his wife. And the wife turns around and kills the husband? I wouldn’t believe it even if you beat me to death!] [Old lady, you should really go see a doctor. You can’t just accuse people based on your delusions.] Martha stared at the screen and spoke calmly: “I am not delusional. I have already gone to the police.” “I’m livestreaming, not for money, not to snatch my grandchild, and certainly not for clout. I just want to seek the truth for my child.” “My son, Arthur, was smart, cheerful, and polite from a young age. He was a gifted child. Everyone who knew him liked him; everyone praised him! Once, I sprained my ankle outside, and he gritted his teeth and carried me on his back for miles to get home. He was only eleven then, skinny and small, his head barely reaching my shoulder.” “When he was fourteen, he excitedly held up his high school entrance exam results to share the good news with me, but that day, because I was divorcing his father, I had to leave that home.” “Later, I would often dream of him as he was that day. Carefully tugging at my clothes, looking helpless and terrified, calling out over and over for Mommy not to leave.” Tears streamed from her eyes, slowly rolling down her deeply lined face. “A week ago, my son Arthur died. At the prime age of 35, he drowned in his own bathtub.” “Everyone tells me it was an accident, but I know it wasn’t. He was murdered.” “Back then, I resolutely shook off his hand, and now I’ve come back for him. Although I am a mother with no power, no connections, and no skills, since I am here, I absolutely will not let my son die alone and in obscurity.” Her voice was old and tired, but her eyes were piercingly clear. The gentleness and resilience of a mother intertwined, merged, and extended from her… The livestream went silent for a moment. Then the comments flooded in. [I believe this isn’t acting. I don’t believe any actor could perform this authentically.] [Ma’am, we’ll help you!] [I just screen-recorded this. I’ll make clips and share them so more people can see. Maybe someone can provide some information.] I stared intently at the screen. At Martha on the screen.

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In the seventh year after being brought back to my biological family, I had already followed my parents’ demands, married a man I didn’t love, and raised a three-year-old daughter. The adopted daughter, who was a year older than me, was still acting like a spoiled child in our parents’ arms because she was “still young at heart.” The bitter feud between the biological and the adopted daughter had long faded like smoke. My family should have returned to peace. So, when I was on the verge of being beaten to death by my husband, I called my family. “I’m dying. Can you come pick Lily up and take her home, just like you picked me up all those years ago?” 01 I knew I was finally going to die, so I didn’t dial 911. Instead, I called my family. My mother answered the phone. She was in the middle of getting a manicure, her tone laced with impatience. “What is it now?” I covered the bleeding wound on my neck and told her I was dying. Could they come and take Lily away? Lily was only three years old. She was sleeping upstairs, completely unaware of the absolute devastation below. I couldn’t stop the bleeding. Beside me lay the shattered remains of a wine bottle, and after finishing his violent rampage, my husband had passed out on the sofa, snoring loudly. “Harper, are you ever going to stop? You pull this dramatic stunt every other week!” My brother, Asher, snatched the phone and started screaming at me. “You’ve been married for four years! Every time you call, you’re either crying for a divorce or claiming you’re going to be beaten to death. Is your life really that miserable?!” I fell silent. I didn’t know if I was numb from the pain or if I had just lost too much blood, but I felt incredibly tired. Looking back, I had actually been tired for years. I was kidnapped at five years old, forced to work like a slave on a remote, off-the-grid farm. I never saw the light of day, working until my back couldn’t stand straight. At fifteen, I finally came home. Faced with the deeply beloved adopted daughter who had taken my place, I walked on eggshells just to survive in the cracks of my own home, crying silently through countless nights because I was so tired. At eighteen, I was forced into an arranged marriage with an abusive heir. To avoid being beaten, I humbly played the role of a perfect, submissive wife, swallowing my grievances just to keep him happy. I was tired to the point that every inch of my skin twitched. At twenty, I fell into severe clinical depression. My daughter Lily’s smile was the only thing keeping me breathing. Every day felt like standing on the edge of a cliff staring into the abyss—wanting to jump, but terrified to take the step. I was tired to the point of ringing ears and a piercing ache in my heart. Finally, I was twenty-two, and a piece of a shattered wine bottle had sliced through my carotid artery. Suddenly, I wasn’t tired anymore. Because I was finally going to die. I answered Asher, “I’m not acting this time. I’m really dying. Can you please come over right now? I’m afraid Lily will be scared.” Actually, over the years, I hadn’t “acted” that many times. I had only mentioned divorce to my family three times. When they got annoyed, I never dared to bring it up again. I had only told my family I was hurt four times. When they didn’t believe me, I never mentioned it again. From the time I was brought home until now—seven years, seven cries for help. That wasn’t considered a lot, was it? “Then go die. We’ll pick Lily up when you’re dead!” 02 Asher hung up. I knew he wasn’t coming for Lily. Seven years, my eighth cry for help, and I had failed again. I smiled a bleak, tragic smile, leaning weakly against the wall. Half of my body felt burning hot. Steam seemed to rise from the fresh blood. I glanced upstairs. It was dead silent. Lily hadn’t woken up yet. Or maybe she was awake, but she was too terrified to come down. She was probably curled up under her blankets, shivering. Thinking of that, my heart twisted in agony. I tried to crawl up, but my strength was completely drained. What should I do? My tiny, innocent daughter was trembling in bed, and I couldn’t help her at all. After I died, if no one came to take her away, she would be left alone to face that demon. How was she going to survive? My phone suddenly buzzed. An Instagram DM notification popped up. I gasped for air, struggling to focus my eyes on the screen. It was from Mia, the girl they had adopted. [Harper, today is my 23rd birthday party. The whole family is here celebrating with me, so nobody has the time or energy to deal with you.] [Honestly, I don’t get it. You’ve already lost so completely, why won’t you just give up?] My lips moved, the metallic taste of blood spreading in my mouth. It wasn’t that I hadn’t given up. I just couldn’t let go of Lily. I don’t know where the last burst of strength came from, but I desperately pressed the microphone icon to send Mia a voice memo. I begged the person I hated the most. “Mia… I’m sorry. I was wrong… I shouldn’t have been hostile to you… I shouldn’t have fought for their love… I’ll beg on my hands and knees… Please, just come get my daughter…” Through broken, stuttering breaths, I bled, and I cried. All the dignity I had clung to for years completely shattered in that moment, ground into the dirt by my own hands. I had never bowed my head to Mia. Because I always believed that I was the true daughter of the Bennett family, and she was just a cuckoo in the nest, a fake taking up my space. But now, I bowed my head. I surrendered. “What?” Mia was clearly stunned, but then she laughed loudly. “No way? You… that’s hilarious. You’re going to beg on your knees? Seriously? Then let me hear you bang your head!” 03 Fine. I would beg Mia. I held down the voice record button, leaned my body forward, and slammed my forehead hard against the hardwood floor. Thud, thud, thud! The sound of my head hitting the floor sent over the app. I was nearing the edge of unconsciousness, crawling on the floor like a dog, gasping violently for air. Mia laughed again. “No way, you actually did it?! Haha, I have to admit, that feels amazing. Seven years, and I finally got you to surrender!” Yes, I surrendered. “Take Harper… home…” I shivered as I sent out the final voice memo. Mia’s tone shifted instantly. “Harper Bennett, are you messing with me? Didn’t you say you wanted us to take your daughter home? Why did it suddenly turn into taking you home? Subconsciously, you still just want to come back and steal my spot, don’t you?!” I stared blankly, my mind a muddy haze. Did I say ‘Take Harper home’? No, I meant to say ‘Take Lily home’! I didn’t have to go home, but Lily had to! But I didn’t have the strength to say another word. “Harper, say something! Did I hit the nail on the head, so now you’re too scared to speak?” Mia questioned me sharply. In the background of her voice note, I could hear my father’s strict, authoritative voice. “Harper, stop causing a scene! I’m visiting the Montgomery estate in half a month. I’ll see you then!” In half a month… my family was finally going to visit me? But I couldn’t wait that long. I was going to die. Lily, I’m so sorry. In the end, Mommy couldn’t help you escape this living hell. I just hoped ghosts were real, so Mommy could at least watch over you a little longer. 04 When I opened my eyes again, I was floating above my own corpse. Ghosts really did exist. The sun was up, but inside and outside the mansion, it was dead quiet. My husband, Declan, had long since fired all the maids. He forced me to be the housekeeper, which also made it easier for him to abuse me without anyone watching. So, even during the day, nobody came to the house. I noticed Declan was about to wake up. His snoring had stopped. I didn’t care about him. I hurriedly floated upstairs and phased through the bedroom door. Just as I thought, Lily was curled up tight under her blankets, her eyes squeezed shut, her tears soaking the pillow. There was a large wet spot under her. She had wet the bed, but she had been too terrified to move, crying herself to sleep like that. My heart broke. I leaned down to stroke her cheek, but my hand passed right through. Downstairs, Declan let out a shout of shock. He must have discovered my body. Sure enough, he quickly started dismembering me. Even though I was already a ghost, an icy chill still ran through my soul. The pure, unadulterated evil of human nature was fully on display with Declan. Yet, ironically, he was the perfect son-in-law my family had handpicked. Originally, my parents had planned to marry Mia to Declan. The two families had verbally agreed to a corporate merger through marriage. The Montgomery Group was the leading corporate titan in the city, and Declan was handsome, sharp, and had a limitless future. Mia had been thrilled about him, and they even went on a few dates. But then, a scandal leaked. Rumors surfaced that Declan had abused an escort to death at an underground club, causing a massive PR nightmare. My parents and my brother were deeply worried. They feared Declan was a beast in human clothing, a sadist, so they decided not to let Mia get too close to him anymore. But they couldn’t afford to burn bridges with the Montgomery family, so they made me take Mia’s place and marry him instead. [Harper is our biological daughter. She is a much better match for the Montgomery heir.] [Our Harper is gentle and submissive. She’s not like Mia, running wild all day without an ounce of proper etiquette!] [Mia still refuses to grow up. She’s basically a child herself. It’s better if we don’t marry her off yet, lest she embarrass the family!] At the time, that was what my parents said. Every word seemed to be criticizing Mia, which ultimately got the Montgomery family to nod and accept me as the bride. Looking back at it now, every word of ‘criticism’ toward Mia was actually dripping with profound, protective love. I gave a self-deprecating laugh and floated into the bathroom to watch Declan chop me up. 05 Declan’s face was deathly pale. He was swinging a meat cleaver, cursing me the entire time. It seemed like he was constantly insulting me just to comfort his own guilty conscience. He called me a filthy slut. He said I had been used by hundreds of men, and that I was completely unworthy of him. He said I deserved to die. I was confused. How was I a slut? Declan’s frantic muttering gave me the answer: “You filthy bitch, don’t blame me! Mia told me everything a long time ago. She told me how you turned tricks in that remote village, how you had abortions and birthed bastards! What right did you have to marry me?!” “You deserved every beating I gave you! You brought this on yourself!” It hit me like a ton of bricks. Mia was the one pulling the strings. No wonder when I first married Declan, he was friendly and treated me with basic respect. Then, his personality suddenly snapped. He abused me relentlessly, eventually leading to my death. Mia, you were so ruthless. Even when I had lost so completely, you still refused to let me go. By the time the sun set, Declan was finally done. He packed my body into heavy plastic bags and stuffed them into the large double-door freezer. He scrubbed the living room until it sparkled, leaving no trace of what happened. I didn’t know when Lily had gotten out of bed. She was crouching by the second-floor banister, peeking timidly downstairs. Declan looked up and spotted her, his voice as dark and sinister as a demon’s: “Lily, what did you see?” Lily was too scared to make a sound. “I said, speak!” Declan roared, terrifying Lily into furiously shaking her head. “No… nothing…” I was heartbroken and furious. I wanted to bite Declan’s throat out. But I couldn’t touch him at all. Declan gave a cold snort. He grabbed a few bags of dinner rolls from the pantry and tossed them up the stairs. “You are not allowed to come downstairs. If you dare come down, I’ll break your legs!” Lily nodded in sheer terror and scurried back into her bedroom. Declan didn’t linger. He grabbed a bag of my remains and rushed out the door under the cover of night. Lily then carefully sneaked out. She peered down the stairs for a long time, then trembling, she slowly crept down. My heart leaped into my throat. What was she doing? I watched as she walked straight to the refrigerator and pried open the bottom freezer drawer. My head was hidden right there, buried behind a pile of frozen meats. “Mommy…” Lily whispered. My ghost tears fell. She had seen everything. 06 The following days were spent with Declan disposing of the body. Every day, he would take a few pieces of me out the door. But sometimes, he would bring them back and freeze them again. In a bustling metropolis, it wasn’t easy to get rid of a body. At the very least, my head remained constantly frozen in the fridge. Lily was very obedient. She only snuck down to look at me after Declan left the house, and then ran back to her room crying. She ate, drank, and used the bathroom entirely on the second floor. Her only food was snacks and stale bread. Living like this would be suffocating and despair-inducing even for an adult. My heart ached beyond words. I finally floated out of the mansion, hoping to find a way to help her. Unknowingly, I drifted all the way to my parents’ house. That familiar yet foreign mansion glowed with warm light. Like I was possessed, I floated inside and saw Mia sitting on the couch, throwing a tantrum. “We agreed we were going on vacation tomorrow! I already planned the whole itinerary!” Mia was clearly a year older than me, but at home, she always acted like a spoiled child. My dad smiled dotingly. “Dad just got his dates mixed up, sweetie. I have to go to the Montgomery Group tomorrow to sign the new round of contracts. I’ll drop by to see your sister while I’m at it. Dad will take you on vacation the day after tomorrow.” “Yes, Mia, the contracts can’t be delayed. Don’t throw a tantrum now,” my mom said, shaking her head, though her lips were curved into a fond smile. My brother, Asher, looked up from the documents he was flipping through. “I can go sign the contracts. Taking Mia on vacation is more important.” “Right! Right! I want to go on vacation!” Mia kicked her legs and whined, incredibly demanding. To be honest, I was jealous of her. Kidnapped for ten years, when did I ever get to act like a spoiled child? After coming home, how could I ever dare to act like that? Only in my blurriest memories, when I was five, did I recklessly throw tantrums. “Well…” My dad looked conflicted. “I should go check on Harper. After all, we haven’t visited her in years.” Hearing this, Mia’s face darkened. She crossed her arms and huffed. “Fine, go. She’s your biological daughter, after all.” My dad instantly panicked, coaxing her like a toddler. “That’s not what I meant. I just think if we don’t visit for too long, the Montgomerys will think we don’t care and might look down on them.” My mom chimed in to agree. “Yes, the two families are tied by marriage. We should show we care.” “How about this? I’ll take you on vacation tomorrow, and your dad will go sign the contracts.” Only then was Mia satisfied. She smiled brightly and started eating a pastry. The family was perfectly happy and harmonious again. I floated silently in mid-air, unmoving for a long time. Suddenly, my mom glanced in my direction. Naturally, she didn’t see anything. But she rubbed her chest and muttered to herself, “I don’t know what’s wrong. I just got a sudden palpitation.” “Mom, are you okay?” Asher asked in concern. Dad and Mia also looked over. Mom waved her hand. “It’s nothing. I can’t explain it, I just feel a little uneasy. Probably just getting older.” The whole family laughed. Mia quickly praised Mom, saying she was still young and beautiful, making Mom burst into laughter. But she kept rubbing her chest. 07 Late that night, Mom seemed to have insomnia. She tossed and turned, waking Dad up. Dad was frustrated. “Honey, what are you doing? I have to get up early tomorrow.” “I don’t know what’s wrong. My heart is racing. I can’t sleep.” Mom was distressed, completely confused by her own anxiety. Dad thought about it. “Are you worried about the contract tomorrow? We’ve worked with the Montgomerys for years. Nothing will go wrong.” “It’s not the contract. I can’t explain it.” Mom ran her hands through her hair. Dad frowned. “If it’s not the contract, what else could it be? Harper? Did that phone call of hers scare you?” Mom froze, then started rubbing her chest again. Dad found it funny. “What’s with that look? Are you actually worried about Harper? She’s doing great. Who knows how happy she is, married to Declan.” Mom looked thoughtful and let out a heavy sigh. “I have a feeling Harper isn’t doing well. The last time she came back to visit, her wrists were covered in bruises.” Dad went silent. Mom continued, “She kept wanting a divorce, begging us to help her. I could tell Declan treated her terribly.” Dad stayed silent. I floated by the headboard, my dead heart giving a sudden tremor. Mom, you knew? Then why… why wouldn’t you help me? Mom provided the answer. “But there was nothing we could do. We couldn’t let Mia marry him. Mia has never suffered a day in her life. She couldn’t handle Declan’s beatings and verbal abuse.” “Harper suffered for ten years. She’s mentally much stronger. Taking a little beating and scolding won’t hurt her. It’s not like it’s going to kill her.” Dad nodded. The two turned off the lights and went to sleep in each other’s arms. My heart went completely dead again. I turned and drifted away. 08 I floated back to Declan’s house. Declan was busy moving body parts through the night. He had clearly found out my dad was visiting tomorrow. Because it was hard to dump bodies in the city, he had been moving pieces little by little, like an ant carrying crumbs, which meant a lot of me was still in the freezer. Maybe he was too nervous, or maybe he was just too busy and forgot. He moved all the body parts out, except he forgot my head. My head was tucked away in the bottom freezer drawer, hidden behind a bag of frozen sausages. It wasn’t until dawn that Declan finished. After a hasty check of the fridge, he collapsed into bed and slept. Lily hid on the second floor, peeking at him without making a sound. After all these days, Lily was emaciated and sickly, her eyes hollow. Hunger and terror had tortured her until she barely looked human. I secretly cheered her on. Lily, you have to escape today! It was past noon when Declan finally woke up. He rushed to shower, changed his clothes, and with a guilty conscience, checked the fridge one more time. Once again, he missed my head. Not long after, a car pulled up outside. My dad had arrived. He came alone, carrying some gifts, a faint smile on his face. Declan forced a smile and went out to greet him, enthusiastically shaking my dad’s hand. “Dad! Welcome, welcome.” Dad laughed heartily and looked behind Declan. “You’re too polite, Declan. Where’s my daughter?” “Harper… she went shopping with her friends bright and early. Said she wouldn’t be back tonight.” Declan lied. Dad frowned. “Did she not know I was coming?” “She knew, she knew…” Declan’s eyes shifted, making it look like he was intentionally trying to anger my dad. Dad narrowed his eyes and nodded dismissively. “Well, just take the gifts then. That disappointing daughter of mine only knows how to play around all day. I hope you don’t hold it against her.” Declan waved his hands, insisting it was fine. Dad asked again, “What about Lily?” “Harper took Lily with her. She won’t be back tonight either.” Declan continued to lie. Dad’s frown deepened, casting a displeased look toward the house. “Fine then. I’ll get going. I’ll come back another time… You know what, forget it. I won’t bother coming back at all!” Declan nodded repeatedly, respectfully seeing my dad off. Dad got into his car and didn’t even look back. I was frantic. Even though I hated my father, right now, I had no choice but to beg him for help. My daughter needed him! I involuntarily lunged forward, phasing into the car. Dad was sitting in the back seat, answering a call from my mom. Mom asked him if he saw me. Dad sneered. “Harper has some nerve. She knew I was visiting her today, yet she went out shopping early in the morning and even took my granddaughter. Isn’t she doing this on purpose to spite me?” “She didn’t stay home to wait for you?” “Wait for what?! I didn’t even step through the front door! If she’s going to give me attitude, why should I bother looking at her!” Dad was still fuming. On the other end of the line, Mia giggled. “Oh my, a married daughter is like thrown-out water. Harper’s wings have grown hard now. She even looks down on her own biological father.” With her fanning the flames, Dad got even angrier. Mom was also displeased. “Don’t leave just yet. I’ll call Harper and see where she is.” She hung up and called my phone. But my phone had been smashed to pieces by Declan ages ago. How could she possibly get through? A moment later, Mom called Dad back. “Harper isn’t answering her phone. Her wings really have grown hard! Before, whenever we called her, no matter how busy she was, she would pick up instantly!” It was true. Before, what I craved most was a phone call from my parents. Even if they didn’t call me more than a few times a year, the moment they did, I would answer immediately, overflowing with excitement. But now, I was dead. I couldn’t pick up. “That Harper is completely out of line. She can forget about ever coming back to visit us!” Dad slapped his thigh in anger. Mia started fanning the flames again. “Dad, we absolutely have to teach Harper a lesson. How about this? Mom and I will skip the vacation and come meet you right now.” “We’ll call Asher too. The whole family will go put Harper in her place. Let’s see how arrogant she can be!”

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My best friend blamed me for breaking up her and the school’s notorious bad boy. She reported me for a testing violation during our final exams. My scores were canceled. She got exactly what she wanted: an acceptance letter to an Ivy League university, and she cut me out of her life completely. Years later, when she returned to our high school as a distinguished alumna to give a speech, I hid in a corner to watch. When the massive backdrop behind her started to collapse, I instinctively sprinted toward her… My entire body was crushed with agonizing pain. As my consciousness faded, I let go of the hand I had been gripping so tightly. “This is the last time. If there is a next life, I will never help you again.” We were both reborn. She went back to loving the bad boy with a toxic, fiery passion. They cut class to go to concerts. He used the school’s morning announcements to make dramatic declarations of love. They were reckless and loud, burning like a wildfire, leaving destruction wherever they went. As for me, I followed my dying words from my past life. I stayed far away from Chloe, and I studied like my life depended on it. She mocked me. “You were stupid then, and you’re stupid now. No matter how hard you study, you’ll never get into Columbia. Stop wasting your youth.” Armed with the memories of the exams from our past life, she fantasized about having both a perfect romance and a perfect academic record. 01 With only 100 days left until graduation, Chloe Vance and Caleb Stone officially got together. The photo of them kissing on the roof of the bleachers in the rain spread throughout the entire school. Chloe had Caleb pinned against a discarded desk, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him while his ears turned bright red. She moved fast. Reborn yesterday, confessing today. It was as if she was terrified someone would stop her. I let out a self-deprecating laugh and buried my head in my AP vocabulary flashcards. Classmates around me were whispering. The restless energy of youth drowned out the sound of studying, filling the classroom. The girl sitting in front of me kept turning around, shooting Chloe looks of awe and envy. Chloe had her textbook propped up, hiding her phone underneath to text Caleb. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks flushed, and she would occasionally let out a soft giggle when the conversation got exciting. After a few times, I frowned in annoyance. “If you want to play on your phone, go outside. Don’t disturb other people.” Chloe glanced up at me, letting out a dismissive scoff. “It’s not like you haven’t lived through this before. What’s the point of acting like such a try-hard?” She paused, as if remembering something, and intentionally added: “Don’t worry. As long as you don’t violate testing rules this time, I’m sure you can get into a decent state school.” I gritted my teeth and gripped my book. Remembering what happened in my past life, my heart felt like it was being pierced by needles. It was hard to breathe. In my past life, after the final English exam, I told Chloe that I hadn’t put my pen down immediately when the bell rang. She didn’t say anything at the time, but a few days later, I was notified that my scores were canceled. Someone had reported me for a testing violation. The only person who knew about it, and the only one who knew my candidate ID number, was Chloe. When I confronted her, her smile was even more mocking than it was now. “You exposed my relationship. I exposed your rule-breaking. We’re even, Hannah.” During the final semester of our past life, Caleb had been harassing Chloe relentlessly. She complained to me that it was ruining her studies. I didn’t know she was just showing off. I told her mother, hoping to help her. As a result, her mother went straight to Caleb’s family. It caused a massive scene, forcing Caleb to transfer schools, and he eventually moved on to someone else. I never expected her to hold such a deep grudge against me for that. I never expected that in her heart, my entire future meant absolutely nothing compared to her high school romance. I suppressed the bitter churning in my chest and carefully etched the vocabulary words on my desk into my brain. In my past life, violating the exam rules was my mistake. Trusting the wrong person was also my mistake. I owned that. But in this life, I had to work twice as hard to make up for my past regrets. 02 Chloe was still texting, her thumbs flying across her screen. The textbook in front of her had dense notes on the left side, but the right side was completely blank. Since she was reborn, she hadn’t paid attention to a single class or taken a single note. Her heart was entirely devoted to Caleb. She faked being sick to skip school and celebrate his birthday, and cut classes to watch him play basketball. She even spent class time folding origami stars and writing love letters to him… The homeroom teacher caught her and warned her twice, but it was useless. Chloe’s desk grew cleaner, and the crowd she hung out with grew rougher. She no longer sat at her desk studying all day. She preferred leaning against the hallway railing, chatting with a group of slackers. Her school uniform hung loosely on her frame, unzipped to reveal the limited-edition designer streetwear she wore underneath. And Caleb would bring her snacks and boba tea between classes. The two of them would flirt and soak up the sun. Chloe’s face, bathed in the sunlight, looked relaxed and soft, forming a stark contrast with the stressed, studying students inside the classroom. When I walked past to get water, her new friends called out to me. They slung their arms around each other, asking with a smirk: “Hannah, working so hard, are you planning to go to Harvard or Columbia?” I couldn’t be bothered with them and walked straight past. I faintly heard Chloe’s mocking laughter behind me: “Working hard is useless. With her IQ, she’s destined for community college at best.” In my past life, after my scores were canceled, I ended up at a low-tier state teachers’ college. Even if my scores had counted, I was still a long way from the Ivy League. I simply wasn’t enough. I wasn’t as naturally smart as Chloe. When she spent an hour absorbing a concept, it usually took me two or three hours to fully grasp it. In our past life, even when we spent the exact same amount of time and energy studying, I was always just chasing her shadow. “This is destiny, Hannah. Even if you work a thousand times harder, you’ll never beat me just flipping through a textbook.” Chloe hid under her desk, painting her nails while laughing at me for wasting the second youth God had given me. I ignored her. I wrote “Hard Work Pays Off” on a sticky note and stuck it to the top right corner of my desk. Harvard was fine, Columbia was fine too. Regardless, I didn’t believe in any bullshit destiny. To get more time to study, I applied to live in the campus dorms. After so many years, the routine of going strictly between the dorm, cafeteria, and classroom became my norm again. Meanwhile, Chloe and Caleb loved each other with a dramatic, fiery passion. They had minor arguments every two days and explosive fights every three. Every time they fought, Chloe would lay her head on her desk, weeping and acting like the world was ending. Then she would stare up at the sky, sighing, and listen to sad breakup songs on repeat. Until Caleb showed up with chocolates to coax her, and they were back to being a perfect couple. I endured it until the midterm exams were over, then asked the homeroom teacher if I could change seats. The teacher sighed and pulled out the freshly printed report cards. I scanned the list from the top down. I was ranked tenth. Chloe had plummeted out of the top hundred. In our past life, Chloe had never dropped out of the top ten, and she always ranked higher than me. “Chloe’s performance has been terrible lately. Since you two are close friends, how about you don’t change seats for now? Keep an eye on her.” I rejected the idea immediately. “Mrs. Davis, I’m struggling with my own studies right now. I don’t think I can help her.” I had forgotten a lot of the material over the years. Even cramming desperately before the exam only got me to tenth place. Moreover, Chloe didn’t need my supervision. She wished I was a million miles away from her and Caleb. On our first day back in this life, she had already warned me: “Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong this time. Stay as far away from me as possible.” So, when I ran into Chloe’s mom in the hallway again, I chose silence. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I really don’t know. Maybe you should ask Chloe.” Because of this exact incident in the past life, I became the “evil best friend” in Chloe’s eyes. She thought I was jealous of her, that I couldn’t stand seeing her happy, so I intentionally sabotaged her and Caleb. I never imagined that I would hear the most vile things about myself from the mouth of my closest, most trusted friend. We had known each other since preschool. I originally thought we would be friends for life… Unable to get any answers, Chloe’s mom refused to give up. Her gaze turned sharp as she interrogated me: “Aren’t you her best friend? How could you not know?” It felt like someone had slapped me. My cheeks burned, and my heart ached sourly. I shook my head, and as soon as the elevator doors opened, I broke free from her grasp and rushed out. Just as Chloe wished, this time I didn’t say a single word. And not just this time. I would never interfere with her business again. I kept strict boundaries, watching the fire from the opposite bank. Total respect, total understanding, but zero concern. But even though I played my part perfectly, the mess between Chloe and Caleb couldn’t be hidden forever. The day after the report cards were handed out, her parents were called into the school. 03 When I went to the teacher’s office, Mrs. Davis was talking to Chloe’s parents. Chloe stood next to them, nonchalantly rubbing her newly done black manicure. I set down the collected test papers, just in time to hear her shamelessly making promises. “Don’t worry. This won’t affect my studies. Scoring a 1550 on the SATs won’t be a problem.” Mrs. Davis looked at her, clearly exasperated, earnestly advising her not to be blindly confident. Unfortunately, Chloe was completely stubborn and refused to listen to a word. She had already been through this senior year once. She knew the exam questions perfectly well. As long as she remembered the original questions and memorized the answers right before the test, getting a perfect score was totally possible. I lowered my eyes, preparing to slip out unnoticed, but Mrs. Davis called out to me. “Look at your good friend, Hannah. She has never dropped out of the top ten. You should really learn from her.” That sentence seemed to step on a landmine for Chloe. Like a cat with its fur standing on end, she glared at me, full of defiance. “I just wasn’t trying! If I actually tried, she wouldn’t even be fit to tie my shoes!” As soon as she said this, all the teachers in the office looked up at her. Her parents’ faces changed color. Her dad quickly and loudly ordered her to stop talking nonsense. Under everyone’s gaze, her mom looked utterly embarrassed and awkwardly apologized to me. “Hannah, please don’t take it to heart. Chloe is just in a bad mood because she didn’t test well. You’re best friends, you should understand.” I remained silent throughout, greeted the teachers, and walked back to the classroom. Not long after, Chloe stormed into the classroom and swept everything off my desk onto the floor. “Why is it always you! Who do you think you are, daring to compare yourself to me?” She pointed at my nose and cursed, her eyes red as if she had been crying. Before I could react to what was happening, Caleb chased her into the room. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, shooting me a bizarre, cold glare. Then, in front of the entire class, he pulled Chloe into his embrace. “Chloe, you’re the only one I want in this life. Even if God himself came down, he couldn’t tear us apart!” Chloe looked up from his chest to meet his eyes. She gripped his shirt tightly, her voice firm and deeply affectionate: “Caleb, even if we have to make an enemy of the whole world, we will never part, even in death.” The whole class and I stared blankly at their performance until the bell rang for class. Caleb’s expression softened. He intertwined his fingers with Chloe’s and ran out of the classroom. I bent down to pick up my scattered books, hearing the whispers of my classmates around me. Chloe’s parents had pressured her to break up with Caleb and even yelled at him to his face. They threatened that if they didn’t break up, they would make a scene at his house and his dad’s company. The storyline seemed to be reverting back to our past life, and everyone was guessing if they would break up. Noah, the class representative who sat next to me and was always silent, finally stood up and handed out the new test papers for everyone to do. I packed up my things. I held the math test in my hand, but my mind was a bit of a mess. I originally thought that as long as I stayed quiet, Chloe wouldn’t be able to blame me for anything. But it turned out, even scoring higher than her was a crime. In my past life, I foolishly felt a hint of guilt towards her. Looking back now, it was pure stupidity. “You got this wrong.” A cold voice suddenly sounded beside me. Noah’s gaze lingered on the problem I had just finished. After my request to change seats was denied last time, I was placed next to Noah. In my impression, this guy was an absolute academic god who consistently ranked first in the grade, and he was very low-key and quiet. If the academic god said I was wrong, then I was definitely wrong. I tossed out the chaotic sadness and disappointment in my head, focused my mind, and re-read the question… Mrs. Davis didn’t show up to teach the class until the very end, walking in hurriedly with a dark expression. As for Chloe, she never reappeared for the rest of the afternoon. 04 During dinner time, it started raining outside. I held an umbrella and walked to the cafeteria. Passing by the football field, I saw a crowd gathered around. Looking closely, it was Chloe and Caleb. They were running side-by-side in the rain, letting the water hit their faces. Occasionally, they would turn to look at each other with affection and smile. The Vice Principal stood on the sidelines with an umbrella, scolding them with an ugly expression. I heard they had run out of the classroom and tried to jump the school fence, but were caught red-handed. Suddenly, Chloe tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground. Caleb immediately stopped, rushed over, scooped her up into a bridal carry, and sprinted toward the nurse’s office. The students gathered around holding colorful umbrellas automatically parted to make way for him. At that moment, no matter how bright the colors were, they all became their background props, turning into a dull gray. I heard people secretly exclaiming how cool and romantic it was. “This is what youth should look like!” I turned my head and looked at the digital countdown clock hanging high on the senior building. 80 days until graduation. The red numbers on a black background were the only bright spot in the gray scenery. The cold rain was blown onto my face by the wind. I shivered. I pulled my school jacket tighter and quickened my pace, following the crowd toward the cafeteria. During evening study hall, Chloe still hadn’t returned. I heard she caught a high fever from the rain. At such a critical, race-against-time moment, Mrs. Davis actually took up half a period to hold a class meeting. “There are only a few dozen days left. Those who want to date, hold it in for a bit. After graduation, you can date whoever you want.” “Of course, if you absolutely must date right now, there’s nothing I can do.” A flash of sorrow crossed her tired eyes. “Your future belongs to you. I hope you will take responsibility for your own future, and for the future of the person you claim to care about.” The commotion caused by Chloe and Caleb had too big of an impact, and many students were getting restless. But with graduation so close, the school couldn’t really expel them. They only gave them a formal warning and a school-wide public criticism. During the Monday morning assembly, Chloe and Caleb, who had been missing for days, each took an apology letter and stood on the podium. Caleb, sporting a newly dyed ash-blonde haircut, slouched and grabbed the microphone, but not to apologize. “Sorry to disturb everyone’s studying. I promise, from now on, we won’t show off our affection in front of everyone.” He was a rich kid. After his parents divorced, no one disciplined him. He spent his days fighting, going to bars, and street racing with thugs outside of school. Writing apologies was a daily routine for him. He didn’t feel embarrassed at all; instead, he seemed rather proud. I stood in the first row, focused on the small notebook of mistakes in my pocket, completely indifferent to the farce on stage. Until Chloe spoke up. I glanced up and froze. She was wearing makeup. Her eyelashes were thick and dense, and black eyeliner traced a beautiful curve from the corners of her eyes. Her originally baggy uniform pants had been altered into fitted capris, revealing slender, pale ankles and matching couple sneakers. This wasn’t her first time speaking from the podium, but it was her first time reading an apology letter. She cleared her throat, looked toward Caleb, and declared in front of all the teachers and students: “I do not regret being with Caleb, and I promise the teachers and students right here, right now, that I will absolutely get into an Ivy League school.” This was the second time she had said something like this, brazenly relying on her memories of our past life. But how could she be so certain that the exam questions in this life would be exactly the same as in our past life? 05 The morning assembly ended hastily, and Chloe and Caleb were invited to the principal’s office for a chat again. I followed the crowd back to the classroom. Passing the bulletin board downstairs, I saw a newly updated poster. The results for the school’s “Senior of the Month” selection were out. My name and photo were posted in the most prominent spot. In our past life, that spot belonged to Chloe. She even complained that the photo was too ugly and said she’d rather not be on there. Now, as she wished, it was me, but she started mocking me again. “It’s just ‘Senior of the Month,’ what’s the big deal.” A few days later, my photo was scribbled over. Next to it, a large poster was taped up. The headline read: “Can the daughter of a murderer be called outstanding?” I stared at that piece of paper, feeling like I was plunged into an ice cave, my whole body trembling. A crowd had gathered, and classmates who recognized me turned to look at me. I pushed through the crowd, tore down the paper, and went to the rooftop. I found Chloe leaning into Caleb’s embrace, trying to snatch a cigarette from him. “You posted this?” I threw the crumpled ball of paper at her face. She shrieked and hid in Caleb’s arms. Caleb tossed his cigarette, pulled Chloe behind him, and shoved my shoulder. “You got a death wish? How dare you touch my girl.” He was strong, and he hit hard. I was pushed to the ground. My palms scraped against the rough concrete. It throbbed and burned, the pain reaching all the way to my heart. The truth about my dad was my biggest secret. Nobody in the school knew except Chloe. She had sworn she would never tell anyone. No matter how bad our relationship had gotten, I never thought she would use this to hurt me. “Aren’t you afraid of karma?” I stood up, staring dead at Chloe, my heart feeling like a desolate wasteland. She used to say that if she ever leaked it, she would be cursed with bad luck for the rest of her life. “Karma? Which sentence on here isn’t a fact? Your dad is literally a murderer.” Chloe hid behind Caleb, acting tough. The guilt in her eyes turned to resolve in a matter of seconds. She looked down at me and sneered. “I just raised a reasonable question about the selection results. Is that against the rules?” I looked at her completely unfamiliar, vicious face, not understanding where things went wrong. In my past life, I genuinely treated her as my best friend, the person I trusted most, sharing everything with her. Now, the secrets whispered in the dead of night had all been laid bare under the sun, turning into swords aimed right at me. It felt like a ball of cotton was stuck in my throat. It took all my strength to ask the question I had been holding in: “Why?” Chloe acted like she had just heard the funniest joke in the world, looking me up and down with contempt. “Hannah, you don’t actually think I considered you a good friend, do you? You really need to look in the mirror. Do you even deserve it?” The girls watching around us erupted in laughter, gathering around her and affectionately linking arms with her. Someone pulled out a phone they had snuck into school, turned on the front-facing camera, and grabbed my hair, forcing me to look at the screen. In the camera, my face was sallow, my dark circles were heavy, and I had red, swollen acne on my forehead. I was wrapped in a faded, baggy uniform, and my slightly unglued canvas shoes were wrinkled. I raised my hand to fight back, but they pinned me down, shouting about giving me a makeover with expired lipstick. Chloe leaned against Caleb. The sun was warm, and a gentle breeze ruffled her perfectly styled, bouncy curls. Like a divine maiden, she looked at me with a mix of pity and mockery. “Don’t bully our ‘Senior of the Month’, guys. She’s pretty pathetic.” “Her family is super poor. Her mom washes men’s feet at a massage parlor just to pay for her schooling, and she has to take the need-based financial aid every year.” “One year she didn’t get the grant, and her mom came to the school to beg the homeroom teacher. She literally got on her knees in the office. I saw it with my own eyes.” Caleb lit another cigarette. He took one drag, choked, and started laughing hysterically while coughing. “Damn, that is so pathetic. If you’re that poor, why are you even studying? Just go work on an assembly line at a factory.” He pulled Chloe close and kissed her cheek affectionately. “Babe, stay away from her from now on. Don’t let her poverty rub off on you. You’re going to marry me and be a wealthy socialite.” The followers around them laughed too, brandishing the lipstick and lunging at my face. The bell rang. I had nowhere to hide and was slapped hard across the face by one of them. “Don’t be a bitch. We’ll let you go after we put some lipstick on you.” I was dizzy from the slap. In my daze, I heard a furious roar. “What are you doing!” The crowd was startled and turned around. Mrs. Davis, the Vice Principal, and the Principal were all standing at the entrance to the rooftop. I gritted my back teeth, forced myself to lift my red, swollen face, and let tears roll down from the corners of my eyes. “Mr. Principal, I want to call the police.” Chloe’s rosy complexion instantly turned deathly pale. She was completely at a loss regarding this sudden turn of events. She was so immersed in her wild youth that she forgot I was no longer that fragile girl from before. My mind was mature, my soul resilient. No amount of humiliation was enough to destroy me. Anyone who humiliated me, I would fight back against, one by one. 06 The door to the principal’s office was tightly shut. I held my mom’s hand, facing Chloe and her parents. Except for them, none of the other students’ parents had shown up. The police had arrived too, but because the group consisted of minors, and Chloe was still a month away from turning eighteen… And because they hadn’t caused any severe physical harm to me, they advised me to settle it through mediation. “I do not accept an apology. Punish them exactly as the school handbook dictates.” The school rules stated that insulting or assaulting a classmate, in severe cases, would result in suspension, and the student must be taken home by their parents for disciplinary action until they showed true remorse. Long before I went to the rooftop to confront Chloe, I had asked someone to fetch Mrs. Davis and the Vice Principal. If Chloe messed with me once, there would be a second time. I still had to take my final exams, and I didn’t have time to play her games. Since she didn’t want to study and only wanted to date, she could go home and date to her heart’s content. Chloe’s mom’s face changed drastically. “There are only two months until graduation. Isn’t this demand a bit excessive, Hannah?” “If Chloe’s exam performance suffers because of this, can you take responsibility?” She tried to guilt-trip me from every angle. “Besides, aren’t you and Chloe like sisters? You know she likes to joke around. She didn’t even lay a hand on you…” Even my mom, who was usually incredibly gentle, darkened her expression. She wanted to say something, but I stopped her. “Ma’am, your daughter never treated me like a sister, and I wouldn’t dare claim such a high status with her.” I gave a fake smile, my attitude resolute. “If she is not punished according to school rules, I will pursue legal action against all of them and file a formal police report.” Hearing the words ‘police report,’ the group cowering in the corner looked up in terror. Caleb clenched his fists, stepped forward, and pulled Chloe behind him to shield her. “This is mostly my responsibility. It has nothing to do with her. If you have a problem, come at me.” Chloe wasn’t afraid at all. Instead, she stepped out from behind Caleb and provoked me right in front of the police. “Who are you trying to scare? File a report then. If you have the guts, get us all thrown in jail.” Finally, even the police couldn’t stand listening to them anymore. They scolded them loudly and gave them a stern lecture on the law. The two were chewed out severely, reluctantly accepted their school suspensions, wrote their letters of guarantee, and were taken home. I walked my mom to the school gate. She was still incredibly puzzled. “How did Chloe turn out like that? She used to seem so sweet and well-behaved.” She urged me to study hard and advised me not to get too close to her in the future. Not only was I not getting close to her, I wished I would never have to see her again for the rest of my life. I even felt embarrassed that I ever knew her and hung out with her. Without Chloe and Caleb on campus, even the air felt fresher. It was just that my heart felt strangely empty. The air I breathed into my lungs turned into a raging, icy wind. I used to lie in the same bed with Chloe, fantasizing about our future. We promised to get into the same university and graduate together. Then we would make money together, build our careers, and be each other’s bridesmaids. Our significant others would become good friends, and our babies would grow up to be close friends just like us. Finally, we would hold hands, move into a retirement home together, and find handsome old men to dance with… I once swore to be Chloe’s best friend for life. I valued her more than I valued myself. But in the end, it was all fake. It was all just my own wishful thinking. The hole in my heart was blown wider by the icy wind, yet on the surface, I became increasingly calm. Mrs. Davis told me that the school would issue an official document stating that my dad’s situation would not affect me. My spot for “Senior of the Month” had been approved through multiple levels of school administration. There was absolutely no problem. I ignored the strange looks from my classmates and walked back to my seat with my head held high. Noah, who was always bent over his desk doing practice problems, mercifully turned his head and shot me a glance. His gaze lingered on my still-swollen right cheek for a few seconds. Then he pulled out a few practice tests from his desk and pressed them down in front of me. I stared at the tests, which were cleaner than my face, and the icy wind in my heart suddenly stopped. I took a deep breath and resigned myself to focusing entirely on the tests. I had absolutely no time to think about anything else. When the graduation countdown reached 40 days, the results of the final city-wide mock exams came out. I scored a 1550 on the SAT equivalent mock test, doing better than I ever had in my past life. On the same day, Chloe also returned to school.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “408342”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I transmigrated into the female lead of a tragic romance novel, and right now, I’m tied up alongside the “other woman,” the second female lead. The kidnappers demanded $50 million per person. The male lead, Julian Chase, only had $50 million. He chose me. Just as I grinned, thrilled to survive, a floating text box—like a Twitch comment—appeared in front of my eyes. [This stupid female lead is actually smiling. Just wait until this psycho decides to torture you to death to make up for letting the second female lead die.] I instantly wiped the smile off my face and kicked the second female lead toward Julian. “With my A-list status, why is her ransom the same as mine? I demand $100 million! I’m not leaving for a penny less!” 01 “The $50 million has been wired to your account. Let her go.” As he spoke, Julian’s eyes looked at me with worry, but then shifted to Chloe, the girl beside me. The kidnapper’s face immediately dropped. “We said $50 million per person. There are two people here. Are you deaf, or do you just not know how to do math?” Julian’s eyes grew red, his voice strained. “That’s all I have.” The kidnapper let out a scoff. “Do you think this is a flea market? Are you trying to haggle with me?” “Since you only have enough for one, choose one.” Hearing this, Chloe, standing next to me, lowered her tear-filled eyes. She knew she didn’t stand a chance against me. Because I was Julian’s “first love,” his unforgettable ex, while she was just the stand-in who had been by his side for the past three years. Sure enough, without a moment’s hesitation, he said, “I choose Aria.” I grinned, showing all my teeth, absolutely thrilled. However, two floating comments suddenly appeared in my line of sight. [This stupid female lead is actually smiling. Does she think they’re going to get back together when they go back? Just wait until this psycho decides to torture you to death to make up for letting the second female lead die.] [He only loves dead women. He’ll only start loving you again after you’re dead. You only lost your life, but he lost his love!] 02 Therefore, I immediately wiped the smile off my face and kicked the second female lead toward Julian. “With my A-list status, why is her ransom the same as mine? I demand $100 million! I’m not leaving for a penny less!” After shouting that, I glared indignantly at the kidnapper. “And why is the sack you put her in the same color as mine?” The kidnapper looked at me like I was a crazy person on the subway. “Lady, this isn’t the Oscars or the Met Gala. We are kidnapping you!” Hearing that, I got even angrier. “Then why was her name mentioned before mine?” I wiggled like a maggot, struggling to inch my way toward the center of the room. “So what if it’s a kidnapping? Even in a kidnapping, I demand to be center stage!” As soon as I said that, everyone in the room was stunned. Including the floating comments. [Hahahaha the female lead’s mental state is so beautiful. Our girl Aria demands top billing!] [The ransom better be $50 million plus emotional damages, she can definitely get you ten times that amount.] Chloe, who had been sobbing beautifully in Julian’s arms, was so shocked she stopped crying, staring at me with wide eyes. Julian spoke with difficulty: “Aria, this isn’t the time to worry about your status. If you don’t come with me right now, they’re going to kill you!” “Kill me?!” I finally started to panic. 03 “Wait, won’t there be a medical examiner taking pictures?” I frantically shook my head, trying to get my bangs to fall perfectly to make my face look smaller, while squeezing out two tears for good measure. “Then my crime scene photo has to be absolutely stunning! It needs to go viral!” In that moment, the air grew so quiet it felt like time had stopped. But only I knew that those two tears weren’t forced. Inside, I was crying a river. Sob sob sob, they aren’t actually going to kill me, are they? Julian tried bargaining with me again, and even the kidnapper tried to reason with me: “Miss, $50 million really isn’t a small amount. That’s A-list treatment right there. It’s very respectful. You’re a D-list actress asking for $100 million? That’s extortion on a cosmic level. I’ve been in this business a long time, trust me.” I held my head high like a proud rooster, refusing to budge a single cent. Feeling helpless, Julian finally left with Chloe. 04 I was tied up again and shoved back into the van. The guy in the passenger seat, a cigarette clamped between his teeth, frowned and looked back at me: “Bro, is the pressure in Hollywood really that bad? I feel like she’s lost her mind. We’ve kidnapped a lot of people, but I’ve never seen anyone actively ask us to raise their own ransom! What do we do with her now?” The guy driving was silent for a long time. After a while, he flicked his cigarette ash out the window. “Sell her. Even though she’s a nobody, with her looks, she can fetch a good price.” I covered my mouth, trying to cry as quietly as possible. Damn it, my life is a joke. Getting kidnapped is bad enough, but now even the kidnapper is roasting me for being a D-list nobody! 05 The car drove for a long time before I was yanked out. With a loud thud, I was thrown onto the hard concrete floor. It hurt so much I couldn’t help but hiss in pain. “Mr. Sterling, take a look. This one is top quality. She’s even a celebrity, very famous.” Heh. I had never seen anyone so shameless. Weren’t you just calling me a D-list nobody? The man they called Mr. Sterling sat in the main chair, his long legs crossed. The light cascaded across his face, accentuating his sharp jawline. He was so incredibly handsome it was hard to look away. His gaze landed on my face, a flicker of dark emotion passing through his eyes. “What’s the price?” “$40 million.” Damn it, why did I get a discount? A hint of displeasure flashed in Mr. Sterling’s eyes. I was just about to speak up when the kidnapper’s vice-like hand clamped over my mouth. He leaned in close to my ear: “Don’t you dare ruin this for me this time.” Then he looked up and smiled apologetically: “A few million less is fine too.” 06 The guy named Sterling walked over, crouched down in front of me, pinched my chin, looked me up and down, and let out a soft chuckle. Then he stood up, looking bored. The kidnapper started to panic: “$30 million! That’s my final offer, Mr. Sterling!” Sterling finally glanced at him, a fake smile on his face: “Do you think I, Lucas Sterling, am a man who lacks $10 million?” “$40 million it is. Keep your mouth shut about what happened here today.” “If a single word of this leaks out, you might just have to say goodbye to this beautiful world.” The kidnapper nodded frantically like a bobblehead: “Understood, understood.” 07 My heart was pounding like a drum. He voluntarily raised the price and told the kidnapper to keep it a secret that I was bought by him… This felt like he was planning to play me to death… Everyone left, leaving only the two of us in the room. He crouched down beside me playfully, his long, elegant fingers slowly tracing my eyebrows, my cheeks, my chin… I shivered all over: “You… if you really dare to do that kind of thing to me, I…” He leaned in closer, chuckling softly: “What will you do?” The floating comments appeared in front of my eyes again. [Female lead, hurry up and cling to him! Even though he seems like a ruthless main villain on the outside, he’s actually a pure virgin underneath. Sleep with him, and he’ll give you his life!] Staring at his cold, handsome face, my face flushed bright red: “I… I can’t even imagine what a cheerful, bubbly little girl I’d become!” 08 As expected, his face turned bright red. He awkwardly pulled his hand back, moving slightly away from me: “Forget it, I’m not in the mood today.” To stay alive, I steeled my resolve. He runs, I chase, he can’t escape! I did a perfect kip-up and planted a kiss right on his lips. His lips were surprisingly soft, carrying a crisp, clean scent of cedarwood. His beautiful amber eyes widened slightly in shock. He frantically pushed me away, his ears as red as ripe cherries, covering his moist, bright red lips in disbelief: “Aria, are you out of your fucking mind?” The comments were going crazy too! [Hahahahaha the female lead is awesome! So awesome!] [Holy shit, Mr. Sterling, don’t cover your mouth like that, it makes you look even more fragile!] 09 As if the floor was burning his feet, he paced back and forth anxiously. It seemed like he was mourning the loss of his first kiss. It was my first time forcibly kissing someone, and I was a bit embarrassed too: “Was that your first kiss? Don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility.” Hearing that, he stomped over to me: “First kiss? Aria, did you fucking forget about the time you secretly kissed me?” Last time? There was a last time? I was stunned: “Mr. Sterling, isn’t today the first time we’ve met?” He angrily pulled out my phone, unlocked it with Face ID, and started typing in his phone number. “First time we met? You’re playing dumb, huh? Who was it at that party who shamelessly begged for my number? Begged me for a role in my new movie investment? And after I rejected you, you got drunk, kissed me, and…” “And… and what else?” Oh my god, did I commit a crime… 10 He gritted his teeth: “And stuffed two hundred dollars into my hand!” However, after he finished typing his phone number, he didn’t immediately shove the phone in my face to yell at me. Instead, he stared at it for a long time. His attractive, sculpted lips pressed into a thin line. “Heh.” That cold laugh seemed to be squeezed out from the back of his throat. I curiously leaned over to look. I saw the contact name I had saved for this ultimate villain: [Thinks He’s So Great Because He Has a Few Bucks, Asshole!] Me: … “Aria, I am not done with you!” He forcefully pinched my chin, his lips pressed tightly together, the anger in his eyes almost enough to ignite the air. “Not only do I have a few bucks, but I also have plenty of ways to torture people…” 11 I burst into terrified tears. Tears rolled down my cheeks drop by drop, falling onto his distinct knuckles. “You finally remembered my name, Lucas.” Lucas frowned: ? “If I hadn’t used these tactics, how would you have remembered me?” “So many women like you. I’m neither prettier nor smarter than them. I really didn’t know how to get your attention, so I came up with this stupid method. Am I really dumb?” He released my chin. The hand that was just filled with anger was now trembling slightly. So I cried even harder. “I saw you from afar two years ago. Just one glance, and I could never forget you.” “That day, you were wearing the exact same…” His eyes narrowed coldly, seemingly about to say something. Wait, I looked closer. Damn it, he was wearing the newest Louis Vuitton collection. 12 Aria’s First Rule of Acting: Never give up the floor to your scene partner. You have to steal the scene! So I rushed ahead and kept talking. “The exact same… black suit. Lucas, you look so good in a suit. Your future bride will be so lucky.” “Unlike me, I’ve never been lucky. I grew up poor and had a hard life. When I grew up, I finally got into the entertainment industry, thinking I could live a good life through hard work. But I’ve been constantly bullied. Now I’m kidnapped, and no one even cares.” I looked down at my white dress with red, swollen eyes. The tears soaked into the fabric, leaving damp spots: “It’s fitting that I’m wearing white. I’ll just pretend today is my wedding day with you.” His body stiffened. He awkwardly gripped the hem of his jacket, looking around helplessly. Like he was searching for a hole in the ground to crawl into. So I acted even harder. 13 I let out a long sigh, looking up at him pitifully with tear-filled eyes, forcing a bitter smile. Streams of tears poured from my red, swollen eyes. “Go ahead, kill me. Dying by your hands would make my life complete.” Even the comments were going wild praising my acting skills. [What a pitiful and devoted woman! I declare this to be Aria’s best performance since her debut!] Lucas, if you can bring yourself to kill a woman with such a tragic past who loves you this much! Then you’re simply not human! The next second, he pulled a folding knife from his pocket, flipped it open, and crouched beside me. His voice was colder than the gleaming blade: “Don’t move.” Holy shit! You really aren’t fucking human! Truly fitting for a villain. Killing me is one thing, but not even letting me move! 14 I squeezed my eyes shut, crying tears of genuine emotion. “Lucas, you’re a fucking…” Snap—the ropes binding me were cut. After being tied up all day, my limbs ached terribly, and I slumped down unexpectedly. He reached out his long, strong arms and caught me. The tight lines of his muscles were faintly visible beneath his white shirt. The crisp scent of cedarwood lingered around my nose. He raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice deep. “I’m a fucking what?” “You’re a fucking… incredible man, exactly the kind I’d fall for!” Those muscles! That build! That sexy voice! I can’t even imagine how happy I’d be! 15 He coughed awkwardly, turning his head away, not daring to look me in the eyes. His ears were tinged a faint pink. “Um… I didn’t know you had a crush on me all this time. When I bought you today, I originally planned to get back at you a little… Don’t worry, I’ll take care of those two kidnappers. And consider that $40 million a gift. Don’t worry about it.” While he was talking, I took the opportunity to feel his abs. Wow! Hard as a washboard. He caught my hand, his ears blushing furiously. “Focus on listening to what I have to say first.” I snuggled closer into his embrace, looking up at him with a goofy smile. “You stay here for the night. I’ll have someone take you back tomorrow.” My smile froze on my face: “You’re kicking me out?” He tried to explain: “No…” I wasn’t listening. I raised my voice again, the tears coming on command: “You’re kicking me out?” I finally managed to cling to a rich guy, and now he wants to kick me back to that psycho Julian to wait for death? Not a chance! 16 Seeing me cry, he panicked a bit and clumsily tried to wipe my tears. I stubbornly swatted his hand away, letting the tears roll down with my sobs. “I know I’m not good enough for you. Since I’m destined to leave, why wait until tomorrow? I’ll leave right now!” I got up resolutely and limped toward the pitch-black night. “So what if it’s the middle of the night? So what if I have no idea how to get home? So what if I might get kidnapped again? No one cares about me anyway!” To stall for time, I deliberately walked incredibly slow. A passing snail would probably curse me for being slow. But even as I zig-zagged my way to the door, he still showed no intention of stopping me. 17 Damn it! Cruel man! If you won’t stop me, I’ll… I’ll find a way to stay myself! So the next second, I tripped over a non-existent threshold. I cried, sniffling and sobbing. “Waaaah, Lucas, I think my leg is broken, I can’t walk.” A small dog dashed out from the darkness, staring at me with big, watery eyes. Aria’s Second Rule of Acting: Everything around you can be used as a prop! I immediately scooped up the dog, sobbing: “Are you all alone like me with no one who wants you? But even if you don’t have money, you can still eat shit. I’ll just starve to death…” The little dog wriggled out of my arms, jumped onto Lucas, and licked his face. My expression was priceless. I awkwardly, yet politely, reminded him: “Mr. Sterling, it might have just eaten… dinner…” 18 I couldn’t bring myself to say the word “shit.” Lucas’s face grew serious: “This is my dog. He does not eat shit!” Oh, so he’s a rich kid’s dog! I quickly snapped back into character and continued crying: “So he’s not an unwanted dog after all. I’m the only one who’s all alone…” Lucas walked up to me, seemingly very helpless: “Alright, stop crying.” He placed the puppy in my arms: “Now you’re not alone.” I cried even louder. Who isn’t alone? You’re not alone, you’re the dog! Is the dog what I want? I want you! I want you, with your eight-pack abs! Forget it, I’ll just go back and face my doom. Just as I finally accepted my fate and was about to get up and leave, my body suddenly floated into the air. His strong, firm arms wrapped around the back of my knees and my back, gently and steadily picking me up.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “408341”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

After marrying my childhood best friend, we treated each other like polite roommates. He barely spoke, and I was naturally cold. To this day, we still haven’t consummated our marriage. But what I didn’t know was… my husband could hear my inner thoughts. In the bedroom, I wore my usual blank expression, staring at my husband who had just stepped out of the shower. But in my mind: [If I do him right here, would he pass out?] 01 [It would definitely feel amazing. That spicy romance novel Chloe showed me described it as… what was it? Losing focus?] [I think they called it the ‘wet and wild’ shower scene.] Caleb slipped and almost fell. I stepped forward and caught his arm. “Are you okay?” [Why won’t this towel drop? Why wrap it so tightly? It’s not like I haven’t seen him before.] [His abs are perfectly sculpted. Long fingers, too.] “I’m fine.” Caleb spoke rapidly, as if desperately trying to stop something. He clutched his towel tightly. “Sorry, I couldn’t find my bathrobe earlier, so I just grabbed a towel…” [Of course you couldn’t find it.] [I threw it away.] [It’s probably being shredded in a landfill right now.] [I’ll throw the towel away tomorrow, too.] I let go of him and said flatly, “Be careful next time.” “…Okay.” 02 Caleb changed into his pajamas and got into bed. I flipped through my book, my peripheral vision instinctively darting toward him. He was wearing dark pajamas, long sleeves, and long pants. [Tank tops are better. Easier to cop a feel. Shame I only dare to do it when he’s asleep; I’m terrified of waking him up halfway.] [Ugh, I really want to slip a sleeping pill into his water.] [Then I could do whatever I want with him.] I stared blankly at the words in my book. Caleb, who had just gotten into bed, suddenly threw off the covers and got up. I looked at him, puzzled. “Not sleeping?” “I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I’m going to take some melatonin.” I didn’t think much of it and went back to my book. When Caleb came back, he had changed his clothes. He was wearing exactly what I wanted: a loose tank top. He explained, “It was too hot.” I replied softly, “Mhm.” Caleb lay down. Maybe it really was too hot; he only pulled the covers up to his waist. He rested his arm behind his head. His broad chest and defined muscles made it hard for me to look away. His body was better than a fitness model’s. He fell asleep quickly. Thoughtfully, I turned the AC down. After reading for a bit longer, I turned off the light and went to sleep. In the dark, Caleb silently opened his eyes, staring with a complex expression at Olivia sleeping beside him. She was fast asleep, her eyes shut tight, taking shallow breaths. No secret touches. No ‘wet and wild’ scenes. Caleb just lay there with his eyes wide open until dawn. The next morning, I walked out of the bedroom, rubbing my sleepy eyes. Maria was cooking breakfast. The delicious smell woke up my appetite. I pulled out a chair and sat down like a good girl. Today it was sweet potato pancakes and a fresh smoothie. Maria smiled at me. “Is it good?” My mouth was too full to answer, so I nodded enthusiastically. “Don’t choke,” Maria said, handing me the smoothie. “My own kids never appreciate my cooking this much.” Speaking of her kids, Maria couldn’t help but sigh. I comforted her. “They just don’t get it.” Maria genuinely adored me. Even though I seemed aloof on the outside, my eyes would instantly light up whenever I ate something delicious. It gave her a huge sense of accomplishment. “Speaking of Caleb, he’s usually up by now, isn’t he?” “He took a sleeping pill last night.” A sleeping pill? Maria thought back to when she was cleaning the bathroom that morning. The bottle in the medicine cabinet hadn’t looked touched. But the lid on the espresso powder hadn’t been screwed on tight. 03 I didn’t expect Caleb to sleep straight through to the afternoon. Even after sleeping that long, he still had dark circles under his eyes. [Looks like the quality of his sleep is really terrible. Good thing I didn’t grope him last night, or he’d be even worse off. I guess I’d better behave myself from now on.] Caleb, whose back was to me, suddenly turned around and stared at me darkly for a long time. “I slept perfectly fine.” “?” [What does that have to do with me?] Caleb ignored me. [Men are so complicated. Annoying.] Caleb slammed the door shut with a loud bang. That evening, the high school alumni group chat started blowing up. The reunion organizer was throwing a get-together. My best friend Chloe called. “Liv, you’re going, right?” “Yeah, I’m free.” Chloe and I met in high school and coincidentally went to the same college. We’ve always been super close. “What about your husband? Is he coming?” She was talking loudly. I looked up at Caleb across the room. He opened his mouth. [Please say no. I really don’t want to bring him.] Caleb closed his mouth. He gently shook his head. Satisfied, I replied to Chloe, “He’s not coming.” Chloe seemed to breathe a sigh of relief on the other end. “Good that he isn’t. Ethan is going to be there this time. You remember your high school boyfriend, right? He’s been single since you guys broke up. I heard he still wears that woven bracelet you gave him.” Chloe’s voice echoed clearly in the room. “…Oh.” I gave a dry response. “Awesome. Next Tuesday at 7 PM. Be there or be square.” I hung up. Seeing Caleb’s calm, unbothered expression, the slight anxiety in my heart faded. [What was I worried about? Even if I actually cheated on him, he probably wouldn’t care. How could he possibly get jealous over something so small…] “Terrible!” Caleb’s expression suddenly turned ice-cold. I jumped, staring at him in confusion. [What is his deal?!] Meeting my gaze, Caleb’s brow twitched, and his expression relaxed. “I meant Maria’s cooking… it’s terrible today.” Maria, hurrying in with a spatula: “?” 04 Tuesday before heading out. Caleb spent half the day staring at the mirror, styling himself. From head to toe, he was impeccably groomed. He had a handsome face and a body built like a runway model. Dressed up like this, he was even more eye-catching. [Chloe said that when a guy dresses up this much, there’s an 80% chance he’s looking for a side chick.] Caleb’s hand, about to spray hairspray, froze. He awkwardly put the can down. He turned, his gaze landing heavily on my shoulders. “It’ll be cold tonight. Take a shawl.” “It’s 85 degrees out.” “…Drive safe.” When I arrived at the venue, the private lounge was already packed. Chloe waved me over. I sat down next to her. She nudged me, gesturing for me to look to the side, and whispered, “Look at his wrist.” Ethan had shed some of his youthful awkwardness. He was chatting effortlessly with others. As he raised his cocktail glass with his right hand, his cuff slid down, revealing that old, worn-out woven bracelet. It was just a cheap trinket I bought at a street fair near our school years ago. In high school, Caleb was in the class next to mine. We weren’t particularly close; we just had that obligatory bond of growing up together. At school, we barely spoke. But Caleb’s mom frequently asked him to drop things off for me. And every day after school, Caleb would wait by my classroom door. Over time, everyone assumed we were a thing. I explained it a few times, but no one believed me, so I gave up trying. Later, those rumors died down. Because of Ethan. Whenever he had the chance, he’d clarify things for me, more enthusiastically than I ever did. Under his relentless chatter, our classmates got annoyed, then bored, and eventually stopped gossiping about me and Caleb. To thank him, I offered to buy him a smoothie after school. That was the first time I didn’t walk home with Caleb. Hearing my plans, Caleb didn’t say much. He just gave a slight nod and walked away. Ethan and Caleb were polar opposites. Ethan was warm, outgoing, and never hid his feelings. If he was happy, he was happy; if he was mad, he was mad. At eighteen, he confessed his feelings to me. I didn’t really understand what it meant to “like” or “not like” someone. But when he confessed for the thirty-fifth time, I said yes. Ethan clung to me, begging me to say I liked him. Worn down, I sighed, “Yeah, I like you.” Right as I said it, I saw Caleb. He stood in the doorway, backlit by the setting sun. His handsome features were cast in shadow, his dark hair looking soft and fluffy in the golden light. His expression was blank. I couldn’t tell if he was happy or angry. I felt a twinge of awkwardness. Ethan stood with one hand in his pocket, holding my backpack with the other. A little bunny plushie Caleb had given me was still dangling from the zipper. He smiled brightly, almost arrogantly. “Hey, Caleb. Liv and I are together now, so I’ll be walking her home from now on. Sorry for bothering you all this time. Let me buy you dinner sometime to make up for it.” Caleb stared unblinking at Ethan, his lips pressed into a tight line. Even someone as emotionally dense as me could feel the tension in the air. I walked over and grabbed Ethan’s arm, telling Caleb, “I’ll be home late tonight. Tell my parents for me.” “…Okay.” After that day, I never walked home with Caleb again. 05 Everyone in our class knew about my history with Ethan. But they also knew I was married, so by silent agreement, nobody brought up the past. One classmate who was a bit out of the loop noticed the bracelet on Ethan’s wrist and teased, “Ethan, man, you’re doing so well for yourself. Why are you still wearing a cheap bracelet like that?” The room fell silent for a second. Everyone’s eyes darted between Ethan and me. “Someone special gave it to me,” Ethan said, his voice soft but clear. “It’s priceless.” The classmate caught on. “Then you’d better cherish it.” Ethan rubbed the red bead on the bracelet, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally landing on me. Halfway through the night, I left the lounge to use the restroom. When I came out, Ethan was waiting for me. He stood with his hands in his pockets, the top button of his dress shirt undone. “Long time no see.” I glanced at the sinks. “This isn’t exactly the best place to catch up.” “Let’s go somewhere else then.” “We aren’t exactly in the kind of relationship where we need to catch up.” Ethan didn’t seem surprised by my response. “Liv, you haven’t changed. “When you broke up with me back then, you were just as calm and straightforward. Exactly like your little childhood friend.” My relationship with Ethan ended the summer after senior year. No dramatic reason—he just decided to study abroad because his family arranged it. When I suggested breaking up, Ethan couldn’t believe it. “I’m not staying overseas forever. I’ll come back after I get my degree. Why do we have to break up?” “The future is too unpredictable. I don’t like it.” He frowned, a hint of resentment in his voice. “We have something so good. We could totally face the uncertainty together. Liv, why won’t you sacrifice just a little for me?” I looked at him calmly. “Why don’t you sacrifice for me?” Ethan was speechless. We both chose our own paths, went our separate ways, and never saw each other again. “You married Caleb, right?” Ethan trailed behind me. I nodded. “Why? Didn’t you dislike him in high school? You even thanked me for clearing up the rumors about you two.” “I don’t dislike him.” Ethan didn’t seem willing to let it go. He stared at me intensely. “But a quiet, reserved guy like Caleb isn’t right for you at all. He’s cold, and you’re cold. How does a marriage like that even work?” I stopped in my tracks. Because of Caleb. He was standing at the end of the hallway, leaning against the wall. His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, looking clean and sharp. His gaze lingered on Ethan for a moment. His eyes darkened. Caleb walked over, wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and said softly, yet coldly, “Whether we’re suited for each other or not, we’re already married. Mr. Davis, I hope you’ve been well.” Ethan narrowed his eyes, doing nothing to hide his displeasure. 06 “Caleb, old classmates are just catching up. Do you really need to hover?” “Catching up is fine, but there are boundaries, and I suggest you keep them, Mr. Davis. After all…” Caleb put on the perfect smile of a victor, masking the provocation underneath. “Olivia is my wife now.” “And… we love each other very much.” Saying that last part, Caleb’s confidence clearly faltered. He secretly glanced down at me. My eyes were lowered, lost in thought. A second later— [White pants really do emphasize the bulge.] Caleb closed his eyes. Forget it. “Love?” Ethan chuckled mockingly. “Olivia only married you because you two grew up together, and she’s used to you being around. Otherwise, why would she have ever dated me?” Caleb’s arm tightened slightly around me. His fingertips were ice cold. “Because I was young and stupid.” I replied calmly, “Whether we love each other or not is between me and my husband. We broke up years ago. You don’t get a say in my marriage.” I hated scenes like this. I came to a reunion, not to watch my husband and ex-boyfriend bicker. Ethan clearly didn’t expect me to defend Caleb. His face paled slightly. “I didn’t mean it like that…” Caleb, however, was incredibly satisfied. He smiled brightly. “She’s right, Mr. Davis. The past is the past. Why cling to it?” Ethan’s temper flared again. He forced his voice down, suppressing his rage: “If you hadn’t manipulated—” “Whoa, there you guys are! I was wondering where everyone went.” Mark, the reunion organizer, popped out of nowhere, interrupting Ethan. I frowned in confusion: [Manipulated what?] Caleb’s hand suddenly slid down to my waist, pulling me flush against him. I looked up at him. He smiled warmly. “And you are?” Mark enthusiastically introduced himself and asked, “You must be Caleb? I heard your name all the time back in high school. You really do look the part. Nice to finally meet you, man.” […You were always front row for the gossip, how could you have never met him?] [Oh right, he was the captain of the Olivia-and-Ethan ship.] [Whenever Ethan and I were together, he was always the loudest one cheering.] “Yes, I’m Olivia’s husband.” Caleb shook Mark’s hand with excessive force. Mark hissed in pain. “Sorry. I’ve been doing a lot of rowing lately. Grip strength is a bit tight.” [? What does rowing have to do with grip strength… actually wait, it does. Okay.] Mark seemed to have the same question. But seeing Caleb’s polite smile, he brushed it off. “It’s awesome that you childhood friends ended up getting married. Huge congratulations. Shame we didn’t get to go to the wedding.” “We’ll be sure to invite you to the vow renewal.” Ethan gave a fake, tight-lipped smile. [Pfft.] Caleb’s smile froze. “Haha, Ethan, you joker. Come on, let’s head back and get some drinks. Caleb, you should join us! Everyone really wants to meet Liv’s husband.” Mark hastily smoothed things over and dragged the three of us back. 07 As the party wound down, quite a few people were drunk. A girl I was friendly with leaned in. “Liv, you really scored with your husband. So handsome, so classy.” Caleb said politely, “You flatter me.” Someone else chimed in, “Ethan isn’t bad either. Liv, you’re so lucky, surrounded by hot guys.” “Liv was always top of the class, and she’s got a great job now. Hot guys are exactly what she deserves.” The girl clung to me. “Hey, Liv, who do you think is hotter? Your husband, or Ethan?” [Is this the grown-up version of ‘who do you love more, mommy or daddy’?] [How am I supposed to answer this??] But my friend was totally wasted, hanging onto me and demanding an answer. The girl who chimed in was also staring at me expectantly. It felt like they wouldn’t let me leave until I gave them a satisfying answer. I brushed them off casually: “They’re both pretty hot.” They finally let me go. I breathed a sigh of relief. I slowly went back to munching on my crackers. Completely oblivious to the fact that the man sitting next to me had vanished. Chloe was the first to notice. “Where’s Caleb?” “Huh? I don’t know.” “You’ve got a big heart, not even noticing your own husband bolted.” Chloe looked around, then pointed to a corner. “Ooh, looks like someone’s throwing a tantrum.” She had witnessed the whole exchange. I was confused. “Why is he mad?” “Go ask him yourself.” [So annoying.] Reluctantly, I walked over. Caleb was sitting in the corner nursing a drink. His face was blank; you couldn’t tell anything was wrong. But keeping Chloe’s words in mind, I asked anyway. “Are you mad?” He muttered a denial. “No.” “Then why are you sitting all the way over here?” “Fresh air.” I looked at the sweaty, drunken mess of our classmates tearing up the dance floor next to him. […It smells like straight tequila and body odor over here.] [Does he have a weird fetish for this smell?] [I don’t understand, but I respect it.] [I really am such a supportive wife.] After mentally giving myself a pat on the back, I dropped an “okay” and turned to leave. Before I could fully turn around, someone grabbed the hem of my shirt. The man’s voice carried a faint, barely noticeable pout, almost like he was accusing me: “You called him hot.” [Who did I call hot?] “You called Ethan hot.” “I was just blowing them off.” “Really?” [Of course really. I was just trying to get them to leave me alone.] [And objectively speaking, Caleb is way hotter anyway.] The corners of Caleb’s lips involuntarily curled up. [Though Ethan isn’t bad either. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dated him.] [As for Caleb… he’s hot, sure, but I see him every day. You get numb to it.] I nodded seriously. “Of course.” I figured that answer would definitely pacify him, but somehow, he looked even more pissed. For someone usually so stoic and quiet, this was the first time I had ever seen his face cycle through so many vibrant emotions in one go. [Did I say something wrong?] [Obviously not.] [He’s just too picky.] Caleb looked like he was about to laugh from sheer frustration. He pulled me down to sit on the sofa, while he unexpectedly dropped to one knee in front of me. His eyes were dark and heavy as he asked: “Between me and Ethan, who do you like more?” It was only then that I realized Caleb had unbuttoned his shirt at some point. Below his collarbone, his chest peeked through. Rising and falling with his breaths. “…You’re my husband.” “I want to hear you say it.” This request was actually quite difficult for me. I was used to keeping a poker face. I was terrible at expressing my feelings, especially out loud. Seeing me hesitate, Caleb undid another button. He leaned in, the neckline opening even wider. [Oh, dear lord.] From my vantage point looking down, Caleb’s incredible physique was on full display. Pale skin, a tight core, and I could even faintly see the… black waistband of his boxer briefs. They looked like the same brand I saw in his drawer. In this quiet, dimly lit corner of the loud party, the usually proper, aloof Caleb was kneeling beside my legs. The contrast against the noisy background made it secretly, thrillingly intoxicating. “Liv. Me or him. Who do you like?” Caleb asked me one more time. His voice was hoarse, magnetic, hanging on every syllable. As if under a spell, I whispered, “You.” “Only me?” “Yeah. “Only you.” 08 By the time the party ended, my face still felt hot. Caleb followed behind me, looking a bit unnaturally stiff too. [Such nice pecs. Such gorgeous lines. I want to take a bite. Chomp, chomp, chomp.] [Also, was he pitching a tent just now?] Caleb suddenly coughed. “We should get going.” “Liv!” Chloe popped out from nowhere and slapped me right on the butt, admiring my blushing face with satisfaction. “Leaving already? Not gonna grab one more drink?” I suppressed the urge to rub my stinging behind. I shook my head. “I’m tired.” […My poor butt.] [It just shattered into two pieces. Waaah.] [Wait, butts are naturally two pieces anyway.] [Left and right. I wonder… if it was an upper piece and a lower piece, would it make a clapping sound when you walk?] Caleb glared fiercely at Chloe’s offending hand. He silently shifted a step closer, perfectly blocking my back from view. Back home. Maria had prepared a late-night snack for us. Even though it wasn’t my usual time to eat, I dug in anyway. It was so good I completely forgot about Caleb. When I got back to the bedroom, he was in the shower. I went to hang up my jacket and spotted his phone screen lighting up on the nightstand. When did Caleb change his font size to be so huge? Is he going blind? Before I could process it, I had already read the text on the screen. It was an Instagram DM from Ethan: [A marriage without love won’t last.] [You and Olivia have known each other for years, and she never fell in love with you then. You think getting married magically changes that? Caleb, stop lying to yourself. Stop dragging her down. Divorce her while you still can.] I paused for a few seconds. Then Maria called out to me from the hall. She had made mango coconut panna cotta. The fruity and creamy flavors mixed perfectly; it was chilled and melted right in my mouth. It was so delicious that if Ethan had dropped dead next to me, I wouldn’t have even noticed. Caleb finished his shower and immediately checked his phone. The screen was black. Before going into the bathroom, he had specifically set it to “Never Sleep.” Caleb smirked victoriously. If Ethan had the guts to send a message like that, Caleb had the guts to tattle by leaving it out. He didn’t plan on replying anyway. Caleb unlocked his phone. Only to find a few short words typed out right below that arrogant text: [We’re trying to sleep. Stop messaging.] 09 I went to bed a little later than usual that night. I ate too much, and it took a while to digest. I slowly lay down, and the second I closed my eyes, they snapped wide open again. An arm was suddenly draped across my waist. Caleb pressed against my back, his breath tickling my neck. My brain completely short-circuited. He was holding me so tightly. Through the thin summer pajamas, I could clearly feel the heat of his skin and the contours of his chest. The intimate position put every nerve in my body on high alert, my spine stiff as a board. Caleb and I shared a bed every night, but we both slept peacefully on our respective sides. This had never happened before. I didn’t dare move an inch. “Caleb.” Is he asleep? I whispered his name a few more times. Caleb seemed to stir slightly. He let out a soft hum and buried his face into the crook of my neck like a giant cat. “Sleepy…” [Can’t move. Absolutely dare not move.] [Is he going to hold me like this all night?] [This feels so weird… but his chest is actually kind of soft.] [I want to bite it.] [Oh God, Olivia, stop these terrifying thoughts!] [I really want to bite it… come here, milkman. Tsk tsk tsk…] I was so absorbed in my own filthy mental world. Naturally, I completely missed the fact that the man behind me had shifted his lower half backward, leaving a safe distance between our bodies. The corners of his lips, however, were curving up like crazy. 10 Ever since that night, Caleb would cling to me every time we went to bed. The moment we lay down, he was stuck to me. During the day, he’d wake up and earnestly apologize, and then go right back to cuddling me at night. Honestly… I didn’t hate it. It was just that sometimes, Caleb would suddenly let go, rush to the bathroom, and stay there for ages. I mentioned this to Chloe over lunch. Chloe chewed on her straw, shaking her head. “You guys are finally acting like a married couple.” I looked confused. “We didn’t before? This is exactly how my parents act around each other.” “That’s because you’re in the room.” Chloe put down her drink. “I refuse to believe they’re that proper behind closed doors. Otherwise, how do you think you were born?” Now I was the one chewing my straw. “But we aren’t that familiar with each other.” “Then start by making out. Build up the familiarity.” “Alright, I’ll go back and ask him.” Chloe: “…” When I got home, I couldn’t stop thinking about Chloe’s advice. Making out… it sounded like a solid starting point. I looked over at Caleb, who was busy in the kitchen. He was wearing an apron, his sleeves rolled up to the elbows, revealing his toned forearms. A delicious smell was wafting from the stove. Maria had taken the day off. Caleb volunteered to cook. [This scene looks so familiar.] [In that new graphic novel Chloe sent me this morning, the male lead was also cooking in the kitchen. Wearing an apron. And nothing else.] Caleb, who was tasting the soup, violently choked. Being a helpful wife, I went over to hand him a tissue. Caleb snatched it, his face red and glaring. If this kept up, he was either going to slip and crack his head open or choke to death on his own saliva. I casually let my gaze drift over his apron. [If he didn’t wear anything underneath, his whole back would be bare.] [I wonder if it would bounce when he chopped vegetables.] [Well, if he’s packing enough, it probably would.] [I wonder how big Caleb’s actually is.] “The kitchen is too smoky, you should go wait outside.” Caleb used both hands to shove me out of the kitchen and ruthlessly slammed the door shut in my face. I was baffled. Sure, my cooking skills were terrible, but it’s not like I was going to magically blow up the kitchen just by standing there. Why was he guarding the room like it was a crime scene? Men are truly incomprehensible creatures.

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When the tabloids broke the news of Ethan Cross’s engagement, he was lying on my lap, reviewing a merger file. I thought it was just another piece of celebrity gossip. I teased him. “Very funny. They’re saying you’re getting married next month.” Ethan casually flipped to the next page of the contract. “Yeah. Make sure you’re free to play piano at the reception.” I froze, completely stunned. Ethan traced a hand over my face, a touch of mockery in his eyes. “It took a lot of work to get her to say yes. Be a good girl, okay? Don’t make a scene.” 01 My mind went completely blank. I stared at him, not knowing how to react. Ethan let out a soft scoff and set the merger file down on the coffee table. “Don’t look at me like a deer in headlights. It’s not like we’re never going to see each other again.” He paused, tilting his head. “Or did you actually think I was going to marry you?” I fought back tears, pushing against his shoulders to sit up. “These five years… what was I to you?” Ethan refined his brow, sitting up and gripping my chin. “An assistant. You are the most capable assistant I’ve ever had.” I wasn’t satisfied. I asked again, my voice trembling. “Just an assistant?” Ethan’s expression darkened slightly. He wound a lock of my hair around his finger. “Sarah, do you know what I like most about you? You’re compliant. Smart. Rational. Sane.” He applied pressure to my chin. “Right now, you’re acting in a way that is very annoying.” My heart felt like it was being stuck by a thousand needles. A dense, stinging pain surged through my body. He leaned in and kissed away the tear at the corner of my eye, his hand moving down. My body’s instinctual reaction made me shudder slightly against my will. He let out a sharp laugh, the sound filled with ridicule. “Don’t act so aggrieved. After all, you enjoy this too, don’t you?” I pushed him away with all my might and frantically grabbed my clothes, pulling them on over my head. He sat back, resting his chin on one hand, watching me amusedly. “By the way, you know my fiancée. She’s timid. Don’t go near her, don’t scare her.” I froze mid-motion. A horrifying premonition seized my brain. “Who is it?” “The Sterling Group heiress. Harper Sterling.” It was like a lightning bolt struck me. My brain felt like it exploded, pressure throbbing violently at my temples, mixed with a piercing pain. “Why her? You know… she…” “That was all a misunderstanding.” Ethan reached out, pulled me back toward him, and got down on one knee to slide my high heels back onto my feet. “Harper already explained everything to me. If you are disrespectful to her because of things that happened in high school, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” He squeezed my ankle hard, looking up at me. It was an open threat. The pain made it almost impossible to sit still. I forced a sliver of a voice out of my throat. “Understood.” 02 Winter in the Midwest is unforgivably cold. I stood by the railing of the downtown bridge, the wind stinging my face like a slap. I used to think that Ethan and I would get married, have kids, and live a quiet, happy life just like any other loving couple. After all, no other man had ever treated me as well as he did. He would clumsily cook my favorite dishes. Even though he hated the smell of spicy crawfish, he still took me to a shack on the Gulf just to get the authentic stuff. He even went to a simulation class to experience the pain of childbirth, crying as he told me we shouldn’t have kids because he didn’t want me to suffer. I thought he loved me to his core. But it turns out, he never once considered marrying me, let alone having a family with me. The wind howled past, and the black water rushed furiously beneath the bridge. I lifted my foot to step onto the bottom railing, intending to just feel the wind, but someone suddenly grabbed me from behind in a tight bear hug. It was an older woman, her face filled with panic, gripping my arm tightly. “Oh dear, I’ve been watching you for a while. It’s not worth it, sweetie, it really isn’t.” “If something happened to you, it would break your parents’ hearts.” “Life is long. There’s nothing you can’t get through.” She practically forced her own gloves, scarf, and beanie onto me. Finally, she pulled a warm, foil-wrapped breakfast burrito from her coat pocket and shoved it into my hand. I had been holding back tears for so long, but at that moment, they completely exploded. I sobbed uncontrollably. I wasn’t trying to jump. I just wanted to freeze myself into feeling rational again. I wanted to accept the brutal reality that Ethan Cross did not love me. But facing this stranger’s warmth, I suddenly felt so aggrieved, so full of resentment. 03 By the time Ethan’s call came through, I was already back at my apartment. “I’m formally introducing Harper to everyone tomorrow. You should be there.” I gripped the phone, my hand slowly tightening. “I don’t want to go.” Ethan let out a soft scoff. “Sarah, this is a notification, not a request. Harper wants you there.” “I said I don’t want to go.” My voice was terribly raspy. The cold wind from earlier seemed to have blown into my very bones. A bone-deep chill settled into my core. “Sarah!” Ethan lost his patience, his voice booming through the speaker. “If I don’t see you tomorrow, you can forget about ever getting your mother’s prescription covered again.” The line went dead. I leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor, collapsing. 04 Having been with Ethan for five years, I knew his friends well enough. So, at the party, when they saw me, their eyes were filled with mockery. “How does she still have the nerve to show up? Live as a mistress long enough, and you actually start thinking you belong here.” “Some people just don’t know what shame is. Who else would stripped naked and crawl into a bed for a promotion?” I kept my eyes on the ground, pretending to be deaf. Someone walked over and pressed his hand down on mine on the table. His sticky breath fanned against my ear. “Sarah, don’t be sad. Now that Ethan’s done with you, you can always come find me. I don’t mind seconds.” The area erupted in crude, disgusting laughter. I clenched my teeth, stood up, and took a step back to put distance between us. “Respect yourself, please.” He gave me a predatory look, scanning my body. “Still acting high and mighty? Believe it or not, I could handle you right here.” My body instantly went rigid. My palms were wet with fear. I looked toward the door over and over, desperately hoping Ethan would walk in. I knew exactly how vicious these people could be. At a moment like this, only Ethan could help me. As he kept crowding me, I slowly backed into a corner. “Sarah, just give in to Mr. Miller. It’s not like trash like you has other options.” They looked at me with greed, disdain, and excitement. They were nailing me to a cross of shame. I had nowhere left to retreat. I tried to quickly dart around him. But someone stuck their leg out, tripping me. I crashed to the floor. My arm caught a bottle of Cabernet on the adjacent table. It fell and shattered. I landed with both hands directly onto the glass shards. My white dress was instantly stained red with blood. The crowd erupted in roars of laughter. I struggled to move, trying to stand up, but a sharp, agonizing pain shot up from my ankle. Mark Miller bent down and grabbed my wrist. “Sarah, let me help you…” The door suddenly opened. Ethan walked in, Harper Sterling on his arm. They were late. He saw me sprawled on the floor. He frowned. “What’s going on?” “Sarah wasn’t careful. She tripped and broke a wine bottle. Mr. Miller was just trying to help her up,” someone smoothed over. Ethan’s gaze moved to Mark Miller’s hand gripping my wrist. His expression darkened slightly. “Let go.” Mark awkwardly stood up, backing away from me. “Mr. Cross, don’t misinterpret this.” Ethan walked over quickly, a faint trace of worry in his eyes. “Ethan, let me help Ms. Jenkins up.” Harper Sterling’s voice was soft and warm, interrupting him as he started to bend down. Ethan froze for a microsecond, then stood back up. “Alright.” Harper extended her hand to me. I looked at that smiling face, and it was like I was transported back ten years. Pure terror broke me into a cold sweat. “Ms. Jenkins, do you not like me helping you?” She looked innocent, a trace of grievance in her voice. Before I could speak. Ethan said with a cold face, “If she doesn’t want to get up, let her crawl on the floor. What an embarrassment.” “Ethan, don’t speak to a woman like that,” Harper chided softly, helping me up. “Are you okay?” Then, she whispered close to my ear, just loud enough for me to hear. “Even though everyone knows Mark is a predator, you didn’t have to humiliate yourself like this just to get his attention.” Her face was full of concern, but her eyes were venomous. She viciously pinched the glass wounds on my hand. The pain was unbearable. I violently pushed her away. “Get away from me. Don’t touch me.” Harper staggered back a step and fell toward the floor. I stared straight at her, wishing with every fiber of my being that she would fall onto the broken glass. Unfortunately, Ethan caught her. He stepped forward furiously and slapped me across the face. “Harper was kindly trying to help you, and you treat her like this? You ungrateful bitch.” My ears were ringing. I felt like I stepped off a ledge, plunging into darkness. Ethan’s mouth was opening and closing; he was probably saying more horrible things, but I couldn’t hear him. When my senses finally returned, I only heard the last sentence. “Sarah, apologize to Harper.” I looked at him in disbelief, wanting to defend myself, but not knowing how to say it. Even if I did say it, Ethan wouldn’t believe me. “I am telling you for the last time. Apologize. Otherwise, you know what I’m capable of.” His voice held an undertone of a threat. I curled my lips in a self-deprecating smile, letting out a bitter laugh. “If I don’t apologize, you’ll cut off my mother’s treatment, right?” He snorted coldly and said nothing else. How ridiculous. The man who once swore he would never let me suffer a single grievance was now forcing me to apologize to the person who used to bully me. Just a week ago, he was sitting in front of my mom, peeling an apple for her, swearing that she would live to be a hundred. “Forget it, Ethan. Sarah didn’t do anything wrong. She just doesn’t like me, that’s all.” Harper’s eyes were downcast, pulling on Ethan’s sleeve. “I don’t need your hypocrisy,” I snapped, not knowing where the courage came from. Harper looked frightened by me. Her rim med with red, and she shrunk back behind Ethan. “Don’t be scared,” Ethan comforted her gently. Then he turned and viciously kicked my knee. “Watch your attitude!” I was forced to my knees on the ground. “Apologize, Sarah. Don’t push me.” Ethan’s jaw was tight, a storm brewing in his eyes. My heart was completely dead. My body didn’t even seem to feel the pain anymore. My mom’s illness could only be treated with a specialty drug developed by Ethan’s company. I could not sacrifice my mother’s life for the sake of my dignity. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I beg for Ms. Sterling’s forgiveness.” I looked down, my voice shattered and broken. 05 Late that night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, listening to the torrential rain outside. I heard the smart lock chime as the front door opened. A moment later, the sound of the shower ran in the bathroom. I turned over and closed my eyes. The other side of the bed dipped, and I was pulled into a damp, cold embrace. “Does your face still hurt?” He asked neutrally. “We broke up.” I pushed him away calmly. He let out a light laugh. “Still angry? It was just an apology.” I tightly gripped my nightgown. “Stop it, I’m having a hard time right now,” he mumbled, his voice hoarse, burying his face in the crook of my neck. “Why didn’t you go to Harper Sterling?” “We’re not married yet. It wouldn’t be right to do this to her.” My heart was completely ash. I let my hands fall lifelessly, like a dead fish. Ethan struggled for a while, but seeing I was unresponsive, he turned over and flipped on the bedside lamp. “Sarah, do you have to ruin the mood like this?” He lit a cigarette, his cold gaze sweeping over my barely covered body. “I really don’t know what you’re dissatisfied about.” “If it weren’t for me, could you afford to live this decently?” I clenched the bedsheets, tears silently flowing down my face and into my ears. He forcefully turned my face toward him. When he saw my red, swollen eyes, he froze. His phone on the nightstand suddenly buzzed. It was Harper Sterling calling. “Ethan, it’s thundering. I’m so scared.” He comforted her with a few soft words, then quickly put his clothes back on. He turned to look down at me, his voice freezing. “Sarah, you need to seriously reflect on yourself. Don’t just cry over every little thing. Crying doesn’t solve any problems.” He was right. Crying doesn’t solve any problems. But nobody cries because they want to solve problems. 06 I stood outside the hospital room door and took several deep breaths before pushing it open. “Whose mom is this? Why is she so pretty?” I teased with a smile. My mom was sitting in bed, knitting a scarf. When she saw me, she dropped the yarn and waved me over. “There’s my girl.” Then she pretended to be angry. “Hmph. You haven’t been here to see me in days.” I happily hugged her. “I was just here two days ago. Didn’t the doctor say you need to rest? What are you busy with now?” She took my hand, showing off her work. “Oh, just lying here gets so boring. I’m knitting scarves for you and Ethan.” “Is this color nice? I specifically picked matching ones for couples.” My eyes stung with sourness. I slowly ran my hand over the scarf. “It’s beautiful.” “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” My mom realized my mood was off, her voice filled with worry. “Did you and Ethan have a fight?” “No.” I snuffed. “I just feel so lucky to have you, Mom.” “Silly child.” My mom patted my shoulder gently. “I only have one wish in this life, and that is for you to be happy and safe. I can’t be with you forever. You have to walk your own path in the future. Ethan is a good man, you can rely on him. When two people are together, there will always be disagreements, but as long as you talk it out, it’ll be fine.” “I know, Mom. Don’t worry, Ethan and I… are great.” I looked down to hide my expression. “That’s good.” My mom nodded in relief. “One of these days, when he isn’t busy, bring him by and we’ll all have… cough cough cough…” My mom suddenly started coughing, unable to catch her breath, her mouth suddenly filled with bright red blood. “Doctor! Nurse!” I frantically pressed the call button. A massive panic seized me. 07 After emergency resuscitation, my mom was temporarily out of danger. I stopped the primary physician in the hallway. “My mother’s condition has been stable for years. What happened today?” Dr. Lee looked at me with a complicated expression. “Ms. Jenkins, you should probably talk to Mr. Cross.” “What do you mean?” “Mr. Cross cut off the coverage for her specialty drug. If this happens again, I’m afraid your mother won’t make it. You need to handle this immediately.” My heart dropped into a bottomless pit. I frantically dialed Ethan’s number, but it showed that his phone was off. I called over twenty times, with the same result. I knew this was my punishment for not being “compliant” last night. He was waiting for me to beg. I looked everywhere—at the office, his house, his private club, the golf course. He was nowhere to be found. I collapsed helplessly against the front of my car. Finally, the housekeeper at his villa couldn’t watch me suffer anymore and told me where Ethan was. I immediately booked the closest flight to Miami. 08 When Harper Sterling saw me, her eyes filled with genuine surprise. “Sarah? What are you doing here?” Ethan, on the other hand, was not surprised at all by my arrival. I cut straight to the chase. “Mr. Cross, my mother…” Ethan gave a low, appreciative whistle, refined his brow, and pulled Harper into a tight embrace by her waist. “I’m busy.” I took a deep breath. “Then when will you have time?” “Depends on my mood.” He leaned back, resting his chin on his hand, looking down to coax Harper. “Should I take you to watch the sunset?” “I knew you were the best, Ethan.” Harper blushed and kissed him shyly. I turned to leave, but Ethan called out to me. “Stay right there. Don’t move.” 09 The night grew deeper. A few stars poked through the high sky. Giggles and soft sounds kept drifting out from Ethan’s suite. I looked down at the potted hibiscus nearby; there were fewer blooms this year than in the past. For the five years I was with Ethan, he took me here every winter. The same hotel. The same room. The pool, the lounge chairs, the balcony swing. Every inch of this place witnessed our past happiness. He really knew how to find new ways to humiliate me. But it didn’t matter. As long as my mother lived, I would do anything. The door was pushed open from the inside. I lifted my eyes, then immediately looked back down. “Sarah, you are just as spineless as always.” Harper smiled as she walked up to me, a lit cigarette dangling between her fingers. The terror that had disappeared for so long drilled back into my brain. For a dazed moment, I was back in high school. It was the same kind of lit cigarette. They had shamelessly used me as a human ashtray. Ash tapped into my mouth. Cherry pressed against my skin. They forced me into the abandoned art room. Harper said that if I crawled on all fours like a dog, they wouldn’t go cause trouble at my mom’s street food stall. Day after day. For all three years of high school—what should have been the brightest years of my life—I lived in an absolute living hell. Someone kicked the back of my knee, forcing me to stumble. Harper leaned close to my ear, her voice like a demon’s whisper. “Don’t be scared. Your life is only going to get more miserable from now on.” I looked up, staring straight into her eyes, asking the question I had wanted to ask for years. “Why? Why do you hate me so much?” She laughed arrogantly. “Sarah, you are still so naive. Hating someone doesn’t need a reason, just like loving someone doesn’t need a reason. From the moment I saw you, I despised you. Everything you want to protect, I want to take away. Including your mother.” Alarm bells went off in my head. A moment later, Dr. Lee’s call came through. “Ms. Jenkins, your mother needs the medication immediately, or…” I didn’t stay to hear the rest. I yanked open the door to the suite. “Ethan Cross, get out here. I’m begging you. Cover my mother’s medication again.” I woke him up. He looked annoyed, then quickly got out of bed and rushed toward me. A sliver of hope ignited in my heart. But it was quickly doused. “Harper! What’s wrong? Sarah, what did you do to her?” He pushed me aside furiously and scooped up the unconscious Harper from the floor behind me. I anxiously explained, “I didn’t! She’s faking it! Ethan, please, call the hospital. If my mom doesn’t have that medicine, she will die.” He snorted coldly. “Sarah, you really will stop at nothing. Just to get my attention, you’re actually cursing your own mother to die. You are truly shameless and disgusting.” “If anything happens to Harper, I will never forgive you.” He rushed out with her in his arms. I knelt on the floor, grabbing the cuff of his jeans. “I am telling the truth! It only takes a minute to make a phone call! Ethan, please! If you make the call, I will do anything. I’ll apologize to Harper Sterling with my life if you want!” “Get lost.” Ethan kicked me hard in the chest. “Your mother must be so miserable having a daughter like you.” 10 By the time I rushed back to the hospital, completely frantic, it was too late. I never got to see my mother for the last time. I collapsed to the floor. It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing my heart, ripping it right out of my chest. Dr. Lee walked over and handed me a paper bag. “I’m sorry.” His eyes were full of guilt. I slowly opened it. The two brightly colored scarves were inside. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I cried out in agony. “Mom, I was wrong… It’s all my fault!” 11 After finishing my mother’s funeral arrangements, I locked myself in my apartment. On the third day, Ethan showed up. He disgustedly yanked open the blackout curtains. “What? Planning to die here? You’re going through all this life-and-death drama just over a little medication hitch?” “Do you love me that much?” The bright light outside instantly stung my eyes. Then he threw a designer handbag at me. “Here. The one you’ve always wanted. I brought it straight here from the airport.” Ethan’s mouth kept opening and closing. My head hurt so much from the noise. “Get out.” I stood up, hysterical, grabbed a pair of scissors from the table, and viciously stabbed them into the handbag over and over. “Have you gone insane?” Ethan walked over, clamped my wrists, and threw the scissors away. “Sarah, think about your mother before you do anything stupid. My patience is not unlimited. If you keep throwing these tantrums, you will never get that medication covered.” I suddenly started laughing. The laughter grew louder and louder, eventually turning into choking sobs. I forcefully slapped him across the face, pointing at the black-and-white photo on the wall. “My mother is dead.” 12 “That’s not possible. When?” Ethan froze, a trace of suspicion in his eyes. “Sarah, are you lying to me again?” I didn’t have the energy left to argue with him. I leaned against the table, breathing heavily. He violently grabbed my wrist, forcing me to look up. “Sarah, speak to me. You do not joke about things like this.” I let out a cold scoff, fighting the urge to vomit. “You’re right. I am lying to you. My mom isn’t dead at all. I staged this whole thing.” “Now that you’ve caught me, can you get the hell out?” He tightened his jaw, his eyes turning cold. He snorted and flung my hand away. “Don’t ever play stupid games like this again.” 13 After Ethan left, I changed the security code on the door lock. I called a real estate agent I knew to list the apartment. “Ms. Jenkins, the market isn’t great right now. The price might…” I interrupted him. “It doesn’t matter. Just sell it as quickly as possible.” This was the apartment I bought during my second year with Ethan. Back then, I thought he was just a struggling artist. To reassure my mom, I worked myself to the bone, saving every penny to make the down payment on this place, intending for it to be our future home. Later, when his true identity was revealed, I broke up with him in a rage. He stood outside in the pouring rain all night. Asking me pitifully, “Sarah, I was wrong. Please don’t leave me.” I was soft-hearted. I made him ginger tea to ward off the chill. I thought I had found true love.

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When my brother was just a baby, I found out he had been accidentally switched at birth with the son of the wealthiest family in the state. Back then, I made sure they were switched back. Years later, my brother found out the truth. He blamed me for being a meddlesome busybody, screaming that I had ruined his life as a billionaire’s heir. Driven by years of festering resentment, he sneaked into my room while I was sleeping and released a venomous snake, letting me be bitten to death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the time before the switch was exposed. This time, I kept my mouth shut. Because someone as purely evil as him didn’t deserve a life of wealth and luxury. 01 Ever since my brother, Tyler, was little, my parents assigned me the role of his caretaker, constantly warning me that I had to yield to him in everything. If he cried, it was my fault for not watching him properly. If he tore up my homework, it was my fault for leaving it out. In short, whatever mistakes my brother made were ultimately my fault. If there was good food in the house, Tyler always got first pick. Whatever he couldn’t finish went to our parents. Only if there were leftovers did I get a share. If it was all gone, then it was gone. If I dared to complain or cry, all I got was a severe beating. They constantly brainwashed me with the idea that I had to accommodate him, to be good to him. They said that when I grew up and got married, my brother would be my safety net, the one who would back me up if I ever ran into trouble with my husband’s family. They preached this day in and day out. But after being killed by him once, how could I ever believe that garbage again? Of course, I knew there was no point in arguing with them. My parents’ hearts were permanently biased. This time around, I didn’t tell a single soul about the hospital mix-up. In my past life, I had been naive and revealed the truth. From then on, my mom would constantly bring it up in front of Tyler. When Tyler grew up, he secretly went to look at that wealthy family. He found out they were ridiculously rich, the wealthiest family in the region. His mind completely snapped. He hated me to his core, eventually dropping a venomous snake into my room to kill me. So, this time, I buried the secret. I knew the only way to escape this toxic household was to study hard, get into an out-of-state college, and leave this city for good. That was the only way to break free from their control. Once my mind was made up, I hid all my dissatisfaction and resentment. I never fought with Tyler over anything. Aside from studying, I acted like someone with zero desires. Because I worked so hard, my grades were outstanding. I was constantly praised by my teachers, and since my academic success gave my parents something to brag about, they treated me tolerably well. That was until Tyler turned six, and something massive happened. A family in our neighborhood lost their cat and put up missing posters everywhere. The poster made it very clear: the cat was a highly expensive purebred. If someone had mistakenly taken her, they needed to return her immediately. If the cat wasn’t returned within three days, they were calling the police. When my mom came home for dinner, she brought it up as a casual joke. Unexpectedly, Tyler slipped from his chair and fell to the floor. Startled, my mom rushed to help him up. “Tyler, sweetie, are you okay?” Tyler refused to look at her, visibly panicking. My mom froze for a second, her voice trembling in disbelief. “Tyler… did you take that cat?” “I… I… Mom, I didn’t mean to! If they call the cops, are the police gonna arrest me?! I don’t want to go to jail, I’m scared!” No matter how malicious Tyler was, he was still just a little kid. The threat of the police terrified him. He grabbed my mom’s sleeve and begged. “Mom, I’m sorry! I just thought it looked fun to play with! Don’t let the police take me!” His words hit the house like a bomb. My mom stared at him, her eyes wide. “You actually took their cat?! Why would you take someone else’s cat?! Hurry, where is it? I’ll go return it right now!” Tyler kept his head down, mumbling incoherently. My dad, sensing something was very wrong, roared at him. “You little brat, that cat is worth thousands of dollars! Where is it?! Speak!” “Oh, stop yelling at him! He’s just a little boy, talk to him nicely,” my mom complained, unable to bear seeing my dad scold her precious son. She turned to Tyler with a gentle voice. “Tyler, don’t be scared. Tell Mommy, where did you put the cat?” Perhaps sensing that she wasn’t mad at him, he finally looked up and spoke slowly. “Mom, I just saw it after school and thought it was pretty. I played with it for a bit, but it was so fragile. It died super fast, so I just buried it!” 02 A dead silence fell over the room. My parents looked at each other, unable to believe that their precious six-year-old had tortured a cat to death. But I wasn’t surprised in the slightest. He was a psychopath born with a rotten core. This was just the beginning. After the initial shock wore off, panic set in. It was painfully obvious from my parents’ faces that they had absolutely no intention of paying thousands of dollars in compensation. Right then, their eyes landed on me, sitting silently on the sidelines. They exchanged a look and turned my way. “Chloe!” my mom started. “Look, your brother is little and doesn’t know any better. He made a tiny mistake. Can’t you think of a way to help him out?” I frowned in disbelief. Why would they ask me, a high school sophomore, for a solution? “The only solution is to go to their door, apologize, and pay them for the cat! There is no other way.” My mom seemed to be waiting exactly for me to say that. She immediately jumped in. “Chloe! You know we don’t have that kind of money. That cat is worth thousands! Where would we get it? How about this… you take the blame for your brother. Your dad and I will take you over there and beg them for mercy. Who knows, maybe they’ll just forgive us?” I couldn’t believe my ears. I shot up from my chair. “Me take the blame?! Do you two have any sense of right and wrong?! He’s six years old and already torturing animals! Instead of disciplining him, you’re covering for him. Aren’t you afraid he’s going to grow up to be a monster? “Whoever committed the crime does the apologizing! We’d be begging them either way, so why does it have to be me?!” Smack! Seeing that I was refusing to take the fall and even daring to lecture them, my dad crossed the room and slapped me hard across the face. “You do what you’re told! I feed you, I put a roof over your head, and it sure as hell isn’t so you can talk back to me!” He hit me so hard I was knocked to the floor. Blood instantly pooled in the corner of my mouth. Tyler watched from the side, a gleeful smirk on his face. He was young, but he was cunning. He understood perfectly that my parents were shifting the blame onto me. All the panic completely vanished from his face. My mom squatted down, pulled me up, and wiped the blood from my mouth with fake tenderness. “Chloe, don’t be mad at your dad. Your brother is a boy, after all. If he really gets a police record, his reputation will be ruined! If he doesn’t go, and they call the cops, what if they take him away? “Be a good girl. Just help your brother this one time. Mom will make your favorite dinner tonight!” So, in their eyes, my reputation meant absolutely nothing. My feelings didn’t matter at all. In that moment, the urge to escape this house became overwhelming. I didn’t say another word. I knew arguing was useless. Any further resistance would just earn me another brutal beating. I needed to think of a different way out. Assuming my silence meant compliance, my mom grabbed my arm and dragged me out the door. 03 The cat owners were a young couple. When they saw us at their door, they were initially confused. After hearing the story, the young woman, Emily, refused to believe it. It wasn’t until my parents led her to a secluded corner of the neighborhood and dug up the cat’s body that she finally broke down. The little cat was covered in blood and dirt. There wasn’t an inch of unharmed fur on its body, and its four legs were bent at grotesque angles. Emily collapsed, sobbing hysterically as she held the cat’s body. She completely lost it, pointing a shaking finger right at me. “You look like such a quiet, normal girl. How could you be so evil?! Bella was so sweet, how could you do this?! I don’t care, I’m calling the cops! I’m going to make sure you rot in juvenile detention!” Seeing this, my mom panicked and shoved my head down, forcing me to bow. “Chloe, apologize! Tell her you’re sorry right now! Tell her that as long as she doesn’t call the police, she can do whatever she wants to you!” My mom’s grip was painfully tight. Her words sent a chill straight to my bones. If this woman wanted to beat me half to death, my parents would probably hand her the bat. Smack! “You wretched girl! Your mother told you to apologize, are you deaf?! Apologize!” My dad slapped the other side of my face. The cut on my lip tore open again, dripping fresh blood. Seeing me get hit didn’t ease Emily’s fury. She screamed at my parents. “Enough! Stop putting on a show! Do you think slapping her a few times means I’ll forgive this?! Let me make this clear: I am calling the police. Not only is your psycho daughter going to juvie, but you are paying me for my cat!” Hearing about me going to juvie didn’t faze my parents at all, but the moment they heard “paying,” the color drained from their faces. My mom forced a sickeningly sweet smile. “Miss, please! Look, my daughter is still a minor. Can’t you give her a second chance? I know what she did was extreme, but I promise, as long as you forgive her and don’t make us pay, you can make her do whatever you want!” “What could she possibly do for me?! Can anything she does bring Bella back?!” Emily wept uncontrollably, cradling the dead cat. My mom, with her twisted logic, suddenly grabbed me by the hair and started viciously beating me. “Then I’ll beat her for you! I’ll beat her senseless! Will that make you feel better?!” I raised my arms to protect my head. Beside her, my dad grabbed a thick wooden branch from the ground and started striking me. Seeing my dad join in, my mom simply pinned me down so he could have a better angle to swing. While I screamed in agony, curled up defensively on the ground, Tyler stood on the sidelines, completely silent. His eyes were practically glowing with excitement. 04 The young couple had never seen anything like this. Emily opened her mouth to stop them, but looking down at her cold, broken cat, she clamped her mouth shut. Because Tyler had buried the cat in an isolated corner of the subdivision, there weren’t usually many people around. But the commotion was so loud that a crowd quickly gathered. An older woman, seeing me getting brutally beaten, stepped right in. “What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill the kid?! I’m telling you, child abuse is a felony! Stop it right now!” My mom, seeing the crowd intervene and noticing that Emily still hadn’t said a word of forgiveness, didn’t let go of me. She just paused her swings to explain. “Lady, mind your own business! This kid tortured a cat. Look at what she did to their poor pet! If I don’t beat some sense into her today, she’ll never learn!” My mom’s words instantly drew the crowd’s eyes to the cat. That was when they noticed the bloody, mangled corpse in Emily’s arms. Some of the younger kids in the crowd started crying in fear. The adults stopped trying to intervene. Some self-righteous bystanders even started agreeing with my parents. “That is purely evil. She needs to be taught a lesson. Keep hitting her!” “You really can’t judge a book by its cover. Such a quiet-looking girl, who knew she was a sociopath? Terrifying!” “She deserves it. If you don’t discipline her now, who knows what she’ll do to a person next!” … I lay on the dirt, protecting my head, groaning and thrashing. Eventually, I was too weak to even move, lying there gasping for air like a slab of dead meat. 05 After what felt like an eternity, my parents finally started to get scared. They didn’t actually want to murder me in front of dozens of witnesses. My mom let go of me, crawled over to Emily, and begged through crocodile tears. “Miss, please! Please just forgive my daughter! We are so poor, we really can’t afford to pay you thousands of dollars!” Blood had soaked through my shirt. Seeing how severely I had been beaten, Emily finally relented. “Just… take her home and get her psychological help. To do something like this as a minor… it’s terrifying.” My mom knew immediately that they were off the hook. She exchanged a thrilled look with my dad, grabbed Tyler’s hand, and turned to leave. They didn’t even cast a single glance at me bleeding on the ground. Right at that moment, I slowly pushed myself up. Facing the crowd that was just starting to disperse, I cried out: “I didn’t torture the cat… I didn’t do anything! He did it!” With my face covered in dirt and blood, I pointed a trembling finger at Tyler, who froze and turned around. “My brother tortured the cat… My parents favor sons over daughters. They forced me to take the blame for him so they wouldn’t have to pay! They beat me half to death to put on a show… I won’t be framed! I can’t take this anymore, call the police!” “You lying little bitch, shut your mouth!” My dad raised the branch and lunged at me. But halfway there, a burly man stepped in and grabbed his wrist. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Is what this girl saying true?! If you’re lying to us, I’m calling the cops right now!” “Yeah! Did you really beat your own daughter half to death to cover for your son?! Speak up!” “Wait, it was your son who killed my Bella?! If you lied to me, I’ll sue you for everything you own!” The crowd and Emily exploded in outrage. My dad froze, terrified by the angry mob. My mom, always the slickest liar, immediately tried to do damage control. “Don’t listen to her nonsense! She’s just scared because we disciplined her, so she’s making up lies! Chloe, get up! We are going home right now!” She reached out to grab me, shooting me a lethal glare warning me to shut up. But I had endured that brutal beating specifically to break away from them. There was no way I was backing down now! “I’m not lying! There are security cameras at the neighborhood entrance. Check them, and you’ll see who was walking around with the cat!” 06 Someone in the crowd had already dialed 911, and the police arrived shortly after. They didn’t listen to a word of my parents’ excuses and took all of us to the precinct for an investigation. As soon as the truth came out, my parents panicked. My mom immediately changed her tune, claiming Tyler was too young and had a weak constitution, which was why they wanted me to take the blame. She blamed Emily for being “too ruthless” and forcing them to beat me so severely to earn her forgiveness. Emily was so furious at my mom’s twisted logic that she broke down in tears again. Her boyfriend, Matt, comforted her and angrily addressed the police. “Officers, the way they brutally assaulted their daughter tonight clearly shows this isn’t the first time. If you don’t intervene, this girl is going to be beaten to death by her own parents!” Matt was smart; he pushed the issue of child abuse to the forefront. The officer looked at me, advised me to get medical attention, and promised to give my parents a stern warning. “They definitely won’t dare lay a hand on you again after this!” I frantically shook my head. I knew exactly what I was doing. My injuries looked horrific, but they were mostly superficial flesh wounds. More importantly, I knew I couldn’t waste this opportunity. There would never be a better one. “I exposed their secret! If I go back with them, they will definitely beat me again! “Officer, I’m seventeen. I want to file for legal emancipation. I want to move out and separate from them legally so they have no right to touch me ever again!” Because my birthday was late in the year, I was a few months shy of turning eighteen. If I could get emancipated or placed under state protection, any future assault by them would be treated as a full adult felony. “Emancipation?! Over my dead body! You are my blood, and you’ll die under my roof!” My dad, hot-tempered and brainless as ever, completely lost it in the precinct. I deliberately shrank back, my face pale, tears streaming down my cheeks, looking utterly traumatized. “You’re threatening me right in front of the police?! Your son tortures animals at six years old, did he learn that from you?! “By law, you committed child abuse. I have every right to request removal from your custody!” The officer looked at me sympathetically. “You’re only a few months away from eighteen, and you’re still in high school. If you leave them, how are you going to support yourself?” I looked over at Emily and Matt, pleading with my eyes. “I have straight As. Once I finish my college entrance exams, I can get a part-time job. “Could you… could you please lend me some money just to survive the next few months? I can sign a legally binding IOU!” Emily’s heart ached seeing me beaten and framed, but living expenses for a high schooler weren’t cheap. She was young herself and didn’t have much money, so she hesitated. My parents, confident that no stranger would be stupid enough to hand over money, sneered at me in disgust. I refused to lose this lifeline. I dropped to my knees in front of them and begged. “Please, I will sign a promissory note! The second I turn eighteen, I’ll get a job and pay you back with interest! Please help me, if I go back there, they will actually kill me!” I clutched Emily’s sleeve, sobbing hysterically. The blood from my hands stained her jacket. Emily couldn’t bear it anymore. She exchanged a look with Matt, and finally, she nodded. 07 The moment I got the answer I needed, the adrenaline that had been holding me together crashed, and I passed out. I spent a week in the hospital. When I woke up, I applied for emergency student housing at my high school. My parents tried to drag me home, but the school administration, having heard that my parents put me in the hospital, barred them from campus to protect my studies. A few months later, I officially turned eighteen. I marched to the police station, filed the paperwork, and had an officer escort me home to retrieve my vital documents. My parents were furious, but legally, there was nothing they could do. The moment I held my own birth certificate and social security card in my hands, I let out a long breath. From that moment on, I was an independent adult. They could never control me again. Time flew by, and the SATs were just around the corner. Right before exam week, my guidance counselor called me into her office with urgent news. “Chloe, your mom called. Your dad drank too much and suffered a massive stroke. It doesn’t look like he’s going to make it, and your mom is begging you to come see him one last time. I’m just passing along the message, Chloe. It’s up to you to decide.” I thanked her and nodded. My dad having a stroke was something that never happened in my past life. I didn’t know if this was the butterfly effect of me moving out, or if there was some darker conspiracy at play. A stroke right before my college entrance exams? The timing was way too suspicious. I couldn’t afford a single misstep right now. But if I didn’t go, and he actually died, the social stigma of refusing to see my dying father would haunt me forever. After thinking it over, I decided to go. When I arrived at the house, it felt like they had been waiting for me. I knocked twice, and the door swung open. Seeing me, my mom’s eyes instantly went red, and tears streamed down her face. She wiped them away, choking out, “Chloe, you finally came home! Your dad… he’s not going to make it!” Honestly, in that exact second, I thought I had misjudged them. I walked inside, and my mom kept rambling about how much she missed me over the past year and how guilty she felt. I looked at my dad, lying perfectly still in bed, his face pale and eyes tightly shut. My suspicions eased a fraction. A moment later, my mom handed me a glass of water. “Chloe, drink some warm water. Your dad… we just have to leave it in God’s hands now.” I took the glass. Looking down, I noticed a faint layer of white powder settling at the bottom. We only ever drank filtered bottled water in this house. There shouldn’t be any sediment! My heart hammered against my ribs. I knew instantly it was a trap, but I pretended not to notice and took a few small sips. Then, using the excuse of needing the bathroom, I locked myself inside. I turned on the faucet to muffle the sound, shoved my fingers down my throat, and threw everything up. When I came out, I pretended to feel dizzy. I slumped onto the dining table and faked falling into a deep sleep. My mom called my name a few times to test the waters. When I didn’t respond, she dropped the act entirely and yelled toward the bedroom. “Richard, get up! The brat passed out!” Immediately, I heard the rustle of blankets being thrown off. My dad was perfectly fine. It was all an act. But what was their goal in tricking me back here? Smack! My dad walked up and slapped me hard across the face. I forced myself to stay completely limp and kept my eyes shut. “You ungrateful little bitch, thought you could spread your wings and fly? Thought you could cut ties with us? If you hate living here so much, I’ll ship you off to someone else’s house!” “Hey, stop hitting her! Don’t damage the goods. If Earl sees bruises tonight, he’s gonna lower the price! We need that money for Tyler’s college fund!” my mom quickly intervened, seeing my face start to swell. “He wouldn’t dare! He’s a fifty-year-old creep getting a fresh young bride. If he tries to short me on the twenty grand, the deal is off!” A fifty-year-old creep? Twenty grand?! They orchestrated this massive lie just to drug me and traffic me to some old man! It was as sickeningly predictable as always. 08 They dragged me into my old bedroom, tied me to the bed, and left to call this ‘Earl’ guy to finalize the pick-up time. The moment the bedroom door clicked shut, my eyes snapped open. I sat up. Because they assumed I was drugged, their knot-tying was incredibly sloppy. It looked complicated, but it was loose. Within minutes, I had untied myself. I pressed my ear against the door. Hearing no movement outside, I quietly slipped out. But just as my hand touched the front doorknob, Tyler suddenly appeared from the hallway and shrieked. “Chloe’s awake! Mom! Dad! Chloe woke up!” His voice was deafening. I frantically twisted the doorknob, but Tyler lunged forward and grabbed my waist, anchoring me. My parents never hid anything from him. He knew exactly what they were planning to do to me. Yet here he was, stopping me from escaping. It was pure, unadulterated malice. To him, I wasn’t a sister anymore. I was a commodity that was going to buy him video games and a college fund. “You can’t leave! You can’t go! Mom! Dad!” He was a boy, but he was only seven. With a hard shove, I threw him aside, but the delay was enough. My parents burst out of the living room and cornered me. “You little rat, I underestimated you! How did you wake up so fast? Trying to run?!” My dad lunged, shoving me violently away from the door, his eyes full of mockery. I knew I couldn’t overpower them both right now, so I resorted to screaming at them. “Are you even my real parents?! My exams are in two days, and you’re trying to traffic me?!” “College is a waste of money! You might not claim us, but we’re still your parents! You’re eighteen now. Today, you’re getting married, and paying us back for raising you!” “Twenty thousand dollars! You’re selling me for twenty grand! Dad, let me go, and I’ll pay you back fifty thousand!” My dad paused. The sheer dollar amount made him hesitate. He looked at me suspiciously. “You can get fifty thousand?” “Once I go to college and get a corporate job, fifty thousand is nothing! Tyler is only seven, you don’t even need the twenty grand right now. Let me go, and I’ll sign a legal promissory note!” My dad’s eyes lit up with pure greed. My worth to him was entirely monetary. My heart was ice cold, but I was relieved. I had found an opening to save myself. But just as my dad was wavering, Tyler suddenly shouted. “I don’t want it later! I want the twenty grand now! I want to buy a new PlayStation! I want the money now!” My mom had always spoiled him rotten. She was naturally cowardly and had no mind of her own, so she echoed her golden boy. “Richard, if she really goes off to college, do you think she’ll ever come back? What if she just rips up the IOU? Tyler is right. Cash in hand today is safer!”

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After spending $600 to buy my mom a new washing machine, she did nothing but complain that it didn’t wash clean. “Honestly, you’re pretty calculating. You didn’t even split the $10 you got from selling the old washer with your sister; you just pocketed it yourself.” My face suddenly flushed. I thought she was joking, so I forced an awkward smile and asked her why she would think that. She rolled her eyes at me and changed the subject: “This piece of junk washer leaves the sheets and duvet covers soaking wet.” I took a look and realized she was using the 15-minute “Quick Wash” cycle. As I adjusted the settings for larger loads and explained which cycles to use for which clothes, she pushed me aside and stubbornly turned the dial back to “Quick Wash.” “Your sister said Quick Wash saves water and is gentler on clothes.” She got angrier as she spoke, slamming the laundry basket down. “You calculate every little thing! It’s not like you’re paying the water bill, so of course you don’t care. Unlike your sister, who considers everything for us.” My heart went cold. I called the junk hauler, paid him $20 to buy the old washer back, and moved the new one into my own apartment. 1 I got an $800 bonus from a project at work, and I immediately thought of the washing machine at my parents’ house. It was over a decade old, the kind of ancient machine where you had to manually take the wet clothes out and put them into a separate spin-dryer tub. Sometimes, when washing heavy items, they would soak up so much water that it was a huge struggle for my mom to lift them. She’d almost thrown her back out several times. I specifically took half a day off on delivery day. Watching the junk hauler carry away the old washer, I felt a warm glow inside, thinking about how surprised and happy my mom would be when she got home. My mom came back from her Zumba class, opened the door, and froze. Still holding her workout towel, she stood in the doorway of the bathroom, staring at the new washing machine for a long time. “Where’s the old one?” she asked. “Sold it to the junk guy,” I said, wiping down the control panel of the new machine. “Only got ten bucks for it.” Her expression instantly changed, and she threw her towel onto the sofa with a smack. “Who gave you permission to make that decision?!” Her voice was shrill enough to startle me. “That washer still worked fine!” I thought she was just being her usual frugal self, so I hurried to explain. “Mom, this new one is energy-efficient and quiet, and it can…” “Spendthrift!” she cut me off, turning on her heel and marching into the kitchen. She turned the faucet on full blast, vigorously scrubbing a dishcloth that didn’t even need washing, as if she were venting her anger. She didn’t speak to me for the rest of the night, not even touching the macarons I had specially bought for her. Two days later, while I was at work, my phone suddenly rang. As soon as I answered, I heard her yelling on the other end: “What kind of piece of junk washing machine did you buy?! It doesn’t wash clean at all!” When I rushed over, she was pulling bedsheets out of the drum. Detergent had clumped together, sticking to the soaking wet fabric, and water was dripping down, forming a small puddle on the floor. I crouched down to check what was wrong. “Honestly, you’re pretty calculating,” she said suddenly. My fingers paused, and I looked up at her. She was scrubbing the outside of the washing machine hard with a rag, not even looking at me. “You didn’t even split the ten bucks you got from selling the old washer with your sister; you just pocketed it yourself.” I thought I misheard her. “Huh?” “Ten dollars.” She finally straightened up and threw the rag heavily into the sink. “You even scheme over such a petty amount of money.” My face suddenly burned. I laughed awkwardly. “Mom, why would you think that…” She rolled her eyes at me and turned to pull the duvet cover out of the drum. “This piece of junk washer leaves the sheets and duvet covers soaking wet.” Only then did I notice she had been using the 15-minute “Quick Wash” cycle. No wonder the detergent hadn’t even fully dissolved. As I adjusted the settings for larger loads and explained which cycles to use for which clothes, she pushed me aside and stubbornly turned the dial back to “Quick Wash.” “Your sister said Quick Wash saves water and is gentler on clothes.” She got more agitated as she spoke, slamming the laundry basket down heavily. “You calculate every little thing! It’s not like you’re paying the water bill, so of course you don’t care. Unlike your sister, who considers everything for us.” 2 I finally understood what she was really upset about. Everything in this house, in my mom’s eyes, belonged to my sister, Chloe. Even a broken-down old washing machine that could only fetch ten dollars. Even though I spent $600 buying her a new washing machine, I shouldn’t have taken that ten dollars from the old one; I should have given it to my sister. My hand was still resting on the washing machine’s control panel, my fingertips turning cold. My mom stood nearby, impatiently shaking out the clothes that needed to be rewashed, waiting for me to move out of the way. “Mom,” my voice trembled slightly. “Do you really think that ten dollars should have gone to Chloe?” She furrowed her brow. “Who cares about ten dollars? I’m just saying that you as a person are…” “Do you?” I interrupted her, my voice sharper than I intended. “Do you think the money from selling that washing machine should belong to Chloe?” “That’s not what I meant!” My mom suddenly raised her voice. “I just think you act too selfishly, never considering anyone else.” That sentence was like a key, suddenly unlocking the floodgates of memory. Two years ago, when they remodeled the kitchen, they sold the old cabinets for $150. The money was wired directly to Chloe’s account. At the time, my mom said, “Your sister is a bit strapped for cash right now.” But back then, I had just put down the deposit on my apartment, and the monthly mortgage payments were so high I couldn’t sleep at night. “It’s been like this since we were little,” my voice grew steadier. “As long as it’s something in this house, it eventually becomes Chloe’s. You were even afraid I was taking advantage by taking the money for a broken washing machine.” My mom suddenly slammed the laundry basket down again. “What nonsense are you talking about!” “Nonsense?” I pulled out my phone. “What about the tea set Grandpa left behind last year? You said you wanted to save it for Chloe because she ‘knows how to appreciate it.’ But Grandpa explicitly said he was leaving it to me!” The washing machine emitted a shrill beep; the Quick Wash cycle was over. My mom yanked the door open, a blast of damp air from the wet clothes hitting my face. “Your sister has always been thoughtful since she was little,” she said, shaking the clothes vigorously, water droplets splashing onto my face. “Unlike you, always nitpicking over every little thing.” I wiped my face, suddenly remembering something from college. That year, I saved up my work-study money to buy my mom a cashmere sweater. Without even trying it on, she said the color was too dull. Later, I saw that exact sweater on Chloe’s Instagram, with the caption saying it was a new outfit Mom bought her. “Nitpicking?” I let out a laugh, took out my phone, and dialed the junk hauler. “Hey, Frank, could you bring back that washing machine from the other day… yeah, the one I sold you for ten bucks… Pay extra? How much? …Fine, twenty bucks it is.” My mom snapped her head around. “What are you doing?!” “Buying my sister’s washing machine back,” I said, hanging up the phone. My voice was so light it didn’t sound like my own. “After all, it’s ten dollars. I can’t just pocket that all by myself.” Her face instantly turned bright red. “Are you crazy? Why are you wasting money buying that junk back?!” “Wasting money?” I nodded. “I spent six hundred dollars on this new washing machine. It was the bonus from the project I worked late nights to finish. Do you know what I use? The broken, secondhand washer the previous owner left behind. It sounds like a tractor when it runs. I’ll take this new one back for myself to use. This way, no one wastes any money, and you can keep living with your precious sister’s washing machine.” My mom opened her mouth, seemingly unable to believe I would say such a thing. After all, I had always been incredibly obedient to her, never showing a hint of defiance. She was so angry she couldn’t speak for a long time. I made another call to schedule a mover for the new washing machine that afternoon. After hanging up, the room was terrifyingly quiet, save for my mom’s heavy breathing. “Mom,” I said softly. “Do you remember the year I took the SATs?” Seeing my tone soften, she thought I was about to apologize. Her attitude immediately became arrogant, and she let out a cold snort. “I had a fever of 102 degrees, but you said Chloe had finals the next day and we couldn’t disturb her sleep.” My nails dug deeply into my palms. “I sat alone in the urgent care clinic getting an IV drip until 3 AM.” My mom was completely enraged now. She grabbed a plastic hanger and hit me on the back. “Why are you bringing up ancient history!” My back stung with fiery pain. I couldn’t help but think of how, whenever it rained when we were kids, my mom waiting at the school gate always only had one umbrella—the one meant for Chloe. My mom would always say, “You’re older than your sister. Run faster and you won’t get wet.” “You know what,” I said, picking up my purse and heading for the door. “Sometimes I really wish you’d just say it straight. Just say you like Chloe more. Just say everything in this house belongs to her.” As the door clicked shut behind me, I heard a loud crash from inside. She had probably thrown the laundry basket again. 3 The movers were quick. The new washing machine was moved to my apartment that same day. When we went to pick it up, my mom blocked the doorway, refusing to let us move it. In the end, I had to call the building super to come help carry it out. And that old washing machine was placed exactly back in its original spot. That night, as I was assembling the hookups for the new washing machine, my sister called. As soon as I answered, her shrill voice pierced my eardrum: “Are you serious? Causing such a huge scene over a stupid washing machine!” I crouched on the floor, still holding a screwdriver. “Am I the one causing a scene, or is Mom? Do you even know what happened?” “You’ve been like this since we were little!” She completely ignored what I said. “Whenever you see me have something, you have to fight Mom for it. Now you’re even fighting over a washing machine. Mom is right, you act like a beggar!” The screwdriver trembled in my hand. I suddenly remembered buying my apartment two years ago. I could have bought the place I liked in cash. But Chloe said she wanted to go on an exchange program abroad. My mom cried at home all day, saying the art school was too expensive and she felt like she was failing Chloe. Seeing my mom’s red, swollen eyes, my heart softened, and I gave her $30,000. Then I took out a mortgage to buy my place. I’m still paying it off. “A beggar? Since you brought it up,” my voice was surprisingly calm, “when do you plan on returning the thirty thousand I gave you?” The other end of the line went suddenly quiet. “What… what do you mean?” Chloe’s voice was noticeably weaker. “You know how much I make right now…” “When you came back to the States last year, you said you’d pay me back as soon as you found a job.” I jammed the screwdriver hard into the toolbox. “It’s been over a year now. You’ve changed jobs twice, bought a three-thousand-dollar designer bag, but you just don’t have the money to pay me back?” “You!” She suddenly raised her voice. “Mom is right, you’re cold-blooded! You deserve it that Mom doesn’t love you!” The call disconnected. The dial tone sounded exceptionally harsh in the empty apartment. I crouched next to the new washing machine and suddenly laughed out loud. It’s true, Mom doesn’t love me. Everyone knows it, but I was the only one still deceiving myself. I picked up my phone and sent Chloe a text message: “Transfer the money to my card by next week. Otherwise, I’m coming to your work to cause a scene.” When we were little, Mom would buy Chloe new dresses, while mine were made from Chloe’s hand-me-downs. When I thought they were ugly and refused to wear them, Mom would coax me, saying: “Your sister’s clothes are good quality.” Now, I no longer plan to yield or wrong myself. Even if the price is finally admitting that the person I tried so hard to please will never love me. 4 By Monday noon, my bank account balance remained unchanged. Chloe hadn’t replied to my messages or called me. I stared at my phone screen, suddenly feeling a bit ridiculous. She probably thought I would just swallow my anger and let it go, like always. At 3 PM, I hired four friends who were personal trainers and went to the dance studio where Chloe worked. They wore black tank tops, their arm tattoos faintly visible. Standing at the studio entrance, they immediately drew the side-eyes of the parents waiting there. “Who are you looking for?” the girl at the front desk asked, her voice trembling. My friend showed a picture of the IOU on his phone: “Looking for Chloe Evans. We’re here to collect a debt.” In less than five minutes, my phone started vibrating wildly. Chloe’s voice was tearful: “Are you crazy?! Make them leave! There are kids here!” “Where’s the money?” I asked calmly. “Where am I supposed to get thirty thousand dollars right now?!” she practically screamed. “Hannah, are you trying to drive me to my death?” I listened to the noisy background sounds on her end—the murmurs of the parents and the crying of the kids. Unable to handle the pressure, Chloe burst into tears. This scene was all too familiar to me. From childhood to adulthood, as long as she cried, the whole world would make way for her. “Then we’ll do it my way,” my voice was light, but very clear. “Every day at 2 PM, they will wait for you punctually at the studio entrance. Until you pay off your debt.” “You!” She suddenly lowered her voice. “Mom is right, you’re just a…” I hung up immediately. Ten minutes later, my mom’s call came in as expected. The word “Mom” danced on the screen. I stared at it for a long time until the ringing stopped. She called three more times in a row, and I muted them all. Towards evening, my friend texted: “Your sister was scared out of her mind. She hid in the bathroom crying the whole time. An old lady came running over and yelled at us, saying she was her mother.” I replied with a cash tip via Venmo to express my thanks, then opened my photo gallery and scrolled to a family portrait from last Thanksgiving. In the photo, Chloe, wearing an expensive dance outfit, stood in the center. Mom had her arm around Chloe’s shoulder, smiling with pride. And I stood on the far edge, wearing a sweater bought on sale. My finger swiped across the screen, and I opened another folder. Inside were a few yellowed old photos. In them, a seven-year-old me wearing an obviously oversized dance leotard stood on the stage of the community center. That leotard was altered by Mom from an old dress of Chloe’s. The lace on the collar was yellowed from washing. I still remember that summer. I secretly saved my allowance for half a year just to afford the tuition for the dance class at the community center. Every time I went to class, I had to arrive half an hour early to hide in the bathroom and change from my school uniform into the leotard, because Mom wouldn’t let me learn, saying it was a waste of money. “Your limbs are as stiff as a board,” she always said. “You look like a duck when you dance.” But for that recital, the teacher specifically chose me as the lead dancer. I gathered the courage to tell Mom. What I got in return was a slap across the face: “Who gave you permission to make that decision?!” On the day of the performance, I was dancing enthusiastically when I suddenly saw Mom storm onto the stage angrily. In front of everyone, she grabbed me by my ponytail and dragged me off the stage. “You dance so ugly and you still go on stage, aren’t you embarrassed?” Her voice echoed through the entire auditorium. I will never forget the surprised looks of the kids in the audience and the awkward expression on my teacher’s face. And Chloe? When she was five, Mom signed her up for the most expensive private dance lessons. “Our Chloe is going to pursue the arts in the future,” she told everyone she met. “So she can take fewer detours.” But Chloe was afraid of pain. It wasn’t until she was ten that she could barely manage a backbend. Every time she practiced basic skills, she cried hysterically. Mom would hold her and coax her: “Stop practicing, stop practicing. Our Chloe is so talented, she doesn’t need to practice these.” Later, when Chloe graduated high school, her academic grades were terrible. Mom insisted on spending tens of thousands to send her to an arts college. The teachers at that third-rate arts school shook their heads when they saw Chloe’s dance video, but Mom insisted, “You guys just don’t know how to appreciate art.” Later, Chloe threw a fit about wanting to study abroad for a semester, and Mom took out all her retirement savings. “Foreign education resources are better,” she explained to our relatives, never mentioning a word about how that money was what I was supposed to use to buy a house. In the photo, seven-year-old me has bright eyes, not yet knowing that I would never get a single word of praise from my mom in this lifetime. And the present me, who finished college on scholarships, working as a manager in a multinational corporation, still couldn’t compare to Chloe, who taught dance at a children’s art center. In Mom’s eyes, at least Chloe had an artistic dream, while I was just a cold-blooded money-making machine. I locked my photo gallery just as the washing machine beeped. The clothes were done washing, emitting a faint lavender scent. I shook them out one by one, suddenly noticing an old pajama set pressed at the very bottom. It was a hand-me-down Chloe didn’t want anymore last year. I picked up the pajamas and threw them into the trash can without hesitation. Just like throwing away the dance dreams I desperately suppressed for so many years to please my mom. 5 But I never expected that before my friends could go back to Chloe’s studio, my mom would find her way to my office first. She made a huge scene in the lobby of my company. Her voice was sharp enough to pierce the glass doors: “You heartless thing! I raised you, and this is how you treat your sister?” The young receptionist shrank back in fear. A few colleagues poked their heads out of the elevator. Mom intentionally wore an old winter coat today, and deliberately left her hair uncombed, looking exactly like an old woman bullied by her unfilial daughter. “You just want to cause a scene, don’t you?” She suddenly lunged at me, trying to grab my hair. “Everyone can cause a scene!” I stepped aside to avoid her, pulled out my phone, and dialed a number right in front of her. “Hey, Mark, take ten guys to Chloe’s dance studio right now.” I intentionally raised my voice. “Yes, right now.” My mom’s hand froze in mid-air, her expression looking like she had suddenly been choked. “You… you wouldn’t dare!” her voice started to tremble. I turned the phone screen towards her, showing the ongoing call. “I’m not afraid of losing face, but I wonder if Chloe is?” I lowered my voice. “Ten guys standing at the classroom door. Do you think those parents will still let their kids learn dance from her?” My mom’s face instantly turned deathly pale. She knew this daughter’s weak spot too well. The thing Chloe cared about most was her pathetic pride. “You’ve changed,” her voice suddenly dropped. “You used to never be like this…” “Yeah, I’ve changed.” I sneered. “Because I don’t want to be that idiot kneeling and begging you for a glance anymore.” A memory suddenly flashed back to when I was twelve. I won first place in a school poetry recitation competition. When I rushed home excitedly to show Mom my certificate, I found her helping Chloe practice a simple nursery rhyme. Chloe couldn’t even sing in tune, yet Mom clapped until her hands were red. “Do you remember my elementary school graduation?” I asked suddenly. “You said you were too busy at work to come. But that day, I saw you in the corner of the playground giving Chloe a popsicle.” Mom’s eyes darted away for a second, but she quickly hardened her heart again. “Why are you bringing this up now? Chloe has always…” “Always needed special care, I know.” I cut her off. “But I don’t need it. Push me too far, and I’m capable of anything.” “Do you think you can still control me?” The security guards had gathered around. Mom finally realized this tactic wasn’t working. She glared at me fiercely one last time. “Karma will get you!” Watching her stumbling away, I suddenly remembered a dream I had last night. In the dream, seven-year-old me wore that ill-fitting dance leotard, dancing freely on an empty stage. No mockery, no interruptions, and no one rushing up to drag me off. My phone buzzed. It was a text from Chloe: “I transferred half the money. I’ll pay the rest next month. Tell them not to come.” I didn’t reply, just put the phone back in my pocket. The elevator doors slowly closed. The mirror reflected my calm face. It turns out, burning bridges feels much more liberating than I imagined. 6 I knew they wouldn’t let it go so easily. Sure enough, within two days, they started acting up again. A message tagging me popped up in the family group chat. It was a voice memo from Chloe. I tapped it on speaker. Her tearful voice immediately exploded in the room: “Hannah, are you trying to drive me to death? I really don’t have any money right now! I can barely pay my rent this month…” Following that was a 60-second voice memo from Mom. I didn’t even need to listen to know the contents. It was the same old tired rhetoric: “ungrateful monster,” “heartless,” etc. Sure enough, halfway through, I heard her screaming: “You think you’re so tough now, huh? Even scheming against your own sister!” I sneered and scrolled up the chat history. I found that my aunts and uncles had long joined the crusade: “We’re all family, why make it so ugly?” “Your sister is having a hard time right now. As the older sister, can’t you be a little accommodating?” “Young people these days, no sense of family loyalty at all…” My finger hovered over the screen for a few seconds. I suddenly found it extremely ridiculous. These people didn’t say a word when Mom humiliated me in public. They played deaf and dumb when Chloe stole from me. Now they’re all acting like champions of justice. I opened my photo gallery and dumped all the pre-prepared photos of the IOU, transfer records, and chat screenshots of Chloe promising to repay the loan into the group chat. Then I typed slowly and deliberately: “I originally wanted to give you some leeway, but now, within three days, transfer the remaining fifteen thousand dollars to my card.” “Otherwise, see you in court. Don’t blame me for not warning you when you become a deadbeat debtor.” The group chat instantly became terrifyingly quiet. I could imagine those relatives on the other end of the phone, eyes wide, fingers hovering over the screen, not daring to press down. In less than two minutes, a private message from Mom popped up: “Do you have to make this so ugly? If your sister becomes a deadbeat debtor, how will she get married? How will she find a job?” I could almost hear her grinding her teeth. In the past, whenever she acted like this, I would soften and back down. But this time, I replied directly: “Why didn’t she think about that when she borrowed the money?” “You’re ruthless! I raised you for nothing!” she replied immediately. Looking at that sentence, I suddenly remembered when I was in college. I lived frugally, eating instant ramen for half a month straight just to buy her a birthday present. After she received the gift, she turned around and gave it to Chloe. “Yeah,” I typed out word by word. “You raised me just so I could be a human ATM for Chloe.” After sending that sentence, I left the family group chat entirely. Those so-called relatives were only ever spectators. Let them think what they want. In all the years I was bullied, none of them ever spoke up for me anyway. My phone vibrated again. It was a call from Chloe. I declined it immediately. She then sent a message: “Hannah, I really don’t have the money. Please give me a few more months…” I replied firmly and decisively: “Three days. Not a penny less.” “Are you trying to ruin me?!” she replied instantly, adding an angry emoji. Looking at that sentence, I suddenly laughed out loud. How ridiculous. She was the one who borrowed money and refused to pay it back, and now it’s my fault for ruining her? “You ruined yourself.” I replied, then put the conversation on ‘Do Not Disturb’. 7 When the doorbell rang, I was organizing litigation materials. Through the peephole, I saw Mom standing awkwardly outside. She was carrying a bulky plastic bag, her hair slightly messed up by the wind. Today, she surprisingly wore a relatively new winter coat, instead of the faded, worn-out jacket she usually wore. “Who is it?” I asked intentionally. “It’s Mom,” her voice came through the door, carrying a deliberately softened tone. “I brought you some home-cured meat.” I opened the door, and a gust of cold wind carrying the salty, fishy smell of cured meat hit my face. Mom immediately thrust the plastic bag towards me: “Look, I brought this especially for you. You loved it when you were little.” I didn’t take it. She just pushed past me and squeezed inside, leaving muddy footprints from her shoes on the floor. She walked familiarly towards the kitchen, the plastic bag rustling: “You kid, why throw such a big tantrum over a few words? Still as stubborn as when you were little.” The sound of the refrigerator door opening came from the kitchen, followed by her exaggerated gasp: “Oh my, why is the fridge empty? What do you usually eat? Don’t tell me you order takeout every day.” She poked her head out, feigning a look of heartache. “Let Mom cook a meal for you?” I didn’t say anything, walking to the dining table to look at what she brought. The plastic bag contained a few bags of expired dates, an opened tin of lotus root powder with only a little left, and a package of cured meat wrapped in old newspaper. The newspaper was stained with grease. It was probably ancient inventory dug out from the very bottom of her freezer. “No need,” I put the lotus root powder tin back. “I don’t like spicy food.” Mom’s hand froze as she was washing it at the sink. The faucet was running. With her back to me, her shoulders stiffened slightly. “Nonsense. Didn’t you love the meat I cured when you were little? You used to eat two big bowls of rice with it every time.” Ten years ago, that winter, I was hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis. The doctor advised a bland diet. Mom, however, insisted on bringing her specially made spicy cured meat, claiming it would stimulate my appetite. The truth was, she had a craving for spicy food while keeping me company at the hospital. I forced myself to finish it despite the stomach pain. I vomited violently in the middle of the night, but she complained that I was being delicate. “I was faking it,” I said. The faucet was jerked shut. Mom turned around, not even drying her hands. Dark water stains were left on her clothes. “What do you mean?” “I don’t like spicy food. I never have.” I heard my own voice sound very calm. “Just like I don’t like Chloe’s hand-me-downs, I don’t like being treated as an ATM, and I don’t like always being put last.” Her expression started to contort. That familiar look of anger mixed with guilt resurfaced on her face. “I went through so much hardship raising you, and this is how you repay me?” “I worry about your health. I spend $500 every year to take you for checkups. I saw you stressing about Chloe not having money for her exchange program, stressing so much you got sores in your mouth, so I gave you $30,000 and took out a mortgage to buy my own place. All these years, I’ve been by your side every time you got sick. When has your precious Chloe ever done that?” I counted on my fingers. “Does none of this count as repayment?” “That’s what you’re supposed to do!” She suddenly raised her voice, the mask of maternal love completely shattering. “You’re the older sister! Isn’t it right to yield to your younger sister?” “I’m your mother. Isn’t it right for you to do these things?” I looked at her face, flushed red with anger, and suddenly found it absurd. I had actually wronged myself for thirty years for a person like this. “You should leave.” I pulled the front door open, letting the cold wind rush in. “The lawsuit will not be withdrawn, and the money must be returned.” Her lips trembled, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes. “Are you really going to be this ruthless?” “Compared to what you guys did to me,” I smiled, “what is this?” “I’m warning you, don’t make a scene here. I’m not afraid. If you really want to cause a scene, I have ways to cause a scene with Chloe.” I watched her cheap lipstick-painted lips open and close a few times. Ultimately, she couldn’t say a word. She just violently yanked off her apron, threw it on the floor, and stormed out without looking back. The moment the door clicked shut, I picked up that package of cured meat and threw it into the trash can.

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