Author: Momo Chan

My mother was the most powerful Priestess in all of Alaska. Three years ago, at the Moon Rite, she declared I had been cursed by the Blood Moon—that if I became Luna, I would bring ruin down on the entire pack, and the only way to lift the curse was to stay away from the Alpha for three full years. At that time, Christopher had only just defeated the other heirs and taken his place as the new Alpha. His footing was still unsteady. The Elders demanded that he cancel the mate ceremony we were about to have. Christopher looked at me and said, “Elena, trust me. In three years, I’ll make things right and make you my Luna.” I believed him. I left the villa without a word. For three long years, I hid away in a small cabin on the edge of pack territory, not daring to see anyone. On the day the three years ended, I was already at the door before dawn. Just as I reached for the handle, I heard my mother’s voice from inside. “Emma, don’t worry. Three years or not, I can still make sure your sister never comes back.” Emma’s voice trembled, but there was a stubborn edge to it. “I’ve already taken three years from her. That’s enough. I can’t let Elena and Christopher be torn apart again.” Then my brother’s fist slammed down on the table. “Emma, you’re too soft-hearted. Forget about Elena. You love Christopher, and you have a pup with him—can you really bear to let him go?” A little girl’s crying cut through the room. “I don’t want to lose Mommy.” Just like that, everyone in the room was crying. After a long moment, Christopher sighed. “Emma, listen to your mother and your brother. We’ll figure it out when Lucia is a little older.” I stood rooted to the spot, a chill sinking deep into my bones. So the so-called curse had been a trap—one my entire family had set for me. All so that my sister could steal my Alpha. Fine, then. I’d disappear for good. I’d give them exactly what they wanted. That was when I felt the Mindlink request from my mother. The moment I accepted, her voice cut through my mind. “Elena, your curse hasn’t lifted yet. You’ll need to—” “How long this time? Another three years?” She fell silent, as if she hadn’t expected me to push back. When I was ten, my father cheated on my mother with my aunt. My mother, seven months pregnant at the time, collapsed in a pool of her own blood. She never looked at me the same way again. In her mind, I was the one who’d cost her my father—because I was the one who’d brought my aunt home that day. For years I tiptoed around her, doing everything I could to please her, never once contradicting her. I thought if I gave enough, someday she’d soften, someday she’d hold me again. Only now did I understand that it had all been wishful thinking. The silence broke. My mother’s voice snapped, impatient. “What kind of tone is that? I’m doing this for your own good—don’t be ungrateful!” I let out a soft laugh. “For my own good? Are you sure it isn’t for Emma’s?” “Of—of course it’s for you. Emma’s never given me half the trouble you have.” Her voice rose sharply, but it faltered at the end. “Is that so? I’m standing right outside the door. How much longer are you planning to lie to me?” I pressed my hand to the blood seal, waited for it to recognize me, and pushed the door open. The moonstone in the middle of the living room—carved with the wolf crest—made me falter for a heartbeat. That was the gift Christopher had promised me. A wolf-clan heirloom, meant for his Luna. The memory rose up before I could stop it: the day Christopher proposed, holding me close, laughter in his voice. “Elena, when you truly become my Luna, I’ll give you the moonstone with our clan’s crest.” I had believed him completely. I had been so sure I would be his Luna. Now I was finally seeing that moonstone. And it wasn’t mine. “Since you already know, do the smart thing and leave. Stop meddling in Emma and Christopher’s life.” I stared at her. “Mother… we’re both your daughters. Why did you do this to me?” She gave me a sidelong glance, contempt written all over her face. “Because Emma is the one who deserves Christopher. She’s the only one worthy of being an Alpha’s Luna. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. A mother who had once nearly destroyed herself over a sister’s betrayal was now telling me, in her own voice, that she supported one daughter stealing the other’s Alpha. The sheer absurdity of it, and the fury that came with it, snapped whatever restraint I had left. I lifted the moonstone and smashed it against the floor. Shards flew. One sliced across my arm, and blood soaked through my sleeve almost at once. “Elena, you’re hurt.” Christopher rushed forward, reaching for my arm. I stepped back, out of his grasp, and looked him in the eye. “Christopher, how much longer are you going to keep up this act?” He froze, his lips moving without sound. When his voice came, it was rough. “That’s not—” Before he could take another step, Emma grabbed my arm, choking on tears. “Elena, it’s all my fault. Please don’t blame Christopher.” “If my body weren’t so weak, if I could have gone through with the abortion, he never would have agreed to let me keep Lucia. He didn’t want to hurt what you two had. I’ll give him back to you. With how weak I am, I don’t even know how much longer I’ll live…” “You stole my mate, tore us apart, and now you’re the one making excuses?” I cut her off, my voice flat and cold. Her head shot up, her eyes red-rimmed. “Elena, I didn’t—” She never finished. Her hand flew to her chest and she swayed on her feet, half-collapsing. “Elena, that’s enough!” Christopher practically threw himself forward and caught her, worry practically pouring out of him. When he turned back to face me, his eyes had gone glacial. “Emma isn’t well. Stop provoking her.” My mother went livid, jabbing a finger at me. “You are a stain on this pack. When you were ten, you destroyed what I had with your father, and now you want to destroy your sister’s happiness too.” My brother, who had been silent until then, finally spoke up. “Elena, that’s enough. If you keep this up, you won’t have a place in this pack.” Behind their backs, Emma flashed me a triumphant smile. I squared my shoulders and stood my ground. “What part of what I said was wrong? She’s the one who stole my future, and every one of you helped her do it.” A sharp crack echoed through the entryway, and my cheek started burning at once.

“Elena, if it weren’t for you, Emma wouldn’t be this weak!” My mother’s voice shook, sharp as broken glass. “If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. You were never worthy of being our Luna!” Something in my chest tore open. The pain ripped through me so hard my whole body shook. So this was all it took for a heart to die. I lifted my hand to my burning cheek—and then I laughed. Before I knew it, I was crying. Christopher frowned at me, his voice edged with open impatience. “That’s enough. Go home and think about what you’ve done. When you’re ready to apologize to your family properly, we’ll talk.” Then he took Emma by the arm and led her into the bedroom. The door to my brother’s room opened, and when Belle stepped out, my chest tightened. Ever since Belle had married my brother, she had been the only person in this house who ever stood up for me. I opened my mouth to speak, and she pulled me straight out the front door. “Elena, you know now, don’t you?!” “Emma’s been sickly since she was little because of you. She’s finally been given Lucia—think of it as your way of making it up to her. Stop causing trouble.” I stared at her, disbelief crashing over me, and my gaze drifted—without my meaning it to—to the long scar on the left side of her face. Years ago, she had been attacked by members of another pack, her cheek slashed open with a knife. I was the one who had charged in and pulled her out. Afterward, eyes red, she had sworn she would never forget what I’d done, that she would never let anyone treat me badly. Now she stood in front of me, and her words cut deeper than that blade ever had. Behind me, Christopher’s voice. “Elena, you’re hurt. Let me take you to the hospital.” I pulled my hand out of Belle’s grip. “I’m fine.” Christopher rubbed his forehead, clearly impatient. “Can you please stop making a scene? Do you have any idea how exhausting this is?” “Oh, I’m sure keeping up this act is exhausting.” Christopher went stock-still, then his brow drew tight. “Watch your tone.” “Everything I’ve done has been for you. Emma is unwell—someone had to look after her and Lucia. I thought if I handled it quietly, you’d never have to deal with any of it.” “We kept it from you because we didn’t want to hurt you.” It was almost funny. He’d slept with my sister, and somehow the whole thing had been done for my benefit. Christopher shook his head with a weary sigh and stepped forward as he’d done a thousand times before, pulling me into his arms. “Come on. Enough of this. Let’s go to the Elders’ Council and bond. From now on I’ll make more time for you—alright?” I pushed him off, twisting out of his embrace. “There is no ‘us’ from now on.” I turned to leave, and his next words nailed me to the floor. “Elena, what’s that supposed to mean? Are you refusing to be my Luna?” I closed my eyes, forcing the tightness in my chest back down. “Christopher, you were the one who betrayed me first.” He took a step closer, softening his voice. “I admit lying to you was wrong. But not once did I ever think about calling off the engagement.” I didn’t want to hear another word of it. I started walking again. Christopher caught me from behind, his arms coming around me in a panic, his voice unsteady. “I know you resent Emma. Three years ago, when she got pregnant by accident, she was crying, begging me. Her body’s fragile—she might never carry another pup as long as she lives. I felt sorry for her. That was all.” He tightened his hold. His breath was warm against my ear. “Elena, I never wanted to be apart from you. Let’s go to the Elders and complete the bond now. We can hold the ceremony later, once Lucia is older. Alright?” Rage shot straight to my head. I wrenched free of him and slapped him across the face as hard as I could. He turned his face back to me, and instead of anger, he caught my hand. “Feel better? Consider that slap payment for the three years I lied to you.” “And don’t talk about ending the engagement. You wouldn’t want your grandmother’s last wish to go unfulfilled, would you?” Every ounce of strength drained out of me all at once. Becoming Christopher’s mate had been my one obsession, because it was the only thing my grandmother had asked of me before she died. For that promise I had poured my own strength into helping him defeat every rival, into carrying him through the full-moon trial of adulthood, into becoming Alpha—and I had waited for the day he asked me to marry him. That was why he was so certain I would never truly walk away. When I didn’t answer, he seized my wrist and pulled me toward the parking lot. “Then it’s settled. We’re going to the Elders now.”

I ripped my hand out of his grip. “Christopher, you make me sick.” I turned to leave, and Emma stumbled forward and dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face. “Elena, please. Say you’ll bond with Christopher. This is all my fault. I’m dying anyway—please don’t hold it against him…” Christopher yanked Emma back to her feet, his expression turning ugly as he stared me down. “Elena, if you keep making things harder for Emma, I don’t mind making her my mate instead.” I met his eyes head-on. “Whoever you take as your mate has nothing to do with me.” I didn’t look at them again. I walked out. Back at the cabin, I started packing. I had just zipped the suitcase shut when the door was kicked in. Several bodyguards in black poured in and dragged me back to the villa without a word. The moment Belle laid eyes on me, she flew at me and slapped me hard across the face. “You vicious little she-wolf! If you hadn’t come here stirring up trouble, Lucia would never have gotten upset and run out into the street—she was hit by a car, there was so much blood, and now nobody knows if she’s going to make it!” Emma was sobbing so hard she could barely draw breath. “I know you hate me… I’d deserve to die a hundred times over, but how could you hire someone to hurt Lucia…” “I didn’t!” I fought against their grip, screaming. Christopher didn’t seem to hear a word. His eyes were nothing but rage. “Get the doctor in here. Draw her blood.” They forced me into a chair and kept drawing blood until I started to black out. I don’t know how long it went on. Eventually my mind began to slip. Memories drifted through my mind like smoke. Fifteen-year-old Christopher throwing his body over mine, taking a silver bullet meant for me. His blood soaking through his shirt, and still he’d forced a smile through gritted teeth. “Elena, don’t be scared… I’ll always protect you.” At twenty, when I’d eaten aconite by mistake and been rushed to the hospital, he’d stayed by my bed all night with red, hollow eyes, blaming himself. “This was my fault. I didn’t take care of you. I promise—I promise—I’ll never let you get hurt again.” At my grandmother’s funeral, holding me close, his voice raw but steady. “Elena. From now on, I’ll be the one you lean on. There’s only me.” Somewhere in the distance, I could hear the doctor speaking, terrified. “Alpha, that’s already a thousand milliliters. If we take any more, Miss Elena will—” “Keep going!” Christopher’s voice was ice. There was nothing left in it of the man I remembered. A bitter smile tugged at my lips. I closed my eyes and let myself slip into darkness. When I woke, a phone was ringing shrilly in my ear. The moment I answered, the panicked voice of the cemetery caretaker came through. “Miss Elena, your grandmother’s grave has been vandalized.” I stumbled into the cemetery to find my grandmother’s grave dug open. My mother stood at the edge of the pit, holding my grandmother’s urn in her hands. Her eyes burned with rage. “This is your fault! If it weren’t for you, Emma and Lucia would never have been hurt! Today you’re going to learn a lesson.” With that, she wrenched off the lid, scooped out a handful of ashes, and flung them into the air. “NO—!” The scream tore out of me. I threw myself forward, only to be caught fast by the pack warrior at her side. “No? This is exactly what you deserve!” Teeth clenched, she raised her hand to scatter more. My knees dug into the gravel. My voice shook. “Mom—please. Please don’t touch Grandma. Do whatever you want to me, just—please leave her alone.” “Is that so? Then you’ll go before the pack alliance and admit, in your own words, that you’re the interloper. That you stole your sister’s mate.” Tear after tear splashed onto the ground. My throat felt as though it had been stuffed with cotton. It was a long moment before I could force out a single word. “Fine… I admit it.”

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As the best underwater rescue diver in the country, I received an emergency call. The missing person was ten years old. The location was Gray Falcon Bay. Ten years ago, my younger sister Eilara disappeared there too. At the time, my fiancé, Cyrus Voss, was leading the rescue. He held my hand and promised me: “Trust me, Leona. I’ll bring her back alive.” But in the end, all they pulled ashore was my sister’s cold, bloated body. Years later, I learned that Cyrus had found Eilara. But to let his partner, Adrianna Crowe, claim the glory of rescuing her, he had personally unclipped my sister’s safety line. The current swept Eilara away in an instant. By the time they found her again, she was no longer breathing. Yet Cyrus and Adrianna used a falsified report to turn one of them into a rescue hero and win the other a medal presented by the President himself. That was the day I abandoned my old life and began learning to dive. Ten years. Five hundred and thirty-seven missions. Four hundred and seventy-two people returned to shore alive because of me. I ran more than ten thousand rescue drills, hoping no one else would ever be like my sister—reached by rescuers, only to be abandoned anyway. But today, the command center sent a photo of the missing child to my phone. I stared at it for a long time. Ten years ago, that man had held me and cried as he claimed he had done everything he could. I would never forget that lying face. “I’m not diving on this mission.” … “Leona, what did you just say?” The dispatcher, Kyla, froze. “Last year, a research vessel sank in the North Atlantic. You entered the wreck alone and brought out the trapped researchers.” “If even you won’t dive, who else in the country can save him?” I put my gear into my bag. “I didn’t say I couldn’t do it. I said I wouldn’t take the mission.” “But that boy has less than an hour of air left—” “Contact another rescue team now. Don’t waste the child’s time arguing with me.” Then I hung up. At that moment, the equipment-room door flew open. Captain Mason Reed rushed in, rain streaming from his graying temples. “Leona, wait.” I picked up my gear bag. “Mason, I’ve already said everything I have to say.” He shut the door behind him and blocked my way. “We’ve been searching for two hours, and we’ve used every piece of equipment available. But the seabed is full of narrow rock crevices and tangled lines. The machines can’t get through.” He lowered his voice. “The missing boy is the Crowe family’s only heir. Their corporation is one of the largest in the world, and everyone who matters is at the scene waiting for an answer.” “Then keep searching with the equipment.” “We’ve used everything we have! A diver still has to go down and find him!” Mason grabbed my arm. “You’ll have the best gear and support team available. I’ll stay on shore and watch you myself. I won’t let anything happen to you.” “This isn’t about safety.” “Then what is it?” “It’s personal.” Mason slowly released me. “There’s a ten-year-old boy underwater waiting to be saved, Leona.” At some point, the hallway outside had filled with team members. “Hale is our ace. She isn’t really planning to walk away, is she?” “Maybe she’s heard too many stories about her own legend. Now she wants an appearance fee before she’ll even get in the water.” “Shut up!” Mason roared over his shoulder. I checked my watch. “You’ve wasted another six minutes. Find a replacement now, before you lose any more time.” I pushed through the crowd. Then someone shouted behind me, “Your sister died in Gray Falcon Bay too. You know better than anyone what it’s like to wait, only to get a body back!” My steps stopped abruptly. The photograph from moments ago flashed through my mind. The boy had the same crooked canine tooth as Eilara. If Cyrus had not opened that buckle, what kind of life would Eilara be living now? The crowd suddenly parted. A woman in a tailored charcoal coat strode toward me. Ten years had passed, but Adrianna Crowe had barely changed. She was even still wearing the medal she had bought with my sister’s life. She did not recognize me. She simply pulled a black card from her purse and slapped it onto the table in front of me. “I heard you’re refusing to dive.” “Name your price.” “One million. Five million. Or founding shares in Crowe Deep-Sea Group.” “Bring my son back, and I’ll give you anything you want.”

“This is the so-called chief expert at the National Joint Search and Rescue Center?” Adrianna turned her head and gave Mason a cold look. “My son has been missing underwater for two hours, and she’s still here putting on airs, waiting for us to beg?” “Ms. Crowe, she isn’t—” “I’m speaking to her.” Adrianna cut Mason off and turned back to me. “Five hundred thousand isn’t enough? One million.” A wave of sharp breaths swept through the hallway. I only stared at the medal pinned to her chest. Two hands rose from silver waves, holding a child aloft. How ironic. When Adrianna noticed where I was looking, she straightened her shoulders. “Recognize it?” “This is the Gray Falcon Bay Medal of Valor. Not everyone in a wetsuit is worthy of one.” She tapped the medal with one knuckle, her voice arrogant. “Ten years ago, right here in Gray Falcon Bay, my husband and I searched for forty minutes in near-zero visibility. We nearly died down there ourselves.” “Unlike you, standing here and deliberately making us beg just because you have a little talent.” I looked up. “Did you save that child?” The smugness on Adrianna’s face froze for an instant. “The conditions were dangerous. No one could guarantee—” “So you failed to bring her back alive, but still accepted a medal for her death.” I gave a faint, humorless smile. Her expression darkened. She seized me by the collar. “You won’t even get in the water. What gives you the right to judge me?” I stared at the medal on her chest and gave a cold laugh. “At least I never used a falsified report to steal a medal.” The hallway went silent. The next second, a man stumbled into the corridor. His cashmere coat was soaked through, and the sea wind had left his black hair in disarray. Cyrus. After ten years apart, he did not recognize me. It was hardly surprising. After my sister died, I took my mother’s surname, Hale, and never showed my face to the media. As far as he knew, Leona Moore had vanished long ago. But I recognized him at once. This was the man who had promised to bring Eilara back alive, then personally unclipped her rescue line. My fingers slowly curled into fists. Cyrus caught Adrianna by the arm and pulled her back a step. Then he looked at me. “Please.” His voice was hoarse, and he could barely stand. “Mason said you’re the only person who can save my son. If you’ll go down, I’ll agree to any condition.” “Callum is only ten. He’s afraid of the dark. He still sleeps with the hallway light on.” “Today was his beginner diving lesson. He was supposed to stay within the instructor’s tethered area, but the guide rope suddenly snapped…” He reached toward me with a trembling hand. “Bring him back, and I’ll pay anything. Property, shares—just name it.” I looked at him as ten years of hatred churned inside my chest. Any condition. Would he still say it so easily once he learned the real price? I pulled my hand away from his. “I’ll go to the site.” Hope flared in Cyrus’s eyes. “Thank you! Ms. Hale, thank you! My wife and I will spend the rest of our lives—” “Don’t thank me yet.” I cut him off. “I only agreed to go to the site. I never said I would dive.”

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My husband, Don Cassian Marchetti, transferred the Marchetti family’s quarterly dividend into his widowed sister-in-law Camille’s private account. Again. And I didn’t even have a penny to repair my mother’s grave. When Cassian walked through the bedroom door that evening, I hurled the crystal tumbler at the wall behind him. “Celeste—” “Sixty-eight thousand! To that woman again! For what—her ‘treatment’? Her ‘recovery’? Which Swiss spa is she bleeding us dry from this time?” Cassian didn’t flinch. He simply loosened his tie, jaw tightening with that particular brand of cold disdain I’d grown so familiar with over the past three years. “Are you done?” “Never! Not until you stop funneling our money—to your brother’s widow like she’s your goddamn kept woman!” Something shifted behind his eyes. Then he gave a scornful laugh. When he spoke, his voice was ice. “You want to talk about propriety, Celeste? About shame?” “Tell me,” he continued, each word a scalpel, “who was it that crawled into my bed at just nineteen? Who spread her legs before there was a ring on her finger, got herself knocked up, and then begged me to find a clinic that wouldn’t ask questions?” I went still. Everything—the rage, the wine-buzz, the trembling—froze solid in my chest. I still remember that winter when I was nineteen. The private clinic in Queens, the blood that wouldn’t stop. Cassian—barely twenty-one, not yet hardened—holding me against his chest, tears streaming into my hair. “I’m sorry. God, Cece, I’m so sorry. I’ll spend my whole life making this up to you. I swear I will never let anyone hurt you again.” And now, at twenty-eight, Don of the crumbling Marchetti empire, he’d weaponized my deepest wound to defend another woman. He didn’t know. In that moment, standing there with his lip curled in disgust, my husband didn’t know that I was carrying again. Eight weeks. The child I’d wanted for six years. And with those words, that child died right alongside whatever remained of my heart. The housekeeper, Maria, stood frozen by the door. Behind her, I could see Cassian’s underboss Enzo and two of the household staff, faces slack with shock. Nobody moved. Nobody breathed. My face must have gone white. I couldn’t form words. My tongue was a dead thing behind my teeth. And Cassian looked briefly uncomfortable. He rubbed his temple, turning away. Immediately, Enzo stepped in with that practiced smoothness. “Cece, listen—it wasn’t his idea. Camille showed up at the office, on her knees, sobbing. Said she’d die without the medication. What was he supposed to do?” Maria chimed in: “It’s almost Christmas, dear. Couples fight. You’ll sort it out by morning.” I used to believe that too. That Cassian only pitied Camille. A young widow with a sick daughter—how could I not understand his sympathy? Until the compassion turned into flying her to specialists across three continents. Until he started bringing her to family gatherings on his arm while I sat home with a fever. Until someone photographed them hugging each other on his yacht in Portofino—and the pictures circulated through every allied family in the Northeast. Our first real war over it nearly brought down the house. He swore it was nothing. He signed a written agreement: no more contact. But then—a strand of auburn hair on his collar. Her perfume lingering in his car. And excuse after excuse until his patience simply ran out and he stopped pretending to care whether I believed him. And I became what he accused me of being: paranoid, bitter, suffocating. Now I was done suffocating. “We’re finished,” my voice sounded far away. “Let’s divorce.” Cassian stared at me like I’d spoken in tongues. “Over money? Over sixty-eight grand? Jesus Christ, Celeste, get a grip.” “We’ve been together for eleven years.” Even now. He believed we were unbreakable. Then the door swung open. One of Camille’s maids stood there trembling. “Mr. Marchetti, sir—Mrs. Camille Marchetti is having chest pains again. She’s asking for you. Please come quick.” I watched my husband grab his coat without a backward glance, without a single hesitation, and disappear down the hallway toward her. The door slammed shut behind him. I stood alone in our bedroom, wine and glass at my feet, and laughed until I cried.

I drove myself to the clinic on East 74th. A private practice. Discreet. Dr. Ostrowski examined me in silence, then sat back with a long exhale. “Mrs. Marchetti, given your prior termination—if you proceed with this, the likelihood of future conception is… extremely low. I want to make sure you understand what you’re choosing.” I understood perfectly. I will never bring a child into a family of violence, humiliation, and infidelity. I signed the consent form. They gave me sedation. But I still felt everything. The cold metal. The pressure. The specific, hollowing pain of something being taken from the inside out. Dry-eyed, I stared at the ceiling tiles—and thought about a boy with dark eyes pressing his tear-streaked face against my hair nine years ago. That love was real. His anguish was real. But the man he had become loved someone else. Pities someone else. Protects someone else. The nurse helped me sit up afterward. My legs were cotton, my abdomen a throbbing agony. I leaned against the corridor wall, inching toward the exit. And that’s when I saw them. Cassian. His hand at the small of Camille’s back, guiding her through the clinic’s front entrance with that expression I hadn’t seen directed at me in years—soft, attentive, concerned. I watched from the corridor like a ghost. He murmured something close to her ear, squeezed her arm, then strode toward the pharmacy counter. Then Camille spotted me. Her eyes widened—a flash of surprise, then calculation, then performance. She pressed her fingers to her lips. “Celeste? You’re here too? Are you… following us?” A delicate pause. “Cass only brought me because I had no one else. Don’t read into it. Please.” No one else. I’m the one who has no one. I couldn’t say anything. I turned to leave. That’s when Camille dropped. Knees hitting the polished floor with a theatrical crack, fingers clawing at the hem of my coat. “Please!” Her voice pitched upward—loud enough to carry. “That money is all I have! The doctor says my heart can’t survive another winter without the full treatment protocol! You can’t make Cass take it back—you can’t! I just want to live! I just want to see my daughter grow up!” She wailed. Tears, mucus, heaving sobs. Every patient in that waiting room turned to stare. An elderly woman in a fur collar shot me a look of pure venom. “What kind of person—” “Have you no shame?” Another voice. “She’s begging on her knees!” My abdomen seized with a fresh wave of cramping. Cold sweat poured down my temples. Then Cassian appeared through the crowd, took one look at Camille crumpled on the floor, and his face went to stone. He hauled her up, tucked her behind him. Then turned on me. “What the hell is wrong with you, Celeste? You followed me here? Are you a stalker? You can’t let it go for one goddamn day? She’s weak and has to raise her child alone. Is there nothing left inside you?” Alone? Third anniversary. My birthday. Camille had the “episode” again and again. He’d left me, always. And came home at dawn, asked why I couldn’t just be more understanding. I was tired of hearing those words year after year. It happened fast. I didn’t even open my mouth. He grabbed my shoulder—”Answer me!”—and shoved. In that moment, my spine connected with the marble column behind me and the pain in my lower belly detonated like a grenade. The waiting room gasped. I folded in on myself, forehead slick, hands clamped over my stomach. Cassian stared. He didn’t understand why I’d gone down so easily. Why I was curling into a ball on a clinic floor, white-faced and shaking. He didn’t know that, two hours earlier, the child he’d wanted more than anything was already gone. In a room down the hall. He reached for me—instinct, guilt, maybe. I twisted away from his hand like it burned. “Cassian.” My voice was gravel. “Give her whatever you want. However much. I won’t say another word about it.” “Never.”He looked frozen, as if those words had deeply shocked him. But I didn’t look at him. I braced myself against the column and walked out of that clinic on sheer spite alone. I had an appointment to keep. The best divorce attorney in Manhattan worked out of an office on East 65th. I wasn’t going to miss it.

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The night before the wedding, I played a prank. I pretended to be my eighteen-year-old self and made a “time call” to Adrian Kane. It was one of those stupid games trending among young people lately: you pretend to call from the past and ask the person in the future how things turned out. Full of hope, I asked him: “Adrian, how are we doing at twenty-seven? Are we getting married? Are we… happy?” Silence stretched on the other end. Then Adrian’s voice came through—exhausted and cold: “Not great.” “Clara Moretti, I’ve wasted my whole life on you.” “I’m begging you, in another world, let me go.” I froze, almost convinced I’d misheard. When I came back to myself, I called my mother. “Mom, I—” “I know.” She cut me off, her voice still gentle, even pitying. “You’re eighteen-year-old Clara, right?” A chill ran through my entire body. She sighed. “That boy Adrian hasn’t had it easy either. He and your sister Vivian have been in love for five years. Because of you, they’ve been suppressing their feelings for each other this whole time.” “Clara, listen to your mother. In your next life, let him and your sister be together.” Tears soaked my face. I was shaking all over. I called Vivian. When the line connected, all I could hear was her stifled gasps, tangled with the low, husky sound of Adrian’s lips against hers. Vivian started crying on the other end. “Clara, forgive your sister. Just tonight. He only belongs to me tonight.” “In this lifetime I’ll never fight you for him. I only ask that in the next life, you step aside for me too.” I hung up through my tears. In that moment, something inside me died completely. Fine. No need for a next life, no need for another world. In this one, I’d set them free. … Adrian didn’t come home until the next morning. He shrugged off his black coat and glanced at me carelessly. “Why are you up so early?” “Couldn’t sleep.” My voice was calm. After a pause, I looked up at him. “Adrian, let’s call off the wedding.” He went rigid, turning to meet my slightly swollen eyes. “What kind of joke is that?” “I played a game last night.” I looked straight at him. “A game called the time call.” Adrian’s hand froze in midair. His expression changed by degrees. “Clara, you were testing me?” I laughed bitterly. I hadn’t expected accusation to come before explanation. “If I hadn’t tested you, would I have spent my whole life being kept in the dark like a fool?” “Adrian.” My eyes burned red. “You and Vivian—doesn’t it disgust you?” A slap cracked hard across my face. I clutched my cheek, stunned beyond thought. Adrian stared at his own hand, equally stunned. As if even he hadn’t expected himself to hit me. After a moment, he pressed his lips tight and looked at me. “Clara, you can say whatever ugly thing you want to me. But I won’t stand for anyone insulting her.” Eyes blazing, I swung back hard. “How dare you hit me? Adrian Kane, even my parents have never laid a hand on me!” The slap never landed. Adrian caught my wrist in a vise grip. He pulled a cold smirk. “Your parents? They knew everything about me and your sister. Every last bit of it.” “Last time you went back to the Moretti estate for the family dinner, you barely sat down before your mother dragged you out shopping. Your father said he was taking you to see an old friend.” He leaned in close, voice dripping with mockery. “Your whole family has been covering for us.” I recoiled as if struck by lightning, staring at him in disbelief. Adrian let go of me with a look of contempt. “Clara, wake up. If I were you, I’d make good use of whatever guilt your future husband still has left for you.” “After all, even your parents don’t love you.”

I crumpled to the ground, tears streaming down my face. “Why…” I forced my head up. “Why would you do this to me? Adrian, I’m not the kind of person who clings where she’s not wanted.” “If you absolutely have to be with Vivian, I can accept that. I can break up with you, we cancel the wedding, and you go marry her.” “Why hide it from me? Why did everyone conspire to deceive me?” “You’re with her! So why are you still marrying me?” I screamed in desperation, my heart splitting open. Adrian looked down at me. After a long moment, he scoffed. “Why else? You think it’s because I love you?” He bent down, wiped the tears from my chin with his thumb, and clicked his tongue in distaste. “Clara, Vivian is your own sister. She’s been through a divorce, she has a child—her life is hard enough already. I don’t want her subjected to any more gossip.” “If I cancel the wedding with you and turn around to be with your sister, how do you think the Moretti family would look at her? How would the Five Families look at her?” “So.” He gripped my shoulders, his voice gentle to the point of cruelty. “Clara, I can’t bear to hurt her. So the only one I can hurt is you.” I stared at him, chilled to the bone. “You’re saying you want to use our marriage as a front while you keep seeing my sister?” “Clever girl.” He tapped my nose like he was indulging a child. “So you’ll cooperate, won’t you?” I smacked his hand away, furious. “Adrian, what makes you think I’ll cooperate? What makes you think I’ll just sit here and let you all manipulate me?” “You will.” He smiled, pulling a medical report from his pocket and placing it in front of me. “Last week’s checkup—results are in. You’re pregnant.” I went rigid. Adrian watched me like prey caught in a trap. “Clara, this is our child. Our first child.” “You conceived when you were happiest, when you loved me the most and couldn’t wait to be married. You wouldn’t want him born without a father, would you?” “Besides, you love me so much. We’ve been together ten years. You gave me all of your youth. Can you really bear to cancel this wedding?” “And even if you did—who would want a pregnant woman?” I picked up the pregnancy report. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold it. Tears kept spilling, blurring everything. Then I laughed. Tears splashed onto the paper. “Adrian, you really are ruthless.” He laughed too. He reached out and ruffled my hair—tender and cruel in equal measure. “Good girl, Clara. You have no choice.” He leaned down, his tone turning cold. “And remember—don’t tell Vivian you know. I don’t want her carrying any guilt. Understood?” I watched the way he protected her, as if I were seeing this man clearly for the first time. Adrian straightened up without hesitation and stepped right past me. I rushed into the bathroom. Violent nausea surged from my stomach. I couldn’t tell anymore whether it was my stomach burning, or my heart. I knelt on the cold tile floor, trembling. Finally, mechanically, I took out my phone and pressed stop on the recording. Every word of that conversation had been saved. Then I booked the earliest available appointment for an abortion. Adrian was wrong. I did have a choice. As long as I was colder than him. More willing to burn it all down.

The next day was supposed to be our civil registration at city hall. Adrian called me over and over. I didn’t pick up once. Finally, Vivian called. “Clara.” Her voice was gentle, with a hint of playful reproach. “Today’s the registration day—how can you throw a tantrum and not show up?” “Did you have a fight with Adrian? Your big sister will scold him for you. Just be good and come over, okay?” I listened to her voice in a daze. She sounded nothing like the woman tangled up with Adrian on the phone that night. I wished so badly it had all been a nightmare. That I’d wake up and Vivian would still be the sister who loved me tenderly. That Adrian would still be the man I trusted with everything. But it wasn’t. I leaned back against the hospital bed, my voice hoarse. “I’m sick. I can’t make it.” “Vivian, tell Adrian we’ll reschedule.” I hung up. Then I opened the surveillance footage that had been synced and uploaded from Adrian’s car system. The image stabilized. Adrian and Vivian, sitting in the car. Vivian looked troubled. “Adrian, what’s wrong with Clara? Everything was fine—why is she suddenly throwing a fit?” “You don’t think she found out about us…” “No way.” Adrian leaned down and kissed her lips. “She’s too stupid to figure anything out. And even if she did, she wouldn’t dare do a thing.” His tone was absolute. “Vivian, I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Vivian was still uneasy. “But if she won’t register, what do we do?” “Then she doesn’t register.” Adrian sounded lazy, unbothered. “The wedding ceremony will go on as planned.” Then he looked at Vivian with sudden seriousness. “Vivian, let’s register. You and me.” Vivian looked up blankly. “What did you say?” Adrian pulled her into his arms. “The ceremony goes to her.” “The marriage certificate goes to you.” “From now on, you’re my real wife.” Off-camera, my breath stopped. I’d already known they were dirty. But watching with my own eyes as the man I once loved most—wearing that familiar face—said those words to another woman, and that woman was my own sister, my heart still shook with pain. On screen, Vivian’s eyes slowly reddened. She nodded instinctively, then immediately shook her head. “No, we can’t. We’ve already wronged Clara so much. This would be too cruel to her.” “And rejecting me isn’t cruel?” Adrian moved closer. “Vivian, are you choosing your sister over me?” Vivian looked at him in anguish. Finally, as if steeling herself, she nodded. “Okay. Let’s register. Even if we have to annul it later, even if we divorce—I’ll accept it.” She looked at him, tears in her eyes. “Adrian, at least in this lifetime, we’ll have truly been husband and wife.” They gazed at each other, kissed deeply, unable to let go. Off-camera, tears poured down my face. This was the sister I thought loved me most. The man I thought loved me most. Blood ties, sworn promises—all of it a joke. And I was the biggest joke of all. I closed my eyes and let the doctors wheel me into the operating room.

Three days later. The day of the wedding. I sat before the mirror, watching my mother arrange my veil with her own hands. Her expression was tender, loving. Not a trace of anything wrong. As if she weren’t the woman who’d told me to step aside for my sister in the next life. I spoke up. “Mom, do you think I’ll be happy?” My mother’s hands stiffened for just a moment. “Clara, you’re about to marry the man you love most. How could you not be happy?” “Think about your sister…” She stopped herself abruptly. If I hadn’t known the truth, I might have assumed she meant Vivian’s unhappy marriage. But now I understood perfectly. What she meant was: I had stolen Vivian’s happiness. I had taken Vivian’s man. My parents had always favored Vivian. I knew that. In the Moretti household, the firstborn daughter was always the pride, the face, the daughter Father could bring into family meetings. I was just the extra one. I just never imagined they could be biased to this degree. Helping their eldest steal their youngest daughter’s fiance. Without a shred of guilt. Even believing, in reverse, that I was the one who’d stolen Vivian’s happiness. “You’re right.” I sighed softly. “I’m about to marry the man I love most. But tell me—does he love me just the same?” “Mom.” I tilted my face up to look at her. “Do you love me the way I love you?” My mother froze. In that instant, I clearly saw the flash of panic in her eyes. But she recovered quickly. “Of course.” Her smile was gentle, flawless. “In this world, of course Mommy loves you most.” “It’s just that your sister isn’t as lucky as you. I can’t help doting on her a little more.” My heart went completely cold. They watched me walk toward a man who’d betrayed me, conspired with everyone to hide it, deceived me—and called me the lucky one. Meanwhile, Vivian had already registered with Adrian. She was already his legal wife. She was kept hidden to avoid gossip, unable to stand openly before anyone—and that made her the unlucky one. “Clara.” My mother’s tone was unreadable. “Mommy needs to remind you—you can’t have everything in this world. No marriage is perfect.” “Sometimes being content, not being too greedy—that’s its own kind of happiness. You understand?” Was this really a mother’s advice to her daughter? No. She was telling me that even if I discovered something later, I shouldn’t make a fuss. I lowered my head, hiding the ice in my expression. “I understand.” My mother nodded with satisfaction and stood to go greet the guests. The moment the door closed, I slowly opened the drawer. Inside lay a black USB drive. I closed my fist around it.

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The afternoon I was about to meet my online boyfriend in real life, Zack went live on Twitch with a special stream. The stream title was painfully eye-catching: [Exposing My “Mega-Size” Online Girlfriend — Donate $1,000 and I’ll take her out for vegan food!] Ten minutes after going live, he pasted a photo of my high school graduation picture in the upper-right corner of the screen. Back then, I weighed 250 pounds, had a face full of acne, and wore a school uniform that looked ready to split open. The chat was instantly buried under a flood of “LMAO” and vomiting emojis. “Zack, are you seriously risking your life for views?” “I’ll bet ten rockets he won’t even be able to squeeze into a standard booth at the diner later.” Zack watched the donation total climb and smiled with obvious smugness. “Guys, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” “Once she shows up and gets stuck in the seat, I’m breaking up with her on the spot.” I was sitting in a high-end nail salon downtown, watching the livestream on my phone. Over the past six months, I had cut out all junk food and sweated it out in the gym. I had gone from 250 pounds to 110, and I had lost more than fat, too, I had also lost the coward who used to bend over backward to please everyone. As the nail technician painted the last bit of cherry-red polish onto my nails, she marveled at how I glowed like a fairy goddess. I casually used my side account to tip ten rockets in Zack’s stream, with a message attached: “You said you were going to break up, so don’t go back on your word later.”

Inside the livestream, the gorgeous explosion effect from the ten rockets instantly wiped the mocking comments clean off the screen. Zack had been lounging back in a sofa chair and playing with his hair, but when he saw the effect, he straightened up at once. He leaned toward the screen and saw my donation message and the profile picture I was using. That avatar was a candid shot from last month, when I had done a fashion shoot for a niche magazine. My side profile looked cool and stunning, my jawline sharp, and my deep eyes hidden in the dim lighting with a strong, aggressive edge. Zack let out a whistle into the microphone. “Wow, thanks to the mysterious rich beauty named S for the ten rockets. Gorgeous, looks like you really support me getting back to single life?” The chat exploded again. “Zack, the rich girl has a crush on you!” “If that avatar is the real person, I’ll eat my keyboard right now. That chin is sharper than Zack’s future.” Zack smiled as he brushed his carefully styled bangs, his tone dripping with the arrogance he couldn’t hide. “Guys, it’s not that I’m cruel. I’ve been in an online relationship with this Selena for a year, and she still doesn’t even dare to turn on video. Every day it’s either those clingy little messages or snacks she sends me.” “My girlfriend, Zack’s girlfriend, at the very least has to be someone I can take out in public, right?” He pointed at the old photo of me from when I weighed 250 pounds in the upper-right corner of the screen. “Look at that build. If I really took her out for burgers today, I’d be worried she’d treat me like a side dish and swallow me whole.” The chat immediately filled with laughing reaction stickers. I stared at the handsome but disgusting face on the screen, calmly picked up my phone, and opened his private messages. Just a few minutes earlier, he had still been messaging me there, sweet-talking me. “Baby, I’m already at the restaurant. I’ve prepared a huge surprise for you today.” “Don’t be scared. No matter what anyone thinks of you, you’ll always be the cutest in my eyes.” This was his so-called surprise, using a gentle, considerate lie to keep me in place and make sure I would show up on time. All while, in front of a hundred thousand people in his livestream, he was shredding my dignity and stomping it into the ground for those ridiculous views and donations. Once upon a time, I really thought he was different. When I first came to the U.S., I gained a ton of weight because I couldn’t adjust to the food and the pressure from school. When I walked across campus, some guys would even deliberately go around me. I met Zack when he added me after we got matched in an online game. He was a huge esports streamer with tens of millions of followers, and he said he liked my voice and my attention to detail. He also said that looks were the most boring shell, and that soul compatibility was the rarest thing of all. For that vague thing called compatibility, over the past six months, not only did I help him edit his gaming videos, I also used the money I earned from part-time jobs to buy him expensive gaming gear. Even after I started that hellish fat-loss phase and was so exhausted every day I could barely lift my arms, I still stayed up late to keep him company through those so-called “low points.” I had once thought that was mutual healing, but now it was just a joke. After the nail tech finished my nails, she led me over to the mirror and interrupted my thoughts. “Honey, take a look. Do you like them?” I looked up at myself in the full-length mirror. The burgundy silk slip dress hugged my waist tightly, my collarbones were defined, and my wavy hair fell over my pale shoulders. That fat girl, wrapped in fat and insecurity, had long since died in countless late nights drenched in sweat. I stood up, picked up the sunglasses on the table, and casually sent Zack a message. “I’m almost there. I hope your surprise won’t disappoint me.”

I pushed open the heavy glass door of Starlight Diner, and a wave of vintage jazz mixed with the smell of coffee rushed at me. It was an old-school American retro diner from the last century, with red leather booths and flashing neon signs setting the mood perfectly. I walked in my high heels to the hidden booth in the far corner and sat down, then ordered a sparkling water with no sugar. In the center of the room, across two rows of seats, Zack’s livestream setup with its ring light stood out like a sore thumb. Zack was talking away at the camera. Today he wore an expensive custom black shirt with two buttons undone at the collar, and the Patek Philippe on his wrist caught the diner lights. Sitting beside him was his longtime partner, Chloe. Chloe was a girl wearing a pure white floral dress, her long blonde hair styled neatly. She covered her mouth and laughed softly at the camera. “Everyone, don’t say that. Selena might just have gotten fat because she’s been sick.” “Zack also chose this classy restaurant with no high-calorie food today just to encourage her to lose weight.” As she spoke, she reached over and patted Zack on the arm. “Zack has always had such a soft heart. Don’t let his harsh words fool you. Once he sees her later, he’ll definitely still take good care of her.” The chat instantly flooded with praise. “Chloe is such an angel. So kind.” “Too bad Zack is blind. He has an absolute bombshell right beside him and still insists on going online-dating a giant.” “Strongly demanding that Zack and Chloe get together!” I watched Chloe’s understanding, reasonable act with cold eyes. She seemed like she was helping me out, but every word she said was really nailing down the label of “fat, pathetic, and deserving of pity” on me. Zack clearly enjoyed being surrounded by adoration. He leaned toward Chloe and raised an eyebrow at the camera. “If she really crushes the booth later, Chloe, you’ll have to cover the damages for me.” The two of them laughed together in front of the camera, and just then, a waiter came over carrying my sparkling water. “Ma’am, your water.” That greeting sounded a little out of place in this section of the restaurant. I took off my sunglasses and set them on the table, then let my gaze drift casually toward the VIP half-booth on the other side of the diner. A dark red curtain half-covered it, and inside sat a man. He wore a perfectly tailored dark gray suit, with a pair of silver-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose. He was holding half an unlit cigar between his fingers, and his gaze crossed most of the restaurant and landed straight on me. That look was razor-sharp, like he was sizing up prey, yet it also carried a coldness that saw through everything. I didn’t know him, but the pressure around him was so strong it even outweighed all the noise in the diner. The eye contact lasted only a second before he lowered his gaze and kept listening to the people opposite him report to him nervously. At the same time, because I had taken off my sunglasses, a lot of people in the restaurant had already started looking at me. Zack also noticed the disturbance. He turned around, and the second his eyes landed on me, his whole body visibly froze. I lifted the glass, my red lips touching the rim as I took an unhurried sip of sparkling water. Zack’s throat bobbed, and he nearly lost his grip on the iced Americano in his hand. He didn’t recognize me at all. He was just instinctively drawn to a completely unfamiliar, aggressively beautiful face. He didn’t even notice that the camera had tilted off to the side. Chloe followed his gaze and looked over, and the smile on her face froze instantly, a trace of fierce, guarded hostility flashing in her eyes. Zack suddenly muted the microphone and leaned toward the camera to lower his voice. “Guys, the giant still hasn’t shown up.” “But I think I just saw a real muse in this restaurant.”

Zack took his drink and left his ring-light livestream spot, walking straight toward my table. He walked with total confidence, even deliberately adjusting his shirt collar, nailing that rich, devoted young-master vibe. “Excuse me, sorry to bother you.” He stopped at the seat opposite my booth and flashed the signature smile that had once won over countless girls on Twitch. “This diner’s AC is always blasting, and I think you need a martini that suits the place better than a boring sparkling water.” “Can I buy you a drink?” I lifted my eyes and slowly moved my gaze from his Patek Philippe to his face. This face had once sent me endless sweet talk through the screen in countless late nights, and now it was using the same expression to hit on a woman he thought was completely strange. I didn’t refuse. I just tapped lightly on the table with my fingers. “Sit.” A flash of triumph crossed Zack’s eyes, and he sat down without hesitation. He took out his phone and deliberately left his obvious million-follower streamer profile visible. “I’m Zack. I usually work in esports investments and streaming. What about you? Here alone waiting for someone?” “Sort of.” I swirled the glass in my hand. “Waiting for my online boyfriend. He said he’d give me a huge surprise today.” Zack visibly paused for a moment, then let out a charming little laugh. “Online dating? Someone like you, a top-tier hottie, still needs to online-date?” He leaned forward slightly, his eyes turning intensely predatory. “That guy must have no idea how lucky he is. If it were me, I’d never let you sit here waiting for more than a minute.” “Is that so?” I looked straight into his eyes. “But I heard you have an online girlfriend too?” “And it looks like you’re over there humiliating her at the next table for views.” Zack’s expression flickered awkwardly for a split second. But he quickly recovered and put on a look that was helpless and deeply affectionate. “You saw that just now? Sorry you had to witness that.” He sighed and leaned back against the booth. “That doesn’t even count as online dating. It’s just a mess I couldn’t avoid.” “She’s been pestering me for a whole year, sending me hundreds of messages every day. I’m just too kind. I never had the heart to reject her.” “Until I found out she wasn’t just a 250-pound fat girl, she’d also been tricking me with fake photos.” Zack spread his hands, his tone full of disgust. “The only reason I did this today was to make her give up for good. I don’t want her clinging to my life like a leech anymore.” I listened to these lies that twisted the truth upside down and only felt sick and amused at the same time. She was sending him hundreds of messages every day? Who was the one calling me over and over at three in the morning when his call wouldn’t go through, forcing me to crawl out of bed and play ranked matches with him? Who was the one who swore after receiving the limited-edition keyboard I bought him that he’d never marry anyone else and would only marry me someday? Just then, the soft sound of high heels approached. Chloe came over carrying her phone. “Zack, the fans are asking where you ran off to.” She stood beside the booth and looked down at the silk slip dress I was wearing, then finally stopped on my face, which had no flaws at all. “This lady looks a little unfamiliar. Is she a new streamer in our circle?” Her smile was extremely deceptive, but her tone was barbed. “Zack is just too warmhearted. He always wants to mentor newcomers when he sees them.” “But miss, Zack’s taste is very picky. Just having a pretty face won’t get you into our circle.” I looked at the pair of them performing in sync. They were still lost in the superiority they had built for themselves, thinking they were the absolute rulers of this game. “He is picky.” I picked up my phone from the table and swiped the screen on with my fingertip. “But I’d like to see just how picky he can really be.”

I pressed the shortcut key I knew all too well on my phone screen. Just two seconds later, Zack’s phone, tucked inside his suit pocket, suddenly rang. It was an extremely childish sweet-girl Japanese song, and under the background of one American jazz song after another, it sounded harsh and ridiculous. He had insisted on setting it as my exclusive ringtone back then, saying it was to prove I was the most special person on his list. Zack’s expression changed instantly. He fumbled to pull out his phone and, without even looking at the screen, hit decline. “Spam call.” He forced out a smile. “These annoying calls really are getting more and more common.” I looked at him, and instead of putting down my phone, I hit the call button again. The familiar Japanese song echoed above the booth once more. This time, Chloe’s eyes fell on Zack’s phone screen. There, in bright letters, flashed a name: [My baby Selena]. Chloe froze. She looked at the phone, then at me across from her, as if she’d been struck by lightning. “You…” Following Chloe’s gaze, Zack finally looked down at his screen. His expression completely stiffened at that moment. All the fake affection, arrogance, and ease he had been wearing vanished instantly. He stared at me so hard his eyes looked like they might pop out. “You’re Selena?” Zack’s voice even changed pitch, and everyone in the restaurant turned to look this way. I tossed my phone onto the table, and the metal case clacked against the glass with a crisp sound. “What? Don’t recognize me anymore?” I leaned back in my chair and looked at him coldly. “Didn’t you just say I was like a leech clinging to your life? Didn’t you say bringing me here for vegan food today was to make me give up for good?” Zack’s chest rose and fell violently. His gaze kept darting over my slim arms, my clearly defined collarbones, and the face that looked nothing like the one in the photo. Right now, he simply could not connect the 250-pound fat girl to the top-tier beauty sitting in front of him, the one he had almost just tried to sweet-talk. The livestream setup that was still running had recorded everything clearly. The chat had already gone insane, scrolling hundreds of messages per second. “What’s going on? That hottie is Selena?!” “The insanely gorgeous girl Zack just hit on is the same giant online girlfriend he was about to publicly humiliate?” “Holy crap, this has to be the biggest reversal of the year. Zack’s peacock routine from just now was all caught on camera!” Zack clearly realized the livestream was still going too, and the reason he usually prided himself on his composure completely shattered. He shot up to his feet, and his handsome face twisted with rage and embarrassment. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?” He braced both hands on the table and stared me down. “You’ve been thin this whole time, haven’t you? You watched me in the livestream looking like an idiot while you played me like a fool. Did that make you feel accomplished?!” I met his gaze without any fear. “You’re the one who wanted to turn me into your cash cow. Since you dared to set up this bet, then you should be ready to face the consequences of losing everything.” I picked up the martini he had ordered for me, then turned my wrist. The cold liquor splashed perfectly onto Zack’s carefully styled face. “Now it’s you who isn’t good enough for me.” The drink dripped from his chin onto his expensive custom shirt, leaving ugly dark stains. From childhood to now, when had Zack ever suffered such a humiliating insult? His eyes immediately turned red, and after muttering a curse, he reached out to grab my wrist hard. Just as his hand was about to touch me, a large hand with sharp knuckles and a Patek Philippe black-gold watch on the wrist clamped down hard on Zack’s wrist. Then, a cold, deep voice full of absolute authority sounded behind Zack. “Zack, who gave you the guts to touch her with your filthy hands?”

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My best friend’s neighborhood was being bought out by a major developer. The city was handing out massive payouts based on the number of legal family members registered under each household. She asked if she could borrow my husband. She promised to give me five hundred thousand dollars once the deal went through. In my past life, my mother was diagnosed with severe heart failure and urgently needed two hundred thousand dollars for life-saving surgery. For the sake of the money, Logan—my husband—convinced me to agree to this absurd arrangement. Chloe, my best friend, married him on paper. They successfully scammed an extra million dollars from the developer, but then she refused to get a divorce. Whenever I confronted Logan, he would stutter, making up endless excuses for Chloe. It wasn’t until later that I found out they had already been sleeping together and she was pregnant with his child. Once their secret was out, they stopped pretending. They hired a ruthless lawyer, stripped me of everything, and kicked my mother and me out of our own house. My mother died tragically on the streets. Heartbroken and numb, I wandered by the river, slipped, fell into the freezing water, and drowned. But when I opened my eyes again, I had traveled back in time. It was the exact day Chloe asked to borrow my husband.

“Ashley, please, just let me borrow Logan for a bit! We’ll just get a marriage certificate. As soon as I get the buyout money from the developer, I’ll divorce him immediately!” “The government is paying out bonuses based on headcount. Everyone around me is rushing to get married, but I don’t want to waste this opportunity on some random stranger.” “You’re my best friend. You’re the only one I trust!” “And don’t worry, I won’t let you do this for nothing. If you agree, I’ll transfer five hundred thousand dollars to you the second the papers are signed!” Chloe pleaded, holding up five fingers in a solemn promise. Looking at her fake, eager face, a cold chill ran down my spine. In my past life, Chloe had used the exact same soft-soaping tactics, dangling that five hundred thousand dollars in front of me like a carrot. Logan and I both came from average families. I had been grinding in the corporate world for ten years, making only about ten thousand a month. Five hundred thousand was equivalent to five years of my hard work! On top of that, Chloe had sworn on her life and even wrote me a signed contract. She promised that as soon as the marriage certificate was registered and the payout cleared, she would transfer the cash. I had refused at first. But a week later, my mother suddenly collapsed at home. My dad rushed her to the ER, where she was diagnosed with advanced heart failure. The doctor said she needed an urgent valve replacement surgery. The cost? Two hundred thousand dollars. In the end, cornered by the medical bills, I compromised and agreed to Chloe’s proposal. But once they got married and pocketed the millions, she didn’t give me a single dime. Instead, they fooled around behind my back, and she got pregnant. The memory of being left penniless, of my mother dying because we couldn’t afford her surgery, made my blood boil. I wanted nothing more than to take a knife and drive it through her heart right now. Seeing me stare at her in silence, Chloe waved her hand in front of my face. “Ashley? Are you okay? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Hearing Chloe’s voice, I instantly masked the murderous rage in my eyes. I forced a helpless, innocent smile. “Chloe, you’re so gorgeous, and now your family is getting this massive windfall. Can you blame me for being a little jealous?” “But borrowing my husband? Don’t you think that’s a bit too wild?” “You could literally find any guy on a dating app. Any of them would be a thousand times better than Logan.” Chloe shook her head quickly. “No way! I don’t know those guys. What if they’re just after my money?” “Ashley, you’re my bestie. Just let me borrow him for a few days!” “I swear, as soon as we register and get the check, I’ll transfer the money to you!” She grabbed my hand, shaking it playfully. After pretending to think it over, I said, “How about I ask Logan tonight and see what he thinks?” Chloe’s face lit up instantly. “You are literally the best!” In my past life, when the topic of a “fake divorce” was first brought up, Logan had put on a big show of rejecting it. But the moment he heard Chloe’s family was getting two prime properties and two million dollars in cash, his attitude changed instantly. He even turned it around on me, accusing me of being a bad friend. He said it was a huge opportunity for Chloe, and she was just asking us for a small favor. He had broken it down for me: “Each person added to the household gets an extra million. If I divorce you on paper and marry Chloe, she gets another million. Only an idiot would walk away from free money like that.” “Besides, she promised to give you five hundred thousand.” “Ashley, think about it. Five hundred thousand! It would take us ten years of starving ourselves to save that much.” I only agreed back then because Logan kept pushing me. I had been too naive to read between the lines. He had probably set his eyes on Chloe’s fortune from the very beginning. That was why he couldn’t wait to divorce me and marry her. After they registered their marriage, they claimed they had to “make it look real” so the developers wouldn’t investigate them for fraud. Because of that, Logan basically moved into Chloe’s apartment. At that time, I was constantly running back and forth to the hospital for my mother, so I had no time to worry about anything else. My distraction gave them the perfect opportunity to hook up. I was so incredibly stupid. Under their combined manipulation, I had signed a divorce agreement where I voluntarily waived all my rights to our marital assets. Because Chloe had promised me it would only be for a month. She said they would file for divorce the moment the funds cleared. I figured it was only thirty days, so I signed it, thinking it was just a formality. I never expected them to turn the fake divorce into a real marriage and throw me out on the street. My fists clenched tightly under the table. In this life, I was going to make Chloe and Logan pay in blood.

When Logan came home from work, I brought up the idea to him. Just like in my previous life, Logan’s first reaction was mock disbelief, acting as if the idea of “renting out a husband” was insane. But the moment he heard about the million-dollar bonus, his eyes practically turned into dollar signs. “Ashley, honestly, I think Chloe has a point. Why leave free money on the table? It’s just a fake divorce anyway. Once she gets the money, we can remarry immediately.” “And she’s giving us five hundred thousand!” He hugged me tight, whispering reassurances. “Don’t worry, babe. I have absolutely no interest in Chloe. You’re the only one I love!” In my past life, as soon as the payout hit Chloe’s account, she had transferred the five hundred thousand to Logan. She even sent me a screenshot: *Ashley, I’ve sent the money to Logan. You can just ask him for it.* But every time I asked Logan for the money, he made up excuses—either saying there was a daily bank transfer limit, or claiming he had put it in a high-yield savings account under his mother’s name. It took me too long to realize that since they were legally married, there was no difference whether the money was in Chloe’s account or Logan’s. They were just passing it back and forth between themselves. In this life, I would definitely divorce him. But as for the money and the house? I was taking all of it. I bit my lip, acting hesitant. “Logan, I’m still really worried.” “Chloe is prettier than me, and now she’s a wealthy heiress. What if you guys get married on paper and she refuses to divorce you?” “Of course not, babe! That’s impossible. Even if she’s rich, she’s not my type.” “I only want you.” Hearing his sweet, hollow lies made me want to throw up. In my past life, after they married, Logan claimed they had to act like a real couple to avoid getting caught by the authorities. He spent every single night at her place. I actually trusted him back then. Looking back, I was a complete idiot. An attractive man and a willing woman living under the same roof—even without feelings, things were bound to happen. Not to mention, they both had hidden motives. A few drinks, some late-night talks, and they were in bed in no time. She even got pregnant. Meanwhile, I was the only fool who thought it was all just an act. In the end, I was the only one left in the dark. I snuggled into his chest. “Okay. I’ll talk to Chloe tomorrow.” Logan nodded eagerly. “If we’re doing this, we need to hurry. The state has a mandatory waiting period for divorces, and that takes at least a month!” He really couldn’t wait, could he?

The next morning, I went back to my parents’ house and took my mom to the clinic for a full checkup. When the results came back, the doctor’s face grew serious. “Your mother’s heart is severely damaged. She needs an urgent valve replacement. You need to prepare at least two hundred thousand dollars.” “And honestly, I highly recommend going to a top specialist clinic in New York. The success rate is much higher there.” My fingers dug into my palms, and I bit my lip to keep from crying. In my past life, I didn’t find out about my mother’s worsening heart condition until she collapsed. Older people always think they can just endure the pain. But her endurance ended up costing her her life. After settling my mom back at home, I went straight to a divorce attorney and had him draft a paper. Of course, it was an agreement where Logan would leave with absolutely nothing. When Logan came home that night and saw the paper, he froze. “I get nothing? I walk away empty-handed?” I nodded naturally. “Yeah. Logan, it’s just a fake divorce. Once you get the buyout money, we’re getting remarried anyway. What are you worried about?” “And didn’t you say the legal waiting period takes a month?” “Filing it this way will make the process go much faster!” I added casually, “Oh, by the way, to transfer the deed of our house completely to my name, we need to clear the remaining mortgage. There’s still a hundred thousand left. You should figure out a way to pay that off first.” “We have to transfer the deed too?” Logan’s voice cracked. “Of course,” I said, putting on a pout. “Otherwise, if the house stays in your name and we’re legally divorced, where am I supposed to live? What if you kick me out?” Logan replied without thinking, “You can just keep living here! I would never kick you out. Like we said, it’s just a temporary thing.” I looked at him with teary eyes. “But I feel so insecure. We’re putting real signatures on a real divorce certificate, Logan.” Logan’s brows furrowed deeply. He didn’t want to sign this agreement, and he definitely didn’t want to transfer the house to me. He wanted to have his cake and eat it too—he wanted me to leave with nothing while he chased after Chloe’s millions. But in this life, he wasn’t getting away with it. At bedtime, Logan made up an excuse about having to finish some work and went to sleep in the guest room. Which was exactly what I wanted. I stayed awake, waiting for the noises from the next room. I knew Logan would immediately call for backup. Sure enough, around 1:00 AM, I heard his muffled voice through the wall. Our apartment’s soundproofing was terrible, especially in the dead of night when everything else was silent. I pressed my ear against the wall and listened to Logan calling his mother, Helen.

“Mom, Ashley wants me to sign a clean-break agreement. She even wants me to transfer the house entirely to her name. Do you think she suspects something?” “You idiot!” Helen’s sharp voice leaked through the receiver. “So what if you sign it? Do you actually think there’s any real money left in your joint account?” When Logan and I got married, his family pretended to give us a ten-thousand-dollar wedding gift, while my family gave us twenty thousand. But six months into the marriage, Helen came over for dinner and started crying at the table, complaining about how Logan’s uncles were hounding her for debts. Only then did I find out that the ten-thousand-dollar wedding gift—and even the down payment for our apartment—had been borrowed from relatives. I had a soft heart back then. Seeing my mother-in-law shed tears, I immediately handed over my twenty thousand to help them pay off the debt. Logan and I made about the same salary, but every month he sent half of his paycheck back to his family—some to support his parents, and the rest to fund his younger brother, Leo’s, private school tuition. Yes, his mother had given birth to a second son when Logan was eighteen. I wasn’t even told about this until right before our wedding. Meanwhile, my salary was used to pay the mortgage and cover all of our household expenses. So, even after two years of marriage, we had virtually zero savings. Helen continued on the phone, “So what if you give her that cheap apartment? Think about Chloe! Two million dollars in cash and two luxury properties!” “Just one of those apartments is worth at least half a million! And she has two!” “When the time comes, you guys can live in one, and we can sell the other to buy Leo a house!” “And that cash payout can fund Leo’s college and wedding! It’s perfect!” “Hurry up and divorce Ashley. She’s just a low-level corporate employee. Aside from being obedient, what does she bring to the table?” “You’ve been married for two years and she hasn’t even popped out a baby. Who knows if she’s defective!” It turned out Helen had despised me all along. No wonder in my past life, when Logan refused to divorce Chloe and I went to Helen for help, she had only mocked me. She told me she thought Chloe was great—beautiful, capable, and rich. Since Logan was already married to Chloe, they might as well stay together. Logan hesitated over the phone. “But to transfer the deed to her name, I have to clear the remaining mortgage! That’s a hundred thousand dollars!” His mother snapped at him again. “Then just drag your feet and don’t sign it! Watch Chloe marry some other guy instead, and watch another man enjoy her millions and her apartments! Meanwhile, you can stay stuck with your useless wife, working yourself to the bone just to pay off a mortgage and counting pennies at the grocery store for the rest of your life!” Logan fell silent. I smirked in the dark. I knew I had won.

The next morning, Logan was already up when I walked into the kitchen. There was breakfast on the table, alongside the signed divorce papers. Seeing me walk in, Logan smiled warmly. “Babe, I thought about it, and you’re right. Since we’re legally divorcing, it’s natural for you to feel insecure. I want to make sure you feel safe, so I signed it. I’ll leave with nothing.” “As for the mortgage, I’ll find a way to pay it off. Just give me two days.” After breakfast, I grabbed the signed papers and rushed over to Chloe’s place. When she saw the papers, Chloe gasped in excitement. “Logan actually signed it?” I nodded and handed them over. “We’re filing tomorrow. But…” Seeing me hesitate, Chloe asked quickly, “But what?” I reached into my bag and pulled out my mother’s medical diagnosis report, handing it to her with a look of despair. “My mom is really sick. She needs an urgent heart surgery that costs two hundred thousand dollars. Chloe… can you please transfer the five hundred thousand dollars to me first? [Paywall Node]”

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Three years after my death, Amber is finally marrying my boyfriend, Ethan. To make this happen, Eleanor hid my death from Ethan for three whole years. The day before the wedding. Ethan received an order to clean out a deceased person’s estate. Amber told him to come home early. But she had no idea—I was the one who placed that order, three years ago. 1 “Ethan, does this wedding dress look good on me?” Ethan sat on the sofa, staring at the gown blankly. He muttered instinctively, “Chloe?” Amber froze. “What did you say?” Ethan snapped out of it and gave her a faint smile. “Yeah. It looks beautiful.” Amber turned her back, her expression instantly twisting into venom. She gripped the fresh lace of the gown, wrinkling it. “Chloe, you’ve been dead for three years, and you still have a hold on him. Impressive.” Eleanor stepped forward, patting her shoulder to remind her to keep her composure. She pulled the changing curtain shut and whispered, “She’s dead. Why do you care? You’re the one Ethan is marrying anyway.” I stood behind them, imagining what I would look like in a wedding dress. This wedding should have been mine. Amber and I are half-sisters. Eleanor hated my dad, and that hatred extended to me. When I first found out I was sick, I begged Eleanor for money to treat my illness. But what did she say? “If you’re going to die, do it far away from us. Don’t ruin our sight.” “I can’t wait for you to die. You’re just as shameless as your father.” She claimed she had no money for my treatment. Yet, when Amber whined just a little, Eleanor bought her an expensive grand piano overnight. When I died, she wouldn’t even claim my body. She hired a random task-runner to throw my ashes into the river. Ethan thought I had run away because I didn’t want to marry him. So, he hated me too. “Ethan, we’re getting married in a few days. Don’t you think we should let my sister know?” Ethan frowned, a flash of annoyance crossing his face. “She’s been gone for three years and never bothered to contact us. Why look for her?” I waved my hands at him frantically. No, Ethan, no! I never left. I’ve been right by your side this whole time! But he couldn’t hear me. Amber leaned against Ethan’s shoulder, placing a hand over her stomach. Her happiness was suffocating. “Thank you, Ethan. I love the dress. And the baby loves it too.” She was pregnant. The baby was Ethan’s. My heart ached with an unbearable sadness. I knew how much Ethan loved kids. He used to say he wanted a baby boy so the two of them could spoil me together. But now, he was having a child, and the woman he was going to spoil wasn’t me. Bzzt—bzzt— Ethan’s phone buzzed on Snapchat. He let out a quiet sigh, gently pushed Amber away, and answered. It was an order for a death cleaning service. The customer service rep mentioned the order had been placed three years ago. Ethan just muttered an “okay” and hung up. It wasn’t unusual. Many clients pre-ordered death cleanups for themselves. I once asked Ethan why a computer science genius like him would choose this job. He told me that when his mother died, he found that sorting through her belongings told him things he couldn’t see with his eyes. He said a death cleaner is the one who helps the deceased put the final period on their life story. So, Ethan, I chose you to write the final period for mine. “What’s wrong, Ethan? A new job?” Amber asked softly, walking over. Ethan nodded. “Yeah. A last-minute cleanup. I can’t make it to the wedding rehearsal with you. Go ahead without me. I’ll head back as soon as I’m done.” Amber was the picture of understanding. She handed Ethan his bag and kissed his cheek. “Okay. Come home early.” She had no idea that this order was placed by me, three years ago. 2 Because of his unusual profession, Ethan had very few friends. He only brought one assistant, Luke, to the address. Ethan stood at the door, whispered a short prayer for the deceased, put on his mask and gloves, and walked in. Looking at the dusty, chaotic room, my soul trembled. Three years had passed, but the phantom pain didn’t fade at all. Luke stared at the deep gouges on the door, shocked. “Ethan, look at these scratch marks…” Ethan knelt down to inspect them. “They’re so deep. The victim must have suffered horribly before she died.” “Whatever. Let’s just pack the stuff. This isn’t our business.” Luke nodded and began working. Ethan looked around, found a box, opened it, and pulled out a card. It read: Happy Birthday to me. I hadn’t been here in so long. I floated over to him to look. When was this from? Ah, probably when I turned twelve. My parents were in a custody battle. I stood in that cold, massive courtroom. The judge asked me, “Who do you want to live with?” My dad looked away, ignoring me. Eleanor glared at me, a silent threat not to choose her. Terrified, I burst into tears, ran over, and gently tugged on Eleanor’s skirt. “Mom, can I please stay with you?” In the end, the judge ruled in my favor based on my wishes and gave custody to Eleanor. But she was in a rush to buy a birthday cake for Amber. She left me alone at the courthouse entrance. It was pouring rain. By the time I made it home on foot, Eleanor was softly singing Amber to sleep because she was scared of thunder. She forgot that day was my birthday too. I had licked the leftover frosting off a discarded cake box in the trash, and told my reflection in the mirror: Happy Birthday. It was so long ago. Just thinking about it gave me a headache. Ethan gently touched the card, then picked up a small plush toy. Underneath it was a ripped diary page. Seeing that toy, I instinctively backed away, screaming at Ethan. Don’t touch it! Put it down! Just looking at it forced my soul to relive the memory that made me shudder. I had gotten first place on my exams. I was so happy. Eleanor had promised that whoever got first place would get a wish. There was a little plush keychain at the neighborhood convenience store that I had wanted for months. But when I excitedly asked for it, Eleanor crumpled my exam sheet and threw it in the trash. Her eyes were ice-cold. “Amber made progress this time, so I bought it for her. Maybe next time.” I turned and saw Amber smirking, dangling the toy in my face. For the first time, I couldn’t take it. I ran out of the house. Behind me, Eleanor’s furious voice echoed: “Run off then! Don’t you dare come back!” I cried hysterically on the street. The creepy owner of the convenience store, Marcus, saw me. He told me to come into the back room and he’d give me one. Oh God. The back of that shop was a nightmare. He dragged me in, pinned me down, and tore me apart. I screamed and begged, but he wouldn’t stop. When I finally escaped, I ripped that plush toy to shreds. Do you believe that souls can cry? I stood in front of Ethan, watching him read that crumpled diary page with a heavy frown. My tears fell like rain, passing right through the paper and landing on Ethan’s hand. “Sigh…” Hearing Ethan gasp, Luke turned around. “Ethan? What’s wrong?” Ethan’s voice trembled with disbelief. “She… she was assaulted.” Ethan picked up the remaining diary pages. October 14th Amber brought some girls to beat me up. I was so scared. She said I deserved it. November 3rd Amber told Eleanor I was sleeping around. Eleanor called me a whore. But that was Amber’s boyfriend. December 12th Eleanor’s new boyfriend came into my room while I was napping. He touched me. Eleanor caught him, but she beat me instead. She called me a cheap seductress. Ethan’s hands shook violently as he held the pages. He had to take deep breaths just to keep from breaking down. He forced himself to keep going through my past. But when he picked up the next item, he lost all control. 3 It was a medical report for severe clinical depression, with my name on it: Chloe Miller. The moment Ethan saw my name, his pupils dilated. His hand shook so violently he dropped the paper several times. “Luke… come here. Tell me… am I seeing things?” Luke put down his box and walked over. “Chloe? No way…” He was just as shocked. Ethan quickly pulled out his phone and checked the Snapchat number that placed the order. When the office read aloud the number he knew by heart, he finally had to accept the truth. It was me. Ethan, you finally found out. I didn’t abandon you. I didn’t run away from our wedding. I was just… dead. It was as if all the strength had been drained from Ethan’s body. He collapsed onto the floor. Luke tried to help him up, but Ethan pushed him away. He whispered, “Luke, leave. Let me finish this alone.” “Ethan…” “Leave!” Luke had no choice but to walk out. I sat down next to Ethan. Suddenly, I remembered a summer day during our Freshman Orientation Week when we sat on the high school bleachers just like this. I was a girl of few words, and so was he. When two quiet people got together, we spent most of our time just staring into space in comfortable silence. The teachers said we were a perfect match. That was the first time Ethan smiled at me. “You’re amazing,” he had said. And I replied, “You too.” Our love story wasn’t filled with dramatic grand gestures, but during every major moment of our lives, we chose to be by each other’s side. Ethan buried his face in his knees, his shoulders shaking as he began to sob. “Why? Why? Why did this happen?” I reached out, trying to stroke his hair. Ethan, don’t cry. It breaks my heart. Ethan’s profession wasn’t popular, so his studio had been struggling. When I found out I was dying, I placed this order on PayPal. It wasn’t much, but I wanted to give him one last piece of business. I had never seen Ethan cry like this. After half an hour, he forced himself to calm down, stood up, and kept searching. Ethan locked himself in that apartment for two whole days. He spent two days digesting the brutal reality of my death. As he lay curled up on the dusty floor, his face pale, his phone suddenly buzzed with a FaceTime call. “Ethan? Where are you?” Hearing Amber’s anxious voice on the other end, a chilling clarity returned to Ethan’s eyes. He pushed himself up, his voice freezing cold. “I’m on my way. Wait for me.” Ethan packed up all my belongings in a box and left the apartment. He clutched the box tightly, stroking it as he walked. He whispered, “Chloe, I’ll make them pay for what they did to you. Every single one of them.” I followed behind him, sighing. I’m already dead, Ethan. What’s the point of revenge? The only thing I couldn’t let go of was you. Maybe that was why my soul kept lingering by his side. The next day was the wedding. Amber wrapped her arms around Ethan’s neck, trying to kiss him. “Ethan, I’m so happy. I’m the luckiest girl in the world.” Whether intentionally or not, Ethan turned his head, and her lips missed. He gently pushed her away, using the excuse that tomorrow would be a busy day, and went to sleep. Amber frowned, assuming he was just exhausted. She didn’t think much of it and turned over to sleep. The wedding day arrived. Ethan wore his custom-tailored tuxedo. I hovered in front of him, constantly telling him how handsome he looked on Twitter. When I was alive, I never realized how precious speaking was. Now that I was dead, I couldn’t stop talking. Ethan took a simple silver bracelet from my box and put it on his wrist. He whispered, “Chloe, let’s pretend we’re getting married today, okay?” I blushed and looked away. Who wants to marry you? You haven’t even proposed properly yet! Why did my cheeks feel so warm? Amber wore a flowing, beautiful white gown. Eleanor walked her down the aisle. Ethan stood at the altar, frozen. The priest looked anxious, but finally, Ethan forced a smile and took her hand. Amber’s eyes welled with tears of excitement. The priest asked, “Do you take Amber to be your lawfully wedded wife?” Ethan suddenly looked directly toward where I was standing. He said clearly, “I do not.” The entire chapel fell into dead silence. Even I was shocked. Amber’s hand in Ethan’s began to shake violently. “Ethan… what?” But Ethan suddenly smiled. “Just kidding. I do.” Though he said the words, I could see nothing but absolute coldness behind his smile. After the reception, Ethan got completely wasted. On their wedding night, Amber was left alone in an empty room. Worse, by the next morning, rumors spread on Ins that Ethan had slept with one of the bridesmaids. I had been following Ethan the whole time. I knew he was just drunk and slept alone in a hotel room. But Amber didn’t believe that. Furious, she confronted her bridesmaid and slapped her hard across the face. “I let you be my bridesmaid, and you seduce my husband?!” Her friend was bewildered and angry. “I didn’t do anything! What are you talking about?!” Amber didn’t want to hear it. She raised her hand to strike again, but this time, someone grabbed her wrist. Amber looked up in shock at Ethan—the husband who was supposed to be at home, now defending another woman. “What kind of crazy scene are you throwing here?” Amber saw the sheer disgust in Ethan’s eyes, and her heart sank. “Ethan, where were you last night? Were you with this bitch?!” Ethan shoved Amber’s hand away so hard she nearly fell. “Stop acting like a psychopath. Go home.” Without waiting for her, Ethan turned and walked away. For the first time, Amber was abandoned in public. And just like the day I was abandoned, it began to pour. I sat in the passenger seat of Ethan’s car, looking at his stern profile with a soft smile. “Thank you, Ethan. I know you’re doing this for me.” Ethan suddenly turned his head toward the empty seat and smiled. “Chloe, does this make you feel a little better?” I froze. Can he see me? I waved my hand in front of his face, but he just turned to roll up the window. Ah. He was just looking outside. He scared me for a second. From that day on, Ethan’s warmth toward Amber vanished completely. He started drinking, smoking, and giving her the silent treatment. Sometimes, he would even throw things at her. He wanted her to feel the terror and pain I felt. But Ethan, you shouldn’t do this. You shouldn’t ruin your own life for a ghost. At first, Amber thought she had done something wrong. She tried to please him and endured his outbursts. But gradually, she realized something was deeply off. One night, Ethan got drunk and called out my name in his sleep. That’s when she knew. Ethan had never let me go. She noticed Ethan was always staring at that old wooden box. One night, while he was asleep, she snuck over and opened it. But as she sifted through the items, Ethan appeared behind her like a shadow. “Drop those things.” Amber screamed in fright. With a loud clatter, the contents of the box spilled all over the floor. 4 “Ethan… you’re awake?” Ethan stared at the scattered items on the floor, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles turned white. “Who gave you permission to touch her things?” Panic seized Amber. She rushed forward to hug him. “Ethan, listen to me…” With bloodshot eyes, Ethan threw her off. Amber fell hard, her stomach slamming against the sharp edge of the coffee table. She gasped for air, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. Ethan had completely lost his mind. I tried to pull him back, but my hands just slipped through him. I could only hover there, screaming in panic. Ethan lunged forward, wrapping his hands around Amber’s neck. “Why?! Why did you hide it from me?! She’s been dead for three years! Three years! And I thought… I thought she hated me!” Amber’s eyes began to roll back. Beneath her white silk nightgown, a dark red stain began to spread. I paced around them frantically, crying out. Ring—ring— The sudden blare of Amber’s phone snapped Ethan back to reality. He let go, completely indifferent, and wiped his hands with a towel. Amber crawled to her phone with the last of her strength and dialed 91

By the time Eleanor arrived at the hospital, Amber had already miscarried. Eleanor slapped Ethan across the face. “How could you let this happen?! She’s so fragile! What did you do to her?!” My heart ached as I looked at the red mark on Ethan’s cheek. Eleanor hit hard. I knew that pain too well. Whenever she slapped me, my face would swell for days. Ethan didn’t flinch. He just let out a cold chuckle. “Your slaps really do hurt.” Eleanor frowned. “Ethan, look at me! I am your mother-in-law! Have you lost your mind lately? You’re acting like a demon!” “The ones possessed by demons are you guys,” Ethan muttered cryptically. He didn’t want to stay in that suffocating room for another second. He turned and walked out. I wanted to follow him, but a strange curiosity kept me in the room. I wanted to see if Eleanor would actually show genuine love for her daughter. When Amber woke up, Eleanor held a cup of water, gently dabbing her dry lips with a wet cotton swab. I wanted to laugh. So, she did know how to take care of someone when they were sick. When we were kids, Amber always got cartons of fresh milk from Amazon, and I got nothing. One year, I had a 104-degree fever. My throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire. Seeing a half-empty glass of milk on the table, I couldn’t help but take a sip. Eleanor caught me and kicked me to the ground, screaming, “Who said you could drink that?! If you drink it, what is Amber going to have?! You’re a thief and an ungrateful brat!” Was I a thief, Mom? I never understood why you hated me so much over a single sip of milk. “Mom! My baby! My baby is gone!” Amber wailed, throwing herself into Eleanor’s arms. Eleanor patted her back gently, soothing her just like she did when Amber was a little girl. Sobbingly, Amber whispered, “Mom… Ethan knows. He knows Chloe is dead. What do we do? What if he never comes home?” Eleanor froze, the water cup trembling in her hand. “Does he only know she’s dead? Anything else?” Amber shook her head. “I don’t think he knows anything else.” Eleanor let out a huge sigh of relief. “Good. That’s good.” What did they mean by “anything else”? I realized they were talking about the truth behind my death. “It’s all that bitch’s fault! Even dead, she’s still ruining my life!” Amber hissed through gritted teeth, wishing she could dig up my bones and burn them. Eleanor whispered, “I’ll hire an occult medium to bind her soul so she can never haunt us again.” But I hadn’t done anything to them, had I? I couldn’t stand watching their touching mother-daughter moment anymore. I turned and floated away. If you hated me so much, Mom, why did you even give birth to me?

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At 2 AM, my boyfriend, Ethan Carter, rushed into my sister Chloe’s bedroom, shirtless. He scooped our crying, hungry nephew, Leo, into his arms. With his other hand, he casually pinched Chloe’s cheek. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’ll soothe Leo at night. Stop trying to do everything yourself.” Then he turned to look at me, the warmth on his face instantly freezing over. “And you, Vivian. You know Chloe is still recovering. Why aren’t you helping with Leo? Go make him a bottle of formula, now!” My fingers gripped the doorframe tightly. I couldn’t say a single word. Chloe playfully slapped his chest. “I’m engorged in the middle of the night, Ethan. If I don’t feed him, are you going to massage my breasts when I get mastitis?” “I am your girlfriend’s older sister, after all! Watch out, or I won’t let Vivian marry you!” Ethan didn’t back down. He reached out to tickle her waist, though his eyes remained on me. “Vivian, what are you standing there for? Go make some warm chicken soup for Chloe to rebuild her strength.” Chloe laughed and shrunk into his chest. Baby Leo was squeezed between them, babbling happily. They looked exactly like a happy family of three. Since he wanted so badly to be my sister’s husband, I decided to find myself a new one.

I took out my phone, scrolled to a chat history I hadn’t opened in a long time, and sent a message: “You once said if I wasn’t married by thirty, you’d marry me. Does that still stand?” The reply came instantly: “Always. Anytime.” I quietly put down the baby bottle Ethan had shoved into my hands and turned to leave. Behind me, Chloe let out a soft gasp. “Oh stop it, I’m leaking! Hand Leo to me quickly!” Ethan, looking annoyed yet fond, gently swatted Chloe’s hip. “How many times do I have to tell you? No breastfeeding! Your body is already weak. If you don’t listen, I’ll really have to punish you!” Chloe covered her chest in mock embarrassment. Ethan didn’t even look at me. He sat beside her, carefully patting the baby to feed him. He didn’t seem to care at all that he was still shirtless. Without turning his head, he ordered me: “Vivian, hurry up and make Leo’s formula, then get the soup simmering.” “Make sure it’s perfect, or this little greedy cat here will find another excuse not to drink it.” Chloe blushed, playfully pulling his ear. “Ethan, I think I need to teach you some manners today!” Ethan’s eyes were full of tenderness as he reached out to tickle her waist again. The two of them carried on, laughing and fooling around, with Leo giggling in the middle. Finally, he noticed I was still standing in the doorway. His face darkened instantly. “Why are you still standing there like a statue? Can’t you see Leo is crying his eyes out?” I stared at them silently for two seconds. He was holding Leo, Chloe was leaning against his shoulder, and the three of them were huddled close. It was a perfectly harmonious picture. I turned around and walked out, opening the front door. A handsome face appeared in the hallway. Julian Vance was leaning against the wall, looking at me with a half-smile. “Wow. Did you get kicked out of your own place in the middle of the night again?” “Come on in. Let me play the hero today.” I followed him into his apartment. “If I remember correctly, this is the ninth time you’ve walked out, right?” I didn’t say anything. I took the mug of hot tea he handed me and stared at the rising steam. My mind was filled with everything that had happened over the last three months. When my sister got divorced and had nowhere to go with her baby, my heart softened. I let her move in. But within a month, I became the outsider in my own home. On our anniversary, a date I had been looking forward to for a week, Ethan sent me a text: “Leo has a fever. I’m taking Chloe and him to the ER. Might not make it back tonight.” I sat in the restaurant alone, staring at the candle for two hours. When I got home, I saw Ethan crouching on the living room floor, clapping his hands. “Say Dada, say Dada.” Leo opened his little mouth and mumbled, “Da… Da…” Ethan smiled so wide his eyes crinkled, and he lifted the baby high above his head. I stood at the doorway, not even having changed out of my shoes yet. Chloe saw me and smiled warmly. “Vivian, I’ve tested him for you. Ethan is definitely a family man. He’s going to be great with kids in the future.” She winked at me as she spoke. I twitched my lips but didn’t reply. Chloe probably noticed my unhappiness. Her face stiffened, and she suddenly picked up Leo and started packing her bags. “Fine. I guess we are in the way here. We’ll leave.” Ethan immediately stopped her. “Where are you going alone with a baby? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out there?” Chloe cried, saying she didn’t need his help. “I’m your sister’s boyfriend. It’s my duty to protect you and the baby. Just stay here. Don’t go anywhere.” Over and over again, this happened. The warmth in my heart turned lukewarm, then cool, and today— It had gone completely cold. Snapping out of my memories, I spoke softly: “Let’s get married.” Julian trembled. The hot tea splashed onto his hand, making him hiss in pain. But he didn’t even care about his hand. He stared at me blankly, as if he had misheard. “…Are you serious?” “Yes.” He set his mug on the table and nodded vigorously. “Okay. We’ll go to City Hall the day after tomorrow.”

I pushed open the door to my apartment. Ethan and Chloe were still messing around. “You’re basically a guy in my eyes. Who would even want you?” Chloe joked. She puffed out her chest. “Are you blind? I’m a 36E. You can’t see that?” Ethan looked her up and down, purposely scoffing. “Are those even real?” Chloe pounced on him, hitting him playfully while he laughed and dodged. “Of course they’re real!” Squeezed between them, Leo let out a burst of giggles. I watched them quietly. Eventually, they realized something was wrong. The laughter gradually died down. Chloe let go of him and smoothed her hair. Ethan also sobered up and cleared his throat. I turned and walked back into my room. The moment the door closed, I heard their whispered voices outside. “Shoot, is Vivian mad?” “Don’t worry about her. She’ll get over it in a bit.” I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. After what felt like forever, the door opened. Ethan walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. “Vivian, it’s not easy for your sister to raise a baby alone. You need to be more mature. Don’t make things harder for her.” I rolled over to face him. “So, you mean I should come home from working overtime in the middle of the night and still babysit for her?” “Don’t you think I’m tired too?” He scoffed. “If you’re that tired, just quit your job. It’s not like I can’t support you.” “Besides, it’s better if you stay home to help with Leo.” I opened my mouth, but suddenly, I had nothing left to say. A few days later, Ethan had a college reunion. Right after we sat down, Chloe showed up with Leo in her arms. “Vivian, I’m so sorry…” “Leo kept crying for Ethan. He grew up without a father, so he probably views Ethan as his dad…” As soon as Leo saw Ethan, he reached out his tiny hands. “Dada! Dada, hold!” Ethan smiled, taking the baby and cradling him expertly in his arms. He glared at Chloe. “Why did you bring the baby out all by yourself? You should’ve called me so I could pick you guys up. What if you hurt your back again?” Chloe lowered her head, whispering, “I didn’t want to ruin your night…” Ethan reached out with his free hand to pat her shoulder. “Don’t be silly.” Seeing this, Ethan’s old classmates started teasing him. “Wow, Ethan! Living the dream, huh?” “Two beautiful women by your side. Not bad, man!” Chloe giggled, covering her mouth. “Oh, stop. He’s just being a gentleman.” One classmate leaned in and asked, “So, Chloe, do you like guys like Ethan?” Chloe stole a glance at Ethan and smiled. “Him? Please. He’s lazy and a glutton. The only thing he’s good at is taking care of the baby.” Ethan acted offended. “Only good at that? Leo only sleeps when I put him down. Can you do that?” “I was just giving you a chance to show off!” Chloe rolled her eyes. “Oh, thank you so much then.” Ethan joked back, making her laugh. They kept bantering back and forth, completely ignoring everyone else. I picked up my glass and downed the drink. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” I stood up and walked out. At the end of the hallway, near the corner. I heard those familiar voices. “You’ve been working too hard taking care of Leo. Your lips are so dry they’re cracking.” “Hold still. Let me put some balm on for you.” My footsteps froze. Around the corner, Chloe’s lipstick was completely smudged. Ethan was wiping his own lips with a lingering look.

Seeing me, Chloe froze for a second. Then, she immediately grabbed my hand and complained: “Vivian, thank god you’re here. You need to talk to your boyfriend. He is so petty! I just teased him a bit and he started lecturing me. Is it a crime to be a mother?” As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears. I said nothing. Back in the private dining room, everyone started playing drinking games. Chloe got super into it, but she kept losing. Soon, it was her turn to take a penalty shot. Just as she was about to grab the glass, Ethan slammed his hand over hers. “Chloe is still breastfeeding. She can’t drink. I’ll drink for her.” My best friend, Harper, slammed her fork down onto the plate. “Ethan Carter, in what capacity are you drinking for her?” The atmosphere instantly froze. Chloe bit her lip, her eyes turning red as she looked at Ethan with a pitiful expression. Ethan remained silent for a few seconds, then pushed the glass in front of me. “I was going to drink for your sister, but since some people want to make a scene, you drink it.” I picked up the glass and drank it all. Glass after glass followed. Chloe kept playing. She was terrible at the game but insisted on playing, losing round after round. Every time she lost, she would let out a whiny “Oh no!” and turn her eyes to Ethan. And Ethan would just push the alcohol in front of me. “Drink.” I lost count of how many glasses I had. My stomach felt like it was on fire, burning from my throat down to my gut. The lights in the room began to blur, and people’s faces spun. Their laughter sounded muffled, like they were underwater. I slumped onto the table, digging my nails into my palms to stay conscious. “No more… I really can’t drink anymore…” Ethan frowned. “It’s only been a few drinks. Don’t be a party pooper.” Another cold liquid forced its way down my throat. My stomach convulsed violently. A metallic, sweet taste rushed up. I covered my mouth, but I couldn’t stop it. Bright red blood seeped through my fingers, dripping onto the white tablecloth, blooming like morbid flowers. “Oh my god! She’s coughing up blood!” “Quick! Get her to the hospital!” Right at that moment, Chloe suddenly clutched her chest, groaning in pain. “My mastitis is flaring up… it hurts so bad…” Ethan pushed through the crowd, bent down, and scooped Chloe up in his arms. He walked out with giant strides. He didn’t even look back at me once. The car we had bought together carried the three of them away, disappearing into the night. Everyone else had been drinking, so no one could drive. It took two hours for an Uber to arrive. By the time I was brought to the hospital, I was already unconscious. The diagnosis: acute alcohol poisoning and stomach bleeding. The nurse went through my phone, found my emergency contact, and called him repeatedly. Finally, the call went through. Ethan’s irritated voice blasted through the speaker: “Are you done yet? Chloe has a 101-degree fever! Do you have any idea how dangerous mastitis is?” “If you have time to throw a tantrum, go home and take care of Leo. The nanny’s shift is over!” “Sir, your girlfriend has acute alcohol poisoning and a stomach bleed. We need a family member to sign—” “What kind of game is she playing now? She sees her sister get sick, so now she has to be sick too? I don’t have time for her drama!” Beep— Beep— Beep— The other patients and their families in the ER stared at me. Their eyes were filled with pity and sympathy. The next morning, the ward door was pushed open. Ethan walked in and grabbed my arm roughly. “Let’s go. Go apologize to Chloe. She was worrying about you even with a high fever, and here you are, playing the victim.” He pulled me so hard the IV needle almost ripped out of my skin. “Let go of her!” The nurse rushed over and pulled me back. “The patient needs rest!” Ethan sneered. “Stop acting! Get out of bed and come apologize!” I closed my eyes and gathered every ounce of strength I had left to say: “Let’s break up.” Ethan froze. Then, he let out a cold laugh and slammed the door. “What kind of nonsense is this? Don’t use that to threaten me.” A moment later, the door was pushed open again. Chloe was dragging Ethan in by his ear. “Vivian, are you mad at him?”

Chloe twisted his ear while winking at me. “He told me everything. He was just in a rush to save me and accidentally left you behind. This idiot doesn’t have a brain. Don’t take it personally.” Ethan tilted his head to ease the pain, groaning “Ow, ow,” but a smile remained on his face. Chloe let go and smacked the back of his head. “What are you standing there for? Apologize to Vivian!” “Why should I? I—” “You what?” Chloe stood with her hands on her hips, her eyebrows raised. “Vivian is your girlfriend! No matter how you look at it, you were in the wrong!” “I’m telling you, Ethan, no matter what, you must put Vivian first. Do you hear me?” Ethan nodded repeatedly under her lecture. “Yes, yes, my little manager. Whatever you say.” Only then did he turn to me, his tone lazy and insincere: “Vivian, if this ever happens again, I promise I’ll save you first. Satisfied now?” After that, he turned back to Chloe, his voice instantly softening. “You should go back and rest. You still have a fever. It’s going to hurt again if you leak.” Chloe wanted to say something else, but he was already holding her shoulders, gently pushing her toward the door. He glanced back at me, his face filled with impatience. “And you, if you’re sick, just lie down and stop causing drama. Getting angry isn’t going to help you recover, you know?” I smiled slightly. “I’m not angry.” “Really?” “Really.” Chloe let out a sigh of relief, a pleased smile spreading across her face. “That’s good. Don’t worry, Vivian, I’ll keep an eye on him for you.” “I met the wrong man in the past and got hurt, so I have experience. I’ll make sure he never treats you badly.” The smile on my face deepened. Ethan casually asked, “What do you want to eat? I’ll have someone deliver it.” “Don’t worry about it.” “I’ll just grab whatever. Go help Chloe. She has the baby and needs you more.” Ethan paused, seemingly surprised by my words. I added, “I’m used to it.” Those words seemed to prick him like a tiny thorn. He froze, staring at me for a few seconds. Then, his expression relaxed. “Good. You’re finally growing up.” “Well, at least you learned a lesson from this.” He had forced me to drink for Chloe, glass after glass. I drank until my stomach bled, throwing up blood, and was left waiting for an Uber for two hours. When I was brought to the hospital, the doctor said if I had been ten minutes later, even God couldn’t have saved me. I almost lost my life. And all I got in return was—You’re finally growing up. “If you can keep acting like this—mature and sensible—I might actually consider finding a good date to propose to you.” “Are you thrilled?” I didn’t say a word. He took my silence as being speechless with joy, nodded in satisfaction, and walked out supporting Chloe. The ward fell silent. I ripped the IV needle out of my hand and began packing my things. Two hours later, in front of City Hall. Julian Vance and I walked down the steps side by side, holding our marriage certificate. We ran straight into Ethan, who was holding Leo, with Chloe clinging to his arm. “Vivian Miller, what are you doing here?” “I only said I’d consider proposing, and you rushed to City Hall? Are you that desperate?” Julian reached out and wrapped his arm around my waist. Chloe’s face fell. “Vivian, what is wrong with you? Marriage is a serious thing!” “You and Ethan have been together for years. How can you throw yourself at another man right in front of him?” “You are embarrassing our family!” Looking at Chloe’s self-righteous face, I smiled. “Oh, so you know that throwing yourself at a man is embarrassing?” “Then what do you call what you’ve been doing with your sister’s boyfriend?” Her face turned bright red instantly. She opened her mouth, but not a single word came out. Ethan’s face darkened. “Vivian, you don’t even respect your own sister. If you marry into my family, are you going to treat my parents like this too?” “I was actually thinking that if you behaved yourself, I’d propose to you soon.” “But now, it looks like we need to put that on hold. Go home and reflect on your actions.” He finished speaking, lifting his chin, waiting to see me panic and beg for his forgiveness. Beside me, Julian pulled out our marriage certificate from his pocket and held it right in front of Ethan’s face. “Who gave you the right to bark at my wife?”

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On a quiet night during my hospital shift, my phone buzzed with an angry series of SnapChat messages from my neighbor, Mrs. Gable. [Dr. Carter, could you and your wife keep it down during your nighttime activities? We have kids in the next apartment!] [This has been going on for five nights straight! I knock on your door, and you guys just play dead. Are you doing this on purpose?] [Your wife is paralyzed, and you’re still pushing her like that? You bastard!] Sitting at my desk, still typing up medical records, a cold sweat broke out over my entire body. I had been working consecutive night shifts for the past five days. I hadn’t set foot in my apartment once! The moment my colleague arrived to cover my shift, I threw on my jacket and rushed out of the hospital. I dialed Chloe’s number repeatedly as I sped down the highway, but there was no answer. Strangely, Olivia, our live-in caregiver who never missed a call, wasn’t picking up either. Anxiety clawed at my chest, making my foot press harder on the gas pedal. Chloe and I had always been so in love. She would never betray me. Besides, she was paralyzed from the waist down. Intense physical intimacy was physically impossible for her. Then there was Olivia. Chloe had complained to me multiple times that Olivia was always on the phone with some sketchy guy during work hours. If I hadn’t been so busy and unable to find a replacement, I would have fired her weeks ago. Did that girl actually have the audacity to bring a man into my home? The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I flew into our driveway at eighty miles an hour. My hands shook so violently that it took me three tries to punch in the door code. The apartment was pitch black, filled with the sound of heavy, ragged breathing. “Chloe? Olivia?” I called out, but only silence answered. A terrible dread washed over me. I fumbled for the light switch and flipped it on. What I saw made my heart stop. Chloe was sprawling on the hardwood floor, struggling to crawl! Olivia was nowhere to be seen! Chloe’s hair and face were soaked with sweat, and her wrists were covered in raw, red friction burns. Fury boiled inside me. That useless girl Olivia must have tied Chloe up just so she could have her little tryst in our apartment! How dare she?! Chloe lifted her head, her tear-filled eyes locking onto mine. “Ethan? What… what are you doing home?” Her voice was incredibly raspy. My heart wrenched in pain. How long had she been crying? I rushed over, lifted her gently, and carried her back to the bed. I pulled her into my arms, stroking her damp hair tenderly. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I’m so sorry I came back so late. I let you go through this…” “If the neighbor hadn’t messaged me, I wouldn’t have known this psychopath of a caregiver was doing this to you!” Chloe’s body suddenly stiffened, and she pulled back slightly from my embrace. “The neighbor? What did they tell you?” Seeing the sheer panic in her eyes only made my chest ache more. “Chloe, Olivia has been bringing a man here for the past five days. Has she been locking you up like this the whole time? Why didn’t you tell me? Did she threaten you?” Chloe let out a long, shuddering breath, then buried her face back into my chest. “Ethan, you’re so busy at the hospital. You save lives. I didn’t want you to worry about me…” “And the man she brought… he’s huge, muscular, and looked so dangerous. I was terrified you’d get into a fight with him and get hurt…” Listening to her soft, fragile whimpers, my self-loathing reached its peak. My beautiful wife had endured such abuse at home just to keep me focused on my work. At the same time, my hatred for Olivia reached a boiling point. I pulled out my phone to dial 911. But before I could hit call, Chloe snatched the phone out of my hand. She gripped my hand tightly, her eyes begging me. “Please, don’t. If the police get involved, everyone in the building will know… they’ll look at me with pity. I can’t take that.” Looking at her fragile, pleading face, I felt utterly defeated. Chloe had been paralyzed for years. Despite the expensive experimental medications and my daily physical therapy sessions with her, there was never any improvement. To pay for her treatments, I worked endless overtime, leaving her alone more and more. I had watched her grow increasingly insecure and fragile over the years. To avoid the pitying stares of strangers, she hadn’t left the apartment in months—she wouldn’t even go to the clinic for her checkups. It was my fault. I wasn’t rich enough, and I wasn’t a good enough doctor to cure her. Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from downstairs, followed by a car alarm blaring and two men shouting obscenities at each other. Instinctively, I moved toward the window to check. But Chloe gripped my hand even tighter. She pulled me down to her, burying her face back into my chest. “Ethan, I’m so scared. Please don’t leave me. Not even for a second.” I stopped. I wrapped my arms around her again. Nothing in this world was more important than Chloe. I held her in bed until her breathing slowed and she drifted off to sleep. Gently, I slid my arm out from under her, walked into the bathroom, filled the tub with ice-cold water, and climbed in.

Chloe and I had never consummated our marriage. On countless sleepless, agonizing nights, this was how I calmed my burning desires—shivering in a tub of ice water. To me, sacrificing my own needs was just another way of loving her. But tonight, the bathroom smelled strange. A foul, metallic, fishy odor lingered in the air, giving me a splitting headache. I searched around and finally traced the smell to the trash can. Buried at the bottom was a pair of lacy red women’s underwear. The anger I had just suppressed flared up again. That damn caregiver, Olivia! She actually used our bathroom for her dirty deeds! The next morning, I threw the trash out. I gave Chloe her sponge bath, changed her underpads as I did every day, and prepared to leave for work. But Chloe was acting strange. She seemed exceptionally clingy. “Ethan, when will you be home today?” Normally, she never asked, fearing she’d distract me. She was clearly still traumatized by yesterday. I stroked her hair gently. “I’ll come straight home after my shift. I’ll make your favorite—creamy Tuscan chicken.” Despite wanting to stay, I had to leave. Chloe’s experimental meds were running low, and I needed to find a freelance gig to cover the next batch. As I drove around the corner of our street, my phone rang. It was Olivia. Before I could even speak, she screamed through the receiver. “Dr. Carter! Did you seriously blackball me in the agency for ‘bringing men over’? How am I supposed to get another job now?!” “If you have this much free time, you should watch your own wife! Stop acting like a clueless idiot!” I hadn’t even tracked her down yet, and she had the nerve to call and yell at me? But what did she mean by that last sentence? Before I could ask, she slammed the phone down. I spammed her on Snapchat, but she blocked me instantly. A cold, uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. Unable to shake it off, I called in sick and turned the car around.

When I pulled into our apartment’s underground garage, I found my assigned parking spot occupied. After calling the number on the windshield several times, a tall, muscular man with a cast on his leg limped over. He was panting heavily, and I noticed fresh hickeys peppering his neck. I recognized him. He was the jerk who always stole my parking spot. When I complained, he didn’t even apologize. He just gave me a menacing glare, got into his car, and drove off. It wasn’t even noon, and I had already been yelled at twice. My mood was in the gutter. Walking into the apartment, the sight of Chloe sleeping peacefully calmed my nerves. I gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. That’s when I noticed a faint smudge of pink lipstick on the corner of her mouth. I hadn’t applied any makeup on her this morning. She never wore makeup at home. My heart began to hammer against my ribs. Instinctively, my eyes drifted down to Chloe’s thighs. Over the years, despite my daily massages, her muscles should have shown some signs of atrophy from lack of use. But as I stared at her legs, I realized something I had been too blind to notice before. Her thighs were as firm, toned, and perfectly shaped as they were before the accident. Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open. She looked startled to see me. “Ethan? Why are you back? Is… is there something wrong with my legs?” I quickly shook my head, forcing a smile. “No, nothing. I just realized I forgot to do your physical therapy massage this morning. I couldn’t stop worrying, so I came back.” She giggled and pinched my nose, but then her face fell, and tears began to pool in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Ethan. It’s all because I’m a useless cripple. I make your life so hard…” In the past, my heart would have broken. I would have held her tight and told her how much I loved her. But today, Olivia’s warning, the muscular man with the cast, and the perfect shape of her legs created a dark cloud of suspicion in my mind. Was it possible… that Chloe’s legs had already healed? To find out the truth, I went to the bathroom, wrung out a towel in scalding hot water, and walked back to the bedroom. “Let’s do a quick hot compress first,” I said casually, pressing the steaming towel directly onto her thigh. The intense heat turned her skin bright red instantly. I watched her face closely. Her expression didn’t change at all. She kept smiling up at me, warm and affectionate. A wave of intense guilt washed over me. I felt like a monster. Chloe loved me so much, and here I was, testing her and hurting her. I was disgusting. Panicked, I grabbed the burn ointment and began applying it to her skin with trembling hands. As blister after blister began to form on her fair skin, tears of pure remorse streamed down my face. “Chloe… I’m so sorry. It’s my fault…” Chloe paused, then slowly used her arms to lift her upper body, pulling my head into her lap. “It’s okay, silly. I can’t feel anything anyway. It doesn’t hurt.” She reached into the nightstand, pulled out a carton of milk, inserted a straw, and handed it to me. “You look exhausted, babe. Drink some milk and take a nap. You need to rest.” My heart warmed. I took a big gulp. But the moment the liquid hit my tongue, a faint, bitter aftertaste sent a chill down my spine. As a doctor, I knew that taste instantly. It was a dissolved sleeping pill. Chloe was staring at me, her eyes locked onto mine, waiting. I didn’t know how she had gotten her hands on the pills, but I knew one thing: right now, she desperately needed me to pass out. To play along, I pretended to yawn heavily. “I need to use the bathroom first,” I mumbled. I rushed to the bathroom, shoved my fingers down my throat, and threw up every drop of the milk. Then, I walked back, stumbled onto the bed, and closed my eyes, letting my breathing fall into a deep, heavy rhythm. After a few minutes, I felt Chloe lean over me. She waved her hand in front of my face. Once she was absolutely sure I was “dead to the world,” she let out a cold, disgusted sneer. “Useless simp.” Through the tiny slit of my eyelids, I watched my paralyzed wife throw back the blanket, swing her legs over the edge of the bed, and stand straight up on her own two feet.

She walked over to the closet, changed into a skin-tight, sexy dress, slipped into a pair of high heels, and walked out the door. The moment I heard the elevator doors slide shut, I bolted out of bed. I grabbed my keys and followed her. Keeping my distance, I hopped into a taxi and trailed her Uber. Chloe’s Uber pulled up to a trendy, upscale street. She walked straight toward a vending machine tucked into a dark alley. She pressed a sequence of buttons, and the machine swung outward like a door. It was a hidden speakeasy. I waited a minute, copied her actions, and slipped inside. The club was dimly lit, packed with people, and pulsing with loud electronic music. I had never been to a place like this and felt completely out of place. After pushing through the crowd, I finally spotted her in a VIP booth in the corner. Chloe was draped over a tall, muscular guy, her fingers tracing his jawline playfully. It was the jerk from the garage. My mind reeled. Was that why he always parked in my spot? So he could keep tabs on when I was home or at work? The humiliation of being cheated on burned hot in my chest. I clenched my fists and walked toward the booth. But as I reached the heavy velvet curtain of their booth, Chloe’s voice drifted out. “Babe, I think Ethan is starting to suspect something. He’s been acting really weird lately.” “It’s all because of that nosy neighbor! She actually Snapchatted him to complain. What a bitch!” “And because of her, you had to jump out of my bedroom window and break your leg. I’m so sorry, baby…” The man chuckled, pulling her closer. “What are you scared of? If he finds out, we just throw it in his face. He’s just a broke, pathetic resident doctor. What’s he gonna do? Fight me?” “You’re too hot to be stuck with a loser like him anyway.” He planted a wet kiss on her lips, and Chloe giggled, slapping his chest playfully. “Stop it! If it weren’t for revenge, I would have divorced him years ago.” “If he hadn’t botched my surgery back then, I wouldn’t have spent years recovering. All my suffering is his fault! You think he’s staying with me out of love? He’s just trying to ease his own guilty conscience!” “But you’re the smart one, babe. Getting your buddy at the rehab center to fake the bills? We split the therapy money he pays, and my secret savings account is looking very nice right now.” The man laughed loudly. “Well, you’re the mastermind who came up with the plan to get rich off his guilt!” Their laughter echoed in the booth, but everything went dead silent in my mind. I stood there, frozen. The thumping bass of the music sounded like a chorus of mockery, needles piercing my brain. I never could have imagined that this was how Chloe saw me. Years ago, when I first met Chloe, it was my first year as a resident. She had been in a horrific car crash. When she was wheeled into the ER, her legs were a mangled, bloody mess. She needed immediate, highly specialized surgery. But the moment her parents heard the projected cost, they hesitated. “Even with the surgery, she might still end up paralyzed, right?” her father had asked. “We can’t afford this. We have a son to think about.” Even when I offered to help them set up a payment plan through the hospital, they flatly refused to sign the consent form. I couldn’t bear to see a young girl lose her legs forever because of her parents’ selfishness. So, driven by my duty as a doctor, I made a risky decision. I pushed her into the OR and performed the surgery, taking full responsibility. Although I saved her legs, the delay caused by her parents meant she still required extensive rehabilitation, and a full recovery was never guaranteed. For years, I gave up opportunities to study abroad, turned down promotions, and skipped conferences just so I could stay by her side, massaging her legs and taking care of her every need. But her legs just wouldn’t get better. Eventually, she told me she wanted to give up, and the rehab center staff subtly suggested I stop bringing her in. I had carried that guilt for years. I suffered from insomnia, constantly blaming myself for not being a better doctor. And all this time, they were just playing me for a fool to steal my money.

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To spend a romantic birthday with her high school sweetheart, my wife put sleeping pills into our sick, crying daughter’s baby bottle. The baby fell into a deep sleep, allowing them to enjoy a romantic, uninterrupted night. When I got home, I found our daughter wouldn’t wake up. By the time I rushed her to the hospital, it was too late. I called my wife, but she only snapped impatiently over the phone: “Are you seriously trying to ruin things just because I’m celebrating Julian’s birthday? I’ll come home when it’s over.” Then, she hung up and turned off her phone. She had no idea that her romantic date night had just cost our daughter her life. I walked through the door at seven in the morning. Only our nanny, Mrs. Gable, was in the living room. When she saw me, a worried look crossed her face. “Mr. Sterling, Lily slept through the whole night without waking up or crying for her bottle. I tried to wake her up just now, but she wouldn’t budge. I was just about to call you.” I rushed into my daughter’s nursery. Lily lay there, looking like a little sleeping angel. “Lily? Lily, baby.” I called her name, but there was no response. I pinched her tiny hand. Still nothing. Cold dread washed over me. I looked up and asked, “Where is Chloe?” Mrs. Gable replied, “Mrs. Sterling called me last night and told me to watch Lily. She was already gone by the time I arrived, and she hasn’t been back all night. Lily was already asleep when I got here.” I called Chloe. She picked up, her voice thick with sleep. “What is it? Why are you calling so early? I told you, it’s Julian’s birthday. I stayed over at my friend’s house last night.” I didn’t care where she was. I just wanted answers. “Was Lily feeling sick yesterday? Did you give her any medicine? She’s been asleep all night and won’t wake up. She’s completely unresponsive.” Chloe paused for a second before raising her voice defensively. “She’s just tired and sleeping in. What is there to worry about?” “Lily is only eight months old!” I yelled. “It’s impossible for her to be this deep asleep!” Chloe groaned in irritation. “She was crying and screaming last night for no reason. She wouldn’t stop! So I put a little sleeping pill in her formula.” My brain went entirely numb. A loud ringing filled my ears. “Chloe Vance! Your daughter is only eight months old! Are you out of your mind? Do you want to kill her? How much did you give her?!” She hesitated, her voice suddenly trembling slightly. “Not… not that much. Just one pill. I take them all the time and I’m fine. What could a tiny dose do? Ethan, stop making a scene out of nothing.” With that, she hung up. I turned to the nanny, my voice shaking. “Hold Lily. We’re going to the ER. Now!” At the hospital, the doctor’s face turned pale the moment I explained the situation. Lily was rushed straight into the trauma bay. A nurse stood outside, looking at me with pure disgust. “How could you give sleeping pills to an infant? Are you people even human? How could you be such terrible parents?” I clenched my teeth, tears burning my eyes. “Please, nurse, save my daughter. I don’t care about the cost. I’ll pay anything. Just save her.” “If you cared so much, you should have been more careful before this happened,” she snapped. A few minutes later, a nurse ran out. “How many sleeping pills did she ingest? We need the exact dosage. It’s critical for her resuscitation.” “Her mother said… she said just one,” I stammered. The red light over the operating room stayed on. No other doctors came out. I don’t know how much time passed before a doctor finally walked out. His face was grim. “The dosage she took was far more than just one pill. And she was brought in way too late. We did everything we could, but she didn’t make it. I’m so sorry for your loss.” My mind went blank. My entire body froze. I could barely force the words out of my throat. “No… that’s impossible. How could my daughter be dead? She’s only eight months old.” When they wheeled Lily out, I threw myself over her small body, touching her cold cheek. “Lily, wake up. Look at Daddy. Please, Lily…” My tears fell hot and fast onto her quiet face. Her eyes were closed, looking exactly as if she were taking a normal nap. I looked up at the doctor, begging. “Look at her, she’s just sleeping. How can she be dead? Doctor, please, look again. Check her again!” Mrs. Gable stood beside me, sobbing into her hands. “It’s all my fault. If only I had realized something was wrong in the middle of the night…” “Lily was so sweet, always smiling… she was such a beautiful baby.” With trembling hands, I dialed Chloe’s number. It rang and rang. On the ninth attempt, she finally answered, her voice dripping with annoyance. “Are you seriously trying to ruin things just because I’m celebrating Julian’s birthday? I’ll come home when it’s over!” In the background, I heard Julian’s smooth, relaxed voice. “Babe, come eat breakfast.” Chloe hung up on me before I could say a single word. When I tried calling back, her phone was turned off. She said she was staying at a girlfriend’s house, but she was with Julian. It was all so clear now. I closed my eyes. Chloe, in your eyes, the happiness of this family doesn’t even compare to a single birthday date with Julian.

I gently lifted Lily into my arms. This was my daughter, and this was the last bit of warmth I could ever give her. I held her tight against my chest and kissed her forehead. “Baby, don’t be scared. Daddy will come see you every day. Just wait for me, okay? Daddy will come keep you company soon. Sleep tight, my sweet girl.” My tears flowed uncontrollably, but I couldn’t even make a sound. I felt as if my heart had been ripped out of my chest, thrown into the dirt, and trampled on. I was broken beyond repair. I handled Lily’s funeral arrangements completely alone, eventually bringing back a small urn. By the time I returned home, I didn’t care if Chloe was back or when she would ever return. I walked into Lily’s nursery. Her mobile was still hanging over her crib, and her playmat and toys were scattered across the floor, as if waiting for her to come back and play. I curled up on the rug next to her crib, clutching the little stuffed bunny she slept with every night. Holding it tightly, I cried myself to sleep in the dark, imagining my baby was still in my arms. I was barely asleep when I heard the front door open. A man and a woman were talking. The woman was my wife, Chloe, and the man—I didn’t even have to guess—was Julian. “Ugh, Ethan isn’t even home yet,” Chloe grumbled, her voice filled with annoyance and contempt. “The house is pitch black. Just because I went out to celebrate your birthday for a few days, he’s probably going to give me the silent treatment again.” “He’s always like this. Whenever you’re involved, Ethan gets so paranoid and insecure. I honestly don’t know what I was thinking when I married such a petty, narrow-minded man.” Julian comforted her smoothly. “Don’t be mad, babe. Maybe he just loves you too much. Or maybe we should stop seeing each other so often. You know I hate seeing you suffer because of me.” “Don’t worry about him,” Chloe dismissed him. “He’s just dramatic.” “We’ve been away traveling for a few days,” Julian asked softly. “Is Lily going to be okay?” Chloe brushed it off. “What could possibly happen to her? If anything was wrong, Ethan would have called to start a fight days ago. See? Not a single call or text from him these past few days.” I clenched my fists, suppressing the raging fire inside me. Of course I didn’t call or text you. You blocked my number on everything. “You must be exhausted after our trip,” Julian said tenderly. “Get some rest. I’ll head out now.” But Chloe stopped him. “Julian, stay. It’s late, and Ethan isn’t even here anyway. He probably took Lily to his parents’ house. You know his parents have always hated me. I can’t be bothered to call and ask them to bring her back.” Julian sighed. “Chloe, have you really been unhappy and miserable these past few years? It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t left back then, Ethan would have never had the chance to marry you. That is the biggest regret of my life.” “Chloe, if you’re truly unhappy, will you give me a chance? A chance to make you happy. Can we start over?” I quietly cracked the door open. Through the gap, I saw Chloe throw herself into Julian’s arms, her eyes red as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Julian, you know you’re the only man I’ve ever loved. Yes, I want to be with you.” “If Ethan hadn’t forced me to marry him in exchange for saving Vance Enterprises, I would have never married him! You have no idea how sick to my stomach I feel every time I have to lie next to him, Julian.” “I have never loved him. I even gave him a daughter—I’ve paid him back everything I owed. Now, I just want to be with you.” A bitter ache pierced my chest. What did our years of marriage mean to her? Just a debt to be paid? She claimed she had only ever loved Julian. In her eyes, I was just a villain who had taken advantage of her family’s misfortune. But she never stopped to think: without me, how could she still be living this lavish lifestyle? How could she still be the high-society heiress of the Vance family? Without my money, she would have been ruined long ago. I met Chloe at a charity gala. At the time, Vance Enterprises was facing a massive financial crisis. If they didn’t get an immediate cash injection, they were going to go bankrupt. Her family had brought her to the gala specifically to auction her off to some wealthy businessman in exchange for a marriage alliance to save their company. Everyone knew what was happening. The way the wealthy men looked at her was disgusting—like she was a piece of meat on display. Chloe was being mocked and humiliated by a group of wealthy heiresses. She looked like she was about to burst into tears, but she didn’t dare leave. I couldn’t stand seeing her suffer, so I stepped in and defended her. That was how we met.

I admit, it was love at first sight for me. She knew it, and she knew exactly what I could offer. Under my pursuit, she quickly agreed to marry me—on the condition that I bail out Vance Enterprises. I knew she had a first love who had gone abroad, but I truly believed that if I treated her with absolute devotion, our years of marriage and our beautiful daughter would make her love me back. It turned out to be nothing but a foolish, one-sided delusion. To her, I was an eyesore she couldn’t stand to look at, and Lily was just an unwanted burden. Looking at the two of them locking lips in my living room, I threw the door open with a loud SLAM, startling them apart. Julian’s face turned pale when he saw me standing there, my expression dark as storm clouds. Chloe immediately stepped in front of Julian, shielding him. “Ethan, if you have a problem, take it out on me! This has nothing to do with Julian!” She raised her chin defiantly. “You know I’ve never loved you. I only married you because my parents and you forced me into it! Now that Julian is back, I realize I still love him. I refuse to spend the rest of my life in misery.” “Don’t think your money gives you the right to control me. I’m not afraid of you anymore.” “Let’s get a divorce. You can keep our daughter—I don’t want her. We’ll split the assets fifty-five. You shouldn’t have a problem with that, right?” I took a step forward, my eyes bloodshot. With a swift movement, I slapped her hard across the face. SLAP! The force knocked her onto the couch. Julian rushed forward, grabbing my collar. “How dare you hit Chloe! I’ll kill you!” The thought that my daughter died because of him made my blood boil. Hatred consumed me. I threw a brutal punch straight into his face, over and over again, completely losing control. Chloe panicked and threw herself onto me to pull me back. “Ethan, are you insane?! I’m calling the police!” I shoved her away. Staring down at Julian, who was bleeding on the floor, I turned my murderous gaze to Chloe. “Chloe, you want a divorce? Fine. If you want me to sign, bring our daughter to me. Hand Lily over, and I will sign.” Hand her over? A sharp pain pierced my heart. Let’s see how you’re going to hand our daughter back to me. Chloe looked thrilled. “Really? You better keep your word!” I nodded slowly. “I always keep my word. Go ask her if she’s willing to go with you.” Chloe scoffed. “You’re the one who raised her. She always smiles whenever she sees you. Of course she’ll be willing. If she smiles, it means yes.” If only she could smile… If Lily could still smile at me, I would gladly give up everything I own. She walked into Lily’s nursery. A moment later, she called out in confusion. “Where is Lily? Did you leave her at your parents’ house again? I told you, stop leaving her there. We need to raise our child ourselves.” I let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Raise her ourselves? You? Since when do you care about raising her? Other than shopping, high tea, spa days, and spending my money, when have you ever spent a single second with her?” “When Lily was born, you said you didn’t want your body ruined, so you refused to breastfeed her for even a single day. She had to drink formula, and her immune system was always weak.” “You said you didn’t know how to take care of a baby, so I hired a professional nanny.” “You said her crying kept you awake at night, so Lily slept with me every single night.” “As a mother, what did you actually do? You drugged her with sleeping pills just so you could go screw around with your lover? You murdered her!” Chloe jumped up defensively. “What lover?! Julian and I are completely innocent!” “Innocent?” I sneered. “Affair during our marriage is innocent? Making out with another man in our home while your husband is away is innocent?!” Julian struggled to stand up, wiping blood from his mouth. “It’s just a sleeping pill. She’ll just sleep it off and wake up fine. Why do you have to be so dramatic and blow this out of proportion?” My eyes flared with rage. “What the hell did you just say? Sleep it off?!” Chloe crossed her arms. “What do you want from me? What’s done is done. Why are you acting like a psycho?” My anger reached its boiling point. “What do I want? Chloe, why don’t you take a good look at what you’ve actually done?!” I grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the dining table. She screamed, struggling against my grip. “What are you doing?! Let go of me!” But in the next second, her scream died in her throat as her eyes landed on Lily’s framed portrait and the small urn resting on the table.

Chloe’s hand trembled violently as she pointed at the urn and the photo. “What… what is that?” “Ethan, you’ve completely lost your mind! Just to win an argument with me, you’re cursing our daughter to death?!” I snatched the death certificate from under the urn and slammed it onto her face. “Open your eyes and read every single word on this paper! Read what it is!” With shaking hands, Chloe unfolded the paper. There, in cold black and white, was Lily’s name and her time of death. The color drained from her face. She stumbled backward, dropping the paper to the floor. “No… this is a lie. How could Lily be dead? How did she die? Ethan, how did the nanny watch her?!” I grabbed her by her chin, dragging her forcefully in front of Lily’s portrait. “You drugged your daughter with sleeping pills just to go on a date, leaving her completely alone in the house, and now you’re blaming the nanny?! Chloe, you are Lily’s mother! Is everyone else completely worthless to you compared to Julian?!” “You are so cold-blooded that you drugged your own flesh and blood. The doctor said the dosage was far more than just one pill. Tell me! How many did you give her?! Speak!” Tears streamed down her face as panic finally took over. “I don’t know… Julian was the one who poured it…” Julian stood frozen in place, whispering in shock. “I only put in two pills… but you told me to put in more so she would fall asleep faster…” Chloe began to shake violently. She grabbed my hand, sobbing. “Ethan, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to. Lily wouldn’t stop crying… she just kept crying…” I wanted nothing more than to choke the life out of her. “She was just a baby! You’re her mother! Just to go fool around, you actually did this? Are you insane?! Give me back my daughter!” My grip tightened around her neck. As her face turned purple, a sudden wave of clarity washed over me. I couldn’t let her off this easily. Death was too quick an escape. I had so much more planned for her. I threw her to the ground. “Chloe, we are getting a divorce. Now, take your lover and get the hell out of my house. If you stay one more second, I swear to God I will kill you both.” Chloe wrapped her arms around my leg, sobbing hysterically. “Ethan, no! I didn’t mean what I said about the divorce! I love Lily, I swear!” I kicked her away. “Get out, Chloe. Don’t let me ever see your face again. When I loved you, you could get away with anything. But now that I don’t, you are nothing but a corpse to me.” “But dying is too easy. Don’t think you’re getting off scot-free. Everyone has to pay for their sins, and you are no exception.” Chloe packed her bags and left with Julian that very night. The next morning, my lawyer contacted Chloe with the divorce papers. She called me immediately, screaming into the phone. “Why do I have to walk away with absolutely nothing?!” I replied nonchalantly, “We signed a prenuptial agreement. Did you really think you could touch the Sterling family assets? Aren’t you afraid of choking on them? The money I poured into the Vance family during our marriage—I’m already being incredibly generous by not clawing it all back. And you still want a fifty-fifty split? Chloe, I knew you were heartless, but I didn’t know you were this greedy.” “I married you!” Chloe demanded. “Half of your money belongs to me! Why shouldn’t I get it? Besides, I gave birth to your daughter…” She stopped abruptly, realizing her mistake, and slammed the phone down. Our daughter, Lily. I had been trying to suppress the agonizing pain in my chest, but hearing her mention Lily made my heart bleed all over again. I dialed my assistant’s number. “Call a meeting with the heads of all departments. Right now.” Did the newly resurrected Vance Enterprises give Chloe the confidence to act this way? Fine. Let’s watch them go bankrupt again.

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