Author: Momo Chan

I stared at the line of text for a long time. It was printed in crisp, clear Arial font on the official lab letterhead. “Testing indicates No Paternity relationship exists between the alleged father (Robert ‘Bob’ Miller) and the tested child.” Not him. I had mentally rehearsed a hundred ways to handle the worst-case scenario. Screaming, throwing dishes, packing his bags, slapping the document across his lying face. But the results said it wasn’t him. Then whose child is Leo? The technician at the lab mentioned that while my husband wasn’t the match, the sample’s Y-chromosome markers showed a very strong familial link to the Miller line. The Miller family line. Not Bob. But a Miller. I closed my eyes. And the cheerful, wrinkly face of my father-in-law, ‘Pop’ George Miller, floated up from the darkness. 1. Three months ago, Sarah came over for dinner. She brought Leo. He’s three, a chubby, red-haired little guy who’s impossible not to love. I remarked offhandedly, “Sarah, Leo just gets cuter every day. He’s starting to look just like his dad.” Sarah offered a tight, forced smile and kept her head down, busy cutting up Leo’s chicken nuggets. “Let’s not talk about him.” Sarah’s story was always that Leo’s father was a guy she dated briefly in college. She only found out she was pregnant after they’d gone their separate ways. She decided to have the baby and raise him solo. My heart always went out to her. Sarah had been my best friend since Freshman orientation. We’d known each other for twelve years. I helped her land her first job, I walked her through signing her first lease, and I was the one sitting outside the delivery room waiting when Leo was born. Bob used to tease me about it. “You’re better to Sarah than you are to your own sister.” “She’s doing this on her own, Bob,” I’d say. “It’s not easy.” After dinner that night, my mother-in-law, Martha, stopped by. The moment she saw Leo, her face lit up. “Oh my goodness, look who’s here!” She knelt down, ignoring her bad knees, and pulled a brand-new, boxed Transformer out of her large tote bag. I froze. I’d seen that exact toy in the mall last week. The price tag was seventy-five dollars. Our son, Sam, had begged for one just like it. I’d told him it was too expensive, that we’d have to wait for a sale or maybe Christmas. Martha pressed the toy into Leo’s hands, smiling so wide her eyes crinkled shut. Leo took it, offering a chubby grin, and chirped, “Thanks, Grandma!” I glanced at Sam. He was standing off to the side, staring at the toy Leo was holding. He didn’t say anything. And I didn’t say anything either. Martha never even glanced his way. That night, lying in bed, a small detail clicked into place. Leo called my mother-in-law “Grandma.” When did Sarah teach him to do that? I rolled over, trying to push the thought away. It didn’t mean anything. Toddlers are sweet; they call any nice older woman “Grandma.” But the next afternoon, as I was packing Sam’s water bottle into his backpack, I saw a drawing he’d started in his notebook. He’d drawn a rough, blocky square with pencil. Next to it, he’d printed one word in wobbly, childish letters. “TRANSFORMER.” I stared at that word for five full seconds. Then I shoved the water bottle in and zipped the backpack shut. Sarah texted me later that afternoon: “Hey Chloe, Leo’s preschool needs some paperwork. Something about certifying paternity for legal stuff. Do you know where I can get one of those DNA tests done quickly?” I texted back: “Any Quest Diagnostics or LabCorp can do them. It’s just a couple hundred bucks.” Hours passed before she replied: “Never mind. I’ll figure something else out.” I pushed a bit. “They’re really fast, Sarah. It’s just a cheek swab.” She didn’t reply. I asked her again about it that evening. She finally said: “I don’t want to do it. It’s too much hassle.” What hassle is there in a paternity test? You swab, you wait three days, you get the report. It was the first time I felt Sarah was dodging something. But at the time, I assumed she was dodging the ghost of that college ex. Maybe he had a family now. Maybe she didn’t want him listed on any official documents. I didn’t think much of it. But with those two incidents stacked together, I couldn’t sleep soundly anymore. Martha’s attitude toward Leo. Sarah’s refusal to do a certified test. Was there a connection between those two things? I told myself I was being ridiculous. But that night, I dreamed Leo was sitting in our living room, looking up at Bob and calling him “Daddy.” I snapped awake. Soaked in sweat. 2. I started noticing things I’d never paid attention to before. Like how often Martha came over. It used to be once a month, maybe twice if there was a family birthday. After Leo was born, she started coming over two or three times a week. And every single time, she brought something. Always for Leo. Designer clothes, expensive shoes, organic snacks, top-tier toys. The good stuff. For Sam—nothing. Once I couldn’t help but mention it. “Martha, you know Sam’s birthday is coming up soon, too.” Martha didn’t even look up from the floor where she was building blocks with Leo. “Sam has everything he needs.” “Leo has everything he needs, too.” Martha shot me a look. I’ll never forget that look. It wasn’t anger. It was defensiveness. Like I’d crossed a line I didn’t know existed. She put down the block she was holding and said slowly, “Sarah is raising that boy all on her own. It isn’t easy, Chloe. You’re her best friend; don’t you have any sympathy for her?” I didn’t say anything. She added, “You shouldn’t be so keeping score all the time.” Keeping score. I’ve cooked her son’s dinner for eight years, washed his clothes for eight years, gave birth to and raised her actual grandson. She comes over three times a week, bringing luxury items to someone else’s kid, and I’m the one keeping score for asking a simple question. I put my head down and continued peeling the shrimp for dinner. Bob was off to the side, looking at his phone. He never said a single word. That night, Sam was in his room doing homework, and I was in the kitchen washing dishes. In the living room, Martha was on the sofa, holding Leo and reading him a story. Leo was giggling. I looked out through the glass door of the kitchen. Martha leaned down and kissed Leo’s forehead. She had never kissed Sam. Not once. I turned back around. And kept scrubbing the dishes. I turned the faucet on full blast. I couldn’t hear the laughter from the living room anymore. Sarah came to pick Leo up the next day. As I was helping Leo put his shoes on, I felt his socks. They were incredibly soft, high-end cotton. I checked the ankle cuff. The brand label was still there. I flipped it over. A fourteen-dollar pair of socks. The socks I bought for Sam were ten dollars for a six-pack at Target. I didn’t say anything. I finished putting his shoes on, picked Leo up, and handed him to Sarah. Sarah said, “Thanks so much, Chloe. Sorry to keep imposing on you.” I told her it was fine. After she left, I stood in the doorway, watching her get into a taxi. A taxi. Sarah worked an administrative desk job at a small local company. She made less than forty thousand a year. Single mom, forty thousand a year, fourteen-dollar socks, and taxis. Where was the money coming from? I’d never questioned it before. Because I assumed she was struggling. Raising a kid solo, paying rent, no help. I’d been transferring her $150 every month, telling her it was to “help with groceries.” She always said, “Oh, you don’t have to,” but she always accepted it. But… Someone who can afford fourteen-dollar socks for a toddler doesn’t need $150 a month from me. I stood in the doorway, watching the taxi turn the corner and disappear. The wind picked up. It felt incredibly cold. 3. I started doing a deep dive into Sarah’s Instagram. Her feed was pristine. Occasionally photos of Leo, occasionally reposting parenting articles. But I remembered a post she’d put up a while ago, then deleted. I remembered what was in the photo. Leo was sitting on a high-end leather sofa, with a massive floor-to-ceiling window behind him. Neither the sofa nor the window looked anything like the cramped, one-bedroom apartment she was renting. I’d even commented on it at the time: “Where’s this place? It’s gorgeous.” She’d replied: “A friend’s place.” And the next day, that post was gone. I opened up the Amazon app and searched for the brands Leo was wearing. An eighty-dollar puffy coat. Fifty-dollar sneakers. I scrolled through. Not a single item Leo wore cost less than twenty dollars. A single mom on forty thousand a year. I shut off my phone. The following Saturday was my birthday. I’d mentioned it to Bob the day before: “Hey, my birthday’s tomorrow. Let’s just stay in, I’ll cook us something nice.” He said, “Sure, sounds good.” I also called Martha: “Martha, it’s my birthday tomorrow, come over for dinner.” Martha said, “Okay, noted.” I went grocery shopping early that morning. I came back and made a four-course meal. Braised short ribs, garlic butter shrimp, roasted Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, and a scratch-made mushroom soup. Sam helped me set the table. “Mommy, when is Grandma coming?” “Soon, sweetie.” I waited until 5:30. I called Martha. No answer. I called Bob. “Where are you?” “My mom said she took Leo to the petting zoo and needed me to come pick them up. I’m on my way there now.” “Leo?” “Sarah had something come up, so she dropped Leo off at my mom’s.” “It’s my birthday today, Bob.” There was a pause on the other end of the line. “I know. We’ll all eat when I get back.” He hung up. I sat at the dining table. A four-course meal. The fat on the short ribs was already congealing. Everything was cold. Sam sat across from me, poking at a shrimp with his fork. “Mommy, can we just eat?” “Let’s eat.” I scooped some short ribs onto his plate. I didn’t eat. They all got back later that evening. Martha walked in saying, “God, the petting zoo was packed today.” Nobody mentioned my birthday. Bob hung his coat up, put on his slippers, and walked straight into his home office. I went into the kitchen and scraped the mushroom soup down the disposal. I have never cried in that house. I didn’t cry that day, either. I washed the dishes, wiped down the stove, and mopped the floor. Then I went to the bedroom and turned off the lights. Lying in the dark with my eyes open. Thinking about one thing. Where is Sarah’s money coming from? The next day, I made a decision. I waited for the perfect moment when Sarah brought Leo over to play. Leo was on the sofa watching cartoons. I walked over, knelt down, and stroked his hair. “Leo, buddy, let Aunt Chloe get this little white thread off your shirt.” A thread from his shirt. A hair from his head. He didn’t know the difference. I pulled three hairs, making sure to get the root, and slipped them into a small Ziploc bag I’d hidden in my pocket. Sarah was in the kitchen helping me wash fruit. She didn’t know a thing. I clenched my hand around the Ziploc bag. My palm was covered in sweat. 4. I needed a comparison sample. I thought about it for two days. The websites said paternity testing requires samples from both the child and the alleged father. At first, I only wanted to test Sarah’s “college ex”—but I didn’t have his sample. All I had were samples from the Miller line. Bob. If my suspicion was right—if Leo was Bob’s son—then comparing his sample would work. I snagged a few hairs from Bob’s hairbrush. The kind with the root follicle still attached. I mailed them off to the lab. Then came the wait. Those seven days felt like I was walking on cotton. Every day I cooked, cleaned, did laundry, picked Sam up from school, helped him with homework. Everything was normal. But every night, I stared at the ceiling until 2 or 3 in the morning. Beside me, Bob slept soundly. Snoring. On the seventh day, the call from the testing center came. “Your results are ready. You can log in to view the report.” I took a half-day off work. I took the bus home. My hands were cold the whole ride. When I opened the PDF of the report, I sat on a bench in a nearby park for a long time. “Alleged Father 1 (Adult Male hair) vs Child (Toddler hair)—No Paternity relationship exists.” Not Bob. I stared at that line, my mind a complete blank. It wasn’t him. Then whose is it? I thought the worst-case scenario was—my husband and my best friend. I was prepared to be furious, prepared to pack a bag, prepared to leave him with nothing. But now they were telling me it wasn’t him. Whose child is this? I picked up my bag and walked out of the park. Standing in the sunlight. One sentence kept replaying in my head— “A very strong familial link to the Miller line.” The lab tech’s words. “While No Paternity relationship exists with this specific male, the Y-chromosome markers are a near-perfect match, meaning the child’s biological father and your submitted sample share the same paternal lineage.” The same paternal lineage. Not Bob. But a Miller. How many Miller men are there? Bob. Bob’s younger brother, David, who lives in California and comes back once a year for Thanksgiving. Bob’s father. George. No. Impossible. I stood on the street corner for a long time. Then I bought a bus ticket back to my neighborhood. The whole way, I kept thinking: Impossible. George is fifty-eight. He’s the quintessential suburban American grandpa. Retired, loves his backyard grill, watches the game on Sundays. Every time he comes over for dinner, he wears a collared shirt, talks loudly to Bob about politics, and always lectures about “living with integrity.” Martha always says, “The best thing about your father is how grounded he is.” Grounded. Suddenly, I remembered something. About a year after Leo was born, I stopped by Sarah’s apartment to drop off some chicken soup. The door wasn’t quite shut. I pushed it open and saw George sitting on her sofa. He was holding a bag of groceries. He saw me, stood up, and offered a calm smile. “Bob asked me to drop some things off for Sarah. Said she’s got a lot on her plate.” I didn’t think much of it at the time. A father-in-law dropping groceries off for his daughter-in-law’s best friend. What was weird about that? But now replaying it— Bob asked him to? I got home and called Bob. “Hey, you remember when your dad used to drop groceries off at Sarah’s? Did you ask him to do that?” There was a pause on the other end. “What? No, I never asked him that. He went on his own? I didn’t know that.” He went on his own. He didn’t know. I hung up the phone. It almost slipped from my sweaty palm.

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The company canceled our annual gala and distributed the budget to each department for a private dinner. I was stuck in traffic and arrived late, only to overhear our new male intern talking trash about me through the door: “Clara Hayes? She’s what, thirty-three? An old hag who hovers around my desk every day. It’s pathetic.” “It’s hilarious. She wants to date me? She wishes. I’m not gonna indulge her delusions!” “In a minute, I’m ordering ten portions of the most expensive items on the menu. Don’t worry, she’s paying—what’s she gonna do, not show up?” Everyone inside cheered, praising him for being the ultimate “Gen Z boss-buster” who was finally taking down toxic corporate culture. I quietly released the door handle and stood outside, listening until he finished ordering a $15,000 feast. Once he was done, I walked away and sent a message to the department group chat: “Family emergency came up, I won’t be able to make it tonight.” “Here is the $800 dinner budget the company provided. Eat well and have a great time.” On the ride home, I leaned against the car window, a slow smile curving my lips. Taking down toxic corporate culture? Sure. With this $15,000 bill, I’m going to teach you exactly how the real world works. 1. I sat in the back of my Uber, watching the notifications explode on my phone screen. The “Marketing Dept Family” group chat was practically on fire. Three minutes ago, right after sending those two messages and Venmo-ing the $800 budget into the group pool, I left the chat entirely. But I forgot about the unofficial, “no-managers-allowed” group chat. Right now, messages in that chat were refreshing at a rate of a dozen per second. Tyler Vance, the intern, had tagged me dozens of times: “Clara, what the hell is this? You made it to the door and then left?” “Are you a sore loser? You’re the department manager, you’re supposed to pay for this!” “Who is $800 supposed to feed? Are you tipping a homeless guy?” “Get back here and pay the tab! Don’t make me lose respect for you!” Following his messages were a flurry of photos. Maine lobster sashimi, one for every single person. Three bottles of wine that cost over three grand each, already uncorked. And a table overflowing with premium seafood. Just minutes ago, standing outside the private dining room, I had heard everything clearly. Tyler’s voice was loud and obnoxious as he ordered: “This, this, and this—give us the most expensive ones! Ten orders of each!” “Waiter, pop all those bottles and let them breathe!” “What are you guys scared of? Someone’s footing the bill tonight. Our Manager Clara is loaded. If she wants to date me, she’s gotta bleed a little cash, right?” The room had erupted into hoots and hollers. Someone tried to reason with him, “Tyler, can we even finish all this? Clara isn’t even here yet.” Tyler’s voice pitched up, “If we can’t finish it, I’ll box it up and feed it to my dog! We need to teach this touchy-feely female boss a lesson, let her know I’m not to be messed with!” “Yeah, Tyler’s right! Gen Z doesn’t hold back!” “Clara is always so stingy anyway, she deserves to bleed a little.” I let go of the door handle. Originally, I was going to walk in. Even though I was late, I would have just bought a round of drinks as an apology and moved on. But this dinner? I had lost my appetite. My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. Dave, one of the older guys in the office, texted me privately: “Clara, did you really leave? The food is already served, the bill is nearly $15,000. If you’re not here, who’s going to pay?” I replied, “Whoever ordered it pays. The company budget is $800. I transferred all of it.” Dave: “Stop messing around. Tyler is just a clueless kid, why stoop to his level? Hurry back, the waiter is hovering with the tab and everyone is getting really embarrassed.” Me: “I’m not embarrassed.” Dave: “You’re leaving everyone high and dry! The wine is opened, we can’t return it!” Me: “Tyler said he wanted to teach corporate a lesson. I’m giving him the opportunity.” I put my phone on silent and shoved it in my pocket. The Uber driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Where to, ma’am?” “Home.” The car merged into the night traffic. I closed my eyes, my head filled with Tyler’s arrogant voice. I am thirty-two this year. I’ve ground it out at this company for eight years to finally climb to the position of department manager. Tyler was an intern who started last month. He was decent-looking, but his work ethic was an absolute disaster. He messed up basic print jobs and lost data when making simple spreadsheets. Seeing that he was new, I gave him extra guidance and occasionally took him along to client meetings so he could learn the ropes. To him, this translated to me wanting to date him, making me a “creepy boss.” It even became his justification for burning through fifteen grand. Fifteen thousand dollars. I have savings, but I’m not a human ATM. My phone screen lit up again. It was an audio call from Tyler. I declined it. He called again. I blocked his number. A moment later, Marcus, the deputy manager, called. Marcus and I had always been at odds; he had been gunning for my job for years. I answered. Marcus couldn’t hide the smirk in his voice. “Clara, you really played dirty this time. Everyone was waiting for you, and you just bailed, leaving a room full of people hanging?” 2. “I had a family emergency.” “What emergency is more important than the department dinner? Tyler is practically crying his eyes out, saying you’re bullying the new guy.” “I gave you guys the $800 budget.” “$800? The tab is fifteen grand! Who’s going to cover the rest? We all split it? That’s going to ruin everyone’s holiday!” “Whoever ordered it pays.” “Clara, you’re the leader, you need to take responsibility. Tyler is new, he doesn’t know the rules. You’re a veteran, do you not know the rules either?” “I know the rules perfectly. The company rule is an $800 budget for the dinner. For anything over that, the person who ordered it is responsible.” “Are you really not coming?” “No.” “Fine, Clara. You’ve got some nerve. This isn’t over.” Marcus hung up. I stared at the neon lights flashing past the window. In the past, I was too responsible. I took the blame for everything and cleaned up everyone’s messes, which only spoiled them into thinking I was a pushover. When I got home, I took a hot shower and fell right asleep. I slept like a rock. The next morning, I arrived at the office right on time. As soon as I walked in, I felt the heavy atmosphere. Everyone was staring at me, their eyes filled with disdain, anger, and the gloating anticipation of a good show. Tyler was sitting at his desk. His eyes were red and puffy, the bags under them prominent, his face sagging like a miserable, deflated balloon. It was obvious he had been crying. Seeing me, he shot up from his chair and slammed a folder hard onto his desk. “Clara! Are you even human?” The office instantly went dead silent. Everyone stopped what they were doing, their eyes locking onto us. I walked to my desk, set down my briefcase, and looked at him. “It’s working hours. What are you screaming about?” Tyler stormed over, pointing a finger right in my face. “Drop the act! You did that on purpose last night, didn’t you? You said you were treating us, and then you ran! You made every single one of us shell out over two grand just to leave that restaurant!” The other coworkers gathered around. Dave looked grim. “Clara, you really went too far this time. We’re all just working stiffs. How much do we make a month? Dropping half a month’s salary on one dinner, how are we supposed to survive the holidays?” Another female colleague chimed in sarcastically, “Exactly. Manager Clara makes six figures, so of course she doesn’t care about this kind of money. We aren’t like you; we have families to feed.” Marcus leaned against a cubicle partition, arms crossed, sneering. “Clara, when we were pooling our cash last night, everyone cursed your entire family tree. Tyler is just an intern, he had zero cash on him. He had to max out his credit card. You’re a real piece of work as a manager.” I looked at their angry faces. When they were scarfing down Maine lobster last night, they didn’t have these expressions. Back then, they were cheering, telling Tyler what a great job he did, waiting for me, the rich sucker, to foot the bill. I turned to Tyler. “When did I ever say I was paying?” Tyler’s eyes went wide. “You didn’t? When a department dinner is announced, isn’t it an unwritten rule that the manager pays? Besides, when I was ordering, you never said I couldn’t!” “I was stuck in traffic.” “That’s just an excuse! You just wanted to see me humiliate myself! This is retaliation because I rejected your advances!” Tyler raised his voice, “Everyone, be the judge here! Does a woman who maliciously retaliates against her employees deserve to be a manager?” “Advances?” I fired back. “When did I ever make advances on you?” “Don’t even try to deny it! You’re always calling me into your office, insisting on taking me to client meetings. Isn’t that just because you have an ulterior motive? I didn’t give in, so you held a grudge and set a trap to screw me over!” Tyler was getting more and more agitated. A grown man, crying on cue, putting on a sickeningly theatrical performance as the victim. 3. The whispers around the office grew louder. “That’s so gross, using her position to harass a male subordinate.” “She always looked so professional, I never thought she’d be so dirty behind closed doors.” “Someone like her should be fired!” Taking him to see clients was because he was new to marketing and needed to learn the business. Calling him into my office was because his weekly reports lacked any logical structure, and I had to walk him through fixing them step by step. To them, this translated to “ulterior motives.” “Tyler, if you’re going to make accusations, you need proof,” I said coldly. “Last night, you ordered those dishes yourself. Ten portions of each, and only the most expensive ones. You’re the one who said you wanted to teach corporate a lesson and have everyone box up the leftovers. What, now that you can’t afford the bill, you’re throwing dirty water on me?” “I did that to liven up the mood!” Tyler shrieked. “And I thought you were going to pay for it! Who knew you were such a cheapskate! If you couldn’t afford it, you should have said so! Stop acting like a big shot!” “The company’s dinner budget is $800. I transferred the full amount to you all.” “What is $800 going to do? It doesn’t even buy a single bottle of wine!” Tyler pulled a stack of receipts from his bag and slammed them on my desk. “The total was $14,800! Minus your $800, that’s $14,000! You have to pay this! Pay everyone back their money!” I didn’t even glance at the receipts. “Whoever ate, pays.” “You!” Tyler was shaking with rage. “You backstabber! You’re not even human!” “Clara.” Marcus walked over and patted my shoulder. “Don’t make this so ugly. We’re all in the same department, we see each other every day. Yeah, it’s a lot of money, but it’s not like you can’t afford it. Just treat it as a tax to avoid bad luck and squash this. Otherwise, if the CEO hears about this, it’s going to look really bad for you.” He was threatening me. Using my career to threaten me. If it were the old me, for the sake of departmental harmony and the bigger picture, I might have just pinched my nose and paid it. But now, looking at Marcus’s hypocritical smile, Tyler’s self-righteous greed, and the coworkers ganging up on me like an angry mob. I suddenly realized that this job, being their manager, was utterly meaningless. “Marcus, if you’re so generous, why don’t you pay for him?” I looked right at him. Marcus’s smile stiffened. “Clara, that’s uncalled for. You caused this mess, why should I pay?” “I caused this?” I laughed. “Tyler ordered the food. Tyler opened the wine. You guys are the ones who put it in your stomachs. I didn’t eat a single bite, didn’t drink a single drop, didn’t even step foot in the room. How did this become my mess?” “Because you’re the manager!” Tyler yelled. “The manager has to take responsibility!” “A manager is responsible for the work, not for footing the bill for your endless greed.” I swept the receipts off my desk onto the floor. “I am not paying a single cent of this.” “Ah!” Tyler screamed, as if he had been dealt a fatal blow. “Clara! Just you wait! I’m going to report you! I’m going to let the whole company know what kind of person you are!” He spun around and stormed toward the CEO’s office. Marcus looked at me and shook his head. “Clara, you’re done. Tyler has connections high up, and you know how the media environment is these days. If this blows up, you won’t be able to handle the fallout.” The other coworkers dispersed, retreating to their desks to whisper. “This is gonna be a good show.” “Manager Clara is definitely going down this time.” “Serves her right for being so cheap.” I sat down and opened my laptop. Report me? Great, I was just worrying about how to blow this up myself. 4. I opened my phone and located the audio recordings I had saved last night. I recorded them while standing outside the private dining room. I had originally intended to send them to the CEO to explain the situation, but they were going to be far more useful now. In the recording, Tyler’s voice was crystal clear: “Hilarious, she wants to date me? She wishes. I’m not gonna indulge her delusions!” “In a minute, I’m ordering ten portions of the most expensive items on the menu…” “You guys box up the leftovers, I’m making Clara pay the tab!” I transferred the audio files to my laptop to back them up, then started drafting an email. Not a resignation letter. A work report. A report regarding the marketing department’s recent budget overruns, the chaotic management of interns, and attempts by certain employees to commit corporate embezzlement via company dinners. Half an hour later, the HR manager notified me to go to the conference room. When I walked in, Tyler was sitting across from the CEO, Mr. Henderson, crying his eyes out. Henderson was a balding man in his fifties who hated conflict and loved sweeping things under the rug. Seeing me, Henderson frowned. “Clara, what is going on? A simple team dinner, how did it turn into this mess?” Tyler jumped in, “Mr. Henderson, you have to help me! Manager Clara is bullying me! she intentionally set a trap to screw us over, making every single one of us lose a ton of money! And… and she even…” He feigned embarrassment, biting his lip. Henderson tapped the table impatiently. “And what?” “She sexually harassed me!” The conference room went dead silent. Henderson’s face instantly darkened. In the corporate world, financial disputes are one thing, but the moment the words “sexual harassment” are uttered, a hard line has been crossed. “Clara, is this true?” Henderson stared at me. I pulled out a chair, sat down, and looked him in the eye. “No.” “You’re lying!” Tyler pulled up a few screenshots on his phone and handed them to Henderson. “Look, Mr. Henderson, these are her daily chat logs! Texting me late at night, insisting on driving me home! When I refused, she started making my life miserable at work!” Henderson took the phone. His frown deepened. I could guess exactly what those texts were. Just standard late-night overtime texts: “Did you make it home safe?” or “I need that proposal on my desk first thing tomorrow.” But clipped out of context by someone with an agenda, these normal check-ins and work demands could easily be twisted. “Clara, how do you explain this?” Henderson pushed the phone toward me. I glanced at it. Just as I thought. It only showed the fragments of me asking “Where are you?” and “Do you want me to give you a ride?”, completely deleting the voice memos right before them where he whined, “Manager Clara, I can’t get an Uber and I’m so scared.” “Out of context,” I said. “Mr. Henderson, you can check the full chat history.” “I deleted it!” Tyler yelled. “Those gross messages, I felt dirty just keeping them! Thank god I had the presence of mind to take screenshots!” “Playing the ‘dead men tell no tales’ card, huh?” I looked at Tyler. Tyler avoided my gaze, shouting even louder at Henderson. “Mr. Henderson, even though I’m a guy, I still care about my reputation. If I wasn’t pushed to the brink, why would I expose this? Now the whole department knows what kind of person she is, how am I supposed to work here?” Henderson sighed, taking off his glasses to clean them. “Clara, regardless of what happened, you really handled last night’s dinner poorly. You’re the leader, you need to be forgiving. Tyler is new, he doesn’t know any better, you need to cut him some slack.” Exactly as I expected. Sweeping it under the rug. “So, what are you proposing, Mr. Henderson?” 5. “How about this. You cover the bill for last night’s dinner. As for the harassment claims… since there’s no hard evidence, Tyler, don’t go spreading this around, it’s bad for everyone. Clara, you apologize to Tyler, and we’ll turn the page on this.” I almost laughed out loud. He wanted me to cough up $14,000 and apologize? This was his idea of a resolution? “Mr. Henderson, I am not paying that money. And an apology is completely out of the question.” I looked Henderson dead in the eyes. “First, I didn’t order the food. Second, I never harassed him.” “Clara!” Henderson slammed his hand on the table. “What kind of attitude is this? I am trying to protect you! If this blows up, the company will have to fire you to protect its reputation! With a reputation for harassing subordinates, how are you ever going to find a job in this industry again?” “Exactly!” Emboldened by Henderson’s backing, Tyler grew even more arrogant. “If you don’t pay up and apologize, I’m going to expose you online! Let the internet judge you! Let’s see how you live with yourself after that!” “Expose me?” I looked at Tyler. “How exactly do you plan to do that?” “I’ll post it on TikTok, on Instagram! I’ve already got the title figured out: SHOCKING! Creepy Female Boss Fails to Seduce Gen Z Intern, Traps Him with $15,000 Dinner Bill!” Tyler looked incredibly smug. “I’ve got a lot of followers, you know. The second I post it, you’re going to be canceled permanently!” Henderson’s face changed. “Tyler, stop this nonsense! Do you not care about the company’s reputation?” “That depends on how Manager Clara behaves.” Tyler crossed his arms, looking like he had me backed into a corner. “Either you pay the $14,800, plus an extra $5,000 for my emotional distress, and we settle this privately. Or, I post the video, and we burn together!” Looking at his face, the last shred of pity I had vanished. This was extortion. Naked, blatant extortion. “Mr. Henderson, you heard him.” I pointed at Tyler. “He is extorting me.” A flash of awkwardness crossed Henderson’s face, but it was quickly masked by impatience. “Clara, just pay the money and be done with it. Twenty grand isn’t that much for you, don’t lose the forest for the trees.” “And if I refuse?” “Then you are refusing to follow company orders!” Henderson’s face darkened, his knuckles rapping against the table—thud, thud, thud—like a death knell. “Clara, you need to think very carefully about the consequences.” I stood up. Buttoned my suit jacket, one button at a time. “I have thought about it very carefully.” I looked down, placing my phone face-up on the table. The screen was on. The voice memo recording app was open. 04:47, and still ticking. Tyler’s face drained of color in an instant. “Since he wants to expose things—” I picked up my phone, hitting “Save” right in front of his eyes. “Let’s expose it all.” Henderson was stunned. “Clara! You—” I didn’t look back. Behind me came the loud crash of a chair tipping over, and Henderson’s furious roar: “If you walk out that door today, don’t bother coming in tomorrow!” I didn’t stop walking. “Whatever.” The door closed behind me. The hallway was long. The click of my heels on the tile echoed steadily, one step at a time. Henderson said don’t bother coming in tomorrow? Fine. Because tomorrow, I might not be the one getting fired. Back at my desk, I started packing my things into a box. My coworkers whispered around me, looking at me like I was already a ghost. Marcus walked over, feigning sympathy. “Clara, why do this? Why fight over money? Why fight with Mr. Henderson? You leave now, and all your hard work these past few years goes down the drain.” “Marcus, you don’t have to play the good guy here.” I placed a picture frame into the box. “You’ve been eyeing this position for a long time, haven’t you? It’s yours now.” Marcus couldn’t hide the gleam in his eyes. “Oh, come on now. I actually wanted to help you, but your temper is just too stubborn. Keep in touch, alright?” Tyler walked out of the CEO’s office, a victorious smirk plastered across his face. He strolled over to me, looking down at me as I packed. “If you had just paid up last night, none of this would have happened. Now look at you. Lost your job, ruined your reputation, and you still have to pay up! If you don’t, I’m going to make a scene at your front door every single day!” He leaned in close and whispered, “Let me tell you something. My cousin runs with a rough crowd. If you don’t cough up the cash, I’ll have him pay your family a visit.” 6. My hands stopped. I looked up at him. “Are you threatening my family?” “So what if I am?” Tyler sneered. “Scared now? If you’re scared, hurry up and pay! And I don’t just want what I asked for in there. I’ve changed my mind. I want $25,000! Not a penny less!” I looked at his face, twisted with greed. Excellent. Originally, I was going to leave him a way out. Now, it seems there’s no need. “Tyler, remember what you just said.” I picked up my box and strode toward the elevator. Behind me, Tyler laughed mockingly. “Stop acting so tough! You’re a stray dog!” The elevator doors closed. I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. “Hello, Attorney Brooks? I have a few cases I want to retain you for. Yes, involving extortion, corporate embezzlement, and defamation. Evidence? I have plenty of evidence.” After hanging up, I opened another group chat. It was my college alumni group, filled with friends working in media and PR. I sent a message: “Ladies, I’ve got some massive tea. Exclusive scoop, complete with audio and video. Unlimited material. Someone wants to take down toxic corporate culture, and I want to give him a hand.” When I got home, I didn’t stay idle. I organized the recordings from last night, the audio I secretly recorded in the conference room, and screenshots of Tyler cursing me in the group chat. Especially his final threat regarding my family. Even though I didn’t have audio for that specific moment, there was a security camera right outside the conference room. From that angle, it would easily capture his mouth movements. That alone would be enough of a headache for him in court. 3:00 PM. Tyler made his move, exactly as expected. He posted a video on TikTok. In the video, he cried pitifully, alleging workplace bullying and sexual harassment. The title was clickbait gold: [Gen Z Intern Tries to Fix Toxic Workplace, Gets Set Up by Creepy Female Boss With $15k Dinner Bill!] The video was masterfully edited. It only showed the massive receipt and the two messages I sent in the group chat. Layered over it was his sobbing voiceover: “I’m just a recent grad, I only make three thousand a month… Manager Clara kept dropping hints, and when I rejected her, she purposefully bailed on our team dinner, forcing us into debt…” “She even threatened me, saying if I didn’t listen to her, she’d make sure I could never work in this industry again…” The video blew up fast. In less than two hours, it had over 100,000 likes. The comment section was a bloodbath directed at me. “Why doesn’t this psycho old hag just go die?” “Doxx her! Expose her info!” “Feeling so bad for this guy, it’s too hard for Gen Z to fix corporate culture.” “This is the reality of the workplace, funny how the feminists are quiet now.” My phone was blown up by unknown numbers. A barrage of abusive texts flooded in. Some people even found my private social media accounts and spammed the comments. Mr. Henderson sent me a message: “Clara, look at what you’ve done! The company phones are ringing off the hook! You need to issue a public apology immediately! Take full responsibility! Otherwise, the legal department will sue you for damaging the company’s reputation!” I didn’t reply. I was waiting. Waiting for the heat to rise a bit more. Waiting for Tyler to feel like he had completely won, lowering his guard entirely. 8:00 PM. Tyler went live on TikTok. I checked in; there were over 100,000 people watching. He was playing the victim, thanking the internet for their support, and conveniently pinned his Venmo handle, claiming he needed to crowdfund to pay off the dinner tab. “Thank you guys, I really have no other choice. I had to borrow from all my friends just to cover that $15,000, and now I have to pay off my credit cards…” “That Clara woman has already been fired, but she still hasn’t paid us back, and she even threatened me…” “If you guys send enough gifts, I’ll leak her home address!”

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I was stuck in holiday traffic on the highway when I scrolled past a post. “What’s the most thrilling thing you’ve ever done in your life?” Underneath, the most liked comment caught my eye. “About to do it. Like, getting it on right under his wife’s nose… Should I livestream it for everyone?” Someone replied, asking, “Is it really that thrilling?” She replied: “We’re stuck in traffic, and I’m right behind their car. He’s going to come back here and keep me company in a minute.” Attached was a photo of the back of a car. My breath hitched because the license plate in the photo was exactly the same as mine. 01 At this moment, I turned my head to look at my husband, Arthur, in the driver’s seat. The cowardice of his youth was long gone from his features. The poor boy he used to be was a thing of the past. He was currently half-asleep, arms crossed, pretending to rest. A picture of peaceful tranquility. I admit, my mind was blank. I couldn’t believe it, and I didn’t want to believe it. I had firmly believed that the time, effort, and money I poured into him had nurtured a seed of gratitude and a sincere relationship. But… I looked down at my phone. The comments refreshed again. Someone objected: “Is it really okay to destroy someone else’s family?” The user named “Aching for Big Bro” replied quickly. “Lmao, Artie and I have been engaged in our hometown since we were eighteen. Our parents agreed, and we even threw a banquet.” “If this woman wasn’t rich and couldn’t help us establish ourselves in the big city, do you think I’d tolerate my man marrying someone else?” Seeing these words. I couldn’t help but recall how Arthur and I met. My heart pounded wildly. It was as if I was glimpsing some shameful conspiracy. I couldn’t hold back and typed a reply under the comment. “You guys… didn’t approach this woman on purpose, did you?” Almost the next second, “Aching for Big Bro” replied. One after another. Full of smugness and showing off. “Oh my, you guessed it? Baby, you’re so smart.” “When Artie and I first came to the big city, we were so poor we couldn’t even pay rent. But my Artie is handsome, so we came up with a plan. He’d deliver food and specifically target women driving nice cars, looking for a chance to ‘accidentally’ scrape them.” “The first two times were unlucky; we ran into cheapskates who insisted on compensation. It caused us to take out a bunch of online loans and almost drove us to death.” “We didn’t expect to strike gold on the third try. We ran into this stupid woman. Tsk tsk… really just dumb with too much money. Not only did she not ask for compensation, but later when Artie went to find her to pay her back, pretending to be strong and responsible, she actually took the bait.” “And now? After they got married, my house, my car, my bags… which of these wasn’t paid for by this stupid woman?” Below that was a pile of comments marveling at the audacity. “Impressed. Sister has opened up a new lane.” “Too bad my boyfriend isn’t handsome, boohoo…” “Your username is hilarious. Your lover boy sold his body for you, but at least his soul is with you.” Only I felt as if I had plunged into an ice cellar, filled with deep humiliation. Obviously, this stupid woman. Was referring to me… Chloe. 02 I finally clicked into the profile of “Aching for Big Bro.” Though apprehensive, though uneasy. But I had a deeper fear. That was to remain in the darkness of being deceived. My fingertip fell. The pinned post entered my vision. “August 8th. Of course, there needs to be a special sense of ceremony. Artie says it’s thrilling here.” The attached photo was clearly taken in a hotel bathroom. In the mirror, the woman took a selfie with a flushed face. Behind her, a man hugged her from behind. The man’s face was blocked, but the hand wrapped around the woman’s stomach was exceptionally eye-catching. Because, the platinum wedding ring on his ring finger was coldly reflecting the overhead light. This ring was the one I personally picked out and slipped onto Arthur’s finger. And August 8th was the day of my wedding. That is to say, on the day of our wedding. Right under my nose. They had a secret rendezvous in the hotel bathroom. Thinking of this, my stomach churned. I covered my mouth, forcing down the urge to vomit. I gritted my teeth and kept reading. “July 1st, the day Artie took wedding photos. The stupid woman was right outside, and we…” Attached photo: Champagne-colored curtains, very familiar. On the wall, a man and a woman’s hands pressed tightly against it. And this place was the changing room I had used. My finger mechanically swiped down. “October 15th, Artie let me come to his company! We’ll see each other every day from now on.” The attached photo was the company’s fire escape, a dimly lit stairwell, two hands tightly clasped. “November 3rd, lunch break, conference room date. The soundproofing is great, his wife would absolutely never guess.” The attached photo was the silhouette of a hug outside the frosted glass door of the conference room. “December 24th, Christmas Eve. The Benz Artie bought me arrived! Gotta be quick today, he still has to go home to keep that dumb bitch company. Unhappy.” Attached photo: Clothes scattered messily inside a car. The most recent post. “Tomorrow the dumb bitch is going back to his hometown with him for the holidays. So annoying. But he said he’d find a chance to comfort me on the road. Looking forward to it…” Having seen everything. The piercing pain in my heart almost sank into my bones. Following that was a wave of resentment, quietly rising from the bottom of my heart. You guys seem to really enjoy finding thrills in various situations, don’t you? Then I’ll give you more thrills than you can handle. 03 “Chloe, why do you look so pale? Are you feeling unwell?” Arthur’s gentle voice suddenly came from beside my ear. His eyes, as always, were filled with adoration and concern. I forced myself to hide the hatred in my eyes and barely managed a smile. We met three years ago. Just as the comment said. It was an accidental encounter. Arthur, delivering food, scraped my luxury car. His reaction at the time was to hold his head and cry bitterly. Desperately calling me “Miss,” begging for forgiveness. I was amused, and in the end, drove off without pressing the issue. What I didn’t expect was that he would show up in front of me punctually every month and give me all his salary. “Miss, I asked around, it takes thirty thousand to fix the car. Please give me a few more months.” Ridiculous as it sounds, I was moved by his character and sincerity. I was even charmed by his unique rustic simplicity, developing romantic feelings for him. I helped him grow, gave him financial support. Allowed him to go from having nothing to becoming the “Mr. Sterling” everyone else talked about. Now I was even accompanying him to his hometown for the holidays, giving him plenty of face. But now you’re telling me. From beginning to end, it was a trap. Any human being wouldn’t be able to stand it; their heart would clench in agony. I tried my best to suppress the agitation in my heart and squeezed out words. “I’m fine, just annoyed by the traffic.” Arthur shook his head, making a joke. “Everyone thinks they’re so smart, choosing to head home early for the holidays, and the result… everyone gets clumped together, stuck right in it.” I pursed my lips and didn’t speak. My gaze, however, glanced at the rearview mirror. I saw the door of the Benz behind us open. A woman wearing a cashmere coat and little high heels stepped out. The woman’s appearance was exactly the same as the blogger “Aching for Big Bro.” My brow furrowed slightly, but quickly smoothed out. Only the hatred in my heart grew colder. She walked with a swaying, alluring gait, making no attempt to hide. Arriving at the driver’s side, she bent down and lightly knocked on the window. Arthur very naturally rolled down the window, his tone laced with distance. “Hello, can I help you?” The woman’s voice was soft and sweet. “Oh my, sorry to bother you. Sir, do you know what’s going on ahead? How long will we be stuck here?” As she asked, her gaze casually swept over me in the passenger seat. In that brief moment of eye contact. I saw mockery and pity. As if saying: The mistress is standing right here, and you know absolutely nothing. I knew that if I hadn’t accidentally scrolled past that post. I wouldn’t have understood the meaning in her eyes at all. My hands resting on my knees. My nails had already dug deeply into my palms. But my face maintained a calm indifference, and I even gave her a slight nod, treating it as the courtesy between strangers. Arthur’s performance was worthy of an Oscar. He frowned slightly, shook his head, and his voice was steady. “Not too sure, they didn’t say on the radio. Probably an accident up ahead, we just have to wait.” His gaze was open, his tone natural. As if he were seeing this woman for the first time. “I see… alright then, sorry to bother you.” After saying that, she turned and walked back. As Arthur rolled up the window, he sighed. “Waiting dryly like this really isn’t a solution, and who knows how long we’ll be stuck. Chloe, how about I go up ahead and check out the situation? See if I can get some news, just to have an idea.” In this moment, I understood. The woman coming over to ask was a secret signal between them. I twitched my lips and gave a soft “mm-hmm.” Arthur got out of the car, walked forward, and soon disappeared from my sight. I couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to him. Unsurprisingly, he would loop around in my blind spot and get into the Benz behind us. So, I only needed to pay attention to the live comments on “Aching for Big Bro.” 04 See, here it comes. I stared at my phone, motionless. “I just walked over to that stupid woman’s car. She was sitting in the passenger seat, looking all silly, and even nodded at me? Hahaha, I’m dying.” Someone replied: “Sister, you’re awesome. That kind of woman is probably so dumb that if she was sold, she’d help count the money.” Various mocking comments came flooding in. Someone asked: “Your Artie should be here soon, right?” “Aching for Big Bro” answered. “Hehe, here he comes, here he comes. I wonder if she can feel a little movement in the car in front?” The replies below were in an uproar again. If I had seen this ten minutes ago. I might have broken down, might have gone crazy. But at this moment, my mood was unusually calm. The corner of my mouth even curled into an extremely cold arc. You like thrills? You enjoy the pleasure of cheating right under my nose? You treat me as a stupid backdrop, mocking me wantonly? Very well. Then let’s play this game of yours a little bigger. 05 When the comments in the post refreshed again. “Artie is here, we’re going to start now.” Attached photo: Inside the car, discarded coats, a man’s and a woman’s hands intertwined with fingers linked. The replies reached a climax. But I slowly closed my eyes and took three deep breaths. When I opened them again, only clarity and resolution remained in my eyes. I looked up at the rearview mirror. That white Benz was parked quietly there. But looking closely, the body of the car was shaking slightly. Once, and then again. Now is the time. Without any hesitation, I pulled out a red window-breaking hammer from the passenger side glove compartment. The cold, hard touch brought me an inexplicable sense of power. I pushed open the car door, got out, and walked straight back. There were many drivers who had gotten out of their cars to chat nearby. In front and behind, there was an endless line of cars. I believed that in a while, this place would be no different from a bustling market. I walked to the front side of the Benz. No hesitation, no cursing. I just raised the window-breaking hammer high, poured all my strength into my arm, and smashed it down fiercely. 06 Crash… An ear-piercingly loud bang suddenly exploded. The tempered glass was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, the center deeply caved in. “Ah…” At the same time. A woman’s terrified scream came from inside the car. The loud noise and the scream instantly startled everyone. Everyone cast their gazes over. “What happened?” “A car crash?” “Holy shit, there’s a woman smashing a car. Did they get into a fight?” “Look, look, this woman is fierce.” Discussions buzzed immediately. The crowd unconsciously gathered towards here. Soon, they formed a circle around the Benz and me. More people pulled out their phones. Lenses were aimed at this scene. I turned a deaf ear, my eyes icy cold, and raised my arm again. Crash… Crash… Crash… A few more consecutive hits. Finally, with a loud smash. The entire windshield completely shattered, collapsing inwards and revealing a large hole. Through this hole, everything inside the car had nowhere to hide. The driver’s and passenger seats were reclined, and clothes were messily tossed on the floor mats and center console. Two completely naked people were clearly visible. Arthur’s face, which had just smiled gently at me, was now pale as paper. After locking eyes with me, it was filled with unbelievable terror and panic. The woman’s smugness was long gone, leaving only the shameful ugliness and pathetic state of being exposed to the light. I looked at them and pulled a cold smile. I looked away, walked to the right side of the Benz, aimed at the passenger window, and raised the hammer again. “Chloe, don’t! Listen to my explanation.” Arthur finally reacted, an intense feeling of shame making his voice hoarse. “It’s not what you think, don’t go crazy, stop.” Explanation? Go crazy? I acted as if I didn’t hear him and smashed down fiercely again. Crash… Smash… The passenger side window shattered in response. The surrounding crowd erupted in even louder gasps and discussions, phones not leaving their hands. “My god, she caught them cheating.” “This woman is too fierce, looks like she’s from the car in front.” “In broad daylight, on the highway, with the wife’s car right in front, these two… tsk tsk tsk, really shameless.” “If it’s catching cheaters, then she smashed it well.” “Record it, record it, this is too juicy, this video will definitely go viral.” 07 Discussions rose and fell. Mixed with disdain and excitement. Arthur and the woman inside the drafty car. Were even more pathetic, dying of shame and anger. Of course, I didn’t stop. After smashing all the windows on the right side. I walked around to the back of the car and continued smashing the rear windshield. Finally, after a few loud crashes on the left side. At this point, all the glass on the entire car—front, back, left, and right—was completely smashed. And I stood there holding the window-breaking hammer, my face icy, only sneering. The accumulated hatred had finally dissipated quite a bit at this moment. Around us, the crowd holding up phones was three layers deep. Some even started live streaming. Although the viewership was high, they were quickly banned. However, the footage had already spread. Arthur had hastily thrown on his coat. His face was an array of colors, his eyes filled with infinite fear for the future. One could imagine how explosive this incident would become. The woman curled up in his arms, covering her face, and let out broken sobs. The cold winter wind was still howling into the car. Their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably. I finally spoke slowly, my voice not soft. “Everyone guessed right. The man inside is my husband. He agreed with this woman that they would do something right under my nose. “Since they like showing others, then I don’t mind letting everyone take a good look.” The crowd erupted in an uproar. They had indeed guessed right. The men watching the excitement couldn’t help but instinctively shrink their heads upon seeing me like this. The women, upon seeing it, all cheered me on, cursing the scumbag and the mistress to die a horrible death. I slowly walked over to the car door, pulled it open amidst the woman’s screams, cast my gaze upon her, and curled the corners of my mouth. “Little beauty, nice figure, huh? “Oh right, didn’t you like livestreaming your affairs online? Then I’ll let you livestream to your heart’s content.” The woman jerked her head up, the terror and shame on her face not yet faded, replaced by shock and sudden realization. She stared dead at me, her eyes filled with extreme resentment and remorse. “So you saw the post…” However, being exposed in such a pathetic state to countless cameras now made her hysterical. “Chloe, you lunatic, you bitch, you’ll die a horrible death. You think you’ve won? Artie and I won’t let you off easily, just you wait.” Arthur was originally still in a state of panic. Hearing the woman’s words, he suddenly reacted sharply. So the reason I found out wasn’t a coincidence, wasn’t an accident. It was actually because this stupid woman was livestreaming it online! Furious rage instantly flooded his heart. The next second, Arthur directly shoved the woman in his arms away. Because he used too much force, he pushed the woman completely out of the car, and she fell right in front of me. The woman’s screams grew even more terrified. She could only squat on the ground hugging her knees, shivering in the cold wind with barely any clothes on. “Mia Lin, you shameless slut.” Arthur pointed at her, his face livid. His mind was filled with frustration at her stupidity. At this moment, his brain truly processed the situation. What about his future? With this happening, I would definitely take everything back. Without me, he was nothing. How to choose between Mia and me? It was incredibly simple. He gave me an apprehensive glance and then started cursing at Mia. “It’s all your fault! You were the one who kept seducing me. You were the one who wouldn’t let go, using those dirty tricks to force me to give in. I’ve had enough of you.” He cursed fast and urgently, spit flying. In an instant, he threw all the dirty water, all the responsibility, onto this woman who was his childhood sweetheart. After cursing, he immediately turned to me. His face rapidly switched to an expression of remorse and pleading, his voice even carrying a hint of crying. “Chloe, honey, listen to me, listen to my explanation. It’s all my fault. I had a moment of confusion and was blinded by her. “It was her taking advantage of me when I was drunk… and then she got leverage on me. She kept threatening me like this. You’re the only one in my heart, Chloe. “I’ve only ever loved you from beginning to end. I beg you, forgive me this once. I promise it will never happen again. Let’s go home, let’s live a good life. I’ll listen to whatever you say.” He was a bit incoherent, his posture humble to the dust. As for Mia looking up at him with an expression of disbelief, she was completely ignored by Arthur. At this very moment, he only had eyes for me. I scoffed out loud. If Mia hadn’t recounted their story. I might have really been fooled by Arthur. I spoke slowly, filled with disdain. “Even at this point, you’re still acting? Still lying?” How could I not be disdainful? If he had protected Mia just now, I would have respected him a bit more. “Secretly meeting in the hotel bathroom on our wedding day, did she force you to do that? “Fooling around in the changing room while I was trying on wedding dresses, did she force you to do that? “Using my money to buy her a house, a car, and bags, did she force you to do that?” With every word I said, Arthur’s face grew paler. The surrounding crowd couldn’t help but gasp and start discussing. “This is too much, isn’t it?” “Right? If my husband trampled on me like this, I would tear him apart with my bare hands.” “What a pair of dogs…”

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Married for eight years, everyone praised me as the happiest woman in the capital’s social circle. My husband was famously devoted, showering me with jewelry, buying me a yacht, and even renting out an entire island for my birthday. I, too, tirelessly played the role of the gentle, respectful, and frugal Mrs. Vance. Even the media described us as a rare example of deep affection in a marriage of convenience. Until the day my daughter was born. His little canary had her son delivered early by C-section, openly provoking me, the legitimate wife. Naive as I was, I thought he would consider our wealthy families’ reputations and send the mother and son abroad. I never expected that he would secretly swap my daughter for that illegitimate son. He even handed me a custody agreement, self-righteously forcing me to sign it. “I owe her, I must repay her.” “Our daughter will acknowledge you as her godmother. When she grows up, I’ll send her to Switzerland to study. Don’t worry, she will be a little princess everyone envies.” “And you will always be my wife.” I nodded, smiling as I took the pen and signed. He let out a long sigh of relief, thinking I had finally accepted my fate, completely unaware that today was exactly what I had been waiting for. 1 I handed the signed custody agreement to Arthur Vance. He glanced over it and nodded in satisfaction: “Get some rest.” Walking to the door, he looked back once more: “Oh, right, the son is named Leo. The daughter… is named Luna.” The door closed. The hospital room returned to silence. I stared at the baby boy in the crib, examining him. He was awake, looking at me with open eyes. That little face did indeed resemble Arthur, especially the eyes and the bridge of the nose. A wave of nausea surged up, and I covered my mouth, dry heaving. The nanny, Maria, pushed the door open and came in. Seeing the baby boy in the crib, she was startled: “Ma’am, didn’t you give birth to a daughter? How come…” I laughed self-deprecatingly: “This is Mia’s child.” Upon hearing this, Maria said indignantly: “Ma’am! How… how can this be! Who does that woman think she is, an illegitimate child becoming the heir to the Vance family?” “The precious daughter you carried for ten months and worked so hard to give birth to, are you really going to give her away to be the daughter of that D-list model?” “This… this is just too much bullying! How could you… how could you agree?” She was so angry her hands were shaking, every word expressing how unworthy this was for me. I looked out at the gray sky through the window, smiled bitterly, and shook my head: “Whether I agree or not… does it really matter?” Maria sighed: “But you are Mrs. Vance! Is there no justice anymore!” Justice? With Arthur, he was his own justice. I closed my eyes, and that familiar sense of powerlessness crept up again. It didn’t matter. My wishes had never mattered. After all, from the very beginning, the person Arthur loved wasn’t me. During his years abroad, he always had women around him, and Mia was the one who stayed the longest. She was beautiful, had a hot body, and knew how to act coy, completely bewitching Arthur. But in a top-tier wealthy family like the Vances, how could they ever allow a model who clawed her way up by showing skin to marry into the family? Old Mr. Vance, without a second thought, immediately ordered him back to the country to meet me. As soon as the news of our marriage of convenience spread, Mia started throwing tantrums. To coax her, Arthur piled all the best film and television resources of the Vance Group onto her. He forcefully elevated a hidden canary into the mega-popular, A-list actress she is today. He gave her whatever she wanted, eager to rip out his heart to compensate her. And now, he even wanted to swap my child for hers. Thinking of this, I took out my phone and sent a message to an old friend: [The fish has taken the bait.] 2 In the blink of an eye, Leo was a month old. The one-month celebration banquet was held at the Vance family estate. The five-story mansion was filled inside and out with peonies flown in from Holland, and the champagne tower was stacked higher than the one at our wedding. I wore an evening gown, greeting guests in the banquet hall. Arthur held his son, beaming with the pride of a spring breeze. The wife of the Chairman of the Apex Group walked over with a wine glass, smiling: “Mrs. Vance, you look glowing, you’ve recovered so quickly.” I smiled and thanked her, catching a commotion at the entrance out of the corner of my eye. Mia had arrived. She wore a Valentino haute couture dress, the neckline plunging almost to her navel, extremely sexy. The entire venue fell silent for a moment, everyone’s eyes focused on her chest. A massive pink diamond necklace sparkled brilliantly under the refraction of the crystal chandeliers. That necklace was the finale piece at last month’s Sotheby’s auction, sold for twenty million dollars. The media reported at the time that Arthur had won it as a postpartum gift for his wife. Now, it hung glaringly around Mia’s neck. Arthur’s eyes lit up the moment he saw her. He handed his son to the nanny and walked towards Mia. Mia habitually hooked her arm through his, the two of them pressing close together. Camera flashes erupted like popcorn, and reporters, like sharks smelling blood, all swarmed over. “Ms. Mia, what is your relationship with Mr. Vance?” “Is this necklace a gift from Mr. Vance?” Mia smiled at the cameras. As she raised her hand to brush her hair, a red mark on the back of her neck was exposed, glaringly stark against her pale skin. She tilted her head to look at Arthur, saying shyly: “Mr. Vance, you should be the one to say it.” Arthur put his arm around her shoulders, saying to the cameras: “Mia is a top-tier artist of our Vance Group, please don’t write nonsense! The company’s legal department will pursue anyone who publishes false information to the fullest extent.” The reporters looked at each other, faces full of disbelief, but ultimately, deterred by the Vance family’s power, didn’t dare to press further and dispersed resentfully. Several wives gathered around to comfort me. “Chloe, don’t take it to heart, men, you know…” “Exactly, they play around, but they always have to come home in the end.” I smiled and nodded, bringing my wine glass to my lips, only to realize my hand was shaking badly. A little champagne spilled on my hand, ice-cold. Mia walked over, arm in arm with Arthur. She stood in front of me, looking me up and down. “Chloe looks beautiful today.” I gave a faint smile: “Thank you. Ms. Mia is also very striking today.” She took a step closer, whispering: “Don’t worry, Arthur said it, you will always be his wife, no one can replace you.” As she spoke, she deliberately touched the necklace around her neck. I pointed to the necklace: “As expected of an eight-figure pink diamond, very flashy.” “Is it?” She chuckled softly, “Arthur also said it suits me. Unlike you, it would look old-fashioned on you.” Arthur frowned slightly: “Mia.” “Just joking.” Mia shook his arm, “Chloe won’t mind, right?” I nodded: “I don’t mind.” That night, the trending topics exploded. #MiaHickey# #TheCrownPrincessPalesInComparison# #ArthurAndMiaIntimateInteraction#. My name was sandwiched in between, utterly ridiculous. 3 Arthur didn’t return until late at night. Seeing me, he was taken aback: “You’re not asleep yet?” I smiled: “Waiting for you.” He walked to the side of the bed and said softly: “Next month, I want to take Mia and Leo to Switzerland for a vacation.” I put down my phone and replied evenly: “Sure, have fun, take lots of pictures.” “You… have changed.” He looked at me, hesitating to speak. I looked up at him: “Have I?” He stared into my eyes, saying earnestly: “You weren’t like this before. Back then, there was light in your eyes. Now… it seems like you don’t care about anything anymore.” I sneered inwardly. Of course I’ve changed. From the day Arthur swapped my daughter at the hospital, that Chloe was dead. The one living now is nothing more than a walking corpse wearing the skin of docility. But I just smiled: “People always change. You’ve changed too, haven’t you?” Arthur sighed heavily. He stood up, walked to the door, and then looked back: “If you want to go, you can come with us.” I shook my head: “No need. There are still things to do at the company.” After Arthur left, I immediately shed that docile skin. He went to Switzerland to live it up, and I turned around and enrolled in a top-tier EMBA program. The coursework was heavy, but I enjoyed it. Mia hadn’t forgotten me, though. Every few days, she’d send intimate photos of them, occasionally accompanied by a few boastful words. I replied patiently every time, even praising her photography skills. My calmness confused her instead. She probably found it boring and eventually stopped sending them. After Arthur returned to the States, he clearly noticed my changes. He probably thought my “understanding” was a compromise after being disheartened, and unprecedentedly, he began to try to make amends. Gifting Hermes today, booking Michelin-starred restaurants tomorrow. Even his tone became ingratiating. Once, when he was drunk, he grabbed my hand and said: “Chloe, can we go back to how we used to be?” I pulled my hand back and smiled: “How did we used to be? I’ve forgotten.” The light in his eyes instantly dimmed. No matter what he said or did now, it couldn’t stir even the slightest ripple in my heart. Right now, I was just waiting for the right moment to take back everything that belonged to me. 4 For Luna’s fourth birthday, Arthur made an exception and allowed her to come to our house to celebrate. I got up early to bake her a cake. Just as I finished whipping the cream, Maria hurriedly knocked on the door: “Ma’am, Luna is here!” I didn’t even care to wipe my hands and rushed out. As soon as I walked into the living room, I heard intermittent piano playing. From a distance, I saw my daughter, wearing a beautiful princess dress, sitting on the piano bench playing. Mia leaned over and asked her: “Does Luna like playing the piano?” Luna nodded like a pecking chicken, answering in a childish voice: “I like it!” “Then we’ll play often from now on, okay?” Mia smiled and stroked her hair. Luna was even happier, saying loudly: “Okay!” She was so happy that she accidentally knocked over the amethyst vase next to the piano. The vase fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. Everyone froze. Mia’s face changed instantly. She grabbed Luna by the arm, yanked her off the piano bench, and raised her hand to slap her. Smack! A crisp sound. Luna’s head was knocked to the side, a red mark quickly blooming on her face. She stayed stunned for two seconds, then burst out crying, “Waah!” That crying sound was like a sharp blade, stabbing into my heart over and over again. I rushed over. Mia was still scolding: “You little brat! Do you know how much this vase cost? This was custom-made for me by Mr. Vance!” She raised her hand again. I grabbed the cake-cutting knife from the dining table. Before her hand could fall, I seized her wrist and gave it a vicious twist. Mia screamed and stepped back, being pinned against the piano by me. The piano let out a series of chaotic sounds. I pressed the knife against her neck and asked sternly: “Do you want to die?” The living room was in chaos. Leo was scared and started crying, and the nanny quickly picked him up. Mia struggled desperately to run. I just grabbed her by the hair, yanked her back, and slapped her hard several times! Smack! Smack! The crisp sounds were exceptionally jarring in the chaotic living room. She screamed and tried to protect her face. I backhanded her hard on the mouth, and blood immediately seeped from the corner of her lips. “You dare hit me! Arthur! Arthur, save me!” She cried and screamed hysterically. I raised my hand, wanting to continue teaching this reckless thing a lesson. “Chloe, stop it!” Arthur stood at the door, looking at me coldly. Mia cried out for help loudly: “Arthur, save me! She wants to kill me!” I pressed Mia down hard, looked at Arthur, and roared: “If Mia ever shows up in our house again, I’ll kill her!” “What did you say?” Arthur frowned. I sneered: “I don’t repeat myself!” Arthur was stunned. He had probably never seen me like this: eyes bloodshot, veins popping on my hands, like a mother wolf protecting her cub. Luna threw herself at me and hugged my leg: “Godmother…” Mia took the opportunity to struggle. I applied pressure with my hand, and she immediately didn’t dare to move. “Arthur!” she cried out, “Are you just going to watch her bully me?” Arthur was silent for a long time. So long that Mia’s cries grew weaker. Finally, he spoke: “Take her back.” The bodyguards standing by were also stunned. “Are you deaf?” Arthur’s voice rose. Two bodyguards immediately stepped forward, and only then did I let go. Mia was hauled up by them. She glared at Arthur in disbelief: “Arthur? You’re treating me like this?” Arthur looked away, “You go back first.” “Arthur! You—” She was dragged out, her curses growing further and further away. That night, Arthur uncharacteristically didn’t go to coax Mia. He leaned against the headboard, looking at his phone. I lay on the other side, my back to him. In the dark, he spoke abruptly: “You were too impulsive today.” I didn’t say anything. “But…” he paused, “Mia did cross the line, but I believe she didn’t do it on purpose.” I sneered: “She hit my daughter. Of course, you wouldn’t feel the heartache.” He sighed: “Don’t say that. Luna is also my daughter, how could my heart not ache?” I sneered, didn’t expose his lie, and just said: “Go to sleep.” He leaned over and hugged me tightly from behind. This posture was very intimate, like a real married couple. But I only felt disgusted. 5 On the first day of spring, Arthur rarely had free time and said he wanted to take the kids to the golf club. The men went to the course, while the wives sat in the lounge area, drinking tea and chatting. Luna sat next to me, drinking orange juice. “Luna, is your godfather good at golf?” Mrs. Sterling asked curiously. Luna put down her glass and said seriously: “My godfather doesn’t know how to play golf, but my daddy does.” “Really?” “Really.” Luna nodded. “My daddy said he hit a hole-in-one when he was 18, and even gave that little white ball to my mom.” Instant, dead silence. The wives exchanged glances. Arthur never played golf. He thought the sport was a waste of time. He excelled at trading stocks; he knew nothing about things on the golf course. But his arch-rival, Sterling Pierce, did. Sterling grew up in New York; golf was a required course for him. Fifteen years ago, at that charity golf tournament. Arthur forced himself onto the course to save face, but ended up making a fool of himself. While Sterling at the time, with an easy swing, sent the little white ball in a beautiful arc straight into the hole. The whole crowd cheered. Sterling took off his white glove and publicly handed that little white ball, signed with his name, to me, sitting next to Arthur. Arthur’s face at that time looked so awful he could kill someone. Later, that little white ball was hidden by me in the jewelry cabinet in the walk-in closet. My thoughts returning to the present, as I turned to pour juice for Luna, out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Arthur standing at the door. He had heard everything just now. 6 That night, after Arthur came home, he went straight to the study. By ten o’clock, he still hadn’t returned to the bedroom. I went downstairs to get water and saw the light in the study was still on. Pushing the door open, Arthur was sitting in front of the computer. On the screen was the membership list of the golf club. “Not asleep yet?” I asked. He looked up at me and asked in a deep voice: “What Luna said today, what does it mean?” Holding my water glass, I looked bewildered: “What words?” Arthur stood up, walked up to me, “She said her dad hit a hole-in-one and gave the little white ball to her mom.” “When have I ever hit a hole-in-one? When have I ever given you a little white ball?” I thought about it: “She probably watched some cartoon. Kids can’t tell reality from cartoons.” “Is that so?” Arthur sneered. “Chloe, are you sure?” “Otherwise?” I retorted. “Do I really have a lover who plays golf and can hit a hole-in-one?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I startled myself. It was too sharp, unlike my usual self. Arthur was also stunned. He looked at me, looked for a long time, and finally waved his hand: “Forget it, go to sleep.” Although I obediently went to sleep, he didn’t. For the next few days, he began a frantic investigation. Asking the club manager, checking my spending records, questioning people I frequently contacted. Just as Arthur was preparing to dig deeper, Mia started causing a scene. She led Leo directly into the Vance Group, making a huge ruckus at the front desk. I happened to be waiting for the elevator and heard the mess outside. “I want to see Arthur! Now! Right now!” “Ms. Mia, Mr. Vance is in a meeting…” “What meeting! Tell him to come out!” I walked out and saw Mia with disheveled hair, her eyes swollen like walnuts. Leo was so scared he hid behind a chair and cried. The employees formed a circle, no one daring to step forward. Seeing me, Mia got even more fired up, “Chloe! Arthur doesn’t love you at all! He should have divorced you and married me long ago!” Before I could even speak, Arthur shouted sternly: “Mia, what are you doing!” “Me, causing a scene?” Mia screamed. “Arthur, you said you’d marry me once I gave you a son! Look how big Leo is now! How long are you going to make me wait?” Dead silence. A pin-drop silence. The employees lowered their heads, pretending they didn’t hear anything. Arthur grabbed Mia’s arm and dragged her towards the elevator: “We’ll talk upstairs!” “No! We’ll make it clear right here today!” Mia struggled. “If you don’t get a divorce, I’ll spill all those things—” “Shut up!” Arthur interrupted sharply, forcefully shoving her into the elevator. Although the farce ended, the news had already spread. Arthur was overwhelmed. Mia caused a scene every day, and the media caught wind of it, digging up the luxury mansions and cars she had received over the years. Arthur, while pacifying her, suppressed the news, temporarily shelving the investigation into Sterling Pierce. I took this opportunity to proceed with the next step. When we married, Arthur gave me 5% of the Vance Group shares, and over the years transferred more. Plus my family’s original holdings, I now held 20%. I had prepared the transfer agreements for these shares long ago. That night, Arthur came home later than usual. As soon as he entered the bedroom, he threw a stack of photos in front of me. I moved closer to look, and my breath hitched. The photos were all of me and Sterling Pierce. I smiled faintly: “Just old friends meeting for a meal, is it worth you hiring someone to secretly take photos?” Arthur picked up a photo of me and Sterling hugging, sneering: “Is this what old friends do? Chloe, do you take me for a fool?” I ignored him and turned to go take a shower. He grabbed my arm and roared: “Answer my question!” “What exactly is your relationship with Sterling Pierce?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394806”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

When we were renovating our house before the wedding, Olivia Sterling told me to design everything exactly to my liking. So, when I casually placed her high heels outside the front door to air out, she threw a fit that very night, shattering a delicate teacup against the wall. “Those heels were imported from Australia! Even the soles are pure lambskin. They’re completely ruined if they touch water! How am I supposed to wear them now?” I apologized profusely, explaining I didn’t know much about luxury brands. My apology only fueled her rage. “You don’t even know basic common sense? How are you supposed to be the backbone of this family?” “As the partner to the Sterling family heiress, your standards for quality of life are pathetically low!” I froze in place like an idiot. Before I could even process what was happening, she told me she wanted a breakup. Two hours later, her childhood best friend, Carter Vance, posted an official relationship announcement online, accompanied by a picture of them kissing passionately. I bowed out in silence. When we crossed paths again, it was six years later. At the entrance of Disneyland, my daughter and I were thick as thieves. “One churro for five bucks, two for eight. We’ll eat them secretly. Don’t tell Mommy, okay?” Just as I was about to pay, my phone was violently smacked out of my hand. “It’s bad enough you have zero taste, but you’re raising my daughter to be a cheapskate just like you. Ethan Hayes, is this your idea of revenge?” I stared at my daughter’s deep double eyelids and striking hazel eyes, completely dumbfounded. Was this woman hallucinating in broad daylight? Even on a weekday evening, the entrance to Disneyland was a sea of people. I couldn’t tell if it was just my imagination, but it felt even more crowded than a holiday. My daughter was begging to go inside to watch the fireworks, so I scooped her up into my arms. “Be good, Lily. Mommy already bought you an annual pass last time, so we can come whenever you want. There are too many people today, and Daddy can’t watch out for you all by himself. Let’s go home first, okay?” My daughter had clearly inherited her mother’s sharp intellect. Her eyes darted around, and she immediately started negotiating. “Then I want a churro!” I quickly covered her mouth and scanned our surroundings. Once I confirmed my wife’s driver and bodyguards were nowhere in sight, I let out a sigh of relief. “You only got away with it last time because you secretly followed Daddy out. Otherwise, I would never let you eat junk food. If your mother finds out, she’ll definitely lecture me.” “Hehe, but it’s so yummy! Daddy, just this once. I promise I’ll be perfectly well-behaved for the whole week!” Lily obediently held up four little fingers in a swearing gesture. My heart instantly melted. “Alright, just this once for the month. No exceptions.” I turned to the vendor nearby. “I’ll take two. Apple Pay, please.” Just as I pulled out my phone, a familiar voice drifted into my ear. “Did you really have to come shopping around here? There’s a line of at least ten thousand people at the gate! If it’s crowded with this many people, it’s clearly not a high-class venue. Hurry up, I have a business meeting to get to!” Carter’s smile stiffened. “Olivia, don’t look so cold. We’re surrounded by kids, you’re going to scare them. It’s a fun atmosphere! Don’t you feel years younger just being here?” Olivia Sterling’s voice grew even colder, laced with impatience. “I only feel that your taste has plummeted. Just standing here makes me feel like I reek of poverty.” As soon as the words left her mouth, the surrounding tourists erupted. “Who the hell do you think you are? Who are you calling poor? If you’re so rich, why didn’t you rent out the whole park? Stop acting like you own the place!” Before Olivia could respond, a bodyguard nearly seven feet tall stepped in front of her. Someone in the crowd recognized her face, and gasps echoed around us. “Isn’t that the heiress of the Sterling family…?” “What is she doing here? No wonder she thinks this place is poor. She actually has the capital to back it up.” “See that handsome guy next to her? That’s her fiancé. They’re super in love. Ms. Sterling probably lowered herself to come here just for him!” Olivia took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions. “Hurry up. I only have half an hour. I need someone to go to the nearby mall and buy me two new outfits. This one already smells like a crowd. It’s inappropriate for my meeting.” “I heard the partner she’s meeting is incredibly strict about appearances. Not a single hair can be out of place.” Through the crowd, I caught sight of that familiar silhouette. She was as aloof as ever, though her profile looked much more mature. Remembering the explosive scene when we broke up, and contrasting it with the concessions she was making for Carter right now, I felt a twinge of irony. Sure enough, true love makes people compromise. Even someone as arrogant as Olivia Sterling was no exception. Sensing my gaze, she slowly turned her head. I quickly turned my back and tried to finish paying, terrified she would notice me. “Bag them up, please, man. We’ll eat them on the way.” Just as I was about to tap my phone to the terminal, it was violently smacked away. The screen shattered against the pavement. “It really is you.” “Running into someone with no taste in a place with no taste. All these years have passed, and you haven’t grown at all.” I refused to back down. “If you’re standing here too, your taste can’t be much higher.” “What, does Ms. Sterling want a bite? My treat.” Lily tugged at my sleeve, asking cautiously: “Daddy, who is this lady? Why is she trying to steal my food?” Olivia’s gaze slowly shifted downward. When she saw my daughter’s face clearly, she froze completely. “Fighting over garbage food? Ethan Hayes, is this the life you lead after leaving me?” She stared dead at my daughter’s face, her voice starting to tremble: “That birthmark behind her ear… the shape, the location, it’s exactly the same as the one I had when I was a kid.” “Ethan, do you still dare to say she isn’t my child?” My temples throbbed with anger. “Who’s eating garbage? Watch your mouth!” “A birthmark? You think you gave birth to every kid in the world with a birthmark?” “Are you so desperate for a child that you’ve lost your mind? My daughter has absolutely nothing to do with you!” I thought my attitude was firm enough, but upon hearing my words, she just gave me a look that said, Keep acting. She lowered her voice and leaned in close. “Whether she’s mine or not, a DNA test will prove it.” “If you have the guts, come to the hospital with me. If you don’t, then admit it—you’re terrified.” I didn’t even have the energy to curse at her. Did she not know that birthmarks can be inherited from the father’s side, too? My daughter got that birthmark from my grandmother. I looked at my daughter’s deep double eyelids and hazel, mixed-race eyes, and I genuinely couldn’t fathom how Olivia could possibly mistake her for her own. How could someone be this narcissistic? My expression turned ice-cold. I couldn’t even be bothered to humor her anymore. “If you love birthmarks so much, go get one tattooed on yourself so you can see it in the mirror every day.” “My daughter has nothing to do with you. Stop flattering yourself.” With that, I turned to leave. I had lost my appetite for the churros anyway. Olivia took a step forward to grab me. But Carter intercepted her. “Why are you grabbing me? Let go! Can’t you see Ethan is taking my daughter away?” Carter looked incredibly aggrieved. “Olivia, I am your fiancé. We haven’t even had our wedding yet. If you bring a child back now, how am I supposed to explain this to my parents? What does that make me?” “Besides, this child might not even be yours, you—” Before he could finish, Olivia cut him off angrily: “Shut up!” “I’ll handle my daughter’s affairs myself. It’s not your place to speak!” She took a long stride forward, tightly gripping my wrist to pull me back. “You can’t leave! My daughter stays with me today!” “I told you, this is not your daughter. Let go of me!” “You say she isn’t? Then do you dare come to the hospital with me? Do you?” I laughed out of sheer anger. “I have to get home. Why on earth should I go to the hospital with you? Who do you think you are? Does the whole world revolve around you?” Saying that, I pulled out my shattered phone, intending to call my wife’s bodyguards. Less than three seconds later, she snatched the broken phone and hurled it across the pavement. “Why are you faking it? If you don’t dare go, it’s because you’re guilty!” “You’ve taken my daughter away for five years. She’s stuck eating cheap street food with you. I have to take her away!” The massive argument instantly drew a crowd of tourists. “This guy is way too selfish. Sneaking away with the kid is bad enough, but now that he’s caught, he won’t even admit it. The kid is really suffering with a dad like that.” “There aren’t many good women like Ms. Sterling left. This guy is just lucky. If it were anyone else, they would’ve snatched the kid back and buried him by now!” Neither Olivia nor I spoke. We remained deadlocked in the middle of the crowd. After a long moment, she took a deep breath and suddenly changed her tone. She pushed Carter a few feet away and lowered her voice so only I could hear: “Ethan, I don’t have time to waste with you.” “This child looks familiar. You must come get a DNA test with me today.” “If the test proves she isn’t mine, I will apologize to you immediately, and I’ll walk the other way whenever I see you from now on.” “If she is mine—” “Name your price.” I froze for a second. Not because of her words. But because she had finally stopped acting like a lunatic and was negotiating with me in the tone of a normal human being. Unfortunately, it was too late. “Olivia. It’s been six years.” “You still only know how to use your own methods to make decisions for other people.” I held my daughter’s hand and took a step back. “She is not your child. And I am not going anywhere with you.” “If you really think she’s your daughter, go investigate what exactly you missed six years ago.” Olivia’s eyes trembled. “What do you mean?” I didn’t answer. I simply picked up my daughter and turned into the crowd. Behind me, I heard Carter’s urgent voice: “Olivia, he’s just putting on an act! Don’t let him trick you!” “We need to go. There are still so many things to prepare for the wedding…” Olivia didn’t move. And I didn’t look back. 2 I was blocked. Not by Olivia. By her bodyguards. More than a dozen men in black suits swarmed from all directions, trapping me and my daughter in place. Lily gripped the hem of my shirt, her voice thick with tears: “Daddy… who are they…” I crouched down, shielding her in my arms. I turned to look at Olivia. She stood where she was, not giving any orders. Nor did she call them off. She just watched me in silence. Like she was looking at someone she had finally caught but didn’t know what to do with. Carter sidled up to her: “Olivia, I told you he was acting—look, he doesn’t even have the guts to run.” Olivia ignored him. She walked up to me, crouched down, and looked my daughter in the eye. Her voice was very soft: “What’s your name?” Lily shrank back into my chest. Olivia waited for three seconds. Then she stood up. “Take them back.” “Olivia.” I stood up, glaring at her. “This is kidnapping.” She didn’t look at me. “After the DNA test, if she isn’t mine, I will personally escort you back.” “If she is—” She paused. “If she is, I’ll say sorry again.” I laughed. My eyes stung. Six years ago, when she dumped me, I never got a single “sorry.” Six years later, she says “sorry” in exchange for kidnapping my daughter. “Olivia, do you know what this is?” She finally looked at me. “A belated apology is worth less than dirt.” Her eyelashes fluttered. She didn’t speak. With a wave of her hand, the bodyguards closed in. I shielded Lily as the crowd forced us toward the cars. Lily started to cry. Not a soft whimper, but the full-blown, terrified wail of a child. “Daddy! Daddy! I want Mommy—” Olivia’s footsteps halted. She turned around and looked at my daughter’s red, tear-streaked face. That expression— I couldn’t read it. It looked like she had been pricked by a needle. Or like she had remembered something. She opened her mouth, wanting to speak. Carter immediately stepped in: “Olivia, it’s normal for kids to cry. Just take her back and raise her for a couple of days, she’ll be fine. Don’t go soft—” “Shut up.” Olivia didn’t look at him. She walked over and took Lily from the bodyguards’ hands. Lily struggled even harder, her tiny fists pounding against Olivia’s shoulder. “Bad lady! You’re a bad lady! I want my Mommy!” Olivia didn’t dodge. She held the child, awkwardly patting her back. “…Don’t be afraid.” Her voice was so low. So low I almost thought I misheard. “I’m not a bad person.” She placed my daughter into the car, then turned to me. “Get in.” I didn’t move. She waited for three seconds. Then she got in the car herself. The door remained open. Through the half-open door, she looked at me standing there. “Ethan.” “You just said I should go investigate what I missed six years ago.” “I will.” “But until I find out the truth—” She lowered her eyes. “Will you give me a chance? Please?” The wind blew past. The Disney music was still playing in the background. I stood outside the car, listening to my daughter sobbing inside. Then, I got in. Not because my heart softened. But because she had finally asked, “Please.” Six years ago, she never asked me. Six years later, she did. It was too late. But still—it was different. 3 It wasn’t until the car pulled into the manor that I realized who Olivia was here to meet. Stella Thorne. My wife. I could navigate this estate with my eyes closed, but Olivia didn’t know that. Afraid that my daughter and I would cause trouble, she locked us in a side lounge and forbade us from leaving. Through the crack in the door, I saw her take a deep breath in front of the reception room, straightening the collar of her suit. Carter was behind her, whispering something. Olivia ignored him. She just kept her eyes down, flipping through the contract in her hands over and over. —She was nervous. In the three years I spent with the Sterling family, I had never seen her nervous. Even facing hundreds of media outlets, she maintained that same icy demeanor. Now, she was so nervous about meeting my wife that she flipped the same page of the contract five times. “Daddy, why are we hiding in here?” Lily tugged at my shirt. I crouched down and pressed a finger to my lips: “Because Mommy is working.” “That bad lady is here to talk business with Mommy, so we shouldn’t disturb her.” “Then why did she lock us in?” I thought for a moment. “Because she doesn’t know that this is our house.” Lily didn’t really understand. But her attention had already shifted to something else. “Daddy, that light is so pretty!” She pointed at the massive crystal chandelier, her eyes sparkling. Before I could say a word, she had already stepped onto the sofa, scaled the cabinet, and scrambled up like a little monkey. “Baby! Get down!” Too late. She had already reached the edge of the chandelier, hanging off it and swinging back and forth. My heart skipped a beat in terror. But she had already shimmied up the chain to the very top, sitting on the metal frame of the chandelier, grinning down at me triumphantly. I took a deep breath and opened the hidden door in the closet. —If I didn’t get her down right now, Olivia’s meeting would be over. And if Stella saw her daughter climbing the chandelier… I might be sleeping on the couch tonight. As I hurried through the hidden corridor and pushed open the side door to the reception room, I heard Olivia’s voice. “…Ms. Thorne, the details of the collaboration are all set. Would you like to review the contract?” Stella didn’t look at the contract. She looked up, her gaze passing right over Olivia and landing on me. “Ethan?” Olivia whipped her head around. I froze in place. Before I could speak, a violent shaking came from the ceiling— “Mommy!” The chandelier swung wildly, the crystal pendants crashing together in a cacophony of chimes. My daughter’s tiny silhouette slipped from the frame, plummeting straight down. Stella’s face went deathly pale. She lunged forward, catching that tiny, falling shape. I dove toward them, wrapping my arms around both of them. Our family of three crashed into a tangled heap in the center of the reception room. The crystal pendants were still swaying above us, ringing out. Lily threw her arms around Stella’s neck, crying so hard she couldn’t catch her breath: “Mommy… I thought I couldn’t reach you anymore…” Stella didn’t say a word. She just held our daughter tighter, her hand soothingly stroking Lily’s back over and over again. Then, she looked up at me. The corners of her eyes were red. “…Next time she climbs the chandelier, remember to close the door.” I nodded. I pressed my forehead against hers. “I will.” In my peripheral vision, Olivia was still standing exactly where she was. Her hands had gripped the contract so tightly the paper was deeply creased. Carter was whispering furiously in her ear, but she didn’t hear a single word. Her gaze fell on my wife’s face. On my daughter’s face. On the way I pressed my forehead against Stella’s. Then, she looked away. She picked up the coffee on the table and took a sip. It was scalding hot. She didn’t frown. She just swallowed it down. When she set the cup down, her fingertips were trembling. Stella finally stood up, placing Lily into my arms. “Ms. Sterling, I apologize for the interruption.” She took my hand and walked over to Olivia. “This is my husband, Ethan Hayes.” “And this is my daughter, Lily Hayes.” “We’ve been married for six years, mostly living abroad, so we don’t know many people stateside.” Olivia stared at Stella holding my hand. The wedding band on her finger sparkled under the lights. She opened her mouth. “…You are a lucky woman, Ms. Thorne.” Her voice was hoarse. Stella smiled faintly. “Ethan is a gift from heaven.” “When we first met, he always loved buying cheap street plushies and covering my study in cartoon stickers.” “At first, I really couldn’t adapt.” “But then I realized, why does life need so many strict rules?” “The warmth and chaos he brought… that’s what’s truly precious.” Olivia didn’t say a word. She looked down and signed the contract, her fingers gripping the pen so tightly her knuckles turned white. Every stroke looked like she was carving something into stone. Signed. She stood up. “Pleasure doing business with you.” She extended her hand. Stella shook it. “The pleasure is mine, Ms. Sterling.” Olivia pulled her hand back. Her fingertips were ice-cold. She didn’t look at me again. “Ms. Thorne, your business takes priority. Having Mr. Hayes walk us to the door will be more than enough.” Stella’s gaze shifted between me and Olivia. “…Did you two know each other before?” I instinctively wanted to nod. But Olivia spoke first: “You misunderstand, Ms. Thorne.” “I just thought Mr. Hayes looked a lot like an old friend I parted ways with many years ago.” “I felt a bit nostalgic and wanted to chat.” She smiled flawlessly. But I was the only one who noticed her hand hanging by her side, the nails digging painfully into her palm. Stella didn’t press the issue. She stood on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear: “Come back quickly after you see them out.” “I’ll wait for you for dinner.” I nodded. Holding Lily’s hand, I walked Olivia to the door.

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I was born only because my older sister had a congenital heart defect. To save money for her surgery, Mom worked three part-time jobs a day, and Dad worked overtime until midnight every single day. My job was to stay home and take care of my sister. Feeding her, helping her catch her breath, giving her sponge baths. The moment she coughed, I had to immediately get up to give her oxygen and medicine. Day and night, without a moment’s rest. But I never complained. I knew that if I were the one who was sick, they would take care of me the exact same way. Until I fainted right before the New Year. I went to the hospital and was diagnosed with a primary brainstem tumor. Looking at the diagnosis: “The tumor has compressed the medulla oblongata; it is in an extremely advanced stage, and there is no opportunity for surgery.” My first thought was: If I’m gone, who will take care of my sister? How heartbroken will Mom and Dad be? Only after figuring out a way to take care of them did I feel at peace, deciding to go home and tell them. But at the door, I overheard my parents talking: “Sigh, Mia was crying to me today, saying she didn’t want to die. It broke my heart.” “She’s such a good girl, why did she have to get this disease?” “Why couldn’t it have been Chloe who got sick? My poor Mia hasn’t experienced a single day of health in her life.” My hand on the doorknob froze. I looked down at the signed “Human Organ Donation Registration Form” in my hand and let out a bitter smile. Mom, Dad, after New Year’s Eve, your wish will come true. 1 I put away the registration form and waited at the door for a few minutes before pushing it open and going inside. I smiled casually and greeted them: “I’m home.” As soon as Mom saw me, the corners of her mouth turned down: “Running wild until now? The whole family is waiting for you.” “Hurry up and call your sister; she can’t go hungry.” I obediently agreed, my footsteps into the house still light. As if I hadn’t heard anything just now. My sister was lying in her pitch-black room, her breathing barely audible. I bent down and called her softly: “Mia, it’s time to eat.” “Let me help you up, okay?” There was no movement for a long time. Worried, I reached out to touch her forehead: “Are you not feeling well?” Smack. She slapped my hand away. Her hand fell limply onto the blanket, her eyes closed, refusing to look at me: “Get lost, don’t touch me.” I paused for a second, pretended I didn’t hear, and continued to help her up. “Just eat a little, okay? Your body won’t handle it if you don’t.” “If you don’t want to move, I can bring it in and feed you, alright?” The moment I said I would feed her, she slowly got up, getting ready to go out and eat. I followed behind her, carefully guarding her, finding amusement in my bitterness. Sure enough, she still hates me touching her. Got her right where I want her. The moment I stepped out of the bedroom, I blinked to clear the moisture from my eyes, and a smile returned to my face: “Mom, Mia is up. We can eat now.” The apartment we lived in was very small. From the bedroom to the dining table was barely thirty feet, yet she was panting heavily by the time she got there. I followed behind, watching her with worry, but didn’t dare reach out to support her. As we reached the dining table, Mom just happened to come out of the kitchen. She quickly jogged over, casually shoving me aside, and carefully helped my sister sit down. I rubbed my waist where it hit the corner of the table, letting out a small gasp of pain. Mia looked up and glared at me, her breathing becoming rapid: “Do you think I look funny when I have an attack? Are you mocking me on purpose?” Before I could explain, Dad’s slap had already landed on my face: “You’re a grown woman now, have some sense! Apologize right now, don’t make your sister angry!” He turned to her, his voice immediately softening: “Mia, ignore her. Your health is the most important thing; you need to avoid emotional swings.” Holding my face, my eyes stinging, I whispered an apology, then lowered my head to comfort myself. She doesn’t hate me; she’s just in too much pain from being sick. Mia’s breathing quickly steadied, and Mom and Dad finally sat down with relief. I pulled myself together and quickly served them rice. Mom was serving soup for my sister and gestured for me to put the rice bowl on the table: “Never home all day, now you know how to act good.” “What have you been busy with these past few days?” My hand, holding the chopsticks, froze. After confirming there was no hope for a cure, I had spent the last few days at the hospital consulting about a heart transplant. Fortunately, my disease wouldn’t affect other organs, so my heart could be transplanted normally. I also found out that organ donation could come with some financial compensation. If I sold my corneas, kidneys, and liver, it could amount to maybe fifty thousand dollars. That way, I could rest a little easier after I passed. Before I could answer, Mom unilaterally issued an order: “From now on, you stay home and take care of your sister. Do you know how much pay I’ve been docked for missing work these past few days?” “Alright, that’s enough. Didn’t Chloe say she had a headache and went to the hospital for a checkup?” Dad stopped Mom’s nagging, then turned to ask me: “How were the test results? Everything okay?” “If you get sick too, our family really can’t afford it.” I raised my bowl to hide my expression, trying hard to make my tone sound light: “I’m fine. The doctor said it was just from staying up late. I’ll be fine in a couple of days.” Mom frowned tightly, glancing at me with dissatisfaction: “I told you it was nothing. Running to the hospital for every little thing, do you think tests are free?” “You’ve loved wasting money since you were a kid.” I knew Mom just liked to nag. But hearing her scold me now still made my heart ache. I kept my head down, poking at the rice in my bowl with my chopsticks: “I’ve been sensible since I was little. When have I ever wasted money?” Mom scoffed disdainfully: “There are plenty of times.” “When you were in elementary school and insisted on taking oil painting lessons, wasn’t that wasting money?” I couldn’t refute that. To this day, I regret clamoring to learn oil painting back then. 2 In elementary school, I still didn’t understand what my sister’s illness meant. I also didn’t know why Mom and Dad always had furrowed brows. Seeing my desk mate taking oil painting lessons, I went home and clamored to learn too. Mom refused with a dark face, and even rolling on the floor crying was useless. A week later, Mia secretly bought me the tools and paints. I excitedly hugged her, jumping and shouting. But staying up late writing articles to earn the money caused her body to give out, and she had an attack and was hospitalized. After being admitted, she thought she was going to die and secretly told me: “I have a little bit of the writing money left, along with the allowance I saved up. It’s under my pillow.” “Chloe, go back and take the money. From now on, buy the paints yourself.” Fortunately, she pulled through in the end. And I suddenly grew up and became sensible. Later, when the paints she bought ran out, I silently packed everything away and never asked for them again. When Mom casually asked about it, I sheepishly scratched my head: “Painting is too hard; I don’t want to learn anymore.” While I was lost in memories, Mom thought I was feeling guilty and pressed her advantage: “It’s time you grew up. Stop running around all day not coming home.” Hearing Mom’s words, I felt helpless: “Mom, I really wasn’t out playing. I had something to do.” “A minor ailment like yours wouldn’t take a whole day to check. What could you possibly be doing going out every day this week?” “I…” I originally wanted to tell the truth, but seeing my sister’s pale face beside me, and remembering she shouldn’t get emotional, I swallowed the words back down. Mom seemed to think my silence meant my lie was exposed, looking even angrier: “I just asked you to stay home and take care of your sister, and you dare make excuses to be lazy and run off.” “Raising you was a complete waste.” “If it weren’t so someone would take care of Mia later, I shouldn’t have given birth to you.” Dad also looked at me with disappointment: “Chloe, when you were little, you were so sensible, always saying you’d grow up and protect your sister. Why are you so disobedient now?” “Have you forgotten how good your sister was to you when you were little?” Mia kept her head down; I couldn’t see her expression. I only saw her hand gripping the chopsticks tightly, the veins on the back of her hand very prominent. I opened my mouth to explain, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. Mom got up to open it; it was our next-door neighbor. She held up a bag of oranges and gestured: “Your Chloe was standing at the door for a long time just now, and she left this when she went in.” “Hurry up and bring it inside, before someone swipes it.” Mom’s back stiffened. She forced a few pleasantries and saw the neighbor off. She walked slowly back to the table, sat down, and broke the silence in the room: “Did you hear what your dad and I were saying while you were standing at the door?” I nodded numbly without speaking. A flash of panic crossed Mom’s eyes, then she forced herself to act calm: “I just remembered you insisting on changing jobs last month. I was so angry I lost my head, and just blurted those things out in the heat of the moment.” I remained silent, staring at my rice bowl, my mind completely blank. Seeing me not speak, Mom’s tone took on a bit of irritation: “I wasn’t wrong at all with what I said.” “Why wasn’t it you, this ungrateful wretch, who got sick?” “You wanting to change jobs is just because you think we’re dragging you down, so you can shake us off, right?” Mom’s words were like a sharp knife plunging into my heart. I looked at her in disbelief, my lips trembling, unable to make a sound. After graduating, I listened to my parents and found a job close to home. Although the pay was low, it was convenient for taking care of my sister. But this year, her health had been deteriorating, and the medical bills were piling up. Seeing my parents so anxious, I wanted to share their burden, but I couldn’t do anything. Until last month, when I received a great job offer. The salary was triple, and the prospects were good. The only downside was that it was in another city. I was ecstatic. With this job, I could earn more money, buy better medicine for my sister, and lighten my parents’ load. But I never expected Mom to disagree. Full of confusion, I was still trying hard to explain it to her. So that’s what they thought. 3 Tears slid down unconsciously, the drop on my hand startling me awake. Mom was still endlessly listing my faults. I wanted to speak, to tell her I wasn’t going to change jobs. After all, I only had a few days left to live; there was no need anymore. But a sudden attack interrupted my explanation. A throbbing pain emanated from the back of my head, and my chest felt tight, like a heavy stone was pressing on it. I gripped the table leg tightly to keep my balance. Only after the pain subsided did I realize Mom’s anger had intensified. She seemed to take my pain as a sign of defiance, her tone becoming even harsher: “Your wings have hardened, and you dare to give me attitude?” “Tell me clearly today, are you going to take care of your sister or not?” “Enough!” Mia held onto the table and stood up, her face looking awful: “Stop talking. I won’t need her to take care of me from now on.” “If she wants to work, let her go, I…” Before she could finish, Mia collapsed back into her chair, clutching her chest and panting heavily. Mom shoved me aside and ran to her side to rub her back, yelling at Dad: “Hurry and get Mia’s medicine!” I fell to the floor, my vision going dark in waves, wanting to get up and help but unable to move. Dad was in such a rush to find the medicine he didn’t even see me on the floor. He didn’t even notice when he stepped on my hand as he passed by. At this moment, enduring the excruciating headache of an attack, I couldn’t even care about my stepped-on hand. Sharp headaches hit me in waves. I curled up on the floor, gritting my teeth. Mom and Dad’s gentle, concerned voices for my sister seemed to drift over from far away, blurry and indistinguishable. After a long time, the pain finally ended. I held onto the table and shakily stood up. Looking around the living room, I realized I was the only one left. Warm yellow light spilled from my sister’s room, and through the crack in the door, I could vaguely see Mom tucking her in. I lowered my head and stood there. Even though I was in my own home, I felt like I had nowhere to go. It wasn’t until Mia fell asleep that Mom tiptoed out of the room. Seeing me standing in the living room, her brow immediately furrowed. She walked over quickly and pinched the flesh on my arm, twisting hard: “Your sister isn’t feeling well, and you’re standing here like a log. Are your legs broken?” “Keep quiet tonight, and look after your sister carefully!” Ignoring the pain in my arm, I looked at Mom with a sliver of hope: “Mom, my head hurts so much…” But before I could finish, Mom cut me off: “Why don’t you just hurt to death then!” “Faking an illness just because I asked you to do something. Can you grow up a little!” My world suddenly went quiet, my heart a vast emptiness. I only saw Mom’s mouth moving, but couldn’t hear her voice. I nodded numbly until Mom stopped, satisfied. After Mom walked away, I instinctively walked to Mia’s room. I don’t know how long I stood by her bed. By the time her mocking words broke the silence, my feet were already numb. “Chloe, stop pretending. You’re just wishing I were dead so you’d never have to take care of me again, right?” I was pinned to the spot by her dark gaze. When I was little, I thought my sister was the gentlest person in the world. She would knit bunny dolls for me, tell me stories, and gently comfort me when I cried. But I don’t know when the gentle sister disappeared. Lost in memories, I didn’t speak, but she didn’t need my reply anyway: “So what if you’re healthy? I’m the daughter Mom and Dad love the most.” “In this family, you are the extra one!” “Now get out. Seeing you makes me sick.” My heart felt sour, but I didn’t dare say anything more, afraid of agitating her. I went back to the cramped storage room, lay on the bed, and stared at the ceiling with tear-filled eyes. It’s okay. My sister is sick and needs their love more. That’s why Mom and Dad occasionally ignore me. Once she has the surgery, everything will be fine. 4 The hospital was very efficient. A couple of days later, Mom and Dad received a phone call. Someone was donating a heart; after the New Year, my sister could prepare for the surgery. Seeing hope, the smiles on Mom and Dad’s faces finally increased. Light returned to my sister’s eyes; she no longer acted like she had given up. Watching my family’s hopeful faces, I completely swallowed my fear and reluctance to part. And waited for the New Year with them. On the morning of New Year’s Eve, taking advantage of Mom’s good mood, I acted cute and asked for sweet and sour ribs for dinner. Unable to resist my clinging, Mom laughed, scolded me a bit, but still agreed. Because of my sister’s illness, there were many things she couldn’t eat. Since money was tight, the dining table always had the same few bland dishes. I loved sweet and sour ribs the most, but hadn’t had them many times. Thinking about eating them tonight, I even forgot the fear of going to the hospital soon. Only anticipation remained in my heart. But when it was time for dinner that evening, there were no sweet and sour ribs on the table. I looked at Mom in confusion: “Are there still dishes in the kitchen? I’ll go get them.” Mom, busy serving soup to my sister, answered offhandedly: “Your sister said she wanted shrimp, so I didn’t buy the ribs.” “Eating shrimp is just as good, it’s a great dish.” I told myself to be understanding; the family had a heavy burden, and Mom and Dad had no choice. Yet I still heard my trembling voice: “Mom, do you remember that I’m allergic to shrimp?” Mom looked back at me, her tone impatient: “Can’t you eat the vegetables on the table? Do you absolutely have to eat meat? Are you as delicate as Mia?” “She rarely has an appetite, and today she finally wanted something.” “You can eat sweet and sour ribs later, it’s the same thing.” I stood frozen, my throat feeling like it was stuffed with cotton, unable to speak. But I have no “later.” My heart felt sour, and I couldn’t control the large tears smashing onto the floor. Dad gave me a look of disgust and said in dissatisfaction: “Throwing a tantrum over such a little thing. Let’s eat, ignore her.” “She’ll come eat when she’s tired of crying.” Soon, the cheerful sounds of the three of them filled the living room. I, standing nearby, felt like I was invisible, receiving no further attention. “In this family, you are the extra one!” My sister’s past words echoed in my ears. This time, I couldn’t find a reason to refute them. Early the next morning, I packed my things and checked into the hospital. My condition had been constantly deteriorating, and the doctor had urged me to be hospitalized long ago. It’s just that I was worried my absence during the New Year would make my family worry, and I wanted to spend it at home. So I dragged it out until now. During my hospitalization, Mom kept sending me messages scolding me: “You ungrateful wretch, running away from home just because you missed out on one dish? If you have any guts, don’t ever come back.” I brushed it off using the excuse of looking for a job. A couple of days later, Mom sent another message: “Your sister is hospitalized preparing for surgery, and you’re not even going to come back to see her?” Lying in my hospital bed, I smiled bitterly. Mom, actually I live right upstairs from you. I see everything. After being admitted, my symptoms worsened daily, frequently falling into a semi-comatose state. The entire right side of my body was completely paralyzed; I couldn’t even fully turn my head. Until I woke up from a sleep and realized I was a soul. I floated downstairs to find my family and saw Mom and Dad waiting outside the operating room. Mom’s face was tense and pale, tightly clutching the hem of Dad’s shirt. Both were muttering incessantly, praying constantly. Three hours later, the doctor came out. He took off his mask, his smile mixed with exhaustion: “Congratulations, the surgery was a great success.” Mom stumbled, as if losing all her strength, and fell to her knees. Dad’s eyes instantly turned completely red, and he let out a long sigh of relief. Soon, my sister was wheeled out and sent to the Intensive Care Unit. Looking at her lying quietly on the bed, Mom and Dad finally calmed down. And remembered me again. Mom couldn’t help complaining to Dad: “I don’t know what that girl Chloe is busy with.” “Her messages lately are sporadic, taking half a day to reply.” “I told her her sister was having surgery today, and even though she’s not here, she doesn’t even know to call and ask.” Dad’s brow furrowed slightly and then quickly relaxed: “Her heart is distant from us.” “After the surgery, Mia will get better, and we won’t need her anyway.” “From now on, we’ll just take good care of Mia and ignore her.” I had been floating beside them listening. So souls can feel pain too. Watching Mom about to retort, she was interrupted by her phone ringing. She glanced at it casually, answered it, and put it to her ear. “Hello, is this the family of Chloe Miller?” “The deceased’s organ donation surgery has been successfully completed. Please bring your ID to the morgue of Central People’s Hospital to process the body claiming procedures.”

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My son slid the bank card and the divorce papers across the table to me, like he was paying off a used-up maid. “Mom, three million. It’s enough for the rest of your life.” His tone was perfectly flat, like he was negotiating a business deal. I just looked at him. Twenty-six years old, six foot tall, wearing a designer suit I had scrimped and saved to buy him for his graduation. “I’ve looked into the divorce process. All you need to do is sign.” In the living room, Richard sat on the sofa, not saying a word. I suddenly wanted to laugh. The son I raised for twenty-six years had come today to handle his father’s “breakup” for him. 1. The bank card was a black card, sitting on the coffee table, glaringly obvious. The divorce process was printed on three pages, neatly paperclipped together. I looked at Kevin. He had intentionally worn a suit today, his hair styled with gel, looking like he was attending a formal business negotiation. The negotiation target was his mother. “Mom, let me finish.” He sat across from me, hands clasped on his knees. “It hasn’t been easy for Dad these past few years either. The feelings between you two faded a long time ago. Dragging this out isn’t doing anyone any good.” I didn’t say anything. “The three million is a sign of Dad’s sincerity. You can take this money and retire anywhere you want.” Sincerity. I repeated the word in my head. “You can keep the house. You stay here, Dad won’t kick you out.” He paused. “But if you’re willing to sell the house, Dad can add another million, making it an even four million.” I looked toward Richard on the sofa. My husband. The man who shared my bed for thirty years. He was holding a teacup, eyes downcast. From beginning to end, he hadn’t looked at me once. “Richard.” I called his name. He finally looked up. “Hm?” Just one word. “Is this what you want?” He put down his teacup. “Kevin said it well enough. I have nothing to add.” Good. What a great “nothing to add.” “Mom, don’t look at Dad like that,” Kevin frowned. “Think about it calmly. You and Dad haven’t had any feelings for each other for a long time, right?” I looked at him. “Your dad and I have no feelings for each other?” “…Yeah.” He looked a bit uncomfortable. “Look at you and Dad. How many words have you spoken to each other these past few years? How many meals have you eaten together? You just stay at home all day, while Dad works himself to the bone out there—” “Works himself to the bone?” I interrupted him. “Your dad works himself to the bone out there?” Kevin froze for a second. I stood up. “Fine, then let me ask you a question.” I looked my son dead in the eye. “Do you know where the money came from for your four years of college?” 2. Kevin opened his mouth. “The tuition… didn’t Dad pay for it?” I laughed. “Your dad paid for it?” I walked over to the cabinet, pulled open a drawer, and took out a manila folder. Inside was a stack of bills and transfer records. I had started saving them before he even went to college. Every single transaction, clear as day. “Your freshman year, tuition plus room and board, ninety-three thousand dollars.” I slapped the first piece of paper onto the coffee table. “Your dad’s business took a hit that year. He couldn’t pull a single cent from his accounts.” Kevin looked down. “Where did this money come from?” I pointed at the numbers on the page. “I sold the condo my parents gave me when I got married. The one in that old neighborhood where you lived when you were little. A two-bedroom.” Richard’s teacup paused. “Mom…” Kevin looked up. “Your sophomore year, eighty-seven thousand dollars.” The second piece of paper. “I borrowed thirty thousand from my mom, and twenty thousand from my sister. The rest… I sold all my jewelry.” I looked at him. “The gold bracelets your grandmother left me, the jade pendant my mom gave me. I sold it all.” Kevin stopped talking. “Your junior year, one hundred and ten thousand dollars. You said you wanted to change your major, retake some credits, and take extra language classes.” The third piece of paper. “Your dad said he had no money. I cashed out my life insurance, sold my stocks at a loss, and emptied the retirement fund I had been building for ten years.” “Your senior year, one hundred and thirty-two thousand dollars. You said you wanted to apply for a master’s program, hire a consultant, and build up your resume.” The fourth piece of paper. “I asked your dad to borrow the money. Do you know what your dad said?” I looked at Richard. His eyes were downcast, refusing to look at me. “He said, ‘Figure it out yourself. I don’t have any money.’” Kevin’s face changed. “So I spent the compensation money from the demolition of that condo my parents gave me, and I spent the last bit of inheritance my mother left me.” I stacked the four pieces of paper together. “Four years. Four hundred and twenty thousand dollars.” I looked at Kevin. “Every single penny, it was all my money.” The living room fell silent. Kevin looked at his dad. Richard held his teacup, motionless. “What were you saying just now?” I asked my son. “You said your dad giving me three million was ‘sincerity’?” Kevin opened his mouth but made no sound. “I spent four hundred and twenty thousand dollars putting you through school.” I enunciated every word. “Your dad is ‘paying me off’ with three million.” “This is what you call sincerity?” 3. Kevin’s face flushed red. “Mom, I… I didn’t know about this…” “You didn’t know?” I looked at him. “You didn’t know I sold a house? You didn’t know I sold my jewelry? You didn’t know I borrowed money from relatives that I still haven’t finished paying back?” He didn’t speak. “Of course you didn’t know.” I nodded. “You were living the high life abroad. Your social media was full of trips, parties, and designer bags.” “Of course you didn’t know your mother was at home eating plain bread, wearing ten-year-old clothes, and couldn’t even bear to buy a tube of lipstick.” Kevin lowered his head. “Mom, I…” “You just said I ‘stay at home all day’?” I cut him off. “Do you know what I do at home?” I pointed toward the kitchen. “I cooked your dad’s three meals a day for thirty years.” I pointed toward the laundry room. “I ironed your dad’s shirts for thirty years.” I pointed toward the bedroom. “I packed away your dad’s seasonal clothes for thirty years.” I looked at him. “I didn’t go out to work because your dad said ‘the house needs someone to take care of it’.” “I don’t have my own income because your dad said ‘the money I make is your money’.” “And now you’re telling me, three million is enough to pay me off?” Kevin looked up. “Mom, that’s not what I meant…” “Then what did you mean?” I asked him. “You took your dad’s bank card, printed out the divorce process, sat in front of me, and told me ‘all you need to do is sign’.” “What did you mean?” He opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words. I turned to Richard. “What about you?” I asked my husband. “What do you mean?” Richard finally put down his teacup. He sighed. “Sharon, let’s just part amicably, okay?” Part amicably. I stared at him. “Richard, let me ask you a question.” He looked at me. “Why the sudden rush for a divorce?” 4. Richard didn’t answer. He looked at Kevin. Kevin cleared his throat. “Mom, what Dad means is… there’s no point in keeping things going like this, so it’s better to…” “I didn’t ask you.” I cut him off. “I’m asking your dad.” Richard was silent for a moment. “Sharon, we’re both in our fifties. At this age, what’s there left to fight over?” “You didn’t answer my question.” “…” “Why the sudden rush for a divorce?” He didn’t speak. I stared at him. “Is there someone else?” His eyes flickered for a second. He quickly recovered. “Don’t talk nonsense.” “I’m talking nonsense?” I laughed. “Then tell me, where did you go on that business trip last month?” He froze. “…Florida.” “Florida?” I nodded. “Then what does ‘Miami Bay Family Resort’ on your receipt mean?” His face changed. “Family.” I repeated the word. “You went to Florida on a business trip and stayed at a family resort?” Kevin frowned. “Mom, aren’t you overthinking this…” “Overthinking?” I looked at him. “Then let me ask your dad one more question.” I stared at Richard. “Who is the woman in your contacts saved as ‘Little Fish’?” Richard’s face went completely pale. 5. That night, I couldn’t sleep. Laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, I played back the last thirty years in my head like a movie. Richard and I were college sweethearts. His family was poor, but I didn’t care. After graduation, when he started his own business, I gave him my entire dowry as startup capital. When his company went under, I stood by him as he built it back up. When he had endless networking dinners, I stayed home and raised our child. When his career took off, I quit my job to be a full-time housewife. Twenty-six years. I gave the best years of my life entirely to this family. And what I got in return was a bank card and a printed divorce process. The next day, Richard left for work. Kevin went back to his company. I was alone in the house. I sat in the living room, looking at that black bank card on the coffee table, suddenly feeling how ridiculous this all was. Three million. He thought three million could buy out my thirty years. I picked up his tablet. I opened Richard’s messaging app—he never used a passcode on this device because he thought I “would never check.” I found “Little Fish.” I clicked into the chat history. “Hubby, the baby called you Daddy today~” Attached was a photo of a boy, about five years old, sitting in a car seat, smiling at the camera. My hands started to shake. I scrolled up. “Richard, the condo is finished renovating, when are you coming to see it?” Attached was a photo of a fully furnished, high-end luxury apartment. I scrolled further up. “Did you transfer the household expenses for this month? Leo’s preschool tuition went up again.” Leo. Five years old. I silently did the math in my head. Five years ago. Five years ago, when Kevin had just gone abroad. Five years ago, when I was scrimping and saving at home, selling houses and jewelry, borrowing money to put our son through school. Five years ago, when Richard said, “I don’t have any money.” Five years ago. He already had another woman. He had another child. 6. I took screenshots of the chat logs and saved them into a hidden album on my phone. Then I scrolled further up. Older messages. “Richard, does Kevin know about us?” Richard replied, “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.” “Will he tell his mom?” “No, Kevin’s a sensible kid, he won’t say anything.” I stared at the screen. My hands were shaking. Kevin. My son. He knew. He knew all along. I kept scrolling. Messages from three years ago. “Richard, when are you going to divorce her?” “Just wait a bit longer. Kevin hasn’t graduated yet. Once his career is stable, I’ll lay my cards on the table.” “How long do I have to wait? Leo is already three…” “Soon, I promise.” Two years ago. “Richard, you promised me…” “I know, just a little longer. Kevin just got back, I need to help him get set up with a job first. Once he’s got a solid footing, I’ll tell her.” A year ago. “Richard, Leo asked me why Daddy doesn’t live at home.” “I’m coming over right now, don’t worry.” “How many times have you said ‘soon’?” “This time it’s for real. I’ve already talked to Kevin, he’s going to help me persuade his mom.” I put the tablet down. The living room was very quiet. Sunlight streamed in through the window, landing on the bank card on the coffee table. Three million. Now I knew exactly what this three million meant. It was “payoff money.” Paying off the “original wife” to make room for “Little Fish.” My good son had known about it for years. He wasn’t here to “mediate.” He was here to help his dad “clear the field.”

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Chapter 1 On my wedding day, I knew full well that my half-sister had spiked the sweet soup she brought me with a sedative. Yet, I smiled and drank it all in one gulp. I watched as she eagerly put on my wedding dress and got into the wedding car belonging to Arthur Sterling, the crown prince of high society. In my previous life, when I woke up, I hysterically tore off her disguise, ruining her reputation and getting her banished from the city. I then married Arthur, using my father’s position as a military commander to help him legitimize his business and climb to the pinnacle of power. It wasn’t until I was clinging to life after a surgery in the hospital that Arthur sent the doctors away. With his arm around my sister and their one-month-old son, he looked down at me coldly: “Chloe, if it weren’t for the power of the Miller family, and for the grievances you put Mia through back then, I would have sent you on your way long ago. Now that your father can’t even protect himself, it’s time for you to step down.” My sister ground her heel into my fingers, a sinister smile on her face: “Sister, the things you’ve been protecting, my baby and I will enjoy them thoroughly. From now on, the position and honor of Mrs. Sterling should also return to their rightful owner.” In the midst of agonizing betrayal and excruciating pain, I took my last breath. When I opened my eyes again, I was reborn on the day of my wedding. … Outside the window, the melodious wedding sonata drifted in faintly. I sat up, waited quietly for about fifteen minutes, then rubbed my temples and pushed the door open. My mother was just about to turn and go back into her room, the tears not yet fully wiped from the corners of her eyes. Looking up, she bumped into me standing by the door. She let out a gasp of shock. My father, hearing the sound, turned and saw me too: “Chloe? Didn’t you just get in the car?” He pointed toward the main gate in shock: “Then who was the person wearing the wedding dress that was just sent off?” I placed a hand gently over my heart, feigning panic: “It couldn’t be… Last night, Mia said she couldn’t bear for me to leave and made me a bowl of sweet soup. After I drank it, I felt drowsy and slept right up until now…” The previously festive atmosphere instantly froze. The guests exchanged subtle glances. My mother’s chest heaved violently, almost losing her footing. She immediately commanded sharply, “Bring Sarah Jenkins here!” Sarah, Mia’s mother, was dragged out from the crowd by the guards. She was dragging a suitcase, clearly intending to flee. “No wonder you were crying even harder than I was just now. I thought you really couldn’t bear to part with the eldest daughter. It turns out you personally sent your own daughter into the Sterling family’s wedding car!” Sarah’s eyes darted around, but she forced a calm facade: “Madam, what do you mean? The eldest miss woke up late and missed the time herself. How can you blame Mia?” Before she finished speaking, the butler hurried over to report softly: “Sir, Madam, the wedding car from the Vance family to pick up the second miss has arrived at the gate.” My mother’s face was covered in frost: “Which car did Mia get into? Get her back here!” A sneer flitted across the corner of my lips. It had been almost half an hour; she was probably already inside Arthur’s penthouse penthouse. By this time, Arthur was likely already impatient. My gaze swept over Sarah’s poorly concealed smirk, and I understood completely. These two, mother and daughter, had really played a good hand. Years ago, Sarah, arranged by my father’s rivals, drugged him and gave birth to Mia. To protect his reputation, my father had no choice but to let them into the house. Now, Mia used the same trick, drugging me to take my place. Even if I realized it, they had already made it a done deal. I was faced with only two choices: swallow this immense humiliation, or take her place and marry into the Vance family. Although the Vance family wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful, Julian Vance, at a young age, was already my father’s most capable general, with outstanding military merits and limitless potential. My father appreciated his calm and resolute character, which was why he favored this match. But Mia had switched places, exchanging the engagement she disdained for mine. If I accepted it, within half a day, the news that the eldest daughter of the Miller family was discarded by the Sterling family and passed on to the Vance family would spread throughout the city. I would become the laughingstock of the entire elite circle. Chapter 2 In my previous life, Mia relied on Arthur’s backing to steal my marriage. With my parents’ support, I led people to storm the Sterling family’s wedding venue on the peak. Fearing my father’s authority in the military, Arthur actually flat-out denied knowing about the switch on the spot, allowing Mia to be taken away by my father’s guards. I logically completed the wedding with him. After the marriage, Arthur took meticulous care of me. I had naively thought that he was truly kept in the dark on the wedding day, unaware that he and Mia had long been having a secret affair. They were just waiting for the right moment, using the Miller family’s power to strengthen themselves, before turning around and pushing us into the abyss. The butler reported urgently: “The second miss is indeed not in her room. The wedding dress sent by the Vance family was left on the bed, but all her personal belongings and documents are gone!” He handed over a sealed document bag: “This was found in a hidden compartment in the second miss’s room.” With a dark face, my father tore it open. Inside were several passionate letters handwritten by Arthur, along with several pieces of valuable jewelry. The veins on his forehead bulged as he slammed the document bag hard into Sarah’s face. “This is your good daughter, actually seducing her own brother-in-law! The Miller family has lost all its face because of you two!” Mia had naturally treasured those tokens carefully, but the first thing I did when I woke up was find them and make them public. I wanted everyone to see clearly that they had been secretly involved for a long time. Sure enough, gossip immediately erupted around us, full of disdain: “A daughter brought in by a mistress. The Miller family taking her in is already a massive favor, yet she dares to use drugs to knock out the legitimate sister and steal her marriage, hoping to climb the social ladder into the Sterling family! Truly reckless!” “That Sterling boy is also a scumbag. Being engaged to the eldest Miss Miller, yet daring to mess around with someone so unpresentable. His character is obvious!” Calculating the time and feeling the situation was set in stone, Sarah actually straightened her back and said to my father: “Sir, Mia is, after all, the second miss of the Miller family! Why not just grant her wish! It will also be easier to explain to the Sterling family…” My mother, trembling with anger, raised her hand and delivered a crisp slap to her face. “Grant her wish? You mother and daughter use filthy tricks to steal my daughter’s marriage, and you still delusionally ask for us to grant your wish?” “Someone, detain this woman. Send her to the police station later!” Sarah slumped to the ground, howling shrilly: “You dare touch me? I am now Arthur Sterling’s mother-in-law. If my son-in-law finds out, he will never let you off!” “I only have one daughter, Chloe.” My father’s eyes were icy. “Taking you in all these years was already the utmost benevolence. Since you dare to scheme against my daughter, don’t blame me.” He waved his hand, and Sarah was immediately dragged away mercilessly by two guards. Chapter 3 The butler looked troubled: “Sir, the Vance family’s people are still waiting at the gate, asking what time they can come in to receive the bride.” My father’s face was livid, and he said decisively: “Gather our men and come with me to the Sterling family! Tie that wretched spawn up and bring her back, have her marry into the Vance family immediately!” “Father, there’s no need.” I stepped forward and calmly held his arm. “Since Arthur’s heart belongs to Mia, I, Chloe Miller, disdain to fight for such a fickle and morally corrupt man.” My eyes were firm: “Julian Vance is someone you personally promoted. He has outstanding abilities and is loyal and reliable. If we refuse the marriage today because of this, where will he and the Vance family put their faces? I am willing to marry him.” My mother grabbed my hand in astonishment, “Chloe, don’t speak out of anger, how can this…” “Mom, I’m not acting on impulse.” I squeezed her hand back. “Julian is young and promising. Relying on his own military merits, he has made it to where he is today step by step. His future is limitless. I trust father’s judgment, and I believe in his future.” Hearing this, the surrounding guests looked at me with admiration and respect. “The eldest Miss Miller’s magnanimity and vision are truly rare!” “In comparison, that illegitimate daughter who used all kinds of filthy tricks is simply mud compared to clouds.” My mother hugged me tightly, her voice choked with emotion: “It’s just that this is too unfair to you…” My father took a deep breath: “That Sterling boy humiliated my daughter like this. From now on, don’t even think about getting any care from me! Don’t expect his businesses in the gray areas to go smoothly anymore!” His tone was resolute: “But right now, I must go to the Sterling family for an explanation. Otherwise, that bastard will really think my Miller family has no one and can be manipulated by him!” When we arrived at the Sterling family’s luxurious mansion, the wedding banquet was in full swing. Seeing our group barge in, the guests were all stunned and began whispering among themselves. “Isn’t this the eldest Miss Miller? Isn’t she the bride today? Why is she here?” “Then who was the one who just exchanged rings with Mr. Sterling and was sent upstairs?” An accompanying uncle snorted coldly: “That was just an illegitimate daughter brought in by a mistress. She used underhanded methods to steal her sister’s marriage!” The whispering instantly swelled like a tide. The noise grew louder, and Arthur finally came downstairs. Seeing me, he preemptively started blaming: “Chloe, haven’t you caused enough trouble? You can’t blame all of this on Mia!” “If you must blame something, blame the fact that your sisters’ wedding dates fell on the same day. She was just confused for a moment and got into the wrong wedding car. And I,” he paused, his gaze completely devoid of apology, “had a few too many drinks just now, was momentarily overcome by emotion, and mistook her for you. Now that things have come to this, I have to take responsibility for her.” He looked at me again: “Don’t worry, with my status in the city, I won’t abandon you. I will leave a place for you by my side.” Chapter 4 I almost wanted to applaud his shameless remarks. Leave a place for me? What era is this? He actually still wants to have a wife and a concubine. If it weren’t for the backing of my Miller family, those businesses of his that skirt the gray areas would have been uprooted long ago. How could he be allowed to spout such nonsense here today? He actually thought that I, the eldest daughter of a chief commander, would be his backup? My father laughed out of extreme anger: “Arthur Sterling, say that again? Have my daughter be your mistress? Who gave you the audacity! Have you forgotten who covers for you normally?” At this time, Old Mr. Sterling hurried out upon hearing the commotion: “In-laws, what’s going on…” His expression turned to shock when he saw me, “Chloe? Why are you here?” My mother slammed that stack of letters down in front of him: “Mr. Sterling, see for yourself! Your precious son has long been having an affair with that illegitimate daughter. They conspired to use drugs to steal my daughter’s marriage. Today, you must give my Miller family an explanation!” Old Mr. Sterling’s face instantly turned livid. He raised his cane and struck Arthur hard on the back: “You rebellious son! Tell me, what exactly is going on here?” Before Arthur could defend himself, Mia, clutching a bathrobe that wasn’t even buttoned properly, stumbled out and shielded Arthur, tearfully saying: “Uncle Sterling, this has nothing to do with Arthur. It’s all my fault. I couldn’t control my feelings. If you want to hit someone, hit me!” She turned to look at my father, her voice choked with sobs, but every word hiding a sharp edge: “Father, things have already come to this. If we make a bigger scene, the Miller family is a military family and values reputation the most. Your face won’t look good either…” My mother was so angry her fingertips trembled: “When you used drugs to secretly switch the marriage, why didn’t you think about the Miller family’s reputation? Now that we’re seeking justice, we become the ones who don’t care about reputation? How shameless!” I took a step forward: “Mia, if you had been honest earlier, I might not have refused to grant your wish. Why did you have to choose my wedding to use such underhanded methods? Do you want to embarrass me, or do you want to make the Miller family the laughingstock of the whole city?” Having her true intentions exposed, she turned pale: “Arthur and I truly love each other…” She looked at Arthur as if pleading for help. How could the guests present not see the trickery involved? They criticized one after another: “Like mother, like daughter! Back then, her mother used this method to climb into a bed. Now the daughter has surpassed the master.” “If this were my daughter, I’d break her legs!” Someone even directly mocked Old Mr. Sterling: “Mr. Sterling, your son doing such a thing… If the Sterling family doesn’t give an explanation today, I’m afraid it will be very difficult to smooth things over, right?” Chapter 5 Old Mr. Sterling had nowhere to hide his shame. He forcefully threw down his cane and delivered two resounding slaps to Arthur’s face. “You bastard! Kneel down and apologize to your father-in-law, mother-in-law, and Chloe immediately. Then we will redo the ceremony and welcome Chloe into the family.” Arthur took the two slaps head-on. The look in his eyes towards me was laced with undisguised venom, exactly the same as what I saw right before my death in my previous life. In his mind, I was the perpetrator, not the victim. He sneered: “Dad, I only have Mia in my heart. I’m disgusted just looking at Chloe’s high-and-mighty attitude. It’s absolutely impossible for me to marry her!” “If she’s willing to bow down and act submissive, I might occasionally take her out to see the world. Otherwise, I’m putting it out there today: I won’t give her a status! I’d like to see, a woman discarded by me, Arthur Sterling, who else in the city would dare to take her?” Even the guests couldn’t stand these words anymore. No one could understand where a man who only gained a foothold in the gray areas because of the Miller family’s protection got the audacity to speak so wildly. After Old Mr. Sterling retired, Arthur acted increasingly boldly, even stealing business from rivals and offending many people in the underworld. It was because I remembered our old feelings and begged my father to intervene that he was able to weather the storm. Back then, Arthur even knelt before my father and swore that he would never fail me in this lifetime. But now, with his wings slightly grown and a bit of a false reputation in both the legitimate and underworld circles, he dared to trample on the past kindness! Seeing me silent, Arthur thought I was intimidated by him and pushed his luck: “Since you’re so deeply attached to me, I’ll give you a chance. According to the old customs of the city, you can enter the family as a concubine.” “Serve a cup of tea to Mia, the lawful wife. If you behave yourself in the future, I might consider letting you have a child.” These shameless remarks caused an uproar in the hall. Even the elders of his Sterling family looked on with pity. My father, angry to the extreme, surprisingly calmed down. He spoke slowly: “Mr. Sterling, what a great display of power. My Miller family cannot reach so high. My daughter cannot enjoy the grace of being your concubine.” He stared at Mia, “As for this wicked spawn, I, Miller, will act as if she never existed from today onwards! From this moment on, Mia has nothing to do with the Miller family! Her actions, be it honor or disgrace, will be solely borne by your Sterling family in the future!” Chapter 6 Mia feigned a few tears: “Father, you’ve always favored my sister. Now you’ve finally gotten your wish.” “But Arthur and I truly love each other. Sister is the third party.” She turned to me: “I’m also going to publish it in the newspaper to tell the whole city that Arthur doesn’t want you! Don’t come back begging later because you can’t bear to let go.” I raised my hand to stop my father, who was about to explode: “Don’t worry, only you would treat garbage as a treasure. By the way, the three truckloads of dowry following the wedding car, I’m taking them all back untouched.” Mia instantly bristled: “Those are my dowry! What right do you have to take them away?” I sneered: “Your portion is at home. As a favor, I can have someone send it over. But you won’t get a single piece of my things.” She screamed and rushed up to tear at my clothes, “Don’t even think about it! These are all mine!” My mother was quick-witted and shoved her away. My father immediately signaled the guards to go drive the cars. Arthur gave a signal, and his bodyguards instantly stepped forward and surrounded our family. “Let’s see who dares to move a muscle. I’ve given you enough face, but you don’t appreciate it. Since the dowry came following Mia’s car, it belongs to her. If you dare take it away today, you’re crossing me!” My father was completely unafraid of this gangster behavior: “Arthur Sterling, you dare touch me?” Arthur sneered arrogantly: “Old man, don’t think you’re so great just because of your military title! If I wasn’t managing the underground circles, those desperadoes would have overturned your command center long ago! If you know what’s good for you, leave your eldest daughter to be my concubine. Otherwise, none of you will walk out of this door today!” My father was so angry at her words that his chest heaved violently and his face turned pale. My mother hurriedly supported him and helped him catch his breath. Mia nestled in Arthur’s arms, mocking smugly: “See? Your family is just so ignorant of the times!” “Leave these dowries to me. If you guys get into trouble in the future, maybe I can put in a few good words for you in front of Arthur.” My mother was so angry she wanted to step forward and hit her, but Mia actually raised her foot and kicked my mother: “Old bitch, I’ve had enough of your attitude long ago!” I immediately stood in front of my parents. Arthur, however, reached out and forcefully tilted my chin up, forcing me to look at him. “Chloe, it’s not too late to regret it now. For the sake of our past relationship, I can let you stay here.” “As for these two old fogeys, since they disrespected me just now, kneel down and kowtow to apologize, and I’ll let them go.” His subordinates twisted my parents’ arms on the left and right, and two other burly men stepped forward wanting to forcefully drag me upstairs. The guards my father brought were firmly blocked by Arthur’s men and couldn’t get close for the moment. Just at this critical moment, an authoritative and stern shout suddenly came from outside the main gate: “Police! Nobody move!”

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After my sugar daddy was exposed as a fake heir, he was driven to slit his wrists in a basement by the true heir, the richest man in the city. I stole the sugar baby contract I had signed with him years ago, planning to tear it up and run. Suddenly, countless glowing comments began scrolling across my vision. [The female supporting character is a gold-digger just as expected. Her running away now perfectly clears the way for the female lead’s baby.] [After leaving the male lead, she’ll find a psychopathic sugar daddy and be tortured to death. If she knew the male lead only needed six months to make a comeback, surpass the Sterling family to become the youngest billionaire, and become a legendary couple with the female lead and their baby, she’d probably come back to life just out of sheer anger.] My hand trembled, and I ripped the contract completely in two. Without time to think, I rushed into the bathroom and saw Elias already bleeding from a cut on his wrist. I threw myself at him, grabbed his arm, and cried with zero regard for my image. “Baby, don’t die! If you’re gone, who else is willing to keep me? I still want to renew our contract!” His gloomy gaze fell on the torn contract pieces, and he spoke softly. “Is that so?” 1 “You were only with me for the money to begin with, and now you see how it is.” His eyes moved mechanically across the dark, damp basement. His usually rosy lips had turned pale. I covered his bleeding wrist, but blood still dripped onto the floor. “I’ve been kicked out of the Sterling family, forced to hole up in this cheap basement. I can’t even support myself, let alone you. So just go, I don’t blame you.” The fine hairs on my back stood on end, and I couldn’t suppress a shudder. I had been with Elias Sterling for eight years. To outsiders, he was the gentle, refined heir, but only I knew he was a venomous snake wearing human skin, someone who held grudges and exacted revenge for every slight. He said lightly that he didn’t blame me, but the hand hidden behind his back was already clenched white. I was half-skeptical about the bizarre comments floating in my vision, but my instinct for danger made me decide quickly. I absolutely could not leave. Otherwise, before I could be tortured to death by some psycho, Elias would play me to death first. I decisively leaned forward and blocked his pale lips with mine. Elias took control, kissing me until I was nearly breathless. Finally managing to push him away, I panted, picked up the torn contract from the floor, and ripped it into tiny shreds under his astonished gaze. I cupped his face and said earnestly, “Baby, I don’t want to be your mistress anymore.” A flash of desperate, murderous intent crossed Elias’s eyes. The comments were also full of derogatory remarks about me. [I thought the female supporting character had a change of heart, but she’s actually here to stab the male lead in the back. Just wait. Abandoning the male lead now means when she begs him for help while being tortured later, he won’t even spare her a glance.] [Once the female supporting character leaves, the female lead will rush in and save the male lead, kicking off his epic comeback story of face-slapping revenge.] I ignored the filthy words, my voice light and soft, carrying an imperceptible nervousness. “I know saying this now might make you angry, but I can finally reach you now. So, can I be your girlfriend?” Elias’s eyes widened slightly. Before I could wait for his response, my vision suddenly went black. Just before losing consciousness completely, I saw one last sentence. [So what if she regrets it? Not following the plot will only result in her own suffering.] A surge of anger swelled in my heart. Following the plot meant I was supposed to go die, didn’t it? On what grounds? There seemed to be a fire in the darkness, constantly burning me. I ran and ran desperately, finally opening my eyes. Sitting up abruptly, I found myself lying in a hospital bed, drenched in cold sweat, my internal organs aching. I couldn’t help but groan. A cold hand pressed against my forehead, and Elias’s tone was full of lingering fear. “Chloe, are you feeling better?” Pain tormented me every second. Having been with Elias for eight years, he had truly given me everything I asked for, never letting me suffer the slightest injury. He had long since spoiled me, and I couldn’t help but cry and fuss, “It hurts, it hurts so much.” He stood up helplessly and ran out to find a doctor. The doctor gave me an impatient look. “If you don’t have money for tests, hurry up and discharge her. Don’t take up a bed here. What can we do if she’s uncomfortable? No money, no treatment.” Elias growled angrily, “Give her the best tests, I have…” His voice cut off abruptly. His usually straight back slumped, and he kept his head down, not daring to look at me. The doctor scoffed, “Just leave. If you stay any longer, you won’t have anything left on you to use as collateral.” Only then did I notice that the pinky ring on his finger was gone. Ignoring the pain, I bolted upright, grabbed Elias, and pulled him outside, comforting him incessantly. “Actually, it doesn’t hurt that much as long as I’m with you. You’re my painkiller now, babe. You really can’t abandon me.” A scalding teardrop fell onto our joined hands. Elias said hoarsely, “Okay.” I curled my lips into a slight smile. I wasn’t lying. 2 [The male lead chose to take the female supporting character to the hospital and missed the female lead. The plot can’t develop at all.] [The plot’s punishment intensity has also decreased. No wonder she can still get out of bed and walk. With the original punishment intensity, going against the plot now would make her wish she were dead.] [Actually, I kind of ship them. A fallen sugar daddy and a loyal canary, it’s pretty rare, okay.] I hid the dark glint in my eyes, searching for a way to survive from the fragmented words. Although I would be punished for going against the plot, as long as Elias chose me without hesitation in the end, the plot couldn’t proceed, and the punishment would weaken, perhaps even disappear? The key was Elias’s love. I turned my head to look at the once arrogant prince following behind me, carefully holding my hand. My eyes curved into a smile as I spoke, “Babe, now that you’re my boyfriend, you’ll work hard to make money and give me the life I had before, right?” “I definitely will.” He spoke with certainty, full of promise. [Why does it feel like the male lead went from sugar daddy to the female supporting character’s lapdog?] [Wait until the male lead goes out to work, gets humiliated and degraded, and then the female lead saves him from his misery. Their relationship will heat up rapidly. That’s the most important plotline.] [It’s just missing the first encounter; it won’t stop them from falling in love. The female supporting character shouldn’t get too smug. She should go find her next sugar daddy early.] I didn’t stop Elias from going out to work. Pain tormented me constantly; I could only rely on sleep for relief. He came back exhausted every day, the knees of his formerly pristine clothes covered in dust. I learned from the comments that he went to find a friend from his old circle, Carter Vance. That guy looked down on his fake identity but also coveted his business talent. So, Carter resorted to torturing him with trivial matters. The once-proud man knelt on one knee to shine someone else’s shoes. Carried heavy five-gallon water jugs up twenty-six flights of stairs to replace them in every room. Stood in the break room for three hours, making coffee for everyone in the company. Carter even made Elias clean the bathrooms. I smelled the pungent scent of bleach on him. But even so, the first look I saw when he came back was still a smile. He put down the groceries he bought and hugged me immediately. “Are you feeling any better today?” I opened my eyes groggily and planted a loud kiss on his cheek. “I feel much better after a hug from you.” “So hungry, I want to eat.” Elias skillfully took the groceries to cook. I propped my head up, enjoying the comments’ meltdown. [He used to take three showers if he got even a hint of cooking grease on him, and now he spends every meal in the kitchen just to cook for the female supporting character.] [The male lead gets so happy he loses his mind over a single compliment from her. She really knows how to act cute. Saying ‘you’re my painkiller’ gave me goosebumps.] I rolled over. And that’s not all. After dinner, Elias will do my laundry, clean the room, and finally give me a full-body massage. He won’t start on the work he brought back until I fall asleep. As long as he’s home, any slight movement from me is treated like a major event. Like right now. Elias, wearing an apron, crouched beside me. “Is it uncomfortable turning over? Do you need me?” I affected a dramatic tone. “I need you to kiss me.” He laughed and pressed a kiss to my lips. The hands that used to sign billion-dollar contracts gently massaged my temples. The restless pain in my body eased somewhat. I narrowed my eyes contentedly and directed him to massage my shoulders. A harsh ringtone interrupted, and Elias paused before answering the phone. He frowned and spoke apologetically, “There’s a problem at work, Chloe, I have to go out. Leave the dishes on the table after you finish eating, I’ll wash them when I get back.” I watched him leave. The comments exploded. [Carter has had his eye on the male lead for a long time. Calling him out tonight isn’t about work at all, it’s a trap to break his pride and rape him. Thank god the female lead is there to save him. The scene I’ve been waiting for is finally here! The couple I ship is about to appear!] [After tonight, the female supporting character will be kicked to the curb. I’ve been sick of her pretentious act for a long time.] 3 My spirit surged. I forced myself up through the pain, chasing after Elias to intercept his destined night with the female lead. Following the hints from the comments, I stood at the entrance of the club and sneaked in while the bouncers weren’t looking. The deafening music made my pain worse. The very center of the club’s main floor was the most crowded. Looking through rings of people, I spotted Elias being pinned to the floor. Carter was using the toe of his shoe to forcefully grind Elias’s face into the ground. There was broken glass everywhere, piercing deeply into Elias’s body. Blood mixed with alcohol spread out, creating a complex smell that made my stomach churn. “You still think you’re the prince? You’re just a fake. Being kicked out means you’re nothing. If I didn’t throw you a bone, you’d still be begging on the streets right now.” “I just asked you to do a striptease for us. You can kneel to shine shoes, why act so high and mighty now?” Carter wore a sleazy smile, pinching Elias’s face until it was red. He was notorious in their circle for swinging both ways. I never expected him to target Elias. “You must be tired lately. As long as you soften up a bit and play nice with me, I can give you money and power.” Elias’s chest heaved violently, glaring dead at him. “Spit.” He spat a mouthful of blood onto Carter’s face, which earned him an even more vicious beating. Carter wiped his face furiously, jumping up and down in rage. “Break all four of his limbs! Strip him naked and hang him from the ceiling. Let’s see how long he lasts without food or water.” The bodyguards raised their stools and smashed them down hard. Elias let out a muffled groan, swallowing back a scream. My eyes turned red. Forgetting the plot entirely, I grabbed a fruit knife from a nearby table and charged in, swinging wildly. “Let us go! Or none of you are leaving here alive.” I had never been this close to danger; my voice couldn’t stop trembling. Carter was startled back a few steps by my crazed appearance. He narrowed his eyes, then a look of realization dawned on him, and he started laughing. “So it’s Elias’s little bird, Chloe. She’s still willing to stick with him even when he’s broke. Quite the loyal whore.” His lecherous gaze darted around. “I’ve played with men and women, but never a pair of lovebirds together. Found something new today.” “Be my mistress, you won’t get less than what you got with him.” The moment he finished speaking, the veins on Elias’s forehead throbbed. He suddenly lunged up from the floor, grabbed the knife from my hand, and plunged it straight toward Carter’s eye socket. “Don’t you dare touch her!” But Carter had strength in numbers. The bodyguards swarmed forward, pinning Elias down and kicking and punching him. Carter rolled on the floor in agony, screaming, “Doctor! Get a fucking doctor! Flay Elias alive, I want him to wish he was dead!” I tried in vain to shield Elias, but someone kicked me away. I crashed into a table behind me, coughing up a mouthful of blood. The punches landed solidly on Elias, but he seemed completely numb to them. He only began to struggle violently when he saw me cough up blood. His bloodshot eyes locked onto me, mouthing silently, “Run.” [Even though I knew this part was coming, it’s still hard to watch the male lead like this. This incident leaves an almost indelible trauma on him. He completely relies on the female lead’s love to get through it.] [As expected of Carter, the guy who tortures the female supporting character to death. I want to go in there and kill him myself.] In my daze, I saw that comment. Resentment and anger flooded my brain. Why should I die at the hands of a scumbag like this? What gives him the right to bully Elias like this? I picked up a piece of broken glass from the floor and charged at the unprotected Carter. Amidst his frantic roars, I plunged the glass deep into his neck. The spurting blood covered my head and face. A delicate shout halted the chaos, “Stop! Whoever dares to hurt Elias Sterling again, I will make them pay the price.” It felt like fireworks exploded before my eyes. The comments cheered. [The male and female leads finally meet! The plot is finally on track.] Overwhelming pain swept through my entire body, draining all my strength to resist, and I slowly crumpled to the ground. I used all my strength to turn my head and look at Elias. Only to see a flash of awe in his eyes. 4 That delicate shout felt like needles pricking my skin. I lay paralyzed on the sticky floor. Through my blurry vision, I saw a woman in a white dress walking quickly toward us. The hem of her dress brushed over the broken glass but didn’t pick up a single speck of dirt. Behind her followed over a dozen bodyguards in black suits, who instantly pinned down the men beating Elias. “Elias, are you okay?” The woman crouched down, her voice so gentle it could wring out water. She reached out to help Elias up. I recognized her. She was Mia Harper, the female lead the comments kept talking about, Elias’s future “legendary love.” But Elias jerked his head away, avoiding her hand, and struggled to crawl toward me. He had barely propped up half his body when Mia’s bodyguards pressed down on his shoulders. “This lady is severely injured. Save her first.” Mia’s tone was undeniable, but her gaze was locked straight onto Elias. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything.” [The female lead is finally doing her thing! This is a true goddess—beautiful, strong, and kind-hearted.] [The male lead is definitely moved. Look, he’s stunned! The female supporting character can get lost now.] The joyous celebration in the comments stabbed my eyes like needles. I saw Elias swallow hard, and the look he gave Mia indeed contained the awe the comments mentioned. It was an instinctive yearning for a “savior,” a thirst for light in his darkest hour. My heart sank to the bottom. My hand, gripping the bloodstained shard of glass, trembled slightly. “Don’t touch her,” Elias said suddenly. His voice was hoarse but firm. “Save Chloe first.” The smile on Mia’s face stiffened for a second, but she quickly reverted to her gentle demeanor. “She’s lost a lot of blood; I’ve already called an ambulance. But you’re hurt worse; you need to be treated first.” She reached out to support him again but was violently pushed away. “I said, save her.” He struggled over to me, ignoring his own wounds, and carefully pulled me into his arms. The broken glass dug deep gouges into his palms, but he acted like he couldn’t feel the pain, just wiping the blood from my face over and over again. “Don’t be scared, Chloe. I’m here.” Just then, a group of people burst through the back door of the club, led by Carter’s cousin, Derek. He saw Carter’s body on the floor, and his eyes turned bloodshot. “Elias! Chloe! You killed my cousin! None of you are leaving here today!” Mia’s bodyguards immediately surrounded us, but Derek’s men were all armed with steel pipes, clearly prepared. “Ms. Harper, this has nothing to do with you. Be smart and get out of the way!” Derek spat, his gaze darting between me and Elias. “My cousin said he wants this pair of dogs to wish they were dead!” Mia frowned and stood her ground. Her bodyguards shielded us, but they didn’t initiate an attack. I instantly understood. The “saving the male lead from his misery” the comments talked about was never unconditional. She was waiting. Waiting for Elias to ask her for help. Elias tightened his grip around my shoulders. He pressed his forehead against mine, his breath weak but resolute. “Chloe, hide behind me.” He was about to get up when I grabbed his shirt tightly. “No…” I used my last bit of strength to speak. “Don’t leave me.” [The female supporting character is so annoying! The male lead could easily team up with the female lead to solve this, but she has to drag him down.] [Derek is famously ruthless. The female supporting character is going to get the male lead killed too!] 5 Derek and his men charged forward. The dull thuds of steel pipes hitting the bodyguards rang out. In the chaos, a pipe swung toward Elias’s back. Without thinking, I flipped over to shield him. Bang. A searing pain shot through my back. My vision went black, and I nearly passed out. Elias’s pupils contracted. He scrambled backward, holding me, a fierce, unprecedented violence churning in his eyes. He grabbed a steel pipe from the ground and swung it viciously at our attacker. The man screamed as his arm instantly deformed. “If anyone dares to touch her, I’ll kill them!” He fought like a feral beast, his eyes red, losing all his former gentleness. Mia stood to the side, watching Elias fight desperately for me. Her expression slowly darkened. She suddenly raised her hand, signaling her bodyguards to stop. “Derek, your cousin’s death was his own fault, but you hurt my people. This debt needs to be settled.” Derek hesitated for a moment, then sneered. “So Ms. Harper is getting involved? Elias is just a fake heir. Is he worth offending the Vance family for?” Mia didn’t answer. She simply walked slowly over to Elias and handed him a handkerchief. “Elias, wipe the blood. Leave the rest to me.” Her tone was commanding, leaving no room for refusal, but her eyes held a trace of subtle scrutiny. Elias didn’t take the handkerchief. He just watched her warily. At that moment, I felt a bizarre, searing heat from the wound on my back, as if something were trying to burst out. The comments suddenly started scrolling frantically again: [The plot’s corrective force is activating! The female supporting character is too badly hurt; she won’t last long!] [The male lead MUST accept the female lead’s help, or they’ll both die here!] [Look at his hand! He’s reaching for the handkerchief! The plot is back on track!] I stared intently at Elias’s hand, watching him hesitate as he raised it, almost touching the pristine white cloth. And Derek, taking advantage of his distraction, suddenly pulled a dagger from his waist and thrust it toward my heart. “Kill this bitch first!” Elias’s eyes widened in horror. It was too late to block it. I closed my eyes in despair, but then heard a sharp clink. When I opened my eyes, Mia was standing in front of me. The dagger had pierced her arm, and blood instantly stained her white dress red. “Ms. Harper!” Elias cried out. Mia held her wound, but a victorious smile played on her lips. “Elias, do you believe me now?” Looking at the wound on her arm, I suddenly remembered a comment. Every “sacrifice” the female lead made was designed to trap the male lead’s heart. The pain in my back grew agonizing. I saw how Elias looked at Mia and suddenly realized that in this battle against the plot, I might have lost from the very beginning. Just then, the sound of police sirens echoed in the distance. Derek’s face changed, and he turned to run. Mia’s bodyguards immediately gave chase. Elias was about to help me up when Mia grabbed him. “Elias, my wound hurts. Could you take me to the hospital first?” Elias looked at her bleeding arm, then down at me, hanging on by a thread. His eyes were full of conflict. I looked at him and suddenly smiled. The blood spilling from my lips stained his shirt red. “Baby, go.” He whipped his head around, a panic I had never seen before in his eyes. And right at that moment, a glaring sentence popped up in the comments: [The female supporting character is dying; forced plot correction! The male lead will leave with the female lead. The female supporting character will be arrested as a murderer by the police, facing life in prison!]

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Chapter 1 It was the fifth year of my secret relationship with A-list actor Arthur Sterling, and he still refused to acknowledge my existence publicly. Even when my family pressured me to marry someone else, he didn’t care in the slightest. Even when I got into a car accident trying to dodge paparazzi and was clinging to life, all I got from him was a flippant remark. “Be careful, we were almost discovered.” Until we were secretly photographed, and the pictures shot straight to the top of the trending topics. I thought he was finally going to explain something. Instead, what I waited for was the public announcement of his relationship with someone else. “My little girl is crying her eyes out, so I have to clarify this. I am not familiar with the person in the photo. Please leave us alone.” His reply caused a massive uproar, and I was instantly cursed to the forefront of the storm. “Forcing the real girlfriend to come out and respond, how shameless!” “Where did this bitch come from, deliberately leeching off our brother’s popularity? Go die.” On this day, I was firmly nailed to the pillar of shame. And I also completely understood: it was never hard for him to go public; it was just that I wasn’t worthy. … Even though the sun was shining brightly outside, my body trembled with cold. Vicious comments continued to refresh endlessly. “You can tell at a glance she stuck onto him for money, looking like a seductive cheap slut. Must be a hostess from some club.” “Exactly, it’s not like our brother is blind. How could he fall for trash like this?” “Brother is vacationing in Europe with Sierra right now. This woman must be so jealous!” Looking at the photo of the two of them walking hand-in-hand down the street, I let out a sarcastic laugh. Just a minute ago, Arthur was still lying to me. “I’m filming right now. We’ll talk about everything when I get back.” Yet in that instant, a surge of hope had sprung up in me, thinking he truly had his difficulties. But now, this photo felt like a slap across my face, completely waking me up. I was the one being pathetic. When Arthur returned, it was already the evening of the third day. Without a word of explanation, he threw the luggage I handed him onto the floor and leaned in, coming straight for me. My lungs instantly felt like they were burning. He was always like this, coming and going as he pleased. And I was like his resting place when he felt tired and bored. But how many such places did he have? I didn’t know. Slap. I swung my hand and slapped him hard across the face. The room instantly fell into a shocking silence. Arthur froze, and a trace of impatience finally surfaced on his handsome face with its sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He couldn’t help but mock: “I always thought you understood.” His tone was so nonchalant it was heartbreaking. My mind buzzed, and I asked back with a trembling voice: “Understand what?” Arthur glanced up at me, a hint of pity on his face. “It’s impossible for me to only have you, and it’s impossible for me to openly and honestly go public with you. Chloe Miller, you’re so smart, how could you not understand?” Seeing my deathly pale face, he paused for a moment but continued speaking. “Besides, isn’t this fine? We’re still young, why do we have to be tied down? I really haven’t played enough yet.” In an instant, a constant buzzing filled my head. My vision blurred with tears. Even though I had already decided to leave, hearing his shameless confession still made me feel so awful I thought I would go crazy. Arthur looked at me quietly for two seconds. Feeling a bit irritable, he reached out to touch me. I suddenly calmed down, my voice cool and detached. “You are young, but I’m not anymore.” Arthur’s hand froze in mid-air, a crack appearing on his handsome face. “What… do you mean?” I handed him his luggage again. My voice was incredibly clear as I said: “I think you understand.” Raising my eyes to meet Arthur’s wavering pupils, I enunciated every word: “I want to end our relationship.” This disgusting, desperate, ugly relationship. Arthur left in a rage, but still didn’t take his luggage. Chapter 2 I didn’t understand what he meant by leaving it, but my attitude was already clear. No one could change my mind. Just like when I brought him home without hesitation all those years ago. I am three years older than Arthur. When I was twelve, I followed my grandfather to the countryside for poverty alleviation work, and Arthur crashed in front of our car. He had been beaten by his adoptive father until he was rolling on the ground, his back covered in bloody welts, skin and flesh torn open. Yet he didn’t shed a single tear. When he looked up at me, his eyes only wavered for a moment. Then, with strength coming from nowhere, Arthur broke free from the man, scrambled into the car, and hugged me like a small beast begging for help. “Sister, please take me away. I’ll do anything. Please save me.” Perhaps it was the boy’s desperate yet stubborn eyes, or perhaps it was his trembling hands hugging me. I, who had always been obedient, resisted the pressure from all the elders and took him away. From then on, he clung to me like a drowning vine. Just as I was lost in the past, a ringtone interrupted me. I knew it was my family calling to pressure me into marriage again. Only this time, I didn’t hang up. Instead, after answering, I said directly: “Mom, I agree to the arranged marriage. You can start preparing.” The world finally went quiet. Early the next morning, I went to Arthur’s company to resign. But when I pushed the door open, a woman was sitting in Arthur’s lap. It was his public girlfriend, Sierra. The room fell silent for a moment, and everyone instantly looked at me. Arthur’s close staff all knew about our relationship. I felt a bit embarrassed, not out of jealousy, but because I had become the so-called “other woman.” I took a breath, still placed my resignation letter on his desk, and then turned to leave. A sound of shattering porcelain came from behind me, like someone had crushed a cup with their bare hands. I didn’t stop my steps, but just as I was about to reach the door, a figure darted out and grabbed me. Sierra crossed her arms and scrutinized me for a few seconds. Suddenly, she smiled: “Why provoke him? What good does it do you?” Seeing I didn’t speak, she suddenly leaned in close to me, giggling: “Actually, I can accept a threesome… Anyway, it’s not like he hasn’t done it before…” Saying that, ignoring my increasingly pale face, she directly played a video. In an instant, the sight of pale, naked bodies pierced my eyes like a needle. They were tangled together on my bed, their wanton cries piercing through the entire room. Bang! Arthur slammed the door and rushed out. His usually calm face was full of anger. He snatched the phone away and smashed it hard onto the ground. “Why the fuck did you show her this!” Sierra froze for a moment, and when she reacted, her eyes were a bit red. “Wasn’t I doing this for you! Besides, she doesn’t even look at what kind of person she is, yet she wants you all to herself! She doesn’t even see if she’s worthy!” “Shut up!” Arthur roughly pushed her away and dragged me into the office. He stared at me, a hint of apprehension in his gloomy eyes. “It was just that one time. I was drunk.” “What does that have to do with me?” Arthur suddenly looked up, his tone carrying a hint of detestability. “Do you have to act like this towards me? I’ve already explained it to you, what more do you want?” What more do I want? My eyes suddenly turned bloodshot. The images from just now were still in my head, churning back and forth like a knife. But this wasn’t the first time this had happened. The first time a woman sent photos of them in bed, Arthur was terrified. “Sister, I was asleep, and that woman crawled into my bed herself. I thought she was you, I swear!” He was so afraid I wouldn’t want him that he clung to me all day with red eyes. I felt sick to my stomach and couldn’t eat for three days. To prove his loyalty, he directly tattooed my name on his private parts. “Sister, I will always be your dog.” Looking at his attached gaze, I eventually chose to forgive him. Arthur’s suppressed emotions finally broke the dam. He hugged me, kissing me wildly and making promises. I was too naive back then, thinking he would truly repent. But the facts slapped my face time and time again. Enduring it once meant there would be a next time, and boundaries would be broken through again and again, until even I felt disgusted with myself, even finding myself repulsive. Perhaps my undisguised disgust stung him. Apprehension, panic, and finally anger flashed in Arthur’s eyes. He walked towards me, his pace quick. “Chloe Miller, you really make me angry.” He wanted to force a kiss on me, just like the shameless tactic he used after countless arguments before. Only this time, I didn’t let him have his way. With a loud clatter, he fell to the floor, covering his bleeding forehead. He looked at me in disbelief. “You actually hit me!” My hand holding the ornament trembled slightly. I ignored his words, turned, pushed the door open, and left. A whimper came from behind me, sounding like both anger and weeping. Chapter 3 I thought the matter was finally over, but that paparazzi released even more photos of us. Holding hands, hugging, kissing, close-ups from various angles. In an instant, the hashtag about Arthur lying shot to the top of the trending list. His anti-fans and onlookers flocked to his account, throwing overwhelming abuse at his head. When I found out about this, I was just being dropped off at home by my blind date, Julian Vance. The house was pitch black. The moment I turned on the light, I was grabbed by the neck and pinned against the wall. The bright light and dull pain made me take a few seconds to recover. When I opened my eyes, Arthur was staring at me with bloodshot eyes. “Chloe, you bought those photos and released them just to force me to acknowledge you?” My mind went blank for a second. When I reacted, I let out a sneer. “What nonsense are you talking about? I couldn’t possibly do such a thing.” “You’re still pretending! Sierra saw you meeting with the paparazzi!” Arthur’s face was livid, the force of his hands growing stronger. Seeing my pained expression, he showed no hint of mercy. “What good does ruining me do for you! Sierra was right, you are selfish and heartless, you don’t care about me at all. Everything you do is just to satisfy yourself—” Halfway through his sentence, Arthur’s face suddenly froze. His eyes stared straight at the coat I was wearing, resentment almost spewing flames. “Whose coat is this! Who did you go out with? Found a new sugar daddy so quickly? Chloe, aren’t you cheap!” His voice trembled as he violently ripped off the coat, threw it on the ground, and started kicking it wildly. As if he had a blood feud with a piece of clothing. I watched coldly, scoffing at his behavior. “Arthur, who I’m with has nothing to do with you, and who you date has nothing to do with me either. Now get out immediately!” Arthur’s pupils wavered, his cheeks twitching slightly, looking absolutely furious. “Chloe, you’re getting revenge on me, aren’t you! Just because I didn’t go public with you?” I felt sick to my stomach, not wanting to listen to his nonsense, nor did I want any further entanglement with him. So I directly called the community security. Arthur smiled, but there was hatred in his eyes. “You’re really something.” That night, Arthur logged into his account and responded. “That was a ‘sister’ who sponsored me in the past. I’m very sorry I lied to everyone. We did have a history, but it’s in the past. Some things happened that I really don’t want to bring up again. I apologize to everyone once more and have no intention of taking up public resources.” His words were clever, inviting speculation, instantly directing the backlash at me. Fans poured out their sympathy. “What does he mean? This bitch used this to blackmail brother into dating her? So shameless!” “Holy crap, I have a bold hypothesis. This woman is a sugar mommy who specializes in investing in young fresh meat to satisfy her animalistic desires?” “Ahhhhh, Arthur is so pitiful. My god, that woman deserves to die a horrible death. Has anyone doxxed her?” In an instant, I was once again pushed to the forefront of the storm. A few hours later, my personal information was being spread wildly across major platforms. My mother was so angry she almost had a heart attack. My father used his connections to suppress it while telling me to come home immediately. My head buzzed. I couldn’t believe Arthur could be so ruthless. I was so dizzy and lightheaded that when I went out, I completely failed to notice the club swinging towards me from behind. With a loud thud, a severe pain erupted from the back of my head, and I fell heavily to the ground. The woman’s eyes were full of crazed hatred. “You bitch, you’re the one who caused my brother to suffer so much. Go die!” Saying that, she raised the baseball bat high and swung it towards my head. My heart pounded like a drum, my whole body unable to move. Just as despair filled my heart. With a bang, Julian grabbed the baseball bat and flipped the woman to the ground with his arm behind her back. The person let out a miserable scream, scrambled up, glared at me fiercely, turned around, and ran away quickly. Julian, with a serious expression, checked my wound and immediately called 911. Chapter 4 I had a mild concussion, but fortunately, it was nothing serious. The attacker was quickly caught, but she continued to yell arrogantly. “Brother’s variety shows were cancelled because of her, and sister-in-law cried on her livestream. It’s all that bitch’s fault!” This brainless fan had just come of age and gotten into a top university, but I didn’t soften my heart and directly refused to settle. Arthur’s manager, Old Zhang, called me. His tone was somewhat pleading. “Chloe, you’ve always been the best to Arthur. What’s the big deal if you just lower your head and apologize to him? He’s pushed away so much work because of you, just staying in his room drinking all day, and he’s lost endorsements.” I didn’t react and just hung up the phone. Julian sat next to me peeling an apple, his long eyelashes hiding his expression. From beginning to end, he hadn’t asked me a single question. We were old acquaintances, classmates from elementary to high school. I knew he had always liked me, so I just came right out and asked. “Wanna get married?” With a clatter, the apple fell to the floor. A flash of astonishment crossed Julian’s eyes, his face suddenly turned red, and he looked a bit dazed. He didn’t speak, just stood up and walked out quickly. I felt a bit regretful, thinking he had refused. But over half an hour later, he hurried back with a ring. “Chloe, let’s go get our marriage license tomorrow.” I let him put the ring on my finger and nodded gently. “Okay.” Sierra livestreamed for several days in a row, intentionally smearing me. I became the vicious female supporting character in the eyes of their fans, who hurled all sorts of filthy language at me, taking pleasure in insulting me. It even affected my family and our business. But Arthur didn’t come out to say a single word. He was even still waiting for me to apologize to him, waiting for me to hug him, protect him like I did when we were kids. Spoil him. How ridiculous. The next day, Julian and I got our marriage certificate and then posted on social media. The photo was of our hands, fingers intertwined, wearing our wedding rings. Posted along with it was my entire history with Arthur. I spilled everything completely, including the tattoo of my name on his lower abdomen. At the very end of the post, I concluded decisively in one breath: “From now on, the past is the past. We have nothing to do with each other.” The popularity of this post shot to the number one spot on the trending list within ten minutes, breaking out of just entertainment circles. It caused a massive uproar, including for the Arthur who had been playing dead.

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