Category: English

In the fifth year of my long-distance relationship with Zachary Bolton. The last time we parted at the airport, he cried and promised me, “Lydia, when the first snow falls in New York this year, let’s get married, okay?” I checked the weather forecast—it was going to snow heavily tomorrow. So I immediately bought a plane ticket to New York. I was going to propose to my boyfriend! In the swirling snowfall, I looked through the bridal shop’s display window and saw Zachary in a sharp suit. Before I could feel happy, a woman threw herself into his arms. Zachary wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her passionately. “Melanie, you look so beautiful in that wedding dress! You truly are my fiancée. I love you—far more than I ever loved Lydia Smith.” My heart seized violently. My boyfriend of ten years had cheated on me with my best friend, Melanie. Heavy snow fell on my eyelashes like goose feathers. Having lived elsewhere for years, I’d never seen such a heavy snowfall. But I had no heart to appreciate it. My eyes stayed fixed through the glass window on Zachary and Melanie. One was my childhood sweetheart. The other was my closest confidante. The sight of them kissing each other so passionately hit me with devastating force. Melanie gasped for breath, her face flushed, reluctantly pulling away from Zachary’s lips. She coyly lifted the hem of her wedding dress and twirled in front of the mirror. Zachary’s eyes overflowed with love. “Miss, this wedding dress your fiancé personally designed for you is absolutely stunning—the most beautiful one our shop has ever produced.” “Love really does make people glow! You two have been together for five years, and you’re finally about to tie the knot.” Melanie turned to look at Zachary, her eyes sparkling with affection. “Zachary, I absolutely adore this first snow gift you gave me!” “They say people who witness the first snow together will stay together until their hair turns white. So for the rest of our lives, please take good care of me!” I heard every single word but couldn’t understand what any of it meant. When did my boyfriend become my best friend’s fiancé? Why did the staff member say they’d been in a relationship for five years? My mind went blank, the neon lights blurring before my eyes. The next second, Zachary’s lips curved into a smile as he suddenly dropped to one knee before her. My gaze followed his movement, landing on the proposal ring inside the red velvet box. “Ah!” Melanie cried out, covering her mouth with both hands, tears welling in her eyes. Zachary held up the ring reverently. “Melanie, I love you. So, so much. Will you marry me?” “I want to spend the rest of my life with you from this first snow day, until our hair turns white, never to part.” The shop staff crowded around, recording this touching proposal with their phones. When I saw Zachary solemnly slide the ring onto Melanie’s ring finger, my heart felt like it was being stabbed by thousands of needles, torn to bloody shreds. Scalding tears rolled down one by one into my mouth. Inside, they seemed to be starring in a romantic, blissful drama. The surprise I’d traveled thousands of miles to deliver had become a devastating shock. So Zachary’s first snow promise could be meant for another woman. So Melanie, who’d always been so good to me, could so shamelessly steal my boyfriend behind my back. My fingers dug fiercely into the wall. I wanted so badly to burst in and confront them both, to tear away every shred of their dignity. But my legs felt like lead—I couldn’t move forward a single step. Zachary held Melanie in his arms and asked the staff member lazily, “Do you have any other wedding dress styles?” “Yes, we can show you pictures and rush-make one for you.” “No need to look. Just pick any two and send them to me.” Two minutes later, I received a message from Zachary. He sent three wedding dress pictures. [Baby, work has been exhausting, but looking at these wedding dress pictures and imagining you wearing them recharges my batteries.] [Take a look and see which one you like. I’ll take you to buy it someday.]

My tears finally broke free, falling torrentially, crashing into the snow and punching holes in it. So the difference between love and indifference was this obvious. Zachary personally designed a wedding dress for Melanie and brought her to the shop to try it on during the first snowfall. He lied to me, saying he was working overtime at the company, when in reality he was proposing to Melanie behind my back. Even the wedding dress pictures he sent me were just random ones the staff had given him to placate me. If he’d looked carefully even once, he would have known these three design sketches included patterns and small details I didn’t like. But he chose to brush me off. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, the moment I received his message, I would have been moved to tears. Inside the shop, Zachary knelt down, holding Melanie’s foot with one hand while gently rubbing her reddened heel with the other. She sighed. “Zachary, when are you planning to break up with Lydia?” “If she finds out we’re together, we won’t be able to stay friends anymore, will we?” Zachary paused for a moment. “Soon. Next time we meet, I’ll bring up the breakup.” “The main thing is my parents really like her. I’ll use her as a shield for a while longer. After all, her family did my family a favor back then.” I couldn’t listen anymore. I ran away through the accumulated snow, stumbling and disheveled. Like a walking corpse, I wandered aimlessly down the street. But my gaze was drawn to a small coffee shop. The shop’s name was “Melanie & Zachary’s Love.” My heart felt like something had struck it hard. I pushed the door open and went inside. A staff member recommended the shop’s signature drink. “This is a coffee flavor our owner and her fiancé created together. Everyone really loves it.” “Their five-year love story is as romantic as a novel! We even have a display wall in the shop!” I followed the staff member’s pointing finger. The white wall was covered with intimate photos of Zachary and Melanie. Standing before the photo wall, reading those captions, the blood drained from my face bit by bit. March 5th—I collapsed at my desk from menstrual cramps. A coworker rushed me to the hospital. Zachary ordered me plain porridge for delivery. That same day, claiming he was on a business trip, he took Melanie to a wild concert. April 17th—our anniversary. I bought a train ticket to visit him. He said, “Baby, this project is too important. I can’t get away. For the sake of our future home together, let’s skip the anniversary this time, okay?” So I canceled my ticket. In reality, he’d taken Melanie for a beautiful photoshoot that day. April 29th—I found out I was pregnant. Panicked, excited, and anxious all at once. I desperately wanted to see him. “Zachary, we’re going to have a baby. Can you come see me?” His expression grew somber. “Lydia, we can have a baby later. The timing isn’t right now.” “Let’s work hard to save more money first, then welcome a baby, okay?” Seeing his exhausted face, I nodded. The day of the procedure, I lay trembling in the hospital. I couldn’t reach him no matter how many times I called. Later he told me he’d been in an emergency meeting. Now, through the photos, I learned the truth—Melanie’s hand had been scratched by a stray cat, leaving barely visible red marks. In the photo, Zachary carefully applied medicine to her wound. He said, “I won’t let Melanie get hurt ever again.” Melanie’s barely noticeable injury had his heart aching. But he left me alone on the operating table after my miscarriage. I felt like I’d never really known this version of Zachary. The one who, in New York, told me on his phone that I’d always been part of his future plans. The one who, at every moment I needed him most, lied to me and stayed contentedly by Melanie’s side. Seeing my eyes brimming with tears, the staff member mistakenly thought I’d been moved by her boss’s love story. “Our owner came from Los Angeles to open this shop in New York just so she could see the person she loves every day.” “We just opened in January. Mr. Bolton comes to help in the shop every day, afraid Miss Melanie will get tired. He makes sure she eats on time—so gentle and considerate!”

The coffee in my hand dropped to the floor with a thud. The sound of my heart breaking in despair filled my mind. Throughout January—a whole month—I felt like I was walking through an abyss. I’d just quit my previous job and started at a new company. My relationships there were a complete disaster. My supervisor constantly gave me trouble. The endless overtime drained every ounce of my energy. Coworkers relentlessly sabotaged me, nearly driving me insane. I lost ten pounds in three days. All I could do was call Zachary late at night and sob hysterically. At that time, I desperately wanted him beside me, giving me a hug, offering grounded comfort and support. But he said he’d been pulled into a major project and would need at least two months before he could break away to see me. On the video call, his eyes turned red with distress. This usually strong man’s voice even choked up when he said my name. “Lydia, I wish we were together. Then I wouldn’t have to watch you cry through a screen, feeling my heart torn apart while being completely helpless.” “Quit your job. Come to New York to be with me. I’ll take care of you. With you here, I won’t be afraid of anything.” Tears streaming down my face, I pressed my phone to my chest, as if that would bring him closer to me. Looking at him, I nodded then shook my head. “No, I can’t be a housewife who depends on you.” “Zachary, trust me. I can handle everything and establish myself at this new company!” He smiled with relief, sending me kisses and hugs through the screen. “I, Zachary, have unconditional faith that our brave Lydia will make everyone look at her with new respect!” Distance was a problem, but we loved each other deeply. He called me every day to make me laugh and transferred money for me to buy small gifts. I found it unbelievable that during that hellish month, he was helping Melanie renovate the coffee shop. Working toward a future where they could see each other every day. Zachary—his love could apparently be divided in two. In the staff member’s bewildered gaze, I walked out of the coffee shop. The next second, my mom called. Her voice carried excitement. “Sweetheart, did you see Zachary? Did you two get your marriage license?” She knew I was planning to register my marriage with Zachary. Without warning, my foot slipped. I fell hard, landing directly on my bottom on the nearby steps. Intense pain spread throughout my body. I was a complete mess. A overwhelming sense of grievance crashed over me. I couldn’t hold back anymore. I broke down crying. “Mom, Zachary and I can’t get married. He doesn’t love me anymore.” “He cheated on me. Five years—he lied to me for five whole years. Does he even have a heart?” Mom listened to my breakdown on the other end, anxious but helpless. She said, “Sweetheart, people change. The seventeen-year-old Zachary loved you sincerely and purely, but at twenty-seven, he’s no longer that boy who cherished only you above all else in the world.” Tears silently slid into the snow. When I was a sophomore, I transferred into Zachary’s class as the new student. Unable to keep up with the pace that semester, my grades kept dropping. I secretly cried while looking at my report card. Zachary, my deskmate, wiped the tears from my face with a tissue. “Don’t cry. I’ll tutor you. I guarantee your grades will skyrocket!” One semester passed, and I made tremendous progress. From the bottom of the class, I became like him—consistently ranking in the top three. My real dependence on him transformed when he witnessed my alcoholic father beating me with fists and kicks. In that alley, he recklessly pulled my scumbag father away and dragged me by the wrist as we ran. The warmth of the young man’s embrace was scorching, his heartbeat in his chest racing faster and faster. “Lydia, I’ll protect you. Trust me.” I clutched his school uniform tightly. “Keep your word, Zachary. Don’t lie to me.” Later, we naturally became a couple. I introduced him to Melanie, who attended my previous school. After meeting him, Melanie fiercely warned him, “Zachary, if you dare hurt my precious Lydia, I’ll fight you to the death!” Zachary always said Melanie was formidable—my knight protector. But reality always catches you off guard. After graduation, Zachary went to work in New York, Melanie went to Los Angeles, and I stayed in San Francisco. At first, Zachary came to see me every month. To save money, he rode trains like they were subway lines. With limited time, we’d eat one meal together, then just hold each other under a tree sharing stories about our lives. Every parting at the station tore my heart apart with pain. Zachary held me tightly, greedily absorbing my scent. “Baby, I’ve also taken on online freelance work. That means extra income, so I can buy a house sooner and marry you.” From New York to San Francisco—over two hundred train tickets stacked up to nearly half my height. Yet he proudly collected them. “Because you’re worth it. These are my medals, proof of my love for you.” I felt sorry for his dark circles, so I secretly took on two part-time jobs myself. Naively believing that if we both worked hard together, we could build a happy home. In the end, it only earned me the double betrayal of him and my best friend.

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Just because I refused to give my only hand warmer to my husband’s first love’s child. My husband threw me out of the car right after my surgery. On a highway in minus twenty degrees, I froze until my body went rigid and my wounds tore open. But my husband’s first love sat in the passenger seat, enjoying the heater and posting on social media. The photo showed her child playing with my life-saving medication, with the caption: “His godfather still loves him the most.” I desperately pounded on the car window begging for help, but my husband locked the doors and sneered at me through the glass. “Didn’t you say adults need to learn patience?” “Then stay out here and reflect. When you learn not to argue with children, then you can get back in.” Just as I was losing consciousness, a convoy of luxury cars pulled up in front of me. Outside the car window, the highway stretched endlessly through white emptiness. Inside, the heater was blasting, but I still felt cold. The heart surgery I’d had half a month ago had already drained all my energy. When I was discharged, the surgeon had warned me repeatedly in front of Ethan that I absolutely could not get cold. Ethan had listened so carefully then, even gripping the doctor’s hand and promising to take good care of me. But now, I was curled up in a corner of the back seat. My hand clutched the last hand warmer—my lifeline. It was my only source of heat in this whole car. “I want that! I want that warm thing!” A shrill wail shattered the car’s silence. In the passenger seat, Lauren’s spoiled brat Jason was pointing at my hand warmer, kicking and throwing a tantrum. He was wearing a thick down jacket, and his neck was covered in sweat from overheating. Lauren turned around, looking at me with a troubled expression. “Hope, look how much Jason’s crying. He’s sweating all over. The heater’s on full blast, and with all this fussing, he’ll catch a cold from going back and forth between hot and cold.” “Can you just let him play with the hand warmer for a bit to calm him down?” I glanced at the sweat on the child’s face, pulled my coat tighter, and shook my head, my face pale. “No. I just had surgery. My wound still hurts, and I’m cold too.” It was the truth. The ten-inch incision on my chest was aching from the cold. Ever since we got in the car, Ethan had adjusted all the vents toward the front to accommodate Lauren and the child. By comparison, the back seat felt like an icebox. I pressed the hand warmer closer to my chest. When Jason heard my refusal, he cried even harder. He even grabbed his toy and hurled it at me viciously. “No! I want it! Mean lady! Stingy! I’ll tell my godfather to kill you!” The hard plastic corner hit me right on the temple. “Ah—” I gasped in pain, my body lurching forward. “Screech—!” Ethan, who was driving, slammed on the brakes. The momentum threw me hard against the seat in front. My barely healed chest wound tore open instantly, the pain nearly making me pass out. I thought Ethan was worried about me. But the next second, he turned around. Those eyes that once looked at me with affection were now filled with nothing but impatience and disgust. “Hope, do you have any compassion at all?” “Jason’s only five years old. You’re the adult here. Why are you arguing with a child? Will it kill you to give him that cheap hand warmer?” “It’s just one hand warmer. How much could it cost? If you’re that stingy, I’ll buy you a whole box when we get home, okay?” I clutched my wound in pain, unable to believe this was the man I once loved. Three years ago, I was the cherished daughter of the Walker family. For him, I broke ties with my family and lived in a basement apartment, eating instant noodles with him. Back then, he said, “Hope, I will never let you down in this lifetime.” “Ethan, I’m a patient. I just came out of surgery.” My voice trembled as I pointed to my chest. “The doctor said I absolutely cannot get cold. Only the front of this car has heat. Are you trying to kill me?” Ethan let out a cold laugh, his eyes full of mockery. “Enough. Stop pretending.” “You’re not usually this delicate. How come you start having all these issues the moment Lauren gets in the car? Cold, pain, everything.” “You just want me to kick them out, don’t you? Hope, how can you be so petty?” “Lauren’s a single mom raising a kid. It’s not easy. Can’t you be more understanding?” Lauren quickly grabbed Ethan’s sleeve, her voice breaking. “Ethan, don’t blame Hope. It’s all my fault.” “I shouldn’t have asked to ride with you back home. I definitely shouldn’t have brought Jason.” “Jason, stop crying. This lady is delicate. That hand warmer is her lifeline. We don’t deserve to use it.” This retreat-to-advance tactic completely ignited Ethan’s anger. He looked at Lauren’s aggrieved expression with such heartache, then turned to me with even more vicious eyes. He yanked off his seatbelt and pointed at the door, shouting at me. “Hope, either give Jason the hand warmer, or get the hell out of my car right now!” “There’s no room in this car for a cold-blooded person like you!” I looked at his resolute face, my heart sinking deeper and deeper. “Ethan, what did you say?” “I said, get out!” With that, he unlocked all the doors.

“Ethan, this is a highway. It’s minus twenty degrees outside.” “And I have an open wound. Are you sure you want to throw me out?” Ethan sneered dismissively. “Who are you trying to scare? The service station is just three miles ahead.” “Since you’re so afraid of the cold, get out and run. Running will warm you up.” “It’ll be good for a spoiled princess like you to wake up and learn how to be a decent human being!” “Don’t think I’ve forgotten how your father humiliated me back then.” “Now the tables have turned. It’s time you got a taste of being thrown out too.” So he’d been holding a grudge all this time about the harsh things my father said when trying to stop me from leaving with him. Even though I gave up my inheritance for him. Even though I became a housewife for him, the thorn in his heart had never been removed. Cold wind rushed in through the door crack, bone-chillingly cold. Jason made faces at me from the front seat with glee. “Bye-bye! Mean lady get out! Godfather’s the best!” I looked at the ugly faces of everyone in this car, and the last bit of hope in my heart died completely. “Fine.” I didn’t argue anymore. With trembling hands, I pushed open the door. As I got out, I looked back at Ethan one last time. “Ethan, don’t regret this.” Ethan didn’t even look at me as he hit the gas. “Slam!” The door wasn’t even fully closed when the car shot forward. The wheels kicked up dirty snow and ice water, splashing all over me. My pants were instantly soaked through. I stood on the deserted highway, surrounded by endless white. I still clutched that unopened hand warmer in my hand. Worse yet, my backpack was still in the car. It contained the anti-rejection medication I had to take on schedule after surgery. The doctor had said that if I went more than an hour without this imported anti-rejection drug, my heart would go into severe failure. I had less than half an hour until my next dose. The minus-twenty-degree wind felt like needles piercing densely into my pores. I pulled my thin cashmere coat tighter. Every step I took sent tearing pain through the incision on my chest. This coat was one I’d brought with me three years ago when I left home for Ethan. Back then he said he’d buy me the finest fur coat one day and never let me suffer the cold. The irony was almost laughable now. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out. My frozen fingers could barely swipe the screen. It was a message from Ethan on SnapChat. Just a photo. In it, Lauren sat in the passenger seat. She was wearing Ethan’s down jacket, holding a pink rechargeable hand warmer. Jason was draped over Ethan’s shoulder, laughing happily, playing with several hand warmers in his hands. The caption read: [Some people just need to be taught a lesson. Let her freeze out there and cool off, then she’ll know who really runs this household.] Right after that, Lauren’s social media updated too. [Even though it’s freezing outside, it’s warm and cozy in here.] [Thank you Ethan for taking care of us and finding hand warmers everywhere. Jason says his godfather loves him the most.] The photo was a close-up of Jason. In his hands, he was tossing around a plain white pill bottle like building blocks. The moment I recognized that bottle, my whole body froze. My blood felt like it turned to ice. That was my life-saving medication! These pills were extremely fragile—the slightest pressure would crush them and make them ineffective. Ethan, you’re trying to kill me!

I called Ethan frantically. The wind was too strong. My hands shook even harder. I nearly dropped the phone. First call—he hung up. Second call—he hung up. Third call—he finally answered. “Hope, are you ready to apologize?” Ethan’s lazy voice came through the phone, accompanied by cheerful music in the car. “Ethan! Tell Jason to put down that pill bottle!” I screamed into the phone. The cold wind rushed into my mouth, making me cough. “That’s my life-saving medication! It can’t be dropped! It can’t be played with!” “Where are you? Stop the car! I need to take my medication! Please, give me back my pills—cough, cough!” The line went silent for two seconds, then Lauren’s sweet voice came through. “Hope, don’t be so fierce. You’re scaring the child.” “Jason’s just curious and looking at it. He’s not throwing it around. Look at you—where’s your maturity as an adult?” “Besides, it’s just a bottle of vitamins. Do you really need to make such a big deal out of it?” “If you want some, I’ll buy you a bottle at the service station up ahead.” Ethan chimed in impatiently. “Hope, are you addicted to acting?” “Making up stories about life-saving medication just to trick me into coming back for you? Do you think I’m stupid?” “The bottle’s covered in English. You think I can’t read? It’s just some cheap health supplement.” “Jason likes the sound the bottle makes. What’s wrong with letting him play with it for a bit? Is it really that serious?” Tears were about to fall from my desperation. “Ethan, I’m not lying. That really is medication the doctor prescribed! If it breaks, it’s useless!” “My heart feels terrible right now… Ethan, I’m begging you, that’s my life…” My voice was already breaking into sobs. The once-proud Hope Walker was now humbled into the dust. On the other end of the line, Ethan seemed to pause for a moment—perhaps my tone was too desperate. But soon, Lauren’s voice came through again. “Ethan, look at Hope. She’ll say any curse just to get you to come back.” “Didn’t the doctor say last time that she was recovering well? How come she’s suddenly dying the moment she gets out of the car? I think she’s just jealous of how good you are to Jason.” “Ethan, I’m not lying, it really is—” Ethan let out a light laugh. “You want your medication? Fine.” “Beep—” He hung up. When I called again, his phone was off. I looked out at the vast snow and wind. My feet could barely move anymore. My chest started feeling tight—a sign my heart wasn’t getting enough oxygen. I knew I didn’t have much time left. I had to find help before I collapsed. But on this cursed highway, because of the snowstorm closure, not a single car had passed for ages. I gritted my teeth and dragged my heavy legs forward. My crooked footprints in the snow were quickly covered by fresh snowfall. Back when I was with the Walker family, I was the cherished daughter. If I so much as got a paper cut, the whole family would worry for days. For Ethan, I learned to cook, learned to haggle at the grocery store, learned to endure his bitter mother. I thought if I just gave my true heart, even a stone would eventually warm up. But now I understood. Stones don’t warm up. They just kill you. My vision started to blur. I’d lost all feeling in my hands and feet. Just then, my phone screen lit up again. It was a video call from Lauren. With trembling hands, I answered, hoping to beg them to bring back my medication, or at least leave it by the roadside. The moment the video connected, I saw a scene that shattered my heart.

Jason was taking my pill bottle and slamming it against the car window. “Bang! Bang!” “Watch my meteor hammer! Gonna kill the big monster!” Each impact felt like it was striking my heart. “Stop… please… stop…” I begged weakly, my legs already unable to support my weight. I collapsed into the snow. Ethan glanced at my pitiful state on the screen and laughed again. “Hope, you look so ugly right now.” “Want your medication? Fine.” “Kneel down on video and apologize to Lauren and Jason. Say ‘I was wrong, I shouldn’t have been so petty,’ and I’ll consider stopping the car to wait for you.” I looked at that face that once captivated me, now only feeling utterly disgusted. “Ethan… you’ll regret this…” “If I die… you won’t survive either…” If I died here, the Walker family would never let him off. But Ethan burst out laughing, as if he’d heard the funniest joke. “Die? You, Hope, with your tough life—you left home for three years and didn’t starve to death. You think walking a few steps will kill you?” “Stop playing pitiful. I’ll count to three. If you don’t kneel, Jason’s throwing away these pills.” “Three.” “Two.” Jason grinned as he started to reach his hand out the window. At that very moment. “Crack!” The fragile pill bottle shattered under Jason’s forceful grip. White pills scattered all over the car, then Jason swept them disgustedly onto the floor mat. “Eww, gross!” Jason shrieked, stomping on the floor mat several times. The originally white pills instantly turned to powder, mixing into the dirty water. Lauren let out a cry. “Oh my, this child’s so strong. Ethan, look, your car’s getting dirty.” Ethan frowned, glanced at the powder on the floor, and said dismissively: “It’s fine. Just some cheap vitamins. We’ll buy more later. The car can be washed.” In the video, he turned to look at me and shrugged. “Hope, see that? That’s what you get for dragging your feet.” “The pills are gone, so stop acting. If we don’t see you at the service station up ahead, we’re leaving.” My heart convulsed violently. That was the feeling of life draining away. The phone slipped from my frozen hands and fell into a snowdrift. The world began to spin. Darkness consumed me from all sides. I collapsed onto the frozen snow. My cheek pressed against the ice, but I felt no cold because my body was colder than the snow itself. On this New Year’s Eve, like an abandoned dog, I was about to die on this deserted highway. I suddenly thought of my family. Scenes flashed through my mind like a film reel. In the last moment before losing consciousness, I saw several blinding headlights appear on the horizon in the distance. Those were… luxury cars Ethan could never afford in his lifetime.

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In the sixth year of our secret marriage, my wife Emma suddenly brought her ex-boyfriend Derek to work at our company. When I asked to see his resume, he mocked me in front of everyone: “You barely finished high school. Can you even read a resume in French?” Emma frowned: “Derek was right about you. You’re just jealous of his education and the fact that he dated me. You’re targeting him on purpose. You know what? You shouldn’t be CEO anymore. You can be Derek’s assistant instead.” I laughed in disbelief. Did she forget? I built this company from the ground up. Derek looked smug: “You’re nothing but a man who got ahead by riding on a woman’s coattails. You don’t deserve to be CEO.” I froze, then looked at Emma: “Is that how you introduced me to him?” Before Emma could answer, Derek continued: “Emma didn’t want to hurt your pride, for the kid’s sake, so she gave you the CEO title out of pity. You’ve been playing pretend for six years. Don’t tell me you actually think you’re competent.” Derek ran his mouth during the company meeting, completely ignoring the awkward expressions on our business partners’ faces. I stared at him coldly: “Setting aside the fact that you’re not even CEO yet—even if you were, you’d have no right to interrupt while I’m negotiating with partners!” Before I could finish, Emma cut me off sharply: “Enough! You already drove away a major partner. Isn’t that embarrassing enough? I brought Derek here to close deals with clients. Not so you could throw a jealous fit!” I wondered if I was hearing things. Was this really my wife—the understanding woman who always put the company first? Today’s meeting was crucial. It was the company’s 10th anniversary. I had personally invited our long-term partners to discuss contract renewals for next year. But Emma brought her ex-boyfriend without my permission. And she humiliated me in front of everyone. She was a capable businesswoman, sure. But she seemed to have forgotten—I was the real owner of this company.

For any publicly traded company, internal management is everything. If that falls apart, nothing else matters. The senior partner’s face turned cold, and he made an excuse to leave. Emma saw everything but still chose to side with Derek. I held back my anger. “Emma, this is a business meeting. I won’t make a scene. But forget about making Derek CEO.” The fact that I hadn’t thrown Derek out after what he pulled was already merciful. Emma stared at me without speaking. I took a deep breath and explained patiently: “That senior partner, Mr. Williams, just got back from Europe. He cares deeply about internal management. If we go explain things to him now, we can still save the partnership. If we wait until next month, our cash flow will collapse!” I thought surely Emma wouldn’t sacrifice the company’s interests. But she just laughed coldly: “Whatever deals you can’t close, Derek will handle. He and Mr. Williams were classmates abroad.” I frowned, confused. Derek smirked and pulled out his phone to call the senior partner: “Hello, Mr. Williams. This is Derek. Let me explain what just happened.” I was about to relax when Derek’s tone turned strange: “Actually, I embarrassed Lucas on purpose. I couldn’t stand watching him deceive you anymore.” “I looked at the contract you signed last year. Lucas only gave you 6% profit when he could have offered 15%. He was clearly taking advantage of you!” “Business is about mutual benefit. Lucas treated you like a fool just to make more money. That’s why I called him out in front of you.” “If you’re willing to continue our partnership, I can sign a 15% profit contract with you right now on behalf of the company.” Mr. Williams’ voice turned icy: “Are you saying Lucas cheated me?” I stared at Derek in disbelief, then grabbed Emma’s hand through clenched teeth: “Are you really going to let him keep lying?” Everyone knows that profit and net profit are different things. The 6% I offered Mr. Williams was my maximum good faith—we actually made no money on it. I did it to build goodwill for this year’s renewal. Besides, that 6% was calculated by Emma and me together. 15% doesn’t account for labor and material costs. Once you factor those in, 6% is the maximum we can offer. Anything more would be a losing deal—working for free and paying out of pocket! The company had made some money over the years, but it couldn’t sustain losses like that! Emma yanked her hand away, her voice dripping with impatience: “Do you think just because you’re a man, you know everything? Do you think I can’t run this company because I’m a woman?” I was completely baffled. What did any of this have to do with gender? But she was already lost in her own world. She grabbed Derek’s phone and declared boldly: “Mr. Williams, just as Derek promised—if you change your mind, we can sign the contract right here at this meeting and announce the renewal publicly. I’m sure the media will love to cover our powerful partnership.” I looked at Emma coldly: “You’re going to regret what you did today.” Her eyes turned sharp: “Have you forgotten your place?” “I’m the Chairman of this company. My decisions are not yours to question!”

When I founded this company, it was to give my wife and child a better life. So when Emma said she wanted to be Chairman and have me serve as CEO, I agreed. She wanted to be a powerful businesswoman, and I was willing to pave the way for her. When she used the excuse of needing someone to care for our newborn to push me behind the scenes, I pretended not to notice. Even when she told others I was just a kept man to save face, I said nothing. But my indulgence and compromises didn’t earn her understanding—only her entitlement. Derek made a snide remark: “Some people think they can climb to the top just by latching onto a rich woman. They even try to trap her with a kid. But a pretty boy is only good for mooching. He has no right to speak on real business matters.” I was still Emma’s husband. This was a business meeting. She should have defended me in front of everyone to reassure the shareholders and partners. But Emma didn’t react at all. Instead, she smiled and walked toward Mr. Williams, who had returned. Mr. Williams glanced at me with an awkward expression. Derek immediately stepped forward with a contract: “Here’s what we discussed. I printed it out ahead of time. Lucas cheated you, and I’ll have the Chairman demote him right away!” Derek bypassed Emma—the actual Chairman—to decide my fate, and she didn’t even flinch. Instead, she gazed at him adoringly: “You’re amazing. Lucas spent six months trying to close this deal and couldn’t. You did it in thirty minutes.” Watching them exchange looks like a married couple, my heart turned to ice. Derek really was impressive. It took me six years to build this company, and he was about to destroy it with one contract in under half an hour. Mr. Williams shook his head at me, disappointment written on his face: “I misjudged you.” He raised his pen and added a few words to Derek’s contract: “I’ve decided to increase this partnership to one billion dollars!” Derek was overjoyed: “The biggest deal you ever signed with Lucas was only fifty million. Now you’re adding it up to a billion!” I frowned and grabbed Emma’s arm: “With an amount this large, the contract needs to be reviewed again.” Emma shook me off: “I trust Mr. Williams, and he trusts me. Don’t think I don’t know you’re trying to sabotage this deal to force Derek out.” Mr. Williams signed with a smile, glanced at me, then strolled out. Derek smirked at me, then turned to Emma with a tender look: “I heard there’s a company tradition—whenever someone lands a big deal, even the CEO has to toast them.” “Breaking up with you back then was never my choice. I was forced to go abroad. But because of that, I became someone worthy of seeing you again. I don’t want to ruin your family, but I have one request: I want Emma to feed me the wine mouth-to-mouth. Not marrying her is my life’s greatest regret.” Emma’s eyes turned red. She was clearly moved. Everyone stared at us. The shareholders, partners, executives, and staff all wore different expressions. My fists clenched so tight they trembled. But the next second, Emma picked up a glass of wine without hesitation and walked over to Derek. She downed the wine in one gulp, then wrapped her arms around his neck. Everyone froze. Derek eagerly pushed his tongue into Emma’s mouth. They kissed passionately, the wet sounds echoing through the silent conference room. After what felt like forever, Emma’s face flushed red before Derek finally released her. He even licked the liquid left on her chin. After catching her breath, Emma turned to look at my icy expression: “Don’t be so petty. You’re the one who made this toast rule in the first place!” I created that rule to show the management team that anyone who brings profit to the company deserves respect—even a junior employee. I never said the CEO and Vice President had to feed each other wine mouth-to-mouth! Then Derek held out a glass to me: “According to the rules, Mr. CEO, you also need to toast me. You wouldn’t want to embarrass me, would you?”

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When I discovered my wife Serena was cheating, I wasn’t even surprised. What stunned me was the man: her uncle, Derek. I finished my cigarette, my voice flat. “Why not just divorce? Then the two of you can be together properly.” Her eyes flooded instantly. She dropped to her knees, swearing she’d never see him again. I believed her. I decided to give her another chance. Then came her grandfather’s birthday party. Derek walked in, holding a child. “Serena, can you really leave us behind?” Her eyes welled up, her face a war of anguish and indecision. I smiled, and carefully, one by one, I peeled her fingers from mine. “Go ahead. No one’s stopping you from being both his niece and the mother of his child.” “Tristan, the baby’s crying is breaking my heart. I have to see to him. We can talk about us later.” Without waiting for my answer, Serena walked across the room toward the father and son in front of everyone. Derek even pinched the child discreetly, making him wail louder. Seeing my expression darken, Serena’s father, Richard, rushed to intervene. “Serena’s always had a soft heart. She can’t bear to hear a child cry…” Her mother, Emma, forced a smile and added, “It’s true, Tristan. Please don’t be upset with her.” At that moment, my sister Allison let out a cold laugh and raised her voice. “Do you all take my brother for a fool?” She shot them a sharp look, then turned to me. “Tristan, the Sterlings are the wealthiest family in this city. We don’t get treated this way. We don’t leave with our tails between our legs. Let’s go.” As we left, whispers trailed us from every side. “So what if Tristan Sterling is the richest man? He’s still a cuckold. No wonder Serena disappeared for a year, off having another man’s baby…” “A real mafia princess, playing with fire. This marriage alliance between the Sterling and Turner families…” I felt dazed. This was the Serena who had once sworn she would only marry me, who had begged to follow me abroad. Who had suddenly said she was too homesick to leave. I should have seen it then. My childhood friend just laughed and said, “You know how girls are. They can’t stand being away from home…” But this was Serena. Like me, she’d been raised from childhood to be an heir. Raised by butlers and nannies, she’d traveled the world by the age of five to broaden her horizons. Someone like that couldn’t be homesick. Before we registered our marriage, we’d aligned our goals. I would lead the Sterling Corporation internationally while she would help the Turner family transition from their shady past to legitimate business. With both families’ approval, we registered our marriage. We planned to hold the ceremony after New Year’s. The night before I was supposed to leave the country, she sat on my waist and pouted. “Give me a year. Once I’ve laid the groundwork, I’ll come find you abroad, okay?” Though I didn’t like the idea, I agreed and went abroad alone. When my parents asked why we hadn’t started trying for a baby since we were married, I made excuses. I thought she was still young-waiting a couple more years to have children wouldn’t hurt. I never imagined that my indulgence would allow her to have a child with someone else first.

Seeing the Sterling family truly angered, Richard chased us to the door with an apologetic expression. “Tristan, I’ve spoiled Serena. Please give her one more chance.” “We never imagined she’d be with her uncle… Don’t worry, we’ll talk sense into her. She’ll definitely come around…” I laughed bitterly. “Don’t blame yourself. At least it keeps the wealth in the family.” “After all, he’s not her real uncle.” My sarcastic words made Richard’s expression darken completely. But given the circumstances, he didn’t dare show his anger openly. He just kept smiling and lowered his voice. “Tristan, I’ll give you ten billion. Just acknowledge the child as yours.” “We can still be one big happy family…” I looked down at him and smirked. “The Sterling family doesn’t need money.” Emma tried to say more, but Allison stopped her. “The Turner family’s dirty laundry is none of the Sterling family’s business. Tomorrow at 9 AM, Tristan will be waiting for her at the courthouse.” The couple looked both panicked and embarrassed. They tried to plead more, but our car sped away, spraying exhaust in their faces. The next day, I waited at the civil affairs bureau all morning. Serena never showed up. Finally, a video from my friend arrived. In the footage, Serena, dressed formally, held hands with Derek, who was holding the child. They sat side by side like newlyweds, fielding questions from reporters. “Derek and I share no blood,” she said. “He’s the man I truly love. I chose to have his child.” That statement sent the reporters into a frenzy. The wealthy always had secrets and scandals. They wracked their brains, desperate to dig up every detail. “Serena, what is your relationship with Mr. Sterling then?” one shouted. “So Mr. Derek really is the other man?” Hesitation flickered in her eyes. But the words that came out were: “Love doesn’t care who came first. The one who isn’t loved is the real outsider.” As if afraid the reporters would miss the point, she emphasized again. “Derek is my lover, the father of my child.” My grip on the screen turned my knuckles white. After last night’s scene, Derek’s reputation was already terrible. To whitewash him, Serena actually held a public press conference. Grinding my face and the Sterling family’s reputation into the dirt. She all but called me the other man. Yet I was the one who legally married her. Allison, ever protective, couldn’t stand for it. She immediately drove over and asked a question on the spot. “Are you two legally married?” Derek’s face went deathly pale. All the reporters’ cameras immediately focused on his face, waiting for an answer. My sister, secretly pleased, continued her mockery. “Although you and Serena aren’t blood-related, you are still uncle and niece. For your selfish desires, do you disregard even basic ethics?” She paused, and after successfully seeing their faces turn ashen, she dropped the bombshell. “Do you know Serena is a married woman? Does making her play both niece and mother give you a special sense of achievement?” Her two consecutive statements dropped like bombs at the scene. The reporters’ eyes widened as they surged toward the pair. “Is what Miss Sterling said true? Are you really legally married?” As the reporters were about to lose control, Serena screamed and threw herself in front of Derek. Her face twisted with malice. “Words mean nothing-what she’s saying is nothing but slander!” Then she glared viciously at the camera, sending me a message. “Tristan, you hide in the back and let your sister stir up trouble. What kind of man does that?” “Yes! We registered our marriage, but it was our parents’ idea. What’s wrong with me refusing to stick with a cold marriage arrangement to pursue real love?” “Even if you’re the richest man in the world, even if you’re worth billions, you can’t buy my love.” She crossed her arms with an air of complete confidence. Several reporters couldn’t help but applaud, giving her multiple close-ups. But I just mocked myself inwardly. See? What you thought was mutual love was just “our parents’ idea” to her. She’d calculated that I’d spare her out of sentimentality. I called Allison and put her on speaker. “Serena, you had an affair with your uncle. You bore his child while living off the Sterling family’s resources. That child was even born in our hospital.” “You cheated. You lied. And now you dare to call it love? It’s repulsive.”

Serena fell completely silent, just pouting pitifully. Derek couldn’t stand watching and finally spoke up. “We were wrong to hide it from you, but Serena felt sorry for you. After all, you two were together so long with no results…” “She even thought that if you really couldn’t, she’d let you claim the child as yours! He could even be the Sterling family heir!” I was so angry I laughed. With a flip of his tongue, he not only falsely accused me of being impotent but also wanted to devour my family’s fortune. All my past care and indulgence toward her had now become the foundation for her to slander my dignity and covet the Sterling family assets. These two were perfect for each other. Birds of a feather. My sister’s temper flared, and she immediately shot back. “No amount of whitewashing can wash away your incestuous affair.” That statement set the scene boiling again. I closed my phone and half-closed my eyes. Actually, when Derek first returned to the country, Serena had been particularly clingy with him. I was somewhat surprised and asked about it once. She immediately frowned. “Derek came back to help me manage the Turner family business. What, the Sterling family siblings can work together, but we can’t?” Hearing that, I felt a bit uncomfortable but didn’t press further. She and I were both strong-willed people who didn’t like me interfering in her affairs. So I didn’t think much of it at the time. Looking back now, all my business acumen was wasted on my career. In matters of the heart, I was utterly stupid. The press conference publicly humiliated the uncle-niece pair, and outside gossip grew increasingly vicious. I ignored it all and focused on business. Until the doorbell of my villa rang. A dog’s corpse was dragged inside. I immediately recognized it as the little yellow dog I used to keep. Because Serena loved it, I’d given it to her as a birthday present. Every time I visited the Turner home, it would jump up to greet me, nuzzling its head into my palm until it was satisfied. Now it had been skinned into a bloody mess. I clenched my fists, my teeth grinding audibly. Almost simultaneously, Serena’s call came through. “Tristan Sterling, satisfied with my gift? This is what you get for hurting Derek yesterday.” I withdrew my gaze from the little yellow dog’s body and laughed coldly. “Have you considered the consequences of doing this?” She scoffed. “So what? You may be the richest man, but the Turner family isn’t weak either. Bring it on!” Then she hung up. But she forgot one thing. The Turner family could only survive in River City because they leaned on my tree. I’d see how long they could keep this up. That evening, when I returned to the Sterling estate, Emma was waiting at the door with a fleet of cars loaded with apology gifts. “Tristan, Serena picked every one of these herself. Please accept them and forgive her.” “She’s young, she made a mistake. Let this go. We’ll raise the child as a Turner. How does that sound?” I spun the ring on my thumb, my smile growing warmer. “If your husband brought home a half-grown boy and demanded you accept him as the Turner heir…could you bear it?” Hearing that, Serena, who had been hiding in the shadows, finally broke. “Tristan Sterling!” she spat, stepping into the light. “I’m giving you a way out. Don’t push your luck.” I shrugged and smiled apologetically. “Please leave now. Outsiders cannot stay here overnight.”

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I married Gabriel Knight without revealing my wealth. The day before our wedding, I was in a car accident. When I woke up, I was blind. In the darkness, I heard Gabriel talking with his assistant. The assistant said, “Sir, it’s handled. The driver and the doctor won’t talk. It’s just…Miss Harper loved painting. Now that we’ve taken her corneas, she’ll never see again. What if she can’t accept it?” “Nora is strong,” Gabriel replied. “Not like Lily. Lily wouldn’t survive without her sight. I’ll take care of Nora for the rest of her life. That’s compensation enough.” He paused, then went on. “Tell the doctor to remove her uterus while he’s at it. If Lily ever saw me with her child, it would break her.” “Sir…isn’t that too cruel? Miss Harper has been with you since she was eighteen-” Gabriel cut him off. “Do as I say. No more questions.” My body turned to ice. I began to shake, uncontrollably. The man I’d loved unconditionally had fallen for Lily Carter, the scholarship student I’d been sponsoring. He was ready to strip me of everything, piece by piece, just for her.

Footsteps echoed in the hospital room. I forced my breathing to stay even, feigning unconsciousness. “Mr. Knight, Miss Harper has just undergone corneal donation. Her system is severely compromised. Performing a hysterectomy now…it could be fatal. Perhaps we should wait-” “I’m paying you to follow orders, not give suggestions. This is a command, not a discussion. But if anything happens to Nora, you know the consequences.” “Yes, Mr. Knight.”The doctor’s reply was a nervous stammer. A man’s fingers, burning hot, touched my cheek. Gabriel’s voice was hoarse yet tender. “Nora, it’ll all be over soon. Don’t worry, I’ll always be by your side. I love you, Nora.” My body trembled slightly, beyond my control. Something cool touched my cheek. Gabriel seemed to stand up. Sensing I was about to wake up, Gabriel ordered coldly, “Doctor, prepare for surgery immediately. Finish before she wakes up.” I opened my eyes in fear, but I couldn’t see anything. Only darkness. Tears fell involuntarily. I reached out, grasping frantically at the air. “Why… why can’t I see?” “Don’t be afraid, Nora. I’m here. I’ve always been here.” Gabriel held me tightly in his arms. His warm hands stroked my hair, his deep voice seemingly full of heartache. “You were in a car accident… The doctor said your blindness is only temporary. Nora, I’ll take good care of you…” The man seemed to nod, then continued, “Your body hasn’t fully recovered. You can’t get too emotional. Let the doctor give you a nutrition shot.” If I hadn’t woken up early and heard his conversation with the doctor, I would have believed every word he said. But now I knew that the so-called nutrition shot was anesthesia to keep me unconscious. I grabbed the man’s arm tightly, shaking my head desperately, my voice choking. “No… Gabriel, I don’t want a shot… I want to go home. Can we go home…” Before I could finish, a cold needle pierced my skin. Before my consciousness faded completely, I heard Gabriel’s tender voice, as always. “Be good. Sleep, and it’ll be over. With me here, you’ll be fine.” Tears fell silently from my eyes down my cheeks. Though my body was anesthetized, my heart kept aching. I closed my eyes in despair. In the darkness, I seemed to see eighteen-year-old Gabriel crying at my bedside with red eyes, calling me an idiot for blocking that knife for him. The young man’s immature but firm voice echoed in my mind. “Nora, I swear I’ll never let anyone hurt you again in this lifetime.” But the one who hurt me most, who wanted my life, was him. When I woke again, I had not only lost my eyes and my lover, but I would never have children of my own. I opened my eyes. The hospital room was so quiet I could only hear my weak breathing. Soon, a man and woman’s argument drifted faintly to me. “Nora was in an accident. I have to take care of her. Nora has been so good to me. Without her, I’d still be in the slums. I have to repay her for the rest of my life. Don’t stop me…” It was Lily Carter, the scholarship student I’d been sponsoring. Gabriel, who never allowed anyone to defy him, showed no displeasure in his voice. “Lily, your eyes just recovered. The doctor said you can’t move around yet. You need more rest. Someone will take care of Nora. You don’t need to worry.” My hands involuntarily gripped the blanket tighter. When did Lily lose her sight? Why didn’t I know?

A sharp pain suddenly shot through the back of my hand as a thin needle quickly pierced my skin. The nurse’s voice was sharp with impatience.”Stop!” She even pressed down harder, a deliberate warning. “What rotten luck. They get to tend to Mr. Knight’s wife, and I’m stuck with a blind nobody.” “If only she’d put in a good word for me with Mr. Knight, I wouldn’t have to look at pathetic patients like you ever again…” The sound of a glass vial shattering on the tile floor cut her off. “Who’s there? Oh, Mr. Knight, what are you-” Her voice shifted from irritation to a tremor of fear. Gabriel’s voice, cold with fury, filled the room. It chilled me to the bone. “Fuck off. Don’t let me see you again.” A warm, familiar warmth enveloped me. The man’s body seemed to tremble slightly, his voice filled with guilt. “I’m sorry, Nora. I came too late and let you suffer. I’m sorry…” A bitter smile tugged at my lips. Compared to having my corneas and uterus removed, this grievance was nothing. But he seemed extremely remorseful, holding me so tightly I could barely breathe. “I don’t want to stay in the hospital. I want to go home.” The man’s warm breath blew on my neck. “After the doctor checks you over, I’ll take you home.” He didn’t know that the home I meant wasn’t his villa, but the prestigious Harper family estate far away in the capital. Years ago, when there was turmoil within the Harper family, my father hid me in Chicago to avoid danger, but someone still found out. When I was cornered in an alley, Gabriel appeared and took a fatal knife wound for me. That moment, love at first sight became real for me. Later we attended the same university and started dating, spending every day together. Everyone around us envied our relationship. That’s when Lily appeared too. I pitied her for eating only bread for every meal, sympathized with her talent, so I sponsored her. Lily was deeply grateful to me, and we became inseparable best friends. I just didn’t know when she and Gabriel ended up in the same bed, or when Gabriel fell in love with her. Gabriel tucked the hair by my ear, his voice more tender than ever before. “Nora, let’s have the wedding tomorrow as planned, okay? I really want to marry you soon and make you Mrs. Knight.” The wedding I once dreamed of now seemed like a nightmare. I shook my head gently. “No.” Gabriel didn’t expect me to refuse. He released me and explained with rare patience, “I know you’re scared. Don’t worry, I’ll arrange everything properly. I guarantee no one will dare gossip about you. Lily will be your bridesmaid to help you.” “Our officiant will be Damien Harper, head of the capital’s Harper family. I promised you the grandest wedding.” At my brother’s name, my fingers tightened around the man’s sleeve. The Harpers didn’t know I was in Chicago. They certainly didn’t know Gabriel Knight’s fiancée was me. Years ago, I’d refused a marriage contract to a billionaire’s son. I left home in a rage and never looked back. A sick, hollow feeling swelled in my chest. I couldn’t bear to picture Damien’s face if he saw me like this. My arm suddenly felt heavy, accompanied by a clear, anxious female voice. “Nora, I was so worried. From now on, I’ll be your eyes. I’ll take care of you… always.”

Gabriel interrupted her, a barely detectable guilt in his voice. “Don’t talk nonsense. Nora’s blindness is only temporary.” Lily understood immediately, resting her head on my shoulder with a sweet voice. “Right, I misspoke. Maybe tomorrow Nora’s eyes will be better, and then she can wear her wedding dress and beautifully marry Mr. Knight as his wife. Nora, I’m so happy for you.” It was this innocent, harmless appearance that had fooled me. The assistant brought the wedding dress. Only Lily and I remained in the room. “Nora, I heard you designed this wedding dress yourself? It’s so beautiful, but the size is too big for me.” The sound of fabric tearing was particularly jarring in the quiet hospital room. I knew she had ruined my wedding dress. “A blind woman has no use for such a beautiful wedding dress. That hospital gown suits you much better.” Splash! A searing pain shot through my eye sockets, like they were being burned by fire. The pain left me speechless, my hands trembling as I tried to wipe the liquid from my eyes with my sleeve. Lily gripped my wrists tightly. Her voice, full of venom, came to my ear. “Nora Harper, you’re not blind because of a car accident. I never imagined that with just one casual remark, Gabriel would take your corneas for me. But I didn’t even need them. I find them dirty.” “If you know what’s good for you, leave on your own. Otherwise, do you think one word from me could make him take your life?” The acidic liquid corroded my eyes, but it couldn’t compare to even one ten-thousandth of my heartache. Hearing the sound of dress shoes approaching, Lily roughly wiped the liquid from my eyes. She lifted my hand high. Smack! A burning pain spread across my palm. Before I could react, a powerful force shoved me away. My head slammed hard against the wall behind me, leaving my ears ringing. “Nora Harper! You’re blind, not crazy. Why did you attack Lily? Her body is very weak right now!” Though I couldn’t see Gabriel’s expression, his furious voice told me he’d lost control. In all these years, this was the first time he’d been this angry. Gabriel’s voice, full of hostility, came from above my head. “Apologize to Lily! Or tomorrow’s wedding is canceled!” He knew how much I longed for this wedding. My greatest wish these years had been to wear a wedding dress and marry him. Just as he predicted, I lowered my head like I’d done something wrong, the liquid remaining in my eyes stinging painfully. The pain made my voice tremble slightly. “I’m sorry, Lily.” The man’s cold voice came from the doorway. “I’ll send someone to pick you up at eight tomorrow morning.” Gabriel didn’t know that tomorrow’s wedding, to me, was an escape. It was the day I would leave him completely.

Early the next morning, the assistant came to take me to the wedding car. Just as Lily had said, I arrived at the wedding venue wearing my hospital gown. Lily’s dress hem brushed my exposed ankles. She placed the veil over my head and laughed. “Happy wedding, Nora. Did you think putting on a veil makes you a bride? It’s just to cover your blind eyes so you don’t embarrass everyone.” Unable to see the despair she wanted on my face, Lily was about to lash out. Gabriel’s displeased voice suddenly rang in my ear. “Where’s the wedding dress I prepared for you? Nora Harper, are you deliberately getting back at me? You’re getting married to me looking like this?” The assistant helped me walk toward the dressing room. I was about to take off my hospital gown when a man’s excited voice suddenly came from behind me. “A blind woman, but damn good-looking. Be good and don’t scream. I’ll take real good care of you.” The man’s hands began roughly tearing at my clothes. I used all my strength but couldn’t push him away. I opened my mouth and bit down hard on him. “You bitch, you’re asking for it!” The enraged man threw me to the ground, his heavy breathing spraying on my neck. My clothes had just been violently torn open when a sharp, surprised female voice came from the doorway. “Nora! How could you do this at your wedding with Mr. Knight? How can you face him…” The man in front of me stopped, breathing heavily and speaking brazenly. “This slut threw herself at me. I wouldn’t even want a blind woman.” As soon as he finished speaking, countless accusatory voices surrounded me. Those vicious voices were like venomous snakes attacking me. “I never imagined Mr. Knight’s fiancée was actually blind!” “No wonder she’s blind. She’d rather have an affair than Mr. Knight.” “What a shameless whore!” I frantically clutched my torn clothes, burying my head in my knees, trembling violently. Suddenly, the air grew quiet except for heavy footsteps. “Nora Harper, you dare betray me!” Someone grabbed my neck viciously. Gabriel’s eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging in his hands. I used all my strength to force out a few words with difficulty. “I… didn’t…” The suffocating feeling gradually surrounded me. Gabriel suddenly released his grip, instead grabbing my chin tightly. “Nora Harper, after all these years together, you should know I hate betrayal most. You must have lost your mind to be with a man like that. In that case, you don’t need to attend today’s wedding.” “Someone, send her to a psychiatric hospital!” As hands grabbed me, my heart plunged. If they committed me to a psychiatric ward like this, I’d never make it back to the Harpers. The thought sent a surge of panic through me. I fought wildly, wrenching myself free, and ran. “Catch her!” Gabriel’s furious shout chased me, followed by a rush of footsteps. My heart hammered against my ribs. Ahead was only darkness, a void I couldn’t see. But I didn’t dare slow down. My only chance was to run, blindly and desperately. Then I collided with a solid, warm chest. A familiar, strained voice came from above me. “Nora!”

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A moment before the flames swallowed me, I saw my husband and my best friend locked in a smiling embrace. He said, “Serena, you deserve to die.” When I opened my eyes, I was back the night before my wedding. This time, I had their car rendezvous filmed in advance and set it to play on a loop on the wedding screens. In front of all the guests, I played the recording. “Once Serena is dead, the inheritance will all be ours.” The two who drove me to my death in my past life, one went bankrupt, the other went to prison. The ex I’d abandoned came to me at last. “Now that you’ve had your revenge, can you turn and look at me?” My new husband placed a hand on my back. “Honey, has the baby been bothering you today?” Serena’s POV I was reborn on the night before my wedding. One moment I was drowning in fire, the next I was surrounded by wedding gowns.. In the mirror, my twenty-two-year-old self stared back.. The man I would marry tomorrow would, in three years, conspire with my best friend to burn me alive. They would steal my legacy and hound my mother to her death. The wedding dress was so white. A pity it would soon be stained with my blood. I picked up scissors and cut from the neckline to the hem. Fragments scattered all over the floor. Ethan Chapman, Claire Sullivan. This time it’s your turn to go to hell. My phone rang. It was Ethan. “Serena, tomorrow you’ll officially be my wife. Are you nervous?” I kept cutting the wedding dress. “Nervous,” I said. “Nervous about how to make your death look good.” He laughed on the other end. “There you go again. Get some sleep. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.” The call ended. I looked at the mirror. At thirty, I had fine lines around my eyes. Now this face was smooth and full. So young. Young enough to still believe in love. The door opened. Claire walked in wearing a nightgown, holding a glass of milk. “Serena, have some milk to help you sleep.” She placed the glass on the vanity, her eyes drifting to the jewelry box beside it. “Are you wearing this pearl set tomorrow? It’s beautiful.” In my previous life, she had asked the same thing. I told her if she liked it, she could borrow it. She took it and never returned it. Later I learned that on that day, she wore my pearl necklace while fooling around with Ethan in the lounge before the wedding. “No.” I closed the jewelry box. “My mother gave it to me. I don’t lend it out.” Claire’s smile stiffened. “Why are we drawing such lines?” She reached out to pull me. “Starting tomorrow, we’ll be family.” I dodged. “Claire.” I looked into her eyes. “Ethan came to see you last night, didn’t he? At 2 a.m., downstairs at your place, right?” Her face turned pale instantly. “You-how did you…” “The second button on his shirt was missing.” I said,”Your stitching is very distinctive. I recognize it.” The air froze for a few seconds. Claire backed up and bumped into the vanity. The milk glass tipped over, white liquid spreading across the wedding dress fragments. “Serena, let me explain…” “No need to explain.” I crouched down and picked up the largest piece of the wedding dress. “The wedding tomorrow isn’t happening anyway.” She ran. I sat back down in front of the mirror and opened my phone’s photo album. The photos were taken by someone I hired the day before yesterday. Ethan and Claire kissing in a car. Very clear. Clear enough for both families to see. At 3 AM, I called the wedding company. “Mr. Lee, I’m changing the video for tomorrow’s screen. I’m sending you the new one now.” “Miss Williams, it’s so late…” “I’ll triple the payment.” “I’ll handle it right away!” After hanging up, I called my mother’s attending physician. “Dr. Walker, please stay with my mother at the wedding tomorrow. She has a bad heart and may need emergency care at any moment.” “Don’t worry, Miss Williams. I’ll be there the entire time.” After finishing these tasks, dawn was breaking. I looked at the pale light outside the window and remembered the day I died in my previous life. It was also dawn. Ethan poured gasoline on me while Claire held a lighter. They said, Serena, go die. The instant the flames licked my skin, I thought of my mother. She lay in the hospital after a stroke, not yet knowing her daughter was dead. I wiped away tears with a piece of the wedding dress. I couldn’t cry. Not this time. At six, the makeup artist arrived. She saw the fragments everywhere and screamed. “Miss Williams! The-the wedding dress…” “Get another one.” I said, “Any style. Something simple.” The makeup artist applied my makeup trembling. At seven-thirty, Ethan called again. “Serena, I’m on my way. Wait for me.” “Okay.” I said, “I’ll wait for you.” Wait for your complete ruin.

Serena’s POV The wedding venue. The banquet hall for five hundred people was full. Relatives and friends from both sides, business partners, media reporters. Ethan’s family ran a building materials business and wanted to use this wedding to build their reputation. I walked into the hall on my father’s arm. Ethan stood at the end of the red carpet, suit impeccable, smile gentle. In my previous life, I was deceived by this smile, thinking he was the right person. When I reached him, my father placed my hand in his. Ethan squeezed tight. “Serena, you look beautiful today.” He said in a low voice. The officiant began reciting his lines, asking those old clichéd questions. Ethan looked at me, his eyes shining. Such good acting. My turn came. The officiant said, “Miss Serena Williams, do you take Mr. Ethan Chapman to be your husband?” The entire hall fell silent. Everyone looked at me. I took the microphone, my fingers ice-cold. “Before I answer,” I said, “I’d like everyone to watch a video.” Ethan froze. So did the officiant. The backstage staff, following my instructions from last night, cut the music and turned on the big screen. The first photo appeared. In a car, Ethan and Claire were kissing. The timestamp read three days ago. The entire hall erupted. “What-what is this?” Ethan’s father stood up. The second photo. A hotel corridor, Ethan with his arm around Claire’s waist entering a room. The third photo. Morning, Claire coming out of the same room, wearing my pearl necklace around her neck. My mother in the audience clutched her chest. Dr. Walker immediately stepped forward, and the two bodyguards I had arranged also moved behind her. “Serena, these are AI-generated! Someone is trying to frame me!” Ethan tried to grab the microphone. I dodged. And clicked on the last photo. It was from last night, a recording from Claire in my room. “Ethan said once we get Serena’s money, he’ll dump her… Her mother’s health is so bad, just upset her a bit and she’ll die, then the inheritance will all be ours…” Claire’s voice in the recording was clear and piercing. The entire hall fell deathly silent. Ethan’s face went from red to white to blue. He looked at me like I was a stranger. “You-you bugged me…” “What else?” I returned the microphone to the officiant. “Wait for you to burn me alive?” Ethan looked like he’d been struck by lightning, stumbling back two steps. I turned to face the guests. “The wedding is canceled. Sorry for the spectacle.” After speaking, I walked off the stage. Ethan tried to grab me but was blocked by the bodyguards. His father was cursing him, his mother was crying. Claire had slipped away at some point, her seat empty. When I reached the door, I looked back. Ethan still stood on stage like a ridiculous statue. Guests were whispering to each other, some holding up phones to record. Getting into the car, the driver asked where to go. “Home,” I said. “My parents’ home.” The car drove away. I leaned my head against the window, finally starting to tremble. Not from fear, but excitement. So this is what revenge felt like-like liquor burning down my throat. My phone vibrated. I answered. “Serena.” It was Adrian’s voice, the only person who had helped me in my previous life. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine.” I took a deep breath. “This is just the beginning.”

Serena’s POV My mother lay in her bedroom on oxygen. Her face was pale. “Serena, those photos… are they real?” “Real.” I sat by the bed, holding her hand. “Mom, I’m sorry. I kept it from you for so long.” Tears fell from her eyes. “That boy… he seemed so honest…” “Appearances don’t represent a person’s character.” My father stood in the doorway smoking, ash falling to the floor. “Good thing Serena found out early.” The doorbell rang. Our housekeeper went to answer it and soon ran back in a panic. “It’s Ethan… holding a huge bouquet, kneeling at the door!” My father started to go drive him away, but I stopped him. “I’ll go.” At the door, Ethan really was kneeling there, holding ninety-nine red roses. His hair was messy, his tie crooked, his eyes bloodshot. “Serena.” His voice was hoarse. “Let me explain.” “Explain what?” I leaned against the doorframe. “Explain how you and Claire planned to kill me?” His whole body trembled. “I didn’t! Those recordings were fabricated! That bitch Claire is framing me!” “Oh?” I smiled. “What about the photos? Fabricated too?” He couldn’t answer. His lips trembled. “Serena, I was wrong. I was really wrong.” He held up the flowers. “Give me one more chance. I love you, I only love you…” I took the flowers. His eyes brightened for a moment. Then I threw the entire bouquet on the ground. My high heels stepped on them, crushing those delicate petals. “Are you worthy?” That sentence made him collapse to the ground. Some neighbors were peeking from behind their windows. I raised my voice. “Ethan, return the three million your mother borrowed from my mother by tomorrow. Otherwise, see you in court.” “Three million? That-that was an investment…” “Investment?” I crouched down to meet his eyes. “Investment in that shell project at your father’s company? I’ve checked the books. The money went into your personal account.” His pupils contracted sharply. “How did you…” “How did I know?” I stood up, looking down at him. “Because I’m not the Serena I used to be. Get lost. If I see you again, I’ll report you for harassment.” Security came. Two burly men dragged Ethan away. He kept calling my name, each cry more pitiful than the last, like a stray dog. I closed the door. My father applauded behind me. “Well done.” He said,”Now that’s my daughter.” My mother came out of the bedroom, eyes still red but smiling. “Serena has grown up.” My phone vibrated again. This time it was Claire. I answered and put it on speaker. “Serena, I had no choice! Ethan threatened me! He said he’d expose my past if I didn’t help him-” “Your past what?” I cut in. “The time you stole your roommate’s wallet in college? Or when you cooked the books at your last job?” Silent. “You…you looked into me?” “A passing glance,” I said. “By the way, isn’t your mother’s birthday coming up? I’ve prepared a big gift. Remember to check it.” I hung up and messaged my private investigator. “You can proceed. Send the stuff to her house.” Claire’s biggest weakness was her parents. They cared most about face. I was curious what their reaction would be if they knew their daughter stole, was a mistress, and wanted to kill someone. So looking forward to it.

Serena’s POV Claire came the next afternoon. Her eyes were swollen like walnuts. As soon as she entered, she tried to kneel. “Serena, I was wrong… I really know I was wrong…” I sat on the sofa drinking tea, not letting her sit. “What were you wrong about?” “I shouldn’t have been with Ethan… shouldn’t have been greedy for his family’s money…” She cried, face covered in tears. “But I really didn’t want to hurt you. Those words were all forced by him…” “Really?” I put down my teacup. “So when you stole my mother’s jewelry, was that forced by him too?” She froze. The day before yesterday she came to my house to “apologize” and snuck into my mother’s room when I wasn’t paying attention. She thought I didn’t know. But there were cameras in every corner. “What… jewelry… I don’t know…” I opened my phone and played a video. In the footage, Claire tiptoed to open the jewelry box and stuffed the jade bracelet and diamond necklace into her bag. Smooth movements. Clearly not the first time. “This is theft.” I said, “The amount exceeds five hundred thousand. That’s ten years or more.” Her legs gave out and she really did kneel. “Serena! Please! I’ll return it! I’ll return it right away!” “Already returned,” I smiled. “I sent the video to your father. He just called, said the items have been returned. Also, he told you to get out of the house and never come back.” Claire’s face lost all color. Her father was a university professor who valued reputation above all. In my previous life, Claire married a rich second-generation, and her father bragged about it everywhere. Now? His daughter was a thief, a mistress, an accomplice to murder for money. “Serena… do you have to be so heartless…” “Heartless?” I stood up and walked to her. “Compared to what you planned to do to me, this is heartless?” She looked up at me, her expression changing from pleading to resentment. “You will pay for this.” “I’ve already paid.” I said, “Now it’s your turn.” Claire was dragged out. She cursed me, damned me, her voice shrill like a ghost. Didn’t matter. I’d been a ghost before. Why would I fear the living? My phone rang. A text from the bank. Ethan’s family had returned the three million, with an attached message. “Serena, the money’s returned. Can we meet?” I replied, “We can meet. Bring evidence of your embezzlement. See you in court.” No response after that. In the evening, Adrian came. He brought a fruit basket, saying he was visiting my mother on behalf of his mother. “How is your mother doing?” I invited him in. “She’s okay. Just hearing about your situation made her blood pressure spike.” He looked at me. “Are you okay?” “Do I look like I’m not?” He shook his head. “No. You look like you’re going to war.” We both laughed. That was Adrian-didn’t say much, but always hit the mark. In my previous life, to help me investigate Ethan’s accounts, Adrian was beaten by people Ethan hired. Two broken ribs. I visited him in the hospital. He said it was nothing, just take care of yourself. “Adrian,” I said. “Thank you.” “I haven’t helped yet. What are you thanking me for?” “Thanking you for helping me in my previous life.” Only after the words left my mouth did I realize something was wrong. But he wasn’t surprised, just looked at me deeply. “If there really was a previous life,” he said, “then I’ll help you in this life too.”

Serena’s POV Ethan started desperately trying to win me back. Sending gifts to my company every day. Hermès bags, Cartier watches, Tiffany necklaces. Gift boxes piled up at the reception desk. The secretary asked how to handle them. “Donate them.” I said, “Donate them to a girls’ education fund under ‘anonymous benefactor.’” “Should we… get a receipt?” “Yes, with Ethan’s name and company address.” The secretary went out holding back laughter. That afternoon, the local evening paper’s society section ran a thank-you letter. “Thanks to anonymous Mr. Chapman for donating luxury goods worth two million dollars to help one thousand girls return to school…” The accompanying photo showed the mountain of gift boxes. The reporter photographed it well-it came across as satirical. Ethan’s call came immediately. “Serena! What do you mean!” “Helping you do charity.” I said while flipping through files. “What, you’re unwilling?” “Those were for you!” “Once you gave them to me, they’re mine. Do I need your permission on what I do with them?” He was breathing heavily on the other end. I could imagine his face red and neck thick. “Serena, don’t go too far! If you push me, it won’t be good for you.” “Great.” I laughed. “I’m waiting.” The call was slammed down. The next day, an even bigger gift box arrived. This time it was a complete ruby jewelry set. The certificate read: Burmese pigeon blood red, total weight fifty-eight carats. The secretary’s eyes went wide. “Miss Williams, this… donate this too?” “Donate it,” I didn’t even look up. “Oh, contact the media. Hold a donation ceremony. Make it grand.” The ceremony was three days later. Even the TV station came. I handed the jewelry box to the foundation director. A reporter asked why I was donating such valuable items. “Making the best use of things,” I said. “Jewelry worn on a person is decoration. Converted to money to build schools, it can change many people’s destinies.” The news aired that evening. Ethan’s mother saw the program, had a heart attack from rage, and was rushed to the hospital. Ethan’s father called to curse me, saying if anything happened to his wife, he wouldn’t let it go. “I’ll pay the medical bills,” I said. “Consider it atonement for Ethan.” His father roared over the phone. After hanging up, Adrian messaged me. “You’re playing too big. Be careful they retaliate.” I replied, “Let them try. I’m waiting.” A week later, Ethan was suspended from his company pending investigation. Someone anonymously reported his embezzlement with solid evidence, even forged contract copies sent to the board of directors. He blocked me downstairs at my company. “You did this.” “Evidence?” I crossed my arms looking at him. He had lost weight, eyes sunken, unshaven. The elegant man from before was gone, only wretchedness remained. “Serena, how did I wrong you? Just because I slept with Claire? What man doesn’t cheat?” “Cheat?” I laughed out loud. “Ethan, do you still think I’m only doing this because you cheated?” He froze. “Then-then what else could it be…” I leaned close to him, speaking in a voice only we could hear. “Because you wanted to burn me alive.” He backed away like he’d seen a ghost, hitting the wall. “You-you’re lying.” “Last September. Twenty liters of gasoline. Paid in cash at the pump. The station still has the footage.” I let the words hang. “Shall I have it pulled up for you?” His mouth opened, but no sound came out. “Then there are your messages with Claire. ‘Once Serena’s dead.’ ‘The inheritance, ours.’ ‘Her mother won’t last long.’” I continued. “Would you like me to go on?” Ethan collapsed to the ground. Eyes bulging like they might pop out. “Impossible… you couldn’t possibly know…” “I know more than you imagine.” I turned to leave. “Ethan, this is nothing. Wait. The good show is still coming.” Getting in the car, I watched him in the rearview mirror. He still sat on the ground like a puddle of mud. My phone vibrated. Adrian sent a photo. It was Claire, getting drunk at a cheap bar, being held around the waist by a man. Caption: “She’s trying to get your father’s company’s business secrets. Be careful.” I replied, “Let her look. I’ve dug a pit waiting for her.”

Serena’s POV My father had me join the company to learn. Starting as assistant to the general manager. Every day following him to meetings, seeing clients, reviewing reports. In my previous life, I had no interest in business and left everything to Ethan. He ended up hollowing out the company and left my father in debt. The finance department submitted a report. I spent an afternoon on it, circling over a dozen issues in red pen. “Dad, the cash flow for these projects is wrong.” I pushed the report over. “Officially, it’s for raw material procurement. But the funds were routed through three shell companies. All registered to individuals named Chapman.” My father put on his reading glasses. His expression grew stormier with each line. “These… these were all Ethan’s projects.” “Not just those.” I opened my laptop and called up another file. “Of the seventeen projects he managed from last year to this year, twelve show irregularities. The total discrepancy… is around eighty million.” The office fell into a deep, heavy silence. My father took off his glasses, rubbing his temples. In my previous life, these bad debts gave him a cerebral hemorrhage. He was paralyzed for two years, and finally, hearing on his deathbed that I had died, he passed away. “Call the police,” he said. “Call the police immediately.” “Wait.” I pressed his hand. “If we call the police now, we can’t get the money back. Give me a month. I’ll get the money back, then send him in.” My father looked at me with a complex expression. “Serena, when did you… learn all this?” “Was forced to.” I smiled. “Dad, don’t worry. This time I won’t let anyone bully our family.” I started investigating those three shell companies. The legal representatives were Ethan’s distant relatives, but he was the actual controller. Money left the company accounts, circled through the shell companies a few times, and ended up in his overseas account. Very old-fashioned tactics, but in my previous life I was too stupid to see it. Adrian came to find me with a stack of materials. “Bank statements for these three companies.” He handed me a USB drive. “Got it through a friend at the bank. Complete chain of evidence.” I plugged in the USB and opened the files. Dense transfer records, one by one, shocking to see. “Adrian,” I looked up at him. “Why are you helping me so much?” He was silent for a while. “If I said I dreamed you died, would you believe me?” My fingers trembled. “What dream?” “A long dream.” His voice was low. “In the dream you married Ethan and had a terrible life. In the end… you died in a fire. I wanted to save you, but it was too late.” I looked at him. His eyes were very clean, very serious. “What happened next?” “Then I woke up. Found you hadn’t married yet.” He smiled slightly. “I thought, this time I can’t let you walk that path again.” I couldn’t speak. My throat tightened. “So.” He pointed at the USB. “Use these. Send him to prison.” Three days later, the board held an emergency meeting. As assistant to the general manager, I attended. Ethan came too, sitting next to his father, looking terrible. My father projected the report on the big screen. “Everyone, this is the financial audit report for projects Manager Ethan Chapman handled over the past two years. I’ve marked the problematic areas in red.” The conference room erupted. Ethan stood up. “Mr. Williams, this is slander! I demand a re-audit!” “Fine.” I stood up and walked to the projector. “But before the re-audit, let’s look at this first.” I inserted the USB drive Adrian gave me. Overseas bank records. Shell company registrations. Contracts Ethan had forged. Page after page of irrefutable proof. Ethan’s father collapsed on the spot. The conference room erupted. Ethan’s finger trembled as he pointed at me. “Serena… you’re vicious.” “Not compared to you.” I turned off the projector. “Call the police.” They came and led him away. He looked back once, his eyes like poisoned glass. I simply smiled and gave a small wave. Goodbye. And good riddance.

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Lately, I noticed that my custom panties kept disappearing—a few pieces here and there, every few days. When I asked my husband Derek about it, he just shrugged it off, saying I must have carelessly misplaced them somewhere. At the company’s annual gala, while everyone was eating together, a system prompt suddenly echoed in my mind: [Mind-reading mode is now activated.] Before I could even process what was happening, another voice followed: [The thrill of being touched by Serena’s husband while wearing her panties is absolutely exhilarating!] [Harder… yes… I’m coming!] My blood ran cold as I looked at Derek sitting beside me. His hand was hidden beneath the table, and his assistant Vanessa was biting her lip with a flushed expression, as if she was trying to hold something back. They were flirting right here at the dinner table—in front of everyone! Fine then. Don’t blame me for spicing things up. 0 Before I could fully react, the voice in my head grew even more shameless: [Derek’s hand is so hot… this lace is digging into me so tight.] [Harder… feel good, yes! I’m coming!] Lace panties… Last week, Derek had taken me to a lingerie boutique to have them custom-made. Purple lace with an iris flower pattern. He said they’d look sexier on me. I wore them once, and then they vanished. The voice echoing in my mind—I recognized it immediately. It was Vanessa, Derek’s assistant. Our company only hired top graduates, yet she’d landed the assistant position with just a high school diploma. I always assumed it was because she was exceptionally capable. The truth is, she climbed her way up by sleeping with my husband. Derek’s left hand was clearly under the table, and Vanessa’s eyes had that distant, glazed look. Everyone was tipsy from drinking, so no one was paying attention to what was happening below. Hoping to confirm my suspicions, I deliberately dropped my fork and bent down to take a look. But Derek stopped me before I could. With a perfectly considerate expression, he said, “You’re wearing a dress—it’s not easy to bend down. Let me get it for you.” His smile was so warm and thoughtful. Flawless. Then, the voice returned: [Thank God Derek reacted fast, or they would’ve seen my panties on the floor. He’s so bad, pulling them off like that. But going commando feels kind of exciting!] My face went pale. The filth I was hearing made me sick to my stomach. Derek stood up, raising his glass and gesturing for everyone to follow: “Our collaboration with Mr. Sullivan went incredibly smoothly, and Vanessa played a huge role in making it happen. Starting today, Vanessa will officially become the Director of Project Division One!” The room erupted in applause. People stood up to toast her. Vanessa smiled sweetly, graciously accepting every glass raised in her honor. “Thank you all for your support.” [It’s so breezy down there… what a rush!] Derek noticed I hadn’t moved from my seat. He frowned. “Serena, do you have a problem with this?” I looked up and challenged him directly. “She’s the Project Director now? Then what am I?” Derek hesitated. Vanessa jumped in with a smug tone. “Serena, you’ve been Project Director for a while now, but you haven’t closed any major deals. Why not let me have the position? I’m confident I can do better than you!” I had been Project Director for five years. I’d signed dozens of deals. And as far as I knew, the entire company’s operating funds came from those deals. “Serena, you know how hard it was to land the Sullivan deal. Vanessa pulled it off, so she deserves this promotion.” “As for your position…” Vanessa seized the moment. “Mr. Thompson, I’m new to the director role and still getting the hang of things. How about Serena becomes my assistant to help me adjust?” Vanessa’s flirtatious act was absolutely masterful. Derek didn’t hesitate. He made the decision on the spot. I immediately protested. “I don’t agree!” Derek’s face darkened. I had just embarrassed him in front of everyone. “Serena! Personnel decisions are made by management. As an employee, you accept them!” Colleagues started whispering: “If you can’t cut it, step aside!” “All she does is collect a paycheck!” “I heard everyone who worked on the Sullivan deal with Vanessa got double bonuses!” “We backed the wrong horse!” I clenched my fists and slowly exhaled. “Fine. I’ll step down.” 0

Vanessa hadn’t expected me to give in so easily. The insults she’d prepared died on her lips. [What’s wrong with her today? Since when is she this agreeable?] She had no choice but to play nice on the surface. “That’s great, Serena! With you assisting me, I’m sure things will go even smoother!” That night, back home, Derek was clearly drunk. He stripped off his clothes and collapsed onto the bed. I stared at his discarded clothes, deep in thought. I crouched down and searched through his pockets. Sure enough—there it was. A purple lace panty with an iris pattern. I held back my disgust and stretched it open. There was an obvious wet stain on it. The thought of Vanessa stealing and wearing my underwear made my stomach turn. I ran to the bathroom sink and dry-heaved. Furious, I threw the panties right onto Derek’s face. But he was too drunk to even flinch. I collapsed onto the couch. Tears of humiliation and rage streamed down my face. The next morning, Derek came to me holding the panties, his eyes slightly evasive but his tone defensive. “Where did you find these?” I glanced at him coolly. “In your suit pocket.” He pressed his lips together. “The washing machine must’ve tangled them into my pocket. See? I told you they wouldn’t just disappear.” I took the panties from him. They’d been washed spotless. “But I’ve lost more than just this one pair.” Derek’s expression tightened. He quickly explained, “You probably left them somewhere around the house. Where else could they have gone?” Before I could press further, the doorbell rang. It was Vanessa. “Mr. Thompson, the meeting with Mr. Sullivan is almost time.” Derek immediately grabbed his briefcase and headed for the door. “Oh, Serena—be a good assistant and print out all these documents for me.” Vanessa shot me a condescending look, her tone dripping with contempt. [Bossing Serena around feels amazing.] I looked down at the files she’d sent me. Over a thousand pages. I didn’t know what she was planning, but I followed her instructions and printed everything. From my observations, I realized my mind-reading ability had limitations. I could only hear Vanessa’s thoughts, and only within about fifteen feet. Like right now—when I placed the printed documents on her desk, she didn’t even glance at them before slamming her hand down. “Are you stupid? You’ve been here long enough to know company printing standards! Key points need to be in bold! Go reprint everything!” “You only told me to print them. You didn’t—” She cut me off. “Do I have to spell everything out? Can’t you think ahead? The company doesn’t pay you to be a brainless waste of space!” I gritted my teeth and nodded. Before I even left her office, I heard: [So this is what being a director feels like. I’m going to put her in her place every chance I get!] Every chance? She wouldn’t get many more chances. 0

I reorganized the documents and reprinted them. As I was leaving the printer room, a colleague behind me started complaining loudly: “I waited an hour in line, and now the printer’s out of paper!” “One print job takes an hour? What a waste of everyone’s time!” “Acting like company paper is free!” “Never seen anyone so shameless!” I held the stack of papers and replied coldly, “Director Vanessa requested these prints. If you have a problem, take it up with her.” The colleague scoffed. “Director Vanessa? A director wouldn’t print this kind of stuff!” She shoved a piece of paper at me. The title read: [How to Seduce a Man: A Detailed Guide] I frowned and examined it closely. The content was full of cheap, sleazy tricks. “Someone as capable as Director Vanessa would never have you print something like this!” “Making things up without even trying to be convincing. Does she still think she’s a director?” “She’s just Vanessa’s little lapdog now!” I clenched my fists, instantly realizing I’d been set up. Vanessa had hidden this garbage among the thousand pages of documents. How thoughtful of her. The commotion drew Derek and Vanessa over. “What’s all this noise about?” The gossipy colleague immediately tattled to Derek. Derek exploded. “Serena, the company doesn’t pay you to play dirty games!” “Exactly, Serena. I thought you had real talent like me!” I calmly held up the paper so everyone could see it clearly. “This looks like a screenshot from some online post. But whoever took it wasn’t very smart—they forgot to crop out their profile picture.” Everyone leaned in for a closer look. “That profile pic… isn’t that Director Vanessa…?” Vanessa’s face went pale. [Damn it! How could I forget to crop out my picture!] She stammered out an excuse. “I accidentally sent that to Serena along with the other files… But Serena, as an assistant, you should’ve double-checked everything!” “What if you’d printed confidential materials for a client meeting this carelessly? You’d be damaging the company’s reputation!” The whispers continued: “Didn’t she say she never stooped to these tactics?” “Did she sleep her way to the top?” Vanessa’s face flushed red. Derek grabbed her hand to comfort her. “Vanessa’s abilities speak for themselves. I personally promoted her!” “Everyone has a private life. Let’s keep work and personal matters separate. Is gossiping about colleagues really appropriate?” The crowd finally dispersed. Derek glanced at me. “The Morrison deal has a networking event in a few days. Go with Vanessa and make sure we close it.” Vanessa immediately objected. “No!” 0

When no one else was around, Vanessa tugged at Derek’s sleeve, pouting. “Derek, let me go alone this time. I can handle it!” [As if I’d let Serena come. What if she steals my credit?] Derek looked conflicted. After all, I was the one who’d always dealt with Mr. Morrison. “Don’t worry, Derek. I’ve already familiarized myself with all of Division One’s projects. This deal is guaranteed to go smoothly!” “Besides, Serena couldn’t even handle a simple printing task today. She’d only embarrass the company at the event!” She turned to me with a sweet smile. “Right, Serena? You’re not going to shamelessly tag along, are you?” I smiled back and slowly pulled out an invitation from my pocket. “Well, Mr. Morrison already sent me a personal invitation. It would be rude not to go.” Vanessa’s face froze. She couldn’t believe it. “That’s impossible… That invitation was sent to the company!” I opened the invitation and showed her the inside. It clearly read: Invitee: Serena. “I’m not going as a company representative. I’m going as myself. Any other questions?” Vanessa clenched her teeth. [That bitch! How did she get a personal invitation to the event!] Derek cleared his throat. “Then we’ll split up. Division One will represent the company at the event.” I turned and left. Over the next two days, I dug out all my old meeting notes with Mr. Morrison. I prepared meticulously for the negotiation. I knew exactly how much Vanessa was worth. I couldn’t let her destroy the client relationship I’d carefully cultivated. The day of the event arrived. Mr. Morrison warmly welcomed me and even arranged a private lounge for me. Shortly after, Vanessa and Derek arrived with a few key team members from Division One. They approached Mr. Morrison with smiles and toasts. I stayed quiet in the background. Vanessa shot me a gleeful look. [She’s like a pathetic little rat! Without Derek, she’s nothing!] I smirked and picked up a glass of red wine, walking straight toward her. As I passed by, I “accidentally” stumbled, splashing wine all over her dress. Vanessa shrieked. “Serena, are you insane? This is designer! Can you even afford to replace it?” “Oh, I’m so sorry.” I made a show of trying to wipe it off. Derek instinctively steadied Vanessa and snapped at me. “Serena! Since when are you this careless? Don’t you know how important tonight is for the company?” “Are you trying to sabotage Vanessa’s pitch to Mr. Morrison?” I calmly offered a solution. “I have a spare dress in my lounge. Go change—it’ll work for now.” Vanessa stormed off, cursing under her breath. I smiled. A while later, Derek spotted Vanessa emerging and quickly called her over to meet Mr. Morrison. “Mr. Morrison only has thirty minutes for us.” Vanessa nodded and began her pitch with a smile. I watched from a distance. She started squirming, pressing her thighs together. Her face grew increasingly strained. Even her speech became halting and confused. Her voice echoed in my mind again: [Ah! It burns down there!]

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My foster sister used AI to create a fake video of herself being kidnapped by homeless men, demanding five million dollars in ransom from Mom. I immediately exposed her lies and advised Mom not to fall for it. But I didn’t know my foster sister had secretly sent Mom a fake death video. When Mom pushed me off the high-rise building with her own hands, I saw her bloodshot eyes: “It’s all because you wouldn’t let me pay the ransom, and now Lily’s been killed!” “Why wasn’t it you who got kidnapped! I wish I never had you as a daughter!” After being reborn, I returned to the day Mom learned that Lily had been kidnapped. This time, I won’t stop her. Since one wants to be kidnapped and the other wants to pay the ransom, I’ll help both their dreams come true! “My poor Lily, how could she be kidnapped! Emma, what kind of sister are you! Did you offend someone and drag Lily into this? How come Lily got kidnapped but you’re perfectly fine?” “Five million—you’re not even worth five million if I sold you! How can I possibly raise five million in three days!” Once again, I found myself back on that afternoon that changed my fate. Mom gripped my arm so hard it hurt, staring at that video of Lily’s AI-generated kidnapping, firing question after question at me about what happened. In my previous life, I saw through the video at a glance—it was just that AI-generated homeless man trending online recently. I told Mom it was AI-generated by Lily, not a real kidnapping at all. Mom was skeptical but, reassured by me, didn’t pay the ransom. I thought the joke would end there. I never imagined Mom would later receive an AI-generated video showing Lily being brutally murdered. She believed it was real and buried her hatred for me deep in her heart. Until the day I finally agreed to my boyfriend’s proposal, she called me up to a rooftop under the pretense of offering her blessing. I went to meet her full of joy, only to be viciously pushed off the building. Her bloodshot eyes burned with pure hatred: “Why was Lily the one killed while you get to live? If it weren’t for you, my Lily could have married better and been so much happier!” “I wish I’d never found you! You’re nothing but bad luck—give me back my Lily!” But the Lily she claimed was dead had just messaged me saying she’d snuck out to have fun and ran out of money, asking me to send her some! It was obviously a fake death! This time, watching that video, I calmly pulled my arm free from Mom’s tight grip: “We should call the police right away. I’m sure they can rescue Lily.” “No!” Mom immediately shrieked. Worry blazed into fury in her eyes: “We can’t call the police! Emma, are you doing this on purpose!” “What if they get angry and kill Lily? Do you hate her that much!” “You need to sell your apartment and car right now! Go cry to your boss and coworkers, get on your knees and beg them if you have to, be their servant if necessary, but you must borrow that money!” I hadn’t expected her to say something like that. Suppressing my urge to argue, I asked: “Then why don’t you sell this house?” She immediately glared at me defensively: “This house can’t be sold—I’m saving it for Lily when I’m old! Don’t you dare think about getting your hands on this house!” “What about me? This is the only house in the family. If you leave it to her, what happens to me?” A sour feeling surged in my chest. I couldn’t help clenching my fists as I confronted her. Mom stared at me with disgust, her face full of disappointment and self-righteousness: “Why do you always have to compete with Lily for everything! She’s young and sensitive. Ever since you came back, she’s suffered so much!” “You’re capable and you’re the older sister—what’s wrong with giving way to her? She already feels inferior for not being the biological daughter, so of course the family assets should all go to her!” “Lily’s been kidnapped and you’re still this cold-blooded, fighting with me over who gets what?” Even though I knew she didn’t love me and had all her thoughts on Lily, hearing such blatantly biased words still made my heart ache. I held back the sting in my nose. Give way to my sister. Ever since I was found and brought back in my teens, this phrase had haunted me like a ghost. Eating her leftover snacks, wearing her hand-me-down clothes. Her birthdays were like a princess surrounded by classmates. While I had to finish washing dishes in a restaurant kitchen before squatting in a corner, reeking of grease and sweat, silently wishing myself a happy birthday. I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm: “Fine, I understand, Mom.” “You can give her all the assets. I just want to ask one thing.” “What about elderly care? When you’re old, will Lily handle that too?”

An expression of extreme disgust instantly appeared on Mom’s face. She pointed at me in disbelief: “Is all you do calculate everything?” “All these years, Lily’s been the one staying by your dad and me, being filial on your behalf. You’re not grateful and now you’re even complaining about this?” “I raised you for nothing! Don’t worry, when we’re old we’ll stay with Lily. You just need to send over alimony every month!” “And give Lily an extra three thousand a month! Taking care of us all the time isn’t easy for her!” I could hardly believe my ears. I was the one who got lost and spent over a decade in an orphanage. Lily was the one adopted to enjoy over a decade in my place! Now they were saying I should thank her? My monthly salary was only fifteen thousand. After giving them 8,880 and Lily another 3,000, would I not need to eat or drink? Given their level of favoritism, all that money would probably end up in Lily’s pocket anyway! I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I opened my mouth to argue and refuse, but was interrupted by a series of notification sounds. Mom received a bunch more AI videos from Lily. After watching them, her face immediately turned ashen. The next second, a heavy, vicious slap landed on my face, stunning me completely. “How can you be so cruel? She’s your sister! She’s suffering at the hands of kidnappers, and you’re here asking questions, refusing to give a single cent! Are you hoping she dies so you can take all our assets?” “Let me tell you, don’t even think about it! If anything happens to Lily, you won’t have it easy either!” My cheek burned with pain. That slap completely shattered all my illusions about maternal love. I grabbed her hand as she tried to hit me again, laughing coldly: “Mom, when have I ever coveted your assets? You only brought me home in high school and gave me 88 dollars a month for living expenses—not even enough to eat!” “After college, you said I was an adult and shouldn’t be a burden anymore! You never gave me another cent!” “As soon as I started working, you made me pay exorbitant rent, utilities…” “Don’t bring up all that ancient history with me!” Mom shoved me hard. Another crying AI video from Lily popped up on her phone. “Lily needs five million in ransom now. You must sell that apartment of yours!” “Impossible.” I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms: “That’s my own house. It has nothing to do with any of you! Figure out Lily’s situation yourself!” I grabbed my bag and turned to leave. Behind me came Mom’s vicious cursing and crying, along with threats telling me to get out and never come back. I walked forward with my back straight, didn’t look back, only felt my heart soaking in ice water, chilled to the bone. In my previous life it was the same—I rushed back from Seattle overnight because of one sentence from Mom, only to not even get a sip of hot water. To her, I was always cold-blooded and disobedient, not like her daughter at all, more like her enemy. As soon as I reached the hotel, I received a call from Lily. Her voice carried its usual smugness and mockery: “Emma, sorry about that. Did I get you scolded by Mom again? Oh well, Mom just loves me too much.” “By the way, don’t tell Mom about the AI videos. I’m just short on cash lately. Even if Mom finds out, she won’t blame me.” “But if you expose it, and something happens to me, who do you think Mom will believe—me or you?”

That evening, the hotel room door was pounded so hard it shook. I’d barely cracked the door open when Mom burst in and grabbed my wrist, her nails nearly embedding in my flesh as she dragged me outside: “Come home with me now! The kidnappers said they’ll take one of you as a hostage—either you or Lily! Go take Lily’s place!” She yanked me so hard I stumbled. When I understood what she meant, I couldn’t help closing my eyes. I knew Mom didn’t love me, but I never thought she could hate me this much. If this were all real and not AI, would she trade my life for Lily’s? If she never wanted me, why did she insist on bringing me back! “Mom, isn’t my life worth anything? Wouldn’t it be dangerous for me too? Am I your biological daughter or not!” But Mom gripped my wrist forcefully, her tone carrying an almost cruel certainty: “How can you and Lily be the same? She’s been pampered since childhood—she barely even falls down! You suffered so much in the orphanage, you’re stronger and tougher than her. You’ll definitely find a way to escape on your own!” “Stop talking about biological or not! Don’t ever say things like that at home again—Lily will be hurt if she hears it!” “Escape on my own?” I found it absurdly laughable. Looking at Mom’s face, anxious and worried only for Lily, I felt like a clown: “So Mom, you never planned to pay ransom for me at all? When Lily gets kidnapped you’ll sell everything to save her, but when it’s my turn, you just tell me to escape on my own and that’s it?” She looked away, only urging me to hurry. The motion-sensor lights in the hallway turned on and off with our footsteps, just like my hopes rising and shattering again and again. As soon as I got back to that house and sat down, I received a text from Lily: “See, sis? I didn’t lie to you. Mom loves me the most after all. As soon as I mentioned the choice, Mom chose to save me without hesitation. You’re so pitiful—the biological daughter, yet you’re not even as good as a replacement.” Reading “not even as good as a replacement,” I had to admit my heart felt like it was being pricked by needles. But immediately after, Mom, who’d just been frantically anxious, suddenly calmed down. She sighed and sat down beside me, forcibly taking my hand with a stiff but rarely gentle smile: “Emma, Mom was just joking earlier. What choice? You and Lily are both Mom’s daughters. I’d be worried if either of you got kidnapped!” I froze, unsure what game she was playing. Her hand carried an unfamiliar but warm heat, her tone holding a coaxing gentleness she’d never shown me: “It’s just that Lily’s situation is urgent, so Mom panicked and said nonsense. Don’t worry, I’ve already had your dad sell the house to raise money. I would never let you take that risk!” “Tonight, just stay home. Tomorrow once we’ve raised enough money, you’ll go with Mom to deliver the ransom, okay? Your dad and I are old now—you’re the only pillar of this family!”

This was too suspicious. Even though that heart instinctively seeking maternal love trembled slightly, I couldn’t possibly listen to her. I’m not an idiot! Suddenly asking me to stay home—who knows what scheme Lily might have put her up to! I flatly refused. She tried persuading me a few more times but surprisingly didn’t force me to stay when I left. My suspicions only grew. So the next day, when Mom called asking me to come home for lunch, I hesitated, sent my boyfriend a text letting him know, then went home anyway. “Emma, look! Mom made a whole table of your favorite dishes! Go wash your hands and eat.” As soon as I walked in, Mom enthusiastically and affectionately helped me with my bag and coat. Dad, who’d always been invisible at home, actually sat at the dining table serving me rice, looking at me like I was some kind of prize. But my heart, which had warmed slightly, turned ice cold when I saw the food on the table. I dodged Mom’s attempt to pull me along: “My favorite dishes? Radish, onions, and green beans—did you pick these up from the market?” “What are you being picky about…” Mom instinctively flew into a rage to scold me, but forcibly stopped herself. She wiped at nonexistent tears: “All our money is going toward the ransom, we can only afford these… What are you doing?!” Ignoring her, I yanked open the refrigerator. It was packed full of crabs and lobsters. I turned back: “This is what you call having no money?” Mom’s expression darkened instantly. She angrily pried my hand away and slammed the refrigerator door shut with a “bang”: “Those are all Lily’s favorites. She’s been kidnapped and traumatized—I’m buying her some good food in advance. Is that wrong? Are you competing over this too?” “Crabs are cold in nature, and aren’t you allergic to lobster anyway? What are you trying to eat—you’re so greedy!” I looked at the scratch marks she’d clawed into my hand, my face completely cold: “What exactly do you want?” What allergies, what cold nature—when I first came back, everything I did was timid and careful. Eating too much got me scolded, trying to please was despised, everything was wrong! Lily gets delicacies prepared for her, while I only deserve stir-fried radish and onions! “Since you asked, Mom won’t hide it.” She dropped the pretense of maternal kindness, sitting on the sofa imperiously: “We’re still three hundred thousand short for Lily’s ransom. It just so happens John’s son is getting married, and he’s willing to pay over three hundred thousand as a marriage gift to marry you! Your dad and I already agreed. This afternoon they’re coming to take you to register!” “Tomorrow’s the last day—we can’t delay Lily’s ransom any longer! As the older sister, shouldn’t you make some sacrifices? Besides, John’s family is wealthy—marrying into it would be a blessing for you!” John’s son? I was so angry my vision blurred. Everyone knew about John’s super-male syndrome son who was always sinister and violent, beating his wives until they miscarried and broke limbs. Anyone wanting a divorce had to shed blood and tears! And this is called a blessing? Should I also be grateful that I’m worth three hundred thousand and sold for a good price? I furiously swept everything off the table. Dishes and food crashed to the floor: “Why should I marry that super-male! Whoever wants to use a marriage gift to save Lily should marry him themselves!” “Mom, didn’t you say it’s a blessed life? Then you marry him. After all, saving Lily is most important, right? As a mother, shouldn’t you sacrifice something too?” After this outburst, I ignored my parents’ shocked and furious expressions, stepped over the mess, and tried to leave. But amid Mom’s venomous screeching curses, something struck the back of my head hard. My vision went black as I collapsed to the ground. Mom casually picked up my buzzing phone, but when she saw the caller ID, her pupils contracted and she threw the phone away in fright.

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Married for five years, Julian clung to me every night, murmuring that my waist was the addiction he could never quit. Until I found two pregnancy test reports hidden in the secret compartment of his study— One was mine, crossed out in red ink: “Not keeping it.” The other belonged to Chloe, with the note: “My one and only baby.” Late at night, during his so-called overtime, I received a video from the private detective. In his office, Julian roughly tore Chloe’s stockings, his fingertips sliding up the inside of her thigh: “You’re still the one with all the tricks… Once I dump that idiot, I’ll marry you.” The video froze on him desperately kissing her. Later, in front of all his most important clients, I projected that video onto the huge screen at the gala banquet. He went completely insane with regret and searched for me for three whole years. When he finally found me, I was in a wedding dress, fingers interlaced with my new love, as the ring slowly slid onto my finger. Julian stood at the entrance of the chapel, eyes bloodshot, as if they were about to bleed. I didn’t even turn my head. I only softly said to my groom: “Darling, it’s time to kiss me.”

Elara’s POV Five years into our marriage, I was finally expecting a child. I’d scheduled an appointment with our trust attorney to set up a newborn fund as a surprise for Julian on our fifth anniversary. But when the attorney tried to access Julian’s assets for authorization, the system kept denying access. “Ms. Vance, are you certain Mr. Thorne’s marital status hasn’t changed?” After several failed attempts, a hint of professional bewilderment crossed the attorney’s face. I frowned slightly. “We’ve been married for five years, and our relationship has always been stable.” The attorney tried once more, finally projecting an encrypted file onto the screen. He pushed up his glasses with a sigh. “I suggest you verify this with Mr. Thorne yourself. According to this trust agreement, the beneficiary of all Mr. Thorne’s assets, including the legal spouse clause, is a Ms. Chloe Davies.” I walked out of the law firm, chilled to the bone. The fragile joy I’d carried as an expectant mother was utterly gone. The attorney’s words were like an ice hammer, striking over and over. “Your marriage to Mr. Thorne is not legally valid.” Our five years of marriage… was it all a lie? Julian and I had known each other since childhood. He was a golden boy, a man destined for greatness, constantly surrounded by admirers, yet he cherished me above all else, always prioritizing my needs. Everyone said Julian loved me, loved me enough to pluck the stars from the sky for me. But why, then, would he secretly care for another woman, where I couldn’t see? I barely hesitated, immediately booking a flight to Naples. Julian was there, attending a top-tier business summit. I had to get answers from him directly. When I found the private island resort hosting the summit, I walked straight into the outdoor evening gala. The Neapolitan sunset washed the scene in a soft, golden light, but I had no eyes for it. I simply pushed through the clink of glasses and the murmur of polite conversation, searching for him in desperation. My gaze swept over the man being fawned over at the VIP table, and in that instant, I felt my blood run cold. He wore a perfectly tailored white suit, tall and striking, impossibly handsome. On his face was a look of profound, unburdened happiness I had never seen before. That was my husband of five years-Julian Thorne. “Congratulations, Julian, you finally made it!” “Seriously, Julian played this perfectly. He gave Elara that fairytale wedding back home to keep her placated, while over here, he waited for Chloe to come of age, then used the family trust to secure everything for her-untouchable!” “But Julian, are you serious about Chloe? Her background isn’t exactly ideal…” Someone lowered their voice. “What about Elara? These past five years…weren’t you afraid of getting caught?” “You don’t get it, ” someone chuckled. “Julian feels guilty toward Chloe, but more than that, it’s a sense of duty. If Chloe hadn’t pushed Elara out of the way back then, Elara would’ve been the one to lose her leg. Julian says he owes Chloe for life. These five years were just a waiting game-buying time until he could make it official.” “What a brilliant move!” I froze, feeling as if I’d been shoved into the deep sea, every breath a luxury. I even wondered if I was hearing things. But the next second, Julian’s own words plunged me into an ice-cold abyss. “My commitment to Chloe is real.” His voice was calm, steady, each word a verdict. “She gave up dancing to save Elara. She’ll need a cane for life. All she wants now is security and a future-things I can give her.” So, that was it. My eyes burned. That trust fund wasn’t a mistake. It was a plan. Five years ago, at an art gallery accident, I was nearly crushed by a falling sculpture. Chloe, an art student with me, didn’t hesitate. She rushed forward and pushed me to safety. She came from nothing, parentless, but with raw, stunning talent. To repay her for saving my life, Julian and I funded her entirely: hiring renowned teachers, sending her to the best schools. Back then, Julian said Chloe saving me was like saving his own life. He was willing to give everything to compensate her. I just never imagined his “compensation” would include giving away our marriage and his entire future. The most laughable part was that for five whole years, I had been utterly oblivious. Julian’s friend asked again, “What about Elara? If she finds out…” I saw him lower his eyes, his long fingers lightly tapping his phone screen, his voice laced with the confidence of someone in complete control. “I’ll continue to treat Elara just as well; she’ll never find out.” “All of you, keep your mouths shut. Don’t let anything slip in front of her.” The next moment, my phone buzzed. I looked down at the message from Julian, my heart clutched by an invisible hand, a chill spreading from my fingertips to my bones. “Sweetheart, I miss you. This summit is so boring; every second without you is agonizing. I’ll definitely be back for our anniversary. Love, Julian.” I clenched my phone, then looked up at him, laughing and chatting amidst the crowd not far away. A dense, sharp pain pierced my heart. My vision blurred, and hot tears streamed uncontrollably-this wasn’t my Julian. My Julian was the boy who, to pick a edelweiss from a cliff for me, would smile and say “it’s worth it” even with his arm scratched by rocks; He was the man who, for my eighteenth birthday, booked an entire observatory just so I could see a star named after me; He was the man who, on my parents’ remembrance day, would put aside multi-million dollar deals to spend the entire day quietly by my side; He was the man who, after we married, spoiled me into a sheltered princess, and ceaselessly doted on me and shared passionate nights… Not this liar before me, who professed love to me with one breath, while writing another woman into the legal contract of his life with the next. My heart felt like it was being torn apart, and I bit down hard on my lip. My phone vibrated again; it was his call. I hesitated for a second, then answered. “Elara, where are you? Have you had dinner? It sounds lively on your end.” His voice was as gentle as ever, tender and affectionate. “Julian, what are you doing?” I instinctively clenched my fist, my nails digging deep into my palm. I thought, if he would just admit it, I’d give him a chance to explain. “Just dealing with a few businessmen, it’s a headache.” His voice carried a deliberately crafted weariness. “Summit dinner, you know, utterly tedious. Are you at the gallery? If you like a painting, just have the manager wrap it up.” I suddenly laughed, but the light in my eyes extinguished inch by inch. After a moment of silence, I whispered, “Okay.” He immediately sensed my distress. “Sweetheart, are you upset? Who bothered you?” “Too many people. I’ll hang up now.” The moment I hung up, I saw a girl in a white evening gown, leaning on an elegant cane, hobble towards Julian and fall into his embrace. It was Chloe. “Julian, my foot hurts a little.” “Let me see.” His voice held a tenderness and caution I had never heard directed at me. He knelt, carefully massaging her ankle, his eyes filled with heartache. “It’s my fault for letting you stand so long.” That tenderness was a cruel stab to my eyes. So, his love could be divided, and his concern could be replicated. Julian, how could your heart hold two people? I fled in a panic, hiding in the dark shadows of the hotel garden, curling up and hugging myself, letting silent tears stream down my face. When the tears finally ran dry, I rose. The last glimmer of light in my eyes hardened into something cold and absolute. This five-year farce of a marriage was over. Julian, the man, was nothing to me now. Since Chloe was the only partner he would ever claim, I would give them exactly what they wanted. In two weeks, it would be my parents’ remembrance day. After I paid my respects, I would leave. I would vanish from Julian’s world without a trace.

Elara’s POV I took the earliest flight home, and the first thing I did after landing was head straight to the hospital to schedule an abortion. “Ms. Vance, the accident five years ago damaged your uterus. It’s a miracle you even conceived. If you don’t keep this child, you may find it very difficult to have one in the future. Please reconsider and talk to your husband.” My fingertips turned cold, and my heart clenched. Julian had never told me. All these years, whenever our families asked about children, he took the blame, saying he wanted a few more years with just me. My eyes filled with tears then. He had been so thoughtful, so afraid of hurting me. But no matter how good he had been, it didn’t change the fact that he had lied. “Thank you, Doctor. I’ll think about it,” I heard myself say. I walked out of the consultation room in a daze, my steps unsteady, only to see Julian-who was supposed to be abroad-at the end of the corridor. And Chloe. Julian was carefully helping Chloe out of the obstetrics clinic, his face beaming with unconcealed joy and nervousness. His gentle gaze was fixed on her face, not willing to move away for a second. “Julian, don’t be so nervous; I’m just having some early pregnancy symptoms, it’s not like I’m sick,” Chloe said, her eyes curving into a sweet, girlish smile. Julian rarely showed a smile, but his voice was unusually tight. “This is our first child; there can’t be any mishaps.” I clutched the appointment slip in my hand, feeling the temperature being slowly drained from my body. In that moment, I distinctly heard the sound of my heart shattering, inch by painful inch. It turned out, that when pain reached its peak, tears wouldn’t come. Julian helped Chloe into the elevator. The moment the elevator doors slowly closed, I lowered my head and unfolded the appointment slip. Then, I turned and walked back into the clinic. “Let’s schedule the surgery for the day after tomorrow.” I couldn’t let my child be born into a monumental lie. As if by cruel twist of fate, I met them again in the underground parking garage. In that moment, I inexplicably started my car and followed them from a distance. Julian took Chloe to a private art gallery in the city. My heart sank completely. That gallery was one he had built exclusively for me last year on my birthday. It housed all my favorite paintings. He had personally told me it was my own private artistic sanctuary. But now, he was walking into it, hand-in-hand, with another woman. Inside the gallery, Chloe stood beneath my favorite starry night painting. Julian approached, pushing a white-draped cart laden with exquisite desserts. He elegantly took a velvet box from the cart and opened it-inside was a dazzling star-themed necklace. “To my little artist, congratulations on your promotion to expectant mother.” In that instant, I almost lost my footing. “Julian… thank you,” Chloe’s eyes reddened, on the verge of tears. “You even made desserts for me yourself.” “Go on, try it,” Julian’s voice was agonizingly tender. “Once you’re done, go back and rest. You’ve spent enough time with me; it’s time for me to go back to Elara.” Chloe blinked knowingly, forcing a hint of tears. But Julian, filled with heartache, pulled her into his embrace. “Silly girl, we’re not going anywhere today. I’m staying with you. You’re my wife now; I’ll spend more time with you and the baby.” I retreated slowly from around the corner, my back pressing against the cold wall, a chill spreading up my spine, making me tremble all over. Yes. Chloe was Julian’s wife. And I was nothing but a deceived fool, completely oblivious for five whole years. I remembered when Julian first brought me here, he also had an identical necklace for me. To make that dessert, he had secretly followed a Michelin chef for an entire month. “Elara, try my cooking. From now on, I’ll take care of all your meals.” “In this lifetime, I will only love you.” He swore these vows in my ear while putting the necklace on me. But now, this unique love and adoration, which was originally mine, was perfectly and precisely replicated for Chloe. My chest felt tight and painful. It turned out Julian’s “lifetime” was so short. I turned and fled, tears streaming down my face as I left the gallery. Immediately afterward, I went straight to my lawyer’s office to begin liquidating all my assets, stripping away everything connected to Julian. My parents’ inheritance was enough to ensure my secure and carefree life. And all I wanted was to completely sever ties with him as quickly as possible.

Elara’s POV It was dusk when I returned home. The sprawling villa was empty, only a solitary light illuminating the entryway. I practically dragged myself onto the sofa, my gaze sweeping over the artworks and books we had chosen together, my heart feeling like it was being repeatedly crushed by a giant stone. Each beat brought a clear, sharp pain. I rubbed my temples, forcing myself to stand and walk toward the massive book wall. That was the first rare art book we’d found together; he had laughed and complimented me, saying my discerning eye was unmatched. That art history book, filled with our shared notes-he had once put his arm around my waist and said we would travel the world, visiting every museum together. And that rare poetry collection he’d gone to such lengths to find for me, on its flyleaf, in his beautiful handwriting- “To my dearest Elara, my only one in this life.” … I pulled out one of the books and opened it. Then, I tore every single one of his handwritten words, page by page, into tiny pieces. The sound of tearing paper was eerily clear in the empty living room. For an entire night, I mechanically repeated the same action, systematically severing every shared thought, every passion, every piece of our combined souls. By dawn, my arms were numb, my fingertips devoid of feeling. And Julian still hadn’t returned. Today was supposed to be our wedding anniversary. At the stroke of midnight on our anniversary, Julian’s social media account updated promptly. It was a video he’d personally edited, documenting our five years together, with deeply affectionate accompanying text. It captivated the entire internet overnight. The largest outdoor screens in the city center were also looping the video. The lawn outside the villa had, at some point, been transformed into a rose garden. In the center of the garden, a drone hovered, dangling a giant gift box containing a set of rare art supplies I had long wished for. His deep, magnetic voice played on a loudspeaker- “Elara, happy anniversary. I love you, just as I did from the start.” I emotionlessly pulled the curtains closed, burying myself under the duvet, shutting out the world’s clamor. Not long after, his call came through, his voice full of apology. “Sweetheart, an urgent situation came up with the merger in Europe, so I can’t make it back today. When I return, I promise to make it up to you with an even grander anniversary celebration.” Listening to his flawless lie, I suddenly chuckled, my laugh slightly trembling. “It’s alright, you focus on your work.” “Sweetheart, you sound upset.” He keenly picked up on my mood. “Don’t you like the surprise I prepared? Don’t be angry; I’ll make it up to you tenfold in a few days.” “No, work is important,” I said, my voice calm. “I’m a little tired; I want to sleep.” I hung up, curled into a ball, and desperately tried to suppress the pain in my chest. After what felt like an eternity, the bedroom door suddenly burst open, and a blinding beam of light flooded in. Silhouetted against the light, I saw Julian standing in the doorway, his face frantic. His hair was disheveled, his face pale, and his deep eyes were filled with fear and dread. Perhaps he had sensed my unusual mood and, unable to reach me, had taken his private jet straight back. The moment he saw me, he practically rushed over, pulling me into a tight embrace, his voice hoarse and choked. “Thank goodness you’re alright! Sweetheart, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…” His eyes were red, his body trembling uncontrollably. “I’ll never leave you alone again. When you didn’t answer my calls, my whole world collapsed.” “Nothing is more important than you; I came back to be with you.” I remained silent. He assumed I was still angry, so he knelt by the bed, softly coaxing me. “Elara, promise me you won’t ever ignore my calls again, don’t shut me out. I truly will go crazy.” His tension and fear seemed genuine. He loved me. But this love was tainted with too many lies and calculations. “You came back quickly,” I said, a ghost of a smile on my lips. His expression shifted instantly, a flash of guilt before he veered away. “Darling, you haven’t eaten all day. Let me take you to the gallery. I had your favorite made.” “No,” I shook my head. Panic tightened his features. “Then rest. I’ll make you something downstairs.” “Mm.” I gave a curt nod and turned away. He mistook my silence for petulance, drew a steadying breath, and left. The moment the door closed, I lay there, eyes wide open, staring into the darkness, my heart a barren wasteland.

Elara’s POV About ten minutes later, a commotion erupted downstairs. I went down and saw Julian’s friends crowding the living room. They were frantically trying to piece back together the torn book pages, attempting to return them to the shelves, as if restoring those fragments could somehow make everything go back to how it was. Seeing me appear, several of them spoke at once. “Elara, Julian almost tore Europe apart looking for you. Don’t scare him like that again.” “Next time you’re angry, tell us; we’ll help you beat him up. Just don’t turn off your phone again, Julian really went crazy.” “That’s right, Julian’s face turned white as a sheet when he saw the shredded paper everywhere; he almost fainted on the spot. He insisted on going through the trash, saying he’d tape every single piece back together.” “That’s enough,” Julian said, standing nearby, his face full of remorse. “It’s all my fault for upsetting Elara. I’ll accept whatever she does to me.” “Julian truly loves Elara; he has no pride in front of her. She’s so lucky.” I looked over and saw Chloe, who had arrived sometime earlier, standing in the crowd, looking envious. Julian’s expression was normal, a gentle smile on his lips. “She’s my wife, of course, I’ll spoil her.” A wave of intense nausea suddenly churned in my stomach. I spoke calmly. “No need to put the books back; I want to change the style.” Julian immediately came to my side, put his arm around my waist, his voice gentle and firm. “Alright, everyone stop. Listen to my wife.” He helped me sit on the sofa, then turned and went back to the kitchen. Soon, the dining table was laden with all the dishes I used to love. But I had no appetite. With one hand, he solicitously served me food, softly coaxing me to eat more; with the other, beneath the table, he clasped Chloe’s hand tightly. In that moment, I suddenly felt the absurdity of it all. I just wanted to escape. After dinner, Julian had arranged a fireworks display over the sea and invited my favorite jazz band. Halfway through the performance, he excused himself to go to the restroom. Impulsively, I followed him. In the yacht’s VIP lounge, I watched Chloe practically throw herself into Julian’s arms, rising on tiptoes to kiss him. “Julian, I miss you so much, just for a moment.” Julian put one arm around her waist and the other hand on the back of her head, deepening the kiss, and the room’s temperature instantly soared. After a long while, Chloe, her face flushed, pushed him away, her breath ragged. “Alright, you should go back to Elara.” “Are you sure?” Julian’s eyes, tinged with desire, caressed her red lips. Chloe lowered her gaze. “No, but Elara isn’t even answering your calls because of me. I don’t want her to be sad anymore. I can wait. You can come back to me after you’ve spent time with her.” “Your thoughtfulness always breaks my heart. Good girl, don’t think about anyone else right now, just enjoy.” Julian kissed her lips, tracing a path downward… A soft moan of pleasure escaped Chloe’s lips. “Julian, no…” It felt like being dropped into an ice bath. I bit down on the back of my hand, hard, to keep silent. I thought my heart had died, but seeing the betrayal up close-the pain was still visceral. A sharp, burning cramp twisted in my stomach. Nausea hit me like a wave. I clamped a hand over my mouth, stumbled to the bathroom, and retched until the room spun. Beneath the sickness, a familiar, dull ache pulsed low in my abdomen. I gently touched my abdomen, my eyes blurred with tears. Baby, I’m so sorry.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “354834”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance

Seven days before the wedding, Isaac pinned me against the floor-to-ceiling window, breathing heavily as he bit my earlobe and whispered that he would only love me in this lifetime. But ten minutes later, I heard him bragging to his friend through the dashcam recording: “Caroline is such an idiot. I’ve already fucked her senseless and she still hasn’t figured out that I don’t love her.” It turned out that million-dollar dream wedding was actually his elaborate revenge scheme designed for his first love. I smiled, wiped away the white traces he left between my legs, and quietly swapped the fertility pills for birth control. On the wedding day, I synced the video to the giant screen at the ceremony venue. As the live camera panned to the empty wedding dress, I was already boarding a first-class cabin using his secondary card. Only after the plane soared into the clouds did I send him one final message: “Show’s over. Don’t forget to enjoy the little surprise I left you.” Later, he knelt outside an art gallery in the pouring rain, only to watch my new boyfriend gently kiss the paint off my neck and murmur, “Baby… the studio sofa is way more exciting than your wedding bed, isn’t it?”

Caroline POV In seven days, I would marry Isaac. Our entire social circle buzzed with the same gossip: how I’d hit the jackpot, transforming from Floyd’s persistent admirer to Isaac’s cherished fiancée. Even I started to believe it. For years, Isaac had treated me like a treasure. He would drive across the city through a storm to bring me hot soup. He would postpone billion-dollar mergers to sit with me when I was unwell. He’d said, “Caroline, I’m going to give you a wedding for the century. The kind that silences every critic for good.” I believed him. Until ten minutes ago, when I received his text. “Honey, I had someone drop off the dashcam’s SD card. Could you grab the video of the fender bender for the insurance company?” This was followed by a voice message. “Thanks, babe. I’ll take you to that French restaurant tonight.” I smiled, typing “Okay” back, and inserted the card. The video was easy to find. After handling the accident, Isaac didn’t head to the office. Instead, he picked up two friends. I was about to close the file when a mocking laugh echoed from the speakers. “Isaac, that female driver was really checking you out. Caroline would be so jealous if she knew, right?” My hand, on the mouse, froze. I expected Isaac to defend me. “Jealous?” Isaac’s voice was cold, accompanied by the crisp click of a lighter. “Right now, all she can think about is being the most beautiful bride. She wouldn’t have time for jealousy.” My smile stiffened on my face. The conversation in the car continued, every word like a dagger. “Spending millions on this wedding just to spite Floyd, is it really worth it?” “What if Caroline clings to you afterward? You’ve been living together for four years, after all.” On the screen, Isaac exhaled a smoke ring, blurring his handsome profile. But it didn’t hide the coldness in his eyes. “A few million to see Floyd’s face fall flat? That’s a bargain.” He chuckled, as if discussing a worthless object. “On the wedding day, I’ll announce ‘game over’ in front of everyone.” “Floyd’s reaction will be priceless.” The car filled with the men’s crude laughter. “What about Caroline then? Getting dumped at the altar, live-streamed across the city – her life will be ruined, won’t it?” Isaac flicked his cigarette ash, indifferent. “It’s an adult game. If she’s stupid, who’s to blame?” The video cut abruptly. My study was deadly silent. I sat frozen in my chair, my blood turning to ice. So, those four years of deep affection were nothing but a meticulously planned deception. My stomach churned. I rushed to the bathroom, retching over the toilet, but nothing came up. Tears splashed onto the floor, and I fiercely wiped them away. Caroline, don’t cry. He’s not worth your tears. I splashed cold water on my face, looking at my pale reflection in the mirror. So, you want to play dirty? Fine, I’ll play along. I returned to my computer, my hands still trembling, but my eyes had grown cold. I backed up that five-minute recording of their car conversation, along with the accident video, to my cloud storage. Then, I only clipped the accident footage and sent it to the insurance specialist. My phone lit up with a message from Isaac: “Did you send the video? I’ll be back to pick you up soon. Wear that red dress tonight, you look gorgeous in it.” I stared at his familiar profile picture, my fingertips turning white from how hard I pressed them. Finally, I replied: “Sent.” Putting my phone down, I walked into my walk-in closet. The red dress hung in the most prominent spot, flown in from Paris by him last week. He’d said only my skin tone could pull off that shade of red. Memories flashed back to that stormy night four years ago. Floyd had thrown the birthday gift I’d made him into the trash, mocking me in front of everyone. “Caroline, do you not understand ‘no’? Just looking at you makes me sick.” Everyone laughed, and I felt like a pathetic clown. It was Isaac who emerged from the corner, draped his suit jacket over me, shielding me from those humiliating stares. “Come with me,” he’d said. “I’ll take you home.” That night, I thought he was my savior. Now I knew, all of it, every single thing, was a lie.

Caroline POV At 7 PM, Isaac arrived promptly to pick me up. He wore a deep gray custom suit, his tie the one I’d personally tied for him that morning. As soon as he got in the car, he leaned over and kissed my forehead. “Why are your hands so cold?” He held my hand, his brow furrowed, his eyes filled with concern. “Did you leave the study air conditioning on too high?” If I hadn’t heard that recording. I would have certainly believed myself to be the happiest woman in the world right then. I pulled my hand back, pretending to adjust my dress. “Maybe I’m just hungry.” Isaac didn’t suspect anything, smiling as he started the car. “Then let’s go, wouldn’t want my fiancée to starve.” The restaurant was on the top floor, offering a panoramic view of the city lights. As I cut my steak, I spoke casually. “Isaac.” “Hmm?” He smoothly swapped our plates, placing the neatly cut beef in front of me. “I ran into Austin today.” I watched his eyes, not missing a single flicker of expression. “He asked if I was nervous.” Isaac’s hand, mid-cut through the meat, paused. It lasted only a second, too brief to catch. Then he looked up, his smile perfect. “Don’t mind him. You just focus on being beautiful.” “He also said…” I tightened my grip on the knife and fork, my fingertips pressing hard. “Floyd’s back in the country recently, and he asked if that would make you awkward.” “Caroline.” Isaac put down his cutlery, reaching to cover my hand. His palm was warm, but his tone held an unyielding firmness. “Why bring that person up? I told you, we’re getting married. Everything from the past is over.” He looked at me, his eyes so deep with affection they could drown a person. “I only want you.” If that recording wasn’t still sitting in my cloud storage, I would have almost believed him again. “Right, it’s over.” I lowered my head, spearing a piece of beef and putting it in my mouth. Medium-rare, still a little bloody. It was premium quality, yet it tasted like sawdust in my mouth. “Oh, right.” Isaac seemed to remember something, pulling out a delicate velvet box and sliding it across the table to me. “I almost forgot, this is your pre-wedding gift.” I opened it. It was a sapphire necklace, deep in color and clearly very expensive. “Do you like it?” He looked at me expectantly. I gazed at the deep blue, suddenly recalling an Ins story Bethany had posted last month. The caption read: “Love this profound blue, but Isaac said it doesn’t suit me.” So, it didn’t suit her, and that’s why it came to me. Or perhaps, he bought two, and this was the leftover one? “I love it.” I closed the lid, curving my lips into a smile for him. “Must have been expensive, right?” “Spending money on you, any amount is worth it.” Isaac ruffled my hair, his eyes full of doting affection. I made an excuse to go to the restroom to touch up my makeup. Standing at the sink, I looked at the woman with perfect makeup in the mirror, forcing a smile that was uglier than a cry. If you want to play the doting fiancé, then I’ll help you out. I pulled out my phone and dialed my immigration lawyer. The call was answered immediately. “Miss Caroline, have you reached a decision?” I looked at my reflection, my voice chillingly calm. “Please reschedule my flight.” “To when?” “The morning of the wedding. Ten o’clock.” I hung up and reapplied my lipstick. Watching the vibrant red take shape, I felt my heart harden. Isaac. This last dinner, I will remember it well. When I returned to the table, Isaac was replying to messages. Seeing me, he quickly turned off his screen, smiling as he stood up. “Let’s go, home.” I linked my arm through his, feeling his muscles tense for a split second. “Okay, home.”

Caroline POV Five days before the wedding, Bethany arrived. Under the guise of helping with preparations, she brazenly moved into the Gerald estate. She was Isaac’s childhood friend. And in the circle, she was widely known as the woman Isaac truly loved. If not for the strong opposition from the Gerald family elders, the position of Mrs. Gerald would have been hers long ago. “Caroline, this evening gown is so beautiful.” Bethany stood in front of the fitting room mirror, wearing the red toast dress that was originally mine. The waist had been altered to be incredibly tight, accentuating her graceful figure. She twirled, looking at Isaac, who was seated on the sofa. “Isaac, don’t I look better than Caroline in red?” Isaac held a business magazine, not looking up. “Stop it, take it off. That’s for Caroline.” His tone was one of reproof, yet I couldn’t detect a hint of anger. Bethany pouted, reluctantly heading to the dressing room. “So stingy, I just wanted to try it on!” I sat nearby, sipping my tea, watching quietly. In the past, I would have been angry, would have argued with Isaac. Then Isaac would have patiently appeased me, saying I was narrow-minded, saying Bethany was just like a sister. Now, looking back, I realize how foolish I must have seemed. “Caroline, don’t mind her. Bethany’s just spoiled by me.” Isaac put down his magazine and reached for my hand. “If you don’t like it, I’ll ask her to move out.” “It’s fine.” I avoided his hand, pouring him a cup of tea. “It’s lively with more people. Plus, there are plenty of rooms.” Isaac paused. He clearly hadn’t expected me to be so generous. Before, whenever Bethany appeared, all my defenses would go up. “You’re not mad?” He looked at me, testing the waters. “Why would I be mad?” I smiled. “She’s a friend, and she’ll be a frequent guest. Besides, it’s just a dress. If she likes it, let her wear it.” After all, I wasn’t planning on wearing that dress anyway. A flicker of surprise, then relief, crossed Isaac’s eyes. “Caroline, you’ve really changed. You’ve become more mature.” Mature? You all forced me to be mature. Just then, a sharp crash came from the dressing room. Followed by Bethany’s cry. “Oops!” Isaac’s expression shifted. He tossed the magazine aside and was already moving. So fast, I didn’t even react. At the dressing room door, Bethany was sprawled on the floor, surrounded by shattered ceramic pieces. It was a sculpture by a modern art master, which Isaac had paid a fortune for and gifted to me. “Isaac, I didn’t mean to…” Bethany’s eyes were red-rimmed, looking utterly pitiful. “I tripped, and I tried to catch the sculpture, but then…” Isaac didn’t even glance at the priceless artwork. He immediately knelt down, taking Bethany’s hand to check it. “Did you cut your hand? How can you be so clumsy?” “It hurts…” Bethany whined delicately. I stood a few feet away, watching the jarring scene. That sculpture, Isaac had once cherished it, saying it represented our unbreakable love. Now it was shattered into pieces, and he didn’t even bat an eye. “Caroline!” Isaac turned to me, his voice urgent. “Go get the first-aid kit, Bethany cut her hand.” I looked at him, unmoving. “What’s wrong?” He frowned, seemingly annoyed by my slow reaction. “Nothing.” I turned towards the cabinet, my voice calm. “It’s broken, so what? “It was old anyway. Time for a new one.” Isaac’s body stiffened. He seemed to infer something from my words, yet also seemed to miss everything. His attention was entirely focused on Bethany’s wound, which wasn’t even bleeding. I returned with the first-aid kit, placing it on the table. “You two can take your time. I’m tired, I’m going upstairs to rest.” As I turned to go upstairs, I heard Bethany whisper. “Isaac, is Caroline mad?” Isaac’s voice was irritable. “Don’t mind her. She was never this cold-hearted before.” I didn’t stop. Reaching the second-floor landing, I took out my phone and sent a message to the pet transport company: “Please add another pet transport ticket. I’m taking Buddy with me.”

Caroline POV Three days before the wedding, the jewelry company delivered the wedding rings. Isaac was on a video conference in his study, so he asked me to sign for them. I signed the receipt and took the heavy box into his study. He was listening to a subordinate’s report, his expression serious. Seeing me enter, his eyes softened instantly. He pointed to the corner of the desk, signaling me to put it down for now. I placed the box on the desk. As I turned, my elbow accidentally knocked over a stack of documents. They scattered across the floor, revealing a design blueprint hidden beneath. I bent down to pick them up. My movements paused the moment I saw the blueprint clearly. It was a rough sketch of a ring design. The main stone was a rare pink diamond, and the inside of the band was engraved with “Only One.” The date on it was half a month ago. The wedding ring I had just signed for, however, had a white diamond as the main stone and was engraved with the first initials of our names. Isaac took off his headphones and walked over. “What’s wrong?” He followed my gaze to the blueprint, his expression stiffening. He discreetly pulled it out and tucked it into a folder. “Nothing, just a discarded draft.” His tone was natural as he put an arm around my shoulder. “Did you try on the ring? Does it fit?” I looked at him and smiled. “Not yet. I’ll try it tonight.” At two in the morning, the person beside me was breathing steadily. I quietly got out of bed and walked into the study. I opened the safe; the password was my birthday. Inside, two identical dark blue boxes rested silently. I opened the one on the left. Inside was a pink diamond, engraved “Only One.” Dazzling. I opened the one on the right. A white diamond, engraved with our initials. Standard Isaac had once said, “Caroline, you are my only one.” It turned out this was the real “only one.” I took both rings out. And swapped their cases. I put the pink diamond into the box designated for the wedding, and the white diamond into the box that was originally meant for Bethany. After doing all that, I closed the safe. Back in the bedroom, Isaac rolled over, his arm instinctively reaching for me. I avoided his hand and lay on the edge of the bed. Moonlight spilled across the floor, lighting the calendar on the nightstand. A date was circled in red. Three more days until I could finally leave him.

Caroline POV Next, I started clearing out my belongings. My home was filled with all the gifts Isaac had given me over the past four years. Hermès bags, Cartier sets, limited edition high heels. Once, these were all proof of his affection. I contacted a luxury consignment store. Because of the sheer volume, they sent an appraiser directly to my home. “Mrs. Gerald, these bags are all brand new. Are you sure you want to sell them all?” The appraiser, wearing gloves, looked regretful. “Sell them.” I took a sip of coffee, my voice calm. “Transfer the money, the sooner the better.” Isaac returned just as several workers were moving boxes. The house was half-empty, feeling somewhat desolate. “What’s going on?” He frowned, looking at the empty walk-in closet. “I want to redecorate.” I walked over, helping him untie his tie. “Clear out all the old stuff. After we’re married, everything will be new. I want every corner of our home to be a fresh start.” Isaac paused. Then, a smile spread across his face. He probably thought I was hopelessly in love with him, wanting to completely bid farewell to the past and wholeheartedly become his wife. “Okay.” He took my hand and kissed my fingertips. “Whatever you want. As long as you’re happy, you can tear the house down.” I pointed to Buddy’s dog bed in the corner. “I sent Buddy to a pet hotel. It’s a bit messy here these days, and I didn’t want him to be disturbed.” Buddy was our golden retriever, whom Isaac usually doted on the most. “Whatever you say.” He didn’t show any suspicion, even looking a little touched. “Caroline, you’ve worked so hard for this home.” While Isaac was in the bathroom showering. My phone vibrated with a bank deposit notification. A long string of numbers, enough to buy a small apartment in London. I deleted the message and opened my private cloud storage. I scheduled the dashcam video to be sent at a specific time. The recipient was the wedding control center. The send time was 10 AM on the wedding day. After doing all this, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped. Isaac emerged, wrapped in a towel, his hair still dripping. “Honey, could you grab my pajamas?” I handed them to him. As he took them, he pulled me into his arms, his voice a little husky. “The wedding’s in two days. Nervous?” I leaned against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. “Not nervous,” I said. “I’m very much looking forward to it.” I’m very much looking forward to how surprised you’ll be when you see the grand gift I’m giving you.

Caroline POV It was the day before the wedding. I went to the wedding planner’s office to confirm the final details. As I stepped out of the elevator, someone blocked my way. Floyd leaned against the corridor wall, a cigarette held between his fingers. Through the haze of smoke, his face was as cold and arrogant as ever. “Caroline, you actually dare to marry him.” He flicked his cigarette ash, looking at me as if I were an idiot. “Do you really believe Isaac would change for you?” I stopped, looking at the man I had chased for seven years. Once, I would have waited in a snowstorm for three hours just to see him. Now, looking at him, my heart was surprisingly calm. “Mr. Floyd, do you have any advice?” “Isaac is playing you.” Floyd sneered, taking a step closer. “He’s been battling me for years; marrying you is just to spite me. Believe it or not, the moment the wedding is over, you’ll be nothing but a discarded pawn.” He was right. Unfortunately, he was too late. “So what?” I looked at him, a playful smile on my lips. “Are you feeling sorry for me, Floyd? Or do you just miss me?” Floyd’s face changed, as if he’d heard a joke. “Caroline, don’t get ahead of yourself. I just don’t want to see you make a fool of yourself, and then come crying to me.” “Don’t worry.” I smoothed my wind-blown hair. “Even if I were dying, I wouldn’t beg you.” Floyd’s face darkened. “You’re truly ungrateful.” I walked past him, heading for the elevator. As I brushed past, I stopped and turned my head to look at him. “Floyd, make sure to sit in the front row tomorrow.” I smiled, my voice soft. “After all, this show wouldn’t be as exciting without an audience like you.” Floyd looked at me, brow furrowed. For the first time, his eyes held a flicker of confusion and something unreadable. The elevator doors closed, severing his gaze. My phone rang. It was Isaac. “Caroline, where are you? The planner says there’s a schedule change. They need us for a rehearsal.” I stared at the vibrating screen. A change? So they’re swapping out our memory slideshow for something else. “Okay, I’m downstairs.” I answered, my voice gentle. “I’ll be right up.”

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