Category: English

I used to think that the maid’s daughter, Daisy Carmichael, was born with a fatal flaw: she always had to be the center of attention. Every time she stepped out, she managed to look more dazzling, more the main character, than me, the actual heiress of the Bellwether name. In my past life, at my own engagement party, she cut up every single one of my custom evening gowns. She then swept in, decked out in the one she’d stolen, and became the undeniable focus of the entire room. Everyone murmured that shewas the real leading lady. My fiancé, Tate Donovan, was instantly smitten. They sealed their perverse bond right under my nose. When I finally uncovered the truth, I flew into a furious, irrational rage and tried to tear them apart. That decision cost me everything. My parents were framed, ruined, and died. As for me? Tate and Daisy tied me to his yacht and drowned me in the middle of the ocean. A second chance. I woke up back on the day Daisy had my dresses in her sights. I watched her through the security feed, her smile sickly sweet as she brought the scissors to the first panel of silk. I simply smiled back. Please. I am Charlotte Bellwether. I own the world she breathes in. How dare a low-grade parasite who eats my food and sleeps in my house think she can compete with me? 1. The first person I saw when I opened my eyes was Mr. Alistair, our butler. “Miss Charlie, it’s dreadful! The custom lavender gown you ordered has been sneakily taken by Daisy Carmichael.” I chased him out the door just in time to see the dust kicking up from the tires of my sports car as Daisy peeled out, leaving me nothing but the bitter, rich exhaust fumes. Tch. I should have never let her tag along when I took my driver’s test. Back inside the manor, Mr. Alistair confirmed the inevitable: every single one of my haute couture dresses in the upstairs closet had been deliberately slashed, making them completely unwearable. Just like last time. I stood at the entrance of the walk-in closet, surveying the wreckage—the beautiful, expensive fabric scattered across the floor—and gave a calm, measured command. “Alistair, call the police.” Then I took out my phone and dialed my mother’s number. As soon as she picked up, I switched my voice to a ragged cry. “Mom, something terrible happened! We’ve been robbed!” In the previous timeline, Daisy had stolen the dress and ruined the rest. I was so consumed by rage that I grabbed a random dress and sped to the engagement party. I hit traffic. By the time I burst through the doors, looking dishevelled and frantic, Daisy was basking in the spotlight. Tate, my fiancé, and even my stupid, blindly loyal brother, Spencer, were orbiting her like planets. I lost my head. I stormed the party like a lunatic, humiliating my parents in front of the entire elite social circuit. I still married Tate, but I walked right into his trap. He used my father’s trust to gain a high-ranking position in the company, smuggled goods through illegal channels, and then expertly dumped the entire scandal onto my dad. Dad went to prison. Mom, overwhelmed by grief and stress, got into a massive car accident and died from her injuries. Spencer, my idiotic, worshipping little brother, was also framed by Tate and Daisy and thrown into jail. Finally, Tate took me to the middle of the Pacific on his yacht and shoved me overboard so he could be with Daisy. “You are not even worth one of Daisy’s manicured fingernails,” he hissed, his face contorted with disgust. “Marrying you was the most nauseating thing I’ve ever done.” As the icy water closed over my head, the last thing I saw was Tate’s face, softened with sickening adoration, as he pulled Daisy into a deep kiss. 2. I arrived at the banquet hall with a police escort. Pushing open the massive doors, the scene was a perfect, sickening replica of my memory. Daisy was surrounded. She wore my pale lavender gown—the sleek, soft fabric molding perfectly to her deceptively demure figure. Tate and Spencer stood guard on either side of her, like two knights attending their sweet, innocent queen. The only difference was my parents. Last time, they were frantically trying to call me. This time, because I had warned them and told them to stay put, they sat quietly at their table, watching the unfolding scene with cold, appraising eyes. The lead officer walked straight up to Daisy. “Are you Daisy Carmichael?” The sight of the uniform startled her. “Yes, I am.” “We have a report of grand larceny and criminal destruction of property. We need you to come with us for questioning.” Daisy looked at me, her eyes immediately welling up. “Charlie, how could you do this to me?” I took a deliberate step back. “Do what to you? Please, don’t start with the waterworks. It’s not like you’re the only person who knows how to cry.” She turned back to the officer. “Officer, this is a misunderstanding. My older sister is just playing a joke! We’re like family, she and I—” I cut her off, my voice sharp. “Don’t you dare! Sister? Who said I was kidding around? This is grand larceny!” I turned to the officer. “My sports car is missing. All the household staff confirmed they didn’t touch it. And all the dresses in my closet have been damaged. I have arranged for the security footage to be copied and delivered to the precinct. The evidence will speak for itself.” The buzz among the guests intensified. They looked at Daisy with sudden suspicion. Daisy’s tears finally spilled over. “Charlie, I know you come from a high-born family, but that doesn’t give you the right to insult me! I may be poor, but I have my pride! You can’t just humiliate me in public, step on my self-respect like this!” “Hold it right there.” I held up a hand. “I’m rich. So what? My parents worked for that money. Does having money make me a monster?” I swept my gaze over the room. “Everyone here has means. Does that make us all soulless villains? Even if I were the villain you claim, it certainly doesn’t fall to the maid’s daughter to dispense justice.” “And while we’re talking about pride and justice: you’re wearing my custom gown right now, standing cozied up to my fiancé. What kind of justice is that? Before you preach about your self-respect, maybe you should hand over the dress I had custom-made for my engagement. It’s not meant to be your wedding veil.” The focus in the room became laser-sharp—every eye on the gown Daisy was wearing. “I thought that dress looked a little ill-fitting on her. She stole it?” “I heard she was the maid’s daughter. No wonder I’ve never seen her at an event.” “The sheer audacity! Stealing from your employers and then preaching about dignity. She’s truly shameless.” Daisy’s face cycled through white, green, and red. She was trapped. She couldn’t take the dress off, but she couldn’t stand the judgment. It was then that Tate finally stepped forward. 3. “Enough!” Tate moved in front of Daisy, shielding her. “Charlotte, you’ve gone too far!” He looked at Daisy with a tenderness that made my stomach churn. “It’s just a dress. She looks far more beautiful in it than you ever would. Why can’t you be the bigger person and simply gift it to her?” He met my eyes, his cold and dismissive. “On such an important day, did you really have to cause such a scene? Do you have to make everyone uncomfortable?” He then addressed the police officers. “This is clearly a huge misunderstanding. Thank you for your time, gentlemen. You can go now.” The lead officer gave him a skeptical look. “Are you the person who filed the report, sir? If not, please stand back.” Tate was the product of Harrison Donovan’s extramarital affair. After Harrison’s legitimate wife died, he immediately brought Tate and his mother into the family. That illegitimate status was an open secret in our social circle. In my past life, I was obsessed with Tate. I chased him, threw myself at him, and gave him everything he asked for. He repaid that devotion by killing me. But I was no longer the lovesick fool I once was. My gaze landed on Harrison Donovan, who was hiding near the back of the room with his new wife. “Mr. Donovan,” I said, my voice ringing out clearly. “This is only the engagement. I haven’t even officially married into your family, and Tate is already treating me like this—for the sake of another woman, no less. Do you think this engagement is still necessary?” The Donovan family’s standing was leagues below the Bellwethers’. Tate’s and his mother’s only claim to status was their impending marriage alliance with my family. Harrison, hearing his name called out publicly, had no choice but to awkwardly approach the front. He glared fiercely at Tate. “Apologize!” Tate jutted his chin out. “I did nothing wrong. Why should I apologize?” Tate’s mother rushed over and subtly dug her nails into his arm, but he was too stubborn to back down. My father walked up, his eyes full of contempt for Tate. “Who do you think you are? If my daughter hadn’t, inexplicably, been interested in you, you wouldn’t even be allowed to stand here.” My mother pointed at Daisy. “Officers, we insist on pursuing this investigation. Please take her in.” My brother, Spencer, who had been silent, suddenly burst out. “Dad!” “Shut up!” My father’s glare was like ice. “Look at you, Spencer. Like a hungry penguin begging for scraps at the zoo. You’re an embarrassment.” Spencer could only watch, his eyes burning with resentment, as the police led Daisy away. 4. The security footage was damning. It clearly showed Daisy walking into my closet, taking the lavender dress, and walking out. When she reappeared, she was wearing the stolen dress, but now she was holding a pair of shears. She systematically opened the dress bags and cut through the expensive garments, one by one. The garage footage then showed her getting into my sports car and driving off. The evidence was ironclad. Daisy had no room to deny it. At the police station, she pleaded with me through torrents of tears. “Charlie, I’m so sorry, I made a mistake! It was just a stupid joke, I didn’t mean to ruin your engagement. Please, please forgive me!” I pulled out my phone, pressed a few buttons, and handed it to her. “All the damages, the dress, the car—it comes to seventy-five thousand dollars. If you transfer the full amount, I’ll sign an agreement not to press charges. You messed up. You take responsibility. That’s how it works.” Seventy-five thousand dollars. Her mother, Mrs. Rodriguez, earned maybe seven thousand dollars a month. There was no way Daisy could produce that much cash. Tate was grounded by his father because of the scene, so he wouldn’t be riding in on a white horse. Even if he could, Tate, with his illegitimate status, was far from financially independent. No one in our circle would lend that kind of money to an ambitious bastard who’d just disgraced himself. No one except the old me, the lovesick fool. But the new me was not the old me. I signed the non-prosecution agreement and walked out of the police station feeling victorious. It wasn’t until I reached the car that I realized how Daisy had managed to gather the funds so quickly. It was my dear brother, Spencer. Daisy had merely whined “Ah-hao” over the phone, and the idiot had immediately transferred the money from his account to hers. My blood boiled as I watched them embrace, the transfer essentially moving my family’s money from one pocket to the other. To make matters worse, Spencer had the gall to bring Daisy right back to my house. 5. The next morning, I stepped out of my room and immediately heard the sickeningly sweet voices of Daisy and Spencer downstairs. I walked down to the dining room and saw Daisy plastered against Spencer like a barnacle. They looked up at me with a shared expression of resentment, as if I were the monster for having Daisy arrested. A lavish breakfast was set before them. My place setting was bare, like a locust-stripped field. Not even a glass of water. In the kitchen, Mrs. Rodriguez, the maid, saw me, gave me her back, and continued tidying up, pointedly ignoring me. This was her attempt to give me a subtle punishment for taking her daughter in. I cleared my throat twice. Silence. I called out to Mr. Alistair. “Alistair, if a maid can’t even manage a simple breakfast, perhaps it’s time to find a replacement.” Alistair nodded crisply. “Very good, Miss Charlie. I’ll see to the hiring process immediately.” Daisy shot out of her seat. “Charlie Bellwether, you can’t fire my mother!” “Why? Because I’ve been downstairs for almost ten minutes and haven’t seen a glass of water? This is a household, not a charity. I have no interest in paying a useless employee.” Spencer pulled Daisy back into his arms. “Don’t you have hands, Charlie? Get your own damn water!” I shot him a withering look. “Spencer, don’t force me to slap you before 9 a.m. She’s an employee; she’s supposed to work. What do you think we hire her for? To sit around and collect a paycheck?” “And you, my brother, are defending an outsider without even knowing the facts. Is your brain filled with lukewarm oatmeal?” Mrs. Rodriguez stepped out from behind Spencer, her expression surprisingly composed. “Miss Charlie, I was hired by the Master and the Mistress, not you. You don’t have the authority to dismiss me.” “I have been here for over ten years. I treated you like my own daughter. To speak to me, your elder, with such disrespect—do you have no manners?” “Mrs. Rodriguez,” my mother’s voice cut in from the second-floor landing. She looked down at the maid. “If my daughter’s lack of manners offends you so much, perhaps you should find a family with more polite children to employ you.” Mrs. Rodriguez’s composure shattered. “Madam, I didn’t mean that! I only meant to look out for Miss Charlie, to ensure she wasn’t taken advantage of.” “Exactly, Mom! Mrs. Rodriguez is right. It’s Charlie who’s always being a bully to Daisy!” Spencer chimed in, completely oblivious to the frostiness in Mom’s eyes. “If Daisy weren’t so forgiving, I would have—” “Spencer!” Mom snapped, cutting off his pathetic rant. “Go back to your room. You are grounded until I say otherwise.” He didn’t dare cross Mom. He glared at me, then stomped up the stairs. As he passed me, he muttered, “Charlotte, you’ll pay for this.” 6. In the end, Mrs. Rodriguez was not fired. I had intervened, pleading with my mother to let her stay so that I could monitor her behavior. Telling Alistair to hire a new maid was merely a scare tactic. This mother and daughter had ruined my life once; I couldn’t let them off the hook so easily. Mrs. Rodriguez bowed and scraped, thanking me profusely, but when she lifted her head, the look of seething hatred in her eyes was barely concealed. That was exactly what I wanted. Tormenting them would be so much more satisfying.

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Blair Wellington was in love with my roommate. She stood with him in front of both our families, publicly demanding that the ridiculous childhood engagement between us be canceled. She pointed at me and addressed the parents in the room: “I have never loved him, and the thought of marrying him makes me physically ill.” That was the last day I ever loved Blair Wellington. Later, when another girl confessed her feelings to me, Blair tried desperately to stop us from being together. In her hand, she clutched the childish marriage vow she’d written for me when we were kids. “But you promised… you’d only ever marry me when we grew up.” 1 I had just arrived when Blair Wellington started arguing with her parents—with my roommate, Nolan, standing right beside her. I stomped the snow off my boots and reached for the front door. “I already told you, I never agreed to that absurd engagement pact!” The cold sneer in her voice stopped my hand right before I pushed the door open. “That was set when you two were children! Now you bring a boy here? Do you have any idea how much shame you’re bringing to the Rivers family?!” Through the small gap in the doorway, I watched Blair arguing with her father. My own parents sat silently on the side, their faces drawn and tight. “This is my boyfriend, Nolan.” Blair clutched Nolan Pierce’s hand, staking her claim. Her father’s face was turning beet red. “You are going to marry Cam, and that’s final! You don’t get a choice!” My hand trembled, and the door swung open unexpectedly. Every eye in the room landed on me. Blair’s gaze was cold. She pointed a finger at me and looked back at her parents. Her voice rang out, clear and definitive. “I have never loved him, and the thought of marrying him makes me physically ill.” She didn’t wait for a reply, pulling Nolan out the door and past me. Her eyes swept over me without acknowledgment, as if I were a piece of furniture. Behind them, her parents frantically apologized, while my dad’s face was dark with a fury that wanted to chase Blair down and shake her. I just stood there, staring at the retreating backs of the two people who had just humiliated me. Blair and I had grown up together. For years, she had never once denied the engagement pact. When people teased us about it, she’d always laugh along. I thought she loved me as much as I loved her. 2 That night, after two long hours of my parents’ attempts to console me, I was finally allowed to go to bed. Mom had called me in sick for the day, so I hadn’t returned to the dorm. Just as I was drifting off, my phone on the nightstand lit up. A text from Blair. “I’m downstairs. Come down, we need to talk.” I thought back to her words earlier. My childhood sweetheart, my Blair-y-Bear, had deliberately destroyed me to be with another guy. I didn’t go down that night. I didn’t sleep well, either. I kept having fragmented dreams. A tiny Blair, perched at a desk, carefully writing something down. A moment later, she hopped off the chair. She ran toward my young self. “Camden, when we grow up, you have to marry your Blair-y-Bear.” Her soft little hand pressed her self-made “marriage vow” into mine, her bright eyes sincere and earnest. “Blair-y-Bear will be with Camden forever.” The moon cut through the last layer of clouds, the light blurring my eyes. Half-asleep, I wiped a cold wetness from the corner of my eye. 3 I was intercepted by Blair the next morning on my way to school. “Leaving this late? Did you skip breakfast again?” The familiarity of her tone made me pause. Blair held out a bag of pre-prepared breakfast items. “Camden, what I said yesterday wasn’t aimed at you.” “I just got carried away and said things I didn’t mean.” I stepped back, avoiding the breakfast bag. “No, thank you. Taking anything from you right now would be… nauseating.” Blair pulled her hand back, staring at me fixedly. Her voice cooled. “Did throwing my words back at me make you feel better?” “Camden, I need you to leave Nolan alone. He didn’t do anything wrong; I was the one who went after him.” Blair’s request proved to be highly prescient. Though, as it turned out, Nolan was the one who decided to provoke me. I arrived in class shortly after her. Just as I sat at my desk, Nolan walked up, holding a cup of milk. His voice was just loud enough to cut through the quiet hum of the room, drawing everyone’s attention. “Cam, here’s a drink. Can you forgive me?” I glanced at the milk, then up at him. “Forgive you for what, exactly?” Nolan placed the milk on my desk, looking appropriately embarrassed. “I shouldn’t have accepted Blair’s friend request. I didn’t know she was your childhood sweetheart.” His voice was apologetic. He reached up, intending to put a hand on my shoulder. “Please don’t be mad, Cam.” “If you can just let this go, I’ll even give Blair back to you.” The words I was about to say were cut short by another voice—Nolan’s best friend, who was now laughing in disbelief, jumping to Nolan’s defense. “Nolan, you don’t need to apologize! Cam and Blair are just friends, right?” “You didn’t steal his friend, so what’s the big deal?” “And honestly, Cam, can you ditch the moody rich-boy act? Stop being such a jerk.” The pair were putting on a perfect show. “You two really have this down—one playing the good cop, the other the bad cop, huh?” I finished, yanking Nolan’s hand away. I hadn’t used much force, but he gasped and stumbled back dramatically. “Ah!” He crashed into my desk, and the hot milk splashed across his chest. That was the moment Blair walked in. “Nolan, are you okay? Are you hurt?” She pulled a handful of paper towels from her bag and thrust them into Nolan’s hands, her eyes filled with frantic concern. “I’m fine, Blair,” he mumbled. The surrounding students all shot me accusatory looks. “What are you looking at? He walked right into it.” I found it almost funny. Blair must have heard me, but her attention remained fixed on Nolan. “Let’s get you to the nurse’s office to clean up. Try to bear with it.” She helped Nolan stand up and guided him out. The entire time, I was invisible to her. In the afternoon, Nolan’s friend, still furious on his behalf, got his revenge. I was walking out of the communal kitchen with a bottle of warm water and coffee grounds when I ran straight into him. He deliberately slammed into me, spilling the murky liquid all over my front, and then shoved me hard. “Whoops. My bad, man. Didn’t see you there.” He shrugged nonchalantly and walked off. I looked up and met Blair’s eyes from across the hallway. She was watching me, her expression as cold and detached as if she were looking at a complete stranger. … I walked into the classroom moments before the bell rang, my clothes still damp. I was holding an empty bottle. In the kitchen, I had mixed some lukewarm water with old, murky coffee grounds for the “revenge” I had just had. Before anyone could react, I uncapped the bottle. The dark, staining liquid poured straight over the other boy’s head. “That,” I said, looking him dead in the eye, “was intentional. And no, I’m not apologizing.” He screamed, scrambling to his feet. “What is that?! What did you throw at me?!” I just smirked, offering no explanation. It wasn’t until the entire school was involved that I finally clarified to the principal: “It was just lukewarm water mixed with old coffee grounds. It stains, but it’s not caustic.” 4 After that incident, I was completely isolated. Everyone avoided me. I started to question myself. Had I really been wrong? If I was right, why was I the one being ostracized? Meanwhile, Blair and Nolan had become the class’s golden couple, the star students. The night they publicly confirmed their relationship was also the night I finally admitted my truth. “There’s a class party on Friday night. Are you going to come?” The class president hesitated, clearly having asked everyone else first before reluctantly approaching me. My face was calm, but the hand tucked under the desk was clenched tight. “I’ll go.” I thought, maybe, just maybe, I hadn’t been completely shut out. At the club, we were playing Truth or Dare. When it was Blair’s turn, someone grinned wickedly. “Blair, if your childhood sweetie Cam and your… well, your current guy Nolan both fell into the water, who would you save?” At the time, I never imagined that question would turn into a horrifying premonition. Blair and Nolan were sitting right across from me. The air in the room froze. I kept my eyes fixed on the teacup in front of me. I knew I could leave, but something held me in place. Across the table, Blair gave a small, light laugh. Her tone was measured. “What do you mean, ‘current guy’? He’s my boyfriend, didn’t you know?” In my peripheral vision, she looped her arm through Nolan’s. “Nolan, can you swim?” she asked him. “I’m a total brick,” he confessed, looking slightly embarrassed. Blair sighed playfully, her voice dripping with affection. “Then if you fell in the ocean, I’d have to haul you all the way back, wouldn’t I?” She hadn’t answered the question directly, but the answer was chillingly clear. And it made sense. Nolan was her boyfriend. Saving him first was what any girlfriend would do. I briefly closed my eyes, suppressing the sting of humiliation. Everyone started cheering, teasing the straight-A student about her romantic side. I lowered my breathing, shrinking my presence, terrified of being caught in a look of pity or mockery. But Nolan wasn’t going to let me off that easily. When it was my turn, he smiled, looking perfectly harmless. He asked, gently: “Cam, do you have anyone you like here? Or anyone you’ve ever liked?” He spoke the most cruel words in the most casual tone, making everyone think he was just joking. “Don’t lie, or you’ll have seven years of bad luck, promise?” I felt like I was backed into a corner. Making a scene now would mean permanent banishment, guaranteeing those pitying stares. I slowly raised my eyes and met Nolan’s gaze. “Yes,” I said. The moment the word left my mouth, I felt Blair’s eyes snap to mine. Nolan just grinned, wrapping an arm around Blair’s waist. “Good to know.” A few months ago, this would have been unbearable. But now, after admitting I had loved Blair, that raw emotion felt distant. It felt like a final, faint breeze had swept away the last fragile remnant of my feelings for Blair. The wind passed, leaving the surface untouched. At seventeen, I let go of three years of unspoken love. I was finally certain: I didn’t love Blair Wellington anymore. 5 “Camden.” The party was breaking up, and Blair called out to me before I could leave. She came closer, her expression complicated. “Earlier, when you said you liked someone…” She paused for a difficult two seconds. “Was it me?” To be honest, I felt no lingering affection for the girl standing in front of me. “It was,” I confirmed. Then I added, “But it was in the past tense.” “The moment you pointed at me and said the thought of marrying me made you ill, I decided I was done. Especially now that you have a boyfriend—I’ve genuinely moved on.” Blair’s lips were pressed into a thin line, and she said nothing. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’ve always thought of you like a brother.” I didn’t want to hear her weak excuses. “Blair, I’ll make it up to you.” I immediately refused. I even used my actions to prove my point: I truly wanted to be rid of her and her boyfriend. But Blair wouldn’t listen, instead piling on useless attempts to alleviate her guilt. She kept insisting on bringing me breakfast, even though I threw it away every time. Her occasional acts of misplaced kindness. Nolan, however, didn’t see my desperate avoidance; he only saw my efforts to steal Blair back. The retaliation started coming in waves. … The day before the results of the mock exams were released, Nolan was called to the principal’s office. He returned crying, collapsing onto his desk. Rumors immediately spread that he had cheated on the exam. Blair and her friends, however, refused to believe it. He was, after all, the second-highest-ranking student in the grade, right after Blair. “Nolan? No way! That crib sheet they found couldn’t have been his.” “Exactly! Nolan isn’t like that, come on.” I didn’t pay much attention. But I did remember that I had done well on the exam, making fewer mistakes than usual. After the scores were posted, my brief feeling of accomplishment was shattered when Blair cornered me after school. “Camden.” “Was it you?” I looked at her, confused. “Was what me?” “Framing Nolan for cheating? Wasn’t that you?” “That little slip of paper—didn’t you plant it?” She was cold, the accusation pressing down on me. “Am I that bored?” I scoffed. “Do you honestly think I care about him enough to start trouble?” Blair scrutinized me, her eyes narrowed. “Then why did your score jump twenty-seven points since the last test?” “Maybe I just studied hard and earned it!” I had reached my limit. “Blair, you’re becoming delusional.” Her expression darkened, and then she let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “Camden, how did you turn into this person?” “Sabotage and slander, unrepentant.” Blair shook her head, her eyes full of disappointment. “Is this what your family taught you?” I was so furious I nearly laughed, ready to deny everything. But Blair turned on her phone, showing me a segment of the office surveillance video. Between the time the papers were collected and lunch, I was the only student who had entered the office. This was Nolan’s game. He had deliberately planted the cheat sheet inside his own exam booklet. Since he knew the answers, no one believed he cheated. Combined with the video, I was instantly convicted. Blair looked down at me, distant. She tossed out a cold sentence before walking away. “Camden, everyone has to take responsibility for their actions.” 6 I put my last shred of hope in the principal. After all, this wasn’t about concrete evidence; it was about subjective judgment. But the principal only looked at me with deep disappointment. “Camden! What was your motivation for doing this?!” “Was it jealousy because Nolan’s grades are better than yours?” My throat instantly went dry, and all the fight left me. I couldn’t say a word. When Blair accompanied Nolan into the office, his eyes were still red rimmed. “Cam! Weren’t we close? I always thought of you as my friend, and this is how you treat me?” He grabbed a heavy textbook off the desk and threw it straight into my face. He screamed: “My life was almost ruined because of you! Do you have any idea what you did?” Blair turned her head away, remaining completely silent. The principal scolded Nolan lightly for the violence. But before I could retaliate, he looked at me, a warning in his eyes. Then he quickly changed the subject. “Camden, apologize to Nolan, and I won’t invalidate your test score or record a demerit.” If my score was canceled, I would be removed from the Advanced Placement class for my final year. But I hadn’t done it. How could I apologize? “I’ll only say this once: I did not frame Nolan Pierce for cheating.” The moment the words left my mouth, I felt a cold wetness under my nose. Nolan’s throw had been hard enough to draw blood. I ignored the three people with their varied expressions and walked straight out. “Stop.” Blair chased after me, blocking my path. She frowned when she saw the blood dripping from my nose. But her words were still accusatory. “Camden, you have to apologize to Nolan. He shouldn’t have to carry that slander because of you.” I lightly dabbed the blood with my hand and held it out for her to see. My voice was very quiet. “Blair Wellington, can I at least clean myself up first?” I felt utterly exhausted. Like a person clinging to a cliff edge, I no longer had the strength to hold on to the last life-saving root. I didn’t even want to argue anymore. Blair furrowed her brow. “I’ll take you.” She reached out to grab my hand. I stepped back slightly, looking down, my eyes devoid of emotion. “Blair.” “Please.” “Get lost.” 7 I never apologized to Nolan. But everyone seemed to have tacitly agreed that I was guilty of framing him. Students who had previously ignored me now openly talked badly about me. My test score, the one twenty-seven points higher than before, was nullified. My seemingly stable emotions were starting to crumble. Had I really been wrong? Why was I always the one paying the price? Then came the school-arranged field trip—a mandatory nature hike. This became Nolan’s next opportunity to trap me. “Nolan Pierce and Camden Rivers, you two are a team for collecting brushwood.” … Deep in the woods, Nolan’s true colors emerged. I discreetly switched on the voice recorder in my backpack. “Cam, does it hurt that I stole your childhood sweetheart?” He stood behind me, sounding casual and relaxed. I led the conversation. “So, you deliberately planted that crib sheet to make Blair hate me completely and stop me from trying to get her back?” He glanced around, then smiled, pleased with himself. “Yep. And look, nobody believes you’re innocent, do they?” “How was it? When that heavy book hit your face? That must have hurt, right?” I had what I needed and didn’t want to press him further. With this recording, he could be thoroughly ruined, suspended, or transferred. But he wasn’t finished. The moment I turned to leave, he shoved me hard. “Ah—” As I tumbled down the slope, Nolan, in a moment of arrogant carelessness, also slipped. We both ended up clinging to a tree trunk on the steep incline, precariously balanced. 8 I tried to save myself, but it was useless. Blair, having likely heard Nolan’s scream, was the first to arrive. “Blair, save me…” His face was ghostly white as he looked at her. The girl’s eyes found me, a fleeting look of pity there. “I’m sorry, Camden.” She reached out a hand to Nolan. … “Once Nolan’s up, I’ll pull you up immediately.” Nolan’s face shifted at her words. He used her leverage and started to climb. I forced a weak smile. “Right. Thank you.” I had no right to complain. Nolan was her boyfriend. Saving him first was what any girlfriend would do. I was even surprised she was willing to risk saving me at all. I had thought she would just go back for the principal. But as Nolan climbed, he suddenly stomped his foot down onto my hand. He ground his heel back and forth. He used his other foot to gain purchase, making it look like an accidental slip. The pain made me gasp, and I instinctively loosened my grip. I tumbled down the hill. “Camden!” “Cam!”

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My best friend and I both ended up with unplanned pregnancies at the exact same time. She was carrying the child of an Oscar-winning actor, and I had the baby of a high-stakes New York tycoon. Since neither of them seemed particularly thrilled about the idea of fatherhood, my best friend suggested: “What if we just keep the kids and lose the dads?” I didn’t hesitate: “Deal. Wherever you go, I go.” So, we vanished. We fled the country with our baby bumps and started a dream life together abroad. Two years later, her toddler went viral on TikTok because he was a dead ringer for the famous actor. The camera panned just enough to catch me and my daughter in the background. That night, my bar was surrounded by men in black suits. Just as I reached for my phone to call 911, my hands were pinned behind my back and bound with a leather belt. The man gripped my waist, his voice a low, dangerous snarl in my ear: “Go ahead, call them. Guess how many times I can break you before the cops even pull into the lot?” 1 Heartbroken and fed up with men, my best friend, Mia, dragged me to a high-end club to blow off some steam. She was just about to reach out and touch the abs of a gorgeous male model when Ethan Sterling, the Oscar-winning heartthrob, appeared at the entrance. Ethan, hidden under a baseball cap, stormed over and pointed at the model, who admittedly shared his brooding good looks. “Who is this, Mia? Am I that easy to replace?” Mia flicked a glance at him and stood up with a cold smirk. “Why not? You treated me like a stand-in for your ex-girlfriend, Sophie, for a year. Why can’t I find a better version of you?” “Besides,” she added, “your family’s ‘precious’ heirloom watch is currently sitting on someone else’s wrist.” Ethan went silent, his face pale. “I told you,” he stammered, “I didn’t give her that watch.” Mia: “Great. Then go get it back.” Silence stretched between them like a freezing river, making the thumping club music feel even more jarring. Ethan hesitated for a long time before sighing. “I’m sorry. I can’t.” Even though she expected that answer, Mia’s face crumpled for a split second. She grabbed her bag, signaled for me to call her, and stormed out in her stilettos. Ethan nodded to me and chased after her. Knowing how easily Ethan usually sweet-talked her back, I shouted after them: “Mia! Don’t go soft! This is a dealbreaker! Dump him for real this time!” My throat was dry from yelling. Suddenly, a long-fingered hand offered me a slice of watermelon. I looked at the hand, thinking, Wow, this model is smooth. I turned with a smile: “Hey handsome, what’s your name?” The smile froze. Standing behind me wasn’t a model, but Caleb Vance. Cold features, a sharp jawline, and eyes that looked like they were carved from ice. I stumbled back, but he caught my wrist. Caleb leaned in, a dark smirk playing on his lips: “You like ‘handsome’ guys, huh?” “Fine. Let’s go home. I’ve got plenty for you to look at.” 2 That night, Caleb Vance pinned me against the floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse until dawn. The view overlooked the city skyline—prime real estate where every square inch cost a fortune. If it wasn’t for Caleb, I wouldn’t even have clearance to enter the lobby. But I wasn’t his girlfriend. I was his “pet.” His high-end distraction. In my first year as a struggling actress, I met a director who tried to force himself on me. Caleb appeared and ended the situation with a single sentence. He was a titan of industry; I was a nobody. He never made a grand romantic gesture, but he protected me and provided for me. With a face that put Hollywood stars to shame, it was hard not to fall for him. But I knew my place. A “pet” is meant to be replaced. I knew this would never last. “Distracted again?” As if punishing my lack of focus, Caleb’s grip tightened. “What are you thinking about? Your ‘handsome’ models?” I let out a sharp gasp, my nails digging into his arm as I shook my head, biting my lip. My response clearly didn’t satisfy him. He flipped me around. “Even if you weren’t, you’re going to feel this.” Much later, as the storm subsided, Caleb carried me to the bath and held me in his arms. “I heard your sister, Seraphina, is back in the country?” I asked softly. “Mhm.” Caleb was close with his sister; she was the real power behind the Vance family’s domestic affairs. More importantly, she had brought someone back with her—the woman Caleb was supposed to marry in a high-society merger. “Can I meet her?” I tested. Caleb’s eyes snapped open. He studied me with a cold, searching gaze before looking away. “There’s no need.” Of course. A secret mistress doesn’t meet the family. I hid my disappointment and forced a smile. “Okay.” That night, Mia never called. It wasn’t until noon the next day that I got a text. 【Don’t worry. We’re done for good.】 3 A month later, both Mia and I realized our periods were late. We went to the clinic together. When the ultrasound results came back with “PREGNANCY CONFIRMED” in bold letters, we both stared in dead silence. Mia snatched my results and hissed, “We agreed to get the career boost and then bail! How did you let this happen?” “We were careful!” I argued. Then, thinking of that night by the window, I lowered my voice. “But… things got intense. Maybe it failed.” Mia rolled her eyes. I snatched her results back. “You’re one to talk! You don’t even have a guy right now! Who’s the father?” Mia blinked, looking guilty. She muttered under her breath, “Ethan’s.” “Who?” I asked, doing my best ‘confused face.’ She took a breath and yelled into my ear: “MY EX! ETHAN! STERLING!” My ears were ringing. “I heard you! You don’t have to scream!” Mia was already broken up, and Ethan had his “first love,” Sophie, looming in the background. And I was Caleb’s secret plaything while his fiancée was moving into town. Neither of these powerful men would want these children. Mia grabbed my hand. “What if… we just keep the kids and lose the dads?” I thought about it. Caleb had been generous over the years. With my savings and acting checks, I could afford a house in Australia. “A villa. Two moms. Two kids. A dog and a cat.” It sounded like the perfect retirement plan. 4 We moved fast. Mia was already living separately from Ethan, so she was easy to spirit away. I was the problem. I spent weeks trying to find the right moment to end things with Caleb. Then, one night, he came home wasted. When I opened the door, my heart stopped. Caleb was leaning heavily on a beautiful woman. I recognized her from the tabloids—Caleb’s intended fiancée, Isabella Howe. “Hi, you must be Skylar? Caleb’s a bit drunk, I brought him home.” She looked at me with a kind, composed smile. Unlike the “jealous fiancée” trope I expected, she seemed to know exactly who I was. I forced a smile and helped her get him onto the sofa. Isabella didn’t leave. She looked around the penthouse and smiled. “Could I have a glass of water?” I walked to the kitchen island in silence. Her casual voice drifted from the living room. “I heard you’ve been taking care of Caleb while I was abroad. Thank you.” “I’ve seen your work. It’s hard for a woman to make it in Hollywood without a legacy. Seraphina and I actually admire you.” “She mentioned she wanted to meet you at the family gala next month. Did Caleb tell you?” The glass in my hand nearly slipped. I turned to meet Isabella’s eyes. There was no mockery in them. No arrogance. Just the effortless confidence of a woman who actually belonged in Caleb’s world. A confidence I could never have. The weight in my chest finally settled. I knew it was time. That night, while Caleb was passed out, I packed. I left all the jewelry and luxury gifts behind. I only took a braided cord bracelet Caleb and I had bought from a street vendor once—a cheap thing for “good luck.” I thought about saying goodbye to his face, but maybe silence was better. On the gray silk sheets, Caleb’s face was as breathtaking as the day I met him. He always thought he pursued me, but he never knew I fell for him at first sight. I felt a wave of bitterness. I sent one last text: 【I’m gone. Don’t come looking for me. Goodbye.】 I blocked his number and walked out. 5 Fast forward three years. We were living in a coastal town in Australia. We both had healthy toddlers. Mia’s son, Leo, and my daughter, Penny. When the kids turned three, Mia started a “Mommy Blogger” account, though she never showed her own face. I opened a small, trendy bar by the beach. Life was perfect. We had money, peace, and I had plenty of handsome surfers to look at. Then, a comment appeared on one of Mia’s videos. 【Is it just me, or does ‘Leo’ look exactly like Ethan Sterling?】 Ethan had posted childhood photos online years ago. Within hours, the internet had side-by-side comparisons. It wasn’t just a resemblance. It was a clone. “Leo” blew up overnight. People started tagging Ethan everywhere. Someone asked Mia: 【Who’s the dad?】 Mia snarked back: 【No dad. Parthenogenesis.】 When people started accusing her of being a “homewrecker” with a “secret love child,” she fired back: 【If you knew who the father was, you’d realize I’m the one who got unlucky.】 Seconds later, an account verified as Ethan Sterling replied. 【Are you sure about that, Mia?】 Mia panicked, deleted everything, and set her account to private. That night, she came to my bar, terrified Ethan would find her and sue for custody. I told her to breathe. “The internet is huge. Even if he sees the video, he can’t find us in a country this big.” To distract her, I promised to take her and the kids on a trip the next day. 6 We were at a famous landmark when a “Man on the Street” interviewer stopped us. Because of the viral drama, we declined and hurried away, but we couldn’t stop them from posting the footage. The video showed Leo clearly, and it caught me and Penny too. The internet exploded. 【Holy crap, in high-def, that kid is definitely Ethan’s.】 【Is that an actress in the background? She looks like Skylar Stone, the girl who vanished three years ago!】 Seeing the walls closing in, I talked to Mia. “Let’s move again. The bar isn’t doing great anyway. I’m ready to close it.” Mia nodded. “I’m with you. Wherever you go, I go.” Mia deleted her accounts. I posted a “Bar for Sale” ad. That same day, a buyer contacted me and asked to meet that night. I waited until closing time, but the buyer never showed. A weird sixth sense kicked in. Suddenly, the front door was kicked open. A dozen bodyguards in black suits flooded the bar. “Who are you looking for?” I demanded, my heart racing. No one answered. I bolted for the back exit. I ran out the door and slammed right into a solid chest. The scent of cedarwood hit me—a scent I knew by heart. I stumbled back and tried to dial 911. My wrist was snatched, and the phone hit the ground, its screen glowing in the dark. My hands were bound behind my back with a belt. He pulled me into his chest. A familiar, deep voice whispered in my ear: “Sky… have you been well?” The greeting was normal, but the tone was as cold as a grave. “Caleb, we broke up,” I gasped. “This is Australia. You can’t do this.” “Break up?” He let out a dark laugh. “Did I agree to that?” “And as for what I can do… well, you’re about to find out.” The phone on the ground was answered by a dispatcher. Caleb picked it up and held it to my ear, his voice a low, arrogant chuckle. “Go ahead. Give them the address.” “Guess how many times I can break you before the cops arrive?”

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In the third year after breaking up with my childhood sweetheart, my mom cooked his favorite King Crab Legs. “Jenna, get up today, don’t make a scene with her.” Zoe is my mom’s favorite student, Peter is the boy I loved for ten years. Seeing me sitting in a wheelchair without saying a word. My mom raised her volume, attempting to cover up her guilty conscience: “Zoe changed your college application back then for your own good. But being a conflict journalist was your choice, you can’t blame others.” I just smiled and said calmly: “Yeah!” “The past cannot be reversed, but I am ultimately heading forward!” Chapter 1 Seeing that I didn’t lose my temper, nor hysterical like before. My mom was still worried and continued to beat around the bush: “Zoe and Peter have a very good relationship as husband and wife, you can’t be the third party stepping in, I can’t afford to lose face.” My mom has always been like this. Always standing on the outsider’s side. Treating her biological daughter as an enemy who needs to be guarded against. Peter met me first clearly. We are neighbors, childhood sweethearts. Grew up holding hands. He kissed me under the jacaranda tree, confessed to me. We have always liked each other. He said, he would definitely marry me. But as a high school teacher, my mom brought the underprivileged student Zoe home. From that day on, she pervaded every corner, inserting herself into the world of me and Peter. My mom took half the credit. Whether I went to the library or went shopping with Peter, she made me take Zoe along. Even their witness at the wedding was my mom. I tore open a bag of cucumber-flavored chips, my gaze plain. “Mom, you are so worried, why force me to come back to recuperate?” “Damn girl, wings hardened, dare to talk to me like this.” She habitually acted fiercely, wanting to poke my forehead. I turned my head to dodge. Someone pressed the passcode lock outside the door. My mom put on a smiling face and went to welcome them. Chapter 2 Zoe and Peter fingers interlocked. “Ms. Yan, I smell the food, am I late and couldn’t lend a hand?” “Good child, come in quickly. I made Peter’s favorite King Crab Legs, and your favorite scrambled eggs with onions.” Entering the living room, they seemed to discover my existence just now. Zoe hid behind instinctively like the first time she came to my house. As if I were some man-eating beast. My mom glared at me, signaling me not to put on a cold dead face, say hello to guests. I didn’t move. Peter subconsciously looked at my foot wrapped in thick gauze, tone concerned. “Jenna, is your injury better?” I nodded politely. After sitting at the table, my mom arranged them in the best position to pick food, then commanded me: “Go to the refrigerator to get mango juice, Zoe loves it most.” Zoe looked at me, opened her mouth in embarrassment: “Ms. Yan, no need.” “Are you worried about her leg? Don’t worry, she deserves it, insisted on running to such a chaotic place abroad.” “Not really, I can’t eat cold things today, also no luck to eat crab.” Zoe touched her lower abdomen, looked at Peter shyly, announcing she was pregnant, just three months. Peter lowered his eyes, expression unclear. My mom was more excited than being pregnant herself at an old age, instructing many precautions, wishing to let her move back to raise the fetus. “Ms. Yan still keeps your room, Peter doesn’t come back at noon, you come over to eat and take a nap.” My house is a small three-bedroom. The second day Zoe moved in, my mom gave my sunny room to her on the grounds that she suffered too much when she was young. Four years of university, Zoe studied in this city, often came back. So, I didn’t move back to the room that originally belonged to me, still living in the small room without windows. Seeing me no movement. Zoe asked cautiously: “Jenna, not leaving this time right? Ms. Yan says she doesn’t miss you verbally, but often looks at photos you posted on social media!” “So envious of you photographing artillery scars in ancient city of Syria, chasing armed evacuation in Libyan desert.” “Unlike me, can only be a little waste pampered by Peter. Feel so sorry for the special attention Ms. Yan and Peter gave me in high school!” Chapter 3 Once, I was easily provoked by Zoe’s passive-aggressive comments. Because the way mom treated Zoe, let me see she also has a gentle maternal side. Not as harsh as to me. I am allergic to onions. But my mom loves to eat. In order to conduct obedience testing, for a continuous summer vacation, the dining table only had white rice and various dishes stir-fried with onions. Even chicken soup had to throw a few cloves of onions. Born in a single-parent family, I have never seen my biological father. My mom never let me mention him. To what extent? Just mention it, immediately slap my face kind. I was wronged, only Peter comforted me. For a very long time, I had deep dependence on him. That year I was punished by the onion family, I was ten years old. Peter’s parents did business out of town, he asked Grandma Peter to make egg fried rice for me. Since then, I became his little glutton. His pockets loaded with milk, strawberry cakes, spicy strips, feeding me full. We agreed to go to New York University (NYU) together, marry after graduation, let Grandma Peter hold grandson earlier. Until my mom brought Zoe home. Her family is very poor, tested from remote mountain area to this city, took a lot of effort. My mom appreciated her perseverance, stopped my guzheng lessons, paid her tuition and remedial fees. I hated Zoe, always using pitiful look to gain my mom’s sympathy. I never actively talked to her. Peter touched my head, promising to always stand on my side. Until that day after school, he bumped into Zoe squatting on playground eating pickles with cold rice. At that time, his expression was complicated, had astonishment, also bear not. But Zoe in my house, my mom cooked her favorite pasta in different ways. Basically didn’t exist not full. Peter carefully chose words, as if for my own good: “Jenna, don’t you think sometimes too petty?” “Your mom is good to everyone, only not good to you, should you reflect on it?” I was long-term gaslighted by my mom, really went to think if it was my own problem. Meanwhile, Peter used my mom’s name, stood me up, tutored Zoe. Also because Zoe said never been to amusement park, gave up celebrating my birthday. These operations, I was kept in the dark at that time. Otherwise, wouldn’t have discussed long-distance relationship with Peter for four years. Until graduation year, I came back early with luggage, saw Zoe and Peter in my house room, clothes disheveled hugging together. I shed tears all night, as if faith collapsed. Four years, Peter flew many times to see me, vowed to be “graduation-marriage clan” with me. Overnight, how did love change? I shouted and screamed, wanted to drive Zoe out. My mom slapped me hard, said this is the house she bought, I have no right to decide who stays or leaves. In a fit of anger, I proposed breaking up, applied to go abroad as a conflict journalist. My mom not only didn’t blame Zoe, but also intended to recognize her as goddaughter. Just Zoe’s parents didn’t agree, so gave up. Chapter 4 I ate a few mouthfuls boringly, went back to the room. Behind came my mom’s scolding of hating iron not becoming steel, and Zoe’s不动声色 adding fuel to the fire. Peter brought a plate of strawberries in. I ignored him. “Jenna, are you still blaming Zoe? Not saying a word to her today, going back will think wildly again.” If it were before, I would definitely shout loudly: Shouldn’t I blame? She changed my application without authorization, snatched my boyfriend, my mom even didn’t allow me to call police, even couldn’t get angry at her. When suffered stray bullet attack in Syria, almost died. I just figured it out. People who don’t care about you, no matter what you say, what they receive is air. I kept silent. Peter thought I was angering him, explained non-stop: “I always knew, Ms. Yan hated New York very much, you wanted to apply for NYU back then, was to escape her.” “Zoe didn’t want you mother and daughter to break up, so accidentally remembered your password, helped you change it.” Yeah! Her good intention, changed my original economics major in NYU to journalism major in unpopular university, two thousand kilometers away from home. Peter was still chatter: “Jenna, even if I was admitted to NYU with you back then, would also advise you to change application.” I really got annoyed listening, casually said a sentence: “You intentionally tested poorly, was to stay to accompany Zoe?” His voice stopped abruptly, like wild duck stuck by neck. He didn’t know how I knew. Because he never saw clearly, Zoe who looked strong and innocent on surface, simply not the little white rabbit he knew. After finishing university, Zoe didn’t need my mom’s sponsorship anymore, sent a lot of messages provoking me. Such as high school, how Peter crossed sea under camouflage, behind my back took her to amusement park, cinema, and the marine park I longed for. University time, Peter who got driver’s license, used weekends to take her to surrounding tours. If encountered me calling to check post, would also use hotel curtains to lie. Chapter 5 At that time, I was immersed in the pain of suffering triple betrayal. Alone in the real scene of artillery fire quitting. I slapped myself, pulled long hair on top of head, cut veins with blade… From small to big, my mom while using suppression education on me, while using single mother’s difficulty trap me. Zoe made me clearly realize, I am not liked by everyone. Including the only closest relative. She sarcastically said Peter leaving me was correct choice. People like me don’t deserve to live in the world. My mom also sent a lot of messages abusing, saying raised me for more than twenty years in vain. Not because wanted to go to New York she hated most, but because of small contradiction, ran abroad without saying a word. Peter only sent three words: “Sorry!” I didn’t want to listen, could only run desperately. Using fear of facing death, and sympathy for displaced refugees, drowning pain. Several times almost died in artillery fire. Most serious time, if not someone used embassy power, I might die in foreign land. Thought of this. I glanced at phone, expression complex. Lying inside was a latest message: “Jenna, is guardianship transferred out? I can arrange helicopter to pick you up.” I politely replied one: “Still three days, Dad!” Chapter 6 Under mom’s strict defense. I never thought Dad this person, one day would appear in real life. Even more unimaginable Sterling family in New York business circle, has decisive position. Before seeing me. Dad also didn’t know in remote Seattle, mom behind his back, secretly gave birth to me. Fate is very magical. Sterling family members accidentally watching news, saw me in war zone, dedicatedly reporting. Incredibly shocked. I looked almost exactly like aunt when young. When Dad learned I surnamed Yan, heart surged strange emotion even more. Back then, mom in prime of life, very beautiful, admitted to New York university. Dad talked a cross-class love with her. Sterling family valued blood relationship very much. Plus that time war zone very chaotic, anytime likely make people lose life. Dad heard I to save a little girl blown broken leg, life dying. Made prompt decision. Contact embassy, use military aircraft, rescue me back. Later, everything came naturally. Paternity test report same day in hand, I am indeed Dad’s daughter. Chapter 7 I didn’t tell mom about recognizing Dad. She definitely couldn’t accept. Small time, I didn’t understand things, pursued asking where Dad is? Got were loud slaps one by one. And confinement not allowed to eat time after time. Once, mom drunk, grabbed my wrist, eyes fierce like wanting to eat people: “How did I blind back then, gave birth to you such dog thing!” “This pair of eyes better gouged out, save me seeing disgusting!” That sentence like magic spell, entangled me for many years. I gradually learned to bow head, dare not mention Dad two words again. After seeing Dad, only understand all pain, has source. I looked too like Sterling family members. Especially a pair of eyes. My leg injury very serious. Dad used a lot of contacts, found Dr. Smith. To cooperate with other’s schedule, have to wait a month. I proposed to return to Seattle first. Mom knew I injured in war zone, only cared about scolding me heartless, ran to such far place die, collecting body need her费老半天劲. If not return, she definitely make trouble to unit, let leaders not peaceful. I prepared to handle resignation and guardianship moving out. My leg needs long treatment in New York. Dad learned my application changed back then, missed favorite major. Promised to help me realize dream. I didn’t want to refuse because of affectation. Died once, I live understand. Following inner feeling, important than anyone.

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“You owe the family $380,000.” Mom sent an Excel spreadsheet to the family group chat. The header read “Family AA Bill,” followed by three rows: Ashley: Surplus $120,000. Brian: Surplus $20,000. Me: Debt $380,000. The group exploded instantly. “Time to pay up, right?” Ashley sent an emoji. “Mom calculated it clearly,” Brian followed. I stared at that number and smiled. $380,000. Did she ever calculate how much money I’ve transferred to the family since I grew up? Chapter 1 I handed the phone to my husband, David. “Look.” He took it, his face changing bit by bit. “What does this mean?” “The bill my mom calculated.” I took a sip of water. “Says I owe the family $380,000.” “$380,000?” His voice raised. “For what?” I clicked on the spreadsheet and zoomed in. It listed clearly: [Cost Breakdown for Raising Scarlett] Tuition (Elementary to College): $48,000 Living Expenses (18 years): $120,000 Clothing & Shoes: $32,000 College Dorm: $8,000 Wedding Subsidy: -$6,000 Other Expenses: $58,000 Subtotal: $260,000 Interest (5% annual rate, 18 years): $120,000 Total Debt: $380,000. David stared at the last line: “Interest? She even calculated interest?” “Yes.” I nodded. “Mom says if this money were in the bank, it would have earned this much interest. Spent on raising me, so I have to make it up.” “What about your sister?” I scrolled to Ashley’s column. [Cost Breakdown for Raising Ashley] Tuition: $45,000 Living Expenses: $100,000 Clothing: $40,000 Other: $25,000 Subtotal: $210,000 Given to Parents at Wedding: $80,000 Regular Filial Piety: $250,000 Surplus: +$120,000. David stopped talking. I scrolled down to Brian’s column. [Cost Breakdown for Raising Brian] Tuition: $62,000 Living Expenses: $150,000 Other: $88,000 Subtotal: $300,000 Given to Parents at Wedding: $100,000 Regular Filial Piety: $220,000 Surplus: +$20,000. “Wait.” David frowned. “When your brother got married, didn’t your parents give him $350,000 for the down payment? Why isn’t that counted?” “Not counted.” “And your sister’s wedding, didn’t your mom give her $200,000 as dowry?” “Not counted either.” “What about your wedding?” I smiled. “For my wedding, my mom gave $6,000. The bill says ‘Wedding Subsidy negative $6,000’.” David’s hands clenched. “How does she calculate? Giving your sister $200k doesn’t count, giving your brother $350k doesn’t count, but giving you $6k is a negative number?” “Because that $6,000 was deducted from the money I gave her before.” “What do you mean?” “My first year working, I gave the family $2,000 a month. $24,000 a year. Mom said the $6,000 she gave for my wedding was deducted from that.” “What about the rest you gave?” “She said that’s ‘filial piety’, doesn’t count as repayment.” David slammed the phone on the table. “What the hell is this!” I didn’t speak. The group chat kept pinging. Ashley: “@Scarlett, did you see? Mom calculated very clearly.” Brian: “Sis, you owe the most.” Mom: “Scarlett, it wasn’t easy raising you all these years. Now that you’re capable, you should pay it back.” I stared at those messages, didn’t reply to a single one. David asked me: “What do you think?” I opened my photo album, found a screenshot. It was the record of transfers I made to Mom over these years. 2018: $5,000. 2019: $12,000. 2020: $20,000. 2021: $18,000. 2022: $30,000. 2023: $25,000. 2024: $45,000. Plus a few separate ones: Dad’s hospitalization: $15,000. Brother’s wedding gift: $10,000. Sister’s baby gift: $5,000. New Year/Holiday red envelopes: About $3,000 annually. “How much total?” David asked. “I calculated.” I said. “Not counting small stuff, just these, $185,000.” “In the bill?” “Zero.” I saved the screenshot of transfer records. “She says these are my ‘filial piety’ to her, can’t count as repayment. The money she spent raising me is hers. The money I gave her as filial piety is also hers.” David’s hands were trembling. “What are you going to do?” I looked at the message in the group, another one came. Ashley: “@Scarlett, you’re not trying to bail on the debt, are you?” I slowly typed a line. “Sis, Mom gave you $200,000 dowry for your wedding, why isn’t it in the bill?” Send. The group was silent for ten seconds. Then Mom spoke: “That was our dowry for your sister, a different matter from the bill.” I typed another line. “Then Brother bought a house, you gave $350,000 down payment, why isn’t that there either?” Another five seconds of silence. Brian rushed to answer: “That’s Mom and Dad’s own money, what’s it to you?” I smiled. “Good.” I put down the phone and looked at David. “She wants to settle accounts, I’ll settle with her.” David nodded. “What do you need me to do?” “Help me dig up how much my family gave and how much we spent when we got married.” He immediately went to find the folder. I reopened my phone, screenshotting every transfer record, one by one. I want to see exactly how this account should be calculated. Chapter 2 At 9 PM, I finished organizing all materials. David sat beside me, face iron-green. “Do you know what makes me angriest?” He said. “What?” “The year we got married.” I didn’t speak. I knew what he was going to say. When we got married, my family asked for $80,000 as a “Wedding Contribution” (like a reverse dowry/bride price). David’s family wasn’t rich, but they scraped it together. On the wedding day, my mom took that $80,000. “The money is for you,” she said then. “But leave it with me for now, I’ll give it to you when you need it later.” I thought then, okay, listen to her. The result? The second year of marriage, Brian bought a house, down payment wasn’t enough. Mom called: “Scarlett, lend that $80,000 to your brother first.” “Mom, that’s my wedding money…” “Lend it, lend it! Not like he won’t pay back! Your brother buying a house is a big deal, why are you so selfish?” I gave the money. And then? Brian bought the house, got married, never mentioned paying back. I asked once. Mom said: “Your brother just got married, where does he have money to pay you? Besides, you’re married out, still calculating with your brother?” I never asked again. David flipped through the records from back then, voice muffled. “Our wedding, what did your family give?” “You know.” “I want to confirm again.” I sighed. “On the wedding day, Mom gave me a red envelope, $6,000. Said it was to add to my makeup fund.” “And then?” “Nothing.” “What about bedding? Furniture? Appliances?” “We bought them all ourselves.” “What about your sister’s wedding?” I opened my phone, found an old photo. That was posted by Mom on Facebook when Ashley got married. In the photo, Ashley stood amidst piles of red bedding, behind her were sets of furniture, appliances, a new car. Caption was: “Eldest daughter married, grand and glorious!” I counted those things. Ten sets of bedding. Six sets of linens. TV, fridge, washing machine, AC. A car worth $120,000. And $200,000 cash Mom gave on the spot. David looked at the photo, speechless. “Do you know how I felt then?” I smiled. “When I got married, Mom didn’t post on Facebook.” “Why?” “She said, your sister’s was held in the hometown, relatives and friends all came, needed face. Yours was in the city, few people knew, no one would look even if posted.” David slammed the phone on the table. “Your mom…” He held back for a long time, couldn’t speak. I patted his hand. “It’s okay.” “What do you mean okay?” His voice trembled. “She gave your sister $200k dowry, your brother $350k down payment, gave you $6k and took away $80k wedding money. Now she turns around and says you owe her $380k?” I didn’t answer. Phone rang again. It was Ashley’s DM. “Sis, what you said in the group just now was a bit too much.” I clicked open. “How so?” “Mom and Dad giving me dowry, giving brother house money, that’s their business. You can’t compare with that.” “Then what can I compare with?” “Just admit you owe Mom and Dad, isn’t that enough? $380k isn’t asking you to pay all at once, you can pay slowly.” “I owe them?” “How much did you spend on school? Living expenses? Don’t you know in your heart?” I laughed. “Sis, let me ask you. The money spent on your school, did you pay it back?” “I paid it back. I gave money to Mom and Dad every year after marriage.” “Then the money you gave is ‘filial piety’ in the bill. Why is the money I gave also ‘filial piety’ and can’t count as repayment?” Ashley didn’t reply. I continued typing: “Also, Mom and Dad gave you $200k dowry for your wedding, why isn’t it deducted in the bill?” “That’s dowry! Every daughter has it!” “Do I have it?” Ashley went silent again. “Do I have it, Sis?” I sent again. “When I got married, how much did Mom give me?” Half a minute later, Ashley replied: “Your situation is different.” “How is it different?” “You weren’t likable since childhood, relationship with parents wasn’t good either. When you got married, you fought with Mom, of course she didn’t want to give you too much.” I stared at this line, hands shaking a bit. “So, I’m not likable, so I have no dowry. But I’m not likable, I still have to pay back $380k?” “Those are two different things!” “Sis, tell me, what are two different things? Giving to you is one thing, asking from me is another?” Ashley stopped replying. David finished reading the conversation beside me. “What does she mean? You weren’t likable since childhood?” I put down the phone. “Mom said it about me since I was little. Said I can’t talk, can’t read faces, not pleasing. Sister can coax people, Brother is a boy, only me…” “Only you what?” “Only I ‘look like an outsider’.” I remembered childhood. Ashley’s birthday, bought cake, invited relatives for dinner. Brian’s birthday, Mom cooked specially, a table full of dishes. My birthday, Mom usually said: “Celebrate with your sister, buy one cake together, save money.” Ashley had new dresses, I wore Ashley’s hand-me-downs. Brian had new sneakers, I wore cheap canvas shoes. I asked Mom, why. She said: “Your sister loves beauty, wants face. Your brother is a boy, can’t wear girl’s clothes. You just wear whatever, you don’t care anyway.” Did I care? I cared. But I didn’t say. Useless to say. Said too much, Mom would say: “Look at you, why so insensible? Your sister and brother never calculate these with me. Only you have so many issues.” Slowly, I stopped saying. Slowly, I became the “unlikable” one. Slowly, I owed $380,000. David held my hand. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” “Tell what?” I smiled. “Say my mom is biased? Say I wasn’t liked since childhood? Telling you would make you think I’m complaining.” “I wouldn’t.” “But my mom would say I’m complaining. She said, other kids suffer much more than me, I’m still picky, ungrateful.” David was silent for a while. “Then what do you plan to do now?” I looked at the phone screen, new messages in the family group. Mom: “Scarlett, what do you mean exactly? Family, talking about dowry or not?” Ashley: “Exactly, bills are bills, dowry is dowry.” Brian: “Mom, she just doesn’t want to pay, making excuses.” I took a deep breath. “David, help me turn on the computer.” “For what?” “They want to settle accounts,” I said, “Then let’s settle it clearly.” Chapter 3 I spent two hours making a new spreadsheet. Header read: [Recalculation of Scarlett’s Family Accounts] I listed every sum of money. Part 1: My Expenditures. 2018-2024 Annual transfers to parents: $185,000 2020 Dad’s hospitalization: $15,000 2022 Brother’s wedding gift: $10,000 2023 Sister’s baby: $5,000 Annual holiday red envelopes: Approx 7 years × $3,000 = $21,000 Subtotal: $236,000 Part 2: Parents’ Expenditures for Sister. Dowry: $200,000 Car: $120,000 Furniture/Appliances: Approx $30,000 Subtotal: $350,000 Part 3: Parents’ Expenditures for Brother. House Down Payment: $350,000 Wedding Gift: $120,000 Renovation Subsidy: $50,000 Subtotal: $520,000 Part 4: Parents’ Expenditures for Me. Given at wedding: $6,000 Wedding money taken away: -$80,000 Actual: -$74,000 David watched beside me, face getting darker. “So…” “So by my mom’s logic,” I pointed at the table, “Sister got $350k, Brother got $520k, I lost $74k.” “But in her bill…” “In her bill, Sister surplus $120k, Brother surplus $20k, I owe $380k.” David took a few deep breaths. “How did she calculate?” “Because she only counts raising costs, not money given out.” I smiled. “What she gave Sister and Brother is called ‘Parental Love’. What she took from me is called ‘You Should’.” David stopped talking. I saved the screenshot of the table. “You really going to post in the group?” He asked. “Not rushing.” “Then what do you want to do?” I thought about it. “I won’t post first. I’ll wait, see what else they say.” David nodded. “I support you. Whatever you decide, I stand by your side.” My heart warmed a bit. Luckily, I have him. Next day, Mom called. I didn’t answer. Called three more times. Still didn’t answer. Then WeChat voice call. Then text message. Text content: “Scarlett, are you trying to piss me off? Your dad knows this, his blood pressure went up from anger. Are you still part of this family? Call me back immediately!” I put phone on silent. David asked: “You really not answering?” “Say what if I answer? She opens mouth with ‘You owe me $380k’. I answer a hundred calls, she says the same thing.” “Then how long you plan to stay cold?” “Wait till she calms down.” But my mom didn’t plan to calm down. In the afternoon, Sister sent WeChat. “Sis, Mom asked me to persuade you. Don’t be stubborn with her, she’s old, can’t stand anger.” “Sis, do you think this bill is reasonable?” “Reasonable or not, she is your mom.” “So I have to accept?” “Can’t you yield a bit? $380k, you just pay slowly. A few tens of thousands a year, done in ten years.” “Sis, let me ask you, the money you gave Mom, did she ever ask you to pay back?” Sister didn’t reply. I continued: “You know how much you give her annually. New Year two or three thousand, birthday few hundred, holidays token gesture. Add up these years, is it $50k?” “That’s different!” “How is it different?” “Money I give Mom is filial piety. Money you give Mom… is also filial piety. But your raising cost is higher, you went to better college, spent more money than me.” “I got into college myself, half of my college living expenses I earned part-time. Did Mom count these?” Sister was silent. “Sis,” she changed tone, “We are family, don’t calculate so much. Mom is old, she does this for the good of the family.” “For the good of the family? Sis, tell me, in this ‘family’, is there me?” “What do you mean?” “I mean, this bill benefits Sister, benefits Brother, harms me. Who is this ‘family’ for?” Sister stopped talking. I continued typing: “Sis, you said I wasn’t likable since childhood. But do you know why? Because I can’t pretend. I can’t be like you, saying yes to whatever Mom says. I can’t be like Brother, asking for whatever. I just be myself, then got called ‘not pleasing’.” “This…” “I’m not pleasing, so I’m not valuable. I’m not valuable, so I have no dowry. No dowry, still have to pay mortgage for Brother, be ATM for Sister. Now Mom calculated a bill, Sister surplus $120k, Brother surplus $20k, I owe $380k. Sis, do you think this is reasonable?” Sister’s reply came: “Scarlett, you are too extreme.” I laughed. “Yes, I am too extreme.” I exited chat, threw phone aside. David looked at me. “Are you okay?” “Pretty good.” I said. “Do you know, when I was little, the saddest thing wasn’t having no new dress.” “What was it?” “It was every time I asked why, Mom always said: You calculate too much, insensible.” “Seemed like my fault. Seemed I shouldn’t ask. Seemed I should be like Sister, turn a blind eye to all unfairness, smilingly say Mom you are right.” “But I couldn’t do it.” David held my hand tight. “You don’t need to do it.” He said. “You asked right.” I leaned on his shoulder, eyes a bit hot. Phone rang again. Family group. Brother sent a voice message. I clicked, his voice: “Sis, Mom said, before end of this month, you transfer $380k. Or don’t come back for New Year.” Chapter 4 I laughed after listening to that voice message. David asked: “What are you laughing at?” “Laughing at my brother.” “What did he say?” “He said, transfer $380k before end of month. Or don’t come back for New Year.” David was silent for a few seconds. “Does your mom agree with him saying this?” I handed him the phone. In the group, after Brother sent the voice message, Mom sent another one: “Your brother is right. Scarlett, if you don’t recognize this debt, don’t recognize this family.” David’s eyes narrowed. His eyes only do that when he’s extremely angry. I reached out and patted him. “It’s okay.” “What do you mean okay?” His voice lowered. “They are threatening you.” “I know.” “What do you plan to do?” I thought about it. “I plan to settle an account with her.” “That spreadsheet you made last night?” “Yes. But posting the spreadsheet isn’t enough. I want them to know, this account isn’t up to them to decide.” David nodded: “What do you need me to do?” “Help me find the chat records from when we got married. WeChat, text messages, transfer records, all of them.” He immediately went to look through his phone. I continued organizing materials. At 10 PM, I organized everything. Total three documents. First, my transfer records to the family over these years. Second, chat records of family taking my wedding money. Third, screenshots of what my mom said these years. A few of them, I remember especially deep. 2019, first time I didn’t send money home because David lost his job that month, we really had no spare money. Mom said: “Other people’s daughters know filial piety. You have a husband now, don’t want mom?” 2021, Brother married, asked to borrow $50k. I only had $30k, lent $30k. Mom said: “Your brother marrying, you can’t even take out $50k? You earn so much every month, where did you spend it?” 2022, I was pregnant, wanted to take leave home to rest a few days. Mom said: “Why come back? No one serves you at home. Stay in the city honestly, find a confinement nanny isn’t enough?” 2023, I gave birth, Mom didn’t come. She said: “Your sister is busy, your brother needs people too. Doesn’t your husband have a mom? Let your mother-in-law take care of you.” I organized these screenshots one by one. David watched beside me, face getting uglier. “You… never told me before.” “Tell what?” “These words. What she said.” I smiled. “Telling would make you sad.” “I’m sad now.” “I know.” He hugged me. “In the future whatever they say, you don’t have to carry it alone.” I leaned in his arms, didn’t speak. Phone rang again. Sister’s DM. “Sis, thought it through? Mom said, if you don’t pay back, don’t contact anymore.” I put the phone aside. “I thought it through.” David asked: “You posting in group?” “Mm.” “You sure?” “Sure.” I opened the family group, typed a line: “Mom, I also calculated an account.” Send. Then I sent out three documents one by one. First: Money I gave family these years, total $236,000. Second: Wedding money family took from me $80,000, dowry given to me $6,000. Actual: -$74,000. Third: Sister’s wedding dowry received: $350,000. Brother’s house down payment, wedding gift, renovation: $520,000. Finally, I typed a paragraph: “Mom, according to your calculation, raising me cost $260k, plus interest total $380k. Then I ask: What about the $236k I gave you? What about the $80k wedding money you took from me? What about the $350k dowry you gave Sister? What about the $520k house money you gave Brother? If we calculate all, let me help you calculate one more: You gave Sister and Brother total $870,000. You gave me $6,000. You took from me total $316,000 (including $236k filial piety and $80k wedding money). So, who owes whom exactly?” Sent. The group was silent for a full three minutes. Then, Sister sent one: “What do you mean by this?” Brother sent one: “Are you crazy?” Mom sent a voice message. I clicked. Her voice trembling. “Scarlett, your wings hardened, calculating with me? I raised you all these years, is this how you repay me? You ungrateful wolf!” I finished reading, didn’t reply. David looked at me. “Are you okay?” I nodded. “Pretty good.” “She scolded you.” “I know.” “You not angry?” I thought about it. “When I was little, every time I felt unfair, she would scold me. Said I wasn’t sensible, greedy, not likable.” “I was very sad then. Because I thought, maybe it really was my problem.” “But now I know, it’s not my problem.” I looked at phone screen, a pile of messages in group again. Ashley: “You are deliberately looking for trouble!” Brian: “Don’t recognize this family if you have guts!” Mom: “I shouldn’t have given birth to you!” I put phone on silent, on table. “David,” I said, “They want me not to recognize this family, right?” “Mm.” “Then I grant their wish.” I opened group settings, set “Family Group” to Do Not Disturb. Then I clicked Mom’s avatar. Delete. Clicked Sister’s avatar. Delete. Clicked Brother’s avatar. Delete. David looked at me. “You sure?” “Sure.” I put down phone. “They say I owe them $380k. Fine, from today, I don’t owe. This account, cleared.” “But family affection…” “Affection?” I smiled. “David, there is a kind of affection called ‘Only obligations, no rights’.” “Me giving them money is ‘should’. Me having no dowry is ‘not likable’. Me paying back because they raised me.” “But them giving Sister and Brother money, that’s ‘Parental Love’. Sister and Brother don’t need to pay back, because they are ‘own people’.” “What about me? What person am I?” David didn’t speak. I took a deep breath. “From today, I am not that ‘unlikable’ second child. I am myself.” “I owe no one. And need no one to like me.” David held my hand tight. “I like you.” I smiled. “I know.”

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1 Seraphina saved my life three times, so I gave her three chances to break my heart. The first was our wedding day. She arrived with bruises on her neck. I acted like I didn’t see them. The second, she was photographed meeting a lounge singer. I smashed my car’s headlights, slapped her until she bled, and demanded a divorce before losing myself in a club until dawn. Seraphina heard and tore the club apart, then live-streamed a tearful apology and declared her love to the world, swearing she’d be a devoted wife. My family, fearing damage to our corporate alliance, pressured me to forgive her. I did. But the day my mother jumped from our roof after my father’s mistress and her son tormented her, Seraphina disappeared. When I found her, she was in a lounge, her arm linked with my father’s illegitimate son, clinking glasses with friends. “Sera, didn’t you swear off this? Isn’t Asher going to kill you?” someone teased. She scoffed. “Rowan’s no stranger. He was scared, I was just comforting him. What’s the problem?” She sipped champagne, confident. “Besides, when has Asher ever stayed mad? He’ll forgive me. He always does.” But you’re wrong, Seraphina. You’re out of chances. … I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The boisterous laughter in the room died instantly. Someone fumbled to cut the music. Seeing me, Seraphina shot to her feet, a flicker of anxiety in her eyes. “Asher, what are you doing here? Is… is everything taken care of for your mother?” She gestured toward the boy beside her. “Rowan was just so shaken up. I know he’s your brother, and you’re so busy, so I thought I’d bring him out to clear his head…” How noble of her. “Seraphina,” I said, my voice dangerously low. “Have you drunk yourself stupid? Have you forgotten why my mother is dead?” Today was supposed to have been my parents’ twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Instead, his mistress and her son had shown up at our door. They claimed they were there to offer congratulations, but it was a declaration of war, a blatant provocation. And my father, instead of feeling an ounce of shame, told my mother to be more understanding. Rowan was only two years younger than me. My mother had dedicated more than two decades of her life to building a home for that man, only to discover his betrayal had been a shadow living alongside them for nearly as long. Our housekeeper, unsettled by the tension, had secretly called me while I was out picking up the anniversary cake. But by the time I raced back to the villa, it was too late. My mother leaped from the rooftop. Her body landed on the hood of my car, shattering the windshield in a spiderweb of cracks, painting it crimson. While I was drowning in grief, making arrangements for her funeral, my father was busy comforting his mistress. And my wife… my loving wife was out consoling the son of my mother’s tormentor? Suddenly, an unthinkable thought struck me. “Seraphina, you already knew Rowan, didn’t you? You knew who he was all along.” “I…” She stammered, her eyes darting away, guilt written all over her face. Rowan quickly jumped in. “Brother, please don’t blame Sera. It was my dad and me… we asked her not to say anything yet. We were afraid it would upset you and were waiting for the right moment.” He looked between us, a picture of innocence. “I was her junior in college. We… we dated for a while, but her family forced her into an arranged marriage, so we had to break up.” He added hastily, “I swear, I have no intention of taking her from you. It’s just… I was so scared today. I never thought your mother would be so… distraught.” Seraphina’s silence was all the confirmation I needed. A wave of bitter absurdity washed over me. So, she knew. She knew my father had a secret son, a whole other life, and she kept it from me. If I had known sooner, maybe I could have prevented this. Maybe my mother wouldn’t have felt so utterly alone, so betrayed that jumping seemed like the only way out. Seeing the storm on my face, Rowan spoke again, his voice cloyingly sweet. “Brother, my mother and I truly just wanted to offer our best wishes. I know… I know your mom’s death is connected to us, and I feel terribly guilty.” He gestured to the karaoke machine. “I just graduated, so I don’t have much to offer as a gift. How about I sing you a song, as an apology?” Before I could answer, he hurried over and selected a track. The next second, a ridiculously cheerful party anthem blared from the speakers. I froze. On the day of my mother’s tragic death, he was going to sing that? He turned, a mocking little wink in his eye. The rage that had been simmering inside me finally exploded. I snatched a heavy glass bottle from the coffee table and brought it down on his head. CRACK. The bottle shattered. Rowan screamed, diving behind Seraphina for cover. “Sera, are you okay?” he cried, feigning panic. “I-I didn’t mean it! I swear I didn’t pick that song. I must have been so nervous seeing my brother that I hit the wrong button…” Seraphina stood between us, a trickle of blood running down from her forehead where a shard of glass had nicked her. Her eyes, however, were fixed on me, blazing with fury. “Asher, what the hell is wrong with you? He’s your half-brother! How could you attack him?” She shielded Rowan protectively. “With that vicious temper of yours, it’s no wonder he was scared enough to make a mistake.” “I was starting to feel a little guilty about keeping this from you,” she spat, “but now I see it was the right call. God knows what you would have done to him if you’d known sooner!” Rowan wrapped his arms around her shoulders, his face a mask of adoration. “Oh, Sera, you’re so good to me. You always protect me.” Seraphina’s expression softened as she looked at him, ruffling his hair with a fond, exasperated sigh. “What am I going to do with you? You’re as soft as a little rabbit. If I don’t protect you, the big bad wolf will eat you alive.” Her words hit me like a physical blow. A long time ago, a much younger Seraphina had said those exact words to me. She probably didn’t even remember. I drew a long, shaky breath. From my jacket pocket, I pulled out the papers I’d drafted but never signed after her last affair. “Seraphina,” I said, my voice devoid of all emotion. “Let’s get a divorce.” 2 Seraphina let out a sharp, dismissive laugh, signing the divorce papers with a flourish. “Asher, is this your new trick? The last one didn’t work, so you’re trying again?” She tossed the pen down. “Fine. I’ll sign. But I didn’t cheat this time, so don’t expect me to come crawling back to you.” “See you at City Hall in a month,” she said, her chin high. “You’d better still have this much backbone then. Don’t come crying to me when you change your mind.” My past forgiveness had made her complacent. She was convinced that for the sake of our families’ business alliance, I would never truly leave her. She was wrong. “Don’t worry,” I said, my voice flat. “I won’t.” Without another word, I turned and walked out. I didn’t go home. I booked a hotel suite for the month, to wait out the mandatory cooling-off period. In the days that followed, Seraphina didn’t send a single text. I heard through the grapevine that Rowan wanted to learn to ski in Switzerland. Seraphina owned a private resort there, so she took him. My best friend was livid when he called. “What the hell is wrong with her?” he raged. “Everyone knows she built that resort for you! It was supposed to be your belated honeymoon spot after she proposed. It was meant to be for you and you alone!” “And now she’s taking that little bastard there? Has she learned nothing? Is she cheating on you again?!” I sat by the floor-to-ceiling window of my hotel room, the signed divorce papers lying on the table in front of me. For a moment, I was speechless. These papers… I had them drawn up the last time I caught her. I’d been so suffocated by her betrayal that I’d called my friend and hit the clubs, determined to drink myself into oblivion. Somehow, Seraphina found out. She stormed in like a hurricane, flanked by her security team, and proceeded to smash the place up, slapping every woman who had dared to talk to me. She had grabbed me by the collar, her eyes wild. “You’re a real piece of work, Asher.” Then, her voice broke. “I admit it. I fell in love with you. I can’t stand the thought of you with anyone else. Are you satisfied now?” What followed was that infamous live-streamed confession, a spectacle for the whole world to see. Seraphina swore she would change, that she would be a good wife. And for a while, life was sweet. Like my friend said, she showered me with affection, catering to my every whim. She knew I loved skiing, so she built a private mountain estate in the Swiss Alps, just for me. The name itself was a combination of ours. But now… I looked at the latest picture Rowan had posted online. The grand sign above the resort entrance had been replaced. The four words that once symbolized our union, “Asherina,” were gone. In their place, a new sign proudly proclaimed, “Serarowan.” “Yes,” I finally said into the phone, my voice hollow. “She’s cheating again. Which is why I’m done with her for good.” I hung up and, without a moment’s hesitation, signed my name on the divorce papers. On the seventh day after my mother’s death, my father called, asking me to come home for breakfast. A foolish part of me hoped he felt a shred of remorse, that he wanted us to visit her grave together. When I arrived, I found Rowan and his mother, Diane, sitting at the dining table. My face went cold. I turned to leave. “Stop!” my father barked, his voice sharp with anger. “Don’t you walk out of here!” He slammed his hand on the table. “I heard you attacked Rowan at the club the other day! What kind of monster are you? He’s your brother!” He jabbed a finger at me. “Thank God Seraphina was there to shield him! You injure him, and then you have the audacity to demand a divorce and run away from home?” “I don’t know what your mother taught you, but she raised a thug! You will get on your knees and apologize to them right now before you ruin the partnership between our families!” I stared at this man, this shell of a father whose world revolved only around profit and power. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “You knew I ran away from home? Funny, you never bothered to ask where I was staying, or if I was okay.” “Oh, that’s right, I forgot,” I sneered. “Your heart is entirely occupied by your whore. Otherwise, you might have actually shown up to your own wife’s funeral. You have the nerve to talk about my mother after that?” My father’s face turned purple with rage. He threw his fork down and raised his hand to strike me. Diane quickly intervened, her eyes glinting as she played the part of the benevolent peacemaker. “Darling, what are you doing?” she cooed, holding his arm. “The boy is grieving. We should be understanding. It’s alright, I don’t mind what he says.” She patted his chest, then turned to me with a sickeningly sweet smile. “Besides, you can’t bruise his handsome face. How will he and Rowan both serve as your groomsmen?” The world tilted. My blood ran cold. My voice came out as a strangled whisper. “What… what did you just call him? You’re getting married?!” 3 “My mother has only been dead for a week, and you’re already marrying your mistress?!” My father’s face hardened, his voice dripping with righteous indignation. “You said it yourself, your mother is dead. Am I supposed to mourn her forever?” “And Rowan is a grown man now,” he continued, gesturing to the boy. “I can’t let people whisper behind his back, calling him illegitimate for the rest of his life. It’s my duty as a father!” Duty? I collapsed into a chair, a hysterical laugh bubbling up from my chest as tears streamed down my face. Rowan slid into the seat next to me, taking my hand in a gesture of false camaraderie. “This is great, brother! Now we can be a real family. I don’t know much about the rules of high society, so you’ll have to teach me. I wouldn’t want to embarrass anyone.” “Sure,” I said, wiping my tears away. “No problem.” My father and Diane exchanged satisfied smiles. I calmly lit a cigarette, took a long drag, and blew the smoke directly into Rowan’s face. “Then here’s your first lesson. I am the son of the legal wife. You are the son of a whore. That means you don’t get to open your mouth in my presence unless I speak to you first. Got it?” With a flick of my wrist, I pressed the glowing tip of the cigarette into the back of his hand. The hiss of searing flesh was punctuated by Rowan’s piercing shriek. I grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at me. “Don’t think I don’t know. You spoke to my mother alone right before she died. I haven’t settled that score with you yet, so I suggest you stay the hell away from me.” “Asher! Have you lost your mind? That’s your brother!” my father roared, jumping to his feet. Diane rushed to cradle the sobbing Rowan, glaring daggers at me. “Hah…” I dusted off my hands. “My mother only gave birth to me. I don’t have any cheap half-brothers.” “Dad, you know my temper,” I warned, my voice deadly calm. “You want to throw a wedding for this trash and officially welcome them into society? You go right ahead. But I swear to you, if you try, I will burn your wedding to the ground. Test me.” He knew I wasn’t bluffing. My connection to the Seraphine family still held weight. My father and Diane’s faces contorted with rage and impotence. Just then, a familiar voice cut through the tension from behind me. “With me here, I’d like to see who dares.” Seraphina strode in, one hand casually tucked into her pocket. The moment Rowan saw her, his tears redoubled. He scrambled over to her like she was his savior, showing her his burned hand. Seraphina’s face tightened with pity and anger. “It’s okay, Rowan,” she cooed, her voice soft. “I’ll take you to the best specialist. I promise there won’t be a scar.” She looked at him fondly. “Our Rowan has to be the most handsome groomsman for his father, doesn’t he?” I stared at her, incredulous. My voice trembled. “Seraphina, do you even hear yourself?” She met my gaze, a cold, mocking smile playing on her lips. “I heard everything, Asher. In our world, what man doesn’t have a few women on the side? Your mother died because she couldn’t handle it. Why are you blaming Rowan for her weakness?” Her words were like knives. “You had a father your whole life. Why shouldn’t Rowan have the same? It’s not fair.” “I don’t care what you think,” she declared, her voice ringing with finality. “I’m going to help him take his rightful place in this family. I’ll make sure everyone knows he’s a legitimate heir, and no one will ever dare call him illegitimate again.” She took a step closer, her eyes boring into mine. “You want to ruin this wedding, Asher? Go on. I dare you.” I knew she meant it. The last time she’d made a threat like that, the man who had made a crude joke about me found his company bankrupt within days. He vanished from Seacrest Bay, reportedly with two broken legs and no tongue. I should have seen this coming. Seraphina was always promiscuous. To her, my father’s infidelity was a trivial matter. She couldn’t possibly comprehend the depth of my mother’s pain, or mine. But the betrayal, coming from the woman who had shared my bed, still felt like a dagger twisting in my gut. I snapped. I slapped her, hard. “Get out!” I roared. Seraphina just smirked, rubbing her cheek. Before she could retort, Rowan charged at me, shoving me with all his might. “I’ve had enough of you! Stop bullying Sera!” he screamed. Seraphina watched with a flicker of amusement. “Well, well. The little rabbit has learned how to bite.” “You always protected me, Sera,” Rowan declared, puffing out his chest. “Now it’s my turn to protect you!” I stumbled backward, crashing into a pair of large potted cacti. Hundreds of tiny needles embedded themselves in my back and palms. The sharp, stinging pain made me gasp, blood welling up and dripping onto the floor. My father sighed, a look of utter disgust on his face. “You’ve completely ruined a perfectly good breakfast.” He turned to Seraphina. “Sera, you haven’t eaten, have you? Let’s go out.” Seraphina, her attention focused entirely on Rowan’s hand, simply nodded and led him away without a single glance back at me. As they left, Rowan turned his head and mouthed one word at me. Loser. I watched the four of them walk away, a happy family unit. A bitter laugh escaped my lips as hot tears finally began to fall. “Mom, look… you’re gone, and now your son is homeless…” My voice broke into a sob. “Doesn’t it hurt you to see this? Please, come back. I miss you so much…” 4 News of my father’s impending wedding spread through our social circle like wildfire. During that time, Seraphina flaunted Rowan at every opportunity, taking him to all sorts of high-profile events, even those meant exclusively for married couples. She made it clear to everyone: Rowan was not to be called illegitimate. He was to be treated with the same respect as they would treat her. Rowan, for his part, made sure I knew it. He would call or send videos constantly, each one a carefully crafted showcase of his new life with Seraphina. “Brother, Sera gave me another diamond ring yesterday. It even has our initials engraved on it. I heard it’s bigger than your wedding ring was.” “Oh, and she convinced her father to give me the family’s heirloom signet ring. Isn’t that something they only give to sons-in-law? I guess you won’t be needing it anymore.” I remembered that ring. By Seraphine family tradition, it was only passed to a new son-in-law after the birth of an heir. Seraphina had never bothered trying to get it for me, always saying, “We’ll have kids eventually, it’ll be yours then.” Given her past, I hadn’t been in any rush to start a family. We had planned to start trying after the New Year. Now, it seemed, that was off the table. I couldn’t imagine what she must have said or done to convince her staunchly traditional father to break such a long-standing rule. The final message was a picture of Seraphina, asleep. Her exposed neck and shoulders were a canvas of angry purple marks. The text below it read: “Sera said she hasn’t been this happy in a long time. She said being with an old man like you was so boring she could only fake it.” I didn’t bother replying. I just blocked his number. On the day of my father and Diane’s wedding, Seraphina, paranoid I would cause a scene, hired a legion of bodyguards to patrol the venue inside and out. It was completely unnecessary. She had already put the word out: anyone who dared to help me disrupt the wedding would be making an enemy of the Seraphine family. No one would touch me. I sat alone in my hotel room, clutching a photo of my mother, tears of guilt and helplessness streaming down my face. That afternoon, the door to my suite burst open. Seraphina stood there, flanked by her security, her face a mask of cold fury. A red-eyed, sobbing Rowan was right behind her. She stormed over and grabbed me by the collar. “Asher, I never thought you could sink this low! How could you leak private photos of Rowan at the wedding?” Her voice was laced with venom. “It’s all over the news! You’ve ruined him! How is he ever supposed to get married now? You just wanted to destroy his future!” I shoved her hand away, my brow furrowed in confusion. “What are you talk—” Before I could finish, Rowan burst into tears. “Brother, I know you don’t want to give me the company shares, but it was Dad’s idea! I’m his son, I can’t just defy him, can I?” He looked at me with wounded eyes. “If you’re angry, take it out on me, I can handle it. But why did you have to do it on my mother’s wedding day? She’s been called a mistress for so many years… she’s suffered enough.” And then it all clicked into place. Years ago, when my father was still madly in love with my mother and defied his family to marry her, he had given her half of his shares in the company to show his devotion. My mother later signed them over to me. This was never about a wedding. This was a setup. A cold smile spread across my face. “Seraphina, are you blind? Can’t you see what this is? He’s staging this whole drama to steal the shares my mother left me.” “You say I did it? Who saw me? Do you have any proof?” “I don’t need proof! Rowan isn’t that kind of manipulative person. You’re the only one with a motive!” Seraphina shot back, her belief in him absolute. She grabbed my arm. “You’re going to go live right now, apologize to Rowan, and tell everyone you did it.” “And then,” she said, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper, “you will sign over all of your shares in the company to him. It’s what you owe him.” “And if I don’t?” At my defiance, Rowan let out a theatrical, despairing wail. “Sera, my reputation is ruined! Everyone is calling me a shameless degenerate who destroyed his own parents’ wedding!” “My brother had a father his whole life, he has company shares, he has an amazing wife like you… I have nothing! I can’t live like this, being pointed at and whispered about forever! I’d rather just die!” “Rowan, don’t be stupid!” Seraphina cried, grabbing his arm. She turned to me, her eyes burning with a cold fire, and a cruel smile twisted her lips. “Asher, did you really think the body cremated that day… was your mother’s?”

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In the seventh year of marriage, I found a torn pair of black stockings under the passenger seat of my lawyer husband’s car. That night I threw them in front of Lucas Sterling, he looked up from the case file, tone flat. “Don’t make a scene, this is case evidence.” Quarrel, slamming doors, leaving home, I thought this time could exchange for his bowing down. But during the three months of cold war, he cut off my cards, sent messages in a calm lawyer tone. [According to the law, after two years of separation, I can sue for divorce and let you leave with nothing. Stella, you have no chips.] I was forced to drag my luggage home, he sat in the old place, voice without fluctuation. “I hope this is your last time making trouble.” I nodded quietly, put on an apron, walked into the kitchen. A week later, he won a sensational divorce case in the city. At the Victory Party, full of compliments. “Lucas won this case beautifully, the opponent was a housewife, didn’t get a penny more.” “detached from society for so long, no financial ability, the woman still delusional about child custody, ridiculous.” Lucas pinched his brow center, careless. “Law stresses evidence, she said husband cheated, but couldn’t produce evidence, full of lies, I can’t bear child following such a mother.” “Most important in marriage is, know the big picture, understand propriety, know when to advance and retreat, pity she doesn’t understand.” His assistant Jasmine smilingly asked me: “Sister-in-law, do you think Brother Lucas is right?” I didn’t answer, just placed the fruit platter on the coffee table. Coming back this time, I am not compromising. Love will extinguish, vows will rot. But the hand collecting evidence cannot shake. Chapter 1 Jasmine wore a champagne-colored fishtail dress. This dress, I looked very familiar. It was hidden by Lucas deep in the closet, in a beautifully packaged gift box. Wedding anniversary approaching, I thought this was the commemorative gift he prepared for me, full of expectation. Now it’s worn on her. By the table, Jasmine’s phone screen lit up. Background photo was her and Lucas making heart signs on a Ferris wheel. If before, Jasmine’s such childish and shallow provocation, enough to make me lose control, go crazy. But at this moment, my expression calm, smilingly asked her: “Just graduated and anxious to intervene in other’s marriage, do you think it’s right?” Her smile froze on face, hand holding champagne glass, knuckles white. Lucas took off glasses, gaze fell on me, very gentle, but like a silent warning. “Stella, cake baked, didn’t you say want to celebrate for us?” He can always master the situation at critical moments, like handling with ease in court. This calmness once fascinated me, now only feel cold. Jasmine like a peacock got protection, chin slightly raised, smiling. “If marriage already exists in name only, there is no saying of intervention right?” She naturally took the cake from my hand, distributed to everyone, as if she was the hostess of this house. “Brother Lucas is right, housewife should correct position, understand propriety. After all, housewife’s biggest value, is making people worry-free.” Cream piping exquisite, is Lucas favorite matcha flavor, I made all afternoon. And he was wiping off cream stained on Jasmine’s lip edge, movement familiar and intimate. “How old already, eating like a child.” Blush flashed across her cheek, coquettishly patted off his hand. “Sister-in-law, Brother Lucas just loves to worry, don’t mind ah.” Lucas’s gaze swept over me, seeming to wait for something. A quarrel, a loss of composure, waiting for me to rush up separate them like before, declaring my status. But I just stood quietly, like watching a play irrelevant to me. Back then to get into same university as Lucas, I chose the most unpopular major in Northwestern. To chase him, I delivered breakfast non-stop, organized notes, on call anytime. Later he broke leg due to accident, I took care of him for half a year, finally begged him if could spend New Year with me. Cold winter snow night, New Year bell long lost echo, square empty, also didn’t wait his figure. I stood in wind cold trembling, aggrieved and angry. Moment phone connected, I opened mouth want scold, tears fell first. “Lucas Sterling, you really hard to chase, I don’t want chase you anymore.” He panted, like running: “Turn back.” Deep night curtain, street lights extinguished in turn, he fell full shoulder snow. “Sorry, car broke down.” Lucas wrapped my frozen hands, wiped away my tears. “Stella, you said you would be more persistent than I imagined.” “Don’t cry, your tears are hot.” After graduation, Lucas married me. Although he dealt with laws all day, didn’t understand romance, but would remember all our anniversaries, give me surprises. Also in my period, midnight boiled Hot Chocolate for me, bought heating pads and pads. Married seven years, he rational calm, life step by step. He said he didn’t like feeling out of control, I believed. In the end found out, was me simply didn’t see him clear. This banquet, lasted until late night. I cleaning up mess in living room, drunk Lucas suddenly hugged me from behind. “Stella, why so quiet today?” I stopped movement in hand, broke free from his arms. “Lucas, when tearing her stockings in car, was it very exciting?” Chapter 2 Three months ago, I picked up a battle-damaged stocking in the car. I had a big fight with Lucas, he finally stopped saying evidence, admitted it was Jasmine’s thing. He frowned, rubbing temples. “That was just an accident, Jasmine accidentally hooked it, she was embarrassed to say, wanted stuff in bag, accidentally fell in gap.” How perfect explanation, lawyers always good at weaving logic lies. I questioned hoarsely, but like a punch hitting cotton. He helplessly said, “Stella, stop making trouble, going on like this no good for you.” I dragged luggage left this home, he let me back, I didn’t listen. So he cut my cards, let me have no cent to use. These three months, he didn’t ask where I went, nor ask how I lived. Seeing me dig up old scores, Lucas more angry. “I transferred Jasmine to other group, bank card also unfrozen for you.” “Stella, what else you want me do?” Necklace on his neck fell out, simple geometric pendant, men’s style. Women’s style worn on Jasmine neck. I once on his birthday, saw promo picture, couple style newest design, proposed want. That time he said, too tacky childish. Turns out, tacky not necklace, was me full of expectation back then. I raised eyes, not dodging meeting his sight. “What can I do? Ask you this necklace, is also so-called evidence?” He breath hitched, hand subconsciously hid necklace. His voice sank, “Must you grab these minor details not let go?” “A gift only, represents nothing, you mature point, don’t always suspicious.” I almost laughed out, chest blocked painful. “Lucas Sterling, I used eleven years time, prove to you I love you, can’t leave you.” “Now you use a necklace, a dress, prove how ridiculous I am.” His face changed, didn’t expect I would bluntly tear open appearance, still quibbling. “You stay home long term, emotion sensitive, easy think wild…” I step forward, forcing his gaze. “Who let me stay at home! Why would I stay at home!” He stepped back half step, Adam’s apple rolled violently, all excuses blocked throat. Second year after marriage, I received that company offer letter I expected long, but deleted secretly by him. Long later saw in deleted emails, exactly time he persuaded me be housewife. That night he hugged me, voice gentle, “Stella, family needs you, those hard work outside, don’t go.” Interview I spent months preparing, resume modified countless times, all longing for future. Denied by his light sentence. Quarrel came fierce and desperate, I questioned him based on what decide my life. He first silence, then irritably threw off my hand printing offer letter. “Can you be realistic? With your qualification, even go is bottom layer, what development can have?” “Helping me manage rear at home, is biggest contribution!” During pulling, I lost center of gravity, abdomen hit hard on marble coffee table sharp corner. Dull pain instantly hit, followed by surging wet heat, floor full dazzling red. Face blood lost, hand busy feet messy calling ambulance, voice shaking not shape. In ambulance harsh siren sound, he tightly hugged me, repeating again and again. “Sorry, Stella, sorry, I not intentional.” Operating room light on long time, doctor came out, expression heavy. He said, impact too fierce, loss irreversible, my hope want be mother later, minimal. Lucas guarded me three days three nights by sickbed, eye sockets deep, stubble messy. He held my hand, hot tears big drops smashed on back of my hand. “Sorry, I just don’t want you leave me.” “I afraid you go that city, then never come back, is me wrong.” “I will use lifetime compensate you.” After that, I bound in this home, every cent expense need report, every point value redefined. Chapter 3 Half year ago, he lost cases consecutively, I worried his emotion, specially made big table seafood. He entered door saw, face instantly sank. “Stella, you stayed home long, think money blown by wind?” “Do you know I earn money now, pressure how big?” I stiffened on spot, face burning hot, as if stripped naked in public. That dinner, we didn’t move, like a silent trial. But later, I saw him buy limited edition watch for Jasmine, eyes not blink. Reason is, permanent staff gift. Buy car is, reward outstanding performance. Buy bag is, talk client need outfit. Every time has perfect flaw-less excuse, blocked me speechless. Until I unbearable accused him double standard, he sternly interrupted me, bottom of eyes undisguised sarcasm. “This home, these years, has a cent earned back by you?” “My money, I want how spend, still need ask you instruction?” That moment, last point spark in heart, thoroughly extinguished. Early morning, Lucas suit leather shoes, expression plain organizing files, as if last night noise, confrontation, all irrelevant small matters. He glanced at cups plates not cleaned in living room, slightly unnoticeable frown. “Find a hourly worker.” He while adjusting cuff, while lightly said, “Money transferred you.” Phone screen lit, two thousand dollars transfer notification, concise like sending away a not quite satisfied waiter. My voice hoarse, “Thanks.” Lucas movement paused, seemed want say something, gaze fell on my red eyes. But finally, he just picked up briefcase, walked to door. “I will come back early today.” Door closed, I looked at wedding photo on wall dazed, Loving him, just because he once was light in my life. Senior year high school, my parents divorced, no one wanted me. I like a ball kicked here there, me haven’t eaten full meal for a week, because Lucas bicycle hit me. I just shameless extorted him a meal. He watched me wolf down three bowls noodles, frowning, somewhat disgusted said, “Stella, hungry then come find me.” After that, he burdened my tuition, explained key questions for me. Absorbing light and warmth behind him, gradually became my instinct deep into bone marrow. Later countless times heart cold in marriage, I also used that time comfort myself. Persist a bit more, maybe can find back that boy explaining questions till late night for me. But this moment, standing in messy living room, I finally sober. I owed him, long paid back with interest. With my career, my health, my eleven years sincerity, and that unborn child. I contacted lawyer, also Lucas deadly enemy Leo. Sent all evidences over, inside has photo of Lucas and Jasmine at hotel entrance. In luxury store, his silhouette trying necklace for her, and ambiguous dialogue in dashcam. These days I recorded his speech about housewife no value. Finally I sent a sentence, “Sue ASAP.” Chapter 4 I turned walked into guest room, dragged out luggage prepared long ago from closet. Just off elevator, bumped into Lucas and Jasmine. Lucas looked at me, looked luggage again, between brows all impatience. “What you want do again? I specially early off work back, just watch you leave home again?” What can I do? I just, finally learned how to leave. Jasmine voice inserted, carrying deliberate considerateness. “Brother Lucas, sister-in-law maybe mood bad again, you coax well, don’t count with her.” Lucas gaze fell on my two big suitcases, gently sighed. “Went out three months, other not learned, temper grew.” I clenched fist, nails deeply pinched into palm, then I met his gaze, voice very light. “Lucas Sterling, do you still remember… today is what day?” He stunned, brows habitually frowned, bottom eyes all doubt. My heart by his blankness, pierced last bit self-deceiving bubble. Back then Lucas getting license, told me. “Eleven is smallest prime number, our first meeting also 11th, our license day also November 11th.” “Later every year, I will accompany you spend.” Eleven once running through our love start to end, endowed countless deep meanings. He forgot all. I extremely slight smiled. “Nothing, not important anymore.” He still wanted say something, phone ringtone urgent rang. He went answer phone, I also planned leave. Jasmine however blocked my way. “I seen your marriage certificate. However today, he can’t accompany you.” “Because also eleven months anniversary me and him knew.”

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Husband died in a plane crash. I cried until I fainted, waking up to endure the grief and identify the body. The staff frowned in confusion. “Ma’am, your marriage certificate is obviously fake.” “The system shows Gavin Sterling’s legal wife is Lila.” I was stunned. Just as I wanted to ask more, a capable female voice came from behind. “Hello, I am Lila, here to claim Gavin Sterling’s body.” I watched helplessly as she took Gavin’s body away. Stunned for a while before chasing up, collapsing and questioning. “Who exactly are you? I’ve been married to Gavin for five years, gave birth to three children, how could I not be his wife!” Lila’s eyes carried blatant pity. “Gavin is actually the heir to the Sterling Empire, and I am his arranged wife.” “The three sons you gave birth to didn’t die young, Gavin gave them to me long ago. Don’t worry, I will raise them well.” “I just transferred $100,000 to your account, consider it your compensation.” I was so angry my heart attacked, the postpartum hemorrhage recurred, and I died from excessive blood loss. Opening my eyes again, I returned to the day Gavin gave me the fake marriage certificate. I tore the certificate into pieces and threw it into the trash can. “Do you think I can’t tell this is fake?” “Let’s end it here, I’m going back to my hometown for New Year and blind dates.” Chapter 1 I didn’t care about his stiff face, ready to go back to the room to pack luggage. But just turned around, my wrist was grabbed by Gavin, he hugged my waist. “Don’t go!” His voice full of pleading. “I didn’t mean to lie to you about the marriage certificate… it’s me too useless, only took one Uber order today, simply couldn’t afford the $50 license fee, so I bought a fake one.” I looked at his slightly red eyes, a surge of ridicule rose in my heart. Rich people really have good acting skills. If not for Lila telling me his true identity in my previous life. I would really think he was a poor boy with only me in his heart. I didn’t expose him, but followed his words. “You can’t even afford a $50 marriage license, what qualification do you have to be with me?” “Gavin, I’m not young anymore, I just want a stable life.” Finished speaking, I pretended to be sad and pushed him away, ran into the room and locked the door. Took out my phone and called my mom. “Mom, I plan to quit my job and go back to hometown, you ask Auntie to introduce me some dates.” Mom’s voice excited. “You finally thought it through! Several factory owner sons in town like you, I’ll set up a meeting when you come home for New Year!” Hung up the phone, I looked down at my young and healthy body. No ugly scars on belly, no dense stretch marks on legs. Couldn’t help crying out in excitement. Luckily everything is still in time. This time, I will never be a breeding machine for their wealthy couple again! Booked ticket home for tomorrow, I went to the Nightclub to resign. Before, to start a family with Gavin earlier, buy car and house, I threw away all face and dignity, worked as a bottle girl. But in previous life, he only hugged me crying when my stomach hurt, never even bought me a few dollars painkiller. Just walked into the bar, colleague pulled my arm. “Sarah, that ancestor of Sterling family came to spend today, let’s hurry scoop some from their fingers!” “Don’t you always hope to earn more money to raise your poor guy?” I haven’t had time to explain I came to resign today, was pushed into the private room. Gavin sat on the main seat, a diamond on his watch could buy my life. Surrounded by a group of rich second generations appearing in financial interviews lighting his cigarette. Even though knew his true identity long ago, my heart tip still trembled at this moment. I hurriedly lowered head wearing mask, afraid he recognize me. Gavin spoke, voice carrying irritability. “That one outside thinks I have no money, wants to go back to hometown for blind dates.” A burst of laughter erupted around. “Brother Gavin really looked wrong person, such gold digger how worthy to bear Sterling heir.” “Actually said Brother Gavin no money, such stupid woman’s child better not be retarded.” Amidst rising and falling ridicule, my heart ice cold, fingers clenched tight. Lila smilingly patted his shoulder, gestures full of elegance and calmness. “You have to give the little girl some sweetness.” “Sarah graduated from famous university, high IQ, did such undignified work for you, affectionate and righteous, I like her genes, you coax her well then hurry have a child.” “Let her have three, I’m traditional, more children more blessing.” My blood seemed to solidify, bottle slipped from my hand. In previous life I suffered endlessly from frequent childbirths, once wanted to commit suicide. Didn’t expect all this just because of Lila’s casual words. I only felt sourness in heart, body weak. Ran out of private room without hesitation. Back home, I started clearing useless items. 99 paper roses folded by Gavin, countless soda tab rings, wall full of wedding dress sketches. Every anniversary he would guiltily hug me tight. “Sarah, I am too poor now, can only give you my sincere heart.” “After marriage I will work hard to earn money, definitely buy you real roses and rings, take you to shoot most luxurious wedding photos!” He is not without money, just unwilling to spend a cent on me. I laughed self-deprecatingly. Threw these broken things once treated as treasures, all into trash can. Gavin came back, looking at things in trash can, suddenly grabbed my wrist. “Sarah, why did you throw our tokens of love? Did you know something?” He stared at me suspiciously, not letting go any expression on my face. “Where were you just now?” I pretended nonchalant smile. “I’m going back to hometown tomorrow, definitely been packing at home.” Seeing my expression no dodging, Gavin breathed sigh of relief. He held up the Cup Noodles in hand, excitedly like offering treasure to me. “Sarah, hubby went out driving Uber, earned you a bowl of noodles!” “You hurry eat while hot, I’ll just drink your leftover soup.” He prepared to coax me with a bowl of noodles? I laughed self-deprecatingly. I am really cheap in his heart. “You eat yourself, I have to catch train tomorrow, sleep first.” Lazy to waste words with him, I turned back to room, but blocked by him. “Sarah, did you learn bad from women in bar? Why suddenly so money-worshiping?” “I always wanted to have a child with you, so didn’t give you expensive gifts, want save money to give our child better life.” Mentioning child, my heart stung endlessly. In previous life I risked life giving birth to three children, haven’t had time to look at them, taken by Gavin to his wife. Our biological mother and son can’t recognize each other for lifetime. I closed eyes, forcefully suppressed heart sourness, pushed him away hard. “We really broke up.” I locked myself in room again. Gavin kept banging door, voice anxious. “We been together three years, you said would struggle with me!” “I love you enough to give my life to you, how can you bear to abandon me? I beg you don’t go…” In his begging cries, my tears also slid silently. Dignified Sterling heir hiding identity, living in leaking basement, playing poor rental love with me. This is the love he gave me. But I don’t need it anymore, this life I just want to live well. Midnight I suddenly woke up, walked out room to drink water. Vaguely saw Gavin leaning against narrow window. In smoke, his brows irritable, talking on phone. “Sarah still wants to go back, she should be serious.” Lila on other end sneered disdainfully. “A birth tool, worthy of our Crown Prince being so troubled?” “If really can’t, let her go, we are not non-negotiable on her.” Smoke between Gavin’s fingers flickering, long time before spitting a sentence. “Sarah is different.” My steps paused, heart suddenly surged a trace of obscure expectation. But next second, heard his cold voice. “She is young, beautiful and free.” My heart suddenly fell to bottom, as if torn to pieces. Gavin added carelessly again. “Besides you don’t understand, watching her willing to degenerate for me, working dead tired every day just to raise me, quite novel.” “Such stupid and fun woman not many now.” My breathing seemed stopped. These years I drank desperately, stomach pain want to die dare not tell him. Afraid he worry, afraid he stress. But turns out he saw all in eyes, even treated me as joke telling his wife. I covered mouth dead tight, afraid myself can’t help crying out. Lila said seriously. “Women who don’t ask you for money are most troublesome.” “If you really pretend poor having child with her, have to coax her lifetime.” Gavin eyes flashed a ruthless look. “I won’t let her go.” “Woman played rotten by me Gavin Sterling, who dares to take over?” I inexplicably heart tight. Wanted sneak back room, Gavin suddenly hung up, looked up at my position. “Sarah, I already saw you.” Smile on his lips so gentle. I couldn’t help retreating in panic, turned to run. Gavin caught up in few steps, pulled me into arms. I simply stopped pretending, slapped his face, red eyes shouted. “Your wife can’t birth herself, I won’t help you bear children, go find others!” “Let me go.” “Sarah don’t make trouble.” Gavin frowned slightly, helpless and doting. “Me and Lila are commercial marriage, didn’t touch her few times, you are true wife in my heart.” “Usually not giving you money, just because I want to have cleanest love with you.” “Outside so many women want climb my bed, I only have child with you, what else you want little ancestor?” He pretended poor dragging me three years, caused me suffer countless bitterness, in his eyes actually grace to me. I laughed in anger, eye rims unconsciously sour. I took deep breath, voice not loud but clear. “But I think you dirty.” Gavin suddenly grabbed my shoulder, nails digging into my flesh. “Say it again!” I endured shoulder pain, stubbornly refused to change words. His fist suddenly brushed my face, smashed hard on wall. “I coaxed you so humbly, you just don’t appreciate.” “Except that broken paper of marriage certificate, I can give you anything!” But I just want legal identity. Suddenly my arm stung. Looked down, Gavin injected a tube of liquid into my body. “What are you doing!” I screamed lost voice, wanted struggle, but found myself using no strength. Gavin carried me princess style, kissed my forehead. “Don’t fear, just medicine let you rest well.” “Sarah, I absolutely not allow you leave me.” I didn’t have time to speak, next second fell into coma. Chapter 2 Woke up again, I lay in a luxurious villa. Wrist locked to bed head by a gold chain. Wanted sit up, found myself sore all over. Gavin sat by bed, putting on watch unhurriedly. Seeing me wake, he brought a bowl of bird’s nest. Scooped a spoon tasted at mouth, confirmed temperature suitable then fed me carefully. “Lie well, doctor will check your body later.” “I will come back every night, you get pregnant ASAP, my elders urging tight.” I looked at chain on hand, collapsed waved overturning bird’s nest. Bird’s nest spilled on his 7-figure haute couture suit, he wasn’t angry at all. Just held my hand checking carefully. “Not hurt right? I will heartache.” I used all strength slapped him again, palm numb. “Let me go home! This is illegal!” Gavin face instantly red swollen, but just smiled indifferently getting up, covering quilt for me. “Sarah still silly cute.” “I took your phone. You don’t want eat then continue rest, so have energy make baby with me at night.” He instructed nanny take care me well, then turned left. After he left, I lay on bed staring blankly at ceiling. Thinking how to contact outside world. At this time door opened. It was Lila. She casually put crocodile skin Hermès on bedside table. “I am Gavin’s wife, he let me persuade you.” Recalling her pity to me in previous life, I grabbed her hand begging. “Mrs. Sterling, I don’t love Gavin anymore… you find someone else.” Lila pushed away my hand, eyes complex. “To me anyone bearing is same.” “But Gavin only wants you, I have no way either. Miss Sarah, Gavin had many female companions before, I can see he is serious to you, rich second generation grew up in luxury, actually accompanied you squeezing basement eating instant noodles.” “Me and him indeed no feelings, if you can help me complete task of continuing lineage, I really thank you.” Realizing she didn’t plan help me, my eye rims red. But I decided to try again. I slowly nodded, pretending convinced look. “I think about it again.” “Mrs. Sterling, I didn’t eat breakfast, not used to your nanny’s craft, can I cook myself in kitchen?” Lila somewhat hesitant. I hurriedly supplemented. “You can watch me aside.” She then nodded, helped me unlock gold chain. Just entered kitchen, I tightly grabbed Lila, poured oil on gas. Kitchen instantly ignited big fire. She struggled desperately, but still couldn’t break free from me who worked daily. I took out his phone called Gavin. “Villa on fire, come quick.” Before he spoke, threw phone into fire. Fire soon spread to whole villa. Me and Lila both choked breathless by smoke. Few minutes later, Gavin rushed into sea of fire. “Sarah! Sarah!” He shouted my name loudly, but stunned when seeing unconscious Lila beside me. He hesitated few seconds, picked up Lila. “She is Lin family eldest miss, can’t have accident.” “Sarah you hold on, I come back save you immediately!” Watching his hurried back, I smiled relieved. Climbed to balcony jumped down from window. Floor not high, I just knee broke bit skin. While no one discovered me, hurried ran away from back door, hailed a taxi. “Hello, I want go to station.” Gavin Sterling, see you never. Chapter 3 Gavin just put Lila on ambulance, wanted rush back in save person. Firefighter stopped him. “Fire too big Mr. Sterling. According to our experience, person inside might already…” Gavin spat mouthful blood on ground, fainted. “Sarah…” In coma, he kept chanting Sarah name. Just woken by doctor, Gavin pulled out IV on hand, ignored hospital and wife persuasion came to fire scene. Firefighters cleaning this ruin. They searched whole day, only found a soda tab ring. Ring already deformed black, edge sharp, cut Gavin palm. Blood seeped, he felt no pain, just asked numbly. “Where is deceased body? I want see her again.” Firefighter sighed. “Not found.” “Metal tab burned like this, Miss Sarah probably only left handful ash.” Gavin stomach churned. He pushed away everyone, sped car to highest, ran seven eight red lights, went to bar Sarah once worked. He stumbled to bar counter, grabbed a newly opened strong liquor, poured down throat. Alcohol like hot knife, burned from throat to stomach bottom, chest severe pain more obvious. He coughed violently, eyes red, physiological tears flowed with liquor together. Since then, bar became Gavin home. He wore wrinkled expensive shirt stained with unknown dirt, stubble, eyes unfocused. Like a stray dog curled in corner, pouring bottle after bottle. Lila came find him few times. First time, she wore Chanel suit, makeup exquisite. Gavin in slum alley entrance, robbed by two punks of watch worth 7 figures on wrist. And he just paralyzed in sewage giggling. Lila angry trembling, let bodyguard drive away punks, tried drag him onto Maybach. “Gavin Sterling! Look at you like what now!” “For a birth tool, you don’t even want Sterling family?!” She screamed question, nails almost pinched into his arm meat. He fiercely threw her off, strength big made her stumble back. His red eyes stared at her, inside was bone-deep hate and madness. “I locked Sarah well, if not you this fool she wouldn’t die.” “Is you killed her!” Second time was at Sterling Group board meeting. He absent from crucial annual report meeting. Lila attended representing him, helped him suppress all doubts and dissatisfaction. After meeting, she found him in that bar. Gavin paralyzed in sofa, feet full of empty bottles. Private room filled with heavy disgusting alcohol stink. Lila stood at door, didn’t approach again. She looked at this man once decisive in business field, making opponents fear wind. Now only left a shell without soul. Her chest heaving, unwilling and angry. “Those uncles in board restless again, always clamoring replace you.” Her voice very cold. “This time I helped you deal with. But you are Sterling true helmsman. How long you want be like this?” Gavin no reaction, just poured another mouthful wine. Liquid flowed down his mouth corner, wet shirt front. Lila closed eyes. She took out a stack photos from Hermès clutch, slammed heavily on him. Photos scattered, slid on ground. “Your Sarah didn’t die.” She word by word, voice not loud, but made Gavin sober instantly. His unfocused eyes suddenly condensed, almost pounced, trembling hand grabbed scattered photos. Top one is a thin woman back view, holding arm of a man looking gentle simple. Woman side face profile, he can trace with eyes closed. Is Sarah. No burn, even complexion better than when with him. She slightly looked up, saying something to man beside, lips seemed have trace extremely faint smile. That smile like red hot iron, burned Gavin heart suddenly constricted, almost suffocated. “Sarah went back hometown living very well, looks like completely gave you up.” Lila looked down at him, tone mocking. “Gavin Sterling, you want die want live here, acting love saint for who see?” “She simply doesn’t care. She about to become other’s bride, live this life stable happy.” String named reason in Gavin brain, completely snapped. “No! Impossible…” He painfully beat his own head. “She can only be mine, how dare she find others!” He fiercely smashed wine bottle in hand on ground. Loud noise, glass shards and residual wine splashed. He swayed stand up. Too long no normal meal and rest, his eyes black for while, but he dead grabbed sofa back. Few seconds later, he looked up. That pair once decadent unfocused eyes, now bright amazing. “Where is she?” His voice hoarse cracked, but carried a unquestionable oppression. Lila reported Sarah hometown address. Gavin finished listening, didn’t look her again, stumbled rushed towards private room door. He dialed assistant phone. Assistant surprised and happy. “Mr. Sterling, finally contacted you!” “When you come company? Recently Sterling stock price…” Gavin interrupted him. “These things talk later.” “Now start my private jet immediately, I want find Sarah. She didn’t die!” Assistant wanted say something, Gavin directly hung up. Ten minutes later, plane took off. Gavin stared at Sarah photo. “Sarah…” He muttered low, bottom of eyes surged bound to get. “You can’t escape.” “This life, next life, life after life… you are mine.”

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The year I was most desperate and cornered, Julian Vance spent $50,000 to buy me, becoming my benefactor from then on. Later when I first awakened to love and confessed to him, he didn’t agree nor refuse, just asked me meaningfully: “You want to stay by my side forever? Then you have to prove your value.” For this sentence, I worked like a horse for him, thinking I could eventually move him. But later, I heard him mocking me to others with my own ears: “Country girls are just easy to fool.” “$50,000 isn’t even enough to buy a bag for other women, yet it can make her work for me dead set.” “Tell me, isn’t it funny?” Chapter 1 Morning when I went to the office, I met several colleagues on the way. They greeted me familiarly, some bold ones even smilingly called me “Julian’s Little Wifey”. I forced down the upturned corner of my mouth, pretending nothing happened and waved to them. Turned a corner in the corridor, arrived in front of the CEO’s office. ——My footsteps stopped abruptly. Julian was actually already here. He smiling yet not smiling let me close the door. I did it apprehensively, just walked in front of him, heard him chuckle lightly. “Little Wifey?” My heart missed a beat suddenly. He indeed heard it. Julian stood up from the chair, dusted his coat, slowly walked towards me. Until, forced me to the door edge. “You’ve been with me for a few years, right? No wonder they call you that, so many women come and go around me, only you stayed the longest.” He said while slowly leaning down towards me. My heart beat like a drum, almost couldn’t breathe. But he only lightly pinched my face. “So hot? Wren, what are you thinking?” Finished speaking, Julian pulled me away from the door directly. He leisurely entered the corridor, instantly restoring the meticulous look at work. “Organize the documents on my desk, send to the conference room in five minutes, today I personally handle the spokesperson signing.” After Julian left, I took several deep breaths, frantic heart then slowly calmed down. He is always like this—— Give me a little hope, watch me helpless. Then unhesitatingly throw me away. Chapter 2 The matter of signing a spokesperson had long been buzzing in the whole company. Because the one Julian wanted to sign was no other, but the top flow Zara who had been in the limelight for the past two years. Zara debuted for many years, dramas she filmed either couldn’t pass censorship, or were hastily taken down because co-actors flopped. Anyway in these years, she didn’t even have a representative work to show. But starting last year, she seemed to suddenly turn lucky, accumulated inventory all released. After exploding two dramas and a movie consecutively, she thoroughly brushed a familiar face in front of everyone. Julian finding her as spokesperson is understandable. But I always couldn’t help remembering a certain dinner party before, I followed Julian step by step blocking wine for him. A starlet came over to strike up a conversation, volunteering to be Julian’s spokesperson. At that time Julian didn’t even clink glasses with her, just coldly answered: “Sorry, our company doesn’t need this kind of thing.” How come now, changed mind? After Zara signed all contracts, Julian gave me a look, I hurried forward, took the pen. Just wanted to retreat, but Zara’s lazy voice rang in my ear. “You are the ‘Little Wifey’ they call?” My hand stiffened, looked up at her at a loss. Zara’s sight circled on my face, seemed very interested. “Heard your parents wanted to sell you for $5,000 to treat your brother’s illness? Afraid you run, even stripped your clothes and tied you at home? Is this true or fake?” The conference room suddenly lost sound. I was like a fish suddenly caught ashore, under everyone’s shocked or sympathetic gaze, dazed and embarrassed, almost suffocated. Good while, I then found my own voice. “You, joking, what joke…” “Sigh——” Zara sighed a long breath, “Really hard to believe it’s the 21st century, still have such feudal terrible places.” “Then how did you run out finally, just happened to meet Mr. Vance?” Her red lips opened and closed, seemed just curious. But shattered my dignity and decency accumulated so hard for so many years thoroughly. My head only left buzzing sound. “Is it you told her?” I looked at Julian, voice hoarse almost strange. His brows gradually frowned. “Why did you tell her? You clearly promised me! What right do you have to tell her!” Finished shouting like venting, then saw Julian’s face gloomy terrible. He let everyone leave, himself also picked up coat stood up. “Did I spoil you too much usually? So that you can’t place your position clear?” My throat dry painful, couldn’t make sound. Julian asked again: “Is it?” “I was just slip of tongue after drinking, is it necessary for you?” My heart hurt like being split by axe and chiseled by knife. How could he say like this? We clearly agreed. This matter is my bottom line. Zara watched aside for a while, then walked forward holding my hand. “My fault my fault, are you okay sister? I just wanted to care about you, didn’t expect said wrong words, also didn’t expect passed so long, you still care so much.” “Don’t mind her.” Julian opened the door, sideways gave way to Zara: “You go first.” Then screwing brows looking at me, sneered. “You reflect well, wait till learned how to talk to superior, then come find me chat.” Chapter 3 After everyone left, I was like pumped away all strength, fiercely paralyzed on the ground. Those deliberately hidden memories rushed like flood, soaking my heart sour and unbearable. I don’t know how long I sat like this. Until, a slow door opening sound broke my painful memory. “That… are you okay?” Ben and I are both Julian’s assistants. Before today, he never knew my background. At this moment, expression also appeared somewhat awkward. He walked to my side, tentatively handed me a tissue. “How about I take you to rooftop blow wind?” I didn’t move, whole person like a piece of wood lost life. Ben racked his brains to comfort me. “Really don’t think too much, things all passed, right?” I showed a miserable smile. Really can pass? Afraid in another hour, whole company people will know this matter. My bitterly hidden secret, just in such unexpected occasion, poked out by people easily. Estimate seeing my face too gray defeated, Ben also somewhat anxious. “You must not drill bull horn tip (obsess), even more don’t punish yourself with others’ mistake, those rotten people definitely will get karma…” People always like this, can resist everything when alone. But when someone comforts, all emotions start tooverturn mountains and seas. I finally couldn’t hold anymore, covered face sobbing. Ben at a loss for a good while, finally patted my shoulder. “Sigh, all passed, really don’t think…” While he spoke, conference room door was pushed open again. My eyes teary blurry, couldn’t see comer clearly, only could hear that voice full of sarcasm. “Wren, I said why your work efficiency so low recently, turns out only caring about being lovey-dovey with man.” Ben supported me straight, panic looked back. Julian’s voice however more deep, carrying gloomy chill. “And you, what relationship she has with me you don’t know?” “What, superior’s position you want sit, superior’s woman you also want sleep?” Chapter 4 Julian this person always moody. But this is the first time, he used such ugly words to humiliate me. Also humiliated an innocent colleague who just wanted to comfort me. I quickly wiped tears, pulled Ben behind. “Mr. Vance, you misunderstood.” Julian heard words, sneered again. If usual, I would have lowered head admitted mistake long ago. But now, under huge impact, I seem became not me. “If you feel my work efficiency low, scold me alone is fine.” “Also… what relationship are we Mr. Vance? How I don’t know, I have other relationship with you besides superior and subordinate?” Julian’s eyes completely cold down. “I underestimated you, Wren, your wings hard now, dare talk back to me right? Forgot how you knelt at my feet back then, begging me save you?” Julian’s words left no face at all. Almost instantly brought me back to that humiliating evening. That time I bit broken rope ran out, body only randomly draped a picked up plastic bag. Just like this body not covered ran stumbling to town, met Julian who came to donate school. He suit leather shoes, shoes spotless, incompatible with everything gray in small town. I like grabbing life saving straw knelt on ground, begged him save me. Julian that time looked at me with interest, didn’t nod also didn’t shake head. Others all treated me as crazy, desperately wanted drive me away. But I didn’t care. I bit teeth, dead hugging Julian’s leg, crying begged him: “You help me, my grades very good, I grow up definitely will repay you…” Later, Julian let people release me, put coat on me. I apprehensively sat in his car, afraid he regret. But heard driver said: “You really walked eight lifetimes luck met Mr. Vance, students Mr. Vance sponsored not hundred, also have thousand.” That day, after Julian let people check clear my family matter, told my dad, he wanted to buy me. My dad eyes rolled a circle, showed a 5. “I don’t know you, sell acquaintance $5,000, sell you need $25,000!” Julian lighting cigarette chuckled: “I give you $50,000, how about it?” My dad ecstatic. For a almost isolated small mountain village, $50,000 is already a huge sum. Just like this, I was “bought” by Julian. He let people take me to open bank card, put a living fee inside, just like this, stuffed me into some boarding school.

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To stop me from “clinging” to him, Silas Sterling locked me in a mental asylum. Every time I spoke his name, I was shocked with electricity. Every time I showed a hint of jealousy toward his “Eternal Muse,” I was forced to kneel for a day on a path of jagged glass. Three years later, the “rehabilitation” was complete. I became the perfect, docile wife Silas wanted—quiet, compliant, and never asking for a thing. When he brought his muse home, I thoughtfully bought them protection. When he abandoned me, bleeding and dying after a car crash, to take her out for a moonlit drive, I didn’t utter a word. But then, he was the one who broke. With bloodshot eyes, he cornered me and demanded: “Can you stop acting like a corpse? I’ve treated you like this, and you still feel nothing?” “You’re going to die, don’t you know that?!” I simply looked up at him and calmly pushed him away. Die? I had already died the moment he sent me to that asylum. What was the difference between being alive and being a ghost? 1. The Awakening By the hospital bed, Silas Sterling stared down at me, his face grim as I sat propped against the pillows. “Evelyn, why didn’t you call me after the accident last night?” “I only found out because the hospital reached out to your emergency contact.” I looked down, a bitter sense of irony washing over me. “You were out with Seraphina. I didn’t want to disturb you.” As expected, those words set Silas off. He punched a hole in the side table, his eyes crimson as he grabbed my collar. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?! The doctor said you have no will to live. I was terrified…” I met his gaze. It was like looking into a void. “It doesn’t matter. Someone saved me.” Silas froze, a flash of deep agony crossing his features. After a long silence, he spoke with difficulty. “Evelyn, there were no outgoing calls on your phone last night. You just lay there at the crash site. You didn’t even try to call for help.” “But the doctor said you remained conscious the entire time.” He let go of me, his strength failing. I sank back onto the mattress. Closing my eyes, a tidal wave of emotions threatened to surface. When that truck came barreling toward me, I felt a strange sense of relief. I didn’t want to endure this world for a second longer. Silas leaned down and pulled me into a tight embrace. “Evelyn… I love you.” His hug was cold, carrying a sharp, frosty scent. I knew that even if he had heard I was on my deathbed, he would have made sure Seraphina was tucked in first. He whispered his love over and over, but I felt nothing. To him, I was a toy. A puppet. My thoughts didn’t matter; only his whims did. That night, Silas stayed. He sat by my side, wiping my fingers with a warm towel. His eyes were sunken and exhausted, yet he insisted on keeping watch. But the constant pinging of his phone betrayed his agitation. Finally, he stood up and went to the balcony. I heard him murmuring into the phone, his voice dripping with the tenderness he reserved only for the love of his life. The call ended. He walked back in, looking at me through the glass door. I watched him coldly, as if he were a complete stranger. “Something came up with work,” he lied, his face unmoving. Work and parents were his favorite excuses. I didn’t reply. “Evelyn, I need to go back to the office.” He put on his coat and leaned in to kiss my forehead. Let me guess where they’re going this time. 2. The Golden Boy and the Wallflower When we first met, Silas Sterling was the King of Crestwood University. Everyone knew he was the sole heir to the Sterling Group. He was blessed by the gods—sharp, rugged features paired with a pair of soulful, bedroom eyes. The moment he stepped onto campus, he had a legion of admirers. I was just one of them. A girl with an invisible youth, easily captivated by his brilliance. His college years were loud and vibrant, fueled by his fiery romance with the campus belle, Seraphina Vance. They skipped classes together, raced cars through the canyons, and shared a scandalous waltz at the homecoming gala. When the dance ended, Silas, ever the gentleman, kissed the corner of Seraphina’s eye. It was the talk of the town. They burned through their youth with a passion that seemed inextinguishable. But their story wasn’t just about each other. During a summer trip to Rome, Seraphina fell head over heels for a blue-eyed Italian. She applied for a school in Italy on the spot. They said when Silas found out, he drove his car off a cliff and nearly lost his life. After he was discharged, he posted on the school forum: He and Seraphina were just friends. And from that moment on, they weren’t even that. Silas began a revolving door of girlfriends. He dated every beautiful girl on campus. He was a “jerk,” but with his wealth and looks, there was always a line of girls waiting for their turn. But until graduation, he never got Seraphina back. She got married. The photos showed her radiant, leaning against her husband in a designer gown. It was sudden and loud. Silas went quiet for a long time. He re-emerged at his grandfather’s eightieth birthday gala. My family, owning a small startup that had just made a name for itself, was invited. Old Mr. Sterling patted Silas on the shoulder. “My grandson is finally at an age to settle down. He’s still a bit of a boy, I hope you’ll all be patient with him.” Those words sent the hearts of every socialite in the room fluttering. But Silas scanned the crowd with an indifferent gaze, finally stopping in front of me. I was stunned. My parents, standing beside me, were ecstatic. Silas smiled and held out his hand. “Want to take a walk?” Under the jealous and curious eyes of the crowd, I followed him to the back garden. The moment we stepped outside, his warmth vanished. He looked coldly at me as I shivered in the wind, then impatiently threw his coat over my shoulders. “If I remember correctly, you went to Crestwood too?” I felt the warmth of his coat and nodded silently. I was pretty enough, but in the sea of beauties at Crestwood, I was just background noise. That he remembered me was a shock, and a tiny, secret joy. We sat on a bench for a long time that night. He smoked one cigarette after another. Though I was shaking from the cold, I couldn’t bring myself to leave. To my surprise, the very next day, my father received word. The Sterlings were interested in an alliance. The stars of that alliance were Silas and me. My family’s company was growing fast and needed a powerful backer. My parents agreed without a second thought. I was swept up in a whirlwind of joy and got engaged in a daze. Before the engagement, my mother pulled me aside. “Evelyn, tell me the truth. Is this really what you want?” I looked at the diamond bracelet Silas had just sent over and nodded softly. “I want this.” My mother sighed, worried about my obsession. “The whole city knows about Silas and that Vance girl. I don’t want you to get hurt.” I remained stubborn. “Mom, I love him. Besides, if it doesn’t work out, I can always get a divorce.” Later, I learned why Silas chose me out of all those women. It was because I was plain enough, obedient enough. I wouldn’t interfere with his life, and I was just the right tool to provoke Seraphina’s competitive side. Their love story was written in my blood. 3. The Bird in the Gilded Cage For the first two years of our marriage, I played the perfect Sterling daughter-in-law and the perfect wife to Silas. At his request, I quit my job and opened a quiet art gallery. A wealthy wife was supposed to keep her hands clean of the world. I accompanied him to every event, as docile as a canary. Silas gave me all the “affection” I could ask for. At a decennial auction, he spent millions on a pair of jade earrings without blinking. Faced with the paparazzi, he simply smiled warmly. “My wife liked them, so I bought them.” I became the poster child for “good fortune.” The daughter of a small entrepreneur, suddenly a phoenix. My family’s company rode his coattails, breaking into the Fortune 500. But only I knew the truth. Behind closed doors, Silas and I weren’t the happy couple the world saw. He showered me with expensive gifts every holiday. Every new collection from the luxury boutiques was sent to me first. But I spent my nights alone in that massive villa. He was a germaphobe; no one but the cleaning crew ever stepped foot inside. He hated animals, so the only life I could keep was a single cactus. If I didn’t speak, the house remained silent. Even in bed, it was a chore. I would bite my lip, letting him vent his lust on me. I had nowhere to turn because I had chosen this path. Then came the night he came home drunk and pinned me down. He was unusually tender, more attentive than ever before. As I felt myself melting, he kissed away my tears. But the name on his lips wasn’t mine. “Seraphina.” His “Eternal Muse,” Seraphina Vance, who was halfway across the world. I panicked. I had to admit that I stood no chance against her. True to my fears, I heard from old classmates the next day that Seraphina had gotten a divorce. And she was coming home at the end of the month. The end of the month—Silas’s birthday. I waited in agony, waiting for him to hand down my death sentence. But Silas seemed unaffected. He went about his business at the office and the villa as usual. My anxiety grew by the day. I would stand by the door, waiting for him to come home. The day before his birthday, I stared at a pregnancy test with two solid red lines. I was pregnant. I thought, with a heavy heart, that I finally had a chip to win his love. But a whole day passed, and the photo I sent him remained unread in our chat. He didn’t reply. Maybe he didn’t even look. On his birthday, he didn’t come home. I called him countless times until his phone went dead. Hearing the automated voice on the other end, my heart turned to ice. I kept telling myself he just didn’t see it, or his battery died. Then, a ping. A classmate sent me a photo. In a dimly lit bar, Silas had Seraphina in his arms. He was smiling, but his eyes were filled with tears. My heart cramped. I collapsed to the floor, clutching my stomach and crying in despair. He didn’t love me. How could he love our child? When Silas finally came home, he had a dark, unmistakable hickey on his neck. I stood in his way, my eyes red, asking why he didn’t pick up. He stood there, his gaze unreadable. “Evelyn, you’re in no position to control me. You know exactly what our relationship is.” He brushed past me to leave. My heart was in pieces, but I summoned the courage to hold the pregnancy test in front of him. “I’m pregnant.” He didn’t stop. “That’s your decision. Just don’t expect me to love either of you.” 4. The Loss I chose to keep the baby. I wanted to give birth to the child of the man I loved, even if he didn’t love me back. After Seraphina returned, Silas almost never came home. He gave me a black card with enough money to last ten lifetimes. I spent my days shopping and visiting art galleries across the country. The house was too empty; I couldn’t bear to be there. When I reached seven months, I stopped going out and focused on the pregnancy. Silas’s parents visited once. His mother held my hand and smiled. “Evelyn, you’re such a good girl. Don’t worry, Silas is just being a boy. He’ll mature once he becomes a father.” Even the old patriarch visited. He looked at my belly with genuine affection. “Don’t worry. Once the baby is born, the Sterlings will take care of you.” The invisible woman of two years was finally being seen. They sent supplements and arranged a medical team. My every meal was strictly controlled to ensure the healthiest baby possible. Silas never came. His social media tags placed him in Europe, then Australia. They were making up for lost time. His feelings for me had ended the day Seraphina landed. But it didn’t matter. When I felt the baby’s strong heartbeat, I still felt like the luckiest woman in the world. My due date arrived. I was admitted to the Sterling private hospital, into a suite that was more like a palace. On the night of the delivery, Silas still didn’t show. As I was wheeled into the OR, I felt a pang of loneliness. The baby was born—a boy. He had a loud cry and rosy cheeks. Silas’s mother was so happy she took off an heirloom jade bracelet and put it on my wrist. They crowded around the baby, saying he looked just like Silas did as a child. Bitter sadness welled up in me. Silas wasn’t there. He really didn’t care. I named him Toby. Every mother’s wish is for their child to grow up safe and sound. But people like me aren’t meant for happiness. Two days after Toby was born, he turned pale and struggled to breathe. The medical team rushed him to the NICU. He was so small, wrapped in blankets, surrounded by a flurry of doctors and nurses. Finally, the doctor took off his mask, his face full of pity. “Mrs. Sterling, the young master has a congenital heart defect. I’m afraid…” I ignored the pain of my C-section and ran barefoot to the NICU. He had only been in the world for two days. How could he die like this? A nurse wrapped me in a blanket and led me to the viewing window. “The odds of a successful surgery are very low,” she whispered, her eyes red. “A newborn likely wouldn’t survive it.” Toby lay on the bed, connected to several machines. He was so tiny. Why did he have to suffer like this? “If we don’t operate,” the nurse added, “he only has a few days left.” I couldn’t bear to let him die, but I also couldn’t bear to see him suffer through a futile surgery. I collapsed, consumed by a grief that wiped out all reason. Silas’s parents arrived again, their faces etched with sorrow. “Evelyn, you’re still young. You can have another…” “The mother is hemorrhaging!” someone shouted. When I opened my eyes again, my love was gone. Toby, perhaps sensing my despair, had passed away. Numbly, I called Silas. At that moment, I just wanted to hear his voice. To my surprise, the call connected. A bright, female voice answered. “Hello? Who is this? Silas is making me some tea. Do you need something?” My phone hit the floor, the screen shattering into a million pieces.

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