Category: English

I’ve had a total of three boyfriends. Every single one of them dropped dead right after eating my mom’s homemade lasagna. The situation was so bizarre that a special task force was formed just to investigate their deaths. They spent six months on it, tearing our house apart, and still found nothing. The whole ordeal scared me so much that I didn’t dare date anyone for two years. In the third year, I finally started to move on from the shadow of the past and fell in love again. But with three dead boyfriends behind me, I was terrified. I refused to bring my new boyfriend, Mark, home to meet my mom. He, however, was eager to talk marriage and persistently begged me to take him home. This time, my mom, following our family tradition, made her special lasagna. Not long after we finished dinner, I went to the bathroom. A moment later, I heard my mother scream. “Oh God! Not again! He’s dead!” I ran out, and the blood drained from my face. Mark, who had been perfectly fine just minutes before, was slumped on the couch, his body stiff and cold. He looked like he’d been dead for a while. 1 I was frozen solid, staring at Mark’s lifeless body on the sofa. My face was ashen, my eyes burning with tears. “H-how did this happen?” “Mark, wake up! Don’t do this to me!” My hand trembled as I reached out to check for his breath, but my mother grabbed my arm, pulling me back. “Lucy, what are we going to do? Your boyfriend… he’s dead too!” “We have to call the police! We have to call them now!” My mom is the most timid, law-abiding person I know. Her first instinct is always to call the authorities. Her face pale, she fumbled with her phone to dial 911. “They said they’re on their way!” “Lucy, honey, don’t look.” I collapsed onto the couch, my entire world spiraling into darkness. “How could he be dead too?” “Mom, this is the fourth one…” My mom looked at me with pity, sighing heavily. She seemed to have aged a decade in a single night. Before long, the task force, along with a team of medical examiners, had swarmed our house. Detective Reed, the lead investigator, saw us and couldn’t help but sigh. “How is it that it’s your house again?” “What happened this time?” My mom shook her head like a rattle. “We don’t know, Detective. We just don’t know.” They immediately secured the scene and began a full autopsy on-site. My mom and I sat by the door, waiting in silence. This was the fourth time. Even the detectives and coroners felt like old acquaintances. During a break, one of the junior medical examiners leaned in and whispered to us. “Mrs. Mills, no offense, but have you ever thought maybe this house has bad luck?” “Every time your daughter brings a boyfriend home, something terrible happens. It’s like a curse. It’s just… morbid.” “Maybe you should think about selling the place, moving somewhere else.” My mother’s lips tightened, her face white as she shook her head. “It’s just the two of us. Lucy’s father died a long time ago. This house is all we have, our roots are here. Where else would we go?” As she spoke, tears began to fall. “I just feel so terrible for my Lucy. She was finally in a stable, happy relationship, and now this… God!” With a boyfriend dead in our home, my mother and I were the primary suspects. The neighbors peeked through their blinds, their faces a mixture of fear and judgment. “Another one? There’s something wrong with that family. It’s just not natural.” “I bet the two of them are behind it.” “Don’t say that. The best detectives in the city are on this. If it were them, they would’ve been arrested after the first one!” “There has to be something else going on!” Hearing their whispers, the vile accusations being thrown at us, my mom grew frantic. “We will cooperate fully, Detective! My daughter, Lucy, she wants a government job someday. You have to clear our names, please don’t let an innocent person be framed for this!” Detective Reed tried to console her. “Mrs. Mills, don’t you worry. We will do everything in our power to solve this case.” “If we can confirm you had nothing to do with it, you and your daughter will be cleared.” But we waited until our stomachs were growling, and still, they found nothing. Not a single clue. Even the most experienced medical examiners were shaking their heads in frustration. “This is unbelievable. We can’t determine the cause of death.” “It’s the same as the other three bodies. Appears to be a sudden cardiac arrest, but with no underlying cause.” The city’s top forensic team was called in, but even they couldn’t crack the puzzle. Once again, I had a boyfriend die in my home. My mother and I clung to each other, pale and trembling. Tears streamed down her face as her composure finally shattered. She let out a desperate, wailing cry. “Oh, God, what have we done to deserve this?” “Is my daughter cursed?” “Why does every man she loves end up dead in our house?” Soon, a detective from the task force approached me, his eyes studying me intently. “You’re Lucy Mills? The deceased, Mark, died in a manner identical to the previous three victims. I need you to think very carefully. Did they have anything in common?” I fought back my grief and thought hard. “Well, the most obvious thing is…” “They were all my boyfriends. Other than that, they didn’t know each other, so I don’t think…” I shook my head, but then something clicked. A sudden, chilling realization. “Wait! I remember now!” “They all ate my mom’s homemade lasagna!” 2 The moment the words left my mouth, every detective in the room turned to stare at me. “Lasagna?” Just like the first three times, their investigation circled back to my mom’s cooking. But every single time, they came up empty. The lasagna never provided any clues. “They die after eating lasagna? Are you suggesting someone poisoned it?” a detective asked, his eyes cold as he sized up my mother and me. “Never! I would never!” my mom cried out. “Besides, we’re not stupid! If we were going to murder someone, why would we do it with food I made myself, in our own home? Do we look like we have a death wish?” “And for God’s sake, he was my daughter’s boyfriend! He could have been my son-in-law one day! What possible motive could we have?” Detective Reed calmly cut my mother off. “Were there any leftovers from dinner tonight?” “Yes!” my mom said quickly. “I made way too much sauce, so I made a whole other tray and put it in the freezer.” “And with everything that happened so suddenly, the leftovers from dinner are still on the counter. We didn’t have a chance to clean up.” So, they immediately collected everything. The leftover lasagna, the frozen tray, and even the raw ingredients. From the flour used for the fresh pasta to the meat and spices in my mom’s sauce. Everything was tested. “Well? Anything?” Reed asked the forensics tech. The tech shook his head. “No toxins, no poisons, nothing. It’s just a normal pan of lasagna.” A younger, intense-looking detective named Nathan suddenly looked up at me, his gaze sharp. “Lucy, you might as well tell us the truth.” “Why is your mother so insistent on making lasagna for them?” I’d always wondered that myself. I pulled my mom over to explain. She slapped her thigh in frustration, her face a mask of sorrow. “Detectives, you don’t understand. It’s a tradition in our family.” “Especially when a daughter brings a boy home for the first time. The mother is supposed to make her special family-recipe meal.” “And besides, with the holidays coming up, everyone is making big, hearty meals.” “We’ve been doing this for generations. How could it be that only… only my daughter’s boyfriends are the ones who have something happen to them? It’s a damn tragedy.” But Nathan didn’t let up, his eyes still fixed on me. “Maybe there’s a more sophisticated poisoning method we’re not seeing.” My face went pale. I opened my mouth to defend myself, but before I could speak, Detective Reed stepped in. “Nathan, the chances of that are practically zero.” “You heard the M.E. The victim shows no signs of poisoning. That’s not what killed him.” The task force looked defeated. “So we can rule it out. It has nothing to do with your mother’s lasagna.” I couldn’t help but mutter under my breath. “Besides, I ate it too, didn’t I?” My mom makes lasagna all the time, and before all this happened, it was my favorite food. This time, I had been so worried about Mark that I barely had an appetite and only ate a few bites. But my mom had two huge helpings. If there was poison in the lasagna, how were we still standing here? With every theory hitting a dead end, the task force moved on to another possibility. A crime of passion. Someone who was obsessed with me. Detective Reed turned to me. “Lucy, think hard. Is there anyone like that?” “Someone who pursued you, couldn’t have you, and is now taking out his anger on your boyfriends from the shadows? It’s a possibility.” I wracked my brain, and then my eyes shot up. “Actually… there might be someone.” 3 As all eyes in the room turned to me, I had no choice but to tell them everything. “There was a guy I met through work, Trevor. He pursued me for a while, but he was a heavy smoker and just… not my type, so I turned him down.” “After that, he threatened me a few times, both directly and indirectly.” “He said that when he wants a woman, he gets her, no matter the cost.” “I told him I had a boyfriend, and he just smirked and said we wouldn’t last long.” The more I said, the more the goosebumps crawled up my arms. I was on the verge of tears, looking pleadingly at Detective Reed. “Detective, do you think it could be him?” “But how would he know every time I got a new boyfriend? And how could he kill them so flawlessly, without a trace?” Detective Reed looked thoughtful. “We can’t be sure he’s the killer, but he’s certainly a person of interest.” “To test this theory, we’ll need to investigate further.” The task force proposed a plan: Nathan would pose as my new boyfriend and come to my house for dinner. “Me?” “Him?” Nathan and I spoke at the same time. Seeing the utter reluctance on his handsome face, I frowned. “Can’t you pick someone else?” Detective Reed just smiled. “He’s the only one in the unit who is close to your age. It’s more believable this way.” Fine. So, Nathan, as instructed, came over to my house, pretending to be my boyfriend. We replicated the entire scenario from when Mark came over. My mom wiped her tears and forced a smile, chopping vegetables and preparing the lasagna just as she had before. While we waited for it to bake, I poured a glass of juice from the fridge and handed it to Nathan. “This is my favorite. You should try it.” Nathan shot me an annoyed look. I rolled my eyes, slammed the glass down on the table, and muttered, “Drink it or don’t. I don’t care.” For some reason, this guy acted like he had a personal vendetta against me, glaring at me every chance he got. I couldn’t figure it out. Finally, I asked him. “Nathan, what is your problem with me?” He just snorted and turned away, his gaze falling on a childhood photo of me on the wall. “Looks like you were trouble even back then.” That was it. I shot to my feet, my eyes welling up. “Nathan, what is that supposed to mean?” “Why are you so prejudiced against me? Deep down, you think I’m the one who killed them, don’t you?” Tears streamed down my face, hot and unstoppable. Nathan froze, suddenly looking flustered. He quickly handed me a tissue. “Hey, don’t cry.” His voice was awkward. “I didn’t mean it like that. Don’t overthink it.” But this time, I wouldn’t back down. “Then what did you mean?” “You’ve been on this case since the beginning, and every time you see me, you look like you want to punch a wall.” “This time, it was my boyfriend, Mark, who died.” “He’s gone, and I’m the one who’s heartbroken, but you’re still blaming me.” Nathan was silent for a long time, just looking at me. Finally, he sighed. “I just think you’re… a bit of a black widow.” “And it’s a damn shame about those lives.” “But no matter how much effort it takes, we are going to get to the bottom of this.” A small laugh escaped my lips, and then Nathan smiled too. He picked up the glass of juice and took a few sips. After that, the hostility in his eyes seemed to fade a little. We followed the plan, ate the lasagna, and waited nervously for the killer to make a move. But the meal ended. And Nathan was perfectly fine. “I’m not dead?” The task force had already tested this batch of lasagna, so there were no surprises there. But from start to finish, nothing unusual happened. Everyone was more confused than ever. “Could we be looking at this all wrong?” “Maybe it’s not the lasagna at all. Maybe the problem is somewhere else!” Only I had a different idea. “What if the killer knew? What if he knew Nathan was just pretending to be my boyfriend?” Just then, Detective Reed’s phone rang. It was the task force headquarters. They had just received an anonymous letter. “Detective, we think it’s from the killer!” “He’s hiding in the shadows, watching us run in circles. He’s taunting us!” 4 Detective Reed’s expression darkened as he snatched the letter. He only needed one glance. His face turned grim. Curious, I leaned over to look. There were only a few words written in stark, bold letters: “The fifth life is mine.” The atmosphere in the room turned to ice. A collective gasp went through the task force. “This is insane!” “It’s a direct challenge!” “I don’t believe it! We have the whole place locked down. How is he going to take a fifth life right under our noses?” Detective Reed remained calm, raising a hand to silence the chatter. He handed the letter to a forensics officer. “Check this for prints.” But the results came back quickly. “No prints, Detective.” “The killer has counter-surveillance skills. He likely wore gloves. Didn’t leave a single mark.” At that exact moment, as everyone was scrambling for a lead, one of the female officers in the room looked around and cried out. “Where’s Nathan?!” My heart leaped into my throat. I looked around wildly. “He was just here a second ago.” A terrible realization dawned on Detective Reed’s face. “Now!” he yelled. “Find Nathan!”

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The college student next door hit my car with his bike for the thirteenth time. He was flushed, his worn-out sweatshirt emphasizing his status, his hands rubbing together nervously. In the past, I’d always been lenient. I’d waved it off. But this time, he barely glanced at me. “Guys should be cool about stuff like this, right? It’s just a scratch. You’re rich, you wouldn’t seriously stick it to a poor student like me, would you?” Suddenly, I felt a deep, profound sense of exhaustion. “Let’s go through the legal channels,” I said, my voice flat. “Full compensation, including the previous nine incidents. Total: three million dollars.” He froze, then his face contorted. He pointed a shaking finger at me. “Three million? You’re just trying to take advantage of me because I’m poor!” “My girlfriend’s a lawyer. I’m not scared of you.” I didn’t think much of it until the day of the preliminary hearing. A perfectly manicured woman was cooing, stroking his arm. “My baby finally decided to announce my official status as his girlfriend, did he?” “As a reward, how about I send him and his corporate stooge of a lawyer straight to the cleaners? Sound good?” The woman speaking was my wife—Veronica Stone—the undefeated litigator, who was supposed to be in Zurich on a high-stakes case. … 1. “Seriously? But he’s so loaded, and he acts like such an arrogant prick.” Cody spoke with a heavy, performative self-pity. “I’m just a student. How could I ever win against him?” Veronica leaned in and pressed a loud kiss to his cheek. “You don’t trust anyone else, but you trust your girlfriend, right, hmm?” “Who is your girlfriend? I’m the Veronica Stone. The most feared litigator in the city. I’ll make him grovel, baby. How about that?” Cody finally cracked a smile. “Deal.” “Take down that pretentious old guy!” “Anything for my man. I’m utterly obsessed with you, my love.” I watched the two of them for a long moment, then slowly reached for my phone. Veronica saw my name flash on her screen and instinctively frowned. She waited a beat, then moved slightly away from Cody and answered. “What is it, Grant? Did you miss me already? I just left.” Her voice was sickeningly sweet. “Where are you?” I cut straight to the chase. She paused for a fraction of a second. “In Zurich, of course. I text you every day, don’t I?” she said, her tone suddenly clipped. “I have to go. My client will throw a fit if I keep him waiting.” I watched her smile vanish, her expression snapping back to stone-cold professionalism as she hung up. Cody immediately leaned in. “Who was that?” Veronica gave him a quick peck. “No one important. What, are you jealous?” I stood there, just out of their line of sight, watching them play the part of two smitten young lovers. My heart seized up, a cold, heavy ache settling in my chest. I didn’t show up in court that day. I sent my assistant instead. That evening, I went home. I sat on the sofa, scrolling through old photos of Veronica and me, every memory of our life together turning to ash in my mind. Veronica graduated top of her class and rocketed to the top of her field. Everyone called us a power couple—the golden boy and the brilliant barrister. Until that day, I had believed them. I gave a short, self-mocking laugh. Then, a text notification flashed on my phone. Cody. He was gloating. “What’s the point of having so much money, you ugly bastard? No one even loves you.” “My girlfriend is beautiful and she adores me.” Following the text were a dozen intimate photos: hands intertwined, faces pressed together, the easy, comfortable familiarity of a true couple. The final image was the official verdict. He’d won. I stared at the judgment slip. Every word on it felt like a direct, personal sneer. Before I could process it, Veronica called. “Grant Harrington, what is wrong with you? A man almost thirty trying to ruin a nineteen-year-old kid?” Her voice was laced with moral outrage. “How could you be so vicious as to demand three million dollars?” I smiled then. So, she knew the opposing party was me. She knew the entire story, yet she still chose to use her formidable skill to secure his victory. A true tier-one lawyer. I hung up without a word and called my company attorney. “I’m sorry, Mr. Harrington, but we simply couldn’t beat your wife.” “That’s fine,” I said. “I have another case. I might need your help again.” My attorney paused. “What case? Why not go through Veronica?” I spoke slowly, deliberately. “A divorce case.” “She is the opposing party.” 2. Veronica finally came home three days later. I gave her a cold look, then turned to walk away. “Oh, come on, honey. Are you still mad?” “I know my temper was bad the other day, and I apologize. It was just an impulse. Seeing Cody reminded me of when I was in college, struggling just to afford food. I felt sorry for him.” She carefully avoided any mention of her relationship with Cody. “We don’t need that money, Grant. Think of it as charity. We helped a poor kid.” I simply stood there, watching her. She tugged my hand and insisted we go out. As a peace offering, she wanted to buy me the expensive watch I’d been considering. I didn’t want to go, but I had been cooped up in the house too long. We walked into The Chronos Gallery. The sales associate rushed over. “Mr. Harrington, great to see you! And Mrs. Harrington, welcome back!” She enthusiastically showed me the new limited-edition timepieces. Veronica hooked her arm through mine. “Honey, I know this is your favorite brand. Pick anything you want. It’s on me. My way of saying sorry for being such a pain.” The associates were whispering nearby. “Veronica is so good to you, Mr. Harrington.” “You two are always featured in Town & Country as the city’s ultimate power couple.” A power couple? I let out a short, cynical laugh. My desire to shop had vanished. I just grabbed the closest watch I saw. Just then, Cody appeared, rushing over with an expression of manufactured delight. He threw his arms around Veronica. “Winnie, what are you doing here?” “Wow, that watch is gorgeous!” He reached out and immediately grabbed the one in my hand. The sales associates froze, exchanging uneasy glances. I looked at Cody’s face. He clearly knew who I was now—Veronica’s husband—yet he showed zero inhibition. No. He probably knew from the start. I chuckled, then pulled the watch from his grasp and held it out to him. “Nice, right? Half a million dollars. You couldn’t earn this if you worked yourself to death for ten years.” Cody’s smile faltered, and his eyes dropped. He didn’t say anything, just stared at Veronica with a look of wounded, self-pitying vulnerability. After a moment, he spoke. “I can’t afford it. I know that.” “But you don’t have to look down on me, Mr. Harrington. So what if I’m poor? Do the poor not deserve to live?” “I’ll go. I won’t bother you rich, high-and-mighty people anymore.” Veronica’s brows furrowed. The patience she’d used to placate me was gone. “Who says he can’t afford it? I’ll buy this watch for him.” She reached into her purse and threw a cheap plastic novelty watch—the kind you’d find in a vending machine—into my lap. “You wear this instead.” “Go home and think about yourself. When did you become such a snob, looking down on people just because they’re struggling?” “You’re just a parasite, Grant, riding on the back of your family’s money. Ten years from now, Cody will be twice the man you are.” She turned and chased after Cody, leaving me alone in the gallery. The sales associates looked at me with a mixture of pity and awkwardness. I watched her back, and my heart gave a strange, small contraction. It was a dull, persistent ache, like being pricked with thousands of tiny needles. I lowered my eyes, masking my expression, then pulled out my phone. I took photos of the watch’s purchase record and a picture of Veronica and Cody hugging in the street below. “Attorney Palmer,” I texted. “Adultery evidence.” 3. “Received.” I saw the confirmation from Attorney Palmer, then dropped my gaze and put the phone away. The store associate timidly approached me. “Mr. Harrington, that watch is a global limited edition. It’s gone now. Do you… do you still want to keep your photo up?” My eyes drifted to the photo displayed on the shelf near the register. It was a picture of Veronica and me, taken right after college graduation. I had spent my first three months’ salary, saved from eating instant noodles, to buy her the cheapest watch in that store. When I gave it to her, she had cried and hugged me, saying: “Grant, I swear I will love you forever. We are going to have the most successful, most beautiful future together, I promise.” Years later, Veronica no longer wore that watch, but it remained in my closet. Every time I saw it, I was transported back to that moment, utterly immersed in the future she had promised. Now, we were both successful and wealthy. That photo felt like a physical slap across my face. “Mr. Harrington?” the assistant prompted. Her voice yanked me back from the memory. My gaze fell on the smiling, clueless man in the photo—the man who never imagined a day like this. “Tear it down,” I said. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” A useless photo. Just like a useless relationship. I turned away, twirling my phone in my hand, and walked out of the store without looking back. I spent three hours by the ocean, watching the tide roll in and out. Seven years—from our first date in college to our wedding—played out in slow motion in my mind. The dull ache in my heart, which had been churning like the water, finally subsided into a cold, complete stillness. I sent her a text. “Tomorrow is our seventh anniversary. I think we need to talk.” Veronica didn’t reply. Cody, however, posted a story. He showed off the limited-edition watch Veronica had just given him, with the caption: “The one who truly loves you will cross any obstacle to bring you joy.” “In love, only the unloved one is the side piece.” A moment later, I saw Veronica’s ‘like’ underneath the post. I gave a bitter laugh. She had time for social media but no time to answer my text. It didn’t matter. I no longer cared. Just then, my phone rang with a video call request. It was Cody. “Guess where I am, Grant?” “You rich people are something else. Your dog eats better than I do. Why should an animal live better than me?” In the video, Cody was standing inside my villa. My Siberian Husky, Snowball, whom I had raised since he was a puppy, was being held tight in his arms. “What are you doing? Let him go.” Snowball was aggressive with strangers. He struggled violently in Cody’s arms, perhaps recognizing my voice. He thrashed harder. Cody clamped down on his neck. Snowball twisted his head and bit Cody’s hand hard. I watched Cody’s triumphant expression warp into a sneer of rage. “Stupid mutt.” “Humans look down on me, and now you look down on me too.” Cody violently slammed Snowball down, then kicked the dog hard in the ribs. I grabbed my keys and ran like a madman. “Don’t you touch him!” The ten-minute drive from the ocean to my house took me five. But I was still too late. I burst through the front door and saw Snowball lying on the marble floor, his eyes wide with tears, whimpering softly. It was the sound he made only when he was in excruciating pain. My heart was instantly pierced. “Cody! Let him go! Get away from him!” Cody turned and grinned at me. “Mr. Harrington is home. Your place is huge, man. But your dog is a little naughty.” “Oh, right. You came rushing back like that just for this dog, didn’t you?” He looked down at Snowball, his eyes turning cold and vicious. He laughed at me. “Hold on. I’ll send him down to you right now.” The look on his face filled me with a sudden, suffocating sense of dread. “No—” 4. But it was too late. Cody stood on the second-floor balcony and, right in front of me, tossed Snowball over the railing. Thump. I watched, helpless, as the dog I had raised and loved like family hit the ground and lay there, lifeless. “Snowball!” I screamed, a raw sound of sheer despair. I saw his eyes. They were slowly closing. His paw was stretched toward me, as if he wanted one last hug. But he was too far. The place he fell was too far away for me to reach him. Then, his eyes finally closed. The immense pain blanked my mind for a few seconds. Hatred and sorrow twisted into a single, overwhelming knot. Cody looked from the corpse of Snowball to me, and he began to laugh maniacally. “He’s dead? Good, the bastard deserved it.” “Why should an animal live better than me? I didn’t mean to kill him at first, but—” I sprinted up the stairs, pure animalistic rage driving me. I lunged at Cody, my hand raised high. “Who told you to touch him? Who gave you the right?” My fist never landed. A figure slammed between us. Veronica glared at me, her face a mask of cold fury. In all our years together, I had never seen her look at me that way—for another man. “What are you doing, Grant!” I was shaking, barely able to speak. I pointed a trembling finger at Snowball’s corpse below. “Who let this man in my house? He just threw my dog to his death!” Cody shook his head at Veronica. “I’m sorry, Winnie. The dog suddenly went crazy and bit me, then it jumped over the railing on its own.” He held up his hand, exposing the puncture marks from Snowball’s teeth. Veronica’s eyes hardened. She shoved my shoulder hard, forcing me to stumble back. “Your dog! If Cody is seriously hurt, I swear I’ll make you pay.” The sharp corner of a decorative coat rack caught me in the gut. The pain doubled me over. Veronica didn’t even glance at me. She grabbed Cody’s hand. “Are you okay?” Cody shook his head, looking pitiful. “I didn’t mean it, Winnie. I’ve just never been in such a big house, and I was looking around.” “The dog just lunged at me. I—I—” He was cut off by Veronica, who called her driver to take him to the hospital immediately. I grabbed at her pants, trying to suppress the nausea and the searing pain in my stomach, clinging to one last, desperate hope. Maybe Snowball could still be saved. “Take Snowball to the vet. Emergency. Please.” She didn’t look at me. Her voice was flat, emotionless. “It’s just an animal. It’s dead. Good riddance.” Watching them leave, the tears finally fell. They were not for Veronica. They were for Snowball, and for the seven years of my life I had wasted on a lie. Before Cody turned the corner, he looked at me, a victorious sneer plastered on his face. He mouthed two words. I understood them perfectly. “Side piece.” The unloved one is the side piece. 5. I woke up in the hospital three days later. My assistant was sitting beside the bed. He looked like he wanted to say something but held back. “Boss—” Veronica hadn’t visited. Not once in two days. I closed my eyes and spoke, my voice raspy. “Call the police.” Assistant: “Yes, sir.” Veronica arrived soon after the police left. Her face was dark, her eyes burning with irritation. Her first words were a reprimand. “He’s a college student, Grant. He hasn’t even graduated. You called the police? What about his future?” I looked at her, my expression blank. “The moment he killed my dog, he chose his future.” “I want him to be held accountable for what he did.” Her voice was cold. “I never thought you’d become this kind of man. You rich people really have no souls.” “I’m here, Grant. You can’t touch him.” “You know what I’m capable of. I never lose a case. And I won’t let Cody lose this one.” She turned and left. A day later, I received a court summons. Veronica, acting on Cody’s behalf, was suing me for willfully allowing my pet dog to injure a person. For any other lawyer, this case would be impossible to win. But she was Veronica Stone. She had never lost a case. She was the standard-bearer for the entire legal profession. People used to envy me for having such a brilliant wife. I never imagined she would weaponize that brilliance against me. Sure enough, the verdict came down. I lost. Completely. The court ordered me to pay Cody $100,000 for mental distress, medical bills, and emotional trauma. Furthermore, I was found guilty of allowing a pet to intentionally injure a person, and if the plaintiff did not forgive me, I could face a fifteen-day detention. I stared at the judgment notice. Although I’d convinced myself I was over her, a faint, cold pain still registered in my chest. I hadn’t believed Veronica could be so utterly ruthless toward me. She was so concerned about protecting Cody’s reputation that she never considered the consequences for mine. If that’s how it is, then so be it. Veronica, I want absolutely nothing to do with you ever again. I called Attorney Palmer and sent over the final piece of evidence of Veronica’s infidelity. …….. Veronica smiled when Attorney Palmer came to see her. “Grant realized his mistake, didn’t he? I only did this to teach him a lesson. I wouldn’t actually let him get detained.” “Tell him I’ll be home tonight. As for what happened before—” Attorney Palmer interrupted her before she could finish. “Ms. Stone, this is from Mr. Harrington. Please take a look.” Veronica’s smile widened. “Is he trying to surprise me?” “Oh, Grant. He didn’t need to go through all this trouble. He just needed to—” Her voice stopped as the documents slipped out of the envelope and onto the floor. She stared at the papers, frozen.

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Declan Holloway chased me down after the cheating—crashed his vintage Porsche, nearly killed himself, and somehow, woke up with amnesia. The doctors called it early-onset Alzheimer’s, but the only memory he clung to, the only person his broken mind retained, was me. Everyone said it was proof—that Declan’s love for me was visceral, an instinct carved into his soul. I only felt sick. I forbade him from coming within ten feet of me. Every towel, every glass, every single utensil in the house was labeled with my name and strictly compartmentalized. The day he was desperately thirsty and reached for my own, labeled water glass, I hurled it against the stone fireplace in front of the entire staff. He was terrified. His eyes were shattered and vacant. In that moment, a sliver of sharp, acidic grief broke open inside me. He’s not the old Declan, I told myself. He’s a clean slate. Later, he attended a small gathering of his old college buddies. I hesitated for an hour before driving over to pick him up, only to hear the low, amused voices from behind the door. “Grant, look, playing the amnesia card just to mess with your wife’s head? It’s a little much, even for you.” “Ronnie’s devotion is insane, man. You know she sacrificed her pinky finger for him back in the day, right?” Declan chuckled, lighting a cigarette. “Ronnie’s flawless, sure. Except for one thing: she can’t tolerate Scarlett.” “The more she tries to cut me off, the more agonizing the internal conflict for her. Once she learns to be the bigger woman—the right kind of wife—I’ll ease up. Eventually.” Outside the door, my tears hit the marble floor, silent and heavy. Declan. We’re done. There is no ‘eventually.’ Your illness is fake. But mine? Mine is real. … 1 The late-autumn rain turned to snow, melting against my coat. An icy draft snaked in through the doorframe, carrying the broken snippets of conversation. “Grant, you’re being too cruel to her. If she loves you that much, why not just grovel and ask for forgiveness? Why the fake amnesia?” Declan flicked ash from his cigarette. His voice was a low rumble. “You don’t get it. Ronnie is soft-hearted, but she’s also a lioness. We agreed she’d be the only one. If I don’t play the victim, she’ll never stop holding the infidelity over my head.” “More importantly, this is for Scarlett. She heard about the crash and miscarried. If I hadn’t immediately flown her out of the country, she might not have made it.” “And Ronnie? She got a harmless phobia. Compared to what Scarlett endured, what is that?” The air in the hallway solidified. After a long pause, someone muttered hoarsely, “Grant, aren’t you afraid she’ll find out and truly lose hope in you?” Declan cut him off with a short, cold laugh. “Hope? If she can’t handle this level of discomfort as the wife of Declan Holloway, then she’s not the woman I thought she was. Scarlett is different. She only has me. I am her entire world.” His final words were a harsh whisper: “Forget everything you heard in here. All of it.” I bit down on my lip until the metallic tang of blood filled my mouth. “Scarlett should be here soon, shouldn’t she?” a voice chirped inside. I spun around, scrambling to flee, but the sudden glare of blinding headlights froze me in place. The shriek of tires was the last thing I heard before the impact sent me flying. When I looked up, Declan was rushing out, and Scarlett was already clinging to his chest. “It wasn’t my fault! She just lunged right out in front of me…” My hair was loose, blood streaked across my face. Declan didn’t even look. He lifted his foot and landed a vicious kick to my back. The sickening thud of bone against concrete was distinct. I curled into a ball, and a wad of cash landed on my shoulder. “Trying to stage an accident for a payout?” he sneered. “This should cover your funeral.” Then, he slipped an arm around Scarlett and turned away. “Why didn’t you let me come pick you up?” His voice was sickeningly gentle. “Grant, maybe we should keep a little distance… I don’t want to upset your wife.” “You little fraud…” I heard the soft, wet sound of him kissing her. “I told you I missed you, didn’t I? And you came back.” I lay crumpled on the pavement, the grit mixing with the crimson on my face. The truth was, the Sinclair family business went under a year ago. And the Holloway family, due to Declan’s supposed amnesia, had scratched his name from the list of heirs. The pricey imported neuro-regeneration shots he supposedly needed? The ones costing a fortune? I had sold off my jewelry, then I sold plasma—pumping the last of my savings into that fake treatment. My own doctor had warned me: Tatum, keep this up and you’ll collapse. But watching him look at me with that confused, heartbreaking gaze, calling my name—I transferred the last of my own medical funds to him. I looked at the scattered bills, and a thin, hollow laugh escaped me. So much money. But it was too little. Not enough to buy back all the years of my love, all the sacrifices, all the life I’d given him. After a quick, perfunctory bandaging at the nearest clinic, I returned home. Declan was sitting at the dining table. His eyes lit up instantly when he saw me, just like they used to when he waited up for me back in the beginning. “Wife… I forgot how to use the forks. Will you feed me?” I glanced at the breadcrumbs stuck to his jacket. I remembered. Declan Holloway had an absolute, near-pathological contempt for anything less than intellectual perfection. He had a photographic memory and loathed incompetence. Now, he was sitting here, willing to play the helpless fool who couldn’t even manage a pair of chopsticks. This was his love? Seeing my silence, his eyes welled up. His voice trembled. “Wife, please don’t be disgusted with me. I learned the multiplication tables today. I’ll recite them for you.” I didn’t say a word. I simply handed him a long serving spoon. The movement pulled the fractured muscles in my back, making my face go white with pain. He took it cautiously, careful not to brush my hand. “Wife, are you hurt?” I stared at his perfectly acted, phony compassion. “I’m fine. Just got hit by a car.” “The driver’s boyfriend thought I was staging an accident. He gave me a good, hard kick.” 2 Declan’s pupils constricted. He looked genuinely concerned. “Where are you hurt? I’m taking you to the Emergency Room!” I watched his panicked, over-the-top expression and forced a smile. “It’s been handled. Right now, there’s something more important I need to tell you.” Declan scooted closer, crouching on the floor, looking up at me pathetically, his eyes brimming with fake tears. I looked down at his portrait of a tender, worried husband. Suppressing the sharp ache in my chest, I spoke the words slowly. “Let’s get a divorce.” Declan froze, then violently grabbed my hand and pressed it to his cheek. “Is it because you think I’m stupid?” His voice shook. “I won’t divorce you… I only have you.” Only me? I managed a smile that felt more like a grimace, then pulled my hand free and walked toward the bathroom. The water ran for a long time. I realized I’d forgotten to bring clothes, so I wrapped the towel around me and walked barefoot to the bedroom door. I stopped dead. I heard his soft, gentle voice: “Scarlett, don’t pout… The punishment isn’t over yet.” “Be a good girl. I’ll see you at the clinic tomorrow. We can’t start trying until you’re fully recovered. Don’t worry, no one is going to hurt you this time.” I stood there for a moment, then walked silently away. My tears were hot, but my heart was utterly cold. I woke up the next morning to find myself in the master bed. The comforter was new, freshly laundered. Declan was standing by the door, wearing sterile gloves and a face mask. “Wife, you got mad because I touched your hand yesterday, didn’t you? That’s why you wouldn’t sleep in here.” “I, I promise I didn’t touch you! The bedding is all brand new! I just… I saw you passed out on the table, and you looked so tired…” I watched his panicked, clumsy explanation and gave a faint smile. “Do you remember what I said yesterday?” He shook his head blankly. His eyes were clean and innocent, like fresh snow. “What was it, wife? I don’t recall.” I slowly sat up. The injury in my back was an icy, knifing pain. “Nothing important. It’s your check-up day today. I’m going with you.” A flash of genuine panic, quick as lightning, crossed his eyes. “It’s fine, I can go alone.” I smiled at him, and for the first time, I reached out and adjusted the lapel of his perfectly straight jacket. “Nothing is more important to me than you are.” I meant it. I meant it so much that Declan instinctively grabbed my hand, his eyes red-rimmed. “Wife, you’re finally accepting me again?” I didn’t answer. I just looked at him, letting him hold me tightly, letting him promise that we would never be apart again. At the hospital, I was stopped outside the MRI room where Declan was headed. “Family members aren’t allowed in the magnetic resonance imaging suite.” “I’m also a patient.” I showed the nurse my own lab order. My results came back fast. “It seems the car accident impacted you more than we thought. The initial trauma caused a slow bleed, leading to an abnormal subarachnoid space. You are at immediate risk of sudden death. You must be hospitalized right now.” The doctor immediately drew up the admission papers, which I tore to shreds. “No treatment. If anyone asks, please maintain my confidentiality.” As I left the exam room, the door to the adjoining suite was slightly ajar. I caught a glimpse of Declan’s back. He was bent over, gently kissing Scarlett’s lips. She was on her tiptoes, her hands linked behind his neck. His check-up. This was his check-up. A frantic throbbing started behind my eyes, like something was trying to claw its way out of my skull. I sank to the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees. The last thing I saw before the darkness took over was his face, contorted in a mask of alarm, rushing toward me. “Tatum—” 3 I dreamed I was dead. At my funeral, Declan wore a black suit, his expression a perfectly measured grief. Three months later, his and Scarlett’s baby was born. They named him Intent—an echo of my name. Scarlett leaned into Declan’s arms and murmured, “A way to remember my sister.” Declan kissed her forehead. “It’s all over now.” The irony was a bitter burn. Even my death was just a footnote in the grand, sweeping drama of their love story. When I opened my eyes, I was in the passenger seat of our SUV. Declan was leaning over me, buckling my seatbelt. “You’re awake?” His voice was soft. “You collapsed at the clinic. You scared the hell out of me.” “Let’s go home. You need to rest.” I stared blankly at his face, inches from mine. His eyelashes were long, and when he looked down, he always appeared so focused, so deeply in love. My phone vibrated in my palm. A video message from an unknown number. I put in my earbuds and pressed play. Declan’s low, amused voice was sickeningly clear. “Let me check how well you’ve recovered.” Scarlett’s voice was syrupy and coy. “You’re so bad… Be gentle.” The video was short. The last frame, before the screen went black, was the platinum wedding band on Declan’s left hand. [Sister, I recognized you in the parking lot.] [I stepped on the gas on purpose. I wanted to see who Grant would protect.] [Now you know. He kicked you and held me.] [Oh, and you haven’t told him your family is bankrupt, have you?] [The expensive serum you bled yourself dry for? The one-thousand-dollar-a-vial stuff? It went straight into the trash. That doesn’t hurt, does it?] [I honestly can’t think of a more pathetic woman than you, so here’s a little wedding anniversary gift.] The message ended. The car stopped. Declan walked around and opened my door. “Wife, let me carry you in.” I didn’t move. I was cold, rigid, a husk with the soul sucked out. The arm he slipped under me tightened. His voice was muffled against the top of my head. “Wife, you’re trembling. Hold on to me if you’re cold.” Declan set me on the sofa and carefully draped a cashmere throw over me. My phone rang. The property manager said there was an urgent package that required my signature. Declan handed me a glass of water. “You stay put. I’ll get it.” I took a few sips and heard his footsteps disappear outside. After an unknown length of time, a sudden, heavy weakness paralyzed my body. I tried to call his name, but the door was violently shoved open. Three strange, burly men crowded into the living room. “Tatum Sinclair, right?” The beefy guy with the neck tattoo held up his phone. “Time to pay your debts.” My pupils shrank. My voice was a terrified, strangled croak. “I didn’t borrow—” A calloused hand slammed over my jaw, cutting me off. “If you don’t pay, don’t blame us for getting nasty.” A brutal slap knocked my head sideways. My vision went black. “Boss, this chick is a looker…” A greedy hand slid up my leg. “They say the Sinclair heiress was the prettiest thing in the city. Look at the face, the figure!” “You want to die?” The lead man snarled. “The client said whoever actually touches her isn’t walking out of here in one piece.” “What is his deal? He hires us to shoot his own wife?” “You idiot. He truly loves the other Miss Sinclair. These photos are just a power move, a way to keep his wife in line.” Through the hazy fog, I finally understood the “wedding anniversary gift” Scarlett had promised. For a few precious seconds, my heart simply stopped beating. My blurry vision registered the sound of a key turning in the lock. The flashbulbs went off again. I opened my eyes to see Declan’s bloodshot eyes and haggard face. “Tatum, you’re awake…” His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper on wood. “You scared me to death.” He spoke in frantic, broken sentences. He’d gone to get the package and somehow forgot to lock the door. When he came back, the house was a mess. And I was unconscious on the bed, clothes torn and mussed. “Thank God you’re okay…” He choked up, burying his face in my palm. “I failed you. I couldn’t protect you.” Slowly, deliberately, I pulled my hand out of his tight grip. “Your memory seems to be improving, doesn’t it?” His eyes widened in genuine alarm. “Are you mad? I’m so sorry! I forgot to tell you in the panic!” “Look, here’s the scan. My brain is totally normal. I’m completely recovered!” I didn’t even glance at the medical imaging. Declan gritted his teeth, then swung his arm and delivered a harsh slap across his own face. 4 His cheek immediately flared red and swollen, but his gaze was even more desperate, more pathetic. “It’s all my fault. Slap me, yell at me, but don’t shut me out.” He was like a child rushing to present a treasured item. He pulled a velvet box and a small, delicate slice of cream cake from behind his back. “It’s our anniversary today!” He opened the box, revealing a slender diamond bracelet. “I bought you a gift. Do you like it?” Without asking, he took my limp wrist and fastened the clasp. I lowered my eyes, gazing at the glittering bracelet, and finally spoke. My voice was dry, like a broken bellows. “Declan, do you love me?” Declan’s movement stopped. The air solidified for several agonizing seconds. He grasped my hand again, the force of his grip painful, his eyes focused with an intensity that felt like it was trying to brand itself onto my soul. “Yes.” He said it, every syllable, with the solemnity of an oath. “Tatum Sinclair, I love you.” The phrase was painfully familiar. He’d said it when he knelt in the rain after he cheated. He’d said it when he put the ring on my finger at our wedding. He’d even said it the first time he ‘recognized’ me after the fake amnesia. Every time, I believed him. Believed him without reservation, believed him until I’d given everything I had. How laughable. I looked into the bottomless well of “sincerity” in his eyes and felt an overwhelming, bone-deep fatigue. The sound of his phone broke the silence. He glanced at the screen, then grabbed his jacket. “There’s a lead on those bastards. I have to go immediately.” He stopped at the door, turning back, his eyes resolute. “Wife, wait for me!” His footsteps faded. The house fell into a deadly silence. Ten minutes later, my phone screen lit up. A voice recording from Scarlett. “Should I leak the rest of the photos now?” After a short pause, Declan’s voice—terrifyingly calm—replied. “Not yet. Wait.” “You don’t still have feelings for your wife, do you?” His voice dropped lower, colder. “Don’t be ridiculous. The photos are leverage. If she gives you any trouble, you show them to her.” Scarlett laughed, then her voice turned tearful. “But is her punishment just a few photos? We lost a baby, Grant.” Declan’s voice hardened. “Relax. I will make sure you get justice.” I listened quietly, tears streaming down my face. The place in my chest that had been raw, bloody, and mutilated finally stopped hurting. Only an empty, barren numbness remained. I picked up my phone. As I lowered my head, blood began to drip from my nose and eyes. I sent Declan a text message. Grant Holloway. I’ve run dry. My blood, my trust, my love. Is the curtain finally ready to fall on your performance? Then, I closed my eyes and let my phone fall from my hand. The next second, it started ringing frantically.

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I was ironing Lucas’s white coat for tomorrow when I smelled another woman’s perfume on him as he came home. “She’s pregnant.” His voice was as calm as if discussing a medical case. “Chloe is an orphan, she needs me.” My hand holding the iron suddenly froze in mid-air, steam blurring my eyes. Thinking of the night I had a high fever of 104 degrees, he held a hot towel to compress me, “I will only take care of you in this life.” “What about me?” My voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. Lucas wrinkled his brows in displeasure: “Sarah, you know I’m under a lot of pressure, and Chloe understands my ambition.” Bang, the iron dropped onto the white coat, burning a hole right over the heart position. I didn’t cry or make a fuss, returned to the room, sleepless all night. Before leaving, I placed the divorce agreement and ring in the entryway. Incidentally, I wrote in my graceful handwriting on the burned white coat. “Dr. Sterling, from now on, there will never be a patient named Sarah on your operating table again.” Chapter 1 Leaving the Sterling home, I boarded a plane to Miami. These years, I gave too much for Lucas, lost myself. Miami Beach, the place I always wanted to go. Every time I mentioned it, Lucas always used being busy as an excuse, making me wait. Waiting and waiting, this time finally no need to wait anymore. I looked at the white clouds outside the window, from now on, I want to be a bird flying freely, living for myself. Got off the plane, Lucas sent me more than thirty messages. “Sarah, just because Chloe is pregnant with my child, you make a fuss about divorce with me?” “How can you be so selfish, don’t you know I’m in the rising period now, you just can’t stand to see me living well.” “I am responsible for Chloe, do you want me to be a treacherous person, can’t you understand me.” “What exactly are you doing? Why turn off the phone!” “Sarah, what exactly did you say to Chloe? Why did she suddenly bleed?” “You bitch, since you left, don’t come back for a lifetime!” Such messages filled the chat box between him and me. Lucas and I married for ten years, this is the first time he sent me so many messages. Every sentence can’t leave accusation, also can’t leave Chloe. I couldn’t be bothered to pay attention, turned off the phone and played in Miami for half a month to my heart’s content. After leaving Miami, I found a seaside city, Seattle, opened a studio, making a living by painting. I thought the matter with Lucas was already past. Unexpectedly, today, I just opened the shop door, saw an uninvited guest squatting at the door. He grabbed my arm, staring dead at me. “Why did you block all my contact methods.” “Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?” I threw off his hand, “Mr. Sterling, we are already divorced, please conduct yourself with dignity.” He was stunned, couldn’t help stepping back two steps. Seemingly didn’t expect, we haven’t seen each other for just half a month, the person who was always obedient to him actually changed like another person. He hesitated for a moment, lowered his posture, voice gentle. “I know, you are still sulking, but Chloe is different from you, she can’t leave me.” “This time I came, hoping you can go back with me, take care of Chloe postpartum.” “Don’t worry, when Chloe recovers, I’ll give her a sum of money, we raise the child, send her abroad.” I turned my back to him, tears blurred my vision. For a moment, I thought he really repented. Unexpectedly. I turned around sharply, eyes scarlet. “Lucas Sterling, are you sick, asking me to serve the mistress postpartum?” Voice just fell, this sentence touched Lucas’s reverse scale, he raised his hand and slapped me. Blood flowed from the corner of my mouth, half of my face burned with pain. He pinched my chin like crazy, coldly said: “Chloe is not a mistress, heard that?” He released his hand sharply, I stumbled and couldn’t stand firmly, hit the corner of the table behind me precisely, teeth bared in pain. Seeing me like this, he snorted coldly. “Aren’t you always very strong, what does this little injury count to you?” “Want a divorce, without my signature, you can never escape my palm.” “Give you three days, arrange things here well, go back immediately to take care of Chloe, otherwise don’t blame me for being rude to you.” Lucas turned and left, door closed with a bang. I suddenly realized, every time we had different opinions and quarreled, I was always the one retreating and bowing. I once thought, couples don’t have overnight grudges, it’s just mutual accommodation to last long. Now it seems, my retreat exchanged for his inch by inch advance. He ignored my feelings, still thought I was that silly woman who only mentioned divorce but dared not really leave. Dare to propose, let me take care of his third party, really ridiculous. Even, until now, he dare not face his heart squarely, still drawing big cakes for me. This kind of man who wants both, disgusting and greedy, whoever loves to take can take! Even if I leave with nothing, I will divorce him! Chapter 2 Coming out of the hospital after bandaging, I dug out the number of my male best friend, Alex. We are high school classmates, relationship always good. Since he went abroad for further studies in college, learned I dated a boyfriend, we rarely contacted. On the wedding day, he sent a text message to bless me. “Happy Wedding!” After marriage, to prevent Lucas from overthinking, we lost contact. In a flash ten years passed. Staring at the number, I hesitated for a long time, still couldn’t help dialing out. “Sarah, is that you?” Familiar voice came from the handset, I felt surprised, softly responded Hmm. Didn’t expect, after so long, he still kept my number. Seeing me迟迟 not speaking, he laughed awkwardly twice. “Why thought of finding me, must have encountered some trouble.” He is still the same as usual, likes to joke, ease the atmosphere. “I… I want you to help me a favor!” I hesitated for a long time, finally summoned up courage to say it out. “Okay! Where are you now, I go find you, I returned to Boston.” “I’m not in Boston, I’m in Seattle.” “Seattle” He didn’t ask much, just said: “Send me a location, I go find you now.” Before I could speak, he hung up the phone. Two hours later, a familiar figure appeared in the shop, it’s Alex. Seeing me he scratched his head embarrassedly instead. “Hearing your voice was a bit excited.” “Haven’t seen for so long, thought of inviting you to dinner, so ran over.” Seeing his shy appearance, I couldn’t help laughing. Later I learned, the reason he was so fast, was taking a private jet. We exchanged pleasantries briefly, then stated my request. After hearing, he stood up from the chair swish. “This beast, if in front of me, I must kill him.” Seeing him rolling up sleeves, a look ready to fight, I burst out laughing. He patted his chest, vowing solemnly. “This divorce lawsuit, I help you fight!” Chapter 3 He handed me a list of information needed to be collected, and instructed me, the more detailed the better. I looked at the items on the list. Dealing with Lucas this greedy and entangled man, without using some means, he won’t let me go easily. Rather than this, might as well spend some thought to collect enough evidence, court direct enforcement is faster. I told Alex about Lucas coming to the shop to make trouble today, and those remarks he said. He said his personal proof of the third party’s existence is naturally the best evidence, in court, he is powerless to refute. I was still struggling with the difficulty of getting rid of this scumbag before. Now with Alex’s few words of pointer, I instantly relaxed a lot. I collected the list well, picked up coat and bag, smiled at him. “Time is late, today you helped me solve problems, tonight I treat you to dinner.” Seeing smile finally on my face, he didn’t be polite with me. “Okay, rare you treat, then I’ll eat freely today.” We talked and laughed ready to leave, suddenly door kicked open. Lucas rushed in angrily, like an angry lion. He stared dead at Alex. “Good! I said Chloe pregnant, why didn’t you make a fuss with me one cry two make noise three hang myself, just ran away from home sulking.” “Also kept insisting on divorcing me non-stop.” “Thanks to Chloe just now keep nagging me, saying my handling method to you wrong, also said let me invite sincerely.” “I came back to apologize to you, didn’t expect, you dare cuckold me!” He was emotional, raised hand to hit Alex. Alex pinched Lucas’s falling hand tightly, face iron green. “What are you? Also dare hit me?” “Just this kind of man who can’t control lower body, still well-known thoracic surgeon in the city.” “I呸!” “Simply tarnishing the profession of doctor.” “Cheating outside after marriage, knocking up others not mentioning, still delusional to let wife serve mistress.” “You have this time here shouting thief catch thief, might as well think if this matter spreads out, how will you face medical big shots later.” Lucas face turned green, he showed no weakness, flung away Alex’s hand. “You! You dare!” He placed gaze on me, eyes fierce. “Sarah, if you dare ruin me, I will definitely kill you.” “Don’t let me have a good time, you don’t think about having a good time either.” Alex raised leg gave him a kick. “Just this useless appearance, don’t know how Sarah was blind to see you back then.” I looked at Lucas carelessly, tone mixed with ridicule. “Seeing clearly now is not late, stop loss in time, ending is not too bad.” “We throw him out, don’t let him affect our mood.” Voice fell, Alex picked up Lucas collar, dragged him out. “Sarah, you want to kick me to be with him, unless you serve Chloe postpartum.” “If coax me happy, maybe I’ll divorce you.” “Otherwise, as long as I live, you don’t think about it, consume, I also consume you to death!” Lucas exasperated appearance, made me feel shocked. Married to him for ten years, even if we had numerous frictions between us, didn’t see him so vicious. These years, he hid really deep enough. If not completely angered him this time, didn’t know he has this face. No wonder, before marriage father reminded me, Lucas is not as kind as I saw. Blame me for being love-brained back then, insisted jumping into fire pit.

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The CEO saw me as a vicious gold digger. With a wave of his hand, he threw a check for $1 million at me, demanding I leave his Executive Assistant, Jason. I smiled and tucked the check into my pocket: “Deal! Mr. Sterling is so generous!” After taking the money, I immediately blocked Jason. Jason looked at the red exclamation mark on WeChat, crying his eyes out: “Sis, don’t you want your own brother anymore?” Chapter 1 Jason and I are biological siblings, though we might look like a random assortment. When our parents divorced, Mom waved her hand domineeringly: “I take the house and the daughter.” Dad wouldn’t show weakness: “I take the savings and the son.” So, I took Mom’s last name, Gu, and became an invisible landlady owning three condos downtown. Jason took Dad’s last name, Jiang, and became a poor corporate slave destined to inherit… uh, his dad’s ten-year-old second-hand car if he didn’t work hard. Jason, this kid, has had a “I’m miserable but I’m strong” weed-like temperament since childhood. As his older sister, to prevent him from being like Dad who couldn’t save a penny, I naturally had to give him an education named “Exploitation” but really “Love.” For example, on payday, 80% of his salary must be handed over to me for safekeeping. Actually, it’s to help him save for a wedding fund. Another example, he must be on call on weekends. At this moment, I was lying on the sofa with my legs crossed, issuing orders to the phone: “Hey, Jason, pick up a package for me on your way back from work.” From the other end came Jason’s suppressed voice, background noise filled with furious typing: “Sis… I’m still suffering in overtime…” “Cut the crap.” I blew on my freshly done nails, “Don’t eat dinner yet. Come over later for a feast. I ordered too much. If you dare eat before coming, I’ll skin you!” “Fine, I won’t eat, okay!” Jason hung up with a crying tone. Meanwhile, in a skyscraper in CBD. Jason hung up, looking at the name “She-Devil” on his phone screen, and sighed deeply. His stomach growled timely. He hadn’t eaten dinner. But he had to go to Gwen’s house later, so he could only snack a bit now. He sneaked into the pantry, skillfully fishing out a pack of free soda crackers from the depths of the cabinet. Jason gnawed on the dry crackers, swallowing them with warm water. “Yo, Assistant Jiang, eating this again?” Amy from Admin walked by with a cup of fancy yogurt, looking at him sympathetically, “Your girlfriend is too strict. Look at your suit cuffs, they’re frayed, and she won’t buy you a new one?” Jason almost choked on the cracker, face flushing: “N… Not girlfriend…” It’s a creature scarier than a girlfriend—biological sister. “Oh, I get it.” Amy looked like she knew it all, “Gold diggers these days have high tactics. Draining your money while making you think it’s for your own good. Look at you, Mr. Sterling’s Executive Assistant, salary isn’t low, right? Why do you look like you escaped from a refugee camp?” Jason couldn’t explain. “Actually… she’s saving money for me…” Jason defended weakly. “Tsk tsk tsk, only an honest guy like you would believe that.” Amy shook her head and left, leaving Jason alone doubting life with half a cracker. This scene was fully witnessed by Sebastian Sterling, who just came out of the conference room. Sebastian, Jason’s boss, a business upstart with immeasurable wealth. At this moment, he stood in the shadows, frowning tight. Jason was his most capable assistant, strong ability, tight-lipped, hardworking. But recently, Sebastian found this subordinate was always stingy. Counting every penny. Sebastian originally thought Jason’s family had some trouble, like a sick father or loan sharks. Until just now, he heard the words “Gold Digger.” Sebastian returned to the CEO’s office, slender fingers tapping the desk. “Found anything?” The assistant immediately handed over a file, looking a bit weird: “Mr. Sterling, found it. Assistant Jiang’s cash flow is very… singular.” Sebastian opened the file. On Jason’s payroll statement, the second his salary arrived each month, a huge sum would be transferred to an account. Recipient: Gwen Gu. Transfer notes were varied, filled with suffocating “PUA” vibes: –[This month’s tribute, please check, Your Majesty.] –[Monthly bonus, please check, Your Majesty.] “Gwen Gu…” Sebastian read the name, eyes turning cold. He flipped to the next page, photos taken by a private investigator. In the photo, Jason followed a young woman, carrying bags of cat food and packages. Although only a side profile was captured, the woman dressed casually, hair messy. And Jason, a top university graduate, was so humble in front of this woman. “Good tactics.” Sebastian sneered, closing the file, “Controlling a man to this extent, pretending to be virtuous in broken pajamas… while pocketing all the money.” The assistant added carefully: “Heard… Assistant Jiang is going to her house to pick up packages after overtime tonight.” Bang! The pen in Sebastian’s hand was slammed onto the desk. This is bullying. Since when did Sebastian’s people get trampled by such a vain woman? “Prepare the car.” Sebastian stood up, adjusting his suit that had no wrinkles, eyes flashing with the light of justice, “Let’s meet this ‘Miss Gu’.” And by the way, wake up that woman who doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth with money. At this time, I was wearing those “broken pajamas” to take out the trash and pick up my spicy ramen delivery. I had no idea that a furious CEO was driving towards me murderously. Chapter 2 A Maybach that looked hard to park blocked my way. The window rolled down, revealing a face that was indeed handsome, but eyes filled with “30% coolness, 30% ridicule, and 40% carelessness.” The man looked me up and down, gaze lingering on the two bowls of spicy ramen in my hand. “You are Gwen Gu?” Voice was nice, just the tone sounded like interrogating a criminal. I sniffed: “Where is this scam from? Pay property fees at the front desk. Selling insurance… I have no money.” The man sneered, pushing the door open. “I am Jason’s boss, Sebastian Sterling.” He cut to the chase, “I want to talk to you.” Talk? Did Jason the idiot cause trouble at the company? My heart tightened, but face remained calm: “Talk about what? If Jason isn’t obedient, you can beat him, just don’t fire him, he needs this job to make money! “Wait, if the severance package is right, like a 5N something… let me calculate how much that is…” Sebastian’s eyes instantly became sharper, as if looking at an unforgivable witch. “As expected.” He muttered low, then took out a check from his pocket, clipped between two fingers, handing it to me. “Here is one million dollars.” Me: “?” Firing my brother for a million? Why didn’t I know his income was this high? Dare to lie to me! Wait… Jason definitely wouldn’t dare lie to me! Is the man in front of me scamming? But… what kind of new scam is this? Or a prank show? Where is the camera? Seeing I didn’t take it, Sebastian thought I found it too little, frowning deep enough to kill a fly. “Miss Gu, one should be content. Jason is just an assistant, his monthly salary isn’t enough to buy your… pajamas, right?” Although my pajamas were $9.99 free shipping from Amazon, his tone made it sound like I was wearing the Emperor’s New Clothes. “I know your tactics are brilliant, confusing Jason, making him transfer his salary to you the moment it arrives, and come to serve you like a slave after work.” Sebastian took a deep breath, seeming to suppress some anger named “Justice.” “But he is an honest man, and has a bright future. I don’t want him ruined by a woman like you… who is vain and greedy.” “Take this million, leave him. No more asking him for money, no more ordering him around.” At that moment, the world was quiet. I looked at the check. Then looked at Sebastian’s handsome face written with “humiliating you with this.” After my CPU ran fast for three seconds, I realized. We have different last names. He is Jiang, I am Gu. We have financial dealings. He hands over salary monthly. We also have… intimate actions? Coming to my house daily, free nanny? I realized it! In this CEO’s eyes, I am a scumbag, gold digger, love scammer who PUA his beloved subordinate. What to do? “Oh, Mr. Sterling, you misunderstood, I am his…” Before the words “biological sister” came out, my brain immediately imagined Sebastian smiling awkwardly, taking back the check, saying “Sorry, my mistake”… So… being his sister means losing a million dollars?! Of course not. I am a Taurus. Refusing money delivered to the door will bring divine punishment. I took a deep breath, revealing a smile named “Greed.” I extended two fingers, clipped the check, and flicked it, hearing a crisp sound. “Deal.” I looked at him smilingly, “Mr. Sterling is indeed generous. Since you asked, I will definitely follow. From today on, I will definitely not pester Jason anymore!” Sebastian obviously didn’t expect me to agree so readily. His stomach full of bargaining and ridicule was choked in his throat. He looked at me, a flash of astonishment in his eyes, then turned into deeper contempt. “As expected, just someone who opens eyes wide at money.” “Thanks for the compliment.” I stuffed the check into my pajama pocket, then waved at him, “Then safe travels, Mr. Sterling? I won’t see you off. My spicy ramen delivery just arrived, gotta eat it while hot.” Finished, turned and ran. Afraid that if I ran a bit slower, this sucker would regret it, find my brother not worth a million, and ask for the money back.

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1 Just after our son’s hundred-day celebration, my husband of seven years asked me, with a faint smile, “What do you think about a man having two wives?” Before I could respond, my stepsister Sophie entered, holding a three-year-old boy’s hand. Nicholas had invited them. “This is my son with Sophie,” he said calmly. He explained they had been together for four years. “I know you resent Sophie because of your mother, so I kept them hidden out of consideration for you. Now, I want them by my side openly.” As I trembled, he continued, “Be generous. Don’t interfere when I’m with them on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.” His tone turned cold. “Or, you can divorce me. Our baby stays. But if I stop caring for you, I can’t promise to care for the child you gave me.” He looked at my pale face and asked casually, “So, have you decided?” … My throat was so tight it ached. I stood there, stiff as a board, and asked mechanically, “Why did you have to tell me today?” Just hours ago, at the party, he had kissed me with such joy, thanking me for giving him a beautiful son. Nicholas sighed. “Honestly, I was planning to hide this from you forever.” “But the day you went into labor… I was with Sophie and Liam, picking out a puppy.” My eyes, sore and dry, blinked slowly. I remembered. That day, I was on the delivery table, writhing in the agony of contractions. The nurses called him again and again, but his phone was off. I told myself he was tied up with a difficult client. Though I was terrified, I summoned the last of my strength and signed the consent forms myself. His voice was a soft whisper, as gentle as the sweet nothings he used to murmur in my ear. “Do you know what I was thinking? When I got back to the hospital and saw you, saw how you’d nearly died giving me a child… I actually felt a pang of pity. For Sophie.” I stared at him in disbelief, certain I had misheard. “I was dying… and you felt sorry for her?” Nicholas nodded. “I felt sorry that Sophie had to give me Liam without any recognition, that she had to hide our relationship for four years. I felt like I owed her.” My nails dug deep into my palms. I fought to hold back the flood of tears, my voice choked with bitterness. “You know my mother was driven to jump from a building because of Sophie and her mother. Why, of all people, did you have to cheat on me with her?” Nicholas glanced at Sophie, a look of helplessness on his face. “What could I do? My mother dislikes you, and you could never manage your relationship with her. I was stuck in the middle, torn apart.” “Only when I’m with Sophie can I forget all my troubles.” It was true his mother didn’t like me. For six years of our marriage, I couldn’t get pregnant. She found fault with everything I did. Every time we visited the family estate, she’d pick on me, even making me kneel in the old family chapel as punishment. Nicholas would always comfort me afterward, telling me how much it hurt him to see me suffer. But I went through six rounds of IVF for him. I endured countless injections, my stomach a canvas of purple bruises, and never once complained. I risked my life to give him a child. And all this time, while he watched me suffer, he was off somewhere in a world I couldn’t see, playing happy family with Sophie and their son. A giant fist clenched around my heart, squeezing the air from my lungs. I gasped for breath. Nicholas’s eyes tightened, and he moved to hold me. “Amelia, if you can accept this arrangement, you don’t have to leave.” The dam of my emotions finally broke. I shoved him away, hard, and slapped him across the face. “Have you forgotten what you promised me?” Before the words were even out of my mouth, a force slammed into me, sending me sprawling to the floor. Pain exploded behind my eyes, and my vision went black for a second. Through the ringing in my ears, I heard Sophie’s tearful voice. “Amelia, Nicholas has already sacrificed so much for you these past four years! He loves you so much, why can’t you be more understanding?” “Or is it that you only love yourself? You never cared about what Nicholas needs, did you?” The man who had sworn to protect me for life had cheated on me with my own father’s illegitimate daughter. They had a secret child, forced me into the same impossible choice my mother faced, and now they were asking me to be understanding? The cruelty was breathtaking. A hysterical laugh, laced with tears, escaped my lips. Nicholas froze, reaching for me before his face hardened with impatience. “Just think about it. Let me know what you decide.” He took Sophie and their son by the hand and left, the slam of the door echoing like a gunshot. Our sleeping baby, startled awake, began to wail, his cries piercing the sudden silence. The sound, mixed with the bone-deep agony in my heart, was like a knife twisting in my gut. I held my son and wept, completely lost. After the chaos subsided, I had barely caught my breath when my phone rang. It was Nicholas. His voice was low, laced with anger. “Amelia, who gave you the right to tell my mother about Sophie and Liam?” “It wasn’t me…” He cut me off sharply. “Get over to the estate right now and calm her down. If you can’t learn how to be a proper wife in this family, then you can forget about raising our son, too.” The phone shook in my hand. Right after our son was born, his mother had tried to take him away to be raised at the estate. It was Nicholas who, seeing my heartbreak, had physically blocked the bodyguards she’d sent. “He is my son,” he had declared. “No one has the right to raise him but Amelia.” Now, for Sophie, he was using our child as a weapon against me. Nicholas had already betrayed me; I couldn’t lose my son too. Wiping my tears, I handed the baby to the nanny and rushed to the family estate. In the old chapel, Sophie sat to one side, holding her son. The moment I walked in, my mother-in-law slapped me across the face. “Nicholas knelt in this chapel for three days and three nights to get my permission to marry you,” she hissed. “I thought you had some substance. I can’t believe he could have an affair with an illegitimate girl and father a bastard child right under your nose without you noticing. Are you trying to bring utter disgrace to this family?” When my father brought Sophie and her mother home, my own mother didn’t throw them out. Instead, she threw herself from the top floor of our house. My mother-in-law always thought my mother was weak, and by extension, she looked down on me. But I never imagined she would blame me for Nicholas’s affair. Nicholas glanced at me, then turned to his mother. “Didn’t you used to complain that Amelia couldn’t give you a grandchild? I just gave you one ahead of schedule. What’s so bad about that?” His voice was nonchalant, as if he’d done something commendable. Then, he shot me a cold smirk. “You made this mess, Mrs. Hayes. You fix it.” “As long as we are married, it is your duty to please my mother and solve my problems.” Sophie moved to his side, linking her arm through his. She looked at me with triumph in her eyes. “Oh, Amelia, I’m just a simple girl. I’m not very good at handling these complicated family dynamics. I’ll be counting on you from now on.” “Unless… you’re no longer part of this family.” I bit the inside of my cheek, my eyes locked on Nicholas. I knew, rationally, that I shouldn’t cling to a man who no longer loved me. But I couldn’t let my son end up like me, living at the mercy of a stepmother. “Don’t you dare think I’ll make this easy for you, Nicholas.” As long as we were married, Sophie and her son would never be officially recognized. Sophie’s taunt enraged my mother-in-law. She ordered the bodyguards to force Sophie to her knees. “If you want to enter this family, you’ll take ninety-nine lashes first. We’ll see if our ancestors approve.” My mother-in-law despised Sophie, and I should have felt a flicker of satisfaction. But what Nicholas did next nearly made me lose control. He kicked away the two bodyguards and wrapped Sophie in a protective embrace. He shot a look at his mother, but his final, disgusted gaze landed on me. “It’s just ninety-nine lashes. I’ll take them for her.” “But after this, Sophie is to be allowed to come and go from this house as she pleases.” Every crack of the whip on Nicholas’s back felt like a sharp blade carving into my own heart. In our third year of marriage, after two failed IVF attempts, my mother-in-law grew furious. She claimed the family ancestors disliked me and dragged me to the chapel to be whipped ninety-nine times to atone for my “sin.” Terrified, I had huddled in Nicholas’s arms, trembling. I selfishly wanted him to fight for me, just as he had fought to marry me. But he had only kissed my forehead and whispered, “Amelia, I know she’s just letting off steam. For our future, please, just endure it.” Then, the guards pulled me from his arms. Before him and the entire family, I took every single lash. The last thing I remembered before passing out was the raw, searing pain of torn flesh that seemed to penetrate my very bones. The memory of my own blood merged with the horrific sight of the blood now on Nicholas. It was like a vicious slap, leaving my cheeks burning with shame. With nine lashes left, his mother couldn’t bring herself to continue. She looked at Sophie, but before she could speak, Nicholas’s weak voice cut through the air. “Let Amelia take the last nine.” My blood ran cold. Me? Take them for her? Pain contorted Nicholas’s face, sweat beading on his forehead, but he managed a faint smile. “Amelia, Sophie was raised delicately by her parents. She can’t even handle a single lash. But you’re different. You took all ninety-nine last time. You can definitely handle nine.” When I didn’t move, his expression darkened. “If you can’t even do this much to help your husband, then maybe you shouldn’t be raising our son after all.” I staggered back, a smile more painful than tears spreading across my face. To keep my son, I endured nine more lashes. I thought my submission would be met with some decency, but Nicholas went on to have Sophie’s son officially added to the family registry. I hated him. I hated him for no longer loving me yet dragging me into this impossible situation. I hated him for turning my son, barely a hundred days old, into a laughingstock for the sake of his other child. I cast aside my dignity as his wife and leaked the story of him and Sophie to the media. But since he was already planning to go public, my actions only made them more brazen. I became the joke of our social circle. Furious and out of my mind, I wrote a long, detailed post exposing how Sophie and her mother had driven my own mother to her death. But before I could post it, Nicholas intercepted it. To punish me, he threw a lavish, high-profile party to officially introduce Sophie’s son to our circle. For reasons I couldn’t understand, his mother didn’t object. On the day of the party, I locked myself and my son in our home. For his sake, I wanted to stop fighting. But Sophie wouldn’t let me. She sent me a video. In it, Nicholas held her tightly, their kiss passionate and desperate. His heavy breathing was disgustingly loud. A text followed: “Nicholas said that even if you two divorce, I won’t ever have to feel wronged in front of his mother again.” My fists clenched. What about all the times I had been wronged? Then came another picture, this one of her son. It shattered the last remnants of my sanity. Around the boy’s neck was my locket. It was the one my mother left me, the one I had placed around my own son’s neck. I stormed into the party. I ignored the mocking, pitying stares and walked straight up to Nicholas. The moment he saw me, a satisfied smile spread across his face. “Amelia, so you’ve finally come to your senses…” “Give me back my locket.” I cut him off, my voice shaking. “That was from my mother. What right do you have to give it to someone else?” As I said it, I felt myself breaking. After my mother died, Sophie had snatched that locket from me once before. I had cried and begged for it back, but my father had beaten me severely and locked me in a dark closet for a day and a night without food. When Nicholas, not yet twelve years old, found out, he stormed into my house and set a fire. He was just a kid, but he stabbed my father three times. He got the locket back and warned Sophie with a chilling ferocity that if she ever touched my things again, he’d stab her next. Sophie had fainted from fear. But eighteen years later, she hadn’t just stolen him from me. Now, all she had to do was say she wanted something of mine, and he would take it for her. Nicholas pulled Sophie and her son behind him protectively. He stared at me, his voice cold. “It’s just a locket. What does it matter who wears it? Besides, Liam can call you ‘mother’ too. What’s wrong with giving it to him?” His entitled tone destroyed my last shred of self-control. “I am not his mother, and I will not give my son’s things to a bastard.” At that, the little boy lunged at me, his small fists pounding against the still-tender scar from my C-section. Pain shot through me, and I instinctively raised my hand. But before I could touch him, Nicholas shoved me violently. I stumbled backward, the back of my head cracking against the sharp corner of a table. An explosion of agony, and then darkness. The last thing I heard before the world went black was Nicholas screaming my name in terror. When I opened my eyes again, Nicholas was sitting by my hospital bed, his expression weary. Seeing me awake, a flicker of irritation crossed his face, and his first words were a reprimand. “Look at you. You don’t look like the wife of a magnate at all, fighting with a child over a trinket in front of everyone.” A bitter smile touched my lips. I said nothing. He seemed to lose interest and left after muttering a few more words. I didn’t see him for two days. On the third day, Sophie came. She was toying with the locket, an amused look on her face as she tossed it onto my bed. “Making such a scene over a piece of metal, getting yourself all banged up. Too bad it still belongs to my son in the end, doesn’t it?” My fingers froze. The numbness that had enveloped me began to recede. “What are you talking about?”

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My husband died accidentally on the operating table while donating bone marrow to his first love’s son. When I went to claim the body, the doctor handed me a surgery consent form. It read: [I voluntarily donate, and bear all consequences.] In the relationship column, it was filled: [Father and Son]. Julian Vance’s ghost floated aside, waiting to see me collapse and cry. But I just calmly took the form and asked the doctor: “Cremate now, do I need to pay extra to cut the line?” … Chapter 1 The doctor probably had never seen a wife like me, so anxious to turn her husband into ashes. His expression was very colorful. “Regarding the accident process, don’t you want to know a bit?” I looked at the watch on my wrist: “No need. Please speed up the procedures, I’m in a hurry to pick up my daughter from school.” “Fiona, you are saying this out of anger, right?” Julian floated in mid-air, eyes full of disbelief. I stared at him for a few seconds, and quickly accepted the reality that he had become a ghost. “Top priority expedited, separate furnace. I want to see the ashes within an hour.” I took out the Black Card and handed it to the assistant beside me. The doctor was thoroughly stunned. But still professionally nodded. Signaled us to sign and process immediately. The assistant asked: “…Don’t family members need to be notified to say goodbye?” “No need.” I folded the surgery consent form. Casually stuffed it into my Hermès bag. “Fiona, what is this attitude?” Julian’s voice raised a few degrees. “Yes, I lied to you, Leo is indeed my biological son. But he has leukemia, I am his biological father, can I watch him die helplessly?” “If it were you, would you stand by and watch? You are also a mother, why can’t you understand?” He felt more and more justified as he spoke. “Besides, I’ve already paid with my life! The dead are the greatest, doesn’t that cancel out past things?” He roared impatiently. “You are in such a hurry to burn me? What would Giselle think? What would Leo think? They didn’t even get to see me one last time! Fiona, you are too vicious!” I pulled the corner of my mouth and smiled. So what if I’m vicious? “The law stipulates, I am your Next of Kin, the only signer for your body disposal.” “When you were complacent because you married me, you already handed over this little right after death to me.” “As for your true love and illegitimate son? Sorry, they need my approval even to see you one last time.” “Not convinced? Hold it in.” Chapter 2 When Giselle and Julian’s mom rushed into the funeral home lounge. Julian had already become a handful of warm ash. Packed in a rather inconspicuous wooden box. “Julian! Julian ah!” Mother-in-law still couldn’t accept reality. Holding the urn, rolling on the ground, weeping不成声 (choking with sobs). Giselle was still dressed gently. Just hair slightly messy, face pale. She grabbed my arm. “You have such a cruel heart! Even if an accident happens halfway through surgery, bone marrow can still be extracted! Even using machines, should have extracted the bone marrow!” “You just burned him like this, you burned my son’s life!” Julian floated behind Giselle. Originally prepared to comfort Giselle’s broken pain. Even opened his arms, wanting to hug her. Hearing this sentence, his hands froze in mid-air. A crack appeared on his always aloof face. I disgustedly threw off Giselle’s hand, pulled out a tissue to wipe the place she touched. Pointed to the urn in mother-in-law’s arms. “Didn’t you always want Julian? Gifted to you.” “One thousand degrees high temperature, burned clean. The bone marrow you want, should be carbon now. Do you want to grab a handful back for Leo to drink with water?” “Ah——!!!” Giselle finally couldn’t hold it back, let out a sharp scream. She grabbed my shoulder and cursed: “You knew clearly Leo was waiting for life-saving! How could you burn him so fast! You still don’t know, that is Julian’s biological son, biological son ah!” I just wanted to say, I know. “Slap!” A crisp sound. Mother-in-law slapped Giselle’s face. “Bastard thing! How do you talk to President Fiona!” Chapter 3 Giselle was beaten to turn her head, covering her face, looking at this thin little old lady in disbelief. Mother-in-law’s hand was still shaking. “It’s all you harmful spirit! It’s you! It’s all you who killed my Julian!” Mother-in-law seemed to age ten years in an instant. Sat on the ground, holding Julian’s urn crying. “My son ah! How could you be so muddled! You studied hard for ten years to walk out of that poor mountain ditch, hard easy got a great future, got such a good wife like Fiona, how could you… how could you be blinded by lard!” “For a vixen, for a bastard, you don’t even want your life! How do you let your mom live in the future ah!” Julian floated in mid-air, eye rims instantly red. “Mom, this is all my own will, Leo is not a bastard, he is the root of our Vance family ah…” Pity, separated by yin and yang. Mother-in-law couldn’t hear his words. Only blindly vented full hatred on Giselle. She climbed up, grabbed Giselle’s hair: “You pay back my son! You return Julian to me! You bad luck star, as long as I am here one day, I am not finished with you!” Giselle was pushed staggering, but didn’t say a word. When security guards came to drag her away forcibly. She still looked at mother-in-law uncertainly, like looking at an ally who suddenly turned against her. My heart felt blocked. Even a rural old lady like mother-in-law knew. Julian’s current life was hard-earned. Only Julian himself didn’t know. After Giselle left. Mother-in-law carefully pulled my sleeve. “Fiona… Mom feels bitter in heart.” “Although Julian was muddled, he is gone after all, should we give him a big funeral?” I said angrily: “You handle it, Julian died unnatural death. According to rules, big funeral for unnatural death is unlucky.” “Besides, company is very busy recently, I don’t have time to deal with those relatives far away.” Mother-in-law stunned a bit, but looking at my cold side face. Seemed to understand. Without Julian, she is nothing in this family. Mumbled for a long while. She finally sighed: “Listen… listen to you.” “Mom listens to you now.” Chapter 4 In the following days, Julian’s soul became more and more anxious. I didn’t need to listen to assistant’s report. From his anxious expression could see. Leo’s vital signs were weakening bit by bit. Giselle spent all savings to save son, but it was just a drop in the bucket. Julian raged incompetently at me who was having a video conference: “Fiona, even if you lend Giselle a little money? That is loan! Will pay back later!” “How can you be so cold-blooded? If Leo dies, you can’t get away with it either!” I slowly drank a sip of coffee. “My money is earned by hard work, not like Giselle sleeping to be a mistress, why should I give?” “That child live or die concern me what matter? Your dirty affair product, why rely on my head?” Two questions, Julian couldn’t answer one. He floated in mid-air, mouth opened and closed. Hardly held himself into a pig liver colored semi-transparent balloon. I rubbed my eyebrows, thinking when to hire a priest to send Julian away completely. Afternoon, I went to pick up Nora from school. At school gate, Giselle rushed over again. Probably son really dying soon. She exuded a despair of near death all over. “Fiona! Fiona you stop!” Bodyguards immediately stepped forward to block her. Giselle actually thumped down on knees. “Fiona, beg you! Save Leo!” It was dismissal time, surrounding all parents and students. This kneel, immediately attracted countless onlookers. She lifted head, forehead full of blood stains, so pitiful: “You also been a mother, you are also a mom! How can you watch a six-year-old child die helplessly!” “Leo is almost gone! Although Julian died, there is still Nora!” “Nora and Leo are half-siblings ah! Matching definitely can succeed!” “Sister saving brother, heaven principle earth right! Julian could die for Leo, your daughter drawing some bone marrow what’s wrong!” Crowd uproar. Countless gazes like searchlights hit on me. Nora was scared shivering. Giselle cried more miserably: “Nora is seven, regeneration ability strong, drawing a little is fine! Leo is Julian’s only son, beg you save him!” Sunset afterglow sprinkled on Giselle’s blood-stained face. Gilded her with a layer of tragic gold edge. And I in black haute couture, appeared cold and ruthless. Passers-by overflowed with cheap sympathy. “This mom is also quite pitiful.” “Yes ah, child is innocent, only six, also a life.” “Biological sister not save? This is too cold-blooded, rich people indeed hard-hearted.” An uninformed auntie, stood out with justice face to accuse me: “This lady, be person want generous. Since can save, let your daughter help a hand, accumulate virtue do good deeds.” I sneered, only felt absurd. Let bodyguard take Nora back to car first. I looked at that auntie. “This big sister, your grandson should also be six right? Why not let your grandson donate bone marrow?” “Anyway you also said, accumulate virtue do good deeds.” Auntie face changed, awkwardly retreated: “I… I have no relation with her…” I hooked lips smiled, word by word clearly said to onlookers. “This is my husband’s first love, knowing my husband already married, she still knowingly be mistress gave birth to illegitimate son.” “My husband for donating bone marrow to this illegitimate son, died on operating table few days ago, she caused me lose husband, my daughter lose father.” “Now, this woman to save illegitimate son, again hit idea on my daughter.” I looked around, voice cold: “Mistress wants original match’s daughter to donate bone marrow? Is it you, you generous?” Whole field dead silence. People pointing just now, instantly shut up. Disdain, disgust gazes. Transferred from me to Giselle. Chapter 5 Julian anxious bad, he suddenly realized: “Why didn’t I think, Nora is also my child! She is Leo’s sister!” He righteously ordered me. “Fiona! You agree her, Nora still small, recover fast, drawing a little bone marrow won’t die!” “Leo is Vance family only seedling! Nora sacrifice a little for brother what’s wrong?” I was angered laugh. This is the man I once loved. This is Nora’s biological father. Lucky he already died, can only incompetent rage, can’t personally push daughter into fire pit. Giselle already somewhat crazy, rushed towards car. “Give Nora to me… she is Leo’s life… give me!” Inside car, Nora looked at this terrifying face, scared eyes wide open. My patience finally exhausted. Few steps forward, grabbed Giselle collar, fiercely threw her on ground! I person always decent. Never thought personal hand move. But she shouldn’t shouldn’t, hit idea on Nora. Her child is her life, my child is my life. She insist step on my bottom line go crazy. I had to let her grow memory. Sharp high heel stepped on her hand. “Ah——!” Giselle’s right hand back pinned by me on asphalt road. Watching her painful look. I increased force, fiercely grinded a circle. “Want touch my daughter? You also worthy?” “Don’t say donate bone marrow, my daughter even lose a hair, I will find you settle account.” I slightly leaned over. “Sister save brother heaven principle earth right? Sorry, my daughter is only child, she has no such bastard brother.” “Fiona——!!!” Julian see Giselle suffer, heart ache facial features all crack. He swing fist want stop me, but time and time pass through my body. Look ba, regret dead right? Early knew not go operating table right? Alive time couldn’t protect them, died become ghost, still a waste. My foot again force grind, until Giselle pain faint pass. Then disgustedly took back foot. Rubbed blood on heel on Giselle clothes. Ordered driver: “Drive.”

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Three years of long-distance relationship between New York and London, Julian Vance built a special Private Jet Route just to marry me. But it was never completed due to various reasons. He didn’t hesitate to take a seven or eight-hour flight, often flying to New York to accompany me and support my work. But on the day I felt uncomfortable fetal movement, both his and my father’s phones couldn’t be reached. I was in pain until the sky turned dark, but received an anonymous video: Julian and my father Richard were walking out of City Hall, holding the illegitimate daughter Scarlett on each arm. “Congratulations daughter, wish come true marrying the one you love!” Father wept with gratification. He turned his head and lowered his voice, somewhat worried: “If the route is not completed soon, and the wedding is delayed again and again, what if Serena can’t wait?” Julian spoke vowingly: “She will wait. Scarlett’s mother bore the name of a Mistress for a lifetime, I can’t bear to let her follow the same path.” “Serena has everything, she doesn’t lack this marriage certificate.” Turns out he flew to accompany Scarlett almost every day, accompanying me was just “on the way”. I deleted the video, didn’t expose them, called to book an Abortion. But later when the route opened, Julian flew to New York, turned the whole city upside down but couldn’t pick up his bride. … Chapter 1 I just hung up the phone, doorbell suddenly rang. Opening the door, I was startled by the sudden petal rain. “Wifey happy or not? As soon as the meeting ended, I took the plane to accompany you and the baby.” Julian acted like a spoiled child, complaining that sitting in first class also made his whole body sore. But he flew to accompany Scarlett to get the license, and only remembered my existence when he had free time. How could I be happy. The colorful petals all over my head made me look more like a clown. I was in pain almost unable to stand steady, just raised hand to support his arm, “Julian, accompany me to hosp…” Just at this time, his phone suddenly rang. Julian didn’t notice my discomfort at all, eyes full of guilt: “Something happened in London, I have to catch the flight.” “Rest assured wifey, when the route construction is completed, I can come to accompany you every day.” He left without looking back, I fell heavily on the ground drained of strength. Arrived at the hospital to confirm surgery time, doctor advised: “Miss Sterling, your pregnancy is rare, Mr. Vance also likes it very much, are you sure you want to abort?” I was in a trance for a moment. Just now I checked the flight again unwillingly. There are no more flights back to London today. Julian sure enough lied again. “How about… discuss with your husband?” Seeing my hesitation, doctor suggested. I struggled a hundred times, finally called, third time connected. He seemed very worried, asked urgently: “Wifey, I am still on the plane preparing meeting content, is it because I accompanied you too short time? Angry?” I bit my lip broken: “Julian, I am about to have surgery…” “Hey! Who has such charm in the phone, tonight is wedding night hey!” Scarlett’s scream interrupted my words. Julian covered the phone, but still could hear his low scolding clearly: “You actually still have strength to be cheeky? See how I continue to deal with you later…” He forgot to hang up, laughter of two people playing on bed transmitted into my ears. As if shredded my heart, hundred times thousand times more painful than abdomen. Three years ago Julian broadcasted the scene of him proposing to me on the big screen in London. “Serena, thank you for giving me the chance to fall in love with you, my true love.” People in whole London were envious of me, this future Mrs. Vance who hasn’t passed the door, got the sincere heart of the richest man in London. But looking now those so-called sincere hearts, are just so cheap. I hung up unbearably, took the surgery form, “I sign myself.” After surgery ended, I received Scarlett’s first night showing off Instagram Story. Witnessed the intimate contact picture of two people with own eyes, I still laughed out tears. I switched phone screen, wiped a handful of tears, replied to that man who had been waiting: “I agree to marry you, but you have to satisfy one condition of mine.” Chapter 2 Getting affirmative answer, I seemed to lose all strength. After father brought Scarlett mother and daughter home, angered mother to heart attack, died on the spot. I couldn’t accept for a while, hid in room not eating not drinking, even thought of suicide. Father said countless sorry in front of me, slapped his face swollen. He said he would cut off father-daughter relationship with Scarlett, use rest of life to compensate me. I raised knife aiming at myself, result those more than ten stabs all landed on Julian’s back. He full of blood hugged out of control me. “Serena, it’s okay, it’s okay…” Julian and father were my only reliance, gave me courage to live. Didn’t expect those who betrayed me double, were also them. Julian didn’t return all night. Open eyes again, Julian nervously observed my condition. “How is it? Heard you had appendicitis surgery I came immediately, fool, why didn’t tell me?” Two times not connected, one time was ambiguous unbearable entanglement sound. In his heart I obviously not that important. Choosing to call him, I am of course a fool. I self-mockingly pulled corner of mouth: “If you are very tired, route just stop work, not urgent anyway.” Heard words, Julian’s eyes suddenly darkened, stopped wiping sweat action: “For our wedding how can I be tired? Just too many restrictions, I have to overcome slowly, wait for me again.” His so serious and firm look, as if he really wanted to marry me. At this time, his phone rang abruptly. He while walking out, while gently comforting the one opposite the phone. One listen knew is Scarlett. She just retweeted a London media headline: [London Extra Big Good News! Vance and Sterling Families Double Happiness at Door!] Turns out Julian and father, Scarlett went to London early in the morning, promoting tomorrow’s double happiness ceremony— Father publicly announced marrying Scarlett’s mother, at the same time also celebrating birthday for Scarlett. But they clearly knew, that day was also my mother’s death anniversary. I understand now. Julian and father repeatedly broke appointment to accompany me to cemetery to see mother, turns out all went to celebrate birthday for Scarlett. Separated by a thick door, I heard Julian somewhat anxious tsk sound: “Engineer Liang, route project can speed up progress, just leave me three more days to accompany Scarlett celebrate birthday is fine.” I hid behind door, listening to his meticulous calculation. I laughed. This kind of wedding needing repeated waiting, I don’t want to wait one more day. Back to room, I prepared to throw away everything about Julian. [Julian and Serena’s Route Blueprint] entered eyes, still stung my eyes. Julian stayed up several big nights designing this blueprint. Ensure he arrive New York from London fastest, also guarantee scenery along the way for me to admire. But those good intentions, long made me a thorough joke. I pressed lighter, watching blueprint turn to ashes before my eyes. But just at this time, Julian pushed door and walked in. Chapter 3 “Serena! Why did you burn the blueprint? This has memorial significance.” Julian flustered snatched half burned blueprint, not hesitate using hand to put out fire. I suppressed sourness in throat: “Oh, accidental.” Man hard to hide panic, unprecedentedly didn’t rush to leave: “Tomorrow I don’t return to London, stay to accompany you and child well.” Next morning, I was woken up by harsh laughter downstairs. Simple clothes on my body, appeared out of place with everyone’s bright formal wear. Celebrity guests discussed: “Her father specially announced remarriage on her mother’s death anniversary day, gave enough face to Scarlett mother and daughter.” “On this birthday invitation, written are Mr. Vance and Scarlett’s names, people who don’t know thought they two are couple.” “But looking like this, they indeed quite match.” … Scarlett prettily walked towards me, face full of harmony: “Sister, later my mom is also your mom, I am your biological sister, let’s get along well.” She intentionally or unintentionally revealed diamond ring on finger, exactly the wedding diamond ring Julian spent a month designing draft, promised to give me. Seeing my face ugly, Scarlett smiled more overflowing, but nails secretly embedded into my skin. I pulled hand in pain. “You guys enjoy, I want to go to cemetery see my mother.” “Presumptuous!” Father roared behind, “Such big happy day mention dead person so bad luck, must stay!” Julian pulled me, patience gradually running out: “Serena, today is Scarlett’s birthday, don’t make everyone unhappy.” My heart was fiercely stabbed. But today is also mother’s death anniversary, she doesn’t even deserve a day of peace? I insisted on leaving, Scarlett however suddenly blocked my way, knelt down in front of me. “Sister not giving me good face is also normal, I know you and dead Auntie both hate us mother and daughter, but later we are one family.” “If Sister today punish me like before, I absolutely won’t fight back, as long as Sister can accept me and mother wuwuwu…” Saying, woman pitifully revealed two arms, covered with bruises and scars. Guests seeing this, one after another sucked in cold air. “Serena mother and daughter actually so vicious!” “No wonder her mother died early, evil person has evil return, deserve it.” Crowd you a word I a word, described me and mother as evil people bullying Scarlett mother and daughter. Julian heart ached badly, looking at my eyes dyed with disgust color: “Serena Sterling, Scarlett is your biological sister! How can you bear to use such cruel hand!” My heart fiercely fell pain. Back then when mother died, he swore to be enemy with everyone who bullied me, no matter who that person is. But now, he unconditionally believes Scarlett, standing on my opposite side. In his pretended deep affection acting, exactly how much is true? I stubbornly explained: “When did I move hand…” “Shut up!” Julian shouted at me for the first time, veins on forehead burst. “You surface treat Scarlett already very impolite, behind back don’t know do what vicious things! You just give child prenatal education like this?” Scarlett mother and daughter hugged and wept, father’s face more gloomy. “Unfilial daughter! Hurry apologize to your Auntie and Scarlett!” Two men who vowed to hold me in palm in past, actually simultaneously betrayed me. Next second, Julian’s devil-like whisper sounded in my ear. “Anyway your mother already passed away, might as well clarify Scarlett is not illegitimate daughter here, treat as you redeeming sin.” Boom a sound, my ears buzzing. Isn’t it letting me admit my mother is the third party, and I am illegitimate daughter! I stared dead at him, eyes almost bleeding: “What if I don’t?” Julian face calm scary, lifted eyes look at Urn in bodyguard’s hand: “Reputation and ashes which one more important, you can weigh yourself.” Chapter 4 I stunned for half a day, then dared to believe this sentence was said from Julian’s mouth. In hazy teary eyes, threat meaning on Julian’s face became more and more clear. He just knew mother is the relative I can’t let go most in this life, he then easily grabbed my soft rib. “Serena, as long as you clarify a sentence, you are still my most beautiful bride three days later.” But Julian, what I care about is not this. I staggered propped up body, like a marionette walked to stage, word by word opened mouth: “I… my mother is the third party destroying Scarlett mother and daughter family, I apologize for my mother…” Scene caused a burst of commotion. Ugly cursing sound endless, guests smeared cake on my face. Julian just looked gratifyingly, but seemed not that happy. Even father noncommittal, instead sighed relief. When I got the urn passing Julian, hate in eyes sprouted: “Julian Vance, I never want to marry you again.” Next second, he backhand grabbed my wrist, face written full of disbelief: “This kind of angry words also can speak randomly! You know I hate people threatening me most!” I bitter smiled, “Think whatever you want.” Finished, I held mother’s ashes step by step leaving. Julian frowned, deeply looked at my back wishing to speak but stopped. “Julian brother, accompany me cut cake.” His attention then pulled back to Scarlett. I just stepped into cemetery half step, a group of fierce people surrounded up. “Just now Miss Scarlett posted showing marriage certificate, this person is third party seducing Mr. Vance!” “She and her mom both not good things, go to hell together!” Not waiting me react, someone kicked me to ground, even chance to fight back no have. Fists and slaps like raindrops smashed on my body, vision bursts of black. Not yet healed surgery wound seeped blood. Until they snatched urn in my arms, postured to pry open I completely collapsed! “Return box to me! Beg you…” But my voice not fallen, lead man scattered ashes down cliff, instant effort smoke disappear cloud scatter. “Miss Scarlett ordered, this old thing’s tombstone also no need keep.” He gave an order, crowd raised tools smashed tombstone to pieces, even only one photo smashed into rotten mud. My heart also completely died. Three hours later, when Julian and father wearing plain clothes walked into cemetery, only one glance, scared them soul fly disperse!

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I was the middle child, the one our family learned to look right through. The Invisible Man. My older brother, Jason, and my younger sister, Charlie, had their birthdays circled in permanent marker on the kitchen calendar. Mine was a date my parents perpetually forgot. Jason got the latest sports jacket, Charlie had her princess dresses, but somehow, they always “meant” to buy me new clothes and just… ran out of time. Jason and Charlie got crisp holiday cash envelopes every year; my pocket was always empty. And today, on the highway heading to Grandma Carol’s for the New Year’s celebration, with the temperature plunging below zero, my parents had, once again, forgotten me at a desolate rest stop. 1 I was coming out of the men’s room when I saw Jason and Charlie climbing into the car. I hurried to follow, but before I could reach the door handle, the engine started. I broke into a run, shouting into the frigid air. “Dad! Mom! I’m not in the car yet!” But the car accelerated, taking the exit ramp and merging swiftly into the river of traffic until it disappeared completely. I stood there, staring at the empty patch of road where they’d vanished. My lips moved silently, repeating the words that felt too small for the moment. “Dad, Mom, I’m not in the car…” The sound was a wisp of smoke, shredded by the biting wind before it could even leave my mouth, scattering across the empty parking lot. In the next second, the last residual thread of shock and disappointment was quickly overlaid by a cold, heavy numbness. I slowly dropped my gaze and looked around. The vast rest stop was eerily quiet. Under the sickly yellow glow of the streetlamps, the sky was a featureless white haze. I couldn’t see a single soul. On the highway in the distance, headlights streaked past in blurred ribbons, the rush of traffic a constant roar, but not one car slowed down for me. I was too scared to wander. My feet felt anchored in place, filled with a leaden weight, holding onto a faint, desperate hope. Maybe they hadn’t driven far. Maybe they would realize I was missing and immediately double back to find me. I clenched my fists inside my worn jacket pockets, staring at the exit ramp, praying over and over for the familiar sight of our white sedan. It was getting colder. The chill wasn’t just on my skin; it felt like it was seeping into my bone marrow, cooling me from the inside out. My toes were already numb, slowly losing all sensation. My cheeks were wind-chapped and aching. Tears pricked at my eyes, but I forced them back. Crying wouldn’t help. Nobody was coming to comfort me. Finally, unable to bear the wind any longer, I shuffled back toward the restroom. At least indoors, it offered some meager shield from the cold. In the silent bathroom, the only sounds were my shallow breathing and the howl of the wind outside. All the suppressed hurts—the ones I was too “good” to mention—flooded in like a tidal wave, drowning me completely. I thought about last year’s birthday, the one they forgot entirely. It took Mom three days to remember after she finally saw the calendar. She quickly boiled me a bowl of ramen with one fried egg on top. “There. Happy belated birthday, Nelson. Eat up.” She said it without taking her eyes off the TV. For Jason’s birthday, the whole family went to his favorite ski resort. The custom-made cake said, Our Pride and Joy. Charlie’s birthday was even bigger—an entire class party, presents piled up like a small mountain. Jason was the “responsible older brother,” the one Dad bragged about. Charlie was the “little princess,” spoiled and adored. And me? “Nelson is a good boy. He never makes a fuss.” That was my label. Like a faint pattern on the wallpaper, I was technically present, but utterly unnoticed. I sat there for what felt like hours. The small warmth I’d managed to trap was fading, and my body began to shiver again. Just as I was on the verge of losing awareness from the cold, I heard faint footsteps outside the door. My heart leaped, jolting me back to full alertness. I instinctively lifted my head, my eyes fixed on the entrance. Was it Dad? 2 Had he finally noticed and come back? The door creaked open. But the person who walked in was a stranger—a middle-aged man in a thick, dark parka. The light in my eyes dimmed instantly. A small, self-mocking smile touched my lips. Of course. I’d let myself hope again. The man was clearly surprised to see me, a small boy sitting alone in a remote rest stop restroom. He looked me up and down and spoke in a gentle voice. “Hey there, kiddo. Are you all alone? Where are your folks?” Hearing the word “folks,” my throat tightened. I swallowed back the tears, my voice raspy. “Sir, I… I got left behind. Could I please borrow your phone to call them?” His expression immediately softened with concern. He quickly pulled his cell phone from his pocket and handed it to me. “Go on, go on. It’s freezing out here. You’ll catch a chill.” I took the phone, my fingers stiff with cold, fumbling and hitting the wrong numbers several times. Finally, I entered the right number for the home line, took a deep breath, and pressed dial. The ringing was a hollow doo-doo-doo, each sound a fearful beat against my ribs, a terrifying mixture of hope and anxiety. The line went dead. No one answered. My hand holding the phone trembled slightly. The tiny flicker of hope inside me cooled even further. Mr. Harrison—that was the name on his jacket—watched me. He offered a soft assurance. “Don’t worry, kid. Maybe the service is bad. Try again.” I nodded, my frozen fingertip hitting the redial button. I pressed the phone tightly to my ear, praying that this time I would hear my mother’s voice. The wait tone felt agonizingly long. My breath hitched and fell with each ring. On the seventh ring, the call connected. Mom’s voice came through, muffled by wind noise and car radio music. “Hello?” The tension that had coiled in my chest snapped. My eyes instantly welled up. All the fear and misery stuck in my throat, my voice barely a whisper. “Mom… I’m not in the car. You left me at the rest stop.” Her rebuttal was immediate and sharp, laced with annoyed certainty. “That’s impossible! I specifically asked Jason and Charlie if everyone was in before we left! They said yes! How could we have left you?” The line went silent for a brief moment. I could picture her turning around, craning her neck to look at the empty back seat. Those few seconds of silence were colder than the wind outside. I expected panic. I expected guilt. What came next was a searing accusation. “Nelson, why didn’t you say anything before we drove off? Couldn’t you have yelled louder?” “You wait until we’re past the toll booth to call? What a nuisance!” The icy words were like tiny needles, puncturing the last balloon of my expectation. I bit down hard on my lower lip, forcing the tears back, my voice shaking uncontrollably. “I did yell… I ran after you and shouted, but you didn’t hear me. The car just drove around the corner.” My defense made her pause, but only for a second. The silence vanished, and she latched onto a new excuse to blame me. “Well, that’s your fault for being so slow!” “I told you to hurry up, but you always dawdle. Now we’re past the exit, we can’t just turn around on the freeway! How are we supposed to come back for you?” Then, Jason’s voice cut in from the background, a note of self-satisfied, careless mischief in his tone. “It’s his own fault for being so slow! I even told him to hurry. Now look at him.” I gripped the phone, my knuckles white, a fresh wave of anger and shame washing over me. He knew exactly what he was doing. He had shoved me out of the way to get his spot first, and then he had bumped me, making me drop my gloves so I had to re-button my coat. And now he was pinning the blame on me. Next, Charlie’s small, petulant voice piped up, dripping with spoiled entitlement. “Mom, Dad, I don’t want to go back! I want to get to Grandma’s house and have the gingerbread cookies!” Just as I felt the dam of my tears about to break, Dad’s low voice came through. There was no warmth in his tone, only cold, detached logistical planning. “Enough arguing. Your Uncle Mark is driving back to Grandma’s today, too. He’s on the same route as us.” “You stay put right where you are. Don’t move. Wait for him. He’ll pick you up.” “But Dad, I don’t know Uncle Mark’s car. When is he—?” The dial tone cut me off. The line was dead. 3 I stood holding the phone, stunned. The tears I’d been fighting finally broke through, splattering onto the cold screen, chilling it instantly. Mr. Harrison gently patted my shoulder. He sighed. “Son, don’t take it so hard. Tell you what, why don’t you come to my place first? I can call your parents again from there. We’re about to get off the highway, so I can’t take you all the way, but it’s warm and safe.” I thought of Mom and Dad’s sharp impatience. I shook my head, declining his kindness. “No, thank you, sir. They said my uncle is coming soon. I just need to wait here.” I knew they wouldn’t want to turn around, not now. And Uncle Mark and I were never close. Asking him to drive out of his way to pick me up would only make him resent me. Mr. Harrison opened his mouth to say something else, but his own phone rang. It was probably his family rushing him. He looked at me with deep concern, then reached into his bag, pulled out several small bags of beef jerky, and stuffed them into my hand. Then, he unwound the thick, dark scarf from his own neck and wrapped it tightly around mine. “Keep this. It’ll help keep you warm. Eat the jerky to keep your stomach full. If you have to wait too long, find another person to call them, but you absolutely cannot leave this area, you hear?” I nodded hard, choked out a muffled “Thank you, sir.” His hurried form disappeared through the door. The empty rest stop was mine again. The arctic wind still whistled through the door cracks, but the scarf around my neck gradually started to generate a small, bearable warmth. My stomach rumbled. I tore open one bag of jerky and nibbled a tiny, careful piece. I couldn’t afford to eat much. I folded the rest neatly and tucked it into my pocket, thinking that if the wait stretched on, this might be all I had to survive on. I pulled the borrowed scarf tighter and instinctively pulled my jacket closed. Underneath, I was wearing Jason’s old sweater from last year. The collar was stretched out and misshapen from too many washes, the cuffs frayed. Jason didn’t want it anymore, and Mom said it was “good enough” for me. Jason, meanwhile, was bundled up in a brand-new black puffer coat, the hood lined with thick, rich fur. He looked like a handsome, proud knight. Charlie had a new pink-and-white down jacket that made her look like a cheerful little marshmallow. Only I, in my brother’s hand-me-downs, was a muted, faded shadow. Afraid Uncle Mark would drive past without seeing me, I gritted my teeth and stepped out of the restroom, back into the bitter wind. The light from the streetlamps grew dimmer as the sky deepened to a heavy gray. Isolated flakes of snow began to fall, landing on my hair and shoulders, instantly melting into icy water. I stared at the direction of the oncoming traffic, stomping my frozen feet to try and generate warmth, rubbing my stiff hands together inside the scarf, repeating the prayer for Uncle Mark to arrive soon. Car after car rushed past, the headlights blinding me, but not one pulled into the rest stop. The snow picked up, dusting a thin layer onto the dark scarf. I wrapped it tighter. The salty taste of the jerky was long gone, replaced by anxiety and an escalating, consuming cold. I had no idea how much longer I’d have to wait, or if Uncle Mark would even remember to come. I just knew the freezing wind was slowly turning my entire body to stone in this empty place. 4 Time stretched out into a meaningless expanse of cold and hunger. I stood beneath the dim streetlamp. My hands and feet had lost all feeling, replaced by a constant, paralyzing ache. I had been shivering earlier, but now I barely had the energy to do even that. A strange, new discomfort began to take hold. My head felt like it was being squeezed in a vice, heavy and throbbing. I couldn’t hold it up. My heart was pounding—thump, thump, thump—like a frantic drumbeat against my chest, making it hard to catch my breath. My stomach was empty and now started to cramp with pain. Was I just too hungry? My hands shaking, I pulled the remaining half-bag of jerky from my pocket. Forgetting all caution, I crammed the whole piece into my mouth. The salty-savory flavor barely managed to quell the panic, but the sensation of being faint and top-heavy intensified. A shiver ran through me, a coldness far deeper than before—it felt like it was radiating from my bones. I tightened the scarf, but the warmth felt utterly useless, instantly absorbed by some invisible, internal void. Just as I felt I was about to fall, a black sedan approached from the distance and slowly pulled up to the rest stop entrance. Grasping at a final lifeline, I forced myself to move, using the last of my strength to stumble toward it. The driver rolled down the window—another stranger, an older man. “Sir… could I borrow your phone again? I… I don’t feel well.” My voice was so weak I could barely hear it myself. The man, Mr. Davis, paused, then quickly handed me his cell phone. “Kid, what’s wrong? You look pale.” I didn’t have the strength to explain. My fingers, still stiff, managed to punch in Dad’s number. This time, he answered immediately. “Dad…” My voice was a choked sob. “When… when is Uncle Mark coming? I feel so sick… my head is spinning, and my heart is pounding so fast… Am I sick?” Dad’s voice, clear and irritated, came back. “What is it now? I told you to wait, didn’t I? Your uncle left ages ago, he’s probably just stuck in traffic, he’ll be there any minute!” “Can’t you wait for five minutes? Whose fault is it that you missed the car? Now you know how to complain about being uncomfortable?” “No, Dad, I really am sick…” My weak protest was lost on him. “Just stop it! Stop being a nuisance! Wait quietly! It’s a holiday, Nelson, stop creating problems!” The line went dead again, the busy signal stabbing my ear like an icicle. I opened my mouth to say I couldn’t hold on anymore, but the click had already severed the connection. I stood there, phone in hand, too stunned even to hand it back to Mr. Davis. He gently took the phone from me. “Don’t rush, your family is almost here. Why don’t you sit in my car and warm up?” I shook my head, afraid that if I moved, Uncle Mark would miss me. I managed a strained “Thank you, sir,” and slowly shuffled back to my original spot. After an unknown stretch of time, my body’s frantic trembling subsided. My heart slowed down. But there was no relief. My limbs felt heavy and disconnected, rigid and unresponsive. I wanted to stomp my feet to warm them, but lifting my legs required too much effort; my movements were in slow motion. Night had fully fallen. I stared blankly at the road, my vision blurring, my consciousness beginning to drift. I gritted my teeth and used every last ounce of will to move, inching along the edge of the rest stop building. Breathing… was becoming difficult. It felt like someone was squeezing my throat or a heavy boulder was resting on my chest. I gasped, struggling to pull in air, but each intake was shallow and fast, never enough. My vision fractured. The streetlamps were swimming halos of light. My knees buckled. I sank to the freezing concrete, curling into a tight ball. The scarf slipped halfway down my chest, but I couldn’t summon the energy to pull it back up. I was so tired… My eyelids felt impossibly heavy, and my mind was sinking into a deep, dark well. In a hazy moment, I thought I saw Mom and Dad running toward me from the distance, their faces etched with panic. Just before I finally closed my eyes, one last thought surfaced in my mind: It’s okay. They finally came for me.

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An accident. A fire that devoured half my face. After that, every mirror, every polished surface, anything that could cast a reflection, vanished from my home. But I was lucky. I had a husband who loved me deeply. My scars didn’t matter to him. His name is Richard, one of the top plastic surgeons in his field. Just recently, curled up on the sofa, I secretly scrolled through his phone and found a post he’d made on a forum. It read: Hypothetically, if your wife were disfigured in a fire, and reconstructive surgery was not only extremely expensive but also had no guarantee of restoring her original looks, would it be better to keep trying to fix her, or just find a new, “factory-original” beauty? My blood ran cold when I saw a high-voted reply: Dude, “’til death do us part” has an escape clause for “inconvenience”? Here’s an idea: why don’t you find another woman and pay to have her face sculpted into your wife’s old one? The most unbelievable part… my husband had liked that comment. 1. A wave of dizziness washed over me. I gently shut off the screen and placed the phone back on the couch cushion. I didn’t know if his “like” was a fleeting thought or a genuine desire. Ever since the accident, he’d been the one to change my bandages every morning, his touch as delicate as if he were handling spun glass. He cooked nutritious meals perfectly tailored to my palate. He would often hold my hand and whisper, “Don’t be afraid, honey. I promise I’ll design the perfect surgical plan to make you look just like you did before.” Was all of that a lie? Was he really preparing to abandon me? Just then, Richard emerged from the bedroom, a wide grin on his face. He wrapped me in an excited hug. “I’m taking you for a full check-up tomorrow. We’re finally ready to begin your surgeries.” My face remained a calm mask. Just a little while ago, I thought, you were online debating whether to replace me with a new model. What changed your mind? I heard myself say, my voice flat, “Surgery is expensive. And there’s no guarantee it will work. Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this?” My defeatist tone instantly set him on edge. “Sarah, what is it now?” he snapped, his joy curdling into frustration. “Don’t you trust me? I’m one of the best surgeons out there. I told you, I will make you look like yourself again.” He softened slightly. “And don’t you worry about the money. If we have to, we’ll sell our home and buy something smaller. We’ll manage.” A cold question slipped from my lips. “Wouldn’t a new woman be easier?” Richard froze. Then, his fingers clamped around my wrist, his eyes burning with an almost manic intensity. “No,” he hissed. “It has to be you. I don’t want anyone else.” I wanted to scream, Then why did you make that post? Why did you like that comment? But the words died in my throat. I held them back. The next day, I was at the hospital for my check-up. While waiting, I overheard Richard on the phone, his voice sharp with anger as he argued with a woman. “Why aren’t you coming for the procedure? Do you have any idea what the waitlist is like for someone with your case? It’s over a year!” “I’ve designed the entire plan. If you back out now, I’m out hundreds of thousands. You think I won’t sue you?” The woman on the other end started crying, promising she would be there tomorrow afternoon. Richard’s tone immediately shifted, becoming sickeningly sweet and concerned. “Hey, I was just trying to scare you. I’d never really sue you,” he cooed. “I couldn’t adore you more!” Those few sentences paralyzed me where I stood. I waited until he hung up before slowly stepping out of the examination room. I tried to act as if I’d heard nothing. He just wrapped an arm around my waist, kissed my forehead, and smiled. “How did the check-up go?” He took the report from my hands. A wave of self-loathing washed over me. I’m already this hideous, I thought. How long are you going to keep pretending you still love me? 2 Richard glanced at the report, his smile returning. “I’ll get everything arranged as soon as possible. We should be able to do the first surgery within two weeks.” I just mumbled in agreement and went home, my mind a storm of confusion. That night, I tossed and turned, sleep eluding me. I couldn’t understand it. He already had someone else, so why was he still so insistent on fixing my face? Was it to appease his conscience before finding an excuse to divorce me? After all, no matter how skilled a surgeon he was, he could never truly erase the scars, never completely bring back the old me. Maybe I should just make it easier for him. Maybe I should be the one to ask for a divorce. I wouldn’t make a scene. I refused to be a burden to anyone. … The next afternoon, while Richard was at work, a morbid curiosity pulled me to his hospital. And there I saw her. A young woman, laughing and chatting with my husband, her arm linked through his. I froze. Her silhouette was so familiar, like a memory I couldn’t quite place. I knew I’d seen her somewhere before. She was bold, standing on her toes to press a quick kiss to his lips before he led her inside the hospital. I started to follow, needing to see her face, to know who she was. But a hand gripped my arm, stopping me. I spun around. It was my mother. I stared, dumbfounded. “Mom? What are you doing here?” Her face was etched with anxiety as she pulled me away. “Honey, let’s go home. This isn’t what you think it is.” In that instant, the dam of my composure broke. I felt the sting of a profound betrayal. It all clicked into place. My husband, Richard, had another woman. And my own mother knew about it. “Mom… you knew all along, didn’t you?” She nodded grimly, practically dragging me to her car and driving me back to my parents’ house. My father was there, pacing the living room, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He saw me and immediately guided me to the sofa. “Your mother called me,” he said, avoiding my eyes. “She saw you following Richard and told me to come home, to talk some sense into you.” I sat there, numb. My gaze drifted and caught my reflection in a darkened window pane. The sight of my bandaged face, half-hidden in shadow, was too much. A sob tore from my throat, and I broke down completely. I wept, pointing an accusing finger at my father. “I’m ugly now, so he doesn’t love me anymore! And you both knew he was cheating! You didn’t tell me because you think I’m worthless now, don’t you? That if I got divorced, I’d just be another problem for you to deal with!” The pieces were falling into a horrifying picture. My parents didn’t want me to get a divorce. A disfigured woman like me wouldn’t have an easy time finding someone else. “You were just going to tell me that it’s normal for men to play around on the side, weren’t you?” I choked out between sobs. My mother waved her hands frantically. “No, honey, don’t think like that. A divorce right now wouldn’t do you any good.” “You know Richard is a plastic surgeon. You need him right now. Just wait until after the surgery is done. If you still want to leave him then, we won’t stand in your way. It’s not too late.” My father exhaled a long plume of smoke, his brow furrowed. “Your mother’s right, sweetheart. We weren’t trying to hide it from you. We were just thinking about what’s best for you, practically speaking. Once your face is restored, you can kick him to the curb. We’ll support you.” The fire of my anger began to flicker and die down. But… a new, chilling thought crept in. Would Richard really fix my face? Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure. 3 I vividly remembered the forum post. He’d implied that fixing his disfigured wife was too expensive and uncertain. That it might be better to find a new woman and turn her into a copy of me. My head spun. I remembered the phone call I’d overheard outside the exam room. Richard and that woman… they were talking about surgery. In that moment, my parents’ pragmatic advice faded into meaningless noise. … When I returned home, I sat on the sofa in the dark, a lonely statue, unable to sleep. Richard came home after midnight. Seeing me awake, he hung his coat by the door and walked over, reaching out to wrap his arms around my waist. “Why are you still up? Is something on your mind?” I pushed his hands away. The raw emotion I’d been suppressing finally erupted. “How can you even think of touching me when I look like this?” Richard stared at me, his eyes searching mine, trying to read the sudden shift. “Don’t be like this,” he said gently. “I told you, I’m going to make you look just like you did before.” He thought this was just another breakdown, a symptom of my trauma. I pressed on, my voice shaking with rage. “Stop lying. Aren’t you tired of it?” He let out a nervous chuckle and took a step back, his gaze darting away. “I’m not lying to you.” “I know your mood has been… difficult. But I promise, I will perform the surgery this month. I’ll make you beautiful again.” His words were like gasoline on a fire. “You’re still lying! How long are you going to keep this up?” My voice rose to a near-scream. “Why don’t you just find some pretty girl and turn her into a replacement for me? Make her look like I used to!” Richard fell silent. He just stared at me, his face unreadable. To me, his silence was a confession. I became relentless. “What, nothing to say? Isn’t that what you’ve wanted to do all along?” He turned, snatched his coat from the hook, and threw the words over his shoulder as he slammed the door behind him. “You’re insane.” But I couldn’t let it go. It was eating me alive. The next morning, I was waiting outside the hospital. And I saw her. 4 There she was, clinging to my husband’s arm, their intimacy a blade twisting in my gut. I snapped. Like a charging bull, I rushed forward and shoved her. She stumbled and fell to the ground with a sharp cry of pain. Richard spun around, his hand raised to strike, but when he saw it was me, he froze, his arm suspended in mid-air. The woman rubbed her hip, glaring up at me. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she shrieked. “Why did you push me?” But I wasn’t listening. I was staring at her face, and a hysterical laugh escaped my lips. She looked at me like I was a lunatic. “Are you crazy?” she muttered. I was laughing because she looked so much like me. Almost identical, in fact. She looked like me at twenty, when I was a freshman in college. Back when I first met Richard. He had been so in love with me then, a wild, passionate kind of love. He brought me roses every day, wrote me poetry, and lived on instant noodles just to save enough money to buy me the designer bag I wanted. He learned to cook just for me, mastering all my favorite dishes. Whatever I wanted, he found a way to get it. All my friends were green with envy. And now, looking at this young woman’s perfect face, a face so much like my own from all those years ago, a single, devastating thought took shape in my mind: Richard doesn’t love me. He loves the me I was at twenty. Tears streamed down my face, mingling with my manic laughter. I pointed a trembling finger at her. “Richard, is this your plan?” I cried out, my voice cracking. “Are you turning her into my replacement? Trying to relive the past?” “Hahaha! She’s nothing but a substitute!” I laughed and I cried, a spectacle of madness for the growing crowd of onlookers. They started whispering, assuming I was unhinged. The young woman’s face flushed with fury. She scrambled to her feet and, in a fit of rage, ripped the bandages from my face. “What are you talking about, you psycho? I’ve never had surgery in my life! This face is all-natural!” she screamed. “I’m just here for some body contouring, a little lipo, a minor touch-up!” She didn’t finish her sentence. The moment my bandages came off, the moment she saw what was underneath, she froze. Then, her expression twisted into one of pure venom. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You look like that,” she sneered, “and you have the nerve to say I want to look like you?” “The fire didn’t just ruin your face, it fried your brain.” At her words, I clapped my hands over my ruined cheeks, my world spiraling into darkness. 5 The crowd gasped. I could feel their eyes on me, hear their whispers. Vile, pitying words that felt like physical blows, making my head spin. “God, her face is hideous. The accident must have warped her mind, too.” “Yeah, look at her. She’s just jealous of the other girl’s beauty.” “I can’t believe a handsome, talented man like Dr. Richard is with a woman like that. What a waste.” … Buried under the weight of their judgment, I covered my face and ran. Ever since the accident, no one but Richard had seen what lay beneath the bandages. I felt like a ghost, a hollowed-out shell. I ran until my lungs burned and my legs gave out. I don’t know where I was. My vision blurred, and the world tilted sideways as I collapsed into unconsciousness. When I woke up, I was restrained, strapped to a hospital bed. An oxygen mask covered my mouth, and my body felt heavy, completely drained of strength. Standing over me was Richard. He was in his white coat, a syringe in his hand. He looked down at me, his expression cold and emotionless. “You’re awake.” I tried to move, but he swiftly injected the contents of the syringe into my IV line. The room began to spin. The last dregs of my strength vanished. “Ri…chard…” I managed to whisper, but my voice failed me. I had no idea what he was doing. But I knew one thing. He had just given me a powerful sedative. He was controlling me. Why? Why was he doing this to me? A terrifying sense of dread washed over me. I remembered a novel I’d read once, one I’d found in Richard’s backpack back in college. It was about a man obsessively in love with his wife’s youthful beauty. When she grew old, he found a young woman who was her spitting image. He then decided he had to eliminate his aging wife, believing the young look-alike was the true vessel for his idealized love. Oh, God. Was that story playing out in my own life? … Suddenly, the door to my room creaked open. The young woman walked in. She draped herself over Richard, melting into his arms, and then turned to look at me with a smirk. “Richard, I had no idea your wife really did look like me when she was young,” she purred. “But she’s ugly now. Of course you don’t like her anymore.” She snuggled closer to him. “And you know, her parents don’t seem to like her much either. They said they want to make me their goddaughter.” She tilted her head. “Do you think I should say yes?”

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