Category: English

### My boyfriend told me his company was putting him through a week-long, off-grid leadership retreat in the mountains. No phones allowed. His retreat was supposed to end tomorrow. I decided to head over to his apartment tonight to give him a surprise. But when I arrived, I realized someone was already inside. He had always told me he lived alone. The next second, a girl’s giggling voice drifted through the door. “Stop it, Ethan! Let me see your phone.” My hand froze in mid-air. Then came his voice, laced with laughter. “No way. Besides, I didn’t even get your good side in that picture.” My entire body went rigid. I pulled out my phone and dialed his number. He picked up, his tone smooth and affectionate. “Hey, babe. What’s up?” “I’m standing right outside your door,” I said. “Open up.” Inside the apartment, there was instant, dead silence. I hung up the phone. I reached into my bag and pulled out my key. He had given me this key two years ago. Back then, he had said, “Keep it. Come over whenever you want. This place is going to be yours sooner or later anyway.” But I had never used it without telling him first. I slotted the key into the lock, turned it, and heard a sharp *click*. The door swung open. The hallway light was on. Next to the shoe rack lay his sneakers—and a pair of women’s heels I’d never seen before. I didn’t step further inside. I just stood in the entryway. From the living room came a frantic rustling of clothes and hushed, panicked whispers. I took two steps forward. A lilac dress, made of very little fabric, was tossed carelessly next to the couch. A single lace sock lay on the floor nearby. On the coffee table sat two wine glasses and a half-empty bottle of Cabernet. And then, I saw them. Ethan was scrambling up from the couch, frantically pulling up his pants. His button-down shirt was misaligned, and his hair was a messy nest. The girl was cowering behind him, a fresh red mark visible on her shoulder. I stopped right in the middle of the living room. A cold thought popped into my head: *It was a good thing I called first.* If I had just walked in, what would I have seen? Could it possibly have been more disgusting than this? “Norah.” He finally spoke, his voice tight. “What are you…” “Wasn’t your retreat supposed to end tomorrow?” I cut him off. He froze. He had finally managed to zip his pants, but his shirt was still a wrinkled mess. He looked down at himself, then looked back up at me. The expression on his face was hard to describe—like a thief caught red-handed, desperately trying to play it cool. “I… I got back early,” he stammered. “Oh,” I nodded. “Got back early to continue your ‘training’?” He shut his mouth. The girl stepped out from behind him. Her head was lowered as she frantically grabbed her lilac dress and shoved her arms through the sleeves. She looked young, with dyed light brown hair and a flush on her cheeks from the alcohol. Her hands were shaking so violently she couldn’t get the zipper up. I stared at her. She peeked up at me, then quickly averted her eyes. “And who is she?” I asked. Ethan opened his mouth, but only a few mumbled syllables came out. He went quiet again. He stood there, fidgeting with his hands, before finally clenching them into fists at his sides. The silence in the living room was suffocating. The girl finally got her dress on, slipped into her white heels, and made a sharp tapping sound against the hardwood floor. She glanced at him, then at me, and then rushed into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her. *Bang.* I stared at the closed door, then turned my gaze back to him. “Talk to me,” I said. “Norah, I…” He took a step toward me, then paused. “I messed up. I’m sorry.” “I asked you who she is.” “Just a friend.” “A friend?” He lowered his head, refusing to meet my eyes. I let out a dry laugh. I didn’t know if I was laughing at him or at myself. Eight years. I had known him for eight years, and we had been together for all of them. From high school to college, and now into our professional careers. I thought I knew him inside out. But I had never seen him look like this. “It won’t happen again,” he said suddenly, looking at me with begging eyes. “Seriously, Norah. It was a one-time thing.” I said nothing. Suddenly, he turned around and began frantically rummaging through the living room. He tore open the drawer under the coffee table, checked the TV stand, and lifted the couch cushions. I watched him, having no idea what he was doing. A moment later, he pulled out a small red box. He walked over and pressed it into my hand. “I bought this for you,” he said, his voice dropping low. “I was going to give it to you in a couple of days.” I looked down at the box. It was a jewelry box with a designer logo printed on it. I opened it. Inside was a silver necklace with a tiny star pendant. It was beautiful. I held the box, staring at it for a few seconds. Then, I walked over to the trash can and tossed the necklace, box and all, right into the garbage. “Norah!” he gasped. “I don’t want your trash,” I said. I turned to face him. The expressions on his face shifted rapidly. He looked like he wanted to yell, but couldn’t find the words. Under the harsh ceiling light, his face looked completely foreign to me for the first time. “We’ve been together for eight years,” I said, my voice steady but cold. “And this is how you treat me?” He hung his head, silent. “Eight years, Ethan.” I repeated it. “Eight years. From junior year of high school until now. I moved to this city for you. I brought you dinner at your office when you worked late. I took sick days to care for you when you were ill. When your mom was hospitalized, I was the one pulling overnight shifts bedside so you could sleep. I thought we were waiting to get married—waiting until we saved enough, waiting until we bought a place, waiting for things to settle down. What exactly were you waiting for?” ###

He still didn’t say a word. “Were you waiting for her?” “No!” He snapped his head up, his voice frantic. “It’s not what you think, Norah. I swear, it was just a stupid mistake. I had too much to drink…” “Too much to drink?” “Yeah. We just had some wine…” The bedroom door clicked open. The girl walked out. Her heels tapped sharply against the floor. She had changed into a white button-down shirt and jeans, and her hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. She looked much more presentable than she had moments ago. Except for the mark on her neck. A hickey. It was fresh, a deep purple-red bruise sitting right above her collarbone. She walked over to Ethan’s side and stood tall, looking at me. Her gaze was different now. Before, she had been too embarrassed to look at me, but now she stared straight at me, her chin tilted up defiantly. “I love him,” she said. I stared at her. “I love him more than you do,” she repeated, her voice soft but clear. “We’re in love.” “Shut up!” Ethan spun around, glaring at her. “Stop talking!” She flinched, then quickly wrapped her arms around his elbow, looking up at him. “That’s not what you said earlier. You said you were going to marry me.” Ethan violently yanked his arm back and took a step away from her. She was left standing there, her arms still in the air, her face freezing in shock. I looked at her, then back at him. Ethan avoided my gaze, staring intently at the floorboards, his fingers nervously twitching against his pants. She stood there, biting her lip, her eyes turning red. “Do you even know who he is?” I asked her. “Do you know he has a girlfriend of eight years?” “Yes, I know,” she said, lifting her chin. I blinked, momentarily stunned. “He told me. He said you guys had been together for a long time.” She paused, glancing at him. He kept his head down. “But he said the spark died years ago.” She rushed on, her voice growing more confident. “He said you suffocate him. You control everything he does. He has to report every single detail of his day, and he can barely breathe. He said being with me makes him feel free. He can actually be himself.” I stood perfectly still. So, asking him how his day was meant I was suffocating him. Waiting up for him to have dinner together meant he had to report to me. Caring about whether he was exhausted from working overtime was making him unable to breathe. I had spent years thinking I was loving him. To him, it was just a chore. “He said you’re too high-maintenance,” she added, a hint of smugness in her tone. “Always telling him to stop eating fast food, telling him to go to bed early, nagging him when he doesn’t text back fast enough. He said he couldn’t take it anymore.” I looked at Ethan. He was still staring at the floor, refusing to look at either of us. “Is that true?” I asked him. His lips parted, but no sound came out. “Ethan,” I called his name. He finally looked up, meeting my eyes for a fraction of a second before looking away again. That split second was all I needed. It was true. Every single word she said was true. An overwhelming, bone-deep exhaustion washed over me. My legs felt like jelly, but I forced myself to stand straight. I couldn’t break down in front of them. I took a deep breath. “Fine. We’re done.” ###

He whipped his head up, staring at me. “Norah—” “Don’t say my name.” I cut him off, reaching into my pocket and tapping my phone screen. “Everything you guys just said? I recorded all of it.” He froze. The girl froze, too. “Including your little speech,” I said, looking directly at her. “You knew he had a girlfriend, and you still slept with him. And you,” I looked back at Ethan, “cheated while knowing exactly what you were doing. It’s all on tape.” Her face drained of color. “You recorded us? Since when?” I didn’t answer. I just slipped the phone back into my pocket and turned toward the door. “Stop!” she shrieked behind me. “Delete that recording right now!” I didn’t stop. I kept walking. “Ethan!” she screamed. “Make her delete it! You can’t let her leave with that! What is she going to do with it? What if she sends it to my family?” I heard a frantic scramble behind me, followed by rushing footsteps. Before I could reach the door, she caught up and grabbed my arm. Her hand was ice-cold, her nails digging into my skin. “Give me the phone!” she screamed. I violently shook her off and stepped back. She lunged at me again, reaching for my pocket. I held my phone high above my head. She was too short to reach it. She hopped up, her nails scratching across the back of my hand, leaving a burning red line. “Ethan!” she screamed again. “Are you just going to stand there?!” I gave her a hard shove. She lost her balance, her high heels wobbled, and she fell hard onto her butt. She let out a sharp cry, sitting on the floor and looking up at me, her eyes overflowing with tears of pure victimization. Ethan rushed over and knelt beside her. “Are you okay?” He held her by the shoulders, checking her over. “Did you hurt yourself?” She leaned into his chest, shaking her head as tears streamed down her face. I stood there, watching the pathetic display. Suddenly, Ethan looked up at me, his face darkening. “Norah. Why did you have to push her?” I didn’t say a word. He helped her to her feet. She clung to him, whimpering that she was fine, that it was all her fault. The more she played the victim, the tighter he held her. “Just delete the recording,” Ethan said, his voice hardening. “I was the one who messed up. But you put your hands on her, and that’s not okay.” I looked at him, suddenly wanting to laugh. But I couldn’t. “Delete it?” I asked. “Yes,” he said. He paused, then added, “I’ll pay you. Just delete the recording.” “How much?” He blinked, clearly not expecting me to agree so easily. He thought for a moment. “$3,000.” I stared at him. Eight years. The most expensive gift he had ever bought me was that $180 necklace. Back then, he had told me, “When I make more money, I’ll buy you nice things. For now, let’s save every penny for our wedding.” Our wedding. The word sounded like a sick joke now. And now, for a single voice recording, he was offering me $3,000. ###

“$3,000?” I asked. “Not enough?” He frowned. “Then name your price.” I looked at the girl. She was leaning against him, her crying stopped. She was staring at me with a mix of anxiety and quiet anticipation. “No way. I’m not deleting it.” Ethan’s face twisted in anger. “Norah, don’t push your luck.” “I’m trying to resolve this nicely. Don’t be a bitch.” “A bitch?” I repeated the word, turning back toward the door. “Ethan!” the girl panicked. “You can’t let her leave! What if she leaks the audio? My parents will find out! My dad will literally kill me! You said you would protect me!” Ethan stood there, his expression flitting between rage and panic. My hand was already on the doorknob. “Wait,” he called out. I didn’t turn around. “Norah, please.” His voice suddenly cracked, turning soft and desperate. “Please delete it. This is all my fault, not hers. She’s young, she didn’t know any better. I was the one who couldn’t control myself. Blame me, hate me, but leave her out of this.” I slowly turned around. They were standing there, holding hands. “She didn’t know any better?” “She seemed pretty mature just a minute ago. She knew you had a girlfriend and still claimed you guys were in ‘true love.’” He choked on his words. The girl lowered her head, staying silent. “She doesn’t know better, but you do,” I said, staring at him. “You knew better, and you still cheated?” He looked down at the floor, unable to face me. “Ethan,” the girl whispered, tugging at his sleeve. “Make her delete it… please, what am I going to do?” He looked up at me, his eyes suddenly turning cold and predatory. “Norah,” he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Delete the recording. If you don’t, I’ll have to take it from you.” I didn’t move. He took a step forward. I reached into my pocket, keeping my hand firmly on my phone. “Take it?” I laughed. “Go ahead. It won’t do you any good.” He stopped. “I just set up a scheduled blast on Snapchat.” “In exactly two hours, if I don’t log in and cancel it, the recording will automatically be sent to everyone on my contact list.” His face drained of color. So did hers. He pointed a trembling finger at me. “Are you out of your mind?!” I kept quiet. He stood there, his lips trembling, unable to make a sound. The girl gripped his arm so tightly her nails must have dug into his skin, but he didn’t even flinch. The living room fell into a heavy silence for a few seconds. “$15,000,” he said suddenly. I looked at him. “$15,000,” he repeated, his voice rushed and desperate. “You delete the recording, and I will transfer you $15,000 right now.” I still didn’t say anything. “I don’t have that much in cash, but I can pull it together.” He was practically hyperventilating. “I have $12,000 in my savings. I’ll borrow $3,000 from a friend and get it to you today. You delete the recording, and we call it even. Deal?” The girl tugged at his sleeve, looking slightly disapproving of the amount, but she kept her mouth shut. “Fifteen thousand. Transfer it now.” He gasped, then quickly pulled out his phone, his fingers flying across the screen. I pulled out my phone and pulled up my Venmo code. His hands were shaking so badly he had to scan it three times before it went through. When he went to type in the amount, his fingers kept slipping. Finally, he looked up at me. “Sent,” he said. “Check it.” I looked down at my phone. A notification popped up: *Ethan Brooks sent you $15,000.* “Now,” I said, “write me a statement.” “What kind of statement?” “A written confession. State clearly that this $15,000 is a voluntary separation settlement. Write down our relationship timeline, and admit to your infidelity. Sign it, and seal it with your thumbprint.”

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I was scrolling through Reddit at work when I stumbled upon a trending post. [My company only has 20 people, and the boss is raffling off a $50,000 Mercedes-Benz for the Christmas party. Is this normal?] Curious, I clicked on it. The comments were filled with sarcasm and doge emojis. [Plot twist: The boss bought it for himself and called it a raffle.] The original poster (OP) quickly replied, denying it. Someone else chimed in: [Then it’s definitely for the boss’s wife.] OP replied with a smirk emoji. [Which ‘boss’s wife’ are we talking about here? 😉] The comment section instantly blew up. [Ah, so your boss has a whole harem of ‘wives’ then.] I was sipping the drama like good tea, but as I looked closer at the photo of the office in the post, a cold sweat broke out. It looked incredibly familiar. On the main desk, there was a hand holding a coffee mug. The platinum wedding band on the ring finger… was the exact same one I bought for my husband. Coincidentally, my husband’s startup also had around 20 employees. I froze. His company had another “boss’s wife”? Then who the hell was I? Just his top-performing sales lead who brought in million-dollar contracts for him? … To verify the post, I casually brought it up with my husband, Ethan, over dinner. “What’s the grand prize for your company’s holiday party this year?” Ethan’s eyes lit up instantly. A smug smile crept onto his face as he leaned in. “Babe, I was actually just about to tell you. We’re raffling off a brand-new Mercedes this year!” “It’s the best way to motivate the team. It’ll bring in even more revenue next year.” A Mercedes. It matched the Reddit post perfectly. Did Ethan really have another woman playing the role of his wife at his company? While my mind was racing, Ethan sighed dramatically. “Honestly, babe, more than half of our revenue comes from the clients you introduced us to.” “It’s such a shame that our holiday parties are on the same night. Officially and personally, you should have been the guest of honor at ours.” Without thinking, I blurted out, “Well, I can skip my company’s gala and go to yours instead.” Ethan panicked. His immediate reaction was a sharp, “No, you can’t!” Realizing he sounded too defensive, he quickly softened his tone. “Babe, your company is a multinational corporation with thousands of employees. Your gala is at a five-star hotel. Ours is just a cheap private room in a local diner. The scale doesn’t even compare.” “Besides, if you skip your own company’s party, people might gossip, and it could affect your promotion next year.” Usually, I rarely pried into Ethan’s business affairs, and I had never planned on attending his company parties. When he first started his business and was struggling, I literally begged my direct boss, Marcus, to give Ethan’s company a chance. Out of respect for my hard work, Marcus agreed to the partnership without hesitation. “I trust you, Chloe,” Marcus had told me. “I just hope your husband’s business standards match yours.” It was safe to say that with the massive contracts from my company, Ethan’s startup could easily make a fortune just by doing the bare minimum. But now that I thought about it… His company only had 20 people. If he truly wanted me there, changing the date of a small party wouldn’t have been a big deal at all. Was there a possibility… That he purposely chose the exact same night as my company’s gala just to keep me away? I rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought. A sudden pinch of pain in my fingers snapped me back to reality. For the past few winters, I had been riding a cheap electric scooter to work. I had thought about buying a car. But Ethan kept crying poverty to me. “The economy is so bad, babe. The business is barely surviving.” “If it weren’t for the contracts you secured for me, I’d probably have to file for bankruptcy.” I had felt so bad for him. He was working day and night, sometimes not even coming home. So, I buried my desire to buy a car to shield myself from the freezing wind. I kept riding my little scooter, and I even transferred all my personal savings to Ethan’s company as emergency capital. Now that the weather had dropped, my hands were covered in painful frostbite. And yet, Ethan was willing to spend $50,000 on a Mercedes to give to another “wife”! An uncontrollable rage flared up inside me. But I forced myself to look oblivious. I leaned against his shoulder and showed him my swollen, red fingers. “Look at my hands, Ethan. The frostbite is so bad this year.” “If only I had a car, I wouldn’t have to freeze every morning.” Ethan’s body stiffened visibly. He quickly recovered, rubbing my hands and blowing warm air on them, trying to play the doting husband. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I’ll buy you a nice pair of thermal gloves tomorrow.” “Besides, cars are a money pit. Gas, parking, maintenance… it’s a nightmare.” “Giving a car to an employee is just to lock them down so they keep slaving away for the company. If we buy another car for ourselves, our finances will be even tighter.” “Be a good girl, Chloe. I promised to spend Christmas with your parents this year. Let’s not worry about the car, okay?” No matter how much I wheedled, Ethan absolutely refused to let me attend his company party. Eventually, the conversation died down. But he could run, and he certainly couldn’t hide. On the day of their Christmas raffle, I took a PTO day and drove straight to Ethan’s office. 2. Though I rarely visited, I always brought Starbucks and pastries whenever I did. The moment I walked in, the employees gathered around me enthusiastically. “Hey, Chloe! Are you here for the party tonight?” Standing closest to the CEO’s office was Tiffany. The moment she saw me, she ripped her earrings off with lightning speed. Then, she grabbed her scarf and wrapped it tightly around her neck, hiding her chest. Her movements were fluid, but I caught it. At first glance, I recognized the diamond earrings and the matching necklace. They were my family heirlooms. When Ethan’s business was struggling with cash flow during the early stages, he had suggested I pawn my wedding jewelry to ease the pressure. Without a second thought, I had handed him everything. Lest he feel guilty, I had even comforted him, saying, “Take your time. Just focus on making the business successful.” Back then, I didn’t care about my lost jewelry. I only cared about Ethan. Now, I wanted to slap my past self. I wanted to march over and rip those diamonds off Tiffany’s neck. Instead, I forced a bright smile and greeted everyone. Hearing the commotion, Ethan rushed out of his office. His face paled, and he gave me a strained, fake smile. “Chloe? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be preparing for your company’s gala?” I smiled and waved my phone. On the screen was a fake text draft I had prepared from my boss, Marcus. “Well, my boss Marcus said that since our company gave you guys so many contracts, we’ve never actually sent a representative to check out your team.” “So, he sent me here to evaluate the partnership and adjust next year’s budget based on your performance. You guys don’t mind, right?” The employees immediately chimed in. “Of course not! We wouldn’t even be here without you, Chloe!” I added playfully, “And I’m also here to try my luck for that $50k Mercedes. You guys don’t mind sharing the luck, right?” The happy smiles on their faces suddenly froze. Their eyes instinctively darted toward Tiffany, who was practically choking herself with her scarf. Some of their glances were filled with pure disgust. Clearly, everyone already knew that Tiffany winning the car tonight was a rigged deal. The room fell into an awkward silence. It was so quiet that I could hear the tinny sound of a Netflix show playing from Tiffany’s wireless earbuds. I walked over to her desk, looking curious. “Are you watching a show during work hours?” Tiffany flinched, pulling her scarf tighter, and looked at Ethan with pleading eyes. “I was just…” Ethan quickly jumped in to defend her. “Babe, you don’t understand.” “Tiffany is our top sales rep. She already hit her annual target weeks ago, so I gave her permission to relax a bit.” One of the employees in the back mumbled under her breath, “Top sales rep? She literally browses Amazon all day.” “The boss just handed all of Chloe’s client accounts to her. That’s the only reason she has those numbers.” I nodded, pretending to be impressed. “Ah, the star employee. No wonder you’re so relaxed.” “But if our star employee wins the grand prize tonight, won’t people suspect the boss of rigging the raffle to favor her?” Both of their faces went stark white. I seized the opportunity. “Speaking of which, how are you guys drawing the winner tonight? It’s not rigged, right?” The employees exchanged uneasy glances, too afraid to speak. Ethan cleared his throat. “I had Kevin from IT write a simple script. The digital screen will scroll through everyone’s names and avatars.” “When I press stop, whoever’s name is on the screen wins. It’s completely random and fair.” I gasped. “Oh, no. Digital scripts are the easiest things to hack or rig.” I looked at Kevin apologetically. “No offense, Kevin! It’s just that a $50k car is a huge deal. I don’t want anyone feeling cheated if they lose.” “Why don’t we do it the old-fashioned way? Write everyone’s name on a piece of paper, put them in a box, and draw one. It’s foolproof.” The employees’ eyes lit up with hope. Only Tiffany glared at Ethan with pure venom in her eyes. “But Boss,” Tiffany spoke up, her voice sharp. “Kevin worked so hard on that program. It would be a waste of his time to change it now.” Ethan agreed. “Babe, don’t worry. I’m here to oversee it. Nobody would dare cheat.” “Plus, the program is already done. No need to overcomplicate things.” I lowered my eyes, looking deeply hurt, and pointed to my phone. “Ethan, it’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just that my boss, Marcus, is very strict about integrity.” “If he thinks your company is shady with a simple raffle, he might reconsider our million-dollar contract for next year.” Then, I sighed and turned to leave. “You know what, if you guys think I’m being annoying, I won’t stay for the party.” “I just hope Marcus doesn’t take it the wrong way.” Hearing that their livelihoods were on the line, the employees instantly panicked. “No, no! The paper slip idea is great! I don’t mind at all!” “Yeah, Chloe, please stay! And make sure to say some good things to Marcus for us. We need that contract!” I smiled gently. Sorry, guys. I have no intention of doing that. 3. Later that evening, the Reddit OP updated the post. [Manifesting that I win the $50k Mercedes tonight! 🚗] The comments laughed: [Didn’t you say the car was for the boss’s side chick?] [Bro, are you the side chick? 😂] OP replied: [Nah, the boss’s actual wife showed up. She forced them to do a paper slip draw. It’s totally fair now.] [With the big client (the wife) watching, the boss doesn’t dare cheat. We actually have a real shot at winning now!] *** Inside the rented party room, I looked around but couldn’t find Ethan or Tiffany. I walked down the hallway and finally spotted them in a dim corner near the restrooms. Tiffany was clinging to Ethan’s chest, sobbing. “It’s all Chloe’s fault! The car was supposed to be mine, and now it’s gone!” “I already told my family back home that my rich CEO boyfriend was gifting me a $50k Mercedes and driving me home for Christmas!” “Now that the car is gone, how am I supposed to show my face?” My heart sank. Ethan had promised to spend Christmas with my parents. But he had already planned to drive Tiffany to her hometown? Ethan, however, seemed entirely unbothered. He stroked her back gently. “You should thank Chloe. If we used the digital program, everyone would know I rigged it for you. They’d complain.” “But with the paper draw, even if I rig it and you win, they’ll have to shut up because it looks like pure luck.” Tiffany’s eyes lit up. “Really? You can rig a paper draw too?” Ethan nodded confidently, kissing her tears away. “Not only is the car yours, but I am yours too.” “For Christmas, I’ll drive you back to your hometown in that brand-new Mercedes, loud and proud.” Tiffany squealed with delight, but then frowned. “But what about Chloe? What are you going to tell her?” Ethan smirked. “I’ll just make up an emergency at the office right before we leave.” “She’s so gullible. She’ll believe anything I say.” With that, Ethan lifted Tiffany’s chin and kissed her deeply. I clutched my chest, feeling a dull ache, then quietly turned around and walked back to the party. After dinner, it was finally time for the raffle. When Ethan called my name first, everyone let out a breath of relief. It was the consolation prize—a cheap pair of $5 thermal gloves. Ethan walked over, grabbed my frostbitten hands, and looked at me with fake devotion. “Babe, this is perfect for you. We really are soulmates.” I sneered inwardly. You spent $50,000 to rig a car for Tiffany. But my Christmas gift is a $5 pair of gloves bought with company money. Well, Ethan, let’s see if you even have $50,000 left after tonight. As the names were drawn one by one, the tension in the room grew. Only half the employees were left, and the grand prize was still up for grabs. Everyone was praying for a miracle. Only Tiffany sat there calmly, filing her perfectly manicured nails. “And the winner of the Mercedes-Benz CLA is… Tiffany!” Ethan shouted, trying to sound surprised. The room went dead silent. Tiffany stood up gracefully, walked up to the stage, and gave Ethan a tight hug. “Thank you, Boss! And thank you, Chloe!” “Especially Chloe! Your luck must have rubbed off on me!” Ethan patted Tiffany’s shoulder, his eyes lingering on her. “Tiffany is our top performer. She deserves this car, and I’m sure the whole company agrees!” A few people clapped half-heartedly. Most of them shot me looks of deep pity as I stood there holding my cheap gloves. On Reddit, the OP updated again: [Raffle is over. I actually feel so bad for the boss’s wife.] [It was supposed to be a fair draw, but the side chick still won.] [The wife got a pair of $5 gloves, and the side chick got a $50k Mercedes. She even mocked the wife on stage.] [The contrast is brutal. I feel sick for her.] Ethan stumbled back to his seat next to me, smelling of alcohol, and raised his glass. “Chloe! Thank god for your suggestion! This proves the raffle was 100% fair and based on luck!” “The top sales rep got the car. This proves hard work brings good luck. I’m so happy!” “Next year, let’s work harder! If we double our revenue, I’ll buy everyone a car!” I smiled, keeping my mouth shut. As the party began to wind down, people started packing up to leave. I suddenly gasped, dropping my phone onto the table. It was a loud, deliberate sound. “Ethan… my boss Marcus just texted me. He said our company is cancelling all contracts with your startup for next year!” The drunk employees instantly sobered up. They sat up straight, panic written all over their faces. “Chloe, what do you mean? We didn’t do anything wrong! Why are they cancelling?” I stared directly into Ethan’s eyes, speaking slowly. “Marcus only sent one sentence.” “*A”*A man who treats his wife like garbage will eventually ruin his own business.*” A collective gasp echoed through the room.

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My boyfriend’s family friend wanted to crash at my place for a few days. I didn’t think it was a good idea. Just as I was about to politely decline, my boyfriend, Austin, looked at me with puppy-dog eyes. “If you say no, my mom is going to force her to stay at my place. But Chloe, babe, I don’t want any woman other than you in my apartment…” Seeing that he had decent boundaries, I felt a little better. Thinking she would only stay for a couple of days, I sighed and nodded. But the day Austin dropped her off, King—the stray tabby cat I always fed—didn’t go near his food like he usually did. Instead, he paced anxiously around my feet, letting out sharp, urgent meows. The moment I understood what the cat was saying, I froze. [Meow! Two-legs! Dumb two-legs, don’t trust him! The male two-legs and the new female two-legs are plotting to steal your big nest!] [Meow! They said your drawings can buy lots of fish! Once they trick you, they’re going to throw you out!] [Watch out for that female! Inside her bag, there’s a weird little bottle! Danger! High danger!]

“Chloe, babe, can we talk about something?” Austin’s voice came through the speaker, dripping with an overly sweet, apologetic tone. He rarely talked to me like this. My stylus paused on my drawing tablet, leaving an unnatural dark smudge on the cat whiskers I was sketching. “Sure, what’s up?” I tried to keep my voice casual, but an alarm bell rang in my head. Austin had been incredibly busy lately. We hadn’t had a proper date in over a week. “So, you remember Mia? My mom’s friend’s daughter. Her college dorm is undergoing some emergency maintenance, and she wants to visit the city for a few days… and, well, she needs a place to crash.” He paused, clearly trying to gauge my reaction. My heart sank. Mia. I remembered her. She was the girl Austin’s mom basically treated like a daughter. I’d met her twice. She looked sweet, but whenever she smiled at me, the warmth never reached her eyes. “For how long?” I asked, my voice turning a bit cold. “Like… a week? Maybe less,” Austin said vaguely. “She’s just a young girl in a big city. Hotels aren’t safe, and my mom…” I stayed silent. My apartment wasn’t big. It was a one-bedroom place, my sanctuary where I lived and worked as a freelance illustrator. I loved my solitude. My slight social anxiety made me instinctively reject the idea of a stranger invading my personal space. Especially someone I barely knew, like Mia. I was about to reject the request—I could offer to pay for her Airbnb or recommend a safe hotel. “Chloe…” Austin’s voice suddenly turned incredibly whiny, almost pleading. “I know you hate being disturbed. But… if you don’t agree, my mom will definitely make her stay with me. You know my apartment only has one bed. I really don’t want another girl staying at my place, not even for a few days.” His words were like a sweet treat, perfectly soothing my insecurities. The boundaries he showed made me feel like I was his “one and only.” The slight annoyance and suspicion I felt were instantly washed away by his sweet words. Maybe I was just overthinking? It was just helping out a family friend for a few days. I sighed and gave in. “Fine. But she can’t disturb my work.” “You’re the best, Chloe! I knew you’d understand!” Austin’s voice instantly cheered up. “I’ll bring her over tomorrow! I promise she’ll be on her best behavior and won’t bother you!” After hanging up, I looked at the half-finished cat on my screen. The anxiety I thought had gone away started creeping back up. Was it really… just about crashing for a few days?

The next afternoon, the doorbell rang. Looking through the peephole, I saw Austin standing outside, with a beaming Mia next to him. She was wearing a designer dress and pulling a massive suitcase. That did not look like she was staying for “just a few days.” I took a deep breath and opened the door. “Chloe! Thank you so much for having me!” Mia’s voice was sickeningly sweet. She walked right in as if she owned the place, looking around curiously. “Wow, your apartment is so cute and cozy! Did you paint all of these? They’re amazing!” Austin followed her in, smiling at me. His eyes practically said, *See? Told you she’s sweet.* He rolled Mia’s suitcase into the hallway. “I’ll leave Mia in your hands then.” I forced a smile. “Sure. Come on in, take a seat.” I turned to get them some water, but felt a frantic scratch at my ankle, followed by an anxious “meow.” It was King, the old stray tabby I always fed. He must have sneaked in when the door opened. Normally, at this hour, he’d be sunbathing in the courtyard or waiting for his dinner. But right now, he wasn’t rubbing against my leg for food. He was pacing around me in tight, frantic circles. His tail was puffed up, his fur standing on end, and he was letting out sharp, panicked cries. [Meow! Two-legs! Dumb two-legs! Don’t trust him!] I froze. This ability… it was happening again. I could understand animals. It started after an accident years ago. But usually, I just treated it as random cat gossip or complaining. I never took it too seriously. [Meow! The male two-legs! And this new female two-legs! They smell completely wrong!] King’s meows became even more frantic. Austin and Mia looked over, confused. Mia even took a dramatic step back, hiding behind Austin. “Oh, a cat! Chloe, you have a cat? It looks so mean.” “He’s just a stray from the neighborhood. We’re close,” I explained, though my mind was reeling from King’s words. King didn’t care. He kept screaming at me, his round green eyes full of panic and urgency. [Meow! They are planning! Planning to steal your big nest! This warm nest made of stone!] [Meow! They said! They said your drawings can buy lots of green paper with the old man’s face! So much green paper! Once they get it, they’ll kick you out!] [Watch out! Watch out for the female! In her bag! In that square thing! There’s a weird little bottle! Danger! Very danger!] My blood ran cold. A chill crept up my spine. Steal my apartment? My art? A weird bottle? Kicking me out? I stood there like a statue, the fake smile frozen on my face. Austin seemed to notice something was off. “Chloe? What’s wrong? You look so pale. Are you feeling okay?” Mia chimed in, sounding innocent. “Chloe, did we come at a bad time? Are we bothering you? Maybe I should just…” “No, I’m… I’m fine,” I interrupted quickly, my voice raspy. “Just a bit dizzy. Low blood sugar, probably. You guys sit down. I’ll… I’ll go down to the convenience store to grab some drinks.” I needed space to think. I needed to verify King’s words! I practically stumbled out of my own apartment, forgetting even my purse. As the elevator went down, my heart was hammering against my ribs. King’s warnings screamed in my head like a siren. Stepping out of the lobby, I saw Tubby, a chubby ginger cat I also fed, napping on the flower bed. Seeing me, he let out a lazy “meow” in greeting. I knelt down, my voice shaking as I whispered, “Tubby… do you know those two people who just went up? The new girl and the guy who always comes over?” Tubby tilted his head and licked his paw. [Meow~ I know them. They smell gross~] He purred lazily. [While you were gone, they sneaked into your room. They touched your blue folder—the one in the tall wooden box~ Meow~ They also tried to open your glowing flat box (laptop), but couldn’t~] The blue folder? My property deed! I kept it in my home office drawer! The tall wooden box was my desk! They were actually searching my things! Tubby added, [Meow~ The male two-legs said they have to hurry. Otherwise, the dumb two-legs—that’s you—will find out… find out what again? Meow~ I forgot~] The last shred of hope in my heart shattered. King and Tubby’s stories matched perfectly. Austin and Mia were definitely planning something terrible. A wave of shock and betrayal washed over me. Austin, the man who said he loved me, the man who pretended to have boundaries just to make me feel safe, was plotting to steal my apartment and my hard work? And that sweet, innocent-looking Mia—what kind of dangerous stuff was she hiding in her bag? Fear gripped me, but a strong survival instinct kicked in. I couldn’t panic. I couldn’t let them know that I knew. I lingered in the convenience store for a while, bought some drinks, took several deep breaths, and forced myself to look calm before heading back up.

When I opened the door again, I had a tired but natural smile back on my face. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Got some drinks.” Austin and Mia were sitting on the couch, looking completely normal. Austin took the drinks, looking concerned. “You feel better? Do you need to lie down?” “Much better.” I shook my head, my eyes casually drifting toward my home office. The desk drawer wasn’t fully closed. It was slightly off from how I always left it. My heart grew colder. I walked into the office under the pretense of grabbing something and quickly checked the drawer. The documents had clearly been shifted. The blue folder was out of place. I touched my laptop. It was asleep, but the bottom was still warm. The evidence was undeniable. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. Rage and terror battled in my chest, but I had to play dumb. I walked back to the living room and looked at Mia’s designer handbag sitting in the corner. I smiled and tried to sound casual. “Mia, you must be tired from the trip. Do you have toiletries in your bag? I have brand-new ones here, so you don’t have to unpack your things if you don’t want to.” As I spoke, I reached out, pretending to help her with her bag. “I’m good!” Mia’s reaction was incredibly fast. She practically lunged forward to snatch the bag into her arms, her face instantly twisting into a look of fear and hurt. “I… I brought everything! I don’t want to bother you, Chloe!” Austin immediately stood up, placing himself between me and Mia. There was a flicker of tension in his voice. “Chloe, Mia can handle her own stuff. Girls have private things in their bags.” He paused, looking at me with a hint of accusation. “What’s wrong with you today anyway? Why are you suddenly so interested in her bag?” Right on cue, Mia’s eyes turned red, and she began to sob quietly. “Chloe… do you hate me? Do you think I stole something? I didn’t… I really just came here to stay. I didn’t mean to make trouble…” They played off each other perfectly, making me look like the paranoid, hostile bully. Looking at how Austin protected her, and watching Mia’s flawless performance, the last bit of warmth in my heart died. It was all true. The cats were right. Their conspiracy was real. “Of course not,” I forced a stiff smile. “I was just asking in case you forgot something. Don’t worry about it, sit down.” I turned my back to them, feeling completely frozen. The world had suddenly become a terrifying, hostile place.

For the next two days, I felt like I was walking on a tightrope. Suppressing my disgust and fear, I played the part of the clueless host. Mia kept calling me sweet names, offering to do chores, and showing a creepy amount of interest in my digital art, constantly asking how much my illustrations sold for. Austin visited even more often, acting like the perfect boyfriend. But I didn’t miss the greed and calculation flashing in his eyes. Using work as an excuse, I locked myself in my office most of the time, frantically trying to figure out a plan. I checked all my valuables. I quietly moved my property deeds, ID, tax forms, and bank cards to a highly secure, hidden spot. I set up SOS emergency contacts on my phone and started secretly recording audio clips on Snapchat whenever they whispered. Even though their hushed conversations were vague, they were still suspicious. During those days, I “ran into” King and Tubby a few more times. They kept feeding me information: [Meow~ The male two-legs owes a lot of green paper with the old man’s face. Bad guys are chasing him~] [Meow! The bottle in the female’s bag smells like sleep! Makes the head dizzy!] [They are planning! Planning to take you to eat food, then you will sleep! Meow! Bad!] Drugging me? They were going to drug me? Where were they going to take me? My heart was in my throat. The terror grew every day. I knew they were going to make their move soon. My solo art exhibition—something I had prepared for months—was opening tomorrow at an art center in the suburbs. Both Austin and Mia insisted on going to support me. It was the perfect, secluded location, far away from the busy city center. On the day of the exhibition, everything seemed to go smoothly. My art got great feedback. Austin and Mia stayed by my side the entire time, smiling and showering me with compliments. But I knew this was just the calm before the storm. By the time the exhibition ended, it was already evening. The art center was in a remote area, and the streets were practically empty. “Chloe, today was a massive success! We have to celebrate!” Austin wrapped an arm around my shoulder, his voice filled with excitement. “I know this private tasting-menu restaurant nearby. It’s super exclusive, great vibe. I already booked a table.” Mia grabbed my other arm, acting close. “Yes, Chloe! You worked so hard, you have to pamper yourself!” Here it was. They were making their move. Cold sweat broke out across my back. I couldn’t go. I absolutely could not go! But how could I refuse? It was hard to get an Uber out here. I had nowhere to run, and I couldn’t just walk away. “I’m… I’m really tired. I think I just want to go home,” I tried to protest. “No way!” Austin immediately shot back, his tone carrying a sudden, unquestionable firmness. “We have to celebrate! Plus, the reservation is locked in. It’s a waste not to go. Come on, the car is over there.” He pointed toward the parking lot. Mia pulled my arm tighter. “Come on, Chloe, don’t be a party pooper~” They were incredibly insistent, practically dragging me toward the parking lot. My heart was racing, my brain working in overdrive. When we reached my SUV, Austin said, “Let’s take your car. I might have a drink, and Mia doesn’t drive.” I froze for a second, then took the keys and unlocked the doors, pretending to agree. “Okay. You guys get in first. I think I left something in the exhibition hall. I’ll be right back!” Without waiting for their reply, I turned and walked quickly back toward the art center. Once I got about fifty feet away, I darted into the shadows of the building, my chest heaving. I saw Austin and Mia exchanging confused glances. Mia looked like she wanted to follow me, but Austin grabbed her arm, nodding toward the hall, signaling her to wait. Now! Using their blind spot, I bent low and ran as fast as I could back to the parking lot. I slipped quietly to the back of my SUV. Trembling, I opened the trunk. Fortunately, there was still some display trash from the exhibition inside. I climbed in, curled my body up tightly, and pulled the trunk door down, leaving just a tiny crack for air. In the dark, cramped space, all I could hear was the deafening thud of my heart and my ragged breathing. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps approaching. “Where is Chloe? What’s taking her so long?” Mia’s voice was sharp with impatience. “No idea. Let me call her.” Austin said. My phone started buzzing in my pocket, the screen glowing in the dark. I immediately rejected the call and put it on silent. “She hung up?” Austin’s voice dropped. “What the hell is she doing?” “Do you think she figured it out?” Mia sounded panicked. “No way! She’s too stupid, and she trusts me blindly.” Austin was confident, but then his voice grew frantic. “Search the area! We have to find her! We need this done tonight! The loan sharks are breathing down my neck!” I heard their footsteps scatter as they called my name, their voices fading into the distance. Fear made me shudder violently. Cold sweat soaked my clothes. The air in the trunk was getting thin, and I was starting to feel dizzy. Suddenly, I heard a familiar, soft meow right outside the car. [Meow! Dumb two-legs! Hide well! Don’t make a sound!] It was King! He had actually followed me here? [Meow! They said they are taking you somewhere far away! That male has weird candy in his pocket!] Weird candy… My mind flashed to countless news stories of girls being drugged and assaulted. The terror hit me like a tidal wave. With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone, started recording, and slipped it into the seatback pocket of the row in front of me. The camera was pointed right out the window. “Fucking bitch!” Outside, Austin finally lost his temper, unable to find the keys to open the car. He swore loudly. “Who does she think she is? Did she actually find out?” “Impossible,” Mia’s voice was venomous and cruel. “We were perfect. She’s probably just throwing a tantrum. Austin, what now? The drugs are ready. We just need to get her to sign the papers at the cabin, and then…” “Shut up!” Austin cut her off angrily. “Search the car! See if she left a spare key somewhere!” Their conversation was recorded perfectly by my phone. Hiding in the pitch black, my muscles were so tense they ached. I could barely breathe. What should I do? Call the cops? But they were just outside the car. I hadn’t been physically harmed yet. What would I tell the dispatchers? That my cat told me they were bad guys? Who would believe me? In my desperation, a name flashed in my mind. Marcus Miller. My next-door neighbor. A serious-looking defense attorney. Two weeks ago, I ran into him in the lobby. He had glanced at Austin, who was with me, and said in a very cautious tone, “Chloe, when you make friends, you should really look into their backgrounds. Some people look nice on the surface, but aren’t.” At the time, I thought he was just being nosy and felt a bit annoyed. But looking back, he was trying to warn me! He definitely knew something! He was my only hope. While Austin and Mia were searching the other side of the car, I unlocked my phone with shaking fingers and found Marcus on Snapchat. What could I even say? My fingers hovered over the screen. In pure panic, I typed just a few words. [Marcus, please help me. Danger.] Then, I sent him the one-minute audio recording I had just made, along with my live location.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “460886”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

On our seventh wedding anniversary, my husband’s childhood friend posted a photo of a massive, canary-yellow diamond ring on her Instagram. The caption read: “Thank you to my favorite guy for the amazing promotion gift!” I stared at the sparkling yellow diamond in shock. It was identical to the family heirloom my grandmother had left me. Unable to contain myself, I left a single question mark in the comments. A second later, my phone rang. It was my husband, Ethan Carter. “Chloe, what is your problem?” Ethan snapped the moment I picked up. “I bought a little ring for my assistant as a promotion gift. Why are you being so passive-aggressive in her comments?” “Besides, that yellow diamond of yours has been gathering dust in the safe anyway. You never even wear it.” Through the receiver, I could hear soft, theatrical sniffling in the background. A few minutes later, another post popped up on my Instagram feed. Hailey Miller had posted another photo—this time, of a massive bouquet of 9,999 red roses. Ethan commented: *The flowers are beautiful, but you’re stunning.* Hailey replied: *Love makes a girl bloom.* Watching the two of them flirt shamelessly in public, I didn’t waste another tear. I opened my contacts and called the top divorce lawyer in the city. This time, I was going to strip Ethan Carter of every single penny he owned. 0

The moment Ethan walked through the door, his eyes fell on the cold dinner sitting on the dining table. Today was our seventh wedding anniversary. He had come home empty-handed, yet he had spent millions on a canary-yellow diamond for his female assistant. And just because I left a question mark on her post, he had called to scream at me for being unreasonable. When he had hung up earlier, I was so angry my stomach physically turned. Ethan kicked off his shoes, walked over to the table, and frowned. His voice was ice-cold. “What’s with the elaborate setup? What kind of day is it supposed to be?” “Chloe, it’s not easy for me to make money out there. Can you stop being so wasteful and dramatic?” He raised his voice, his face written with sheer annoyance. He could spend a fortune throwing birthday bashes and promotion parties for his assistant, but a home-cooked meal I made with my own hands was considered “wasteful”? Ethan seemed to have forgotten that he only had his current success because of me! Now that he had tasted a little bit of wealth, he thought he could step all over me. He really thought he was some kind of big shot. Seeing that I remained silent, he reached into his briefcase, pulled out a single, crumpled red rose, and tossed it toward me. “Hailey told me to give this to you. You terrified her today, yet she was still sweet enough to think of you.” “Call her right now and apologize.” The rose wasn’t even wrapped. A few of its outer leaves had already turned yellow and bruised from being crushed inside his bag. It was obvious he had just yanked it out from Hailey’s giant bouquet on his way home. I glanced at it and said quietly, “I don’t want it.” Ethan’s face instantly darkened. “Chloe, what the hell is wrong with you? She was literally crying because of you, yet she still wanted to bring you a gift. Would it kill you to just say you’re sorry?” Seeing that I was ignoring him, Ethan grabbed my arm and violently pulled me up from the sofa. He used so much force and lost his grip, causing me to stumble and crash heavily against the edge of the coffee table. The sharp wooden corner slammed right into my abdomen. In an instant, a sharp, nauseating pain shot through my entire body, making my skin go cold. “Stop playing dead. It was just a little bump—” Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes locked onto the dark red blood dripping down my leg. Panic finally broke through his arrogant expression. “I… I’ll take you to the hospital.” The pain was so agonizing that my lips turned white. I didn’t even have the strength to utter a word. Ethan hoisted me up and carried me to the car. But the moment he opened the passenger door, I spotted a pair of black sheer stockings lying on the floorboard. Ethan’s arms stiffened. I knew he saw them too. As he lowered me into the seat, he quickly muttered, “Hailey probably dropped them by accident. I’ll give them back to her next time.” With trembling hands, I buckled my seatbelt. I squeezed a single word through my gritted teeth. “Fine.” Ethan stared at me in disbelief. “That’s it? Just ‘fine’?” I kept my eyes down and stayed silent. If this were the past, I would have demanded answers and fought him to the death. But now that I was divorcing him, why should I care who he slept with? ### 0

“Just drive. I don’t feel good.” I didn’t know why, but the pain in my lower stomach felt terribly wrong this time. It felt as if something was tearing apart inside me. Ethan didn’t say another word and started the engine. Our house was only a short drive from the hospital—just two intersections away. But halfway through the first intersection, his phone blasted through the car speakers. The moment Ethan picked up, his voice softened into a gentle, caring tone. “Ethan, I just had a horrible nightmare. I’m so scared… Can you please come over and stay with me?” Hailey’s whimpering, babyish voice filled the car. I pressed a hand against my stomach, forcing down the rage, and turned my head toward the window. “Chloe, Hailey isn’t feeling well. I need to go to her,” Ethan said, already pulling the car over. “I’ll let you off here. You can walk the rest of the way.” I whipped my head around to stare at him, my eyes filled with cold disbelief. Hailey just had a nightmare—it wasn’t a medical emergency. And he was going to dump me on the side of the road for that? “I can’t walk,” I whispered. I could barely move my legs. How was I supposed to walk to the ER? Hearing this, Ethan’s temper flared instantly. “You just bumped your stomach! It’s not like your legs are broken. Why can’t you walk?” “The hospital is literally half a mile from here. When we were in school, we ran that distance in three minutes. Stop being so damn dramatic!” With that, he got out of the car, marched over to my side, opened the door, and aggressively dragged me out onto the pavement. “I’ll come back to get you later,” he snapped. As he got back into the driver’s seat, I heard him mutter “annoying bitch” before slamming the door and speeding off. I collapsed onto the concrete, curling into a ball. The pain between my legs felt like a hot iron. I couldn’t move a single inch. Using the last ounce of my strength, I dialed 911. The moment I managed to rasp out my location, my vision went black, and I passed out. When I woke up, it was already the middle of the night. The doctor told me I had suffered a ruptured ectopic pregnancy with severe internal bleeding. They had to perform an emergency surgery to remove one of my fallopian tubes. My chances of getting pregnant in the future were now significantly lower. Listening to his voice, I stared blankly at the hospital ceiling for half an hour. I felt completely hollowed out, as if all the blood had been drained from my body. I didn’t even have the tears to cry. Finally, the ringing of my phone broke the silence. It was Ethan. “Where the hell are you? I checked the house and it’s empty. Chloe, you’re really pushing it now. Are you seriously running away from home over a stupid argument?” His roaring voice nearly shattered my eardrum. If he had cared even a fraction of an percent, he would have checked the hospital admission records. But he had probably just breezed through the ER for two minutes before rushing back home. “I’m at the hospital. VIP Wing, Room 709,” I said, my voice dead. There was a long silence on the other end. “Chloe, do you think my money grows on trees? You got a little stomach ache and you checked yourself into a VIP hospital room? Do you have any idea that one night here costs more than your entire yearly allowance?” How hilarious. Every single cent Ethan owned came from my family’s resources. And he was accusing me of wasting *his* money? “I used my own money—” “Don’t make me laugh. You’re a housewife, Chloe. Where would you get that kind of cash unless you’ve been skimming from the joint account I set up for you? I don’t have time for this. Just wait there, I bought you some dinner.” A few minutes later, Ethan walked in. He tossed a plastic takeout box onto my bedside table. Inside were just scraps of leftovers—mostly oil, chili peppers, and green onions. Just minutes before he arrived, I had scrolled past Hailey’s latest Instagram story. She had posted a photo of Ethan cooking in a kitchen with the caption: *I’ve been eating his cooking since we were kids, and I’ll never get tired of it. He said he wants to cook for me for the rest of our lives. What should I do? He’s such a perfect man, I seriously want to have his babies!* Someone had commented: *Don’t just talk, go get your man and make it happen!* Hailey had replied with a blushing emoji. So, the food Ethan brought me was literally the scraps they didn’t finish. “It looks disgusting,” I said, looking away. “Take it and get out.” With those words, Ethan’s face turned livid. The rage in his eyes looked as if he wanted to strangle me. He stepped forward and violently grabbed my neck, pinning my head to the pillow. “Do you think because I’ve been nice to you lately, you can talk to me like this?” “Is this all because I gave your stupid yellow diamond to Hailey? How much is that trash even worth? I have taken care of you for seven years! You’re throwing a tantrum over a piece of rock? Who the hell do you think you are, Chloe?” ### 0

Having just come out of major surgery, I had zero strength to fight back. I was terrified Ethan would actually suffocate me to death for Hailey’s sake. I weakly grabbed his wrist. “No… I just wanted to… to know if that was the one from my personal safe.” Ethan slowly released his grip. I gasped for air like a drowning person suddenly pulled to the surface, coughing violently. “So what if it is? Hailey actually likes it. At least it has some value now!” “Every time I get close to another woman, you get so paranoid and passive-aggressive! Do you know what my business partners say about me? They say I’m henpecked! It’s humiliating!” In the past, I would have argued with him until we were both blue in the face. But now, with all the love drained from my heart, none of it mattered anymore. I would just get my things back, piece by piece, and watch them burn. Once Ethan finished his rant and fell silent, I looked at him calmly. “If you’re done, please turn off the light on your way out. I need to sleep.” His face flushed red with anger. He spat out, “Only dead people sleep in the dark,” before slamming the door and storming out. He was clearly infuriated by my complete lack of reaction. For the next few days, Ethan never showed his face at the hospital. The next time I saw him was on his friend Marcus’s Instagram story. They were at a private indoor pool party. In the photo, Ethan’s hand was wrapped snugly around Hailey’s bare waist. I went to scroll past it, but my finger accidentally tapped the screen, leaving a like. A second later, Ethan’s call came through. “Are you at home? I’ll pick you up in a bit. Come hang out with us.” When I didn’t answer, he added, “It’ll be good for you to relax. Stop moping around the house like some miserable hag.” “Okay,” I replied, keeping my voice level. My divorce was already in motion. There was no need to make a scene right now. If I angered him too early, he might try to hide his assets, and I would be the one losing out. Ethan arrived shortly after to pick me up. Surprisingly, Hailey wasn’t in the passenger seat. When we arrived at the venue, his friend Marcus walked over to greet me. “Chloe! Hey, about Hailey’s promotion party last week… I chose the venue and forgot to send you an invite. My bad. Let me buy you a drink to make up for it.” Marcus downed his shot. I just smiled and said nothing. But Marcus kept pushing, trying to act familiar. “By the way, I saw you at a cafe the other day chatting and laughing with the CEO of Bennett Enterprises. Are you guys close?” Ah. So that was why he was being so nice. He had an agenda. “The thing is, our company has been trying to land a contract with Bennett Enterprises lately. But a massive conglomerate like them won’t even give us the time of day. We can’t even get a meeting with their VP. If you have a connection, could you help a brother out?” “I always knew you were smart, Chloe. A top graduate from Wharton Business School must have a crazy network compared to us.” He was lowering his own status just to flatter me. But before I could speak, Ethan walked over. “Her? Know someone at Bennett Enterprises? She’s just a housewife who cooks and cleans, and she can’t even do that right. Honestly, mentioning Wharton and her in the same sentence is an insult to the school!” I turned my head to look at his mocking face. The air around us went dead silent. Marcus quickly tried to smooth things over. “Come on, Ethan, don’t say that. You can’t get into Wharton on luck alone. Chloe clearly has talent.” “Don’t ruin my chances here! I’m relying on your wife to help me make my fortune!” Ethan rolled his eyes and playfully kicked Marcus’s shin. “Get back to work!” They had rented an outdoor pool area with a private barbecue tent. Marcus quickly ran off to help with the grill, reminding me to keep his request in mind. Once he was gone, Ethan looked me up and down. “Do you really know the CEO of Bennett Enterprises?” I shook my head. “Marcus probably needs glasses. He got the wrong person. I have no idea what Bennett Enterprises is.” Ethan chuckled, relaxed. “Figures. If you knew someone like that, pigs would fly.” ### 0

“By the way,” Ethan said carelessly, “about that yellow diamond ring. Once Hailey gets tired of wearing it, she’ll give it back to you.” “She doesn’t even care about it that much, she’s just playing around with it. You’re the only one who treats it like some sacred treasure, locking it in a safe for seven years.” I simply nodded, keeping my thoughts to myself. A moment later, Hailey walked over. The moment I saw my grandmother’s yellow diamond sparkling on her index finger, my face went rigid. “Chloe! Ethan is over here! Come over to the pool!” one of the guys yelled out from across the deck, making the atmosphere even more awkward. Marcus immediately covered the guy’s mouth. “Shut up and get back inside.” “My stomach is feeling a bit off. Excuse me,” I said, standing up. I didn’t want to make a scene and ruin everyone’s night just yet. Ethan stared at me for a few seconds, but ultimately, he didn’t follow me. When I returned to the grill area, the table was fully packed. There was no seat left for me. Ethan and Hailey were sitting side by side. Hailey’s legs were draped over Ethan’s lap, and his hand was naturally resting on her waist. They looked like a passionately in-love couple. Meanwhile, I stood there like an unwanted ghost. Eventually, Marcus noticed me and dragged over an extra chair for me to sit on. “Alright, everyone is here! Let’s play a game,” Marcus announced, holding a glass bottle. “Spin the bottle. Whoever the neck points to has to choose Truth or Dare.” In the first round, the bottle pointed to Hailey. She chose Truth. The guy who had yelled earlier immediately smirked. “Ethan, you ask! Only someone who knows her intimately can tell if she’s lying!” Ethan didn’t refuse. He casually asked, “What’s the most exciting thing that happened to you recently?” Hailey lowered her head with a shy smile. “Well… I had a nightmare and woke up terrified in the middle of the night. Someone rushed over so fast to comfort me that his suit jacket was buttoned completely wrong.” It wasn’t a secret. She was clearly saying it just to humiliate me. Marcus glanced between us, looking terrified of offending either side. He didn’t even know how to break the silence. The atmosphere froze again. “Let’s keep going,” I said with a light smile, breaking the ice. Marcus immediately jumped on it. “Yes, yes! Ethan, you spin this time!” As fate would have it, Ethan spun the bottle, and it landed directly on me. “Well, Ethan can’t ask again. That’s boring,” Hailey spoke up before anyone else could. “And Chloe just chose Truth earlier. Doing Truth every time is so boring. Chloe, why don’t we play for real this time?” I stared at her, amused. I knew whatever came out of her mouth next wouldn’t be good. “Isn’t it up to the player to choose? I choose Truth,” I said. Hailey’s eyes darted down to my abdomen, glinting with malice. “Oh, come on, Truth is so boring! We’re the only two girls here. Are you really afraid these guys will tease you?” “Since we’re all in swimwear anyway, and this is a pool party, why don’t you show us a routine in the pool?” “Ethan told me you were a varsity synchronized swimmer in college and won a national championship. I’ve only ever seen synchronized swimming on TV. I’d love to see it in real life. Can you show us, Chloe?” To coax me into the water, she had even dropped her usual smug attitude. But I wasn’t going to play her game. “Synchronized swimming requires intense preparation, and I haven’t touched the water in years. No, thank you.” Seeing me decline so quickly, Hailey’s eyes instantly welled with tears. “Ethan…” she whimpered. Ethan’s face darkened immediately. “Chloe, stop being so arrogant. It’s just a quick swim. It’s not going to kill you.” Before I could react, he grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the deep end of the pool. “Ethan Carter! I said no! I’m not doing a Dare, and I’m not swimming!” I yelled, struggling against his grip. Hailey didn’t want to see a performance. She wanted to treat me like a circus animal for her amusement! “Chloe, who do you think you are? Asking you to swim is a compliment to your skills. Don’t be so ungrateful!” “Didn’t you say you haven’t touched the water in years? Let me help you get reacquainted!” With a cruel smirk, Ethan grabbed my hair and slammed my head down into the water. Immediately, the stinging smell of chlorine rushed up my nose. I gasped, swallowing a mouthful of cold water. It felt like ice in my lungs. I thrashed violently, splashing the water to find something to hold onto. But Ethan didn’t give me a chance. He clamped his hands around both of my wrists, pinning them behind my back. Just when I thought I was going to drown, Ethan suddenly let go. I plunged deep into the pool. Water filled my eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. I couldn’t breathe. My chest felt like it was exploding. Relying on sheer muscle memory, I fought to kick my way back to the surface. As I grabbed the edge of the pool, gasping for air, I heard Ethan’s tender voice speaking to Hailey on the deck. “Alright, sweetie, it was just a little show. If you want to see it again, I’ll make her jump back in, okay?” “Come on, smile for me. Don’t be sad.” Seeing Hailey still pouting, he turned back to me, crouching down at the edge of the pool. “Get back to the center and do a routine. You don’t come out until Hailey is happy.” “Ethan Carter!” My eyes were bloodshot. This was the first time I had yelled at him since I checked out emotionally. Even if he loved Hailey, he had no right to trample on my dignity and treat me like a toy to please his mistress! “My lawyers have already drafted the papers. I am divorcing you!” The moment the words left my mouth, Ethan burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. “Divorce me? With what? You’re a penniless housewife who relies on me for everything. You think you’re qualified to divorce me?” “Who else would want a used-up second-hand trash like you once I dump you?” He looked down at me with absolute disgust, then placed his foot on my shoulder and shoved me violently back into the deep end. My foot slipped on the wet tile. I fell backward, my body sinking like a stone. I couldn’t move. As my body sank into the dark abyss of the pool, my senses began to fade. But right before I lost consciousness entirely, I heard someone on the deck scream in terror: “Blood! The pool water is turning red!” “Call 911! Oh my god, there’s blood everywhere!”

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On my wedding day, I stood there in a sharp, tailored tuxedo. My heart was bursting with joy as I waited for Chloe Vance. The wedding officiant had already called out, “Please welcome the bride!” three times. But my fiancée was nowhere to be seen. The guests started whispering, their eyes shifting from confusion to suspicion. Finally, someone couldn’t help but let out a mock chuckle. That laugh was like a sharp blade. Soon, the quiet sneers rippled through the chapel like a rising tide. “The bride ran away. That is so brutal.” “I bet there’s some dirty secret! Maybe he forced her into this? One-sided love?” “I always said Ethan was punching above his weight with a beauty like Chloe.” “This wedding is a total joke!” Every whisper hit me like a sledgehammer, crushing my pride. Swallowing the humiliation, I dialed my fiancée’s number. The moment the call connected, deafening music, roaring laughter, and screaming voices blasted through the speaker. “Chloe, did you forget what day it is today?” I pressed the phone tightly against my ear, my voice trembling. Silence came from the other end. My heart squeezed tight. “Ethan, Julian just got dumped. He’s a mess right now and I need to look after him. Let’s push the wedding back a bit.” Chloe gave me the most ridiculous excuse. She wanted to take care of her first love, her “one that got away.” For him, she stood me up at a wedding we spent over half a year planning. ###

A bitter smile forced its way onto my face. The words got stuck in my throat. “Chloe, babe, get off the phone. It’s your turn for Truth or Dare!” A deep male voice rang out. He called her “Chloe” with an intimate tone. If he hadn’t been standing extremely close to her, I wouldn’t have heard it so clearly. “I have to go.” Chloe hung up in a hurry. The line went dead. I stood frozen, holding the phone to my ear. We had been together for three years. This wasn’t the first time she had broken promises, stood me up, or picked fights with me because of her first love. And now, she was even putting off our wedding. Chloe took me for granted. She thought I was just a loyal dog who would always obey her. I opened TikTok and searched for Chloe’s burner account. Her latest post read: *Cheers to the love of my life being single again.* The attached photo showed two wine glasses clinking under dim, moody lighting. This was Chloe’s secret account where she recorded her real life. Julian appeared in almost every video. Based on the logo on the glasses, I figured out which lounge she was at. Inside, dim lights flickered through waves of vape smoke. The DJ’s bass rattled my chest. I pushed my way through the crowded dance floor. The air was thick with cheap alcohol and expensive perfume, making my head spin. Finally, at a VIP booth, I saw her. She was locked in a passionate kiss with a guy. That guy was Julian Cole—her high school sweetheart, the one she always kept on a pedestal. Chloe was a total head-turner. Back in college, she was the undisputed campus queen. Everyone used to say she and Julian were a match made in heaven. Later, Julian went study abroad, and Chloe confessed her feelings to me. I was the one who fell first, so I had no reason to say no. I honestly thought that if I treated her with everything I had, she would eventually forget about him and love me back. But a year ago, Julian came back. And everything shattered. All my effort became a joke. Chloe always told me they were “just best friends.” But I didn’t know “best friends” kissed each other like that. “Ethan?” Mia, Chloe’s best friend, saw me first. She nudged Chloe. The two of them finally pulled apart. When they separated, a thin string of saliva still connected their lips. “Ethan? What are you doing here?” A flash of panic crossed Chloe’s eyes as she scrambled to her feet. Beside her, Julian smirked, raising an eyebrow at me. His face practically screamed: *So what if you’re getting married? Her heart is still mine.* The tension in the booth was suffocating. Mia quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “Ethan, don’t get mad! Chloe and Julian lost a game of Truth or Dare. We forced them to kiss. It’s just a game, you know how it is. You’re not going to be a party pooper, right?” “Yeah, Ethan. We were just having some harmless fun,” Chloe said, stepping toward me. She reached out and grabbed my arm, shaking it gently. My fists clenched so hard my knuckles turned white. Just a game. “Is this why you skipped our wedding?” I shook her hand off and demanded, my voice sharp. Chloe knitted her perfect brows, looking annoyed. “We can always reschedule the wedding! Julian just got dumped. He’s emotionally unstable right now. If I’m not here for him, he has nobody.” I looked around the booth. There were at least six people there. How was he “alone”? “Man, Chloe, you guys aren’t even married yet and your man is already keeping you on such a tight leash,” Julian chimed in from the couch, raising his glass with a mocking look in his eyes. “If you marry him, is he going to lock you in the house?” “I’m asking you one last time,” I said, ignoring him. “Are you coming home with me right now?” Chloe looked at me, then at Julian, looking torn. I turned on my heel to leave. Behind me, Julian suddenly groaned. “Chloe, my head hurts so bad. Can you drive me home?” In the end, Chloe didn’t follow me. Between me and Julian, she chose him. Again. ###

I didn’t sleep a wink. I sat on the couch, staring at the front door handle until the sun came up. Finally, the lock clicked. Chloe walked in. Seeing me on the couch, she walked over and wrapped her arms around my neck, testing the waters. “Ethan, you’re not still mad about yesterday, are you?” She smelled like cigarette smoke. I don’t smoke. And deep under her collar, a faint red mark was visible on her skin. Chloe leaned in to kiss me, but I flinched away. The thought of her mouth on someone else’s yesterday made my stomach turn. A flash of shock crossed Chloe’s eyes. Knowing I was still angry, she reached into her purse and pulled out a designer box. Inside was a pair of silver cufflinks. “Look, Ethan. I got you a present.” It felt so cheap. It was exactly like those stories where a cheating partner buys a gift to appease their spouse and ease their own guilt. I didn’t take the box. I looked her straight in the eye. “Do you still want to marry me?” Chloe immediately pouted, looking like the victim. “Of course I do… just not right now.” I let out a cold laugh. If this were in the past, seeing her look sad would have broken my heart. Everyone knew I spoiled Chloe. I never let her suffer a single grievance. During the two years Julian was gone, Chloe loved to cling to me, asking when we would get married. She said she couldn’t wait to be my wife. We had just graduated back then. I wanted to wait until I had some savings to give her a proper life. I worked myself to the bone and finally bought this apartment. Every single detail of this place was decorated according to her taste. I clenched my fists until my joints popped. “Do you have any idea how much my mom wanted to see us get married?” Chloe’s patience was paper-thin. If I didn’t submit to her within two sentences, she would lose her temper. “I know! It’s not like I’m saying no. Is your mom literally on her deathbed? Can’t she just wait a little bit?” My mom had late-stage stomach cancer. But Chloe only knew she was sick in the hospital. She never bothered to ask what the diagnosis was. I had asked her multiple times to visit my mom. She always claimed she was “too busy with work” and hung up. Was she really busy? Or was she busy with Julian? My high school buddy, who worked at the luxury mall, had called me several times saying he saw Chloe holding hands with another man. My whole body shook with rage at her words. I slammed my fist onto the coffee table. “Yes! My mom only has two months left! Are you happy now?” It was the first time I had ever yelled at Chloe. She froze, startled either by my words or my tone. Then, she covered her face, looking deeply offended. “How was I supposed to know? Why are you being so mean to me?” With that, she stomped into the bedroom and slammed the door. She always did this. Whenever there was a real issue, she would throw a tantrum, run away, and wait for me to crawl back and apologize. Chloe had been my goddess since college. I had a crush on her for years, but because of Julian, I never dared to cross the line. Just when I thought I would never have a chance, she had come to me with red, teary eyes. “Ethan, do you like me? Because I like you too. Let’s be together.” She looked like a wounded little rabbit back then. My heart had melted instantly. I thought if I loved her enough, I would be her forever, and Julian would just be a phase. When I loved her most, I drove a thousand miles through a dangerous storm just because she said she was scared of thunder. I once got stabbed protecting her from some thugs, resulting in a ruptured spleen. I even ate an entire mango cake she made for me, despite being severely allergic to mangoes. Because of all that, she was absolutely sure I would back down first. She thought she could keep hooking up with Julian under the guise of “just being friends.” After a few days of total silence, I didn’t apologize. Maybe she felt the shift, or maybe she felt guilty. For the first time, she initiated the conversation. “Ethan, let’s stop fighting, okay? I promise I’ll marry you. I love you.” She tried to crawl into my lap, wearing a low-cut silk slip dress that left very little to the imagination. “Julian was just depressed. I’m his friend, so I had to comfort him.” I looked away, staring at the calendar on the wall. My voice was dead cold. “Tomorrow morning, we’re going to City Hall to get our marriage license. Don’t forget.” Tomorrow was the date Chloe herself had picked months ago. The girl in my arms froze. She opened her mouth to speak, but her phone suddenly rang. ###

It was that ringtone. Within a second, Chloe muted it and hurried out to the balcony. A few minutes later, she came back inside, pouting and using her baby voice. “Ethan, Mia needs me to go over. She’s having an emergency.” She lied so easily, always using her best friend as a shield. I had to visit my mom today and didn’t have the energy to argue. I stayed silent, and she took my silence as permission. She didn’t even bother to change out of her silk slip. She just threw on a trench coat and rushed out the door, promising she’d be back tonight. As expected, she didn’t come home. The next day, I went to City Hall alone. I stood by the entrance for three hours. The staff were about to pack up and go home, but Chloe never showed up. She didn’t even send a text. I knew she wouldn’t come, but I had wanted to give her one last chance. *Ding—* My phone buzzed. A notification popped up: *The account you follow, ‘Chloe & Julian Forever,’ has posted a new video.* The video showed Julian’s back as he stood at the stove making breakfast. Chloe’s caption: *The man who loves me makes me breakfast first thing in the morning.* For the past three years, I had made Chloe breakfast every single day, changing the menu constantly so she wouldn’t get bored. But she had never praised me once. She took it as my duty. In the comments, Julian replied: *Anything for my baby.* I clicked on Julian’s profile. His latest video showed a pair of silver cufflinks—the exact same design Chloe had “gifted” me. His caption: *A gift from my baby. Too bad I already have the exact same pair. Guess I’ll let someone else have this cheap knockoff.* So even those cufflinks were just Julian’s leftovers. I dialed Chloe’s number. She only picked up on the second call, her voice sounding raspy. “Ethan.” “We were supposed to get our marriage license today.” I got straight to the point, waiting for her answer. Chloe sighed. “Ethan, we pushed the wedding ceremony back anyway. Why are you rushing to get the license?” My voice was firm. “The wedding ceremony has to happen by the end of this month.” “Ethan~” She dragged out my name, trying to act cute. “Ethan, you know Julian needs me right now. Once he’s stable, we can talk about the wedding, okay?” I let out a cold laugh. “If you can’t marry me, I’ll find someone else who will.” Chloe panicked. “Ethan, what are you talking about?” “I’m saying we’re done. It’s over.” I hung up immediately. Everyone said I was incredibly good to Chloe. But my goodness was based on the premise that she loved me back. She had lied to me over and over again to be with Julian. She picked fights, called me possessive, and treated my efforts like trash. She had slowly eroded my love and pushed my boundaries until there was nothing left. We were officially over. Just as I was about to put my phone away, an unknown number sent me a text. It was a five-second video. In it, Chloe’s face was flushed, her eyes wild with pleasure. “More, Julian, please…” Julian’s bare chest was covered in dark hickeys. It wasn’t hard to guess how wild their night had been. Following the video was a text: *I broke her in for you. Chloe was incredible last night.* I didn’t need to guess who sent it. I calmly saved the video, took a screenshot of the text, and blocked the number. Since Chloe cheated, it shouldn’t be a crime for me to find someone else, right? I called my buddy who ran a high-end matchmaking agency to set me up on some blind dates. Just then, a soft, sweet voice rang out right beside me. “What about me? Am I option?” A girl stood there, nervously fidgeting. Her bright eyes blinked at me, her cheeks flushed with a soft pink. Her voice trembled, but she gathered her courage and said: “I’m a million times better than my sister, Chloe.” ###

Lily Vance? I had only met her once. It was when Chloe first brought me home to meet her parents. Lily had sat quietly in the corner, barely speaking. I didn’t remember ever having any real interaction with her. Chloe used to complain to me that her younger sister always “bullied” her, so I had assumed Lily was a troublemaker. I hung up the phone, looking at Lily with a hint of suspicion. Sensing my coldness, Lily slowly withdrew her hand and gave a self-deprecating smile. “Would you please consider me?” She bit her pink lower lip, her white teeth contrasting with her rosy lips, making her look incredibly delicate. I stared into her eyes and frowned. “You know I’m your sister’s fiancé, right?” She lowered her head, whispering, “I know.” “And you still want to marry me?” I crossed my arms, squinting at her. Lily’s ears turned bright red. “But you just said you wanted to break up, and you were calling a matchmaker.” “Still, why should I marry you?” “You’re going to marry someone anyway. Why not me?” Lily looked up, her gaze steady once more. Yes, I could marry anyone. But not her. She was Chloe’s sister. I didn’t want to have anything to do with that toxic family ever again. As we stood in a stalemate, my phone rang. It was Chloe. “Ethan, I’m almost home. Let’s talk in person, okay?” “We have nothing to talk about.” “Ethan, you love me the most. Don’t be like this.” Chloe knew exactly how to work me. Her sweet, pleading tone would make almost any man soften. Before I could answer, Lily suddenly pulled a document folder from her bag. She took out her birth certificate and a pre-signed marriage license application, holding them out to me with absolute sincerity. “Ethan, marry me.” I quickly covered the phone’s microphone, hoping Chloe hadn’t heard. “What? Is that a woman’s voice? Who is with you?” Chloe’s voice instantly turned sharp and tense. “No one.” I replied coldly, hung up, and turned off the phone. “What’s your angle?” I asked Lily. I didn’t believe a girl I barely knew would suddenly propose to me without wanting something in return. “I’ve liked you for a long time. I really want to marry you. Even if you just use me to get back at my sister, I don’t care.” Her gaze was so pure, and the slight mist in her eyes made my heart skip a beat. I had no intention of using Lily to get revenge. But I did need a wife right now, and Lily seemed like a decent choice. “I won’t use you to get back at Chloe.” Lily’s eyes dimmed, looking deeply disappointed. “But I do need to get married. So, yes.” Her eyes instantly lit up again, her excitement plain as day. I couldn’t understand why this girl, whom I was only meeting for the second time, was so happy. We rushed into City Hall and managed to get our marriage license finalized just before the clerks went home. Since the wedding ceremony was at the end of the month, time was tight. I took Lily straight to a bridal boutique. She was much more petite than Chloe. Chloe’s dress wouldn’t fit her at all. “Does this look okay?” The curtain pulled back, and Lily stepped out, looking shy. The lace on the gown’s neckline perfectly highlighted her elegant, slender neck. The corset design hugged her tiny waist, carving out beautiful, delicate curves. Combined with her gorgeous face, I couldn’t look away. Lily looked at me with anticipation, her eyes shining like stars, though she was clearly nervous. “You look beautiful,” I murmured, swallowing hard.

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On the exact day of my birthday, my wife spent a million dollars chartering a private yacht to celebrate her male secretary’s very first closed deal. She even posted a picture on her Instagram Story with the caption: *“As expected of the man I handpicked myself! A hundred times better than the useless slacker I have at home.”* I tapped the heart icon and commented, “You’re absolutely right.” The next second, the post vanished into thin air. My phone rang immediately. It was Clara, her voice dripping with rage. “Ethan, can you stop being so damn passive-aggressive?” “I’m just rewarding my employee for bringing in a million-dollar project. You always have to ruin the mood, don’t you?” Later that night, her secretary, Julian, changed his Instagram profile picture. It was a photo of him and Clara, locked in a tight embrace on the yacht’s deck. If this had happened in the past, I would have thrown a fit, begging Clara for an explanation. But this time, I simply sent her a billing invoice: *“The yacht charter costs three million a night. Venmo or PayPal?”* 0

Clara didn’t crawl back home until three in the morning, holding a container of greasy leftovers. As she stumbled toward me, the heavy scent of men’s cologne rushed into my nose, making me wince. Before I could even react, she tripped and collapsed onto me on the couch. The greasy soup from the leftovers spilled all over my white button-down shirt. “Ethan, I just treated my staff to dinner. Was it really necessary to make such a big deal out of it?” “Demanding three million dollars the moment I walk in… are you starving, or have you just never seen real money before?” “To put it nicely, you’re a stay-at-home husband. To put it bluntly, you’re just a parasite living off me. What gives you the right to control me?” This shirt was a gift she gave me on our third anniversary. Now, soaked in grease, it was completely ruined. Just like our marriage. It was finally at its end. Yesterday was my birthday. Clara had promised to celebrate with me, but instead, she spent millions throwing a grand party for another man. No explanation. No apology. Just blaming me for being unreasonable. In the past, seeing her this angry would have made me drop to my knees and apologize. In front of Clara, there was no right or wrong. Everything depended on her mood. I loved her, so I tolerated her. But my patience only brought more disrespect, as she pushed my boundaries over and over again. The thought of it sent a chill down my spine. I didn’t even want to argue anymore. I stood up silently, walked over to the trash can, and pulled off the stained shirt, tossing it inside. “Why are you dressed up so formally anyway? Where did you go?” “You do nothing all day but drink with your useless friends.” “Why can’t you be more like Julian? Why can’t you actually help me with my business?” Clara used the sofa to steady herself as she stood up. She caught sight of the untouched dinner on the dining table and frowned. She had been so lost in her sweet moments with Julian that she had completely forgotten it was my birthday. “I didn’t go out. I’ve been waiting for you at home all day.” Hearing my answer, Clara’s temper flared instantly. She marched over and slapped me right across the face. *Smack!* “What is up with that attitude, Ethan?” She poked her index finger hard against my chest. “Who pays for your food, your clothes, your shelter? Me! Without me, you’d be sleeping on the streets! Now you’ve grown some balls, huh? You think you can talk back to me?” “Julian closed a five-million-dollar deal with one call. You? All you do is ask for food, drinks, and money! If I don’t celebrate his success, should I be celebrating your laziness instead?” She was getting more and more hysterical. I brushed her hand off my chest and asked calmly, “Did you forget what you promised me yesterday?” Clara froze, her anger pausing for a fraction of a second. “What did I promise you?” My heart sank. I let out a bitter laugh. “Never mind. It wasn’t anything important.” She forgot. Of course she did. I should have known. Clara only had eyes for Julian now. There was no room left for me. Seeing my dejected look, something seemed to click in her mind. She pulled out her phone and checked her calendar. The next second, a notification popped up on my phone. *You received $1,000 via PayPal.* “It’s just a birthday. What’s the big deal?” Clara scoffed. “At the end of the day, you just want money and gifts. There, I sent it. Stop acting like a pathetic, clingy wife begging for attention!” With that, she turned on her high heels and slammed the bedroom door behind her. I stared at her closed door, a deep, quiet coldness settling in my eyes. ### 0

I spent the night alone in the study. When I came out the next morning, Clara had actually prepared breakfast. On the dining table sat a fresh mango smoothie and some toast. My gaze darkened. We had been married for three years, and she didn’t even know I was severely allergic to mangoes. “Hurry up and eat,” she said, packing a beautifully arranged bento box into a thermal bag. I looked at her hands, not making a move. Once she finished packing, she noticed me standing still. Her face immediately turned sour. “I woke up early to make this for you, and you won’t even touch it?” “I bust my ass working outside all day, and when I come home to take care of you, this is the attitude I get? Ethan, do you really think you’re some king who needs to be served on a silver platter?” She woke up early to buy me breakfast? What a joke. I hadn’t even taken a bite, yet she was already acting like she deserved a medal. It was pathetic. Perhaps my flat reaction made her uncomfortable. After all, in the past, even if she just handed me a fork at dinner, I would shower her with praise for hours. In our three years of marriage, this was the very first time Clara had ever made me breakfast. Usually, I was the one who woke up hours early to make her favorite lunches for work. “You need to learn to be grateful. I made you breakfast. What more do you want?” Tired of her nagging, I picked up a piece of toast and took a small bite. “I made that smoothie myself. Drink it.” I stared at the mango smoothie, then pushed it aside. “I’d rather have some oatmeal.” Clara’s face contorted instantly. “You’re lucky to have anything to eat at all, and yet you’re being picky.” She rolled her eyes, swept everything on the table straight into the trash can, and marched into the bedroom to change. The toast had mango spread on it. Fearing an allergic reaction, I immediately grabbed my phone to schedule an emergency appointment at the clinic. While doing so, a notification popped up. Julian had updated his Instagram. The photo showed an IV drip in a hospital room. The caption read: *“Sick and feeling miserable. The medicine is so bitter… I really wish I could taste your delicious homemade lunch right now! 🥺”* I laughed at myself. And here I thought she had made breakfast out of guilt for forgetting my birthday. It turned out she only woke up early to cook a meal for another man. She cooked for him, and bought trashy takeout toast for me. Who truly mattered to her was glaringly obvious. Just then, Clara walked out of the bedroom. I locked my phone and followed her. “I need to go to the clinic. Let’s go together.” The moment she heard this, Clara’s face twisted with rage. “Did you go through my phone while I was changing? Can we have some fucking privacy? Are you a three-year-old child? Do you have to follow me everywhere? Aren’t you embarrassed?” I knew she had misunderstood. Two months ago, a business partner invited me to a dinner at a famous local restaurant. Coincidentally, I ran into Clara having a romantic candlelit dinner with Julian. She assumed I was stalking her. Since that day, she kept her entire schedule a secret from me. I tried to explain back then, but she refused to listen. “I’m not trying to follow you. It’s just convenient,” I said calmly. “Your secretary is hospitalized. As his boss, it’s only natural for you to visit him.” Clara’s expression softened slightly. “Yes, I have to visit him. After all, he just brought in a multi-million-dollar deal for the company.” “Unlike you. You can’t do anything right. You can’t even drive a decent car.” She never missed an opportunity to belittle me, yet she didn’t even bother to ask why I was going to the clinic. Once we got into the car and started the engine, Clara’s phone rang again. It was her assistant. “Ms. Vance, there’s an important video conference at 9:30 AM. When will you arrive at the office?” Clara glanced at her phone. Julian must have sent her a text. She looked torn. Suddenly, she slammed on the brakes, pulled over, and shoved a thick stack of documents into my lap. “This meeting is extremely important, but I’ve highlighted all the key points. You can at least read from a script, right?” She knew the meeting was crucial, yet she was willing to ditch it just to be with Julian. Seeing my lack of response, Clara continued, “It won’t take much of your time. I’ll pick you up from the office soon.” Without waiting for my consent, she reached over, unlocked the passenger door, and pushed me out of the car. I had no choice but to call an Uber to her office. On the way, my skin started itching intensely, and tiny red hives began to break out across my arms. After handing the documents to her assistant, I rushed straight to the hospital. After getting an IV drip and a few boxes of allergy medication, I finally went home. Throughout the entire process, Clara didn’t call me once. When I opened my phone, the first thing I saw was Julian’s new Instagram post. The picture was Clara personally spoon-feeding him soup in his hospital bed. I looked at the pile of pills on my table and found it incredibly hilarious. Just as I was about to head to the bedroom to rest, the front door was kicked open with brutal force. Before I could even process what was happening, Clara stormed in and slapped me hard across the face. “Ethan! Can’t you do one simple thing right?” “You dropped off the files and just left! You left the clients sitting there waiting! Did you expect them to hold a meeting with thin air?” “I had to rush back to the office to clean up your mess! And you? You just vanished without a word!” ### 0

I looked at the furious Clara, completely speechless. Yes, I didn’t stay for the video conference, but I had explained everything to her assistant before I left. I refused to believe that her executive assistant couldn’t handle a simple reading task. My allergic reaction had been getting worse by the minute. I couldn’t afford to wait for her to pick me up. “I wasn’t feeling well. I told your assistant everything she needed to know before I left.” My explanation only made Clara angrier. “Not feeling well? You did it on purpose!” “Would it have killed you to wait a little longer? Marrying you was the biggest mistake of my life!” She snatched a small box from her designer bag and threw it at me. “To make it up to you, I even drove all the way to the south side to get you a custom birthday gift!” “And how do you treat me? You’re just a petty, small-minded bastard trying to get revenge for yesterday!” “If I knew you’d act like this, I would have thrown it in the trash.” I opened the box. Inside was a pair of plain black socks. These socks weren’t custom-made at all. They were free promotional items given to customers who bought a custom Tom Ford suit. I looked up, the disappointment in my eyes no longer hidden. “You should have thrown them away.” Because yesterday on the yacht, Julian had been wearing a brand-new Tom Ford suit. He had even posted about it: *“My first bespoke suit. Thank you, babe, for the amazing reward. ❤️”* “What is that supposed to mean?” Clara snapped. I unlocked my phone and held up Julian’s post right in front of her face. “Was this custom-made for me, or was it a freebie from his suit? Giving me a pair of promotional socks as a birthday gift… Clara, I love you, but I’m not an idiot!” I yelled, my voice cracking. Clara choked on her words, unable to say a single thing for a long moment. “Throw them out. I don’t need them.” For the past year, no matter what holiday it was, Clara had only ever gifted me socks. My drawer was practically overflowing with them. In the past, because I loved her, I chose to ignore the red flags. I kept telling myself that as long as she came home to me, it was enough. But now, I was done lying to myself. “It’s the thought that counts! Do you only care about expensive things?” Clara defended herself weakly. Realizing that talking to her was like talking to a brick wall, I turned around and walked into my room. I pulled out my phone and contacted my family’s legal team, asking them to draft a divorce agreement. I wanted to end this farce as quickly as possible. After arranging everything, I lay down to rest. Suddenly, a loud knocking began at the door. I ignored it, but the banging continued for ten solid minutes, getting louder and louder. I was a light sleeper. This constant pounding was driving me insane. I had no choice but to get up and open the door. Clara was standing there, her eyes red and watery. She looked incredibly aggrieved. “Ethan, you’re misunderstanding me.” “I really did pick out that gift for you. If you don’t like it, I’ll throw you another birthday party, okay?” “I’ll charter a yacht for you too.” I looked at her, my heart completely numb. “Whatever.” With that, I shut the door right in her face. But Clara didn’t leave. For once, her voice carried a rare, gentle tone through the wooden door. “Ethan, it’s really not what you think.” “Stop being mad at me. I’ll make it up to you with a better gift.” “I’ve booked a private winery for us this afternoon to celebrate your birthday. I’ll come pick you up.” “Sure, do whatever you want,” I muttered half-heartedly, closing my eyes to go back to sleep. ### 0

This was the most peaceful sleep I’d had in years. I no longer had to worry about missing Clara’s texts or failing to reply within seconds. When I woke up, it was already 7:00 PM. My phone buzzed. It was a call from Clara, telling me to come downstairs. She had booked a room at the most expensive VIP lounge in the city to “make up” for my birthday. But the moment I stepped into the private room, I knew something was off. Clara stood on her tiptoes, whispering in my ear, “The yachts were all booked tonight, so we have to settle for this place. I promise I’ll throw you a bigger party next year.” She dragged me over to a middle-aged man and introduced me. “Ethan, this is Mr. Harrison. I heard he loves custom cocktails. Tonight, we’re going to drink until we drop!” She nudged me forward, then pulled Julian, who was already pouring drinks, closer to her. “Ethan here will make sure you’re satisfied, Mr. Harrison.” I frowned at Clara. Her eyes were completely glued to Julian. She didn’t care about my discomfort at all. I stood up, preparing to leave, but Clara immediately blocked my path. “I couldn’t get the yacht, but is it really necessary to embarrass me in front of everyone like this?” she hissed under her breath. “Mr. Harrison is the client you blew off the other day! You have to help me win him back tonight!” “I brought you here because I know you have a knack for mixing drinks. Don’t let me down!” Listening to her, the puzzle pieces finally fell into place. The birthday party was just a front. She only brought me here to serve her client. “Don’t worry, once we close this deal, I’ll buy you a birthday cake right away.” Looking at her desperate face, my heart went completely cold. “I guess I should make up for my ‘mistake’ then,” I said quietly. After all, this entire high-end lounge belonged to me. Why would I reject easy money flowing into my own business? My mixology skills were legendary among the elite, though I usually only created recipes behind the scenes and rarely stood behind the bar myself. Clara pushed me toward Mr. Harrison. I began to introduce the lounge’s finest selection. Every single bottle was astronomically expensive, but they all shared one trait: luxury. Suddenly, Julian stood up and pushed a vibrant, yellow cocktail toward me. “I heard this mango-infused sparkling cocktail is the signature masterpiece of this club’s owner, and it’s extremely rare. Why don’t you make a few glasses for everyone to try?” “But you should taste it first, so you know how to replicate the flavor perfectly.” I had created that mango cocktail years ago, but because of my severe mango allergy, the club only produced a limited number of bottles. If I drank even half a cup of this, combined with making more of it, I would probably suffocate from anaphylactic shock right here. Clara glared at me, signaling me to do as he said and not ruin the mood. “There’s no need for me to taste it. I can make it directly for everyone.” “How can you make a perfect drink without tasting it?” Julian smirked, his voice dripping with false concern. “Or are you planning to just serve Mr. Harrison some rushed trash?” “Or maybe… you just don’t care about Clara’s business at all?” The moment Julian said those words, Clara’s expression turned icy. She forced a fake smile, pulled me away from the crowd, and whispered through gritted teeth, “What is wrong with you? Why can’t you give me some face?” “You know the company is transitioning right now. Winning Mr. Harrison’s contract is crucial! Stop throwing your childish tantrums!” Before I could reply, she snatched the mango cocktail and shoved it into my hand. “It’s just a fruit cocktail, not hard liquor. Drink it!” When I didn’t move, Clara grabbed the back of my head and forced the glass against my lips, pouring half the liquid down my throat. I choked violently, coughing up a storm. Within seconds, an intense itch spread across my neck. I stood up to leave immediately. Behind me, Julian called out, “Don’t leave yet, Ethan! You haven’t finished the glass, and you haven’t made our drinks!” I didn’t stop. Julian lunged forward and grabbed my arm. “Can’t you think about the company for once?” “Do you want all of Clara’s hard work over the years to go down the drain?” The moment Julian finished speaking, Clara stepped up and delivered another stinging slap to my face. *Smack!* In just three days, this was the third time she had hit me. “Ethan, grow the fuck up!” “If this deal falls through tonight, we are ruined!” Because of the massive amount of mango I had just ingested, my throat was tightening. It was becoming hard to breathe. Ignoring Clara’s screaming, I pushed past them and headed straight for the exit. “If you walk out that door, don’t ever come back!” Clara shrieked behind me. “Ethan! Are you listening to me? I said, if you leave tonight, we are getting a divorce!” I looked down at my arms. The red hives had merged into angry, swollen patches. Clutching my throat, I forced a raspy whisper out of my suffocating chest. “Fine. Let’s divorce.” TThe moment the words left my mouth, my vision went pitch black, and I collapsed heavily onto the floor.

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An earthquake took Austin’s sight, so I gave him my own eyes. With tears in his eyes, he swore he would cherish me for the rest of his life. But behind my back, he conspired with another woman to force me into a divorce. When Brooke was humiliating me, Austin walked in. I looked up, hoping he would stand up for me. But his voice was filled with nothing but cold contempt. “Look at you. You look just like a stray dog I threw a bone to.” “Looking at those empty, lifeless eyes of yours makes me sick.” On a stormy night, they threw me out into the pouring rain. I sobbed, my heart breaking into pieces. Then, the System’s voice echoed in my mind. *“Host, do you want me to take your eyes back?”* “Yes. I regret everything.” *** ### When Austin came home, Brooke was forcing me to the ground, torturing me. Knowing I was completely blind, she intentionally ordered me into the kitchen to serve hot soup. Distracted, my hands slammed against the scorching hot sides of the metal pot. The food spilled everywhere. The boiling soup splashed all over me, and my exposed skin instantly flared up in painful, red blisters. Tears streamed down my face. My body was screaming in pain, but my heart hurt infinitely more. Clacking her eight-inch stilettos, Brooke walked over. She raised her hand and slapped me across the face, sending me crashing to the floor. My burned skin pressed hard against the scalding hot soup on the floor. Trembling and shivering, I frantically clawed at the wet tiles, trying to push myself up. But Brooke’s high heel came down hard on my right hand. She ground her heel into the back of my hand on purpose. The sharp heel pierced my skin, and warm blood immediately pooled beneath her shoe. My eyes burned with tears. I used my other hand to feel around, searching for any support to stand. Brooke saw what I was trying to do. She let out a cruel laugh and stepped directly on my lower back. My half-raised body was crushed back down instantly. My face slammed hard against the floor, right into the steaming soup, turning my skin painfully red and swollen. Brooke looked down at me, laughing with pure disgust. “Chloe, you’re just a useless blind bitch. How dare you try to fight back? What a joke!” The words “useless blind bitch” pierced my heart. Stung by the insult, my grief turned into rage. I began to struggle violently. Brooke, off-balance in her high heels, lost her footing as I scrambled up and pushed her off me. She tumbled to the floor. Furious, she grabbed me by my hair and slapped me repeatedly across my face. “You miserable bitch! I’ll ruin your face!” I tried to dodge, but without my sight, I took only a few steps before slipping on the wet floor and crashing down again. After several falls, my knees and arms were covered in dark, ugly bruises that stood out starkly against my pale skin. Just as I tried to crawl up once more, the front door opened. Austin walked in. Seeing the chaotic mess Brooke and I were in, he sounded slightly annoyed. “Chloe, what are you doing to Brooke?” After losing my sight, my hearing had become incredibly sharp. I could detect the slightest shifts in anyone’s voice. But my heart was even more sensitive. I heard clearly how Austin addressed me by my full name, Chloe, while he called the other woman “Brooke” with such tender intimacy. I parted my lips, my voice raspy and dry. “Austin, am I still your wife? The woman who built everything with you?” “If I am, why do you stand there and let Brooke humiliate me like this?” Austin froze for a moment. Then, he let out a loud, mocking laugh. “Chloe, stop being ridiculous.” “I’ve fed you and kept a roof over your head for five years. Aren’t you satisfied yet?” He didn’t explain, but his silence said everything. My heart turned to ice. I let out a low, bitter laugh. “I see. So, you want a divorce?” *** ###

Austin hesitated, unable to answer immediately. But Brooke, sensing his hesitation, stepped forward with a twisted sneer. “Divorce? Chloe, you must be dreaming! Austin is already my husband!” “I told you, I am the real mistress of this house. And you, Chloe, are just a stray dog begging for scraps at my feet!” It felt like a bolt of lightning struck me. I trembled violently, lifting my head in utter disbelief. “What do you mean… you’re the real mistress of this house?” There were three of us in the room, yet the silence was deafening. No one answered my question. I couldn’t hear any explanation, and I couldn’t see anything. The sheer helplessness was suffocating me. I reached out, stumbling as I tried to stand, struggling to move forward. I wanted to grab Austin’s collar and demand to know what was going on. But he remained silent, and without a sound, I couldn’t even find where he was standing. The floor was slick with soup. In my blind panic, I slipped and fell hard again, like a swan trying to escape the mud only to crash back down into the dirt. I screamed, “Austin, speak to me! Why does Brooke say she’s the mistress of this house?” “What about me? What am I to you?” “We’ve been married for seven years! What the hell am I to you?” Looking at my pale, trembling figure, a flicker of pity crossed Austin’s eyes. But the moment his gaze landed on my empty, lifeless eyes, his pity instantly warped into deep disgust. His voice, dripping with contempt, pierced my ears. “Chloe, we divorced a long time ago.” “Brooke is right. She is the mistress of this house now. She is my legal wife.” “And you… you’re just an annoying parasite.” My reaching fingers instantly lost all their strength. I lay slumped on the floor, my ears ringing loudly. Austin’s voice kept going, but I could no longer process his words. Brooke walked over and kicked me hard. “Austin married me two years ago. You’ve been squatting in our house for two years. It’s time for you to pack up and get lost.” “We only kept you here because you saved Austin’s life once. But you just don’t know your place. You’re eyesores to me.” “Chloe, pack your shit and get out of our house!” All the confusing puzzles of the past suddenly clicked into place. Two years ago, Austin had asked for my social security number and ID, claiming he was setting up a trust fund to secure my future. I had been so happy and touched back then, believing he always had my best interests at heart. But now, reality slapped me hard across my face, leaving me bruised and broken. It was never about a trust fund. He wanted my documents to secretly file for divorce behind my back. And here I was, foolishly believing he still loved me, thinking he was just cold lately because of work stress. Now I saw it clearly. When someone stops loving you, the signs are glaringly obvious. Brooke and Austin walked away together, their footsteps fading into the distance. I was left alone, sprawled on the dirty floor, the soup staining my clothes and ruining the clean tiles. Just like this house, my entire life had become a ridiculous joke. It took a long time for the numbness in my body to fade. Slowly, carefully, I dragged myself up. I pulled my knees to my chest and curled into a tight ball in the corner. The System’s voice echoed in my mind. *“Host, do you want me to take your eyes back?”* “I… let me think about it.” *** ###

Five years ago, I went with Austin to a business meeting in the valley. A massive earthquake struck, and Austin was buried deep under a collapsed concrete building. The golden window for rescue had long passed. Everyone told me Austin was dead. But I refused to believe them. I dug with my bare hands. When the shovel broke, I used wooden sticks. When the sticks snapped, I used my bare fingers. In the end, my hands were a bloody mess, and all my fingernails had torn off. They all thought I had gone mad. But under the deep rubble, I finally dug Austin out. However, his eyes were ruined. He was blind. Lying on the hospital bed, he lost all his former ambition. He could only sit in silence, passively receiving visitors. Seeing him like that broke my heart. We had just gotten married, and his business was just taking off. Everything was supposed to get better. Losing his sight was a devastating blow to Austin. It was as if his spine had been removed; his once-proud back was now permanently slumped. So, I voluntarily gave my eyes to him. The System smoothed over all the medical anomalies, making Austin believe my blindness was just a tragic complication from saving him during the earthquake. After that, he treated me like royalty. He cared for me with endless patience and stayed by my side. With tears in his eyes, he promised he would love me forever. I believed him. Yet, this very man who swore to cherish me forever had secretly conspired with another woman to divorcing me without my knowledge. I huddled in that dark corner for hours. I didn’t drink a drop of water. My throat was parched, and my lips were cracked like dry earth. By the time they returned, I was still crouching in the same spot, looking like a hollow shell. Brooke frowned in annoyance and had the servants pack my things into a cheap suitcase, throwing it at my feet. “Chloe! Get the hell out of here. This is my house, and you’re not welcome!” I scrambled to my feet, instinctively looking toward Austin, though I couldn’t see the disgust in his eyes. He frowned. “Throw out everything that belongs to her.” The divorce papers were slapped onto my chest. My hands trembled as I felt the cover. Once I felt the raised letters of the divorce decree, a hollow, tragic laugh escaped my lips. This was the man I loved for seven years… He used my eyes to see the world, yet he personally pushed me into the dark. The rain poured heavily outside as I knelt on the wet pavement outside the villa. My suitcase had been maliciously left open. My clothes were scattered all over the muddy ground, soaked by the rain. The divorce papers lay right by my feet. In the heavy downpour, they looked like a blooming black dahlia, radiating a fatal, beautiful light in my moment of absolute despair. Austin and Brooke stood under the dry porch, looking down at me. Brooke chuckled. “Babe, look at her. She looks like a drowned rat. How pathetic!” Austin curled his lips, his voice dripping with arrogance. “Chloe, you look just like a stray dog I threw a bone to. When a dog stops listening, the master has to throw it out to teach it a lesson.” “You only saved me once, five years ago. You’ve used that favor to leech off me for five years. That’s enough.” “Looking at those empty, lifeless eyes of yours makes me sick.” The rain was roaring, and their voices were quiet. But every single poisonous, malicious word they uttered cut through the storm and registered perfectly in my ears. My mind was dead silent. The System didn’t speak. But this time, I saw Austin’s true colors with absolute clarity. I placed my hand over my chest. The heart underneath felt as if it were being shredded by a thousand knives. I opened my sightless eyes wide. Feeling the agonizing pain in my chest, I parted my lips and whispered, “System, didn’t you say you could help me take my eyes back?” “I’ve made up my mind now. I want to say…” “Yes. I regret everything!” The next second, the System’s voice boomed in my head like thunder. *“Understood. Terminating the contract… Retracting the eyes now.”* The rain kept pouring, washing over my face and into my eyes. But this time, a brilliant spark of light ignited deep within my pupils. At the exact same moment, Austin, who was standing on the porch looking down at me, suddenly stiffened. He stumbled forward and crashed onto the floor.

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On the day of my son’s preschool graduation, the principal stood in front of all the parents and praised my wife’s ex-boyfriend for being an amazing father. “Mr. Brooks is such a responsible, loving dad.” “Over the past five years, he picked up Leo one thousand and ninety-seven times, and only missed three out of thirty-six family events.” My wife, Chloe, smiled and chimed in. “He really worked harder than me to make sure our boy grew up safe and happy.” I froze. Chloe had always told me that Julian Brooks was just a family friend who occasionally helped out when we were busy. But in the graduation memory book, Julian appeared in four hundred and sixty-two out of the four hundred and eighty-seven photos. For five years, I worked late every single night and handed every penny of my paycheck over to Chloe. I did it because I felt guilty for not spending enough time with her and Leo. In that exact moment, the truth slapped me in the face. This family had never lacked a father. Seeing me stare at the page without moving, Chloe reached over and snapped the album shut. “You’re always working overtime. Of course you weren’t in the photos,” she said, her voice laced with impatience. “There will be plenty of chances in the future.” Right then, my phone buzzed. It was my project manager on WhatsApp, asking if I was willing to be relocated to our overseas branch for three years. I looked at the “happy family of three” smiling back at me from the cover of the album. I typed two words: “I’ll go.” Chloe didn’t know. This time, there would be no “future” for us.

My manager replied almost instantly. “Ethan, does your family want to come along? We can arrange corporate housing for them.” I wrote back: “No need. Just me.” “Ethan, why are you just standing there?” Chloe called out, her voice sharp with irritation. It was time for the graduation family photo. The photographer signaled for us to squeeze closer together. But Chloe was already holding Leo’s hand, and Julian was standing right next to them on the other side. The only spot left for me was on the very edge of the frame. The photographer stared at us for five seconds, looking thoroughly confused. “Sorry, who is the dad?” Julian took a polite step back. “Oh, I’m not.” But Leo grabbed Julian’s hand tightly. “Julian is my dad!” The surrounding parents erupted into soft giggles. Some whispered about how sweet it was that the boy was so close to Julian. Chloe didn’t bother to correct him. She just patted Leo’s head with a soft smile. “Stop messing around, Leo.” She said the words, but there wasn’t a hint of disapproval in her eyes. I walked over. Leo immediately hid behind Julian’s legs. “Mom, I don’t want Mr. Miller in the photo.” “Every time he comes home, he just checks my homework. He doesn’t even know how to smile.” Chloe frowned at me. “Did you hear that?” “You’ve let your own son become a stranger to you. You really need to think about your behavior.” I looked her in the eyes. “Why do you think I work overtime every single day, Chloe? Do you really not know?” “Oh, here we go again,” she whispered, rolling her eyes. “Today is Leo’s graduation. Do you have to bring up money right now?” Julian quickly stepped in to play the peacemaker. “Chloe, let it go.” “Ethan is only doing what he thinks is best for the family.” He stepped aside, offering me his spot. “Ethan, you stand here. I’ll take the photo for you guys.” And so, my wife and the boy remained in the frame. I stepped behind the camera. Just like I had done for the last five years. After the shoot, the principal handed out the memory books, asking parents to write a blessing on the final page. Just as I picked up the pen, Leo snatched it out of my hand. “You can’t write in it!” “I want Julian to write it.” I looked at Chloe. She avoided my gaze, but her voice was smooth and dismissive. “Julian spent so much time with him at school events. It’s natural that Leo wants him to write it.” “You’re an adult, Ethan. Don’t pick a fight with a kid.” I let go of the pen. “Fine.” Chloe blinked in surprise. She probably didn’t expect me to give up so easily. Julian took the pen and wrote in the book: May you grow up strong and happy, Leo. Daddy will always love you. No one in the room seemed to think the word “Daddy” was out of place. I lowered my head and opened the relocation contract on my phone. Duration: Three years. Departure date: Seven days from now. I digitally signed my name.

After the ceremony, Chloe suggested we all grab dinner. I assumed “all” included me. But when we arrived at the restaurant, I realized she had only booked a table for three. The host had to drag an extra chair and squeeze it into the cramped aisle. Chloe glanced at me. “Didn’t you say you had to go back to work tonight?” “I took the night off.” “Well, you should have told me earlier,” she grumbled under her breath. “I already ordered. Julian doesn’t eat spicy food, and Leo is allergic to seafood. We can’t really add anything new to the order.” We had been married for seven years. I had a sensitive stomach, but she didn’t even bother to ask if there was anything I could eat. Julian handed me the menu. “Ethan, order whatever you want. It’s on me tonight.” Chloe immediately pushed the menu down. “Julian, your startup is just getting off the ground. Save your money.” She turned to me. “We’re all family anyway. It doesn’t matter who pays.” In the end, I paid. It came out to $280. While Julian took Leo to the restroom, Chloe took the opportunity to speak to me. “Don’t take what happened earlier to heart.” “Leo is still young. He’s naturally going to be closer to whoever spends more time with him.” “Julian doesn’t have a wife or kids.” “Letting Leo call him dad is just a little comfort for him.” I looked down at the receipt. “What about me?” She paused. “What about you?” “Nothing.” I put my phone face down on the table. There was no point in explaining. She would never get it. To her, I was just being jealous again. When Julian brought Leo back, the boy was clutching a brand-new toy car. Leo was jumping with joy. “Julian is the best!” Chloe smiled. “How much was it? Let me PayPal you.” “Oh, it was only five hundred dollars. Don’t worry about it.” “No way, I can’t let you pay for that.” She immediately sent him $800 on PayPal. I stared at her, remembering last month when Leo was hospitalized with a high fever. Chloe had begged me to pull consecutive all-nighters at the office to secure our quarterly project bonus. She told me the family was completely broke. That night, I worked nineteen hours straight until my stomach bled, and my coworkers had to rush me to the ER. I was hospitalized for three days. She visited me exactly once. She stayed for less than thirty minutes before Julian called, saying Leo was crying to go to Disney World. She grabbed her purse and ran. Before she left, she even blamed me: “It’s not like you had major surgery. Stop being so dramatic.” After dinner, Chloe told me to drive Julian home. “He had a few drinks tonight.” “So did I.” “You only had half a glass of wine.” She looked at me with deep irritation. “Julian has a weak stomach. Why are you comparing yourself to him?” I pulled out my phone and opened Uber. “One car can’t fit four people anyway.” “You guys go ahead.” Chloe looked at me like I was a throwing a childish tantrum. “Ethan, what is wrong with you today?” “Just because you weren’t in a few photos, you’re going to act like this all night?” Julian sighed. “Forget it. I’ll just call a cab.” Leo immediately wrapped his arms around Julian’s leg. “No!” “I want to go with Julian!” Chloe rushed over to soothe the boy. Nobody cared about me. My phone buzzed with an email from HR, asking me to fill out my emergency contact info for the relocation. I stared at the “Emergency Contact” box for a long time. In the past, I always wrote Chloe’s name. But on the day of my endoscopy, the hospital had called her eleven times. She hadn’t picked up once. I deleted her name. I typed in my coworker, Zach. I hesitated for a second before clicking submit.

The next day, Chloe texted me to pick up the graduation albums from the photo studio. The receptionist checked the order and brought out three massive boxes. “Mrs. Miller ordered five family albums, two large canvas prints, and a hundred individual prints.” “The total is $2,200. You just need to settle the remaining balance of $1,800.” The sample photos were laid out on the counter. Chloe, Julian, and Leo were all wearing matching white shirts. The three of them were holding hands on the beach, hugging on the grass, and kissing the boy’s cheeks. If I didn’t know the truth, I would have thought they were the perfect family. I asked the receptionist, “When were these taken?” “Last month,” she said, flipping through her records. “They spent two full days shooting. Mr. Brooks was incredibly cooperative.” Last month. Chloe had told me Leo had a highly contagious flu. She made me stay at a cheap motel so I wouldn’t bring the virus back to the office. I lived in that motel for nine days. Every evening, I drove by the house just to leave fresh fruit, groceries, and medicine on the porch. As it turned out, they weren’t sick at all. They just didn’t want me in their family photos. The receptionist pulled up the digital gallery. Out of two thousand six hundred and forty-one photos, Julian appeared in one thousand and ninety-three of them. I was in exactly seven. Five of them were just my blurry reflection in a mirror. One was of me carrying a heavy refrigerator during our move. The last one was a shot of me crouching down in the rain, changing a flat tire on Julian’s car. The receptionist noticed my pale face and asked quietly, “Sir? Are you still paying?” “No.” “Tell the person who placed the order to pay for it.” Less than three minutes after I walked out of the studio, Chloe called. “Ethan, what the hell is your problem?” “The albums are Leo’s graduation gift! You can’t even spare a little money for your own son?” “You placed the order, Chloe.” “But you’re his dad!” The moment the words left her mouth, the line went dead silent. She probably remembered who the principal had praised as the “good dad” yesterday. I didn’t call her out on it. “Yeah. Anything else?” Her voice softened slightly. “Come home early tonight.” “I made beef stew. Let’s talk.” For seven years, every time she needed me to pay for something or clean up Julian’s mess, she would make beef stew. When I got home that night, the table was set with beef stew covered in cilantro. She always remembered that Julian loved cilantro. She never remembered that even the smell of cilantro made me physically ill. Julian was sitting on our couch. In front of him was a stack of business loan documents. “Ethan, I’m really sorry about this,” Julian said, looking sheepish. “My startup needs to renew its business credit line, and the bank requires a guarantor with a stable, high-income job.” Chloe slid a pen across the table toward me. “It’s only a hundred thousand dollars.” “Julian’s business is doing great. He’ll pay it back in no time.” I looked at the cosigning agreement. “What about the fifty thousand I lent him last year? Has he paid that back?” Chloe’s expression tightened. “Why are you keeping score? We’re family.” “Julian isn’t an outsider.” I looked up at her. “Then who is?” Chloe completely lost her patience. “Ethan. Are you seriously throwing a tantrum just because of what Leo called him yesterday?” “Is it really worth acting like this?” I pushed the contract back. “I’m not signing.” This was the first time in seven years I had ever said no to her. Julian quickly stood up. “Chloe, don’t force Ethan.” “He works hard for his money. It’s only natural that he’s wary of me.” Hearing this, Chloe got even angrier. “Look at him! Even Julian is trying to understand you, and look at how you’re acting!” I stood up and went to the bedroom. Before I closed the door, I heard her whispering to Julian. “Don’t worry.” “He’s just throwing a little fit. He’ll sign it in a couple of days.” I opened the closet. I only took my passport, my work ID, and an old photo of my late mother. Nothing else in this house was worth taking.

With only three days left before my departure, HR asked me to finalize my dependent benefits. The apartment we lived in was a corporate-subsidized unit. Since I was going overseas, my family either had to take over the lease at the full market rate within thirty days or vacate the property. Leo’s premium private health insurance, his preschool tuition subsidy, and Chloe’s parents’ health coverage were all tied to my corporate benefits account. The HR rep asked, “Do you want to keep these active for your dependents?” I remembered when Chloe’s father Robert had heart surgery, and I paid $40,000 out of pocket. When he was discharged, her parents held Julian’s hand and cried. “Julian is such a good boy. He’s been running around helping us, he’s better than a real son.” In reality, Julian had only stopped by once to drop off a basket of apples. I was the one who handled the admission paperwork, booked the top specialists, and paid the bills. “Cancel all of them,” I said. The HR rep looked surprised. “Even for your wife and son?” “Yes. Follow standard procedure.” When I left the office, Chloe sent me a flurry of messages on Snapchat. “Don’t work late tonight.” “Leo wants you to make those garlic parmesan chicken wings he likes.” “By the way, I left Julian’s loan paperwork on your desk.” The last sentence was the only one that mattered. I didn’t reply. When I stepped out of the office building, I saw Chloe’s SUV parked by the curb. It was rare for her to pick me up from work. But Julian was sitting in the passenger seat. Leo was in the back, waving at me through the window. “Hey, Mr. Miller! Get in!” A flash of embarrassment crossed Chloe’s face. “The kid just can’t change his habits overnight.” “Don’t give him a hard time.” I opened the back door. The backseat was piled high with Julian’s suitcases. Chloe quickly explained, “Julian’s landlord suddenly decided to sell the house.” “I told him he could stay with us for a few months.” “Since your home office is usually empty anyway.” That home office was where I slept every night after working until 2 AM so I wouldn’t wake her and the kid. And now, she was giving that away too. “Sure,” I said. I shut the car door. “I’ll go back to the office and pack my things.” She let out a massive sigh of relief. “I knew you wouldn’t be petty about this.” “Oh, by the way, we changed our graduation trip. We’re going to Hawaii instead of the lake house.” “Julian is a great swimmer, so he can watch Leo.” “You’ve been so busy with work anyway, so you don’t have to come.” I looked at them. “When are you leaving?” “The day after tomorrow.” The day after tomorrow was also the day I was leaving for the airport. Chloe paused, as if remembering something else. “Can you transfer me $3,000 for the trip? Things are a bit tight this month.” Julian made a half-hearted attempt to stop her. “No, Chloe, let me pay for it.” Chloe immediately snapped back. “Your company needs every dollar right now.” “Ethan makes a great salary. Three grand is nothing to him.” I nodded slowly. “Got it.” They thought I was agreeing to send the money. In reality, I had finally realized just how far this marriage had devolved into a complete farce. The next morning, the corporate relocation shuttle pulled up to my building. I only had one suitcase. The driver helped me load it into the trunk and asked casually, “No family here to say goodbye?” I checked my phone. Chloe had posted on Instagram at 5 AM. It was a photo of her, Julian, and Leo waiting at the airport gate. The caption read: Our little family of three, off to Hawaii! I locked my phone. It wasn’t that they didn’t know what “family of three” meant. And it wasn’t that they forgot about me. They just truly believed that no matter how many times they threw me away, I would always be waiting right where they left me. The driver shut my door. As the car started to roll, Chloe’s call flashed on my screen. The moment I picked up, she demanded, “Ethan, why hasn’t that $3,000 cleared yet?” “And Julian’s loan documents, he needs them signed today.” “Where the hell are you anyway?”

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Another pair of lace panties fell out of my husband’s pants pocket while I was doing the laundry. Before I could even confront him, he calmly handed me a plastic vase. “Go ahead. Smash it.” It seemed that over our seven years of marriage, he had figured out my entire routine. Whenever I found out he was cheating, I would go crazy, smash things, cry my eyes out, and then continue living with him. So, he had replaced every breakable item in our home with plastic or stainless steel. He thought our marriage was just like those plastic things. No matter how hard I tried, I could never break it. But this time, I calmly put the vase back in its place. “Let’s get a divorce.” Hearing those words, Ethan Hayes froze for a second, and then he laughed. “What? You realized throwing tantrums doesn’t work anymore, so you’re trying a new tactic?” “Who gave you this idea? Your bestie?” He was so sure that I would never leave him. So sure that when I mentioned divorce, he didn’t believe a single word. Seeing my silence, Ethan massaged his temples, stood up lazily, and lit a cigarette. “Fine. When do you want to do it?” In the brightly lit living room, his tall figure leaned against the wall, gradually fading into the rising white smoke. His cold eyes stared blankly at the plastic vase. I hated smoking, so Ethan rarely smoked indoors. I knew he was doing it on purpose. On purpose to provoke me. Maybe he was more used to the way I used to handle his cheating, throwing everything in the house onto the floor in a wild rage. Once I let my anger out, everything seemed to magically go back to normal. For the past seven years, that was how I handled my emotions. And that was how he handled me. But tonight, I suddenly realized that just because a wound looks healed on the surface doesn’t mean the flesh underneath isn’t rotting. My heart was already black and blue, yet I was still trying my best to maintain this marriage that Ethan thought was unbreakable. Was it really worth it? No marriage is unbreakable. I calmly threw the lace panties into the trash can and took all the clothes out of the washing machine. The lipstick stain on Ethan’s white shirt hadn’t even been fully washed out. I clenched my fists, turned to look at him, and said, “Today. Let’s do it today.” For a rare moment, Ethan’s face stiffened. But quickly, he flicked the ash off his cigarette, his voice turning cold. “Fine. Let me change my clothes first.” As he turned around, he didn’t forget to order me. “Make sure you put my clothes in the dryer. You know I can’t stand even a bit of dampness on my shirts.” To him, divorce was as trivial as doing the laundry. He didn’t care at all. Before we could even leave, Ethan took a phone call and had to rush out. He only left me with one sentence. “30 days should be enough for you to cool down, right?” I didn’t say anything. After he left, I dried all the clothes. Then, I packed my own clothes, piece by piece. I turned around and walked out of this “home” forever. Ethan didn’t know that I didn’t need a month. I was perfectly calm right now.

Everyone in our circle knew that I was madly in love with Ethan. Since we were kids, I would cry and scream that I wanted to be his only bride. I even went to our parents, crying and throwing tantrums so they would force him to play with me. When we grew up, I became the most unreasonable “bodyguard” around Ethan. Every love letter sent to him had to go through me first. Later, Ethan fell in love with a girl. But because of my constant presence, she rejected his confession. I still remembered the look on Ethan’s face when he saw her holding hands with another man. He was heartbroken. It was a level of pain I had never seen on his face before. That was also the first time Ethan ever lost his temper with me. I had cautiously approached him, grabbing his arm, trying to comfort him. “Ethan, you still have me. I’ll always be with you.” But he violently shoved my hand away. “Chloe, aren’t you sick of this? Can you stop stalking me?” His shove sent me stumbling backward. The back of my head hit a tree trunk hard, leaving a deep gash that bled profusely. That was the first time I saw Ethan look so terrified. “Chloe! Are you okay? Does it hurt?” I showed him a bloody grin, pulling my hand away from the back of my head, covered in blood. But I still said, “Ethan, don’t worry. I’m fine.” Ethan stared at my bloody hand in horror. I forced a smile. “You… you’re not sad anymore, right?” Ethan froze completely. He gripped my hand tightly, a mix of complex emotions flooding his face. He looked like he wanted to say something. But before he could speak, I fainted. I had a phobia of blood. From that day on, Ethan wasn’t as cold to me as before. He gradually got used to having me follow him around like a little shadow. Later, the Hayes family’s business hit a major crisis. I practically threatened my parents until they agreed to inject nearly ten million dollars in cash to save Ethan’s company. During those dark days, when everyone else avoided the Hayes family like the plague, I was the only one who stayed firmly by his side. Once, to secure a crucial project, Ethan drank until his stomach bled. I stepped in and drank for him. In the VIP lounge, the smell of smoke and alcohol mixed together. Those middle-aged businessmen with beer bellies mocked me. “Miss Miller, if you want to drink for Mr. Hayes, that’s fine. But you have to drink double.” I downed two large glasses of whiskey without blinking. Ethan grabbed my hand. “Don’t.” The whole room burst into laughter. “Miss Miller is indeed a pathetic simp.” “How about this? You don’t have to drink anymore. Just spend the night with us, and I’ll give this project to Mr. Hayes. What do you think?” “Aren’t you willing to do anything for Mr. Hayes?” Before the bald man, Vance, could finish his sentence, Ethan, who had been slouched on the floor, jumped up and punched him square in the nose. One, two, three… I counted carefully. Ethan punched him sixteen times for me! At that moment, Ethan looked like a guardian angel who had come to protect me. Now, I couldn’t really remember all the pathetic things I did when I loved him. But I would always remember those sixteen punches. That night, Ethan and I were taken to the police station together. Squatting in the corner, his face covered in blood, he suddenly said, “Chloe, let’s get married.” Back then, his tone was so certain. Just like now, when he was certain that I would never divorce him. He believed that as long as he asked, I would never say no. And back then, that was the absolute truth.

I went back to my parents’ house. My mom, Sarah, opened the door with sleepy eyes. Seeing me, she was completely shocked. “Chloe? It’s so late. What are you doing here?” I pushed my suitcase through the door and acted spoiled. “Mom, aren’t you happy to see me?” My mom glared at me. “No…” “Ever since you married Ethan, you’ve never spent a single night away from him.” “On my last birthday, I wanted you to stay over so we could chat. But what did you say? You said you had to run back to draw Ethan’s bathwater! You didn’t want him to wait.” “And another time, when Ethan was on a business trip, you accidentally broke your leg. I told you to stay in the hospital, but you insisted on limping back home because you were afraid Ethan would worry if he found out you weren’t there!” “And…” I couldn’t listen anymore and cut her off. “Mom, stop.” My mom rolled her eyes and poked my forehead. “You can’t even listen to it? Have you forgotten how many humiliating things you’ve done over the years?” “You’ve been like a lost puppy since you were a kid, wishing you could be glued to him 24/7!” I squatted down in shame and opened my suitcase. My mom seemed to notice the suitcase just now, her eyes widening in shock. “Don’t tell me you ran away from home?” “Yeah.” I nodded and dropped a bomb casually. “Ethan and I…” “We’re getting a divorce.” My mom froze on the spot, completely speechless. Just as I pulled out my pajamas to change, my mom’s phone rang. It was Ethan. “Sarah? Is something wrong?” Ethan’s voice sounded raspy, with a hint of impatience. My mom quickly said, “Ethan, Chloe is here with me.” My face changed. I jumped up to grab her phone, but she was already rushing to speak. “Did you two have a fight?” “She loves you so much, how could she really want a divorce? Just come over and comfort her, and this will all blow over!” My mom quickly handed me the phone. “Chloe, speak to him.” On the other end of the line, I suddenly heard a soft, satisfied female sigh, followed by the rustling of bedsheets. My heart sank into a freezing abyss. My hand froze in midair, refusing to take the phone. Having shared a bed with Ethan for seven years, I knew exactly what that sound meant. Ethan probably thought I had taken the phone. His voice came through the speaker, arrogant and lazy. “Chloe, did you regret it already?” He let out a low scoff. The speaker was loud enough for his voice to echo in every corner of the villa. “I really underestimated you. You couldn’t even make it through a single night.” “I can’t come right now. I’m on a business trip out of town. Take a cab back yourself.” The sound of a lighter clicked. Ethan was lighting a cigarette. I could easily picture his face right now. He must look extremely smug, looking down on me. When he spoke, it sounded like he was giving me charity. “Wait for me at home quietly. I’ll consider withdrawing the divorce application as soon as I get back.”

Ethan hung up the phone. He didn’t even wait for my response. Under the dim light, my mom quickly turned around, her shoulders shaking violently. Seeing her cry, all my rising anger instantly dissolved. I walked over and hugged her. “Mom, why did you call him?” My mom couldn’t help but sob. She grabbed my arms and spoke with a trembling voice. “I did it for you!” “Every time you have a big fight with him, you’re the one who can’t eat or sleep! You lost so much weight last time. You were so distracted that you got hit by a car and broke your leg!” “The doctor said if you were any luckier, it wouldn’t have been just a broken leg, it could have been…” My mom turned around and hugged me tightly. “Chloe, since you can’t leave Ethan, your father and I had to accept it.” “We just want to find ways to make sure you get hurt less. We wanted to be the glue between you two.” My mom wiped her tears and pushed me toward the door. “Alright, stop throwing a fit and go back.” “Once Ethan gets back from his trip, everything will be fine.” She stood in the corner, her face half-hidden in the shadow. I could clearly see the complicated expressions on her face. The years of enduring Ethan’s coldness on my behalf. The anger she had to suppress. Her frustration with my helplessness. And… her deep love and worry for me. At this moment, I suddenly realized something. In this obsessive love of mine for Ethan, I wasn’t the only one bleeding. My parents, the people who loved me most in the world, were bleeding with me. I was such an idiot. Wasting so many years of my youth on a man who wasn’t worth it. I gripped my mom’s hand tightly and said with absolute certainty, “Mom, I am really divorcing Ethan this time.” I knew my mom didn’t believe me. After all, I had loved Ethan so fiercely for so many years. No one would believe I was letting go so suddenly. But my mom still supported my decision. When I said I wanted to join the family company to learn the business, she had my dad arrange a job for me. But because they were worried I would make a mess, they didn’t put me in the core project team. Instead, they put me in the admin department. I knew I needed time to adjust, so I didn’t complain and quietly settled into my role. In the blink of an eye, ten days passed. Ethan was back from his trip. But the place where we met again was at my father’s company. He had brought his team to negotiate a business deal. I was asked to serve coffee. When I pushed the door open, the first person I saw sitting next to Ethan was her. With red lips, dark hair, and a crescent-moon smile. As she spoke, she leaned so close to Ethan that she was almost in his lap. I would never forget that face, even if it turned to ash. It was Mia Crawford. The girl Ethan almost ended up with. So, the woman who accompanied him on his business trip was her. As I calmly set the coffee cups down, Mia reached out to take one. The hot coffee spilled right onto the back of her hand. She let out a sharp shriek. Ethan violently shoved me aside, the veins on his forehead bulging. “Chloe, are you stalking me?” I gripped the empty tray. “I’m not. You forgot this is my family’s…” Ethan frowned deeply and interrupted me. “Don’t lie to me! The moment I get back, you show up here. If that’s not stalking, what is?” “I already told you, if you just wait for me at home, I’ll withdraw the divorce paper within a month.” “Is there any need to play these cheap tricks?” Looking at Ethan’s self-righteous face, I suddenly felt too exhausted to argue. Letting out a sigh, I shook my head slowly. “Think whatever you want.” I didn’t care about the cozy vibe between them anymore and turned to leave. But Ethan called out to me, “Chloe, stop embarrassing yourself here. Go home.” “I had my assistant send my dirty laundry back. Go home and wash it.” “That’s what you’re supposed to do, and that’s what you’re good at!” In front of everyone in the room, his cold eyes stared at me, leaving me with no dignity whatsoever. Since he didn’t care about my pride, I didn’t need to care about his either. A sarcastic smile crossed my lips. “Ethan, this is my family’s company. I work here. How is that stalking?” “You say I’m good at washing clothes. Then what are you good at? Cheating? Sleeping with your assistant? Flirting with college girls?” Ethan’s eyes widened in disbelief. He pointed a finger at me. “You…” I slapped his hand away. “We are getting divorced. You should let your mistress by your side wash your dirty laundry.”

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My best friend’s illegal pit bull went wild and brutally mauled a passerby. The police officer told us the owner was looking at three years in prison. Seeing Serena about to be handcuffed and taken away, my boyfriend suddenly pushed me forward. “The dog belongs to my girlfriend, Chloe. If you’re going to arrest anyone, arrest her.” I froze, staring at Derek in utter disbelief. He gripped my hand tightly, not even having the courage to look me in the eye. “Serena has a congenital heart condition, Chloe. If she goes to prison for three years, she won’t survive. But you’re different. You’re strong and healthy.” I couldn’t say a single word. My throat was tight with unshed tears. I didn’t tell Derek that my doctor had already given me a terminal diagnosis. I only had three years left to live. In the final second before the police cruiser’s window rolled up, Derek finally looked up at me. “Three years from today, I’ll be waiting right here to propose to you.” One thousand and ninety-five days of agony left me nothing but skin and bones. I dragged my frail, trembling body out of the prison gates. A figure in the distance waved at me. There were no romantic flowers, no applause, and no warm hugs. There was only the howling, freezing wind, and Derek standing there with a little boy clutching his hand, and Serena standing right beside him.

The little boy kept tugging at Derek’s hand, his face twisted in annoyance. “Daddy, you promised we were going to the theme park. I don’t want to be here. When can we leave?” Derek stared straight at me, completely ignoring the complaining child. His eyes were flat and cold, as if he were looking at a complete stranger who had just been released from prison. At that moment, he didn’t say a word, but I understood everything. I pulled my oversized, worn-out coat tighter around myself and took a few staggered steps forward. Just as I got within a yard of Derek, an elderly, silver-haired woman suddenly rushed in front of me. Without warning, she shoved me hard, her shrill curses raining down on me like the freezing snow. “You bitch! I’ve finally waited until the day you got out! Look at what you did to my grandson!” “He can never live a normal life because of you! Even if you rot in hell forever, it won’t make up for what you did!” I remembered her. She was Mrs. Higgins, the grandmother of the boy who was attacked. Three years ago, Serena was walking her banned pit bull in the neighborhood without a leash. The dog suddenly lost control and pounced on the little boy playing by the curb. I had no idea it would be so severe. At that time, Serena completely panicked and hid behind Derek. When the police arrived, Derek calmly answered their questions. But when asked who registered the dog, Derek pointed at me without a single second of hesitation. At that moment, I began to doubt if Derek had ever loved me during our five years together. My mind was filled with nothing but shock and despair. Before I could even process what was happening, Mrs. Higgins grabbed my hair and slammed me to the ground. I didn’t fight back, nor did I explain. I just lay there quietly, listening to Derek talking to the police, claiming I was the owner. Even when the handcuffs were put on me, I didn’t tell Derek about my terminal illness. My mind was trapped in the moment his finger pointed at me, lost in disbelief, lost in total heartbreak. I kept quiet because I didn’t want him to grieve for me. But looking at him now, my worries were nothing but a joke. I had foolishly clung to a shred of hope, fantasizing that there would actually be a romantic proposal waiting for me when I got out. But seeing the child in Derek’s hand, and Serena’s visibly swollen belly, I realized just how incredibly naive I had been for the past three years. My mind snapped back to the cold reality. Derek stood there, watching me with the same cold indifference he had three years ago. I clenched my teeth, my lips trembling as I finally spoke. “That dog wasn’t mine. It was hers.” I pointed my finger directly at Serena. Her eyes widened in shock. Feigning distress, she quickly covered her lower abdomen with her hands, looking like she was about to faint. “Chloe, what are you talking about? That dog was yours.” “I know you suffered in there for three years, but you can’t just project your anger onto me. What did I do wrong?” I let out a weak sigh, staring at her perfectly tearful eyes. “When did you and Derek get together? Before I went to prison, or after?” Serena clearly didn’t expect me to ask this. She glanced at Derek beside her, then quickly looked away. “Chloe, do you really want me to expose you in front of all these people?” “You know exactly who the third wheel is. Derek and I were childhood sweethearts. It’s only natural for us to get married and have children.” From the moment they framed me for the dog attack, I should have known how easily Serena could twist the truth. To make sure the onlookers believed her, Serena gently tugged at Derek’s sleeve. “Tell everyone, Derek. Hasn’t Chloe always been obsessed with you?” I stared intently at Derek, watching his eyes flicker with guilt. If he had shook his head, if he had even hesitated, I might have believed he still held a shred of affection for me. “Yes. She was just someone who pursued me. And the dog belonged to her,” Derek said loudly, his voice echoing in the chilly air. My mouth opened, but I couldn’t make a sound. The crowd’s insults grew harsher. They called me shameless, saying I deserved to be beaten to death just like that dog. My weak body couldn’t hold up anymore. I collapsed onto my knees in the snow. Serena rushed over to me, grabbing my wrist tightly, pretending to help me up. She leaned in close, her warm breath brushing against my ear. “You really have a tough life, Chloe. I thought you would’ve died in that cell.” “Why are you still alive?”

Derek’s voice woke me from my nightmare. When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital bed. Derek was wiping the cold sweat from my forehead with a towel. For once, I saw a trace of genuine guilt in his eyes. “Chloe… I can explain about the kid.” “After you went to prison, Serena cried every single day, saying she ruined your life. The doctor said her heart couldn’t take the stress. I had to stay with her day and night to keep her from doing something reckless.” “One night, I got drunk… and things happened. That’s how we had Adam.” Derek sounded incredibly defensive, but I listened quietly. I was no longer a naive girl who would fall for such a ridiculous excuse. I pushed his hand away and turned my head to look at him. “And the one in her belly right now? Was that another ‘accident’?” Derek rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Adam kept asking for a little sister, so…” I let out a dry, bitter laugh. “Derek, do you even believe your own words?” He suddenly stood up, his gaze turning intense. “Chloe, I promise you, once Serena gives birth, I will cut all ties with her.” “I will marry you. I will fulfill the promise I made three years ago.” “Please believe me, this is just temporary.” “Three years ago, I didn’t mean to push you to take the fall. And today, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to help you. It’s just that Serena is too fragile to handle any shock. But you’re different, Chloe. You’re strong. Words can’t hurt you.” I would never believe him again, nor did I have the time to. Three years ago, Derek pushed me into prison without hesitation. Three years later, he would do the same. In Derek’s heart, Serena was the irreplaceable one. They were the childhood sweethearts, and I was just the outsider who interrupted their story. The hospital door pushed open, and Serena walked in with a sweet smile on her face. “The doctor said Chloe is just severely malnourished. She’s fine.” While I was unconscious, I had already heard what the doctor whispered to my brother. I had ten days left at most. I didn’t bother to expose Serena’s lie. I just stared quietly out the window. Derek let out a long sigh of relief. “I knew it. Chloe’s body is made of steel. She could easily do another ten years in there.” When I was discharged, the doctor prescribed a mountain of medication. While Derek went to get the car from the garage, Serena grabbed the bags of medicine and threw them straight into the trash can. “Chloe, let’s not waste time with these pills. They won’t save you anyway.” “I’ll discard them for you.” “Stop dreaming about Derek coming back to you. We already have two kids together.” “Don’t worry. Once you die, I’ll buy you a decent grave.”

Three years had changed everything. When I returned to the apartment I used to share with Derek, I couldn’t find a single trace of myself. In the hallway, I opened the shoe cabinet out of habit, only to find it packed with Serena’s high heels and children’s sneakers. And on the living room wall, my large framed art portrait had been replaced by a happy family photo of Derek, Serena, and Adam. The suffocating atmosphere made it hard for me to breathe. I leaned against the wall, slowly walking toward the master bedroom. But Serena suddenly stopped me. “Oh, Chloe, I’m so sorry, but you’ll have to sleep in the guest room. I’m pregnant, and the small bed in the guest room isn’t comfortable for me.” I turned around to look at Serena and Derek standing by the door. They looked so perfect together, their features even holding a strange resemblance. Derek gently helped Serena onto the sofa, then walked over to open the guest room door for me. “It’s just a room, Chloe. It doesn’t matter where you sleep.” “Just bear with it for a little while. Once Serena gives birth, you can move back to the master bedroom.” In the final days of my life, I didn’t care about any of this anymore. I rubbed my aching chest and looked up at him. “Derek, can we really go back to the way things were?” He froze. How could we ever go back? He and Serena already had a child, a lifelong bond that couldn’t be erased by a simple breakup. “I told you, I will marry you,” Derek muttered. “I already explained about Serena. We are only suited to be friends, not partners. If I wanted to marry her, I would have done it before I met you.” I cut him off. “Derek, marrying me is just a burden of a promise you feel obligated to keep. You don’t have to force yourself.” “If you truly loved me, you wouldn’t have kept me hidden for five years without giving me a ring. You wouldn’t have sent me to prison three years ago. And you definitely wouldn’t have gotten Serena pregnant over and over again while I was locked away.” “I can overlook your coldness, your lack of care about how I survived the last three years, or my failing health. But I cannot overlook your blatant betrayal.” “That is cheating, Derek. Not ‘taking care of a friend,’ and definitely not an ‘accident.’” By the time I finished speaking, I was barely standing. A sharp, violent pain stabbed my chest. I fought hard to swallow the metallic taste of blood rising in my throat. Derek kept trying to explain behind me, but I tuned him out. I went into the guest room, desperate to find anything from my past. After searching for a long time, I finally found a dusty wooden box, the only keepsake my late mother had left me. But when I opened it, the emerald bracelet inside was gone. Serena’s voice came from the doorway. “Are you looking for that green bracelet, Chloe? Don’t bother. My son dropped it and shattered it a long time ago.” I stared at the empty box. Tears finally broke through my defenses, streaming down my face. That was the only piece of my mother I had left, and now it was gone. That night, Serena insisted on having a heavy, greasy steakhouse dinner. I knew she did it on purpose, knowing my stomach couldn’t handle rich food anymore. Derek cut a piece of prime rib, put it on my plate, and poured me a glass of red wine, urging me to eat more. But just looking at the grease made my stomach turn. Through the steam of the hot food, Serena looked at me with a fake, sweet smile. “Oh, I forgot. Prison food must have been so simple. You’ll just have to deal with this for tonight, Chloe.” “Eat up. If you don’t eat now, I’m afraid you might never get the chance to eat such good food again.” I stared at the glistening steak on my plate. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I lunged toward the trash can and threw up violently. Serena looked into the trash can. Shock flashed across her face, followed by a mocking smirk. “Chloe, I didn’t see you drink any wine. How did you throw up so much red liquid?” Derek didn’t notice anything wrong. He shrugged. “She must have snuck a sip when we weren’t looking.” I had only come back to get my mother’s keepsake. And now, I had nothing left to hold onto. I leaned against the table, my eyes watery from the intense acid reflux. “Derek, let’s break up.” He froze completely. “Chloe, what is wrong with you? Why are you throwing a tantrum out of nowhere?” “I’ve been so patient with you. I explained everything. Why can’t you just bear with it a little longer?” Seeing the tension, Serena quickly put on a pitiful, victimized look. “I’m so sorry, Chloe. This is all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have gone to prison. I’ll leave right now. I won’t ruin your life with Derek anymore.” “Please, don’t fight with him.” With that, Serena ran to the kid’s room, grabbed Adam, and rushed out the front door. The door slammed shut with a loud bang. Derek glared at me with pure hatred before running out after her.

It was two days later when Derek finally returned. I was in the middle of packing my few belongings. However, seeing another man in the apartment made Derek blow up instantly. He stormed over and grabbed Luke by his collar. “Who the hell are you? What are you doing in my apartment?” “What’s your relationship with Chloe?” Luke grit his teeth and shoved Derek back with force. “My relationship with Chloe is none of your business!” I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. I had been with Derek for five years. I had asked him countless times to meet my family. But he always had excuses, corporate meetings, business trips, or taking Serena for her medical checkups. As a result, he didn’t even recognize my own younger brother. Hearing that I was released, Luke had booked a flight to see me immediately. When he found out about Derek’s betrayal, he was livid. But I still didn’t tell him that I had spent the last three years taking the blame for someone else. Derek turned his furious gaze back to me. “Chloe, you’re sleeping around, aren’t you?” I kept my head down, folding my coat. “I should be asking you that question.” Derek punched the wall, his eyes narrowing into cold slits. “How many times do I have to tell you? Serena and I are just friends! We aren’t compatible!” I didn’t get angry. I just looked up calmly. “I’ve never heard of ‘just friends’ sleeping together and raising multiple kids.” Seeing Derek’s rage escalate, Luke clenched his fists, reaching into my bag to pull out my medical reports. “Derek, do you have any idea how sick Chloe is…” Before Luke could finish, the front door swung open. Serena stood there, clutching her stomach, her face pale with pain. “Derek… my stomach hurts so bad. Please, take me to the hospital…” …… Luke took me back to Seattle. I visited my mother’s grave, and then we went to the beach, a place I had always wanted to see one last time. By the time Derek tracked Luke down, Luke was just walking out of the local police station. “Where is Chloe? I need to speak with her.” Luke looked exhausted, his voice devoid of any energy. “What do you want? Tell me directly.” Derek’s tone was filled with icy disgust. “Serena almost had a miscarriage. The doctor said she took abortion pills.” “She said Chloe slipped something into her water cup. I need to ask Chloe face-to-face why she did something so sick.” Luke remained calm, asking quietly, “When did Serena say she saw Chloe do it?” Derek thought for a moment and said confidently, “Two days ago, in the afternoon.” “She has nothing to deny.” Luke suddenly let out a broken laugh, tears streaming down his face. “But Chloe was buried three days ago.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “460884”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster